Chapter 5 Hidden Truths & Discoveries (Part 5/9)

At this moment, I was both scared and strangely very aroused by her actions and demeanor. My adult mind and teenager body were in perfect sync at this moment, as I thought that Victoria was looking incredibly alluring. Maybe she was one of those ancient existences that purposely retained her youthful appearance out of vanity. Even as I thought that, my mind wandered to a memory from childhood, triggered by this extreme display of feminine competence that I somewhat treasured still. ************************ Memory flash back**************** I believe I was about 8 or 9 years old at the time, visiting a local park to my home with my parents and baby sister. There, playing on the metal monkey bars, was a blonde young girl about my age, swinging about with practiced movements. I prided myself at my own abilities in maneuvering about on those bars and promptly challenged her to a game of chicken. The purpose of said game, was for each of us to hang from opposite sides of the rail of monkey bars and move in, with the intent to knock loose or yank our opponent down from their grip on the bars. This would lead to them falling to the nearby ground, usually with nothing more than a bruised ego and dusty figure. She unreservedly accepted my challenge, and thus our battle began. Utilizing our legs to grip at or pulling the other down, we appeared equally adept for a moment with various kicks and tugs. Suddenly, she was able to secure both of her legs about my waist, and with a firm thrust backward, my hands were dislodged from their tight grip on the bars. What I recall most at that point, was that she did not drop me immediately. Instead, she let me swing back and forth a few times, suspended only by her strong legs, then finally, she let me bite the dust with a *wump* as I hit the ground. My adolescent mind wasn't truly familiar with the concept of love at that time, but I was feeling indeed attracted to such a strong young woman, who could challenge and beat me at something I prided myself in. It didn't hurt that she was also cute to my young mind. It was really too bad that I never recalled meeting her again after that day. Maybe we did, but I didn't recognize her for who she was. On the rare occasion that my mind wanders back on memory lane, I wonder how she is doing, and if she is still as competitive and vibrant as I once saw her to be back then. *********************Return to present***************** Here and now, as I gazed at Victoria's display of sheer skill in both magic and the subduing of others to her will, I felt a little pity for Monroe. I knew that she was interested in him, based on our first meet and reinforced by the comments from her book group. The poor man really has his work cut out for him in rising to the challenge if he ever seeks to tame this wild and powerful beauty. Getting back to the events at hand, Victoria, appearing satisfied with the results of her hostage negotiation waved her hand, causing the thick frost covering the counter to retreat and disperse into the air. Other than the continued wails of pain and fearful glances at Victoria by the initially pompous and now free mage students, there was not a sign remaining of the terrifyingly efficient ice magic. The two Acolytes hurriedly rushed over to herd the bereaved students down the corridor and out of our site, likely for treatment and a tongue lashing. With the departure of the large group, Adept Mcgonell appeared somewhat more at ease in being near Victoria. Already handling the two papers lying on the counter top, he was making notations on them, possibly to register them with the details that had just been discussed. Wasting no time, he turned back towards the two of us. "These have now been updated with the previously discussed terms. Would you still like to redeem both of them?" Handing them over to Victoria, he watched as she perused his writing. "It all appears to be in order." She commented. "I respect a man who keeps his word." *Gulp* Adept Mcgonell swallowed at that, as if the very thought of not following his word in this situation was not to even be contemplated. He then simply nodded a bit spasmodically. As if she had not just committed extortion, Victoria conversationally enquired. "I do wonder why my reception was so very different than what I am used to here. You all are usually so very polite whenever I come. What caused this time to be different?" Despite his obvious fear, Adept Mcgonell conspiratorially leaned in to speak in a lower tone. "Not all or even most of our students are like this. Those students were temporarily on desk duty as punishment for various misdemeanors among the guild." *Sigh* It's not a perfect world where the punishment doesn't affect the uninvolved, but desk duty is the one of the least desired chores that we can give to Low leveled apprentices." He emphasized the word Low with a glower at the suspiciously empty hallway deeper into the Guild. With a quieter tone he whispered. "They are all from rather powerful families within the city." Then leaning back and speaking louder he said "These idiots are touting about with pride in a name that they have yet to earn!" With a wave of his hand, a fawning expression graced his face as he again bowed to Victoria. "Apothecary Victoria, I have to say. Your fine control over the element of ice is beyond reproach. I dare say that you would be fully capable of moving beyond the realm of a 4-star master mage and enter the gates of becoming a renowned Magus, much like our honorable councilman Brentwood." Victoria appeared notably a little sick at the idea. "I appreciate the thought; however, I have neither the desire for such fame, or attention that becoming a Magus would afford me. I am quite satisfied with my current development and level of assimilation. But let's not get distracted. I am here for my apprentice, not myself." "Indeed!" The adept cried out. "Let us see to his needs." Motioning for the both of us to follow him to a stop at the counter, with him on the other side, he then pulled out a card from his pocket before speaking again. "I'm assuming that you are wanting to perform the advanced elemental affinity with tier 3 limit?" Victoria nodded quietly at his question, leading to him efficiently pressing his pass against a drawer of sorts on the wall behind him. A partition about the size of an 11 by 8-inch piece of parchment paper slid out of the wall. Picking up a single sheet of intricately designed and colored paper, he placed it before us. *Ahem* Before he reached for another drawer, Victoria cleared her throat to gain his attention. She then pulled from her own clothing the same knife and container of healing agent that I had used before in Gertrude's shop, to accept the contract. "I come prepared." "Indeed, you do." Not appearing the slightest bit put off with her interruption to his seemingly routine actions, he then directed his attention toward me. "This evaluation paper will assess a wide variety of potential elemental affinities that you possess. In addition to that, it can give a hint as to which ones you may be ready to assimilate at this time." Pointing at the circle on the page broken up into a series of 12 partitions, he paused to look as Victoria who was yawning. Not getting any comment from her, he continued to explain. "This is broken up into several sections that tests for various elemental affinities. These are Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Lightning, Ice, Nature, Light, Shadow, Metal, and Mind. You simply need to place a drop of your blood on the center dot and the formation will do the rest." As if in afterthought, he added. "Do keep in mind that this is not a perfect evaluation, and some elements may not be properly represented here with your current or future affinity. It is simply a guide map of sorts for where you may want to invest yourself to achieve optimal development. Just like I did before with the contract, I cut myself, bled on the paper and healed the cut. All three of us then leaned in to observe the results. Two of the 12 partitions, that lay beside each other reacted immediately. A light swath of white and black color with faint swirls within it rushed to the very edges of the paper. I was transfixed by that singular development wondering what it meant. Continuing to observe the other sections, I watched as the same light tone of varying colors spread out a short distance, stopping just as they hit just the first of the 3 delineation marks. All of the 10 other partitions had stopped at that point, not showing a single one as being a bit better or worse. Then finally a darker shade of the colors slowly creeped out, emerging from my blood in the center. The darker shade stopped just as quickly as it began, laying a mere finger nails thickness into the lighter toned 10 partitions that reached to the first mark. It was the 2 long lines, like faint white and black pearls that drew my attention as the deeper color bled into it. It creeped far past the smaller darker color semi ring that the other 10 partitions had. In fact, it kept going until it stopped just a fingernail's thickness just short of going over the first mark. Adept Mcgonell stared wide eyed at first the test results, then me, then back at the results. He pushed himself back from the counter as if to distance himself from me and he opened his mouth wide as if to holler out. *Grunt* a slight sound came from Victoria as she leveled a dangerous glare at the suddenly silent Adept. His fingers reached up to claw at his throat which was suddenly encapsulated in ice. His eyes bugged out and his chest heaved as if his life had depended upon his shout, which was cut off before it could begin. "Excuse me for a moment Andrew, as I deal with this." The icy tone of her voice brooked no argument. For the life of me, I was completely lost as to what in the world was happening. Victoria stepped a short distance away from me and then crooked her finger towards the still struggling man who then . . . Actually, began levitating over the counter with small particles of ice floating around his figure. Terror filled his eyes as his twitching body flew over to Victoria. Stopping just a single foot away, the ice particles appeared to multiply, forming into a whirling cyclone that encapsulated both my teacher and the Adept in its icy winds. My view was heavily obscured by what was going on in there and I was very anxious as to what was happening. ***************************************** Within the cyclone, the air between Victoria and the Adept stilled, and the ice block locking off his throat inside and out dissipated. After silently exhaling his unvoiced shout, life-saving air heaved back into his lungs as he stared, petrified at this terrifying entity standing less than arms-length away from him. A small ball of yellow ice flew out from beneath his mage robes that Victoria made an unpleasant expression at. "Disgusting. . . but understandable, given the circumstances." With a flick of her hand, the yellow ice simply ceased to exist. "Now, . . . let us discuss what you were about to do, regarding the results of my apprentice's affinity test." Adept Mcgonell was beyond petrified at this impossible control displayed over ice that Victoria just demonstrated. Held up only by the floating particles of ice, he would have dropped into a heap of misery upon the floor, as he prostrated in front of this deity of a woman. He knew not what her full-strength level was, except that it was certainly far above that of a mere master mage. Instead of falling to the ground, small whimpering sounds pooled out of his lips as he beheld his likely impending death, at the hands of this beyond powerful woman. Victoria spoke little but pulled out a black parchment from her clothing. The Adept's vision narrowed in on that singular piece of paper and a shudder, part relief and part terror surged through him.