Country of Champions 22

There was no Third Hill push. In fact, there was no Accelerator session. All the students in the Rowdies course were sent home early. Orison was just glad that Rio hadn't been there. There's no telling how much more of a nightmare things would have been if the teen had pressed himself into their group somehow. He adjusted his plans somewhat to teach the kid how to draw in and release aura at the expense of some healing model guidance.

Once Garret was dropped off by the medical team, Orison got him situated in his room just in time to receive a call from Janet. As much as he didn't want to, the young mage authorized a visit so that Babs could see her brother as soon as their mother promised to be calm and supportive. It didn't end up being the sideshow drama that he thought it would be.

After Janet talked with her son for a bit, she voluntarily left to give her daughter some alone time with Garret. "I saw that you immediately posted the highest charge you could and demanded restitution... Good on you. But what a mess! Was it my fault? Was someone targeting you or was that girl's father dead set on keeping Adena from becoming a Rowdy?

"I'd love to be able to point the finger at you and talk him into coming home but until I'm sure it isn't my fault, how would I dare. I don't have the clout to protect him that you obviously do. I know I can be a selfish b*tch sometimes but I never want to see my kids get hurt and it tears me up that my stupid mistakes have already cost Garret so much."

Blandly, Orison said, "It was just yesterday that you extorted 100,000 merits from me and stabbed holes into the hearts and childhood memories of your children... I'm not ready to play priest for confessionals yet. What I AM ready to do is make dinner and I have to get some honey cakes made on top of that.

"A pair of helping hands in the kitchen is about as truce worthy as I'm ready to be at the moment. If that works for you, we need to get started. Rio's going to be home in less than an hour and I have training to help him with."

For whatever reason, the siblings decided to come downstairs and caught Orison bantering with Janet over how to make butter crumble.

The young mage looked up and said, "If you needed something, I'd have brought it up to you. Why are you already out of bed?"

Garret's eyes rolled and he said, "I'm not an invalid. They told me to rest if I'm tired and walk if I'm restless. Other than taking it easy, they told me to let someone know if I suddenly had thoughts of harming myself. And, no, before you ask. I just feel drained."

The banter continued with Babs taking a few pot shots about Janet actually cooking or how Orison's sandals didn't match her skirt. The young mage staunchly defended how high heels were a death trap in the kitchen among other nonsense discussions. By the time they were setting the table, a ghost of a smile was hovering around Garret's mouth.

Rio came in with Glenn and Orison quickly headed off a protest about not allowing company over but inviting his own. Once the hot headed teen was informed of the situation, he apologized and everyone enjoyed a peaceful meal. Wrapping up the visit when she started angling around about making it a regular event, Orison called transport service and authorized his second use of the teleporter for the day to Janet and her daughter. The only thing he promised was to think about it.

He found himself having far too much to think about, really. With all the uncertainty hanging over them, Orison decided to not take Esme up on her offer. A few minutes later, that kindly delivered but adamant refusal was repeated for Trisha. Somehow she thought that there was a small chance the young mage was hoping to hear from her instead.

He might have gotten himself off the hook for a boring dinner date but that didn't save him completely. Trisha wormed her way into a visit with her cousin. With A week withdraw from school until the investigation of the orb incident was complete, Daphne wasn't content with a few calls and wanted to see her 'bae' in person. Since the young mage had already stretched Rio's limits when he got the teen to agree on a week home training house arrest, he didn't think it was a good idea to keep the 'tragic lovers' apart.

Despite being home bound, the next couple of days were hectic and filled with activities and discoveries. Over video chat, Orison's alchemy instructor certified him as a commercial alchemist and opened up her dusty old personal journals to give him some insight into potioneering and personal use alchemy not cleared for public sale. Since he wasn't going to strive for government sanctioned reagents specialist, the old instructor really didn't have much else she could teach and offered to refund a portion of his tuition. He quickly disagreed and asked if it would be alright to call her up once in awhile if he had questions which she readily agreed to.

In training, Rio discovered that his aura was stretchy and malleable. He could even saturate a light object made from organic material with his spirit essence and it would stick for a time instead of immediately dissipating. As long as it had 'bathed' in his aura, Rio could burn the essence to remote control its movement and at shorter distances, he got the sense that he could hear and see through them as well but it was so loose and vague it didn't have any practical use as of yet.

Under Orison's direction, Rio learned about shikigami, Feng Shui and a bit about Astrology. Since Rio wasn't really interested in fortune telling or Geomancy, the young mage ordered him a book on origami and a few reams of traditionally made rice paper, leaving it at that. The kid was smart, imaginative and had a touch of intuition himself. Orison didn't want to dull Rio's ability to self motivate growth by spoon feeding too much.

Garret took to leisure swims in the lake to help deal with the negative effects of the medicine that was given to him. The 'frost salt' compound synthetically derived from something called 'glacial tears', an import from Iceland, had a soothing and healing effect on spiritual damage but induced depression and even anxiety in more active people. Orison loathed to imagine what the natural source did before alchemical production tapered down the side-effects at the cost of some of its healing properties.

The first couple of times that Garret went out, Orison kept a spiritual eye on the teen to make sure that nothing tragic would occur but it really did seem to help. Garret even managed to make acquaintance with neighbors. Siblings born less than a year apart with a strong but not off putting dolphine-like mutation frequently trespassed the outer mile lakeside boundary of the young mage's homestead. They were not only friendly but a little enamored with the still slightly too heavily muscled but not quite as hulking teen.

The just nineteen and almost twenty year old siblings were serving their first year in Planar Response but were almost always 'on call' due to their incredibly useful but rather specialized aquatic abilities. With names like El and Em mixed with natural features that blended or hid certain physical traits, it was difficult to determine, at a glance, what gender they were. But when Orison offered to tell Garret, the teen didn't think it was 'right' to pry.

It seemed more likely that the teen enjoyed the combination of playful but rather intimate skinship mixed with mostly platonic affection he was building with them. As long as Garret left their gender a 'Schrodinger's cat', he didn't have to feel awkward about the first and could restrain himself from ruining the second. For a person who bounced from one girl to another, experiencing easy gratification but little genuine affection, having a relationship that was the complete opposite was an entirely good thing in the young mage's eyes.

***

Early Wednesday, Orison received a call from Liberty. Ever practical minded, she set up video calls with the four selections he had made to meet before clearing a Sky Hook Green authorization pick-up. Two of which, including the other independent that WASN'T Stag, were straight up scam artists with convincing stories. The last, not so much.

A man named Jay connected with the young mage's touchscreen from a country nursing home located near some forgettable place close to the lower middle of the Northwest continent. He had made inquiries about the young mage on behalf of an elderly woman who had a schizophrenic break shortly before showing signs of dementia. No one knew her real name as she was a homeless lady before she had been admitted but she would sometimes claim to be a person named Medea and sometimes a person called Granny Georgia.

He didn't speak long with the big hearted young man but silently made note to figuring out a way to pay Jay back before he was put on the line with the old woman. The young man struggled to get her attention and when he finally did, the old woman took one look at the screen with remarkably clear and lucid eyes before looking back out the window. Thinking that he lost her again he began trying to coax her attention back.

The bedridden old lady snapped, "I know he's there. Can't you see me trying to figure out what I'm going to say?"

Softening her tone she added, "Sorry Jaybird. You did all that for me and here I am, biting your head off."

The young man said, "It's alright, Medea. I know you have to be hurting something awful without the meds."

She said, "Can't think on them things. I have to be able to think. I don't have much longer to worry about it anyway."

Jay chuckled and replied, "You're going to outlive us all. No need to talk like that."

Looking at the young man sharply before giving a sly glance at the touchscreen, she said, "You got that right. It just isn't going to be here. Now hush, I've got to get it all put together right in my head before I talk to the little orphan on the funny block you got in your hands."

Looking outside, the old woman said, "You know my sweet little boy's going to be calling for me soon... The trees told me so. I don't like his fiance but I'll try to get along with her for his sake."

Seeing Jay start to frown, Orison said, "This is for her, anyway. If she wants to ramble, let her."

The old woman huffed. "Rambling... My sake!? Boy, I'd tan your hide if I could reach through there."

Orison said, "I don't doubt it... I hope your boy's doing well and thank the tree for me. Tell that fiance of his that if he doesn't treat the two of you well, I'll pluck her feathers and make dumplings out of her a**."

Medea cackled so hard she started weakly coughing and wheezing. "Damn it, boy. Are you trying to kill me before I can finish?... Before he picks me up, I was thinking about swinging by my old haunts. While I'm taking your daddy's youngest sibling to task and giving your grandpa's wife some advice on how to be a proper guardian spirit, you got anything you'd like me to pass on?"

Eyes already misting a little in dread certainty on what he was about to witness, Orison said, "Tell mom that I love her. Tell dad that if he wants to call me son, I'm good with it and he needs to quite farting around. His lover's going to be born soon if she isn't already. Tell everyone else that I give a damn about that I hope they're doing well. And if you meet anyone that's causing grief to them, tell them to wash their necks. It might take some time but I'll be there eventually."

Still looking out the window, the old woman nodded once before her eyes dulled and her jaw grew slack. Jay was about to call a nurse when her toothless mouth snapped shut and she turned to the touchscreen with eyes that were a little wild.

Speaking in a voice that was harsh and foreign but oddly understandable only to Orison, she said, "Do not dig the glowing stone from the wall. Behind is not water but void and death. Use the power of the place to call it to you... Take what you desire from the Red Moon's palace but imbibe not the essence save for what lies in food and drink. All else is perilous poison. To the Abyss with the rest. To Noxflora, dedicate it.

"I willingly take upon myself the darkness of Medea and this moon touched crone's which we have ridden. May they fly to the bosom of their loved ones as I fall to the bosom of mine. May it never be said that I, Georgia De Marchand, do not keep her oaths and repay her favors."

As the old woman's eyes glazed over, a chilling death rattle escaped her labored chest. Orison caught a brief glimpse of three barely visible ethereal streamers exit the old woman's head before the call was abruptly ended. He took a moment of silence to will them a safe journey before prompting Liberty for the last call.

Stag's smiling and excited face dipped a few notches upon seeing Orison's solemn one. "I was hoping for a more cheerful reception..."

"Sorry. I just witnessed the passing of a crazy old lady that was possessed... It affected me a little," the young mage said.

Whatever planned words Stag was prepared to say fell into grinding gears, not quite sure how to follow that up.

Orison shook his thoughts free and said, "So, I have a proposition for you, stranger. Are you tired of your comfortable life of luxury and debauchery? Ready to face immeasurable danger for barely better income than your club probably earns you? Then do I have a deal for you... Come on down to the world's frosty butt cheeks and train with me for high risk, mediocre rewards and all the commonplace annoyances your current life is sorely lacking in."

Wryly, Stag said, "Care to give me a reason to go that won't look suspicious if I agree to it?"

The young mage said, "I can give you three. Independents who flourish outside of the established system get squashed or disappear. Knowledge and resources you need to improve will NEVER be available to you as an independent without hidden costs and traps..."

Stag smirked and said, "I've never been that good at math but I only counted two there."

Orison grinned and said, "I was wavering between having better cupcakes or free hugs but I'll settle for this instead. With every string I can pull, intake is going to be a minimum of three days. And if you don't get to intake in the next three hours, there's a good chance you'll miss the only party I'll be personally throwing for who knows how long."

Stag said, "You had me at better cupcakes. So, how am I going to get there in under three hours. Antarctica's not exactly a short car drive away."

Orison said, "I'm paying for a Sky Hook. Liberty said that with a Green authority level, you should give a half hour leeway. 200 lbs is your luggage limit and there is heavy tariff on supernatural goods aside from artifacts that have been approved as legacy items."

"All the trouble I took to get my driver's license and I can't bring my car?" Stag said, looking almost brokenhearted.

"They're more trouble than they're worth here," Orison said with a saintly smile.

With unreasonable time and weight constraints, Stag ended the call to handle affairs and pack as best he could. And with that bit of business finally behind him, Orison went back to etching spirit bottles. Ever since the surprise attack of his plans by the testing orb, the young mage had been beefing up and personalizing security around the lake house with all the free time he had. It was also good practice for Rio who had been enlisted to help charge the various circles, sigils and magic/spirit traps spread throughout a mile radius of their home.

While hectic business as usual continued on through Thursday, Orison received a notification that the investigation had concluded. He, Garret and Adena (Aiden) were considered to have passed the Second Hill's test. And after reviewing performance records, were passed on to First Wave without the need for a virtual reality exam for Third Hill. They'd have to take some remedial combat training before they could declare anymore test outs, however.

In a fortuitous twist, the two sides battling for the future of the red loving girl benefited rather than hindered Orison and Garret. Unwilling to let the girl slip through their fingers, the Rowdies educational directors used the botched trial to push her up along with the two young men out of necessity. Her father, not to be slighted without consequence, pushed for maximum restitution to all involved.

Receiving the same notice, Garret said, "Do you need, um, any of this?"

Orison smiled and shook his head. "All yours, buddy... Any plans for it?"

Garret smiled and said, "I'm setting up twenty and ten years worth of birthday gift card deliveries for Casey and Babs. I got the feeling that Casey's legal parents barely accepted but it doesn't push the line too much for them... Do you think I'd be dumb for sending some to mom too?"

The young mage thought for a moment and said, "She's your mom. Behind the warts, I don't get the feeling she's completely rotten. Now, I think you'd be dumb handing it to her directly. Taking a chunk out of her debt would probably be the way I'd go. Well, maybe a little to let her hang loose for a weekend or two might help her state of mind."

Garret took a moment to mentally process and added, "What about your Gold day pass? Which place were you thinking about visiting?"

Orison said, "After thinking it through, I have to agree with Aurora. For people who need as close to the real deal as possible to get some good UV, the water park is the only way to go. I laid out by the lake and it was like trying to roast a chicken under a weak heat lamp."

Chuckling, Garret asked, "What's your obsession with tanning about?"

Doing his best Daphne impression, the young mage said, "Because I don't want to be like... Goth pale or Punk Rock pale."

Taking a more serious tone, he added, "Aside from the vanity, laying out like that feels something like a million tiny finger massage. It's hard to explain and I blame it on my dad's heritage."