Chapter 96 - Gravitas Golem

Skyle was herded into the next room along with everyone else. The masters dragged their steps in front of their excited students, watching the looming doorway as though it were the gateway to hell.

The Gravitas testing room was similar in appearance to the cumulus room, except for its centerpiece. A sparsely furnished room, the bright glow of several everlight lanterns illuminated the pale walls. In the middle of the room stood a ring about thirty feet in diameter. It was similar in design to the Arena’s perimeter, though clearly much smaller in scale. In the middle of this circle stood a towering puppet. It was made of a grey material, too rough and unreflective to be metal. It was roughly man-shaped, though its massive seven feet height meant such a person would be a giant. Many arcane symbols covered its surface, wrapping it in an air of mystery and danger.

Skyle did his best not to stare, unlike most of the other students. Clearly, they were far more appreciative of the many symbols and finer points of the strange construct’s craftsmanship. He tilted his head to the side as he employed his True Sight to read the flows of energy within the construct.

The results disappointed him. Even his untrained eye could see at least half a dozen different streams of elemental essence meandering through the puppet. Though at first glance they might appear elaborate, Skyle had grown accustomed to the smooth flow of the essence contained within natural bodies. To his True Sight, even objects as mundane as the leafy plants decorating the corners of the room were more graceful and certainly far more complex.

Shaking his head, Skyle reflected that even among man-crafted objects, masterwork weapons such as Moonshadow was leagues above such crude constructs as the one before him. Maybe it was unfair for him to compare the ultimate accomplishment of a master such as Fierro Latimus to a measuring dummy in a tier 2 academy branch. Still, the difference was so startlingly obvious that it was disappointing.

“Well, someone seems impressed by the gravitas golem,” Syrene said.

Skyle gave a start and glanced sideways to see Syrene watching him under arched eyebrows. He could only smile sheepishly as he shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t miss the irony in her tone, though others did.

“Ah, yes, Magister Syrene. It is the pride of our branch, I assure you. I have it on good authority that this gravitas golem was crafted by the Grand Sages of the Council Arcana themselves. We went to great lengths to acquire this latest model just last year. It can guarantee accuracy to within single digits, while its measurement range can reach as high as two thousand grav units. It also provides the input value of grav units gathered, as well as the output value of grav units exerted.”

Syrene privately rolled her eyes, leaning in closer as she whispered in Skyle’s ear. “It’s pretty straightforward. Simply strike the grav puppet as hard as you can. Fists, weapons, or spells, your choice. Gravitas is measured in grav units, or gu. Initiates will range anywhere from 1 to 70 gu. Adepts tend to hover in the 150 to 240 range. As for masters, they measure anywhere from 500 to 725 gu. It is common among the more brutish elementalists to measure the size of their cocks by flaunting their gu rating in front of others. Men.”

Skyle’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets at the Aegis’sur’s last comment. The woman’s mouth was filthy! His mother would never stand for that kind of language in their home. It was only then that he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. It only lasted for a fraction of a second before he quickly composed his expression. Still, the damage was done. Syrene’s rich chuckle rang out next to his ear and he knew he had fallen victim to her ploys again.

Knowing nothing he could say would change a thing, Skyle went back to studying the gravitas golem. If the damn woman was determined to test his limits and toy around with him until she was satisfied of his full measure, Skyle knew nothing he might say would deter her. He was quickly reminded of his father. The only way to get Kendric Farrow to stop poking fun at your latest mishap was to ignore his mocking laughter as though the incident which produced it had never happened in the first place.

If she wanted to watch him squirm or whine, he would not give her that pleasure.

Syrene watched him for a moment longer while the master behind them continued explaining the revolutionary safety features of the new and improved gravitas golem. Skyle thought he caught the hint of an appreciative nod from Syrene out of the corner of his eye, but he forced himself to pretend he hadn’t noticed. Instead, he maintained as stony a face as he could while he suppressed the vile rising up the back of his throat.

“Not another damn test. I feel like I’ve already aged a whole year just with that last one. If my throat wasn’t so parched, I might have wet my pants.”

Syrene smiled knowingly into his eyes, and Skyle resisted the urge to swallow dryly.

“.. by standardizing the anchoring matrix bindings and simultaneously balancing the axial nodes connecting-”

“Yes, yes. That will do, Master Reifus. I’m sure we have a renewed appreciation for the value of the gravitas golem before us. Now, if you would proceed with your student’s testing? I’m afraid we cannot tarry here for too long.”

Syrene finally turned her regard away from Skyle, and the young boy barely managed to keep himself from sagging into a mushy lump of nerves. He didn’t know if he could take another test like the last one, and that was without taking into consideration this whole speech from Master Reifus. It was clearly directed to Skyle, as a cumulus crystal worth 100,000 golds was not something even an Aegis Master could so easily dismiss - let alone the fact that his student had been unjustly accused of breaking it.

Master Reifus made choking sounds before he was able to clear his throat.

“Magister Syrene, I’m not sure I understand your meaning.”

The poor man glanced nervously toward the other magisters, who immediately threw a meaningful look toward the gathered students. They obediently kept their silence. Skyle couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor, deluded masters. Even he had been able to catch those looks, let alone this fiendish woman.

“Oh?” An eloquent eyebrow was all that was needed to convey the full meaning of her next words. “Surely, you were explaining the costly features of the grav puppet for the benefit of your students? Else, less gracious souls might begin to suspect you were attempting to lecture their newest protege right under their noses.”

“Ah, that is.. You see, Magister Syr-” Master Reifus swiped a clammy hand across his forehead, short of breath all of a sudden.

“Yes, Master Reifus?”

Skyle scrunched up his forehead as he shook his head. How could this woman exert so much pressure upon a master of the academy? His aura was wavering visibly under the True Sight, filled with such chaotic waves of doubt and anxiety that Skyle feared any moment the poor man might start foaming at the mouth. The little boy was once again disappointed to see the masters he had once idealized be so susceptible to the mischievous woman’s guile.

After all, that was all he could see in her aura. Though her face appeared cold and ruthless, when taken in as a whole with the pinkish glow of amusement and yellow of barely contained laughter, Skyle could not take her seriously at all. It was painfully obvious that all this was simply another of the little games she was playing, but it suddenly struck Skyle that he seemed to be the only one aware of this fact.

Coming to think about it, Skyle’s frown grew even deeper as he thought back on Kassandra and Reik’s reactions back at the farm. Kassandra was too proud for her own good, but such pride also made it very hard to manipulate her as easily as the Aegis’sur had done. Even the level-headed Reikard had been on the brink of starting a physical confrontation that he must have known he could only lose.

Suspicion began to rear its ugly head in Skyle’s mind as he examined the expressions of the crowd. Their gazes were all riveted upon the Aegis’sur, following her every move, eagerly waiting upon her next words. No matter how impressive an Aegis’sur might be, such loss of decorum from three masters and their students seemed too far-fetched.

Skyle focused on the image presented by his True Sight. He delved deeper into Master Reifus’ aura, diving past the surging waves of emotions. There, he found a far subtler undertone which he had missed previously. Now that he was looking for it, he quickly realized how out of place it seemed when taken in with the whole of the academy master’s aura. As the master’s essence roiled like turbulent seas, this faint yet distinct layer swirled beneath it all. It did not touch the rest of the auras, but it seemed to exert an invisible force which imperceptibly twisted them into shifting in the same direction.

Skyle followed the faint traces of this insidious aura, and unsurprisingly, found that it was connected to the Aegis’sur. Now familiar with its hue, Skyle was startled to find that this layer of essence had already blanketed the entire room. He quickly used the third layer of the Infinite Eye and examined himself. He was relieved to find that though Syrene’s aura was curled tightly around him, it was being held off. A faint layer of dark essence flared briefly every time the foreign aura struck.

“Is this the power of an Aegis’sur? Can they simply manipulate others’ thoughts and actions like this? Wait, is my resistance the reason why she seems so fixated on me?”

Skyle’s heart began to beat faster as he followed the implications. If she had realized that her power was not working on him, that meant that these tests may have a deeper meaning behind them.

“Does she suspect that I may be Shadowblighted?”

Though the thought was chilling, Skyle did his best to control his breathing. Uncle Talon had left him here. Surely, he would have known about the building’s purpose, and he would have warned Skyle if there was any danger in these tests. That made him think of all the times he had undergone the annual ritual administered by the Church without any problems. Had Uncle Talon been involved in each of those tests?

This brought his attention back to the testing in this chamber. Inevitably, by now the masters had called forward the student that would undergo the gravitas test. It was the same youth who had gone before Skyle in the cumulus chamber, Orwen.

The tall boy licked his lips as he stumbled forward, looking as though an invisible hand were incessantly prodding him forward against his will.

“Orwen, proceed to the gravitas testing arena.” Master Reifus’ eyes twitched briefly in Syrene’s direction. “Be mindful of the disaster which befell the cumulus crystal, and handle yourself appropriately.”

Orwen flinched at the master’s words, his eyes going wide as all color fled from his face. His beseeching gaze flickered around the room, but everyone was busily looking elsewhere.

Another chilling thought struck Skyle as he watched the subdued mood in the room and how easily the Aegis’sur dominated the actions of every person present.

“And it may be that I’m the only one who is resisting this effect. Uncle Talon must know about the Aegis’sur’s powers, right? But what if it is my newly awakened powers that allow me to resist her influence? Did my parents tell Uncle Talon about them? Do my parents even realize just how far my blood has awakened?”

No matter what, Skyle realized that the last thing he wanted was for the Aegis’sur to pay even more attention than she already was. He scowled at the gravitas golem, feeling sick in his stomach. How did the test work in the first place? Would it draw out his power like the cumulus crystal had done, or was it possible to deliberately sabotage the test by closing off his talent completely? Skyle looked toward Syrene with a grateful eye. Thanks to the woman’s insistence, he would at least have a chance to see another student undergo the test first. This time, he would prepare himself by watching the student carefully.

He suddenly shivered as a possibility appeared in his mind.

“Does she suspect already? Is there a deeper reason why she covered for me at the cumulus chamber? Why is she insisting another student go before me now?”

The more Skyle came to learn about Syrene Le Flueur, the more questions began battering their fists against his mind.

After Orwen stood frozen for a few moments, Master Reifus had to cough several times, each louder than the last, before the poor youth hung his head and began to trudge forward with heavy steps.

“Look at him now, he can’t even lift his eyes. That’s what he gets for trying to steal brother’s thunder.”

Skyle nearly jumped at Kassandra’s sudden words. Swiveling his head to the left, he saw Kassandra grace him with a radiant smile. He felt tiny hands clasping his hand, and he squeezed back affectionately.

“Try to relax. No need to be so nervous.”

“I’m not,” Skyle lied.

“Tell that to your slobbering hands, brother.”

Skyle felt his lips twist in a wry smile, and was grateful for the concern and above all, the stalwart faith he saw in his baby sister’s aura. It bordered on fanaticism, and only barely did Skyle resist the overwhelming urge to ruffle her hair. Instead, he turned his attention back to the sacrificial lamb.

As soon Orwen stepped inside the ring, light sprang forth from the circle. A shimmering barrier flickered into place, sealing off the area. The arcane runes on the gravitas golem began to flicker with light as the youth finally came to a stop six feet away from it.

Skyle watched in fascination as Orwen began to cast his spell, weaving his hands nervously in front of him. He traced several symbols in the air, the essence from his hands leaving glowing trails that flickered with a deep earthen aura. He was also chanting words Skyle couldn’t recognize. He was entranced to see that for every word, a minute reaction could be seen in the air around him. The chanting came faster as long hours of practice took over, and swirling currents of essence took shape around the youth. It was almost as though he were speaking to the elements, and they were answering.

Sadly, the streams of essence were thin and wispy, taking too long to gather. They were also as shaky as the chanting itself had been at the beginning, many of their lines losing consistency and blurring into the next. Skyle could barely repress the urge to reach out and fix the twisted streams of essence. In fact, his hand had begun to rise of its own accord when Kassandra urgently pulled it back down and looked at him in askance.

Skyle could only shake his head and continue to watch. After several more gestures and chants, the thin lines of elemental essence finally converged together to form a simple pattern that was hard to distinguish because of how vague it was. The completed spell pattern sank into the ground, producing a loud rumble and shaking the arena where the caster stood.

Immediately, cries of surprise and praise rang out in the room.

“Orwen did it. I recognize the spell. It’s a Stone Spear!”

“Stone Spear? Isn’t that an adept level spell?”

“Yeah, I’ve been trying to master it for the past three months but have yet to succeed.”

“Of course you’d fail. The combination of runes and chanting required becomes too complex when you begin to weave them together.”

Even as they continued speaking, the ground beneath Orwen’s feet seemed to ripple, gathering into a sharp spear of grey rock that rose four feet into the air. The youth threw his hand forward, his hair flying behind him. The spear blurred into a shadow as it streaked forward with a sharp crack. Orwen’s face lit up with a fierce smile as he watched his spell plow its way toward the gravitas golem.

The spear struck the gravitas golem full on the chest with a resounding crash. The tip of the spear shattered instantly, followed by the shaft. Skyle was able to see just how unstable the whole spell structure was, so he was not surprised by how easily it collapsed. Rock fragments pelted the magical barrier of the arena while awed murmurs rose from the crowd.

“As expected of an adept level spell. So much power!”

“No kidding! My ears are still ringing and just look at all those stone shards fly!”

“Yeah, I think it even rocked the golem back.”

“You fool, that’s impossible. Those things are virtually invulnerable.”

“I wonder when we will be able to cast adept spells.”

“Even then, don’t even dream of having a spell as stable as Orwen’s stone spear.”

“Yeah, the spell structure was so solid. No wonder it was so powerful.”

Skyle did his best not to gape. Stable? Solid? Powerful? Were these kids even watching the same spell? If anything, he had been surprised that the spell had struck its target with any force at all. In fact, he had half-expected it to collapse entirely before it even reached its target. Skyle figured the only reason why there were so many stone fragments was because of how poorly the entire spell had been layered together. Moreover, so much of the essence that had been gathered for the spell had been wasted as a result of the clumsy weaves employed in the spell, that Skyle was certain not even half of the spell’s potential had been reached.

Had his standards for spellcasters been affected by witnessing Leon’s skill with the elements? The big lump could fling firebolts left and right almost as easily as snapping his fingers while Orwen had taken at least fifteen full seconds to cast that puny stone lance. They looked to be of an age, so did regia truly account for such a huge difference?

Glancing down at Kassandra, he reflected with not a small amount of pride that even his 9-year old baby sister could pound the snot out of this older boy without breaking a sweat. Skyle could see the veiled contempt in Kassandra’s eyes, which was also mirrored by Syrene. Then why were all the students and even the masters looking so pleased and surprised?

Orwen himself now wore a huge grin on his face, gazing at the bright numbers floating upon the magical barrier of the arena.

Gravitas Test Successful. Input Value: 105 gu. Output Value: 50 gu. Gravitas Ratio Efficiency: 47.6%

“Look at that insane grav ratio!”

“It’s almost 50%!”

“He’s almost reached a 1:2 ratio!”

“I’m still struggling with a 35% grav efficiency rating.”

“Shut up, mine’s at 31%.”

Skyle did his best not to stare. Was this truly the famed tier 2 academy he had been dreaming of joining all his life? The naked disappointment in his eyes must have shone through his desolate gaze, as Syrene threw an arm around his neck and jerked him close until he could feel her breath on his ear.

“Not impressed, right? Don’t worry, Skyle. I expect much more from you.”

Skyle gazed back at the Aegis’sur with abject horror, wondering just how much she knew about him. Yes, he had a powerful bloodline which sung of untold power in his ears. Indeed, it contained such might he was part of an elaborate Daemon plot to create a terrifying Dark King and bring doom into the world.

“But I still can’t channel a lick of elemental essence!”

Syrene seemed to hear his silent wail. She flashed that infuriating grin of hers that displayed her pearly teeth in all their splendor and nodded knowingly at him, as though they were partners in crime.

Skyle shook his head mutely, feeling completely helpless yet unable to explain his situation in fear of what might or might not bring doom upon his head.

“Don’t look so worried, Skyle. I have endless faith in you.”

That was just another nail in the coffin. Skyle began to despair, but felt an insistent tug on his left hand.

“That’s right, I still have Kass. At least she’s got my back.”

He craned his head down, and was almost blinded by the radiant glow of absolute faith that emanated from his baby sister’s aura. He did his best not to cringe.

“I believe in you, brother!”

“Yeah, big bro. Go show’em what you’ve got!”

“But that’s exactly it!” Skyle moaned in his head. “It is the last thing I want to show them!”

Heedless of his desperation, Syrene nudged him forward once more while leaning in close and whispering conspiratorially in his ear.

“Oh, and just so you know, that grav puppet is only worth 125,000 gold or so. So go crazy. I’m looking forward to it!”