A New Beginning

by Alexander W Meurant

  "I need you for something Private Belford, and you may not like it" Travos stated and practically glared at Sain. Sain gulped and dropped his salute and nodded.

  "If it is an order Sir, then you just need give it" Sain stated and saluted again nervously. He probably looked like an idiot doing a double salute, but he didn't care.

  "Good, then I am ordering you out to the fields with me. You and I are going to have a one on..." Travos started saying but stopped as he looked out over Sain's head behind him. Sain heard his door close and then footsteps walking away from them, before a door opening and closing again, a slight sound of vehicles in the distance drifting through briefly.

  "By the hairy balls of a goat, did you hump the Lieutenant Sain?" Travos asked, disbelief on his face. Sain felt his face go red and he nodded sheepishly. He held up a hand and held up three fingers. Travos just scoffed.

  "Fuck me sideways. You are as bad as a horny goat. That's it. Out to the fields, a one on one match. Need to let off some steam" Travos stated and turned on his heel before walking out one of the double door's adjoining the common room. Sain started after him, falling in behind the officer. Did he want to duel Sain? Like a training fight or something?

  "Um, Major, you said a one on one. You mean like a sparring session?" Sain queried nervously and he heard Travos scoff in front of him.

  "If you want to call it that, then by all means call it that. I will not be holding back. From what I saw on mission footage, you have more than enough magical power to soak up damage. I need to release stress away from everyone, and fighting is the only real way I know how to do that" Travos stated. Sain stayed silent then, swearing he could hear torment in Travos' voice, and he remembered the words spoken by Roland the night before about Annabelle. He gulped. Maybe this was not such a good idea on the Major's part.

  Sain walked behind the Major, his hands thrust into his pockets. He felt a rising nervousness and looked behind him, noting a dozen or so individuals trailing behind him, all talking amongst themselves quietly. No doubt they wanted to see the spectacle.

  "Alright, this will do" Travos stated and Sain looked back to the front, seeing the Majors broad back. Sain looked around the area and noted they were a few hundred meters from any structure, and he could see the base's fence line not far in the distance, a line of tree's even further beyond it. Looking back to the Major, Sain saw him flexing his limbs and obviously getting ready to let loose.

  "Um, Sir, I am not sure this is a good idea" Sain stated nervously as he looked at the man.

  "Well, it's still happening. So be ready" Travos stated and Sain felt the energy around him shift slightly as Travos drew on magic from his core. Sain gulped and jumped back a few meters and drew magic of his own, quickly manipulating it into a barrier around him. He locked eyes on Travos as the man shoved his hand into a pocket and drew out a fist sized lump of crystal and Sain blinked, staring at it. It was a dirty brown color, reminiscent to a rock and Sain realized it was an earth crystal. What was Travos going to use that for? Earth crystals had no combat application from what he knew.

  Travos drew on the energy and Sain stared at him with wide eyes as the man’s skin texture changed, and started to look like dry, cracked dirt. Sain just kept staring at him as Travos dropped the spent crystal and ran forward, his massive right fist raised. Travos punched forward and Sain saw that same texture on the man’s fist even as the fist struck into Sain's barrier. Sain felt his barrier buckle and twist from the blow and then outright cave in, the fist now on a beeline for Sain's unprotected throat.

  Sain felt a stab of anger and drew on more magic from his core furiously, bringing it up rapidly to create a small dense barrier in front of his chest and neck. Travos' fist collided with it and Sain staggered backwards as Travos pulled his fist back before swinging with his left in a hook like motion. Diverting his barrier, Sain took the hit and staggered sideways, feeling energy ripple out along his barrier. Travos was using magic in a way Sain had never even comprehended, nor thought possible.

  Even more punches came and Sain drew on even more magic, trying to weather the strikes from Travos. How much energy had been in that crystal? Surely the Major should be spent by now. Gritting his teeth Sain drew even more magic with the intent to start counter attacking. Feeling his magic come to him easily Sain entered a state similar to the one he had been in during the mission where everything seemed to slow. He drew so much magic he could feel it ripple over his skin and everything around him became hyper sensitive. The air around him shuddered with magic and Sain sensed Travos halt his attack, a look of surprise on his face.

  Sain drew the magic to both his fists, feeling the power roil. The very air seemed to shake, and loose dirt seemed to gather in the air, being shifted by the energy distorting the space around him. Sain locked his eyes on Travos who suddenly backpedaled away from Sain and started to bring to bear more magic from his own core to meet Sain's. Sain didn't wait and just threw both his hands at Travos, the energy letting loose and ripping through the air. It screeched as it went forward and smashed into Travos’ hastily erected barrier. A boom sounded and Travos was blown backwards as his barrier crumpled and magic rippled around him, smashing into the grassy ground.

  The ground around the Major exploded into a plume of dirt and grass, clumps of grassy earth and rock flying into the air and thudding down into the ground around the pair. Sain looked through the cloud of debris and saw Travos standing there, his arms crossed in an x shape before him. He seemed unhurt but when the cloud of debris settled completely, Sain noticed a number of cuts and bruises on Travo's arms, and his dirt textured skin was peeling away, falling to the ground.

  Sain stared at Travos now, a little uncertain. Had he done too much?

  "Ah sir, you alright, was that a little too..." Sain blinked as a blast of magic hammered into his barrier and a flash of light split the air. Sain blinked and staggered backwards, his hand coming up to shield his eyes even as more blasts of magic hammered into his barrier. He felt his barrier shudder, and grit his teeth, pulling on more magic to reinforce it. As he gathered more magic from his core though, he felt something sort of shift within him and the energy slipped from his grasp, slightly eluding him and he growled in frustration. Sain reached for it again even as he staggered backwards, his barrier contorting from the assault against him.

  Getting a grip on his magic properly he brought it to bear quickly, manipulating it into a far stronger barrier then before and he entered that hyper sensitive state once more, his senses practically buzzing and overloading. It was a sort of ecstasy and he shivered even as his vision seemed to become dreamlike. Everything around him seemed brighter, the colors sharper. He flicked his gaze to Travos, seeing the man flailing his arms wildly, sending blast after blast of his magic at Sain's now near impenetrable barrier. The blasts of magic skittered harmlessly off the barrier and were directed into the ground around Sain, blowing chunks out of the earth.

  Sain stared at Travos, feeling a slight pain in his head even as he noticed Travos sweating profusely and standing on shaky legs. The man threw what must have been his final amount of magic at Sain's barrier and Sain compared it to a mosquito bite. It was weak and annoying, but ultimately nothing. Sain kept his barrier up as he watched Travos drop his arms, his shoulders drooping and his entire body sagging. Then Travos simply fell to his knees, a heavy thud sounding from the massive man before he just fell sideways and collapsed onto the grass.

  Sain dropped his barrier and stepped towards the man, his vision turning back to normal and his hyper real senses dissipating. All that remained was a slight jabbing pain in his head, located slightly behind the eyes.

  "All done then Sir?" Sain asked, his voice sounding thick. His nose felt clogged and he lifted an arm and wiped his forearm along his nose absentmindedly. Pulling it away however he stared at his forearm shocked, seeing a thick line of blood.

  "Yeah, I am all tuckered out" Travos stated tiredly and turned onto his back and threw is arms
out so he was lying comfortably on the torn-up ground. He turned his head to look at Sain though and frowned.

  "Did I get through your barrier and hit you? Because that looks like one hell of a nose bleed" Travos stated and Sain blinked before grabbing his nostrils and holding his head up. He could feel liquid running over his lips and he poked out his tongue, licking them only to taste blood.

  "Don't think so, but maybe. Was a hell of a spar" Sain said thickly and sniffed, feeling his nostrils clear a little. The pain behind his eyes also seemed to be dissipating and he gulped, wondering if something was wrong with him.

  "That it was. Now, take a seat. I suppose now is as good a time to talk to you about the mission than any other" Travos stated and Sain sniffed again before sitting down cross-legged on Travos' right side, his head being pointed down now and nose pinched.

  Travos stayed silent a few minutes and Sain just looked around, noting the spectators were casually walking away now, a slight thrum of voices carrying over to him. He had completely forgotten about them, but he surmised they had been a healthy distance away from the fighting seeing as none were hurt.

  "I watched the footage. From all camera views, even that of the drone. You did well for the most part, followed orders and used initiative. I just saw you make a few solo decision's, all on the spur of the moment I suppose. Blowing that tower for instance. But when you destroyed the building, well, you created chaos" Travis stated and went silent. A dark look came over Travos face and Sain glimpsed it from the corner of his eye. He gulped thickly and let go of his nose, finding it far easier to breath now.

  He tilted his head down further and wiped his nose on the left sleeve of his shirt on his bicep. It came away with only a small amount of blood and he surmised it was the left over from before. He could taste blood on his lips still, so figured he had it all over his face.

  "Most of the platoon's injuries came in the aftermath of that. Everything became messy. My unit took the brunt of the enemy fire then, and well, we ended up getting rescued by the eastern units" Travos stated and then went silent, that dark look heavy on his face.

  "I am just going to say it, what I am thinking. What you did caused a break down in the situation. It turned a controlled fire fight into a messy chaotic scene, and people died because of it. I am not blaming you for their deaths personally, but they could have been averted had you shown restraint" Travos stated bluntly and Sain gulped. He suddenly felt really shit about himself and turned his gaze away, feeling like tears were on the verge of spilling over. He felt like he had disappointed Travos immensely.

  "Just because we are mages, does not mean we can fling magic out everywhere and expected things to be fine. Look at the ground around us. It is destroyed Sain, and this was by all counts a small fight. When you use battle field magic in future, keep it small, controlled and only use enough to achieve the task at hand" Travos stated and pushed himself into a sitting position as he looked over at Sain, noting the youth's temperament but saying nothing on it.

  "You have the most amount of magical energy I have ever seen, the sheer amount is mind boggling, but you have no idea how to use it. You are like a toddler with a new toy, just hitting it at the ground without knowing its purpose or function" Travos stated and Sain smiled weakly at the comparison.

  "Your teamwork could use some work as well from what I saw. It is not extremely lacking, but frankly, it was too early for you to have been sent on mission. You needed to do far more team exercises and drill's, especially in building breach training" Travos added and stood up now, his legs shaking a little bit. He really had used all his magic to fight Sain.

  "Think on it, and in the coming month's make sure to train diligently. I will be monitoring you" Travos stated and patted Sain on the shoulder, a sad expression on his face.

  "Now, go get checked out at the hospital for that nose bleed. You might think it is nothing, but best be sure. And me, well, I am going to go get drunk" Travos stated and started walking off, his hands being thrust into his pockets.

  Sain watched the man go silently, thinking a little on Travos' words. He felt dejected in a way, but he supposed that was just a part of growing up. Sain just sighed and flopped down on his back and looked up into the late morning sky, feeling the sun on his face and skin. It was warm and rather pleasant. He just closed his eyes a few moments and decided this place would be alright to take a nap, before the midday heat set in.

  Chapter 23

  * * *

  It was so cold. So damn cold. Victor held his hands out to the small fire before him, the scraps of cloth nowhere near sufficient enough on their own to keep his hands warm. He huffed, and a cloud of air puffed into existence just in front of him. He shivered. So damn cold. Hearing a slight shuffle behind him, Victor turned and saw Anne waking somewhat, that bleary eyed look on her face that Victor had come to treasure in the last few months. He smiled weakly as she sat up from the blankets and straw laid out on the cave floor. She rubbed at her eyes and Victor felt his heart jump.

  "It's a few hours to dawn love. You can get some more sleep" Victor stated and smiled weakly once more. Anne just offered a yawn in return.

  "Is it your turn for watch?" Anne asked, her voice a hoarse whisper as she wrapped a blanket tight about her and shuffled closer to the small fire. It was basically only two logs burnt down to coals, so didn't offer much light or heat.

  "It will be soon. Always better to wake up just before watch duty you know, so that one isn't all bleary eyed at the start" Victor stated, eliciting a soft snort from Anne. He looked her over, the edges of her face covered in shadow from the weak light of the fire.

  "Yes, whatever you say boss man" Anne stated sarcastically, her voice still somewhat hoarse. She froze then and looked out of the cave entrance, her expression suddenly attentive. Victor swallowed, knowing she had picked up on something. Mages seemingly had a special sense for trouble. Sure enough, a scrabble sounded, and a head appeared at the entrance to the small cave. Victor stared at the young marine, a frown on his face.

  "What is it lad, watch doesn't change for a while yet" Victor stated as he stood up, his knee's protesting. He felt his rifle bump against his leg, the sling somewhat weathered and loose.

  "Boss. There is movement in the tree's down below. Looks like Imps" the marine stated, and Victor sucked in a breath.

  "Shit. Alright. Rouse the camp. Send the group leaders to me at the low pass" Victor stated and scrambled out of the small cave. He sensed Anne going about get dressed and armed behind him, and he left her to it as he exited the cave, sliding down the slight hill to the base of the ravine he had made his base in. Both sides of the ravine where dotted with caves, and the floor had a thin stream running through it, darting between boulders and slight drops. It eventually curved down and around as the ravine went down the mountain and that would be where these supposed Imperials would be coming from.

  Victor walked briskly as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he passed a number of smaller caves, all with their own people shacked up in them. Coming to the final part of the camp, he saw a sentry obviously waiting for him. The man came straight for Victor, a worried look on his face.

  "Sir. We saw three dropships land a few kilometer's out, at the edge of the forest. Where the tree's meet the rockies" the lad said, and Victor bit his lip as he strode forward and around a curve of the ravine. Suddenly the walls of the ravine peeled away to both sides and a wide, open downhill area appeared. The stream still ran down it, now trickling between many small cracks and indents in the exposed ground. Victor guessed when the snows melted higher in the mountains, this place would become a raging torrent of water.

  Looking out over the expanse, Victor surveyed the ground until his eyes met the tree line in the distance far below. There was no sign of anyone crawling up the open ground. That was why Victor had chosen this ravine for his base. No one would be able to approach without being seen. Unless they came from the mountain peaks of course. He turned to face the marine and
blinked as he saw another dozen or so figures behind him, barely noticeable in the dark. He could just make out their outlines. The group leaders had been roused quicker than he thought they would be.

  "Lad, did you see any lights. If they went in any direction in particular?" Victor asked, his gaze turning to lock on the figure of the marine on watch.

  "Sir. They landed, then went back into the forest. I saw some movement among the trees heading west. But can't be sure" the lad stated, and Victor bit his lip nervously yet again. He hoped none of his mob could see him worrying.

  "It was only a matter of time someone came after us. We have had too much success in this area. Perhaps we should move on" came a voice from the group and Victor cursed inwardly. It was the voice of Rupert, a cocky Lieutenant he had picked up a few weeks back. One that had originally thought he should be in charge of the resistance group here. Victor only tolerated the man because he brought twenty fighters to Victor’s ranks.

  "Well, that's a given. Thanks for speaking the obvious" Victor snapped, feeling his irritation boiling quite suddenly. Silence ensued, and Victor let it hang before puffing air again and watching it mist before him. He lifted his hands and stuck them under his armpits to try and warm them.