The young man had a purple wand with black symbols engraved on it. As he spoke, he poked the wand at Ethan's face.
"You should hand over these slaves to me. If you know who I am, you will bend the knee and thank me for taking your slaves."
Ethan's gaze fell on the students behind him. They were grinning, looking like clowns. He noticed one of the council members standing in a door that led to a lecture hall. They had no emotion on their face, but he could see his actions would reflect and affect their continued partnership. He did not know who she was; he should have asked all their names. The young man was going on and on about how great he was.
This youngster irritated Ethan. The young fool grabbed Lucy's wrist and tried to pull her away. Deep blue eyes focused on the brown eyes that focused on the massive finger that stopped before his forehead. His eyes focused on the finger as he stopped talking. The middle finger flicked, and a smacking sound echoed. The young student's head whipped back, and he swayed slightly. Then, he crumpled onto the ground. Grins faded and turned to fear and trembling as Ethan looked each student in the eye.
"Alas, my companions are off limits. Do not test my patience, humans."
The small band of noble twats disappeared, carrying their fearless leader between them.
"Squee, what an asshole."
"Alas, Lucy, how is your wrist."
"Squee, it is fine, Ethan. He had a weak grip like a child."
"Alas, good, he may live for now."
Lucy and Wendy looked at each other. Ethan searched for the council member, but she had disappeared. He had managed that situation without killing anyone; he did well, he thought. The cafeteria looked packed with students. They found a table at the back of the cafeteria near the professors. Lucy and Wendy joined the cue for food under Ethan's watchful eye. They came back five minutes later, laughing and talking. They would take meat strips off the plates and eat them, sighing each time.
Ethan walked to the counter containing milk and juice and took each with cups. The milk was whole with cream, and the juice was a blend of fruit. The meat strips were tender and packed with flavour. The bread was a day old, perfect for eating with the sauce.
Ethan had to congratulate the cooks for this feast. They talked about the double standard in the academy. The dean had only started a year after the previous dean had disappeared. The new dean wanted to reform the academy and have a merit system, not a class or race system. He was routing out the professors who treated students like rubbish and was in the process of replacing them.
Professor Lara started a month ago when the dean appointed her to teach the body-enhancement magus classes. The professor that used to be in her place had not taught anything to the students, believing them nothing else than carriers and lowly people who could only do hard labour.
"Hail, Thompson knew what was happening here. He and the dean are friends."
"Alas, this operation has been planned for months now. We have come in at a late stage of this plan; we might just be pawns in a bigger scheme. We should be careful; do not let them separate us."
Wendy cleared her throat as she hid her face with her hand.
"Hail, I think we have become more than friends. We will stick by you through thick and thin. Right, Lucy, we are committed."
Lucy had her hands over her face as she nodded her head. Ethan wondered why they hid their faces. Did they not kiss him this morning or as they left the training area? He decided that women would stay an enigma to him. He pondered why the humans despised demi-humans but wanted to claim Wendy and Lucy.
Could it be because of their beauty? Ethan had to admit to himself that they aroused him. He found them beautiful as well and was happy to be with them, their relationship changing rapidly. He wondered if they were going too fast and if they should slow down. He had to control himself all the time around them.
Ethan had known Heather was never interested in him. After a while, he realised she was only a woman with her wants and needs. What he wanted did not bother her, nor did she care like all the rest of the people. Ethan realised that something had died inside him when she chose her lover. Could he regain it again, or did it die off forever?
The meal went down fast, and they felt refreshed and ready for more training. Returning to the training grounds, the students were prepared for more. Ethan showed them an extra manoeuvre that could be added to their combo. Everyone trained hard, and focus and discipline were evident in this group. The two humans also trained hard and started talking to the demi-humans. Wendy came running at full speed towards him. She stopped out of breath, her hands on her knees.
"Hail, Lucy has tripped over something. Please come and see."
She turned around and started to run again. Ethan followed her. He could feel his chest constrict. Was Lucy severely injured? Would he be able to help? How close was the nearest hospital, and could Ethan fly there in time to save her? He appeared on the scene as Lucy sat, her knees and hands red from the fall. Ethan could feel his body relax. Ethan breathed in deeply, realising that he was holding his breath. Ethan rushed to her side, picking Lucy up in a princess carry and gently holding her. The students stared at them as they stopped training.
"Alas, Lucy, where are you hurt? Did you break something? Should we seek out a hospital?"
Lucy stared up at him. She wanted to say something but grabbed the hem of his robe and pushed her face into his chest. Her ears bent to the side. Wendy tugged at his sleeve as she held Lucy's leg.
"Hail, Lucy is fine. She has a few scrapes and bruises. Look at the terrain; this is serious."
Ethan looked down. There lay an adventurer's plate, bronze by the look of it. A chain with only one nameplate on it. Did someone take it already? Ethan could see Wendy point to the ground a few feet away, and she walked into the forest. Ethan followed her.
Wendy stepped carefully and crouched. She could be a great tracker, so Ethan thought she must come with him when they hunted. Ethan looked at Lucy with concern, hugging her gently. His gaze roamed the forest. Lucy seemed to enjoy being carried by him. After ten minutes of walking, they came to a field of flowers.
Ethan stood staring at the scene.