Veil woke up hours later than usual the next day, still exhausted and feeling his nerves stretched taught. He had never killed a single human being before, let alone five. A feeling of sickness and loss pervaded him. Crossing his legs, Veil sat on his bed and meditated, but not with the usual Ki Kung. He just emptied himself out and let whatever sensations or feelings were manifesting wash through him. Many hours later, when he felt...functional again, he got up, took a shower, and spent several minutes in deep analysis.

A few lessons were begging to be learned here. Veil’s psychic power had saved him. In many ways, he was neglecting the outward expression of his most potent talent. Keeping his mind open and attentive to the outside world was a priority, as was developing his telepathy and associated skills. Truthfully, he didn’t even know what all those skills were.

This is the last time he was going out so lightly armed. If he had worn his leather, magically armored vest, had at least one of his pistols on him, and a few grenades in his pocket, those men would have never stood a chance. Also, battle magic had just moved way up on his list of priorities. There would be no more waiting until next semester. He would start learning more by the end of this week. Sacha was probably a useful resource, and just seeing and being near her would help him calm down.

He also needed to talk to someone. If for no other reason than to retain his sanity. The obvious choice was Grandmother. She would understand, other than yelling at him for not taking sufficient precautions, but she was not in Samiihr and, therefore, out of contact range for the time being. There was no way he was committing what happened to paper. He would talk to Indali. Of everyone he was close to in Medina, she knew the most about him and his secrets. And she wasn’t a virtual child, like his friends and girlfriend. That settled, he put on his vest, slipped a few small alchemical grenades into the vests specially made pouches, and pulled out one of his pistols. The pistol would be stashed, along with ammunition, and a few more grenades in his book bag. After that, Veil went downstairs to get something to eat.

Melik was sitting at the Kitchen table, waiting for him.

“Are you alright, Veil?” Melik asked with concern. “You seemed really out of sorts last night. You didn’t break up with Sacha, did you?”

“I’m okay, Melik,” Veil replied, slumping into his seat. “I just had a tough night. And no, I didn’t break up with Sacha. Just give me a day or two to get my equilibrium back. We can talk later,” he said. ‘Just not about what really happened,’ Veil thought.

‘Note to self,’ Veil thought, not for the first time, don’t underestimate how observant Melik is.

“Sure, are you still going to divination,” Melik asked. “You’re cutting it pretty close.”

A short time later, he was sitting in class, deep in thought, still waiting for Professor Cosven. She walked in a few minutes later, looking especially severe. For some reason, she focused immediately on Veil.

“Mr. Silva, don’t you work at a medical clinic?” Professor Cosven asked.

“Yes, Professor,” Veil answered, curious as to where this was going.

“You’re dismissed for the day,” Cosven stated. “There have been many bombings around the city, as well as murders,” She said with a sour expression while crossing her arms. “The authorities are asking all medical personnel to be on standby, which means you should head to your clinic as soon as possible. Don’t worry about missing class. One of the students or I will catch you up on whatever you miss. Although, I’m not sure how much we are going to get done today.”

“Could you tell me a little about what happened before I go, Professor?” Veil asked.

“I really don’t know that much, Mr. Sivla,” She replied, “Only that there have been bombings in many parts of the city, and quite a few people are hurt. In what may be a related crime, several men were killed in a mage duel in one of the poorer South-Eastern neighborhoods. That’s really all I know, besides a bunch of wild rumors.”

“Thank you, Professor. I’ll leave at once,” Veil said as he grabbed his satchel and walked out the door.

It didn’t take him long to reach the clinic where people were running around, trying to serve many traumatically injured patients. Veil spent a few moments looking over the place before moving past the reception area. The health center was packed full of people with all manner of injuries – broken bones, concussions, bleeding wounds, not to mention crying children. Some of the children were injured, and some of whom were with wounded parents.

Omar grabbed Veil and set him to work as soon as he walked through the door. They were so busy that Veil ended up doing simple diagnostic testing and triage. Something he wouldn’t usually be working on alone for another year. Things didn’t start to slow down for almost six hours, and they didn’t finish with the last patients until five hours past their usual closing time.

As the last patients, doctors, and staff left, Indali came up to him and said, “I think we can suspend our meeting tonight, Veil, but I’d like to talk before you leave. Why don’t you come to my office, and we can have a drink. I feel I need one tonight.”

“I’d like to talk as well, Indali,” Veil said.

She paused, looked intently at him for a moment, started to speak, stopped, nodded, and then just led him upstairs to her office. She brought out a bottle of wine and two glasses as they sat down across from each other. After pouring and handing him one of the drinks, she sat back with a sigh and took a large sip.

“It looks like you have something on your mind, Veil,” Indali remarked. “Why don’t you go first.”

“Did you hear about the murders in the South-Eastern part of the city?” Veil asked, not seeing the point in being coy. “Those men attacked me, and I killed them,” He remarked in a harsh voice.

Indali shot up in her chair and looked sharply at Veil as he outlined the entire story, from going to the Southeast side to returning. He left nothing out, though his voice cracked once or twice. By the end of the story, Indali had gotten out of her chair, squeezed him over, sat down in the same large chair, and put her arm around him. Veil didn’t mind at all. He was trembling. He never trembled, not even when some creature or event had come close to seriously hurting or even killing him and that had happened a few times.

After Veil was finished, they sat there for a long time without saying anything.

Finally, Indali spoke, “You did the right thing, Veil. From the intensity of the attack and your story, it sounds like you saw, or they thought you saw, something they really didn’t want anyone to know about. That they were somehow able to track you down after a brief interaction with that machine is deeply troubling. Not to mention, it seems entirely too coincidental that the attack occurred the night before the bombings. The attacker’s actions and attitude indicate they were probably members of a larger group, who very likely would have struck out at you. If you hadn’t killed them, it’s entirely possible they or their friends would have kept coming after you and possibly those around you.”

Veil took a deep, shuddering breath. He knew that was true, but for some reason, it really helped to have someone say it.

“When I was much younger and more naive,” Indali continued, one arm tightening around Veil, “I was involved in a dispute over patent rights. Several colleagues and I had produced a new cancer fighting technique. It involved spells and alchemy, but the final process was cheap, effective, and very marketable. Simultaneously, with us, another researcher developed an almost identical patent. Not particularly surprising when you consider we both started from the same set of published research material.”

Veil sat with his hands tightly crossed over his chest, slightly hunched over, but listening closely to Indali’s story.

“This sort of thing happens occasionally. Most often, the worst that occurs is you go to court, maybe lose the patent and maybe have to pay a bunch of legal fees. In this case, the other developer accused us of stealing his work, and for some reason, he fixated on me. At first, things started normally enough with a legal suit, cease and desist orders, that sort of thing. But the case didn’t go his way, and he escalated, sending me threats, and then eventually, he confronted me in person.”

“These actions were kind of ugly but still not a problem. Then he began stalking me wherever I went. I would turn around, and there he was, watching. Eventually, I had enough and confronted him. I was on a date and having a glaring eyed man following me around did not make for a romantic evening. The situation quickly escalated to outright violence. He wasn’t much of a mage, so I easily disarmed him. I should have taken him to the authorities, but I was young and didn’t want any further unpleasantness, even when he continued to make threats and was practically frothing at the mouth.”

“Months went by, and I didn’t see him again, and I considered the matter closed, but you see, Veil, he was fanatical in his beliefs by that point. One night when I was walking home from work, he ambushed me. He shot at me, using mage killing bullets, and would likely have killed me if I had been alone. Luckily, at the time, I was accompanied by a friend, who happened to be a badass battle mage. She threw up a shield and shot back at my attacker before I even knew I was in danger. Her return fire caught him in the head and killed him instantly.”

“Your attackers were some sort of fanatics, acting in a group. Any action besides the one you took would have put your life and the lives of all those around you in extreme jeopardy.”

“Who was the mage who saved your life?” Veil asked, suspecting the answer.

“Why your grandmother, of course,” Indali replied. “We met while dating the same man and became friends. The friendship remained while the man didn’t,” Indali said with a sniff.

“Hopefully, none of the others in their group has any idea you exist, or they no longer have the means to track you,” Indali said, changing the subject back to the original conversation.

Veil shuddered. He was trying not to think of those possibilities.

“Is there anything else you can tell me about what happened?” Indali asked. “It sounds like those men may have had something to do with the bombing.”

Veil thought for a moment and then replied, “The only thing that seems significant is the odd sulfur-like smell. What really attracted my notice is that I had scented it before, on some armed workmen who were riding the train with me to Medina. He paused, “Let me try something.”

Veil straitened and turned his focus inward, engaging the skill Memory to reassemble what he had seen on the train as well as in the sewer. It was embarrassing that he hadn’t thought of doing this earlier. After the memory was fully reestablished, he engaged the skill Hyper-Focus and Visualization. Veil then looked at the sewer memory from every angle. Even though he could visualize the machine from every side, he had no idea what it was or what it did. He spent a half-hour describing it to Indali in much greater detail than before, but she was as clueless as Veil. Using Memory, Veil was also able to detail the odor more clearly, breaking it down into some of its component parts using his extensive knowledge of alchemy. Here, they had more luck.

“It sounds like they were using Naptha and Osforte,” Indali remarked. Seeing Veil’s confusion, she continued, “Naptha is an old chemical compound that was once used in warfare, hundreds of years ago. Once it was set on fire, it would continue to burn, even underwater. Osforte is an ancient alchemical compound, used to drive certain magical creatures into a frenzy.”

“Osian, the ancient capital of Pavas, was destroyed by Naptha,” Indali remarked.

“I’ve never heard of Osian,” Veil remarked, wrinkling his brow.

“No, Osian is completely gone,” Indali said, rising and returning to her chair. “and it was never rebuilt.” She paused. “There was a conflict between the ruler of Osian and the church. The church leaders had built an army of fanatically loyal followers, who originally targeted poor people and later the local nobles who weren’t zealous enough in their religious practices. The king sought to use these fanatics for his own purposes, with them predictably turning upon him in the end.”

While she was speaking, Indali poured Veil and herself a glass of wine.

“His successor, not being satisfied with that situation, spent several years trying to suppress or control the zealots without any luck. In fact, she steadily lost ground until several members of the royal house were taken and put on trial for heresy. The church demanded her submission, which she promised to give. Rather than honor this promise, the queen had her followers store huge amounts of Naptha in the sewers beneath the city, and when the church’s followers all gathered to witness and celebrate the strength of their holy cause, she set the Naptha on fire.”

“The entire city was completely consumed – religious fanatics, church leaders, royal heirs, and almost the entire local population. Even mages have an incredibly hard time putting Naptha out once it has begun to burn. The queen took her country back after that with little trouble,” Indali finished with a dark smile.

Indali shook her head, “We will have to continue this discussion later. Would you like to come and stay with me for a few days until you are feeling better?” Indali asked.

Veil shook his head and smiled, “I’m already feeling better, and I’m not afraid. That’s not why I felt bad,” Veil said. “Wasn’t there something you were going to tell me?”

Indali blinked and replied, “Yes, I almost forgot. I’ve finalized the date of the next foundation ritual.” Indali stopped and looked at Veil with a soft frowning expression. “If you’re not feeling up to it, you don’t have to participate this time,” Veil merely raised his eyebrows and waited. “This type of soul magic is illegal, and some of the people we have to deal with are unethical. Although I don’t expect anything to go wrong, if you decide to participate, you should come armed,” She said with her voice getting softer and softer towards the end.

“It’s alright, Indali. I will be ready by then,” Veil replied, “but it’s late, and you can give me the details next time.”

The next morning, Veil, Melik, and Ilya sat around the table after breakfast, reviewing what they knew and reading from the papers.

“The latest report says the bombs injured thousands of people with several hundred dead,” Ilya reported, scanning a newspaper. “Most of the damage was caused by falling glass and collapsing building. There are nine bomb sites.”

“Do they mention where the bombs went off?” Melik asked, tapping his fingers nervously.

Ilya listed off the neighborhoods’ names, but this meant nothing to Veil as he didn’t know the city that well.

“Do either of you have a map of Medina?” Veil asked.

Ilya nodded and retrieved not only maps of Medina but also their country Samiirh and the surrounding regions. They laid the atlas of Medina out on the table, took a pen, and marked the bombing’s locations. The markings formed a crescent, nearly a circle. The center of the city and the crescent were offset by roughly a kilometer. The crescent’s center was near the Eastern edge of Ithalaan Academy. They all gazed silently at the map for several moments.

“You know, there were also explosions in a few other cities, and reportedly outside Samiihr in the surrounding regions,” Melik stated, frowning in confusion. “There has even been talk of war, but no one seems to know with whom.”

“What’s really weird is that there were bombings out in the countryside, where no one lives,” Ilya added.

“I hadn’t heard that,” Veil said, leaning forward. “I was working in the clinic all day yesterday. Is there anything special about the sites in the countryside, or anywhere else for that matter?”

“From what I read, they are completely random,” Melik replied, drawing his brows together in concentration. “Some major cities like Medina were hit, but others, including the capital and important military installations, were untouched. Let’s use Ilya’s map and mark those locations.”

They laid out the map of Samiihr, and with Ilya reading off a list of bombing locations, they marked every location they could find. It looked like nothing so much as a completely random grouping of sites.

“I heard there were some odd work crews in the sewers, near where several explosions took place,” Veil remarked, shifting focus, and he really had. Several patients had reported hearing rumors to that effect.

They sat around examining the facts, forming theories, and getting absolutely nowhere. They didn’t have enough information.

It was the weekend before Veil had enough time to talk to Sacha for more than a few minutes. He was standing outside her dormitory and knocking on the door. The door was swept wide open and a short, Northern girl with wavy brown hair, gold eyes, and a startling well-developed figure for someone their age, or any age really, opened the door. Sacha certainly seemed to be surrounded by attractive girls, Veil absently noted.

She immediately struck a dramatic pose and declaimed, “Who calls.”

Veil could see Sacha, who was sitting on the couch, start to laugh.

“My name is Veil, and I’m here to see Sacha.”

“I’m Jelina, Sacha’s roommate. Sacha is on the couch,” Jelina replied, sounding a little disappointed.

Veil sat down on the couch next to Sacha, leaned over, and gave her a quick kiss. She had been pouting with her lips pressed just slightly forward, indicating her desire. There would be consequences if he didn’t satisfy her. Little public displays of affections were something she expected from time to time. Jelina sat across from them, looking amused.

“I’m glad to finally meet you, Jelina,” Veil said politely, “I was beginning to think Sacha’s roommate was more myth than reality. What are you studying?” He inquired.

“I’m only taking two advanced courses,” Jelina replied, “unlike you two crazies. I’m studying Alchemy and transformation. Which reminds me, Sacha tells me that you are fiendishly good at alchemy. If I run into trouble, I was hoping you might be able to help?” Jelina asked, and Veil nodded his consent. “Unfortunately, due to recent events, I am also working with Sacha on battle magic,” She said, wrinkling her nose.

“I was hoping you could help me with battle magic too, and Ilya and Melik are interested as well?” Veil said, looking at Sacha.

Sacha looked thoughtful, “Yamini and Elynor have also requested help, but I’m not really qualified. How about we form a group and ask one of the older students. I think Rasvan, from our technomagic class, has an older brother who specializes in battle magic.”

Abruptly, Sacha stopped and looked over at Jelina before saying, “Aren’t you supposed to meet that boy downstairs in a little over an hour?”

Jelina’s eyes widened dramatically. She gave a high-pitched squeak, jumped up, and dashed into her room.

After Veil’s ears stopped ringing, he asked with raised eyebrows, “An hour?”

Sacha just rolled her eyes at him and replied, “Girls need time to get ready, Veil.” Changing the subject, Sacha asked, “I know the city has been crazy lately, but you’re wearing that vest all the time, and you always carry blasting rods and shielding bracelets. Isn’t that enough? Why the sudden concern with battle magic?”

“A few days ago, while traveling at night, I was attacked,” Veil said vaguely, not wanting to give Sacha too much information but unwilling to lie. “I managed to beat off the attackers, but it left a strong impression on me. I didn’t tell you earlier because we haven’t been alone until now.”

“Are you okay?” Sacha asked with worry while reaching over and laying her hand on his shoulder.

Fortunately, she was far more concerned about his emotional state and seemed to assume someone had tried to mug him. If he kept her focused on that, he wouldn’t have to lie. Veil assured her that while shaken up and a little depressed, he was getting better, all of which was true.

“Besides,” Veil remarked, “carrying heavy armaments really helps calm me down.” While saying that, he reached into the book satchel next to him and pulled out one of his pistols. “My grandmother gave me a set of pistols when we started exploring the Labyrinth for alchemical supplies.”

Sacha’s eyes widened. After taking the bullets out, he handed her the gun. She took the heavy weapon in both hands and gazed upon it in admiration.

“The pistol produces a simple divination effect,” Veil said. “That’s part of what makes them so dangerous. The moment mana is sent into the guns, and they shoot forth a series of magical tethers that, with my guiding intent, attach to whatever I am targeting. This creates a biofeedback mechanism that interacts with my body, focusing the gun on the victim. Even if the target has divination wards up, it only blurs and doesn’t stop the sighting mechanism. The firearms remain directed toward the warded area.”

“Along with that,” Veil continued, “the specially made alchemical bullets can curve their trajectory slightly to follow the magical leash. The net effect, along with extensive training, is to produce astonishingly precise targeting. Not to mention that using guns is incredibly mana efficient. They pack an enormous punch for relatively small amounts of mana.”

Tracing the visible technomagic circuitry, she said in awe, “I don’t know much about technomagic, but even I can tell this weapon is incredible. It looks like it cost a small fortune. Your grandmother must really love you and must be filthy rich,” Sacha remarked, handing the pistol back.

Veil smiled, “Yes, on both counts. Katya, my grandmother, is over 112 years old and a master alchemist. She had a great deal of time to amass wealth, and I am her heir.”

“Speaking of wealth, I want you to have these,” Veil said while reaching into his book bag once again and retrieving a gift-wrapped object.

“A present,” Sacha said in a pleased voice. “You shouldn’t spend too much money on me,” She said quickly, taking and opening the gift without the slightest hesitation.

What appeared, after being unwrapped, was a high-quality blasting rod and shielding bracelet. Not quite as sophisticated as the ones he usually carried, but close.

“I didn’t and couldn’t buy these,” Veil said. “They were gifts from my grandmother, but I want you to have them. And I don’t care about the expense. I just want you to be safe. You should also tell Jelina and your other friends to take defensive measures as well.”

For a moment, Veil was afraid Sacha would cry, but she just leaned over and hugged him instead.

***

His next task would be to tell someone in authority about the odd device he had seen in the sewers without implicating himself or drawing attention. It occurred to Veil that the perfect choice was Charik, his technomagic teacher. If anyone would know about the strange machinery, it would be him. Veil arranged to meet with Charik in his office after class and related the mechanism’s details, location in the sewer, and the odd chemical odor.

“How did you happen across this construction site, Mr. Silva?” Charik asked.

“I was doing some late night shopping in the Southwestern part of the city,” Veil replied. “There were some last minute alchemy supplies I needed, and several markets in that quarter are open late at night. I was also looking for a gift for my girlfriend, Sacha. She was angry with me, so I was going to buy a present to bribe her. You know how girls are.”

The Feran Kuin looked back at him, blinking his odd rectangular pupils, and making a clicking sound. Did the Feran pick up on the subtle humor in the last comment? Charik was resting his lower body on the stool-chair, and his true-hands were folded across the table that served as his desk.

“Did you see any other strange people or activities at the site?” Charik asked.

“No, no one was near the manhole entrance,” Veil said. “I only approached because of the noxious smell. I happened to remember the odor from the train ride to Ithalaan.” He paused, seeing Charik deep in thought, “Do you think these weird construction sites are related to the bombing?” Veil asked. “Several people at the clinic mentioned that there were other such places across the city that seemed to be in the same location as the explosions.”

“That, Mr. Silva, is an excellent question,” Charik said, shifting his true-hands.” The evidence suggests the bombings and sewer locations might coincide, but at this time, we cannot be sure. Insofar as they have informed me, the city authorities are ignorant about the nature of the attack, if it was an attack, and why it took place. Couple that with reliable reports that similar events occurred not only in Samiihr but the surrounding regions, and possibly beyond, and we are stumbling along in the proverbial dark.”

“What about the machinery?” Veil inquired, sitting up a little straighter. “Has any sign of strange machines or their remains been found at the sites of the explosions, or do you know its nature or origin? I have never seen or read about anything like it, not even in works of fiction.”

Charik seemed to stop and consider whether he should answer the question but, in the end, replied, “The city authorities are still investigating the sites of the explosions and haven’t released much information. As for the nature of the device, it is probably of pre-human origin. It is sometimes referred to as Forerunner technology. I am sure you have heard of the Forerunners, even though no one knows much about them, other than that they existed.”

“The only information I can give you about the forerunners is that they died out or left the planet somewhere between 50,000 to 500,000 years ago and left behind many ancient ruins across the world.” Charik halted and shook his head. “They also have something to do with the gods, but what I’m not sure. Neither myself nor my people are particularly religiously inclined.”

“As for what the machine does, I have no idea. I will take the sketches you rendered and search the archive. If anything is determined, I will let you know.”

“Before you ask, I will try to keep your name out of my reports, but I cannot guarantee that someone won’t investigate,” Charik continued. “Is there any other detail you can remember, any other related fact you can tell me at this time?”

Charik and Veil discussed the situation for another half hour, but there was nothing more he could add. So, Veil departed Charik’s office and traveled home. On the walk back, Veil allowed his memory to ‘unfold,’ and he recalled the bizarre machine’s real location, along with the workmen’s attack. Using the art of Memory to trick himself was the only way to successfully lie to the Feran Kuin. Charik’s ability to read auras would allow him to detect deliberate untruths.

Once home, Veil related his talk with Sacha to Ilya and Melik. They were both excited about a battle magic group and gaining the ability to defend themselves. Neither had been able to buy blasting rods or shielding devices, but Melik and Veil had worked together to create crude items.

“Melik, you and I should make more blasting rods and shielding equipment for everyone else in the battle magic club,” Veil said with a sigh. “It means more expense, but we’re all getting closer to Sacha’s friends, and I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to them,”

“I completely agree,” Melik replied. “All it costs us, well me, is a little time.”

“I’d like to help too,” Ilya remarked quickly. “I could fetch supplies or stir your alchemy stuff or whatever.”

Melik and Veil shared a glance.

“Why don’t you test the devices as they are built,” Veil replied. “That will save us some time. You can also help with the mana circuitry.”

Ilya nodded eagerly.

A short time later, Veil and his roommates went down to the laboratory to make more protective devices.

“I’ll make the wand’s circuitry,” Melik said and collected and arranged the various metals, resins, wood, crystals, etching tools, and prepared acids needed for both devices.

Veil walked over to the supply cabinet, grabbed some materials, and started alchemical solutions growing crystals. He placed the mixtures into two types of containers – cylindrical ones that would form the rod’s central core and triangular vessels that served as foci for the shielding equipment.

While Veil watched, Melik cast a conversion spell to shape and combine the wood and resin into a thin sheet. Taking the finished sheet, Veil embedded it with nickel, platinum, and copper based mana circuitry. Veil then handed the sheet to Ilya.

“Use the etching tools and acid to clean the circuit,” Veil instructed Ilya.

Veil glanced over at Melik, who was applying spells to carefully wrap the sheet around the cylindrical crystal core. Veil turned back to his task, invoked a molding spell on a brass sheet, bent it into a cylinder, and then embedded a few nickel leads. Taking the finished core from Melik, Veil inserted the finished product inside the protective brass chassis he had just finished.

Veil handed the finished item to Ilya, “Try it out.”

Ilya tested the conjury-based blasting rod by pointing it at the basement’s bare cement wall and sending mana into it. It emitted a crude shaft of super-hot plasma that lightly scored the basement wall.

A bit later, they finished the first shielding device. Veil took a stool, placed it against the wall, and set the shielding bracelet on it. Veil drew mana from his core and forged a mana tether with the bracelet. Moving carefully to not lose the connection, he walked over to Ilya and Melik a few meters away. Veil then streamed mana to the bracelet, which immediately formed a disc shield.

Ilya then used one of their newly made blasting rods to shoot a plasma stream at the shield. The plasma beam struck and splashed to the sides, not penetrating the shield. They cheered.

“Just remember,” Veil said, “These blasting rods and shielding bracelets aren’t that powerful. The rods can’t punch through anything more than a weak shield. While mage killing bullets will punch right through the shields.”

“Then what good are they?” Ilya said in a disappointed tone.

“They give you a fighting chance if you’re facing a moderately powerful opponent,” Veil replied. “Mage killing bullets are expensive and rare. Chances are, if you’re targeted, it will be with regular ammunition, and some defense is better than nothing.”

About a week later, the battle magic club was assembled and ready for their first practice session. Rasvan’s brother Luca had agreed to teach them in exchange for some alchemical products that Veil supplied. They gathered in one of the academy’s mid-sized dueling chambers. It had established wards that were supposed to prevent injury or death.

Melik, Ilya, and Veil were already there when Rasvan and his brother arrived. Like Rasvan, Luca was tall with blood-red eyes and hair, but where his brother was thin, Luca was broad and powerfully built. Their characteristic blood-red eyes indicated a bloodline, but neither volunteered any information, and it was rude to ask. The girls – Sacha, Jelina, Elynor, and Yamini showed up a short time later.

Before the class started, introductions were made, and Ilya and Melik passed out blasting rods and shielding bracelets to Yamini and Elynor, while Veil gave a set to Rasvan. Jelina had received hers earlier in the week. As Veil pointed out to Melik and Ilya, girls really liked presents, so both of them took the opportunity to chat with the ladies for a few moments.

“Why thank you, Ilya, Melik, this is so nice of you,” Yamini said, looking up at Ilya shyly through warm brown eyes. Her soft rounded features with a slightly upturned nose, and full lips, framed by rich flowing, long black hair, gave her an air of vulnerability. “I’m so glad you made these. Elynor and I have been really worried about the recent attacks. It’s nice to have a means of defending ourselves.”

“Yes, thank you,” Elynor added. Her slightly slanted eyes and serious expression were reinforced by the tight black braid, which pulled her long black hair sharply away from her face, giving the impression of severity. This was accented by high set cheekbones and rather sharp features.

“We’re happy to help,” Ilya replied. “It was mostly the technomages, Melik and Veil, who did the work. I just acted as an assistant. So Yamini, how are your studies going?” Ilya inquired.

“I’m still taking all the same boring introductory classes you are, Ilya,” Yamini pouted, “but I spend my free time studying illusion. I think that’s what I want to specialize in eventually. Illusion is really useful for playwrights and artists,” She continued with excitement. “It makes the theatre so much more exciting. I love to see plays where the mages are casting real spells or real illusions, I guess,” Yamini finished with a rush, and then seeming to catch herself, looked shyly down at the floor.

“I like reading adventure stories and watching those sorts of plays as well,” Ilya responded enthusiastically.

Yamini glance at Ilya with a grateful expression, while Elynor watched her friend with a look of amusement.

“What about you, Elynor,” Melik asked, “how are your studies coming?”

“Advanced studies take a lot of work, and with four subjects – divination, summoning, warding, and conjury – I’ve been kept quite busy,” Elynor replied briefly.

“Umm, Uh, what do you like to do for fun,” Melik stumbled.

“There really isn’t any time for fun,” Elynor replied severely but then relented slightly. “I do like astronomy. The motions of the planets and stars are ordered, predictable, and harmonious. The beauty of the stars is written in the language of mathematics.”

“Oh,” Melik replied, clearly at a loss.

“We should probably get started with the class,” Veil jumped in and saved his flailing friend.

With that out of the way, Luca stepped forward and spoke, “Most modern battle magic uses devices instead of long-form casting. In most situations, by the time you finish performing a spell, you’re already dead.” Luca said in a serious voice, staring intently at each of them in turn. “There are ways to drastically shorten casting time, but this involves learning a great deal of unstructured magic. While I intend to teach you some spells, we’ll leave that to the end of class. I’ve brought a few nonlethal artifacts for us to use today.” Luca then passed out cheap looking rods and necklaces.

Luca continued his remarks, “The rods emit extremely low powered beams and mana bolts, and the necklace creates a shield that is designed to fail after being hit a few times by the practice wand. We’ll spend an hour first learning to properly use these devices, then immediately move on to dueling. The best way to learn is by doing. At the end of the session, I’ll begin teaching you the spells for the basic mana bolt and disc shield.”

With Veil, Sacha, and Rasvan’s assistance Luca taught the others how to use the shield and rod in combination. They had to be careful not to attempt to fire the rod through the shield. That would be disastrous. Selecting the proper beam or bolt also took practice. After that, they paired up for dueling.

The only person who could come close to Veil’s skill was Rasvan, and even he couldn’t keep up. In their first match, Veil and Rasvan faced each other from four meters apart.

“Start,” Luca cried.

Rasvan immediately activated his shield and crouched behind it. At the same time, Veil triggered his shield, but instead of sheltering in place, he immediately ran forward. Veil saw Rasvan drop down and brace for impact. When Veil was within a meter of Rasvan, he dropped and slid forward feet first. The edge of his shield struck Rasvan’s barrier and punched under the shield driving it upward and bowling Rasvan off his feet.

Rasvan tried to compensate and get up, but his shield was still active and prevented him from rising quickly. In the meantime, Veil had already released his shield and jumped to his feet. He then slid his blasting rod under Rasvan’s still active magical barrier and fired, striking Rasvan and winning the duel.

It wasn’t much of a competition, but Veil didn’t mind. He had arranged for Luca to teach him a few spells on the side. He knew going into this that he probably wouldn’t get very much out of the first few sessions and watching his fellow classmates was kind of comical. One duel, in particular, was especially amusing.

Ilya and Yamini had faced off against each other in one of the early matches. When the duel started, they were standing about four meters apart, and both immediately crouched down behind their translucent barriers staring at each other. Then Yamini fired a plasma beam at Ilya, but with the wand on the wrong side of the shield. The ray splattered off the magical barrier onto her arm. If the beam had been real, it would have badly burned her. The short, curvy girl jerked backward, half turned with the shield flying up to face the sky and fell flat on her back.

When Yamini started to stumble back, Ilya eagerly stepped forward to take advantage of the situation. But somehow, he allowed his shield to tilt sharply forward and stepped on the barrier’s lower edge. This caused him to fall forward onto his wand-holding arm, which then fired into his chest.

At least by the end of the dueling session, they were no longer shooting themselves. Luca then taught the group the spell for disc shield and mana dart, which Veil already knew. His grandmother had even trained him to short cast those spells in case he ever found himself without weapons. After the meeting was over, Luca left hurriedly, but the rest stood around in a circle, talking and making fun of each other and themselves for silly mistakes.

During a lull in the conversation, Ilya remarked, “Have any of you heard the rumors about monsters in the sewers.”

Yamini and Elynor looked at each other, and Elynor said, “There are rumors of creatures crawling out of the sewers and people being killed or dragged back under. They say the authorities are covering things up,” the tall girl finished, shifting uneasily on her feet, while Yamini crossed her arms.

“There are always monsters in the sewers, and they’re not rumors,” Rasvan replied evenly. “Most people don’t like to think about it, but the Labyrinth runs everywhere, and many monsters can tunnel or find cracks to slip through. There are entire paramilitary units tasked with monitoring and patrolling the sewers, and the local undergrounds in cities like Medina.” Rasvan said, gesturing beneath their feet. “But people getting snatched or eaten, that happens once or twice in a decade if that.”

“I know that,” Ilya replied impatiently, gazing intently at them through his glasses, “but there are a lot more rumors recently. There was a story I heard recently about an entire family being carried into the underground. Supposedly, they were in bed when giant venomous frog monsters smashed right through their walls and carried them off.”

“Oh, that’s terrible,” Yamini said, looking distressed and then puzzled. “But how would the frogs carry them? I mean, they don’t have arms?”

“Frog monsters, Yamini,” Ilya replied with a serious expression and grave tone of voice. “Half human. Half frog.”

“Oh, I see,” Yamini replied with an equally serious expression.

Veil and Sacha shared a look over the credulity of their friends.

“I’ve heard about unusual and powerful types of monsters being sighted, the kind normally only found in the lower levels of the labyrinth.” Ilya insisted, a pugnacious expression on his face.

Ilya could be really stubborn when an idea got stuck in his head.

They concluded that, yes, there were monsters in the sewer, there might be more than usual, and it might be related to the bombing. In other words, their analysis was useless. All they could do was wait for more information, and Veil had other priorities. The first foundation ritual was fast approaching.

A few days later, after completing their shifts at the clinic, Indali and Veil were in a new temporary location, setting up the ritual space. High level soul magic was illegal, and some of the people they were dealing with were unethical. So, it was important that the client not know their true identities or where to find them. Indali cast transformation magic on both of them. This created a thin ectoplasmic shell around them, altering their height, skin tone, facial features, and clothes. To avoid misunderstandings, Veil was openly wearing his two pistols in a fast draw holster on either hip.

The client, a swarthy, heavily mustached man, along with three heavily armed guards who looked like mercenaries, finally showed up, and things immediately began to deteriorate. Two of the guards posted themselves on either side of the door, while one tried to walk to the far end of the room behind Indali and Veil. Veil immediately stepped in front of the guard and put one of his hands on a pistol. The mercenary sneered and started to reach for his own firearm, only to find himself staring down the barrel of Veil’s gun. His other hand was also holding a pistol aimed precisely between the two guards at the door. Indali hadn’t moved a muscle, while the swarthy man’s face became red.

“What is this?” He growled. “I thought we came here to do business?”

“We did?” Indali stated. “Please tell your man to back away toward the door, and I will tell my apprentice to put away his guns.”

He glared for a moment, but having only limited options that mostly involved dying, he gestured his man back. The mercenary slowly backed toward the door, nervously licking his lips. Indali signaled Veil to put away his guns, which he did, never taking his eyes off the guards.

“Why don’t we start again,” Indali stated. “You are here for a foundation ritual, and we are prepared to complete it after you pay us our fee and have your men wait outside.”

The swarthy man glowered, glanced at Veil’s guns, and said, “Your fee is too high. Forty thousand is enough, and my men will stay to ensure everything goes smoothly.”

“My fee is non-negotiable, and so are my conditions,” Indali replied immediately. “If that is unacceptable, you should leave now. You can always go cultivate in a cave for 50 years to add to your core or seek a divine blessing instead.”

The swarthy man’s face tightened into a frown, and he glanced at his men, who all had their eyes locked on Veil, whose hands never strayed far from his guns.

Gritting his teeth and fuming silently for a moment, the man finally agreed. His men left the room, and he handed over the payment. It was a testament to greed. Creating a bloodline power was invaluable. Swallowing your pride was cheap in comparison.

Indali had the man take off most of his clothes and lie on the ritual table. They then administered an anesthetic paralytic so he wouldn’t feel pain or move during the ritual. It was amazing to Veil that the man had tried to strongarm two people who would hold his life in their hands. Why didn’t he try something after they were done? Indali then made some deep but narrow incisions at carefully selected locations across his body and inserted several alchemical mixtures made from a hydra’s remains into the cuts. Finally, they took out the prepared core of the hydra. Its immaterial form was locked within a temporary ectoplasmic shell. Indali, with Veil’s minor assistance, then enacted the ritual spell to draw the hydra’s core into the man’s body and set it ‘orbiting’ around his personal core.

They left the man on the table. The anesthetic would wear off in a few minutes. Exiting the room from a hidden side chamber, they made their way through a short tunnel to the basement of a nearby building and departed from there. It would be nearly impossible for the swarthy man’s guards, or anyone else, to track them. They stopped by the clinic to talk before leaving for their homes.

Once they were sitting in Indali’s office, she poured them both a glass of wine.

“I’m sorry, Veil, that was more confrontational than I expected. I know you are still suffering because of the attack,” Indali said, looking at him with concern.

“Actually, Indali, that’s a pretty normal situation for me,” Veil remarked. “My grandmother has gotten me into quite a few tense situations. It was kind of weirdly calming, and I’m feeling better, day by day.”

“Good,” Indali replied, “Just remember if you need to talk, or if there is anything else I can do, let me know,” She said. Veil nodded, not wanting to talk. Changing the subject, Indali continued, “I noticed those remarkable pistols you carry. They must be a gift from your grandmother.”

“Yes, “Veil replied, she gave them to me for my ninth birthday, after commissioning them from some friend of hers.”

“They are worth more than most people make in half a lifetime,” Indali said, “you should be careful to whom you show them.”