In the Courtyard

John sighed as he found himself facing the entrance of the school, standing off to the side of the courtyard. He walked out of the barrier grumbling to himself about how inconvenient automatically teleporting out was.

I didn’t get teleported out of my last class of the day on Monday, but yesterday and today I did. How does this work? Sera said the teleportation ring was for students with a full schedule, but it looks like all the students have one. Everyone gets teleported in the morning, and as far as I know, everyone gets teleported in between classes, and it definitely looks like everyone gets teleported at the end of the school day. It’s not like the ring can tell when is a good or bad time to teleport because it cut off a professor’s lecture, what sort of enchantment is on this thing anyway? This is just really fucking inconveni-

“Idiot, I told you the ring would keep you safe and the ring is keeping you safe. Don’t doubt what I tell you,” Sera’s voice interrupted him as he exited the school barrier.

“Well then tell me how it works!” John exclaimed, indignant. Sera rolled her eyes.

“It’s not important but I can tell you’re going to do something stupid to find out if I don’t tell you now. All students get teleported to class in the morning, all students get teleported out in the afternoon. The school has no physical entrance to the classroom portion, only to the front office. Most students don’t get teleported around the classroom portion, it’s just you and a select few. You just can’t tell because the select few all get teleported at once. There are a few exceptions to this. It would be dangerous for a student to be teleported out of a lab setting, such as the smithy or the, you guessed it, labs. Classrooms with a lab have a desk portion where the rings will just teleport you, the smithing classroom just teleports you once you’re out the door. Some classrooms are secluded from the rest and so the ring will teleport a student inside once they get close.”

They had been walking in a straight line from the school, towards Towers and Chandler. His dorm was in Hughes, the opposite direction. John was about to voice his concern when Sera interrupted him, her voice cold and professional.

“There’s someone following you, John.”

Ignis raced through her ancestral lands. The oppressive heat set her inner flame free. The sparks that jumped across her fur were a gift from her master. She leapt into the sky and roared a gout of flame as joy filled her heart at the thought of her master. He was so kind to her. He protected her when she could not protect herself. He gave her the gift of power.

And his mana was delicious.

The charred landscape was a blur of warm colors: burgundy, brown, and black stones jutting out of the ground at odd angles; yellow, orange, and red flames floating in orbs in the sky or crackling from crevices in the ground. A volcano rumbled in the distance, a grandiose entrance to a palace made of polished obsidian sitting halfway up the mountainside. Red lightning crackled in the smoke and ash above the volcano, striking the ground every few seconds with a thundering boom.

A river of lava snaked its way down the side of the volcano, zigzagging in hairpin turns down the mountain and framing the palace entrance with a fiery light. A series of wide obsidian bridges flanked by stout watchtowers crossed the river as it made its way down the gradual slope, creating a direct path to the palace entrance.

Ignis yipped happily, bounding from the top of one tower across the bridge to the top of the next, having fun testing her agility. Her paws left no mark on the obsidian, the heat resistant rock impervious to her strength. She reached the palace entrance and sat dutifully under a grand arch, purring loudly.

Master, partner of my soul and mind, I wait for your call.

“Just one or a few?” John asked.

“One directly but plenty hiding,” was Sera's response.

“What do you suggest I do?”

“You're off school grounds, you can do whatever you want without punishment.” She looked at him with an unreadable poker face.

You're testing me.

She gave him the same look before disappearing, just as John was pulled into a barrier. His aura flared to life around him, silent flames shot through with bursts of red lightning flickering all over his body.

“John Newman. I heard you've been giving some of our small fry a hard time,” a seedy voice called out from behind him.

John turned to face his pursuers, only to find a lone unassuming figure wearing a blue bandana over the lower half of his face. He cast observe on the thin and tall man.

Level 16 Aquamancer (thin)

“Oh shit,” was John's eloquent response.

Laughter surrounded him from several sources, implying that he was both outleveled and outnumbered. Two more men landed behind him, seemingly jumping off a rooftop. One had a large scar across his face. The other had a huge beard. Both wore the trademark blue bandana. John turned slightly so he could keep an eye on all of his attackers. He cast observe on the newcomers.

Level 14 Aquamancer (scar)

Level 17 Aquamancer (beard)

“Oh for fuck's sake, you've got to be kidding me.”

Their laughter turned into maniacal cackling as another member cleared her throat behind John. He turned to face her and cast observe before continuing to turn slowly in a circle, keeping his eyes on all of his assailants.

Level 15 Aquamancer (twin 1)

He narrowed his eyes, keeping his guard up for twin 2 to appear. The laughter died as the seedy voice spoke again, addressing John.

“Show us what you got, little man. Try and burn this!”

Thinman held his hands together and conjured a ball of water the size of a watermelon, and as it hurtled towards John, he cast observe.

Level 15 Aquasphere

Ball of mana water, imbued with destructive magic

He activated parkour and handsprung out of the way, aiming a kick at Twin 1. He missed. She laughed at him as his foot flew past her face and a blade made of ice materialized in her hand. She sliced at him and just barely missed his outstretched arm. He rolled across the pavement, casting flames at Twin 1’s feet.

15 dmg

15 dmg

15 dmg

She shrieked in pain and jumped backwards, almost losing her balance on her burned ankles.

-20 hp

-5 hp

Beardman and Scarman had taken their chance at hitting John with their own attacks. He groaned from the impact of a water whip and a ball of ice as he got to his feet and took up a guarded stance facing the Aquamancers. They didn’t wait for him to get ready. Twin 1 sliced at him again, and he flailed backwards to dodge. Thinman threw another Aquasphere at John, and he fell backwards, **** to roll to the side to dodge three more attacks.

-35 hp

John cast fireball in both hands and slammed his palms into the ground, creating small shockwaves of fire and propelling himself upright again.

10 dmg (Twin 1)

5 dmg (Twin 1)

5 dmg (Beardman)

5 dmg (Scarman)

1 dmg (Thinman)

He cast fireball in both hands again, throwing one at Beardman and the other at Scarman as he cartwheeled away from Twin 1’s ice blade. Thinman lobbed another Aquasphere at John’s head. He fell to his knees and cast flames at Twin 1 to keep her at a distance. Beardman and Scarman dodged the fireballs but not the splash damage.

15 dmg (Twin 1)

15 dmg (Twin 1)

10 dmg (Beardman)

15 dmg (Twin 1)

10 dmg (Scarman)

15 dmg (Twin 1)

15 dmg (Twin 1)

John rolled forwards and cast flames from both of his hands as he held them out to balance himself. Thinman conjured a shield of water that started evaporating as John’s flames hit it, Bearman’s beard catching on fire as he took the attack head on.

15 dmg (Beardman)

15 dmg (Beardman)

15 dmg (Beardman)

20 dmg (Beardman)

20 dmg (Beardman)

30 dmg (Beardman)

John clapped his hands together and created another shockwave of flames, stopping Twin 1 from getting close enough to slice at him.

5 dmg (Twin 1)

5 dmg (Scarman)

5 dmg (Beardman)

-20 hp

Thinman had taken this chance to throw an icicle at John from behind his water shield. John sprinted towards the nearest building, dodging an icicle and a water whip as he managed two steps up the wall. He put as much **** as he could muster into the second step, propelling himself into a backflip. An icicle embedded itself into the wall where he had just been as John cast summon, a fireball in his right hand. An Aquasphere grazed John’s stomach as he landed his flip and slammed his hand into the asphalt of the street.

A shockwave of fire blazed from his palm, the same orange as his mana until it hit the ground. The flames turned a vibrant blue as they burned an orange summoning circle into the road.

50 dmg (Beardman)

50 dmg (Twin 1)

50 dmg (Scarman)

20 dmg (Thinman)

The Aquamancers were thrown backwards by the considerably stronger shockwave, Thinman’s shield evaporating completely. Ignis emerged from the circle, red lightning arcing through her flaming fur. She lifted her front paws and slammed them back into the asphalt, gekkering at the humans who dared oppose her master. She circled John protectively, creating a moat of bubbling asphalt as she gave full intimidating attention to each of his assailants.