Scarred Silver
Chapter 2: Absolute Master
"Quicken your pace, Alteara, we're almost there!"
Her new master's voice spurred Alteara on like a rider's whiplash. Unconsciously she did her best to obey. There was another reason why she quickened her pace despite two hours of non-stop walking. That reason took the form of the heavily-armored knight who brought up the rear. She caught only occasional glimpses of the man's face underneath the bone helm he wore. He wasn't even sweating from their journey and had yet to utter a single word for the entire time she had known him. Raven Huer, did not seem the least bit inclined to introduce the man. Alteara suddenly found herself in front of an ominous-looking forest. The wizard in front of her stopped and held her on the shoulder.
"Wait." Raven Huer brushed several stray locks of his hair from his face. He focused on his student before speaking. "Listen to me, Alteara. This forest belongs to me just as surely as you do. It serves as a deterrent to anyone foolish enough to try and enter my territory." His grip tightened on Alteara's shoulder as he began to mutter in the language of magic. Alteara suddenly felt an intense heat coming from his palm. The sensation was merely unpleasant at first but his palm quickly became extremely hot. She squirmed in pain, his touch was worse than that time her father struck her with a red hot poker. Finally, he let go. Alteara could feel the flesh on her left shoulder blade sizzle. Her master grinned, seemingly pleased by his handiwork. "I have marked you as my own." He said. "It is the only way you can pass through this forest safely. The mark will let the guardians recognize you as a kindred spirit."
Raven Huer continued walking while Alteara tried to feel the mark on her shoulder. The hilt of a sword suddenly prodded her from behind. The knight loomed behind her, his eyes glaring at her to move. "I-I'm sorry!" She stammered. She bowed apologetically to the knight before running back to her place behind her master. The knight did not make a sound and continued walking.
The trek through the forest was long and gloomy. Alteara noticed the large and shadowy figures that floated about among the trees. They looked like suspended cloaks with skulls for heads. Gigantic mouths snapped and slobbered from their abdomens. She had often heard of such horrid things from the stories she read. They were undead spirits, floating about, looking for victims to sate their unending hatred for all life. She kept close to her new master. Despite his assurance that these beings would not harm her, Alteara felt that a single touch from these creatures was all that it took.
"We're here." Raven Huer suddenly said.
Alteara looked up to the magnificent-looking mansion before them. The walls were a dark, polished wood; the windows were high and tinted with the same color. The entire structure gave off a foreboding atmosphere and, despite its environment, was completely untouched by the foliage. Her master pushed open the front doors, revealing a massive hall. "Welcome to your new home, Alteara." He said.
Alteara turned around, trying to look at the hall in its entirety. Large, obsidian statues adorned the sides of the room. Alteara recognized the cloaks, the swords and bows as well as the maces and knives. They were the different adventuring professions in Midgard; swordsman, thief, mage, acolyte, merchant and archer. It was her dream to join their ranks one day and if her master, Raven Huer, meant what he said...
"Yes, Alteara, one day you shall be like them." Raven Huer suddenly spoke; answering her unspoken question. "Be loyal to me at all times and I will make sure of it."
Alteara stared at the wizard and nodded. Her father had never said such things even though she had to remain loyal to him. "Master Raven." She breathed. It sounded both as a declaration and a way to catch attention.
The wizard raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Alteara?"
Alteara kept her gaze on the wizard. Already she adhered to the first thing her master taught her. To always look at the one she was speaking to. "What do I do now, master?"
Raven Huer smiled and appraised his student. "Eager to serve, aren't we?" He said. "Before you do anything, I want you to fix your appearance. Your stay with that fool, Sterphas, has left its own mark on you and I want nothing on you to evoke his memory." He snapped his fingers and one of the doors in the hall opened; revealing a huge yet thin figure in rusted, archaic armor.
Alteara took a closer look and realized that the figure was really an enormous skeleton. It carried a pair of wicked-looking swords in its hands and lumbered about in slow, ungainly steps.
Raven Huer focused on the creature and then shifted his attention back to Alteara. "The khalitzburg will lead you to your room." He said. "You can clean yourself there. We will have dinner after precisely two hours. I will instruct you on your apprenticeship then." His eyes narrowed menacingly as he said his next words. "Never be late."
With that, Raven Huer vanished, leaving Alteara alone with the knight and the khalitzburg. The knight stared at the girl for a while before walking away.
That was when the khalitzburg spoke. "Follow me, mistress." It said. "I shall take you to your quarters." The khalitzburg's voice was hollow and rasping. Like a rotten door swinging on rusted hinges. Alteara followed the creature as it ascended a flight of stairs with a slow and clumsy gait. "The master has also detailed me to answer what questions you have."
Alteara looked above her. The mansion was truly incredible; the ceiling seemed so far away. She appreciated the chance to ask questions, though. She didn't want to annoy her master and she wasn't going to risk asking the knight who looked like he would cut her down for just staring at him. "Why do you serve Master Raven?" She asked. "Aren't you an undead creature?"
The khalitzburg continued to move. They had reached the end of the staircase and were now walking along one of the mansion's corridors. "The master was the one who created me." It answered. "I am bound to serve."
Alteara shivered at the thought of her master creating all sorts of undead. "He created you?" She asked. "How? And what for?"
The khalitzburg opened the door to a large room. Alteara quickly noticed that the bath was prepared. A change of clothes lay on top of the feather bed. They consisted of a gray tunic with no marks on it and cloth pants of the same color. They were functional at most and it didn't look like her master was the type to bother with fashion. Still, they looked better than rags. "The master is capable of casting all of the ancient spells." The khalitzburgs continued. "That includes the spell to create more of my kind from the bodies of the dead. As for my purpose, the master created me to guard you as the need arises, to inform you of the rules he has set upon his house and lastly-" The khalitzburg grasped its twin blades tightly in warning.
"To slay you should he desire it."
With that, the armored skeleton lumbered outside the room and shut the door. Alteara let out the breath he was holding. The khalitzburg was just plain creepy; the thought of it going after her sent shivers down her spine. 'He can create slaves out of bones and rusted metal…' She thought. 'What does he need me for?'
Alteara slipped out of her ragged clothes and settled into the bath. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. The water was cool and refreshing; she had forgotten the last time she took a bath. Most of the time she had to settle for a quick scrub with a basin of water; her father never bothered bathing at all so he ignored any need to provide his house with a decent bath. She let out a sigh and relaxed, she could just…
"Never be late."
Her master's words caused Alteara to open her eyes. She can't fall asleep now! Master Raven was expecting her in two hours! Quickly, she found a scrub and began washing herself. The idea of disobeying her master seemed more terrifying than facing the armored monster outside her door.
"So what do you think of her, Valen?"
Raven Huer leafed through one of his spell books inside his personal library. His student, Valen Xrossun, stood at one corner of the gigantic room, still clad in his armor and inspecting his weapon.
"She's physically strong and highly intelligent." Valen replied. "Not only that I can sense a strong will in her and she's already used to hardship."
Raven Huer smiled at his student's direct appraisal. "I thought as much." He said. "She's a rare find indeed."
Valen replaced the intricately designed two-handed sword into its sheath. He had made his assessment based on several things. The first was that the girl endured the two hour trek from Izlude to Raven's home without complaining or collapsing. The proof of her intelligence was that she readily accepted Raven's offer. The other children that Raven tested dawdled over a decision when their path should have been obvious, this Alteara had immediately assessed Raven's deal and compared it to her other option; a clear sign of her intelligence. Her will was a different matter though; he could feel it but he couldn't really base it on any event regarding the girl. Perhaps it was something in her gray eyes. "What do you plan to do with her, Master Raven?" He asked.
Raven Huer closed his spell book and grinned fiercely. "Isn't it obvious? I will make her my next student! By the time I'm through with her, she will strike fear into the heart of every soul in Midgard! Fear of her! And fear of her absolute master!"
Valen stared at the wizard. "You're not telling me everything, Master Raven. But I'll settle for your answer…for now."
Raven Huer paused briefly, as if searching for something in the air. "One more hour." He said. "You will take part in her training, won't you, Valen?"
The knight walked out of the room. "I will, out of doing you a favor, Master Raven. I have my own reasons for wielding your weapon."
The wizard turned back to reading his notes once again. "Provided that she doesn't break, Valen."
Alteara followed behind the khalitzburg once more, this time towards the dining hall. It was still ten minutes before her master's time limit but the she did not want to risk being late. What she found strange, though, was that all her scars and bruises had disappeared completely. Where there used to be cuts or burn marks was now covered with smooth, pale and unblemished skin.
"You're early, Alteara. That's good; it shows how you're enthusiastic to anticipate my wishes."
Alteara looked up to find her master waiting for her in front of the dining hall's entrance. Raven Huer gestured causing the double doors behind him to swing open.
"Let's begin, shall we?"