The map of the world so far:
Spoiler:
Chapter 1 - The Trial
Spoiler:
It was one of those warm spring day that we can see in the end of the Month of the Evening Star. The flowers in the open valley have just begun to wake up from their winter sleep and life filled the once snowy landscape. With the appearance of the first flowers preparations begun for the Equinox and the arrival of the new year. This also meant that soon Kail's trial will begin.
Kail came from a poor family from Rivenhill, a small settlement not so far from the capital - Noor-Aylard. The long war against the Garroks took its toll on the local population. Most of the men from the village were on war and came home rarely , including Kail's father who served as a formation commander. The families were paid for their service but this money was barely enough and the women and children left behind had to work in the fields. Now as the Equinox was upon them the villagers hurried to the big city to buy stuff for the celebration. Kail had a short cut black hair, so closely resembling his father's. The short legionary hair cut was mandatory among the regular troops which made it most common in the war-riven Alderion
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Kail went to the river to catch some fish for the celebrating. The women will later cook those and cut off their tails, as they say "so that the year will head forward and not tail backwards". He thought about the journey ahead of him: Soon he is becoming 16 which means he should leave his home for the trial like all men women of his age. They have to bring back something useful for their people and cannot return before their task is complete. Some head to the military, some research into a matter and bring the results of their work to the people, others bring money. Others prefer the older traditional trial, just like Kail did. Pupils of famous teachers could be given special tasks to complete, usually they carried a lot of meaning and danger involved but at least you knew what to do. Kail knew his trial already and this knowledge bothered him even more.
Kail was a student of the famous Master Corus. This fact is quite surprising including the low status of his family, but luckily Master Corus didn't pick up students by money but by talent. His talent for Void magic was found in young age but his parents didn't have enough money to send him to a master. Instead they gathered the money they could and sent him to a gymnasium in Noor-Aylard. It was a place for the common people to achieve more than their parents did and so many parents collected their last money to send their children to study in gymnasiums.
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One day he met that selfish bully , Darec son of Cartius. He was a son of a rich aristocrat. Was expelled from a bending school for his behaviour and from that day he bullied students in kail's gymnasium. He was called behind the back "Sewer Rat" for that time he was punished to clean the sewers in his bending school. As Darec went through the school crowd, pushing anything on his way aside, he stumbled across Kail. "Step aside worm" he told kail in his weird loud voice. Kail had to step aside that day, or maybe not. Darec approached to push Kail aside but he pushed his hand away. Darec, surprised by such development tried to hit Kail in the face but he moved back and his hand missed. " Heh you think you're tough ? I gonna teach you how to give respect !" he said. By this time all students around already gathered in a tight circle to see what's going on. " The sewer rat is gonna smash Kail" told whispers around as Darec prepared to strike. Kail being lighter than his opponent managed to evade Darec’s punches . Darec striked another time into Kail's face but he blocked and hit him fast in the stomach. Darec then tried to kick Kail but missed again , getting another punch in the stomach. "I'll smash you at the wall" he said and prepared to use his void magic . He sent a thich wave of pure force energy at Kail, pushing him away and throwing him on the floor. Darec sent another wave that hit Kail. He stood on his fit and managed to evade the wave. Another wave hit his torso pushing him back and then another one. It looked like Darec is indeed planning to smash Kail against the wall. Darec who saw the victory on the horizon stroked again, hoping to throw his opponent on the floor. Kail saw the coming wave but instead of dodging he put his hands in front of him, and hit the wave, pushing it back into the surprised opponent pushing him back. Kail quickly rose his hand and created his own wave that hit Darec. He then stroke another wave in Darec's legs, sending him flying to the opposite side of the student circle that closely watched the battle. Darec prepared to stand up again but then fast footsteps were heard from behind "Step aside step aside" . Professor Aren, one of Kail's teachers stepped into the student circle. "What's going on here ?!" he said, "Kail Sceptii ... follow me". Kail followed the professor passing by the grimly smiling Darec, hearing behind him whispers "Kail got in trouble".
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Professor Aren took Kail to the professors' halls. Kail was guessing what would be his punishment as they approached Professor Aren's room. They entered the room "Sit down Mr. Sceptii “ said the professor. " You know how disappointed I am in your behaviour Mr. Sceptii and you know what awaits you" . Professor Aren was ready to tell his verdict "You know that in our gymnasium there are strict rules and those who breach the rules will be punished or expelled". Kail was afraid of those words "...expelled". " And yet I believe a single fight is not a reason to expel students" said a voice behind Kail's back. Kail turned around to see an old man in a robe standing in the doorway. "I believe you already chose the students you want Master Corus ? " . "Yes indeed" he answered. " There is no need to punish that student anymore, I will take him with me" he said. Professor Aren clearly didn't expect that, and Master Corus told Kail " follow me". Kail never actually knew what captured the Master's eye - they way he stroke Darec or the fact he stood against him.
The fish slowly filled Kail's basket as the thoughts slowly filled his mind. He knew what he has to do. He will go beyond the portal into the lands of the old people and find there the key to defeat the Garroks and end the war.
End of first chapter.
Kail came from a poor family from Rivenhill, a small settlement not so far from the capital - Noor-Aylard. The long war against the Garroks took its toll on the local population. Most of the men from the village were on war and came home rarely , including Kail's father who served as a formation commander. The families were paid for their service but this money was barely enough and the women and children left behind had to work in the fields. Now as the Equinox was upon them the villagers hurried to the big city to buy stuff for the celebration. Kail had a short cut black hair, so closely resembling his father's. The short legionary hair cut was mandatory among the regular troops which made it most common in the war-riven Alderion
==>
Kail went to the river to catch some fish for the celebrating. The women will later cook those and cut off their tails, as they say "so that the year will head forward and not tail backwards". He thought about the journey ahead of him: Soon he is becoming 16 which means he should leave his home for the trial like all men women of his age. They have to bring back something useful for their people and cannot return before their task is complete. Some head to the military, some research into a matter and bring the results of their work to the people, others bring money. Others prefer the older traditional trial, just like Kail did. Pupils of famous teachers could be given special tasks to complete, usually they carried a lot of meaning and danger involved but at least you knew what to do. Kail knew his trial already and this knowledge bothered him even more.
Kail was a student of the famous Master Corus. This fact is quite surprising including the low status of his family, but luckily Master Corus didn't pick up students by money but by talent. His talent for Void magic was found in young age but his parents didn't have enough money to send him to a master. Instead they gathered the money they could and sent him to a gymnasium in Noor-Aylard. It was a place for the common people to achieve more than their parents did and so many parents collected their last money to send their children to study in gymnasiums.
==>
One day he met that selfish bully , Darec son of Cartius. He was a son of a rich aristocrat. Was expelled from a bending school for his behaviour and from that day he bullied students in kail's gymnasium. He was called behind the back "Sewer Rat" for that time he was punished to clean the sewers in his bending school. As Darec went through the school crowd, pushing anything on his way aside, he stumbled across Kail. "Step aside worm" he told kail in his weird loud voice. Kail had to step aside that day, or maybe not. Darec approached to push Kail aside but he pushed his hand away. Darec, surprised by such development tried to hit Kail in the face but he moved back and his hand missed. " Heh you think you're tough ? I gonna teach you how to give respect !" he said. By this time all students around already gathered in a tight circle to see what's going on. " The sewer rat is gonna smash Kail" told whispers around as Darec prepared to strike. Kail being lighter than his opponent managed to evade Darec’s punches . Darec striked another time into Kail's face but he blocked and hit him fast in the stomach. Darec then tried to kick Kail but missed again , getting another punch in the stomach. "I'll smash you at the wall" he said and prepared to use his void magic . He sent a thich wave of pure force energy at Kail, pushing him away and throwing him on the floor. Darec sent another wave that hit Kail. He stood on his fit and managed to evade the wave. Another wave hit his torso pushing him back and then another one. It looked like Darec is indeed planning to smash Kail against the wall. Darec who saw the victory on the horizon stroked again, hoping to throw his opponent on the floor. Kail saw the coming wave but instead of dodging he put his hands in front of him, and hit the wave, pushing it back into the surprised opponent pushing him back. Kail quickly rose his hand and created his own wave that hit Darec. He then stroke another wave in Darec's legs, sending him flying to the opposite side of the student circle that closely watched the battle. Darec prepared to stand up again but then fast footsteps were heard from behind "Step aside step aside" . Professor Aren, one of Kail's teachers stepped into the student circle. "What's going on here ?!" he said, "Kail Sceptii ... follow me". Kail followed the professor passing by the grimly smiling Darec, hearing behind him whispers "Kail got in trouble".
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Professor Aren took Kail to the professors' halls. Kail was guessing what would be his punishment as they approached Professor Aren's room. They entered the room "Sit down Mr. Sceptii “ said the professor. " You know how disappointed I am in your behaviour Mr. Sceptii and you know what awaits you" . Professor Aren was ready to tell his verdict "You know that in our gymnasium there are strict rules and those who breach the rules will be punished or expelled". Kail was afraid of those words "...expelled". " And yet I believe a single fight is not a reason to expel students" said a voice behind Kail's back. Kail turned around to see an old man in a robe standing in the doorway. "I believe you already chose the students you want Master Corus ? " . "Yes indeed" he answered. " There is no need to punish that student anymore, I will take him with me" he said. Professor Aren clearly didn't expect that, and Master Corus told Kail " follow me". Kail never actually knew what captured the Master's eye - they way he stroke Darec or the fact he stood against him.
The fish slowly filled Kail's basket as the thoughts slowly filled his mind. He knew what he has to do. He will go beyond the portal into the lands of the old people and find there the key to defeat the Garroks and end the war.
End of first chapter.
Spoiler:
As the sun slowly set down the air filled with the magical smell of the holiday, literally as the food was almost ready. Happy children ran around playing tag, impatient to get their gifts. A big square of tables was put in the middle of the village with a big bonfire in the middle. As the first star appeared in the sky the whole village set down around the table. Elder Megar, the head of the village set in the middle. Usually the heads of the families set near him, including Kail's father but they were at war. Only the women, elders and children remained.
" As we sit here on the gateway top the next year our beloved husbands and sons fight in the war against the Garroks . Let's warm their night with our best wishes and drink for their lives so that they'll return home with the heads of our enemies !" , " for the return of our heroes !" the sitting answered elder Megar. After a short pray to bless the upcoming year the food was served. Kail haven't seen his father for a long time. Each meeting with him was important for him. He served as a formation commander in the diversionary cohort. As the war around the great wall became more or less entrenched the generals sent troops behind the enemy lines on board the Void Ships to disrupt enemy supplies, scout the area and strike at key points. This meant that they remained longer on the front line and returned home less frequently.
" This year we also part with our son who grew up and became ready for his trial. May the creator bless you and you will find your way back with victory, Kail son of Mark Sceptii !", " For the return of Kail Sceptii !" the sitting answered and another glass was drank. His thoughts drifted again to the task at hand.
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Life wasn't easy under Master Corus. His mansion laid in the countryside not far away from Noor-Aylard. The mansion consisted of the Master's house, the students' rooms, a big courtyard and a nice green garden where the master liked to meditate. Even though it wasn't that far away from his home Kail had to move to the mansion and live there. As he carried his sack of items he was met by the gate by a smiling boy of his age. "So you're new here ? My name is Allen, son of Gyan Nectimii , c’mon I'll show you around " he said smiling. Kail followed him to the Students' wing. "The boys live in this room, the girls are on the second floor. Here put your stuff here, this bed is empty." he said. "It's dinner time soon so you probably want to change that ... stuff you are wearing for something better" he said giving Kail pants and a tunic. The other students probably were not used for poor people .
Kail went with Allen to the dinning room in the master's house. Around the big table the student's already set. Kail took the seat near Allen as Master Corus entered the room. Some of the student girls entered the room with some dishes and after a short pray for the food the feast began. The table was a quite noisy as the students discussed all sorts of things. "So where are you from ?" asked Allen, taking another chicken leg. "Rivenhill , not far from the capital " , " I’m from the capital" he said chewing the chicken. "People come here from literally everywhere. I have no idea how the Master manages to find them all. Actually in which bending school have you studied before ?" He said. "I didn't, I was just a gymnasium student" Kail said. Allen looked a bit surprised but then smiled again "That's what I'm talkin about, I have no idea how he manages to find students in those places but if you're here means you're worth something". Kail actually didn't know if he should be in this place or this is some sort of a misunderstanding. The table was quickly emptied and the students started leaving the room. Master Corus stood up and walked towards Kail. "You will wash the dishes with today's team" he said and walked out. "Cool you're washin with me" said Allen and pulled Kail's hand. "C’mon let's go". Kail was probably surprised with that duty on his first day, but he was probably even more surprised by the pile of dishes in front of him. "Girls cook the dishes, we wash them" said Allen who noticed the surprise on Kail's face. After half an hour the dishes were washed and the Kail went to the boys' room.
There was still time left until lights off and the students were talking with each other. When Kail entered the room everyone stared at him. One asked "So what's your name ? ", " That's Kail son Mark Sceptii , he's a freshy " answered Allen before Kail could even say a word. "So you're from the countryside ?" another asked "Rivenhill yes". "How long do you practice void magic ?" , " I... I'm not. I studied in a gymnasium" . Kail was expecting a laughter but instead he just got surprised faces and more questions "If you're here probably you're worth something" one said. They asked him about what did he do to attract his attention. He told them about his fight with Darec. The conversation suddenly turned into discussion of the move he made. Kail felt some relief he won't have to answer more questions. The lights went off and the students went to sleep.
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The next day Allen woke Kail early in the morning. The sun slowly rose from the mountains afar and the students went to the courtyard. Master Corus waited for them there. "Today we will practice our force waves " . A disappointed sigh was heard from the student line, from which Kail understood it was quite a basic move. "You cannot progress further in the art of the magic without perfecting the basics. I want two straight lines over there " He pointed. Allen went to the opposite line in front of Kail. "I said straight lines" Master Corus said pointing at a gap in Kail's line. Grudgingly one of the students filled that gap, which looked quite weird for Kail. "Now everyone to starting stance" he said. Kail tried to do what the others around him. Master Corus quickly went through the lines and fixed wrong stances. He closed to Kail, pulled his arms a bit further and his legs a bit lower and moved on. "Now remember that when you create a force wave you push your body energy through your arms, through the air into your opponent. Feel how the energy circulates in your body, to your hands and from them. Feel how it passes through your fingers and push it forward" he said, pulling his hands forward and unleashing a big force wave forward. " And remember that energy is flowing. You can direct it through your body as if it was water in a river. Now first row strike the second row, second row deflect the wave back into the first row. Keep deflecting it until I say stop". Kail tried to focus on the wave and pushed it forward. It appeared a bit small and went off course, but Allen deflected it straight into Kail. The wave hit his hands and he was pushed a bit back. "Don’ worry it'll get better" said Allen. Kail sent another wave forward and then heard a falling noise. One of the students in his row just flew straight through the courtyard a few meters, it was the guy who stepped into the gap. In front of him stood a young girl. "oh that's Emily, she's the best student out here" said Allen. She was also around Kail's age. She was beautiful. Many girls could be jealous of her perfect thin body, long light brown hair , glowing blue eyes, shiny mysterious smile and of course her talent for magic.
Another wave hit Kail and he almost fell down. "Yea focus on the trainin you can try to hang out with her later" he said laughing. Kail pushed a wave straight into him and surprisingly Allen almost got hit himself but managed to catch it and send it back into Kail. He actually caught the wave and barely managed to send it back. He felt exhausted after all this work. "Alright enough for now, I'll give you 10 minutes break and I will soon be back" . Kail HAD to sit down. "You're not that bad considerin you never learned void magic". "I feel like my hands will soon fall off" Kail answered him. "Well I think you use your own energy to create those things so feelin like that is kinda natural" Allen said. "You don't look exhausted" , "yea basically it wasn't that bad ..." .
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Master Corus came back. "Alright the break is over. I want training pairs over there. No need to stand all together in the middle the courtyard is big I want free space around each pair" he said. "Emily follow me". Master Corus and Emily went towards Kail "Could you practice with him a bit ?" he said "Yes master Corus" she quickly replied. "So you're new here ? You need to keep a bigger gap between your legs like this so that your stance will be stable" she said pulling his leg a bit forward "Yes , now let's see what you got" . She pushed her arms to the sides and sent a big force wave into Kail. The wave hit him hard sending him flying back. Kail stood back and went into a starting stance again. Emily smiled slightly at him "Not everyone can get up after such a punch , here is a smaller one". Another wave hit Kail. He couldn't raise his hands on time and the wave pushed him back. The stance worked well and he didn't fall to the ground. Another wave went his way, he caught it and barely managed to turn it around. Emily pulled her hand forward into the wave shattering it. "Not bad, try to use the wave's energy in your advantage. Let it flow through your body freely and exit on the other side, imagine it flowing". She sent another wave at him, he deflects it again. Though this wave went better than the previous one he still felt the whole weight of the wave on him. His powers ran out fast and he felt like another wave would crash him. "Alright enough everyone. Today's team goes to clean, the rest can rest". Kail went back to the students' rooms, barely standing he fell on the bed. His training was only beginning.
"As the new year descends upon us new challenges await us. May the fortune be on our side and may we pass all challenges awaiting us", "For the challenges yet to pass" the sitting answered him.
End of second chapter.
Spoiler:
4 days of training and kail still barely made any progress. The pain in the back became a standard issue from the numerous falls and every single day he collapsed on his bad exhausted. He recalled a positive side in the situation as sleeping became sweeter than ever. Allen tried to cheer the him that everyone is that bad in the beginning but even he barely believed in what he said. Actually kail wasn't really listening to him at that point and slowly fell asleep.
The next morning Kail woke up relatively fresh. The pain in the back was gone and for some unknown reason his mood also improved, maybe because it was Saturday. Kail and the rest of the students hurried to the courtyard for morning exercises. Master Corus went out of his house and went to the court yard. " I want two straight lines here" he pointed. "Also Ralf, Kail and Eve follow me". Kail followed master Corus. He went to the garden behind his house. It was a quiet place. The path led to a small open square in the middle of the garden, surrounded by tree and shrubbery. On the other side Kail saw a small lake with crystal clean water. Master Corus entered the square and Kail and the other two students stood in a line in front of him.
"Sit down" he said, sitting on the stone floor of the square which was surprisingly warm. "Today we will practice Gravity fields with you" he said, pushing 3 balls in front on them. The ball slowly descended in front of kail and landed near his feet. "In order to move this ball from it's place you must first understand what Void Magic is " he moved his hand forward and lit it up in a purple flame " For centuries our ancestors practised the Void school of magic to understand what it's truly is. Many Great Mages searched for answers they seek in the nature surrounding them. When the void mage looked around him he couldn't find anything, he couldn't see the power he is manipulating, but he could feel how it floats in his body. He felt where the power came from - from his mind and soul. Unlike elemental magic we do not manipulate curtain elements, we manipulate the flow of energy around us and so we manipulate the rules of nature. We make things fly , move , appear and disappear. we use the most powerful energy source to power us and we use our mind to direct that power. A powerful void mage doesn't need his hands , he can effect his world with his mind only."
"Now have a look at the ball in front of you. Imagine that you pull it up with your hand, feel how the energy flows from your mind to your fingertips and from them to the ball. See how it warps around the ball in a strong field of magic. Now move this field with your hands and push the ball up". Kail slowly rose his hand. He focused on the ball and tried to feel the energy passing trough his fingers. The ball started shaking a bit and then going up into the air. "Good, feel the ball in your hands, and now throw it ". Kail pushed his hands forward and saw how the ball flew to the other side of the square. Master Corus moved his hand stopping the balls mid-air "And now catch them" he said throwing the balls back. Kail wasn't ready for this. He knew he to move a standing object but the ball closing on him was moving and fast. Kail closed his eyes pulling his hand forward. When he opened his eyes he noticed the ball flying in front of his hand. He breathed with relief and the ball fell down. "As you see you don’t need an object to create a gravity field. You can create it anywhere you want, just imagine and feel it in front of you."
Master Corus went to see how the training in the courtyard is going leaving Kail ad the students alone. A cheerful looking girl closed to Kail "Hey I'm Eve and you must be Kail. I'm not that good with magic actually because things tend to blow up in my face and go wrong but you get used to it I mean to the fact things blow up all the time and not the explosions because if I was used for the explosions they wouldn't be a surprise and I like surprises because they are so unexpected , do you get surprises often ?" . Kail looked at Eve . She was a cheerfully looking girl a bit younger than him with a light blond, almost white hair. She had a big and a bit awkward smile on her face. Kail didn't know what to say, or what she just said. Eve opened her mouth to speak but Kail quickly said "uhh I'm sure you will get better with it , it is something that needs some practice" , "Do you really think that ? Nobody said me anything like that since I went here or before that in the Grimstone Bending school or at home or ... " "Yea I got it" Kail replied nervously "Oh I was talking a lot again ? Sorry I just tend to keep going on and on about topics like that time when ... oh yes sorry ". "Eve will you ever let him to breathe ? " Said Ralf. He was a big muscular boy with a short brown hair and a bit square face. He looked tough but kind.
Master Corus came back inviting the three for lunch. Kail set in his place with Allen. Today they both had to clean the mansion's garden together with Mordin , Eve and Emily. After lunch Kail and Allen went to the garden. Eve was already there moving around a leaf with magic. Shortly after Mordin and Emily came. They had to clean the path and square from fallen leaf and garbage and clean the water in the lake. They were ready to start cleaning but then master Corus came . "Today you will not clean the garden, instead I have another job for you. near lake Romare not far from here there is a small field of purple flowers. Could you bring some for me ? " . "Yes master " Emily answered. "Good then get to work" he said and walked away. " So where is exactly lake Romare ?" Asked Allen "To the west from here " answered Kail "I know that area, let's go" . They went on the path that lead to the capital then turned to the Edged Mountains in the west. The entered a small forest. In the middle of it there was a small lake. "The river that passes near our village falls into this lake " said Kail "there are also strange howls coming from this forest so we better watch out".
The Purple flowers the master was talking about were on the opposite side of the lake. They went closer to the field. It was filled with flowers, much more than the master asked for so completing the task was easy. As they arrived in the field they started collecting those flowers. Suddenly they heard a strange howl. A few wolves appeared out of the bushes. They had a dark brown fur and big horns on their head and body. Those were Wolf-Boars. Kail quickly went into a starting stance even though his magic knowledge to that point was quite limited. The wolf-boars rushed forward towards the students. Emily quickly pulled her hands to the sides sending a huge force wave. The wolf-boars flew trough the bushes back into the forest but others were already around them. A wolf-Boar jumped towards Allen who quickly sent his own force wave towards it. Another wolf jumped towards Eve who pushed her hands forward creating a gravity field. The wolf ran into it and started flying helplessly around "My gravity field actually works ! " she said trying to create another one. As soon as she moved her hands away the wolf fell to the ground, and then pushed away by Emily "So my Gravity field still doesn't work " Eve quickly remarked. Another wolf jumped , now towards Kail. He focused on the wolf and slowly rose his hand up. The Wolf helplessly stopped mid air. Kail then pushed his hand throwing the wolf 6 meters away. After hitting the ground the wolf stood back and together with the other wolves slowly closed on the prey. They were surrounded. Emily started creating a slightly glowing ball between her hands "everyone crouch " she said, pulling her hands to the side , sending a force field all around her , smashing the wolves against the trees. All five then ran back towards the entrance of the forest "over there to the left, now to the right " shouted Kail leading them out of the forest. The hungry howls of the wolf-boars could be heard in the distance. They hurried back to the mansion.
Master Corus waited for them at the gate. He took the flowers and went with them into his house "Master Corus what are those flowers for ? " asked Eve "Those flowers, the Egonium flowers, have some very special healing abilities. Their Nectar can be used to treat many different poisons . It also has a very lovely taste " he said smiling. "You are going to eat them ?!" asked Emily "No , no, for now I will keep them but I have the feeling we are going to need them soon..."
That night in the students' room Allen told about the wolf-boars and how Emily tossed them around. People were always wandering how does she know those moves. They tended to remind her unusual force field tossing which became her signature move. She was crossing her arms and then pushing them aside like the wings of a bird, her smooth, fast and gorgeous movement was adored by the students. Master Corus tended to take groups of students and train them in person, only her he took alone. It was then when she probably learned those moves as they were too complicated for other students to perform. It was hard to tell because nobody has ever studied in a group with her. Kail also noticed that the lesson with Master Corus improved his magic and he slowly started getting it. Maybe he is not a lost case after all.
End of third chapter.
Spoiler:
It was a nice Sunday morning. Master Corus gave the students a day off as usual and some money to spend in the capital. Kail, Allen and Ralf agreed to go to the capital together. The void people were quite talkative. In order to survive in the harsh conditions they faced long ago they had to be together. The students preferred to go together as they found the walk much more interesting this way. Kail was approaching the gate as he noticed a few men on horses. Those were the sapphire guards, the king’s personal guards. They wore a heavy curved Nepheline armor, similar to the one used in the Legion. They had a long black cape and blue feathers on the top of their helmet. Kail also noticed one of their horses was missing a rider.
It was hard not to ask what the personal guards of the king were doing in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly Emily appeared. She approached the sapphire guards. Allen noticing the surprise on Kail’s face noted “Yea we forgot to tell you she is the king’s daughter”. Kail noticed , by her manners, that she was part of the upper class but he didn’t expect a princess to get her hands dirty in the master’s courtyard. “Her father wanted to give her a private master but she refused and went here instead. She is sort of that bad girl that never listens to her father. He even sends his bodyguards to make sure she gets to the palace. ”
Their talk was interrupted by Eve "I sort of didn't really find anyone to go with, I mean I could go with the others but I sort of don't want to ... " "alright alright just don’t start all of it again " said Ralf. The Sapphire guards were already gone by then leaving a trail of dust. They could use a few horses thought Kail but he guessed they'll have to use their feet as the others. There were two paths to the capital. The first was to take the road to the north through Corinth and then join with the main road, the other was to go to the west through Woodville , pass Romare river and then join the main road near the city itself. "Hey my aunt lives in Woodville and I haven't visited her in a while. we might take the west road and maybe she will give us something nice" said Allen. There were no objections and the group went west.
Usually things are quiet in the outskirts of Noor-Aylard. The vast stone roads leading to the capital are well patrolled by the city watch to insure safe passage along the most important road of the void nation. The countryside around it , while not as heavily patrolled like the main roads, is still safe for passage. The small dirt roads connecting the villages to the main road are usually ignored by bandits and looters. The only danger that could probably be on those roads is the animals roaming the local forests. Usually those show hostility only when humans got too close to them so most conflicts can be simply avoided if the creatures are not provoked.
The road went through the forest. It was quiet and warm. The sunlight occasionally passed through the trees creating beautiful light rays. The road was a bit curvy so Kail couldn't see what's ahead. Eventually behind one of the curves a small village appeared. The void nation banners slowly waved on a small gate. The village was quite silent. People went to their duties without paying too much attention to the travellers. Allen went to a small house near the main square. He knocked on the door "Aunt Ellice, aunt Ellice ! It's me Allen". The door opened and an old woman appeared. She was in her 50's , with blue sad eyes and a white hair collected into a knot. She wore a simple brown dress and a white apron. "Oh it's you darling ? come in come in, and invite your friends of course".
She gave them a cup of tea and some bread she had left. "You know you shouldn't go this road nowadays" she said. "Why is that aunt ?" asked Allen "The road seemed fine to me". "People are recently disappearing around here. First it was that merchant that went around the villages and sold goods, then it was Lotius and Henry and others too. The went out for their Business through the Northern road and never returned. since then we go all the way around through the western road". "So how many people disappeared since ?" "Ten, nobody ever heard from them again. Poor families, if they don't loose their husbands to the war they loose them to the bandits. It is terrible ... ". "We got to find them, at least something to tell us where they are" said Allen "don't go there , please, we've lost enough people to this road already " said his aunt. "You better go the way you came, you won't be able to help them". Allen thanked his aunt for the warm welcome and all four went to the main square.
"We gotta do something about those disappearances, we can't just leave them there " said Allen. "Maybe but what can we do ? They are probably dead already" said kail. "Even their bodies, at least something " he said. "So what's the plan ? Are we going back to the western road ?" asked Ralf. "No we go to investigate" said Allen. "I have a baaaad feeling bout that" said Ralf. They went through the Northern gate. The Northern road was similar to the western one just less curvy. The four kept going. They watched carefully around them for any clues or ambushes. The silence of the forest accompanied them. Kail could occasionally hear a bird somewhere nearby but most of the time the forest was silent as if no one was there. Suddenly they heard a cracking noise. They turned around and saw some movements. All four jumped to starting stance , shaken. " Wait a second it's just a dear" Ralf gasped. It was indeed a deer. It stared at the travellers and suddenly he turned his head to the right and ran away. "There is someone there get down " whispered Kail and they all went behind a bush . "How can you tell ? " , "the deer must have ran from something and it wasn't us".
Three dark figures appeared. They were three men, relatively young in green tunics . " I'm telling you I saw someone coming this road" one said. " It was probably that deer there is nothing out here. I'm telling you we gotta go elsewhere those villagers are not using this road anymore" "and what's about the captives ?" , “we have no use for them anymore, we can leave them in that cave, end of story". The three men went into the forest. "C'mon we gotta follow them" said Allen and the four went after the men in the green tunics. "I guess we found our bandits".
The three man went to a small mountain nearby. near it there were a couple of tents and people. there was a cave in the side of the mountain slightly above the camp. "There are at least twelve of them here" said Ralf "too many for us, maybe we could sneak by ?" said Kail "those two guards near the cave ? no way we can do it" said kail. "So what we gonna do ?" asked Eve. There was a silence. " look there - she looks older than the others " said kail "Wow no way..." Allan cynically remarked. The woman was around 70 years old. she wore a green robe and looked quite distinct among the younger people surrounding her.
She spoke to the people around her "so you say there was nothing out there ?" , "yes
Master Merile “ “We will need new subjects soon enough, we will have to move on”. “Subjects ? are they doing experiments on them ?” “Dunno Eve, guess we’ll find out” answered Kail. “So any new bright ideas ?” . Two men in green tunics passed near them. They picked up a crate on the far end of the camp and moved it to the cave. “see those crates ?” said Allen “that’s our ticket. They quickly ran towards the crates. It seems like the bandits kept their loot in those chests. Ralf and Allen took one of the crates, quickly carried it to the bushes and emptied it there. They put it back and Allen got in. “now you kail”. They both picked up another crate, emptied it and put back, Kail got in. Suddenly they noticed the bandits coming. Ralf and Eve went to hide in a bush.
Kail heard the bandits outside of the crate, then he felt how he was picked up. “Damn those things are heavy, bet we had to open it and move in parts”. Kail’s heart beat like crazy, he felt every step in the tinny crate, suddenly he was dropped down. “Ahh my back hurts so much, let’s make a break before we pick the other crates”. He heard the bandits going away. He slowly opened the lead. He was in a cave. Around him laid crates, mostly empty. He could see the entrance to the cave . He couldn’t find Allen’s create though, he was alone.
On the other side of the cave he saw a door. He went towards it. It was locked by a wooden log between the door and the wall. Kail took the log out and opened the door. The room was pitch black, he could hear movement but couldn’t see anyone. He took a torch from the wall and went in. In the middle of the room there were four stone columns with a few people tightened around them. They looked exhausted and dirty. One of the prisoners turned his head towards Kail. “You … are not one of them …” “be quiet I’m here to help”. Kail quickly went back to the storage room. He took a sword from one of the crates and cut the ropes around the columns. The prisoners slowly stood up. “So what will we do now ? “ one of them said “Now ? Let’s get some revenge “ another said taking a sword from a crate. “there are twelve of them out there, and that old women . If we strike fast we’ll be able to take most of them down by surprise” said Kail “So let’s do it” a prisoner said and they went to the exit.
The two Guards near the cave entrance were talking among each other. Two prisoners quickly hit them in the head turning them unconscious . The other bandits noticed it “The prisoners are escaping !” the camp immediately turned into chaos. Two bandits were just on their way to the cave with another crate when suddenly Allen jumped out of it hitting one and sending a force wave at the other. Ralf and eve jumped out of the bushes too. Eve could land a successful wave on another bandit sending him flying into a nearby tree. Ralf just rushed another bandit and hit him in the face “Six down !” .
The bandits quickly reorganized themselves. They went into a stance and started casting something. A light green beam slowly flew out of a bandit’s hands towards one of the prisoners. He said some random things Kail couldn’t understand and fell to the ground. Another bandit in front of Kail started casting. Kail quickly sent a force wave in the bandit’s direction. His wave went off-course barely hitting the bandit. The bandits cape flew off, revealing the bandit’s face. It was a girl of his age. She looked differently than most girls he met in the void nation. She quickly casted her own string of green light hitting a prisoner near Kail. The prisoner turned towards kail and tried to stab him with his sword. Kail jumped back in surprise. The girl moved her hands as if she as controlling a doll. The prisoner went towards kail in unsteady steps. Kail sent a force wave at him laying him on the ground. The green light disappeared. The girl casted another string, now towards Kail. He jumped to the side trying to evade it but it followed him. Suddenly the world around him started to change. Different colors appeared and disappeared, shapes transformed and a terrible buzz was heard in the head. Suddenly it all stopped. Kail opened his eyes to see how Allen sends the girl flying in the air. Another bandit appeared in front of them. Allen was ready to strike his foe down when he suddenly casted a spell. The green light covered the bandit and he disappeared. Suddenly Kail turned around hitting the air behind him. The air suddenly transformed into a knife wielding bandit. The strike went straight at the bandit’s face stunning him. Kail quickly gave him a good kick to finish him off. He didn’t know how he knew the bandit was there but he was glad he hit him.
Ralf and Eve ran deeper into the camp. Two bandits appeared in front of them. They casted the light rays towards two prisoners. The prisoners suddenly turned towards Eve and drew their swords, preparing to strike. Ralf and Eve quickly pulled their hands up , picking up the prisoners into the air and throwing them aside “Oh sorry I didn’t mean to … “ Eve was suddenly interrupted by another light passing right above her head, hitting a group of prisoners. The prisoners slowly fell to the ground.
A quick glance at the battlefield revealed two persons standing in the middle of the ruined camp – the master and a bandit, the one Kail threw away. The student quickly stood between her master and the Kail. The master seemed calm. She smiled with her old face revealing missing teeth. She wasn’t preparing to cast any spells, she was watching her student as if she was facing a test. Kail and the others quickly went into starting stance, preparing to strike, so did the student. Ralf started first. He created with his hands a force ball and pushed it at the student. The student jumped to the side and cast her spell. Her body was covered in the green light and suddenly she disappeared.
The four starting circling around trying to find her. Suddenly Kail noticed a few leaves cracking on the ground. He turned towards the sound and sent a force wave. Though the force wave hit it’s target revealing the student it barely effected her. “it’s not the time for mistakes” he thought. The student quickly cast another spell, hitting Allen. He started wandering around, barely walking, talking about colors in his eyes. Eve reacted to it quickly by sending her own force ball at the student. The ball hit her target but her technique was flawed too. The ball barely effected the student. She casted another light, now at Kail. Suddenly his body became to move. He tried to stop it, tell it go elsewhere but he couldn’t control his body. Suddenly everything became bright. He could barely see anything in this light. He felt something weird, relaxing passing through his body, he couldn’t feel it anymore. Suddenly it all became black as he felt his body hitting the ground. His vision became better and he could see how the student is sending another light at Eve. She began to move heavily towards Ralf. Ralf casted another force wave towards the student but she was evading his strikes. Suddenly Ralf rushed towards her sending a wave on the move. This move took the student by surprise. The wave hit her smashing her into a tree.
Ralf no turned towards the Master. He picked up a sword from the ground and ran towards her. He closed on her and slashed her with his sword, only to discover his sword is actually passing through her. The master suddenly disappeared and reappeared right near him, striking him with a curved knife. Ralf noticed her and tried to evade but it was too late. The knife hit his left hand. Though the wound was quite shallow Ralf suddenly fell to the ground. “It is too bad I will have to kill you personally. This knife contains a very rare and powerful poison , there is no use in fighting back” . She prepared to strike as a powerful light beam stroke at her. She was hit by that light and sent flying into the mountain. Master Corus ran went towards Ralf. “It’s no use … you cannot cure the poison … “ she said. Her green robe was completely black now, burnt. “Egonium extract is always useful to have in stock” he said giving Ralf a yellow liquid. The effect was almost immediate as Ralf slowly stood up. Suddenly Allen’s Aunt has appeared together with other villagers “Oh thank good you are alright” she said running towards Allen who just got over the weird spell that was cast on him.
“How did you know we’re in trouble master ? “ Allen asked. “Your aunt went to me and told about your idea” he answered . “I just knew you won’t give up on this idea, I had to get some help “ Allen’s aunt said. “But how did you know we’ll need those Egonium flowers you told us to get ?” asked Kail. “One day you will answer this question yourself” he answered smiling. “and what was that magic ? I’ve never seen any element such as this”. “We divided magic into elements for hundreds of years, we learned to master one, to perfect it and use to our advantage but we never saw the whole picture. The division into elements is something that we forced on ourselves. There is no real boundary between the elements, they are all whole. Some areas of this whole were never studied , such as the illusion spells they used “. “So why did we force this division on ourselves ? Wouldn’t we be more powerful without it ? “, “one day you will answer this question too” he smiled.
End of fourth chapter.
Spoiler:
While Kail couldn’t enjoy his Sunday his friends will sure enjoy it for the next few days as tails about it spread around. The terrible headache after that encounter lasted for the rest of the day and Kail didn’t want to do anything besides lying on the bed.
The headache was gone the next day. Early in the morning as always they went to the courtyard. Master Corus was waiting for them already. “I want two straight lines” he said pointing at the middle of the courtyard. The lines quickly assembled and he began the lesson. “Today we are going to practice force shields. This is the most basic and useful defence tool of a void mage. Now go to starting stance”. “You know how to create force waves. You create a force field in your hands and throw it as a wave at your opponent. Like the force wave, the force shield starts from the same force field, now create one”.
Kail raised his hands and a transparent ball appeared in his hands, much smaller than the others’ balls though, as it was always the case. Kail struggled to make it bigger. He focused as much as he could, tried to force all his energy into that ball but it didn’t respond. “Now, unlike a force wave, while using a force shield it is important to learn how to sustain it. Push the ball right outside of your body and hit it with your hand. Let the energy spread around into a thick shield”. Kail pushed the ball forward and then let it’s energy out. The ball grew into a round wall and disappeared.
“ Now as you saw your shields didn’t last long without sustain. Learning to manage your energy so not to waste too much of it is important. Pushing the force ball like you did will protect you from powerful blows but only temporary. In order to keep your shield intact for longer time there is no need to send the whole field. Imagine as if it was water. Direct this water with your fingertips forward and then hit it like you did with the field. The energy will form a shield in front of you.”. Kail did as he said. The thin flow of energy followed his fingertips and spread around forming a shield. It did not disappear immediately but started to slowly fade away. “Try to maintain your shields. Dedicate just enough energy to keep it up. The energy should freely flow through your body to your hand and into the shield “. Master Corus went through the lines to see the shields. Kail tried to keep the shield as long as he could but he felt tired and his shield slowly faded away. “Now lets see how well you use them in battle, first line sends a force wave at the second one, second one absorbs and sends her own wave”
Kail created another force field and pushed it forward with his hands. Allen created a shield. He had some trouble sustaining it too but quickly overcame the wave and sent his own. Kail focused on the shield, pushed his hand forward and prepared for the wave. The wave crushed into the shield and almost passed through. Kail sent another wave. Allen crushed it easily and sent his own wave back at Kail. He raised up his shield but it was too weak and the wave passed through, hitting Kail and pushing him backwards. “You do not feel the flow” noted master Corus. After what seemed to him like infinity the lunch break finally came. Kail felt tired. He fell on the ground more than any other lesson he had.
After lunch Kail went to get a short rest. Suddenly master Corus said “Kail, follow me”. He lead him to the backyard near the lake. There was a small wooden platform near the water. They went to it. “sit down” he said. Kail set down. “It is a nice day isn’t it ? The sun that warms the air and the water around us… a good day for thought and meditation. Tell me Kail, would you like to drink that water ?” he pointed at a dirty small pool. “Not really isn’t it ? It is tainted and possesses little value. Our soul is a great source of power. Unfortunately we didn’t quite learn how to use it’s most pure form. We have restricted ourselves with our thoughts and feelings that do not allow us to fully understand this power and use it, We put our limited experience and knowledge to limit the flow of energy to create a small tainted pool of energy we can actually use” “like that small pool” “exactly, but if we remove those obstacles and let the energy flow freely” he pulled out a few rocks that blocked the water in the pool “we will be able to use pure energy” as the water flowed through the pool the water slowly became blue and clean “Are you ready to try ?” “Yes master”.
Master Corus stood up and went to the square behind them. “The most basic thing you should know is that our energy is not physical but mental. It doesn’t come from our muscles . Now put two fingers on your arm, near the hand, can you feel the blood passing ? Follow the vein on your hand. Do you feel anything ? “ “I … I don’t know”. “ Create a small force field and now let your fingers absorb it. Move them again on your hand.” “I feel something going through me”, “now stop moving your fingers, do you still feel that movement ? “ “yes, it is hard to describe it” , “this is the pure energy. Now move it to your other hand , and now both hands. Now to your fingertips, and now to a force field” Kail created another transparent ball. It was significantly larger than the last one. “Again, move the energy through your hand, with your fingers. To the other hand, to the fingers and out. In, through, out. In, through, out.”
“When we guide the energy through our body we divide it into two parts – positive energy and negative energy. We tunnel our way through the flow of energy , separating it into two. “ “So if both the positive and negative energy is not there what it is then ?” “The void. The energy cannot sustain this state for long and collapses back into one, flowing forward through the path. The art of curving those paths is the core of the void magic, to manipulate the void, Now dismiss your force field”.
Kail lowered his hands and let the force field disappear. “ Now feel the flow coming through your body in. Good , in , through , out” . Kail created another force field, he felt how his whole body fills with strange feeling, he felt the flow, the guided the flow, the became the flow, or at least that’s how he felt. “Not many can that easily feel this energy, usually you need many years of practice to learn to differ the tainted energy from the pure one while you have learned to do it in a hour. Your technique still needs some work but with your new knowledge you will be able to keep up to the others.”
Master Corus and Kail went to the courtyard. The break was over and the students were waiting in there. “I want two straight lines”. He quickly pushed the lines and put Kail in a gap in the middle. It was an unpleasant surprise to discover the source of the gap standing in the line in front of Kail. “This is gonna hurt” he thought looking at Emily preparing her force field. He started preparing his own. Emily shot a force wave straight at Kail. He pushed his own force field and created a shield. The wave hit the shield pushing Kail back but the shield survived. He created his own wave and pushed it forward.
After a few hours of intense practice Kail felt he handles the shield technique more or less. His hands were still hurting as much as they did in the morning but this was considering he was repelling Emily’s waves. He went to the students’ quarters and set on the bed. Allen looked at him with approval. “Hey you are actually improving ! Told you not to worry too much” , “yea … I still do it wrong though”. The chatter in the room slowly faded away as the lights went off and the time to sleep came.
The following morning they went to the courtyard s usual. Master Corus was already waiting in the courtyard. “Today we are going to practice some more moves, I hope you slept well because from now on we are going to beat a hell of a practice every day”. The students started whispering and guessing the reason for the drastic change. “As you are wandering what is the reason for this change it is because from now on we are preparing for the Void Tournament “ .
End of fifth chapter.
(sry for deleting your post LJS I needed that space. Ill add the poll I a sec)
