“Are you two going to keep hunting Ruf—uh—Rayburn?” he asked, thinking back to how angry they both seemed to be about the criminal scum.
She nodded. “Exactly, and now that you’re orb-Bonded, you could be a huge asset in taking that rapist piece of rot down,” she snarled, then blinked rapidly.
Calvin froze, his eyes darting over to Lydia. The other woman was glaring at her sister.
Eupheme seemed to read his mind when he turned back to look at her. “No, he never touched either of us,” she said and shook her head. “He tricked our little sister into joining his ‘adventuring company’ to ‘explore dungeons for treasure.’”
In the face of the women’s fury, he tried to process his thoughts. The twins didn’t look very old to him. Granted, he wasn’t the best judge of ages, but they were definitely young. Which meant if their sister had been even younger…
His knuckles were white where he clenched the table, struggling to hold back his own outrage. I trusted that piece of shit! He held his tongue, feeling even dumber than he had before, but also noticing how worked up his hosts were. He firmly thought, Can’t do anything about it right this minute, but I’m definitely helping them hunt that dirtbag down.
When he looked up again, Lydia was holding her sister, the two whispering quietly. Calvin didn’t know what customs were like on this world, but he politely looked away until Eupheme cleared her throat.
She said, “So, yes as I was saying, our youngest sister, Melody, wanted to be an adventurer. When she turned sixteen, she left on her own, and we’ve been searching for her for several months. We finally got a solid lead, which led to you sprawled out in the mud near the dungeon.” Her voice quivered toward the end of her explanation.
“I’m so sorry that happened, I promise I’ll help however I can,” Calvin said sincerely.
Four dark-blue eyes stared at him intensely, and it was all he could do to meet their gaze. Just as it was becoming unbearable, they stopped staring, Eupheme even smiling slightly at him. “Thank you, Calvin. Now I think you should start studying your magic or abilities and learn what you can do. I’ve never known an orb-Bonded before, and don’t honestly know much about the subject, so we really can’t help too much.”
Feeling like they’d passed a serious moment, that the sisters had accepted him into their group, Calvin smiled and nodded. For the first time since coming to Ludus, he felt like he might have started to belong somewhere. “That’s fine, when I woke up this morning, I had a few ideas on things to try. I feel sort of like I read about it, but don’t remember reading it.” He paused. “It feels like the orb gave me Darkness magic, though.” He pushed, brushing his mind against the new memories.
Eupheme said, “In that case, you should go practice in the backyard for now, Lydia will watch the place while I go do a little shopping. Hopefully I can find some armor and a weapon for you.”
“I don’t have any weapon training, other than with bows,” Calvin confessed, blushing at the swordswoman’s frank gaze.
“You fight with a bow, and your name is Bowyer?” she asked, surprising him by speaking in heavily accented English.
“You speak English?”
The beautiful woman grinned. “Yes, our mother married a newcomer, from Earth. He was a stubborn man from a place called Minnesota. He insisted all his children learn his language.”
“Cool,” Calvin replied, enjoying the woman’s happy face. It was obvious she regarded her father positively. I really want to see her smile more. She lights up the whole room. “And yeah, I took up archery because of my name. Kids kept asking if I knew how to use a bow, and eventually I started just so I could say yes.”
Eupheme giggled, Lydia even joining her for a moment, and Calvin felt some pride at amusing them. Would be better if it was because I did something impressive, but I’ll take what I can get. Anything to keep them from looking so heartbroken like earlier.
They showed him around the back of the small property, which had a decent amount of privacy, being adjacent to the town wall. Once that was done, they split up, with Lydia returning to the house, and Eupheme heading out.
Calvin sat down on a wood bench and thought about how to train his magic. First, he tried to shoot energy bolts out of his hand, thinking back to one of his favorite old console games, but nothing happened.
Deciding he had the right idea from the wrong direction, he wracked his brain for every shadow magic power he’d ever heard of in comics or games. If I’d known I was going to have freaking magic one day, I’d have paid more attention.
***
Calvin spent at least an hour trying to teleport into shadows. Lydia stared at him strangely several times when she caught him trying to squeeze behind furniture, or jumping from shadow to shadow.
He still hadn’t managed to successfully use his magic.
When he started pointing at Lydia’s shadow, willing his power to pin her down, the beautiful blonde glared and shook a broom at him. After apologizing, Calvin returned to the backyard and sat down heavily on the bench. The sun was glaring down from overhead; he’d spent the entire morning working with nothing to show for it.
Wish those assholes hadn’t stolen the note. Could have at least had Euphe read it for me. He hadn’t had the guts to use her nickname out loud yet, but it sounded nice in his head.
Squinting, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun’s glare, and blinked. It couldn’t be that simple could it?
Calvin thought about shading his eyes from the harsh light and was instantly rewarded. A faint tug at his center drew his attention as a hazy shade manifested around his hand. Whooping in delight, he jumped up and ran in to tell Lydia.
He found her talking with an older couple near the front door. Not wanting to risk revealing his orb-Bonded status, he quickly ducked out the back and decided to tell her later. Better to have more to show off than a misty sunshade, anyway.
Now that he had a vague feel for how to work magic, he sat down and tried to clear his mind like he had before archery practice. It didn’t take long, and soon he recognized several variations of the same power available to him.
He concentrated on blocking out not just the harshest light, but everything. Turning his mind fully to the task, he imagined the purest, deepest black. When he opened his eyes, Calvin barely restrained his impulse to scream in terror.
Pure darkness enveloped him; no matter which way he turned, he couldn’t see anything. He brought a hand to his face, straining his eyes to see it, all the way until he pressed it against his nose.
Covering one eye with his hand did nothing. I’ve never experienced this much darkness. Not even sure it’s possible without magic.
More curious and less terrified as he internalized that it was his magic, Calvin carefully stood up and walked toward where he remembered the largest open space. He counted his steps, feeling in front of him as he moved. As he approached ten, he finally saw something.
The sudden transition from complete darkness to midday sun caused him to cry out in pain and cover his eyes, but once he thought to form a thin shield to guard his dilated pupils, he grinned and removed his hands.
“Why is there a huge shadowy dome back here?” Eupheme asked, causing him to twist toward the house.
“You’re back!” he said, grinning. “I figured out how to use magic.”
“Yes, I can see that, but what is it, and why did you do it?”
He blushed, not quite sure how to answer her. “I was kind of struggling to cast any magic, but when I thought of shading against the sunlight, I managed to do this,” Calvin said, pointing at the semi-translucent shade protecting his eyes.
“So your orb gives you enhanced healing… and the ability to shade your eyes against the sun?” she asked, sounding severely underwhelmed.
“What? It can do a lot more than that,” he said defensively. “At least, I think it can.”
She smirked, her blue eyes flashing. “I’m sure you’ll be able to do more. That’
s actually a pretty terrifying sphere of darkness over there.”
“Yeah, stay out of it, that shit is super dark, I could almost feel it around me. It took a while to start thinking again after the shock.”
“How long will it last? And how much power did it take out of you,” Lydia asked, her voice more confident and animated than before.
“No clue, and like a decent amount I guess?” Calvin replied, shrugging.
“You need to pay careful attention to how heavily you tax yourself while using magic. If you use too much, you might tire and not be able to protect yourself,” she said, before suddenly realizing she’d drawn his full attention and speculation. She turned and headed back inside. “It is pretty impressive though,” she muttered under her breath.
Calvin heard steps behind him and turned to see Eupheme. He arched an eyebrow.
The beautiful swordswoman grinned at him. “Lydia’s a fire mage. She’s not really strong, but she works hard and takes it very seriously.”
“Can she throw fireballs?” he asked, hardly daring to believe he might get to see someone he knew doing anything so cool.
She chuckled, a rich, throaty sound that lifted his spirits. “Yes, my sister can throw ‘fireballs.’”
Calvin was about to ask a follow-up question when the sphere of darkness winked out of existence.
“That answers how long it lasts, so now you need to practice at increasing your speed and endurance,” Eupheme said, waving as she turned to join her sister inside. “I’ll show you what I managed to find for you once you’ve finished for the day.”
Still feeling stoked at having conjured magical darkness, Calvin intentionally willed away the shade protecting his eyes. The wispy material ceased to exist instantly, and he returned to the spot where he’d been sitting earlier.
Now that I know I’ve done it already, it should be easier.
Friends and Enemies, Chapter Three
Calvin decided to spend the rest of the afternoon experimenting with the shadowy spheres. Focusing his mind, he called up a tiny globe, smaller than his hand, and stared at it.
This was his first time trying to conjure a sphere of darkness while looking at it from the outside. The black ball formed just above his open palm, the bottom seeming to rest on his hand. Calvin tried pulling his hand away, and frowned as the ball followed along, maintaining its relative position regardless of how he moved.
Taking a deep breath, he brought the sphere to his face and tested his sight within it. The second the darkness covered his eyes, he was blind. Pulling it away instantly restored the light.
If I can anchor it to objects, does that mean I could put it on an arrow?
He jumped up, eager to see if Euphe had managed to get him a replacement bow, when it occurred to him that if the orb was large enough to blind an enemy, it would likely also blind him when he tried to shoot it.
That thought took the wind out of his sails, and he dropped down heavily. Calvin sat there for several minutes thinking back over what he’d learned about the schools of magic.
This is a rare magical pairing, I think. Light is the primary school and Darkness is the subschool, so I should be able to do light magic as well, right? Or at least see in the dark?
Having decided on his next focus, he set aside the thought of darkness arrows and summoned another globe of shadows. He made this one weaker, hoping it might be easier to see through if the darkness wasn’t so intense.
Finally, on his tenth try at casting magic on his vision, he could see through the shadowy blindfold he wore. His heart raced, and he pumped his fist excitedly, but froze when he heard giggling.
Calvin looked around, trying to spot the sister that was spectating. He thought it might be Euphe, but it took several seconds to locate her. While he could see through the darkness he’d wrapped around his head, it was hard, and everything was incredibly dim, in shades of gray.
“Making progress I take it?” Eupheme asked, grinning at him when he spotted her sitting on a stump.
“Yeah, I can sort of see through the shadows now.”
“That’s great, but for now you should come in and have some dinner. Lydia’s a great cook,” she said, twitching oddly before getting up.
She’d looked like she wanted to say more, but had stopped herself. He was tempted to ask, but after the uncomfortable talk about their younger sister, he decided against it. There’s plenty of time to get to know them both better while we hunt down that asshole, he thought grimly.
***
It turned out that Eupheme hadn’t been kidding that her sister was a great cook. After he’d joined the twins for dinner, Calvin barely kept himself from drooling mid-meal. He wasn’t sure what kind of meat she’d roasted, and didn’t really want to know, but it was delicious. They all ate casually, and he struggled against pigging out.
Over dinner Eupheme told him about what she’d managed to find gear-wise.
Given how hungry Calvin was, when he found out she’d bought him a new bow, he allowed himself to start eating faster. With a force of will, he held back just enough not to be rude. But then his excitement fell a bit when he saw the simple wooden shortbow she’d purchased. It was a poor substitute for his stolen one, but he was still grateful, and rather pleased that it had a nice draw.
The patchwork gambeson she’d scrounged up had several bloodstains, but looked serviceable enough, even if it was a little loose. She also got him an incredibly hideous leather helmet. It looked vaguely like armor, but the terrible patchwork portion covering the mouth made him think 80s slasher villain. He supposed it would still beat covering his face in mud each time he went out, but he would probably scare the kids either way.
Calvin thanked his host for the equipment, reaffirming his commitment to helping them hunt down Rufus and then turned in for the night. After that, the three of them quickly settled into a daily routine of eating together twice a day, with Lydia teaching him more about magic in the morning, before he spent the majority of the day practicing.
***
It was their fourth morning in town when Eupheme suggested he start practicing with a blade. After she’d seen him testing out the new bow, she’d pointed out that no matter how good he was with it, he’d be in trouble if an enemy got too close.
The next evening, after several hours of straining to improve his Darksight, Calvin found himself squaring off against the athletic swordswoman. While he faced her, both of them dressed in padded armor and wielding wooden swords, he wasn’t sure what to do.
The night before, she’d shown him a few simple strikes, telling him to practice them. Despite having done as he’d been told enough to barely lift his arms, Calvin had serious doubts about his ability to learn fast enough for it to matter in their hunt. Still, if she wants to give me free training that might actually help me survive, far be it from me to say no.
When she finally burst into motion, he was so surprised he failed to even get his training sword up. She didn’t pull her blow, and struck him cleanly across the chest, bruising him and knocking the breath from his lungs. He dropped to his knees, gasping for air.
“Why didn’t you block?” she asked, flabbergasted.
Coughing, he staggered to his feet and coughed. “Had no clue… you were so fast. Wasn’t paying enough… attention.”
“Well, you need to do a lot better if you want to survive on this world. That is, unless you’re planning on marrying a strong woman and letting her lock you up at home,” she teased.
“I am neither confirming nor denying that,” he said, sticking his tongue out at her.
She rolled her eyes and prepared to attack again. “Really, and why is that? Are you afraid of powerful women?” she asked, lunging forward again as she finished speaking.
Expecting the strike, he managed to parry her first slash, their wooden sword crashing together, and pain radiated up his right arm from the blow. It hurt his pride a little that he could tell she wasn’t seriously trying to hit him now. He said, “
No, but I’m a decent learner. After all the cultural goofs I made in my first couple weeks, I know better than to talk about a subject like that. Hell, I still don’t understand why the birthrates are so different here compared to Earth.”
Instead of answering, she dashed forward, launching into the simple kata she’d taught him the night before.
Knowing what she was going to do next definitely helped. Calvin parried the first two strikes, ducked under the third, and almost managed to counter the fourth before she snapped a foot up and kicked his chest, knocking him to his ass.
She grinned at him, and he eventually stood and nodded.
“Are you opposed to marrying a Ludan woman?” she asked, circling slowly and testing him.
Every time he slipped up, she darted in and slapped him with the flat of her wooden blade, usually on the ass. “No, I figure getting dropped here was a one-way trip, so I intend to make a life here. But I seriously need to figure out what I’m doing before something kills me. You may be used to it, but this world is a lot more lethal than the one I grew up on, at least the part where I lived before.”
Eupheme said seriously, “You’re learning fast. Stay alive for a few months and your powers should make life a lot easier for you.” She darted in again, but smiled when he kept his guard up and blocked her strike.
They kept sparring until the sun had fully set, then turned in for dinner.
Calvin had trouble falling asleep that night, his mind busy racing with the idea of marrying the beautiful swordswoman. Had she been throwing hints? He couldn’t tell, he’d never been that great with girls before, and hints had always gone so far over his head it was honestly a bit embarrassing. Deep down he wondered if he might be seeing flirting where there was none—after all, he’d been saved by beautiful twins on a fantasy world. Something like that was fantastic and fortunate enough, so imagining a woman like either twin being interested in him, well, that just didn’t happen in real life, at least not to him.
Truthfully, he rather liked the idea of a strong warrior, capable of standing up for herself and her loved ones. Maybe after we’ve punished Rufus, I could keep traveling with them. If I’m right and she’s interested, they might agree. Even if I stay single forever, it would be great to have some trusted friends in this place.
Delvers LLC- Surviving Ludus Page 23
