Private Tales The Baby-Sitters Club

[Noel]

Proctor Malvern had been quite clear in his orders. Noel was to accompany another initiate from her class and then conduct an extensive training session with four younger apprentices at the Dreadlord Academy. They were at the fringes of the grounds, right along the treeline, and absent of the prying eyes of most of the staff. In not-so-subtle words Noel had been told they expected their four charges to show improvement after this session.

She wasn't sure if the test was for the younger students or for Noel and her fellow classmate. It was never possible to know for sure.

What Noel had been certain of was the exact potential of all four of the children they were to train. They were all thirteen, having started combat training five years ago, and all four were apparently earning top marks in their class. Standing before them she couldn't tell if they were nervous about disappointing the upper classmen or if they were anxious about whether or not they were going to be beaten to a pulp.

Javier was the first boy on their list of students. Apparently he was talented with axes and his magic was some form of geomancy. He'd supposedly never lost a duel against his fellow classmates so Noel figured putting the boy in his place was a prime objective.

Maha was a girl, considered second only to Javier. She had a dazzling set of piercing blue eyes and dark brown hair. The dossier provided to Noel indicated she was skilled with daggers and whirling blades which complimented her magic. Apparently she excelled at a magic that involved plotting trajectories through the air. It wasn't quite wind magic and it wasn't quite telekinesis. She could, supposedly, plot a course and any object propelled from her hands would follow that course precisely. No matter how complicated or unusual.

Before Noel could assess the remaining two students she saw her colleague approach. It was Henk.

Henk. The very student she'd been avoiding since the Solstice Ball. That was who the Proctors felt best to educate the next generation of Dreadlords? She'd assumed it would be Talea or Edric or maybe even some crazy pick like Ignatius. Henk had proven himself as an excellent sparring partner but what was he going to impart to these four? How to best light a hallway?

"Henk. Hello." She said with a flat voice, her words slightly cold. How he wanted to proceed with this training exercise was up to him.

 

[Henk]

Henk had found it quite surprising when he'd been told of his assignment as something of a tutor to a younger upcoming class of Initiates. At first, he'd suspected there was some sort of underlying mission beyond the face of the assignment, but the Proctors insisted that the instruction of his younger counterparts was his sole objective in this mission.

It was true that Henk held excellent marks himself in both combat exercises and traditional studies, but he was well aware that he was not seen as the prototypical Dreadlord. It was not his ability, but his attitude that the powers that were seen as restricting. Henk didn't mind, and he certainly didn't plan on changing who he was.

All of that aside, no stigmas associated with him would change that this was the task he'd been appointed, and he would approach it as he did any other job, and do exactly as was instructed of him. Henk could keep his own beliefs out of his work, and that's exactly what he would do. They hadn't told him who he was partnered with, but he doubted that was of any consequence as long as it wasn't...

Noel.

When he saw her there, standing with the young students, he felt that strange feeling in his chest that had lied dormant since the ill-fated ball. Their eyes met for only a moment, but that was all it took to resurface those conflicting emotions. He drew his gaze away quickly, instead focusing on their charges for the day.

He would not let his feelings for the raven-haired woman jeopardize this mission. It was foolish to pretend there was anything there, and he would only be proving his weakness by expressing those thoughts.

Javier and Maha were two that he was somewhat aware of. The Proctors had been excited about their prospects for many weeks now. The other two were notable in their own right, however. The third was a young boy named Casca, a rather odd case. He wasn't very proficient in weaponry or combat, but he possessed a great talent for stealth, his speed and instincts were said to be beyond that of some twice his age, and coupled with his magical aptitude for blending in with whatever surrounded him, the camouflaging initiate could effectively become a ghost at a moment's notice. Completely invisible.

Then there was the final girl, Terris. Even in her youth, Henk could tell she would grow to be the most deadly sort of beauty. Her hair was scarlet, and her eyes a milky white. Henk wasn't entirely sure of how her magic worked, only that she was blind of sight and yet somehow saw more than any of her peers. She could not tell you the color of an object, but she would share with you the exact dimensions, the estimated weight, and how far it would travel when thrown. It was even said that Terris could see beyond the obstructions of a wall, seeing what lay beyond it. Paired with Maha, they were a deadly duo, to be sure.

Stepping forward to stand beside Noel, Henk nodded politely to her, the flat tone of her voice not lost on him. "Noel. A pleasure to see you." He replied. The damned flutter in his stomach... he shook his head and turned to the four students.

"My name is Henk. This is Noel. The two of us will be your guest instructors for the day." Henk had quite the authoritative voice for somebody with his reputation. He slipped his hands behind his back and took a sweeping glance across all of them. "You're all at the top of your class, but it only gets harder from here. Much harder. We plan to give you a taste of that difficulty."

Casting a glance to Noel, he gestures towards the children. "I think we should start out with the basics, don't you, Miss Noel? What do you say we have them try and take us down?"

Noel

 

[Noel]

It was difficult, at first, to process everything that Henk was saying. Instead her mind raced with questions about what this particular pairing had meant. Were the Proctors aware of what happened at the ball? Were they aware of... whatever... attractions she held? Proctor Ayr had been a mind-reader so she knew it was possible but he'd been removed after the Revolution. Too radical according to the new republic.

No, she was getting paranoid.

Coincidence. That was the only reason why Henk had been matched up with her at today's lesson. Pure coincidence. No great plan or larger scheme by the academy's staff. Just a strange case of cosmic chance playing out before them.

Reality gripped her once more and she nodded in agreement at Henk's question. "Yes." They didn't have a healer on hand so matching the students up between themselves would be a gamble. Noel was confident she could dispatch of any of these four without causing some grievous injury. "Javier, you're up first. You'll attack me and I expect you won't hold back."

The cocky thirteen year old grinned and brandished his double-sided axe. He, apparently, was already prepared to show off as pebbles and granules of sand rose up and swirled around him. Supposedly he couldn't actually propel any of them but the swarming torrent of rock and earth made it difficult to fight him.

He charged forward and in a blood curdling shout raised his axe high.

Perhaps it was simply the rush of battle or the excitement of getting to test himself against upper classmates. But Noel couldn't help but wonder if perhaps this student was similar to the monsters within her own class. Students like Bull or Jaxan or Charon who seemed to revel in inflicting pain and sought to be stronger not because they wished to improve but because it meant they could harm more people.

In a swift motion Noel went from being unarmed to wielding a long staff of platinum. She swept his legs just as his axe was approaching her mid-section. Javier collapsed in a heap as a swirl of debris continued flowing above him. Noel struck down again, this time at his gut, and the boy coughed out in pain. His magic ceased and he stood, dusting himself off.

"Charging straight at a foe you know nothing about is a quick way to an early grave," she chided him. Belittling the one among them that thought himself the best was of utmost importance, at least in her mind.

A brown eye flashed over to Henk and she stood silently for a second. Staring at him until her senses kicked back in. "Your turn."

 

[Henk]

If Henk took notice of Noel's internal conflict in those few moments between the end of his words and the beginning of her own, he did well not to show it. The young initiate had his own suspicions about the motives behind a pairing such as this, one that the Proctors had never seemed to think viable before. Sure, it could have been some manner of their superiors playing off of the emotions they had put on display at the ball, but it was equally as likely a result of the coordination they'd put on display that very same night, performing a dance far from simple in front of the eyes of many.

Ultimately it did not make much difference to Henk. Whatever the reasons, they were together for the day and Henk did not intend on fumbling this assignment just because he was romantically interested in his partner.

Henk suspected that Noel would come to the same silent decision; she was as no-nonsense and to the point as any of them, and to learn that his appearance had shaken her as much as it did would have surprised him greatly. She offered him a nod of agreement and directed Javier to face her in combat. The young boy stepped forward with a smug little grin that very nearly made Henk crack his own smile with how much it reminded him of Vance Calgrave.

Of course, this initiate had neither the discipline of raw strength it would require to best Noel. Henk merely crossed his arms and watched as Javier let out a battle cry and charged forth with all the sand and dirt he'd kicked up in his excitement. Henk saw Noel's retaliation before it happened, moving her arms into place to wield a weapon that would in only a moment be there. Even if Javier had noticed, he was running far too quick to jump in time to avoid the sweep of the polearm.

"Raw might is not the determining factor in a battle, Javier. One must equally train their mind, to think ahead, to see what your opponent is doing even before they do it." Henk added to Noel's criticism, stepping around behind her and pointing his finger at the red-headed girl, Terris. "Terris, step forward. You will be facing me."

Logic would suggest he fight who was considered the second strongest of the Initiates, Maha. Henk, however, had a theory about this Terris. Through all he'd heard of her, there was one glaring weakness that could be exploited and would be, once she was out in the world performing missions.

The pale-eyed girl stepped forward, without any hint of an expression on her face. Henk didn't fall for the unemotional ruse; already she was thinking of how to attack him; using that mysterious sight of hers to map out every little blind spot he had.

As he thought. "Begin."

Terris readied herself, drawing two daggers from hilts on her sides, of which there were several. She often sought to take targets down with a thrown blade, using her abnormally keen awareness to catch her foe unawares. Unlike Javier, she approached Henk slowly, cautiously, as if waiting to see if he would make any sort of move.

It wasn't until he took a step to his left that a thrown dagger was already there to meet him, thrown far in advance by Terris as soon as she'd observed the beginning of the movement. Henk expected this, however, and did not finish the step, instead moving a foot towards his right. Another blade whizzed past his head. Terris now fumbled with to retrieve two more daggers from her sides, and in that time Henk struck, kindling the fire within him until his skin began to glow as bright as a roaring flame.

It was not the brightest of lights, but it was a consistent glow that surrounded Henk like an orb, similar to the one Noel had seen him create in the past. Now, Henk moved towards Terris in a straight, unprotected line. He should have been an easy target, and yet when the scarlet-haired girl made her next throw, it flew far wide of him, missing by a much larger margin than before. A look of panic crossed over her face as she wound back to throw again, but Henk's grip found her wrist before she could.

"The heat and light in the air bends and twists your perception, like ripples in a sheet or waves in water. You rely too heavily on your abilities. The magic you wield is but one facet of your arsenal. To be truly powerful, you must be able to survive without it. That will be the most difficult challenge for you."

Raising her arm in his grasp, he twists, sending Terris to the dirt with a solid thud. Henk's light dims almost immediately, a satisfied smirk on his face. "However, you did well to take your time and formulate a plan of attack. Javier was not so wise."

Henk followed Noel's lead on knocking the lead child down a peg. It was a smart move.

Noel

 

[Noel]

Initially she was surprised that Henk would choose Terris. Everything that Noel understood suggested that, in a best case scenario, Terris and Casca would become Level Threes upon graduation. Possibly even being relegated to Level Fours. Hell, she wouldn't have been surprised if Casca was barely used for combat and rather became an expert in reconnaissance for the Guard instead.

Terris showed an incredible display though, although Henk's realization of how she aimed her magic would certainly be humbling. Still, perhaps Noel had underestimated the milky-eyed child's abilities.

After what felt like an eternity, Noel choosing to let silence permeate her colleagues biting criticism of Javier, she spoke up. "Very good." The raven haired initiate could tell that Maha was practically drooling at the prospect of getting to test herself against the upper classmen while Casca's face seemed indifferent.

Before she could suggest that the bouts continue Proctor Malvern emerged from one of the buildings on the edge of the academy. He looked over the grouping of students and then simply said, "you four, practice your drills." In an instant the younger children began practicing, they were already old enough to know the punishment for disobedience.

Malvern looked Henk and Noel up-and-down before lowering his voice, "Lyra's ran off."

Lyra was perhaps the most famous of the younger apprentices and one of the students the Guard narrowed their focus on as soon as the revolution had ended. Her magic was a rare thing, her voice could manipulate emotions in a manner that was unseen in a child in Anirian history and both the pre-revolution Proctors and the post-revolution Military Overseers recognized how such a talent could be useful in battle.

There was a caveat, however, in that Lyra detested combat. Or really any form of violence.

In the old ways they thought they could simply beat it all out of her but the Guard had tried to ease back on that. Apparently she had sensed weakness and chosen to run off. To escape now rather than wait until graduation day to renounce the military.

Truthfully, Noel wasn't sure if the Guard would've even allowed her to renounce service. Not with a magical talent so useful.

"Everyone is out to find her," Malvern added, "and I need you two to join the hunt. It goes without saying but Lyra needs to be returned alive. A few broken bones is acceptable." The Proctor grinned at the thought and then glanced back at the four they were meant to be training. "Take one of them with you."

Noel waited until the Proctor was out of earshot before she stared at Henk. "Any preference as to which of the kids we drag along?" They'd all be useful in their own ways. Casca could get the drop on Lyra before her song could take hold of anyone, Maha could use her ability to assault the girl's throat and prevent her singing magic, and Terris might be able to spot Lyra if the song bird was in hiding. Hell, even Javier was said to have impressive earth magics that could surely come in some use.

For now she'd leave the choice to Henk.

 

[Henk]

Henk's gaze didn't meet Malvern as he approached them, nor did his expression change when they were given a new task. If Lyra's attempt at escape should have surprised him, it failed quite spectacularly at that. He knew quite well of the youngling's distaste for violence.

It would be a lie for him to claim he did not feel some level of sympathy for her. Henk was much like her in his early days at the Academy. The difference was that he had not been protected by the new rules that were now in place.

He'd been beaten nearly to death until he'd been forced to fight back.

Henk slid his arms around his own waist, cradling himself as he finally turned to Malvern with a quite blank expression. He didn't care much for being put on retrieval duty, especially when he had been enjoying the task of tutoring young minds; It had been an excellent break from the usual jobs he performed. Even so, orders were orders.

"Of course, Proctor Malvern. Consider it done." There was little enthusiasm in his tone, but it wasn't sarcastic or monotone enough to earn him discipline. Malvern finally shuffled away with his disgusting self and Henk turned to the ebony-haired woman beside him. "Hm? Oh right, he did say that, didn't he?" It was odd, but there was some semblance of a smile failing to hide itself on Henk's face. A knowing smile. "Thing is... there's only four of them. If we take one, surely the other three won't be able to train in pairs. Would be a shame and a waste."

It was unlike Henk to so blatantly ignore orders, but with a raised snap of his fingers, all of the young students stopped and looked at him. "New exercise. Whoever can find and capture Initiate Lyra alive can be considered the best of the four of you. The only rule is that she cannot be killed."

It seemed an odd tactic to pit them all against each other when only moments earlier he'd been preaching the merits of teamwork, but something was different about Henk today. Raising an arm to gently nudge Noel, he smiled gently. "Come. I've an idea where we may find her, and these four won't be able to catch her as they are now."

Noel

 

[Noel]

Noel allowed her co-teacher to address Malvern, issuing nothing more than a nod to the Proctor. Lyra might be a famous or prominent Dreadlord one day but for now she resembled more of a scared child than anything. It was hard for Noel to take the girl seriously.

A brow was raised though at Henk's suggestion. He'd just blown off a direct order from Malvern. Bold. Though the manner of new order he'd given the younger initiates was rather appropriate in her mind. Few things bred success like competition. Pitting them all against one another was a good call in her book.

"Smart," she said with an eyebrow still raised in his direction.

Her demeanor softened a bit as Henk smiled, though she refused to return the gesture, and she nodded at his idea of finding the girl on their own. "And how might you know where she is?"

Noel stepped foward alongside Henk as they walked forward. Lyra was well known, sure, but that was more due to her rare form of magic and many of the old Proctors chagrin at the fact that she winced at combat. Or blood. Or really anything that was befitting of a Dreadlord.

"You make a habit of fraternizing with the younger initiates?" Noel smirked at that. The reality was they all had mentoring responsibilities in their final year at the academy. Particularly as the Guard took over and viewed it as a sort of, 'on-the-job training for leadership.' Folding her arms tightly she couldn't help but change her tone to a serious one. "But, seriously, where are we going?"

Henk

 

[Henk]

Henk's new directive seemed to have the desired effect, the other young and eager students lighting up at the chance to prove themselves the strongest. They scattered like a stamped nest of ants without any hint of where Lyra may be, ready to scour the four corners of the Academy if it came to that. It was quite possibly one of the worst ways to go about things.

But Henk had anticipated that.

"Hmm?" Henk turned his head as if he'd been lost in thought. Noel walked beside him as he wandered off the training grounds. "Oh, of course not. Young Lyra simply came to me for advice on something not too long ago, and we've stayed in touch since." He explained with a soft smile. It was a half truth; he'd found the young girl hiding from the Proctors in a musty old closet, and had sought to comfort her. They talked long, and continued to talk many times after that. Lyra was much like Henk when he was a child. This was all terrifying to him.

Henk wished he could set her free, but he knew such a thing couldn't be. Even if he assisted in her escape from the Academy, the entire city's worth of guards and Dreadlords would be breathing down both of their necks. One or both of them would die, and it wouldn't be worth it.

"But to answer the real question, we're going to an old groundskeeper's shed." He pauses, bowing his head slightly to a passing proctor and sliding his hands into his coat. "I'm guessing they used to have a groundskeeper on the premises who handled upkeep of the Academy at some point, but it must have been a long time ago. They've had us doing all the chores as long as I can remember, what about you?"

Henk led them towards the dormitory building, not without seeing Javier dart across them, swearing under his breath at his inability to track down his target. The large initiate held back a chuckle as they entered the dorms, headed up to the top level. "It seems that when they stopped using the shed, they just built around it rather than demolish it. I'd wager there are even a few proctors who don't know it's there.

He continued to lead Noel until they stopped outside of Henk's room. Really, any room on the highest level would do, but most of the Initiates wouldn't take kindly to Henk shortcutting their chambers.

"Okay. Full disclosure, Noel. I possibly have more to do with this than I'm letting on." He leaned on the door, crossing his arms. "I gave Lyra the go-ahead on this escape attempt. Encouraged her. But I did so knowing that I would be on training duty today. If we do this right, we can quash her attempts to flee for good, convince her to put in more of an effort."

Hair-brained schemes... not Henk's forte, but this one was going swimmingly if he did say so himself.

Noel

 

[Noel]

Hidden sheds and devious schemes? Is this what the other initiates got up to when they weren’t training?

Noel cocked an eyebrow at Henk. ”So, you made friends with a lower class student, encouraged her to try and run from the academy, and then you thought it prudent to lead me to your bedroom?” A slight tilt of her head accompanied an intentional pause of her speech, ”but hey, at least you know the location of some unused shed that was built a century ago.”

Noel smiled, more out of some twisted sense of satisfaction than anything else.

Whatever Henk had cooked up here was probably a waste of time. She wasn’t interested in extracurriculars that failed to strengthen herself and was only willing to find Lyra because it was a direct order. Noel wasn’t one to shirk off orders.

But if Henk’s plan not only got Lyra to return but also caused her not to run away once more they’d have gone above and beyond in accomplishing the task set before them. It was the only reason why Noel was even entertaining whatever crazy scheme the scarred initiate had come up with.

”You know, if you spent this much time training you might’ve been top of the class,” she hurled one last jab before her face went serious. ”OK, I’ll bite. What are you planning and how do we do this?”

Finding Lyra was priority number one and if ending her rebellious streak didn’t conflict with their first priority everything would be in order. At least so far as she was concerned.

 

[Henk]

Henk's scarred lips curled into a smile at Noel's barbed response. She wasn't truly insulting his intelligence, merely noting how moronic the situation made him appear. "Your observations are astute, and your confidence in me noted. Don't worry, we won't be in here long. Wouldn't want people to talk, would we?" Henk turned and pushed his door open, leading Noel inside.

There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about Henk's dorm, save for the conspicuous absence of any mirrors and thick sheets pulled up to cover his windows, leaving the room pitch black when they were drawn. Henk allowed the light in now, peering briefly out of the window nearest his bed, relaying his plan to her as he observed the old shed.

"Lyra has taken an old passageway in the shed that runs just under the ground and empties out into the city, near the markets. At least, if she followed my instructions, she has." Henk unlatches the window and slides it open, beginning to climb up onto the sill. "First, we lure our eager young hunters to this shed, which they will of course waste no time searching."

The old vines that grew on the unkempt side of the dorm building made for good gripping material and swinging his legs out, Henk slid effortlessly down to the ground, waiting for his partner to follow. "By the time they find the tunnel and barrel through it without thinking twice, we'll have found Lyra." Henk was sure this all sounded beyond complicated, but he'd thought this through; Lyra had been a problem on several occasions, often causing trouble for the Proctors with her behavior. As far as Henk was concerned, this killed two birds with one stone.

"We keep her busy until the trainees catch up with us, and then she's got no choice but to fight." Cruel perhaps, but for who? Henk pushes the dilapidated shed open with his shoulder, empty and overgrown, but with an opening in the floor leading down into a pit, recently uncovered by the looks of it. Leaning back out of the door, Henk builds up light in his hand and fires it upwards in a massive beam, bright enough to be noticed even in the most splendorous of daylight.

"From there, you'll just have to trust me, if you can. I know you aren't sure about me, Noel..." He stops for a moment, looking at her rather awkwardly before moving towards the hole. He hadn't meant to say that part out loud. "...But I know how Lyra thinks. When she sees how useless her class is when they try to do anything cooperatively, I'll be able to work with her."

Noel

 

[Noel]

"Keep her busy?"

For a time it was the only thing Noel bothered to ask about Henk's wild plan. If she were to have it her way they'd capture Lyra, take her into their custody, and simply return her to the Proctors. The only lesson that Lyra would need to learn was how futile running was. The only lesson for the other four would be the bitter taste of failure.

Still, she didn't object to his plan. Even as they entered the shed and even as he illuminated half the grounds. "At least you'll get their attention." And if Henk was wrong and Lyra wasn't underground their escapee had likely been alerted to their location as well.

As they descended into the tunnel itself Henk hesitated and stopped.

"Fine," she stated stoically, "we'll try your way. With one caveat..." Noel crossed her arms and stared straight through the scarred initiate before her. "If Lyra tries to run I'm breaking her ankle."

A solid lump of metal slithered across her shoulders as she spoke. There wasn't much harm in trying out Henk's plan, if he was right and they discovered Lyra she was confident she'd be able to cripple the girl before she could run. Or knock her unconscious if she tried to use her singing magic on them.

No harm humoring his idea of teaching her some convoluted lesson.

 

[Henk]

Broad shoulders shrugged at Noel's condition. If things didn't go as Henk planned, he couldn't fault her for doing her job. In any other situation, he probably would have balked at this plan for being too needlessly complicated for a relatively simple outcome. Part of him was rather shocked Noel hadn't refused him outright... But some part of Henk knew that she understood his intentions.

She could be cold and sometimes came off as emotionless and apathetic, it was true. Henk had seen through that though, for the briefest of moments. She was human, just like the rest of them. It wasn't anybody's fault that their Academy sought to convince them otherwise. Honestly, someday Henk hoped she could see...

No, not the time to get introspective. They were on a schedule. The tunnel was dank, dark and long, but an orb of light summoned from Henk's palm went ahead of them, lighting the path as well as the fresh prints on the damp dirt beneath them that spoke to somebody coming through not long before them.

"Any other initiate would tell me I'm an idiot for something like this, you know."

Henk turned his head to look back at her as they moved towards a ladder dangling up ahead, the muffled sounds of voices over their heads were steadily growing louder and louder. "Thank you. For letting me try to help her. I know it'd be easier for you not to humor me."

Another smile, softer this time, and briefer too before he turned to the ladder and reached out to grasp the splintering wood carefully, climbing up to the roof of the tunnel and pushing open the trapdoor above to climb out into the city of Vel Anir.

They would emerge in one of the cities larger markets, stalls set up in rows for people to peruse, hawked by the blood-smelling sharks behind the stalls calling for people to choose them over anybody else in the massive place. Henk hated it here, but luckily the trapdoor was tucked in an alleyway just out of sight, so there wasn't anybody calling for him to try on fake jewelry or sample some strange-smelling spirits.

Lyra would want to avoid the crowd too, which meant...

Henk waited for Noel to join him, and then gestured further down the alleyway. "That way. Keep your eyes open. Not that I need to tell you that."

Noel

 

[Noel]

A crack of her knuckles and a roll of her shoulders followed Henk’s first statements. She looked at him incredulously as they continued onwards. ”Oh, let’s be very clear here. You are an idiot.”

That wasn’t really up for debate.

They owed Lyra nothing. She was significantly younger than them and helping her wasn’t going to benefit Henk nor Noel. They were at the academy to become the strongest Dreadlords that their skill would allow them.

Still, if he had a plan to get that child under control it would benefit all of Vel Anir. And she couldn’t help but think that, perhaps, Henk would make a good Proctor one day.

He was far too soft for it but since the Revolution soft Proctors seemed to be in vogue.

They kept going until the smells and sights of the city assaulted her senses. It was an odd feeling to be waltzing around a city when they weren’t technically on a mission. Sure, they’d been told to search for Lyra but it was doubtful the staff at the academy expected her here.

Noel cocked an eyebrow, ”I’m watching. Why would she come here?”

It would’ve been far easier to hide almost anywhere else on Arethil. Hell, parts of the academy might’ve been simpler to hide in. Sure, Lyra’s magic could’ve allowed her to get around a few peasants but anyone related to the state was likely to notice a Dreadlord initiate skulking about the city.

What the hell was Henk up to.

 

[Henk]

Henk turned to look back at Noel, raising an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't she? Sure there are better hiding spots, but she's not trying to hide, she's trying to get out of the city." Hiding wasn't worth anything. The Guard would hunt her down eventually, and then she'd be in a world of hurt.

"She was going to try and go through the front gates of the Academy before I told her about the shed. She's desperate, Noel. All I told her was how to get out of the school without getting caught..." He trailed off, turning back to continue forward towards the opposite end of the alley, peeking out of it's mouth into an adjacent street.

Noel didn't understand his motivations, and Henk hadn't thought she would. To her, he would just come off soft. Maybe he was. But he knew that getting Lyra to step in line would look awfully good for the two of them, and one thing Noel did care about was looking good to those in charge.

This street wasn't as busy, but that was probably due to an overturned wagon that had spilled barrels full of fruit onto the road. The driver had already set about about picking up each one individually to place back into the barrels. The one's that weren't squashed, anyways. It was the strangest thing though, the old man looked positively pleased to be on clean-up duty, almost as though he were in a pleasant haze.

Unless he was a big fan of physical labor, it seemed perhaps the one they were looking for had something to do with this little accident.

"Come on, she's headed this way. We can't be far now."

Henk left the alley and quickened his pace, rushing past the dazed man and his overturned wagon. They couldn't be that far behind, the girl was fast, but not that f--

A loud, piercing scream rang out, and his vision went blurry. Suddenly, he was tired, more exhausted than he'd been in... ever. Why was he out here looking for some kid? There was a warm bed and a hot meal waiting for him back home. Home, that's where he wanted to be right now. It was time to go home.

"Go away, Henk! You said you were trying to help me!"

Lyra stared daggers down at the scarfaced initate as he reeled back, having waited for him behind the overturned wagon Her bright red curls almost seemed to be brimming with rage, her outfit covered in mud and grime from the trip through the tunnel

Henk was too shaken for a moment by her magical voice to realize he'd been led into a trap, but his eyes squinted up at the short girl as he dropped to a knee, making every attempt to force himself to stay put. "Lyra... please listen to me." He didn't think she'd listen yet. She didn't need to until the others arrived He couldn't let her get away though...

She hadn't seen Noel. If ever there was a time he relied on her to jump in, it was now.

Lyra's ankles be damned.


Noel

 

[Noel]

Noel kept up with Henk but stayed a few steps behind. As he passed over the spilt wagon she followed his lead and picked up on the dazed look on the man's face as he cleaned up his overturned product from the street.

Then Noel started to feel really good and really unmotivated to find the missing girl.

Her logical side was screaming that Lyra was placing them both under her spell. But the primal part of her brain really wanted to comply with the child's magic. She could be back at her dorm right now, curling into bed so that she could train hard at the crack of dawn in the morning. Dreaming of all the things she wished to accomplish.

But her brain eventually snapped to attention in the second that Lyra issued her warning to Henk to stay away. Her song momentarily broken allowed an opening for Noel to spring into action.

A quick motion and a slender piece of platinum broke off from her pauldron, elongated itself into a slender strip of metal and quickly wrapped around the girl's ankles. Constricting so tightly that she fell over into a sudden shock.

"What is happ-," was all the girl spat out before a second piece of platinum rush towards her mouth and wrapped around to the back of her skull. Leaving just enough room for her nostrils to continue inhaling.

"Henk," Noel said while looking at the prone runaway with utter contempt, "you have around thirty seconds to do whatever you hoped to achieve here." Noel wasn't about to let the brat try that trick again.

She was leaning more and more towards a swift punch to the temple to render the kid unconscious before hauling her back to the academy.

 

[Henk]

Make yourself look like the biggest bleeding fool under the sun in front of the woman you're so painfully smitten with, Henk. Surely it'll all work itself out, right? Absolute genius.

He'd been lured into an obvious trap and caught off guard by powers he'd already been made aware of. Henk didn't feel humiliated very often, but the glower on his face as he rose back to his feet wasn't directed at Lyra, but at himself. "You're right, Noel. I'm sorry. I was far too confident in the over-complicated scheme of mine."

It was a solemn admission, one that he'd needed to force from his throat. Henk's plan had been foolish, a pitiful attempt to impress others at the risk of somebody else. If he'd really wanted to help Lyra, he should have told her the truth: That there was no leaving, that she needed to stay and get over it. Instead, Henk had tried to make a mountain out of a molehill to prove something to himself.

But they'd come this far. There was still a chance it could pay off.

"However, Thirty seconds should be just enough."

Almost like it was planned, a loud rumbling emanated from the same Alleyway the two of them had just left. Henk turned his head to look at the small opening between the buildings just as a massive ball of dirt, stone and wood rolled out into the street, pushing the chocolate-brown-haired girl attempting to hold it back into the wall of the building opposite the alleyway before crumbling atop her, leaving her buried in the rubble.

Following the ball was Javier, springing out like there was some way they wouldn't expect him after he'd just made such a show of burying poor Maha in dirt. "I've got you now Ly--huh?"

Javier's proud smirk quickly fell to a befuddled expression when he saw the girl he'd been supposed to capture already bound at the feet of the two people who'd told him to capture her. "What's going on?"

A muffled mess of words came from the pile of dirt and rocks resting against the building as Maha clawed her way out of the remains of Javier's attack. "Back off Javier, She's mine!" She spat, along with a considerable mouthful of dirt. She too though seemed stricken with confusion when she turned her head to see Henk and Noel standing with a bound Lyra at their feet.

Well, they'd come this far. It'd be a waste of time not to at least see if this works now.

"Lyra." He looked behind him, down at the squirming girl, red-faced with anger. "If you can incapacitate your classmates, we will let you leave Vel Anir forever." A lie? Maybe, but Henk liked to think of it as a gamble. "If you try to run, I'll let Noel here deal with you however she likes, do you understand?"

Lyra's teary gaze flittered between Henk, Noel, and the other two Initiates, two more of which Henk was sure weren't far behind. Then, she nodded.

"Let her go, Noel. Let's see what happens."

Henk already had an idea of what that would be.

Noel

 

[Noel]

Oh. This was his plan.

A bit reckless, sure, but it was going to be a pleasure to watch. All of the pupils they'd spent time this morning training getting their turn at the runaway Lyra. It wasn't something that Noel would've entertained simply because she would've found the prospect of fighting Lyra herself more enlightening. More beneficial to herself.

But, well, Lyra had already been subdued by her magic. No real indication that the girl would've put up any sort of realistic fight had they duked it out.

"Very well," Noel said while grinning at Javier and Maha. In an instant the metallic bindings came apart around Lyra's lips and wrists and floated into the air before circling around the raven-haired trainee. Noel was on edge still, perhaps for no good reason, as the metal circled around her head. She prepared to have it clamp onto her ears just in case the siren tried some sort of trick.

No sooner had Lyra stood to her feet than Javier began to lash out. He hurled a chunk or rock towards her at an impressive speed. No wonder he was one of the most promising geomancers at the academy in generations, not to mention top of his class. But to Noel's surprise Lyra deftly side-stepped the attack, having the rough ridge of the stone only graze her arm.

She must've practiced with Javier in the past. Understood his opening tactics too well.

A chime emerged from Lyra's lips and Noel tensed for a second until realizing the girl wasn't targeting Noel or Henk. Clearly she had thought Henk to make good on his offer. In the interim though Javier was starting to sway, likely feeling drowsy from her song as a piece of the earthy opened up to try and entrap her.

It was a temporary gambit as he eventually fell over into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness. Lyra turned her gaze to Maho right as the other two initiates rounded the corner. Apparently they intended to triple team the songstress after seeing what she'd unleashed on Javier.

 

[Henk]

One could definitely make the argument that Henk had taken a rather complicated road to come to this particular climax, but there was a method to his madness. Perhaps it wasn't exactly as foolproof as it should have been, but now that the other initiates had arrived, Henk crossed his arms and watched the fight with a smile that rivaled Noel's amused grin.

The fight was a spectacle, but Lyra's skill level was easily greater than that of the others. She demonstrated that not only with the magnificent sidestep that led even Henk to flinch, but also with the skill that it took to focus her siren-like voice in a way that only affected her foes. Javier and Maha were powerful, but they lacked cooperation, and their attacks were wild and without patience. The moment Javier fell to the ground in a peaceful slumber, Maha began an assault of flying blades, zinging through the air in a rather brazen and careless attempt to cut Lyra down.

Once again Lyra proved herself to be exceptional in her ability, retriving a chunk of earth from one of Javier's attacks and lifting it for use as a shield against the dangerous onslaught. The blades took chunks from the mass of dirt, but they could not peirce it. Henk's attention drew to the other two figures barreling down the street. Terris and Casca seemingly less at each other's throats than Javier and Maha had been.

It was a shame, really. Terris and Maha would have been a duo that could have thwarted Lyra with cooperation, but Casca's stealth didn't pair quite as well with the blind girl's otherworldly perception. Before reaching the kerfuffle, Casca diverted, vanishing down another alleyway to no doubt attempt some manner of surprise attack, while Terris approached Maha from behind, who was still sending blades towards Lyra's shield.

"Attack the lower left, Maha! It's weak!"

Maha paused just long enough to shove Terris away form her.

"Go away Ter! I know what I'm doing!"

Henk could only shake his head, turning to look at Noel.

"They really are a mess. It's no wonder finding Lyra was so important to the Academy when she's the only one of her class that can keep her composure..."

That was what he'd been banking on though. This little teaching moment required Lyra to be as every bit superior as Henk expected she was.


Noel

 

[Noel]

Noel’s arms were crossed as the street fight began. She kept both of her brown eyes intently focused on the younger students. It was impressive to see Lyra holding her own not just against Javier, who was the top rank in his class, but against the duo of Maha and Terris.

Another dagger sailed from Maha whilst Terris stumbled from the shove that she’d receive. That brief second was all it took really, it created an opening and Lyra was quick to pounce on it.

A sonic eruption exploded from Lyra’s mouth and turned the shove into a full blown tumble as Terris went flying into the adjacent building. She hit the stone hard and an audible crack rang out in the alleyway. They’d have to get Terris to a healer once this was over, her arm likely fractured in multiple places.

Lyra had, perhaps, overstepped though as the dagger Maha flung actually struck true. Lyra had attempted to step out of the way but Maha’s magic course-corrected and dug into the runaway’s thigh.

One yelp of pain was all that Lyra allowed herself before she charged towards the other girl. Maha had found herself distracted from the slumped body of an unconscious Terris and turned to face her assailant a bit too late. Lyra tore out the dagger embedded in her thigh and hit Maha squarely in the face with the hilt of the blade. Blood rushed out of Maha’s temple and Lyra struck thrice more before the other initiate collapsed to the ground.

Three of the best students from Lyra’s class laid on the concrete of the city incapacitated.

”She’s not bad,” Noel whispered to Henk, ”but she’s never going to forgive you when we drag her back to the academy.”

Lyra’s hair ruffled in the wind as she wildly looked around for Casca. Noel could see the determination in the young girl’s eyes. Believing she was this close to freedom. All she had to do was take down Casca who by any measure should’ve been the weakest of her four attackers.

Before she could find him though the stealthy boy found her.

Where once there was nothing suddenly there was Casca. He seemed to almost materialize out of a fog as his magic dissipated and he flung a rope around Lyra’s neck. The pair of students fell to the ground as they wrestled but Casca’s grip remained strong.

It was a bit of genius on his part. If he could choke her out they’d be able to return her to the academy and while he had the rope wrapped around her windpipe the girl wouldn’t be able to use any of her sonic magic.

Of course, Lyra was still struggling and Noel doubted the girl would go down without a long struggle.

 

[Henk]

Henk had been observing the battle between Lyra and her classmates with keen interest. It was obvious why the Academy was so worried about her. If she were this potent at this age, one could only imagine the power she might wield when it was time to graduate. Of course, that would only become reality if she indeed did return there when this was all said and done.

When Noel whispered to him though, that he wouldn't be forgiven for his actions, a flash of sadness crossed his blue eyes for a fraction of a second. It was true. No matter how this ended, Lyra would never wish to speak to him again. "It's okay. I'm getting used to that..." Noel herself had closed herself off to him even more so than usual after the episode at the ball, Kristen hadn't forgiven him for admitting to her his feelings on the Academy and the City, and now Lyra would think him the cruelest of beings, a traitor.

Maybe he was.

That was a discussion he'd have to wait to have with himself later. The battle before them was coming to what seemed to be a conclusion. Maha had landed a solid hit on Lyra, and the wound it left behind would hurt like hell for weeks. Lyra shrugged it off as if it had been nothing, pulling the blade from her bleeding flesh and smacking the back of it across Maha's jaw with a sickening crack.

It was when she started looking around for her final obstacle that Henk's eyes narrowed. A mistake: Lyra let her guard down because she assumed she'd be faster. If she'd worried less about seeing him and more about where the most advantageous place for him to be was, she'd probably be able to catch him before he appeared behind her and ensnared her in his rope.

"One negative thing about the post-revolution method of teaching..." Henk muttered. "It's not nearly as effective at beating the ego out of us. The younger classes are far too cocky."

Casca tumbled with Lyra on the cold hard ground, his face strained with effort as Lyra thrashed about wildly like a fish on a hook. It would do more harm than good, expending all of her remaining energy instead of remaining calm. After a few minutes of a struggle like that, her movements began to slow, and soon her eyes slid shut with the picture of fury still painted on her face.

"Enough, Casca."

Noel

 

[Noel]

"Good work," she'd said to Casca. While the demonstration that Lyra had put on was certainly impressive she'd failed to secure what she thought was her path to freedom. Casca on the other hand? He'd accomplished his task despite the complete failure of his classmates.

The boy's face was beaming as he released the girl and began to bind wrists and ankles so he could haul her back to the academy himself. Not even Noel would dare to rob the boy of his triumphant return.

"We'll walk with you. Just to be sure you can return her safely."

Metal bindings reached out and grabbed hold of the other students as Noel floated them upwards. They'd all pay a trip to the infirmary once they returned. Except, perhaps, Javier who would likely want to hit the training grounds after failing so completely today.

Noel turned her head towards Henk before the group began to walk back towards the academy. She looked the other initiate up and down, considering what he'd said just before they'd began to prep everyone for the return journey.

She nodded towards him. "They're cocky and they're soft." Had Lyra been in their class it wouldn't have been a retrieval mission. It would've been one of elimination and judging on the results it's likely that Lyra would have the blood of several of her classmates on her hands.

"Henk? What were you hoping to accomplish with this venture?" Perhaps he'd simply been trying to learn what they were capable of. Or, maybe, he had hoped to teach them some sort of lesson that Noel had missed. Either way, she was curious of the reason they'd gone through all of this trouble.

 

[Henk]

Yes, Casca had done exceptionally. Yet Henk couldn't help but feel disappointed in this outcome. Perhaps there had been some part of him that had held hope for Lyra to overcome the odds and defeat her classmates, to shatter his expectations and prove herself worthy of the freedom she sought, or worthy in Henk's eyes, at least. To see her unconscious and bound by a classmate she'd foolishly underestimated opened a small pit in the older boy's stomach.

That was the nature of this place though, Vel Anir. Fortune favored the strong, the cunning, the bold. Lyra had not been able to overcome a squad of very green Initiates that lacked any semblance of cohesion or cooperation; she wouldn't have lasted long even had Henk let her walk free, not when the Academy would soon send Dreadlords far more capable.

Henk's eyes swirled with thought as he followed Noel and Casca back to the Academy, broken only by Noel's words. "Yes..." He offered a small nod. "Yet in them I see the potential for good. These children are not fit to be Dreadlords of the traditional standard, it's true..." He stepped slightly ahead of her, tilting his head to look at the bound and floating youngsters. "But standards are changing. It's my hope that these five will not grow up as killing machines, as weapons that command through fear."

So what was it that Henk hoped for them to be? The boy had an answer, but he wasn't sure how Noel would take it, and despite the pettiness and silliness of it all her opinion of him was still something he wished not to tarnish any further. Instead, he waved a hand towards Lyra.

"She knows now. That she isn't strong enough to escape. Not only can she not defeat her classmates, but after this attempt the Academy will be watching her like a hawk. If she wishes to break free and leave Vel Anir forever, she must grow stronger, and smarter. Freedom is a carrot on a stick, and we've just dangled it very close to her mouth."

Noel

 

[Noel]

Noel waited a bit after he had finished speaking before she said anything. Measuring his words, weighing them in her mind, and contemplating the best way to proceed. Her tongue ran alongside the inner part of her cheek and her eyes darted between Lyra and the boy carrying her several times over.

"If she still wishes to leave after graduation that path is now open to her."

The words came after what likely seemed an eternity. It was a truth that had only recently come to pass. Thanks to the revolution and the myriad of changes it had brought with it.

For a brief moment only the sound of boots slapping stone roads followed. "She was bested by the weakest among them," her voice was low this time lest Casca overheard, "simply because she underestimated him." Noel's lips scrunched as she thought on what they'd done here today a bit further.

"Lyra will realize that her home is here and the she wishes to serve it. Or..." she trailed off a bit, saddened at the thought. Likely because it reminded Noel of the fates that some in her own class were contemplating. "Or I suppose she'll go seek a life elsewhere and try to forget her time at the academy."

Though how someone could squander a lifetime of training, a childhood of being molded into Arethil's perfect weapon, on a life of peace was far beyond her own comprehension.

 

[Henk]

Henk nodded along with Noel's words. For the first time today, he felt as though she understood where he was coming from. He wasn't sure the two of them would see eye to eye on many things, but they would agree that the choice to stay or leave wasn't theirs to make for Lyra.

"She'd die out there anyways as she is now. We've just shown her that." It was a hard lesson, one Henk didn't find any enjoyment in teaching. To willingly allow Lyra to come so tantalizingly close to freedom only to pull it away from her at the last moment... It was cruel. "But if she wants to leave so badly, I would prefer she has a chance of survival. The only way she'll get that chance is by training and learning until the time is right."

The odd looks they were getting from the people of Vel Anir aside, the walk back to the long tunnel was without incident. Still, the twinge of emotion that hung on the last sentence Noel said caused Henk to turn his head.

"The last few years have affected all of us differently, Noel." The Revolution had been a turning point, opening new avenues that hadn't been available to the ones who came before them. "Since The Revolution, we've been exposed to things that we normally would have been sheltered from."

Suddenly he felt that oh-so-persistent elephant in the room make its presence known again...

Clearing his throat, Henk looked anywhere but at Noel as he continued.

"That damned ball, for example. You think any of the classes before us were put in a position like that? Teaching a bunch of teenagers that they're only good for killing, and then letting them have just the slightest taste of normal friendship, normal relationships... Can you honestly be shocked some of us want out now? That they want to chase that same rush we felt?"

Noel

 

[Noel]

Henk wasn't wrong about the past few years. She'd seen many of her classmates change their entire demeanor when the promise of a non-violent life was presented after the revolution. Some of the most promising initiates at the academy seemed to lose their edge and a few, such as Edric, whom she'd never thought capable of a life outside the service even wavered.

It wouldn't be a surprise to her if others in her own class chose different paths. If Kristen served a few years as a Dreadlord then went on her prissy way towards the calls of nobility. If Henk ran off to do gods what, or worse, became a proctor. A few, like Jaxan, she assumed would just turn to a life of banditry once the Guard life no longer suited them.

But not her. Nothing had changed except her competition had become lazier. Less focused.

She snapped out of her thoughts once Henk brought up the ball. It was the first time, to her recollection, that he'd mentioned it since that night. "There will be many balls for us to attend if we're successful after graduation."

Noel wasn't confident if that was true. As an Archon, maybe, but as any other level of Dreadlord they'd likely just be seen as grunts in a Guard that still distrusted them.

"What rush did you feel, Henk?"

An eyebrow crooked upwards as she simply stared him down. Measuring her body language and her tone so as not to give away more than she likely already had. It was a simple enough question and while she assumed the answer was, 'freedom,' or, 'another life,' it was still a question that demanded an answer.