Towers of Seshin: Part 3
#5 of Towers of Seshin
So I had my friend do a thing. And that thing is an amazing thing. And I can't wait for you guys to see that thing. I know I'm being vague, but I'm just too excited to actually tell you. It's so integral to the story though, so can you blame me? Anyway, here's another part of the story. A few more character introductions mostly with some extra exploration.
*WARNING: * This story may contain homosexual interaction between two or more male characters in a romantic and/or sexual manner. If this is something that bothers you, please leave the page at this time. If not, please enjoy the read.
With the sun beginning to set at half past the seventeenth rotation, Trevor and Alex started to make their way along the eastern pathways of the Magic Grounds to make a few more stops along the tour.
"I assume you want to see the field you'll be most often practicing in," the wolf said as he turned his head to look at Alex with a smile.
"Yeah, that'd probably be helpful to know." For once, Alex smiled back. The friendly wolf sure had a way of making him feel comfortable so far away from home and surrounded by all new and mysterious things. The world of magic was beginning to open up to him, and he couldn't imagine making it far at all without Trevor.
"I'm sure you know the Gods' Alignment, Creation on top and Destruction on bottom. The fields are aligned the same way when the Grounds were created, with the exception of Light, Mind, Darkness, and Time. The fields are divided into eight equal sections with their own unique formation to suit their element."
Alex nodded. "I saw that when I walked through the gate. The water field had pools and streams, and the wind field had ledges and vents where high speed wind blew out."
Out of nowhere, there was a brilliant flash and the sound of crackling thunder. A female war cry screamed out followed by the thick curved blade of a halberd swung horizontally towards Trevor.
The wolf instantaneously pulled his shield from his back, the blow landing with a loud clang of metal on metal and a giant cloud of dust kicked up off the ground, causing Alex to need to shield his eyes until it finally receded. Trevor let out a solid grunt and pressed his left paw forward, the earth under his feet rising and pushing him swiftly. He pushed the halberd off, the attacker stumbling a few steps back.
The female laughed and held her weapon in her right hand, the butt of the pole resting on the ground. She was a rabbit in a yellow colored robe, about the same height as Alex and a little thinner and curvier. "Good to see you keep your guard up even while flirting with first years."
Trevor stood back and let his arm fall to his side in a passive stance. He shook his head slightly. "I'm showing him around. It's not like you were inconspicuous with your battle cry."
"Sure you are." The rabbit walked over to Alex and grinned at him. "Name's Olivia DuFrei, fifth year student of Quny the Yellow."
"Alex Solzhen. Why did you attack us?" He asked with a raised brow.
Olivia laughed and put her halberd onto her back. "I didn't attack you. It was a test of Trevor's reactions. He's been my sparring partner for a while now, and it's my job to make sure he doesn't let his guard down even when he's flirting with a cutie like you." She winked at him and then looked back at the wolf, who actually showed to be uncharacteristically bashful.
Trevor put his shield away. "Olivia, I'm not flirting. I only met him today, and the Archmage asked me to show him around."
"Yeah? And how badly did you want to take him to your room?"
The wolf groaned and turned to Alex. "I apologize for her. Olivia seems to have a knack for not knowing when to be quiet."
Alex couldn't help but snicker. "My father says the same about me sometimes."
Olivia grinned and grabbed Alex by the wrist. "We'll get along swimmingly then, my dear. Now let's show you your field." She pulled him along, roughly, and he stumbled as he tried to keep up.
Trevor chased after them. "Wait! I'm responsible for him!"
-
"Has Tyto made the right choice?" came a soft, sweet female voice.
"Do you believe he has?" came an equally soft, but more wise female voice.
The first voice gave out a small chuckle. "Sister, you are no help."
"You need not worry how this plays out, sweet Aisly."
The dragon goddess looked to her sister. "Who said I was worried?"
The owl smirked. "There is a reason I am the goddess of the mind, sister. And it is written all over your face."
Aisly blushed and sighed. "Surely you cannot blame my doubts when the entire fate of the world lies in the paws of a fifteen year old mortal, Riyou."
Riyou replied with a nod. "I cannot. However, one must simply look past age and delve deeper into their unlocked potential. Alexander has strength, but his skill must improve or else he will surely fall. You very well know that I can sense the distant future even if I cannot see it; that is Doxy's domain. But if everything continues this way without interruption, there is little to worry about."
"I hope you are right..."
Riyou grabbed Aisly's hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. "You must have faith in your followers, my dear."
-
Lava erupted out of the circular vent in a powerful stream of heat directly in front of the trio's faces. Trevor and Olivia weren't exactly impressed, as they'd seen it multiple times, though Alex had a huge grin on his face. "Does that happen all the time?"
Olivia chuckled. "It's really not all that impressive. A little nature at its own work with a hint of magic. It simulates a controlled environment to harness fire magic and bend it to your will. Give it a try."
Alex looked back at the vent and then walked towards it. "How, exactly?"
The rabbit shrugged. "How do you normally channel your magic?"
Alex did a mental facepalm. Of course. He gripped his daggers and pulled them out over his head, spinning them briefly before thrusting his left paw forward and his right foot swung back in a half-circle. Fire erupted from the vent once again, this time with much more force as spirals of flame circled in a wide cone.
Trevor and Olivia gasped in synchronicity, both taken back by the raw power Alex had as a novice magician. A stray ball of fire quickly darted towards Olivia, and she sidestepped to avoid it. "Alright Alex, that's enough."
Alex squinted his eyes and his body physically shook. He was straining to keep his forward paw where it was. "I-I can't stop it!"
Another ball of fire headed towards Trevor this time, and he quickly bounced it away with his shield. "Alex, don't panic. Control the flame and move it back under the earth!"
"It's... out of control. Ahh!" He felt pain surge through him; magical feedback. It occurred when something that the mage was trying to control was more powerful than the mage itself. Though every telling of magical feedback included excruciating pain, Alex never could've imagined it was this bad.
A figure in the distance crossed his arms over his chest as he ran over from the west. The air surrounding the spout of fire seemed to begin to freeze, boiling steam skyrocketing through misplaced air. Over time, the air solidified and the fire became less intense almost as if the ice was pushing it back down through the vent. The ice mage, a monkey in a light blue robe, moved closer and closer as the flames retreated until finally solidifying the opening in thick ice. He sighed and then looked towards Alex. "Sorry mate, it seemed like you needed some help there. We best move away though. That ice will only stay solid for a short while." His accent was very thick, one that Alex had never heard before.
Alex blinked a few times as he snapped back into reality after what just happened. "Uh yeah, good idea."
"That was amazing!" Olivia shouted. "You really saved our butts. Or rather, Alex's butt." She giggled.
The monkey blushed faintly and rubbed the back of his head. "Cheers, love, but it really wasn't all that impressive, was it?"
Trevor smiled. "It was. You are very talented for a second year student. Your name is Dean, isn't it?"
The monkey nodded. "That's me. Dean Warke. But how'd you know that?"
Olivia shrugged. "Trevor probably slept with you once and remembered your face. He gets around like that."
The wolf growled and turned to Olivia. "That is NOT the reason and not true in the slightest!" He looked back at Dean, who was red in the face. Alex was snickering off to the side. "I know him because he's one of our few students from Fadylin and he's unique in that his weapon of choice is a chain whip."
"Ah, so that explains your accent," Olivia said as she moved to stand next to Trevor. "I have to agree with Trevor though. Your mastery of your element is damn good." She looked towards the fox now on her left. "Alex might've gotten roasted if you hadn't stepped in."
Alex huffed as he turned his head away. "I could've had it under control if you gave me a little longer..."
Trevor walked towards him and patted his shoulder. "Come on, don't let your pride mask the fact that he probably saved your life."
As much as Alex didn't want to, he pushed Trevor's paw off him and growled defensively. "I didn't say I wasn't thankful! I'm just saying I could've gotten a hold of that lava if I had another minute!"
The vent directly behind Alex rumbled deeply in reaction to the fox's temper. Alex screamed and jumped behind Trevor, looking out from behind the wolf's muscled arm towards the vent, which by now had calmed down.
Olivia busted out laughing and Dean was trying really hard to stifle his laughter. Trevor looked at Alex and smiled warmly at him; the kind of smile that made Alex blush every time. "Just ignore her. That's what I always do," he said with a soft chuckle.
Olivia gasped. "Hey, I heard that! Don't you have a tour to continue?"
"You're giving a tour, are you?" Dean asked.
Trevor nodded. "Yup. For Alex Solzhen." He made a soft head motion towards the fox behind him.
Dean's eyes widened. "As in the Prince of Desyria?"
"You know who I am?" Alex asked as he walked from behind Trevor.
Dean nodded quickly. "You're one of the youngest furs ever to be accepted to the Magic Grounds! Not to mention that it's unheard of for royalty to attend public schools. You're pretty big talk around here."
Olivia shrugged. "It's not -that- big of a deal. He's still a mage like the rest of us. He's still gotta go through all the same training, lectures, and work. Don't even think for a moment that anyone is gonna go easy on you."
Alex's ears drooped. This was starting to sound worse and worse as time went on. Forced away from home, expected to do great things, then taunted and showed up by these other three furs who were now the only ones he could even consider his friends. He looked towards Trevor and couldn't help but smile a little. He couldn't explain it, but if there's anyone he wanted to impress it was Trevor. "Speaking of lectures and work, you still have to show me the classrooms."
Trevor smiled back at him. "True. And then we can have dinner. Follow me."
The four of them trotted along, speaking casually among each other as they went.
Is a monkey too weird? I wanted something unique. I feel like there's a real lack of monkeys around here. And yes, that is an Australian accent. Shut up, it's not weird!
Hope you enjoyed the read!