As the sun reached its zenith there was much complaining as well as no shortage of aches and bruises. One such spectacular bruise adorned Sophie's shoulder blades as a wooden sword had accidentally been released mid swing in her direction. No one claimed credit immediately until Jett walked over sheepishly and apologized, picking up the discarded weapon.
Shortly afterwards the first morning's combat practice was called to an end for the day.
"Oof that really hurt, we didn't even hit anything, but my muscles are sore everywhere" Someone at the back whimpered.
Between rounds of sword swinging at Boriq's instructions, Aedir had them sitting and feeling the 'energy' inside them. Few picked up on it straight away, but their new 'Master' didn't seem remotely troubled. Aaron thought he felt something, like water running through his fingers and after a moment he heard an audible Ding, followed by the message. MP is unlocked. That in itself was almost more tiring than the constant sword swinging.
Aaron didn't have the energy to even talk about it now. He was tired but didn't feel all that sore. Beside him Jarred also stumbled along. Tired but not seeming in pain either. The two of them had been particularly active or sporty, although they both had attended a few boxing and muay thai classes around town for fun over the years, neither had made it a serious hobby or could be said to be especially proficient.
It also didn't make sense even if that were the cause as he could see several of his classmates struggling in pain, Sophie chief among them for obvious reasons. Her glare whenever she looked in Jett's direction had yet to fade, and everyone could see he would be on the receiving end of her anger for a long time to come yet.
The only obvious solution must be their bodies. Aaron did not know much about Diego, apart from the fact he was clearly well off, a noble of a diplomat or something. He seemed more studious than physically strong but if any part of his strength remained to help Aaron with his training, he'd happily take it. One day he would make up for taking over his body though. His last wishes were still burned into Aaron's mind, and even if he couldn't complete them immediately, doesn't mean he'd allow himself to forget.
Jarred's body was a mystery even to him, as its previous occupant had done little more than rock and cry until their time was up. Still, they had plenty of time to discover the secrets behind their lives before being summoned after all. Right now, most of Aaron's thoughts were on magic and how to learn it as soon as physically possible.
Glancing at his status page he was incredibly surprised to see a few small changes.
Name: Aaron
Title- None
Class: ???
Level: 1
HP: 22/22
MP: 6/6
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 12
Endurance: 11
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 8
Perception: 8
Passive Skills:
???,
Language Comprehension- level 10 (Inherited)
Sense Hostility- level 1
Active Skills:
Inspect- level 3
"Hey man, check your status. See if anything has gone up!" Aaron whispered excitedly.
After a few moments of glazed eyes Jarred returned Aaron's excited smile.
"My endurance went up by 2! My HP increased with it!" He whispered back.
"I only went up by one in Endurance and Strength. I'm guessing that it's like working out at the gym, we can increase our stats by working out as well as levelling up! We should try and work out heaps first so we can get as many of these free stat points before actual levelling makes it too hard" Aaron reasoned out. The stronger they got before actually getting out there the easier it would be to fight monsters and Demons.
"Yeah, for sure man, although I really wanna practice magic as soon as I can too. I got 5 MP points now that it's unlocked, but my intelligence didn't change…" Jarred exclaimed, a confused expression on his face.
"Yeah, I've got 6. Maybe after some practice you'll be slinging fireballs and I'll be using water slicers everywhere!" Aaron laughed tiredly.
Together the pair hobbled back with the rest of their aching, complaining classmates into the palace. Many servants awaited them to guide them to separate places where they could take a bath and change. After shooing and eventually kicking out the male servant who had attempted to help him bathe, also hearing other yells of outrage from nearby rooms as no doubt his fellow students did the same, Aaron disrobed out of the sweat encrusted clothing he had been wearing and got into the tub.
In the bath Aaron attempted to use magic to manipulate the water but had no luck influencing the soapy liquid and after a short period gave up and leaned back to relax. He preferred showers personally, yet technology had clearly not reached that level here and one must take what they can get. Yet after getting himself clean he did not feel the need to sit there and get prune-like, so he quickly pulled himself out and dressed in the fresh clothing provided.
So far despite his misgivings, he had not run into any of the issues he had expected to when coming to a world set so far back in technological advancement. Especially around hygiene. Looking at history dramas and pieces one would assume, without deodorant and showers and baths being a luxury that the hygiene levels of the general populace would be middling at the very best.
However, they were of course in a palace, with private baths and servants so perhaps it wasn't a fair comparison. Once they saw more of the world his hygienic concerns may pale in comparison to reality. Dressed and ready he walked outside seeing all of his classmates had yet to emerge. Most likely spending a lot longer soaking their sore muscles than he needed to.
The only one standing outside surprisingly was Kiera, the High Archons aide. She was very beautiful, with blonde hair and cherry red lips. Normally he'd be too nervous to even approach a woman as clearly out of his league as she was. Yet his interest in magic overpowered his nerves and he walked up to her, interrupting her scribbling.
"Sorry, can I ask you something?" Aaron asked politely, hoping she would be comfortable answering his questions.
Kiera gave him a long considering look over her parchment and quill. Yet seeing none of the smug arrogance she usually suffered from men in this world, especially considering his status as Champion, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Yes? How can I help you, Aaron?" She replied, a little more brusque than she had planned to be yet you couldn't have everything.
"Oh you know my name?" Aaron remarked surprised. To his knowledge they had not been introduced yet, although he knew her name thanks to his Inspect skill.
"Yes. Master Aedir is capable of a great many things, wonders beyond the imaginations of most. Yet remembering the names of those around him is still a skill he has not mastered of his 146 years of life and at this point I'm not holding out hope. Which is why I work for him, keeping track of things he does not consider important and documenting those that he does as he will most likely forget"
"I see" So, she was something like a secretary. For one of the most powerful people in the country.
"Do you mind if I ask for some guidance about magic? I know we'll all learn eventually but I really want to start giving it a try!" Aaron asked enthusiastically.
Kiera gave him a long considering look. Again, the boy in front of her was not condescending, instead he was considerate and genuinely interested in learning from her. The few people she could think of that had asked her for advice in the past had not done so because of her knowledge or magical prowess, both of which were considerable for her age!
Instead, they usually were either attempting to get closer to her Master or try to get in her pants. She had enough experience with both to quickly know which was which. The former was dealt with firmly, rejecting their efforts and telling them exactly where they could shove their request. The latter most often ended with her using the magic they asked about to give them a more practical lesson. The most recent of which had someone hanging from a nearby signpost butt naked for hours before she had deigned to release him.
After seeing Aaron belonged to neither group she thought for a moment before pulling out a thick leather book from a bag she carried with her personal sundries etc as well as spell books or romance novels she was currently interested in. How the small bag carried so much was a mystery to many, but she treasured it as the first gift she had received from her Master upon becoming his official apprentice and self-appointed caretaker.
"Water magic, correct?" She asked as she extended the book in her hand.
"That's right" Aaron replied, surprised again at the amount she knew about him when there were 19 others to keep track of, not to mention anything else happening in her master's and her own life.
The book she handed him had a water drop symbol on the front and was as thick as some of the fiction stories he'd spent hours reading in his own world, especially his favorites about a certain scarred orphan growing up and learning magic.
Aaron began to thank her profusely but as he began, she stopped him with a warm smile.
"Remember, magic comes from within. You feel the flow inside, then guide it out. Even once it's outside your body, it is still a part of you. Keep that in mind while you study" Waving him away, that gentle smile still on her face, she went back to her note taking.
Taking the dismissal for what it was, Aaron sat down on a nearby bench to read and wait for the others to finish cleaning themselves. A couple of his peers were starting to emerge, but he should still have time for a chapter or two…
....
"Allaan you have had more than enough time to investigate" Wulfric said, his voice tinged with anger.
The pair were seated in a council room not far from where the newly summoned Champions were refreshing themselves. Aedir sat nearby, his face worn and tinged with sadness. Seeing these two close friends at odds was heartbreaking for him, let alone what the two Kings in question must be feeling.
"What we know so far is this" Allaan began, his voice gravely serious. He too wanted to get to the bottom of this, yet he understood his friends need to hurry. He needed something to help make sense of things, something to bring back to his children and wife when he told them they had lost a son and brother.
"During the ritual, the Demons attempted to hijack it for their own ends. We still do not know what the end result would have been had they succeeded. Aegan stopped them partially, but at a cost. Had the ritual continued as planned, there would have been only 12 Champions and the circle would not have broken. There would have been no danger of unexpected or unwilling Offerings" Allaan explained slowly, attempting to make plain the severity of the Demonic interference.
"I did not ask what the excuses were, my friend" Wulfric replied.
While Allaan was glad to still be counted as a friend, he could see that Wulfric was doing everything he could to hold back his rage.
"So far, we have uncovered several Demon spies among the guards on the gates and one Thrall in the city. The Thrall died immediately upon the beginning of questioning, only a puppet for its masters and the spies could not tell us much. However, we do know that this had been planned, long before our battle over a week ago. What's more is that while we have recovered most of the Champions summoned outside of the Cathedral, two are still missing"
Allaan took a deep breath before continuing.
"From what we have gathered, later that same day two Thralls were helped to escape from the city via the spies' gate, both carrying large bundles. These are most likely our missing Champions. They headed in the direction of Petronach Woodlands to the North-East. We have already sent out a company of Knights and trackers, but the creatures have a full day on us so it may be some time before they are found"
"And these spies. Where are they?" Wulfric asked in a deadly quiet voice.
"They are being held in one of our dungeons below" Allaan replied, a slightly confused look on his face.
"We are confident they have told us all they know however, so there is no reason to continue questioning. They were low level operatives after all so the little information they possessed was most likely considered an acceptable sacrifice"
"All the better" Wulfric exclaimed, getting to his feet. "Where?"
"I'll have you escorted down there, for however long you need" Aedir chimed in, quickly understand the Wereman's intentions.
A look of shock crossed Allaan's face, quickly stifled. He had no need nor right to judge his friend for needing to find the truth and get revenge for his son.
As a servant came to escort him, Wulfric half exited the room before turning back.
"This may be enough for now. But we both know those responsible must pay. And we will also need to discuss these 'Champions'. I am not the only one who is concerned. Not once in our world's history have children ever been Summoned after all…"