The remaining elves cheered.
"Get back to work!" the elder barked. Ailmon felt relieved when he stood alone under his residence. Phraan was popular with the older villagers, and Ailmon realized that his punishment angered Phraan's friends. But the chief's hands were tied once the guards gave their official report of the altercation. Ailmon couldn't allow Phraan to escape punishment, especially when Phraan tried to kill Alectos's disciple! The deity could retaliate by flattening Langerlan into the ground and bury all residents with it!
Ailmon served as a chief elder for several decades, and he had a hunch that Phraan's matter will linger and divide the residents of Langerlan. He decided to discreetly shore up support for Luka's stay in the village. If a significant majority approves of the human child's short-term residency in Langerlan, the nativists will avoid troubling Luka. Perceptions matter a lot amongst the elven people, and nobody wants to disobey Alectos outright by hurting his pupil.
Ailmon departed for the farmland to begin his secret advocacy on the boy's behalf.
Chapter 24
Confinement
*Knock-knock* The sound interrupted Luka's peaceful meditation. He hurriedly crossed the living room and answered the door. But to his surprise, the person before him wasn't Ellaria. Instead, it was a younger-looking but muscular male elf with bright green eyes and wheat-colored skin.
"Hello! You're Luka, right? I'm Gaelin Darieth. Pleased to meetcha! Ellaria sent me over to bring your lunch because she's in Dilya doghouse. Hahaha!" the visitor laughed at his coworker's misfortune. "Your foster mother mentioned that you're craving meat. So she asked me to bring these chicken sandwiches over from Ardryll's bakery. These sandwiches are rather expensive, so don't expect to eat them regularly," he warned with a chuckle.
Gaelin pushed the small straw basket to the human child's chest. "Got a good grip on it now? Good! I need to head back to the fields. Ciao!" The farmer gave Luka a friendly wave and flew off the porch.
The teenager closed the door and placed the basket on the table.
[Hurry up and take them out!] Bel urged. The rabbit waited impatiently for Luka to distribute the food.
The boy carefully unwrapped the white cloth and revealed four chicken sandwiches.
The familiar immediately swiped one in each paw and started biting them. Bel's red eyes teared with joy at their delicious taste. When the animal finished devouring his portion in mere seconds, Bel stared at the remaining food like a hungry wolf.
Luka sensed the danger and claimed the sandwiches before Bel stole them. For good measure, the teenager imitated the demon's behavior and took a big bite out of each sandwich. He marveled at the delightful blend of spice and tender chicken meat. "Damn, this is good!" he praised.
Bel eyed the half-finished food in Luka's hands. [Give me!] The familiar yelled and lunged at the boy's hand!
Luka teleported upstairs. He hurriedly locked his bedroom door.
Bam! Bel pounded on the door. [Open up! Don't you dare finish those sandwiches!]
The teenager ignored his familiar and leisurely ate his lunch. Once he finished, Luka opened the door.
Bel stomped on his foot and hopped down the stairs.
The victim grimaced at the pain in his foot but squelched his urge to yell out. Luka cast a Light Cure spell on his injury and then climbed down the staircase. Luka preferred to stay on the lower floor because the bed in his room tempted the boy to nap. He avoided napping during the day, or else the teenager would have trouble falling asleep at night.
On the other hand, Luka remembered that Bel was also downstairs. The rabbit may continue to harass the boy out of sheer boredom. But Luka hoped that his familiar would take the bait and start sparring with the boy. Even if Bel declined, Luka preferred the homely environment of the living room.
When Luka descended the stairs, he couldn't find Bel anywhere! But he felt a draft blowing through the room and quickly realized that the front door was open slightly! When the boy stuck his head out, Luka saw Bel sitting on a hammock and basking in the sunlight! "You're not supposed to go out!" the teenager yelled.
The rabbit wiggled his paw. [No, YOU'RE not supposed to go out. The headman punished you, not me.] Bel corrected Luka.
"Great! Are you playing lawyer now? Traitor!" the teenager cursed and turned on his heels. Luka resisted the temptation to slam the door shut and lock his familiar out of the house. Otherwise, Bel would whine and make the villagers think poorly of Luka. After all, Bel possessed a cuddly rabbit's physical appearance, which contrasted with his rotten personality.
Luka removed his sword case and began to swing his weapon. His mother believed in the value of practicing sword swings to reinforce muscle memory. Once he performed a thousand strikes, the boy pretended to fight an imaginary target.
For this session, Luka used Illusion to create a life-size replica of Phraan. Although Luka was unhappy with the elf's remarks about his mother, the teenager respected Phraan's martial abilities. The elf took advantage of his superior speed and reach during the altercation. Moreover, Phraan treated Luka as an opponent despite his youth.
From the brief interaction with Phraan, Luka believed that the elf would be a valuable ally in protecting Langerlan from bandits and monsters. Thus, the boy felt inclined to mend relations with the elf if possible. However, if Phraan insisted on fighting Luka to death, the teenager would not back away from this challenge.
Luka became absorbed with his swordplay and the afternoon soon turned into the early evening. He didn't notice when Ellaria returned home and quietly watched Luka engage in his sword practice.
"HA!" the swordsman yelled as he cut the illusionary Phraan's neck! Luka stopped to catch his breath. His opponent was tough to fight because Phraan possessed a longer reach with an adult's body and superior speed as an elf. Hence, Luka had lost many times today.
However, the boy was diligent and intelligent. After each mock fight, Luka spent time thinking of ways to resolve his discovered weaknesses. Thus, the teenager made rapid improvements in one afternoon. He learned to use feints, parries, and counterattacks to his advantage. Eventually, Luka made a gamble to trade hit-for-hit and permitted Phraan to stab his chest. In exchange, the boy sliced deeply into his opponent's throat!
Ellaria applauded. "Wow! That was a powerful attack!" she praised with her trained eye. Every resident must learn to use a sword and defend the village from monsters that lived inside the forest. The guards led the training every summer for a week. Since Ellaria lived alone, she occasionally practiced swordplay with her small circle of friends. Thus, the foster mother accumulated experience over the years, and she could comprehend what Luka sought to accomplish.
Ellaria was surprised to see Phraan inside her home, but the host quickly realized it was just an illusion created by Luka's magic. As she watched, the experienced warrior judged his sword swings' quality and felt impressed by the smoothness and fluidity of his movements. But observations alone weren't enough to provide a proper assessment; Ellaria needed to physically trade hits with Luka to test the power behind his strikes. Thus, she made a decision. "After dinner, we could practice for a bit," she offered.
Luka's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thank you!" he beamed in delight. The teenager worried that Ellaria would scold him for making trouble. But it seemed that she supported him in this minor conflict.
[Don't be too happy.]
"Why?" Luka asked with a quizzical expression.
[Two reasons. First, elven swordplay isn't something that humans could emulate. You will find yourself frustrated if you try to. Second, elves have long lifespans. Ellaria probably trained her swordsmanship for several times the number of years you've been alive. She'll give you a good spanking tonight.] The demon cackled.
"I don't care if I get hurt! I just want to improve my fighting abilities and protect my family!" Luka replied defiantly.
Ellaria ruffled his hair gently. "That is a commendable goal," she praised with a gentle smile. Her late son
Elmar was a sword fanatic, and he often pleaded with her to spar after dinner. He declared that he would protect his mother with his sword. Thus, Ellaria felt touched when Luka made a similar declaration.
After a simple dinner of mashed potato, carrots, and cured ham, Luka joined Ellaria for a light spar. Thwack-bang-zoom! The two exchanged blows tentatively at first. But soon, the combatants became serious and stopped holding back. Luka discovered that his partner possessed superior swordsmanship despite her slender physical body. Ellaria delivered quick, precise strokes with her wooden sword, and her fighting style was similar to Phraan. Both fighters sought to overwhelm their opponents with speed and attacks from impossible angles.
Moreover, Ellaria was a bit more sneaky in hiding her weapon behind her back. As a female, her body was more flexible; she pushed this advantage by turning, raising, or lowering her hips to jab and thrust from unexpected release points. Ellaria forced Luka to use his Critical Insight to track and dodge these moves. Unfortunately, the teen's body was too slow to counterattack. Luka recognized this weakness and resolved to train his body to move faster.
Ellaria continued to increase her speed until she knocked his weapon out of Luka's hand. The victor settled her sword on his left shoulder. "I win!" she declared proudly.
"How can I move faster?" the teenager asked immediately.
"That's the wrong question," the foster mother replied with a smile.
"Huh?" Luka looked at her quizzically.
"How old are you?" Ellaria asked.
"Thirteen," he answered.
The elf tilted her head. "In human terms, you're a teenager, right?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"Then your body is still growing. Focusing on one aspect of your physical self is the wrong approach. You could, for example, try to reduce your body mass as a method to increase speed. But that, in turn, would dramatically decrease your power. If your sword swings become too light to create any damage, your opponent would simply ignore your attacks as if they possess physical resistance. The key is to maintain a perfect balance by eating healthy and exercising in moderation," Ellaria explained.
"I see," Luka nodded in understanding. Frankly, he was surprised by her answer because it relied on nutritional theory, which Luka didn't expect to encounter in this fantasy world setting. But then again, the elves were a long-lived race, and the boy surmised proper nutrition as part of their foundation for longer life compared to humans.
Ellaria looked at the sweaty shirt clinging to Luka's chest and frowned. "Let's stop here before you catch a cold. Wipe yourself clean and change into a fresh set of clothes," she ordered.
"Okay." Luka went up to his room to grab clothing from the chest and then returned downstairs to visit the bathroom. He wished it had a bathtub, but this was a luxury that the villagers couldn't afford. After cleaning his body, Luka also brushed his teeth and washed his face. Then he returned to the living room.
The foster mother checked him from head-to-toe and nodded her approval. "Good, you look clean! The next three hours will be your free time to do as you wish. Afterward is bedtime. You could engage in a hobby like carving wooden figures," Ellaria suggested while pointing at a shelf on the wall lined with animal figures. "Also, you could gaze out the window, play music, read a book, or play with your rabbit." The elf smiled as she glanced at Bel.
[I'm not a toy!] The familiar glared at her and stomped his foot.
Ellaria chuckled.
Bel kept his temper in check and resisted the impulse to scratch her leg with his paws. The familiar didn't wish to make her angry and kick Bel out of the house.
Luka rejected her kindhearted suggestions. He felt the urgency to improve his abilities and protect his family. The boy didn't have time to waste by taking up a new hobby. He preferred to practice magic, but this treehouse had inadequate space for him. "May I teleport to another place to practice magic?" he asked for permission.
Ellaria's eyes narrowed in surprise. "Where would you go?" she inquired.
The boy closed his eyes and called for the shadow keystone to appear. The magical gemstone hovered before his chest. "This is a magical key granting access to another plane. It's secluded and safe for me," Luka explained.
"Can you take me there?" she requested.
"Sure," the teenager agreed. Luka took her hand while Bel climbed on his head. He used the keystone to teleport to the shadow plane. The trio arrived in the spacious courtyard of the Shadow Castle.
"This is the shadow realm!" Ellaria exclaimed in amazement. Her body felt awkward, though, because this plane lacked the natural elements. She instinctively tried to absorb the magical energy but discovered that her absorption rate reduced to a dismal ten percent! Luckily, the elf saw no monsters in the vicinity, or else Ellaria would be hardpressed to protect the trio.
"Can you keep this place a secret?" Luka asked while looking directly into her eyes. He wasn't aware of her discomfort.
"Sure," the elf agreed immediately. Ellaria understood the value of owning a small plane. Other mages may try to rob the boy and obtain his key. Ellaria felt protective of Luka; therefore, she would not disclose this information even though the foster mother was curious about how the boy gained this precious object. Ellaria assumed that Alectos gave it to him so that the disciple could continue his practice without disturbing the residents of Langerlan. "So you plan to spend three hours every night here to practice magic?" she asked for confirmation.
Luka nodded.
"Well, I don't mind. As I said before, the period before bedtime is your leisure time to pursue your hobbies. If you prefer to spend those hours perfecting your magic, that is truly admirable. But don't exhaust all your magical energy. Once your period of confinement expires, you will work outside from early morning until early evening. At that time, you should curtail your magical practice and save some energy," Ellaria warned.
"Okay."
"Now, bring me home. This place doesn't agree with me," Ellaria admitted honestly.
"Does the shadow plane make you uncomfortable?" the boy asked in surprise.
The elf nodded. "There's too little natural essence here. As an elf, I feel repulsed by this place," Ellaria elaborated.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I will take you back immediately." Luka grabbed her hand. Bel hopped onto his head, too. The owner activated his keystone, and the trio returned to the living room.
The foster mother breathed a sigh of relief upon arriving in her home. The other place simply felt too foreign and uncomfortable. "How will you keep track of the passage of time? Do you have a watch?" Ellaria inquired. She worried that the boy would spend the night in the shadow plane, or even longer there.
Luka pointed at Bel and said, "When it's bedtime, my familiar will teleport to my location and retrieve me. Whenever we separate, we can sense each other's location and teleport there through our familiar link."
"Is that so?" the elf asked with surprise. Ellaria had never heard of this teleportation ability before. Some elves become Animal Trainers and communicate with their trained animals. But this link didn't offer spatial magic. Ellaria thought Luka was an extraordinary person for possessing many abnormal abilities. Perhaps this validated and enhanced the boy's uniqueness and enticed Alectos to accept Luka as a disciple.
Ellaria shook her head. "I expect to see you in three hours. If you fail to return in time, you will skip breakfast as punishment," she warned in a stern voice. "Both of you." She waved goodbye and watched as he disappeared from her home. The elf looked down at the rabbit and wondered aloud, "Now, what am I going to do with you?"
* * *
Luka returned to the courtyard with great anxiety. He derived several ideas and insights from his light spar with Ellaria, and the boy wished to continue his sword practice. This time, the mage cast Create Shadow with a physical likeness of Ellaria. He added a sword and granted the new monster movement similar to her. Luka decided to spend a half-hour or so sparring with shadow-Ellaria. "En garde!" he yelled and swung his s
word at her.
The opponent swiftly blocked his strike and snapped a heel kick into his midsection.
Luka hopped back but couldn't dodge her slap to his face! The boy reeled from the blow. He instinctively ducked and avoided her follow-up slash. The defender backpedaled until he was beyond melee range. Luka shook his head and took a deep breath. He didn't expect his summoned monster to be this vicious!
The shadow-Ellaria moved like the wind and arrived before Luka again. Her sword was behind her back, and the defender couldn't predict her release point.
Suddenly, the blade arrived at the edge of his vision -- from his far left! The teenager lowered his center of gravity but thrust forward with a fencer's posture. Luka pierced her heart with his sword handle stuck on her chest!
The shadow-Ellaria dropped her sword and dissipated.
Luka took a big breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He emerged victorious solely by luck because Luka made the thrust as soon as he caught the incoming blade in his peripheral vision. If his opponent's arm were a tad faster, shadow-Ellaria would behead him instead.
The mage decided to practice shadow magic tonight. He felt dissatisfied with Blink's ten-seconds cooldown and wished to replace it with Void Step, which had no cooldown counter but caused some disorientation. Thus, Luka started hopping from place to place around the castle as practice while trying his best to ignore his growing nausea from frequent teleportation. After ten hops, the mage had to stop and puke.
Luka looked at the mess he made and frowned. He was glad that Bel wasn't here to witness his disgrace, or else that blackhearted fiend would continuously remind Luka of this incident in the future. The boy cast Create Water to rinse his mouth and spat the refuse water. Then he used Cleanse to purify and clean the ground. Luka watched with delight as his light magic enveloped the garbage and made it disappear. The teenager smiled at the convenience of magic in this world.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 19