The sun has sunk considerably as the harsh glare subsided to a soft lustre, covering streets and trees in golden warmness while casting long shadows over all walks of life. “Right... We don’t have much time. Let’s make a quick one...” “Skip the alarm ward. The ward is the same as the sentry one. No...It is even simpler than the sentry...” It was true that an alarm ward was the basic which often created to alert a person when the ward was interrupted or destroyed. The alarm could be made as simple as a cloth with a circuit emblem. A Maeist could sense the subtle difference between the one ran out of Natura and the one tampered, the former was a gradual process while the latter was a sudden interference. With elaborate design and materials, a Maeist could even make a blaring alarm ward.415Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mKz8LZQlE
“Floki, I have a question.” “What now?” Trying to stall the moment, the boy asked a question that long eluded him, but did not bother about it. “What’s more for the physical roles such as warriors except being the guards and cleared small beasts without expending Maeist’s strength? “...After all the time sortied with our warriors, about time you wonder about it, stupid cub.” Sighed at his apprentice’s ignorance, Floki crossed his arms. “It is as you said. A warrior and knight’s role is to protect Maeists which are quite rare and hard to train. It is not exaggerated that pivotal members of a team are often Maeists. However...” Stopped for seconds to take a sip of his water pouch, Floki continued while wiping his wet chin. “Close quarter combat warriors have their own cultivation method to draw and concentrate their strength within a breath in a strike. They called it a single instant of breath, or Breath for short.” The trainee boy widened his eyes in interest at the new knowledge. “Generally, it’s quite similar to how we gather Natura except that they use their own physical strength even life force. It’s not without risk.” Ending his explanation, Floki eyed at the young trainee with mild impatience. “Right, you got what you want to know... Go ahead with the barrier.” At last.
“Here, the staff. Don’t break it, or you will have to pay for that.” Floki passed him a long staff with a rectangular protrusion of tangling vines holding a small gemstone in place as the rough texture of pine wood ran through the whole body. Trainees did not have their own equipment; they have to borrow from the Union each time they were out for a quest. Grabbing the staff with both of his hands, he stood still at the middle of the training ground, dreading the moment when his barrier is deployed. How would Floki react? Would he look at him with that kind of eyes? “...The kid... Hey, what are you waiting for? Go and make a barrier. That is the only thing you good at, apart from wards.” Looking at the impatient Floki and silent Kibo, the cursed boy hesitated. When almost everyone from the city, even the adults, avoided looking and speaking to him; even at the time when his name was becoming a taboo, Floki treated him the same as one of the greenhorn trainees who needed some kicks and spankings to get them into shapes. In this freezing city devoid of compassion and warmth, Floki’s foul mouth and violent outburst became his sole knot of sanity.
Floki’s expression deepened as the session dragged on longer than expected. In Floki’s elaborating wrinkles, he found a hint of concern and curiosity, or more precisely, he wanted to believe that beneath the façade of scolding and beating, there was a fraction of caring for him, that Floki was looking out for him. “Maybe I should show him...” Torn in his indecisiveness, the shadow of the sunset stretched longer and longer. As sudden, a rock the size of a fist flew towards him, but Floki and Kibo looked at him indifferently. Floki!! Breaking from his hesitation, he took a step behind. “Come and assemble. Come and shield me from harm...” In a brief instant, he directed a thin layer of a bluish semi-transparent wall with his staff in front of him while chanting for the barrier. Unlike summoning elements such as fire, a barrier required more mental attention. Thus, the staff and the constant chanting. A competent Maeist would be able to do so without the chanting and there were rumours of Master Maeists created fully encircled barrier without their staff. Even so, he was innately gifted in the art of force-field as he could create a proficient barrier in an instant even before the completion of the first recitation of the summoning.
The rock came half a fling before him and collided with the barrier. “There. There. You could...” Before Floki could finish his snorted dismissal, the barrier started to change. Spreading from the point of the rock impact, the barrier caved in and bounced the rock back to Floki as if the whole thing was a jelly-like substance. The barrier started to disintegrate as if it was unable to maintain its jelly-like form, and the soothing blue began to redden as if scorched by an intense fire. From the moment when the rock hit the barrier, the sensation of the impact jolted his memory when the inferno of the cave crushed his barrier, burning through the weak conjuration and melting the structure of his barrier, and took away his brother along with the dream and aspiration they both shared. Dropped to his knee, he closed his eyes and shivered in cold sweat as the image of the titian-red hellfire appeared once more in his inner sanctuary as he felt the deadly heat and hungry growl of the flame the size of a giant dragon. Help me, brother...
Evading the stone, Floki’s eyes widen in shock and recognition as he witnessed the mutation of the barrier. Unable to react, he watched with bewilderment as a gush of a titian-red splash of fluid illuminated the darkening training ground and spew from the melting bluish barrier, burning the grasses around. Realising the graveness of the situation, Floki started to gather his inner Natura and worked his hands and body into a dance as he stretched, twirled, and thrust like a raging wave of the sea. Calling the Natura from the air to seep into his body, droplets of water elementals were dripping down from the tip of his highly outstretched leg as he stopped and held on to his stance. With every fibre of his muscles tensed, he broke into a frenzied blur of hands and legs as a huge wave of water roared from his dance and slammed against the metamorphosing barrier.
The enormous cascade of water blew the nightmarish sight away as the boy was pushed to the ground by the powerful torrent. Lying on the ground, the boy breathed heavily on the aftermath of his failure, coughing at the thickness of the steam and started to propel himself away from the ground when he saw a large rectangular structure stood tall in front of him. It was as tall as the barrier the trainee boy has chanted and featured a greyish and felt like a stone with its rough and tough texture. Dumbstruck, the boy stood still in a trance when Floki grabbed around his collar and shook him awakened.
“...Damn it, kid. What is this? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!” Regained his sense, the boy was confronted by a terrifying glare and shocked to silence. Unaware of the impression he made to his apprentice, Floki tightened his grip and nearly lift the boy off the ground. “...SAY SOMETHING, PUNK!!” There was one thing the old crooked Maeist did not realise. The boy had never seen Floki that agitated and enraged. Even as trainees were fooling around. Floki was always quick with his hands and feet, spanking and kicking whoever got in the way. His punishment was always harsh but swift that there was no lingering fear and pain. Now, Floki was like a raging beast as he grabbed the boy with such strength and heat that was as suffocating as the deadlock. The boy was trying to free himself from the deadlock, prying for Floki’s fingers, without success. It was until the boy started to roll his eyes and his mouth hung agape with saliva dropping that Floki realised he was choking the boy.
Released his grip, Floki threw the weakening boy on the ground. “Explain! When did it become like this?” Floki has never been that anxious and impatient since the tragedy that he disregarded the pain the boy has gone through. “...Since the first time I tried barrier chanting after the cave...” A pause hanged between the two before Floki continued. “...What does it feel like when you chanting the barrier?” The boy hesitated, not willing to share and recall such a personal nightmare.
“SAY IT.” Floki had none of it. “...Everything is good when casting the barrier, but after the rock hit...” Frightened by Floki, the apprentice described the impact of the rock which triggered the memory and sensation of the hellfire from the Abyss as it destroyed his barrier and consumed his brother. Floki listened without saying a word, but his brow was deepening for every passing moment. When the boy finished his story, Floki was standing still in front of him, towering his sight sitting from the ground, deep in thought. Some moment has passed when the silence was broken as Floki’s eyes shut with exasperation as his fingers massaging the eyeballs beneath the lids.
“...Floki...sir...?” The boy took a step forward to confront Floki but Floki’s widening eyes stopped the boy dead on his track. “...So, you used the barrier against the Inferno huh...” “Floki... I...” “...I have to bring this issue to the Central Union. Return to your quarter.” The chilling response cut him short. “...Floki...” “NOW!!” Floki’s rejection stung into the boy cold and hard as he turned swiftly and ran toward the dormitory. Floki saw tears streaking from his apprentice’s flight but it was a nothing compared to what the fate has installed for the boy. It was the first time he saw such sorcery. If he had not been an active Maeist in the centuries-old struggle against the Abyss, Floki would have deemed the boy cursed and have him disposed of right this instant.
If his guess was correct, the issue had far surpassed the authority and capability of a rural Union like Knights of Sheldon. Without a doubt, the Principle would mobilise its elite squads to secure the boy, or worse. The Principle of Jercflosey. Even it has been more than a decade since he retreated from the service, a whisper of the Principle left a bad taste on his tongue. It was true that the responsibilities of the Principle was essential to the continent but the power bestowed to an organisation of uncertain motive the size of a city-state was far too much.
His most talented apprentice’s troubling power opened a sealed vault inside Floki’s memories as his long-buried sorrow and regret resurfaced once again. He had never cursed his own incompetence with such bitterness since the time he and Grawyrad parted way from the Principle. Even when the tragedy fell to his long-time friend and the members of the Union who he shared food and beer with, Floki was calm and composed as he handled the mess with cold rationality.
Both he and Grawyrad knew such outcome was already predetermined when the Baron and his retainer ignored his advice and sent the Union to its demise. Enough blood has been spilt for this farce which was nothing for the Tress family. Sighed with exasperation, Floki lowered his eyes even as the stars shone on the first hour of the evening. Perhaps he should hold and wait for the Principle. The reinforcement should have been arranged and could be arriving at any moment. He could just let the boy swim for now and make a plan after seeing the members of the reinforcement sent by the Principle. Nodded in satisfaction, Floki headed for the tavern.
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