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Chapter 2 of Corruption
🕑 Added 2021-05-15 15:47:27 +0000 UTCHere patrons pledging $5 or more can read Olbright, the second chapter of Corruption at a Magical Academy! A trigger warning goes on this one for violence and teacher-student stuff (though nothing explicitly of the sort happens in this chapter).
Chapter Two: Olbright
Livia Olbright was glad to be away from home. She was eighteen, but her father had never really allowed her much freedom even within the confines of their estate. This was the first time she'd escaped the setting of most of her life, and she had...lots of feelings on the matter. A new place meant friends. It meant security from her father. It meant she didn't have to watch her words so much like a hawk eyeing its prey. It meant a courtyard she could actually exist within in a way that did not demand constantly checking her behavior and surroundings to ensure she would not offend...him.
It meant all of that...in theory. In practice, on the other hand, ghosts seemed to cling to the walls and grass of the monastery. Mount Merrick, with all its open space and big bustling mess halls and young adults ever so slightly less young than her, did not offer the respite she'd have liked. Her mind seemingly refused to get the memo that she was safe here. She did not suffer any erroneous belief she was being stalked, but it still felt as though eyes could be concealed within every patch of shade. Watching her. Waiting. Waiting for her to screw something up, waiting for her to break something, waiting for her to offend her family's legacy or stub her toe and cry out like the commoners that so disgusted her father-
Livia bumped into someone. It was Araad. She yelped and her brain flew into a frenzy.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm new and I'm lost please don't yell at me!" She lowered her head and put her arms over it to protect her in case she was struck. Tears came to her eyes. "I didn't mean to I'm lost and scared please-"
"Shhhh, it's okay. It's okay." Araad's voice was sweet and gentle. It wasn't lilting, or demure, or any of the other words she had to teach herself so she could figure out what her dad wanted from her, but...she liked it. It wasn't heavy like the blunt demands of her father's mean colleagues or sharp like the chastisements given by his staff. It was soft but firm, cool and uncomplicated. It felt like a nice damp cloth on the emotional fever that she had burning always inside of her brain. "You're holding your arms like you hit your head. Are you hurt?"
"I….um…" the fear left her, but a frigid shame took its place. She fought the urge to start crying again. Once was too many, The Mother Damn It! "I-I…" she curled up slightly, lowered her arms, and fiddled with her fingers. "No...no I'm not hurt. Thank you." She flinched. She hadn't apologized! "A-and I'm sorry for bothering you! I'm so sorry, I know your time is precious! Please don't worry about me, I'm fine I promise!"
Araad frowned for a second. She seemed to...twitch, or rather, to…be in a position without actually transitioning to it, a few times, within that second.
"Sweetheart, your time is precious too. Would you like to spend some with me?" For some reason the question snaked down through Livia's mind straight into her chest. Yes, yes! Yes she would! She reached for Araad's hand to cling to it, to never let go, to keep herself anchored to this unreasonable cherub in an ocean of hostility-
No. She stopped and pulled her arm away again almost the instant she realized she'd started to do it. As desperate as she was to be cared for and kept safe, reaching for a stranger like that was unacceptable. It made her look like a cheap harlot. If she did that on her first day here she'd no doubt either be mocked every time she showed her face or, worse, kicked out and given a cart and a mule to carry her home. Back...back to him.
"Your eyes seem stressed, dear. I know the monastery can be intimidating. Do you know where everything is?"
"Y-yeah. Thank you. I mean, I know-I know where my dorm is, and the mess hall, and my classes! That's all I really need isn't it?"
"I...suppose. but there's a really scenic picnic area, a greenhouse, a...frankly a bizarrely large pond, two sets of stables, and an armory attached to both a training area and some kind of gladiator pit. There's a lot here, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess…" a frown came over Livia's face. She wanted to pet the kitties that supposedly hung around the pond and stables, but...that wasn't what those areas were for. She couldn't ask to be taken to them if she wanted to do something other than what their purpose was intended to be. Besides, like Araad had just said, her time was precious. If she was to spit on this woman's kindness immediately by wasting it petting cats, she might as well-
"I like to pet the kitties by the pond. Sometimes I feed them fish I steal from the guys who pay the church to let them fish and do business here. You wanna go do that?"
It was like the heavens had opened up and a single warm, beautiful ray had come shimmering down directly around Livia. Her excitement was visible. Her day was improved beyond measure. She was practically blurring in place like one of those fancy magical doorstop things when someone flicked them and they made that funny noise she liked.
"Yesyesyesplease I wanna feed the fuzz children! Please I wanna feed a kitty!" Livia didn't notice how Araad giggled, or smiled, or adopted a posture that featured body language which was on edge slightly less. Her brain was fixated squarely on the small fuzzy friends she was about to make, and nothing else.
"Well, let's get to it then," Araad smiled down with warmth and compassion. Livia was a few inches shorter than her, with a messy and dirty mop of dull bluish violet hair and longer legs than would be expected of someone her height. Her face was square with a bit of a pointy chin and she had long, poorly shaped fingernails. She smelled nice but it was a perfume scent, and there was an almost suspicious amount of it.
Livia's stomach growled. She laughed nervously. "Oh...right." She clutched her stomach. "I'm… really hungry."
"No matter!" Araad responded with a quick and energetic chirp. "We can go eat together. Mess hall's close, is that where you were going?" Livia nodded her head yes. Araad took her hand. Livia froze instantly. Araad let go to make sure everything was alright. Livia's hand lashed out like a viper and seized Araad's precious, warm palm. It was soft. It was gentle. It was precious.
"U-uh, yeah." Livia nodded. "Pl-please let me-"
"It's okay, Livia. Hold my hand all you need, okay? If you can't walk or you don't want to I can give you a piggyback ride there."
"I can…" Livia answered. She wanted to ask what "piggyback ride" meant. What this beautiful, gorgeous, kind hearted woman was offering her. She wanted to ask every question there was to ask. She wanted to commit to memory everything she possibly could about this angel that she didn't deserve.
But...she didn't. She kept her mouth shut. Questions were annoying. She knew better than to waste a gift like this.
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Atris Verurteilt awoke with a start. This was her first day at Mount Merrick. It was also the first day she'd had a nightmare in a while. She had felt so certain those were gone that the wet, icy terror of emerging had lost the filter of resignation which had dulled their bite for a time. She got out of bed and clenched her fists.
"We got a letter from Olbright."
Atris practically leapt out of her skin. By the door was her trusty attendant Ma-no, she was called Hera now. Hera was an imposing figure, standing at six foot four with a wavy mass of dark brown hair falling over one ear. The rest of her hair extended in a veritable wave of upwards-curved spikes that fell neatly to her broad shoulders. She stood straight, her angular body and rail-thin limbs doing little to diminish the absolutely massive aura of hot command that she seemed to passively exude. She took a swig of piping hot tea.
"Which Olbright? We attempted correspondance with several."
"With two," Hera specified with that joking tone and slight grin that invariably accompanied the pedantry she enjoyed so much, "several refers to an indistinct amount which must be greater than two." Another swig. Hera's face became serious. "And to answer your question, Alicia. She says that she'll help as long as you agree to protect her cousin. Now, I'm not in the business of making promises we can't keep-"
"Which cousin?" Atris asked. She was hastily getting dressed. Hera made sure to turn so she couldn't see, but also not to call attention to herself as she did.
"Livia. That rancid-"
"You're referring to Livia's father, correct? Not her?" Atris' voice was only mildly accusatory. Hera knew her well enough to get the message.
"Yes, of course. Gronnel, I believe was that rotting carcass' name?"
"Yeah. Gronnel. Fuuuuck that guy."
"You speak like he isn't an important business partner of your father's." This, too, was a warning shot. Atris froze halfway through donning her uniform's pants, one leg raised and bent into a triangle like a flamingo that had suddenly become paralyzed mid-stride. The two shared a knowing glance. Hera using verbiage that could imply something else if one cut her off was problematic. A slip-up like Atris' just now could be deadly. "Everyone knows he's scum." Atris rolled her eyes and resumed dressing herself.
"Yes, Mistress, but-"
"Master. If you must use a title, don't make me sound like one of the poor women men like him would call their bitch."
"My apologies, Master. The point is, you speaking ill of your prey opens the mind to the idea that you might intend to destroy them. It's an unnecessary risk, and-"
"Risk is a drug best avoided," Atris finished Hera's sentence for her. She donned the white and gold blouse of the school's uniform. She had broad shoulders, but like Hera's, her uniforms had been tailor made so it wasn't an issue.
"Precisely. Coming here was suspicious as is. If your elder brothers didn't need to be put on the chopping block I'd never have allowed it. We need to be cautious."
"I know, I know." Atris sat at a small desk which had a mirror. She procured a beautiful golden comb (which was actually made of some lesser metal but painted to look gold) and used it to untangle a few small knots in the red hair that fell to her elbows. It was an ugly, brownish sort of red-the color of rust. "Hera!"
"Of course, my lady." Hera sat the teacup down on a dresser, walked up to her lord, and muttered an incantation. Her hands and Atris' hair alike glowed slightly and glyphs appeared glowing in the air around them. Atris' hair twisted and folded itself into a thin crown of braids that circled her scalp, then what was left clumped neatly into four of five bodies, fanning around from one side of her jaw to the other, that curled into nice circular shapes that reached up from the base of her skull to the tops of her ears.
Then Hera said one last sequence of magical words and kissed a fingertip. It glowed a bit, and she tapped it against Atris'd head. The glow vanished from her finger and spread rapidly through the hair for a moment. Then it subsided, leaving Atris' hair a nicer shade of red. It was paler and light, almost pink.
"Oh, that's a new look. It's nice, you've gotten really good at this!"
"Y-yes, thank you my lady." Hera blushed, if only for an instant. It was a rare event, and one nobody but Atris had beheld in over a decade. But then, quickly as always, it was gone. Atris giggled and fiddled with the curls.
"But, Master, back to the matter at hand."
"Yes, right." Atris cleared her throat and stood straight. Not as straight as Hera, but that was honestly kind of difficult. She had no idea how Hera just...held herself that way, all day, every day. "Alicia wants us to agree to protect Livia?"
"Yes, my liege."
"The Olbrights need to get better at naming their fucking kids," muttered Atris Verurteilt, daughter of Faulen Verurteilt. "Anyway, we can do that easily. She's right here, with us. She's in our class.”
"Yes, well," Hera mused, "I suppose that's in order then. We've secured her aid."
"Excellent. I'll pen a response later, after class. Thank you for informing me."
"Thanking me is unnecessary, my lady, but I appreciate your humility regardless. Class begins soon. I shall see you there." Hera retrieved the teacup she'd set down and went on her way, leaving Atris alone. A few seconds after the door clicked shut her attention returned to the mirror. She smiled and imagined herself in Alicia's slender, strong, loving arms-
She blinked. She hadn't time for that!
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Ms. Calweigh smiled. Class had ended and the students were all leaving. This year's batch of young adventurers was practically unisex for some reason. Almost all girls. This pleased her, for many reasons. One girl stayed behind to talk to Araad. Ms. Calweigh smiled and, discreetly, followed the penultimate student out the door. She stopped a few feet back and cast an illusion of herself leaving, which she completed by pushing the door shut as her illusory double "pulled" it. The hollow doppelganger made its way into some bushes and vanished. That step probably hadn't been needed, strictly speaking, but she was nothing if not an extravagant bitch. She quietly barred the double door and stood still to eavesdrop.
"Well, I don't really know what we're gonna cover in advance, is the thing," Araad explained. "I can't give you what doesn't exist yet." Interesting. Araad was using a...tone Ms. Calweigh had never heard before. Why was this pipsqueak asking for more work?
"Hold on a moment," she overheard the girl saying. Ms. Calweigh turned to face the two. This student was a raven-haired lass who stood an imposing six feet and one inch tall. She was the second tallest of their disciples and easily the biggest. She was muscular, with tight powerful arms and legs like tree trunks. A vaguely square-shaped face with strong and handsome features contrasted against her gentle purple irises and her beautiful length of hair that glistened in the sunlight. Her tits were a bit lacking, but that was fine. "You! Teacher's aide! Is there danger outside!"
She was also the oldest by a fair bit, as her twenty third birthday was a few months away. Ms. Calweigh had expected her to be more worldly than the others, but this...was not evidently true. Ms. Calweigh licked her lips as she considered her next words.
"No, madam. Not at all." She flicked her eyes at Araad. The dark-haired student seemed not to notice.
"Is locking doors for no reason a custom where you hail from, then? Or is there some other cause for this caution?"
"Araad prefers the doors locked for a bit after class terminates," Ms. Calweigh lied through her teeth. Her quarry shot Araad a confused glance. It was met with a nod of confirmation. While they did this, Ms. Calweigh muttered under her breath, almost imperceptibly, "perceil chmmra."
"Helps me get my work done." She followed through on her aide's suggestion. She was smiling. It was genuine. They seemed convinced. The student turned back to Ms. Calweigh. Her eyes were pink. Theirs shimmered a bit. Both pairs returned to normal.
"Ah...I see. My apologies, Ms. Calweigh. I'm Beretta Gertrude. Ser Beretta Gertrude. The suspicion was uncalled for. I'm normally more trusting, but-"
"That's not important," Ms. Calweigh muttered as he walked forward and put a nail to her lips. She found her stride both literally and in speech. "You're in new territory. It's natural to worry, but we're safe. You can trust us." Beretta's eyes shifted to pink again. She relaxed visibly.
"Trust…" she muttered and smiled. "Yes...of course, I can trust you. I can trust you two." Her mind was obviously limper than Araad's. Interesting, for nobility. Ser...was a title for a type of noble, wasn't it?
Ms. Calweigh came to stand before Beretta. She reached up and gently, experimentally, brushed at her neck with the back of two nails. Beretta relaxed almost instantly and moaned. Good.
"Very little tension, that's good."
"What?" Beretta asked, eyes tensing a bit. Ms. Calweigh frowned.
"No questions, dear. Don't you trust us?"
"Yesssss," the light in her eyes got stronger. She trembled. "Trust youuuuu."
"Good girl." She put her hands on Beretta's shoulders. Pushed her down to her knees. Beretta complied easily. Stared up into Ms. Calweigh's eyes with her own lazy, floaty ones. Good, this was very good. "Such a sweetheart, trusting me so easily." She ran her nails along Beretta's scalp. The black-haired warrior woman mewled.
There was a pounding at the door. Ms. Calweigh turned with a sneer. "What is it!?" Araad ran to answer, so she turned her body, and her own attention, back to the girl who was swiftly succumbing to her. She saw from the corner of her vision that Araad opened the door. Ms. Calweigh could instantly tell who it was: that towering silhouette could only belong to Hera. She opened her mouth to continue her work, assured Araad could handle that distraction without tipping off their tall visitor.
And then she felt searing, horrible pain. Something was wrong. Magic Ms. Calweigh only vaguely recognized, dark and terrible, chewed and burrowed into both sides of her ribs like she was being eaten by worms. Her entire body lit up with agony and she crumpled, screaming. A shadow flew across the room and came to a stop towering over her. She was vaguely aware of-
Crunch!
Ms. Calweigh had a boot where her throat was supposed to be.
"What are you DOING!?" Screamed Beretta. She quickly came to her senses and made a mad dash to the door. One of the classroom's training weapons-a sharpened wooden club meant to emulate an axe-sat on one of the long desks they sat at. She grabbed it as she zoomed past its resting place and stopped at the door frame, where she pivoted to brandish her weapon at Hera.
"An impressive maneuver. I'd give it a seven out of ten," Hera mused with disinterest. She regarded Beretta like a pest. "Should have just attacked me, though. Casters are much less dangerous when their hands are busy and they can't concentrate on magic words without being punched in the mouth."
"What are you getting at!?" Beretta snarled. She gripped her axe in both hands. "Actually, that's not important right now, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOU KILLED HER!"
"That you're too trusting," Hera grinned. It was a sadistic grin. "Hesitate too much to resort to violence." Her hands crackled with purple electricity as she eyed Beretta and Araad. "She was an enemy of the state, and that magic she was using just now was forbidden." Hera began to walk forward, slowly, her hands crackling with what resembled dark purple electricity and giant sparks in the shape of runes. Beretta turned back and forth between Araad and Hera. Araad could tell the charm magic was rapidly sapping from her student's mind.
"Is...that true, professor?"
"El garshir rakis temps!" Shouted Araad.
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"Ms. Calweigh! Don't lock the door!"
Ms. Calweigh stopped in her tracks and turned to face the instructor. The raven-haired girl looked her way. What was Araad getting at?
"I wanna start leaving them open," Araad explained as she gestured rapidly at her neck with one finger. Was Araad...threatening her? No, there wasn't any malice in her expression. What was she doing?
"I-very well then." Ms. Calweigh frowned. Something was off. What was-
"Greetings, both of you." Came a dour voice that put chills in her skin. In through the door strode the one student in their class who had to angle their head down to look Beretta in the eyes. Hera regarded each of Beretta, Araad, and Ms. Calweigh. "My lady informed me that Livia left one of her books here. I'm here to retrieve it, as the twig is too anxious to do it herself." She bent over, reached under a desk without looking, and stood up with a book in hand. Then she turned around and left. As she passed through the doorway she said, to seemingly nobody, "of course! Of COURSE it's not even a textbook! I've half a mind not to return it." Ms. Calweigh got the sense Hera hadn't even looked at the book.
What Hera said seemed to spur something on inside Araad, who sprinted past Beretta and her aide without regarding either. She flew out the door, leaving the two alone. Ms. Calweigh considered making a move now, but what had just happened seemed suspicious. She'd have to bide her time for now.
