The Grounds Keeper

Chapter 8 Bad First Impression

 It was a large 5 story structure constructed of large blocks of sandstone, and the front door was made of a dark thick grained timber, the metal hinges and artistic motif slightly rusted. It squeaked softly as he walked in his metal sole creaking the timber floorboards under the soft carpet of the entry mat. He looked about the grand entry in the dim light of what looked like orbs of dull yellow energy that floated among the arched timber rafters like fireflies.

Either side of the walls there were portraits of men and women in the immaculate uniform of the Academy. He walked closer to one to see a striking man, his handsome face was partially covered by a scarf his ebony black skin was enhanced by the contrast of his sparkling yellow eyes, with his arms spread he held a staff in his left hand and an orb of glass filled with blue lightning in the other. His robes were a dark green. Eathon spun at the sound of someone approaching from behind him. A short muscular woman in a fur trimmed robe rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then glared angrily at him. Her voice was raspy as if damaged by a lifetime of cigarettes, it sounded ominous in the dark light.

"You are either up very early or very late, either way I do not enjoy being woken mid slumber. Who are you?"

"Sorry I'm Eathon Lorenzo. I'm a new student, I only just arrived, I missed orientation due to a bit of an incident with another student."

The woman walked closer revealing what looked like silver hair tied into a single long plat at the side of the head, her skin was peculiar. It looked like the dried cracked floor of a river bed, but was as tightly knit at a cracked egg shell, it looked smooth and rough at the same time, it seemed to have a metal like gloss in the pale light. An aura of brute power seemed to radiate from her athletic physique, she looked him over with curious scrutiny.

"So, you are the new groundskeeper? Yes I heard about that incident"

Her voice was saturated with sarcasm. "Poor Tomaj will be sure to give you a wide birth if future I think."

Eathon felt a cold sweat run down his neck. She knew who he was. This woman knew his secret instantly. Maybe he could avoid her for now, she seemed extremely strong and he was not in any rush to fight her. He made to leave up the stairway before he felt a hand rough as rock grip his arm, the pressure of her grip showed that if she wished she could simply crush his arm into a wrecked lump of bloody flesh and shattered bones.

"One last thing. Cause any trouble in my dorms and ill ruin you" Eathon had had enough of the threats and the intimidation, his temper was a handicap he had since he was a child and in an unconscious pulse of power he had the woman engulfed in a giant fist of pure shadow. If it was going to be a fight he may as well have the advantage early

Her grin revealed small perfect teeth "ahh I see. You want to make this into a competition of strength. I shatter your arm and in return you what? Shatter my rib cage?, well what happens when I do this" she squat down rapidly and shot into the air using the power generated by her bulging thighs, Eathon shot up too and mid-air she spun Eathon in front of her to slam into the roof of the dorm house, Eathon needed to protect the back of his head quickly, and the hand that engulfed the silver haired woman let go and created a buffer at his back just in time to absorb the impact. Had he not his back bone would have been destroyed, the woman took this chance to spin rapidly whirring Eathon like a ragdoll he consciously flexed his arm and brought his body closer.

Had he remained at all slack the cartilage and muscles of his arm would have been torn to bits from the rapid rotation, with all his desperate strength he grasped onto her just as she released him in a powerful throw sending them both shooting downward toward the dorm. As they fell he hugged her desperately from behind and using the power wrapped her in a thick rope of shadow, he let go and ripped the rope like a cord on a spin top sending the woman spinning down at speed like a power drill, as she accelerated downward Eathon raised his hand into an enormous fist of shadow and shot it toward the building slamming it into the woman's body, like a giant hammer slamming down on a stubborn nail. And at the last second formed a semi yielding surface beneath him to buffer his fall