Your Majesty,

I regret to inform you of a terrible incident within the halls of the magic academy at Shineheart. The instigator was one Hannibal Corinth, heir of Baron Corinth. There were suspicions about his constantly accusing others and possible abuses of our justice system, so I placed a divination spell on him that recorded to a crystal I kept on my person. I have enclosed the pertinent recording of events, and ask that you do everything in your power to ensure the anonymity of the victim.

I am unsure as to the start of the incident, though the ending is clear. The victim willingly followed Hannibal and two of his friends into an alleyway where they immediately grabbed her and ripped off her shirt. The victim froze, and was forced to her knees. She bit Hannibal when given the opportunity, and his response was a forceful slap and to pull out a slave collar. Before he could put it on her, a friend of the victim intervened and in the short battle removed the hand of Hannibal.

While that was bad enough, Hannibal then attempted to rush through the justice system and was banking on his three witnesses and their perjury outweighing the true recounting of events by the victim and her friend. The only thing preventing a true miscarriage of justice was fast thinking on the part of the friend. He preserved evidence, and thought to bring a truthsayer to the proceedings. That, coupled with a chance for me to review the divination allowed me to see the truth. In a rather insightful argument, the friend accused Hannibal of attempted murder for how Hannibal and his friends attempted to frame the friend of mutilating a noble. I agreed with his argument, as Hannibal has had several cases in the past that now were almost certainly won on the basis of perjury.

Seeing the weight of the evidence against them, Hannibal’s subordinates threw themselves on my mercy. Douglass Skeer and Nicholas Chester have been sentenced to five years supporting the academy, and their graduation and lessons will be on hold until the sentence is finished. In coming clean, they revealed several past deeds that need righting.

They accused Hannibal of killing several village girls, keeping their fingers as trophies. I executed him on the spot for the crimes he committed, and in going through his belongings we have determined at least eight village girls have been slain. Included with this letter are several locator amulets, so that their remains may be found and put to rest.

On a personal note, I find it appalling that a monster of such magnitude could be hiding within our nobility. I have asked my guards to subtly investigate all of our students, and hope that you will see the value in this and investigate the nobility. While monsters like that can arise on their own, usually they have help.

Regards,

Headmaster Urixi

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Elendria’s POV

I was quiet on the walk to Bruin’s church. Quiet. Heh. I was barely hanging on. The only thing keeping me from devolving into a shaking bundle of broken nerves and sobbing was the nearness of Sean, and how he had once again saved me from a horrible fate.

Idiot.

Fool.

Weak.

Not again! I took a deep breath to try and steady myself, but the voices in my head kept going. As if they just stole any bit of strength I tried to horde for myself, changing every time. Sometimes they were my brothers as they clicked the slave collar around my neck. Most times they were the more sadistic masters of my past. Sometimes it was my own voice laced with derision. Always belittling me, mocking my actions. Telling me what I should have done, how if I had done this little thing different, it would have been so much better.

So what if the kid recognized you? You didn’t need to follow him into an alley. AN ALLEY OF ALL PLACES! Of course they were going to do terrible things to you, and you deserve it for following along! And when they pulled out the slave collar? There were hundreds of things you could have done. Block your neck in ice so it can’t latch on. Attack the kid, he obviously had no shield up. Freeze the two holding you. Encase their heads in ice.

Do you really think you can stay by his side? He’ll get rid of you soon. He’s always coming to your rescue. You are a drain on him. Shackles. Holding him back.

That’s not true! I shouted back in my mind, but it wasn’t confident. I saved him from the swamp! I pleaded. Surely that had to count for something.

From a swamp? Please. Carrigan probably had everything ready to step forward, you just beat him to the punch. You got lucky.

That’s. That’s not.

That’s the truth, and you know it. So what if you can attack monsters on occasion? Do you really think that his only enemies will be monsters? You know how this ends. He takes you into battle with him, because he has a huge heart and can’t tell you no. Then a humanoid enemy comes attacking, and you freeze up. He throws himself in front of you, and you get him killed. If you are lucky you will die shortly after him. Most likely you will be collared again. Better to just get it over with.

“Elendria?” My name snapped me out of my musings, and I saw Lodrano looking at me with concern in his eyes. “You ok?”

“I’ll be fine.” I said curtly. “Sorry, my nerves are a little shot. What did you need?”

“It’s ok. Sean is heading off to train his spirit pool, but since you don’t have one I don’t think you can really be much help there. Instead, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind helping out in our coldhouse.”

“Coldhouse?” I asked. “Never heard of that before.”

“I see. Well, a lot of our best numbing herbs need cold weather to grow in. Our neophytes keep the mana stones charged, but I was wondering if you would mind helping with the gardening? Maybe you might have some insight into helping grow some of our more troublesome herbs.”

“Thank you Lodrano.” I said with a smile. “That sounds quite relaxing.”

“Anytime Elendria. And if you need anything, feel free to ask. We are all here to help each other.” He said, leading me through a side passage and down a flight of stairs. He opened up the door and ushered me through, and the sight took my breath away.

There were several meticulously kept gardens arranged around the edges, but the central piece was an ice crystal garden that seemed to be the top of a mountain. Delicate ice lilies seemed to grow from the ice itself, though I could see the roots piercing into the rock beneath. Walking around the edge seemed to be a trip up the side of a mountain. It started out on an icy sea with a rocky beach, where several mosses grew. The next area mimicked the foothills, with a sparse forest covered with a light dusting of snow. Several different cliffs were next, each at different elevations marked by increasing coldness. Grasses and flowers eked out a living in clefts just large enough to be considered a handhold. In the middle of this was a pine forest, giving the entire greenhouse a pleasant smell. The last bit up the mountain was a rocky plateau smothered in snow so deep that I couldn’t see what plants were being grown there.

“Hello Susan! I have a helper for you today.” Lodrano called out, and a redheaded woman I had completely overlooked stood up and walked over to us. “Elendria, this is Susan. Susan, Elendria.”

“Pleasure to meet you!” The redhead said, vigorously shaking my hand.

“Pleasure to meet you as well.” I said with a smile. “I’ve not cultivated ice plants before, but I assume that Lodrano is looking more for my magic skills than my gardening skills.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it.” Lodrano said, excusing himself.

“Why don’t I give you the quick tour, and we’ll see what we can do.” Susan asked, and I smiled in acknowledgement.

“We start at the sea, where there are several mosses and a few saltwater herbs that make fantastic poultices. These all not only numb, but disinfect as well. The blue ones along the cliff are called Firebane.”

“Firebane?” I asked.

“Indeed. There is nothing better for burns. It numbs the area, draws the heat out of it, and keeps it clean. The next area doesn’t have any truly unique varieties, but we do have some rather special strains. This is the bluestreak bleeding heart. While it isn’t quite as effective as a normal bleeding heart potion at stopping bleeding, this can be created without any flames. It also lasts quite a bit longer while dried. The cliffhanger flowers all tend to be best at reducing fevers, while the ones that grow in the shelter of the pines are best for settling stomach issues.”

“And under the snow?” I asked, looking through it with mana sight. I could see at least three concentrations of mana, fairly well spread out.

“Yukihana, the snow flower. Incredibly hard to grow, as they carve out their own little area under the snow. Exposure to air and light kills them. Certain monsters will consume them in order to raise their ice efficiency. Alchemists use them to create creeping ice and frostfire potions. For us though, it is the most powerful pain fighter we have. Used only for those where death is imminent, it can send the worst cases along to a peaceful death. And last, we have our centerpiece, the crystal peak. You noticed the crystal lilies? They make the most powerful regenerative potions, helping to recover both health and mana.”

“This. It’s so impressive!” I said, awed at what they had managed. Each habitat had its own set of enchantments powered by multiple mana crystals.

“Thanks! It took a lot of work to get this up and running, and I’m just glad they trust me enough to run the place. Though I am having problems with the yukihana. Could you take a look and see what you think? There should be a lot more of them.”

“Sure.” I said with a shrug. I wandered back over to the area, and took a look. The three flowers were arranged in a basic equilateral triangle, taking up the vast majority of the area. The odd part was that there were three areas of slightly denser mana forming a second triangle, only inverted. Each of the areas was misshapen, as if the flowers nearby were siphoning off the mana.

“Are you trying to grow six at a time?” I asked.

“Yes! But three just won’t root properly. We tried everything but it’s just not working.”

“I think you have them too close together. These flowers suck up the ambient mana, right? The area of effect is just outside of the main areas you are concentrating mana. If you look really close, you can see streams flowing off towards the two nearest flowers.”

She got a look of intense concentration, frowning after a bit. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m quite as adept as you are at it. So you think we should drop it down to what, five flowers?”

“You could try that, but I think the central one would be starved. Maybe try it with just four for now.”

“Alright, thanks.” She said as a gentle chime sounded from the beach area. “Ugh, I’m sorry to have to do this. I need to harvest the blue creep.”

“Blue creep? Can I help?”

“If you want, I won’t turn down the help but I’ll understand if you back out. It’s a branching plant underwater that covers the shallow sea floor. We need to leave the central inch and a half radius intact, and pop off the new shoots that are blue. It’s cold work, and your hands will be covered in a weird slime afterwards.”

“That’s fine. I’m pretty much immune to cold anyway.”

“Well, here you go then new best friend!” She smiled, and handed me a paring knife. She took her hair and tied it up into a ponytail, and I caught a glimpse of a red scar crossing her throat and immediately gasped and dropped my eyes.

“Saw my scar did ya? It’s ok.” She said. “Let me tell you about it while we work.” She paused to pull on a pair of overlarge boots that came up to her knees, handing me a pair as well. “I used to be an adventurer. Decently strong, and a fair hand with a spear. Paul was our mage, and Daniel our rogue. We had reached the level cap, but didn’t want to progress. Sure, the longer life would have been more than welcome but second tier species have expectations if they are in the guild. We liked going out and adventuring, but nothing too dangerous. Had we progressed, we would be required to start taking the tougher jobs. Eventually you could reach the spot where it was better for you to pass on your skills, but that would have taken decades.”

“Anyway, we had taken a somewhat odd bandit subjugation quest. Normal, routine stuff for the most part but this was different. A few other groups had disappeared on it, so the guildmaster asked for us. We were the most experienced he had on hand. So we get our supplies and head out, on guard but still confident. We managed to track them back to their lair in the mountains, though the going was slow. A lot of simplistic traps, but nothing you could really rush through. We ended up arriving right at dusk, and Daniel convinced us to let him scout ahead. We waited until just after they changed their guard at the entrance, and killed him before entering. That should have given us several hours-worth of time.”

“Did you trigger an unlucky alarm?” I asked after a moment. Susan had paused to stare off into space for a bit.

“No, nothing that simple. It only took a half hour, but Daniel returned and said he had cleared the front hall of traps and that there were no others. He led the way, with me in the middle and Paul taking up the rear. He always said it was so he could stare at my ass, but I knew he was always paying attention. That’s what saved me. He saw the pressure plate trigger, one that Daniel had missed. He shoved me forward, and I turned to see him with several spears impaling him from the sides. ‘Take care.’ He managed to say before the light left his eyes. I had just hauled myself to my feet and turned to talk to Daniel when a poppy powder bag burst on my face. I was out in seconds.”

“Poppy powder?”

“Right. Simple enough to make. Dried poppy powder and a few other ingredients in a woven grass bag. A solid impact will cause it to burst open, and inhaling it will knock out most people for about ten minutes. Long enough that I woke up in a narcissist’s idea of a throne room.” She practically snarled the last bit.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Susan’s POV, unknown time ago.

“Wakey wakey, eggs and bacey!” A sick, sing-song voice penetrated my mind, bringing me back to consciousness. I saw Daniel standing over me, leering at my now naked body. “There she is!”

“Daniel? What, PAUL! WE HAVE TO-“ A slap interrupted me.

“Paul’s dead bitch.” He said dispassionately. “So glad I managed to find mage bane growing here of all places!”

“What are you talking about? Where are my clothes? Why am I tied up?” I started panicking.

“By Lokir, if you want to be my queen you’ll have to be faster on the uptake than that.” He said, standing and sauntering over to his throne.

“Queen? Have you gone mad?”

“Absolutely not!” He smiled. “I’ve decided to give you a second chance my dear. See, I’ve always had this little flame for you. Except you only had eyes for Paul. Did you think you could sneak into his bedroll all those times around me? A rogue of the highest caliber?” He took a few breaths to calm himself down, and continued, “But that’s ok. It’s in the past, and I can forgive you.”

“I don’t want your forgiveness.” I snarled. “I want nothing to do with you!”

“Ah, I was hoping you would feel different.” He said with a sigh. “I didn’t even get to tell you about how much better I am.”

“Better? Please. Gods willing, I’ll get free and kill you. If not, the guildmaster himself will!”

“As if that old goat has a chance against me! I am a Blank Slate!”

“A what?” I asked, confused.

“Of course you wouldn’t know. See, I snuck off and advanced my species. Blank Slates are an upgrade to humans that follow the rogue path. I can alter my information that is obtained via the inspection skill and what the guild card can determine. I’m far more powerful than you or he realize, and here is where I will carve my kingdom. A kingdom of bandits, preying on the weak merchants. And you have a choice my dear. Be my queen, or my plaything.”

“Never!”

“Pity.” He said, and beckoned to someone behind me. I tried to turn, but it was too slow. The blow to my head addled my senses, and his minions started trying to break my will.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Elendria’s POV, present day

“By the gods, that’s horrible!” I said, tears in my eyes.

“Ah. That’s why Lodrano wanted us to meet. You know what it’s like to have no choice in the matter. I’ll not ask what happened, but I am glad you survived.” Susan said. “Anyway, to make a long story short, I ended up slowly acting like I was broken. Lured Daniel into thinking he had won, and in the night when he came to me, I did my best to bite off his dick. Almost got it too! Unfortunately, he was a lot stronger than he looked and he slit my throat. The only thing that saved me was the attack by the guildmaster. He had waited for reinforcements, and led them all in a massive assault.”

“So they saved you.” I said, staring at my hands. I had stopped harvesting sometime in the middle of the story, but that was fine. Susan had as well.

“They did. And I think you know what happened next.”

“You couldn’t face an angry man.” I said.

“Yep.” She nodded. “Every raised voice was one of those bandits waiting to rape me. Every angry shout was Daniel beating me again. Even just a fist clenched in anger could send me off.”

“How?” I asked through the tears. “How do you get over it? I don’t want to be broken.”

“Oh sweetie.” She said, pulling me into a hug. “You aren’t broken. Not at all.”

“But I can’t-“

“Shhh, none of that.” She said. “What do you want in life?”

“Sean. To help him however I can.” I immediately answered.

“And he is going to keep heading into danger, isn’t he?”

“Yes.” I sobbed. “And I can’t keep holding him back like this.”

“You’re almost there sweetie, almost there. Do you want help?

“Help?”

“Help. I can try and help you get over your fears. But only if you want, and only at your own pace.”

I took a minute to think. It was one of those moments, where I could feel the winds of fate shift once again. Sean. He was the rock I was rebuilding my life around. He had done so much for me, and I wanted nothing more than to help him in return. But there was another choice. I could help him here, and then part ways. Just the thought of that sent a lance of pain through my heart. “I’ll need you to help push me, but I have to do this.” I said, feeling the winds of fate settle in. “Will you help me overcome my fears?”

“Of course.” She said with a sad smile. “We’ll start by heading towards the Arena. There’s plenty of men and women shouting there. Each day, we will work on getting closer, and staying just a bit longer. We can break the conditioning on your mind, and reveal your true strength.”

“How can you know it will work?” I asked, scared out of my mind.

“How do you think I got better?” She asked with a grin. “Lodrano and the others are great at being physical menders. Luckily they realize when they need a mental mender called in. Our healing isn’t glamorous, and it isn’t fast. But I promise you this, I will be with you the entire time, and it will work.”

“Thank you.” I said, and for the first time the voices were silent.