by Darkbringer
“That’s good. I guess.” I wasn’t certain if it was or not to be honest. I really didn’t want anyone to be that afraid of me. It’s not like I was planning on using my talents to try and take over the world, become an evil overlord, or anything like that. I’d only pushed my gift so hard because I was hoping to help people – help us stay safe and rescue the others if they still lived, in this case!
Walking slowly over, I bent down and picked up the blade that I’d dropped earlier. My body still ached from one end to the other, and it would for some time still as I was suffering from the effects of ripping my own soul and using it with the blade. Taking time to study every minute detail, I patiently turned the blade in my hand and inspected it completely.
The sword was now a single piece of metal, from the tip of the blade to the pommel of the hilt. The whole thing was colored a deep primary purple shade, and white and black whirls rippled in a wave-like pattern throughout the metal. The sword had a razor thin edge on both sides of the blade, came up to a fine needle point, and seemed almost weightless in my hand. A slight resonant pulse vibrated through the hilt and into my palm, warming my hands and feeling like a gentle caress of warmth to my fingers.
“I think it worked.” I really didn’t know what else to say about it. It was an exact match of Crystal’s old blade in size, shape, and balance – but it was now something completely different and unique. Smiling lightly, I turned the blade so I could hold it gingerly, and then I offered the hilt out to her. “Here. Take this. You might be needing it where we’re going,” I told her with a smile.
“My.. My Lord…” Crystal stuttered and hesitated.
“Are you always going to make it hard for me to give you something?” I asked while giving her my best fake evil glare. What’s annoying is having people always beg you for something, over and over. I couldn’t really be upset that she was one of those humble people who had difficulty accepting gifts. It was kind of charming, in its own way.
“I’m sorry, My Lord.” Finally reaching out for the hilt, Crystal wrapped her hands around it and then almost dropped it in surprise. “It’s alive!” She exclaimed all at once.
“No. It’s not,” I told her calmly, hoping that my smile would help relax her nerves. “It’s not alive. Not really. I’ve heard tells of some living swords with a mind and all, and this isn’t anything like that. All you’re feeling through the thing is my life. My soul. I had to put part of myself in the steel to complete the alterations, and that’s what you’re feeling.”
Staring at me in wide-eyed wonder, Crystal didn’t say a word. Instead, she slowly ran her hand up and down the blade, as if gently caressing it. A slight tingle of electricity brushed up and down my back in response, and I couldn’t help by shiver slightly from the experience.
“As long as you’re in possession of that sword, I’ll always be able to find you from now on. You’ll always have a small piece of me right there with you,” I told her.
Nodding in open wonderment, Crystal was smiling from ear to ear. “And that pulsing that I can feel from the hilt?”
“That’s my heartbeat, I think.”
“It’s a Wonder, My Lord! It’s marvelous!” Taking her time, Crystal slowly fastened the chainmail robe back around her. Then, cautiously, she jabbed the blade through the left side of the chain and sliced a wide gap in the side of her leather pants. And then she repeated the process a little higher on her hip, and then a little lower afterward. I had no clue what the hell she was doing, but it was impressive to watch how easily the blade cut through chain and leather alike!
Finally satisfied with a hand’s width rip in her pants, Crystal turned her attention to the scabbard she was wearing on her waist. With a single slice, she bisected the scabbard into, right below the catch that connected to the belt. Nodding to herself, she finally slid the blade through the top of what remained of the scabbard and let it dangle on her side.
“There, My Lord!” Beaming with satisfaction, she turned a few times so I could inspect her handiwork. “Now the blade can rest itself against my skin when I carry it, and I’ll always be able to feel that connection with My Lord. It may take me a while to adjust and learn the feel of My Lord’s soul against my flesh, but I will learn it. Then, whenever My Lord is in trouble, ill, or hurt, I’ll know it and can come to you.
“It’s a precious gift, My Lord.” Slight tears were leaking out the corner of Crystal’s eyes as she stared unabashedly into mine. “I’ll never be without it, and it shall never leave my touch again, so long as I may help it. There shall always be a part of me touching My Lord from now on, just as there shall always be a part of Him touching me. You have my word on this.”
Embarrassed, I tried to laugh off her seriousness. “Dang! If I’d known that, I could’ve altered you a nice bra or something instead.”
“And I would wear it proudly, happy to have a piece of My Lord so close to my heart,” Crystal replied seriously. “If you ever wish these breasts, they are yours. Say but a single word, and I’ll remove a hole for them just as wide as the one on the side. Even wider, if that is what you desire.”
“That’s Ok. I’d prefer you covered and protected for now. Maybe when we get back to town or something, we can look into something like that,” I joked.
Crystal simply nodded slightly and then stepped forwards and wrapped her arms tightly around me pulling me close. With deep passion, she kissed me passionately, intimately, and without the slightest hint of reservation. Her tongue wrapped itself around mine, and she sucked so hard I thought she was trying to steal my breath away and keep it for her own.
For several long moments, her passion poured forth and into me like a blazing fire, and I found myself drawn into the moment recklessly. Just as I was beginning to push her down to the ground, it was Dino’s embarrassed cough that interrupted us. “Geeze you two! Get a room! Do we really have time for you guys to be doing stuff like that out here?”
It took several moments for my impassioned mind to sort out what he’d said. Definitely, I wrapped my fingers through Crystal’s hair and pulled her back up against me when she tried to pull away. With an endless amount of ardor, I stole another two or three deep kisses before I finally released her and let her free.
“Are we ready to go now?” I asked, without even bothering to look back. Trying not to look too awkward, and ignore the bulging presence in the front of my pants, I slowly walked on towards the graveyard area once more without waiting for an answer.
First Steps into The Taint
Walking forward, I could once again instantly feel when we crossed the threshold and into the corruption. The dank, dark sense of corrupt death hovered thickly in the air around and clung to everything. Even the flows of earth and fire which I’d always felt so close to, now felt distant and harder to reach. I really didn’t like the path we were walking, but I was too stubborn to turn back a second time.
Crystal’s presence did a lot to keep the darkness at bay – or I suppose I should say the blade she was now wearing at her hip did. I could feel the energy of the taint weaken and recoil as she walked along with us. “Dino, Jess,” I warned them lightly, “you might want to stay up closer to Crystal. The sword she has now will help protect you and your magics from the corruption all around.”
Taking a moment to stare at each other, they both seemed to come to some sort of silent agreement and rapidly moved up much closer to Crystal. “How the heck did you even do all that? What is that sword now, anyway?” Dino asked, too curious not to. “And what type of damnable wizard are you? I’ve never even heard tales of anything like that! Not ever!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly to myself. Dino had been acting all superior to everyone, and now that he had a chance to witness my magic in action, he looked almost like he was going to shit himself. Poor fellow; I almost felt sorry for him. “To be honest,” I replied as calmly as possible, so as to not excite or worry him and Jess anymore, “I don’t have a clue what type of sword she has
now. There’s ore buried in the ground, in a circle around this whole area, and it’s what keeps the corruption from spreading. All I did was alter her sword to make it the same as that ore. I didn’t invent that ore. I don’t know what is it, in all honesty. And I don’t know that much about it; all I needed to know is that it repels the tainted darkness, and I thought that’d be something we needed.”
“I guess,” Dino said doubtfully. “I haven’t seen or felt any corruption, with my magic.”
“You can’t even feel the flows of magic around you,” I told him, with a snort. “I’ve been working my magic each night to do little things while up in my bunk in the room, and you’ve never noticed it once. Spatial awareness isn’t a talent of yours,” I told him honestly. “Jess seems to feel it somewhat, though.”
“I feel something,” Jess admitted. “It’s like there’s somebody or something watching us all the time, and the hair on the back of my neck won’t settle down. It’s not as bad when we’re close to Crystal, but it’s still there. Truthfully, it’s starting to creep me out.” Her eyes were darting left and right frantically, as she scanned all around for anything out of place.
“And as for my magical talent, I really don’t know how I’d be ranked,” I told Dino, to change the subject. No need to focus on whatever Jess thought was out there watching her. Talking about it would just make it seem more real. More dangerous. “I’ve never really been subjected to much formal testing to see what my limits are, and I don’t have a clue how I rank compared to others. As a male with magic, I never advertised my gift much.”
“And why not?” Dino asked, incredulous. “You could have whatever you wanted from the school if they knew about your talent! It seems a whole lot stronger than mine,” he admitted quietly as if he was embarrassed to say it out loud.
“It’s because mine seems stronger, that I hide it,” I told him. “There’s a ton of powerful female wizards out there. Some of them have lived a long time, made a ton of money and contacts, and would love to get their hands on a young male who could live and walk through the world with them. Strong magic can extend one’s lifespan. How long do you suspect you’ll get to live with your talent?” I asked Dino.
“I dunno,” he shrugged. “I’ve never given it much thought. One of the teachers told me that I’d probably see a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty, once.”
“So twice the lifespan of a normal male,” I guessed. “And they treat you like a pampered prince already. In a way, you’re lucky; for a wizard who’s going to live four or five thousand years, that extra time of yours isn’t enough to worry about. Only the young, weaker wizards who don’t have that much longer of a lifespan than yours, like Jess, are really going to end up chasing you and trying to be with you. “
“Hey now!” Jess pouted and shook her head slightly from side to side. “That’s not true. You make it sound like we’re after him just because of his magic!”
“Aren’t you?” I asked while glancing back at her. “If Dino didn’t have any talent at all, would you, Sarah, and all the others be fawning all over him like you are? Even Dino knows it’s his magic which makes him stand out and special to you guys.” Jess didn’t say anything; she simply blushed and chewed on her lower lip guiltily as Dino stared at her.
“Look at the attention you’re getting, with your talent developed like it is now, Dino, and then try and imagine what life could be like for you if the world thought you were hiding your true strength. Can you imagine what it’d be like with a higher class of suitors chasing you? Women who’ve lived thousands of years, mastered tons of magic, and aren’t used to be told ‘no’ on anything?”
“I’m not certain I’d like all that much attention either,” Dino said thoughtfully. “It might be a case of ‘too much of a good thing’.”
“Now you’re catching on,” I told him, smiling slightly. “So, if I can, I’m going to hide my talent as much as possible and let you guys take credit for anything we do. I just want to be a plain old hunter, which helped track the way through the forest. Nothing more, nothing less, as far as the school and all’s concerned. Deal?”
“Sure,” Dino agreed. “Jess and I will take the credit and help you hide your secret. Won’t we, Jess?”
“We sure will,” Jess verified, while staring over at Crystal for some reason which I didn’t understand. I guess she was waiting for her to confirm her silence as well, but Crystal never said anything. Honestly, I’m not even certain if she was paying attention to our conversation; she was staring around and watching our surroundings so intently.
“So, you’ve noticed it too?” I asked Crystal, and she simply nodded in return.
“Noticed what?” Dino asked, looking puzzled.
“The forest is changing,” I pointed out to him. “The trees aren’t as healthy; they’re stunted and twisted more and more, the deeper we go into this mess. The grass is changing color and becoming a blacker green, the ground itself is harder, drier, and less fertile here than it was before. And, I haven’t seen many blooms or flowers of any kind on the plants around us.”
Crystal laughed lightly and shook her head while Dino looked around amazed. “I didn’t notice all that,” she confessed. “I simply noticed that the birds are gone. I haven’t seen or heard one for some time now, and the insects here are all silent. We’re walking in a void of silence.”
Pausing for a moment to listen, I had to agree that she was right. My magic helps me feel the earth and makes me aware of it on a level that others simply can’t duplicate, but I’d completely overlooked the birds and the lack of noise from the insects and all. I don’t suppose I’m half the hunter I’m pretending to be; Crystal did a better job picking up on the things most hunters would notice, more so than I did.
Dino on the other hand, simply stared back and forth between Crystal and me as if we had suddenly grown horns or something. I really think he’s been fawned over and put on a pedestal for so long, that he doesn’t believe that other folks will notice or know things which he doesn’t. In a way, it’s stomach curdling how pitiful those girls and half-assed wizards-in-training at the school has made him. I’ve got to say, I’m truly grateful my mother never treated me like that, nor did she let any of her students on the island. Someday, his naivety and overconfidence is going to be the end of Dino. I just hope it’s not when I’m around; I don’t want to get caught in the fallout.
“We’re nearing the dead,” Jess pointed out all at once, drawing my attention back to my surroundings and away from Dino once again. Sure enough, I could feel corpses and bones in the ground not far in the direction we were traveling. It seems Jess has a natural talent for sensing life and death; it’s probably a product of her training as a healer.
Dino was looking around nervously but didn’t bother to ask how she knew. I guess looking foolish once was enough for him, and he didn’t want to say anything which might harm his image any further. Idiot! Not speaking up and asking questions is worse in my book, than pretending you know everything. Only a fool knows all there is to know; a wise man knows there're no limits to the things he hasn’t learned yet – with yet being the keyword.
Moving on forward, it was another half hour walk, or so, before we noticed the first grave markers – or perhaps I should say I noticed the grave markers. They weren’t tombstones like one would see normally; instead, they were crumbling piles of rock and gravel which were almost completely obscured by the grass and plants grown up around them. I could understand why hunters might travel across this section and never see them, and with the lack of game in this area, it wasn’t a place where most hunters would stay or return to. It’s a wonder that anyone ever stumbled across this place, honestly. The only reason I knew what they represented was because I could sense the bones lying underneath them, and I could feel the difference of the stones and the surrounding earth. If it wasn’t for my magic, I don’t think any of us would’ve realized what they were.
“Prepare for trouble,” I warned everyone after
we’d walked amongst the markers for a short while. “Something is moving ahead and to the sides of us, and it doesn’t seem to travel in any normal pattern across the ground, that I recognize. There’s something out there, and it’s coming this way” Crystal nodded silently and slowly drew the blade I’d created, and Jess moved to place herself between me and Crystal while Dino just continued to look around stupidly. I suppose, in his defense, that was how Dino prepared for trouble; look around for it and try to use his magic, if he could, on it.
A few moments later, the first of our opponents shambled into sight – half a dozen rotting corpses, followed by perhaps a dozen skeletal figures. The first thing that drew my eyes was the state of decay and poor shape of the creatures; they all seemed as if they might simply shatter and collapse at the slightest breeze. The next thing which really got my attention and made me stare the most was the long lizard-like tail that the fleshy corpses had; and even some of the skeletons had partially broken tails dangling behind them. These definitely weren’t human corpses before us!
With a pull of energy, I yanked a chunk of earth from the ground, formed it into a had round ball, and hurled it at the first zombie I saw – blasting a hole through it the size of a watermelon, causing the creature to shatter and crumble everywhere. Without even a moment to enjoy my success; dark, corrupted energy flowed up from the ground and washed over me suddenly in a wave, wrapping itself around me and trying to taint and corrupt my very essence. The agony was intense, forcing me to my knees as I screamed out in pain!
“AAAARRRRGHHH!” It felt as if my insides were trying to twist and push their way to the outside, and I had to simply stop everything else just to fight with the dark corruption to maintain my grip on my own magic. The earth here didn’t like to be disturbed. It didn’t like me pulling on it, using it, manipulating it. When I pulled on it to form a stone to toss at the dead, the corruption followed that flow of magic back and was trying to warp and make me into something besides myself.
