by H.L. Nguyen
Chapter 15
Why is the Green Scorpion Always Angry?
As the first brigade gathered in the classroom, expressions of soreness lingered throughout the room as they had no problem at all articulating their emotion without the presence of their Magister.
“I can’t feel anything in my body anymore. I can barely lift my arm,” One trainee said.
“I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” Another trainee said.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this hard,” Another said.
“I wondered why he asked us to be in here,” Griff added.
Outside in the hallway, Jelly and Traveler went to class having an intense argument.
“Jelly, I don’t think I want to do this anymore. I realized if it wasn’t for Alveoli, I would be dead right now,” Traveler said.
“Oh Master. You must not quit. You are the only hope,” Jelly said.
“Even the king said that I might not be-” Jelly quickly raised his hand to cover Traveler’s mouth.
“Master you cannot say those words outside that room. People need to believe they have a chance,” Jelly said.
Meanwhile, a dark-skinned muscular Aeroan and a slender curvy bear walked down the other hallway having their own intense argument. It was a strange sight to see with this Aeroan for he was not normal because most Aeroans have large white wings on their back. However, this Aeroan had white bumps where the wings used to be. As for the bear, she was from the territory of Panis and there was nothing strange about her.
“You know, if he wasn’t a Magister I would kick his butt,” The Aeron said in a rough voice.
“Yeah, I would love to see that. You don’t have a chance in the world,” The bear said in a soft raspy voice.
“I am just as good of a fighter as he is,” The Aeroan said.
“Wait, who was the one that fell off the tree during training? Hmmm, I do believe that was you, train-nee Cloud-den,” The bear said while making a face.
“Oh shut it, train-nee Bal-do,” Clouden said while making the face back. “I just needed to warm up.”
“So that thirty minutes we spent practicing wasn’t enough for you?” Baldo said.
As Clouden and Baldo argued down the hallway, they did not realize anybody was in their way. On the other end, Traveler’s focus was on removing Jelly’s hand. As the four reached the door, they all came crashing down. They quickly got up and straightened themselves out hoping nobody witnessed their clumsy scene.
“Hey, why don’t you watch where you are going?” Clouden said while pointing at Traveler.
“I am sorry friend I was distracted,” Traveler said staring at Jelly.
“I apologize as well young ones,” Jelly said.
“I am not your friend,” Clouden said while moving closer towards Traveler. “And if you are in such a hurry, then go on through,” Clouden said while he puffed out his chest towards Jelly giving him a shove through the doorway. Traveler followed afterwards.
“Who was that?” Traveler said.
“That is Danken Clouden. He is the son of Haden. Their dad is a disgrace to his territory, and because of that, their family lost their gift of wings.
“Aww, that’s sad,” Traveler said.
Clouden and Baldo straightened themselves out again before entering the classroom.
“I can’t believe how rude people are,” Clouden said.
“Don’t say that. They are important people,” Baldo said.
“Who? The old elf and that weakling of an Electus. I know all about him.”
“What do you know?”
“Never mind about that, it is not important right now. What is important is what you said before. Clouden said.
“Oh, you mean how you couldn’t beat Aiken?” Baldo said.
“Well, there you go again not supporting me. I still stand by my comment. If Aiken was here, right now, I bet I could beat him in a sword match,” Clouden said.
“Oh really?” An unseen, but familiar voice said behind them.
They both turned around slowly and stared down at the purple shoes and then straight up into Aiken’s eyes.
“It’s a challenge you want huh, Clouden?” Aiken paused. “I have a feeling you are going to be that guy in this brigade. I always have one. The kind of guy that I like to call Hollywood. All talk and no action,” Aiken said.
“No Magister, I don’t want to be the Holle-wood. Whatever that is? I was just trying to impress my girl...” Clouden said.
“Did I ask for an answer?!” Aiken said stepping towards Clouden. “Now, follow me to the front of the classroom,” Aiken said as he motioned and walked to the front of the classroom. “You too little britches, you get to join the party.”
Aiken stood in front of the classroom and addressed everyone. “Good Morning trainees, today was supposed to be a learning day. There wasn’t supposed to be any physical training today. However, I think I might change my mind.” The whole class groaned. “Don’t blame me. Blame Trainee Clouden and his buddy Trainee Baldo ...however, I am going to make a deal. Everything will be determined on the outcome of this task. Clouden and Baldo will do 300 pushups. I need a show of hands. Who thinks Clouden is going to win? ...Okay 33” Aiken snapped his fingers and everyone that raised their hands had a blue “X” on their clothes. “Okay who is for Baldo? ...55.” Aiken snapped his fingers again and everyone that voted from Baldo had a Red “X.” “Wow almost everyone is voting for the girl.” Aiken turned to Clouden and Baldo. “Now you two, you know what you need to do. Also, to prevent anyone from letting the other person win, the loser will be eliminated from the program. Now begin.”
Clouden and Baldo dropped their books and hit the floor. They both began pumping away as the entire class watched on. There were plenty of words of encouragement from the entire class. It was like watching a racehorse coming down the homestretch. Around the 270th push up, they struggled to continue. Their arms trembled with each upward movement they had to do, but they persevered through. With about ten more, they were both neck and neck. Then, an individual came walking into the classroom. She looked so lovely in a fluffy brown and white medieval dress. She looked at the two individuals pumping away and then looked at Aiken.
“Stop it, the two of you. Stop it this instant.” The woman said in a nurturing voice.
Clouden and Baldo stopped and looked at Aiken.
“Abby, honey, they are almost done.” Aiken looked back down and motioned them to keep going.
“Alright, but they better not pass out like from the time before,” Abby said.
At the 299th, they were both in the up position, breathing heavily and glistening from the intense workout.
“Come on Baldo, you just have one more to go,” A trainee said.
“Clouden, stop playing around and finish her,” Another trainee said.
And with one last ounce of strength, Trainee Baldo pushed up with all her might and collapsed to the ground. Half of the classroom cheered.
“That was great. I didn’t think the two of you would make it that far. But, a deal is a deal,” Aiken said as he brought both of his hands to clap. However, Abby stuck her hand right in the middle and gave him a stern look while shaking her head. “Hmmm, you know, I am going to change my mind. Clouden you are not eliminated from the program. However, the trainees with the blue “X,” you owe me a lap around the country after this classroom training.”
The other half of the class groaned.
“Trainees, this is the lovely Abby Gantrick, your instructor for today’s class.”
Everyone gasped.
“Thank you Darling. You may leave me with your brigade,” Abby said.
“Listen up you Knuckleheads, if you give her a hard time, everyone will be running until you puke,” Aiken said with a vicious look before he headed out the door.
“Don’t listen to him children. He may act tough, but he is a big softy in the middle,” Abby said. “Okay, today I am your instructor for
...” Abby turned to the chalkboard and wrote down the title of the class. They read the words on the chalkboard, which stated, “Advanced Magic.”
Abby looked at the chalkboard again and noticed her mistake. She walked over to the chalkboard and made a correction to the title of the class. She erased the word “Advanced” and added the words “The History of.” Everyone groaned and whined throughout the classroom.
“Now, now, everyone needs to settle down,” Abby said as she grabbed a bunch of books from the bench near the wall.
“Today is The History of Magic,” She said while passing out the books. “There are two forms of magic: Enchanta spells and Caddre trinkets. Enchanta spells are performed by saying certain words and using sword motions. However, the more experienced you are, the less words you have to say. Aiken will teach the basics later during your first year. The book in your hands is the first of five parts of Magic; the first part is Caddre trinkets. Who can tell me what Caddre trinkets are?” There was a silence in the classroom except for one trainee in the front. He was a lanky individual with slightly big ears and silver hair. Abby was hoping to see more hands. “If you are having trouble finding the answer, just turn to page one.” The class turned the page and still no one raised their hands, except for that silver-haired trainee in the front. “Okay, what is your name?”
“Ma’am, it is Trainee Tailor. Caddre trinkets are magic that can be contained in a crystal ball. Furthermore, the crystal balls are made from the burning of Illuminati trees and the crushed up pebbles of the Tyranic Mountain where the Nasus ore are grown,” Trainee Tailor said.
“That is very good,” Abby said.
“I would also like to add that I have read every book written about the position of Calic and Caddre trinkets; they are my specialty. Just an interesting fact, other crystal balls that are not made from those items are considered an inferior product and using them would only lead to a short duration of the magic’s allure. And...”
“Okay Trainee Tailor. That is enough information... as I was saying...” Abby grabbed a clear ball from her pocket. “Class, this is a crystal ball and as Tailor here has beautifully explained, can only be made from those two items. Caddre trinkets are brewed and contained magic. Certain ingredients are mixed together in a ‘shoot’ and after that, they are contained in this crystal ball.” Abby walked over to a black sheet and revealed what was underneath. “This is a shoot.” Abby pointed to what appears to be two golden pipes stuck together and merged into one at the bottom, but the middle was covered up by this shiny black volcanic square rock like the obsidian from the path of trials. The bottom pipe curved up at the bottom making the shoot look like a “J” figure. “This is how magic crystal balls are made.” Abby opened a chute and tossed the clear crystal ball in. Next, she grabbed two items, one of them looked like a big sugar cube and the other looked like a tiny star trapped in a marble. She threw the sugar cube in the right hole and the marble in the left. Then, the black rock slab started glowing and changed to various colors. Finally, there was a long rumbling sound. It sounded like large ball bearings going down a metal tube. The crystal ball filled with white smoke popped up and Abby caught it on the way down.
“Class, you have just witnessed the process of Caddre trinkets.”
“What did you make?” Griff asked.
“It is a transport ball. Here, I’ll show you how it works.” She pulled Trainee Clouden from the front row. “Try to come back to this classroom quickly.” She then threw down the crystal ball.
“Wait, where am...” Clouden said as the smoke engulfed him, and then disappeared. Everyone was shocked and amazed.
“I hope he gets back in time. Well, I have to move on,” Abby said. “Okay class, I have a surprise for everyone. I don’t usually do this level of Caddre Trinkets. However, I want to show what you could be up against.”
Abby went to her desk and picked up a long green worm that looked similar to a night crawler worm from a glass container. It looked creepy slithering around her hand. She walked over to the other side and there was a box. She tapped on the box and the entire box transformed into a bigger box with different shelving units. She looked around, pulled out different amounts of colored sand, and placed them into a container. She grabbed all her items and walked over to the shoot. She threw the worm into the left side of the hole and all the different colors of sand into the right one. She pulled the same tiny marble star from her apron pocket and tossed it into the right hole. She grabbed her crystal ball and placed it in the chute. The black rock changed to several different colors again, but the rumbling was slightly longer than the making of the transport ball. Suddenly, the crystal ball popped up with Abby catching it again.
However, something strange happened. For when the crystal ball lifted from the shoot, the curtain closed automatically. The classroom went dark. The entire classroom broke into long gasps and short chatters. Suddenly, POOF. The class saw an outline of smoke rise towards the ceiling and there stood a green glowing scorpion. It walked in a confused circle as it was looking for a way out. Then, it stopped and looked at the class.
“Class, I have created a replica of one of the Darthian’s Teck creature.” The entire class shrieked in horror. “There is no need to worry. This is a hologram. It is not real.”
The moment she said that, the scorpion flipped the desk with his long tail. The class did not know what to think. They sat in their seat thinking they would be safe, but how can a hologram lift the desk? They looked at Abby’s face, as she was just as surprised as everyone else. The scorpion looked at his closest victim, which happened to be Abby and snapped his claw towards her. Abby was able to move away quickly not to get her arm snapped off, but she received a minor gash near the shoulder. The entire class realized how much trouble they were in and jumped from their seat heading for the back wall. Traveler tried to leave, but he was stuck as if someone smeared superglue all over his seat. The scorpion turned around, saw Traveler, and went straight for him.
Abby ran straight for the corner of the room and wrote on a piece of red parchment that was hanging on the wall. Afterwards, she slammed the note on the wall; the parchment flew from the wall, floated a little bit, and then multiplied into many pieces of parchment. It then disappeared into many flashes of sparkling light.
Meanwhile, the scorpion picked up Traveler’s desk with his claws. Traveler sat suspended in the air. He stared down the back of the green scorpion and saw the scorpion was ready to use the stinger on his tail. Traveler sat there at the mercy of this creature. Familiar with finding weak spots, Jelly charged. He headed towards the scorpion’s belly and tried to kick it as hard as he could. However, the scorpion blocked it with one of his legs. The scorpion released one of his claws and swiped across his body, knocking Jelly away. Jelly flew across the room colliding hard against the wall. The other trainees managed to reach the side exit. They pulled and pulled, but the exit door refused to open. They realized the door was locked from the outside.
Traveler closed his eyes preparing for what might be his final breath. Then, the classroom door flew open knocking some trainees out of the way. It was Aiken. The scorpion was just about to go for the strike with his stinger when Aiken threw his sword. It flung around and cut its tail. The stinger still managed to be a threat as it flew forward grazing Traveler’s shoulder. Traveler looked flushed and then passed out. As Aiken’s sword boomeranged back, he jumped in the air, grabbed the sword, and stabbed the scorpion in the back. The desk came crashing down with the grasp of the claws still intact. The scorpion lied motionless and turned into ashes.
Aiken ran over to Abby.
“Are you okay?” Aiken said.
“Yes, I am fine. You need to go see Traveler,” Abby said.
Aiken rushed over to Traveler and found him turned into a light green color. There was a loud squeal outside the classroom. Aiken looked outside and saw a large white creature with red eyes and a shovel for a nose.
“The rison is here. Do yo
u need to go as well?” Aiken said to Abby.
“No, I am fine. The rison can run faster with just one person,” Abby said.
Aiken carried Traveler to the window and carefully placed him on the rison’s nose. The rison flipped Traveler up and he landed gently on the rison’s back.
By this time, the entire class had left the room. All that stood in the classroom was Aiken, Abby, and Jelly who was unconscious near the wall.
“I don’t know what happen. It wasn’t supposed to be real. Someone must have messed with my ingredients,” Abby said.
“I’ll get to the bottom of this. You need to go to the infirmary,” Aiken said.
“Okay,” Abby said
Just as Abby opened the door, Trainee Clouden stood there heavily breathing.
“Clouden, what took you so long?” Abby said with a surprised look on her face. Clouden did not say anything. He just looked inside.
“Where is everyone?” Clouden said.
“Everyone went to lunch. Can you let everyone else know that they have thirty minutes?” Aiken said.
Clouden nodded and left. As he walked out the door, he said. “It looks like I missed all the fun.”
Aiken walked over to Jelly who was wobbling back and forth. Jelly grabbed the back of his head and looked at Aiken.
“Are you okay?” Aiken said.
Yeah, I am fine. Where is Traveler?” Jelly said.
“He is at the infirmary. The rison took him.”
“Oh no. I must go.”
Jelly reached the infirmary and found Caleb next to a bed.
“Caleb, where is Traveler?” Jelly said.
“You must have just missed him. He was here a minute ago. He acted somewhat strange. The moment I removed the small amount of poison from his body, he woke up. He was a bit frantic. He jolted up, pushed me out of the way, and ran out the door,” Caleb said.
“Do you know where he went?” Jelly said.
“Sorry, I don’t know. He mumbled something about leaving.”
“Thanks, I know where he is.”
Jelly ran out the door to go looking for Traveler. He found him in his room packing his suitcase with whatever material he could see.
“Young Master, are you okay?” Jelly said.
“I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to the king and telling him I quit,” Traveler yelled.
“Traveler, please calm down.”
“Jelly, that is the second time I have been attacked. This attack was inside the castle walls. If I am not safe here, then where can I be safe?”
“It was an accident. These things happen.”
“It has been happening to me ever since I accepted the role.”
“Young Master, if you leave or stay, Terrorene will not stop hunting you down.”
“I don’t care. At least, I will still be with my family.”
Jelly went over and grabbed Traveler by the shirt. Traveler tried to remove Jelly’s hands, but could not release his grip.
“Listen to me; if you don’t stop Terrorene, then there will be no family to come back to.” Jelly said as Traveler tried to release himself by hitting Jelly’s arms. “Stop it. Stop it right now. Can’t you see we need your help?”
Traveler stopped swinging his arms and looked into Jelly’s eyes. He saw the seriousness in Jelly’s eyes. He bowed his head and started to cry. The tears ran down his face on to Jelly’s hands. Jelly released his grip to wipe the salty tears.
Traveler looked back up.
“How do you expect me to save the world if I can’t save myself?”
“Traveler, it is okay to be scared. But, I will promise you one thing. Trust yourself and you will find your way.”
“Okay.”
“I will tell Aiken that you are not feeling well today and you will resume your training tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you Jelly.”
