The Sixth School Book Ii Ch 014

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All Characters in the story are 18 years of age and above...

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Chapter Fourteen: Appreciation...

Calyn couldn't keep the bittersweet smile off her face as she hugged Aunt Lina. The situation she was in was terrible, there was no question about it. But a good had come from it that she hadn't been expecting. While the woman had raised her in the place of her mother ever since she was young, she had never been the expressive type. That isn't to say that she was cold. She'd praise and congratulate you when you did right. She'd also reprimand and punish you when you did wrong. However, she'd always maintained an air of stoicism about her all through. Much as it now shamed her to admit, there were times when she'd thought that her aunt was only raising her out of a sense of obligation and nothing more. She had mistaken the fact that her aunt didn't wear her heart on her sleeve for her not truly caring about her.

It had felt like she'd been thrown into a pit when with a few casual words, the next one hundred cycles of her life were in essence taken from her. Worse yet, it remained an open question whether she'd survive to see the end of it. After all, she would be spending those hundred cycles in service to a being that had crushed a fifth-tier mage like he was some rotten fruit. If she somehow messed up and were to earn the ire of that being, what would happen to her? It was like being asked to spend the next hundred cycles with one's head inside the mouth of a tiger. Any time the tiger fancied, your life would be forfeit. It didn't even have to be her fault. If something displeased the deity and he decided to take it out on her, who was going to stop him? This was the reason she had doubted her ears when she heard Aunt Lina offer to take her place.

Aunt Lina was a fifth-tier mage, three tiers higher than herself. To the deity, however, this meant nothing. The necromancer that had been squashed like an overripe tomato had also been at the fifth tier. Aunt Lina's life would have been in just as much danger as hers was going to be. And yet, that hadn't stopped her, her aunt had been ready and willing to give up one hundred cycles of her life for her sake. That in itself would have been enough to let her know that her aunt truly cared for her. Aunt Lina, however, didn't stop there. When she was rejected the first time, her aunt had almost immediately offered to do twice the amount of time. Without hesitation, she had given up two hundred cycles of her life for her. This in itself would have been worth more than words could convey. Her aunt, however, was among the few elders in the clan who hadn't exhausted their potential and could still ascend through the tiers. Putting her life on hold for two hundred cycles would put the possibility of ascending in jeopardy. If the deity allowed her to continue working towards her ascension, then there wouldn't be much trouble. If he didn't though, then she would have effectively given up a large chunk of the window she had to ascend. There'd still be some chance of her ascending, but it would be slim as a razor's edge.

Something inside Calyn had twisted painfully when her aunt had stammered the word 'five'. With that kind of time, her aunt's ascension would depend entirely on whether the deity allowed her to continue trying to grow stronger or not. It wasn't just her freedom, she was giving up, Aunt Lina was willing to give up her path of ascension for her sake. And as if that wasn't enough, Calyn had known that her aunt was risking her life by pushing the issue even after the Deity had declared that he wouldn't be moved. If she drew the ire of the deity, she could easily lose her life right there and then. In that moment she'd been filled with a powerful mix of two emotions. The first was fear for her aunt's life. As certain as the ground under her feet and the sky above her head, she had known that if the deity wanted to kill her aunt, there was nothing anyone could do to prevent it. By pushing the issue, she was quite literally presented her neck to the executioner's ax. Whether she lived or not was now no longer in any of their hands, but entirely in the deity's. The second emotion that had filled her in that moment was an unshakable resolve to die with her.

Calyn wasn't in any way suicidal. She didn't want to die at all, let alone at such a young age and with so much unrealized potential. She had so much yet to live for, and yet, there wasn't even a hint of doubt in her that she would have taken her weapons out and attacked the deity. How could she ever look herself in the mirror again if she just let her aunt's killer go on drawing breath? Aunt Lina had just given up her entire life for her sake. What manner of daughter would she be if, after that, she watched her life be snuffed out and acted like it didn't happen? No, let her be called a fool, but never a coward. Calyn wasn't suffering from any delusion that she would have succeeded. In all likelihood, she would have ended up a corpse beside her aunt. But at the very least, when they met in the afterlife, she could hold her head high before her aunt. But while her resolve had been firm as a mountain, that didn't in any way take away from the wave of relief that washed over her when the deity just flatly ignored her aunt and turned to her to give her the rest of the day to bid her family goodbye.

"That's enough," Aunt Lina spoke softly. She was still the stoic, rarely expressive person she'd always been. After today, however, Calyn would never mistake that for the absence of love and care for her.

Calyn clung to her for a while longer before reluctantly letting go. "Do not hold your father's silence against him. Knowing him, he's probably being held in the clan's dungeons to keep him from coming after you and landing the clan in even more trouble with the deity," she laid out.

As soon as they left the Governor's castle, they headed for the airship docks. Everything had already been packed the night before. They had hoped to negotiate with the deity and then leave the city immediately after. That was still the plan, only Calyn would be left behind. No one among them had even entertained the idea of running away. Calyn would never betray her clan like that. As for Aunt Lina, despite being willing to take her place as the deity's slave, she would be the first one to capture Calyn and lay her at Roka's feet if she tried to run. No matter their personal feelings, they had all been raised with the understanding that the clan always came first. They had all benefitted from it in their path of ascension and were equally expected to be devoted to it in turn. Loyalty, even at the cost of one's life wasn't something only expected of the servants.

"I know," Calyn answered with a bittersweet smile.

The first thing that Aunt Lina had done as soon as they got to the airship was to call the clan and apprise them of all that had transpired and how the situation had been resolved. As soon as she had told them what the deity had demanded as restitution, there had been a commotion on the other side of the crystal. With just the audio and no visuals, they could only guess and speculate at what happened. Calyn, however, suspected that in his usual bullish way, her father had gotten up, ready to head to the nearest airship and come for her. The other elders must have been forced to subdue him and confine him to keep from attracting even more trouble to the clan. When the clan head came back and spoke through the crystal again, he sounded a bit winded and annoyed, though he did his best to hide it. He'd gone on to listen to the rest of what happened before offering a few words of encouragement to Calyn. Even though he'd probably just had to restrain her father to keep him from trying to rescue her, Calyn could tell that the Clan head's words were genuine. That said, there wasn't a lot of hope in his voice that Calyn would make it back.

"Listen to me Calyn, all that matters is that you come back to us," Aunt Lina spoke up with the tone of one who hated what they were about to say but knew they needed to say it anyway. "The deity might be the one that enslaved you but the young man, Roka, is probably the one you'll be answering to. Young man that he is, and beautiful as you are, he'll probably want to sleep with you," her aunt just came out and said it. "We don't know how much weight the young man's word carries with the deity, angering him might mean the end of you. Rather than fighting him, use it. Make it your weapon against him. If he is like most men, the moment the head below his waist wakes up, the one above his shoulders goes to sleep. You were about to be married to that Deriel for a hundred years, treat this as no different. Do all that you can to come back to your father and me," she urged.

Despite the firm manner in which she spoke, Calyn could almost hear the plea in her aunt's voice as she uttered the last statement. Gritting her teeth, she nodded in understanding...

***

When Greg came to, the carriage was already halfway across the city. It was a testament to just how strong his body had become that he regained consciousness so fast. In the past, whenever Morpheus took over, it would usually take about three or more days for him to wake up again. Now, less than an hour since Morpheus had relinquished control, Greg was once again awake and in control. Olivia, who was seated beside him, smiled when she noticed that he was awake. "You played your part splendidly, Master," she complimented. Olivia had been Greg's secret weapon if things had turned for the worst. No one would have expected a deity to rely on a familiar in a fight, which is why she would have been a deadly surprise when she was called into battle. Luckily, that hadn't proven necessary. "Anything in particular you want me to get from them?" She then went on to question.

Greg's first instinct was to say that he didn't really care so long as they were left alone. He, however, paused and considered his answer. "Squeeze them for anything that might increase my longevity. They caused me to lose out on the cleansing pearls from the abyssal ooze, it's only right that I get something else in return," he answered. Besides, the longer his lifespan, the easier it would be to make requests of Morpheus. Morpheus was a selfish prick who never acted unless it was somehow in his self-interest to do so. Still, that didn't make the argument Morpheus had made for not helping his teacher any less true. Over two-thirds of his lifespan had already been expended through all the times he'd made use of the deity's power. As things stood, they were walking a fine line. If Greg got into any more trouble that Morpheus had to involve himself in, chances are that he wouldn't live long enough to break into the next tier.

"Also, try to get one of the airships if you can manage it. I'm not sure where we'll be going next, I'll have to consult with my teacher about that. One thing's for certain though, the sooner we leave this city, the better," Greg added, his mind already planning their next move. Their little ruse had driven off their pursuers. Staying in the same place, however, was just asking for trouble to come find him. "Other than that, get my teacher and myself as many resources as possible to aid in our ascension," he concluded.

"What about the Sydrak girl?" Olivia questioned.

Greg couldn't help but press his lips together as he was once again reminded of what had happened with Calyn and her aunt. In his opinion, everything about this meeting had gone perfectly except for that small bit. It still made his insides squirm uncomfortably to remember the pleading look on Elder Lina's face. She might have been the girl's aunt, but from that look, Calyn might as well have been her daughter. He could understand why Morpheus couldn't show any weakness in the situation they were in. That, however, didn't mean he liked it. Still, what had to be done, had to be done. Purchasing a hive scroll from his system, Greg handed it to his familiar. "Send a copy to get her. I wouldn't be surprised if the mages from the Draknar alliance have people watching them to see if we follow through on our punishment of the girl or not. She'll stay with us while you negotiate with them. As soon as we are in the clear, we'll let her go," he stated.

There was a moment of silence after his words before his familiar asked a question he hadn't been expecting. "Why?"

Greg, who'd been looking out the window at the city, turned to regard Olivia. It was in moments like this that Greg was jarred out of the feeling that he'd gotten used to this new world. Having come from a world where slavery was largely abolished and viewed as an evil institution, not wanting a slave didn't need explanation. If anything, it was doing the opposite that one would have to justify. In this world where strength was the only truth, however, slavery was only natural. Someone was stronger than you and therefore had subjugated you. If you don't like it, then grow strong enough to buck their control. Otherwise, you had no right to complain... or put more bluntly, you can complain, but you better not let the one stronger than you hear you doing so. With access to his memories from his previous life, Morpheus hadn't questioned him on his reluctance to own a slave. He immediately understood his reasoning for such a decision. The same, however, wasn't true of his familiar. The most unsettling part about it was that Olivia wasn't asking the question 'why' out of some malice aimed at Calyn. To her, the girl was a legitimately obtained slave and she simply didn't understand why Greg would give her up for no reason.

"I am not going to keep someone at my side against their will," Greg stated simply. A part of him was tempted to explain his morality to her. He, however, could remember how his discussion about people having rights went. To her, and most people in this world, anything your strength could gain you was yours by right. Only when two parties were equal in strength could any discussion of right and wrong and fairness be considered.

From the silence that followed and the way Olivia was regarding him, Greg could tell that she wasn't totally convinced by his reason. Still, she gave a nod, choosing not to push the issue. "Fine, I'll do my best," she stated before turning into a mote of light and exiting the carriage.

With a sigh, Greg leaned back in his chair and looked out the window as the carriage took him to an upper-middle-class area of the city. Even though there was still another two weeks before they hit the six-month limit that his teacher had set for herself, They had chosen to leave the hidden space belonging to the cult of the shroud. Right now, they were staying at a high-end inn in a well-to-do section of the city. Though his teacher could easily afford better, the place wasn't the best that money could buy. The reasoning for this was simple, until the whole ordeal with their pursuers was over and done with, they needed to keep a low profile.

After paying for the carriage, Greg moved past the two burly guards at the front door and into the establishment. The ground floor of the inn was a mix of a restaurant and tavern, serving both food and drinks for those with the coin to pay. Seated at one of the tables were his mother, sister, and Olivia. Lothar was conspicuously missing from the group. Apparently, while he was still working on his teacher's mana pathways, his sister had gathered up the courage to confess her attraction to him. Unfortunately for her, they belonged to two different worlds. He was a mage and she was a mundane woman. She would grow old and die even before Lothar climbed to the fourth tier. Gently as he could he had communicated as much and made it clear that there could be nothing between them.

In private, Lothar had told Greg that, had Tayani not been his sister, he probably would have humored her. Had a relationship with her for a few years before cutting things off. He, however, wasn't willing to gamble with his life by breaking the heart of the sister to someone linked to a deity. It didn't speak well of Lothar that the only reason he wasn't willing to break someone's heart was because he was afraid for his life. Looking at his own sexual conduct, however, Greg knew that he had no leg to stand on in judging others. The fact that Lothar was willing to confess this to him, however, told Greg that he was slowly getting over his instinctive fear. Months ago, when the young man first learned of his connection to Morpheus, he'd act like he was in the presence of a dragon every time Greg was around. He wouldn't have dared confess this back then..

Walking over to where they were seated, Greg joined his family and just spent the next few hours relaxing with them. Although they had never held it against him, Greg had always felt guilty at having taken their home away and forcing them to be on the run with him. A part of him had known he was being irrational. He wasn't the one who had summoned those from the Draknar alliance to come after them. If he had things his way, they would have still been living in their little town in the mountains. Still, he couldn't shake the small voice at the back of his mind that adamantly reminded him that all this was happening because Fate was after him. That voice, however, had gone quiet. For the first time in months, it felt like they could just take a moment and breathe. They didn't have to run any longer. Greg wasn't sure where they'd be going next, but at the very least, his family could put down roots once more and start a new life. Of course, Greg wasn't deluded that Fate was done with him. Some other trial was almost certainly being concocted, ready to be thrown at him at the most inopportune moment. Still, Greg planned to do all he could to keep any danger from coming to them.

Having arrived at the inn somewhere in the midmorning, it was late in the afternoon when Greg finally decided to go up and see his teacher. Greg walked into the healer's room, his mind on the discussion that lay ahead on where they would be headed next. His thoughts, however, came to a screeching halt when he caught sight of his teacher's scantily clad form on the bed, a sultry smile playing on her lips as she regarded him almost predatorily. There wasn't really any lingerie in this new world. The cherry-red robe the woman had on was thin as a cicada's wing And yet somehow clung to her form effortlessly. Large sections of it were see-through, easily letting one see through the garment to her rosy skin beneath. The areas around breasts and just below her waist, however, were tantalizingly opaque, leaving one with the desire to unwrap the one wearing the garment like a present to get at the treasure hidden beneath.

Rising from the bed, his teacher sashayed across the floor to where Greg had remained frozen. Greg had seen the healer's body naked many times before. Yet somehow, she could still enthrall him with her beauty. It felt like sparks were flying between them as their lips met in a deep and passionate kiss. As if they had a mind of their own, his hands rose to circle the woman's waist and pull her even closer to him. A part of him was certain that he had forgotten how to breathe by the time their lips parted, the rest of him, however, didn't care as he was pulled into the room, allowing the door to close behind him. One by one, the healer pulled off his clothes before he was finally pushed back onto the bed, naked. "It has been a rough few months for you because of me, Roka," she said softly.