Follow the Bones

The exhaustion from the morning’s excursions and revelations was still beating hard on Mortius as he wandered through the Woods during his Beasts class. Whilst everyone was busy catching foreltas, trying to harvest the bulbs, he was only walking along the pathway and updating his list of questions that he’d throw at Enodius. The Cult, the Highblood, the bān and the Eye. Thinking about all of this triggered a memory in his mind and his thoughts added up in a heartbeat. The other object he found in the cupboard. The glass eyeball that they all looked past, the one that Mortius thought nothing of. If it was within Enodius’ possessions, it was a fair assumption to make that it was the jewel they were going to use to trigger the ritual, Rieth’s Eye. Mortius felt so foolish that he didn’t bother trying to pick it up when he had the chance, not only knowing that his father was involved in the Cult but also that it was only one of two items in the cupboard. 

Continuing along the path through the Kȏskȍry Woods, watching some excited students chasing the foreltas and others just chatting, Mortius noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A dark shape flitted through the trees haphazardly, though only remained within sight for a moment. Looking over at his class and the Scholar, who was busy reprimanding one of the students for stepping on a load of delicate flowers, Mortius stealthily slipped away into the trees to search for the flying object. The pathway in the Kȏskȍry Woods was always illuminated which helped a lot with navigating through the thick fog that permeated through the forest. However, the deeper Mortius went into the forest, the less light was available. Purple light spread throughout the area as he cast the lighting spell on his staff, shining off the black bark of the thick trees and giving the grass a lighter red colour to it. Among the trees was only silence, the sounds of the rest of his class now completely gone and no sound or movement from any creatures of the Woods. It was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat in his chest, steady but higher than usual. Even the crunching of the leaves and grass under his feet was extremely loud and with every step, the sound rang in his ears.

Waving his staff from left to right, he scanned the darkness for any signs of life, but at this point he was so deep in the Woods that there was nothing but black and trees. Then, the sound of leathery wings flapping frantically nearby his head. Mortius’ heartbeat shot up as he detected the sickly bān, flying endlessly within the darkness of the woods. He followed the sound of the flapping, appearing very occasionally but still audible when it happened. He could hear his breath now, going in and out heavily as he realised he’d begun walking much faster to catch up with the gliding creature. As the bān flew more frantically, turning in all directions, so too did his footsteps pound on the floor in heavy strides. Soon enough, his breathing had quickened and his legs engaged in a desperate sprint. He could feel it, he was getting closer. He thrust his staff forwards, forcing as much light out in front of him to seek out the flying creature. In the purple beam he caught only the smallest glimpse of a bān flying frantically in front of him. Then, just as suddenly as it was there, Mortius leapt out to grab it but it was gone. Instead, he was hurled out of the trees and into a clearing where he collided with extreme force against another student, both of them letting out a pained yell. His head throbbed, and he rubbed it hard to try and shake off the feeling as he looked up to see what exactly he hit, only to twist his face into a disgusted frown. Also nursing the impact point and grabbing a giant shield with a lācan engraved upon the front, was his tournament enemy, Jericho. Mortius groaned as he picked up his staff and looked around. The bān was gone without a trace. He sighed heavily, offering only a dismissive and annoyed glance toward Jericho, before he began searching for a way back to the Institute.

“What in the Father’s name are you doing?!” Jericho yelled as he got up, looking extremely angry.

“None of your business, slime. I was just searching for foreltas for my class”, Mortius replied, not even bothering to notice Jericho’s angered and hate filled gaze.

“Idiot. Everyone knows foreltas are more common in the south part of the Woods and near the entrance. You’re way off the trail, so what are you doing?!” Jericho demanded again. Mortius glared at him but gave a brief explanation, saying that he saw something huge heading through the Woods. Jericho looked around and mentioned that he’d heard strange noises as well, thinking that it was the usual inhabitants moving around, various creatures hunting and hiding. Mortius continued to scan through the trees for any sign of the bān but saw nothing. Then, he had an idea. He turned back to Jericho and asked if he wanted to help capture the bān, though ensuring Jericho didn’t know that he knew what it was. He looked sceptical at first, glaring at Mortius with that annoying square jawed look, but it was very clear the wheels were turning in that thick head of his and he was considering it.

“Alright, but if we catch it, you tell me exactly what is going on. I know you’re lying to me, Warlock. I just don’t want to listen to too much of your voice in one sitting”, he sneered. Mortius frowned with disgust but agreed to the terms and the two headed off. Going through the forest, they walked in an awkward silence that neither of them enjoyed. Both boys didn’t want to make conversation but felt like they should say something, though neither wanted to go first. Eventually, Jericho asked again what it was they were searching for and Mortius’ lips clamped together. There was no way in hell that he was going to tell what it was that he’d tricked him into searching for, but Mortius knew curiosity was a creature that wasn’t easily defeated when the truth was kept hidden.

“I don’t really know myself, if I'm honest. I just saw a giant black mass running through the forest and wanted to see what it was”, Mortius said quietly, looking between all the trees for any sign of life.

“So, you don’t know what it is, you only know it's a huge black mass, and your best idea is to run after it?” Jericho replied. Mortius shot him a glare but he was right, in a sense. Running after a monster looking thing would be ridiculous for any rational minded person but in this particular case, Mortius needed to give chase. As he was about to give a snide remark, Mortius saw the dark figure of the bān in the distance.

“This way!” he yelled as he darted into the woods with Jericho sprinting, trying to get ahead and lead the charge. Mortius felt the dejavu kick in as he was seeing the back of the bān but it looked different this time. It was significantly slower than before and somehow seemed bigger. Nevertheless, Mortius sprinted like his life depended on it and leapt out to the figure. There was a cry of pain as Mortius tumbled to the floor, landing on top of the thing he was chasing. Looking down, he groaned in frustration as he looked at the face of Maraya, the student that helped him with the ritual. Mortius got up and Maraya only began giggling.

“Nice, you caught the overgrown picwitch...” Jericho scoffed, looking around a bit for anything else in sight.

“What are you doing out here?!” Mortius yelled as Maraya got up from the grass, looking oddly upset and glaring at Jericho.

“Well what would you do if two strange figures suddenly started chasing you through a forest?”, they replied. Maraya wiped and dusted off their uniform whilst Mortius rolled his eyes and tried to search for the bān. Alas, no luck. The three students started walking out of the forest and, as they reached the path where the class was before, Saminha appeared with an angered look on her face.

“Where the hell did you run off to?! And what are you doing hanging out with HIM?!!”

“Friendly with a D�"mon I see. I suppose that makes you one of those kinds of Warlocks…” Saminha snapped her attention to Jericho, glaring at him with increased rage.

“You wanna fight me right here, you Angel c**k?!”

“Oh you guys know each other?” Maraya interjected.

“EVERYONE SHUT UP!!”

The Woods went deadly silent and Mortius took a deep breath. He was certainly not going to be a part of this forbidden fourway after all the running he’d just done for nothing, and he needed a moment to formulate a plan.

“Saminha… I was out in the forest looking for a bān. The bān in question, being the result of the spell I did in an abandoned room at the Void Pools. Jericho, keep your mouth shut. There. Are we all caught up now?!” Mortius said in annoyance.

“Oh yeah! How did your ritual go, Maleos? Did you manage to resurrect the person you were looking for?”, Maraya asked nonchalantly. Mortius slowly turned his head and glared at them menacingly before noting Jericho’s face which seemed an odd mix of horrified and supremely displeased. There was no avoiding it now, Mortius had some explaining to do. Taking Jericho and Maraya with him, Mortius returned to the Institute with Saminha and had Clive brought to the Social Hall as well to explain. It was best done here since the loud noises surrounding them would drown out the sound of the confessions Mortius had to make. When everyone arrived and was sitting down, Mortius came clean and told them all about the spell. The use of Krowlei’s Steorrādōn, the bān carrying his father’s essence, and even his father in the flesh, locked in a room at the Void Pools. Everyone’s faces were essentially the same, a mix of shock and concern with a hint of annoyance. All but Saminha who simply had a more “I told you so” look on her face, knowing some of this already but still knowing how stupid it all was.

“And this is exactly why everyone around you gets into trouble!!” came the recogniseable tiny voice of Winkle, which was accompanied by a crackle sound and Winkle flew into view in the middle of the table.

“You, sir, have gotten me in SO MUCH TROUBLE!” she screamed, pulling on Mortius’ hair, making him yell out in annoyance and attempt to swat her away like an insect. It seemed that after the whole fiasco with the Dark Vault, Winkle had been demoted to the lowest Fīalde guide station possible, Seer, which was essentially a babysitter. These Fīalde guides were more like looming cameras that would constantly watch the student they were assigned to and make live reports of their behaviour. This meant Winkle was stuck to Mortius for his entire tenure at the Institute. This was going to make things difficult for him but that wasn’t his main concern at the moment. If he got removed from the school then his father would be left alone which would be bad for Mortius and probably the rest of the school. On the other hand, if he didn’t get in trouble but never found the bān, his father’s essence would be wandering around out there somewhere which was equally as bad.

“Well, disregarding that, I need to find that bān…”, Mortius said quietly as he tried to think. Nobody else seemed to come up with good ideas with Saminha suggesting luring it with a dead animal, then finding and killing one, then turning into an entirely separate quest altogether.

“What about Scholar Incrad? He is an Ābiscræft teacher, he could probably help with an ingenious trap”, Maraya suggested. Actually asking the Scholars for help was something that he’d not tried very much recently, and perhaps it was worth going for this time. The next day, Mortius used his lunch break to head to the Fifth Floor, with Winkle perched on his shoulder as he walked. It was annoying having the constant watchful eyes following him and Winkle occasionally staring right into his face and floating directly in front of him was not helping his patience either. 

“I know you need to keep your eyes on me at all times, but is this really necessary?” And annoyed Mortius finally asked, as she buzzed in front of his face.

“Absolutely! I’m not letting you eat, sleep, or blow your nose without me making a note of it first!”

“Great… a Fīalde watching me while I sleep. That’s all I need…” Winkle only huffed and crossed her arms as she sat back down on his shoulder.

“It’s a good thing you’re hanging out with your new friends more often as well. I can get any one of them to rat on your whereabouts if you slip out of my sight!” Mortius scoffed, denying the idea that any of them were his friends. The only one out of that mismatched band of crazy people that he would ever consider being close to something like a friend was Clive. Saminha clearly was not a team player and not as easily persuaded as he thought. Plus, her use had since worn out and become of no interest to him either. Maraya, though resourceful, was too distant and off in their own world for him to think that they had any real use. At best, he’d possibly consult them for things he didn’t know about Ælf culture, but nothing more than that. And as for Jericho, Mortius felt almost physically sick at the thought of being friends with him. Disembarking the elevator, he looked around for the Portals classrooms and walked down the right side to the door just before the corner of the floor. On the door was the Portals class sign with the name ‘Scholar Irmin Incrad’ upon it. Opening the door, Mortius looked inside to see a class already sat down and going through a lesson. A few scattered students here and there, all looking at one student at the front of the room with the Scholar watching.

“Alright… one more time please. Remember, you have to keep your hands steady and focus entirely on the ball. Watch the ball. Proceed”, he said calmly in a sort of trumpeted voice, sounding similar to that of a horn. The much older looking Warlock at the front of the class took a deep breath and grunted, making a face like he was trying to force two invisible objects together. Between his staff hand and his free hand, a medium sized bubble appeared and, within it, was the rippled formation of something. As the student focused more and more, his hands began to shake slightly until there was a bursting noise and the bubble vanished, in its place a golden chalice fell to the floor.

“Marvellous work!! Remember everyone, portal manifestation is all about visualisation and concentration! Also make sure you have a pillow on the floor in case it's fragile. That’ll be all for today, make sure you practise your manifestations before the next lesson where we will be summoning bigger items!”, he said enthusiastically, ushering everyone out. The students all left and Mortius slowly entered the classroom. This room was different to most of the ones he’d seen so far, being full of clocks and depictions of time and space. Walls painted over in a pale pastel blue covered the whole room, which wasn’t surprising as the Scholar himself wore the sign of the Gardah on his hand. Scholar Incrad had a peculiar choice of clothing, wearing a hooded blue long coat and neat suit pants tucked into ankle length laceless boots. On top of his head of straight brown boyish hair was a strange looking crown, fully gold but completely lacking in any jewels, save for one emerald in the very centre of the crown. Incrad’s piercing violet eyes immediately clocked Mortius and he didn’t waste time walking directly up to him, scanning him fiercely.

“Wow… I have never seen a creature quite like you…”, he muttered. Mortius looked confused but assumed he was looking at the face that everyone seemed so baffled by. At this point, he truly believed that this would become a recurring theme during his time at the Institute. Incrad then looked Mortius directly in the eyes and smiled.

“Apologies. I am just a curious man by nature. How can I help you?” he asked. Mortius told the scholar about his need to learn a summoning or trapping spell, with the need to track down an item he lost. Something this brief didn’t make its way past the inquisitive mind of Scholar Incrad. He silently stroked his chin, looking over Mortius, but still smiled.

“Alright. Here’s a fancy trick I can teach you. A nice simple summoning spell that employs a tiny splash of Ābiscræft. I think you should be able to handle it if you try hard enough!” he enthused as he cleared his throat. Cracking his knuckles, he shook his hands and took a deep breath

“Duura ahsku!”, he exclaimed, holding his hands together in the same way the student did before. As he spoke, there was a whooshing noise and in his hands came a large book titled Men and Minds. Mortius looked at the front to see it was a time book and Scholar Incrad opened it, perusing the pages and muttering, then showing a page with the same spell he recited.

“There you go. So, this spell is one of the most basic of Ābiscræft, but a starter such as yourself will likely need a supplement to do it relatively well. The best time supplement for you would be a…”

“Steorrādōn”, Mortius finished. Incrad smiled and nodded, looking very impressed. Once again, Mortius’ adventure with Krowlei’s Steorrādōn wasn’t over and he was going to need it for the task ahead. He took the book with him, giving the scholar a nodding smile and turning around to leave.

“Oh and… be careful with whatever you’re summoning. If it is something you’ve lost that can… move around. You may encounter some problematic hiccups.” Mortius stopped a moment to think on what the Scholar said before continuing out of the door and towards the elevator to go and get the supplement.