The Mistakes Of Misfits

Journal of Varrin Stormviel page 1

My back hit the ice. It flared blinding pain even more severe than the cold that consumed my body. My entire body ached. I had been at this for too long but I couldn't give up, I couldn't let him win. I stood up, careful to keep my footing and faced my attacker.

He was a hooded figure a few inches shorter than me. I saw a bit of white long hair poking out from the attacker's hood. Between the white hair and the slightly curved posture I could tell he was older, maybe in his forties or fifties. Maybe I could maybe use that to my advantage. Maybe I could outmaneuver him. The figure crossed his surprisingly muscular arms and even though I couldn't see his face his posture almost seemed disappointed. "Sloppy." He said through his hood. Wait, I knew that voice. I didn't have too much time to think as I was rushed by the figure. He swung a sword at my torso but I channeled a bit of the ice around me and pulled it up to my forearm blocking the strike with a shield of the frozen substance. My attacker looked down at the shield and I smirked. This assassin didn't know who he was dealing with. I was a mage. I would not die so easily.

I put my free hand forward as if I was going to punch him in the gut but I stopped short, opening up my hand and calling on the power of the sky as I shot a bolt of lightning at the attacker. It hit him in the gut and sent him reeling back. He slid but caught himself and readied his blades. This guy was good. He was back on the attack much quicker than I would have expected. He kicked me in the chest and this time I didn't have the time to react to the strike. I kept my footing this time but the pure impact on the ice sent me sliding. My body was in shambles from our battle. I wasn't made for a long fight like this. I needed to end this fight before I ran out of magic to pull on. My attacker was on me again before I had time to think. I needed a moment to prepare the proper spells if I wanted to win. I moved with a flourish of my hands and let out a gust of wind to push my attacker back.

The wind not only pushed him but it sent his hood flying back revealing his face. I let out a sigh. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" I let out. In front of me was Orthis, my personal mentor.

His long gray hair almost seemed to gleam in the snow as he studied me with his dark calculating brown eyes. He didn't shiver, barely seemed to move as he stared me down. He was one of the most powerful mages in all of Tayrin. Orthis's mouth turned into a frown. "You know how important tomorrow is. You cannot falter." He was worried about my trials tomorrow. It was understandable. I had worried about them profusely the last few weeks. The trials of Tithus were the final step in my training, after this I would be a full fledged mage… if I survived. 

I let out a sigh as I stood up straight. "I know this is important to you but you don't have to attack me like some kind of ass-" Before I could even finish Orthis hit me with a bolt of lightning to my abdomen sending a fresh and warm wave of pain through my entire chest. The bolt sent me to the ground. It wasn't enough to really hurt me. It was a message. One I knew all too well. I held my pained gut as I stood and faced Orthis. He had abandoned his short sword and now had his hands engulfed in purple arcane lightning. His expression was steeled. The man who raised me was gone. Only the mentor who practically tortured me into shape remained.

I let out a few pained breaths. I knew Orthis too well to think he was going to listen to my pleas. I knew he would push me to the absolute limit before he would relent. I would need to endure his training once more. I readied myself for the next attack. We started to circle each other as I tried to come up with a plan. Orthis wasn't as vain as the other high mages but he wouldn't see me as much of a threat. I needed to use that. I opened my hands and the icy cold in the air formed into two blades. They felt cold in my bare hands but that was the least of my worries. I needed to be quick. I charged Orthis with my blades of ice.

I slashed in quick succession. I needed to keep up the pressure. I wouldn't let him think, not even for a moment. Orthis dodged each attack like a ghost only moments away from a slice each time. I kept up the pressure, convinced I would find an opening. Orthis knelt down dodging one of my strikes and swept my leg out from under me. My body was in the air for a moment then was met by Orthis's fist. He punched me into the ice causing it to crack under my weight. Luckily enough it did not break and before Orthis could attack me again I called on my magic and teleported back out of his reach.

My body couldn't keep this up too much longer. I could feel the magic straining my body to the point of exhaustion. I needed a plan. I saw the crack in the ice and a small idea formed. I let go of the blade in my right hand and raised it. My hand warmed and lit on fire. The warmth felt like a comfort but I had no time to relish it. I shot six fireballs in quick succession and charged Orthis following the last bit of fire toward him.

Orthis looked disappointed as he swatted away each ball of fire with ease. "Pathetic." He muttered. I rushed him mere moments after the last fireball fell to the ground below him. Orthis caught me by the throat. His icy look sent chills up my spine. "Is this how you expect to survive?" He asked me through gritted teeth. He launched me back with a large blast of fire from his hands scorching my chest and throat. Orthis didn't move as he looked down at me. Good. I needed him there.

I got up to one knee and smiled through the pain. "I expect to survive like this." I held up my hand and the fireballs I had launched earlier spun around Orthis. Orthis looked down seeing the swirling fire and before he could escape I made the fire rise and a massive tornado of flame formed around him. Orthis didn't have an escape as the ice melted below him. I couldn't see much through the fire but I swear I saw a smile on Orthis's face as the ice fell from under him.

It was quiet for a moment. I knew it wouldn't last but I relished the moment, catching my breath. The seconds that followed felt like centuries. The cold air beat on my face and absolutely ravaged my lungs as I tried to recover.  Orthis eventually emerged from the ice in a massive leap behind me. I stood up to face him. He didn't have a drop of ice on him, not a drop of wet or cold on his body. I stood tall even if my body aches with every movement. I didn't have any magic left to give but I wasn't going to let him beat me. I would fight.

Orthis's mouth curled up into a smile. "Not bad boy... let's eat, you'll need your strength for tomorrow." He kept that same monotone expression. He walked right past me and curled his hands in a circular motion opening a portal to the city. Not bad, boy. That's all I got for taking on the second strongest mage in all of Tayrin. I guess it was better than the usual grunt he would give me after we were done training. I turned and followed him through the portal. We were heading back to Alexandria, the city of magic.

We emerged in the middle of the city. It was still early in the afternoon from the look of it. Mages walked down the stone pathways in a hurry. They wore the traditional grey robes even during the middle of the summer. They moved away from us in surprise as the portal opened. Most mages would have to teleport to the gates because of the wards on the city but Orthis was a high mage. He could go pretty much anywhere he wanted in the city. We were right outside the restaurant. It seemed we always went there after a long day of training.

We walked Siseero's dinner. Sissero was a good friend of Orthis and made some of the best food in all of Alexandria. I saw the large colorful sign on the outside of the building. This was our usual stop after we were out training for a while. We walked right up to the door and the bodyguard that Sissero kept on duty nodded at us as we walked in. I already smelled the wonderful smell of different cooked meats and spices. The inside of the restaurant was lit by small mage lights that looked like stars against the black ceiling. It was a very calm looking place that made me feel at home. Orthis looked back at me. "The usual?" He asked.

I nodded to my mentor. My skin still felt like it was recovering from the extreme cold. "Yes sir." I answered. "I'll find us a seat." The restaurant wasn't that packed but we had a routine. I went to the same booth that we seemed to have reserved for us since it was always open. Technically other people could sit here, but I swear Sissero kept it open for the high mage himself. It was only a moment before Orthis sat down with me and slid me my plate. It was a stir fry of sorts. Plenty of vegetables and enough chicken to replenish any lost protein and covered in a thick spicy sauce that made my heart sing.

I nodded to Orthis. "Thank you" I told him as I dug into my plate. The flavors were heaven on my tongue. I had barely eaten all day. Orthis had kidnapped me out of my sleep this morning and dropped me off in that freezing hellhole. This felt like pure relief. It must have been almost twenty minutes of silent eating before Orthis finally spoke.

"Your form is getting better." He told me. "You need to watch your stance though, it was entirely too easy to knock you off balance." His voice was that same brand of monotone that he wore so well. I nodded slowly. My mind raced, all kinds of worry about tomorrow floating in the deep recesses of my mind. What if I didn't make it. What if I made it all of this way just to fail at the final test? Orthis raised an eyebrow. "Varrin?" He asked. He had that same cold indifference even when he seemed to be concerned. He stopped eating and put the fork on his plate. He let out a small sigh. "You're worried about tomorrow aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow and waited for my answer.

I thought about lying to him, thought about telling him I was fine. Knowing Orthis he would just pry it out of my head anyway. He was very good at reading me after all of these years. I let out a long deep sigh. "Of course I'm worried. I could die at any moment tomorrow!" My words had a bit more venom than I intended as they were flung at Orthis.

Orthis nodded slowly. His expression didn't even change a bit seeing my anger. "You are under threat of death every day. This is simply another test of many." How did he keep so damn calm all the time? He was right of course. Every single test we had done in the academy had the chance to kill me. These trials were our way to prove we were worthy of wielding magic outside of the university and training, the only difference was this test had a much higher death rate than the rest. 

I slammed my fork into the plate causing the table to shake. This was multiple days of worry finally coming to the surface. "I'm still not ready! I'm far behind every other student I'm... I'm a joke of a mage." I hung my head. I was at least a few weeks behind in spells in my classes. I thought I could catch up but I was out of time and out of options. I was going to die tomorrow. I knew it already.

Orthis reached his arm across the table and grabbed my face pulling me forward. His grip was firm and he felt like a damn statue as I tried to fight his grip. "Cease this self pitying prattling." He ordered. His eyes narrowed on me. "You are a Stormviel. You are not a joke, you will impress me. You will prevail. Understand?" I nodded, unable to speak with the hold he had on my face. Orthis smirked. "Good, now eat up. You'll need your strength if... when you succeed tomorrow." It was as close to a pep talk as I had ever gotten. He pushed me back into my seat.

I smirked as I dug back into my food. It wasn't often I got any kind of encouragement from him. "Thank you Orthis." I told him. "I don't believe I would be alive without your help." Even with his confidence I didn't know if this would be the last day I would see him. I should say what I needed to.

Orthis seemed to soften for a moment, his usual scowl turned to a look of care and compassion. "Of... of course." He cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure. He had never been good at the sappy moments. "I appreciate the sentiment... but we have no need for such things. We will be back here after your trials." He spoke with such certainty that I almost believed it myself.

We heard the swing of the door and then foot steps. I could hear them coming from behind me. The entire room fell silent and Orthis's eyes widened. There was a bit of fear moving through those dark eyes. There was only one person who could put that kind of worry into Orthis. I turned to see the long slender body of the Magistrate walk into view. She looked like she was in her thirties, granted she was much older but the magic she had learned to master extended her life. She had long black hair that fell over her shoulders and her long arms ended in perfectly painted green nails. The Magistrate was the leader of all the mages, she was said to be immortal and more powerful than any made had ever been in history. She ran her dark ominous green eyes across both of us before settling on Orthis. "Greetings." She said with a small bow. The Magistrate didn't speak to many in person but Orthis was her second,one of the only people believed to be close to the Magistrate's power. "I need my second, Orthis. I have matters that need to be attended to."

Orthis furrowed his brow at the Magistrate's smooth face. He tapped his hand on the table and I could tell he was annoyed, but even he knew better than to show disrespect to our leader. "Respectfully, one of the other masters can take care of this. I am with my student at the moment." The Magistrate let out a chuckle and my anger lit like a fire.

"Oh yes... your apprentice." She said the word as if I were a pet. She turned that cocky, snake-like grin my way. "I'm sure he's as ready as he can be... your time would be wasted with him." I held back the words I wanted to scream her way. She was a bitch but she was a bitch that could wipe me out in a moment if I spoke out of turn.

Orthis did not have the same fear and I heavily underestimated his restraint when it came to disrespecting her. He stood up and faced down the Magistrate. "My boy and I are having a nice meal. I was told my time outside the war room could be used how I wished." There was a bit of challenge in his voice. The Magistrate raised an eyebrow. A silent invitation to follow through. She did not back down however and sparks started to form on Orthis's fingers.

I stood up quickly and put a hand on Orthis's shoulder. "I'll go, it's fine." I didn't know if Orthis could take the Magistrate in a fight. I doubted it, but if he was going to it wouldn't be for my pride.

He took a moment but he relaxed those shoulders. He could see the pleading in my eyes. I didn't want him hurt because of me "Alright... make sure to get some sleep tonight. Don't get distracted by your... companions." He said the words with the uncomfortable grace of the old man he was. I chuckled a bit as I walked away.

"I'll try my best." I told him. I gave him the first genuine smile I think I had given since I started training. I waved at him as I pulled open the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." I said it as a goodbye but I held onto it like a promise. I would see him after the trials. I would make it.

I made my way back to the academy. It was surprisingly busy considering that every senior was going to the trials tomorrow. It was almost ten. I should have been in bed already but I needed to walk to clear my head. I saw a familiar blond waiting at the base of the stairs. I tried not to notice the way she quickly adjusted her hair as I approached. "Hey Ria." I greeted

Ria brushed her hair back away from the cleavage she was clearly trying to show off. I definitely didn't mind it reminded me of the way they moved the night before. She leaned against the wall with her curvy body showing through the grey robes. She looked me over with bright blue eyes that shined like the ocean. She gave me a kind welcoming smile. "Hey Varrin." She said in that sweet light voice. It sounded so damn good after the day I had. She looked around for a moment making sure no one was in earshot. "I really enjoyed last night." She said, almost in a whisper.

I smirked , trying to make sure that I didn't give her away. I wasn't exactly popular here in the university. Ria had a status she had to keep up so our nights of fun were kept a secret. Granted I didn't mind. We all needed an escape from this place and its constant death and worry. This was just ours and damn was it worth it.

I nodded to her, trying my best to seem casual despite my entire body flaring with pain. "I did too. Sorry I had to duck out so early. Orthis isn't one to give me free time." I wasn't going to tell her how I was dragged out of her bed against my will, there was no reason to have her worry.  Her shoulders sagged in relief. She thought I had left this morning because of her.

"That's good to hear." She muttered. Her face was full of worry as she looked me up and down. Her eyes stopped on my burns that covered my neck but didn't say anything. She knew the way Orthis trained me. She knew the brutality. She sighed and her entire body straightened. She seemed worried about something. "The trials are tomorrow. If you want after it's over we can..." she stopped. There was no guarantee we both made it. It was pretty unlikely I would. I smiled at her all the same.

"I would be happy to celebrate with you after." I told her. I gave her a quick kiss. Warmth filled my body and all of the pain disappeared for a moment. She jolted up but embraced the small moment. She leaned into me for a moment, pressing her body into mine and it took everything in me to not pick her up and carry her to my room. I needed to focus tonight though, I could have fun tomorrow. I pulled away and opened the door. “I'll see you tomorrow.” I promised as I ran forward and walked up the stairs.

I opened the door to my room a moment later. I smelled the familiar incense and perfume of my roommate as I entered. "There you are!" Said Rylie. Rylie had been my roommate for years and my only friend I really trusted fully. She stepped her mousy frame into view and stared daggers at me with those bright blue eyes, similar to mine. "You know what tomorrow is, you should be in bed."

I chuckled as I walked past her and sat down on my bed. "Sorry mom. I'm sorry I was out past my curfew." I tried to put as much sarcasm into each word as possible.

Rylie sighed. "I don't mean to be an ass, I just worry about you. Tomorrow is going to be make or break. I don't want you screwing around." She swung the door shut and walked up to me. "It's not that... what the fuck is that?" Her eyes pinned on the Burn around my throat.

As if her stare had activated the pain on my neck started to burn stronger. I looked away for a moment and shrugged. "Just the usual training scars, I'll be fine."

Rylie shook her head. "Take off your robe. Let me see it." She was always a bit worried about me. She was also stubborn enough to never take no for an answer. I did as I was told and disrobed. All I had on was my trousers as Rylie inspected the wound. Her soft hands ran across the many, many scars that I had acquired through my training. She put one hand on my throat and I felt the warm rush of healing magic. "I don't know why he insists on hurting you like this."

I shrugged. "That hurt is what's kept me alive all these years.” I looked at my arm seeing the large tattoo. It snakes across my arm making some kind of runic mark that was supposed to help me channel magic. I was born weak, without everything Orthis had given me I would have died long ago. Everything from the tattoos to the muscles were specifically designed to help me weld magic easier.  All crutches to keep up with the others. Yet I still fell behind.

Rylie saw my mood switch and tried to change the subject. "I'm surprised you didn't stay with Ria again." She said with an inquisitive look. I knew that look. She wanted every detail. She gave me that look every time I had a new… companion. 

I hadn't told her about Ria and I's nights out. "How do you know about that?" I asked. I didn't care about who knew but Ria was very keen that people didn't know too much about us.

Rylie chuckled. "Because someone forgot to put up a soundshield on her room and Ria is very, very loud." My face went red. Oh we really fucked up. I had been so keen to get her on that bed I hadn't even paid attention to whether or not our room was shielded. Rylie gave me a playful shove as she moved down to a large cut across my abdomen. "Don't worry half the people who heard it are gonna be dead by tomorrow. No one's gonna remember any gossip like that once the trials are over."

I let out a small chuckle. "Thank you." I muttered. I was most likely going to be one of those people. It was probably easy for her to think positive. She was the best in our class, she would probably go on to be a high mage one day.

Rylie's eyes went stoic for a moment. She cupped my face and forced me to look at her. "We're both going to make it tomorrow." She was so convinced. I didn't want her to be wrong. I nodded without saying a word. Rylie smiled. "Let's get to bed. Big day ahead of us." She stripped down to her underwear and slipped into her bed. I laid back and wasn't even bothered by the half-naked woman beside me. We had roomed together for almost six years now and we knew each other way too well to care. "Goodnight Varrin." She said before she drifted off to sleep.

I lay in my bed for a long time. "Goodnight Rylie." I muttered as I watched the mage lights above me circle and swirl. They slowly dimmed over the minutes I laid there. I knew tomorrow was going to be daunting. It would be deadly, but losing sleep wouldn't help. I calmed my mind thinking about the celebration after. The drinks, the accommodations, the respect. The celebration I would have with Ria, it would be worth the pain. With that lovely thought, the mage lights faded and so did I as I drifted off to sleep.