by Amy Mah
“I have it all recorded! I will not be writing a paper; I will be writing a book on this! The first recording ever showing the power of a Storm Cloud Fire Strike! It destroyed three class-10 shields to wipe out all recording viewers I had placed and then tried to kill me! I always have medical viewers set up inside my shields, and they are almost indestructible! Or, as I would have said before this, they were indestructible, but now we know to add the word ‘almost.’”
“The Cloud detected me as a possible danger and removed me! Or, rather, I retreated inside at the last moment so as not to aggravate it anymore! It did not want company, as it reformed the connections and protected its members. It is a blend between Heat and Energy class Clouds and of Storm value. Just think of its Storm value with just two 4 year olds at its heart! It has formed from the Battery side of your nature, and that means it has full Storm capability and a captive membership.”
She looked towards Pink.
“So there will be no more tries to separate you two again. You will be the closest of sisters whether you wish to be or not. This time you have a real, fully functional, and very stable connection. The operation was a great success! We got rid of that useless spell, and at the same time we were able to record a Storm Cloud forming.”
She turned as if to leave then turned back.
“You are still under medical observation, so no more head butting, or next time I will remove both horns. I will be working on my book during the hibernation time, so I expect you to come to me as soon as you awake. It will be interesting to see your development, and try not to burn the place down. If you need any outside Cloud practice, use the stadium. I give you permission, and I will place eyes there to record your progress. Now, run along and play, or whatever it is that 4 year olds do!” This time she turned and walked away, not looking back.
Day: 565
Lots of stuff happened today, too much to write, but the main thing is that the damaged horn is now fine.
It’s true that I stared long and hard into the mirror, and my horns look great! There is no visible damage, and yes, they look stunning! I love the tingle that the sparks between the points produce. Pink says any horn that does not spark is just a bone.
Being part of a Cloud means my body uses whatever it can to help make repairs, and so it used Pink’s Electric repair ability. Now I have horns that can spark and look super cool.
What else? Well, we set fire to the stadium and got all the points needed to stay alive.
P.S. Made friends with some Earths
Alyce thought her uniform looked a lot better now that it had turned to a blood red color to show her status. But seeing as how it was of a magic material and therefore one size fit all, she did wish it would stretch a bit more, as the waist was getting tight due to all the extra food she had been eating. She had had to manually let the kilt out twice so far, and it was getting tight again. She would have worried if it hadn’t been the same with everyone. It was generally known as the hibernation bulge, as one’s body was getting ready for the long sleep. She wondered if it would leave stretch marks when she slimmed down during the sleep.
Day: 566
For some reason I have picked up a smoking habit! I never had one when I was human, but for some reason my horns look like they have little lines of smoke coming from them… Odd!
Pink says they look cute, and that is a high compliment coming from a Demon who dresses in pink!
Day: 567
My body now feels great! All fit and repaired and ready to go and kick butt again.
I still think that Pink’s sparking between her horns is frigging cooler looking than my smoking ones. I guess I should be happy they don’t come with sound and a husky smoker’s cough.
If I could get some time away from Pink, I would ask that crazy Mind Moa what she was talking about when she said we would be closer. Heck, it is just not possible for Pink to get any closer!!! Just what is it with this Cloud link thingy? Demons do not get all close and clingy unless it is to strangle you!
Well, Minds can’t be that smart, as she was wrong about Pink being just a close sister but more like a true sister. Heck, she is now acting like a cross between an older brother, a girlfriend with benefits, and an overbearing mom plus a dominant husband all rolled into one! Just because we sleep naked does not make me gay, just very worried that she will bite my tail if I say no!
Smoking Hot: (30)
They had made their way down to the scoring center to meet with Moa Poisen and dissolve the team, as the points they had made fighting the Cold Clouds and the various exams had given them all well over the score of life points needed for the end of this term.
Their Light and Earth team members hugged them and let it be known that whenever they needed another team, they should call on them first. Moa Poisen shook her head in disbelief over such mixed-race harmony and signed them all off as passed.
Something had caught Alyce’s eye, and she left the others to investigate. On the other side of the great hall was a line of mixed Demons, and something felt wrong, apart from the fact that she had never seen any Demon lining up for anything, as had been proved many times in the refectory. It was your right to be first at the food no matter who was standing in front of you.
Alyce suspected it stemmed from the Demonic way of seeing what you wanted and making it yours because that was how it should be, and if anyone stood in your way, then it was her own fault if she got hurt. With this idea, Alyce thought they would make natural politicians back on Earth.
The Demons in the line were not acting correctly, and when she asked one or two of the Lights in the line she was so shocked that she went over to Moa Poisen to find out what was going on. They were lining up to be culled and saying that they had let their families down, so they needed to be culled.
“What is wrong with them? They are Demons! They can’t just give up! So this is what happens if you fail to get the correct points? You are asked to form a line and go off to die without causing any trouble?”
The living flame inside her was burning a lot more to allow her be able to speak so directly to a Moa, but Moa Poisen looked to be in agreement as she pointed out another Moa. Alyce saw that this one was one of the dreaded Moa Minds, not the friendly medical loony Mind that had mended her horn and almost killed them both to get the information to write a book.
This was a culler, and no one liked her. It had taken a while, but slowly Alyce had found out how things worked. If you failed in the exams, you were culled. The way it was done was dreadful, as a Mind would make you think it was your own idea to die due to the shame it would cause if you returned to your family. It was still too early, as there were still two sleep periods remaining before the exams ended during which they could add whatever points they lacked.
As a Fire Demon, Alyce did not burn that bright most of the time, but that did not matter. She considered herself to be human, and she could fight as such, but that was before she knew that she was only weak by being in two minds about things. She decided that must stop. She was not one or the other; she was just herself. She made her way to the Moa Mind.
“The exams are not over! There are still more tests! Let them finish with pride!”
Alyce felt a tickle in her brain and could guess it was coming from the Mind. She could feel it growing stronger, and thoughts that were not her own appeared. This Moa was not as good as the medical Mind that had gently put her to sleep. No, this one was harsh and demanding. She found she could look at these commands as not hers by stepping to one side. She knew they were not hers, as part of her told her that they were wrong and that she did not think like that. They were thoughts that it did not matter if the others died, as they were worthless.
The Mind had to exert more energy to try and hold the thought she had created in place. The subject was not a Mind; she should not even know she was there, let alone be able to do what she was doing! That was not normal, nor was it normal for a subject to create an image of burning words in reply t
o her mental suggestions.
The burning words got larger, and they had the desired effect. Alyce did not know what the runes said, but from the way Pink had explained them to her she knew they were as rude as you could get in a world where words had magic in them.
“How dare you interfere! Leave here at once!”
The words the Mind now spoke were out loud, but she still expected no one else to notice. Alyce felt her mind become free, and the Fire she had been using to hold back a mental attack had nowhere to go, so it poured from her horn tips like mini volcanoes. She was now the center of attention in the room; she was covered in dripping flame as Fire flowed like a liquid down her body.
“No, it is not right! They should not die for a lack of a few stupid points! You are just convincing them that they are worthless, whereas you should be helping them improve. The wars sound stupid, but here, instead of asking for warriors, you ask for suicides.”
“There are more tests left, and you plan to waste a year of training on them? Give them to me, and I will share my points with them and lead them as a team to help them get the points they need!”
The room had gone silent due to a Fire Demon warming up for something that looked to be entertaining to say the least. People could not decide if they should move closer to watch or move back in case they got involved. A student sometimes did have a fall out with a Moa. Occasionally it led to more than just words, but no one ever took on a Moa Mind, as they could cancel out any magic used on them or turn the same magic back on the user.
“If you are so keen to join them, all right! Then join them in the cull, as I now strip you of all your points. The Queen has no need for those who question the rules; you will be just a dangerous loose cannon.”
Alyce felt her flames fade as she was hit by an invisible brick wrapped neatly in an invisible sock. She dropped down to one knee, placing a fist to the ground before her and creating by accident a battle stance they had been taught. A gasp went around the hall, and at that point Moa Poisen stepped forward.
“If this is to be done, then it has to be done in accordance with the rules. What I see here is a challenge that has been laid down and accepted; as the Moa over exams I can allow this, but only if that is what both parties wish.”
The Moa Mind must have done more than just look at her colleague, as those nearby saw her flinch from the look.
“You overstep yourself; this student no longer has the points to continue here. She is my responsibility, not yours.”
Moa Poisen disliked all Minds, and this one took far too much pleasure in the culling of those that other Moas had spent so long training. The odd head-butting Fire Demon was right; it was a waste. Of course, she would have no chance against a Moa Mind, but to offer a challenge was better than to be culled. And a match with a lowly 4-year-old student so below her would be a wonderful insult, so she pressed ahead.
“She has challenged you. It is stupid, of course, but rules are rules, as you say. You may back down and return her points if you do not wish to accept her challenge.”
Moa Poisen knew the reason she had a headache was the look she was getting, but it was worth it. Ignoring the drumbeats in her head, she smiled as she waited for the reply.
“All right; we will play your stupid game. But do not think this will be the end of the matter; as soon as I have disposed of this hatchling, we shall have words.”
Alyce was feeling unsteady, and the battle stance resting one hand on the ground was the only thing holding her up. Looking out at the gathered crowd, she saw her team drop down to follow her example in a battle stance, and she shouted at them.
“No! This is not a team fight! Stand down; I don’t want your help!”
Reluctantly two team members stood up and moved back into the crowd, and Pink, being the third, was painfully pulled to one side by Moa Poisen.
“She says no team help, as that would be against the rules. The rules only allow help if she were part of a Cloud, understand? It’s a pity you are not a Cloud, or you could help, as to attack one Cloud member you attack all. The rules are very straightforward on that, so have I made myself clear? You would die taking her on as an individual. Only a Cloud could hope to take on a Mind. Now, go think on what I have not suggested, and do it fast!”
Alyce was feeding her flame; she thought of it as a flame deep in the middle of her chest. It was going out, and she shivered. If it went out, she knew she would be dead. Her mind was human, but the body was a just a container to hold a flame. It was being extinguished as her mind filled with water, wind, and cold.
She drew more power from her reserves and forced the flame to burn brighter. Magic was not just technique but also imagination, and Alyce had a good imagination. Her inner flame did not need to get larger, just hotter. She saw it first as a blowtorch that ignored wind and cold and still burned underwater. She fed it more, and now it was so hot it would melt rock and evaporate water.
The room was a massive underground chamber, but it was slowly getting very hot.
Poisen was grabbed by a young Light surrounded by several little floating windows.
“Moa, it is real! People think it is a trick, but it is real! The floor under Alyce is melting! The stone is melting!”
Moa Poisen was indeed impressed. This was a strange fight; a non-magic user was using her own essence to fight off a mental attack. That other stuck-up Moa Mind that had treated her as a child had been correct; the power being displayed was that of a Battery feeding a fire.
This was a major field battle ploy she had read of. It was only as strong as the Battery but would just keep building up until it ran out of charge. A Mind could put out a fire with a thought, but she wondered what it would take in mental power to put out a volcano.
Her next thoughts were not so pleasing as a number of high-resolution floating windows appeared to give spectators a better view, as news of this was fast spreading. Most of those who were in the hall when it started had sensibly now moved to the far end of the hall, taking the floating windows with them through the exits, so they could still watch but from a safer place.
Soon the hall would be empty, so she took her nearest exit. Just by luck (bad luck), she joined two of her least-favorite Moas, who were standing safely behind a nice solid stone door; one of them was the uppity Admin Light that had rudely summoned her to a meeting along with the stuck-up Mind she brought with her. At least being near the Light would be useful, as she already had a number of floating windows showing different parts of the hall. The Moa Mind looked her way.
“I said it would be worthwhile to keep an eye on them. I have always said the Academy should only have top-ranking Minds as Moas; just look at that idiot in there! No more than an 8th level, and they made her a Moa! A distant cousin sister that should have just stayed in the nest scrubbing floors: it serves her right if she gets killed. She was asking for it by lining up those to be culled before the exams finished and in plain sight.”
“I put it down to liking her culling job too much; she gets careless and now tries to do a cull in front of everyone. She has not even noticed she is not fighting a single person. That young hothead is due to your meddling with now a two-person Cloud. A simple scan spell now shows she should be looking at where the other Cloud member is hiding, let alone how many others are still in the room watching.”
Moa Poisen looked hard into the largest floating window to see just two people, or maybe one person and a pillar of Fire in female shape. She relayed what she saw only to be ignored by the Mind, who decided she could not be bothered by Poisen pointing out the obvious. The Light took over and opened three new windows, and she was excited with what she was seeing.
“I will try and boost the clarity on this one to show the small group standing hidden at the far end of the hall. Two are the Fire Demon’s team members, and the others are some of the ones who were lining up to be culled. The reason you cannot see them is due to normal light bending, which is hiding them from sight along with the other Cl
oud member, the Static charging up for battle. But that is common stuff. What is special is the unique link of talents between Four Lights, two Airs, and an Earth: a full defensive, invisible protection bubble.”
“I am recording this, and I will present it as an addition to next year’s curriculum. Something like this was created ad hoc! I don’t know what points they need, but I am personally going to see that they all receive a 10,000-point bonus for its creation!”
Poisen looked from screen to screen. She was more interested in seeing where Pink was hiding, and she asked.
“She is on screen four still powering up. You can just make her out. I’m surprised the light bender can still keep her hidden. I would not like to do it for so long, as it must be very draining trying to hide a building electrical current. We will have full view of what happens to her when the room explodes. Will a fellow Cloud member be protected from the meltdown? Well, we will soon see.”
“Oh, darn! There goes another eye! I will need to watch from the room corners like everyone else, as the heat and static are starting to disrupt all the nearby eyes: perhaps near the group of young observers. I must ask them what mathematical formulas they used. As far as I can see, two Lights are bending light to create invisibility; the other two are concentrating on rotating blast walls, whereas one of the Airs is doing a dense air bubble and the other is spinning air madly between the blast walls and the bubble to keep it cool. The Earth is protecting the ground they are standing on, keeping it cool: so clever! I expect the two bending light will have to turn their attention to reinforcing the blast wall shortly, so all will become visible. Four Lights, two Airs, and an Earth should create a formidable defense, and they may survive a blast that would kill any of us, if we were in there!”
The Mind gently coughed to let her feelings be known on what she had just said. The Light continued.
“All right, well, most of us could not survive, as it would take high-level magic or a good stone door to stop what is building up. LOOK! The Electric build up has overwhelmed the light bending, and she will be fully visible to the Mind now!”
