Fiasco In The Yard

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I had mixed feelings as we approached the massive white marble columns and arches that served to welcome students and faculty alike to the Institute for Practical Magic. A huge complex that could be called a “castle” in its own right, rivaling the magnificence of Castle Red, the home of the royal family.

On the one hand, I was being escorted into this impressive place by none other than a high-ranking member of the school, if what Shion was telling me was the truth. But on the other hand… The last time I was here, the moment of my greatest disgrace occurred. I felt like my one lifeline had been severed when they denied me entry using my lack of ability as a pretext.

That was roughly six, maybe seven months ago, however. I was different now from the recently summoned and terrified Ren that I was back then. And after coming face-to-face with the possibility of my own death following my near-execution, I could feel those changes beginning to manifest and take root within me.

Who could say what kind of person I would turn into from this moment forward? Only time would tell.

“We’re finally here, Ren-kun.” Shion interrupted my train of thought as we entered the school’s main courtyard. “The Institute for Practical Magic. Some of the best and brightest magical minds in the world have crossed these hallowed grounds, and you otherworlders a bit more recently.”

“So I’ve heard.” I replied, panning around. “Amazing…”

“Isn’t it?” Shion beamed. “While this is far from the only magic school out there, I’ve traveled the universe and found few that could rival it in curriculum. So, I must ask, what’s going through your mind right now as you take in such a sight? Please spare no detail.”

What’s on my mind? Like, right now?

“You mean, other than all of the stuff you dumped on me earlier about the destruction of reality itself, and you-know-who not being a b-o-y?” I crossed my arms, trying to keep at least a bit vague.

“Yes…” Shion sighed, exasperated. “I was just asking in general, you know, to make light conversation. You can live in the moment sometimes, can’t you?”

“Living in the moment is all I’ve ever done, come to think of it.” I scoffed. “But… I guess I was also just thinking about how massive this place is. I couldn’t get past the admission office last time, and there’s only so much you can see from outside the gates...”

“Speaking of which, that was quite the look on their faces when they saw you stroll up. Don’t you think, Ren-kun?”

The admission officers looked at me like they’d seen a ghost when the “Liar of Beggar’s Alley” made his triumphant return, defying all the odds. I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t get anything out of it, but…

“What I’m wondering is why you’re smirking like you don’t have anything to do with it?“

“Come now, Ren-kun…”

However, I was not so quick to forget that Shion was the one who directed them to turn me away in the first place. In a way though, I felt less inclined to hold a grudge against them knowing that fact.

“Still pisses me off, if I’m being honest, but…” I made a bit of a fuss before laughing it off. ”I’m here now, and not staining Captain Dimwit’s shiny sword. Though it’s like jumping right out of the frying pan and into the fire…”

“Fufufu, you're not wrong there.”

Making the best of a bad situation was something that I had grown well accustomed to. The stakes had suddenly increased, but that quality hadn’t stopped for me.

“I imagine it will take some time for you to warm up to me, understandably so, but I hope you can keep in mind that I have always admired you, even from afar.” Shion admitted. “And while it is not my place to say so, your experiences thus far have hardened your resolve in a way that cannot be said of every otherworlder.”

“You’re right that it’s not your place, but what do you mean?” I asked. “About the others?”

“Let’s just say that many from your world came here with baggage of their own, and far too little maturity to deal with it in any productive way…” Shion forced a smile. “Headmaster Argo doesn’t seem to share my concerns, but this place tends to feel like a daycare for powered-up children these days rather than a prestigious place of learning, if you ask me.”

“A little harsh.”

Shion had a tendency to say some pretty rude things without thinking too much about it. Though, Captain Grimwick was a huge bastard, as decorated and self-important as he was. If there were more otherworlders drunk on their own power like him, or perhaps even worse-off, that could spell trouble.

“To hear it from you, maybe I am speaking out of turn...” She shrugged nonchalantly after a moment of quiet contemplation. “In any case, you’ll find out soon enough what I mean. Just keep your wits about you, and eyes on your surroundings at all times.”

“Yep, yep.”

“Personal gripes aside, I think you’ll find the school itself well worthy of your admiration.” The sparkle returned to Shion’s eyes as she began the tour. “That large open area we were just in was the main courtyard where students can practice spell craft and their offensive capabilities. Over there are the training dummies, replaced twice-weekly, and over there is the armory station where training materials are kept.”

“Ehhh.” I nodded, impressed once again by the scale of everything.

I saw a pair of brawny students practicing on a few of the straw targets with their training weapons, one with a sword and one with a lance. I didn’t know much about fighting with melee weapons, but their footwork seemed solid from a brawler’s perspective.

“Magic isn’t the only thing in high demand in this world, you know.” Shion explained similarly examining the two alongside me. “So don't let the name “Magic Institute” fool you, this school places a large emphasis on martial, tactical, and educational skill as well. We’re just here to get your abilities appraised for now, but if you find yourself enrolling here in the future, your options for study are numerous.”

“Good to know.” I nodded. “Oh?”

There was another mage-type a few feet behind the two who were training, observing their moves closely. She had a black bob cut with a white ahoge atop her head, and her frilly robes seemed to fit a little too large for her petite frame. Her sleeves extended well past her hands.

Suddenly a strange grin spread across her face as a wand emerged from one of her sleeves. Her lips began to move, though I couldn’t hear much of what she was saying. I didn’t sense the danger, however…

“Geh—!?”

The two melee wielders finally took notice of the girl behind them, and wore expressions of extreme concern, bordering on mortal fear.

“No wait, don’t—!”

“Fiasco, watch where you’re—!“

It was too late.

When she finished her chant, a huge bomb-shaped fireball—wearing a big grin of its own like it was alive—emerged from nothing and blew the training targets to smithereens. The spectacle was powerful and brilliant to witness. However, the area of effect also happened to overlap with where her other two training partners were standing.

“AHHH!”

The two muscular males were able to jump out of harm’s way just in time, thankfully preserving their lives, but only by a hair. They proceeded to give the mage quite the scolding in the aftermath for their trouble, and I couldn’t quite blame them for it. Their casual clothes were absolutely scorched.

“Sorry guys…” The mage apologized sheepishly.

“Not again, Fia-chan…” Shion sighed deeply, covering her face with her palm.

“This kind of thing happen often?” One might think this was some sort of comedy sketch, rather than a training routine. I tried to hold back my laughter, observing the large crater the girl left.

“She’s one of the troublemakers I mentioned before, Fia Fuoco.” Shion said. “An otherworlder from Italy, and maybe just a year or two younger than you.”

“Seriously?? That short-stack??”

“Indeed. Her affinity for fire-based summoning magic is second-to-none. She's not a bad girl either, but… her restraint leaves much to be desired.” Shion clarified that she was chastising the girl instead of praising her behavior. “Due to this fact, she’s become a bit of an outcast at school, and she’s far from the only one around…”

I heard them call her “Fiasco” before, which I could hardly assume was a friendly nickname. After telling her off once more animatedly, the two men stormed away, leaving the mage standing by herself. Shoulders slumped, she, too, wandered off in the direction of one of the school‘s buildings.

“I fear I’ll have to tell the Headmaster about this later on, and have her wand temporarily confiscated…” Shion sighed. “Though it pains me to go to such lengths.”

Fire-based summoning… Nah, it’s probably unrelated.

“Well, now that you’ve seen the training yard, we should head straight for the Headmaster’s office for your appraisal.” Shion turned her attention to a large clock tower at the center of the complex.

“This Headmaster… Argo, will I get to meet him today?” I was looking forward to it somewhat as I asked, curious. “Even Milton made him sound super impressive and wise, and I don’t hear my boss gush over just anyone.”

“Unfortunately not.” Shion dashed my hopes immediately. “The Headmaster is away on official business. He’s taken on the tremendous responsibility of setting up a neutral location to hold the moot, and has his eyes set on the city of Ember on Zen’s southern coast.”

“Damn, that’s too bad.”

“In more ways than one… Had I known about this whole assassination ordeal beforehand, the Headmaster’s presence here would have made me feel much better, but it’s not as if we’re without allies in the interim.” Shion said. “Your boss, the Adventurer’s Guildmaster, I count him amongst those we can turn to in the days ahead. I’m sure you agree?”

I nodded. Milton was peculiar, but a solid gentleman as far as I was concerned.

“And there’s a few others I’ll introduce to you as soon as this evening, including someone who may hold some clues as to the corpse soldiers you mentioned. The ones that attacked you before you were framed.” She continued. “Although protecting the “Prince” is our priority, if things play out the same way, we might still have time to prevent tomorrow morning’s undead attack from occurring as well.”

“A lot of people died, mostly rich bastards, but it would be nice to protect them. If we can.” I agreed.

The zombie attacks, and the notes left at the scene, both were other pieces to the puzzle. Though, we couldn’t for sure say if it had anything to do with the following assassination. It could just be an opportunist who used the chaos to strike at the right moment. That was one thing, amongst many, that we would have to determine.

“Speaking of what’s to come, if you’re anything like your variant counterparts, I have an inkling of what abilities you may possess, and why they’ve gone unnoticed by yourself and many others all this time.” Shion smiled knowingly. “The Orb of Discovery will tell us for certain, however.”

Orb of Discovery, huh?

“Sounds good, let’s go and see what I’m working with here.”