Azyl Academy (Elemental Gatherers Book 1)

by Chris Vines

  After hanging out at the Pagoda for half an hour or so, I said goodbye and left. I went to my pavilion in the Grotto and took an Enhanced Flower Gathering powder dose. I had not sold two doses so I could use them, pushing myself as fast as I could. About thirty minutes into gathering, I felt a strange sense of foreboding. I continued my motions, moving through the Eight by Eight Gathering forms, but I stopped gathering. I started channeling Aether through my senses meridian and running the Iron Bones, Granite Skin technique.

  A flash of motion off to my side had me diving forward, just fast enough to miss a throwing knife. The knife embedded itself in the wood of the pavilion almost to the handle. The impact was strangely muffled, like it was behind a couple walls or something. That’s what set off my danger sense, the Grotto got quieter. I whipped my head around to the direction that the knife came from, but I didn’t see anything.

  I pushed more Aether into my senses, nearly overloading my ability to deal with the incoming data. The muffled sound enchantment helped. I went to draw my trisula when I realized they were on the bench I had just dove away from. As I did, a black shadow stepped out of the forest next to the bench. Since when are there ninjas here? I thought, seeing my opponent was wrapped in black cloth all over.

  “You have excellent reflexes. You would have been a great talent at some point. Too bad you pissed off the wrong people. Stand still and I’ll make this quick.”

  “Screw off, assassin.” I shouted back at him. I cycled both movement techniques as I had done in the Training Pavilion and charged at him. My speed must have surprised him, as I managed to get close enough to punch at him before he reacted. Punching his chest felt like hitting a wall, though it did knock him back a step.

  I tried to continue the attack when he recovered and slammed his fist into my face. I staggered back, shaking my head to clear it, then jumped backwards to dodge a knife slash. The slash turned into another thrown knife, and I managed to dodge it enough to get a cut, rather than impaled. The knife barely cut into me, courtesy of my defense technique and strengthened skin. Maybe I can win this, I thought and charged again.

  I blocked a slash with my left forearm, turning it into a grazing injury, and got inside his guard. I used the Four Twin Lightning Stabs technique with just my fists, and nailed him backward into a tree. He grunted in pain, then kicked me away from him. With my sight still enhanced with Aether, I saw him engage a technique and he blurred with speed. A blow to my gut was followed by one to the face, and I was flipping through the air.

  Another thrown knife went into the meat of my left bicep, and I was down an arm. I pulled the knife out and threw it back at him, but he just laughed as he caught it. I used a small amount of Aether to stop the blood loss, but I couldn’t heal the wound in any reasonable amount of time. He blurred at me again, but this time I was ready.

  I pushed as much Aether as I could into my combined movement technique and into the general body enhancement technique we had learned. This combined with my senses enhancement let me keep up, ducking under an attempted throat slash. A gut punch forced him to bend as air left his lungs, and then I tried something else new.

  I formed an Aether Blast on my fist, and slammed it into his head with an uppercut. A flash of light and he went flying through the air. The backlash, though, shattered most of the bones in my hand. I staggered towards where he landed, hoping to find information as to who hired him on him, when he got up. Well, crap, I thought. I could see his face now, he was average in almost every way. Normal, the kind of person you wouldn’t look twice at. His eyes were bloodshot and his nose and lip were bleeding.

  “Congratulations, I haven’t been injured by a target in years. Just because of this, your death will be painful,” the man said, rage evident in his voice. A blur and then a knife was sticking out of my left thigh. I collapsed to my knees, and then a backhand sent me to my back. A sadistic grin on his face as he stood over me, he lifted his knife and slowly lowered it towards me. Well, I died once already, what’s one more time? I thought, trying to hold back the gibbering terror as he went to end me.

  A look of surprise flashed over his face, then he was blown away. I picked my head up and saw a flash of orange light as he turned into a pillar of flame. The heat was enough to singe my skin, even twenty feet away. How, what? I couldn’t form complete thoughts until I saw the Crimson Zarorzel swoop around the flame pillar, which increased in size. I dragged myself, crawling away from the fire, when the noises of the Grotto suddenly returned. Shouting could be heard from all around, voices screaming “Fire” or “What is that?”

  Not a minute later I heard a yell of “Aiden!?” followed by a rush of Aether entering me. The healing was weak, but Jamila had only just started learning. The healing cleared my head enough to think, and I had her help me to a seated position. “My bag, over there, has some healing powder in it. Can you get it please?” I asked, still woozy. She rushed over and grabbed the pack, brought it back over, and handed it to me. I gritted my teeth and pulled the knife out of my thigh before liberally sprinkling the powder over it.

  “What happened?” She asked, worry streaking her voice.

  “I was attacked, the Zarorzel saved me. Explain more detail later,” I said, really not wanting to explain while my jaw felt shattered. More and more students arrived over the next minute, until a boom announced the arrival of the Headmaster. With a gesture, the fire pillar was dispelled.

  “Aiden, what happened here?” Headmaster Glav asked, fury registering in her voice. I had just explained what happened when Counselor Stojka arrived and helped the rest of my injuries close up. The deep puncture wounds closed somewhat, but not all the way. “So you have no idea who it was or why?” the Headmaster asked when I finished.

  “I have a suspicion who hired the assassin, but no proof ma’am. And any possible evidence burned with the body. I won’t complain, though, as if the Zarorzel hadn’t saved me…” I trailed off. I looked up and saw the Zarorzel looking down at me. I smiled at it, and it nodded to me in a strangely human way.

  “He says you give good treats and you friend. Save friend. Defend forest, defend students.” Counselor Taiga said, walking up. “Good job on befriending a level five Elemental Beast. Especially a Zarorzel, they are notoriously difficult to get to trust gatherers. Not that either one of you is ready for a soul bond.”

  “Is he able to walk?” Headmaster Glav asked. When Counselor Stojka said yes, she helped me up. Counselor Stojka handed me a pill and told me to take it when I got back to my room. It would help numb the pain and let me sleep. The Headmaster than escorted me back to my room, dismissing all my friends and classmates. When we reached my room, I felt a pulse of Aether come from her, then a bubble was formed over the door and windows.

  “I am sorry that you were attacked at my school. I will be looking into this, and whoever is responsible will pay for this insult to the school and me. You will be watched more closely from now on, to prevent a repeat of this, though you should also work on getting stronger faster. You won’t be able to rely on external factors saving you every time you get attacked. You did well against the assassin, but if he hadn’t wanted to toy with you, you would be dead. Now, take the pill and sleep.” Headmaster Glav watched me until I took the pill.

  She left and I got undressed, feeling extremely tired. Wow, this stuff was better than Benadryl. There’s no proof it was Nicky, but I know it was him. This place isn’t the safe haven I thought it was. But I won’t let him drive me out of here. This is my home now, and I will fight for it.

  END OF BOOK 1

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Thank you for joining me in following Aiden’s journey. We’re just at the beginning here, with many more books to come. For more news and information about the book, other books I’m working on, or just to point out all the mistakes I made, join me on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/authorchrisvines/. I’d love to hear from you.

  If you liked the magic system, it was based somewhat on mo
dern Wuxia and Xianxia books. To find more novels like this, but usually better written, check out the Western Cultivation Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WesternWuxia/, and definitely read Will Wight’s Cradle series.

  If the application of levels to the magic system tickled your fancy, but you wish there were more hard numbers, look no further than the GameLit Society group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/.

  Especially check out Siphon by Jay Boyce, who did the portal fantasy into a magic school much better than I did.

  Thanks for sticking with me, and I’ll see you again when Aiden returns for Elemental Gatherers Book Two: Chaos Rising.

  DRAMATIS PERSONAE

  Students of Azyl Academy

  Kupiec Aiden – The Main Character and Chosen of Darkness

  Noptep Jonathan – Aiden’s best friend

  Lo Xiao – Younger son of the Lo Clan Head

  Lo Ming – Elder son of the Lo Clan Head, heir to Lo Clan

  Haodha Nicolai – Only son of Haodha Clan Head, extreme jerk

  Haodha Anberlin – Daughter of Haodha Clan elder, cousin of Nicolai

  Builder Thomas – Minor noble, flunky of Nicolai

  Demos Stephan – Son of a city official, flunky of Nicolai

  Pederson Elric – Son of a merchant family affiliated with the Haodha, flunky of Nicolai

  Volkov Bet – Elder daughter of Volkov Clan Head, heir to Volkov Clan

  Volkov Vaya – younger daughter of Volkov Clan Head

  Naanva Jamila – daughter of a baker, very high talent

  Travail Louis – son of laborer family that work for the Nopteps’

  Skipari Maove – daughter of merchant

  Weber Lea – minor noble

  Falconer Bridget – daughter of a Beast hunter clan

  Pescador Philippe – son of laborer family

  Hill Lucas – minor noble

  Hunter Brett – son of a Beast hunter clan

  Faculty of Azyl Academy

  Headmaster Glav – Headmaster of Azyl Academy, strongest person in Azyl City

  Counselor Sila – teaches Gathering and Channeling, Alchemy, and Herbology

  Mentor Gutierrez – fourth tier that assists with Gathering and Channeling

  Mentor Lo – fourth tier that assists with Gathering and Channeling

  Mentor Granjer – third tier that assists with Alchemy and Herbology

  Mentor Bonde – fourth tier that assists with Alchemy and Herbology

  Counselor Might – teaches Physical Training and Basic Combatives

  Mentor Jameson – Fourth tier that assists PT, teaches dual weapon wielding

  Counselor Kowalski – Teaches Gathering and Channeling and Blacksmithing

  Mentor Kowalski – Third tier that assists with Blacksmithing, nephew to Counselor Kowalski

  Mentor Hodowca – Fourth tier that assists with Blacksmithing

  Librarian Narwan – Head Librarian, extremely eccentric

  Counselor Whynn – Teaches Gathering and Channeling and Inscription

  Poko Karl – Servant in dining hall

  Counselor Chokhmah – Teaches Martial Arts to upper tiers,

  Counselor Stojka – Teaches Gathering and Channeling and Healing, Head Healer

  Counselor Taiga – Teaches Beasts

  Civilians of Azyl City

  Kupiec Jordan – Aiden’s adoptive father

  Kupiec Elena – Aiden’s adoptive mother

  Noptep Alexander – Jonathan’s father

  Noptep Jonathan – Jonathan’s mother