Rotten To The Core

"I'm sorry if I cut your victory celebration short." Reginald offered a tight-lipped smile. "No need to blush. I've been doing this job for the better part of a century, I know what my wards are up to in their spare time."

"Uhm, yes, sir. So, what is this about? Did the Arbiter-"

Headmaster Aulin shook his head. "According to the Arbiter, the duel was fought and won squarely. Is there anything you'd like to report? Just be aware that an investigation might take some time and I'm sure you'd rather be elsewhere during the holidays."

Laura bit her lip. "If you put it like that... no. It was an honor to fight Lady Arach for my graduation. She gave me a good thrashing."

"Funny," Reginald said, the tips of his fangs poking over his lower lip. "Arach said pretty much the same thing." He took a deep breath -- the first since Laura had entered his office -- and reached for his tablet. "The main reason for your presence is this -- someone posted a request for you."

"I don't quite understand, sir. Why me? I haven't even received my graduation papers yet."

"You already wear your cross which makes you as eligible for a request as every other Order member. In fact, this one came in a few days ago. Have a look." He tapped the screen a couple of times and held out the device.

Hesitantly, Laura took it and read the email conversation on the screen. A certain Jenna Tallfeather had written to Reginald, asking him for a short list of candidates for a new chapter house. He had sent back only one file. Hers.

"You sent her my file even though I didn't pass then?"

The headmaster chuckled, a low, dangerous sound more akin to a growl than an expression of humor. "She asked for a versatile, agile and powerful monster hunter, which fits your skill set nicely."

"Sir, with all due respect -- I'm nothing special. Anything my class mates can do, I have to work doubly as hard for. I have no magic-"

"Enough!" Reginald's sharp bark stopped her harder than a slap across the face would.

"If Jenna had asked for someone with magic, I would have recommended someone with magic. She specifically asked for a fighter, a tracker, someone whose mind was as sharp as their blade." He opened a binder. "You have graduated with top marks in all relevant areas, heck, you even outlasted both a Dwarf and a Half-Orc during the Field Trials."

Laura snorted. "Please. If Thorin and Marox hadn't partied so hard in the Flaming City, they would have left me in the dust during the planar excursion."

Reginald scoffed softly. "Well, I'll add a note citing 'crippling humility' to your psych exam and leave it at that. Anyway, when can you be off?"

"Sir?"

"You heard me. Jenna wants to meet you on the double. Yesterday even."

"Ugh. I didn't even have time to pack my bags. Or say goodbye to the others."

"All right then. You have until tomorrow morning, eleven o'clock. Use your time wisely." He opened a binder and checked the documents within. The audience was over.

"Um, sir?"

Headmaster Aulin raised his gaze, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Yes?"

"What about Vicky? Can she come too?"

The vampire gently shook his head. "I'm aware the two of you have grown rather fond of each other. Sadly, Miss Hralvin has her own marching orders. She will return to London, to replace her pregnant mother at the Whitechapel chapter house. Even if I could convince the higher-ups to let Victoria go with you, I'm afraid Miss Tallfeather already has a cleric on staff." He offered a rare, warm smile. "You'd better get going then. Say goodbye as if you really mean it."

* * * *

Laura didn't get much sleep that night. Most of the afternoon and early evening was spent celebrating the graduation of her class. Eventually she and Vicky managed to slip away from the roaring party in the Common Room, ending up entwined in Vicky's bed until they were too exhausted to keep making love to each other.

Deathly tired due to lack of sleep, Laura entered the headmaster's office the next morning.

"Ah, right on time despite a night of debauchery. Good morning, Laura." The vampire rose from behind his desk, picking up a leather-bound folder.

Laura's cell vibrated in her back pocket. She chose to ignore it for the moment.

"I guess I'm here to receive my graduation papers?" she asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Indeed." He handed her the folder. "Congratulations from me as well. The Order welcomes you." He turned to his desk and produced a robust purse. "Here are your temporary visa and other papers. You will have to make your way from Boston to Greenbury by bus. I'm certain an Order-trained young lady like you should have no problems to secure the ticket locally. I've had a look at an online booking service and it seems they leave only once a day, around 7 AM. You might have to spend a night in Boston to catch a bus, depending on when you leave today."

Laura took the purse and inspected it critically.

"That sounds rather roundabout as far as transport goes. Why not have me teleported right to Greenbury? I'm sure one of the sorcery teachers could-"

The headmaster shook his head. "Sorry. According to the archives, teleportation magic is rather hazardous in and around Greenbury. I'm afraid you'll have to travel the conventional way, at least for the last leg of the journey."

Laura sighed. "Hooray. By the time I'm over there, I'll truly be a zombie."

Reginald offered a fierce grin. "Inside the purse you'll also find an Order debit card with a few thousand dollars on it so you can keep zombification at bay with plenty of caffeine."

"What about my equipment?"

"Please leave your Flame Tongue and Hell Spitter with the Quartermaster. We'll use the Order contacts to move them to Boston and from there to Greenbury but it might take a few weeks. After all, I have to organize a whole class's worth of gear to shuffle all over. In the meantime Miss Tallfeather will most certainly have some equipment for you to use. She said she has a very capable Artificer."

"Okay then," Laura said. "Anything else?"

"Yes. One more thing: Good luck and may Martinius smile upon you."

She left the office and pulled her phone free. Laura's heart sank when she read the message on her display.

Laura,

I'm not much for long, teary good byes. I hope you'll remember me fondly whenever you touch yourself and I'm looking forward to our inevitable reunion once you've climbed the ranks to where they have no choice but to allow you to be independent. Until then I'll be dreaming of you, sweet boobs.

Kisses! V.

Laura blinked sudden tears away. She knew that Vicky could be brutally pragmatic at times but leaving without a last chance to say good bye? Gnashing her teeth against the stinging ball of pain in her guts, she climbed back up the stairs to the room she had shared with the feisty dark elf, only to find it empty save for her hastily packed bag. The beds were made, fresh linens replaced the crumpled sheets they had slept in. Nothing of Vicky remained, not even a whiff of her favorite cave moss scent. Suddenly, Laura couldn't be gone fast enough.

* * * *

With her bag over one shoulder, Laura trotted back down towards the faculty offices, wondering why Vicky had chosen to ghost her like that. Thus far, the dark elf had been open, welcoming and honest, the polar opposite to herself. Laura knew she brooded too much, no thanks to the burden of her lineage and the need to prove herself over and over again. Between nightlong whispered talks and the other things the dark elf had taught her, Vicky had helped Laura to loosen up.

And now she just up and vanished? I wouldn't have cried, Laura thought.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're looking for a fight," a kind voice said behind her. She turned around.

Coming down the corridor, white robes surrounding his majestic seven-foot frame was Mr. Coronaius, the monastery's main sorcery teacher. A fierce dragon head, covered in golden scales, sat atop a long, flexible neck. Large wings, their leathery insides the color of café au lait, towered even higher. A long, spiked tail rustled over the carpet behind him as he came closer on three-toed, clawed feet. Despite his fearsome appearance, his voice was soft and gentle. Laura saw concern in his ruby-like eyes.

"Fight? Not really. If I had my way, I'd huddle in a corner and bawl my eyes out. My girlfriend just dropped me like a bad habit."

"And yet, here you are, stalking the corridor like a vengeful tiefling looking for trouble," Coronaius said, twirling a long, beardlike frond around a claw. "Do you hope to find her here?"

Laura sighed. "No, I'm afraid she's already back in London. I'll have to spam her mailbox if I hope to learn what had ridden her to vanish like that." She shook her head like a wet, especially irritated wolf. "May I ask a favor, sir?"

Coronaius rubbed his scaly hands together. "You want me to help reunite the two of you? One teleport to London, coming right-" His voice trailed off when he saw Laura's hand come up, waving his offer away.

"No, I'm not here for that. I mean, I'm here to find someone to teleport me somewhere but I need to be in Boston, not London." Another sigh. "I have to go to a place called Greenbury in the USA but the headmaster told me-"

"That Greenbury? Yes, I'm afraid our stern leader is, as always, correct. Infuriating, really."

"What, not being able to teleport there?"

Coronaius chuckled mildly. "No, him always being right. Never play Bridge against that man, I tell you." The half-dragon blinked, forcing his mind back to the problem at hand. "You are aware what a nexus is, I suppose?"

Laura flicked her holy symbol with a finger. "I wouldn't wear this if I didn't know. A nexus is a place where the barrier between worlds is especially fragile which leads to all kinds of magical fluctuation." She exhaled slowly. "Greenbury is close to Boston. Isn't there already a chapter house?"

"There is but, as with all our chapters, the Boston branch is chronically understaffed and overwhelmed, especially with the current feud between the Blood Court in New York and the local vampires. It only makes sense for Mother Rachel to expand." He extended an arm. "Congratulations are in order, I presume? You got assigned to the Greenbury chapter?"

"I didn't ask for it," Laura said. "I had hoped to go to London with Vicky but the higher-ups had other plans." She took his claw, marveling at the softness of the scales in Coronaius' palm.

"Every branch of the Order would be honored to have a Stürmer among them," Coronaius said, patting the back of her hand. "It is a testament to your abilities that you are sent where the need is most dire."

Coronaius made an elaborate gesture with his hand. Laura felt something like a light breeze tickle every hair on her body, a sensation she had experienced a few times before whenever her mother had cast one of her more powerful spells. A heartbeat later, the world moved sideways and gone was the tranquil corridor, replaced by an almost deserted red-and-white tiled plaza in front of Boston's South Station Bus Terminal. The sky took on the first pinkish hues as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon.

Laura blinked in surprise then palmed her face. "So much for clever travel planning. We're way too early." She checked her phone. Thankfully, the Order's data plan seemed to work just fine internationally. A moment later she looked up to Coronaius. "It's barely past five in the morning. Now what?"

The golden half-dragon coughed in embarrassment. "Sometimes I forget things like time zones exist. When is your departure? If it's not too far off, I could keep you company."

Laura consulted her phone again, pulling up the transport provider's booking page. "Says here... oh. Seven AM. Looks like the time zones are in our favor after all. I can kill two hours on my own, make a quick phone call or two over coffee and what fares for breakfast food over here." She grinned. "I'm going to miss the lavish Briou breakfast with crossaints every morning though."

"Good fortune to you then," Coronaius said, bowing his long neck. "Do send an email once in a while, let an old dragon know how you're doing."

"Of course. It will probably be a few months until I stop instinctively checking the school servers for news so I might as well send a few lifesigns. Give my regards to Mr. Aulin and the rest of the faculty. Also, if you see Tessa, wish her and the soccer team all the best from me."

"Will do." Coronaius repeated his spell and disappeared. No flashy special effects, no strange tinkling noises. One moment, there was a seven-foot tall golden half dragon, the next only the rush of air filling a sudden void.

Laura shouldered her bag and looked around. The only open restaurant she saw close by was a McDonald's next to the bus terminal. Yeah, Laura thought, grinning to herself, why not start my first day in America with burgers and fries to go along with my coffee?

* * * *

After booking her ticket, Laura tried to get Vicky's attention but it was all for naught. The dark elf was serious about ghosting her -- none of Laura's calls went through. Instead of breaking down and leaving a tear-filled message on Vicky's voicemail, she instead composed a long email asking for the dark elf's reasoning. When did I become so clingy? Laura thought bitterly. No, she corrected herself. I'm not clingy! I just need to know why my girlfriend of two years vanished like that. Vicky always told me how much she cared for me. Is this the way to treat a loved one? Demanding a bit of closure is not being clingy. Why, Vicky?

The initial hit of shock and sadness had given way to confusion and a slow, simmering pit of anger. Laura hated being helpless, having to relinquish the initiative. There was no telling when Vicky would respond to her message -- if she ever bothered to respond at all. She can't be seriously throwing the last two years away! Laura made a fist. Her nails, even clipped sensibly short as they were, nearly broke the skin. Steaming in my own juices won't get this resolved and staring at the screen will only drive me nuts. I need to do something else.

She called her parents and took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Her mother took the call after the second ring.

"Hey sweetie, what's up?" Camilla Stürmer sounded wide awake and lively.

Of course, Laura thought. It's around noon in Germany.

"Hey. Sorry I didn't call right after the Graduation like I promised," she began.

"Nah, don't worry. If anyone knows how wild the Briou parties can get then it's your Dad and me." Camilla coughed softly. "After all, that's how you came to be. So, how did it go?"

"I graduated."

"Naturally. How was your ceremony?"

"They decided that Arach would be the perfect test of my abilities. I somehow managed to snap her out of a Levitate and finished with a choke. Or Arach simply decided she had enough and let me win."

There was a disapproving "tsk, tsk" from the other end of the connection. "Laura, no one in Briou lets anyone just win. The training is as grueling as it is to make sure new Order recruits are equipped with all the tools to survive their first year in the field. Giving someone a pass would mean Reginald letting unprepared students graduate. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want their deaths on his conscience."

"Still, Vicky says its impossible to disrupt a Dark Elf's magic. She even showed me." Laura's lips twisted in a rueful smile.

Camilla laughed. "Impossible? Sweetie, I know at least three ways to deal with a pesky Dark Elf's innate abilities."

"Enlighten me then, oh mighty witch!"

"Why don't we talk about that over dinner? When will you be home?"

Laura cleared her throat. "I... I got assigned to an Order chapter already. I honestly have no idea when they'll let me have some away time."

"Already? That's impressive. So I take it you'll be working with Elaine and Cassiel out of London?"

Laura sighed dejectedly. "No. Vicky decided to vanish before I could even say 'tschüss' and kiss her good-bye. Do you know a certain Jenna Tallfeather? I'm about to join her chapter house in Greenbury, Massachusetts."

"Jenna? Of course! We used to call her 'Big Mama Bear' but only behind her back. She's a werebear and a druidess. Always very serious. Her and I got into a nasty brawl but I can't, for the life of me, remember what about."

"Let me guess -- you tried to talk her into some naughty fertility rite?" Laura suggested helpfully.

"Or I tried to poach her friend at the time before I met your Dad. All I do remember is a horrid rainy day and the both of us wrestling in the Inner Courtyard, right through Miss Sanchez' herbal plot. Ol' Deathstares wasn't amused and had us muck out the stables for the rest of the term." Camilla hesitated. "Vicky broke up with you?" Her voice was full of concern and warmth.

Another big sigh from Laura. "I wouldn't exactly call it 'breaking up.' There were no hard words involved. If anything, last night was-" She bit her lip, trying to keep the tears from spilling. "Anyway, the last I saw from her was a text on my phone full of 'I don't want tears' and 'see you laters' and since then, I can't reach her." She hated how her throat just kept clamping shut, turning her words into almost-sobs.

"Oh pumpkin," Camilla cooed. "Maybe it's Vicky who's afraid of breaking down in front of you. Give her a few days, maybe she'll call you back."

"I'll try," Laura whispered, fishing for one of the unused McDonald's napkins she had next to her tray. At least I'm sitting with my back to the counter, she thought grimly, dabbing at her eyes. "Still hurts like a motherfucker, being ghosted like that, especially after all the things we did."

"Where are you now? I can be there in a snap."

"Mom, I'm twenty. I don't need a hug. Or your patented heartache cocoa." A smile tried her lips and failed miserably. "Besides, I'm in Boston. My bus leaves in an hour and a half."

"If you don't want this assignment, give me a moment and I'll talk to Rachel about it. We can get you something closer to home."

"No!" Laura snapped. "Mom, I really, really love you and Dad but I don't want any kind of special treatment. Do you have any idea how hard Briou was, always being a 'Stürmer' first and Laura second?"

"You sound a lot like your father right now," Camilla said, chuckling. "Fine, fine. No stern talk to Her Eminence then. Will you be alright?"

"No idea. I'm much too tired and overwhelmed to be scared. Ask me in a week or so."

"Will do. Don't forget that I can always teleport to your side."

Laura gently shook her head. "No, Mom. Not in Greenbury. It's a nexus. That's why Mr. Coronaius only got me as far as Boston."

"Crap. Just don't do anything foolish then, okay?"

"I'll try, Mom. But like Arach tends to say-"

"'The line between heroism and foolishness is drawn in blood,'" Camilla finished. "Stay far away from that line please. I prefer my daughter in one piece if possible."

"Will do. And now I need to grab another cup of coffee. Talk to you and Dad later, okay? And for the love of God, Mom -- don't try to fix me and Vicky on your own. Please."

"I've learned my lesson the last time. No witchy meddling, promise." There was indistinct muttering on the other end. "Your father -- as always -- takes your side and threatens me with a Mark Of Justice should I try to meddle. Pfft. See me move a finger the next time you're up to your neck in trouble," Camilla huffed in mock indignation.

"Love you, Mom. Hug Dad for me, okay?"

"I'll have to ask the stars about that but if he's nice, I'll let him try... In a year or so!" Camilla cackled madly then ended the call.