Furion's Trials (Book Two of the Items Trilogy)

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  It became clear that although Alex’s speed was impressive, only four or at most five close-combat warriors could converge upon him at any given time. With a sweep of the leg he could drop them all or effortlessly jump out of danger and attack those with their back turned.

  For the warriors who were forcibly taken to the ground only a quarter remained of the once previous unstoppable force sent as a test. Those that remained spread out into looser formations in attempt to keep Alex from taking down groups that converged in number, hoping to box him in had proven to be that idea’s downfall.

  After only close to two more minutes many were showing signs of mental and physical fatigue, but only because a lone enemy had pressed them further than they could have imagined. He watched and didn’t feel the least bit winded. He then held up his sword and all focused as he said “Hold up! This is a friendly match! I will grant a five minute respite! Use the time to catch your breath and make plans!”

  They all visibly relaxed and sighed. Alex reigned in his heat and sat on his heels. To give them a fair chance he didn’t listen in on their plans. As the remaining two hundred or so gathered he spotted Rakkian as part of the forces and that put a smile on Alex’s face. With him they’d have a fighting chance. Though he did not listen it was easy to see how they all turned to the general for guidance and he didn’t disappoint. He made large hand gestures during the time of respite and quickly ordered his forces into formation.

  They watched as Alex stood, that time was up and he wasn’t disappointed in his granting of giving a time to rest and think. Small squads of five grouped together, besides the general’s dozen or so that covered his back. Four close combat warriors combined with a ranged fighter consisted of the grouping and began to spread out so it would be more difficult to reach and dispatch the commanded troops.

  Once they surrounded Alex, like a wide net, General Rakkian made a single gesture. The spread of long ranged fighters launched another volley.

  This time Alex avoided the barrage altogether and took out four squads before Rakkian sent in two others. He knew something was up if the general blindly had these men attack. It was all a diversion and Alex saw from the corner of his eye that the general and jumped a few feet in the air and was preparing to punch the ground.

  At the last possible moment Alex jumped twenty feet in the air as the general’s gauntlets struck the ground. Where he was a moment ago a ten foot wide and deep fissure opened in the sand. Alex then learned firsthand what the general could do and wondered just how exponentially stronger the attack would become from a higher jump. Then he watched as Rakkian could make it move by will, as long as his spiked gauntlet remained fisted to the ground. Seeing the crack following him Alex ran for the other warriors and the gamble paid off for Rakkian stopped the fissure from consuming his own men. By the last shake in the ground only fifty remained standing.

  The problem with fewer numbers is that tactics change and can become more focused and deadly.

  He then gave the general and the remaining another respite to change tactics and push Alex even harder. What made it more difficult in this test was the remaining was nearly all were level five warriors. As he watched from the same sitting stance his jaw dropped slightly when he noticed two unique individuals trying to hide within Rakkian’s dwindling forces.

  This time in the final struggle one of the men tossed a doll-like molded item directly on the ground that separated Alex from the remaining participants. Immediately the loose sand started gathering on and around it until a fifteen foot humanoid creature of sand stood like a sentinel, protecting those behind it.

  Now it is getting interesting. He thought.

  With a surge of speed Alex tried dashing around it to find just how fast it was. It moved its long, fist-like limb with such speed that it forced Alex’s immediate withdraw for the moment. The sword would be useless because the item was safely protected by the sand it gathered around itself. It was apparent this was an elemental item that gathered soil for protection and offense, but there was a weakness. The doll is connected to its wielder and moves exactly as he does. The theory was proven as the head of the sentinel copied the man’s own movement and was limited to standard human reflexes.

  Alex ran to one side and as the protector moved to intercept, he dashed the opposite way and it was then that the wielder made a mistake. Alex then resumed his previous run and instantly knocked the man flat on his back, the guardian also suddenly fell backwards because of the link with his item.

  Once the warrior fell and moved out of the way all he went on the offensive and saved the last three for later.

  General Rakkian, Marlin and Lily stood proudly as the final test against Alex. He just had to ask “Why did you three choose to do this?”

  Marlin stood still, with his russet pole extended and gripped in a way that said he waited for a confrontation. “Because you gave an open invitation for all to join in this game. Though I’m still your lifelong protector I can’t pass up an opportunity to test the skills I’ve been honing for many months.”

  Rakkian stood dangerously with his enormous battleaxe firmly held in his left hand. “If I ever get my hands on Runkamon I need to see what my chances are.” He stated simply.

  Lily held both swords out, but her crescent sword remained in its neutral state for she had not used blood to feed the blade’s size. “As your wife I can let you be the only one to have fun in a brawl.”

  “I can’t believe you’d fight your own husband after being together only a night.” Marlin said his thought aloud.

  Lily grinned manically, the way she does when a worthy battle appears before her. If it weren’t for her calm and calculating eyes one would fear she was truly insane. “It is because I’m his wife that I have an obligation to show he chose me for more than my good looks. Besides I wouldn’t marry a weak man who couldn’t defend himself from me.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Alex said excitedly as he knew he chose a woman who wouldn’t back down and also had a sense of humor that was a bit on the warped side. “So who wishes to go first?”

  The three looked between themselves and a deadlock began. Eventually it was the general who said “I will go.” Marlin said he’d be next and Lily would eventually finish him off.

  As General Rakkian stepped forward the other two backed away to allow plenty of room. Without warning he swung his two headed battleaxe in a deadly arch and only a Furion’s reflexes allowed safety to be granted. After leaning away and bending back like moist grass Alex flipped backwards and once a secure footing was achieved he dove between the general’s legs. The top general was unused to such a tactic and knew that a straightforward attack pattern would force him to lose and although he didn’t use his gauntlets to their full potential after the small usage he’d still need close to an hour for the power to recharge. One weapon he held didn’t need to recharge at that moment and he used it against his opponent.

  Alex pivoted and turned to face the general only to find that the general held the flat of the battleaxe directly in his opponent’s direction. A blinding light, emanating from the axe itself, forced spots to dance in Alex’s vision, blinding him temporarily and forcing his eyes to close.

  Thinking he had the advantage the general rushed forth.

  If ever blinded Alex knew the only way to save himself. Heat flared to his greatest degree along his bare arms to feel subtle pressure caused by any sudden change in wind from any rapidly moving objects. He didn’t coat his body for his clothes would burn off. Heat also sharpened his hearing and took only a moment to distinguish the variety of sounds. The crowds were easy to filter and disregard, as were every sound beyond twenty feet. Heavy clinking sounds from item-clad feet told the general’s exact location and the speed he was running. A sharp whistling gave away the swinging trajectory of the approaching axe.

  With a small sidestep Alex avoided the blow in blindness and listened for his opponents heavy breathing. Once he heard the gasp Alex grabbed h
is opponents face and physically forced him to the soft ground.

  “You are a true threat.” Rakkian admitted with a laugh, once his breath returned and he could sit up again.

  Marlin granted about three minutes so that his friend could see properly before initializing his attack. His skills has greatly improved. Alex thought as his friend flipped, twisted and struck with his extended cane. It wasn’t a deadly battle as it was with Rakkian, but Marlin gave it his all and would be a threat to many. When he started swinging the bobber in its maximum weight it stung when Alex caught it barehanded. The weight was immense for its small size, but lifting a boulder weighed more than the item. Marlin pushed himself further than anyone else today and the honed attacks were amazing to watch. Eventually he tricked Alex and wrapped his unbreakable line several times around a wrist and said “I’ve got you!”

  “You think so?” Alex asked with a raised eyebrow and suddenly jumped ten feet back and ripped the pole from Marlin’s hand. Without its wielder, the line slacked and allowed the captive to free himself. After that display Marlin graciously ended the match saying he had given up.

  Finally it was Lily’s turn and she barely waited for Marlin to retrieve his weapon before beginning her precision assault. She had tied her hair back with a string but it still flew behind her. Alex decided to fight her equally without the use of his abilities. All his sword training with his grandfather had given him the experience necessary to fight a practiced Kings Guard without fear. Her two short swords moved in deadly ways and the sound of clashing steel erupted for over a minute. Even with a single sword Alex dodged and parried each of her strikes whether they came from her items or from sharp kicks. He also proved he was ambidextrous and could fight with his left hand just as easily as his right.

  All fun pretenses ended as her rectangular pink sword began dissolving in razor sharp, flower petal-like weapons. They forced him into a small retreat as they swarmed and protected her. It was like the wind blew the rose petals all around her body. Then the thousands of petals flew with a deadly intent at their new target. Alex’s heat flooded him again and he had to take his combat flexibility to a new level. If it weren’t for the reality that seemed to slow he wouldn’t have been able to see the individual shards and avoid them. They moved far too fast for a normal person to visualize, let alone dodge without any physical damage. What made them even harder to avoid was that his own sword was useless against the multitude of flying blades.

  It took a minute to get the timing right, but after several lightning quick maneuvers he passed through a small gap and slid his sword in its sheathe before grabbing Lily’s right forearm and bringing himself and her arm behind her back. Before she even considered struggling he wrapped his left arm around her left and firmly grasped her right hip, effectively trapping her left arm against her side.

  “So you think you’ve won?” She said seductively as she stopped her petals a few feet away from them both.

  “Haven’t I?” He said to her ear.

  “Not a chance.” She said with a laugh and Alex felt her forearm muscles flex and a half second later there was a small, but sharp pain in his right bicep.

  Looking down he saw that Lily had deftly flipped her wrist to reverse her hold on her crescent sword and had used its very tip to barely pierce the flesh. She turned her head to the side to give him a loving and victorious smile. “You didn’t force me to the ground so I still had a chance. The first to draw your blood wins, right?”

  That sunk in quickly and forced him to laugh. He kissed her cheek while releasing his grasp of her. “I shall admit you won today.” And then he bowed to show the true winner.

  The crowd was caught off guard but was quickly filled in. They applauded the winner of the tournament. Rakkian joked that all men have lost every battle with their wives since the dawn of time and Alex’s loss was the only inevitable outcome.

  Allahandra approached with a large smile and spoke to Lily. “I can say with complete honesty that I’ve never seen a wife of not even an entire day fight their husband with such ferocity before. If I didn’t know better I’d swear you have been together for decades and take to being at each other’s throats to a completely new meaning.”

  “I’ve changed a little bit, but when it comes down to a fight how could I ever lose to my husband. I would turn out to be like an everyday timid woman if I let him get away with winning a fight, and I will never lose.” Lily admitted with a proud smile as she took the string from her hair.

  “And I wouldn’t want a wife who couldn’t keep me in line from time to time.” Alex said as he walked up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

  “Today’s event has been most informative and we were right in allowing Gerieg to take you for training. I never expected what we all witnessed from a Furion. The display was incredible and gave us insight to what our enemy is capable of if he personally fights. It is hard to believe just how powerful a Furion is and I clearly saw you holding back. At the very least we have an idea on how to fight if you aren’t there at that time.” Then Allahandra smiled and said to the happy couple. “Tomorrow I would like to begin pairing up my people with your fiends. I will also advise you spend the rest of your day together as newlyweds should.”

  Alex’s breath on her ear sent a chill throughout her core on purpose to see if she’d knead. “Where would you like to spend the rest of our day together?”

  Using the Guard training she was raised with she did her best to keep focused on where they were and who were around them. It helped, but her own desires were difficult to restrain against his assault. “I have an idea, but we will need to leave the city.”

  “Do whatever you like, but be back by midday tomorrow so we can begin the pairing process.” Allahandra said and gestured for Rakkian and Beta to follow her out of the arena.

  “Do we need to bring anything?” He asked while releasing his hold of her so that she could turn around.

  “You, Shade and Ava go ahead to the west gate and wait for Crest and me to return. We’ll go somewhere special that I was told about.” She then grabbed her writing gear and found the ocher-eyed Shadow Fang and quickly asked for a ride and Crest granted the request.

  As soon as she mounted Crest they left to gather a night’s worth of supplies.

  Seeing they had a few minutes to spare Alex spoke with his siblings and a throng of fiends to tell them he’d be back tomorrow. He even spoke with the higher-ups and congratulated them on how well they fought in the tournament. He impressed everyone in the single manned fight and gave them a healthy respect for his strength. In his entire life he hadn’t been shown nearly such admiration from others. Especially being considered a slave. For the first time he truly felt like a prince who was both loved and slightly admired by the people.

  Chapter 21

  Meeting at the gate, Lily and Crest found Alex leaning back against Shade’s side as they watched the many people coming in and out of the city. He liked seeing those coming, gawked at him. Ava flew overhead and only swooped down as the other females made their approach. Once Lily dropped to the ground her husband noticed his old traveling pack that he gave her when he made his own deer skin pack. It was filled to capacity which came as a surprise. She had it slung over her shoulder and said with a note of satisfaction “Sorry for being late, but it took time to retrieve what we need for tonight. Also I went by and spoke to Maria and received better directions to the destination I have planned for all of us.”

  “All is well. Shade and I have just been watching the interaction the people have been having with the new occupants of this fair city. It is a spectacle to watch old misconceptions and hatreds slowly dissolving before my very eyes. There are now merchants selling tablets and other wares to customers who want to speak with fiends. I never thought that relationships would be so easy to sprout. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen many who are hesitant around creatures they knew not were intellectually their equal, but I also believe they are fearful of the dangers the
lords possess. I was just as fearful, that was until Shade became my bother.” Now that he explained his time had been well spent he asked “Might I ask where we are going that we will need a full pack?”

  “Nay, for once it is my surprise for you. And don’t even think of asking Crest either. I have her word that she won’t tell you anything.” What she didn’t say was that she already gave directions to the fiend lord.

  His voice tickled as a smirk touched the corner of his lips. “Crest, can you tell me where we are heading.”

  Her response made Lily and the others laugh internally. She turned her snout up and away so that she made the obvious statement that she’d never tell.

  With a soft pat on the muscled shoulder Lily appreciated Crest’s honor.

  When Ava swooped down and landed on Shade’s back she asked when they would leave. Alex repeated the question and was answered by his new and breathtaking wife. “Come, we will leave now and reach the destination by sunset.”

  Before long Crest carried her new friend and led the way as her life-mate easily followed the brisk pace that a horse would have severe difficulty keeping up. Soon they passed through the large gate and were seen streaking along the stone road. Within minutes they found their way into the forest surrounding the city when the female Shadow Fang steadily increased her speed and forced Shade to chase.

  Crest knew the way as Lily transcribed the directions she was given. Lily had forgotten just how swift riding a Shadow Fang was compared to a horse and her original estimate for time was greatly reduced.

  Nearly two hours before nightfall, Crest took every turn on road and path without fail and knew just which thicket they needed to cut through to reach the destination. As they found the ideal location they all stopped to witness the natural beauty that sat before their eyes.

  It was a hidden paradise few knew about. A hidden spring of the clearest water rested without signs of disturbance. Small and colorful fish swam and chased each other beneath the calm surface. Around the spring fed paradise grew an array of vibrant wildflowers in full bloom, making the entire area smell delightful. Although night wasn’t fully upon them, crickets and other insects filled the area with their own melody. Maria explained about this place she and Allahandra found as children, but those descriptions were inconsequential to seeing this place in person. The scents alone calmed the mind and allowed the full effect of this natural landscape to be forever captured in their mind. An assortment of animals used this place as a water source, but they allowed the scenery to remain in its full beauty and left everything else alone.