Chapter 82: Dinners with Demons

Aura escorted Autumn through the area of gardens her older sister worked on. The perimeter wall Arson was having built around both the Dump and the Junkyard, were nice to look at, but were incomplete and did not provide any real means of protection yet, which unsettled the pair since their mother’s disappearance. While they were on vacation, rumors had begun, her disappearance becoming public knowledge only after they’d returned.

None of the Archon siblings felt safe, as their mother wasn’t a casual foe, nor could just anyone bring her down. The might of someone equally as powerful as the woman herself would be necessary to complete the task, none knowing that the queen had done so herself.

Aura was unsettled alongside the rest of her siblings that traces of their mother’s energy had been tracked to Adroit Academy, where Arson now attended classes from what their family’s information network and various information brokers had given to their father so far.

“He doesn’t seem unbothered by mother’s disappearance to you,” asked Autumn. Aura had to pull herself back into the conversation once the words said to her registered fully. She was a moment away from lashing out at her Eldest sister, but was struck by a memory just a few days prior.

He was smiling Aura…

“Look please don’t blow up on me I just needed to get that off my chest, I’m worried for mom, and dad just seems a little too okay for me not to feel some type of way,” said Autumn in an attempt to dive out of the way of the mana train her younger sister could be at times. Yet Aura didn’t say a single word, memories of times her father smiled were limited, but all shared one thing.

“He’s spending time with Arson’s mom again, isn’t he?” Aura felt herself tear up momentarily before she wiped her face. Autumn turned to her slowly, tears in her own eyes.

“I didn’t even know you knew about all that,” responded Autumn softly. The elder sister closing the distance between them as faint sobs came from Aura.

“Is our family going to fall apart?” said Aura. A seemingly hysterical laugh threaded between sniffles.

“Probably, if it hasn’t happened already,” answered Autumn while she wrapped Aura in a hug. Aura closed her eyes, feeling the breeze whip softly across her face and through her hair. She lost herself in the hug and Autumn seemed no more eager to separate.

“We are going to find Mom and everything is going to be—“ A series of explosions erupted underneath the perimeter wall being built by the BHC around the dump. The wall made of plates of condensed sandstone infused with mana didn’t crumble or break, but instead had entire sections uprooted.

The bombs weren’t powerful enough to destroy the defensive material being used, but were powerful enough to destroy the dirt to either side of the walls where they’d been placed. Aura watched as the unfinished construction fell on its side, revealing to Aura the tree line beyond. A Tree line filled with Cultivators all wearing identical uniforms and armor sets.

“Embers and sparks, can I get a moment to cry!”

Aura broke free from her sister's grasp and took off running. More explosions came, strong enough to cause the ground the shake, turning her dash into a shaky mess.

“Aura!” She turned to see who’d yelled her name, just in time to be tackled off her feet by a familiar set of fraternal twins. Even while covered nearly completely by the two youngsters, Aura was forced to close her eyes. The air above her distorted by a spray of green lightning. She lifted her head to look around when she felt the weight of the twins no longer on her body. What she saw both stunned her for an instant, and made her slightly agitated.

The twins could be seen fighting a very tall man, in a mechanized suit of armor. Both youths seemed unfazed by the sudden battlefield being created around them, a familiar smile stretching across their faces.

Even these runts are growing faster than me. I refuse to be left behind little brother.

Aura performed a kip up and was on her feet and sprinting toward the twins. The female of the pair lifted the large man from behind, her small frame trembling as her brother broke piece after piece of the man's robotic equipment off his body, until she was able to easily manage the weight, and slammed the man on his head.

“Oye !” Aura yelled as she charged toward the pair. The man they fought still flailing in an attempt to escape. Desperation stretched across his facial features, even as an explosion of green lightning bursted out from his own body in a last ditched effort to defend himself.

Aura made eye contact with the female twin for the briefest moment, words unexpressed between them, yet still the young woman’s single point in the air above the twins was signal enough.

The small girl heaved with all her might, even as she and her brother fought through being electrocuted. Her twin brother appearing behind her upside down, pushing off the ground in a handstand to help his sister lift up the man’s massive armored frame once more.

In the moment Aura leapt up to engage. The twins managed to throw the man up into the air, Aura’s spinning body there to meet the man with a well timed spin kick. The energy that flowed through Aura’s body on contact was enough to make her vision go white, but regardless she followed through with the full might of the kick. A small vacuum of air was created, dragging Aura bodily. Her descent affected by the strength of the kick, the robotic armor’s explosion, and the volatile mix of mana when Aura’s own inner light touched the electricity.

She slammed back first a few dozen yards away after flying end over end through the air, and groaned as her body came to a stop within a small trench made by her landing.

She lifted her head from the ground for the second time in what felt like only a few moments, and watched the twins jump back to their feet. She wanted to do the same, but knew she’d broken something for sure. She gave the twins a thumbs up when they looked at her across the distance that now separated them from each other, and the gesture was returned by the pair, before they once more ran off.

Aura saw Amethyst summoning Titan from underground. The massive tree already wrapped and threw three enemy soldiers before it’d fully emerged from the ground, bodies sent airborne with the giant tree’s every movement. While her sister began to summon tree folk manifestations from the wilderness all around the charging forces.

“Just give me a moment, I’ll be back on my feet and ready to go.” Aura passed out on the battlefield. BHC guards stormed out of the buildings all around to face the incoming troops, and in the moments just before Aura’s eyes fluttered closed she had a pleasant thought for the first time in days.

Wherever you are mom, I hope you are proud of my growth.

…

Arson and Xani shared a look when they entered Professor Vellum’s classroom flanked by Rob. The cook hadn’t noticed the powerful suppression field they’d walked into once they entered the room, but all of Xani’s equipment shut off, and Arson’s watch seemed as if it’d tried to turn off but was unsuccessful. A series of lights customary to a power cycle flared, only to do nothing at all.

Bet Anastasia didn’t like whatever that was… The message he received from the AI next confirming his suspicions.

Anastasia the Runic Codex: If she tries something like that again I’m going to prank her the same way I’ve been plaguing the headmaster, you better warn her about me…!

“Arson: What’s with the private messages, and why is your name like that?

Anastasia the Runic Codex of Omni: My name is awesome, and I’m honestly not wanting to do another round of 21 questions, with these weird Runic types…

Arson: That’s not fair, I want to change my name in the Overlay system, and wait, did you say that you have been pranking the headmaster?

Anastasia: I change your name in the system all the time, some people message you and see the name Arson, while others see Carter, but yeah it's no big deal I got your back, just let me know what you want your name to be. What are you thinking, something fierce, right? Don’t worry about it. I got you!

Arson: Anastasia, what have you been doing to the headmaster?

Queen Anastasia the Innocent: What do you think of Arsenic… no too blah. What about Arsonist, I like that one, because of how much you hate fire, no one would ever know it was you.

Arson sighed, as he and his friends strolled through the classroom, knowing Anastasia had no intentions of telling him what she’d been doing. He and Xani bowed and waited to approach, but Rob having no care for decorum, unpacked his cooking equipment and mobile stoves and fridges from one of the many boxes designed by Xani.

“Early, that is not a trait I am accustomed to from the youth,” said the pink haired elderly woman as she came to her feet to greet them. The woman waved for the group to sit, but as Arson and Xani did so, Rob set a menu on the woman’s desk.

Her brows raised in surprise at the accommodations being offered, until she saw the prices, and decided to set the menu down.

“Far too rich for my blood,” said Professor Vellum with a chuckle. Arson didn’t believe the woman as the invoices he’d been paid from for his brief time spent awkwardly being forced into an instructor’s position earlier paid quite well. He assumed how much someone was paid would be linked to their displayed knowledge when testing to enter the school, but Arson still hadn’t read the school’s rulebook.

Going to have to have Anastasia read that to me at some point….

“No, you misunderstand, my employer is paying for the meal. We just hoped it would be sufficient for your time in return,” said Xani graciously. Professor Vellum picked back up the menu with a smile.

“The way to this woman’s heart is definitely food, children. Now what exactly can I help you with?” said Professor Vellum.

Arson looked out the floor to ceiling windows of the classroom at the setting mint blue and purple skies that flared as a backdrop to a red sun as it ducked below the horizon. He’d looked away to not be rude and roll his eyes at the woman, but wondered if she’d noticed as she was becoming intimate with the menu's every page.

Maybe her reaction earlier was just a fluke…

“You don’t remember what we spoke about earlier Professor Vellum,” asked Arson.

“Not at all, and does this item here come baked, it looks rather interesting,” asked Professor Vellum with a look toward Rob.

“It comes any way you would like within reason, ma’am. I haven’t mastered mana stone searing just yet, not that I wouldn’t try for you,” said Rob with a small bow.

“I will try this one baked then. Thank you.” She set down the menu, but left her hand atop it possessively. Arson unable to keep the smirk from his face.

“I need your assistance learning how to connect a transforming mana stone to a living organism,” said Arson. Xani looked at him and frowned. Her creased brow enough to make him want to rub her forehead in hopes to save her from future wrinkles.

“Do you know what forgotten art you speak of?” Arson shook his head to answer Professor Vellum, but Xani spoke up slightly bewildered by what Arson had asked of the professor.

“You want to learn how to create a homunculus? What kind of homunculus?”

“I don’t know, whatever kind is beneath the school, we will need this homunculus or whatever you call it to complete the towers and repair the school's underground rune.”

“So you’ve seen it, the monument of runic creation that is the Moving Mountain rune,” said Professor Vellum, and Arson nodded.

“Wow I thought it too be a myth, but I guess this school's secrets are as deep as they are numerous” said the woman while she peaked at Rob who cooked her food.

“So you haven’t seen it yourself,” asked Arson. The woman shook her head and smiled.

“Always wanted to, but my mental defenses aren’t strong enough to stop the formations from making entrances to the city's underbelly invisible to me,” admitted the woman. She opened the menu once more and began to push and select more and more from the digital book of foods. A literal category accessible with each page of food displayed. The professor no longer being shy as the smell of food filled the area.

“Would you like to?” asked Arson as he put his best potion of Crystalline Recollection on the table. Xani once more gave Arson an interested scowl that made Arson feel as if he’d messed with her for long enough and should tell her his plan.

Professor Vellum, looked between the potion and Arson. Then the food being prepared, and back at the potion.

“You don’t mean right now, do you? We haven’t even begun to taste the food,” said Professor Vellum with a growing frown. He’d have felt more comfortable to laugh, but a near identical frown had been worn in his direction before. The facial similarities enough to make Arson want to withdraw Sky from his inventory for comfort while in the woman’s presence.

“We may eat first, and it's probably for the best that you both have a full stomach before I show you this.”

The woman smiled and Arson grimaced internally. His outward smile all he could give as Rob set down the first set of plates.

“This should be interesting,” said both Xani and Professor Vellum as they looked at the potion bottle on the table, and back toward one another with offered smiles at echoing the other’s thoughts exactly.

“We shall see indeed,” said Arson under his breath.

“We shall see…”