Virtual Me- Valkyrie

by Michael Ocheskey

  ​I loved the bow Aden had given me. It was a magnificent piece of art and a deadly weapon rolled into one. Still, he didn't give me any arrows for it. The arrows were something I would have to create for myself when I did my fletching and wood carving training.

  ​When I’d finished my training with throwing weapons, Aden gave me a pack of five hundred thick throwing needles and a pack of two hundred thin needles. He told me I would need more of the larger needles since it would be more difficult to retrieve them during battle. The throwing needles weren't special in any way. They had no need to be. They were a common item that you could get from almost any blacksmith. There was no difference between the ones owned by the elves or any of the other races in Evanasia.

  Nature and Spirit

  ​My combat training and language training were among the first I'd completed, which freed up more time for learning magic and learning the trades the elves were willing to teach me.

  ​My trade training was completely different with the elves due to the differences in their culture. Unlike the dwarves, who ripped up the earth constantly to get at the jewels and minerals beneath it, the elves had a reverence for life that also included reverence for the earth itself. They believed that all things had a spirit and were alive, including the ground beneath our feet. As such, they never dug into the earth as it would harm the spirit of the earth. They had no problem gathering loose soil, mud, or stones from the earth's surface as they considered them to be like fur that the earth had shed, but they refused to dig into the earth for any reason. That's why they cremated their dead using fire magic and scattered their ashes instead of burying them.

  ​With that being the case, I never had any metalsmith or blacksmith training. The elves didn't create armor from metal or leather as it required either the tearing up of the land or the killing and carving up of a creature. Instead, they made clothing from silk and enchanted it so that it would substitute as armor. The elves did not wear jewelry, instead they decorated their bodies with tattoos, using ink made from different types of berries.

  ​Everything the elves owned was created from the earth without harming the earth. They made their dishes and utensils from clay they formed from mud and magic. Their arrows were made from fallen twigs and branches. The fletching on the arrows were made from fallen leaves or feathers that molted from the surrounding birds and the arrowheads were made from loose stones. Clothing was made from gathering spider silk and silkworm cocoons and weaving it into thread.

  ​I spent a lot of time learning how to make arrows and carve wood, learning how to gather and weave silk into thread, a skill which could also be adapted to turn sheep wool and cotton into thread, making pottery with the assistance of magic, and using the thread I'd created to tailor silk clothing. Tailoring had an interesting twist. The needles the elves used were made of wood that had been filed down to the thin length of a metal threading needle and enchanted so that the needles wouldn't break.

  ​The only metal I'd seen in the elves possession were the throwing weapons they used, and they didn't create those. In the SRU, there are items that are commonplace. These items have an unlimited supply. You can find them in most stores in any city you visit. They come in large boxes that are programmed to never empty. When an item is taken out of the box another replaces it. The elves claim that these boxes were given to them by the spirits to help protect their home. As the items are gifts from the spirits and unlimited, elves are allowed to take items out of the box whenever they need for free. That was a practice I wouldn't find in any other city in the SRU.

  ​Learning to make pottery and silk thread were fun and I learned the skills quickly. I was finished with my pottery and silk gathering training soon after ending my combat training. Harvesting the spider silk was the hardest part of this training, but my motor skills were so much more precise in the SRU than on Earth. It only took a few fumbling attempts before I was able to master it.

  ​My pottery instructor gave me a ceramic quiver for my arrows as a graduation present. The quiver was enchanted so that it wouldn't break, very handy considering how easily ceramic could normally break. It had the anti-theft enchantment on it, something the elves had taken to doing to most of the items they gave me since the items they gave me were unique and they worried people would try to steal them. It also had a spatial distortion enchantment on it so that I could fit up to a thousand arrows in the quiver even though it only appeared large enough for two dozen.

  ​The instructor who taught me how to harvest and make silk thread gave me a different type of surprise for graduation. Instead of giving me a gift, she told me she would be my tailoring teacher and that she would use the thread I'd created to make a new outfit for me, one that would be presented to me after I'd finished all of my training as a symbol of my relationship with the elves.

  ​I found working with wood to be a lot harder than any of the other training I had. When working with wood you had to be perfect because if you made even the slightest mistake there was no way to fix it. You simply had to start all over with a new piece of wood, which I had to do quite often. I was surprised they hadn't scolded me for thinning the forest. It took me up until three days before leaving the elves before I completed my fletching and woodworking training.

  ​The hardest part of creating the arrows in my training was making sure I was perfect on my carving and sanding while reciting the enchantment that kept the arrows from breaking. The enchantment was necessary due to the strength of the elven bows. If the arrow shafts weren't enchanted, they would shatter the second you released the bowstring. My reward for completing this training was a large bushel of arrows. All the arrows I'd successfully created in my training plus a large quantity more for a total of two thousand elven arrows. I bundled half of them with a silk wrap and placed them in my enchanted purse. The rest went into my new quiver.

  ​I started my tailoring training on about the third week that I was with the elves. Lanya, my silk threading and tailoring master, would often tell me stories about elven history and culture as I worked. I really looked forward to my tailoring sessions. I had wanted to learn to make my own clothing since I'd arrived in the SRU and realized that armor wouldn't suit me. I'd thought that I would end up making my own outfit to wear as everyday wear, but with Lanya working so hard to make me one, I figured I would just create clothing for special occasions that might arise while in the SRU.

  ​Throughout my time with the elves I was always in a state of euphoria, and the most enjoyable of all my time with the elves was the time I spent in magic training. I couldn't believe my eyes the morning after I arrived when Elder Loradine entered my guest quarters and asked me if I had my list ready so that he could start training me. I hadn't expected the leader of the council of elders to be my magic instructor, but he told me it was the most logical choice. He'd become the head of the elven council because he was the most powerful magician in Valanesia.

  ​Under his tutelage, I truly became a master magician. Most of what Lesley taught me were enchantments. With the dwarves it was all about earth magic. They taught me some attack and defense earth magic, but most of it was magic that would assist them in their never-ending mining efforts. My past teachers simply taught me the incantations and had me practice using the spells. Loradine was much more thorough in his teaching style.

  ​He not only taught me the different incantations, but magical strategies. His teaching focused more on the proper usage of magic than just casting spells. He taught me how to be responsible with my magic. I learned how to observe a situation carefully, but quickly, so that I could judge the best course of action to take.

  ​Every time he taught me a new spell, he would sit me down and give me five questions to consider when casting that spell. We would create different scenarios and then he would have me answer the questions. When is it appropriate to use this spell? In what situations would this spell be beneficial or hazardous? Who is the target of this spell and are there any beings nearby who m
ight be inadvertently affected by this spell? Why do you need to know this spell? What are the dangers this knowledge presents?

  ​The last of the five questions was the one that always weighed the most on me. The question wasn't about the spell so much as it was about myself. Loradine wanted to drive home the understanding that power can corrupt and that I should always take extra care with the magical power I possessed to keep myself from using it in immoral ways.

  ​All magic had a set purpose, but all in all, magic was a tool like any other. Any tool could be used for its intended purpose or be put to nefarious purposes. Take a baseball bat for example. It was created to hit a baseball in a friendly game, but it could also be used as a deadly weapon if you bludgeoned someone with it.

  ​The most important lesson I learned from Loradine was that magic in and of itself wasn't good or evil. It just existed. It’s the user who chooses to use magic for good or evil. That was the lesson that I kept closest to my heart as it was the most important thing to remember in the SRU. Most people thought this was just a game and didn't care if they used their abilities for good or evil. They were simply playing make-believe. I wasn't. After all I'd been through in this world, I couldn't think of it as just a game. This was my life. I may be in a different body, but Valkyrie and Lisa Hampton were one and the same person. The way I acted in the SRU reflected who I was in reality and vice versa.

  ​I trained in every form of magic under Loradine. I learned how to use elemental magics like fire, lightning, water, earth, wind, and light in offensive and defensive ways. I learned additional enchantments, defensive spells that produced invisible barriers, and healing magic. By the time I'd finished with all of that training, I'd amassed a knowledge base of one thousand six hundred and seventy-one spells.

  ​It had been a month since I'd arrived at the elves and begun my training when Loradine told me, “Today is the last day you will learn traditional magic from me as I will have taught you every known spell. This is the final traditional spell you will learn. It is the most powerful healing spell in existence called Divine Healing. Now repeat after me...”

  ​It was the longest incantation I'd ever had to memorize. The spell was intricately designed and was supposed to heal any injury. Still, after I'd memorized the spell, Loradine made sure I understood the limits of the spell.

  ​He instructed me, “This spell is the most powerful healing magic you will ever encounter, but I must warn you that even Divine Healing cannot alter fate. No magic has the ability to alter fate. If fate has wished it, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. When fate makes a decision, you can cast your spells until your tongue falls out and nothing will change. Magic is not all-powerful. That is something you must understand.

  ​“I hope that you never have to endure such a plight, but if you do, I want you to know that it isn't your fault. Whether it is healing magic or any other magic you possess, the failure of the spell means fate will not allow intervention on your part. Many magicians blame themselves when their magic fails to work, but it isn't a failure on the magician's part. It is just fate. Remember that.”

  ​I suspected I was finished with my magical training until Loradine took me to a part of the city I hadn't been to before. Loradine, Bartholomew, and I climbed up into the trees to the top of the canopy and stood upon another flooring made of branches twisted together. From here, I could see the vastness of Tetherwood. No matter which way I looked, I could not find an ending to the trees. The sky was a beautiful blue. It was the first time in a month I'd seen the sky and not the small sliver of light that pierced through the canopies.

  ​“Now that you have learned all the traditional magic I can teach you,” Loradine began, “it is time you learned the magic of the elves. Do you remember your oath of secrecy? Up until now I have not enforced it because the spells I've taught you could have been learned from elsewhere. This is where your training in the elven arts will begin. These are secrets we have never shared with another and we share them with you knowing that you will not provide this knowledge to anyone.”

  ​“You have my word, Elder Loradine.”

  ​“Good. Do you know what makes us special among the races of Evanasia, Valkyrie?” It wasn't a rhetorical question. His serious expression and patient silence told me he was truly curious to know my thoughts on the matter.

  ​I thought about it for a moment before answering, “It is your nature. Elves possess abilities that I have never seen before like your exceptional eyesight, hearing, longevity, speed, agility, and accuracy. You move around as if you were ghosts, rarely making a sound even if you step on twigs or autumn leaves. I can only assume that it is simply because of the way you were created.”

  ​Loradine smiled serenely at my response but shook his head in answer. “I am glad you think so highly of us, but I am afraid you are only partially correct. It is true that our bodies give us an advantage over other races. Our builds enable us to be more agile, our ears give us greater hearing, and our race was born immortal, but that is the extent of what we were given at birth. Two of these three abilities you possess. Your ears are not as long as ours, but their length does give you a greater sense of hearing than other species, just like ours. Your body is also designed very similar to ours, which gives you the agility you seek.

  ​“As for the rest of our abilities, they are not innate. We derive our abilities from magic, similar to how you obtain your speed through magic. You get your speed for your Shadow Arts by rearranging the magical energy in your body. We do the same to obtain our speed. The other aspects like our vision, silent movements, and the like are all derived from two forms of magic that are unique to our people. They are known as Nature and Spirit.

  ​“One of the reasons we worked so hard on teaching you the Elven language is because Nature and Spirit magic can only be used with the Elven language. If you translated the incantations, nothing would happen. We will now teach you our ancient magic. In so doing, you will become an honorary elf. Your abilities will rival our own and you will be allowed to enter Valanesia any time you desire.”

  ​This was one of the greatest honors the elven people could have given me. It was also a burden I was more than willing to bare. I swore to Elder Loradine that I would be sure to make the elves proud and would not make them regret their decision.

  ​“I know you will, Valkyrie.” Loradine had the utmost faith in me, a faith I would make sure I lived up to.

  ​Then Loradine's demeanor changed and I recognized the switch from companion to instructor that he so often used whenever we began a training session. He sat down cross-legged in the center of the open space and gestured for me to sit across from him in the same manner.

  ​Once I was seated and he had my undivided attention, he began the lesson.

  ​“Before I begin teaching you the incantations for different spells, it is time you understood just what elven magic entails. Elves, as you already know, have a special bond with nature. We live off the land in a symbiotic relationship, protecting the land from harm in exchange for what we need to survive. But the relationship goes deeper than you know.

  ​“Everything in the earth has its own spirit. The spirits of the animals and plants are souls like all living beings possess, but the spirits of the land, sea, and sky are not souls. They are eternal entities that govern the elements. They exist on every planet and serve Aurora Eventide. They help her monitor and protect the natural elements of the planet. Normal magic draws upon the power of these elements, but elven magic calls upon the very spirits that control these elements, giving a much greater control of the elements.

  ​“Nature magic is what we call the magic that calls upon the souls of the animals and plants. We use Nature magic to give our bodies the attributes of nature itself. Whether it is the enhanced eyesight of hawks, the masking ability of the iguana, the silent steps of a predator, the night vision of the owls, or any of the other abilities afforded to us. Nature magic allows us to assimilate an animal’s
abilities or to manipulate the spirits of plants. In this way, we can make plants grow faster, turn vines into deadly weapons, and more. The applications are vast.

  ​“Spirit magic is what we call the magic that interacts directly with the spirits of the elements. Spirit magic involves contracts that we enter into. The spirits are more powerful than us and we dare not try to force them into any action. Instead, we offer something to the spirits in return for their assistance. Once a contract is formed with a spirit, the spirit will help you whenever you call upon it until the contract is terminated. For us, the contract ends upon death, but I don't know what the spirits will stipulate as the end of your contract since you can't truly die.”

  ​Most of what he told me made perfect sense, but I was unclear on one part.

  ​“What exactly do I have to give to the spirits?”

  ​“I don't know. Each spirit you make a contract with will ask for something different from you, but do not worry about it. If the price is something you aren't willing to pay, you do not have to form the contract. It is like that for many of us. Most elves only have a contract with one or two spirits even though we've all done, on average, a hundred summoning rituals. The reason is because the spirit that was summoned requested something we could not provide. The thing that I'm worried about is if the spirits will even allow you to make a contract since you aren't of this world. I know you can learn Nature magic, but Spirit magic all depends on the spirit's will to enter into a contract with you.”