Nope! Still don't own!
"Now, come with me, girl," Flea ordered, standing and striding out of the room. Lyn hurried after her, wondering where they were going. As she followed Flea through the maze of stone hallways, Lyn heard the sharp sound of steel against steel mingled with the deep voice of the purple Mystic.
"NO, boy! By Lizard, have you listened to ANYTHING I've tried to teach you?" The voice became clearer as they neared, until Flea lead Lyn through a wooden door. Janus and Slash were fighting, apparently a practice duel. With a grow, Janus charged, sword held down and to his right. As he neared his teacher, the man began swinging his blade up. Almost lazily, Slash swung his sword down, blocking Janus' slash, and then he brought his sword up and over, stopping the blade less than an inch from the young man's neck. "You don't charge aggressively enough," he commented, not even breathing heavy.
"Yield," Janus snapped, waiting for the sword to move before wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Slash's sword swung in, slapping the boy across the arm with the flat of the blade. "You forgot to salute," he reprimanded, demonstrating with his own sword. Janus turned red and saluted.
"So, Flea, why did you bring her here?" Slash asked, sheathing his sword.
Flea shrugged languidly. "I wondered if you'd consent to teach her," she replied.
"Oh? And why, pray, would I want to do that?" Slash shot back, gauging Lyn with his eyes. She didn't seem too scared, mostly just stunned. It was probably worth a shot, at least.
"Even a mage should know SOMETHING about fighting," Flea said, one pink brow lifting.
"Humf," Slash grunted. "Boy, give her your sword, and stick around. I want you to see what she does wrong. Flea, get lost. I'll bring her back for lunch."
Flea left, and Lyn nervously took the sword Janus handed her. "Go stand there," Janus whispered, motioning to where he'd been a moment ago. Lyn numbly followed his order.
Slash glided to a stance opposite the human girl as she awkwardly lifted her sword. It fell naturally into a half-way decent guard position. Slash attacked at half-speed with a rather reckless overhand swing. To her credit, Lyn managed to get her sword up fast enough to block. The Mystic responded with a swooping downward side slash, which was again narrowly deflected. Lyn saw the opening, and lunged in, but she overextended herself when Slash spun away from the blade. He let her fall, resting the flat of his blade against her shoulder. She froze at the touch of cold steel at her neck. Then, to her surprise, a deep, rich chuckle filled the room, turning into surprised laughter.
"When have you ever held a sword, girl?" Slash asked, still laughing happily.
"Umm…er…I…haven't…er…sir…" Lyn stammered.
The sword snicked into the sheath, and Slash reached a hand down to lift Lyn to her feet. "Never, you say? And don't worry about the 'sir' in this room. Sensei, if you must give me a title. In here, I am a teacher, not a slave master, and you are a student, not a slave. I remember learning to fight. Don't let your anger master you, but don't be afraid to use it, and to show it. And get off the floor, girl! I'm not going to harm you."
Clumsily, Lyn allowed Slash to pull her to her feet, confused by his consideration. "Um…er…" Lyn mumbled, glancing around. "Uh, what did I miss?" she asked, finally able to put her thoughts together in a coherent manner.
Slash picked her sword from the ground and put it away in the rack. "Tell you what. We'll take some time off, and I'll let you ask any questions you have. Janus, you stick around too. You can ask too, and maybe even answer. Fact, you get the first one."
Janus nodded and sat down on the floor. "What you missed, Lyn, is Slash. He prefers to treat his students as people whenever he's given the chance."
"But…why?" Lyn asked, slowly slumping to the floor as well. Slash had already sat down, and he decided to answer this question.
"Like I said, I remember learning how to fight. It's hard enough without having to observe master/slave relationships as well. I'm training you for a battlefield. If I teach you here that your opponents are your master, then that conception will follow you into battle, and you won't be able to fight as well. And that is a terrible waste."
Lyn blinked, holding back tears. "What's going on here? What's expected of me? Why? What…?" she burst out, not even sure what she was asking.
Slash looked at her with real pity. "Janus, you explain. I am blind and deaf, and will be polishing my sword until you need me," he said wryly.
Janus nodded. He understood that Slash was giving him tact permission to do or say nearly anything. "Lyn. Hey, Lyn. Look at me," he ordered gently. Slowly, she looked at him, pain in her eyes. "Umm…" Janus faltered; he wasn't really sure how to handle this sort of situation. Then he remembered the bag Crabby had given him. "Here. Crabapple said to share this with you, and I guess now's as good a time as any," he said, emptying the bag and evenly splitting the food it contained. "Eat. That's probably all we'll get today. Normally I'd wait until bedtime, but…" The young mage shrugged slightly, acutely aware of Slash, who continued to ignore the two humans.
"Wh…what do you mean?" Lyn asked, very low.
"Crab's nice; she'll usually steal some food for me, but she can't take too much, so I don't often get more than one meal."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Why am I alive?"
Janus sighed at that one, then decided to give her the long answer. "You shouldn't be. Lady Flea tried to kill you, but I think the attack triggered latent magic of your own." A memory flashed in his mind; a young boy, with coldly delighted Imps surrounding him… He mentally shook himself. "Apparently you impressed her. You're supposed to learn magic, and now combat."
"But why?" Lyn's voice scared Janus. It was dead. He had a feeling that he wasn't answering her real question.
"You're supposed to be a Mystic now, Lyn."
"No. Never. I am not a…a monster like they are! Never!" she said, voice gaining strength.
"Lyn…you have to be. To survive…" Janus stopped, realizing that survival was a burden for Lyn, one that she was willing to throw away.
The icy look in her brown eyes as she glared and Janus confirmed his insight. "I. Will. Never. Change. I don't care! I don't want to survive, so why should I care?" she hissed.
"Lyn…" Janus started to say before the girl tackled him.
"SHUT UP! You're one of them!! Why should I listen to you! Just shut UP!!" she yelled, attacking him with a rage-increased strength. Janus was so stunned that he froze, the instincts Slash had worked so hard to install in him short-circuited.
The Mystic himself, however, was not frozen. He glided over in a blur, plucking Lyn off Janus and slamming her into the stone wall. He held her there a minute, careful not to harm her, as she clawed and kicked.
"LYN!" Slash snapped, slapping her cheek. "Don't act like this! Would your father want you to throw away your life just because you don't like it?"
The attack stopped, and Lyn looked up at the tall Mystic, a red mark growing on her cheek. "My father was killed on a scouting mission," she stated.
"Well then," Slash said, masking a grin, "Just think how proud he would be if you escaped and gave all our secrets to your king." He let his smile show. "Lucky for us you want to die as just another nameless slave, instead of living as a hero."
"What…?" Lyn asked, confused by the swordsman's words. "Heh. No, I don't want to die," she said, a grim sneer on her face.
"Oh?" Slash asked, surprise in his tone. "You were sure acting like it."
"Shut up and teach me how to fight."
*Shivers* Okay, that went somewhat differently then expected. Survivors guilt... Well, on to the reviewers! What, only two?? I feel so unliked! :)
Weiila! Got my email? Oh, yeah. EVERYBODY! I'm using Lizard, Warrior and Magician, compleat with histories, courtesy of Weiila!!
*All bow before her greatness* Thankies!!
Okay, Ollen70. Wow, nice comments! No trouble reviewing you! Have anything new? And don't worry, I'll expand on magic even more. I think...
And last: To all readers; feel free to email me if you want. Hey, if you're nice, I might even give you a clue about what's going to happen! And remember, review and get a free, personal answer right here, where everybody can read it! And I'll even read your stuff! Well, later! Kd Zeal, signing off!
"Now, come with me, girl," Flea ordered, standing and striding out of the room. Lyn hurried after her, wondering where they were going. As she followed Flea through the maze of stone hallways, Lyn heard the sharp sound of steel against steel mingled with the deep voice of the purple Mystic.
"NO, boy! By Lizard, have you listened to ANYTHING I've tried to teach you?" The voice became clearer as they neared, until Flea lead Lyn through a wooden door. Janus and Slash were fighting, apparently a practice duel. With a grow, Janus charged, sword held down and to his right. As he neared his teacher, the man began swinging his blade up. Almost lazily, Slash swung his sword down, blocking Janus' slash, and then he brought his sword up and over, stopping the blade less than an inch from the young man's neck. "You don't charge aggressively enough," he commented, not even breathing heavy.
"Yield," Janus snapped, waiting for the sword to move before wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Slash's sword swung in, slapping the boy across the arm with the flat of the blade. "You forgot to salute," he reprimanded, demonstrating with his own sword. Janus turned red and saluted.
"So, Flea, why did you bring her here?" Slash asked, sheathing his sword.
Flea shrugged languidly. "I wondered if you'd consent to teach her," she replied.
"Oh? And why, pray, would I want to do that?" Slash shot back, gauging Lyn with his eyes. She didn't seem too scared, mostly just stunned. It was probably worth a shot, at least.
"Even a mage should know SOMETHING about fighting," Flea said, one pink brow lifting.
"Humf," Slash grunted. "Boy, give her your sword, and stick around. I want you to see what she does wrong. Flea, get lost. I'll bring her back for lunch."
Flea left, and Lyn nervously took the sword Janus handed her. "Go stand there," Janus whispered, motioning to where he'd been a moment ago. Lyn numbly followed his order.
Slash glided to a stance opposite the human girl as she awkwardly lifted her sword. It fell naturally into a half-way decent guard position. Slash attacked at half-speed with a rather reckless overhand swing. To her credit, Lyn managed to get her sword up fast enough to block. The Mystic responded with a swooping downward side slash, which was again narrowly deflected. Lyn saw the opening, and lunged in, but she overextended herself when Slash spun away from the blade. He let her fall, resting the flat of his blade against her shoulder. She froze at the touch of cold steel at her neck. Then, to her surprise, a deep, rich chuckle filled the room, turning into surprised laughter.
"When have you ever held a sword, girl?" Slash asked, still laughing happily.
"Umm…er…I…haven't…er…sir…" Lyn stammered.
The sword snicked into the sheath, and Slash reached a hand down to lift Lyn to her feet. "Never, you say? And don't worry about the 'sir' in this room. Sensei, if you must give me a title. In here, I am a teacher, not a slave master, and you are a student, not a slave. I remember learning to fight. Don't let your anger master you, but don't be afraid to use it, and to show it. And get off the floor, girl! I'm not going to harm you."
Clumsily, Lyn allowed Slash to pull her to her feet, confused by his consideration. "Um…er…" Lyn mumbled, glancing around. "Uh, what did I miss?" she asked, finally able to put her thoughts together in a coherent manner.
Slash picked her sword from the ground and put it away in the rack. "Tell you what. We'll take some time off, and I'll let you ask any questions you have. Janus, you stick around too. You can ask too, and maybe even answer. Fact, you get the first one."
Janus nodded and sat down on the floor. "What you missed, Lyn, is Slash. He prefers to treat his students as people whenever he's given the chance."
"But…why?" Lyn asked, slowly slumping to the floor as well. Slash had already sat down, and he decided to answer this question.
"Like I said, I remember learning how to fight. It's hard enough without having to observe master/slave relationships as well. I'm training you for a battlefield. If I teach you here that your opponents are your master, then that conception will follow you into battle, and you won't be able to fight as well. And that is a terrible waste."
Lyn blinked, holding back tears. "What's going on here? What's expected of me? Why? What…?" she burst out, not even sure what she was asking.
Slash looked at her with real pity. "Janus, you explain. I am blind and deaf, and will be polishing my sword until you need me," he said wryly.
Janus nodded. He understood that Slash was giving him tact permission to do or say nearly anything. "Lyn. Hey, Lyn. Look at me," he ordered gently. Slowly, she looked at him, pain in her eyes. "Umm…" Janus faltered; he wasn't really sure how to handle this sort of situation. Then he remembered the bag Crabby had given him. "Here. Crabapple said to share this with you, and I guess now's as good a time as any," he said, emptying the bag and evenly splitting the food it contained. "Eat. That's probably all we'll get today. Normally I'd wait until bedtime, but…" The young mage shrugged slightly, acutely aware of Slash, who continued to ignore the two humans.
"Wh…what do you mean?" Lyn asked, very low.
"Crab's nice; she'll usually steal some food for me, but she can't take too much, so I don't often get more than one meal."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Why am I alive?"
Janus sighed at that one, then decided to give her the long answer. "You shouldn't be. Lady Flea tried to kill you, but I think the attack triggered latent magic of your own." A memory flashed in his mind; a young boy, with coldly delighted Imps surrounding him… He mentally shook himself. "Apparently you impressed her. You're supposed to learn magic, and now combat."
"But why?" Lyn's voice scared Janus. It was dead. He had a feeling that he wasn't answering her real question.
"You're supposed to be a Mystic now, Lyn."
"No. Never. I am not a…a monster like they are! Never!" she said, voice gaining strength.
"Lyn…you have to be. To survive…" Janus stopped, realizing that survival was a burden for Lyn, one that she was willing to throw away.
The icy look in her brown eyes as she glared and Janus confirmed his insight. "I. Will. Never. Change. I don't care! I don't want to survive, so why should I care?" she hissed.
"Lyn…" Janus started to say before the girl tackled him.
"SHUT UP! You're one of them!! Why should I listen to you! Just shut UP!!" she yelled, attacking him with a rage-increased strength. Janus was so stunned that he froze, the instincts Slash had worked so hard to install in him short-circuited.
The Mystic himself, however, was not frozen. He glided over in a blur, plucking Lyn off Janus and slamming her into the stone wall. He held her there a minute, careful not to harm her, as she clawed and kicked.
"LYN!" Slash snapped, slapping her cheek. "Don't act like this! Would your father want you to throw away your life just because you don't like it?"
The attack stopped, and Lyn looked up at the tall Mystic, a red mark growing on her cheek. "My father was killed on a scouting mission," she stated.
"Well then," Slash said, masking a grin, "Just think how proud he would be if you escaped and gave all our secrets to your king." He let his smile show. "Lucky for us you want to die as just another nameless slave, instead of living as a hero."
"What…?" Lyn asked, confused by the swordsman's words. "Heh. No, I don't want to die," she said, a grim sneer on her face.
"Oh?" Slash asked, surprise in his tone. "You were sure acting like it."
"Shut up and teach me how to fight."
*Shivers* Okay, that went somewhat differently then expected. Survivors guilt... Well, on to the reviewers! What, only two?? I feel so unliked! :)
Weiila! Got my email? Oh, yeah. EVERYBODY! I'm using Lizard, Warrior and Magician, compleat with histories, courtesy of Weiila!!
*All bow before her greatness* Thankies!!
Okay, Ollen70. Wow, nice comments! No trouble reviewing you! Have anything new? And don't worry, I'll expand on magic even more. I think...
And last: To all readers; feel free to email me if you want. Hey, if you're nice, I might even give you a clue about what's going to happen! And remember, review and get a free, personal answer right here, where everybody can read it! And I'll even read your stuff! Well, later! Kd Zeal, signing off!
