Phasma Phase 1

"Damn that beast man! Damien! Lift your spell!" Yelled Major General Marcus Muller to the trees in general, "What is going on in there?"

The path that connected the East Dormitory to the Magic Division's Infirmary had been ruined. It looked like a bulldozer went through the area and tried to dig a pool in the middle of it."

"Isn't the Chancellor here yet?" asked a black skinned professor wearing a pair of silver spectacles.

"Not yet, Professor Morel, they were in a late meeting with the rest of the University heads..." another professor answered, this one an elderly woman with lilac hair.

"Does anyone have any idea who the people in the woods are?" Prof. Althea asked the rest of her colleagues.

She has a bad feeling about the situation.

"Are there students missing from the dormitories?"

Something tells her she knew the answer to her own question.

"From the magic division's East Dorm, there are still quite a number of students who have not returned yet..." Ms. Ermingard answered her. "It is, after all, still summer vacation and the curfew is later than usual..."

"Wait, I can feel the barrier rising..." Professor Morel said.

"This way!" called General Marcus.

They ran, flew, glided into the woods and deep into the adjoining forest until they came into a clearing devastated by a recent fight.

"There are bodies over here!" Called the elderly professor. "They seem to be wearing some sort of camouflage..."

The others looked around and found more bodies, most of them lifeless, wearing the same get-up, and in the middle of the clearing, nestled on the flank of a gigantic wolf, were Dorin Silvius and Sebastian Revious. They seemed to be sleeping, their clothes thorn and filthy. Beside them sat a beautiful woman with pointed ears, wearing a silver cloak of weaved cobwebs.

"Dorin!" Prof. Althea ran to her nephew's side and was met by the wolf's growl. The fairy folk gently touched the large beast's head to calm it.

"Arlam," the professor with lilac hair called the lady. "Good evening to you."

"And to you too, little Belladonna" replied Arlam.

"May we ask you what happened here?" asked Belladonna.

The fairy folk looked at a heap of bodies, then back to the elderly professor.

"These people went after these young mages who have trespassed upon our forest," replied Arlam. "Brother Damien found them." She looked back at the fallen men. "We dealt with them accordingly."

"Are they all..." Professor Morel did not finish his sentence. One of the men in a heap gave a soft moan.

"There are a couple of lucky ones... I think." Arlam's gaze fell upon the prone body of a balding man. A large gash was on its neck. "The others.... not so lucky."

Major Muller knelt beside one of the bodies and looked into its pockets. He pulled out a wallet and opened it, his face turning darker. "These are imperial mages," he growled. "The University city is a neutral ground for all nations. Men like these have no right to be here unless they are part of a convoy with the right papers to allow them passage."

"They're back to their old games again..." Prof. Althea said in an undertone.

"It's not like they ever stopped." Professor Dupont came up from behind them. "How are the two students?" he asked Prof. Althea who was leaning over Dorin."

"They seem to be okay," replied the professor, "we'll have to take them to the infirmary..."

"Got it," Professor Morel took out 2 twigs from inside his coat pocket. He whispered a spell on both twigs before planting it on the ground. It quickly grew branches and turned into 2 horse-like creatures with backs wide enough to fit a person lying down.

"Professor Dupont! Have you called the rest of security?" Major Muller asked the late comer.

"Yes, they're right behind me." Dupont went to Sebastian and Dorin's side to check on the unconscious boys, but Althea was still fussing over them. "I can't believe we were together just a while ago..." said he.

"They'll be fine, just help me load them on the wicker horses." Professor Morel carried Dorin while Professor Dupont carried Sebastian and laid him on the other horse, noting how light the boy was.

"Are there any more survivors?" asked Ms. Ermingard.

"Three," replied Major General Muller. "Two of them are part of the military department," he said, pointing at 2 of the groaning figures on the ground. "And that," he pointed at one of the corpses whose leg was at a strange angle. "Is Drill Sergeant Robinson. Or rather, was."

"Oh, dear..." worried Professor Belladonna, wringing her hands. "This will be troublesome..."

"Not so much as it will be an international outrage once word of this reaches the other allied empires..." Major General Muller grumbled angrily.

"Well, it doesn't need to go that far."

The group looked back at a person approaching from the shadows.

"Damien Wolfsbane! What exactly happened here?!" Prof. Althea angrily marched towards the approaching image.

"My apologies," replied Damien, raising his hands palm out at the fuming Althea. "I had to take some of my brethren home. They got injured in the fight."

"We need explanations, Damien," General Muller butted in.

"Have my sister not told you what happened?" he looked at Arlam who was still sitting with the wolf's head on her lap, both looking bored.

"We were alerted by the trespassers," he told them, "when we came to investigate, we saw these men chasing after the two students who had stumbled in out territory in hopes of losing their pursuers." He kicked at one of the bodies on the ground. "The boys were overpowered, begging to be released, but upon seeing that they were not as powerful as they thought, the men decided to harass them before leaving them in the forest to our mercy."

Damien looked at the people who were listening attentively as he spoke, gave a big sigh, and went on.

"Frankly, what is it that made those two catch the eyes of the imperial mages?" he asked with a snort. "They were practically crying as they begged for their lives!"

"Hmm..." Professor Morel said thoughtfully, "I did hear a rumor about this new student who blew up the East Dorm's kitchen..."

"And that story about a gun blowing up?" said Professor Belladonna. "I was in the infirmary then, stocking up on my herbs, I believe the patient was young Sebastian Revious?"

"Oh, that explosion in the kitchen was a gas leak," said Ms. Ermingard. "Some fool hardy student who has never seen a gas oven before, decided to play kitchen. Good thing the fail-safe charm was triggered and saved him from being roasted alive."

"And the gun was already broken to begin with," said Major General Muller. "In fact I was on my way to see Prof. Althea to give her the result from the artificers' inspection." He took a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to the infirmary head. "It seems the barrel was jammed."

Althea took the slip of paper and handed it to Professor Morel who was reading over her shoulder.

"I guess there really is nothing special about those two..." said the dark skinned professor.

"So, a couple of rumors have caused all these trouble?" Belladonna shook her head and sighed.

"So, it seems..." smiled the game master. He leaned over the wolf and scratched it behind the ear. The large animal stood up, its snout level to Damien's head. "If that is all, then my brethren and I need not stay longer."

"Wait..." Althea suddenly called out.

"Yes, Agate?" Damien asked, "Is there anything else?"

Prof. Althea looked like she was about to say something. She was finding it hard to believe what the game master said, but she shook her head instead.

"Nothing..." she finally said. "We'll be seeing you around."

"Around. Yes."

Damien turned to leave. Arlam had already vanished with the wolf.

"Please take all the bodies with you. I wouldn't want my brethren to get indigestion," he added, "`till then, may the moonlight guide you."

With that the groundskeeper left, leaving no trail behind. The company shivered as a cold wind blew into the clearing, reminding them that they were not welcome in that territory. Not for long anyway.

"Take them to the infirmary." Morel instructed his wicker horses.

The two horses began to move, clumsily at first, then more fluidly as it took some speed. Professor Dupont kept beside Sebastian, looking worriedly as they were taken away. He followed the procession, accompanying Prof. Althea. The guards took the bodies, placing the live ones in stretchers, their arms tied in special cuffs.

Soon the area was abandoned.

Only the wind stirred.

It began to rain, soaking the ground to heal the wounded earth, turning the broken pieces of golems back to lumps of mud and drenching one little clockwork mouse, tumbling in the craters, following the trail of a certain boy.