The Fusionist Book 2 -- Chapter 69 (nice)

Chapter 69

As much as Larek wanted to visit and stay near Nedira while she was in her coma, waiting for her to wake up, other obligations took that option away from him. Thankfully, soon after the final match concluded, he was able to speak with Verne and Norde who raced down to the arena to see him and check on Norde’s sister; it didn’t take any prompting for them both to volunteered to stay near her so that she would have someone to see when her unwanted and forced nap let her go.

For Larek and the rest of the team, they were treated to a reward ceremony held almost immediately after the Skirmish concluded, where he was forced to stand in the middle of the arena as the announcer regaled the crowd with their exploits throughout the three matches – all of which the Fusionist completely ignored. Thankfully, they weren’t the only people that were forced to stand in the arena, as the others from the finals were also there – and received their own rewards from none other than Dean Lorraine and Vice General Whittaker.

“Congratulations to Team Boulderfist for their fourth place finish! Each member of the team will received 20 gold coins for their performance in the Skirmish!

“Moving on, Congratulations to Team Coldsnap for their third place finish! Each member of the team will receive 30 gold coins for their performance in the Skirmish!

“Coming in second, congratulations are in order for Team Highflight! For their placement, each of the team members will receive 50 gold coins!

“Finally, our big winners today – Team Fusion!” The crowd went even wilder than it had been during the announcement of the other teams, so much so that it nearly made Larek want to cover his ears temporarily. “Each member of Team Fusion will receive a total of 400 gold coins, a rich sum indeed. Not only that, but they will have bragging rights as the best team until our next Skirmish, where the title will be passed on to future champions!”

As the announcer went over each team, the Dean and Vice General – accompanied by some other Martials and Mages, passed out leather bags filled with gold coins to each of the teams; when they arrived at Larek’s team, the bags were actually smaller and lighter than the others. When he opened it up to look, instead of 400 gold coins there were only 4 shiny silver-looking ones.

“They’re platinum coins, Larek,” Bartholomew said from his right side, likely because of the Fusionist’s confused expression. “Each of them are worth 100 gold coins.”

“Oh. I guess holding 400 coin’s worth of gold would probably get a little heavy, wouldn’t it?”

The shield-bearing trainee chuckled. “That it does. Though, with what I’ve seen you do and what I now know about you, I have a feeling these coins aren’t the last you’ll see in the future.”

Hmm… I wonder if that means he thinks I’m good enough to take custom requests for Fusions?

Before he could ask, the Dean and Vice General stood in front of the assembled teams, where the head of Copperleaf Academy began to speak, using a quick spell that Larek really wanted to learn to project her voice to the entire arena. “Vice General Whittaker and I would like to thank all of the teams who competed in the Skirmish, the staff who helped to put it on, and, of course, those of you in the stands rooting on your favorite teams. I wanted to doubly congratulate the winning teams, who put on quite the show during the final match that I believe will go down in history as having one of the most exciting and nail-biting finishes I’ve ever seen.

“There is, however, something that I want to address that might have an even greater impact on history than even this Skirmish.” The crowd had quieted the longer she spoke, as her words carried with them a tone of importance, until everyone seemed to wait with bated breath on what she would say next. “As many of you may have noticed, this Skirmish’s winning team was unusual – to say the least.”

Uh, oh. What is she doing?

“Team Fusion was led by someone with a keen mind and grasp of tactics, and their members were excellent trainees and students, but that wasn’t what made them special. One member of the team made a contribution which is something only seen anywhere in the Kingdom every few decades. You see, Larek Holsten is a prodigy, but not one who casts spells unrivaled by any in their chosen field; rather, he is a prodigy of Fusions, and he managed to create the Fusions that were used here today.”

Uh…

Somehow, Larek could feel the attention of the entire arena as thousands of students and trainees stared at him towering above everyone else down in the arena. He managed to keep himself from cringing away from the interest of everyone, including his fellow competitors, who were looking at him with different expressions than they did before. Whereas they had been bordering on being hostile toward him, as if they were intent on seeking revenge for their loss, he now saw faces filled with surprise, consideration, and… relief?

“The Fusions used here today are only the start, as there are many more to come in his future; he is only a first-year student, after all.” There was a feeling of shock that ran through the stands as that information was given, as those who were unaware of his status of a first-year professed disbelief and those who did know about it were murmuring with their neighbors. “He still has a lot of learning to do here, as well as discovering ways to translate the Fusions that he’s created that only work for him into something that could possibly work for everyone. For instance, you all saw how fast he moved in that last match? That’s due to a unique Fusion he created that only works for him and him alone; with enough knowledge, he might someday be able to convert that into something anyone could utilize.

“But there will be enough time over the next few years as Larek comes into his abilities even more for us to talk about what he might be able to achieve. For now, let us dispense with the ceremony – and celebrate! Dinner is being served with special desserts in honor of the Skirmish in the Dining and Mess Halls, so eat up and enjoy yourselves!”

Larek was nearly overwhelmed as he followed his team out of the arena, as everyone seemed to want to come up to him to ask him one question after another, most of them about the Fusions that were used in the Skirmish, but there were other questions about how he intended to spend his winnings and about what classes he was taking, and even some invitations to study with various people who seemed to want to get to know him better. Thankfully, his team – especially Penelope and Bartholomew – were surrounding him like some sort of bodyguards, keeping those who seemed to want to push forward to talk to him… or even just to touch his robe, which he thought was thoroughly strange.

“You’re a celebrity now, Larek,” Bart explained when he expressed his confusion on how the people around him were acting. “They just want to be able to say they’ve seen you in person – and perhaps to find some way to get a Fusion from you, if I’m not mistaken.”

Larek wasn’t sure what to think of that, but he had to admit that it was better than being the target of derision and anger.

When he finally arrived at the Dining Hall, he didn’t even have to wait in line as those ahead of him let him and his entire team cut ahead of them; it wasn’t until he sat down to eat that he realized he was extremely hungry. More people than he thought was possible in such a small space gathered around the team, hanging on every word and in general wanting to be a part of the action – not that there was much action to speak of at the moment, just Larek shoving his face full of food.

“All this,” Bart said, waving around at the crowd, “will taper off dramatically over the next few days as the novelty wears off. Until then, expect to be the center of attention wherever you go.”

Penelope looked at him with a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll all be here to help protect you.”

Larek immediately shook his head. “No, that isn’t necessary. I’ll be fine.”

“We have a special assignment from the Dean and the Vice General to stick close to you for the foreseeable future,” Kimble suddenly spoke up, having been relatively silent ever since the Skirmish completed. “At first, when the Dean explained it to us I didn’t know what to think, but the more I’ve learned about you, the more I feel as though you need to be protected and encouraged to be the greatest Fusionist every to grace this Kingdom.”

Larek didn’t know what to say as he looked around at his team, each of them nodding as if to confirm what Kimble stated. “What? Why would—”  He stopped for a moment as he considered what the pyromancer had said. “Hold on. When did she give you this… assignment?”

“It was just before the Skirmish,” Penelope explained. “Though, in truth, I think we had all been feeling protective of you even before that.”

Before the Skirmish? I knew that the Dean and Shinpai wanted this to be my reveal to the Academy and the Fort to make my future relationship with the other students a little smoother, but assigning protectors for me? Would I have even needed them if we hadn’t ended up winning?

He didn’t think so, because then Dean Lorraine likely wouldn’t have made a big announcement about him to everyone at the arena. If his team would’ve lost in the first round like Larek was hoping, his Fusions would’ve been simply noted and remarked upon, leading him to gradually reveal his abilities over the next few years as he progressed in his learning and practice. As such, he wouldn’t have needed protectors because it wouldn’t have been proclaimed that he was some sort of prodigy.

But that, obviously, wasn’t how it turned out – and it seemed as though the Dean somehow knew that it would turn out the way that it had. Either she had enough confidence in him that he would figure out a way to win or she had manipulated events to ensure that Larek and his team won; he wasn’t sure what was the better reason. Regardless, the inescapable feeling that she had planned it all out came back to him suddenly, as thoughts of the meeting after the first match played through his mind. The way she had manipulated the conversation with what he sensed was some sort of prepared speech was masterful and worked out entirely in Larek’s favor, paving the way for him to be accepted as some sort of prodigy – something he’d never heard of before that.

But then at the reward ceremony following the last match, she had gone even further. Not only had she, the Dean of Copperleaf Academy, acknowledged that he was such a prodigy to all the students, trainees, and faculty, but he also had unique Fusions that worked for him alone. The “unique Fusions” helped to explain the way he was able to move so quickly and likely a number of other things he did while in his hyper-focused state that he knew would be analyzed soon enough by those who witnessed the Skirmish. Any casual conversation with Penelope concerning past Skirmishes made that clear, as she was always talking about tactics and strategies of matches she’d witnessed, to the point where Larek had to block most of it out.

Of course, Larek wasn’t sure how he was supposed to translate these “unique Fusions” into something that anyone could use, though he certainly would give it some thought. For now, it was hopefully enough of a shield that no one would look at Larek and think he was some sort of half-breed with Martial stats. It wasn’t a catch-all, of course, because if he started using Battle Arts or something clearly Martial in nature, that couldn’t be easily explained away by a Fusion; it also meant that his Healing Surge still needed to be kept confidential for the moment, but he was sure that within a few months he could reveal it to Academy and Fort without any trouble – and hopefully with a matching alternative healing method for non-Martials.

True to what they had said, his teammates stayed with him through the rest of the night, with Bartholomew and Kimble actually sleeping in his room since Verne and Norde ended up sleeping in the healer’s ward next to Nedira. The next day, instead of going to all his classes, Larek spent some time with the Dean and Shinpai in the Dean’s office, with Penelope and Vivienne standing guard outside – which was an awkward situation, to say the least.

“Why did you tell ask them to protect me even before the Skirmish?” he asked the Dean bluntly as soon as he was settled – more comfortably this time – in one of her plush chairs. “And a prodigy? Is that the best idea?”

Dean Lorraine chuckled, accompanied by Shinpai a second later. “Truthfully, not at all,” she admitted. “At first, we felt it was better to keep you hidden at first before gradually revealing your abilities, as it would be much safer for you and anyone around you. After you were approached by Penelope and asked to join a Skirmish team, something that should’ve been an impossibility because it is unheard-of that an entire team would drop out at what was essentially the last minute. A team member or two that can’t compete in the Skirmish and needs to be replaced? Absolutely. But a whole team? Not a chance.

“It was only when Shinpai and I looked deeper into it that we realized the depths of the manipulation Vice General Whittaker and his Drill Instructors had accomplished, and based on what you shared, we knew what was going on almost immediately. Having you reveal your healing Fusion would be disastrous, as would be acquiring negative attention if you refused to participate, as both would inevitably lead to your secret being discovered. Therefore, the best way to ensure you were safe on both accounts was to impress upon you to join Penelope’s team, which you thankfully decided to do.”

“It wasn’t until about halfway through your practice with your new team that my inside source revealed something happening that I wasn’t expecting. It wasn’t the creation of your new Repelling Barrier, which is an ingenious application of different spell effects all by itself, but the way each of your team members began to change in their attitude toward you. At first, other than Penelope, they were hesitant to even give you a chance because they didn’t understand who you were; after a few days, that all changed. It wasn’t that they saw your Fusions and wanted to take advantage of you so that they could win, though that had a little to do with it; instead, each and every one of them felt a need to protect you that was almost identical in nature.

“Their loyalty had suddenly shifted from whatever it had been before, either the Kingdom or themselves in the case of Penelope, to you. They had an almost overwhelming need to protect you from harm or from those who would seek to use you.”

Stunned, Larek could only ask, “Why?”

It was Shinpai that answered, however. “It’s because you, unconsciously, used some version of your inherent power. I’m not talking about your ability with Fusions, but the power you gained from your father.

“You used Dominion magic on them.”

Book 2 Chapter 70: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fusionist-book-2-84927051