Post by tmao on Sept 14, 2016 15:19:28 GMT
The alpha she wolf lunged high at Kanten, while the rest of the pack licked their lips. The Master apprentice fell back and took a wild swing with his staff to throw her off. The blow landed far more solidly on the side of her head than he could have hoped for. The wolf shook its head, almost like it was thinking. Kanten took advantage of her distress and aimed a second strike at the point of her head. She barely escaped a killing blow and went for his leg, in her partially stunned state the bite fell far short of it’s target. The other wolves began to complain, not used to lunch fighting back, too weak from hunger to mount a pack attack. The two combatants circled each other wearily, each looking for an advantage and catching their breath.
“Well, little lady, I am going to take a chance right now” the wizardling said to the pack leader.He made a one handed lunge with his staff, as he hoped, the wolf jumped back. The husky mage took his chance and slipped off his backpack. Freed of the heavy load, he was prepared for her jump at his throat. Responding with a wild side swing, the she-wolf was rewarded with 2 broken ribs. Heedless of the pain she drew blood from Kanten’s leg, a nasty gash.
“That was your mistake, bitch.” He crushed her skull as she again went for his throat. The pack ran off as he yelled at the corpse “High then low, high then low, you might as well have written me a letter!”
“The first in almost a generation,” He spoke again to the corpse, “That is what I am.” as he gathered up his backpack, only then turning to his badly damaged leg.
Binding the wound as best he could, Kanten continued up the ravine. Moving as quickly as he could, lest the canine pack get brave on him. The climb ahead looked daunting but he was driven. Driven to prove his master right. Driven to prove himself right. Driven to succeed. “The first in almost a generation.” That phrase comforted him but it was also intimidating. The Llama Highlands were the bane of many an explorer. Only here and now (this phase of the constellation
Minotaur) could he complete the quest.
Climbing ever upwards in the Highlands, he reached his goal in mid-afternoon. The Red Lotus Vale. Legendary for its fauna but its flora was what he was after. The very same Lotus of its namesake. Only blossoming on this very twilight Kanten thought about resting and having some food but the stories were not clear on exactly how plentiful the blossoms were. On he would go. Alert for the aforementioned “wildlife”. Figuring he had only about 2 hours to pluck the flower.
The undergrowth was far thicker than he imagined and he wished that somebody, anybody, had told him to bring a machete. For a man of his bulk, managing the foliage was very difficult. The staff he brought was inadequate in helping him navigage the plants, so he switched to his bare hands. That proved far more effective. Yet, he still made little headway. ”2 hours?!”,he wondered.
Even as the brush began to thin out, a new problem arose. The foliage had been replaced by finger long, sharp thorns. Reluctantly turning to the side instead of forward, Kanten pressed on with greater urgency. Time was fleeting, his whole life ruined by little more than a rose bush!
Reaching the cliff face of the valley in about an hour, much to his relief, the going forward got much easier. In another quarter hour he saw it! The Red Lotus! For the first time in a long time, he had gotten lucky! Kanten had nearly an hour to gather his strength for the long night ahead.
Sitting about 20 paces from the flower, the wizardling sat and ate a little, wanting to rest a litle before starting the final stage. Hereflected on 20 years ago , when he was only 15…………..
The waking dream was fiction, Kanten dimly reasoned. His head dropped to the chest. His eyes rolled back in his head. ”Want to sleep….” said in the dimmest whisper. The Red Lotus’ defence against mages- fall asleep and your heart stops beating. Nothing had prepared him for this. He slumped down and futilely tried to wake. Slowly his heart rate dropped. With his last ounce of will, Kanten placed his hand within the camp fire. Wide eyed- startled awake by the pain, he looked at the Lotus.
“One in almost a generation, huh?Almost done in by a plant.”
Sure of purpose again, he aligned himself at the proper angle. A straight line of himself, the Lotus, the proper peak and finally the constellation. Taking the two books out of his backpack, he placed the larger oneopen in front of him and began to read the smaller.
He lingered on the title.
Turning to the chapter on Celestial Magic, he began to read aloud.
“You are a small boy. For many days, your fellow villagers, have spoken of a great event. The sky will fill with Wonders. The heavens will be as bright as noon day at midnight. The stars will grow and be like great suns.”
“It is almost the night of legend. The anticipation is palpable. As the sun sets, the villagers gather together in your beloved mother’s field. Warm handshakes and hugs are exchanged.
The sun is just set when a hush falls over the gathered people. A very brief moment of total
darkness.
“The sky! The Sky! A sight beyond anything you can ever imagine emerges. The stars Huge!
A mighty comet appears. It dwarfs any sun! You can’t breath and you hold tight to your mother
Drink in the majesty,
Feel the awe,
Become One with the Heavens!!”
Their is no magic in the book or in saying the words.None the less. a tear fellfrom his eye and his heart is full of awe. Years of training broughtthe simple story to life for Kanten. Soul prepared, the man plucked the bloom from the flower.
Hearing a strange buzzing sound, Kanten dares to look around, endangering his state of mind. A tiny faerie has been attracted to him. The hand sized fey almost into his face. “Play!” the faerie boy said simply. “Play?”
Kanten was at a complete loss. He was prepared for many dangers, many trials, but not forlosing his state of mind to a faerie. Struggling to maintain the sense of awe his training had brought to him, he desperately needed to find a way out. The tiny fey meant no harm but was endangering the work of a lifetime.
“Play!” “Play?” With a regret rising to push out the awe, Kanten very reluctantly grasped his staff, trying in vain to think of another way. Giving the creature one last chance, he waited a moment longer. Another moment. Another. Bored, the boy fey flew away, sparing him from a most disturbing thought.
A life time has prepared him for this time, this moment of perfect alignment. This moment of perfect mental discipline. He looked down at the large spellbook and turned to page four. In his hour of triumph he has chosen the easiest path. He read the shifting glowing words carefully, committing each special word to memory. As he read he crushed the Lotus over the page of Celestial Magic. Each word fought and tried to get away but slowly, slowly each was placed in its proper place in his psyche. Finally, he had mastered the spell.
His eyes began to bleed and he vomited out his simple meal. A bright light filled his head, along with the words of the spell. Kanten needed to hold on as long as possible to the spell, be its master rather than servant/slave. He writhed on the ground in agony. Vomiting. Bleeding. The understanding of what he haf accomplished swelled in him as minutes and then hours passed.
The First In Almost a Generation!
At just before dawn, while it would still work, he uttered the secret incantation for activating the spell.. A small flaming torch was conjured out of nowhere. That was all but to Kanten it wasGlorious!
The spell had worked!
The easiest part is over, but Kanten can now proudly and truly be called a Mage!
“Well, little lady, I am going to take a chance right now” the wizardling said to the pack leader.He made a one handed lunge with his staff, as he hoped, the wolf jumped back. The husky mage took his chance and slipped off his backpack. Freed of the heavy load, he was prepared for her jump at his throat. Responding with a wild side swing, the she-wolf was rewarded with 2 broken ribs. Heedless of the pain she drew blood from Kanten’s leg, a nasty gash.
“That was your mistake, bitch.” He crushed her skull as she again went for his throat. The pack ran off as he yelled at the corpse “High then low, high then low, you might as well have written me a letter!”
“The first in almost a generation,” He spoke again to the corpse, “That is what I am.” as he gathered up his backpack, only then turning to his badly damaged leg.
Binding the wound as best he could, Kanten continued up the ravine. Moving as quickly as he could, lest the canine pack get brave on him. The climb ahead looked daunting but he was driven. Driven to prove his master right. Driven to prove himself right. Driven to succeed. “The first in almost a generation.” That phrase comforted him but it was also intimidating. The Llama Highlands were the bane of many an explorer. Only here and now (this phase of the constellation
Minotaur) could he complete the quest.
Climbing ever upwards in the Highlands, he reached his goal in mid-afternoon. The Red Lotus Vale. Legendary for its fauna but its flora was what he was after. The very same Lotus of its namesake. Only blossoming on this very twilight Kanten thought about resting and having some food but the stories were not clear on exactly how plentiful the blossoms were. On he would go. Alert for the aforementioned “wildlife”. Figuring he had only about 2 hours to pluck the flower.
The undergrowth was far thicker than he imagined and he wished that somebody, anybody, had told him to bring a machete. For a man of his bulk, managing the foliage was very difficult. The staff he brought was inadequate in helping him navigage the plants, so he switched to his bare hands. That proved far more effective. Yet, he still made little headway. ”2 hours?!”,he wondered.
Even as the brush began to thin out, a new problem arose. The foliage had been replaced by finger long, sharp thorns. Reluctantly turning to the side instead of forward, Kanten pressed on with greater urgency. Time was fleeting, his whole life ruined by little more than a rose bush!
Reaching the cliff face of the valley in about an hour, much to his relief, the going forward got much easier. In another quarter hour he saw it! The Red Lotus! For the first time in a long time, he had gotten lucky! Kanten had nearly an hour to gather his strength for the long night ahead.
Sitting about 20 paces from the flower, the wizardling sat and ate a little, wanting to rest a litle before starting the final stage. Hereflected on 20 years ago , when he was only 15…………..
The waking dream was fiction, Kanten dimly reasoned. His head dropped to the chest. His eyes rolled back in his head. ”Want to sleep….” said in the dimmest whisper. The Red Lotus’ defence against mages- fall asleep and your heart stops beating. Nothing had prepared him for this. He slumped down and futilely tried to wake. Slowly his heart rate dropped. With his last ounce of will, Kanten placed his hand within the camp fire. Wide eyed- startled awake by the pain, he looked at the Lotus.
“One in almost a generation, huh?Almost done in by a plant.”
Sure of purpose again, he aligned himself at the proper angle. A straight line of himself, the Lotus, the proper peak and finally the constellation. Taking the two books out of his backpack, he placed the larger oneopen in front of him and began to read the smaller.
He lingered on the title.
Turning to the chapter on Celestial Magic, he began to read aloud.
“You are a small boy. For many days, your fellow villagers, have spoken of a great event. The sky will fill with Wonders. The heavens will be as bright as noon day at midnight. The stars will grow and be like great suns.”
“It is almost the night of legend. The anticipation is palpable. As the sun sets, the villagers gather together in your beloved mother’s field. Warm handshakes and hugs are exchanged.
The sun is just set when a hush falls over the gathered people. A very brief moment of total
darkness.
“The sky! The Sky! A sight beyond anything you can ever imagine emerges. The stars Huge!
A mighty comet appears. It dwarfs any sun! You can’t breath and you hold tight to your mother
Drink in the majesty,
Feel the awe,
Become One with the Heavens!!”
Their is no magic in the book or in saying the words.None the less. a tear fellfrom his eye and his heart is full of awe. Years of training broughtthe simple story to life for Kanten. Soul prepared, the man plucked the bloom from the flower.
Hearing a strange buzzing sound, Kanten dares to look around, endangering his state of mind. A tiny faerie has been attracted to him. The hand sized fey almost into his face. “Play!” the faerie boy said simply. “Play?”
Kanten was at a complete loss. He was prepared for many dangers, many trials, but not forlosing his state of mind to a faerie. Struggling to maintain the sense of awe his training had brought to him, he desperately needed to find a way out. The tiny fey meant no harm but was endangering the work of a lifetime.
“Play!” “Play?” With a regret rising to push out the awe, Kanten very reluctantly grasped his staff, trying in vain to think of another way. Giving the creature one last chance, he waited a moment longer. Another moment. Another. Bored, the boy fey flew away, sparing him from a most disturbing thought.
A life time has prepared him for this time, this moment of perfect alignment. This moment of perfect mental discipline. He looked down at the large spellbook and turned to page four. In his hour of triumph he has chosen the easiest path. He read the shifting glowing words carefully, committing each special word to memory. As he read he crushed the Lotus over the page of Celestial Magic. Each word fought and tried to get away but slowly, slowly each was placed in its proper place in his psyche. Finally, he had mastered the spell.
His eyes began to bleed and he vomited out his simple meal. A bright light filled his head, along with the words of the spell. Kanten needed to hold on as long as possible to the spell, be its master rather than servant/slave. He writhed on the ground in agony. Vomiting. Bleeding. The understanding of what he haf accomplished swelled in him as minutes and then hours passed.
The First In Almost a Generation!
At just before dawn, while it would still work, he uttered the secret incantation for activating the spell.. A small flaming torch was conjured out of nowhere. That was all but to Kanten it wasGlorious!
The spell had worked!
The easiest part is over, but Kanten can now proudly and truly be called a Mage!