Azyl Academy (Elemental Gatherers Book 1)

by Chris Vines

  I turned to Jon, “Well, do you want to try to make a simple powder or the better one? I know I’d rather do the harder one first.”

  “Sure, let’s try it one time, then see what happens.” Jon replied, and we pulled out all the ingredients. The Goldenflame Lily was a gorgeous red-gold color, the Lilac a deep blue, the Groundvine a green flower, and the Lotus a bright yellow. We laid the pieces down next to each other, trying to gauge how much to cut.

  “Hold on, remember what Counselor Sila had us do for opening meridians? Pull the Aether in your Life meridian into your eyes.” I said, and pulled Aether from my senses meridian into the center of my eyes. The world partially transformed, and I was able to vaguely see Aether all around. Looking down, I saw that the Lily and the Lilac had denser Aether. “We need to use more of the Groundvine and Lotus, they have less Aether.” I told Jon.

  “I still can’t see Aether in objects. I can see the glow of Aether around them, but not in detail, and I can’t see it around gatherers. I’ll trust your eyes then.” He replied to me. I cut the Lily and Groundvine to have close to the same amount of Aether and had he cut matching pieces from the Lilac and Lotus respectively. After cutting three portions, we had just enough Lilac and Lily to make a fourth batch of just those two.

  “Okay, we’ve got the ingredients cut; now we need to boil a portion in the pot, grind it up, and dry it out. Now, how do we get this brazier lit?” I said, looking over it.

  “Place your hands here,” Mentor Sonde said as he walked up, gesturing to two sides of the brazier where a small circle of copper was inset into it, “and inject Aether into it. The brazier will use the Aether to create flame and heat up the water. When brewing potions and making pills temperature control is very important, so alchemists use Aether made flames as they are easier to control.”

  “Thank you Mentor.” I said and placed the ingredients and water into the bowl. Pushing Aether into my arm meridians and through my hands caused a flame to appear in the brazier just below the bowl. The flame covered the entire bottom, and I felt the heat begin to radiate. The water began to boil surprisingly fast, and ten minutes later the ingredients were fully cooked. Jon reached out with some tongs he had found in the cabinet and pulled the sodden ingredients out of the water into the mortar.

  I looked in the cabinet and found some gloves for moving the bowl. As Jon started to smash the ingredients together, I took the bowl to a basin at the side of the room and washed it, as I saw several other groups do. When finished, I dried it off and walked back to the table. Jon scraped a paste out of the mortar into the bowl when I set it down and heated it up, handing me a rod to stir with as the mixture dried. Five minutes later, the mixture ran out of moisture and turned into a powder. I picked up the bowl and Jon scraped the powder into a glass jar.

  Seeing we were finished, Counselor Sila came over and inspected our work. “Not bad. A little too much of the Lotus and Lily, but not enough to ruin it. This will improve gathering speed slightly. You can do better on the next one. Try again.” So we did. The next one was better, with the final one having a good balance. Lastly, we made the simple powder with the final two ingredients. I told Jon to keep the last two Complete powders, while I took the first Complete powder and the Simple powder. He tried to protest but I told him that he had to keep up with me.

  As everyone finished, Counselor Sila explained that the best use of the powder was to mix it into a drink. “It will taste fairly foul, so a strong tasting drink is recommended to cover it up. Make sure to clean up your area and utensils before you leave, and dispose of the failures by dumping them in the area around the Meditation Grotto where you gather. The failures still make a decent fertilizer. Good job on making a simple powder today,” he said as he stood and dismissed us. After cleaning up, I went to speak to Counselor Sila.

  “Sir, will this react with the Meridian Cleanser?” I asked.

  “You can take them both. Take the Cleanser first and finish processing it, then take the Gathering Powder. That will give the best results. Also, don’t open any meridians until cleared by Counselor Sojka.” Counselor Sila answered me.

  “Yes sir, thank you.” I said, bowed, and left to get to PT. Jon was waiting at the entrance and gave me a questioning look. “Just had to make sure I could take this and the pills he gave me when I opened too many meridians. Let’s get to PT, have dinner, and try these powders out!” I responded to his unspoken question.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  PT passed quickly, with the majority of people upgrading to the advanced level on the basics of their weapon. We also had to run twice as far since Counselor Might knew we had practiced running with Aether this morning. I didn’t quite manage to advance, having missed a day. Tomorrow you’ll advance to the next stage, and learn how to use Aether with your weapon, I promised myself.

  Dinner also passed quickly, with everyone scarfing down their food and getting a glass of something strong tasting, usually juice, to slug down their powders. I filled a water skin up with juice to take later. I was going to take the Meridian Cleanser first.

  After dinner, I bid goodbye to Jon and Brett and headed back to the dorm. When I got to my room, I took my Meridian Cleanser pill, and watched again as the swirl of energy released moved through my damaged meridians. Looking closely I was able to see the small amount of gunk pulled from my body. The Aether wave deposited the impurities in my intestines again, letting my body’s waste removal system do its job. After finishing up, I jogged down the stairs again and headed out into the Grotto.

  This evening, I took my time and focused on finding a great spot. I pulled Aether into my senses and focused on what I could see and feel. I followed Lighting Aether in the air to a pavilion where it congregated. Somewhat surprisingly, it was the same pavilion, only I now recognized the flowers as Shocking Lotus and Goldenflame Lilies, along with others I didn’t know but that glowed with Lightning, Air, and Fire Aether.

  “Well, I guess what I have been calling my pavilion is the best place, at least for Lightning, Air, and Fire. There isn’t much Metal or Earth here, but I guess that it will be hard to find someplace with all five of my Affinities. I should spend some time tomorrow looking for a Metal and Earth Affinity area and gather there in the morning. Time to take the powder.” I mused to myself. I pulled my juice skin out and poured some into a cup I had brought with me. Pouring the Complete Flower Gathering powder into the cup, I mixed it with my fingers because I didn’t have anything to stir with.

  After a few seconds, the powder had been entirely absorbed into the juice, and I chugged it down. It took every ounce of my willpower not to spit it back out. Augh, that was disgusting! I can’t even begin to describe how revolting that stuff tasted. However, the second it hit my stomach, my body absorbed it into my meridians. It flowed up the stomach meridian to my center, where it suffused the area with a golden radiance. I immediately started to gather in the Aether around me, and I could feel the difference. A small amount! I thought incredulously. I estimated that the powder had increased my gathering speed by nearly thirty percent!

  The effect only lasted a half hour, but that was enough to have me pressing against the boundary from High Vapor to Low Mist. I stopped gathering when I hit the bottleneck since I didn’t want to advance until I had opened the last two meridians. I took the opportunity that the extra time provided to work through my weapon forms again, spending another half hour to make sure I had them down perfectly. Once completed, I still had about half an hour until reading tutoring, so I decided to explore. Though before I left I put a couple of pieces of fruit I’d grabbed from the Dining Hall on the branch the Zarorzel had been watching me from earlier. After about five minutes, near the southern edge of the Grotto, I found an area with benches made of iron ore, completely full of both Metal and Earth Aether, with some Fire Aether flowers and plants around such as the Goldenflame Lilies.

  “Those benches are great! I wonder how someone made those.” The benches I was looking at transitioned s
eamlessly from rock to metal and back, with intricate swirls and runic shapes made of metal in the rock. One bench was shaped like a lion, while another like a Chinese dragon, long and skinny. It felt like the benches might come to life at any point. While I didn’t feel as large a sense of belonging here as the other pavilion, I knew I could gather here and have great results. “I’ll come back tomorrow.” I said, patting the lion’s head before I turned and jogged back to the dorms to meet up with Jamila.

  When I got back to the dorm building, I saw Jamila already waiting in the lounge with a different book. As I walked up, she said, “Good evening. The instructor told me to work through a book of my choice. I grabbed this because I thought you would appreciate it.” She held up a book titled “Elemental Birds” which had a Crimson Zarorzel on the front. “You seemed to be really interested in the Zarorzel.”

  “Thanks.” I said, and sat down next to her. She began to work through the book. The first chapter described a Crimson Zarorzel. They are omnivores that usually eat several types of Fire and Lightning Affinity fruits and any small animals they can catch. The average level of an adult Crimson Zarorzel was five, with the strongest recorded at a level nine. Level nine! That’s almost a Primordial Beast! There were only a few recorded instances of gatherers able to soul bond with a Crimson Zarorzel, as they required very high Affinity in three elements to join with someone, and they were very picky about partners. Those who did recorded increases in both Fire and Lightning Affinities. The Lightning Affinity is assumed to be the reason that the Zarorzels are fast, as they have not been recorded as using Lightning based attacks. “Wow, they can shoot fireballs!? That’s awesome!”

  “They can also cast a fire blast that knocks adjacent enemies away.” Jamila finished the sentence, stumbling a little on adjacent. We continued to read, learning a bit about the Lightning Finch, the Bluewhite Swan, and a Vine Swallow. Elemental Birds came in a variety of Affinities, with various abilities to defend themselves. The Lightning Finch could turn into a bolt of lightning, traveling vast distances nearly instantaneously to escape from harm, while the Vine Swallow sets up traps with its ability to manipulate non-Elemental plants around it. Most of the Birds, and most Beasts for that matter, were around level two or three.

  By the time we finished the book, every other student had left the lounge. I realized that we were sitting touching shoulders all alone and nearly jumped away in embarrassment. My actions got a wry look from Jamila, who shook her head in amusement. “Um, it’s getting pretty late. You are getting really good at reading; do you still need to meet up again tomorrow?” I said awkwardly.

  “Yes please. I really enjoy having someone help as I complete the reading for class. Also, I owe you a walk around the Grotto. Meet me at the door to the classrooms after morning class?” She responded.

  “Okay. Have a great night!” I said. She gave me a wave and a smile before heading towards her room. I went up and took a quick shower before going to bed.

  The next morning I examined my center before getting up. Good! I can’t see any damage left. Hopefully I’ll get cleared to open the last two meridians today, especially as I am really close to the boundary for Mist. We’re not supposed to advance until after all the meridians are open, to get the full benefit for advancing. It’s Air day, so blacksmithing is the class of the day. Air Affinity foods will be good! I hurriedly dressed and went to grab food.

  This morning was eggs again because Elemental Fowl were prevalent and easy to raise with specific Affinities, along with oatmeal that was made from Windspirit Grain and Williwaw Tree fruits, which looked like a mix of a grape and a kiwi. After getting a large bowl of both foods, I looked around and saw Jamila sitting with Bridget, Bet, and Yu Keai, another young woman from her class.

  As I looked over, they all laughed at something Bridget had said, and Bridget saw me looking. She nudged Jamila with her elbow and made a comment that I couldn’t hear, but it made her blush while the other two giggled. That almost made me turn away, but I decided to go eat breakfast with them anyway. I will not be driven off by embarrassment, no matter what puberty says. “Good morning.” I said as I sat down next to Jamila at the end of the table.

  “It is,” was Bet’s reply, giving me a sly grin. “Did you know that the Academy prevents students from being engaged until they complete their first tier?”

  “No, I didn’t.” I replied, “Why do you ask?”

  “Just wondering,” she said. “It is common for many noble families to find those with strong talents, such as you or Jamila, and attempt to tie them to their Clan via marriage. To prevent excessive pressure on the young commoners and their families, Headmaster Glav has prohibited first tiers from making any type of engagement promise, or other life-long agreements. Usually, after the first tier is complete, they are capable of making better decisions for their lives. Choosing to marry into a Clan carries a host of benefits,” Bet explained after a pause.

  “Of course, that doesn’t prevent talks from starting earlier, just that no decisions can be made before then,” Bridget added. “My father wrote to me saying he’d had inquiries into my marriage status already, and it’s been less than a week!”

  “Wow. Does this only happen to young women?” I asked Bet.

  “No. Though I doubt you’ll hear anything for a while. Your talent levels are too high, so most of the small Clans won’t even try. The four main Clans usually want to watch someone for a little while before they approach. I would expect you will get approached sometime after the first three to four months.” Bet answered me, with a slight frown that I barely noticed.

  “She doesn’t want to say that her father will probably offer her to you in marriage if you grow fast enough,” Keai injected right after with a laugh.

  “Ummm,” I blushed and caught her kick Keai under the table.

  “Yes, that is a possibility. My marriage, as heir, is something that will most likely go to someone like you, a highly talented commoner, rather than another Clan. My sister will probably have to marry the son of a minor Clan or merchant house to cement a business or economic relationship.” Bet responded mostly emotionlessly, though I could hear some slight anger to it.

  “I hope you get some say in your marriage.” I told her.

  “We usually will at least get to refuse if we absolutely cannot get along with the person. Every child of a Clan faces the same prospect, though, since we must do what is best for the Clan over ourselves,” she said.

  “Yeah, my dad wrote that he would leave the final decision to me, at least,” Bridget added.

  “So I shouldn’t write your dad?” Jon asked as he sat down next to me. Bridget just glared at him in response. “Wait, how did you get onto the topic of marriage?”

  “Volkov Bet asked if I knew that we were prohibited from becoming engaged or getting married this first year,” I told him. He looked at me, then at Bet. Bet shrugged her shoulders at him. I looked away for a second, waving to Brett who had just came in, when I heard Jon go “Ah, I get it.” I looked back at him quizzically. He just laughed and shook his head. I shrugged and we all ate.

  The food was delicious, and the Aether in this meal surged into me. After the first serving I felt bloated, only to realize that feeling was in my center as the Aether pushed against the boundary towards the Mist level. Crap, not supposed to level yet, need to hold until I can open my last two meridians. I hurriedly excused myself from the table and went to find Counselor Stojka.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  I went towards the classrooms because she had said she would find me, and saw her coming over. “Ma’am,” I called to her, “am I able to open some more meridians? I’m on the verge of moving to Mist unless I can lower the pressure,” I babbled quickly. She hurried over, grabbed my arm, and sent a wave of Aether. The Aether she inserted pushed a little on mine, and I felt like my brain was going to cramp in resisting advancing.

  “You are fine to open some more. How many more do you have?” She asked.

&nbs
p; “Four more. I’ve got a brain meridian, a skin meridian, the rib cage, and my kidney and bladder meridian. Any advice?” I asked.

  “Open the brain meridian, it is always useful. Hmm, open the kidney bladder meridian as well, then head back to breakfast and eat more. I will meet you after your first class and check your nutrient levels. If sufficient, this afternoon you can open the rib cage meridian. If not, wait until tomorrow morning for the rib cage. Wait a full day after that to open the skin. It requires significant nutrients so you will need to fill back up. Good, now shoo.” She said, waving me away. I thanked her and jogged into the Grotto, sitting down on the first bench I found.