Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 10:28:21 -0700 (PDT) From: Sean DaDude <sean_dude88@yahoo.com> Subject: GAYM, part 03 - flying and flopping GAYM, part 03 - flying and flopping By Sean Sean_dude88@yahoo.com This is a sort of crossover story I guess, combining science fiction, fantasy, and gay humor. It is not the usual sex-filled jerk-off story, but I hope it may entertain. It is based loosely on "Another Fine Myth", one of the Myth (or MYTH) series by Robert Asprin, 1978, which I discovered in paperback from Ace Books, New York, in the 1990s. G*A*Y*M, part 03: flying and flopping "Well Skeeve, Rock, alias Throckwaddle," said Brock, at the foot of the stairs leading to the office of the Headmaster of D'Bois Academy, the school which would now be my home, "I guess this is where we part company. I'll head to Troilus." " Troilus?" I asked. "Oh, so you really don't know. I thought you just playing for time. D'Bois decided a sort of inter-dimensional school bus stop was needed. Troilus was selected because so many students were coming from that part of the galaxy, and because of the security factor." "Security? I prompted. "Well, while they call themselves Troilii (sounds like `trolley'), most other dimensions call them Trolls, and there aren't many demons fool enough, or powerful enough, to mess with Trolls protecting their kids and their kids' friends. The Troilii Trolley started running the year after you left D'Bois. From Troilus, it's easy to reach Imp ewer or Deville. Until we meet again, Skeeve, Rock, alias Throckwaddle, fare well," With that, he left. The next day, my education with D'Bois began. The first class was care of magical creatures. That class I enjoyed very much. One unicorn seemed to take particularly to me, and I enjoyed this. The next class would involve flying. "Aahz?" I caught my mentor between classes. "Yeah Skeeve?" "I don't think I'm ready for flying yet." "Why not?" "Well, I'm afraid of heights, for one thing," I said. "Or afraid of breaking my neck by falling from heights." "Oh come on," said Aahz. "You're kidding me, right? Sebastian won't make you do anything dangerous to start. Besides, you've already got an advantage over some of the novices -- you already know the preliminary step." "I do?" "You know how to levitate yourself." "I've done that ONCE, and only managed to get a FEW FEET off the ground, and I wouldn't have gotten THAT far without hanging on to you," I argued. "Well, the first step to flying is still learning to float, to levitate. And you only got a few feet off the ground BECAUSE you were hanging on to me, " said Aahz. "I don't understand." " You hung onto me because at the time we thought you weren't magical and I was. Now we know you're magical and I'm not, having lost my powers to a spell gone wrong -- at least until Sebastian or one of the others here can restore my powers to me," said Aahz. "I think I know why you're afraid now, you think you won't have enough power once you're not connected to the earth. Is that it?" "Well, yeah! I mean if I'm not connecting to the force lines, or a force spring or force field, where do I get the energy, the power to fly?" "From the air, of course." "But I don't know how to do that." "Yes you do! Remember when you set the warning wards -- how bright they were?" "Yeah." "They were brighter than you expected because you were tapping into the air energy already." "You mean there's energy, a force, in the AIR?" I asked. "Quite often there is. If you're in doubt, then build up an energy reserve before you try flying (you've already had some experience with building up reserve while we were on the move), but, the main trick to flying is to trust yourself. You need to BELIEVE you can do it. Now get going to the flying field, or you'll be late." "Welcome to flying 101," said Sebastian, the Devo who would, hopefully, be teaching me how to fly. As I glanced around, I noted that the rest of the 30 students were considerably younger -- they looked about 12-14 while I was nearly 17. This made me a bit self-conscious as I realized flying must be one of the more basic skills, yet I hadn't learned it. "Now, flying is largely a matter of control. Power without control is disaster," said Sebastian, suddenly reminding me of my old teacher Garkin. "Flying is little more than controlled floating, or directed levitation. Now, as I can't have my class floating all over the place, we will take turns. Does anyone here already know how to levitate?" Several hands shot up. "I mean how to levitate yourself," Sebastian clarified. The hands immediately went down. "You there," Sebastian had noticed me towering head and shoulders above most of my classmates. "Surely YOU know how to levitate yourself." "Me?" I gulped. "I've had a LITTLE experience," I admitted. "That seems to be more than any other student here, " said Sebastian. "You'll go first. Come here where we can all see you." I did so. "Now, for flying you'll be tapping the energy in the air," Sebastian informed the class. I was sure glad Aahz had already given me that bit of information. "Can you sense the force line above us?" Sebastian asked me. I looked up into the sky, then closed my eyes, concentrating on any sense of air energy. "I think I've got something," I said. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot," said Sebastian. "Air energy is different from earth energy. While earth energy will feel warm and look rather reddish, air energy will most likely feel cool, and look sort of icy blue." "Then I've got it," I confirmed. "Good! Hook into THAT energy and push the ground away." I became aware of a curious sensation of not touching the ground with my feet. Pleased with myself, I gave a little mental kick with my feet and felt myself rise higher. "Control boy, keep control or you'll float away," Sebastian warned. "Open your eyes and adjust your trim, and sort of swim through the air, or glide a bit." I was surprised that Sebastian's voice came from beside me, not from below me; he had flown up, evidently afraid he'd have to stop me from rising like a helium-filled balloon. I opened my eyes to see I was 20 some feet above the ground -- at least my head was. I adjusted to a more horizontal position and looked down on my classmates. I realized I wasn't really flying just yet, I was sort of hovering, so I began `swimming' through the air, as Sebastian had suggested. Oh this was fun! I tried to swoop down over my classmates. Then, I felt myself sinking, falling. "Look out!" someone yelled. I panicked, trying to `swim,' in the air, swerved, and got myself caught in the branches of a tree, then BOOM! I landed, having fallen about 8 to 10 feet. "Let me through," Aahz called. "What happened to my apprentice?" Sebastian was already leaning over me. "I believe he's alright," he said, then rising, he addressed the class "Let this be a lesson for all of you. Our friend here got cocky and forgot to maintain his connection to the air energy. Then he forgot to BELIEVE he could fly. None of you can let power go to his head; you're all dealing with magical powers that must be respected." "Should I try again?" I asked. "Not now," said Sebastian. Then to Aahz he said "Take him to the hospital, just a precaution, and I'll meet you there shortly." Then to the class "I suppose the rest of you will be too shaken, too uncertain after this mishap, to fly today, but I want you all to try levitating yourselves before tomorrow's class. Be sure to use the buddy system -- to practice with a partner, as I don't want to loose any of you. Class dismissed. " "You seem particularly attached to your apprentice," I could hear Sebastian say to Aahz in the hall. "Is it true then what I've heard of how some of you PurrFects become PerVerts?" "I don't know what you've heard," said Aahz, "but me? I don't go much for inter-species sex." "No offense; we take all kinds here at D'Bois, and the boy IS rather attractive." "Is he alright?" asked Aahz. "Let's find out," said Sebastian, and they entered the room. In fact, I had just been examined and released and was ready to go look for one or the other of them. "How are ya kid?" Aahz asked me. "A little less cocky, a little more bruised, a little older and wiser," I answered. "Ah, witty," Sebastian chuckled. "You'll do well here. "Now then," said Aahz, "there is another matter I'd like to discuss with you, Sebastian; in your office. Come along Skeeve." Once in Sebastian's office, Aahz explained that he seemed to have lost his powers. "You Can restore my powers right?" Aahz asked. "When it comes to magic, you Devos are supposed to be the best. Surely YOU can do spell reversal." "It's not that simple," said Sebastian. "First, HOW did you lose your powers? And are you sure you've lost ALL of them? Hexes and curses usually work on specific skills, and it will be a LOT easier if I only have to restore one or two, so WHAT powers have you lost?" "Well, I can't fly, and I can't teleport," said Aahz "which means I'm stuck HERE unless you can help me." "You can join the students and Relearn Those skills," suggested Sebastian. "At MY age?" countered Aahz. "I don't think so, besides I haven't got time. There's a rogue magician making attacks and it's up to me, and Skeeve here, to stop him." Aahz then proceeded to tell what we knew of Isstvan. "Well, you COULD take the Troilii Trolley..." Sebastian began. "And get halfway to our destination," Aahz finished. "Calm down," said Sebastian. "I'll do what I can to help. You still haven't told me just how you lost your powers." Aahz then told the story of how Garkin had summoned him, but used a constraining spell, and told how the Imp assassin had been fried by a firebolt charm and his ash had mixed with the spell smoke. "Ah," said Sebastian. "That's `Aahz,'" said Aahz. "Have you tried any spells, any skills OTHER than flying and teleporting?" asked Sebastian. "Uh no," said Aahz. "Try something simple, like a transformation, transfiguration, deception," said Sebastian. Aahz tried, and I think no one was more surprised than he was when told he appeared as, well, me! "I suspect that, as you say smokes were involved, only your AIR energy powers were affected. Flying and teleporting both involve moving through air, that's why you can't do those spells, those tricks," said Sebastian. "I'm afraid you may have lost ALL those air powers, but your EARTH powers seem to be fine. I can't restore your air powers, but I CAN give you something to help you. As I began to say earlier, you can take the Troilii Trolley, if you want to conserve power. Then .." the Devo got up and went to a cabinet labeled `First Year Supplies' fetching something that looked rather like a kaleidoscope, "you'll use this to get around." "A D-Hopper!" said Aahz excitedly. "I haven't seen one of those in years!" "You know how to use it? They're standard issue to our students until they learn to teleport on their own," explained Sebastian. "What's a D-Hopper?' I asked. "And how's it work?" "A D-Hopper is a handy little "devoice" a Devo invention, a "device" you'd say" Aahz explained, " for dimension travelers, primarily for students. You move the symbols, setting a course, press the button, and go." "Sounds like you know how to use it alright," said Sebastian. "Well, goodbye Aahz," I said. "Good luck." "Kid, I just had an idea. Now that I know it's only my air powers that are gone, and now that we can travel safely with a D-Hopper, why don't you join me? Travel is a great teacher. No offense, Sebastian, this is a great school, but he'll learn so much more, so much faster in the field than just learning theory here. What do you say kid?" "Well..." I hesitated. "At least come with me to the Bazaar," said Aahz. "OK," I agreed. "How long will it take...?" "Not long at all, in fact, we're there." And so I found myself at the Devo Market, or as some call it, the Bazaar of Deville. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To be continued.