The Fusionist Book 2 -- Chapter 49

Chapter 49

“Umm… what?” Larek asked, wondering if he had heard her correctly.

Dean Lorraine sighed once again, something she had been doing a lot during their conversation. “Every Dean and Vice-General of the Academies and Forts are forced to endure the Dominion magic of the Great Ones, bonding them to slavery as part of their position.”

“That’s… I… why?”

“Because the Academies and Forts are the lifeblood of the SIC, which in turn defend their land. Having access to enslaving the Nobles controls the common people and the SIC since the majority of them have potential and the heads of the Academies and Forts control those who feed into the SIC, and most of them are not from the Kingdom. This way, they ensure they can control every facet of the land they rule from the shadows, as I – and the other Deans and Vice-Generals – cannot act against them directly or indirectly, either through action or inaction.”

“So, how is it you can tell me – or Shinpai – all this?”

The Dean snorted, a very unusual sound coming from such an important person. “There are loopholes in just about anything, and I’ve had time to investigate what I can and can’t do. Normally, there would be an internal warning in my mind that originates from the slave bond that would tell me if I’m doing something that would consciously violate my orders, so I’ve tested my boundaries quite well over the years. Most of what Shinpai has learned has been the result of decades of hints and the inadvertent mentioning of information; for you, it’s different. Since Shinpai already knows everything I’ve said so far, I don’t get any warnings; when I speak to you, it’s the same way – but not for the same reason.

“So, tell me if you can think of a reason why I feel absolutely no inclination to hide anything from you.”

It only took him a second to understand what she was implying. “Because I’m half-Gergasi?”

“Exactly. It’s a loophole of sorts. I don’t technically have to tell you anything, and thoughts of harming you – don’t worry, I have no desire to actually do that – aren’t giving me a warning. You’re… exempt from my orders in a way I haven’t experienced before.

“That being said, helping you is basically the same as helping them, so I’m predisposed to help you and to aid you in avoiding something that would hurt you – which includes being taken by the Great Ones. Unless I’m specifically ordered not to help you, of course, then I’ll be on your side – and I’d really appreciate it if you’re on my side throughout the coming years. Shinpai wasn’t lying when he said you have enormous potential to help change the way we use and apply Fusions, and that kind of thing is going to be important coming up with all the changes going on.”

“Because of The Culmination?”

Both of them looked at Larek in confusion.

“What is that?” Shinpai asked.

Seeing that they had no idea what he was talking about, he prefaced his explanation by telling them that this was what Ricardo wanted to learn from Larek’s interrogation. “I don’t know if it is for sure, but I told him it was the beginning of The Culmination so he would hopefully leave me alone. It didn’t exactly work out the way I had hoped, however.”

“That… makes a lot of sense, actually,” the Dean said, sitting forward in her chair with her elbow on the desk and her chin in her hand. “Unfortunate, but a reasonable assumption of what is going on. I haven’t heard of The Culmination, but I’m assuming that’s because it’s something only some of the higher-placed Nobles know about.”

“Regardless whether or not this is this ‘Culmination’, that doesn’t change the fact that with the recent changes to the way the Scissions work, the Kingdom is going to need Larek’s help,” his instructor added. He turned to Larek and assured him, “We’re not going to let them take you away if we can help it, but that just reinforces what I said earlier about revealing your unique nature and your Martial abilities. It should be fine for you to demonstrate your prodigal expertise with Fusions, as long as no one connects you to the Gergasi – such as what recently happened.”

“Yes, I’d rather avoid that happening again.”

“I can well imagine,” the Dean commiserated. “We’ll let you know of any developments in that respect, as we’re going to conduct a thorough investigation; even if it turns out to be a highly-placed Noble like Ricardo Floris, we don’t allow this kind of thing to happen here at Copperleaf Academy. You have my word that this will be taken care of with the highest priority; it would be the same even if you weren’t… who you are, but since that’s the case, it has been upgraded to an even higher priority.

“For now, take the rest of the week off from classes; I’m going to ensure that you and your friends won’t be penalized for missing anything. If anyone has questions about that, then all they have to do is look at the fact that your door was blown in and two of you are in a coma in the healer’s ward. Or they can take it up with me if they still have a problem with it.”

Shinpai nodded at Larek’s glance.  “Yes, even my class. Create some Fusions, experiment a little, and use the time you’ve been given to try and come to terms with what was done to you and what you’ve learned. I can’t claim to understand the trauma that being interrogated and essentially tortured could do to you, but we have a few healers that can help ease any mental damage you’ve sustained. Just let one of the healers know you need help… though I would wait a few days, if possible, at least until the rest of the priority injured have been helped.”

Larek could hear the dismissal in his instructor’s voice and from the look on the Dean’s face, he knew it was time to go. As he stood up, there was just one more thing he needed to ask.

“My Healing Surge Fusion… could I have it back? In addition, you mentioned how useful it could be to the Martial trainees. Is that still something that I should pursue? I promise I won’t excessively produce them like I did at Crystalview.”

The two of them looked at each other and some sort of silent communication was passed between them. Finally, Shinpai nodded and looked at Larek. “No; not yet, at least. If it was discovered how it was linked to a Martial Skill like I did, even if the possibility of that happening is unlikely, it would point you out as potentially having access to Martial Skills and stats.” He pulled the wooden armlet off his wrist and looked at it. “As for this, would you mind if I kept it for a little while longer? I’d like to study it a bit more to see what I can learn from it. I apologize for keeping the accessory, but if you need any supplies, be them steel plates, iron cubes, wooden rings, silver necklaces, Mage’s staves, bronze bracers and armlets—essentially, anything that we might have in the storage rooms that frequently have Fusions applied to them—please don’t hesitate to ask for them. I’m sure that Lorraine,” he added, looking at her for confirmation, “will pass that along to the logistics staff.”

Larek just nodded and turned to go.

“Oh, and Larek?”

He turned around at the Dean’s voice.

“It really shouldn’t be necessary to say this, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share any of the sensitive information we’ve covered in this meeting with anyone else – even your friends. I’m sure you can imagine how much danger they would be in if they possessed this kind of knowledge.”

“I understand, Dean Lorraine.”

“You can call me Lorraine when we’re in private, Larek. All my friends do.” She smiled at him after she finished speaking, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Thank you… Lorraine.”

With that, he quickly made his way to the doors and exited, not looking back. As soon as it closed behind him, he leaned up against them and closed his eyes, regulating his breathing as well as he could.

That was close. I just hope her investigation isn’t too thorough; the best I can hope for is that they think Ricardo and the trainees ran away rather than face judgment from the Academy.

After taking some time to recover, Larek pushed off the doors and made his way back through the hallways, eventually finding his way back to the healer’s ward. Nedira was still waiting nearby Norde on his bedside, so Larek did the same near Verne without a word. She looked over at him and he nodded, saying, “Everything’s going to be fine.”

He desperately hoped that was true.

* * *

Without saying anything, Dean Lorraine stared at the door where Larek had just departed, Shinpai copying her as they both considered what just happened. Finally, after nearly a minute, she broke the silence.

“Remarkable young man, that one.”

Looking over at her oldest friend, he nodded. “He is at that. Did you see how quickly he fell into a trance – and then held it through all your questions? It took me decades to learn to do something like that, but from what I can tell, he’s only been aware of his potential for a few months.”

“Impressive… and frightening, too,” she admitted.  “His trance was so thorough that it almost fooled my Cloud of Truthspell, which has never happened before. Even you haven’t been able to beat it. Given enough practice, I’d be afraid of what he might do in the future if he was able to bypass the truth.”

They were silent for another minute after that, before the Dean slumped down in her chair and stared up at the ceiling.

“He killed them, didn’t he?” she asked rhetorically, but Shinpai answered anyway.

“Oh, most likely.”

“How? Never mind, I don’t want you to answer that. But you know that I’m obligated to investigate his abduction and if there is a student missing, then their disappearance.”

“I know.”

She couldn’t put it off any longer.

“I guess I should probably get started, then.”

“Yep.”

Still, it was another minute before she finally got up from her chair, followed by the still-spry figure of the Grandmaster Fusionist.

“Let me know if I can be of any further assistance, Lorraine.”

“You know I will.”

As he quickly left the room, the Dean of Copperleaf Academy ordered her thoughts, thinking about all that needed to be done. There was still plenty that needed to be taken care of regarding the Scission attack earlier, but there were other people working on it. Her priority right now was investigating the claims of a student being abducted after the vandalization of Academy property. While she technically already knew who the culprit was, hearing it from Larek didn’t compel her to act in a way that it normally would when the safety of one of her students was at risk.

She would normally be all over this investigation, questioning half the students and even faculty to find the culprit, as nothing like this should ever happen on her watch. But, as much as it went against her core purpose as the head of Copperleaf Academy to ensure that every student had the opportunity to grow, thrive, and then be sent out into the world to fulfill their duty or go on to teach the next generation of students… she really hoped that she didn’t find evidence of a single thing.

Book 2 Chapter 50: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fusionist-book-2-84281111