Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle)

by Lee Morgan

  Sarah took the gift from his hands as he held it out in offering. The box is much heavier than first expected. She grabbed the drawstring of the ribbon and pulled. She sat the ribbon string on the coffee table and lifted the lid of the box.

  Then she peeked inside for the gift to see what lay inside.

  Protection and Vulnerable

  As Sarah pulled the ribbon off the present and her smile was worth all the work, time and energy spent on the materials and manipulation. She lifted the box slowly, savoring the moment. When she held the bottom of the box with her right hand and finished opening the lid with her right, she gasped in honest surprise. She then smiled as she looked up at him, excitement is evident in her deep, mossy green eyes. Without a word, she walked past Connor and sat her present on the dining table, after pushing some of the newly acquired items off to the side.

  Sarah then turned to look at her husband and asked “What are they for?”

  Connor walked up to her and said “Since we command all the elements I thought we should use them to our advantage. We will always have Terra beneath our feet, Pressure in the air, Liquid all around and fire at our disposal, but we need to have Metal always at the ready. I thought that we needed to look the part of powerful Balancers so I designed these to be hidden in times of need!” He reached in her box and handed her the first two parts of her new wardrobe.

  Sarah took them graciously and studied them. “What are they?”

  “Those are your new Armguards.”

  Connor spent quite a bit of time tossing ideas around about making this special outfit for the two of them. The design of each of the armguards were made into three separate pieces. Each stainless steel plate is curved to fit each spot perfectly. The thicker back plate is designed to cover the triceps of each arm, almost up to the armpit. The middle and smaller circular piece is meant to protect the elbow and the thin longer piece covers the side of the forearm, almost like a bracer. They are all designed to comfortably cradle and move with the body while allowing a full range of motion without sacrificing flexibility. The black hardened leather framing each plate is also in three pieces and are all tied together in an intricate pattern that would take a lot of force to rip apart. The three metal plates are removable and slide into the oiled leather by a small slit inside the leather, like sliding a picture into a picture frame. The metal can be seen because the leather only holds the border of each metal plate securely.

  “What do I do with them?” She asked innocently.

  “Let me show you.” She handed over both guards. Connor sat one on the table, took her left hand and pushed her sleeve all the way up to her shoulder. He then opened the leather strings and straightened her arm out; forearm up. She held her arm straight and level as he placed the armguard properly up to its appropriate destination. Connor first strapped the forearm portion first. Each string was then tied in such a way that it will only need one hand to tighten or loosen each strap. The first strap is laced about two inches down from her wrist and the other strap supported near the bend of her elbow and wouldn’t chafe when she’d need to fold he arm at the joint. The elbow protector didn’t have any straps so he pulled the final, back plate up to her arm and tied the first, lower strap near the curve of her elbow and the upper string fastened to where her bicep and shoulder muscles connected. He then grabbed her other armguard and did it again for her right arm.

  Connor took a small step back and allowed her to get a feel of her newly protected arms. She touched each cool metal plate curiously and couldn’t hide her excited smile. Her emotions told that Sarah loved them. She then slid her sleeves back over her Armguards and it was impossible to tell that she even had them on underneath. She twisted and bent her arms trying to get a feel of it for about a minute before speaking. Her emerald green eyes twinkled as they became riveted on him. “They feel great. It feels so natural to move with them. The leather warms up very quickly. Is this what you’ve been so secretive about in your workshop and why you bought somewhat loose fitting clothes today?”

  He couldn’t help returning the smile. “It sure is, and there is much more where that came from.” Connor reached in the box again, pulled out two more guards and held them up. “These are your Shin Guards or greaves if you want to be technical.” He held two curved and long solid pieces if metal with leather bindings. They were the exact length of each of her shins. They started from her ankles and went all the way up to the bottom of her knee cap. The plate is mostly bent to an curved angle along the shin bone and it stops when it meets the knee. The angle reduces the surface area so if one were to kick, the damage would be intensified. The metal plate is firmly secured to black hardened leather with metal rivets and industrial strength glue, but these guards cannot be removed from the leather like the Armguards. They were specifically designed to protect her shin incase she ever needed to kick her opponent with unbound strength.

  She took the hint and pulled a chair from the table and promptly sat down. She pulled her white pants up to her knee and playfully teased him with her soft and luscious legs by slowly turning them side to side. Connor dropped to one knee and took the first greave and slid it up her leg. It was a little cold and he saw her shiver for a second. The leather strings were quickly and easily tied on to the back of her knee and one under her calf muscle. The last string coupled around her ankle. The next leg was quickly tied as well.

  Sarah stood up and jumped a few times after covering the greaves with her white pants. She twirled her ankle and bent her knee as graceful as any dancer. When she became satisfied about the superior quality she exclaimed proudly “You’re a genius! Do you have any more gifts in the box?”

  “Just wait, Princess.” Next he pulled a belt and two more items from her box. Connor held the two items in his left hand and the belt in the other. “I made you two new daggers that are designed specifically for you. Slide this belt on first and you’ll see what I mean.” As she slid her hardened leather belt around her slim waist he handed her one of the sheathed daggers. Both daggers are identical and razor sharp. The dagger is a one sided, slightly curved blade with the back of the blade being perfectly flat and straight. Both daggers were made completely out of stainless steel as were their identical sheaths. They looked mirror polished and seemed to have been poured into a mold as one solid piece, but he spent time creating it by using his abilities. Each polished metal sheath had a loop that would slide perfectly with her new belt. A catch inside each sheathe secures the blades and takes nearly ten pounds of strength to unsheathe the blades.

  She pulled a new dagger from its home as if pulling a knife out of butter and held it tightly. “The grip feels like it was specifically meant for my hand.” Sarah said to herself. She then flipped her wrist and let go, allowing the blade to rotate once in the air before catching it by the metal hilt again. “You designed a perfectly balanced dagger. The blade and the hilt are both the exact same weight. Father taught me a thing or two about properly balanced weapons…” She smiled as she returned the dagger into its sheath with a sharp click. The oval guard kept the blade from going further. “Connor, these are so amazing.” She undid her belt and slid one dagger on her left hip and put the other dagger at her other hip after he handed it over to her.

  Connor studied her for a moment. She looked positively radiant as she appreciated her gifts. “This is your last gift, but I’ll need you to take off your top.” She eyed him suspiciously, but she put her arms straight up in the air followed by a wicked smile, aimed in his direction. It is impossible to resist such temptation. He stepped forward and grabbed the bottom of her black shirt and pulled it up slowly. As he kept lifting the shirt up he stopped when her mouth became exposed and stole a quick kiss. She let out an annoyed moan when he pulled back. “That wasn’t fair.” Connor then pulled the shirt completely off.

  Her green eyes were darker as he took a step back and looked over her. On her upper body were both leather and metal armguards that looked quite comfortable and a black, lacy bra
to cover her pristine and perfectly proportioned breasts. Milky flesh called to him nearly as much as her hourglass figure did. She entered his mind saying “You better have some good plans when we’re finished because I plan on having more than a single kiss.” Then she arched her eyebrow.

  His mate is so unabashed when they’re alone and he loves it.

  “You can punish me later, but first you’ll need to attire your last gift.” He turned and grabbed the last of her presents from the box. It rattled and chinked as he pulled it from the box.

  As he held it up she said aloud “Chainmail?”

  “You got it.” In his hands lay folded chainmail, custom made by Connor and his powers over Metal. Each and every tiny link in the armor is perfectly connected to another without any seams or deformities. The mail was intricate and perfect. Every link had been created smaller than a quarter of an inch. Each metal link was held on four sides, making a seamless armor that would fit only one person properly. They were designed to be sleeveless as it would allow her more mobility without sacrificing too much protection.

  That is the reason for the armguards.

  Connor then walked over to the fire to warm up the links before helping her put it on. To further heat the links he drew the extra heat to the metal by commanding Fire. When it became sufficiently warm he walked back and said “Hands up!” Sarah looked confused, but did as told.

  The warm armor gently lowered down her arms and torso without problem. When it was finally in place, her breasts had a new support holster because Connor designed the mail to incorporate the size of her bust perfectly. He knew every inch and attribute she had to offer. The bottom of her mail came all the way down to her wispy waist. He walked behind her and easily pulled her long brown hair out from under the armor. Not a single silky hair was snagged by the metal. He twisted the mail and moved it perfectly into its correct position. He was glad he warmed the metal up first or she would have gotten chilled quickly.

  She turned to face him directly and asked “Why did you make all this for me?” She touched the top of her metal covered breast.

  He smiled softly and kissed the top of her head. “For two simple reasons,” Connor held up one finger. “Because I never want to see you or our child hurt. This will offer more protection than your shirt.” Then the second finger went up. “Finally because I want us to match!”

  He stepped back and grabbed the bottom of his shirt and took it off. Connor already attired his own chainmail that had been specifically made to cover all of his vital organs. On each arm were much larger versions armguards that fit perfectly to the overdeveloped limbs. He bent down to show her the longer greaves by lifting the front of his pants up.

  Before Sarah stood her mate, in all his godly armored glory. His left arm had a string wrapped over his silver armlet, locking the material in place. He looked like a true knight in the twenty first century and the endearment she gave him now works without question. He crossed his arms as he studied her as well and her heart began leaping out of control.

  She asked in a barely controlled voice “How long did it take you to make all of this?” She looked down at herself and touched the chest coverings. She was so glad he warmed it up before putting it on. The metal vest hung on her every curve, like the metal itself wanted to protect her of its own will.

  “I’ve been working on these for a little over a month. All of the metal came from the piece of stainless steel sheet metal you asked about. The armguards, greaves and your daggers were made within a day, but the chainmail took the most time and I am glad that I’m a Balancer or else this would have taken at least a year to make yours alone. Those links were tedious to finish, but now that I see the results I feel great knowing that it not only looks great, but will keep you safe.”

  Sarah asked as she looked at her left armguard “What are these slit’s for?” She touched the forearm leather. The hardened yet flexible leather felt like she was wearing just a normal sleeved shirt.

  “This?” He lifted his own left arm in demonstration and used his right hand to pull out the metal plate. He held it between two fingers and said “This is our armor, but we can use our powers to manipulate the metal into a tool like this!” She felt Connor summoning forth his power again. The first time they did the affinity test with metal, it drained both of them instantly and nearly killed them. Now it was possible to manipulate it as easily as it is to breathe. Suddenly the long forearm plate lifted from Connor’s fingers and started to glow red hot and the heat in the room mirrored the red steel. It folded in on itself; from top to bottom. Then the metal bowed out in the center. Then it continued molding its shape until it became a metal bowl. “We can use this to eat or drink or whatever else we might require should a need arise.” Before the metal had a chance to cool, he changed it back to its original shape. Once it had cooled down again he slid the plate back in its place, in the black leather. He smiled her favorite smile. “Well do you like your new outfit?”

  At a loss for words she closed the short distance between them and jumped. Sarah wrapped her arms around his thick neck and gave him a proper kiss. She felt her chainmail covered breasts pressed into his and it felt odd, but not unpleasant. “Of course I love it. You made this new outfit especially for me. It is all so perfect.” She took a much needed breath. “Now I can give Mother back the dagger we made when we took our initial test… Now I need to come up with a proper name…”

  He sat her down on the floor as she bit her lip and looked up to the ceiling to think. He asked “What do you mean ‘Come up with a proper name’?”

  Sarah looked up into his hazel eyes. “You have Tool and Father has Haunt. Now I need to come up with a name for my daggers…” He became quiet as she contemplated. Connor knew any weapon is an extension of yourself and it required a proper name. “Oh, I know… How about I call them Fangs?”

  He looked at her identical daggers and smiled. “Perfect. That is a good name for your new weapons since they look like a slightly curved fang. Good choice.”

  She pulled out one dagger. “Fang it is then!”

  For the next hour Sarah continued checking over each inch of all of her new armor. There wasn’t a single fault or snag anywhere on the materials. She had to put her shirt back on after Connor gave her a hand in removing the chainmail. It felt more like a second skin after a few minutes when it matched body temperature.

  They then spent some time packing up their individual hiking bags and kept deciding what would absolutely be needed to carry for the long journey. Everything that had been bought earlier today was divided into each of their bags, but he unconsciously placed the more weighty supplies in his pack. Each of their bags held energy bars, dried food, five pairs of clean clothes, soap, rope, a compass, a small map of the northern half of the United States and Canada, two flint stones, a large two person sleeping bag, fishing line, a pair of binoculars, and finally a pair of mirrors. Although most wouldn’t be needed it was best to be prepared incase they were stopped by some law enforcement personnel and could explain they were simply camping.

  They sat the bags by the front door. On the table top lay Sarah’s cell phone. She decided to pick it up, touch the screen and speed dial a number. On the third ring her mother answered “This is Jillian!” perky as ever.

  “Good evening, Mother.” Sarah’s voice remained well controlled. “I just wanted to let you know that we are ready to go.”

  “That’s good news. Your father and I tied up all of our loose ends as well. What did you two have to do?”

  Sarah decided on the truth since there wasn’t a need to lie about anything. She told her mother about how Connor made up the story on going down to South America. When her mother finally caught her breath from laughing, Sarah continued explaining about them talking to their boss and clients, telling them that they would be gone for awhile. Jillian didn’t laugh because she did the same thing with Jack today. At last Sarah told her “We will see both of you early in the morning. Good night, Mother.” />
  “Good night, Sarah.” And she ended the call.

  Connor and Sarah cooked up a storm and ate just about everything in within the pantry and left only what they would need for breakfast.

  Before they retired for the night Sarah had to do something. She folded up her chainmail and laid it on top of her dresser. She laid her shin guards and armguards on top of it along with her new belt and Fangs.

  Connor outdid himself once again.

  Journey and Adventure

  Connor woke up about an hour before dawn and actually felt excited about going to his very first Mélange meeting, now that he had time to process. He honestly didn’t want to this, but Sarah had to be woken up. She didn’t grumble like he was expecting her to do. It didn’t mean she didn’t like it either.

  The first order of business is to eat everything in the pantry and raise their energy levels before the long trek could begin. They entered the kitchen together. She wore her nightshirt and socks whereas he wore only boxers, despite the chilly air. Connor attended the stove while Sarah grabbed the last four boxes of cereal and six toaster pastry boxes out of the pantry. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed the last package of hotdogs and two full dozen egg cartons. Then he cracked all twenty four eggs and put them in the skillet and scrambled them all. On another burner he boiled the remaining eight hotdogs. While he continued cooking, Sarah opened the cabinet behind him and grabbed two drinking glasses, two large glass bowls and two plastic platter plates. She arranged the plates and bowls on the dining table. In two of the large bowls she poured two cereal boxes in each. She threw the boxes in the trashcan. She opened the pastry boxes and divided the pastries evenly between them and placed them on the platters. She then opened the refrigerator and grabbed the full milk carton and the orange juice. She emptied the milk between the two bowls of cereal and poured the two of them each a glass of orange juice. Off to Connor’s left were the last of the green apples in the fruit bowl. She gave him three and hoarded the remaining eleven for herself.