GoCorral

Chapter 2 – Galandir (Continued)

Galandir stopped his run. His muscles were warm and tight. He sheathed his sword to stretch. His arms and then his legs. Flexibility and avoiding cramps were just as important as conditioning his body for heroism.

After the stretch he redrew his sword. A thought flickered across his brain, “Should my sword have a name?” He decided it should, but only after it had accomplished a great deed. Like slaying a dragon or freeing a village from evil.

There were a few practice trees in the burned grove. These were the medium sized pines with a few low branches. Many places for Galandir to practice hitting with his sword. He’d start with a one, two, three pattern. One cut, second cut, fire spell. One cut, second cut, fire spell. The tree and the area were already burned so there was no risk of a forest fire with a simple fire spell.

Faster now. One, two, fire. One, two, fire! One, two, fire! Change the pattern. One, fire, two, fire. One, fire, two, fire. Change it again! Fire, fire, one. Fire, fire, one. Fire, fire, one! Change the spell. Fire, force push, cut. Fire, force push, cut.

So it continued for hours. Galandir practiced upper cuts, down cuts, side cuts, stabs, pommel strikes, and guards. He practiced fire spells, ice spells, push spells, pull spells, and shield spells. Every time in a pattern. As the day grew longer he became tired and thirsty, but he was determined to keep going. Stab, cut, thrust. Fire, ice, push. They blended into each other as Galandir’s mind fell into the flow of action.

Suddenly he realized he was doing it. He was attacking with his sword in his right hand at the same time that he was casting a push spell with his left hand. No longer a pattern or a separation. Simultaneous! Galandir watched himself in amazement as the dance continued. Ice spell and guard at the same time. Shield behind his back while charging forward with a piercing lunge. Pull a broken branch behind him to fly at a target while ducking and chopping at its legs. Finally, send a stream of fire into his sword then thrust! The fire surged forward from his sword into the ashen tree he stabbed. The charcoal within the tree ignited and it was smoldering once more.

“I did it…” Galandir said to himself.

“I did it!” Galandir cheered, jumping and pumping his sword hand into the air. “I did it! I did it! I did it! YES!”

Galandir realized how heavily he was breathing. He bent over and rested his arms on his knees. The ground was dark around him. How late was it? He’d better go home to eat and rest. He’d done it!

Galandir went home to recover from his practice. He’d gone longer and harder than planned. His arms and legs ached and his head was pounding. Casting spells used mana which flowed through the body. The mana regenerated within a day or so, but having less than a typical amount left Galandir with a splitting headache.

But what a reward for his endurance! He’d finally managed to both cast and attack with his sword at the same time. He performed the moves again to prove that it wasn’t a one time fluke. He slashed with a fake sword in his right hand and threw a push spell with his left hand. Yes! An ice spell and a sword guard. He could still do it. And his head reminded him not to any more today. Ouch! Ice spell with his left hand meant the feeling of icicles poking into his skull.

His parents were kind enough to share their dinner with him. A roasted peahen with carrots and alfalfa sprouts. Truly a warm welcome. He hung his sword in his room before joining them. The three of them sat cross-legged on the tree house floor covered by the dinner rug with the meal between them. They let him eat in silence and drink through an entire pitcher of water before any questions.

His father asked first, “I’d ask what you did today, but I already know the answer. Practice. Seems like you went especially hard today.”

Galandir nodded and added another spoonful of carrots to his plate.

Vendumion asked, “Anything… different about today’s practice.”

“Yup,” Galandir said. “I did it.” He chewed the carrots.

Vendumion asked, “Did what?”

“I did it. I did something new I’ve been trying to do for so long. Moving my sword at the same time as I cast a spell. I can focus on both at the same time. It’s a whole new combat style.

“Oh,” Vendumion said.

Caldigroth said, “I didn’t think such a thing was possible. How can you possibly concentrate on both?

“It’s like this flow state I found. I don’t know how to describe it. I switched back and forth between them forever. And then I was doing both.”

His parents looked at each other then at Galandir’s plate. His mother asked, “What made today different?”

Galandir leaned back in his chair. What was different today? He’d practiced like that thousands of time. The same sword. The same place. The same routine.

“I don’t know. Something finally fell into place. Maybe it was my fate. Something changed in my thread today.”

“Maybe more right than you know,” said Caldigroth. He looked to Vendumion.

Vendumion said, “Tofion was on merchant duty today. The humans in the village were all talking about some problem west of here. There’s a village that way that got attacked by some new breed of monster.”

“Tofion said that?” Galandir said eagerly.

“Yes, the village was trying to get help from wherever they could.”

“And I can go.”

Caldigroth said, “We don’t want you to go. We didn’t even want to tell you this. It’s dangerous.”

Vendumion continued, “But we knew that you would find out anyway. And you’d probably end up going anyway too. So… Yes. You can go.”

Galandir leaped up and grabbed both of them in a giant hug. “Thank you! Thank you! Oh, it must be fate!” He kissed them on the cheek and they hugged him back.

Caldigroth said, “You can’t leave tonight though! Get some rest! You can talk to Tofion in the morning.”

They separated and Galandir said, “Of course. I’ll need to say goodbyes to Altheria and Edialdir as well.”

Vendumion added, “Ask Altheria for some armor too. We want you to be protected.” Galandir nodded.

Galandir said, “It must’ve been fate! A quest arrives on the same day that I master the new style.”

“I suppose so,” said Vendumion.

Caldigroth brushed his clothes straight, “Speaking of that style, what are you going to call it?”

Galandir thought for a few seconds then answered, “Sword mage.”

Chapter 3 – Blendegad

Blendegad kept watch over the sheep in the night. He was a tall man and well muscled from working in the village of Densmith a few miles south of Dalleer. He had unkempt black hair that hung in front of his face. His gaunt face had a few scars. He kept a trimmed black beard on his face, all except for the hair on his upper lip which he shaved. Blendegad couldn’t stand stubble that could touch his nose.

Blendegad’s most striking feature was his fiery orange colored eyes. His mother, Sandra, said they were a gift from their ancestors, the red dragons of the Terror Mountains. According to her, during the Draconic Hegemony the dragons had gifted some of their more faithful servants with draconic blood. This gave them magical power and certain physical characteristics as well, such as orange colored eyes.

Sandra had also instructed Blendegad to keep his family’s heritage a secret. Families that were favored by the dragons during the Hegemony were rarely well thought of after the Dragon War. To rise in the dragons’ society you had to be cruel and ruthless to your fellow mortals. Blendegad was not cruel. He was helpful and kind. Or at least he wanted to be.

Blendegad always sought for ways to make up for the sins of his ancestors. His mother did as well. She was the village’s healer. The magic power given to their family by the red dragons assisted Sandra in healing. The very same power that would have been used to oppress people had been purified into something good.

Blendegad had magic powers as well. His did not allow him to heal. They had other uses. That was why he was out with a flock of sheep in the middle of the night.

This was Allan’s flock of sheep. A wolf had been stealing them at night and leaving bloodied remnants in the morning. This hurt Allan, but also the rest of the town. A wolf could do worse things than eat sheep! Blendegad had to stop it.