SOLDIERS, SCHOLARS, AND SPIES
Summary: Tiffany and Fiona, aka Kasmeer and Catava, begin the real Seraph training. They are purposely exhausted to the point of fainting, before sleeping the rest of the day and all the next night. That morning, before Miss Fiero comes to wake them up, Kasmeer and Fiona read the prologue to Edge of Destiny. Later, after breakfast and in 'free time', they read part of the next chaper. Then profession-specific training begins. For Kasmeer, she is being taught how to communicate better with her companion.
Chapter twenty-five: The Real Training Begins
Author's Notes:
I need another disclaimer. The last one's faded out by now, probably, but I also have something else to disclaim.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tyria, Guild Wars (one or two) or any names, characters, places, events, etc. etc. including the books found on the book carts in the last chapter and the content of Edge of Destiny. ALSO I do not own the Dúnadan Aragorn. (and now you are all wondering how I could possibly merge LotR with GW2, but... wait and see.) Or Beorn. I do not own the name Beorn. (I own my pet bear's character and personality, just not his name.)
So, you'll probably notice by the end of the chapter, but I know exactly who is in Kasmeer and Catava's Seraph training class, their professions, and stuff like that. I'm fleshing out stuff - like the bunk arrangement in the female barracks - and personalities. And histories. I probably won't get them all. But whatever. (Whatever you!)
How many of you read Lightbringer Vriré, chapter 9 of My One-Shots? It really introduces you to Vriré's character and history and why she is who she is. And whatnot. There's also some hints for the die-hard fans who might recognize a hint about some of Vriré's friends... AHAHAH it's the longest-thrown single plot point I have planned ahead. Simply because I thought it would be awesome. (You can't hear me, but I'm cackling in glee right now.)
Okay, here's the story now:
That night, Kasmeer is eager to begin the new book. But Catava drowses off just as Kasmeer is explaining what the book is about, that she knows of. Kasmeer, looking across at Catava, notes a new name-plate like brass symbol on the occupied bunks around her. Noting where Catava's is, she looks where hers should be, and sees the symbol of ranger shining dully there. Further down, the guardian symbol stands for Kai, and on Catava's bunk it is the mesmer symbol. Below the symbols are the types; beneat the ranger symbol is ADVENTURER in large, bold letters. The other symbols have similar identification. Noting this, Kasmeer rolls over to sleep as well, communicating with Beorn intensely as she falls asleep. Perhaps they will share dreams and expand the bond that way.
In the morning, as wake-up is called, Kasmeer tells Catava that she'd thought up a code-name for Beorn: Brac.
Catava snorts. "We have a friend named Ayla, and now we have a bear named Brac. Coincidence, no? But why do we need a code-name for him? Tiffany is famous. You named your animal companion after the Hero of Shaemoor's animal companion."
"Hey, I thought it up. Or maybe he did. We kind of shared dreams last night. And I suppose you're right."
"Oh no. And sorry for falling asleep last night, but Sieran dragged me aaallll the way up north into Harathi Hinterlands. North as we could get, west as we could get. Long walk, followed by defeating destroyers, stealing explosives from the centaurs, while the skritt rescued their friends. And then more stuff. And then we had to walk all the way back because waypoint fees."
"Oh, that's right, we should really find a way to earn our own coin." Kasmeer grumbles. "And I bet you had to deal with centaurs."
"Yeah. 'Looting' from 'mobs' doesn't really cut it anymore, that's for certain." Catava laughs. "At the moment, the family's only income is the tavern and Deborah's Seraphing. Hey, what Vigil? Most Vigil members spend all their time doing Vigil things, don't you think they'd get paid? And no, I veiled us."
"If I haven't yet, I won't ask," Kasmeer replies. "I really don't like asking for things like that, you know? I'm not going to say 'oh, General Almorra, I really need some money and we were thinking that the Vigil people get paid so, can I have some money?' Uh, no. No way am I doing that. Especially what if that's not how it works?"
"Alright, you kittening recruits!" DeGlasse's voice bellows. "Today is you kittens first real day of kittening Seraph training. It's be kittening rough. Brutal. For your kittening profession, anyway. It is kittening sorted by profession type. First test; your kittening intelligence. Soldiers, line up in front of me."
Kai Karkasonne, along with Ado Iwai, Nadia Lettieri, and Sandra DiBona instantly step into formation.
"Scholars behind me!" DeGlasse snaps.
Anil Topux, Enrico Pickard, Tate Reisdorf, and Ebru Kountz form up behind DeGlasse. An instant behind them is Catava, along with Orva Heimbach.
"Adventurers, line up beside me!" DeGlasse continues.
The last one is glaringly obvious. Unless you didn't know there were only three types. Kasmeer steps forward with Von Ffeldy, Dominick Garret, Loris Capaldo, Fulvia Santini, Ibu May, Johan Leng, and Nu'ma Kamara.
Kasmeer represses a smile as she sees four other rangers and only two of most other professions.
"Alright, you kittens know your kittening types," DeGlasse rumbles. "Scholarly kittens with Miss Fiero. Soldier kittens with me. Adventuring kittens, meet Seraph Temir Sattar, that's sir, Seraph Sattar, SIR to you kittens!"
"Yes sir, mesmer DeGlasse, SIR!" the recruits chorus.
The profession types split formation to stand by their mentioned Seraph person. Nobody knows yet what for.
Kasmeer makes eye contact with Catava, who does her sound-bubble thing.
"Don't drop our illusions, however taxing the mental drain!" Kasmeer tells Catava, before their respective Seraph march them down the hall, splitting off at different doorways.
Kasmeer's group is led into an area that is like an obstacle course. As soon as the whistle goes, she is running through. It is not a hard obstacle course, by any means - all the recruits complete it easily. No, what Kasmeer finds when Seraph Sattar blew the whistle again, is that the course is meant to tire you out at a steady rate.
However, the ranger pets are not allowed in the obstacle course. Due to her advanced connection with Beorn, he can lend her strength occasionally, allowing her to go longer than most of the others. After three rounds, Ffeldy drops out, exhausted. Then the others start going.
The last still running laps around the course are the five rangers, drawing strength from their companions to varying degrees, depending on how advanced their bond is. Kasmeer has an advantage in that she is older than most of them, and is used to draining combat, and that the pair are used to drawing strength from each other - both ways - but she only goes for two more rounds after the last other ranger drops out.
"You need to be more resilient than that," Seraph Satter snaps. "The Seraph can't have weaklings like you lot on duty. Go it again! Push yourselves! Tire yourselves out! And you rangers there, don't expect your companions to be left out of the chase for long! When in combat you'll both be fighting." Seraph Sattar blows the whistle again.
Kasmeer hauls herself to her feet.
"I don't care how slow you go, just do it!" Seraph Satter shouts. "Use whatever tricks up your sleeves you've got, I don't care!"
Kasmeer gets through the obstacle course several more times, going slower each time. She gets a cramp in her side, but she doggedly keeps on, getting more and more tired each lap. She'd been places where she had to keep walking. Keep going. Keep going. Here, she has an advantage. This might be the adventurer group, and most of them had known they had an affinity for their profession early on, but they are used to waypointing everywhere.
Kasmeer might have gotten soft in the three or four months since she came to Tyria, but life-long habits of walking everywhere have not died. She keeps on.
Still, the rangers go longer than the others. Their companions are cheering them on from the sidelines, giving them morale, strength, and most of all, the will to keep going.
After an hour of this, Seraph Sattar not letting any of them stop until they drop, the obstacle course has an added level of difficulty in going around the exhausted recruits who had dropped in the middle of the course.
At the beginning of the day, it had been a race. Now four of the rangers trudge on, side by side, wearily forcing themselves to take another step. The other, Fulvia Santini, is passed out from overexertion, heat, and other factors. Like pride, having tried to go faster for the show of the thing.
Off to the side, the animal companions are lying down as if sleeping, but really seeping energy slowly into their companions.
Kasmeer's disguise flickers briefly. In another part of the Academy, so does Catava's. Catava immediately drops out of the scholar's endurance training, instead focusing on the illusions.
Dominick Garret and Nu'ma Kamara, the two thieves, had shadowstepped their way through the course for a long while, but eventually they, too, grew tired. Von Ffeldy had dropped long, long, long before.
The four rangers continue, matching each other pace for pace.
Then Beorn gets an idea. He strains to recall a familiar melody with a rousing beat from Kasmeer's shared recollections. But the bond has not increased to that capacity yet, to share memories. So he goes with See You Again - Catava had replayed his memorial during that one night of catching up.
He simulates the beat by pulsing dim beats of energy, coupling it with the emotions the song invokes in Kasmeer, pulsing it as well. The emotion is to trigger her subconscious to remember and know the beat even if he misses it now and again.
Kasmeer picks up her pace slightly, stepping to beat as is her habit. She is slow, and she only steps to every other beat, but she is going. After a little bit, Beorn stops pulsing energy, saving it up for when Kasmeer needs a burst of energy. But Kasmeer doggedly keeps on, stepping to the beat of the emotional pulsing coming from Beorn.
The emotional beat tugs at her heart and drags her relentlessly forward through the obstacle course. She can almost feel the beat in harmony with her heartbeat, loud and pounding in her ears with exhaustion. After a long, unknowing time, she recircles the obstacle course. She is one round ahead of the other rangers. Johan Leng is out.
Ibu May's pace turns odd, and Kasmeer guesses that she is stepping to a beat, too. Beorn quiets his pulsing, and Kasmeer uses her brain (that is bored as death! No, not bored as death, that one fanfic she'd written with real boredom*...) to figure out if she knows that beat. Ibu May is walking terribly slow. She walks slow for about five steps, pauses, goes more quickly, stopping occasionally.
Kasmeer's eyes narrow. She mentally says 'ding' for each step. ding, ding, ding, ding, ding ding ding, ding, dingding, ding... ding, ding... diiing... ding ding diiing ding, ding ding. She furrows her brow in concentration. She knows that beat. Beorn picks it up and pulses it to her, with a different emotion accompanying. He knows this song less, much less, but she loves this song. Only when it is simply the beat it's much harder to pick up.
'Fear Not This Night!' Kasmeer realizes. She glances at Ibu May's footsteps again, and, after a moment, places the melody. She falls in step with Ibu. Ibu glances at her tiredly, curiosity shining in her eyes. Beorn approaches Ibu's moa pet, and the melody comes more strongly through the connection. After a bit, the other ranger companions get in on the act, and soon the whole group is walking in step.
Then, Beorn's beat changes back to See You Again, a faster beat, and Kasmeer dutifully steps up. A moment later, the other rangers step up as well, their steps more uncertain, but with their companions matching Beorn and themselves matching Kasmeer, they become more sure. They know what this training is; endurance. And they want to learn this. There is no talking.
Seraph Sattar is watching them in amazement. Never had a batch of recruits done this. The companions are all staring at each other and the other animals intently, alert and ready, if tired.
The rangers trudge on, each foot landing at the same exact time, each foot doing the same tiny twisty maneuver before setting down again. At first the others had lagged briefly behind Miss Inafit's steps, but they are all even now.
The song has been run through thrice by now, and the animal companions and rangers all know the beat, if not the melody or lyrics.
This is the fastest beat that Beorn knows, so he keeps at it, rerunning the song through and through his mind, repeat and repeat, and pulsing emotion to Kasmeer.
Once in a while, an animal companion's head droops, and a ranger perks up ever so slightly.
After another half hour of this, even the animal companions' slowly recuperating energy can't keep up with the pace set by the song. Beorn slows it back to Fear Not This Night.
Seraph Sattar stares in awe as the three rangers stop their odd pace and pick up an even odder one, slow and with many pauses in the middle. Sattar can't predict any of it, and yet the three stay in perfect step.
Then, Loris Capaldo drops. It is down to Ibu May and Kasmeer Inafit. Kasmeer is spurred on by her love of the song, and so, presumably, is Ibu.
Kasmeer's eyelids are sagging. She is barely touching the beat anymore. Ibu is in the same situation.
Beorn and Ibu's companion stress the beat, adding their pulsing energy to it.
Seraph Sattar watches as the two recruits perk up in response to the energy, but each time, only enough for their feet to touch down at the exact same moment, rather than dragging.
Ibu's moa runs out of energy and slips into deep slumber. Ibu stumbles without her pet's loyal pulsing keeping her on track, and Ibu too tired to remember the beat. She sinks down on the ground, passing out in exhaustion.
Beorn pushes more energy in per pulse, keeping Kasmeer going, but soon his beat slows and only pulses faintly as he sleeps, the beat dinging on in his dreams. Kasmeer quickly tires without Beorn's aid, and not two minutes after Ibu, she, too, collapses in exhaustion.
Seraph Sattar checks the timer and number of rounds each recruit had completed. The thieves are normal. The one engineer had no base to measure on. The rangers are ahead, as normal, but Miss Inafit, Mr Capaldo, and Miss May had outstripped all the rest by... well, a lot.
Seraph Sattar employs his theif abilities to shadowstep each recruit one by one to the infirmary, where they would rest the whole day and all night, too. They won't wake. They are exhausted.
"You're late," the medic informs him.
"Look at these scores," Sattar tells her, handing her the sheet of paper. Jolie Neeser's eyebrows shoot up.
"Interesting," she comments. "I'll make sure they rest all they can today."
Beorn awakes with a jolt when Sattar shadowsteps Kasmeer away. He pushes the little bit of his energy into his little bit of magic, which amplifies it. He slowly feeds it over the connection, afraid for Kasmeer's health. However, he does not have much energy, and soon falls asleep again.
The next day, the recruits all awaken in their barracks, refreshed. They awaken one by one, slowly.
Kasmeer hears movement in a bunk closer to the door than hers, and on her side of the row of bunks, too. There is only one person in that area, that is Ibu May. She knows the names because there had been a forced meeting session - at least with those she shared a barracks with - last night. There are only eight in the female barracks, so it was easier-ish. But Kasmeer does not know them, besides their names. Except for Kai, whom she'd gotten to know a little.
"Ibu May?" she asks.
"Kasmeer Inafit?"
"Yes. Where do you know Fear Not This Night from?"
"A sylvari Firstborn, Dagonet, is a family friend. We made him teach it to us."
Kasmeer suppresses a snort of laughter. "You must be good friends, to get away with that."
"Oh, yes. He likes our family. How do you know the song?"
Kasmeer is quiet for a brief moment. "Someone sang it to us in a moment of victory, once. It was just the melody, but we were entranced. We learned the words later." Kasmeer does not elaborate. Ibu does not ask. 'I can't exactly tell her I heard it when helping Trahearne complete his Wyld Hunt. If she's friends with Dagonet, well, he knows Trahearne. If this leaked back to him... who knows. At least anything questionable as Kasmeer won't get out as Tiffany... except for those who know who I am.' "My sister knows it as - "
"Kasmeer Inafit!" Catava hisses. "We're not sisters, remember?"
"Right... what happened?" Tiffany wonders. "Why can't they hear us?"
"Silencing bubble and sound-carrying enchantments."
"Right. I'll be careful; drop it now."
"You better be," Catava warns. The enchantment drops.
To avert attention from her abrupt stop in the middle of a word - at least to Ibu's ears - Kasmeer asks a question.
"What is your companion's name?"
"Momo. Yours?"
"Beorn. Why?"
"Momo... well, we couldn't come up with a name for her. It's a play on the word 'moa.'"
"Oh, I see."
"What about yours? Beorn?" Ibu seems curious
"I named Beorn..." Kasmeer stifles a laugh into her pillow. 'I named him after the skin-changed in the Hobbit. I can't believe I did that. I wanted to change it, but now I wouldn't for the world. It was because I had no other assosciations with bears. I am absolutely hilarious.' "It was a play on his species, as well. Bear. Beorn." 'Well, it was! Because Beorn in the Hobbit could turn into a bear more thoroughly than any norn. And who knows, maybe J. R. R. Tolkien named Beorn the skin-changer that for the same reason. Heh.'
"We should ask the other rangers," Ibu remarks. "See how many names are because of their species."
"That we should."
Kasmeer and Ibu fall silent, and Catava reopens the sound network so they can talk privately.
"I almost lost our disguises halfway through yesterday," she confides. "I dropped out immediately."
"That's completely okay. Beorn played me music to keep me going."
Catava stifles a laugh. "I was therefore not as tired as most anybody else, and I've been bored all night."
"You could have sneaked Edge of Destiny out of my locker," Kasmeer grumbles. "We don't have much time for that anyway."
"The lockers open with hand-prints."
"Oh. Right. Well, nothing stopping us reading now, is there?"
"I'm hungry."
"So am I," Kasmeer admits. "But Miss Fiero hasn't even come to wake us up yet."
"I get the feeling it's different after exhausting training," Catava points out. "Grab the book and let's read. I'll make sure no one else sees."
Kasmeer carefully pops her locker open and pulls the book out. She shivers in excitement just looking at the concept art on the cover. Snaff isn't there (but he could be hiding behind Logan, who features prominently) and neither is Garm (but Eir is in the back, Garm could be hiding behind her or Rytlock), but Kasmeer loves the picture.
"Come on," Catava pleads. "And remember to read to me, and not to yourself out loud."
"Noted," Kasmeer agrees, and, flipping the book open, she begins to read.
""I'm Logan Thackeray. I protect those who are mine,"" Kasmeer reads. ""I'm Rytlock Brimstone," the charr shot back. "I kill those who aren't."
"I recognize your blade. Did you say Rurik Brimstone?"" Kasmeer laughs at Logan's question.
"I don't get it," Catava says, lost.
"Rytlock's sword, Sohothin, used to be Prince Rurik's sword. The charr and humans hate each other at that time - keep that in perspective. A charr wielding a human's sword would be rather offensive to the humans."
"I see," Catava nods.
"Aw, man, that's the end of the page, and it was just a teaser. Darn it. Oh well, it was hilarious. Now to real start of the story!"
Kasmeer sighs. 'the Edge of Destiny! I'm reading it right now! I can't believe this!' "I'm guessing this is a Tyrian book. I mean, it won't have all sorts of thigs like publication date, I'm guessing. Or the mention of Guild Wars as a game."
"Probably," Catava agrees.
"Ooh, a Tyrian timeline!" Kasmeer notes, reading it aloud. "Oh, Ventari died in 1180 AE. Nice to know. That means... a hundred and twenty years from then to the sylvari awakening." she continues reading. "We know that the sylvari awoke in 1300 - sometimes the wiki says it was in 1302, but that's wrong. It says it right in the sylvari character creation - twenty-five years ago, my people sprouted from the Pale Tree - or something like that. And we know sylvari characters don't start out in 1327. Here, look: Thirteen nineteen AE: Eir Stegalkin forms a band of heros known as Destiny's Edge."
"Thirteen nineteen? Wasn't it thirteen twenty?" Catava checks.
"They disbanded in thirteen twenty, but they were together for a year before that," Kasmeer explains. "Oh, it's a map! It's of all of Tyria and doesn't have zone lines or anything, but it says where cities are, the Vigil Keep and the Durmand Priory, and stuff like that. You'll have to look it over later."
"I will. Now read the actual book!"
"Prologue: Dream and Nightmare. Ohh, this will be creepy." Kasmeer notes. A moment later: "Oh, it's about Caithe."
Kasmeer reads the chapter aloud avidly, relishing in the pure immersion the book offers, more so than one written on earth. The quirks of the characters she knows shine through the pages. Caithe's struggle against Faolain's enticing words draws a smile to Kasmeer's face as she gets to know her friend from six years ago.
"My touch - and the sacrifice of this man - have awakened darkness in you." she turned away. "You will be mine again soon."
Kasmeer shudders. "That sounds creepy. At least we know it didn't work."
"Really?"
"Well, she never joined the Nightmare Court," Kasmeer reasons. "But I still don't like Faolain."
"Right. Read on."
"That's the end of the chapter. Put a final gong of mystery to it, putting it at the end of a chapter. I wonder how..." Kasmeer flips the book over to look at the author. "Sangjo of Lion's Arch came to know these things. I don't think Caithe would have told him, but..."
Catava shrugs. "Oh well."
Just then the door opens quietly. Kasmeer slips the book under her blankets and pretends to be asleep. Catava cancels the sound enchantment.
"Is anyone awake?" Miss Fiero calls softly. Ibu May looks up from her bunk tiredly. Kasmeer pretends to be asleep, shifting in a half-awake dream. Catava shows more awareness, letting out a slurred "'m tryina sleeep..."
Fulvia Santini is sitting tiredly in her bunk as if she had just sat up. Nadia Lettieri is still conked out, as is Sandra DiBona, the next bunk down from Catava, and Kai. Orva Heimbach, on the other hand, is fully dressed already, sitting in her bunk boredly.
Kasmeer notices that those who are still out of it all have SOLDIER under their brass symbols, that only the SCHOLARs show any prepared sense of awakeness, and the ADVENTURERs are all somewhere in-between.
Miss Fiero nods as if this is expected. "Well, I'm sure those of you who are awake are hungry. When you're ready, come out into the female Common Room."
Fulvia Santini perks up at the mention of hunger (leading to the thought that perhaps they will be fed) and clambers out of her bunk with more speed. Orva Heimbach hops up and leaves the room. Kasmeer, to keep her show of having been asleep, lets Catava 'wake her up' gently.
As Kasmeer leaves the room, Kai stirrs. But she doesn't move after that.
In the female Common Room, Kasmeer and Catava take their assigned seats, also with a symbol and profession type tacked above their seat along with their bunk letters.
'I would have wanted to buy such a plaque - the ranger symbol with ADVENTURER beneath it - when I was still on earth,' Kasmeer notes. 'I roleplayed ranger so much... the one time I tried a longbow it surpassed all the shooting with Harrison's compound bow. And that feeling has just been enhanced since I came to Tyria. No compound bows for me! I don't think they have them in Tyria, anyway.'
A minute later, Miss Fiero comes into the female Common Room from the main hall. She gestures silently to follow her, and the recruits jump up.
In the dining hall, there is a very bland, but nutritious meal awaiting them. They are sent back to explore their barracks and Common Room more fully afterwards, but Tiffany and Fiona simply read the next chapter in Edge of Destiny.
"One. Fools and Followers," Kasmeer reads, the book once again disillusioned. Well, Catava calls it disillusioning, and Kasmeer doesn't protest. It really is disillusioning, not stealthing. Although maybe that's what stealthing is... 'It doesn't matter, stop thinking about it!' she returns her attention to the book and begins reading.
"He sat still because she was the alpha. Wow, Catava, that simple sentence just sounds super, somehow. It's just... I don't know. He sat still because she was the alpha."
"I like it, too," Catava agrees.
Kasmeer continues reading.
"...to declare war on the Dragonspawn."
Eir nodded. "You've come to the wrong place. I am not the Dragonspawn." Ooh, good one, Eir!"
Catava is smiling as well. Kasmeer reads on, through the hilarious debate before Eir agrees to sculpt the man's image. Her voice takes on an air of awe as Eir carves the statue.
Kasmeer stops, eyes wide, looking at the book. "Just reading that was awesome. I had no idea Eir did that level of sculpting! I thought she just did it for... I don't know, a hobby or something. But that! That is spectactular! Just reading it was awesome. I just - just wow."
"Yeah," Catava agrees, nodding fervently. "And the way you read it out loud was awesome, too."
Kasmeer starts reading again. She reads the other norn carrying the statue of their doomed friend to the market, she reads Eir's lament that he can not save anyone, even himself.
Catava listens avidly as Kasmeer's words sketch the scene from Garm's perspective, concerned about Eir not being able to sleep, and Eir's sketchings, not carving for a week. Kasmeer's words sketch Eir's waiting, her hushed tone and words with odd emphasis and tense sentences drawing Eir's anticipation accurately and engagingly, and both Seraph recruits lose themselves in the short few paragraphs. When the invasion cry rings through Hoelbrak, Eir picks up her weapons deftly, as if expecting it.
Kasmeer and Catava are Garm as he watches his alpha prepare for battle, stalwartly defending her home. The anticipation of battle is sketched in words, Eir taking charge of her small band of crafters, leading them to hold Hoelbrak from the Icebrood. Eir's strategic planning, telling which members of her team to do what, and what their best chances would be where. Providing information to her teammate whose eyesight was failing.
And then, her archery. Her arrows sailed through the air, vanishing in the darkness, and far, far off, Icebrood drop. Kasmeer's mouth drops open in amazement. "How does she aim from so far away?" she demands of her sister. "She couldn't even see her arrows after a bit, and still the Icebrood are killed? How - I don't - what?"
"She's Eir," Catava supplies simply.
"Right. She's Eir. That explains it," Kasmeer nods, without a trace of sarcasm. She fully agrees with Catava.
The other norn start shooting not long after, and shortly the Icebrood crash upon the defenses. Kasmeer and Catava are entranced as Eir applies her carving techniques to battle.
"She has the same weapon set I do," Kasmeer mentions. "Bow until it doesn't make any more sense, and then double axes."
The two girls are surprised when one of Eir's partners, Silas, falls in battle. Eir smashes the two Icebrood that killed him. Eir, covered in rage at the loss of her friend, lashes out at the nearby Icebrood, chopping them to pieces.
And then came an Icebrood once known as Sjord Frostfist, and Eir carved him to pieces. And that is how she fights the rest of the battle.
"When the battle was done, the defenders had prevailed. Even so, it seemed as if the Dragonspawn had won."
"Alright, recruits!" Miss Fiero shouts, as the last stragglers come in. "Come with me." She brings them to the room that the barracks branch off of, that Kasmeer has started mentally calling the Main Room. DeGlasse is waiting.
"I want you kittens sorted by profession." he informs them. The male recruits seem already sorted. "Rangers with Seraph Kalika Colandrea, mesmers with me, warriors with Seraph Gerdie Deese, guardians with Seraph Giusto Pagliaro, elementalists with Seraph Atalanta Fiero, thieves with Seraph Sattar, engineers with Head Chef Raspy, and necromancers with Seraph Reine Lenoir. It goes without question that you kittens should kittening address them properly, do you kittens' kittening ears work? You showed you were kittening smart yesterday, if I find any of you kittens stepping out of line you'll get the kittening edge of my kittening sword."
Kasmeer glances at Catava. 'I. Am. Sick. Of the word kitten! And I like kittens, too!' Beorn sends sympathizing feelings over the link.
Seraph Colandrea, a whitish-gray owl on her shoulder, leads the rangers down the hall, opens a door and leads them through.
It's like a ranger's playhouse. There are targets along one wall, an interactive obstacle course with centaurs scattered throughout (a permanent illusion, perhaps?), sparring arenas, a training battlefield for mock battles, and all of it is spaced to accomodate the animal companions, as well.
"We will not be using these, at first," Seraph Colandrea informs them. Her voice is very melodic. "Line up."
Four of the rangers face each other, with one on the end to make a U-shape. Seraph Colandrea stands in the spare spot, making an oval.
"What is the most important part of a ranger?"
The cacophany of voices lasts a split second. "What?" she asks. "Left to right, answer!"
Johan Leng quickly answers, "Torbern."
Loris Capaldo replies, "Anant."
"Claws," Fulvia Santini reports.
"Momo," Ibu May says.
"Beorn," Kasmeer responds.
"Right. You'll learn how to expand your bond today. No speaking out loud is allowed! You must communicate to your companions through the link. For the first session, you will be next to each other. Physical contact helps." Seraph Colandrea gestures towards an area that Kasmeer hadn't noticed before.
There are comfortable seats for humans, and varied devices for the animals to rest upon, as well, in close proximity to each other.
"Find a seat, make sure the one near it is compatible for your companion, and get comfortable," Seraph Colandrea informs them. She takes her own seat, which is in a position for her to see all the other seats, and all the other seats to see her, without any discomfort. There is a perch for her owl next to her, but he stays on her shoulder.
When all the rangers and their companions are settled, almost every one touching their companion in some way or other, be it with a hand resting on their companion's head, or one using the other as a pillow, or completely accidentally. The atmosphere is warm and homey, designed to invite relaxation and peace.
Seraph Colandrea takes a deep breath, eyes closed. The recruits mimic her, as do the companions. Kasmeer gets a feeling of warmth and home from Beorn.
The silence is silent, but comfortable. Nobody feels like breaking it. Kasmeer focuses on the feeling of Beorn's head in her lap, her hand on his head.
"Let me introduce you to Myst," Seraph Colandrea says in her breathy, soft, melodic tone. She is almost whispering.
Kasmeer opens her eyes reluctantly, looking at the ranger. The owl had flown down to land on the Seraph's knee, and she was stroking it. "Myst is my companion. As you can see, she is a curious color. White, or maybe gray, but certainly a mix. She looks like mist. So her name is Myst. She can fly up and scout things from afar, and her ears are excellent. She is a hybrid eagle and barn owl." she closes her eyes and breaths deeply again. The recruits mimic her. "Now, share something about your companion. It doesn't have to be much."
Ibu May starts. "My companion, a moa named Momo, is dear to my heart. My cousin, Cassie, owns a moa ranch, and my family visted her often when I was young. I fell in love with Momo then, and once, when I fell from a hay bale into the chicken pen and was hurt, Momo helped me heal, and rescued me from the angry chickens. That was when the bond started. I had other friends among the moas, as well, but Momo is my companion. Then, several months ago, centaurs attacked Shaemoor. By virtue of proximity, so was Cassie's ranch. I lost several moa friends, and I would have lost more if it were not for the Hero...s of Shaemoor. I decided then I would stop that to happening to more innocent young Krytans. I had a hard time convincing my parents, but here I am."
Kasmeer wonders at Ibu's hesitation in making Hero of Shaemoor plural, but dismisses it as Johan Leng speaks up.
"I have always been rather compassionate and caring, I suppose, and I have several friends out in the wild." Johan continues, "I never had a companion, though, until several days ago I met Torbern while testing for ranger. I fell in love with him at once, but I have not yet developed a connection."
"I grew up poor," Loris Capaldo begins. "I always lived hand-to-mouth. Most of the time, I didn't have a place to sleep. But Anant, my feline companion, was always around to help. When a meaner, bigger thug than I cornered me in an alleyway and injured me with his dagger, Anant was there to drive him off and heal me. Since then, he has been my guard and lookout, my assurance that I am safe. I have been his protector against those he has no defense against, and he knows he can come to me if he needs it. We relied on this bond when we were both in sticky situations, and the trust that we had one another built it up greatly."
Seraph Colandrea breaths deeply again. The recruits echo her, before Kasmeer begins her story.
"When I was very little, when I could barely walk, I was very compassionate. When my... when my sister would get hurt, I would go up to her and give her a hug. I was teased about this when I was older, but it was the only way I could show compassion, not being able to talk yet. My adoptive parents, curious, called an expert on little children. He just so happened to be a ranger, as well, and informed my parents that I probably had the aptitude. He brought me out into a forest and sat with me, explaining to me the wonders of nature. Drawn by his peaceful aura and his companion, wild animals approached us without fear. I became interested in Beorn, who was several feet away from me, and babbled baby-talk to him. He didn't seem to mind, and in fact seemed to like me back. When the ranger who brought me there, M - " Kasmeer pauses. 'This is Tiffany's story. I should at least change the name. Quick, ranger names? From books? Ranger.' " - Aragorn Dúnadan, tried to get to me, Beorn thought that Aragorn was a threat, and stood in front of me, defending me. He was calmed and brought home with me, where we tried to bond, but it didn't work. We were on the point of giving up when I fell down the stairs, and Beorn healed me, beginning the bond." Kasmeer gets an odd look every time she calls her mentor Aragorn. It's weird, Aragorn being sombody else's name. 'When I tell Catava about using Aragorn's name like that... she'll ask where the name 'Dúnadan' came from. Heh.'
Ibu May is staring at her. Well, into space, really. Kasmeer realizes she must be communicating with Momo.
"Claws is my companion," Fulvia Santini says. "I lived in Ebonhawke for some time, and my parents constantly warned me not to leave the city, because of the charr. Once, I left anyway, and was almost killed. Claws saved me. He's a devourer, and so the charr tried to capture him, but he didn't let them. He's a smart devourer, and I couldn't be happier to have him by my side."
"Now we all know each other's companions. Now, I want you to focus on your own companion. Feel the touch of them to you. Focus on that. Feel intensely, and try to communicate what you are feeling to your companion in as much detail as you can. Johan..."
Kasmeer closes her eyes and follows Seraph Colandrea's directions. She breaths deeply, focuses on the connection, and finds something to feel about. Her excitement over being in Tyria. Her surprise when she first met Trahearne. Her dread when she thought Beorn had died. Her optimistic view of Tyria's future, hopes and dreams of bringing Destiny's Edge together and forming the Pact. Beorn. Beorn. She can feel his head in her lap, her hand stroking his fur. She thinks of that. The feeling of having Beorn with her, not dead, but here. Even if he hadn't died. The realm of the empathic bond is unbounded, almost. But Beorn as a person, as her friend and companion... she communicates this to Beorn, feeling him. The feelings are so much more acute with physical touch than without.
Author's Notes:
How do you like it?
* The fanfiction I made a reference to is nowhere near being posted. To give you understanding, it follows Eir after she dies. She's in a nowhere-nothing land with nothing to look at, see, hear, do, feel. Only stuff to think. But she had no outer stimulation, not even feeling. So she would have been bored to death, literally, if she hadn't already been dead.
I said I wouldn't include any quotes from the book... but Eir's sculpting is just AWESOME I had to include it!