Chapter 215: Chapter 215

The day of departure arrived before any of them were truly ready for it. Damien and Sylph arrived at the training pavilion early in the morning. Most of the other students had already arrived and were milling about.

Blackmist had yet to fully replace the furnishings in the buildings after the carnage that they’d caused, but a few new tables had been put in on the top floor so that Yui and Reva, the hooded girl, could look down on everyone.

Cheese and Mark had claimed the left corner of the arena and the Goldsilk girls sat a short distance away from them, discussing in hushed tones.

“And here I was thinking I’d get here before most people,” Teddy’s bassy voice rumbled from behind them.

Damien turned, moving out of the way to let the larger boy past them. He inclined his head slightly, although it was difficult to tell if the motion was out of respect or if he’d simply seen something interesting on the ground.

“It’s more looking like we’re late,” Damien observed, keeping his guard up. Cordial words or not, it wasn’t lost on him that Teddy had held back a lot of his strength when they’d fought and hadn’t shown an ounce of hesitation when Derrod had told them to fight.

He and Sylph wandered into the room and sat down at the remains of one of the tables that had been yet to be replaced. Teddy watched them go, but didn’t make any move to follow. He just flopped down in a cross legged position on the sand, leaning against the wall and watching his fellow students through half-lidded eyes.

Damien had bigger problems than the other students, though. Henry, who had gone to work with Quinlan the night before, still had yet to return. There was still no sight of Quinlan, but Damien doubted they’d have run into any serious trouble.

The last remaining students piled into the room over the next few minutes. Quinlan finally arrived, bearing a large leather bag nearly as tall as she was on her back. She spotted Damien and Sylph, making her way over to them and setting the large back down beside them.

Sylph cocked an eyebrow. “Are you bringing everything you own with you?”

“No. Just a few essentials,” Quinlan replied. “We don’t know what’s waiting for us in Forsad, and I brought some extra materials for runecrafting so we could continue practicing. Some other things too. I’ve got your companion with me as well.”

“Ah, that’s good,” Damien said. “I was wondering where he was when he didn’t show up this morning. Nothing bad happened, right? Why is he still hiding?”

“He’s finishing up a project,” Quinlan replied, nodding at her bag. “In there.”

The pavilion doors darkened, interrupting their conversation. All the low chatter in the room vanished as Derrod stepped in, Aven at his heels. She shot a sharp glance at Cheese, who stuck his tongue out in response.

“Everyone is here,” Derrod said, nodding once. “Good. I do not appreciate tardiness. We will be setting off shortly. Due to the nature of this mission, before we leave, I will be personally inspecting all of your companions. Your schools might have determined that you are strong enough for this mission, but I do not take our task lightly. I have already inspected Aven and Princess Yui’s companions. We can start with Flamewheel and move on to Mountain Hall.”

Reva hopped down from the second floor, landing with a puff of sand on the ground before Derrod. She straightened, extending her hands palm up. Darkness gathered in her palm, dripping to the floor at her feet.

The shadows rose up, knitting together and forming into the shape of a dog with four burning coal red eyes. It let out a whuff, releasing a cloud of hazy smoke from its nostrils.

“Shadowhound.” Derrod nodded approvingly. “And a full manifestation. Respectable. Next.”

The monster vanished back into Reva and she walked to the side, turning back to watch the proceedings without revealing her face. Somehow, Damien suspected she had a smug grin.

Quinlan approached Derrod. The air around her grew hazy and magma dripped from her fingertips, forming into craggy armor that covered her body. “I’m sorry, Mr. Derrod. I cannot manifest my companion safely within the confines of this building. It is a magma elemental.”

“I think that’s quite all right,” Derrod said, a trickle of sweat beading up on his forehead. He wiped it away. “That combat manifestation is more than enough. I can feel the heat from here, and I can tell you’re suppressing it. You can control the intensity, correct?”

Quinlan nodded and the orange glow surrounding her faded until her armor was little more than glowing obsidian. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Derrod said. “Goldsilk is next.”

Eve walked up to him. She extended her hands before her and a gentle chime filled the air. A glowing orb coalesced between her and Derrod, blinking gently. He sucked in a slow breath.

“Haven’t seen one of these in a long time. A warden?”

“A very young one, Stormsword.” Eve’s voice was little more than a whisper.

Derrod nodded. “More than sufficient. Your powers aren’t the most suited to combat, but you’ll be a brilliant addition to the group.”

Elania and Viv went after her. Elania had a light elemental while Viv had a whisp, much to everyone from Blackmist’s amusement. Damien discretely tugged at Quinlan’s bag, which had been left beside him. He could vaguely feel Henry within it, but it was sealed tight.

Teddy went after Goldsilk, revealing that he had a monster from the Plane of Stars called a Ripple. It was a large, stone frog that stood half as tall as he did and was covered with jagged ridges.

“Right then,” Derrod said. “We’ll finish with Blackmist. Who’s first?”

“I have an exception,” Mark said. “Has the school informed you about it?”

“They have,” Derrod said. He examined Mark for a few moments. “Can you control it?”

“So long as I limit the amount of strength I draw,” Mark said. “I don’t have complete domination over its powers, but I have enough to use comfortably.”

Derrod rubbed his chin. “I’d prefer to see just what you’re capable of, but I’ve seen a few of your fights myself. I’ll respect the Dean’s wishes for now, but know that if I even see the slightest sign of you losing control, I will take what actions are necessary to protect the group.”

Mark nodded his understanding. Damien tugged more furiously at the straps, trying to untangle them.

Henry! You are not doing this to me again! Don’t you remember almost missing the test ceremony when I first got to Blackmist? Come on, get out of there!

His request fell on deaf ears. Without Henry inside his mind, he didn’t have a non-verbal way to communicate with his companion.

“I’ve got a sylph,” Sylph said, noticing his struggle and walking up to summon Human and buy time.

Derrod cocked an eyebrow and several students chuckled.

“That’s a rather weak companion,” Derrod said. “It’s magical energy is relatively low. But, you’ve clearly got more than enough talent if you’ve remained at the top of your class thus far – unless it is just that the rest of your class is disappointingly weak. Regardless, your combat skills are more than sufficient for this mission, even with a less influential companion.”

Sylph’s expression didn’t change. She snuck a glance back at Damien just as he managed to get the straps of Quinlan’s bag unfastened.

“What’s the deal?” Henry asked, floating out from within it. He still wore the blobby, tentacled form that he’d taken to using while around other people. Two of his tentacles held knitting needles, while the other was wrapped around a bright pink hat bearing his likeness on the front. “Oh. Hello, everyone.”

“And what is that?” Derrod asked, his eye twitching. “Damien, is this a joke? Where is your companion?”

“No, I’m Henry,” Henry said, tossing the needles back into Quinlan’s bag. “Damien hasn’t told me anything about you either, so we’re on the same page.”

“Henry, please,” Damien muttered. “We really don’t need a scene here.”

Henry snorted and placed the hat atop his head, adjusting it slightly.

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“Damien, I can barely feel any energy coming off your companion,” Derrod said, raising an eyebrow. “Are you seriously going to tell me that this is what gave you Space magic? What even is it?”

“He already told you. His name is Henry,” Damien said with a shrug. “New companion from the Plane of Darkness.”

“Is Henry his name or his race?” Aven asked, her eyes sharper than Damien had ever seen them.

“My name, and I talk,” Henry said. “You can address your Henry related questions to Henry.”

“Noted,” Aven said. “What are you?”

“If you're going to insist on being pedantic, I am a greater demon from the Plane of Darkness," Henry said, forming some fingernails on the back of his tentacle and examining them. "And your mortal antics are entirely boring to me. Damien and I have come to an arrangement in which I can enjoy myself a little while spending a bit of time crushing pitiful creatures like yourself into powder."

The pavilion went silent. Aven glared at Henry, trying to figure out if he was still joking around or getting seriously.

“Those are bold claims,” Derrod said, watching Henry closely. “What magic do you grant Damien?”

“Space, Light, and Dark,” Henry replied. “But that’s only when I’m not knitting. It’s quite interesting, you know. The little click-clack of the needles is exciting. Almost as exciting as goats.”

“I can vouch for Damien’s prowess,” Sylph said. “He’s easily as strong as I am. His companion is just a little strange.”

“As can I,” Yui said.

“And I,” Mark added. "Henry is powerful. At least as strong as mine. Maybe stronger. Probably not."

The Goldsilk girls all added their voices in as well. Quinlan glanced at them, but Damien shook his head slightly. He didn’t know if anyone would try to cause trouble during the expedition, but the less people knew about who his allies were, the better. Granted, Quinlan had walked right over to them when she’d arrived at the pavilion, but there was no need to confirm anything else.

“Very well,” Derrod said. “I’ve tested your skill myself. I am quite curious about your companion, though. Unknown variables can be difficult during missions. Everything that we can control should be controlled. That which we do not understand is what can undermine us.”

“I’ve found that hitting most things with a sword hard enough tends to make the problem go away,” Mark said.

Cheese nodded empathetically in agreement.

“That only works until you meet someone stronger than you,” Aven said with a disapproving glare. Cheese’s nod quickly changed to a shaking head.

“Then I just have to be stronger,” Mark said, crossing his arms.

“Now isn’t the time to discuss philosophies,” Derrod said, clapping his hands to get their attention back. “Follow after me. We’ll be going to a specialist in Blackmist for the teleportation to Forsad. I’ll explain more as we walk.”

They all filed after Derrod as he started out the door and deeper into Blackmist’s campus. The crowd drew more than a few glances from students who had gotten up early to get started with the day. Judging by their expressions, several recognized Derrod.

“When we arrive at Forsad, I will not be taking any action to direct or otherwise aid you,” Derrod said. “I am there to ensure that you are safe from any threats beyond your ability to handle. Forsad is home to all sorts of monsters, and you’ll be expected to be able to hold your own against the ones at your strength level. Some will be challenging or even impossible to defeat, but they will not be impossible to escape from. If you encounter any such creatures, that is where I will step in.”

“So we can do whatever we want once we get there?” Aven asked.

“Essentially,” Derrod replied. “Although you are expected to act with etiquette and represent your school with honor. If you begin indiscriminately attacking your fellow students or intentionally sabotaging the mission, I will step in. Otherwise, you are free to do as you will. Train, seek out relics, or hunt monsters. Just push to improve your strength in any manner that you can.”

“Do you have any artifact locations for us?” Teddy asked. “I was told that you were aware of a few.”

“Blackmist earned some advance information that is little more than speculation,” Derrod replied. “The Queen detected several artifacts of interest when she opened the gateway to Forsad. That information has been given to the students of Blackmist as the other part of their reward for reward for trading in an artifact from the Crypt.”

“Wait, what?” Damien asked. “We didn’t get anything like that.”

Derrod shrugged. “Say what you will. This is the information that the Queen delivered to me.”

“You could just be saying that to avoid getting people tailing you,” Reva said, pulling her hood lower. “Likely story.”

“It’s also possible not all of the Blackmist students were told about the artifact locations,” Teddy said. “If anyone, it’s most likely that Aven and Cheese know about them. The weaker students could just hold the fourth years back.”

“If I recall, you were having trouble fighting one of those weaker students,” Reva snipped.

“You weren’t having much more luck,” Teddy replied. “You were losing to a girl using a sylph as a companion. I don’t think you should talk. Unless you want to try your strength against me?”

Reva looked away. “We’ll see about that during the mission. I’m not wasting my strength on you now.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Derrod didn’t address their small argument. They reached the treasure pavilion and the guards at its front nodded respectfully to him, opening the door so that the group could head inside.

The door at its back was already wide open. Auntie stood in the doorframe, tapping her foot impatiently.

“About time,” she said, pointing at Derrod. “You were supposed to be here a minute ago.”

“I arrived precisely on time,” Derrod replied. “It is not my fault you expect everyone to be early.”

“Not everyone,” Auntie replied, turning on her heel and starting into the hall. “Just you.”

They followed after her.

“Does she know Derrod?” Sylph whispered to Damien.

He shrugged in response. “No idea. Don’t know who he interacted with. Barely know the guy.”

They wound down the corridor for several minutes, low excited chatter accompanying them, until they came to a stop before an archway. Heavy metal chains hung from it, coiled around the ground on either side of the entrance.

A thin layer of dust covered the gray ground leading up to a tall dais, where two huge pillars stood in the center of a raised platform.

“This is one of the entrances to Forsad,” Auntie explained, taking them up the stairs and onto the platform. “Or rather, it’s just a boosted teleportation array. Connecting directly to Forsad would be incredibly difficult on its own, so this helps optimize the amount of Ether the spell takes from me. Even with the Queen holding open a pathway, sending things into Forsad is hard. Leaving will be much easier. Derrod can handle that part himself.”

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