by Dixon, TJ
“Of course. This is my element.” Rin says. “Have a wind user keep this air bubble up and I’ll go to the enemy with Yusa and Aventurine. It should be easy.”
“Galico, keep the air bubble up here.” I say. “Rin, Aventurine, Yusa… good luck.”
“Thanks!” Rin says and shoots off with Aventurine and Yusa right behind her. Three against five has me worried but I have to trust my friends and the training that Dairon has given them.
It seems that easy was an exaggeration. Five against three is proving fairly evenly balanced. That is still an accomplishment but I am concerned that things may not work out if we just wait. There is no possibility of turning this battlefield into anything better suited to other elemental users. There is simply too much water in every direction to try shifting it.
Suddenly I realise that we don’t have a port barrier up, because that was always Yusa’s job, and it doesn’t feel like the enemy does either. We are still some way off from the enemy, but if we moved closer I could port lightning to them. There is no possibility of my using wind magic to hide in this environment, so I have Galico move the air bubble, and Helski move the disc we are standing on. We only move slowly but eventually we are close enough.
I may only get one chance so I wait until I have the enemy all targeted. I create and port five lightning strikes simultaneously. Four of them hit but one misses. Everyone gets a slight shock from it, but I cancel it before it is too bad. Four of the enemy are now unconscious, but unfortunately the one who I missed was their leader. With three against one now though, my friends quickly have her crystal.
We are ported back to the arena and after a quick check confirm that nobody was badly hurt. My lightning was just the right strength to knock out but not to kill, and their residual magic prevented anyone drowning. Rin smiles at me, glad to have had a chance to show off. Aventurine and Yusa also seem very happy with their fight. The enemy do not seem so happy, and neither does the crowd. There are jeers and insults from the crowd.
“The winner is Peter of the Wind. Clara, with approval of the royal judge, is hereby declared by royal decree slave of Peter, and Peter will advance to the next battle. The rights of the family of Clara are eternally forfeit. The rest of Clara and Asuna’s team are at the disposal of Peter of the Wind for the royal competition, but otherwise retain their freedom. Peter is now promoted to 2B, and those who have fought and are not in B or A class already, are also promoted. Only the top two classes are left now. Will the boy continue to beat 2B, or will the girls of Contractia reclaim their honour and put a stop to his advance?” The commentator says, and the crowd though unhappy is certainly interested.
“So what are you going to do with me?” Clara asks sounding confident, but her aura is shaking. It is the first time I’ve really had a chance to take a proper look at her. Her skin has a golden tint and her hair is black. Her eyes are a dark brown. Like Asuna she reminds me of an athlete, but she is much shorter than Asuna, and about the same height as me.
“You can join the others at their training for the moment. Hermes, port her please.” I say and then it is just Rin and Asuna still here from the club. The others already know that it is training now and a celebration tonight. I hold onto Asuna’s hand and she ports us. We are back at her old home. We walk up to the door.
“I’ll call Lady Hoshi.” A young boy sitting by the door says and then runs off. After a minute he returns with Reika Hoshi behind him.
“Welcome. We can discuss matters in the same room as before.” Reika says and then leads us there.
“We’ve come up with a contract.” Rin says and hands over the contract that we prepared.
“Unacceptable.” Reika says after just a glance. “You already have one of my daughters and now you want my last daughter too. I have also prepared a contract.”
“We’d be happy to take a look.” Rin says nervously. When she sees it her eyes go wide in disbelief. She hands it to me. I read it and hand it to Asuna.
“This isn’t signed, and it doesn’t state who it is with.” Asuna says.
“Why, it is with me of course.” Reika says.
“There is no way Reika Hoshi would write and sign this contract. You are offering all the lands of the Hoshi just to avoid Hinata joining Peter’s club, and to regain ownership of me. My mother would never do such a thing. Either this is a trick, or you are not who you appear to be.” Asuna says.
“She said it wouldn’t work. Not that it matters.” Reika says. Then she lunges at Asuna and the illusion is broken. In front of us is not Reika Hoshi, but instead a giant snake. Asuna creates a wall of earth in front of her but the snake just goes through it like it isn’t there. I blast it with wind but it just shrugs off my attack. It recoils from Rin’s ice attack, but then strikes at Rin. Rin’s ice wall is shattered and shards of ice cut her all over. My next wind blast is much more powerful this time but only scratches the snake.
The snake is now wound around Rin and quickly crushing her. I daren’t strike with another wind slice for fear of killing Rin but doing nothing isn’t an option. I port lightning inside the snake which reacts in pain but ends up crushing Rin even more. I port next to its head and in desperation kiss and drain it of magic. I expected to be bitten and poisoned by the snake but to my surprise I am not.
I get a lot more magic than I am expecting, and suddenly the snake is gone. In its place is an unconscious old man. His skin is black and he is only wearing a small piece of white cloth around his waist. He has snake skin wrapped round his neck. Rin quickly untangles herself from him. She brushes herself off as if he has dirtied her. He is actually clean despite having been a snake a moment ago.
“Mind if I kill him?” Rin asks.
“Yes!” I protest. “I don’t like to kill people like that, but more importantly we may need information from him. Like where Reika and Hinata are.”
“He must have been hiding their presence somehow, but now he isn’t able to, I can sense them. Is it ok if I port to them and make sure they’re ok?” Asuna asks.
“Of course.” I say and then she is gone. Rin stands well away from the old man but I don’t think he’ll be awake for a while. After a few minutes Reika, Hinata and Asuna port in. Reika and Hinata look sick but they have no obvious injuries.
“A skinner.” Reika says sounding disgusted. “I am ashamed to say that he got me by appearing as Hinata.”
“He just attacked me as a snake.” Hinata says shivering a little.
“The important thing is that you are both ok.” I say. “Do you have any idea who he is, or why he attacked you?”
“No, but I know someone who can find out. I hope Silmarion is still around despite the new Queen.” Reika says.
“She’s teaching at the academy now, assuming you mean the same person I think you do. Used to be a judge or something, and is an immortal. No eyes and has silver skin and hair.” I say.
“That’s her.” Reika says. “So she lost her job… She knows the magic we need though, so she’ll still be able to help us. Let’s go to the academy right away.”
Asuna handles the port and we soon find Silmarion. We wait outside her room whilst she uses magic to delve into his mind. Then she calls us in. He is clearly dead when we go in. In fact there is very little left of his head. I look at Silmarion with the same questions in mind that we must all have.
“Apparently he was a slave born on a slave farm. His head exploded before I could find out which farm. It seems his owner put magic on him in case he was caught. For a slave to know skinning magic is very unusual. Very few professional mages know the magic. He must have been owned, and taught by, a mage who either did know this magic, or had the help of one who did. Do you know what he was after?”
“I was hoping you could tell us that.” Reika says frowning.
“He tried to make us sign a contract to gain ownership of Asuna in exchange for all his land, although presumably he didn’t own any. That slave breeder the other day wanted to buy Asuna. I wonder whether there is a connec
tion.” I say.
“Most slave owners would pay a hundred or two for a noble like Asuna. For a top rate noble they’d pay a lot more.” Silmarion says.
“She offered five hundred.” I say.
“That is a lot, but not unimaginable.” Silmarion says.
“You refused five hundred for Asuna?” Reika asks a little shocked.
“Of course. I would never treat a person like a thing that I could just sell.” I say.
Silmarion looks at me thoughtfully and says. “There was a time most people thought like that. They came very close to banning slavery, but then the Queen came to the throne. Perhaps under the current Queen it could happen, but not until after the war. Assuming we win, which is looking unlikely at this point.”
“Unlikely?” Reika asks shocked.
“From what I’ve heard we have already lost many of the worlds on the outer reaches of our territory. Even Minerva came close to falling, not that long back. If we lost that then the enemy would be able to attack Portalis, the old capital. If we lost Portalis we would lose the war, or at the very least most of Contractia.” Silmarion says very seriously.
“Losing Minerva would hurt, but there is no way that Portalis would fall.” Reika says.
“Even if the Fallen Angels personally enter the war?” Silmarion says.
“But if that happened the Queen would do so too.” Reika argues.
“And who would win?” Silmarion asks.
“The Queen of course.” Reika says laughing.
“I hope so, but it seems unlikely.” Silmarion says shaking her head. “In a few years it would be different, but right now…”
“What would change in a few years?” Reika asks intrigued.
“That I cannot say. You should worry more about your own enemy right now though, rather than Contractia’s foes.” Silmarion says.
“Contractia’s enemies are my enemies, but I suppose I will have to focus on whoever was behind this. They at least I should be able to do something about. If I can work out who they are that is.” Reika says.
“Whoever they are will likely come after you again. Perhaps they’ll not rely on a slave next time either.” Silmarion says sounding worried.
“I hope they don’t rely on a slave. I want to kill them, not their slaves.” Reika says.
“Whoever they are, they are very powerful.” Silmarion warns Reika.
“They will not catch me off guard a second time.” Reika says sounding confident. “Thank you for your help Silmarion.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help, Reika. Now if you would excuse me, I have other work to deal with.” Silmarion says.
“Let’s talk further in Asuna’s room. We still have the deal to make.” I say to Reika.
“Very well.” Reika says and so we leave Silmarion in peace and walk to Asuna’s room. Once there I show Reika the contract. She frowns as she reads it through and remains silent.
“You don’t like it?” I ask nervously.
“It seems too good to be true, which is why I am checking for any loopholes.” Reika says but after a few minutes she sighs. “The contract is fine, but do not expect too much from Hinata. She is not as strong or disciplined as Asuna. Also please try not to get my last daughter killed.”
“I have no intention of getting anyone killed, but Asuna is still alive so please don’t talk about her like she’s dead.” I reply.
“She is still alive, but she is no longer my daughter.” Reika says and I wince.
“Reika is correct.” Asuna says and I sigh.
“I never thought I’d be cheering on a boy at the royal tournament, but make sure you don’t get defeated. I would hate for the contract to be cancelled before our land was healed.” Reika says.
“It will only be for a few years at a time.” I remind her.
“That’s much better than we can manage.” Reika reminds me.
“So will you sign the contract now and take Lena with you?” I ask.
“Sure.” Reika says and quickly signs it.
“What will you do with my sister?” Hinata asks.
“Hinata!” Reika scolds.
“Do not worry. I will not harm Asuna. For now she will simply continue to train at the academy.” I assure Hinata who looks relieved.
“I will work hard so that I can be of use in your company once I graduate.” Hinata promises me.
“Make sure you do.” Reika tells her firmly.
“Once we have fulfilled our end of the deal might you be interested in joining some of our training sessions?” I ask Hinata.
“I would love to! Is it alright though?” Hinata asks Reika.
“Yes. Once the land is healed you’ll have time to train. Joining their training sessions would be a good way to train. You’ll need to rent a room in town though, because it is too far to be porting all the time.” Reika tells her.
“Take these with you.” Rin says and holds two strange looking lumps of clay. Reika takes them but looks questioningly at Rin. “If you need to contact us break one of these. We may not be able to come straight away but we will know that you need to talk to us.”
“How do they work?” Reika asks staring at them intently.
“My mother made them so I don’t really understand how they work. It is based on the same principle as the item I used to talk to Peter when we first visited you. That’s all I know.” Rin says.
“Did your mother invent these?” Reika asks.
“Yes.” Rin answers.
“She is an impressive alchemist then.” Reika says with a smile. “We should be going now. Please let us know how the tournament goes and when you are ready to complete the contract.”
Chapter 18 (Peter)
It is our first day in 2B. There are just as many students in 2B as in 2C but the classroom is bigger so there are plenty of empty seats in the back two rows of desks. The desks are one long desk per row with ten seats per row. Emma is sitting on her own in the back row so we join her. Rin sits next to Emma with Yu Kii next, followed by Hermes, then me and finally Asuna. I freed Clara in return for her membership of the club so she is still in 2C.
The other students seem very cautious of us. I don’t know who is competing but I am sure we will be going up against some of the better students in this class. It is almost time for the lesson to start when a duo of students that I recognise from the competition last year enter the classroom. It is the Rainbow Twins. They walk straight up to me with a smile.
“We’re looking forward to beating you in the next battle. We’re the only students in 2B competing against you. Nobody else wanted to fight us so this is our first battle in the tournament.”
“I remember your nickname, the Rainbow Twins, but what were your actual names?” I ask.
“I’m Water Lily.” The girl with the calmer aura says.
“I’m Fire Rose.” The girl with the stronger aura says.
“Do you want me to introduce everyone?” I ask.
“No. We know who you all are.” Water Lily says with a smile. “I think everyone in the academy knows who you all are by now. It should be a fun fight. Since you are going to be five against two, and we’ve introduced ourselves, I don’t suppose you’d tell us who we’re going up against, would you?”
“I suppose that would be fair, but I haven’t decided yet.” I admit.
“Perhaps you could tell us when you decide?” Water Lily asks.
“Sure.” I agree.
“If you beat us, and I really don’t see that happening, but if you do, will you agree to take us into the club in return for my freedom?” Water Lily asks.
“If you fight fairly.” I say.
“Says the boy with a group over twice the size of ours…” Fire Rose says with a laugh.
“I don’t know what you mean by fair but we plan to fight honourably.” Water Lily tells me. “As long as you do that is.”
“I plan to win, but I will fight in a way that I consider fair. I can’t guarantee that you will cons
ider it fair.” I say. From their auras I get the impression it will be a fair fight.
“I suppose that’s the most we can ask for.” Water Lily says with a smile.
“Supposing you beat me though, what would you do with me? Assuming I fight fairly of course.” I ask.
“You’ve proven yourself to be a very capable wind mage, and you have an entire club at your disposal. It would be waste for you to be a slave, so we’d have you form your company and then have you contribute to our family finances with part of your profits. We’d also have you do occasional jobs for us if we ever needed your assistance. Free of charge of course.” Water Lily says and I blink in surprise at her words. From her aura she is telling the truth too.
“You do seem honourable.” I say.
“Of course we’re honourable. We are nobles after all.” Fire Rose says with a laugh.
“Not all nobles are honourable.” Hermes tells her.
“That’s true.” Fire Rose says and frowns. It seems to bring back an unpleasant memory but then she shrugs.
“The ones that aren’t are only noble in name though.” Asuna says.
“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.” Fire Rose says with a smile.
“Everyone take your seats!” The teacher calls out. The Rainbow Twins quickly head to their seats at the front of class. “As the Rainbow Twins have already noticed, we have some new students. I am sure most of you saw some of their fights, and I am sure you will all see their fight against the Rainbow Twins in the next match. Please do not however let this distract you from the lessons.”
The lesson is interesting and the teacher seems to know exactly what she is doing. I hope the teacher in 2A is as good. It feels like we have only been in class for half an hour when lunchtime arrives. We meet Charlotte in the lunchroom and Emma joins us too. As I eat I consider the next fight and make a decision.
“I’m going to fight two against two.” I tell everyone.
“That’s a bad idea.” Rin says frowning. “You have no idea which elements would work best in the environment. Also that would mean only one person would get promoted with you.”
