by Rick Field
The ground trembled, the meagre light from the nighttime sky dimming as clouds formed. Air whipped up around them, the temperature fluctuated wildly.
Monolith, pale and aghast, ensnared as many of the hulks as possible, before Liane's double chant yanked the magic out of them. Up in the air, a cloud cover formed, slower and slower, its edges blurring where they dissipated against the environment.
Liane's face frowned of its own accord. A third chant edged itself in to the rhythm of the previous two, setting into the third canon cadence. More magic drained into Liane's core. The clouds resumed forming, energy and temperature and winds forming into a horrible cacophony of nature's rage. The clouds charged further, power building endlessly as Liane poured three concurrent power chants into it. Her vision was completely tinted red now, she felt no pain or exhaustion. She simply was, borne of power and magic, the one known as the MagicWarper. Finally, she felt the magic complete, felt the energy of her assembled spell reach a terrible, roaring crescendo.
“DIE!” Liane snarled, discharging the entire storm cell's buildup of lightning in a single strike against the location of the offending Mage's bunker runes.
Monolith screamed, falling to the ground, clutching her eyes. Steve had to look away from the night that suddenly was brighter than day. The rumble of thunder threatened to burst their ears, and Steve could barely ride it out, glancing at Liane's impassive form as he did so.
She did not move, not from the light, not from the dark, nor from the sound. She stood, like a rock in the surf, weathering whatever damage she herself had wrought.
The chants ended immediately upon the spell's completion, and the Mage gripped for her staff to remain upright. “Let's see her survive Thor's wrath,” the Pillar muttered, half to herself. Ever since a Warlock had hurled a Mjolnir spell at her, she had wanted to be able to do a similar thing herself. While she wasn't able to replicate the Warlock spell due to her failure at Death Magic, she had to resort to brute force and create a veritable storm cell. The power requirements were beyond any mere Mage without outside assistance, but the results were all the more damaging because of it.
Her core screamed, and the pain hit. Her legs turned to foam, and the darkness took her.
The fog cleared slowly enough for her to wake gradually. When her ears cleared of tolling bells, Liane became aware of a conversation going on around her. She was not yet clear enough to move or see, so she listened.
“It is impossible,” she heard the first voice say. Slowly, its meaning and tone cleared in her sluggish mind. Monolith. It was Monolith's voice. The Druid sounded upset. “Even if you have seen it before,” the woman added.
“Creating storm and lightning, I can admit that,” a male's voice answered; that was Steve, the foreign pilot. What was his last name again? She couldn't recall just now. “The runes, I've seen her do before. She destroyed my plane with it.”
“I do not wish to know what a 'plane' is,” the Druid said. “And nature is the Druid's area. That she was able to brute-force its reactions through manipulation of elements is... it's unheard of. There are rumors of secret Warlock abilities that mimic nature through the use of their Death Magic, but what she did... that was pure elemental manipulation on such a scale that it actually created natural processes. It's incredible and outside of what a Mage should be capable of. However; it is still based on theoretical fact, simply on a larger scale. Setting Runes with a single spell, it's impossible.”
“And yet, you've seen her do it,” Steve said. “So it's clearly not impossible, is it?” the man sounded insufferably smug.
She was still in a halfway state, Liane knew. Half asleep, half awake. Her lips moved, but no sound was produced, she couldn't open her eyes, her body was so numb she wasn't aware if she could move it or not.
“She's awake!” the foreigner shouted, in a way that was against the Decorum. One shouldn't allow their emotions to rule them in that way. A small part of her was pleased, though. Pleased that her foreign charge cared for her enough to be pleased with her waking up from whatever damage-induced coma she had invoked this time.
Her lips moved again. “She is attempting to speak,” Monolith said, from nearby. Liane tried again. “Not impossible?” the Druid half asked, half repeated. Liane couldn't nod, and settled for moving her lips in the motions for 'yes'.
Steve chuckled. “That's her, alright. Even half dead, she's still telling me what's true and not.”
“And yet,” Monolith said, voice hard, “one simply cannot cast runes in a single motion. There must be a trick that was employed. Perhaps the runes were already written down on paper, and simply transferred on a larger scale.”
“Liane's trying to speak again,” Steve said. His voice sounded nearer now. Did he move closer? She hoped he wasn't invading Monolith's personal space; the man had no sense of Decorum. There had been times he had come uncomfortably close.
“No trick?” The Druid asked. Liane mouth 'yes' again. The encumbered Mage could practically hear the frown in Monolith's voice. “You cast them from memory?”
“Good memory?” Steve interpreted, before laughing in that non-Decorum fashion of his. “She must be getting better; she's already being sarcastic.”
Monolith obviously decided to ignore the man. “My Lady, you did grave damage to yourself and your magical core. I have been feeding you energy for the last two hours, and only now have you roused. You were chanting three power-raising chants in cadence, and overloaded yourself. I am afraid that I was only able to help you heal the burn damage done to your body. The instability of your magic is not something I am qualified to deal with. Few Druids would be, perhaps only the Master Healer or Master Xard himself would be able to assist.”
“You were attacked right outside your own boundaries,” Steve interjected. “Why haven't your people come out to help?”
Once more, Monolith's tone of voice perfectly told her facial expressions. “I am here on a personal errand. Druids only interfere when it is in the best interests of the island. A Druid on a personal errand is not in the best interests of the island.”
Steve didn't seem to hear the tone, and Liane wondered for a moment if he were tone deaf. Then she recalled that being tone deaf was in regards to music, not vocal tones. Meanwhile, the foreign pilot was saying, “Then why did your Master help Liane?”
The Druid was silent for a few moments. “Master Xard always did things on his own time. Why did he help My Lady? Perhaps we will never know.”
Liane let the voices tune out. Monolith's warning about her magic had unsettled her, and she wanted to get a closer look. Her fuzzy brain made things difficult, and rather than sink into meditation, she sunk back into unconsciousness.
The next time her awareness returned, she was able to open her eyes and have a look around. Her body moved painfully, but it was mobile. Slowly, she sat up, aware that day had broken and that both Steve and Monolith were asleep. Gingerly, she tested her magic. It sputtered and sparked as it moved, reminding her of her first times attempting magic back at the Academy.
Weary and aching, she moved to the glowing embers of a campfire, and found the remains of some late-night meal. She ate mechanically, barely tasting the food, her brain as unresponsive as her magic. She didn't know where to go next, what to do next. The Capital was their ultimate goal, but as things stood now, that goal was incredibly far away, not to mention the fact that she wouldn't be of much use once they got there.
Slowly, she eased herself into her meditative state, hoping to stabilize her magic. First priorities first, she needed to get her magic stabilized. The disappearance of those four Nobles yesterday would have been reported somewhere, and new hunters may be on their trail already.
When she finally managed a look at her magic, it was a horrific sight that greeted her. Her magic was unstable and in a rotten state, with hot and cold flashes of energy scouring away at the containing latticework. As she stayed and watched, she saw all four primary elements manifest in random momentar
y flashes, only for most to vanish and some to fuse into the secondary elements before they too vanished. Her core looked like the stuff of nightmares, raging and horrific and out of control.
Finally, she managed the presence of mind to shift her attention from her rampaging magic to the actual work at hand, and studied the protective barriers she had erected, barriers that should have stabilized her core and allowed her to cast without words or the use of focus gloves, but a protective barrier that felt more like a cage than those gloves ever had.
The blue and red primary anchors were there and stable, as was most of the protective containment lattice, but serious gaps had been burnt through, gaps where her magic had torn through when she cast spells above her station, and gaps where the triple power chant had burnt through in an effort to feed her unstable core.
The damage was incomparable to the damage done after switching her Runescape to level five – the amount of magic was far, far higher this time, but it had been much more focused. Last time, her lattice had been torn. This time, it was burnt through. Last time, most of her magic had been freed, but it was mostly stable. This time, her magical core was rampaging with instability, despite most of it being contained within her barriers.
Monolith must have fed her more energy last night, as Liane felt at least somewhat able to restructure and repair the damage done to her containment spells. Taking one last, good, look, the Mage set to work. Her unstable magic refused to listen to any but the longest and fully-incanted spells, and the MagicWarper was forced to work slowly and methodically.
The energy from Monolith and the food she had eaten didn't last her long enough to manage a complete repair, but it did allow her to patch things up enough to at least give her a semblance of power and ability. She knocked herself awake, to find both Steve and Monolith up and the sun's light far further along than she had believed it would be.
“You have finally roused, My Lady,” Monolith said, remarking the obvious. Finally able to look at the woman, Liane saw how tired and drawn she looked.
“You have been feeding me a lot of energy, My Lady,” the injured Mage replied with her own statement of the obvious. The Druid simply nodded.
“Glad to see you're up,” Steve said as he sat down on the other side of her. Liane noted how Monolith withdrew slightly, restoring her personal space. A thought of last night entered her mind and Liane noted how the man really didn't have a sense of Decorum. She would have to educate him on propriety at some point.
The Pillar struggled to sit up. Her body was exhausted, despite the energy from Monolith. Her magic was imbalanced and sulking, despite her work during the night. Despite physical exhaustion and magical instability, there were things she had to do, and she pushed herself to her feet. For a few moments, the world turned woozy, and her hand found Steve's rock-solid presence to steady herself. She gave him a grateful nod when she regained her equilibrium.
Monolith looked unnerved on top of her exhaustion, but maintained her silence until the Mage looked over. “How far can you accompany us, My Lady?” Liane asked. “We must return to the Capital as soon as possible, and your assistance would be invaluable.”
The Druid remained silent in thought, before she finally answered, “Unfortunately, I cannot accompany you very far, My Lady. As the Druids have denied you entrance into the Sanctuary, the best way forward would be for me to escort you around it to the other side of Mount Sina. I will need to leave you on the side closest to the main road. On foot, it will be another three-day journey from there.”
“You're not going with us?” Steve asked, before Liane could phrase a more diplomatic request. She sent the man a glare, but he seemed to be immune to such things.
Monolith shook her head. “I have duties of my own to perform, and I have already expended more energy than I should to help restore My Lady's health.”
Before the foreign pilot could create yet another infraction against Decorum, Liane interjected. “We are most grateful for your assistance, My Lady.”
Steve remained silent, obviously disagreeing with the statement, but keeping his peace nonetheless.
“It will take us a few hours to travel to where I must leave you,” the Druid said, motioning. “If you are ready, My Lady?”
Liane nodded her consent, and for the next half hour they walked in silence. The forest encompassed them, its vast canopy throwing them in murky twilight.
The Pillar's thoughts drifted from the druidic forest to the state of Kiria, making her wonder what state the Capital was in, hoping that her friends were safe. She raised her hand, tried the communication spell. For a moment, hope rose, but then her shoulders sagged when the spell failed once more. The shielding was still up, there was no change. What would she find when she finally returned? Hopeless ruins? A city under siege?
Something drew her attention, and she spun to look back from where they came. “Is everything alright, My Lady?” Monolith asked curiously, having stopped at the Pillar's sudden movement.
Liane was silent for a few moments, studying the forest, before finally relaxing. “I believed someone was following us, My Lady,” the Mage finally admitted. “It appears I was mistaken.”
The Druid was silent, placing her hand against the nearest tree, and closed her eyes. “I cannot find anyone following us within the range of my sight,” she reported after a moment of careful consideration.
“We've had a rough time, you're just hyped up and jumping at shadows,” Steve said.
Liane frowned, not liking the idea of having a weakness. She had been in combat, it shouldn't be a big deal. “Let us proceed, My Lady,” she said to the Druid.
Monolith dipped her head in acknowledgement and picked her bearing with unerring accuracy. “Perhaps you would be interested in discussing the arts of druidism to pass our time and settle our nerves, My Lady?” the Mage asked as they started to walk once more.
The other woman glanced at the Mage. “There is very little I can say, My Lady. The arts of the Druid aren't a skill that can be openly discussed. Not only do laws of secrecy apply, but one either does or does not possess the talent and skill to apply them.”
“Master Xard explained the same to me,” the Pillar agreed. “I was merely hoping on engaging in a theoretical discussion, rather than pry after secrets that are not mine to possess.”
Steve coughed in a strange fashion, as if disguising a word that the translation spell failed at interpreting. She glanced at the man, who was pointedly looking away. Monolith, meanwhile, acted as if the foreigner had not interrupted their conversation, and said, “Of course, My Lady.” She rubbed her chin. “How to explain Druidism on a grand, theoretical level?”
The Mage remained silent, allowing the other woman time to collect her thoughts. “Master Xard explained the bonds of life, did he not? The great circle of energy? He must have, if you enquired after Druidism. One cannot explain the subject without it.”
Liane nodded. “He did indeed. The energy of nature that is drawn from the soil by the plants, given to animals that eat the plants and their fruit, then given to the animals that eat them, before being returned to the soil upon their death.”
“It is a most crude explanation, but indeed so, My Lady,” Monolith said. “The same can be said about the rest of the natural world. All of our planet is a great circle of energy, drawn, withdrawn, recycled, and renewed, and all of it comes from either one of two sources.”
The Pillar thought that over, while Monolith's voice went on. “All energy on this world comes from either the sun above, or from the core of our planet below. The energy of the plants is solar energy, condensed. Herbivores take this energy and condense it further. Meat eating animals condense this even further, before their bodies are broken down and some of the energy is returned to the soil, while most of it is given to fungi, insects, and other animals. Rather than a circle, the energy of nature is a web, and at its center is either the sun, or the planet's core.”
“I believe I can understand the sun,
My Lady. But the core of our planet?” the Mage asked, intrigued now.
Monolith permitted herself a small smile. “You are treading upon Mount Sina, My Lady.”
“Volcanoes,” Liane muttered, suddenly understanding.
“Exactly,” the Druid said. “The great movements of our planet, the volcanoes, the creation and destruction of the ground upon which we walk, comes from the core of our planet. Now that you understand the concept of the movement of energy a little better, perhaps you will understand the difficulties of Druidism a little better. One energy is like any other, it can be shared, manipulated, changed, and modified... but at its core, it is still energy. Nobles make small changes, on a small scale. Modification of one element into another, withdrawing energy and creating a physical element. All of this is small.”
The Druid looked up. “Think about the scale that is required to change the weather, My Lady. The amount of energy involved in wind and rain, the horrific power behind a hurricane. That is why Druids do not engage themselves in small disputes. We must work on a grand scale, breaking hurricanes and diverting weather that would damage our nation. All of us must work together to merely change the flows of energy that make up those great events, and there are never enough of us for us to do anything else.”