This chapter has a little more swearing in it than usual near the end. It was 3 am and I was tired. Might go back and change a handful of things, but for the time being, I'm content. ^^ I hope you enjoy it, it has a little more humor in it than usual.
Reviewing first, though.
Thunder of Life: Thanks for reviewing! :3 And quotes from Warlic are welcome! ^^ Thank you so much, and I'm glad it inspired someone! :) And here's the next chapter. ^^
Now, dear readers, please enjoy. :3
My dark blue eyes opened again.
I withheld a sigh as I raised up in my bed, lightly resting my forearms on my sheet-covered knees and looking out the window that was right above my head. The sky was a sorry sort of dull grayish color, but just at the edge of the wooden window frame I could see the faint tint of pinks and oranges, barely there. Dawn had come again, and again I had not slept. It had been a week since my last encounter with Krieger, and my arm was still as good as ever.
This lack of sleep is going to kill me one of these days, I thought miserably, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my left hand and blinking blearily. So far, over 48 hours without sleep. I had gone up to 72 before dropping almost dead from exhaustion, and it was not unusual for me to miss a night of sleep about once a week. 48 waking hours was not seriously abnormal for me, but anything more was cause to worry. This sleeplessness seriously impaired my judgment and abilities, not to mention my concentration and response time. I glanced at the sky again, and remembered abruptly that I had a training session with Warlic today. Great. Just great. How am I going to be able to focus on anything he has to teach me when I'm like the walking dead?
My mind had no answer.
With a soft groan, I swung my legs over the edge of my bed, and rose. My joints creaked in protest from the almost nonstop wear I'd been inflicting on them over the past 48 hours, with no sleep. I can't be feeling old yet, I'm only fucking nineteen. I stepped over to my somewhat limited closet, selecting a mint green Mage robe lined with black. I wearily readied myself for the day, while Kai stayed curled on his red-and-gold bed at the foot of my own, his huge green eyes watching me while the rest of him remained motionless.
"Lucky feline," I grumbled halfheartedly as I twisted my hair into a simple braid that ran almost to the base of my shoulderblades. I made the word describing him sound almost dirty with the manner in which I said it. "You get to stay home today." His eyes gleamed as if in laughter, though he made no sound. I retrieved my oak staff from by my bedroom door, then stepped out my front door into the surprisingly chilly air.
"Damn," I muttered, hugging my upper arms as I shivered. It must have frosted over last night, judging by the crunchy feel of the grass underfoot as I walked across my small lawn to the treeline. Here came the one-mile morning walk from hell.
Half an hour later, I was reveling in the pleasantly warm sunlight that reached every part of Warlic's field.
"What are we doing today, Master Warlic?" I asked, reluctantly dragging myself out of the euphoria of warmth.
"First, we test your experience on how much you have practiced since our last lesson, and continue on from there," he answered. The last lesson had been spent with me breaching the bubble of magic that lay in the back of my mind, and holding it open for as long as possible while also attempting to draw the power from it. It was difficult, but also a challenge. As Warlic had told me not so very long ago, if something weren't a challenge to learn, it would likely not be worth learning.
"Okay, then let's get this show on the road," I said, stretching my arms high above my head with a light grunt. Warlic nodded once, his amethyst-colored eyes slightly unfocused as usual. I used to think there was something wrong with his head, until I discovered that he had to keep a continual rein on the immense power he controlled. I used to fancy I could do the same, but have since ceased entertaining such an impossible idea. Warlic, the most powerful Mage Lore had yet seen, being outdone by one of his pupils, who had been training in magic for less than three years? What a story that would have made.
"Am I to use my staff today?" I questioned. Warlic paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"Not today."
I nodded with a slight grimace; it was easier for me to reach the magic if I had my staff in hand, but it was not necessary. With that, I set my staff to the side, and gracefully seated myself on the surprisingly green grass outside of Warlic's tent.
"What first?"
My instructions were to hold open the barrier of magic while simultaneously channeling it and dipping into its nearly endless depths, pulling out enough to cast both defensive and offensive spells. All without my staff.
The feat was nearly impossible for me to do.
I struggled only momentarily to feel around the bubble of magic and find the weak spot, then pushed with the mental force of a boulder at just the right area. It gave almost immediately.
"You've been practicing," Warlic noted. I gave a small nod, not trusting myself to focus on more than one thing just yet. I placed my hands flat on the grass on either side of my knees as I fought my mental battle. I almost lost my grip on the walls of the bubble of magic for a moment, before regaining control and forcing the gap open just a little wider. A small bead of sweat formed on my brow above my sapphire eyes as I worked. I slowly reached into the pool of the magic, and created a sort of mental funnel, giving the magic that was pressing outwards on my mind a place to go.
Go.
Move.
Outwards.
Be visible.
Doing this was putting an immense amount of strain on my mind, and more droplets of perspiration were showing on my forehead. However, it seemed my efforts were paying off. After taking another short, deep breath, I gritted my teeth, silently willing the magic to form, much like the way I had outside my house no more than a month ago. It was almost just as difficult this time as it had been then. A faint glow seemed to emanate from the air roughly a foot and a half in front of my nose, but I did not remove my gaze from that spot.
Show yourself.
There! A spark! A snarl of a smile curved my lips as I pushed at the stream of magic harder. It grew slightly brighter, and after a few long moments, swelled to almost the size of a cherry. The little orb of magic glowed brightly, like a small lantern, only three times as bright. Warlic knelt down next to me, vivid purple eyes fixed solely on the power I had levitated.
"Let it go," my mentor whispered. "Release any cage you have on it."
"How?"
"Feel for it, Magiya."
Easier said than done, Master Warlic…
However, true to the oath I took when I became his pupil, I tried. I allowed my eyes to drift half shut as I attempted to, as Warlic said, release my hold on the magic, yet prevent it from escaping. It was more than difficult, it was damn near impossible. C'mon, Magiya… focus. But then, my concentration wavered for an instant.
The little sphere of pure magic went out with a pfft, and I sighed irritably. "I almost had it! I was this close!"
"You need to learn how to release the magic, and yet hold it, know it, feel it, and control it," Warlic told me, placing a hand gently on my shoulder from behind as he stood. "Try again, and this time, get a feel for the magic before you try and release it in its entirety." I gave my mentor a terse nod, scowling slightly.
"We'll be here a while, huh." It wasn't a question.
"Evidently, we will," he commented dryly, "Unless you can learn to both let it flow and instruct it on how and where it needs to go."
"Alright," I said, stretching my arms. "Let's get started. Again."
I tried again with the same amount of success to levitate the small amount of pure magic about a yard from the ground. When it was once again glowing, I took a long, deep breath, and timidly pressed with a tendril of thought at the vortex of magic. It gave slightly, but not enough to destroy my concentration. My dark brown eyebrows dipped lower over my eyes in a frown, and I pushed just a little bit harder, still careful not to set it off course.
Gently… gently…
Another drop of sweat slipped agonizingly slowly down the side of my face.
I tapped almost impatiently at the slight vortex of magic that I funneled outwards to the spot a couple feet in front of my nose, but at my faint annoyance, it suddenly began to waver greatly.
"Peace," said Warlic warningly. "Do not grow aggravated with the magic. Be at peace with it."
"That's a little hard," I gritted out, my right eye twitching momentarily before I managed to get the magic back under control. My four words had cost me a fleeting lapse in concentration, and I inadvertently let out a deep growl as I gave the stream a great shove.
PAY ATTENTION TO ME! I internally roared. Suddenly, the stream of magic flowing through my head calmed, smoothing into a perfectly straight point. My sheer surprise caused my focus to waver, and with that came loss of the magic. The little orb in front of me went out with another quiet pfft, and I huffed in frustration, leaning back upon my hands.
"Blessit," I grumbled, running a slim hand through my sideswept bangs that had fallen loose from my braid. "This is impossible!"
"It's only impossible if you believe it is," corrected Warlic passively. "Nobody but you can hold you back."
Thanks for that encouragement.
"Master Warlic?" I murmured, tilting my head as I considered the grass under my knees. I plucked one of the greener pieces in my view and pinched it between my thumb and forefinger, puzzling over the texture.
"Hm?"
"How long did it take you to learn how to do this… stuff? To 'have control, but let it be free', I guess." I lifted my left hand, raising the vibrant green blade of grass to the light. The sunlight here in the meadow shone through it oddly, revealing almost every line and fiber that was visible to the naked eye.
A dry chuckle came from my mentor. "A very, very long time, Magiya. Far longer than you have been working at becoming a Mage, I assure you."
That didn't answer my question. "How long?"
"Eh… Almost two or three centuries, if memory serves."
Wow. He really is an old and crusty Mage. I tried in vain to visualize my mentor with gray hair, not silver, and with a lined face. I didn't succeed. "When did you finally master it?"
"Oh, many years ago now." Warlic seemed content to simply take a short break, as he did not insist I continue for the time being. I was happy with that. Gazing up at the shockingly blue sky, I saw the sun had moved further than anticipated; it was nearly noon. I really had been working at this for a while, then.
"Hm… How quickly has one of your pupils learned it?"
"How do you mean?"
"I mean… of the students you've taught, who has mastered this skill the fastest? The… the caging the magic, while letting it go."
"I believe the record, if that is indeed what you are asking, was about forty years."
Forty years? I'll be stuck learning this forever…
"How's it going?"
I leaped almost a foot in the air at the unexpected (But not unpleasant, my subconscious whispered smoothly before I crushed it violently) voice from behind. Warlic turned too.
"Artix," Warlic said with a faint smile. "Do you need help with something?"
"Yeah, he needs help finding someone to kill him," I muttered under my breath. "Though, I'd gladly do the honors…"
"Peace, Magiya," Warlic said sternly. My mutterings subsided to faint grumblings as I crossed my arms, still sitting on the grass. Krieger walked around so he stood a yard or two in front of me. I childishly refused to look at him.
"There's a bit of a… situation in Moonridge," he began cheerfully, the pale gold highlights in his hair gleaming under the noonday sun. "I'm afraid that someone's called an army of undead to rise, and while I would absolutely love to, I can't take on that number by myself." Finally, he gets to the point… "So, I was wondering if I could borrow her for a day or two?"
"Don't you dare talk about me like I'm not here!" I snapped irritably. No, I wasn't PMSing, but I had gotten relatively little sleep last night. That gave me at least a little bit of an excuse for why I was being so bitchy, right?
Right?
I crossed my arms, my staff lying in the vibrantly green grass by my right knee. Krieger still stood easily about a yard from Warlic and me, and he almost appeared amused by my behavior. However, the skin around his eyes seemed a little tighter than normal; not that I knew what was normal for him, of course. But in comparison to the other times I'd seen the Paladin, he seemed slightly unhappy in some way.
Of course he's unhappy, idiot. Moonridge is one of the villages closest to the Necropolis, and it's about to be absolutely crushed by an undead army.
"That depends," Warlic finally replied to Krieger. "Magiya?"
"Hm?"
"Do you feel comfortable enough with your abilities now to assist Artix in dispatching the undead army?"
I blinked, and then frowned reflectively. If I'm under pressure, I can't hold the magic and still control it… I'd be about as much good there as I was in the Hydra Cave and that Ice Valley. In other words, very little good. "How many are there?" I asked instead of giving my answer, finally looking Krieger in the eye. He seemed to smirk slightly at me, but I just glared.
"Almost six thousand," he told me, appearing in my eyes every bit as arrogant as he had seemed the day I met him when he lifted his chin slightly. His weight in that giant, fancy tin can was evenly balanced on both feet in the grass, and I used my left hand to push myself up while my right hand closed around the smooth oak of my staff.
"I won't be all that much good—"
"Every little bit helps," Krieger interrupted with a split-second grin at my roundabout declaration of agreeing to fight with him.
"—And I need to stop by my house to pick up one or two things," I continued, shooting him the evil eye, which he just ignored. But he just nodded enthusiastically once or twice, and delivered a sweeping bow that he somehow managed to inject a modicum of humor and mockery into as he did so.
"Of course, Milady."
"Shut up," I grumbled, taking advantage of his bowed position to smack him lightly on the back of the head. He barely appeared to feel it, though, straightening back up with a contagious grin.
"Which way is your place?" he questioned, sobering up slightly. "We do need to get to Moonridge as soon as we can."
"Master Warlic," I said respectfully, giving my mentor a little half-bow. He inclined his head, and gestured with his staff towards the portal.
"We can resume your training on another day, perhaps," he murmured. "Go, before Moonridge is placed in more serious danger."
"Of course, sir." With that, I gave Krieger a great shove in the back that he probably didn't feel towards the portal. "Go."
No sooner were we through the portal and walking quickly through Falconreach did I begin to speak, and my voice scared even me. It was icy, hard, and cold, and I began to wonder if this was the way I usually talked to him. I just wonder how he puts up with me. Wait, why the hell am I wondering about this?
"Listen up. You will not attempt to take advantage of me in any way, shape, or form, nor will you treat me like some helpless woman. I can hold my own in battle." To a degree. "Before going off on some thickheaded plan, you will consult me. Do you understand, Krieger?"
"I do," he said solemnly as we exited the walls of Falconreach and I strode into the forest, taking a small, well-hidden side path. I knew this trail like the back of my hand; behind me for the whole quarter of a mile, I could hear the Paladin running into tall saplings, thorn thickets, logs, or even getting clobbered by low branches. He was cursing the whole way to my cottage. I snickered quietly to myself. My laughs did not go unheard, however, and I heard a few more… colorful choice words and oaths flying from Krieger's mouth.
I didn't know Paladins could curse so freely…
Though, to be quite honest, it was rather funny. That is, up until the point where I heard him mutter something considerably unflattering about Mages and magic users, where I called back to him, "You know, I could just leave you here, lost."
"You wouldn't dare."
The indignant tone in his voice was, I think, what made me relent, and I slowed my pace slightly, occasionally pausing to hold a branch aside. However, the grin that had appeared when he had been cursing like a sailor didn't disappear completely; it merely leveled back to a content smile. Several times, it almost seemed like he was going to say something, but then stopped, as though unsure of himself. It was oddly uncharacteristic of him.
Within a few minutes more, my small house came into view in the grassy clearing it was in. I beckoned Krieger over when I reached the door, and when I was over the threshold, went straight to the sturdy wooden table. There wasn't two square inches of room on the surface of the table, and as I began to dig through the mess for a trinket and a ring or two, I heard the deadly quiet thudding pawsteps of Kai behind me. His unnaturally warm orange-and-gold fur rubbed up against my leg. I smiled. In some ways, my ferocious pet was nothing more than a giant house cat.
"Kai," I murmured as I found one of the things I was looking for, "I'll be gone for a day or two, okay? You'll have to take care of yourself for that time; can you do that?"
A low rumble that one would feel more than hear reached me as I found a necklace as his way of answer. It had an unusually long chain that was scarcely thicker than a few strands of hair, and had a teardrop-shaped ruby pendant hanging at the end that was no larger than my thumbnail. I deftly slipped it over my head and the silver band I'd found before it onto my left index finger.
"I'll see you in a couple days, okay?" I whispered, dropping to my knees for a minute to wrap my arms around my trusted Pridemaster. Kai rubbed his strangely hot cheek along my own, and this time his purr almost felt like a small earthquake. A small smile quirked my lips. "Wish me luck."
With that, I stood, and was about to jog out the door when I slammed straight into a metal-sounding wall. I stumbled, but was prevented from falling when I found that a hard-edged ridge was digging into my lower back. Not even bothering to hold back an exasperated sigh, I used my oak staff to push myself back up, and shot Krieger a withering glare as he stood on my doorstep. His expression seemed amused, and became more so when I turned away to close my door. However, I did so to hide the faint touch of pink that had appeared in my cheeks.
Why the hell are you blushing? I silently berated myself endlessly, taking my time turning the lock before I turned to start walking next to Krieger down the path to Moonridge. Kai could get out using the back door, which nobody ever seemed to find. It was always unlocked. He is your worst nightmare. You should most certainly not be blushing, and not in front of a really nice guy who's looking at you like he might have his way with you if you even look at him the right way. Wait. Nice? SHIT, you stupid, stupid, stupid—
"You look some combination of pissed off and someone-just-shot-my-puppy. What's wrong?"
"Huh?" I looked up at Krieger as we walked, furrowing my eyebrows. "What are you talking about? I don't have a puppy, and while I think they're cute little anklebiting devils, I don't want one tearing up the house."
Krieger grinned easily as we traversed the path leading towards Moonridge. "You're avoiding the question," he said lightly, a gleam appearing in his pleasant brown eyes. I huffed.
"Well, if you must know, I'm wondering why I got stuck with a Paladin high on life for defeating an undead army," I snipped. But much to my surprise, an answering smile began to curve my lips. No… was I actually… enjoying throwing quips and bantering back and forth?
…
Impossible. Simply impossible. I didn't get along with this man, period.
"High on life, eh?" Krieger said with a grin that stretched even wider. "Then what does that make you? High on magic?"
"That's inconceivable," I sniffed disdainfully. "You don't get high on magic; you get corrupted."
"That's a really easy difference to make," he said cheerfully.
"Is that sarcasm?" I demanded, whirling on him and nearly impaling his nose with a finger.
"I don't know. Is that a challenge?" Krieger responded, a twinkle beginning to glow in those bottomless chocolate eyes.
"Wanna find out?" I retorted, a savage grin spreading my lips. I couldn't see them, of course, but I suspected my denim blue eyes were lighting up just as much as he was.
"Save it for the zombies, kid," Krieger chuckled, slapping my back lightly. Well, it was lightly to him; it nearly knocked me off my feet.
"Watch where you're throwing those giant paws!" I snapped almost good-naturedly, but he just laughed again. It was deep, almost gravelly, but I was sure it could be heard for nearly a quarter mile radius around us, were anyone around to listen in this nearly deserted stretch of woods.
"My, my, it's been over a month and you two still get along on violent terms."
"Rolith!" I exclaimed as the Captain came jogging up behind us on the path. He offered a lazy grin, and Krieger slammed him on the back. Rolith barely seemed to feel it.
Damn them for being so strong.
"I got some leave. A lot of the time, it's nice just taking out some zombies, skeletons, and undead instead of the usual bandits."
"You mean it's nice getting a challenge," corrected Krieger, and I rolled my eyes.
"I think I almost might prefer the bandits most of the time," I commented as Rolith moved to walk on my other side, while Krieger walked on my left. He pulled a face.
"Try fighting them all the time and becoming a Captain, then you're welcome to take my job."
"I think she needs to build a little muscle first," observed Krieger with a devilish grin, poking at my upper arm. I slapped his hand away, but I don't think he really felt it.
"I must agree," put in Rolith. I glared at them both, and had a sudden mental image of two small dogs racing in and nipping at a larger dog's heels and annoying the piss out of it.
"Fuck off," I muttered, scowling.
"Yep, she is most definitely rabid!" Krieger gleefully commented from my left. Glowering, I brought my oak staff up and around to whack him over his unprotected head. It was strong enough that the staff itself wouldn't take any damage, however. I heard (and felt) a very, very satisfying clunk. Evidently, leverage and the actual weight of the staff was all that allowed me to do this; he was right, I didn't have any muscle. Krieger winced, rubbing the back of his head. When I shot a pointed glare at Rolith, he held up his hands in surrender.
"Although prepared for martyrdom to protest warriors getting whacked by crazy women with sticks, I would prefer that it be postponed," he said with a small grin, altering the quote from Sir Winston Churchill; perhaps the only knight in the history of Lore to not have a potentially joke-worthy name. I rolled my eyes at him, and there was silence for another few short moments, until:
"Live life like a dog," Krieger announced joyfully, "If you can't eat it, and you can't hump it… pee on it and walk away."
This is going to be a very long trip.
Eh heh, I thought a little humor was in order, yes? ^^" I haven't written something this good in months, and I'm on a roll! At the moment, there are about 50-somethin pages on the official file, most of which I'm splitting up into different documents for chapters. :3
I sincerely hope you're all enjoying the story. I had a lot of fun developing the characters. And I do think that I will share a few facts, flukes, and bloopers with you. ^^
Magiya originally was going to be incredibly shy, and VERY antisocial. -.- Thank god she wasn't. But about a half a chapter in, I realized that if I wanted to manage to slip in all of the little jokes, quips, and quotes that I have stacked up, I was going to have to make our little Mage more outgoing and opinionated. As of yet, she still doesn't know the difference between bravery and stupidity, I believe. Maybe it will come into play, and maybe not. It depends on where the story takes us. There's a general flow for it to follow, but little side trips along the main plot are kind of a given. ^^"
For me… How to say it…
My characters write the story. I just try to keep up. ^^
Hope that everyone's reading and writing spirit stays strong until the next update. It may not be for awhile, but if I can keep up the current writing pace, it will be up shortly, though it's doubtful. ^^
Thanks for reading.
