The Summoner's Kind

Chapter 4

Jarvis sat staring blankly at the window trying his best to drown out the boring trip of the bus to the neigboring town, to the city gates and finally to the temple which serves as their school as well. While most of the other students chatted energetically on what they did over the harvest season break, he was overcome with both dullness and excitement, dullness on the fact that he have to endure the snide remarks some of the magician apprentice throws at them and excitement on the fact that he'd get to again go to the library to read his favorite books and possibly get to read a few more that he havent yet before. With that in his mind he felt the bus stop and heard the students excitedly go down the bus.

Finally gathering his thoughts he soon followed suit before stoping in his tracks upon hearing the irritating voice of the one he prayed to the gods he never gets to meet at the first day of the semester semester, Bane Archer, the magician apprentice that felt his life long mission was to make the normal students life a living hell. Bane was the son of one of the most influential merchants in the Yellow Kingdom, and was not ashamed in flaunting that fact as well as their family ties to the ruling nobles of the Kingdom. But with all his bragging Jarvis thought to himself that if Bane really does come from such a powerful circle than why was the brute still in the Central Temple of the Yellow Kingdom and not at the more prestigious Aria Levine's Royal Magic Academy, a thought he never tried to voice out for the fear of having a "RockLance Spell" thrown at him "accidentally" outside school.

In a loud thundering voice, Bane said, "Welcome! Oh cursed ones to your new term in hell!" and with a more thunderous laugh and an over the top bow he left accompanied by other magician apprentices who heard of his declaration. Hearing the groan of other normal students, Jarvis sighed and muttered darkly, "Well so much for a great semester!". Following the other students who started walking again he found himself going to one of the buildings on the left of the worship hall of the temple dedicated for the studies of the normal students while the magician apprentices went to the group of two storey buildings on the right. They might go to the same school but it is obvious that they do not attend the same classes.

Upon getting to the classroom and sitting himself at his desk beside the window, he looked around to see that their adviser for the homeroom has yet to show up. Glancing at the clock and seeing that most of his classmates are just entering the classroom he knew that he was quite early and started staring at the window trying to past time. He suddenly heard a not so quiet conversation of his classmates saying, "We are so dead. That Bane really wants to make our lives here a living hell!" "Hey have you heard of the guy last semester that bumped into Bane at the temple after the general assembly?" "Yeah, the one who did'nt say sorry." , answered one of them, "I heard he had to be rushed to the healers at the temple because he was accidentally hit by a 'EarthSpike Spell' when Bane was training with other apprentices at the open field.", replied another,"And he was given just a slight reprimand by the school head." "Yeah right. I'm calling B.S. on that! We all know it was no accident! I just hope no one is stupied enough this year to do something like that." was the ending statement by one of the guys talking.

Jarvis stopped listening to them as they drifted to other lighter topics when he felt something moving through his pheripheral vision at the trees outside their classrom. Slightly alarmed and again remembering the earlier experience at the waiting shed he turned his attention at the window beside him and tried to see if something is indeed there. Finding nothing, he turned to the front of the classroom and noticed that the advisor just now entering the classroom, deciding that he is just a little rattled by what happened a while ago he decided to focus on his teacher. At the shadows near the trees outside Jarvis' classroom a sinister shadow ever so changing in shape and made out of pure malice said, "I found you at last" which sounded like the whispers of a dying man.   

The morning classes were done and Jarvis was happy about the break, not that he disliked his morning classes but because now he can use the lunch time to go to the library located at the building behind the worship hall of the temple towards the north part of the holy property. Gathering his belongings and cleaning his desk, he decided to eat the sandwhich his mom made while half walking/running towards the library. He was able to finish the sandwhich before actually entering the library building and thought of it a small victory that he did not choke on his sandwhich or actually drop it because of his rush of excitement. Upon entering the building Jarvis did not notice that the dark shadow followed him from his classroom to the library in pursuit of him. The dark shadow slowly merged with the shadows of the building itself and creeped inside the library without anyone noticing it.

Once inside and after signing his name in the ledger and a brief greeting with the librarian, Jarvis started walking to the row of books that he wanted to see the most, Magical books! Going through the shelves while touching some of the books he found some that he have not yet read before. With glee and excitement he started taking out a new book when he started to again feel like his being watched by somebody, only this time the feeling was accompanied by a strange feeling of like drowning and suffocating at the same time. With trepidation he started to look back at where he felt the stare is coming from to see a dark creature appearing from the shadow starting to turn into a humanoid form. "I finally found you.....I finally found you....." the creature repeated to itself while some of the shadows continue to transform into its body parts. The shadow finally completed is transformation now standing at a height of 6 feet, black leather skin, portruding fangs from its mouth, flat nose, bloodshot eyes and razor like claws for its fingers. Jarvis identifying the emerging monster and its ruthlesness said, "Shit! Ghoul! I'm gonna die!"