SteamWorks

Chapter 5

Varen and Ellie turned from left to right through each window, glancing for a bit. The instructor was teaching the students on the chalkboard in every classroom, hearing each lesson sounded important. No students would fall asleep during lecture or otherwise detention.

Varen listened to the lecture from the muffled sounds through the wooden door. It talked about the magic system in SteamWorks and how to create a gear sigil from hands. Closing his eyes, the sweet memories when he was taught in elementary, but why now? It seemed like the instructor was putting more information on advanced gear magic. Advanced magic is taught themselves for each individual. Varen taught some advanced magic to himself like the cloaking technique and the explosive gear blasts, but it wasn't close to his true powers to his name. Varen got carried off and listened more.

The instructor's voice sounded tough which he liked, but he had an easygoing teacher in the past before on Hermit Hills. He didn't like the teacher so much since the teacher barely teaches advanced stuff which is another reason why he ventured off the island.

The instructor's voice was faint through the wooden door, "Are there any other questions?" as it looked at the students.

Ellie nudged him quickly on his shoulders. "Varen, what are you standing here for? We need to go."

Varen blinked and almost forgot. "Sorry! I got carried off with the lessons."

"There is no lessons for us! We have to find your missing brother," she remarked as she worried about the guards could busted them in the hallway at any time, "I don't know what he looks like, but the guards could pass here." She did walk through the hallway, each door, glancing quickly without stopping. At any moment, The guards could be walking through this hallway.

Varen started to look through every classroom door, glancing through the windows and checking every student with brown hair, but it was impossible to see them since the students turned to the direction where the instructor was facing. Hopeless, he went out there for nothing. Maybe he should have waited for the class to dismiss.

Suddenly, the same guard shouted at him, "You there! How did you get inside!"

Varen and Ellie froze, turning around immediately. Varen was near to the lobby. Oops, he slipped without thinking. "I'm not going anywhere," he snarled defensively.

The guard was troubled and turned to the nearest guard, ordering him, "Get the intruders!"

The two guards extended wings behind their back, revealing hawk feathers. They went after them with swords in their hands.

In a quick response, Varen blasted a bright purple gear sigil from his hands as a defense while distance from them. The gear blasts did not reach to the guards and the swords sliced it, canceling the attacks. He cursed under his breath, then grabbing Ellie into his hands, turning around and ran back to the stairs. "We have to get out of here."

The guards fired gear blasts from their steel swords, but they kept missing them until Ellie slipped from her untied laces while running.

Ellie slipped and falls to her knees. "My shoes!" One of her shoelaces were untied when her foot pulled it out while running.

The guards rustled after them, showing teeth. One of them sprinted and grabbed Ellie's arms, pulling it behind her back. Ellie screeched and kicked, which interrupted the classroom.

The students were startled, murmuring next to each other. The instructor had to hit their long ruler to the desk to silence them and to stay in their seats. Every door, the instructors glanced up to the door window to see what was going on. There were mixed reactions. Was it an alarm? The instructors locked the door immediately before Varen could open it, while they watched the scene.