Aki thought she was following, but wasn't sure exactly what answer he wanted. She had always been afraid the teacher wouldn't like what she said and it seemed not much had changed since high school. The students around her certainly weren't going to volunteer an answer, if they were listening at all.
"It goes with the drill." The first person to answer was Keisha, and Emile smiled.
"Exactly. Different sources of power and different levels of efficacy, but the basic method is the same." Emile lifted his hands to catch the books as they fell and kept talking as he returned them to the students. "Axis doesn't believe we should make complicated theoretical distinctions. We organize magic by what you're trying to do to get results. If it's using power you already have, then it's Fey Arts. Are you mixing eye of newt and Red Bull to get some effect? That's Propitiation."
"I knew Red Bull was magic!" Aki looked toward the back to see who had spoken but Emile didn't seem bothered by the interruption.
"Not really. Propitiation is about moving energy using normal objects. Really, all magic is about moving energy, but each discipline is a different method of doing so." He paused and glanced upward. "I'm getting off track. Let's see... if you're changing an object to give it special effects, that's Fetishism - I can see some of you thinking it, trust me, the jokes have already been done."
"And this is all Maleficium?"
"That's where things get a little less clear. Maleficium was one of the first arts - you can use it subconsciously, bending various resources to cause something you want. Generally something bad, because that's easiest next to basic protection. One farmer has a little talent and causes another's crops to fail, that kind of thing.
"Lots of that is superstition, people getting killed as witches because they were supposedly behind some accident. It's actually still been known to happen, even today. But we know a lot more now, and we're far more precise in our methods. That's what I'll be explaining today."
Though he kept a quick pace, Emile explained the concepts behind Maleficium more clearly and Aki didn't have any trouble following. She wished she had been taking notes for all the other types of magic, but she figured she would have plenty of time to study those later. Most of their time before the semester had been spent with something he called Manifest Arts, and she wasn't sure how that fit into everything else.
Some seemed bored by the lecture, but Aki found the class flew by. Very few of the students around her had written anything, which didn't surprise her. She was also the only one in the group with her book out, if they had books at all.
Once Emile finished, students scattered quickly. She was going to go talk to Blake, who had opened his eyes but otherwise barely moved during class, except other students were around her. One of them shook his head.
"This is going to be brutal."
"Now's when I tell you the real secret." The greasy-haired guy clapped the other student on the shoulder. "The individual classes don't matter, you just have to get enough credits. It's easy to game the system. I have to retake this class, but since I didn't fail it completely last semester it still contributed to the total."
If she hadn't been sure before, Aki knew then she wouldn't fit in with the slacker clique. She needed to gain as many useful skills as possible, and if along the way she needed to learn some things that didn't seem to have any practical applications, well, that was school.
As they walked out, she saw Keisha glance toward their group. Her expression was neutral but there was a bit of contempt in her eyes. Aki wanted to go and insist that she wasn't one of them, but maybe compared to the best students she was just another slacker.
The first day of classes had gone well, and yet her good mood was gone.
~ ~ ~
Overall, Blake was impressed with the student center. There was a room with broken foosball tables and a cabinet of board games gathering dust, but the rest of it seemed to be in use. Aside from the store and a few offices, most of it was devoted to a central room with what looked like a bar at one end.
Despite the appearance, they didn't serve alcohol. Still, the students frequented it, ordering drinks and artery-clogging cheese fries. It was called Merlin's, which seemed to be some kind of inside joke.
The rest of the room was an assortment of couches, tables, and benches. He had experimented earlier and discovered every seat was comfortable. There were a few rooms off to the sides that were similarly furnished, but he sat in the main area since the goal was to be noticed.
He suspected his favorite seat would be a coach in one corner of the room. It was shaped in a large square with one point open so people could enter. The low table in the middle made a convenient place to rest his legs and if he slouched the back could serve as a headrest. If he'd really intended to fall asleep, it would have been easy to do.
Most of the people who hung out at the center came at night, so he arrived about the same time. Some had nothing to do, but most were trying to finish their assignments. Given that they were distracted by the people around them every other word, it didn't seem very efficient. Not that efficiency was really one of their goals.
"Hey Blake, you do the Mal paper yet?" It was Otryad, still determined to be friendly. Blake shrugged.
"Nah. I'm pretty sure this one is just busywork. It's not going to count for anything by the end of the semester."
"I think the point is to make us understand the basics." Otryad gave a stern frown. "Are you so confident?"
"Probably." Fortunately, it seemed that Otryad was on his way out, so the conversation wasn't prolonged. Meanwhile, Aki had entered, nervously carrying a laptop. She caught his eye and came to sit at the square couch. There were a few people on the other side, so he decided it wasn't a problem and gave her a slight smile.
Then he winced at the sound of her computer fan. "That thing is a beast. It could heat a house."
"Yeah, it's ancient." She seemed a little ashamed and Blake kicked himself for not considering that. "And I would have sold even this for rent, except I can't imagine going for too long without a computer."
"I know the feeling." Blake blinked and looked at the screen again. "You're running Linux?"
She raised her hands defensively. "Don't think I know more than I really do. It's just Ubuntu, and I mainly use it because Windows would kill this thing."
The computer booted and it seemed her intent was to work on the Maleficium paper, like most of the first semester students there. He settled and went back to pretending to sleep. After a while Aki spoke, though she kept typing.
"Are you really blowing off this paper?"
Blake glanced around them conspiratorially and then spoke in a low voice. "I finished it right after class."
"Ah, I get it." A smile twitched on her face. "Well, I won't ruin your slacker cred."
"Aight, dawg."
"But seriously, does that mean you can help me? I'm not sure what to write about Manifest Arts and Obscure Arts. I think I get Manifest but I have no idea how to define it, and I have no clue about Obscure. Of course, he barely mentions the most complicated ones."
"As it so happens, my four months before the semester were mostly focused on those. Just say Manifest is about bringing something from another realm into ours and Obscure is about affecting another world from here. That's the understanding I think they expect us to have right now, anyway. It gets complicated the further you go and I don't necessarily get those parts."
"Cursory is good enough, thanks." She glanced over at him. "Who'd you study with?"
"Drawde. You met him?" She shook her head. "It was really strange and not much of a story. But you were with Emile Martin, right? Shouldn't you have an advantage over everyone?"
"We actually didn't get much into Maleficium or the basic stuff, I guess because he knew I'd be learning it all now. He's a nice guy."
"The kind of nice guy who gives a paper on the first day?"
Over the next few hours they kept talking and Aki even managed to finish her paper. Blak
e sat back and realized his lazy smile wasn't a front. He was going to enjoy college more than he had expected.
If only it could last instead of breaking into war.
Chapter 8
After four weeks of classes, Keisha felt she understood the rhythm of Axis University. She was excelling in Propitiation and Professor Locklear recommended she move to an advanced class next semester. Since much of the work came easily for her, she had personal time for her self-study, which left her feeling better prepared if nothing else.
But her professors were beginning to talk about practical sessions, and that would make things more difficult. From her training with Tierdrial, she knew when she was drained of magical energy it was harder to think or feel motivated. So before that began, she resolved to begin her investigations.
Opening the door to Ax Hall was second nature by now. Keisha headed left to the admissions offices. She was a little unimpressed by the bored office workers she found. Since Fredrick Hall had spoken of admissions she had assumed he was representative of the group. It turned out he was a member of university's board of directions and held the title "Vice President of Aether." Presumably he had only contacted her due to the situation with Roger.
"Can I help you?" The young man looked Hispanic but had a Brooklyn accent. When he actually looked up from his solitaire game his eyes widened. "Oh, you're Keisha Davis. People were pretty glad you decided to attend."
"I've enjoyed it so far." She leaned against the edge of his desk. "What was your name again?"
"Jerry Nelson. Since Mr. Hall brought you in himself, we haven't really had a chance to talk."
"Red seven on the black eight."
"Oh, hey, thanks." They made small talk for a while before he eventually sat back and examined her speculatively. "I'm glad for anything that makes a boring job better, but I'm guessing you're here because you want something."
"It's not important, but I was hoping you could help me with something." This was the dangerous part, but she had thought through her story and hopefully Jerry wasn't a threat. "I used to know a guy named Roger. Not very well, but he mentioned Axis once. I'm surprised I haven't ran into him yet - did he graduate or something?"
"Roger? Fat chance of that. They gave him a Light Essence and it made him all entitled. He didn't accomplish anything and he dropping out last semester."
"That's too bad. Did he say what he was planning to do?"
"Most Lights are too self-absorbed to be friends with a mundane student like me - you seem cool, no offense intended. But I think there was..." Jerry clicked through some records and nodded. "Yeah, there's the paperwork about him dropping out, and that he surrendered his Essence. He's probably living with his parents or something."
"Well, thanks then." As sinister as that was, she was a little relieved. If Axis University blatantly killed off its students that would have made things difficult. But if there was a form for taking Essences back, that implied only a few were being underhanded.
"Any time. You should stop by again, it would ..." Abruptly he scrambled to his feet, his eyes over her shoulder. "Hello, Mr. Hall."
It took all her self-control not to whirl, instead turning to find him standing there in his usual suit. Though his eyes were fixed on her, he was removing his gloves as if he had just entered. She hoped it was a coincidence and doubted it could be.
"I've been pleased to note your progress, Miss Davis. Is there a problem?"
"She was just coming to chat, Mr. Hall."
"I hope you will not take offense, Mr. Nelson, when I point out that not many students voluntarily spend their time in these offices. Miss Davis, if you need something it might be best to approach the administration."
"I'll keep that in mind." He wasn't moving away, though, and she was afraid he suspected something if he didn't actually know. Considering there was a magical method to do most things, he might have even heard the conversation.
Just then one of the far doors burst open. It was Eron, his hands on his knees and panting for breath. "Mr. Hall! There are people attacking!"
Most of the admissions staff jumped, Keisha braced herself, and Fredrick Hall sighed and began to put his gloves back on. "Where?"
"It must be the Sinistrals, but they're two months early. It doesn't make sense unless-"
"That's enough, Eron. You defend the entrances while I cut off the source." This time she felt the surge of magic before the door popped into existence. Mr. Hall and it were gone a moment later.
That left Keisha and the admissions staff in the wake of the announcement. One woman was crying and one man seemed to have fainted. The responses seemed oddly extreme, unless there was some kind of precedent. She looked to Jerry in confusion.
"Don't worry about it. The attack is probably in the outer defenses and no one else will even know it happened. He doesn't look like it, but Mr. Hall is very powerful."
"Somehow I believe you." Unfortunately, she wasn't so sure things would go without trouble. It was difficult to sense much of anything inside the building, which meant the tunnel she felt must be very close. Even as she was examining it, a portal opened into the room.
When someone emerged the admissions staff jumped, but Keisha was almost disappointed. No monster or demon, just a man in a t-shirt and ragged jeans. However, he was holding a gun and that made him dangerous enough. It was just possible she might be able to finish a ritual to defend herself, assuming his bullet wouldn't tear directly through it.
"No one needs to die here," the man said. "But someone does have to get hurt to sacrifice our way through the seal. Any volunteers?"
Jerry pushed her back in order to step in front of her. "Stay there and I'll protect you."
She hoped he said that because Propitiation wasn't very useful in a fight, but now was hardly the time to be offended. Unfortunately, he seemed to be using elementary Maleficium she'd already seen in class. It might be best to negotiate with the attacker before Jerry tried to play hero and got himself killed.
Light tore through the room. When Keisha forced her eyes open she saw that the attacker hung limply from the arm of an enormous man. His shirt looked as though it might rip at any moment, his muscles rippling as he tossed the unconscious attacker aside. More importantly, his magical presence was immense and he was clearly a professional.
Suddenly the limp body jerked away as if pulled by a hook in its neck, vanishing into the wall. The tall man frowned, but before he could say anything Jerry stepped up to him.
"Doyle!" Jerry glared. "I could have taken him."
"They're jumping directly inside. I'm going to head them off below." It was a deep, resonant voice. Doyle stepped closer and his eyes shifted over them. "This is serious. Jerry, hide under a desk or something. And you're Keisha, right? Try to gather anyone panicking - if you have to fight, devote more than 50% to defense."
Power rushed around him again and for an instant the light lit up his red hair like fire. A moment later he was gone, dropping through the tunnel he had burned through the aether.
Most of the admissions staff seemed to be calm enough, or too scared to do anything foolish. Likewise, she would have to assume the administration could take care of itself. But there might be students in the other rooms and she might be able to stall a few attackers and keep anyone from getting killed.
As she took her first step, the building shuddered and she was thrown from her feet.
~ ~ ~
He had been leaning on the back two legs of his chair when the vibrations went through reality, and Blake nearly lost his balance. Immediately he was on his feet, throwing his senses against what was happening.
The defenses surrounding Axis University were too complex for him, and likewise the tunnel was incomprehensible. But the results were clear enough: someone was breaking inside. He was still too weak to know for sure, but there was a buzz of interference that might mean people were fighting. It seemed to be centered around Axis Hall.
Whatever was happening, he wanted to
be there. Blake abandoned his books and sprinted from the Mer Building. Yet each step came slower and soon it was impossible to go any further. There was no way he could challenge such power.
"You will stay here." Gastion's voice emerged from the shadows twisting into the professor.
"What's going on?"
"A trivial attack by a group of fools. The only weapon they have is audacity, and Fredrick will soon have the matter dealt with."
It wouldn't be soon enough for anyone caught in the crossfire. Blake forced a crooked smile. "So you stopped me to protect me?"
"Things will be more chaotic if you do not interfere." Gastion smiled. "This chaos will hurt our opposition far more than it will hurt us. Hopefully they will lose their most promising candidate."
"Keisha?"
"Yes. She is an exceptional host for the Light Essence, but her abilities are next to worthless in direct combat. At the very least they will lose her, and perhaps even the Essence as well."
Blake folded his arms. "Always glad to hear someone is going to die."
Red eyes fixed on him. "You have such darkness in your soul - why must you keep it at bay with laughter?"
"You know, I looked up your profile on the university site and found out your full name is Gastion Johnson. What kind of evil name is Johnson?"
The pressure preventing him from moving forward was still present, and Blake knew he was bound by something stronger. He might have been able to play off being present for the attack, but that was impossible now. Joining in would attract too much attention and ruin everything.
So he smiled as if he didn't care and hoped no one died. He had to stay and continue playing at being evil. And since he was willing to sacrifice their lives for his sake, maybe he actually was.
~ ~ ~
Tunnels of power twisted through the atmosphere, but Aki figured it must be a large number of professors moving at the same time. If she had that kind of power, she would definitely teleport everywhere. She kept that assumption until the building trembled.
She had been examining the stone pedestal in Axis Hall and when she was knocked down she nearly broke her head open on it. Fortunately she caught herself at the last moment. Glass was shattering, and she looked up just in time to see shards raining down toward her.