Aren pondered the information. It could be a trap, get us all together in our city's then bombard them from space. Neatly eliminate them all. On the other hand if it was true then an offensive would be impossible. What do the protectors want? They are too powerful of a race to simply want to help us out of the goodness of their hearts. “They want something these protectors, you are a thoran. Do you have any loyalty to your own race?”
Reaching out and touching Aren's forehead Draxos initiated a psychic link. Calming the flustered emotions from Aren he showed him the colony ship as it tried to escape the thoran home world. “We were benders and the purifiers branded us as mutants, a disease that needed to be eradicated. We tried to leave, escape with our lives but they hunted us down and proceeded to destroy our ship. The ascended saved us and took us to a new world. Draxos showed memories of his home and family. We thrived and have decided to never do what was done to us. The protectorate as you call it is made up of several races that believe as we do. Many of them were saved by the ascended and many were born on the refuge worlds.” Releasing Aren from the link Draxos watched him intently.
“The Zorrel clan was thought to have telepathic ability but nothing more than a basic sense of emotions. How did you get memories that were so clear?” Tapping a pad Aren looked at it for a moment before continuing. “I found a record of the clan leader also called Draxos from the colony ship and I have to say you look almost identical to your ancestor.”
Draxos smiled to himself. He had knew this day was going to come sooner than later. “I am Draxos Zorrel, head of the Zorrel clan. Those were my memories. I am many hundreds of years old. Can we discuss plans for fortifying your populace centers?”
---------
Kiyan walked through the ship as he thought about how life used to be. He knew he could use the transported and be at Jeremy's room within a moment yet he was walking across the ship. It could take hours to reach the other side of the vessel. I hadn't been built to be walked across. Each section of the ship was easily navigated but each section was mostly independent of the surrounding sections. Life support, gravity and a dozen other things could be independently controlled. Kiyan noted the tactical advantage of being able to seal off any portion of the ship due to damage or invasion but it did make it difficult to take a leisure stroll. Kiyan had access to a full map but exploring was more fun.
“Humans and their sense of adventure. I may never understand.” Alec might have made Kiyan jump if he had not figured that the AI would do something like this. “Make a left at the next corridor.”
“Oh come on, where is the fun it that. Can't I get lost?” Kiyan laughed.
“Very well, make a right at the next corridor. Besides you can't get lost. You have a detailed map of the ship stored in your memory banks.” Alec seemed to miss the point even though Kiyan detected increased activity in Alec's humor related algorithms.
“Ha, ha very funny. That is not the point. I want to find something new, waste time if you will.” Kiyan made the left turn, Alec laughed and disappeared. The next door slid open and Kiyan walked through. Kiyan's retinal interconnect informed him that it was the primary atmospheric processing facility. He looked the immense room over, dominated by a huge tree in the center, surrounded by plants of all different kind. Kiyan could feel the life energy flowing around him. He found it a relief to be surrounded by the small forest. The effect was finished by the stream flowing through the room. The inter-connect gave a detailed description of the water purification system. Kiyan decided that he would be coming back here soon. Giving in he activated the transporter and was at Jeremy's door with Corban in a second.
“Fred says to tell you that he and Savos will be joining us in a few.” Corban relayed the message to Kiyan.
“I heard that Savos is an earthbender. I hope he is strong enough to bend after what happened. He didn't look very good but he had just had his world turned upside down.” Kiyan activated a group transport to the simulator.
They started the hanging village simulation and were soon practicing. Kiyan watch Jeremy bend with a new level of skill. He didn't seem to need to focus, it came easily to him now. Water was merely an extension to his body. Kiyan focused back on his bending again. Water soon swirled around them.
Fred, Addy and Savos left the infirmary and activated the transporters. They opened the door to the simulator and stepped inside. Finding themselves on the walk hanging off the cliff they made their way towards the training grounds. It was an impressive view overlooking the lake and village. Samtan hung in the sky with both of its suns visible with the faint colors of the nebula as a backdrop.
Savos took a minute looking at the view. “This is not real?” He was a little confused at being in orbit of his home world and on an alien planet the next second.
“It’s a simulation of a place near our village so yes and no.” Fred explained as he continued along the walk.
“It looks incredible. I didn't know the surface could be so beautiful.” Savos was awestruck and lingered a moment more. Arriving behind the waterfall he appeared rooted to the ground when he saw Jeremy and Kiyan water bending. “What magics is this?”
“Its water bending, haven't you ever heard about it? It’s like earthbending just one of the other schools.” Fred waited for Savos to recover.
“Can you do this waterbending also?” Savos turned to Fred.
“No, no I'm just an earth and life bender.” Fred took a stance and lifted a few nearby rocks.
Savos decided to not ask any more questions for a while to avoid looking like a fool. Before he could make any further decision he turned towards the edge of the platform as movement caught his eye. Before he could react a huge black flying lizard burst through the falling water and landed in front of him. Looking into the clear grey eyes of the creature he felt like his entire life was being watched. The shock of his knees hitting the ground jarred him back to reality. He watched as the creature shifted and shrunk until Savos recognized the same being from that morning in the med bay.
“Forgive me if I startled you. I mean you no harm.” Ray quieted Savos' sudden urge to flee.
Draxos appeared near them as he entered the simulator. “Savos I hope you have been enjoying your time with us.”
“I... Yes I have, I have learned much.” Savos was beginning to adjust to the rapid changes he was being presented with.
“I am told that you are an earthbender.” Draxos offered Fred a couple pointers before Savos answered.
“Yes I was the best in my detachment but I am nowhere near as good as Fred.” Savos was taking the opportunity to examine Fred's form.
“Young one, I was many times the age of this one before I was as good as he is, now I teach him. The day when he is better than me is yet to come.” Draxos laughed as he answered. “He is uniquely skilled.”
“But he is a stone skin. How can you be better than Fred is?” Savos queried before he remembered his place. “I am sorry, I shouldn't have spoken like that.”
Draxos flexed his muscles as his scales shifted into diamond like crystals. Another flex and he looked normal again. “Savos there is one thing you need to understand. You accepted our offer of being your planet's representative. We turned down the other candidates because they couldn't be trusted. When you accepted the position you became one of us. A protector. As such we trust you and you can trust us. We know you mean no offense when you speak so feel free to speak what you will. Just know that your place is with us not below us.”
Savos wasn't sure how to respond so he attempted to change the conversation. “You wanted me to try earthbending?”
Draxos smiled. “A natural diplomat, yes if you can show me what you know I can assess what you can be trained on.”
Savos focused on a couple smaller rocks nearby and levitated them. He broke them into smaller pieces and propelled them at the waterfall. “We had some benders that became quite skilled but I was never able to train under any one. I only know what I learned by myself.??
?
“The first master never has a teacher. It is an old thoran saying.” Draxos explained. “You have learned more by yourself than many learn in a lifetime. You know how to manipulate earth on a lower level but you have learned the basic skills that some practice for years to develops. You will make a promising student.”
“I had never heard about water bending before and Fred mentioned other schools?” Savos developed the courage to ask Draxos after a few minutes.
“Well you have learned about earth bending and water bending. There is fire and air bending also and a rare school called life bending. Fire and air bending are simply that but life bending is basically energy bending as a whole. They are called life benders because they are quite skilled in using energy to heal injury and enhance the body. You met Ray he is a kayloo that is bound to Kiyan like Addy is bound to Fred. Ray is a draconic type shape shifter where Addy is a forest type. There is much that you will learn over time.” Draxos gave Savos a brief overview of some of the abilities he was surrounded with. “Try holding these four stones still in the air around you, practice being able to control them without thinking.”
Kiyan was sparing with Fred and found that Fred was a difficult adversary. He was a stronger bender but he was also physically much stronger. Kiyan wasn't attacking with all his strength but an attack that would have washed Fred over before barely seemed to touch him.
“So you are fireproof now?” Kiyan dodged a rock and took advantage of an opening to douse Fred with a spray of water.
“That's what Corban says.” Fred smirked as he bent a rock at Kiyan.
Kiyan deflected the rock with an ice wall and countered with a fire ball. The concussion sent Fred over backwards and Kiyan moved with lightning speed to his side in concern. Kiyan found himself flying through the air backwards as the unscathed Fred shoved him. Instinctively compressing the air around himself Kiyan landed without a sound in a defensive posture. Distracting Fred with a few blasts of air Kiyan fused some rocks to the ground and melted them around Fred's feet before he could react. Kiyan's victory only lasted a moment before the shackles exploded and Fred rejoined the fight. Kiyan switched to a new tactic. Fred couldn't fight what he couldn't see. Using the air as a weapon Kiyan danced around Fred's strikes and caught him off guard with a wave of air blasts. Fred made a face as he tried to break through Kiyan's guards but seemed to be deflected every time he made a push.
Savos watched Kiyan and Fred dueling for a few minutes. “Are they hurting each other?”
Draxos laughed for a moment before answering. “Fred as you know is a stone skin, there isn't much that can be done to hurt him. Kiyan has shielding plus he is ascended so I'm not worried about him either.” They watched for a couple more minutes before going back to practice.
Chapter Eleven: Replica
Kiyan was having breakfast when he felt the energy buildup. It was vaguely familiar in nature. He recognized it as temporal energy but was unable to figure out where it was coming from. There was an overwhelming pressure in his head and it was over as fast as it had begun. Kiyan was sitting on a log staring at the stick in his hand. Confusion faded as he remembered what he was doing. Kiyan had made an excursion into the woods on his way home from school. The stick was a mock sword and he had been playing.
Kiyan looked up at the ranks of wooden brigands that had set on him the instant he had set foot off the road. “Give up or die!” Kiyan mimed for the trees.
“I will never give in to ye uncouth ruffians.” Kiyan uttered the statement with finality. He faced a band of the most notorious thieves that his fertile imagination could conjure. Kiyan swung his sword and prepared himself.
“Ye fool. This be no place for chivalrous knights in these dark woods.” The nearest tree threatened. Kiyan responded by spinning and swinging as hard as his spare frame would permit. There was a satisfying snap as the dead branch that represented the hulking cutthroat's jaw snapped into a dozen pieces.
“Take that ye knave!” Kiyan spun to face the rest of the band.
“You will never live to regret that boy.” The undamaged trees threatened ominously.
“I’m no boy, I will see that you regret that slight.” Kiyan rushed forward and trees innocent or not felt his wrath. Soon Kiyan’s mighty sword was broken by a treacherously sturdy limb and he was forced to wrestle another from his adversaries. The victory was going to Kiyan as he broke his opponent's weapons like the old dead limbs that they were. With only a swarthy oaken brigand, an ashen cutpurse and an alder thief left Kiyan felt assured of victory.
He made a final rush to deal with the knaves once and for all. Sadly the oak had more intelligence to him than Kiyan had originally thought. That fall he had dropped a limb and cunningly disguised it with fallen leaves. Kiyan fell into this trap and landed with his face in the dirt. He recovered his feet a moment later and considered calling the battle a draw. Thinking better of it Kiyan wiped the dirt off his face and spit out what had managed to get in his mouth.
“You will pay dearly for that.” Kiyan made good on his promise and deprived the thinner outlaws of their limbs as high as he could reach. The oak suffered under a hail of blows until Kiyan’s sword parted company with the handle. Kiyan decided that the game no longer held any more enjoyment and made his way back to the road. His clash with the bandits had taken longer than he had anticipated and the sun was only a couple finger widths above the horizon now. Less than a half hour of light remained.
Kiyan arrived at the road and began plodding home. Home as he called it was little more than a hovel alongside the road. Kiyan lived with a man in this hovel that he called his father. The man rarely acknowledged Kiyan’s presence. As long as the boy fed himself and stayed out of his way Paulson could have cared less.
Kiyan’s living arrangements had not always been this way. When his mother had been alive they had lived in town in a nicer house. When she had died Kiyan had been sent to the man that a scrap of paper had said was his father. At least that is what Kiyan could remember being told. He really couldn’t remember anything much from his earlier life. Paulson was rarely sober enough outside of the mines to recall anything either.
Today school had been about history in Europe and a band of bandits that had terrorized merchant men for years. Kiyan liked learning but because of his situation he wasn’t able to attend regularly. Fortunately the old school teacher had been transferred and the new one had refrained from sending him away. Kiyan knew that this state of things was not likely to continue for long. The children of the more affluent families had moved to the far side of the classroom so as to avoid contamination with the dirty boy.
“What happened to your face? You been in a fight again?” Paulson met Kiyan on the path to the door. He limped from an old wound acquired in the last war. The evening’s beverages were in a sack at his side.
“No, I tripped.” Kiyan wiped a dirty hand over his cheek in an attempt to remove a smear of rotten leaves.
“Likely story. Just don’t go gettin in trouble and making the officials show up here again.” Paulson shambled on before deciding to back up the command with a threat. “If you get in any more trouble I’ll throw ya out on the street.” Kiyan wasn’t particularly worried. Once Paulson got drunk he would settle into his chair and stare at nothing for hours on end. Once Paulson had actually carried out the threat. Fortunately it had been summer and the man had forgotten about it by the next day.
-------
Jeremy’s life was only marginally better. Materially he was among the more affluent. As the adopted son of the town constable Jeremy was left alone at school. The butler picked him up after school and drove him home.
The big white house had been among the ones that had been originally built in the town. It wasn’t that a chief constable had a good wage that made the lifestyle affordable. It was the fact that the constable was frequently receiving sizable donations for favors. Jeremy had seen several of these donations being handed discreetly to his step father.
Jeremy tried to recall the past when life had been simpler. Before arriving at the white house with the butler there was nothing but fuzz no matter how hard he tried. The adoption agency had stated that he had been abandoned at the orphanages. The constable had flown into a rage last time Jeremy had asked. Something about being part of this family now and forgetting the past. The car was pulling up the driveway now.
Jeremy gave the butler a smile and picked up his bundle of textbooks. The old man drove the car around to the back of the house while Jeremy pondered the house. He wondered what room his step mother was inhabiting today.
The front door was only for formal occasions but there were several side doors. Jeremy picked one and approached it cautiously. Listening outside he didn’t hear anything. Deciding that it was as good of a choice as any Jeremy quietly slipped inside. After pulling the door shut with a soft click he turned around and froze. His choice had been wrong. His stepmother was with the baby in this room today.
She glared at him before elaborately pointing into the cradle and shushing. Jeremy slunk silently through the room. He felt her eyes boring into his back the whole way. Depositing his books in his room he prepared himself for supper. The meal was consumed in silence and Jeremy excused himself as soon as possible. His stepfather had been busy and hadn’t made it so it was only Jeremy and his stepmother.
After the constable had arrived Jeremy made his way to the attic. The wonderful thing about the house being so old was that the attic was large and unoccupied. There had once been servant quarters here but the partitions had been knocked out and now it was storage.