by A F Kay
“What? Why didn’t you tell Officer Kaleb?” Hamma asked.
“Because they’re rich and I have no proof and half this town thinks my parents are traitors,” Ruwen said, his voice rising. He took a deep breath. “Sorry. I recognized Slib’s mom, Annul Strongspell. I’m sure she is just trying to protect Slib from the dangers of this outing.”
“That turd pile from yesterday?” Hamma asked.
Ruwen nodded.
“High Priest Fusil, the Strongspell family…you really know how to find powerful enemies,” Hamma said.
“You have no idea,” Ruwen said.
“Okay, I’ll let this go for a bit, but not forever. If you lie to me, I’ll revive you as a dog,” Hamma said.
“You can do that?” Sift asked.
Ruwen shook his head while Hamma nodded at Sift.
“Or, maybe I’ll just revive him without all his parts,” Hamma said as she raised her eyebrows.
Sift’s eyes got huge, and Ruwen rubbed his forehead. Maybe he needed to research what exactly the Order Class had control over during revival. He could never tell when Hamma was kidding.
They walked toward the center of the Lodge and Big D. Thinking about her reminded Ruwen of the spell and ability she’d given him on his Ascendancy Day. She had also said learning advanced ones would get harder. But all of Ruwen’s spells and abilities had come easily to him. Maybe he’d just misinterpreted how hard Big D thought it would be.
Ruwen looked at Hamma. “When you learn a new spell or ability, how long does it take? Level five ones, I mean, not the first ones.”
“Well, that channeled healing spell I used took a day of praying at the temple. I didn’t think it was ever going to crystallize in my mind.”
“So it’s like the spell is already in your head, you just can’t see it clearly enough to cast it?” Ruwen asked.
Hamma nodded. “I never thought about it like that, but yes. In fact, it feels like I’m pulling the spell symbol up from a deep well. After enough effort, the symbol is clear. After that, I can hold it in my head long enough to cast it.”
This wasn’t what Ruwen had experienced at all. It appeared to him like all the spells and abilities were an inch underwater, only a little blurry, and could be brought up into the clear with little effort. It wasn’t because of his Intelligence because Big D had known that already when she told him what to expect. That probably meant it was related to him being the Root Class.
Big D came into view, and Bliz stood next to her. The two held mugs, and Big D laughed at something Bliz had said. The clock read: 7:10 AM.
“You two stay here until I see how much trouble I’m in,” Ruwen said.
Sift and Hamma stopped.
“Hamma, could you bring someone back as a bird? One that can fly?” Sift asked.
Ruwen shook his head and walked the last ten feet to Big D.
Big D held out her arm, and Ruwen shook it. He repeated the process with Bliz.
“I’m sorry for being late,” Ruwen said.
“A Worker is only as good as their word,” Big D said. “And you told me you’d be here at seven.”
Ruwen thought about bringing up the attack, which was an excellent excuse. But his parents had taught him to take responsibility for his circumstances. Excuses were a crutch, they would say, and too often used to justify failures. Part of becoming an adult was taking responsibility for things that were sometimes out of your control.
“I did tell you that, and I apologize. I’ll work harder next time,” Ruwen said.
“Is that all you have to say?” Big D asked.
Ruwen sighed. “Yes.”
“I told you he wouldn’t mention it,” Bliz said to Big D.
Big D smiled. “Well, we were bound to get a good one eventually. Most of our current Bands are a lazy and irresponsible lot.”
“Hey, that’s not fair. We’re not lazy,” Bliz said.
Big D rolled her eyes and then faced Ruwen. “The Lodge has its own Sketcher because Order Enforcers call us to clean up the messes others make. So we know you got ambushed this morning, and I’m sorry. Only the City Council had your identity. I honestly thought you’d be safe until you got here. That is my fault, and I take responsibility for that.”
“Thank you,” Ruwen said.
Big D turned to Bliz. “Take him to the vault and do the transfer. Today is going to be a mess, and I’d like to get started.”
“Follow me,” Bliz said.
Ruwen looked at his friends. Hamma and Sift were watching him, and Ruwen signaled to Sift in Shade Speak. The gestures were small and casual, difficult to detect unless you were looking for them.
Return. Soon. Ruwen signed.
Understood. Sift replied.
Ruwen turned and followed Bliz.
Chapter 4
Bliz walked to the other side of the large central pillar, and Ruwen followed. The crew chief pulled a key from his Void Band and unlocked the door. On Ruwen’s Ascendancy Day, Bliz had retrieved all of Ruwen’s Worker items from behind that door. Bliz entered, and Ruwen followed, excited to see what the Lodge had locked away.
The walls were covered in shelves, neatly organized, with clothes, tools, jewelry, and even some weapons. A small table with four chairs stood in the middle of the circular room. Bliz locked the door and then walked to the table.
“Have a seat,” Bliz said as he settled into a chair.
Ruwen sat as Bliz opened his Void Band and removed a drink, which he must have stashed before walking over here. He reached in and removed another cup and sat the steaming drink in front of Ruwen.
“It stays hot in there?” Ruwen asked.
“Or cold. Things keep their temperature, which is super useful. I won’t tell you how much snow I have in here. Nobody expects a snowball to the head in the middle of summer.”
Ruwen smiled and leaned down to smell the drink. The scent of apples and cinnamon made his mouth water. He took a sip and tasted honey as well.
“It’s wonderful,” Ruwen said as he took another sip.
“A recipe from a small mountain village. The benefits of travel.”
A buff appeared at the top of Ruwen’s vision, and he focused on it.
Alert: +1 Energy per second
“The buff is from a plant grown down south, and it’s good for about thirty minutes. The drink is a cider, but everyone calls it jitter juice,” Bliz said.
Ruwen took another sip of the delicious cider.
“Big D spent all night trying to locate you. She wanted to provide an escort to keep you safe. But your settings are all private, and the location magic failed.”
“Why didn’t she tell me that?”
“Same reason you didn’t tell us you were ambushed. Excuses don’t change facts.”
Ruwen’s respect for Big D increased. “Thanks for telling me.”
“I was hoping to see you at the Dizzy Judge yesterday, but that attack kept everyone at home.”
“Right, the attack.” Ruwen’s mouth had gone dry, and he took another sip of the cider.
“I’ve never seen all four Guardians active. I’m not sure it has ever happened,” Bliz said.
Ruwen nodded and took another drink. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about the attack. He could still feel the harsh energy of the Guardians’ weapons scorching his face as he stood in front of the library.
Bliz leaned back in his chair. “Anyway, I bring all that up because it’s a dangerous world, and even more dangerous for some. So I wanted to talk to you about your Void Band and its capabilities.”
Ruwen looked down at the black band around his left wrist. “There’s more than you’ve shown me?”
Bliz laughed. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you yesterday morning. You looked a bit shocked, and I felt I’d already given you too much information. But you’re leaving the city, and I won’t get another chance to talk to you for a bit. And you’ll need to know some of this to load up for the trip.”
Ruwen rubbed his fore
head.
“Don’t worry. I’m tagging along for the loading, and we’re loaning you some Lodge jewelry to make sure your Energy levels stay safe for the trip. This might actually be fun.”
Ruwen forced a smile. “I hope so.”
“There are three things I want to show you before we leave.”
Bliz pulled his Void Band open about the length of a hand, which Ruwen recognized as taking about one Energy per second.
Bliz pointed to the oblong blackness. “This is what you’ve been doing. But what if you need to make the opening a different shape? Or tilt the opening to make it easier to add something?”
Bliz tilted his wrist forward, and the black portal rotated towards Ruwen. When Bliz moved his wrist in the opposite direction, the portal switched its rotation as well. “Moving your hand is not enough. You need to focus on your intent and provide extra Energy.”
“Wow, that’s nice,” Ruwen said.
“Now, the second thing to show you.”
Bliz spread his fingers wide, and the portal immediately expanded. He half-bent his fingers, and the expansion stopped. Bliz raised and lowered his fingers for the next ten seconds, altering the shape of the portal.
Bliz folded his fingers into his hand but kept his index finger raised. The Void Band continued to grow until it stretched nearly three feet. It looked like Bliz held a long black baton. He made a fist, and in a blink, the portal disappeared. Without touching the band, he spread his fingers again, and the Void Band expanded off his wrist in a circle.
“You didn’t touch it,” Ruwen said, stating the obvious.
Bliz nodded, clenched his hand, and the portal disappeared again. “You can open your band with your mind, but just like shaping or rotating, it costs Energy. You already know how dangerous Energy can be to manage, so you shouldn’t get in the habit of doing it this way. But sometimes your hands are full, and it’s the only way. With the items we’re loaning you for this trip, you’ll have excess Energy, and it will be a safe time to practice.”
“So, my wrist controls the orientation of the portal, and my fingers control the shape?”
“You got it. Your fingers and thumb each control twenty percent of the circumference. And you can control the width of the growth by how far you extend the finger. A simple explanation for something incredibly difficult to master.”
Ruwen raised his wrist, but Bliz grabbed it before Ruwen did anything.
“Let’s wait until you have the jewelry on. This is advanced, and Big D would kill me if you died from Energy loss. She already thinks we’re reckless.”
“I don’t want to die,” Ruwen said, barely stopping himself from saying again.
Bliz nodded. “The second thing is attachment.”
The crew chief touched his band to the table and lifted his arm. The portal remained stuck to the table, and the opening stretched to the band on his wrist.
“And you did that with a thought?”
“Yes. It’s the same as the portal shaping. Movement isn’t enough. You need to mentally intend for the action to occur, and it costs Energy.”
“How much Energy?”
The portal disconnected and snapped back to Bliz’s wrist. “Depends on the surface. Normal surfaces like wood and stone only cost one Energy per second. If you attach to something like a pool of magma, you better be quick because that will be expensive. Hypothetically.”
Ruwen tilted his head. “Are you telling me you have magma in your Void Band?”
Bliz held up his hands. “I didn’t say that. It was just a handy example.”
Ruwen stared at Bliz, and the crew chief smiled.
“Wow,” Ruwen said.
“If I had to guess, attaching to something that energetic and unstable would probably cost around fifty Energy per second. Like I said, you’d want to hurry.”
“What else have you got in there?” Ruwen asked.
Bliz smiled. “Well, that’s a discussion for the Dizzy Judge. And speaking of the bar…”
Bliz manually opened his Void Band to the size of a plate and disconnected his hand, leaving the portal open. A small ball fell out of the bottom of the portal and into his waiting hand. He leaned over and handed it to Ruwen.
The leather ball felt like it had been stuffed with beans. It sat comfortably in the palm of Ruwen’s hand, and while firm, still gave a little when squeezed. It had a nice weight to it. He hadn’t gotten a notification, so he looked at his log.
Tring!
You have discovered a blessing from Uru…
Name: Bandball, Official
Quality: Common
Durability: 20 of 20
Weight: 0.25 lbs.
Description: It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
“That’s yours. You’ll need to practice,” Bliz said.
“Practice what?”
“Bandball.”
“I’ve never heard of it,” Ruwen said.
“That tells me you don’t get out much.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the third thing I wanted to show you.”
Another bandball popped out of Bliz’s open portal, arced through the air, and landed in his waiting right hand. “Open your band to a one.”
Ruwen opened his Void Band until it stretched about the length of his hand and then disconnected his right hand, leaving the portal open. Bliz tossed the bandball in his hand back into his band. A moment later it shot out and arced toward Ruwen, who froze, not sure what to do. The ball disappeared as it landed directly in the middle of Ruwen’s open portal.
“What just happened?” Ruwen asked.
“That was a sinker and worth two points,” Bliz said. “Now, you try.”
“Try what?”
“When you think about the bandball, instead of reaching in to grab it, attach some Energy to it and visualize the trajectory you want it to leave with.”
Ruwen still held his bandball. He focused on the bandball Bliz had just shot into his portal and then, like he did with Mana and spells, attached some Energy to the ball.
A blur left his portal, and a fifty appeared over his Energy bar. A moment later, an explosion echoed above them. He cringed as beans fell around them. Bliz laughed, and after Ruwen realized they were safe, he laughed as well.
“Open your log. Look at all the variables used to chuck that,” Bliz said.
Ruwen opened his log.
Void Band Active!
Void Band has consumed 1 Energy
Void Band has consumed 1 Energy
Void Band has consumed 1 Energy
Void Band has empowered a bandball!
Void Band has consumed 50 Energy
Bandball Trajectory 90 degrees
Bandball Topspin 0 Energy
Bandball Backspin 0 Energy
Bandball Left spin 0 Energy
Bandball Right spin 0 Energy
Void Band has consumed 1 Energy
Void Band has consumed 1 Energy
Ruwen closed his log. “How can chucking a ball be so complicated?”
“Complicated is another word for fun,” Bliz said with a smile. “How much Energy did you use?”
“Fifty.”
“Well, if you’d been trying to toss a metal ball the size of your head, that might be appropriate. But something as small as a bandball doesn’t need that kind of power. Try again with your ball.”
Ruwen dropped the ball into his open portal and then concentrated on giving the bandball only a trickle of Energy. After a second, the bandball emerged from the blackness, barely clearing the lip of the portal, and plopped onto the floor.
Ruwen hadn’t even seen a value appear on his Energy bar.
Bliz chuckled. “Well, I think you found the two boundaries. Practice like this while you’re away.”
Bandballs popped out of Bliz’s Void Band. He had six in the air before the first one fell back into the open portal.
“That is awesome,” Ruwen said.
“The result of a
wasted youth,” Bliz said with a smile. “When you get back, I’ll explain all the rules, and we’ll play a game at the bar.”
Ting!
You have received the quest…
A Wasted Youth
Eighty-eight-time Bandball World Champion Bliz has challenged you to a game of bandball at the Dizzy Judge.
Reward (Winner): Shot of spiked jitter juice
Penalty (Loser): Two shots of spiked jitter juice
Accept or Decline
Ruwen chose Accept as all the balls dropped into Bliz’s portal. Bliz’s smile disappeared as his portal closed.
“It’s more than just a game,” Bliz said, holding up his wrist with the Void Band. “People who recognize this will sometimes want whatever you’re keeping. They might even want to get rough. You should start thinking of this Void Band as more than just storage. It is far more useful than that. Bandball is a tradition passed down for thousands of years. But its purpose is the same. It’s to keep your skills sharp, so you can keep yourself safe. Understand?”
Ruwen nodded.
Bliz pushed the five bandballs sitting on the table toward Ruwen. “Just in case there are more accidents.”
Ruwen’s cheeks grew warm as he picked up the five bandballs from the table and the one that dropped to the floor. He put the six balls in his Void Band.
“I understand what you’re saying, and I’ll practice. I need all the advantages I can get.”
“Good. Now sit tight while I get your gear, and then I’ll transfer the valuables Big D wanted me to give you.”
Ruwen took another sip of the cider and thought about the Void Band. It amazed him how sophisticated something as simple as storage could be. Bliz hadn’t said it, but the implication was there. Ruwen could use the Void Band as a weapon. He needed to spend some time thinking about that. One thing was clear, he had a lot to learn.
Chapter 5
Bliz slapped his hand down on the table. When he lifted it, five rings lay in a pile. Each silver ring had twisting yellow metal through it.
