Chapter 8 –
A week passed as I ran errands for the Elder and people in the city. It was more or less a lot of running back and forth, passing notes, picking up parcels, killing certain beasts just outside the city, or gathering materials. I grumbled about the monotony of it to the Elder one day. Of course, she laughed about the whole thing.
"Don't you realize that you've been getting stronger with each task you've been given?" I couldn't help but stare at her in a quizzical manner. "The running will help your stamina so that you can handle the stronger Wraiths out there and the long grueling battles that you will be forced to face. Gathering materials increases your knowledge of what can be useful and what will be harmful. Passing parcels help to supply the armies with items they need. By completing these tasks, you help the army and the people of our world more than you realize right now."
We had been walking around the city for a while and now we came to where she usually stood, waiting for those that needed her guidance. She turned me. "It's time for a new test. I want you to get more practice with your wings. This task should be simple for you seeing as you've been using your wings longer than most young elves. I've placed a Token of Trial in a chest somewhere among the branches and platforms of the tree. I want you to use your wings to find the chest and bring me the Token within five minutes. Can you do this?"
She smiled at me as she always did after that first day. I nodded, waiting for her signal to begin. Her head nodded.
I unfurled my wings and rose about three inches off the ground. The Elder watched me for a moment before looking off toward one group of passersby, as thought she were listening in on their conversation. I glanced around before flying past her and up.
The first ledge I found just had a house sitting on it. I frowned and moved on. With as many branches and ledges this tree had, it might take me longer to find the chest than I'd originally thought. I flew from one branch to another, searching, but still, I couldn't find it.
Five minutes passed and I begrudgingly returned to the Elder. "You couldn't find it, I presume?" She was laughing at me with her eyes. I nodded and sighed, feeling defeated for once since I'd begun my journey. She simply told me to try again. Well, I might as well. At least I knew where not to look this time. I waited for her signal again and flew off, this time in a new direction. Within a minute, I had found the chest. But getting it open was frustrating to say the least. It took a minute to finally break open the lock and pull out the token. Immediately after I had done so, the chest snapped shut again, the lock as good as new.
I didn't have time to worry about that as I ran to the edge of the platform and threw myself to the ground. At the last moment, I unfurled my wings and gently lowered myself to the ground before sprinting off to the Elder, Token in hand. "I got it," I shouted, running up to her. I held the Token out for her, beaming like some child at Christmas. I quickly wiped that smile away the moment I saw her arched eyebrow. I relaxed my composure and looked off to one side, waiting for her to take the Token.
"You've done well. Now, my next question for you: Do you wish for a health charm or a mana charm?"
I looked at her curiously. "I don't even know what they do Elder." The smile in her eyes gave me the feeling that she was laughing at me again.
"A health charm will instantly recover your health once it gets so far down. The same goes the mana charm except it will replenish your mana. But you may only choose one."
I stood back and thought for a bit. If I went with the mana charm, I wouldn't have to worry about my mana getting too low for a while. On the other hand, what use was all the mana if I didn't keep conscious or alive? Then again, wasn't that what my healing spells were for? And if I could heal myself, then I needed the mana for those spells. But then I needed life to cast those spells because if I was too late to cast a heal, then I was a goner and those spells didn't matter, right? Was I thinking about this too much? An archer would clearly take the health charm, so wouldn't a cleric's obvious choice be the mana charm? Still, the health charm would be helpful in any tight spot. But so would the mana charm.
I groaned in confusion and took the Human's method of finalizing any difficult choices: A coin flip. Heads would be the health charm and tails would be for a mana charm. The Elder watched on as I flipped the coin into the air and waited for it to land on the ground. The decision was final: I asked the Elder for the mana charm.
"Now keep in mind, once you equip the charm, it's bound to you and can't be removed until all the mana stored in it is used up," she told me. I nodded to let her know I understood and waited for her next instructions. "Shadrika, I have a message for you to pass to another Elder. I'd like you to fly to Bamboo Village and give him this message for me. You've helped the people Plume City enough. It's time you move on to more pressing matters. The Elder there will guide you to your level of achievement." She quickly pushed me away.
I was in shock, staring at her as she was saluted by Guard Ling and greeted by another recruit, this one an archer. Bamboo Village? My first home? The place I first witnessed the brutal strength and hatred of the Wraiths? I shuddered at the memories of that little boy and my mother and father. The Elder kept an eyes me the whole time, I was aware of that much. It me a while to muster the courage and strength to turn south-east. My old home was calling me. Who was I to ignore it any longer?
