Realm of Monsters Chapter 208: Secrets And Goals

Stryg gasped and opened his eyes. He threw himself forward and sat up. His blue skin was covered in sweat and chills ran through his back. He was in bed, naked, save for the silver bracelet that Loh had gifted him. The moonlight drifted into the room with a soft silver fade.

Youre awake, good, Maeve said. I was beginning to get worried.

Maeve sat in a tall red velvet chair, reading a book.

Stryg clenched his eyes shut and took a slow breath, ...Were in your room?

Yeah. I think you were having a nightmare, she said reluctantly. I didnt want to wake you, on account that you might accidentally claw open or sothing.

Sorry, he sighed.

...You wanna talk about it?

Hm?

The nightmare. Only if you want to, of course. I know how bad nightmares can be, she said sympathetically.

The sight of Clypeus bloodied body crumpled on the ground flashed through Strygs mind. He smiled ruefully, Just old mories, nothing I cant handle.

...Okay. Im here if you ever want to talk.

Noted.

Stryg got up and looked around for his clothes, they were strewn about the floor. He shimmied into his underwear and pants.

Have you seen my shirt? Stryg asked.

Im keeping it, Maeve said casually.

What? Why?

I like the sll, she shrugged.

Stryg cocked his head to the side, You like the sll of a piece of cloth?

Sothing like that, she smiled wryly.

Suit yourself, he threw his jacket on. Why arent you sleeping anyway?

Im a vampire, we generally prefer to sleep during the day. When I went to the Academy of rchants I had to wake up at dawn. Not the case anymore. Maeve grinned, Being a rchant Lady has its perks.

Stryg walked over to her

So what is the beautiful Lady Mora reading tonight?

Just so boring trade logs about one of my ships latest cargo, she groaned. Being a rchant Lady also has its setbacks.

Stryg leaned on the armchair and hovered over her, Your neck...

Dont tell you want to drink more blood, youre gonna bleed dry, she frowned.

Not that, Stryg removed the bandages around her neck.

Two red pinpricks stained her otherwise unblemished skin.

What are you doing? she asked with a hint of suspicion and curiosity.

Hold still for a sec, he raised his hand.

A soft white light poured out of his fingertips and blended over her neck. The two pinpricks slowly disappeared, leaving the skin spotless of any injuries.

Stryg stepped back, Better?

Maeve rubbed her neck and stared at him, wide-eyed, ...Youre a white mage?

Thats a secret I prefer to keep quiet.

...

Maeve? I need you to keep this between us.

Hm? Yeah, for sure. Sorry, its just Im still trying to get my head around the fact that youre a penta-manifold mage. The more I learn about you the more Im beginning to understand why you're the fad Loh Noirs apprentice. Maeve raised her thin eyebrow, Are you hiding any other secrets from that I should know about?

Im actually a pri mage. Not that Im aware of. You really like Loh, huh?

Is it that obvious? Maeve winced with a bashful grin.

You talk about her often, along with Gale and a few others.

I an yeah, theyre so of the best mage duelists out there. Or at least Loh was, shes retired now.

Im aware, she spends most of her ti training or teaching the 1st-years nowadays.

Maybe one day you can introduce us? Maeve batted her eyes playfully.

I thought you two already t, back at Mora Castle?

Her shoulders slumped, Not much of an introduction. My father antagonized you and Loh threatened to kill my entire family.

Right I forgot about that.

Maeve closed her book, Youve never been to one of the dueling matches have you?

I never found the ti. I would rather train than watch others fight for sport.

Stop being so boring. As per the rules of the friendship code of honor it is my duty to help you get out of those stuffy academy grounds once in a while. When youve got so ti Ill take you to one of the dueling matches, a few are coming up soon. Maeve clapped her hands, You should see the stadium! When all the crowds are there, chanting the duelists na, its one of the most incredible things youve ever seen!

Sounds annoying, Stryg muttered and pointed at his ears.

Oh, right. Sensitive hearing, she winced. Maybe so other ti then?

Ill be busy for a while.

Lem guess, training? Why are you training so much anyway?

Stryg clenched and opened his fist, I have plans, goals.

Maeve walked to her bedside table and poured herself a drink, Such as?

One of my simpler goals is to qualify for the Great Cities Tourney, he admitted.

You want to be one of Hollow Shades four contestants!? Maeve yelled.

...Yes?

Sorry, its just that, well, Hollow Shade has lost for the past seven years, she grimaced. Your chances dont look very great.

Ti to break the cycle then, he said adamantly.

Why do you want to go?

What do you an?

Well, besides being outright extrely dangerous, students participate in the tourney for two possible reasons. If youre an aristocrat, you go because youre representing your House, and if you win you bring honor and glory to your family.

Im not an aristocrat though, he said.

Exactly.. Which leads to the second most common reason. Mages of common birth attend the tourney to show their skills off. Lords and ladies from all four Great Cities will be in the audience, watching the contestants, hoping to scout any promising young mages. But youre already Loh Noirs apprentice. You dont need to be scouted by anyone. So why do you want to go?

Stryg scratched the tip of his button nose, Isnt there so kind of prize for the winners?

I an yeah, but we don't know what that is. Every years prize is different; the host city offers up the prize. No one will know until the tourney begins.

Is that so?

Maeve narrowed her eyes, Why do you want to go to the tourney?

Stryg looked out the window and stared up at the silver crescent moon, ...I want to prove, no, I need to know that Im capable of standing at the top.

...Is being powerful that important to you?

Stryg turned and faced her, If it ans I can protect the ones close to , if it ans I can keep them close, then yes.

Maeve grabbed his hand, Stryg Power doesnt work that way. My father was a rchant lord and he still lost everything.

Your father was weak, he said coldly. All his power ca from others. When it ca ti for him to stand alone, he lost. I wont be the sa.

Maybe youre right, Maeve said sadly. But even the gods have followers. No one can stand on their own, not really. We all need help sotis.

Maybe, he shrugged. Maybe not.

As your friend, a close friend at that, Maeve smirked. I suggest you find yourself a hobby, sothing outside of magic. Clear your head a bit.

No need, Stryg shook his head.

Co on, you know Im right. Its pretty sad that your only reason to attend the tourney is to beat up a bunch of 20-year-olds. Although, if you do, I will definitely be there to watch it happen, she grinned.

Thats not the only reason Im going, he said quietly.

Oh?

Theres soone over there I want to et, I havent seen them in a long ti

Over there? Maeve furrowed her brow. The tourney is being held in Undergrowth this year, right? Who do you know in the City of Thorns?

Doesnt really matter, I guess, he sighed.

Is this soone a girl by any chance? she asked smugly.

Why does that matter? he frowned.

~Oh nothing~ Nothing at all, Maeve skipped away. Im going to get so breakfast, you coming?

I thought youd never ask, he broke into a grin.

~~~

Stryg sat cross-legged in his private diation do on campus. Perhaps private wasnt the right word. More like every student who ca in would leave once they noticed Stryg was there. It seed he had inadvertently created a reputation of fear among the students throughout the years. Not that he minded, fear was a form of power, and one he would gladly use.

Last night with Maeve had been a welcod respite, but today had been a long day of training with the dwarf Cornelius Rotrusk, his chromatic brown and green teacher. Stryg closed his eyes and walked through the training regint in his mind.

Cornelius had explained that chromatic colors were a mix of dominant and recessive spell-forms. Brown had two dominant spell-forms, while green had a dominant and a recessive. Recessive spell-forms were when the bonded elental mana superseded the chromatic mana, such as elental fire mana creating oranges fla magic. A dominant spell-form was the opposite, wherein the chromatic mana superseded the effects of the elental mana, such as oranges agility magic.

Way back at the beginning of sumr, Cornelius had offered to train Stryg in enchantnt spells, since Stryg was already so advanced in the arcane language. Enchantnt spells were the fusion of elental creation mana and chromatic brown mana, a very lucrative spell-form from what Freya Goldelm had told him.

Stryg was excited to learn, but he quickly refused when he learned that crafting enchanted objects usually took days to months, sotis even years. He didnt have that kind of ti to waste, he needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible. Enchantnt spells would have to wait.

Instead, Cornelius had trained Stryg in browns other spell-form, the combination of brown and fire mana, vigor magic. While the progress of his vigor spells was steadily increasing, today Stryg had focused on practicing greens stone and flora spells.

Unlike vigor spells, both green spell-forms ca very easily to Stryg. He had no problem casting either one. Stone spells shared the earth mana type with yellows durability spells and flora spells shared the water mana type with blues torrent spells. Since he was already skilled in durability and torrent magic, he wondered if that was why greens magic ca more easily to him?

Then again, he could cast greys curse spells, but he couldnt cast the simplest of blacks necromancy spells, despite them both sharing death mana. It bothered him how he didnt understand how any of this truly worked. But as Professor Isene always said, Thats why we have ditation dos. To ponder our thoughts and let them run their course.

Stryg still couldnt succeed in that particular exercise but here he was, ditating. Hed do whatever it took to achieve his potential.

The dos heavy door swung open with a loud bang. Stryg opened his eyes and was faced with the one person he really didnt want to see. Sylvies tall form lood over the doorway.

Oh, hi, Stryg! she waved. Mind if I join you?

Yes.

So, I can join you?

No.

So, you dont mind if I join you?

Stryg narrowed his eyes.

She grinned, Ill take that as a yes.

Sylvies heavy footsteps walked across the marble floor until she stood next to him. She sat down, cross-legged, right in front of him. Stryg glanced around the large empty do pointedly. Sylvie smiled and closed her eyes.

You know, he said, annoyed. There are over a dozen dos like this around campus, so even bigger.

Yeah, I heard. This academy is aweso!

Stryg frowned, Why are you in this do?

Because this is the only do that has one gruff, blue hybrid, she smiled wide.

He sighed, What do you want?