Arcanum 195 Jennifer's Dilemma

"That's so cool you need to teach me that!" I asked Jay.

"Sure when we get back to Atlantis we'll practice." Jay smiled as everyone turned to enter their room.

"Where is she going?" Helen stared at Jennifer with a death glare, when they both turned to face Jay's door.

"There are some things I want to discuss with Jay." She answered Helen.

"Jay you're not sharing a room with her," Helen ordered out of jealousy.

After a small pause, "We're not, she's gonna head back to her estate once we're done." Jay explained like it was completely obvious.

"Ohh boy," I muttered quietly.

"Fine do as you wish," Helen said storming into her room pulling Grace with her.

"Goodnight," Morgana said walking in with no care in the world.

"This doesn't sound great," Daisy whispered to me.

"It isn't." I replied grabbing Jay by the arm. "how about we make it a group discussion so everyone is happy." I suggested.

"Do you mind Jennifer?" Jay asked.

"Sure.. the last thing I'd want to do is cause a rift," Jennifer answered.

I knocked on the door to Helen's room. "Helen? they said we'll discuss it as a group." I said opening the door to a Helen trying to look calm and relaxed with Grace in the back with a giant grin.

Jay and Jennifer entered the room slowly and quietly sitting on opposite ends of the sofa leaving a clear gap between then. Daisy on the other hand casually strolled in taking the gap between them totally oblivious to the elephant in the room with a giant smile.

"So... what is it you want from Jay? He mentioned earlier that you were in need of spellbooks." I questioned before Helen could say anything rude or aggressive.

"Yes that's true I'd like to train and hone my spellcasting." She answered very politely.

"You know it's a bit dangerous to practice spell casting without a mentor?" I asked her.

"I know, but I need to improve." She said sounding very determined.

"Do you mind if I ask why you want to lean spellcasting," I questioned trying to sound polite as possible.

"It's so I can help people." She replied.

"You seemed very adept in out fight," I replied to her.

"That is true, but that was equal numbers, I need to get stronger so I can win when outnumbered." She answered.

"To be honest I doubt even we can win a fight if heavily outnumbered," I admitted to her.

"But I need to, no one stands up against my family and their crimes." She answered making a little shocked.

"You want to stop your family?" Daisy asked her also in shock.

"Yes, while I cant openly stop them, one day I wish I can at least stop the henchmen they hire." She answered.

"I know your cause is just and right but isn't it a little dangerous? What if your family hire hitmen or something." I questioned.

"Then I'll deal with them as well." She answered completely determined.

"As much as I'd love to help, I don't want to be responsible for you jumping into a fight you can't win. Maybe you should consider one of the schools? that way you'd definitely be trained the correct way and be ready to take on threats." I offered my opinion.

"What do the rest of you think?" Jennifer asked the room.

"I think its a great idea, providing you pick your fights," Daisy answered.

"Well she cant enrol into Atlantis anyways and the more she practices now the better chance she has next year," Grace answered.

"Sadly I agree with Emilia, it's far too dangerous both your cause and practising magic without a mentor. She doesn't really need to train either since the Orb estimates your magical potential," Helen answered.

"Yeah but the orb doesn't work very well, it gave me a super low score," I admitted.

"That is true." Helen nodded.

"You'd help me right?" Jennifer pleaded to jay clearly using their past to gain an edge.

"Although I think it's a bad idea like the rest of us, I do believe you're better off with some help since you're gonna put yourself in harms way anyways. Jay answered.

"Jay that's too dangerous!" Helen objected like she felt that Jay was taking Jennifer's side over hers.

"She's gonna do it with or without our help, the way I see it is at least our help would be a point in the right direction." jay explained with a shrug.

"He's got a point, her pursuit might end up landing her in learning the wrong things." Grace agreed.

"Yeah, but what can we do? we're Atlantis students and only have the weekends free to travel." Helen objected.

"So what happened to your old teacher?" I questioned

"Master Dildamzed? He was forced to leave the town, I assume he carried on travelling." Jennifer answered.

"Ohh... so there's no way to contact him?" I questioned.

"Sadly no, he said there was some sort of messaging spell but only certain members of a guild can learn it." She answered.

"That's a shame, what was he like?" I questioned.

"He was amazing exactly like a loving father to his children!" She answered with a giant smile remembering her childhood clearly.

"And what sort of magic did you do back there?" I questioned curiously.

"Ohh Master Dildamzed unlocked my affinity to air and taught me everything I know, much like Jay who has an affinity to fire especially blue fire. He said we were a good match complementing each other." She answered with a giant smile making Helen look more and more jealous each passing second.

"Pshhh anyone can do air spells," Helen commented quietly that no one except me and Grace seemed to have heard.

Every part of my being, wanted to ask if she had the chance would she enrol into Atlantis, or ask Paul if he could help her since he did the same with Morgana, but Helen would probably see it as some sort of ultimate betrayal. "How willing are you to study magic?" I questioned her with a plan.

"I'll do anything." She answered in excitement seeing that I had some sort of plan.

"What if it involved you leaving your town and family?" I questioned.

She leaned back a little in shock at my follow up question like she never considered it before. "Umm... like forever?" She questioned.

"Well, until you're ready to go back I guess," I answered her.

"I'd have to hear the offer first." She answered.

"Okay I'll see what I can do, I'm not certain myself," I answered back.

"What are you planning?" Jay and Helen asked Jay looking curious but Helen looking upset that I betrayed her.

"I'll explain it to you all if I manage to pull it off," I answered.

"Will it take long?" Jennifer asked a little impatient.

"Let me see, I'd definitely try and be there when all this happens," I answered making everyone look at me trying to work out what I have up my sleeve.

"Well, you can always join the Church of Serra." Daisy offered reminded me of many religious debates I overheard over the years.

"I think a Cleric or Paladin isn't the right path for me....." Jennifer politely declined her offer.

"What?! Clerics and Paladins are cool!" Daisy replied taking the rejection a little too personally.

"I know, I know! the way you took out one of the bandits instantly and took a fire spell to the face is incredible." She gushed like she was a fan of Daisy's.

"By the way why were you and Morgana almost unaffected? I got burnt a little even though you guys shielded me from the blast." I answered.

"Ohh that because of my Infernal Heritage it makes me resistant to fire." She smiled.

"When Morgana goes into her spore form, she lets funguses and other plant life take over her body granting her a slight resistance to damage a bit," Helen added.

"That's interesting so what sort of druid are you then?" I questioned Helen.

"I'm specialised in Nature and life, whereas Morgana's specialises in Death and Decay. Both a very integral path of nature." Helen answered.

"That so interesting!" Jennifer smiled intrigued like a student learning in class, then turned her look to Grace.

"Me? I'm just a normal ranger, but I have studied a lot when it comes to dealing with various beasts." She answered.

"Wow, and like Jay you all choose your paths when growing up?" Jennifer questioned.

"Well Emilia didn't know any magic till she arrived in Atlantis but she's really learning and improving fast," Jay answered.

"Woah never practised magic and got into Atlantis you must be amazing!" Jennifer gushed in awe.

"Not really, I'm just average," I answered her honestly.

"Don't sell yourself short.. you've reached our level in a matter of weeks," Daisy said trying to counter my pessimism.

"So who's the strongest out of all of you?" Jennifer asked.

"Daisy." We all answered unanimously pointing at her.

"Really?" Daisy looked at us in shock.

"Yes... the amount of times we've seen you utter wreck people and things in one or two hit is phenomenal, and was even able to hurt a demon most of us couldn't even scratch," I answered.

"Wait you guys fought a demon?" Jennifer asked in shock.

"Yeah long story, but we won in the end." I smiled.

"That must have been quite a fight." She said lost in her own imagination.

"It was a lot more dangerous then we expected but we did manage to finish it off with another student of Atlantis called Anna." I answered.

Chapter end