Phantom Campaign

by Eden Redd

  The entire auditorium erupted into clapping, shouting and yelling. Dax was swept up, excited and clapping as his mind worked on several thoughts at once. Classes and the gem hunting game crashed into his mind’s eye.

  On the stage, Luthis waved to the crowd as they cheered him on. The elf turned and walked off the stage and down the stairs to the main floor. Many students rushed from their seats to speak with him, mobbing the High Dean as he greeted them with a smile.

  “Heroes of Kinarth will have to have a meeting. We need to discuss our strategies,” Vance said as he leaned toward Dax.

  “Yes, we do. We can meet…” Dax stopped when a voice called out to him.

  “Dax Sage,” came a stern, but feminine voice.

  The mage turned to see Professor Frost in the aisle. She wore her traditional black dress with a corset top. Her hair was pulled back into a familiar tight ponytail. She held up her hand and curled her finger at the student.

  “Come with me. We have a lot of work to do,” the Professor said with a wicked smirk.

  Four

  Professor Frost led the way across the courtyard, Dax following just behind her. Students were already dispersing from the auditorium, some moving to classes and others simply walking around. The mage eyed them as many students were already searching for the gemstones and wands. The moment was amusing, but also concerning to the mage.

  Students are already looking for the gemstones. We have to have our club meeting soon or we may fall behind. Any edge to gain more mana shards will help all of us.

  Dax’s mind drifted, picturing himself and his close friends as glowing champions in the light. It was a nice thought, especially since he had grown close to his friends. The daydream was often himself as a champion as revered as Sebastian Kinarth. The man was an idol, a hero to Ikkudran and Dax would be lying to himself if he didn’t want to aspire to such greatness.

  A door opened and Professor Frost stepped inside. Dax followed, the two of them making their way to a set of stairs and began to climb. A few twists and turns later, they stepped into a small room. A big table took up the middle with parchments, inkwells, quills and leather-bound books. On the other side of the table, Professor Plume sat. The Scribe professor looked up from his papers and gave the mages a wide smile.

  “Welcome back Mr. Sage,” Professor Plume greeted.

  “Please, call me Dax.” The mage politely corrected.

  “Yes, of course. We will be working together so we should be a little more relaxed.”

  Professor Frost pointed to an empty chair, “Please, take a seat.”

  Dax did as he was told, taking a seat at the large table. The professor sat on the opposite side, put her elbows on the table and leaned forward, her dark eyes looking to Dax.

  “I will be blunt. We have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. We have a few days to prepare the books for students to reference. Once it is complete, it will be sent to the press so we can get it into the hands of the students.”

  Professor Plume nodded. “Professor Frost is correct. Since printing any book is time consuming, we have to make sure we get it right the first time. Any books with misinformation or outdated knowledge could cause a lot of confusion. It’s why we are here. The information from your scrolls is very basic and we need to flesh it out. Professor Frost and I have been able to make mystical cards, but we have a lot of experience. Someone new to card magic may not be as dedicated to the craft as we are.”

  Professor Plume moved over a thin book and some open scrolls to Dax. “We have complied what we discovered as we practiced making cards. We have some questions that you may be able to answer to help us refine it further. Take a look at what we have and simply tell us what you know and feel. We will take it into consideration and see if it needs to be added to the text.”

  Dax looked down at the open book and parchments, his heart beating in excitement. “Okay, I’m ready to help.”

  ***

  Dax rubbed his eyes when he heard the second bell chime from outside. It indicated they had been at it for two hours and the mage already felt drained. Arcane words, incantations and mystic symbols filled his mind to the tipping point and Dax found himself daydreaming a little bit.

  “The proximity of the symbols really plays a role in the card design. Some of the symbols overlap, but not enough to cause the spell to overload or clash,” Professor Plume said out loud as he looked down at some cards.

  “I have to thank Vance Talbot for showing me how to bring the symbols together. I know I created the technique, but my friends helped with designs and advice,” Dax said with a tired edge.

  “Vance is gifted and well versed in magic,” Professor Frost said kindly.

  Dax nodded.

  Professor Plume looked to the young mage. “This has all been very illuminating. We may need just a few more days of your time and we can have the training books in about two weeks.”

  Dax nodded again and looked to the professors. “How is the training going to affect our studies? What direction does the academy want to take with it?”

  Both professors nodded, but it was Professor Frost who spoke.

  “It will have a profound effect on how we train champions. High Dean Luthis wishes to ensure we have thorough research concerning the technique. As he mentioned before, not only mages can use this kind of magic. We tested it with a few of the other professors and even those without a drop of arcane knowledge were able to activate and use the cards. Something like this may change the world, but it has to be orderly to prevent misuse.”

  Dax eyed the professor as he thought back to his encounter back in Hydale, “I think there already has been misuse.”

  Professor Frost’s eyes took on a shrewd gleam.

  “We should tell him,” Professor Plume said in a low tone.

  Professor Frost nodded.

  “Dax, you are more right than you know. We have reports that some of the other academies have begun using your technique. We have also heard there have been greater amounts of accidents because of their hasty actions. Prenmore is leading this new kind of spell casting, telling kingdoms that they will have mastered it in a few months. Many kingdoms are not taking them seriously, but some are. The kingdoms that wish to know more are tasking Kinarth to bring Mastery to the technique.”

  Dax looked to his professor with a dash of concern. There were several academies on different islands along the Western Sea. All of them had access to mana springs, but they were smaller and less powerful. Mist Haven Isle had the largest springs and therefore could support a larger array of champion classes.

  Prenmore was an academy that focused on the darker champion classes. Where Kinarth can train twelve different champion classes, Prenmore trained six. Dax had considered the other academies, but was extremely happy he qualified for Kinarth. It was common knowledge that all of the academies held a distrust and rivalry between them, but the academy that had the best and most successful champions was Kinarth academy.

  “So, we are racing the clock,” Dax said simply.

  Both professors nodded.

  Professor Frost let a small smile slip. “Despite what may be happening with the other academies, we are confident that you and your technique will be mastered in a shorter timescale. We already have much of the information. We simply have to make it ready for your fellow champions to use it effectively.”

  Frost reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a small sack. It fit in the palm of her hand as she reached over and placed it in the middle of the table.

  Dax looked down and lifted an eyebrow.

  The professor leaned on her elbows, laced her fingers and rested her chin on them. “A reward for your assistance and your trust. It contains eight mana shards. You will receive more at class tomorrow, but this is for you to show our appreciation and faith we have. Admittingly, we want to see you grow into a great champion and this is but a small token of that faith.”

  Dax looked down and smiled. “Thank you. I’m happ
y I can help.”

  The mage reached over and picked up the small sack. Placing it into his robe pocket, his mind worked on what he would spend the shards on.

  Professor Frost nodded. “I think we are finished for today. Take the day to readjust to academy life again. We will see you bright and early to discuss a little further before your first class.”

  Dax stood up and bowed. “Thank you, professors.”

  “Thank you, Dax,” Professor Frost said with a slow blink.

  Dax caught her eyes as he stood up. Professor Frost was often very stern, but this small, relaxed moment felt strange. Mentally pushing it away, Dax turned and left the chamber.

  Making his way out of the tower, Dax stepped out into the courtyard and breathed in the fresh sea scent. Walking over to a stone bench, he sat down and called up his stats. Ghostly words and numbers appeared, something only he could see and he eyed the information.

  Name: Dax Sage

  Class: Mage

  Health: Normal

  Mana: 1000

  Mana Shards: 8

  Spheres of Magic

  Air: 2

  Water: 1

  Fire: 1

  Urth: 1

  Life: 2

  Decay: 0

  Light: 0

  Dark: 0

  Time: 1

  Space: 0

  Mind: 2

  Body: 0

  After the Trials last year, the mage’s power hadn’t grown. Instead, he and his fellow students spent a lot of time learning how to further master their abilities and knowledge. The school year always began with a distribution of shards to bring students up to a level where they can become stronger.

  Dax thought he would receive the same as everyone else, but since he was working on providing detailed structure to card magic, it was clear the academy wanted him to learn more so he could continue mastering the technique.

  I’m not going to say no to extra shards.

  The mage chuckled to himself as he looked over his stats. Each sphere of magic required mana shards and each degree doubled the amount needed to advance. With eight shards, Dax saw that he could bring a 2nd degree sphere to a 3rd degree or he could spread it out, bringing two 1st degrees to 2nd degrees of power. A thought did cross his mind to bring several spheres he had no power in up to 1st degrees but a 1st degree was very weak. Creating more 1st degree cards would still be no match for any stronger magic.

  Dax looked up to a clear blue sky as he thought it over. Toward the tail end of the last year, it was taught that a mage with a higher degree in spheres held a magical resistance to weaker spheres. A mage with an 8th degree in the Fire Sphere would nearly be immune to 1st or 2nd degree spells of the same sphere. It taught many mages that power was not the only way to become a master. It required cunning and strategies if two mages were to engage in magical combat.

  Thinking back to the Trials, Dax mentally poured over the experience. Travelling from town to town had different puzzles they had to solve, but for some reason, Lybster came to mind. The fishing town had the sunken ship and Dax remembered he created water elementals to search for the wreckage. A dark memory slid in of the sea monster attacking them a night later after they left. Each experience painted a moment he wished he had been stronger, more capable. Using the Time Card on Symon to fight faster helped to keep the monster at bay.

  There will be many challenges ahead, but if I need to support my coterie, I should have the spells to back it up.

  Dax nodded to himself. Pulling the small sack from his pocket, he opened it and placed four shards in one hand and four shards in the other. Closing his eyes, he allowed the energy from the shards in one hand to sink into his soul. Power surged, draining from the shards and fueling the mage’s mana pool. The shards disappeared. Eyes rolling into his head behind closed lids, he channeled the remaining four shards and pulled the power into another sphere.

  When the process was complete, the mage opened his eyes and looked at his stats once again.

  Name: Dax Sage

  Class: Mage

  Health: Normal

  Mana: 1200

  Mana Shards: 0

  Spheres of Magic

  Air: 2

  Water: 2

  Fire: 1

  Urth: 1

  Life: 2

  Decay: 0

  Light: 0

  Dark: 0

  Time: 2

  Space: 0

  Mind: 2

  Body: 0

  Water and Time spheres increased to 2nd degree, their power swirling and anchoring to his spirit. Dax eyed the mana increase as he felt magically stronger and more robust. Two hundred extra points was a good start, but the higher degree spells used more mana. A powerful spell for a 1st degree was a hundred points but a 2nd degree would require two hundred points.

  Every little bit helps.

  Dax stood up, placing the empty sack back in his pocket when he spotted several people walking toward him. The mage smiled as Symon, Zarra, and Vance approached.

  “There you go,” Symon smiled. “We were looking for you and going to ask Fern if she wanted to join us for lunch. Interested?” the spellsword asked.

  “Always,” Dax replied and began walking with his friends.

  Zarra looked sideways to the mage for a moment before she leaned into him, her arm curling around his waist and placing her head on his shoulder. Symon and Vance walked ahead, talking about setting up a club meeting, but Dax looked over to the beautiful dragon in human form. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the two walked in step.

  “It has been too long,” Zarra said in a low, warm tone.

  “I missed you too,” Dax smiled.

  The love binding held their souls to each other, but they were not bound by it. It was a voluntary act, but there were some side effects. Time apart amplified the emptiness they felt, the yearning growing deeper until they were together again.

  “I do not have a roommate this year. You’re free to come over anytime you wish,” Zarra said with a breathy edge.

  Dax nodded as he held her close. “What happened to your roommate?”

  “She didn’t return this year. It seems she felt she wasn’t strong enough to become a champion. I tried to convince her to stay through letters, but she refused. She thanked me for trying, but felt her destiny lay elsewhere.”

  Zarra lifted her head, her slittled golden eyes peering into Dax’s soul. “As much as I will miss her, I’m happy to know you can visit to help me adjust to being alone again.”

  Dax squeezed the cleric a little tighter to him. He remembered how she confided to all of them about how her parents were killed during the Void War. What she told Dax in their more private moments was she didn’t like being alone for long periods of time. A roommate may have helped, but considering how most of the student body distrusted her because she was so powerful and didn’t want to room with her, it only made the bonds more important between them.

  “You will never be alone,” Dax whispered.

  The cleric kissed his cheek as they walked, pink touching her own cheeks.

  The group reached a tower. As they approached, they looked up to the red flags with a design of a mace and a club crisscrossed along the flowing fabric. It was the emblem for the Berserker Class. It was allowed for different classes to see each other as the academy had an open environment for learning and experiences.

  Symon led the way, opening the main door and stepping inside. The small group followed. Making their way in, they climbed the stairs to the second floor, the sounds of grunts and fighting echoing through the entire tower. When they reached the second level, eyes looked on as they watched berserker training in all its unaltered glory.

  Professor Hark stood to one side, watching with narrowed eyes as many berserkers with clubs and maces attacked full sized urth elementals. Rocks, dirt, and stone formed humanoid bodies as they lumbered and swiped at the attacking berserkers. Half nude bodies launched at elementals, slamming clubs and maces with howling screams.
Sweat covered heaving bodies as students rushed at the elementals like unleashed demons. Clubs and maces swung as wide eyes glared and mouths frothed with foam.

  In the middle of it, an eight-inch berserker fairy was screaming like a banshee, pummeling an elemental in its rocky head.

  Fern moved like a mini comet, crashing her mace into one elemental and then charging another. Rocky hands tried to bash her from the air, only for the fairy to shatter a hand to dust before howling after another elemental. Other berserkers moved en masse, their raging howls blasting the room with sonic fear.

  Dax and the others couldn’t hide their uneasiness. Berserkers channeled their strength, power, and fear, and it affected anyone close enough to witness it. They were often the front line in wide scale conflicts and they loved it. Fern had told Dax how the glory of rushing into battle, rooting out the weak and challenging the strong was better than the sweetest fruit one could taste. Dax wasn’t sure what to compare it to beyond that, but he knew, deep down inside, never to get on the bad side of a berserker.

  “Just because you’re monsters in battle doesn’t mean you can’t work together! Channel your rage and your minds!” Professor Hark screamed at the students.

  Like a switch, the berserkers turned their attention to one of the three elementals. Like one wave of muscle and power, they slammed into an elemental and shattered it to bits. Before the last piece of rock hit the floor, bodies turned again and rushed another elemental. It struck one berserker, knocking him away, but the rest came down on it like a pack of burly wolves. It shattered and the group moved to the last one.

  Fern darted forward, her eyes wide with mad glee. Another berserker shot past her, driving his shoulder into the elemental and driving his heel down on a rocky knee. The elemental crumbled as the lone berserker hammered his club down in a rapid blur. The elemental shattered and Fern rammed her tiny shoulder into the other berserker, driving him to the floor.

  “It was mine!” Fern shouted, her voice making her seem bigger.