The following is the first story set in the "Stories Of The Silver Sky" setting, while it is not "canon" it dose contain a many of the ideas that I have about the world. It's only five pages and I wrote it as part of Creative Writing assignment. Now i present Unfetered.
Unfetered
The moons
Rubuera, Sulveni, Gildium were high in sky above the Imperial stadium. The
atmosphere inside was tense as the string of drawn bow, down on the field two
youths battled fiercely for the honor of their chapters; for theirs was the final bout in The Tourney. The
opportunity and obligation of the Conservatory’s graduating students that had
perused the path of martialism, to demonstrate the fruit of their training.
Arahlin Ikar of Trion chapter and Imaric Corsae of Pentacon were the last of
their duelist of their teams. Arahlin snarled in frustration as he was lifted
into the air by a tentacle of solidified water. His golden eyes glanced at the
horologe four minutes and fifty eight seconds remained. Then to Imaric's smug
grayish red face and thought “that bastard thinks he's already won; and means
on running out the time”. Arahlin's poor
judgment had gotten him into his current situation but Imaric's would get him
out. Arahlin peripherally looked at the tentacle holding him aloft. Fine
threads of Aether were spread throughout the water like the veins of a leaf.
“Have to be quick “thought Arahlin, for if Imaric realized what he was about to
do he'd be thrown from the ring into the water below. Arahlin's corona flared
into a crackling, pale purple silvery nimbus of aetheral power. The tentacle
moved to throw Arahlin but fell apart as Imaric howled in pain. Arahlin had
touched his Aether to Imaric's and drove dissonance directly into his soul! On
the offensive Arahlin charged across the ring, his body surging with the aether
that he was channeling through it.
*****
Imaric ceased
his trembling and rose from the ring face impassive as a stone, having
remembered in the midst of his agony the focal-meditate. He reached backwards
to edge of the ring; Aether shot into water the Siphoning it for him. Imaric
spun the water into a protective bubble around himself. He then began a flurry
of stabbing motions towards the oncoming Arahlin, firing ice rods off the bubble.
Undaunted by near ballistic projectiles Arahlin continued his advance. A shield
of hardened, heated, air rippled before him, shattering the ice rods and
boiling the shards to vapor. The fingers of Arahlin’s right hand moved as
though he rapidly weaving complex string figures. Whitish silver rods of
ectoplasm crystallized in the air above each of his fingers and the water vapor
wrapped around them before freezing into ice. Imaric stopped his fusillade and
poured the power that he’d been using to attack into reinforcing his bubble.
Imaric’s own corona flared and he threw a hard punch firing a blast of aetheral
force. Arahlin abandoned his shield of air; from the tone of the blast he knew
that it would offer him no protection. He gritted his teeth and stabbed his
left hand forwards driving a wedge of aethereal force into the blast splitting it in twine.
Its halves diffused by the barrier surrounding the field. There were subtler
uses to the discipline of Fortis and Arahlin was of a mind to demonstrate. One
of the ice encased rods began to vibrate with energy causing it to give off a
faint whine. Arahlin flicked his hand forward launching the rod, Imaric’s
bubble rippled from the force of the impact and very nearly popped! “To the
void with this!” spat Imaric then he roared letting bubble collapsed and he
charged out to meet Arahlin…siphoned water trailing behind him.
*****
Arahlin fired another charged rod which Imaric
dodged by the mote of a degree. He then swung his arm upwards and the trailing
sprayed into the air. Imaric made a chocking gasp as two of the rods struck him
in the chest and other pained sounds as he fell to the ring. With a wave of his
hand and a whips of Aether, Arahlin unbounded the working that sustained the
impromptus water fountain. He walked
over to Imaric and said “yield”. Imaric looked into Arahlin eyes and sneered
“to you scum?! Not life chance in void”! Then he struck, the water surged off
the ring and cocooned Arahlin freezing to ice in the processes. Imaric slow
rose to his feet baying laughter pained, the face plate of his helmet
retracted. "As if I'd let something vile as you taint the even a fraction
of Tourney's majesty by being declared it's champion; your participation is
insult enough". Imaric cried out in pain as the very rod that had nearly
collapsed his bubble speared him in the back! As Imaric struggled to his feet
he noticed the air solidify into a globe around him. To hurt tired and to
muster the power to escape the air globe, he howled in impotent rage as the
globe carried him out off the platform and dropped him into the water. The
stone bird cried signaling the end of the match. Arahlin fixed his gaze upon
the judge’s booth, they were debating fiercely. Gritting his teeth Arahlin
thought “a Duelists wins match, a team wins competitions I hope that I scored
enough technical points off Corsae's gentry hind to give the team what we
need”. For several minutes the judges deliberated, to Arahlin it felt like an
eternity. Anxious coiled about him like a serpent as the judges announced their
scores. Arahlin quickly tallied the numbers in his head then began to smile.
Trion’s point total was put up on the scoreboard, with the points from the
final match added they were leading Pentacon by two points the tourney was
theirs! The attendees erupted some chanting Trion, others cursing the defeat of
Pentacon these were the only people. Among the Pentacon supports were the bulk
of the people saying the name Arahlin Ikar though they spoke it in same breath
as their curses.
*****
Planks extended
from the sidelines to the area and battered and bruised the team of Trion
dueling team limped, hobbled and ran to meet their hero. Ahead off all of them
was a female Ketusin. She leapt the railing the second the barrier came down
skipped across the water and bound on to the platform, long coat flapping
behind her. She picked Arahlin up tossed him into the air and caught him. “You
did it Rahli you showed them all”! “Tiny” said softly Arahlin. “Yes” she
replied. “You’re holding me to tight”. “Oh, sorry “said Tiny sheepishly then
she set him down. Arahlin looked up into her midnight blues eyes “I should them
but I still haven’t told them”. Tiny
smiled with malicious anticipation then stepped back as Arahlin’s teammates
surrounded him and showering him with praise. On crutches the team captain
hobbled over to Arahlin” you did it, you won the tourney for us” she said.
“Captain my ability should never have been in doubt”. “I never doubted you Arahlin Ikar not once,
but that isn’t the same as having a realistic estimation of your abilities,
also I’m not your captain anymore”. Arahlin chuckled “I suppose your right
about that Antonia”. “While on the
subject of your abilities” said Antonia annoyed. “Yes”? Antonia punched Arahlin in the shoulder “how
and when did you learn the Dissonance Spike, that is a working a very
dangerous. The only way a student would normally be taught it is if they
demonstrated a predilection for offensive applications Noesis; which you do
not”? Arahlin shrugged “I learned it from a codex about a season age. I wanted
a loaded die for the Tourney”. “From
whence did you get this codex”? “I got
it for Rahli” stated Tiny greenish silver arms folded. Antonia held her face as
she gave an exasperated sigh turning to Tiny she said” Miliani please tell me
that nothing untoward was involved in the acquisition of the codex. They could
use something like that to try and disqualify him, costing us the Tourney”. “I
swear on my ancestors that I did nothing illegal for the information” said Miliani
sincerely. A sly smile crept on to her
face” However I can make no claims that my actions weren’t untoward”. “Oh gods
grant me your protection” pleaded Antonia.
*****
Arahlin’s
friends and team parted as Tourney Presider Caelia approached. She presented
him with the champion’s ring a loop of blades made from the finest glass that
pulsed with silvery purple glow of aether.
Around the ring’s black stone was the tourneys’ date and Arahlin’s full
name in raised letters. Presider Caelia asked all the standard questions asked
of school graduate and triumphant athlete and Arahlin answered them all
gracefully. Then she asked him he would like to say a few words, Arahlin looked
to tiny who gave a little nod. With the speaker in hand Arahlin swept his gave
around the stadium then said” I am Arahlin Ikar of House Spinae, but it’s my
patronym that’s marked me my whole life. For my parents were Amittai and Honovi
Ikar the leaders of the Dark Sceran pirate fleet. My father was killed when the
fleet was finally navy finally caught the fleet, my mother was captured
then hung one week after I was born. To
all of you that felt need to punish me for the crimes that my parents already
paid for I have one thing to say…you can get down on your knees and kiss my red
stripy ass”! Arahlin handed the speaker
back to Presider Caelia whose mouth hung open. He then once more looked around
the stadium and basked in their mortified silence. Then Arahlin began to laugh
first a little chuckle then nigh manically as the stadium erupted in outrage.
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