The Legend of Talon
Chapter 3
"Talon, wake up! Your day is over!" The voice came nearby, and Talon's eyes snapped open. He was on the ground, and he had been sleeping. The Arestolite stood over him. "Did you find your protective mood?" Talon shook his head. "Hm. I guess then, that it must have been tranquility. Once you fell asleep, your mind was at so much peace that the stasis field disabled altogether! Amazing…now watch this!" The Arestolite pulled his arm back, put it into the air, and slammed it downwards. When it came down, it burst in to blue flames.
"Hey, wait a minute-" Talon began. But the Arestolite just smiled. Then, he hauled his fist back, and threw a mighty punch. It hit Talon straight in the chest. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain – but it didn't come. Upon opening his eyes, he realized the Arestolite had hit him with full force. He was astonished. "Whoa!! That was amazing! I barely felt that at all!"
The Arestolite grinned wider. "Of course you didn't. You just spent 18 hours in stasis. You have the endurance of a brick wall…no, more than that. You have the endurance of a block of steel!"
Talon grinned and punched himself in the stomach. His eyes began to water and he grimaced in pain. "OW!!! How come I felt that?"
The Arestolite grinned. "You also have unimaginable strength. You will find a Fallen to be like an ant to you now…you could flick your sword at him, and he would simply fall to the ground…in two pieces."
A glazed sort of look came over Talon's eyes. "My sword…it is still on Plague, with my body…is there any way I can get it back?"
"No. We can easily forge you a new one, one with unimaginable power – "
"No. My blade cannot be remade. It has the power of my father's sacrifice on it…" His eyes watered like overflowing wells at the thought of his father. "His name was Dorgan. He died to protect me from Leif. That sword had his power upon it. It was what reminded me of him, fighting side by side with me in battle."
"You say your father died in battle protecting you. What of your mother? What became of her?"
"Forced into slavery by that accursed Leif. How I hate him."
"The Arestolite patted him on the back. "There will be a day when Leif will die. Both worlds will rejoice. Yours and mine. But until that day, you will have to use that hate as your own power. You can turn that into more of a reason to put effort into training."
"You're right. I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Back to the subject, you will need a new sword. I gave the order for one to be forged immediately after I put you in stasis. Here." He handed Talon a sword that was an exact replica of Talon's own sword, back on Plague. "It may not have the power of your father's sacrifice on it. But it does have the power of the force of Light. It was made in the forges of Heaven using Arestolite flame. You will never find a better forged sword."
Talon slashed it a few times. "It seems lighter than mine. I wonder why," he said sarcastically. "It's a fine blade. I thank you."
"No problem, everyone we've ever trained here has been given one. Come, we must report to the battle hall so you can fight one of our mages." He walked out of the small room. Talon followed him apprehensively, lost in thought about the fight. A memory from long ago came flowing back to him.
Talon looked at the Arestolite. "Do you know a man named Barda? He is back on Plague and has a sword identical to mine."
The Arestolite looked up, lost in thought. "I'd have to check with my superiors, but no, I don't believe that a man named Barda has ever come through here. I will ask, though."
Talon looked frustrated. "I've always wanted to know where he got it. It has preyed on my mind since the day I first saw him with it."
They were silent the rest of the way, except when Talon asked about a sword on display in one of the rooms they passed through. "Ever hear the story about the sword in the stone?" here Talon had nodded. "Same concept. It is said that the one who can pull the sword from the stone is the Chosen one. If we ever find him, he gets top priority on reincarnation, and gets to keep his body." When Talon approached the stone, the Arestolite pulled him on to the next room, promising that they would return.
Finally, the pair stepped into a large white room, much like all the other rooms, but this one was much bigger, and there was a large window to Talon's right. The window was tinted, but Talon's sharp eyes caught a row of Arestolites. He could not see much more. His eyes flickered across the room, and his eyes fell on a man standing in on the opposite end of the room. The man seemed to me much older than he, seeming to be in the lower thirties to Talon. The man was leaning against the wall casually, his eyes wandering, until they fell upon Talon. When those sharp blue eyes fell upon him, Talon felt a shiver shoot down his spine. The Arestolite slapped him on the back. "That's your opponent, one of our best mages. This is where I leave you, Talon. Good luck. I will be watching."
Then he seemed to vanish. Talon approached the man cautiously, still cowering under the powerful glare of his sharp blue eyes. Once he reached the man, he drew himself up to his full height, realizing the man was also a foot taller than he, and extended his hand. The man's eyes widened and flickered from Talon's hand and back to his grinning face.
"I'm Talon, your opponent." Talon said, extending his hand again. "May the best man win."
The man looked at him like he was insane, then slowly took Talon's extended hand and firmly shook it. "I'm Wayne. Good luck to you as well."
Talon then backed away to the other side of the room, near where he had entered. He swiped his wild blonde hair from his eyes, unsheathed his sword, and prepared himself for battle. Across the room, Wayne simply stood up straight and took a deep breath. Then, a voice came from an intercom in the wall.
"Fighters, there are three rules. First, do not attempt to kill your opponent. They cannot die again, and will only experience immense pain until we can get a medic in there. Second, you must not touch the window on the side of the room in any way. The fight will restart, and one person will receive healing. Last, the first to become unconscious loses. You may begin."
Talon tensed, waiting for Wayne to make his move. Wayne, however, was doing nothing. He had his eyes closed. He's mocking me, Talon thought. He gave a roar of anger and charged at his opponent.
It was one of the biggest mistakes he ever made. Inside, his Arestolite slapped his forehead, if you can call it that, and groaned. "Never, never, never, never, NEVER pull the first move on a mage." He looked at the floor and shook his head.
When Talon was about halfway across the room, he leaped putting his sword high in the air, and brought it down on his opponent. But right before the blade hit him straight in the shoulder, Wayne opened his eyes, leapt aside, and put out his hand. There was a blue glow for a moment, then and icicle formed in his hand. Another formed in his other hand. His blue eyes had an eerie glow about them as he flung the icicles directly at Talon, who dodged the first easily and knocked the second away with his sword. He turned to Wayne.
"Ice magic, eh?" Talon grinned. He leaned the sword across his front in a parry. "Bring it on."
"No, I don't think so. I think its time -" like, the Arestolite, he put his fist into the air and slammed it down, where it burst into flames. Wayne closed his eyes and focused, and the flames became fireballs in his hands. "to heat things up."
Talon saw the flames and grinned. Back at the Trainer's stronghold with Master Tang, level three was a weak fire mage. He would defeat Wayne the same way. He waited.
Wayne made his move. He clasped his hands together to form a gun, and his hands burst into flames. Talon panicked then. He had seen the spell before, but it had never been used on him. It was the next level of fire attack. Talon prepared to block it with his sword.
Wayne grinned. "FIRA!" He was shot into the wall as a gigantic flame burst from his fingertips, heading straight for Talon, who was tensed up, ready to hit it away. Talon came at the perfect moment. He jumped forward and swung his sword sideways at it. It connected perfectly with the very head of the blast, but something strange happened. The flames did not change direction. They began to circle around his sword. They circled closer and closer, until they seemed to sink into the sword and the sword itself burst into flame. Talon was overjoyed. He had heard of enchanted blades but had never seen one, let alone owned or used one. Talon swung his flaming sword, realizing it had the power of a Fira spell whenever he swung it. His eyes fell upon Wayne, who had collapsed to the floor from hitting the wall. He was on one knee, wiping a trickle of blood from his lips.
I shouldn't hit him. One of the main rules for Trainers is, after all, "Never hit a man when he's down." Talon thought. The thought cost him dearly. At that moment, Wayne lashed out with a weak Fire spell. It struck Talon in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, causing extreme pain, and giving him gigantic burn spots.
"I'll get you for that!" Talon shouted angrily. He leaped at Wayne, his flaming sword high in the air. He brought it down with the flat of the sword going at Wayne, but he was moving –
He wasn't fast enough. The flat of the blade smacked against the back of his head in a swordslap, burning his head and neck to a crisp. He did not die, but was grievously wounded and passed out. Talon stuck his blade into the ground and flung himself beside it, breathing heavily, nursing his wounds.
Then came a whoop of joy and there was a flash of blue light. His Arestolite appeared next to him and helped him up. He was overjoyed. "You did it! You did so well! The Board is impressed as well. Not many people would pull the first move on a mage." His eyes fell to Talon's sword. "And this…this is a blade with power beyond imagination. You did perfectly, Talon! Few would think to enchant their blade with an enemy Fira spell!" he grinned.
The Board appeared. A red Arestolite stepped forward. "I am the Director." He extended a hand, which Talon took. "Congratulations on your victory. That was a great fight. Few have done as well as you. If there is any favor you would like to ask of us, name it." Talon thought for a moment, and then something lit up in the back of his mind.
"Yes. Do you know of a man named Barda? He is a dear friend of mine, and –"
"And one of the best people we've trained. Barda defeated the mage with one attack. It had a strange name. I believe it was…Banishing Blade. Yes, that is it."
Talon's eyes widened. "I knew it! I had always wondered where he got his blade, which was identical to mine." He looked at the ground and shook his head. "So the fool died when he left the stronghold to train, did he?" The red Arestolite nodded.
"Yes. His Arestolite slacked off. But it came to good cause. He was the fourth to draw the sword from the stone, if you'll forgive the cliché."
Talon jumped in surprise. "BARDA pulled it from the stone?" He broke out laughing. "No. Not Barda. He's too much of a joker. These noble types are supposed to be all serious and quiet."
"No, not Barda. We know he was a joker. It is true."
Talon thought for a moment. "Another favor?"
"Anything."
"I would like to try my hand at the sword."
The Arestolites all exchanged nervous glances. "Yes. Yes, I suppose so. Come."
They all began to walk until they reached the room with the sword. The Arestolites circled around as Talon stepped onto the threshold. He put his hands on the hilt of the sword, as if feeling it. His grip tightened, and everyone drew in their breath. He tensed his muscles, planted his feet into the ground, and hauled with all his strength.
He needn't have bothered. The sword let loose of the stone with ease, and Talon was knocked off balance. When he stood up again, all jaws had dropped as he held the holy sword high into the air.
"My god," said the Director. "We've got another one."
Chapter 3
"Talon, wake up! Your day is over!" The voice came nearby, and Talon's eyes snapped open. He was on the ground, and he had been sleeping. The Arestolite stood over him. "Did you find your protective mood?" Talon shook his head. "Hm. I guess then, that it must have been tranquility. Once you fell asleep, your mind was at so much peace that the stasis field disabled altogether! Amazing…now watch this!" The Arestolite pulled his arm back, put it into the air, and slammed it downwards. When it came down, it burst in to blue flames.
"Hey, wait a minute-" Talon began. But the Arestolite just smiled. Then, he hauled his fist back, and threw a mighty punch. It hit Talon straight in the chest. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain – but it didn't come. Upon opening his eyes, he realized the Arestolite had hit him with full force. He was astonished. "Whoa!! That was amazing! I barely felt that at all!"
The Arestolite grinned wider. "Of course you didn't. You just spent 18 hours in stasis. You have the endurance of a brick wall…no, more than that. You have the endurance of a block of steel!"
Talon grinned and punched himself in the stomach. His eyes began to water and he grimaced in pain. "OW!!! How come I felt that?"
The Arestolite grinned. "You also have unimaginable strength. You will find a Fallen to be like an ant to you now…you could flick your sword at him, and he would simply fall to the ground…in two pieces."
A glazed sort of look came over Talon's eyes. "My sword…it is still on Plague, with my body…is there any way I can get it back?"
"No. We can easily forge you a new one, one with unimaginable power – "
"No. My blade cannot be remade. It has the power of my father's sacrifice on it…" His eyes watered like overflowing wells at the thought of his father. "His name was Dorgan. He died to protect me from Leif. That sword had his power upon it. It was what reminded me of him, fighting side by side with me in battle."
"You say your father died in battle protecting you. What of your mother? What became of her?"
"Forced into slavery by that accursed Leif. How I hate him."
"The Arestolite patted him on the back. "There will be a day when Leif will die. Both worlds will rejoice. Yours and mine. But until that day, you will have to use that hate as your own power. You can turn that into more of a reason to put effort into training."
"You're right. I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Back to the subject, you will need a new sword. I gave the order for one to be forged immediately after I put you in stasis. Here." He handed Talon a sword that was an exact replica of Talon's own sword, back on Plague. "It may not have the power of your father's sacrifice on it. But it does have the power of the force of Light. It was made in the forges of Heaven using Arestolite flame. You will never find a better forged sword."
Talon slashed it a few times. "It seems lighter than mine. I wonder why," he said sarcastically. "It's a fine blade. I thank you."
"No problem, everyone we've ever trained here has been given one. Come, we must report to the battle hall so you can fight one of our mages." He walked out of the small room. Talon followed him apprehensively, lost in thought about the fight. A memory from long ago came flowing back to him.
Talon looked at the Arestolite. "Do you know a man named Barda? He is back on Plague and has a sword identical to mine."
The Arestolite looked up, lost in thought. "I'd have to check with my superiors, but no, I don't believe that a man named Barda has ever come through here. I will ask, though."
Talon looked frustrated. "I've always wanted to know where he got it. It has preyed on my mind since the day I first saw him with it."
They were silent the rest of the way, except when Talon asked about a sword on display in one of the rooms they passed through. "Ever hear the story about the sword in the stone?" here Talon had nodded. "Same concept. It is said that the one who can pull the sword from the stone is the Chosen one. If we ever find him, he gets top priority on reincarnation, and gets to keep his body." When Talon approached the stone, the Arestolite pulled him on to the next room, promising that they would return.
Finally, the pair stepped into a large white room, much like all the other rooms, but this one was much bigger, and there was a large window to Talon's right. The window was tinted, but Talon's sharp eyes caught a row of Arestolites. He could not see much more. His eyes flickered across the room, and his eyes fell on a man standing in on the opposite end of the room. The man seemed to me much older than he, seeming to be in the lower thirties to Talon. The man was leaning against the wall casually, his eyes wandering, until they fell upon Talon. When those sharp blue eyes fell upon him, Talon felt a shiver shoot down his spine. The Arestolite slapped him on the back. "That's your opponent, one of our best mages. This is where I leave you, Talon. Good luck. I will be watching."
Then he seemed to vanish. Talon approached the man cautiously, still cowering under the powerful glare of his sharp blue eyes. Once he reached the man, he drew himself up to his full height, realizing the man was also a foot taller than he, and extended his hand. The man's eyes widened and flickered from Talon's hand and back to his grinning face.
"I'm Talon, your opponent." Talon said, extending his hand again. "May the best man win."
The man looked at him like he was insane, then slowly took Talon's extended hand and firmly shook it. "I'm Wayne. Good luck to you as well."
Talon then backed away to the other side of the room, near where he had entered. He swiped his wild blonde hair from his eyes, unsheathed his sword, and prepared himself for battle. Across the room, Wayne simply stood up straight and took a deep breath. Then, a voice came from an intercom in the wall.
"Fighters, there are three rules. First, do not attempt to kill your opponent. They cannot die again, and will only experience immense pain until we can get a medic in there. Second, you must not touch the window on the side of the room in any way. The fight will restart, and one person will receive healing. Last, the first to become unconscious loses. You may begin."
Talon tensed, waiting for Wayne to make his move. Wayne, however, was doing nothing. He had his eyes closed. He's mocking me, Talon thought. He gave a roar of anger and charged at his opponent.
It was one of the biggest mistakes he ever made. Inside, his Arestolite slapped his forehead, if you can call it that, and groaned. "Never, never, never, never, NEVER pull the first move on a mage." He looked at the floor and shook his head.
When Talon was about halfway across the room, he leaped putting his sword high in the air, and brought it down on his opponent. But right before the blade hit him straight in the shoulder, Wayne opened his eyes, leapt aside, and put out his hand. There was a blue glow for a moment, then and icicle formed in his hand. Another formed in his other hand. His blue eyes had an eerie glow about them as he flung the icicles directly at Talon, who dodged the first easily and knocked the second away with his sword. He turned to Wayne.
"Ice magic, eh?" Talon grinned. He leaned the sword across his front in a parry. "Bring it on."
"No, I don't think so. I think its time -" like, the Arestolite, he put his fist into the air and slammed it down, where it burst into flames. Wayne closed his eyes and focused, and the flames became fireballs in his hands. "to heat things up."
Talon saw the flames and grinned. Back at the Trainer's stronghold with Master Tang, level three was a weak fire mage. He would defeat Wayne the same way. He waited.
Wayne made his move. He clasped his hands together to form a gun, and his hands burst into flames. Talon panicked then. He had seen the spell before, but it had never been used on him. It was the next level of fire attack. Talon prepared to block it with his sword.
Wayne grinned. "FIRA!" He was shot into the wall as a gigantic flame burst from his fingertips, heading straight for Talon, who was tensed up, ready to hit it away. Talon came at the perfect moment. He jumped forward and swung his sword sideways at it. It connected perfectly with the very head of the blast, but something strange happened. The flames did not change direction. They began to circle around his sword. They circled closer and closer, until they seemed to sink into the sword and the sword itself burst into flame. Talon was overjoyed. He had heard of enchanted blades but had never seen one, let alone owned or used one. Talon swung his flaming sword, realizing it had the power of a Fira spell whenever he swung it. His eyes fell upon Wayne, who had collapsed to the floor from hitting the wall. He was on one knee, wiping a trickle of blood from his lips.
I shouldn't hit him. One of the main rules for Trainers is, after all, "Never hit a man when he's down." Talon thought. The thought cost him dearly. At that moment, Wayne lashed out with a weak Fire spell. It struck Talon in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, causing extreme pain, and giving him gigantic burn spots.
"I'll get you for that!" Talon shouted angrily. He leaped at Wayne, his flaming sword high in the air. He brought it down with the flat of the sword going at Wayne, but he was moving –
He wasn't fast enough. The flat of the blade smacked against the back of his head in a swordslap, burning his head and neck to a crisp. He did not die, but was grievously wounded and passed out. Talon stuck his blade into the ground and flung himself beside it, breathing heavily, nursing his wounds.
Then came a whoop of joy and there was a flash of blue light. His Arestolite appeared next to him and helped him up. He was overjoyed. "You did it! You did so well! The Board is impressed as well. Not many people would pull the first move on a mage." His eyes fell to Talon's sword. "And this…this is a blade with power beyond imagination. You did perfectly, Talon! Few would think to enchant their blade with an enemy Fira spell!" he grinned.
The Board appeared. A red Arestolite stepped forward. "I am the Director." He extended a hand, which Talon took. "Congratulations on your victory. That was a great fight. Few have done as well as you. If there is any favor you would like to ask of us, name it." Talon thought for a moment, and then something lit up in the back of his mind.
"Yes. Do you know of a man named Barda? He is a dear friend of mine, and –"
"And one of the best people we've trained. Barda defeated the mage with one attack. It had a strange name. I believe it was…Banishing Blade. Yes, that is it."
Talon's eyes widened. "I knew it! I had always wondered where he got his blade, which was identical to mine." He looked at the ground and shook his head. "So the fool died when he left the stronghold to train, did he?" The red Arestolite nodded.
"Yes. His Arestolite slacked off. But it came to good cause. He was the fourth to draw the sword from the stone, if you'll forgive the cliché."
Talon jumped in surprise. "BARDA pulled it from the stone?" He broke out laughing. "No. Not Barda. He's too much of a joker. These noble types are supposed to be all serious and quiet."
"No, not Barda. We know he was a joker. It is true."
Talon thought for a moment. "Another favor?"
"Anything."
"I would like to try my hand at the sword."
The Arestolites all exchanged nervous glances. "Yes. Yes, I suppose so. Come."
They all began to walk until they reached the room with the sword. The Arestolites circled around as Talon stepped onto the threshold. He put his hands on the hilt of the sword, as if feeling it. His grip tightened, and everyone drew in their breath. He tensed his muscles, planted his feet into the ground, and hauled with all his strength.
He needn't have bothered. The sword let loose of the stone with ease, and Talon was knocked off balance. When he stood up again, all jaws had dropped as he held the holy sword high into the air.
"My god," said the Director. "We've got another one."