by Andy Nadir
Thaddeus gulped, and waved to someone unseen.
There was a flash of movement, and all three of them were standing next to Leah.
She stood up, and so did the others.
“Sorry, We had to let you discover your power.” Leah said sheepishly.
Connor scratched at the blood on his wrist.
He held it up, and it writhed around, forming into a cast.
“Does this mean I have to get cut up before every fight?” He asked.
Thaddeus shrugged. “It’s possible you’ll be able to use any blood, but you’ll have to cut your enemy first.
“Abby can enchant a weapon so that it can draw blood.” Logan said.
Thaddeus turned to Logan.
“You got amplified up here?” He asked, tapping his head.
Logan nodded. “I know all the important stuff everyone here knows.”
Thaddeus nodded. “Not all of it. There are precautions against that. Still a useful skill though.” He said.
Logan grinned. “Guys, we can easily make the farm now! I know like…everything!”
Leah raised an eyebrow. “What am I thinking right now?”
“That I’m full of minotaur droppings?” Logan suggested.
“Woah! You’re telepathic?” Leah asked.
Logan smirked. “No. It wasn’t too hard to figure out. I just know everything that could be important to us. For example, we can’t stay here for more than a twenty four hours at a time until we graduate from recruit stage.” He said.
Thaddeus nodded. “Correct. We can’t allow recruits to stay here for too long. They have to be out in the real world as well. Real time experience is important too. But, you can train with your rookie trainer anywhere on your island.”
Chuck nodded. “I can train Abby.” He said.
Thaddeus inclined his head to Chuck.
“We will also need to get Ron here to train Connor. We can’t do anything with Logan, he knows everything he needs too. Logan, you are officially promoted to a Guardian of the Tenth Order.”
Logan beamed. “That is the lowest level of guardian, allowed to stay here for one week at a time.” He said.
Leah rolled her eyes. “Stop bragging, Logan.”
Logan crossed his arms. “You’re just jealous you weren’t promoted like I was.”
Leah glanced at Thaddeus. “Can I meet this Ron? I want to graduate as soon as possible so Logan can’t brag.” She said.
Thaddeus chuckled and clapped his hands together once. “Trainers, I need you!” He called.
Daren formed from ice like before, and Bill came bounding through the doors behind them in wolf form. He changed back to a human halfway through, and grinned. “Time to start training?” He asked.
Thaddeus nodded.
There was a cracking noise under them, and a rocky hand reached out of the ground. Another joined it, and a massive figure pulled itself out of the ground. It towered over all of them. The figure peered down at Connor, and begun to fall apart.
Pieces of rock melted back into the earth until only a short, round man was left.
“I’m Ron!” He said happily.
Connor stared at the little man for a moment before his manners returned to him. “Hello, I’m Connor.” He replied.
“You can start your training at your standard base. Just make some sort of noise and imagine yourself back in the California Base.” He said.
“Wait, what about the zombie that got there?” Leah asked.
Thaddeus frowned. “That zombie was an illusion of a sort. Your mind believed it to be real, and imagined everything that went with it. It appeared to the others because you believed it to be real. Know this, no demon can ever step on the land of a base-ever. If you see one, It is an illusion summoned by some demon. Just tell it to leave.” He said.
Leah nodded. “If you say so.” She muttered.
Chuck snapped his fingers, and disappeared.
Connor went next, and threw his cast on the ground. He disappeared with the sound of it shattering.
Alyosha whistled, and was gone with the last note.
All of the trainers disappeared as well. Logan shuffled his feet around, and puffed away.
Leah shrugged, and snapped her fingers. She imagined the base in California, and there was a rushing feeling.
Chapter Ten
When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the lobby of the California base with the others next to her.
“Ok, I’m not going to lie. That was pretty stinking cool.” Leah said.
Logan nodded in agreement. “Totally!”
The trainers popped into view. “Shall we begin? It doesn’t take long to train rookies. If you can activate your abilities without problem, you pass. The next ten levels are spent mastering them. I can’t promise a cakewalk there.” Ron said.
Bill nodded. “Then again, I can’t promise a cakewalk here either. You need to be able to turn your abilities off and on at will.”
Daren cracked his knuckles. “Go to your trainer, and we can begin. Stay in the lobby, it’s large enough for all of us.” He said.
They all went to their trainers.
Bill nodded slightly to Leah.
“Ok, let’s start. Do you know how to activate your ability on your own yet?” He asked.
Leah shook her head. “No, it activated once by accident. I haven’t been able to activate it since then.”
Bill smirked. “Haven’t been able, or haven’t tried?” He asked.
Leah shrugged. “Same thing.”
Bill shook his head. “Definitely not. They are very different things. If you haven’t tried, you are smart. If you weren’t able, you are weak.”
“You’re right. I haven’t tried to change. It’s freaky.” Leah said.
Bill tapped Leah on the head. “First problem. If you fear your power, you can’t utilize it to its full power. What you change into has no mind of its own, it is just a skin you can change into. It has no sway whatsoever over your actions. The only thing that changes is your appearance. And, since plague demons look relatively human if you don’t count the claws, you won’t even look different. Just don’t fist bump anyone.”
Leah grinned slightly. “Ok, how do I do it then?” She asked.
Bill shrugged. “You tell me. Everyone has a different way of doing it. The basic need is you just want it to happen.” He said.
Leah nodded. She imagined the claws coming back on her hands. There was no rush, or feeling that she had changed. Leah sighed.
“It didn’t work. Are you sure I can do this?” She asked.
She lifted her hands above her head and stretched back. There was a light crack as she stretched.
“Ah, there we go.” She put her hands back in her lap.
“Maybe I can only do it when I’m in danger?” Leah asked.
Bill smirked. “Are you in danger right now?” He asked.
Leah frowned. “No, I don’t think so.”
He waved at her hands. She saw the slight claws protruding from her knuckles.
“Whoa. This looks sorta disturbing.”
Bill chuckled. Suddenly, he was standing in front of her, he slashed a clawed hand across her shoulder, and she yelped.
She pressed her hand against the spot where he had scratched her.
“What the heck was that for?”
Bill pried her hand off, and waved at it. There were four white lines, like the ones you get when you drag a credit card down your arm.
“What happened?” She asked.
Bill grinned, and his hand changed back into a wolf paw again.
He dragged one of the claws across her arm, and a white line followed it.
“You can also use the hard skin the plague demons have. I wonder…”
He picked up a computer with a grunt and heaved it at her.
Leah yelped and grabbed the thing on instinct.
“How heavy does that feel?” Bill asked.
Leah shrugged. “Did y
ou get all the metal stuff that’s supposed to be in here? This is just the plastic case.”
Bill shook his head. “No, It’s all in there. You must have gotten the strength of a plague demon as well. I figure you can rip stuff up just like them.
Leah had a sudden image of attacking a human. “I think I’ll stick with punching stuff.” She muttered.
Bill smirked. “Turn it off the same way you turned it on.
Leah stretched her arms again, and the claws disappeared.
“You need to work on feeling relaxed without stretching. Try again.” Bill said.
**********
Ron took Connor to a corner of the room. Without warning, he slammed his hand into ground and pulled out a stone sword. He swung it at Connor, and opened up a cut on his arm.
“Control it!” Ron snapped.
The blood swept out of Connor and formed into a red dagger. Connor swayed on his feet. Ron reached out and stedied him. “Put it back, you fool.”
Connor pressed the dagger to the small cut, and the cut absorbed it.
“Lesson one. You can’t use too much of your own blood, stupid. Maybe a small blade to stab someone with, as long as it stays connected with your body. The second you snap it off, and make a dagger you can hold, poof. You lost blood. If you have to use your own, keep it connected to the source.”
Connor nodded sheepishly. “Sorry.”
He formed another blade. This one stayed attached to the cut on his arm, but it crept down to his hand and extended slightly past his palm.
“It’s fine for stabbing. Not very useful. Try making armor.” Ron said.
Connor scratched his head. “Huh, I never thought of that one.”
The blood wrapped around his body, forming a shimmering suit.
Ron grinned. “Never do this.”
He brought his hand down hard over his arm, and the armor there shattered. With the connection shattered, Connor fell to a knee gasping. He used his last energy to slam the blood back into the wound.
He laid on the floor for a minute, gasping.
“Why the hell did you do that?” He finally got out.
“Your blood is an assassin weapon. It’s ok for a small knife, but don’t use it as armor. It might stop a bullet, but it won’t do crap against a demon. And, you have a huge weak spot here. But, I’m willing to bet it isn’t blood you control, it’s water. Blood has water, so I’m willing to assume that’s what you were controlling.”
He handed Connor an open water bottle. “Take the water out, and make armor again.” He said.
Connor felt the water rush up around him at his command, and form a liquid barrier around him.
“Try to make it look like armor, you might as well look cool” Ron said.
Connor shook his head. “There isn’t enough water in this bottle to make much of an armor suit.”
Ron smirked. “Water is in the air, condense it. That is what you must learn to do.”
**********
“Your sword is still animated, right?” Clark asked Abby.
She nodded. “I think so. I can…feel it.” She said.
Clark nodded. “Good. Tell it to stand before you.”
“A sword can’t stand.” She replied.
Clark sighed. “It’s the meaning that counts.” He said.
Abby nodded, and the sword lifted off her back. It hovered half a foot off the ground in front of her, hit facing to the air.
“While you feed it power, It will do you command. When you take power away, it will lose its enchantment. You can also seal an enchantment. Imagine the power streaming from you into it. Take that rope of power, and tie it in a knot. Then cut your end off.” Chuck said.
Abby nodded. She did as he said, and felt a wave of fatigue wash over her. The sword shimmered slightly.
“Ok, now the sword will recharge with the energies in the air. It is much slower, but less taxing in the long run.” Chuck said.
He picked up a rock. “Tell it to defend you.” He said, and tossed the rock in the air.
Right after she got the command out, Chuck hurled the rock at her. The sword slashed it into pieces before it could reach her.
He raised his eyebrows. “Powerful en…” He lunged backwards as the sword slashed at him.
“Call it off!” He yelled as the weapon chased him.
Abby pulled the sword back, and it returned to her.
Chuck came back with it. “Woman, I am glad you’re on our side. You must be the most powerful enchanter in years. I bet they would offer you a swift promotion of you manage to stay sane.”
“Stay sane?”
Chuck nodded. “Some Guardians go whacko, especially the strong ones. They feel as though they should be respected more than others, and they Turn. They join the Legion.” He said.
“The Legion?” Abby inquired.
Chuck nodded. “It’s the enemy of the Guardians. They work to try to help Demons get into Earth. I don’t know why, they’re bonkers.”
Abby grinned. “Aren’t we all?”
Chuck nodded slowly. “Yes. Yes we are.”
**********
Daren nodded to Alyosha. “Show me what you’ve got. Melt this barrier of ice.” He said.
A shimmering white wall appeared in front of Alyosha.
Daren stepped behind Alyosha. “Begin.” He said.
Alyosha pressed his left hand against the ice, and closed his eyes. Daren smacked him over the head.
“Keep your eyes open!” He snapped.
Alyosha sighed, and tried to call the magma up again.
There was a sizzle from his hand, and molten flame formed in it.
He concentrated on the ice, and pulled his hand back. He hurled the glob of fire into it, and it melted a fist sized hole in it, and the wall behind it.
Daren nodded. “Nice raw power, but can you get rid of the rest of the wall?” He asked.
Alyosha frowned. His face lit up. “Yes!”
He pressed his hand to the ground, and stared at the ice. A few minutes passed, and nothing happened.
“This isn’t working very well.” Daren noted.
Alyosha shrugged. “I must warm up the rocks.” He said.
Daren frowned. “For what?”
A molted hand melted through the floor, and dragged itself across the wall of ice. It crashed back to the ground and sank back down again before it had completely melted the wall.
Daren stared at him.
“You melted the rock under us and used it?”
Alyosha nodded. “Yes.”
“Couldn’t you have held it any longer? You didn’t destroy the whole wall.” Daren said.
Alyosha shook his head. “It was so strong. Angry. I could not hold it any longer than you could pet a wild bear.”
Daren sighed. “Ok, a powerful mage with no stamina. We’ll work on that.”
Daren’s face lit up. “Oh, I know! It’s because you’re only using one hand! Mages need two hands to work. Balance, and all that.” He said.
Alyosha grinned. “Oh, of course.”
Daren formed the ice wall again, and nodded to Alyosha.
Alyosha concentrated on both of his hands. Magma formed in his left, but nothing happened in his right.
“What is happening?” He asked.
Daren frowned. “Are you a lefty?”
Alyosha shook his head. “No, I am right handed.”
“Push harder on your power.” He said.
He turned back to his hands, and concentrated harder.
“There is like a block in my right hand. It doesn’t want to let fire through.” Alyosha said.
Daren frowned. “Try smashing it down with our mind, and then pour power into it.” He said.
Alyosha nodded, and returned to concentrating. He felt the thin, see through black wall in the back of his mind.
He drew his mental fist back, and smashed a hole in it. He punched it again and again, until the whole wall screamed in agony and shattered. The wa
ll fell like glass crashing from a windowpane to the street below.
Alyosha snapped his eyes open. He hadn’t even realized he had closed them.
He was breathing heavily. “Daren. The wall is gone.”
Daren grinned. “Good. Put power in both hands again.”
Alyosha pushed the power into his hands, and something ancient stirred.
He felt the molten fire form into a small ball in his left hand, just as he had willed it too.
He felt no magma in his right hand. He turned to look at it.
There was a pitch black ball rolling in his hand. It looked like someone had captured the night, and filled it with jello.
Hesitantly, he threw the ball underhand into the ice wall.
The ball splattered across it with a hissing sound.
He felt a wave of despair go through him. He could never master the power. He was weak, and alone in this new world. He would be killed by plague demons, or go mad. “Just lay down and die” A voice hissed to him.
Alyosha fell to his knees. A picture of the magma appeared in his mind. He felt the strength it gave him, the courage to continue.
He bared his teeth. “Stupid blackness, you are mine to command.”
He snapped from his reverie, and the ice wall shattered. Time seemed to slow down as the black flame simply destroyed the ice. It melted into the ice and suddenly jerked apart. Thousands of dark little corrupted ice crystals hung suspended in the air. Then, the all shot back to his right hand. He felt an immense pain slam into his hand, and screamed in agony.
A minute later, the pain faded away, revealing a pitch black staff lying next to his hand.
It shimmered just like the black fire had, and around the top there was a shimmering white and blue diamond that resembled the ice wall it had just destroyed. There was a small extrusion in the middle of the smooth staff.
Alyosha shook his pained hand, and looked at it. There was no apparent sign of a burn other than the pain that pulsated in it.
He pressed the indent on the staff, and felt pain blast through his hand again.
The staff had grown a long, curved blade and turned into a scythe. The blade was made of ice darkened to a shade of gray.
He gripped his pained hand with his left. Not knowing why, but feeling it was the right thing to do, Alyosha sent magma from his left hand onto his right.
The pain subsided, and disappeared.
He looked up to see everyone around him.
He grimaced. “Sorry. I did not expect such pain.”
Daren was staring at him.
“What is it?” He finally asked.
“That…power. The wave of despair. That was Malice, energy from Hell. How do you control it?” Daren hissed.
