Chapter 5: The Trial of Chaos
A pipetray of violence and fear, the world around Jarec erupted as the once-safe confines of the Obsidian Ridge Mine became a battleground. Sorndean metal clashed with cries of pain filling the air, mixing in a heady concoction with the acrid stench and sweat. Velaris, that damned arrogant rat Con, had thrown Jarec headlong into the chaos of combat, demanding of Jarec that he do so wielding his newly acquired power with careless abandon.
"You're about to experience what true power feels like, worm!" Velaris sneered, his eyes bright with contempt. "Now show me what you've got, or shall I?"
The bandits were a brutal lot, and standing before Velaris was their brutish leader, with a scar running down his face. Velaris's challenge was greater than a taunted test; it was a trial by fire, and Jarec was its unwilling participant. At stake was his life, or perhaps the lives of the last of his fellow miners.
Jarec was a vessel of desperation, pushed over the edge. As a Monus Gifted, he barely had control over the chaotic energy of Azar. Tentatively, he reached out with his hands, grasping for the chaotic forces recently awakened within him. Velaris had not exactly provided him with detailed instructions. He'd taunted Jarec to find out for himself. The only instruction he had been given was the main gist: channel the chaotic energy and let it erupt in a form of destruction only he could deliver.
Velaris had given him no definite instructions, only expectations to wield the [Chaos Surge]. With Velaris's mocking laughter resounding in his ears, Jarec stumbled forward, trying to piece together the chaos-driven power that surged within him.
The first thief closing was a wiry figure with a wicked grin, swinging a sword with downright deadly precision. Jarec had just managed to intercept the blow with a makeshift shield of rock when it slammed into him with such force that it left him reeling, yet he quickly forced himself to focus. He thrust his hands out, trying to summon the [Chaos Surge]. The energy burst forth erratically, slamming into the bandit with explosive force. The bandit crumpled, but Jarec's victory was so short-lived.
"I did it HAHA!!" Jarec said but.
Another large, brutish bandit charged headlong toward him, carrying a heavy axe that swung down at Jarec. The swing alone knocked him off guard as he stumbled backward, barely rolling away in time from the deadly blade. His chest heaved as he scrambled up to his feet, sweat mingling with blood on his face.
Jarec needed to be quick. The chaotic energy building up inside him was wild and uncontainable, where each attempt to rein it all in was like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. He raised his hands to what he had desperately begun to understand – the nature of this chaotic power. The [Chaos Surge] erupted from his palms in a jagged line, catching the bandit who tumbled aside in a very painful way until a nearby wall caught him. The bandit's body fell lifelessly to the ground.
But the time Jarec gained was short. The bandits were ferocious, their rage unrelenting in its fury. The fearsome bandit leader, with a face full of scars, roared in fury at Jarec, running with his huge club. Jarec had hardly time to react. The club hit him and flung him over headlong, a world filled with a hot scream of pain from his side.
As Jarec shakily got to his feet, he saw Velaris standing up on a boulder, looking down with part contempt, part amusement. "Pathetic!" chortled the valdier. "You call that fighting? You're not even worth the bother of killing!"
And Jarec gritted his teeth, pushing through the agony. There was nothing beyond that now, but to live he had to—his fellow miners depended on him. Again, he breathed in deeply and tried to concentrate on the chaotic energy within himself. And again, the power surged, this time so much more turbulent, like a storm about to break.
The bandit leader closed in, swinging at Jarec with his club, the motion the prelude to attacking with deadly force. Jarec reached his hands up, and the Chaos Surge erupted into a wild, uncontrollable explosion of force that battered the bandit leader back. Jarec pressed his advantage, sending wave after crashing wave of that power uncontrolled by the enigmatic force back.
But the battle was beginning to have its toll. Jarec was getting tired; almost he was going weak. Every strike from the bandits was a harsh reminder of his own mortality. He barely avoided a series of attacks, his movements becoming lethargic and heavy. Blood trickled from his face, and his vision blurred from the exertion.
They began to close in, their confidence growing now that Jarec's faltering strength was obvious. With a furious howl of rage, the bandit leader sprang toward Jarec. Arms flung high, he called upon all parts of the Chaos to lend him power. In one last, desperate explosion, the Chaos Surge burst against the bandit leader with explosive force.
The leader of the robbers dropped, but it took everything Jarec had just to remain standing. His breath was coming in sharp, ragged gasps, and his legs felt like they were made of lead. The bandits, seeing their fallen leader, looked on in hesitation—their faces alive with fear and uncertainty now.
Velaris's voice cut through the chaos, a mixture of scorn and grudging respect. "Well enough for a worm," he groused. "At least you managed to hold your own. For now."
Barely able to stand, Jarec just glared at Velaris. "Great idea for training," he said, his voice tired but defiant.
Velaris's eyes glimmered with humor and approval. "Think of it as a trial by fire. You have what it takes, Jarec. You have the potential to do great things, if you live long enough to sort out how to control your abilities."
With the last of the bandits scattering away, Jarec was alone amidst the wreckage of the battle. The place was already dense with smoke, and his body hurt with every inch of his movement. He had fought hard. see beyond his imagination. The battle had taken its price, but it had also shown him a hint of his potential.
Surveying the devastation, Jarec took grim satisfaction. He had passed his first real test: the chaos of battle had almost been his end, but in the end, the cause prevailed. Chaos surged—power from a wild, destructive force, but now it was part of him. And standing amidst the remnants of the battle, he knew he had made the step he should take to master his gift—and set his destiny.