Groups of exploring and wandering visiting students would naturally cross paths with the Institute's students. Most of these meetings were peaceful for the most part; the students of the Ascending Mountain Institute had been warned to not provoke and not rise to provocation. Not that most of the visiting students sought to instigate irritation and force tempers, but there would always be those that had no eloquence or those who could not help want to test others amongst students from all places of learning. There was a spat of visits to the Healing Halls despite the efforts of Teachers and most students.
There were not just chance meetings either, but happened also the occasional reunion.
Tor washed his hands of dirt and strands of straw, laughing along with the others as two of his friends chased each other after one splashed the other with the soiled water. He and these young men and women had taken on the chore of mucking out the stalls in the stables of the outer alchemy school for points. A number of beast companions hovered close by; the shadow macaw belonging to the pranked victim was flying along side it's master pecking at the clothes of the prankster they chased.
The stables located on the outskirts of his former school were easily the most sizeable following the two beast taming schools' own. Geographically, the outer alchemist school was located closest to Julip Town, which was also why the one of the main griffin nests were also here. Most expeditions would begin here, Teachers and students from all schools gathering here first, borrowing mounts or claiming their own faithful steeds before heading on their way. Thus the greatest number of Institute owned beasts resided here. Also, of all of the schools' students, it could be claimed that those studying alchemy travelled the most about the Institute, most likely delivering pills and potions to the locations most in need or for purposes of personal trade.
The towering heights in which the mage and scholars schools were located favoured griffin nests for purposes of internal travel, while the martial arts students all preferred to rely on the lightfoot skills (or were forced to practice using them) so while smaller beasts might be found dotted around the schools thanks to their masters' presences, these schools had little or no need for actual stables. At most, a Teacher might build their prize steed a place close to their personal residences for the beast to rest within.
Tor often found himself volunteering for tasks involving the outer alchemist school stables, though he didn't think it was so much about nostalgia. In fact, apart from hanging about these same stables during the time he'd attended this section of the Institute, he couldn't think of many good days during his past as an alchemist student and any good memories were tainted with the guilt and shame of his actions during those times. One face always came to mind in particular, one face beaten black and blue to the point that the owner's hair had turned partially white from deviation. Tor sighed inwardly; perhaps he was a masochist to keep reminding himself of that time, perhaps coming here was his personal penance. That one victim had forgiven him, but he hadn't forgiven himself.
An excited bark roused him from his dark mood and a grin lifted his lips as he turned to find his best friend, who'd attracted the attention of a group of unfamiliar girls.
"Aiya! So cute!" One cooed as she attempted to coax the blue-furred hound over to them. "It's a cooshee, right?"
"I never realised thought that cooshee were so fluffy!"
Tor rolled his eyes heavenward as he realised that Xiào Xiào had puffed out its fur until it resembled a giant puffball with four legs, two ears and a smaller puffball attached to its rear. Even the ends of its hind feathers had fluffed up like a certain wild herb's seed heads. Cooshee's tended to do this when nervous, cold or when courting potential mates, but Xiào Xiào also did this to look cute and gain extra treats. As a beast companion to a tamer, it was a bit of a softie.
Seeing as the girls didn't have the treats it wanted, it relaxed it's fur until smooth along its canine form and the tips of its feathers once more resembled flickering white tipped flames, its six black eyes blinking in disdain. Then it turned to hurry over to its Master's side. "Silly fool," Tor muttered fondly, before patting down its long ears.
"Is it yours?" The girls that had been snubbed without realising it, changed their trajectory and headed his way. His prankster friend had stopped running, now stood next to him, elbowing him in the ribs, suggestively. Tor shoved him back discreetly, while the shadow macaw's owner smacked him around the head.
The girls were too taken by the Cooshee to be bothered by the boys roughhousing and continued to want to know him due to his beast. "Where did you get it?"
"Xiào Xiào is from a rescued litter," Tor answered, honestly.
"Aw, I was hoping you knew someone with a breeding pair," the girl couldn't help exclaim, her friends nodding in agreement.
"Sorry," Tor apologised to be polite.
"Will it breed soon? What will you do with the pups?"
Tor couldn't help choke on the bluntness of the question. Xiào Xiào was less than a year old, cooshee tended only to begin such things at two years, so it wasn't something that had occurred to him either. Still, it wasn't wrong for Tamers to consider such things, but he really couldn't imagine Xiào Xiào in rut. He looked down at his best friend with a pained expression, but the young hound simply tilted his head, ignorantly.
"Or maybe you'd be willing to trade the cooshee with me for something..."
"Song Lan!" The girl making the proposition was tugged back sharply by her friend, who had noted most quickly that the tall, amicable youth before them had suddenly become cold and unyielding. She knew that her friend had taken things too far. She sighed and attempted to explain for her thoughtless friend. "Please don't take her words to heart. Song Lan is a mage, doesn't understand the bond between Tamers and their beasts." The other girl frowned, unhappily, still not understanding what she had done wrong.
"Don't be foolish," another friend chided her. "It's true this young cooshee is cute now, but it is still a dangerous beast at the end of the day, not a pet."
"I still don't see the problem," the unrepentant girl muttered, her arms crossed about her chest. "My older sister owns a tiger that everyone warned her was too dangerous to keep, but it acts like a soft pillow around her! This beast is smaller and much more adorable, how is it more dangerous than a tiger?!"
"Song Lan," the girl who'd first warned her said plainly, "that tiger was raised by your sister as a cub and can only be considered ordinary. There are still risks even then. A cooshee is a beast with cultivation potential and it will grow to be far stronger and more powerful than Song Ren's tiger."
"Gao Ran, you meanie!" Having lost the argument, Song Lan resorted to tears. "You never let me have what I want!"
Watching this, Tor immediately became uncomfortable and his friend whistled softly before retreating in a roundabout manner, leaving Tor to get himself out of the tight spot alone. However, Tor was at a loss. There weren't many females in his family and those there were tended to be on the tougher side being the wives and daughters of beast tamers, martial artists and the like. His own mother was one of the softest, most sensitive women he knew, but she'd never resorted to such a tactic. Then again, she'd been born the daughter of a Concubine and not of the main branch of his maternal family. She hadn't been particularly favoured, but while she wasn't treated badly, she grew up knowing that tears would not aid her in anyway. So the only time he'd ever seen her cry was when her Concubine mother passed away two years prior.
"I wouldn't want such a cooshee if I were you," an unpleasant voice boomed over the shrill cries of the spoiled young woman suddenly. "Who knows what mongrel bloodlines that thing has! Just like it's Master!"
The cooshee growled as Tor's frame stiffened, his aura becoming dark and hostile. Just this alone startled the group of girls and the tearful Song Lan instantly stopped crying as she flinched. As one, they glanced back to see a group of young masters in quality silk clothing all led by a young man of rounded stature. With beady eyes, he looked over the girls as well as the Institutes' students with unveiled disdain. "A dog for a dog, makes sense if you think about it," the large youth sneered.
Tor didn't rise to his provocation, but his tone was frigid like ice. "What do you want, Caprian?"
I wasn't sure how to proceed with this for a while & also I've introduced many new characters, most of which are passerby's to add a bit of filler or colour (You don’t have to remember them all) I actually recalled that I hadn't mentioned Tor for a while, despite him appearing on and off in the previous book and his cooshee. He was one of the earliest background characters in the book, along with the cannon fodder antagonist, Caprian & I thought, what if I brought that person back...
Since Caprian had transferred to the inner alchemist school, thanks to a certain improved pill that he had stolen, then subsequently been expelled for the same reason, Tor had not actually seen the spoiled son of a renowned alchemy family. Although it was true that his family were considered retainers of that family and therefore somewhat subservient, Tor had 'failed' in his duties as Caprian's person and allowed the other to fall upon the crooked path. At least, that is how the two families saw things. In fact, the moment he stepped a foot into his home, he'd been forced to kneel in shame before his angry father, who was enveloped in rage.
"We will immediately head to the Pricacorn Manor and you will begin for forgiveness from young Master Caprian and from the family head!"
"No," Tor had refused. His father had raised a hand to silence him, but Tor had continued on; "Why should I be held solely responsible for Caprian's crimes? A man can listen to advice, but he cannot be made to take it."
"Oh, so you claim that you advised the young Master not to rely on other's creations and pass them off as his own?" His father had sneered. Tor had not been able to respond as he'd known that this was not true. He had not tried to stop Caprian from doing anything he wanted, all because of his own selfish wants that Caprian had promised to help him with, namely transferring to the Beast Taming School. Instead, he had followed in Caprian's wake, just clearing up messes, bribing seniors and on one occasion providing a life sustaining pill... "You waste of space!"
"While I can't deny that I did not stop Caprian," Tor had admitted, quietly, "it was his lack that had him destroy his future as a student of the Institute."
"Lack? What lack?!" His father had refuted. "Young Master Caprian has the greatest potential of your generation when it comes to alchemy! All he required was a strong, guiding hand and yet you failed in this!"
Caprian was born with two roots. Ordinarily, such would be considered a hindrance, not a boon, but there were always exceptions. Those with a fire and wood type of either major or minor roots usually had the most prodigious talent in alchemy, able to better temper the fire and understand the herbs within their cauldron. Though Caprian's roots were flame and plant, meaning that his potential while not peak, was not to be sniffed at either, his lazy and impatient nature meant that whatever talent he might have was wasted. He hadn't the temperament to sit about a cauldron and create pills.
Tor had mentioned this to his father, but simply received another backhanded slap. Tor had spat out blood on the floor, unwilling. "You're a fool! Caprian is likely to become the next head of the Pricacorn clan and you slander him in this way!" His father had lifted his hand ready for it to fall again. But he then hesitated, not expecting that his younger son would begin to laugh.
"If that is so, then the future of the Pricacorn clan is bleak," Tor had shaken his head, then dared glare at his father in the eye. "And what does that mean for the sons you willingly gave to the Pricacorn as slaves?"
"Tor..." his mother had pleaded him softly to stop, but Tor had simply shaken his head again, while his father had denied their roles in the hierarchy as such.
"Really? Did you ask Caprian for his opinion on my position?" Tor demanded to know. "Just because there is no official contract, to Caprian, I was no better than a little servant bought in from outside. Or did you not know this already?"
"Young Master Caprian is just young," his father responded, dismissively, gesturing with his hand. "Young Master Caplin's relationship with your older brother was also like this once." Tor noticed his brother roll his eyes and shake his head a bit in denial. Caprian's older brother had never treated Tau like he would a servant, only ever a trusted subordinate when it was necessary and a close confident at other times.
Tor's earliest memory of Caprian was when they were six and the spoiled youth had ordered him to climb a tree as he wanted the sweet fruit hanging from it's branches. And what had his father told him when he'd refused? That it was his place to serve the young Master well, that he should have sought an older servant to get a ladder and get the fruit for the child. In fact, anytime that Tor had made attempts to reason with Caprian in the future, his father would just remind him of his duties.
"Anyway, clean yourself up," the man had washed over Tor's arguments as if they were just an irritating cold breeze. "We'll head to the main House after you are presentable."
"You haven't listened to a word," Tor had risen to his feet. "While I have no problems apologising to the Pricacorn head for my part in the situation, I won't speak a word to Caprian. If he is truly the heir, then he should admit to his own faults, not place them on my shoulders, which I imagine from this lecture, is precisely what has occurred. He is no longer my master and I am not his subordinate."
"You dare reject this honour?" His father's expression had been incredulous.
"What honour? What rejection?" Tor had sneered. "If I recall correctly, it was Caprian that abandoned me the moment he entered the inner school as he desired. And after his expulsion, I was brought in for questioning by the Teachers regarding my role in the matter. It turns out that Caprian claimed that stealing pills, beating and framing students, that was all my idea, that I had done so without his knowledge, just handing him the pills as proof of my loyalty to him." He'd naturally denied it, he'd admitted he'd suggested to Caprian to buy pills from the poorer students when he'd found out Caprian was threatening students and he'd admitted very shamefaced that he'd kept quiet and just watched when Caprian beat others. If it had not been for Teacher Volun and Teacher Sagi speaking up for him, he likely would have been expelled as well. "I owe Caprian nothing."
His father had slumped back in his chair, at first seeming to have no words, but then, he'd said what Tor least expected; "From this day, I have no second son."
"Husband!" His mother had exclaimed, but as she was ruled by this man, she was unable to overturn his decision. His father had always been loyally blind to the Pricacorn family, indoctrinated to think of the past glory of the two families at all times. Forget the falling state that both were in now...
Tor had left the home of his birth without looking back. He did have some regrets, he missed his warm older brother and loving mother, but he did not wish to have his name nor any possible descendants tied to the old alchemy family any longer. Especially not one to be headed by a youth who despised his own heritage the most.
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT