Extra Curriculars: Operation Elemental Surprise

Rionriv had been at it with everyone for hours, cramming every bit of information she could think of for the upcoming midterms. And, thanks to Ishara’s incessant and pestering inquiries, not only had she gotten a few more hours of attention from Sharzin and Aesandoral, but also a few good last-minute additions to the potential question list.

That was the only reason why, when Sharzin and Aesandoral headed out for dinner, Rionriv wasn’t upset. Even by her strict ruleset, they had done well and deserved a break. She understood that.

What was surprising to her was that even as the other two left, Ishara stayed to continue studying.

Glancing over at him, she eyed his deeply concentrated face as he read through one of the introductory spellcraft books she had let him borrow. Rionriv normally didn’t like to lend books, but it had been the least she could do, especially since he had provided the ‘cheat sheet’ to incantationless casting, which had made her daily spellcrafting that much easier. Plus, the book he read was mostly divine magics, which she had no control over.

“You can leave,” Rionriv informed Ishara, lowering her gaze back to the notes she had been reviewing. “You don’t even need to be here for this.”

“I promised that I’d help you all pass. That means I need to know all of this—redundant crap.” He whispered the last part, but Rionriv heard it all.

She smirked, continuing to study.

Another hour went by, then two. After a while, the magical sconces on the walls came alight with a dim glow. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched them gradually warm brighter and brighter as the sun disappeared and night set in.

“Hey, Ri, let’s call it a night.” Ishara eventually said, closing his book with a yawn. “What do you say we unwind for a bit?”

“What are you saying, perv?” Rionriv looked over at Ishara, who had gone bright red. “I’ve got at least another three hours of studying in me.”

“Sorry, you misunderstood—” He replied as he walked over and touched her book, lowering it.

Thuh-thump!

Rionriv felt her heart race, not with excitement, but with a burning frustration. Or, at least, that was what she told herself.

“You have two seconds to remove your hands.”

Ishara jumped away, his palms up in the air, making them a perfect rod for her lightning to strike. She smirked at the idea, deciding to let it slide as she was content with his notable effort over the last few days.

“I meant nothing dirty.” He plead. “I was just meaning, you’ve been studying magic from books all afternoon, so why not go somewhere that you can put it into practice? You know, really lock it in while it’s fresh.”

“Well, the volatile magic chambers require supervision from a professor to use, which we won’t get at this hour.” Rionriv closed her tome and leaned back in her chair. “But I’m going to guess that wasn’t what you had in mind.”

Then Ishara flashed his smile. The smile Rionriv watched win over her sister. Instinctively, she hardened herself off, locking a deathly stare with his and watching as the smile faltered.

“I-I was thinking of sneaking us into the Elemental Waste Exoplane—”

“No way you know where that is!”

“Oh, you know of it?” He smirked again, as she clenched her jaw and sighed.

“What do you want?”

“Whatever do you mean, Ri? This is just a place to release your full elemental energy safely. Like I said, test out these new things you’re learning. Maybe dabble some more in that incantationless casting.”

Rionriv thought it over for a while, not wanting to be too hasty. While she didn’t yet fully trust Ishara, even she was finding it hard to deny the fact that he had been instrumental in both reeling in Sharzin and focusing the attention of Aesandoral. And if he could do that to them, Rionriv had no doubt in her mind that she was also being directed in some way.

But she did want to see the off-limits exoplane. So, with a sigh, she gave in, proclaiming that if they got in trouble, then Ishara would be to blame. But, of course, that was no issue for the persuasive child.

Together, they moved at a quick pace through the cool nighttime air. Racing down alleys, they made sure to avoid the vermin traps that they had become familiar with over the past few weeks. Eventually, passing the threshold to the School of Arcanoartistic Duality, Ishara stopped.

“What are you doing?” Rionriv asked, coming to a halt beside him.

“This is the entrance to the ooh-whee.”

“What? N-No one calls it that!”

Rionriv watched as her companion ignored her and reached into his bottomless bag, shuffling around for a moment before pulling up a palm-sized slab of stone with a sapphire set into it. Ishara revealed a confident smile, and as he did, he raised the object up while approaching the archway that marked the edge of campus. With a small tap, the air within the arch rippled like a translucent curtain in the wind.

Ishara turned to eye Rionriv with that smile of his before stepping through the veil and disappearing. She only had a moment to act as the portal had already begun to close. So, with a blast of wind, she propelled herself forward and through the curtain.

She emerged into a plane of chaos. Globules of earth erupted upwards, turning into muddy spheres that collided with pools of fire, before transforming into lava and dropping as flaming rain in the distance.

“Man, talk about a blursed lava lamp,” Ishara muttered to himself as he observed a pool of lava blowing out fire bubbles.

“Hey, how did you get that key?” Rionriv asked, marvelling at the space.

“Borrowed it from the office and cut a copy at Phyll-Depot. Don’t worry. The original is back in place and no one’s the wiser.” He tossed the key to Rionriv as he stepped behind her. “And it’s all yours. Now show me some of that O-P magic you go on about.”

Rionriv looked down at the key anxiously. On one hand, she had just gained access to somewhere meant to dampen the effects of elemental magic, allowing her to push the limits of her power without hurting other people or damaging school property. And on the other hand, she couldn’t help but feel like she was making a deal with some sort of devil by taking it.

“No contractual obligations by taking this?” She asked, turning and studying his face closely.

“I just want you to be able to apply what you’ve learned in a place that doesn’t jeopardize life or school property. Probably the same reason why you’re thinking so hard about this.”

As it was, every time they talked about contracts, deals or long-term goals, Ishara’s face became unreadable. Rionriv hated it. But he wasn’t wrong, and for that reason alone she would put a little trust in him—for now.

Turning away from Ishara, Rionriv raised her right hand to the heavens. She didn’t want to waste time with any of the normal spells she cast, so, instead, she began to recite the experimental incantation of her most recently crafted magic. She had never done this one before, so before silently attempting it, which she had noticed changed her spells slightly, she figured she’d see how it functioned the academically taught way.

“Hear me, O’Forgemaster and his burning Flame, I call upon you. Strike your mighty anvil and press upon thy glorious bellows; give to me the magic of the elements so that I may strike my foes with a glorious bolt. Twisted Lightning!”

Rionriv’s free hand had been drawing sigils into the air at the end of every sentence, and with a final notation, she brought her two palms together. A helix of electricity corkscrewed through the chaotic void, impacting a gargantuan boulder before shattering it into a dozen obsidian pieces.

“You’re so freaking cool, Ri...” Ishara muttered from behind her.

But Rionriv wouldn’t hear him, as she was too focused on her hands. The power she had just experienced was unlike anything she had before. More than just a few additional words and a sigil or two could increase.

Turning, she looked over at Ishara and his dumb grin. She didn’t understand him, but one thing was for sure—if he was playing some sort of game, as long as it allowed her triop to improve, it was worth it.