Vincent closed his eyes, and knew no more.
* * * * * * *
When Vincent woke, his whole body was sore, but he had energy again and could move. He sat up on the small cot where he had been laid and looked around. He was not in his cabin.
It took a few minutes for him to figure out where he was, and why he was there; but finally he recognized his surroundings as the sanctuary at the Ranger’s Encampment. The memory of the previous day’s events came flooding back and he quickly looked around to find Lauren. She wasn’t there.
“Vincent,” came a quiet voice from the door. Silva had entered the sanctuary and was weaving his way through the tables to where he lay.
“Master Silva,” Vincent said quickly, “the sanctuary at Senno, there’s a priest there; he’s working for the Magi.”
“I know,” Silva said, trying to calm Vincent down, “I just received a message from Jerome. It’s being taken care of as we speak; but there are more important matters to be dealt with. Did you retrieve the package?”
“We did,” Vincent replied, pulling the small box from a pocket in his tunic. “The Fire Stone is safe.”
“You’ve done well, Vincent.” Silva said, opening the box and pulling out a small stone in the shape of the Token of Fire, dangling on a gold chain. It emitted a faint red glow. “Things are proceeding as Jerome predicted. The Magi are indeed on the move.” Silva seemed lost as he spoke. “There is so much yet undone, so much I will be unable to accomplish.” Silva paused, staring into space.
“Vincent,” Silva said at length, “You’re father once guarded this stone. He was wearing it the night he died. I searched for days before I found it. I need you to take this stone. You will be its keeper from now on. It must never be allowed to fall into the hands of the Magi.”
Vincent took the small red stone from Silva. He gazed into the stone. Despite its size, it seemed to go on forever. He hung the chain around his neck. The stone was warm against his chest.
“Our time is running out, Vincent,” Silva said, standing up. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but we need to continue your token training. I didn’t want to rush it like this, but recent events have forced me to accelerate things. I need to make sure you are ready to become a Pallàdrim when the Magi make their move, and I don’t know how long that will take.”
“Alright,” Vincent said, getting up as well, “I’ll grab my swords.”
“You won’t need them,” Silva said, stopping Vincent. “This is for your token, the last step to becoming a Pallàdrim.”
Vincent’s heart leapt. He had no idea that he was so close to becoming a Pallàdrim.
“Then let’s get started,” Vincent said excitedly, embracing his token.
“Calm yourself,” Silva said, firmly. “This is nothing like anything you’ve ever done before. This stage of training took me years before I completed it. We have to speed this up for you as you may only have a couple of weeks, at most.”
Vincent stopped in his tracks. What kind of training could this be? It had taken years for Silva to learn and he now had to learn it in under a month?
“Come,” Silva said, motioning for Vincent to follow him, “Lauren has already been training for a couple of hours. You’ll never catch up if you don’t hurry.”
“Lauren is already training?” Vincent asked in shock as he ran to follow.
“She has always been incredibly resilient,” Silva said, leading Vincent through the small gate and into the woods. “The fact that she even survived this ordeal is proof of that.”
Silva continued to lead him through the woods, around the back of the encampment walls. He left the wall, heading west. Vincent continued to follow, curious as to where they were going. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon when Silva stopped next to a large lake. Vincent could see some sort of cloud on the water, but couldn’t quite make it out.
With a flick of his wrist, Silva sent a large fireball into the air. The cloud dissipated in the water, revealing a figure standing on the surface of the lake. The figure quickly moved toward them. As it got closer, Vincent realized that it was Lauren.
“Lauren has been working on this training for some time,” Silva said as Lauren joined them on the shore. “So you’ve got a lot of work to do to catch up.”
“It’s good to see you too,” Lauren said sarcastically.
Silva laughed as he continued, “As I said before, normally this type of training takes years, but we need to speed up the process. So, you will be training under the direction of an elemental, as they have the most intimate knowledge of how a token works.”
“So how does one summon an elemental?” Vincent asked.
“It is slightly different for every token, but the principle is always the same,” Silva explained. “For the Fire Token, you start by drawing the symbol of fire on the ground.” Vincent did as he was instructed. “Now you place your hand on the symbol and embrace your token.”
The familiar red glow surrounded Vincent’s arm as he placed his hand on the symbol in the dirt. However, the glow quickly drained from his hands, following the lines he had drawn on the ground which started to glow bright red.
“Now stand back,” Silva snapped urgently. Vincent jumped back just as a pillar of fire shot into the air from the mark on the ground. The fiery figure of a man stepped from the flames.
“I am Mayberry,” the figure stated. “Who has summoned me?”
“I have,” Vincent replied, uncertainly.
Mayberry stared at Vincent for a second before recognition dawned on his face. He smiled.
“So we meet again, Chosen One,” Mayberry laughed. “Shall we continue our fun then?”
“Mayberry!” Silva’s voice caught his attention and he turned.
“Ah, Jason,” Mayberry purred, “It has been far too long since we last played.”
“I am not here to play today,” Silva replied, sounding almost disappointed, “I am simply overseeing the training of the boy.”
“Then what do you wish of me?” Mayberry asked with a mock bow.
“Prepare him to awaken,” Silva replied. “That’s all that stands in his way.”
The smile on Mayberry’s face grew larger and slightly more menacing.
“But Master Silva,” Vincent interrupted, “you said this was token training. I didn’t bring my sword. How am I supposed to fight him unarmed?”
“This is token training,” Silva laughed. “Weapons are useless here.” He paused. “I would love to stay and watch, but there are other things I need to attend to. All your other training schedules are suspended. You are not to leave here until Mayberry tells you that you are ready.”
“Be off then,” Mayberry cut in. “Leave us to our fun.”
Silva winked at Vincent before walking over to talk to Lauren. He paused only a second before heading off into the woods.
“Now,” Mayberry smiled, “Jason wants me to prepare you.” He rubbed his hands excitedly. “Embrace your token,” Vincent obeyed and a red glow surrounded his hands.
“Now what?”
“Pull in as much energy from your token as you can manage,” Mayberry snapped.
Vincent obeyed. The warmth flowing from his token started to intensify as the red glow around his hands grew larger and deeper in color. Slowly, the glow started spreading up his arms, rolling like flames as it went.
“Jason has done his work well,” Mayberry said approvingly. “You have excellent control of your token now. However,” Mayberry added abruptly, “you are approaching your limit.”
“I know how much I can do safely,” Vincent cut in defensively. “I’m working to be able to endure longer while using my token.”
“That is the problem,” Mayberry scolded. “Everyone has a limit as to how much energy can be channeled at one time through their token, and that limit doesn’t change. You may be able to do it longer, but the maximum remains. For most people, their limit will only allow them to perform simple tasks; while others, lik
e you, have a very high limit and huge stamina that allows them to perform the most complex of tasks.”
“If my limit is unchangeable, then what is the point in training?” Vincent asked, confused.
“It’s true that a limit cannot be changed, which is why you must be freed from your limit. You must exceed your limits, destroying them, if you ever hope to become a Pallàdrim. Once done, you will be able to pull as much power through your token as you physically can as a mortal; without being completely consumed by it that is.”
“There has to be a catch, or we would teach this to everyone,” Vincent reasoned.
Mayberry took on a sinister smile. “One doesn’t simply exceed his limits. You must be forced beyond them. You will be required to pull so much energy from your token that it feels as if your body will explode, and then you must draw more. You will be brought to the point where you either break the walls, or you die. Are you sure you want to follow this path?”
Vincent thought long and hard before resolutely nodding his head.
“Good,” Mayberry purred, “then let’s begin.”
Vincent pulled his flint from his pocket and made some sparks, which he quickly grabbed and formed into tight blue balls around his hands. Mayberry sneered disdainfully as he changed his own hands to match Vincent’s.
“We start now,” Mayberry whispered.
He shot faster than Vincent could follow, coming up behind him and attempting to land a blow on Vincent’s back; but Vincent managed to throw himself out of the way just in time. He could feel his back blistering from the heat that had passed so close to him. He thought for a moment of what would have happened if he had been hit. Vincent forced the thought out of his mind as he allowed Furtivos to flow through his body.
“Impressive,” Mayberry said, sounding slightly surprised. “You managed to learn Furtivos. You truly are full of surprises. Now the fun truly starts.”
Mayberry sped up. Despite the advanced techniques Vincent was using, he was having trouble keeping up. Mayberry remained at a speed that Vincent could maintain, with difficulty, but every time Vincent tried to speed up, Mayberry was already going faster.
After about a half an hour, they stopped. Vincent put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Mayberry gave him little time to recover before he continued the onslaught. They continued that cycle for the remainder of the day and most of the next.
After about forty minutes of training on the third day Mayberry pulled back and raised his hand.
“You’re not getting it,” Mayberry said, sounding frustrated. “You need to channel more energy when you’re using Furtivos. The more energy you channel, the faster you will move, and the closer you will get to your limit.”
Vincent sighed as he tried to catch his breath. He embraced his token again and tried to channel more energy into his body as he used Furtivos. It was like trying to pull a drawn bowstring further than it was meant to go. They continued the pattern from the day before. After every break in fighting Vincent tried to pull a little more, and every time it got a little easier.
Around noon on the fourth day of training Mayberry stopped them again.
“This is getting us nowhere,” he grumbled, “and you are exhausted. Still, you have done well to develop your endurance to this level.”
“But why stop now,” Vincent asked, “I’m at my limit, with a little effort I could be pushed over.”
“Your limit,” Mayberry mocked. “You are nowhere near your limit, fool. You are simply experiencing exhaustion from extended high level token use. To my knowledge, you have reached your true limit only once, in the tower of earth. With time, and your stamina, you could one day train yourself to be able to last hours in combat under the effects of Furtivos. There is no limit there. It is the amount of energy you can channel at one time that is limited.”
Vincent sat for a moment to recover his energy before Mayberry beckoned him once again. Ten small balls appeared in the air around Mayberry as Vincent prepared himself. Mayberry was smiling again. The balls shot at Vincent in rapid succession. Even with Furtivos, he found it difficult to defend against the lighting fast strikes.
He managed to dodge most of them, darting and jumping about the clearing. The rest he deflected away with a wave of his hand. As he grew accustomed to the speed, he started to deflect more and more of the balls, until he was standing firm, knocking them all aside.
Vincent was getting tired again. The extended use of Furtivos, coupled with his token use in battle was draining him. Fortunately, the stream of balls was slowing slightly. It wasn’t much, but just enough for Vincent to form his own ball and rocket it at Mayberry.
The ball caught Mayberry off guard, hitting him squarely in the face and knocking him off his feet. He quickly recovered, jumping to his feet, glaring at Vincent. He raised both his hands to point at Vincent. Vincent braced himself for another barrage of balls, but it didn’t come. Instead, he was met by a solid pillar of white flame.
He poured all the energy he had left into his token, deflecting the pillar away. It shot off, flying out over the lake. Vincent followed its path as it cut across the water. To his horror, it was flying straight for where Lauren and her elemental were training on the surface of the lake. They were so engaged in their work that they didn’t notice it coming until it was too late. The pillar hit Lauren in the back, sending her flying before she landed face down in the water.
Vincent released his token before running to help his friend. He reached the edge of the lake just as the water elemental emerged, holding Lauren’s limp form in her arms. Her entire body was covered in deep, blistering burns.
“Is she alright?” Vincent asked desperately.
“She will be,” the elemental replied calmly, “but she needs to get to the sanctuary as soon as possible.” With that, the elemental darted off toward the encampment.
Vincent heaved a sigh of relief before turning back to Mayberry.
“That will be all for today,” Mayberry said, a wicked smile on his face. “We will resume tomorrow. You may go.” Mayberry disappeared into a pillar of fire.
The morning came too quickly. Vincent groggily pulled himself from bed. The sun was streaming in through his window. To Vincent’s surprise, it was nearing midday. His body still hurt from the previous day’s training.
Vincent’s stomach growled angrily, reminding him that it had been some time since he had last eaten.
The familiar group greeted him from their post around the sputtering fire.
“Well,” Weston laughed as Vincent sat down, “look who finally decided to roll out of bed.”
“I’m surprised you woke up at all,” David cut in, sounding a little more serious. “From what Lauren tells us, you were doing some pretty intensive training.”
Vincent ignored the comment as he shoveled some porridge into his mouth.
“You just better be careful,” David continued, “push yourself too hard, hit your limit too fast, and you could burn out, or worse…” He trailed off.
“Where is Lauren?” Vincent asked, finally realizing that she wasn’t there.
“Oh, she went right back to training at first light,” Trent said. “She said that she had to make up for the lost time from yesterday.”
“Well then I should get going as well,” Vincent yawned. “I’ll never catch up to her at this rate.”
“Good luck,” Weston called as Vincent left the Hall. He broke into a light jog as he made his way back to the clearing, trying to wake himself up.
Lauren was already out on the water with her elemental. Huge waves rolled around where they stood, but none of them touched the figures standing on the water.
Mayberry was already waiting for him in the clearing.
“Did you sleep well?” Mayberry asked as Vincent approached.
“Yes,” Vincent replied.
“Good,” Mayberry smiled, “you’ll need your strength today; that is if you want to survive.”
“So what ar
e we doing today?” Vincent asked, brushing off the threatening tone in Mayberry’s voice.
“Today,” Mayberry purred, “is do or die. Now we will see if you truly have what it takes to be a Pallàdrim.” The elemental raised his hand to his mouth and gave a high pitched whistle. Vincent looked around quickly, expecting some new adversary to burst from the forest but nothing came.
The water on the lake had calmed significantly as Vincent was scanning the forest. Lauren and her elemental were walking casually toward the shore.
“Are you going to make me fight Lauren?” Vincent asked disbelievingly.
“Not quite,” Mayberry replied, still sounding sinister, “but you’re on the right track.”
“Captain Mayberry,” Lauren said, sounding very formal as her elemental disappeared, “Lokuta has informed me that you wish to speak with me. To what do I owe the honour?”
“The honour is all mine, your highness,” Mayberry said with a deep bow. Lauren’s eyes flashed angrily, but she said nothing. “I seek only a small favour,” Mayberry continued.
“If I can be of service to the Goddess, I would be happy to help.”
“The Chosen must be pushed beyond his limits,” Mayberry smiled maliciously, “and I believe that you are the key to that. Are you certain you wish to help?”
“Yes, of course,” Lauren replied, a smile gracing her lips, “I would be happy to help. After all, I must pay him back for yesterday.”
“Perfect,” Mayberry said happily, “but I’m afraid your revenge must wait.”
Mayberry raised his hands and fiery cords shot from them, binding Lauren where she stood. She started to let out a yelp of pain, but the cords quickly gagged her. Vincent tried to run to the aid of his friend, but he was stopped as the cords quickly entwined him as well.
The bonds were tight and warm, but didn’t burn. Vincent embraced his token, hoping to dispel the flames from around him, but to his shock, he couldn’t even sense them. It was as though they didn’t exist.
“What are these?” Vincent asked angrily. “I can’t even sense them with my token.”
The Ranger (Book 1) Page 24
