Chapter 18
Geilas
After a few more hours spent practicing, all the girls were able to call out the magic from their weapons. Ember had rejoined the group outside following her dramatic exit and helped the ladies understand how she drew her magical energy forward. She explained how she saw the string of light that attached themselves from each one of us leading to her. She simply took hold of them and channeled that energy into her weapon. I watched in awe as each of them practiced tirelessly to draw out the feeling that Ember had described.
I was always fascinated with magic users. Belonging to the Amazonian Tribe was an honor beyond anything in all the realms, for in our blood, magic is bound. I was truly blessed to be among such a prestigious and brave tribe. I would never second guess my decision to join them in my youth, especially after the Darkness and the Aspyre demolished them. Being the last one left had solidified my pride in my Tribe and in my veins, the last sacred blood flowed.
I have, however, always wondered what it would be like to have one of the abilities of the other Tribes. I wouldn't necessarily say that I envy them, more like I'm curious of what life would have held. I shed the idea of a path not traveled and turn back to the sisters, watching as they continue to test out the limits of their newly found power. Their weapons held both my blood and theirs, giving live and unbounded limits on what they could do. So far, it had been a treat watching what kind of abilities their weapons held. I took pride in knowing that I was a part of their creation.
Ember's battle axe would leak with lava, melting anything it hit when she threw it. She named it Volkan because it reminded her of a volcano. When she practiced swinging at a target while holding it in her hand, Volkan would create a secondary cut, or rather burn mark, on the opposite side of where the initial strike would take place, creating two times the damage. You could see the flame in her eyes as she honed in her skills, trying to create a familiar technique she could practice daily.
Her other weapon was the round sword. She kept saying it reminded her of Xena, whoever that was! Ember acted like she knew what to do with it and threw it sideways at a target. The ring was doused in flames as soon as it left her fingertips and the air around it was almost ablaze. When it touched the target, the entire thing was incinerated, leaving nothing behind…not even ashes. The ring would always find its way right back to Ember. No matter how far she was or if she moved positions. When it touched her hands, the flame would die, and she would stand there as if nothing had happened.
After a few more trial runs with it, I discovered the ring had an eternal flame, meaning whatever it touches will burn to nothing. I explained to Ember that once the flame touches something or someone, there is no going back. She was alarmed by this news and was less than enthusiastic about throwing it again. We decided to put that away for emergency purposes only. Thus, she continued to practice with her axe.
Meadow was the next to catch on to her weapon's powers. Her Sai was amazing. I always loved them. They are perfect for hand-to-hand combat. Her's were unique as they had three blades on each Sai instead of one. The three blades were green and shaped like a bear's claw. It was quite the site seeing her wield them. She had tied her silvery hair back and was completely focused on bringing forth the magic within. When she finally did, you could see her bloom back to life.
The Sai would excrete this liquid into whatever she would hit with it. After examination, I realized that this liquid was a poison known as Bakamis. It is deadly to any person even slightly within contact of it. After contact, the infected party will be dead within 72 hours. Well…kind of. Each weapon infected with Bakamis has a specific healer magically attached to it. If you don't know the healer, or the healer doesn't know which weapon they are attached to, then you are pretty much out of luck. The only reprieve we found from the Sai poison was that Meadow must activate the skill from within to bring forth its deadly nature.
The second weapon Meadow possessed was a Kusari. It is sort of shaped like an axe, but the edge is a scythe instead. It also typically has a chain attached to it. Meadows didn't have chains, hers had nearly indestructible vines. While she practiced with it, we realized there was no limit to the distance the vines would reach. She would lock onto a target in the distance and the vines would react, attaching themselves in a grip that was impossible to break. Definitely the safer weapon of the two.
Wren was off in a small clearing by herself getting more and more excited as time went on. She had looked at her weapons, inspecting them thoroughly before even attempting to use them. It was sort of cute in a way. She always saw everything through curious eyes. It made me admire her more. To have that excitement about anything new must be quite the feeling. When she was done investigating her weapons, she stood and tried one out.
Her first weapon was what looked like a simple dagger. It was clearly anything but. When she slashed the air, performing moves we had practiced earlier, the slash was enlarged as the wind took hold. You could see the physical depth of the wind slash. I felt sorry for whoever would be hit by that. They would get a gash so big they would nearly be in half. She tried several ways of swiping at the air, the result was always the same. A small strike would still lead to the wind opening it up further. We also noticed that the slashed follow no direct line. If she was aiming in a certain area, but intended to hit a different target, the wind slash would go to the latter.
After Wren got enough practicing with the dagger, she picked up her magnificent bow and arrow. There were three colored arrows, yellow, grey, and purple. It was hard to tell without a living target what each would do, but my guess is a stun, incapacitate and a deadly ending. Time would only tell, so she practiced her aim, and she was most assuredly a natural. Before long, she was hitting targets that were almost impossible to hit. It was as if she picked up her arrows and became the perfect marksman, never missing her target. It was inspiring to say the least.
After watching Wren hit endless shots, I turned my attention to the last of the bunch.
Alda was so timid when she first started practicing, as if she had no desire to use force…ever. It wasn't until after she saw the looks on Meadow's and Ember's faces that I saw her putting forth more effort. She looked awkward standing there trying to make her weapons work, so I walked to her to guide her.
"Do not try too hard, little one. It is already within you. What are you afraid of?" I asked her.
"I really don't know. There are a lot of 'what ifs' and I'm worried." She replied sadly.
"You don't have to fear that which you do not know. Embrace it and you will know all there is."
"What if I'm not good enough to protect them?" she whispered to me, glancing over at the others practicing, oblivious to her momentary concerns.
"The only way you fail them is if you first fail yourself. If you do not put aside the things holding you back, you will never be who they need you to be…who we all need you to be. Understand me when I say what is coming is no game. There will be hard decisions and situations you must command. If you, a rightful leader in this land, do not have faith that you can succeed, then you are already doomed to fail. We will all perish, everyone in Bavilan will perish. I want to be clear when I say this to you. I know it is not easy putting aside a peaceful demeanor to achieve our goal, but it is necessary for all of you. Your sisters are starting to understand that. Are you my dear Alda?" I paused and gazed at her with kind eyes. This might be the last time she experiences true kindness for a while.
She set her face to a more stoic tone and closed her eyes. Her entire body vibrated with energy. Wren, Meadow and Ember all stopped what they were doing and watched as Alda's weapons came to life.
The first she tried was the whip with a glowing blue gem at the tip. When she cracked the whip, water started to flow from the lake to Alda, forming a sphere. Alda held complete control over the water globe, maintaining its levitation above her head. As instincts kicked in, she cracked the whip again and the sphere dissipated, returning to the shimmering lake behind us. She has a proud gleam in her eye as she tried numerous times. On the last time, she suggested trapping something inside of the sphere. She had a feeling it would be safe enough and took to finding a little creature nearby.
They still hadn't encountered many animals on their stay in Bavilan, but as luck would have it a creature resembling Earth's dragonfly flew over near Alda's sphere. She maneuvered the watery cage over the dragonfly and instantly it stilled and hovered as if it were asleep.
"Ahh, your whip has the ability to put its captives into a deep slumber. As the sphere can not be penetrated, the only way for it to disappear is for you to crack the whip again. This is a great skill to have. You can lull your enemies into a deep sleep instead of using brute force or deadly techniques." I turned my attention back to the other three. At least one of each of their weapons had a "kill" setting, so far with Alda, everything is smoother.
Then she pulled out her second weapon.
Alda stood there looking like the epitome of royalty holding her regal staff. It was majestic in all forms of the word. The tip of her staff resembled a multi-colored trident. The two outside tips were an icy blue color and a marble white color, while the taller tip in the middle was a stormy grey. She smiled at us before turning to the practically destroyed targets across the training yard. She closed her eyes and called to the water.
The water from the lake was absorbed by the staff, lighting the colored tips on the trident. Her first strike an icy blue substance flew towards the targets. Sickles of ice stabbed through the target, eliminating it on the first blow. The ice spread, freezing everything in its vicinity. The targets still burning from Ember's flames ceased their burn, frozen in place as if it had been an ancient relic all along. She took another strike, this time shooting from the white tip. A dense fog took over the area.
"Oh my, the fog of visions" I muttered under my breath. I was very aware of this skill. Alda's grandmother had the same skill and it has not been seen since. Someone who wields the ability to call forth the fog of visions is absolutely a force to be reckoned with.
"That fog Alda, It is very mysterious and different for every captive. When you are in the fog, much like the fog Wren was stuck in, you are completely confused. The only difference is, in your fog, your captives will enter a vision quest. Their only way out of the fog is to complete their quest. For some, they are successful almost immediately. For others, well lets just say that others never wake up from their quest. Their bodies do not die, but they are stuck. No one that has ever been stuck has ever revived and no one knows how to get them back." I explained.
She was listening intently, soaking up every word like a sponge, they all were. She nodded her understanding and turned back to the target to attempt the last colored tip.
When she struck her staff, instantly the atmosphere changed. The skies grew darker and started to rumble deathly beats. Purple lightning flashed across our vision and the winds picked up, bringing the rain with force. You could barely hear our screams as we tried to get Alda's attention. The storm was raging but looking at her, you could see she was in complete control. She was testing her limits at the expense of all of our safety. I hustled as best I could to her before she called forth a tornado to level the area.
As I reached her, I placed my hand on her shoulder calming her racing heart.
"I think you can protect them little one. You have no need to fear anymore." With that a single tear fell from her eyes and she calmed the energy in the storm. The rain and thunder ceased. The wind turned into a light breeze and the sun came back out in full force. She looked at her staff and back to her sisters. She held not only understanding now, but confidence as well. She would be a good protector for her sisters and her people.
"Well now that all that excitement has ended, how about we go eat some food and I finish telling you ladies about your families!" I plastered my award winning smile on my face and walked nonchalantly towards the cabin.