Capítulo 7: First City and Harmony
The women were allowed to join the Caravan temporarily. As was custom to the Khajiit, they would allow travelers to lean on them for help. The victims of the Bandits were slowly recovering as we made our way. A few seemed to even want to be close to me as they heard the deeds from that day.
I simply told them if they were truly serious about thanking me, live on. I directed them to learn from the Caravan, as many had trade skills around they could pick up on. And as one began the trend, the others followed.
Even the few elven women picked themselves up and sought out the Khajiit to learn. These women were mostly from merchants or small villages. As such they were quick on either the basic trade skills such as sewing or carving. As for the more educated bunch they saw the need for teachers.
The group integrated well and about doubled the size of the Caravan. Sadly a few couldn't take it. They gave their lives up in the dark of the night.
Myself and a few of the more older Khajiit were forced to explain to the younger women of their fate. Making sure to keep them calm to not allow others to follow in their steps. They were constantly facing depression and other factors. but soon we came to our next destination.
Different from the villages we passed through, walls were erected around the city. A large gate was on our path as we cleared the wooded path. Soon enough Soldiers came running out of the gate houses and formed up. I was walking near the front with some of the more energetic kids as a weight settled on my shoulder.
"Nans, you can't keep doing this." I sighed.
"I can and I will. At least until you make me one of those firearms you use. They are so convenient!"
"Your paws wouldn't be able to hold it." I argued. But she was ready with a retort this time.
"So, I'll just hold it up with spells. Ha, face my wrath as I rain upon you with my bullets of fire! I said that right, right?" The eager short haired cat upon my shoulder was a bit to enthusiastic.
"What do you really need?" I sighed again. The menace of old age not giving a fuck, was strong with her.
"Come, were going to the front. Nilfgaard soldiers are coming to speak with us. An educated human goes a long way with those folks."
Nilfgaard? Right, they invaded the north many years ago. Wasn't long after the convergence. They made it halfway through the northern realms before they were forced to calm down. The Empire of Cyrodil and the Dunmer of Morrowind had made trade deals with a few of the coastal regions. Thus Magicka products entered the Old Continent from Tamriel.
This gave the northern Realms a much needed break and reinforced their losing position, into one of a stalemate.
I came to the front as a soldier announced "Get lost! We don't need any of your kind here."
My face darkened a bit. Having lived in a world where even the basics of courtesies could be exchanged between former enemies, It rubbed me the wrong way. I patted the shoulder of a man in front of me and walked forwards.
"Spark" The ghost phasing away knowing my warning.
Walking up I noticed I was taller than most the soldiers. All the better for what I'm about to do.
A tense air followed my wake as I walked up to him. In a deceptively calm tone I said, "And what pray tell do you mean "Your kind?" Because last I remember the Khajiit have treaties, trade, and peace agreements. Not to mention Nilfgaard has allowed the caravans to move about their providence. So I ask again... What. do. you. mean?"
His soldiers were tense with their hands on their weapons. I looked into his eyes as I towered over the man. I was around 6ft, never bothered to really check. being with the Khajiit had made me blind to the height difference as they were tall themselves.
The soldier began to grow uneasy and said, "We just don't want any thieves around here."
With a chipper tone that didn't match my words I said, "OH? Like say the big group of bandits with around 4 Half-Witchers we slew on the road a few days ago? Big group couldn't miss it for sure! Like those?"
Genuine fear coated the squad of soldiers as they realized what I was talking about. Figured they were a bit famous with how many they had.
"B-but there's no way! That group has been active for a-ages. There is no way you could be speaking the truth! I'll have you hanged for speaking Lies!" He spouted. Growing ever more confident as he continued to speak.
"I have a large group of women that would say otherwise. And your slandering a Mystic's Caravan? Tisk, tisk... Get whoever the commanding officer is. Stop trying to make decisions far above your paygrade."
That set him off as he drew his sword. I only took a step back as the squad of men with him were half torn among them. A few drew their weapons but many of the 14 men were cautious.
So we had a standoff. At least for a few seconds until a man came riding from the entrance. His armor was noticeably with more decorations than whoever this was.
"What goes on here!?" His voice booming as he came upon us. The little shite apparently was very audacious today as he immediately went for slander.
"Commander! This man insulted the empire and threatened my men and I!"
I simply raised an eyebrow at the man as a few of his men joined the slander. So birds of a feather do flock together.
Turning his horse to me he said, "The accusations laid upon you are crimes against the Emperor himself. Answer wisely and with the Truth or so help me I will gut you." With fire in his veins he spoke. Outrage was the name of the game for the Khajiit as they shouted around us.
Pointedly they were a mess of insulting the soldier and the accusations being false. I held a hand and they quickly calmed down. I also had a very pissed mystic on my shoulder giving the man a death glare.
"You are the commander, yes?" I asked him. He was evidently surprised from the outrage of the Khajiit before he became bewildered by my calm tone.
"Yes, I am Commander Cross. Leader of the Military presence in Ruslan." I nodded at the man and said, "First off, I deny the accusation I insulted the emperor. What I did say was The Caravan has got rid of your bandit problem. Then this solider said my claim was impossible to which I said he was slandering a Mystic's Caravan. Of whom happens to be on my shoulder. Please introduce yourself, Nans."
"Hello Commander Cross. My official Title, Mystic of the Crescent moon Treva. I believe I remember a budding private during the war. Was during the push into Novagrad if my old age doesn't fail me. Said he wanted to be faithful to his loving wife Clair." Her old grandmotherly tone was as sharp as it was pleasant. and by how the commander grew very serious he understood a bit of what happened.
"Sergeant Voltari, you are to report to my office now. Mystic Treva, I apologize for the inconvenience our soldier put you through." But it seemed as if the Sargent didn't quite understand his place as he shouted.
"Commander! How could you side with these Cats!" A steel greave to the face and a very mad commander was now looking upon him.
I spoke up to the commander to give him an out, "We'll be setting up camp outside the walls. We do have many women who were potentially residents of the city or neighboring villages. I hope they wouldn't be bared from entering the city to look for their families?"
He snapped to me as I began to speak. By the end he sighed with relief and said, "I thank you for your service then. I hope they find their loved ones."
A few men began to restrain the errant sergeant quickly as we continued on our way. Nans began to give out orders and directing me every which way to be her ride for the occasion.
The practiced hands of the members of the caravan were quick to assemble a bazaar for the people of the city to browse. A few women went with some of the caravan members for supplies as well as to go see if any members of their families were there.
All the while I was stuck as the pack mule for the resident grandma. At one point we got to talking as we always did about my abilities. "So, you currently are training to use only one side of your powers?"
Watching as I spun a knife with flames dancing on it I spoke, "Yeah, the darkness powers are unstable as such I wanted to get a feel for how to use the light first."
"What are they then? I have seen you use the solar flames only so I am curious to the different powers. What forms could they make up?"
A chuckle left me as she was in her little fantasy, "For the light there are three main powers. Solar, Ark, and Void. Solar is the light of life. The heat of a sun that gives breath to the worlds under it's rays. Ark is the energy of motion, Electricity built from friction and harnessed by people. Then there is the Void. Vast, yet empty. It is the energy of Entropy. My hand cannon uses this energy."
With her attention I changed the light to follow my explanation. Infusing the little knife with Solar, Ark, then Void. Void consumed the knife in my hand leaving nothing left.
"Then there is the dark, guardians have safely wielded two elements from it. Stasis and Strand. Stasis, is the Element of control. It acts in a similar manner to Ice when it is manifested. freezing and slowing combatants. Strand is different though. Strand is the connections of all living things. Like a web of connections that take but a simple pull to unravel them."
"Hoh, and why do you neglect these two powers?" Hoping from my shoulder to a cushion as we entered a newly erected tent.
With a sigh I sat next to her. Spark came out of phase and said, "I wanted him to start with strand. With his temperament he would be fine to begin training it... Even if I had to revive him a few times. Sadly we have no way of beginning to sense the weave."
"The weave?" she asked the floating lightbulb.
"The weave is the interconnections between all living things. If we had the chance to visit this one planet we could have piggy backed off the artifact's natural field of strand. Sadly we are quite far away." Spark was a bit downcast but a certain cat was able to piece something together in that moment.
"Wait! You were able to move between planets? Like our world plus another?"
Holding up a hand I said, "Yes, and also yes. It was what we called Sol. It was a whole solar system that had multiple planets and due to the technology of generations before our time we were able to piece together ships that would treat space or for the sake of this world, Oblivion, Like the sea."
She plopped down staring off into the wall. Happens when your worldview is shattered. I remember when Spark found out about my memories and my knowledge she was also flabbergasted.
Turning to the floating gloat I said, "Stasis then?" I got a worried voice from her as she said, "Are you sure you are alright to practice it?"
"Have to start somewhere... and Nans is right, I am only using one half of our reserves currently." Keeping my posture I closed my eyes and brought my hands together.
Spark played an audio recording at that moment, Osiris, who I had respected for many years joined the picture.
"Stasis, The Element of control. There are many interpretations of control as the reports of this power has shown. Every individual has a differing opinion of this power, but I have gleamed a few bits of truth on this element from the reports guardians have submitted. The main factor is and always will be control. To control the world around you, to Slow, to Freeze it.
To practice this element of Darkness safely, one must recognize a few truths. To control the world, one must have control of the self. To begin, one must look into one's heart find what is the most grounded feeling one has and use it, like an anchor. This Anchor, will allow you to recover yourself in the event of the darkness going out of control.
Your will is made manifest as you focus on this. With those feelings spread your senses and begin."
I searched deep within myself. My failures, my Triumphs, my everything... The moment that stood out among them all was when I stood on that broken wall. Humanity to my rear as they retreated into the city. 6 Guardians in front of me fighting back against immeasurable odds. The ring of my rifle as I gunned down fallen after fallen.
As Guardians were resurrected only to begin the fight once more. In that moment as we held our ground, I felt what it meant to be a Guardian. And as I held onto that memory... I tapped into the darkness that resided inside.
Unknown to me, a blue glow shown from my heart. Inside my hands a subtle blue glow was emanating. Unconsciously I separated my hands but kept a firm posture as if to keep whatever was there, contained.
When I opened my eyes I was witness to a stunning blue crystal, it was trying to grow a bit but my reserves weren't enough to truly allow it to take any true shape. But I could do something with this. My right hand gripped the new shard as a wave of cold blew through the tent. "Sword"
Spark projected the old sword from my backpack into my left hand. With my thumb I opened the sheath of the gladius. Shifting my hold on the weapon I allowed the sheath to drop. I maneuvered the blade in front of me.
My first shard of Darkness energy. But that was not all, My left hand infused with Ark energy began to spark across the blade. My right gripped where the blade met the hilt infusing the blade once more. long ago it held the light. And light flowed once more into it. Only it had a new energy to join it.
The Ark energy sparking across the blade and the chill that coated it. I could feel the weapon returning to strength once more. When the energies at my disposal were finished the blade held a blue glow as the energies left remnants across it. Veins of energy filled the cracks and held the weapon together.
"Harmony"
A name given to this blade as it was passed on to me. Once filled with light... Annice would be proud.
Status de energia semanal
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Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder