* The Misfits of Al'Magi Academy - Sharzin

*

Sharzin didn’t understand why everyone was so upset about the summer setback. It didn't matter to her that the professor almost died. The on-site faculty healers ultimately did their job before he could pass over, so relatively no harm was done. And if their group failed a few classes, they’d just retake them. Or, if Rionriv hadn’t been so stuck up, she could have let Sharzin sneak into the archives last year to change the grades. That’s what she was good at after all. But Rionriv didn’t like the idea of Sharzin hiding in the shadows.

These thoughts were on the small rogue's mind as she moved through the streets of Dwindlefyre. Abandoning her triop aboard the galleon, she had snuck onto the rowboat going to shore ahead of the ship, believing it best for everyone that she avoid her emotional teammates for the time being. Sharzin didn't want to deal with Aesandoral's seasickness any longer, and she feared that remaining around Rionriv in her current state might cause the sorceress to shoot lightning bolts from her eyes. Meanwhile, all she wanted was to retreat to her crappy, damp dorm room in peace. So, she raced along as fast as her short legs could take her.

Dwindlefyre was her comfort zone. She had spent a whole year exploring the relatively small port. The nooks and crannies of the alleys were like another home, but better. Even in the high noon sun, she could find a shaded corner to lurk and observe the world in silent peace. She prided herself on being invisible. Afterall, it meant fewer problems for everyone around her. That's why she knew exactly where to look for the secret stormwater drainage that came down from campus, allowing her to ascend the cliff without taking the switchback path, which offered no concealment or shadows.

Emerging from a loosened grate, she ducked behind a nearby shrub for cover and, from her hiding spot, watched as a curious interaction unfolded before her. A sun-blessed child of white hair was on his knees, crying. Above, a ruminantfolk girl had been trying to console him, but suddenly he jumped to his feet and made a hasty exit.

Intrigued by the odd boy, Sharzin forgot about her wish to rest in the quiet dorm and instead did her best to stalk him. A task that wasn’t easy, as he was fast, and her short legs limited her movement. But after briefly losing him, she caught up and watched long enough to observe him stumbling into a fairly well-known vermin trap. The fight was touch-and-go, to the point that she debated intervening several times as things got harrowing for the lone adventurer. But he gave it a good show and ultimately won. That was, until his strength gave out and he collapsed to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Why isn't he teleporting? Did he forget his student identification badge?

That was when Sharzin caught Rionriv from the corner of her eye. The sorceress was audibly cursing to herself as she stomped towards the boy, withdrawing a healing potion as she approached. It was a curious moment of compassion that Sharzin had rarely seen the girl give to strangers, and reason enough for the rogue to decide it was time to join.

This became a regular occurrence for Sharzin for the next week. Not her working with Rionriv to protect random students of Al'Magi, but the fact that as she practiced her skulking, she began to notice a boy in the shadows with her. It was the same student. Always alone. Always biting off more than he could chew in terms of combat.

While she would never intervene, Sharzin took advantage of the chance opportunity to practice her lurking and observe him fight. His armour changed regularly, as did his weapons and fighting style. It seemed as though every day he was trying something new, attempting to forgo working with his triop—a challenge she respected.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't very good at fighting alone. More often than not, Sharzin would need to intervene, silently exterminating the remaining vermin before dedicating a potion to healing the unconscious boy's otherwise fatal wounds. While she never understood why he simply wasn't teleporting away the moment he was reduced to an unconscious pile of flesh, it didn't bother her to share her loot with the boy. After all, she had secretly stashed away numerous potions, gold, and items from their summer adventures that she may have forgotten to mention to the rest of her triop.

Six. That's how many times Sharzin had brought the boy back from the brink, using up the majority of her healing potions on him and her money to bribe people to drag his unconscious body to the infirmary. But, again, that didn’t bother her. In fact, Sharzin was for some reason happy to help him. She found his dedication admirable and was actually rooting for him every time he stumbled into a fight. She had no idea where the rest of his triop was, but he seemed to be putting in the effort, and it made her want to do the same—in her stealthiness.

In the week that followed her altruistic lurking, Sharzin had skipped her Arcano-Statistics course once again after growing tired of listening to the teacher babble on. Instead, she had decided to wait in a nearby alleyway for Aesandoral to finish class so they could meet up for food.

“This song sucks.” A cocky First Year mocked the clockwork contraptions of an adjacent automatic band station.

“Yeah, maybe it needs to be tuned differently.” Another jeered, pulling a wand and flicking it towards the machines.

Sharzin watched as the automatons began to spark. The once-green crystals in the eye sockets turned red as the beautiful music transformed into a discordant cacophony of clanging instruments and screams.

Ohh, that’s not good. Sharzin thought from her shadows, disappearing deeper into the darkness and away from the looming threat.

Looking to get some distance, she rushed down a side passage, away from the combat, before spotting something curious. With a double-take, she watched as the same white-haired boy had once again returned for a beating.

Without hesitation, the student engaged in combat with a group of creatures outside of his capabilities to handle alone. And, while Sharzin knew that, it was apparent that he didn’t. So, as had become her private mission, she readied herself to assist if he needed it. But that was before Aesandoral burst forward like a hero, changing everything.

With a member of her triop present, things had changed. Now there was a chance that she would need to get actively involved. So, instead of standing idly by, Sharzin started making calculated moves, stepping into a more appropriate shadow and readying herself for combat.

But that was when the kid went down, and Aesandoral did what she did best. Forgot the world around her and moved singlemindedly.

Crap! Sharzin thought, taking up a position behind a box.

With a snap of her fingers, Sharzin’s short bow emerged from the shadows. But by the time she had nocked her own arrow, it was too late.

She watched as Aesandoral hunched over the kid, quickly reviving him with one of her potions. But what the archer didn’t see was the automaton approaching from her blind spot. Aesandoral fell limp as the musical machine landed a devastating blow to the back of her head. 

But, much like the boy, she didn't teleport. Her body remained as blood began to pour out from the girl's helmet.

Did you forget your identification badge, AGAIN?! Crap! Crap! Crap!

“No!” Sharzin yelped, stepping from the shadows and releasing her arrow. “Aesandoral!”

That was when a musical machine that had been sharing the nearby shadows unbeknownst to Sharzin, snuck around the edge of the battlefield and took its opportunity to pounce. Two heavy blows from oversized drumsticks bashed against the back of her head, knocking the rogue to the ground.

Rolling to her side, she dodged two more strikes as it pounded against the cobblestone road where her face had been.

Oh crap, too close. Too close!

Grabbing for a dagger from her belt, Sharzin thrust upward, but the blade was easily deflected. It flung from her hands as two more strikes came for her. The first she managed to dodge, but the second struck hard into her side, painfully cracking her ribs.

"Gah!" She coughed up blood

No, no, no. Got to get away.

Fear filled her as she rolled on the ground. Jumping to her feet and bracing herself for another strike, she readied herself to flee at a moment's notice.

Then, in an act of the Gods themselves, a radiant blast came forth and saved her. She stared at the hole blown through the machine in awe. Shifting her head towards her saviour, she saw him. The boy she had seen so many times was looking at her as radiant energy flowed from his eyes and outstretched hand. He had finally noticed her. The boy she had stalked and protected looked at her with a determined stare.

“Th-Thank you!” Sharzin stammered awkwardly, stepping from the shadows now that the combat seemed to be over.

Moving quickly to Aesandoral, she gave her teammate a small tap on the hip before speaking up.

“Aesandoral, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Sharzin. Thanks.”

“Did you forget your student I-D again?!” She lectured. “You-You could have died!"

“Well, I didn’t know I’d be fighting today, Sharzin.” Aesandoral huffed, slipping the bow onto her back. "And where were you in class?"

She began arguing with her friend about the importance of keeping the badge on her person, but as usual, Sharzin could tell that Aesandoral was no longer listening. That was, until the boy spoke once again before running away.

“Who was that guy?” Aesandoral asked.

“I don’t know, but he doesn’t seem to give up...” Sharzin replied, placing a hand over her chest as she remembered the radiant energy that saved her.

And then the most curious thing happened. Something that had never happened to her. Her heart fluttered. Not with anxiety or panic or stress. But something else.

Shaking her head, she pushed the feeling away and continued to lecture her friend.

—ooo—

Later that afternoon, Sharzin and Aesandoral were eating in the Grand Central Library café, waiting for Rionriv, who was surprisingly late. It gave the rogue time to catch up on what had happened in the class she missed in the time leading up to the towering library doors flinging open. A gust of wind blew through the foyer, scattering loose papers and quills as Rionriv entered with a low rumble of thunder following her.

“Oh great, Rionriv’s in a mood again,” Aesandoral whispered. “Here comes the thunder.”

“Ugh!” Rionriv huffed as she approached the table, pulling up a seat and perching atop it. “I’m frustrated.”

“Yeah, what about?” Aesandoral asked carefully.

“This stupid kid—” Rionriv turned to Sharzin. “That kid, Sharzin. From last week? He got himself petrified and broken by a roaming basilisk bully.”

“What?!” Both Sharzin and Aesandoral gasped.

Rionriv looked between the two of them before she locked her gaze on Aesandoral, and a confused expression crossed her face.

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he—erm,” Aesandoral blushed, and continued shyly. “We saved each other earlier.”

“We ran into him in the early afternoon,” Sharzin clarified. “And he saved both of us at one point and another—Wait, what happened?”

Sharzin listened as Rionriv explained how she had been meeting with a professor concerning extra, extra credit to help guarantee they passed their additional classes over the semester. Then, on her way to lunch, she ran into a basilisk and had to make a quick escape. The kid jumped down after her to fight it, which obviously ended poorly.

“I dealt with the distracted bully and then dragged his pieces all the way to the infirmary.”

“Poor kid, can’t catch a break,” Sharzin muttered, shaking her head. “But I’m sure he’ll be back on his feet in a few days and back in the thick of it.”

“Well, maybe we should go check on him after those few days?” Aesandoral injected quickly, poking her fingers together shyly. “You know, to make sure he’s healing alright?”