The princess and her guards suddenly popped into view in the distance at the top of a small hill. He watched with surprise as the princess drew her bow and fired three arrows in a row towards the center of the large group of battling soldiers before she dropped to the ground. He wondered who she had been shooting at and why.
A bolt of lightning suddenly crashed down on the hill with tremendous force. He watched with horror as bodies were flung into the air.
“No!” he yelled as he continued racing towards the hill.
He was too late! As the dust settled he was able to pick out the body of the princess sprawled near the top of the hill. He gasped with relief as he saw her push herself up and roll over. She was still alive! His eyes narrowed as a fireball came arching over the battling soldiers and barreling down towards the princess.
Time froze. He quickly formed a shield above the princess’ body. Time returned in a rush, and the fireball slammed into the shield and disappeared harmlessly several feet above her. He left the shield in place and hurried towards the base of the hill. When he reached it, he leapt from Pennon’s back and raced up the incline to the princess’ side. She was laying still upon the ground. He slipped his hand under her head and brushed the dirt from her cheek. Her eyes were closed and she was unresponsive, but she was breathing.
Darian hurried up the hill and joined him. They both looked up as another fireball came arching down towards them. The shield effectively blocked it just as it had the first. Traven glanced towards the field of battle to see where the attacks had come from. His eyes instantly locked upon the source.
In the center of the raging battle, an imposing man with flowing blond hair sat atop a horse staring towards them. A ring of empty field separated him from the soldiers battling nearby. A bright aura of golden light shown all around him. It was the Wielder Kadrak.
“Take her to safety,” Traven said.
“What of you?” Darian replied. “I should stay by your side.”
“No,” he said firmly. “The Balthan wielder needs to be stopped, but I need to know the princess will be safe. Please take care of her.”
“As you wish,” the elf said as he took the princess from Traven and carefully scooped her up in his arms. “Be careful, Master.”
Traven took one last long look at the unconscious princess before turning his attention fully to the wielder Kadrak. He focused and gathered his strength as Darian hurried down the slope and disappeared into the foothills. He rose to his feet and took a deep breath. He would need to be completely focused if he hoped to defeat the Balthan wielder.
He worked to calm himself, but the blood in his veins boiled. The wielder had hurt the princess. He had tried to kill her. Traven took another deep breath, trying to clear the raging emotion from his mind. The wielder had struck her with a lightning bolt. Traven would return the favor. Time slowed and the air thickened.
* * * * *
Kadrak stared across the battlefield to the small hill in the distance. The young wielder from Kalia stood atop it facing him. A shining, golden hued aura surrounded the boy, testifying of his power in the ambience. When the first fireball had exploded in the air harmlessly above the hill, Kadrak had been at a loss as to what had happened. He had sent another fireball with the same perplexing result. It became clear what was occurring when the boy had stood up.
Static abruptly filled the air around Kadrak. He immediately created a shield around him and his stallion. Almost instantly a giant lightning bolt crashed down into his shield and arced all around it to the ground. His horse danced around in surprise at the sudden bright light and dull boom of the bolt hitting the shield.
The boy had just attacked him! Did he think to challenge the mighty Kadrak? He growled and gathered his strength. He would teach the young wielder the true power of the ambience. The boy would be sorry that he had dared to challenge him.
Around him there was a sudden silence. The battling soldiers had all paused. They were staring towards him with wide eyes. They understood what had just happened. He had been attacked with magic. They followed Kadrak’s smoldering stare and saw the lone figure standing tall upon the hill in the distance. He was dressed all in black. He was too far away for them to see many details, but it was obvious by his stance and posture that he was the source of the attack.
Kadrak gritted his teeth and sent a lightning bolt thundering down towards the young wielder in response. The lightning was effectively stopped by the boy’s shield just as the fireballs had been. Soldiers on both sides stared at the man in black who stood firm upon the hill, untouched by the lightning. They glanced between the two wielders and began to hurry out of the way. It was obvious a wielder’s duel was about to take place, and they didn’t want to be anywhere near it.
* * * * *
Traven stared back at the Balthan wielder. He obviously hadn’t appreciated the lightning attack. Unfortunately, the wielder knew how to use a shield. He had expected as much but had thought it was worth a try. He watched from his perch on the hill as the soldiers from both armies began scrambling away from the Balthan wielder and hurrying out of the space between the two of them. It was clear they didn’t want to be caught in any of the crossfire.
He waited anxiously for the Balthan wielder to attack again, but nothing happened. The wielder appeared content to wait for either the field around him to completely clear or for Traven to make the next move.
He wondered what his next move should be. It seemed strange to be facing an enemy with the ambience. Should he try and defeat his opponent with trickery or with brute force? He wished he knew how the Balthan compared to him in strength. It was obvious by the man’s bright, golden aura that he was very strong. He wondered how his own aura of power looked to Kadrak.
After several more moments without additional attacks, Traven decided to move closer. He would rather be somewhere flat like the field where he could maneuver easier. He also hoped that by being closer to the Balthan wielder he might be able to identify a weakness more easily.
He took a few cautious steps forward. When nothing happened, he let his shield drop. He didn’t want to waste any energy that he didn’t have to. He continued down the hill carefully, keeping his eyes locked on the wielder and keeping his senses alert. When he reached the level battlefield, he continued forward slowly until he was within talking distance. He then stopped and planted his feet firmly. He wanted to be ready for anything that might happen.
“Let me introduce myself,” the Balthan wielder said with a smile. “I am the Master Wielder Kadrak, Emperor of Balthus. Who might you be?”
Traven didn’t let the man’s pleasant persona distract him. He stayed completely alert, ready for whatever might be coming next.
“My name is Traven,” he replied.
“You don’t have to worry yet,” Kadrak said with a chuckle. “I’d like to talk with you before we do anything rash. I have a few questions for you. May I?”
He stayed alert and ready as Kadrak slid from his horse and took several steps towards him.
“That’s close enough,” Traven said. “What do you want?”
“I want to know why you attacked me?” the Balthan wielder said as he came to a stop.
“You are an enemy to my country and my king,” Traven replied.
“You may be a Kalian, Traven, but you’re so much more than that. You are a wielder. There’s no reason for you to serve any mere human king. As a wielder, you’re far above that. Surely you must know this?”
He listened cautiously to what Kadrak was saying. It was true that he wondered where he fit in now that he was a wielder. He had contemplated the same thing when he was at Faldor’s Keep and along the journey to reach this very battle. He still wasn’t sure exactly where his place was. He knew that he wasn’t a simple soldier anymore, but he also knew that his power didn’t make it okay for him to do anything he felt like doing.
“Having power doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you want,” he replied.
/> “Yes it does,” Kadrak answered. “Why can a shop owner tell his workers what to do? Why can a general command his soldiers? Why can a king dictate to his subjects what to do? Because they all have power.” The Balthan wielder paused and smiled. “You have more power than any of them Traven.”
While Kadrak’s statements were true, he was implying that power was all that mattered. However, power wasn’t all that mattered. Perhaps as a wielder Traven didn’t really owe allegiance to any king, but he did feel an allegiance to those he loved. He would protect them from tyrants like Kadrak.
“You can join me on my quest to make a better world,” Kadrak said. “You don’t have to oppose me. We could do magnificent things together. You could have anything your heart desires.”
“No,” Traven replied. “I won’t be a part of you killing innocent people.”
“I don’t kill innocents,” Kadrak responded with a hint of anger creeping into his voice. “I only kill those who oppose me. Those who join me receive their just rewards. I could teach you so many things. In my years of study and practice I have learned to do things with the ambience that you can’t even imagine. You could become my apprentice.” He paused and smiled. “So what will it be? Will you join me or will you oppose me?”
Traven stared back at the Balthan wielder. The man really did believe he could do whatever he wanted because of his power. Traven didn’t want to fight him. He was afraid that he couldn’t beat someone who had been wielding the ambience for far longer than himself. However, he knew that he had to try to stop him. If he couldn’t stop Kadrak, he wasn’t sure there was anyone else that could. If nothing else, he could weaken the wielder to the point where the soldiers who were watching could overpower him with their numbers.
“I won’t join you,” he replied firmly.
“Then you oppose me,” Kadrak said as his false smile disappeared. “So be it!”
Traven instantly created a shield as a blast of fire leapt from Kadrak’s hands and exploded around him. He kept the shield firmly in place as a lightning bolt came crashing down with a deafening boom. The impact caused his shield to give slightly, but it held together.
Time slowed and the air thickened as he prepared to attack back. He quickly formed two lightning bolts shooting towards the wielder from different angles and pulled them into existence. The two struck Kadrak’s shield simultaneously with immense force. He smiled as the Balthan wielder flinched at the impact. Apparently he wasn’t as confident as he had pretended to be. He supposed this was the first time the Balthan had ever faced another wielder as well. It also seemed that Kadrak had been depleting his strength all morning. The realization gave Traven hope and courage.
His thoughts were interrupted as more lightning struck his shield. Bolt after bolt slammed into it, shaking him and weakening his barrier. He concentrated and kept the shield tight against the relentless strikes. After a continuous barrage of almost twenty bolts, the lightning finally stopped. He was relieved to find that he could keep the shield firm as long as he wanted to if his strength held up.
He wondered if the winner of the fight would be the one who had the most strength. Would one of them finally not have enough power left to keep his shield firmly in place? Traven concentrated and caused fire to burst forth all around the Balthan. He wondered if there was a way to weaken his shield. He focused as the flames continued raging along the outside of Kadrak’s shield.
He suddenly realized that he could see the particles of his opponent’s shield just the same as any of the particles in the air. He wondered if he could manipulate them as well. He focused and pulled on the particles at the front of the shield. They resisted but moved ever so slightly. He concentrated and yanked on them as hard as he could. They burst forward, leaving a gaping hole in the shield. Flames instantly rushed in on the Balthan wielder.
Kadrak’s shield instantly disappeared and a burst of wind shot out all around him, extinguishing the flames. He glared at Traven with a look of both anger and surprise. A lightning bolt shot from the wielder’s open hands and slammed straight into Traven’s shield. The impact forced his shield several feet backwards. He leapt back with it, preventing the shield from hitting him and knocking him off his feet.
Apparently there were multiple ways to manipulate the shields. Traven sent a fierce stream of wind, flying directly into his opponent. It slammed against the Balthan’s newly created shield. The force of the continuous stream of wind slowly pushed the shield backwards.
A fireball suddenly formed in the air above Traven. Just before it hit his shield, the top of the shield was ripped away. He let the rest of his shield disappear as he dove to the side. The fireball slammed into the ground where he had been standing, barely missing him. He wasn’t the only one who had figured out that the shields could be manipulated. It now looked as though the winner would be determined by who was the quickest.
Traven let loose a barrage of fireballs in the direction of the Balthan and shredded the wielder’s shield with barely a thought at the last possible second. Kadrak leapt to the side, but not before the first fireball grazed the sleeve of his arm, setting it on fire. The wielder quickly extinguished the flames, leaving a charred sleeve but no bodily damage.
Traven dove to the side as another bolt of lightning slammed down towards him. He created a shield as he came to his feet, just in time to deflect the fireball flying towards his head. He instantly sent a spear of ice flying back towards his attacker. Before the spear had even reached Kadrak, he called down three bolts of lightning in quick succession as well.
Kadrak had his shield up in time and deflected all four of the attacks. Before the Balthan had a chance to counter attack, Traven drenched the wielder’s shield in water and quickly turned it to ice. He then quickly layered more and more ice around the shield.
He paused and took several deep breaths as he stared at the icy dome that contained his opponent. Traven’s body was drenched in sweat, and he was beginning to tire. He wondered how long he would be able to continue wielding so much power. He hoped that Kadrak was being drained of his strength as well. He needed to figure out a combination of attacks that would catch the Balthan off guard.
He waited anxiously for Kadrak to break out of the dome of ice, but nothing happened. He wondered what the Balthan wielder was waiting for. He took the brief pause in the battle to quickly run through all that he had learned of the ambience from the Keeper Eldridge. He had now used lightning, fire, wind, water, and ice. The only other thing he had ever created was liquid fire, but he was afraid creating it would drain too much of his strength. If he attacked fiercely enough with a combination of everything else he knew, he wondered if he would be able to take the Balthan by surprise and overpower him.
His thoughts were interrupted as the ice dome shattered with an earsplitting boom. He quickly protected himself with a shield as glistening shards of ice flew towards him. As the pieces of ice began breaking against his shield, lightning leapt from Kadrak’s outstretched hands and blasted into his shield. Bolt after bolt slammed into him, knocking the shield further backwards. Traven focused on maintaining the shield’s strength as he moved backwards with each bolt’s impact. Suddenly his shield was ripped apart. He was instantly enveloped in fire. He dove away from the burning heat as a lightning bolt came crashing to the ground. The force of the bolt’s impact threw him forcefully into the ground. He rolled to his feet with a grunt and reformed his shield just in time to deflect several fireballs.
He quickly smothered the remaining flames on his burning clothes. The attack had left him with burns and bruises but no major injuries. He took several deep breaths as he stared at the Balthan wielder from within the safety of his shield. Kadrak stared back at him with a smirk. The lightning strike had been too close. If he had been a split second slower, the fight would have already ended. He didn’t know how many more chances he would get. If he wanted to survive, he needed to end the fight now.
Traven exhaled deeply and fell into a trance
of complete concentration. The world around him froze and all was silent. He no longer felt the stinging pain of the burns on his arms and face or the deep ache of the bruises on his side. He was beyond his physical body. He could sense every particle in the air around him and could sense the particles that were already beginning to move in response to Kadraks’s commands. He drew upon the strength that welled up inside of him and began wielding the ambience like he never had before.
He formed multiple lightning bolts and sent them crashing down on his opponent. Before the bolts had even reached the wielder’s shield, he formed multiple balls of ice and sent them flying as well. He followed them up with fireballs raining down from the sky, striking the Balthan’s shield from different directions. He then began blasting at his opponent’s shield with more lightning, first on the right side and then on the left. However, his furious barrage of attacks was only to disorient Kadrak.
While the bolts of lightning continued to strike, he began tearing at the wielder’s shield. He left it in tact, but disturbed the shield enough to keep Kadrak’s attention on maintaining its strength. While maintaining the two attacks simultaneously, he began to form his third and final piece of the assault, a large ball of ice. It was difficult to form the ice while continuing to send bolt after bolt of lightning and continuing to tear at the shield, but struggling, he managed to do it.
He carefully formed the sphere of ice high in the air directly above Kadrak. The strain began to wear at him as it grew larger and larger, but he persevered. When it finally reached the size of a small cottage, he could hold onto it no more. It slipped from his hold and began plummeting downwards, gaining momentum. Just before it reached the Balthan wielder’s shield, Traven used the last of his strength to rip the shield apart.
Kadrak tried to recreate his shield, but there was no time. The giant ball of ice slammed down upon him and into the ground with an earth shaking thud. The quaking of the ground, along with the shock wave of air from the impact, knocked Traven off his feet. He tried to sit up, but his drained body was too exhausted. He stayed on his back, staring at the sky. A barely audible sigh of relief escaped his lips. He had survived.
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