"Itzi's Story - Chapter 2"
Zephy
Florin awoke that morning in the same clothes drenched in his mothers blood. The sun broke through the treetops and warmed his bare and dirty face. The air in this new forest he roused from was much different that in the GreaterFeydark. At first glance one would think it appeared the same. A dwarf or gnome certainly wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But Florin felt it, he knew. As would any woodelf. To them, a forest is a completely different entity just like a different person. Just as different as a human is to a dwarf, or a gnome to a troll. To him, it smelled thick and foggy. There was a certain air and it made Florin shiver.
It was dangerous here, he knew, and he was scared. Then he noticed a shadow cast about him. He looked down to see a towering figure. Not knowing what it was he quickly leapt to the side and spun about prepared to see a huge monster with sharp fangs and was foaming at the mouth. To his surprise, there stood a ring of stones, Standing stones.
He picked himself up and walked over to the monstrous slabs of rock and noticed they had carvings in them. Upon further inspection he noticed they had toppled, and from the look of the moss and other underbrush that grew on the fallen stones, he knew they must have been here a very long time.
He yawned and stretched and looked down at his tattered tunic. It was rather dirty and he thought he should find some water to clean it off with, then suddenly he remembered he had never been here before, and had no idea as to where to find water. The memories of what had happened the night before flooded back into his brain and he fought to keep the tears back. Then he remembered, Zephy. Where was the wolf that had carried him off to safety? If you could call it that, he thought to himself, feeling lonely and isolated.
"Mr. Zephy?" Florin asked out loud, not wanting to attract unwanted attention he tried to keep it in hush tones.
"Mr. Zephy where are you?" He hopped on top of the fallen stone to get a better look around. He jumped up, barely being able to catch the very top of it, and pulled himself up. There on the rock, he noticed a piece of paper, some bread, and some strawberry jam juice, the type he would get from his neighbor, the elderly druid Eldora. It was his favorite and the old druid loved to see the look on his face when he drunk the mixture. It was simple to make, and Florin had tasted the kind from some of the merchants in town. Once when his mother wanted to cheer him up, she tried to give him some from one of the local goods merchants, but it just wasn't the same as Mrs. Eldora's, or, Nanny, as he used to call her. He looked around and, seeing nothing else to do, and realizing that he was somewhat hungry, took a piece of the bread and bit into it. It was the most delightful bread he had ever tasted. It had a taste of honey with a bit of blueberry that made his mouth water and craved for more. He took a sip of the juice and realized that it tasted just like Nanny's back home.
With a smile of newly found joy on his face he continued to eat his meal until he consumed it all. He wiped his mouth on his already dirty tunic and sat back against another stone.
"Did you enjoy your meal?" Came a voice that seemed to flow out of the trees around him.
"It's an old druid secret. Nothing special, just a little recipe they've learned." The wolf stepped out of what seemed to Florin as the air itself. He was startled and driven aback.
"Just a simple camouflage spell. No need to be startled." Zephy smiled at him, seeing him relax a bit.
"Well Zephy, I must thank you for saving me good sir, but um.. may I ask when I am to go home? Back to Kelethin?" He asked, hope gleamed in his eyes.
"Never." Zephy said, it seemed almost stern, and even a bit harsh. Zephy did not mean it this way, but just that word seemed cold to Florin. He would think that possible sometime soon, or, when the war is over. Something of that nature, he never expected the word, never, to be the answer.
"But...but I want to go home Zephy! I don't want to stay in this strange forest. It's not the same!" Florin looked worried, and helpless. He was now in a crouching position, almost as if he were about to run.
"I don't like this forest, ever since I came here, I could feel someone watching me! I want you to take me home! Take me home now!" the child lashed out. And seeing no reaction from the wolf, made off in a blitz. The wolf ran off after the boy. Florin didn't even get passed the first tree before the wolf caught up to him and grabbed him by the collar with his teeth. He drug the child, kicking and screaming back to the middle of the circle.
"I am sorry young one. Your home is gone, maybe there were a few elves to survive and make the run to Felwithe. I'm sure they will receive help from their high elven brethren. But for now, you cannot go back. It is too dangerous. Here, I will teach you to use the ways of the druids, their teachings, their beliefs.. and, if you are good, I might even teach you a spell or two." The wolf grinned. The grin fell from his face when he noticed the boy staring at him in anger. The grin turned into a look of concern and the boy questioned him,
"What's a dumb 'ol wolf know about druids." Florin stared at him sternly, angered by the fact that he couldn't go back home.
"More than you think little one, more than you think." The grin returned to Zephy's canine lips. "You must be careful in this forest though, there are the occasional wondering orcs from Clan Crushbone. Normally just simple scouts, but there might be an encampment or two as a caravan might come by, there are goblins in the lands beyond and the orcs have been known to trade with them." Zephy looked around, not seeming very concerned about orcs.
Florin sighed and looked up at Zephy. "You know, I never really wanted to be a druid." Florin said, staring at his feet.
"No?" Zephy asked, looking at the boy questionably. He had hoped to be able to pass on the knowledge of the druids to this boy. "Then you wish to be a warrior like your father?" Zephy frowned. He would not be able to teach the boy much about combat, only the basics that even he knew.
"Well... no not exactly Zephy." Florin looked around the forest longingly. Zephy stared at him even more confused.
"Oh please do not tell me you wish to be a simple rogue! They have their place, but I never agreed it should be within a woodelf community." Zephy scowled.
At this Florin grinned. He had wondered why someone who seemed so close to the druids, did not guess Florin's chosen career. He looked at Zephy and grinned again. With this he seemed to understand.
"A ranger you want to be then?" Zephy looked at the boy, a new smile upon his face.
"Yes sir, very much so. I went to the ranger guildhouse once with some of my friends," He paused at the thought of his friends that he had left behind, but tried to block that from his mind, he continued on, and picked up after a few words, "We saw them cast spells, just like the druids, but that fought fiercely, like my father, and were excellent with the bow. Ever since then I've always wanted to be a ranger!" Florin looked at Zephy. He could see the longing in the boys eyes.
"Then a ranger you will be, child." Zephy then looked glanced over to the trees, then smiled back at the boy. "Though I am somewhat limited in the art of combat as you might tell, being a wolf it is somewhat hard trying to hold a weapon." Florin could see a grin in the wolf's mouth.
"I understand that um... master Zephy." Florin smiled in hopes that his new teacher might approve of the title.
"Haha." The wolf laughed. "Please child, do not call me master, it seems so unfitting to me." The wolfs smile stayed upon his mouth. "As a ranger though," he continued, "You will have to learn the basics of combat, before you can learn to hone the power of magicks." Zephy began to explain.
'Why is that Zephy?" The boy asked in wonderment, glad to be on with the days lessons and put the mornings problems aside.
"Well, child, casting a spell is much harder work than one might think. You see, first you must be able to have the appropriate mana, which is magical energy one must learn to control and keep within your soul. Think of it as...." Zephy thought hard, trying to think of an appropriate analogy, so that the boy might understand.
"Have you ever heard stories about the gnomes and their inventions?" Zephy asked the boy suddenly.
"Why yes! In fact, a gnome once came to our town and gave away toys. He showed me one that looked like a steel dragons. It was soooo marvelous! It had glowing red eyes and when you pressed a button on it's back, it's wings moved and it's mouth opened!" Florin said happily. "But to make it run, you had to put in either this black liquid he called fuel, or something about Gnomish Spirits... whatever those are. It's kind of scary to think it has to eat spirits to run, so I thought I might not press the button too often." Florin looked at the ground as if he had done something wrong.
Zephy chuckled to himself. "Try and think of it this way. That dragon is you, and the fuel that was put into it, was the mana. And the button pressed was taking the mana, and using it, and the outcome would be the dragons eyes lighting up and moving about. Gathering the magical energies of mana, is like putting the fuel into you, but there is no hand to do it for you and as you might guess, the steel dragon could not put the fuel into himself." Zephy continued the explanation and Florin tried to catch every detail of it, trying to explain it to himself so that he might understand.
"So the dragon must learn how to get the fuel into itself, and that's how you might gather mana." Zephy went on, "Now using it is another story, and a little more difficult, as the dragon was able to gather this magic "fuel" he could not press the button. As the button was on the back of the dragon, he could not reach it, so again he must focus himself into being able to manipulate the energies into pressing that button for him, and after that button was pressed, he could simple let it loose. But he must focus on the magic, and give it utmost concentration. Which is what magic users must do. Which gives them no time to be able to dabble in simple combat. That is why you must first learn the basics of combat, only then will you be able to concentrate under the pressures of battle." Zephy finished his explanation to see a little boy looking at him rather confused.
"Um... so that means I have to learn to swing a sword and pull a bow before I can make my enemies burst into flames?" Florin asked, a little more confused than he was before.
"Magic is not all fire and explosions Florin, it is much much more. It allows us to commune with nature and do more wondrous things than simple "make enemies explode"" Zephy looked at Florin hoping he'd understand.
"Well I suppose Zephy, if that's how you want to put it." Florin was goring tired of talk, and it was past lunchtime. He had excess energy to burn after that wonderful meal he had had. And he thought that if he were to have meals like that everyday, and then was able to learn how to make fire burst from your hands, than sure, he could stay a while.
"So then Zephy... how about a sword to swing?" Florin grinned and Zephy was startled, then, looked off into the trees and smiled back at the child.
* * * * * * * * * *
The wood elf walked along the path from the GreaterFeydark toward the Steamfront mountains. With him he carried a note and a dirty green tunic. He was a young elf, and on his guild tunic he had only reached the 6th season of the ranger, which was not very high, so he was sent to do simple tasks, such as deliver messages.
'Why would someone request a rangers training form way out here? I swear, Maesyn is really making me do a lot of work today, I wonder what I've done wrong, did I anger him or something of that nature?" The young elf stopped and looked around. "Well this was there spot where is....."
"No young one." Came a voice from the tress.
"Huh? Who said that?" The elf drew his long sword and got into his fighting stance.
"No need to fight, I simply asked for you because I knew no one would believe a simple wolf wanted these items, and so they'd only mistake your silly tale as child's play" A wolf came from the trees and made the young ranger jump.
"I see you have the ranger tunic and the necessary tasks needed to complete to First Circle of the Ranger. I shall be taking those if you don't mind, you may place them in my mouth." Zephy open his mouth and a bewildered expression crossed the elf's face.
"Well hurry now, I don't have all day." Zephy asked irritably.
"Y-yes s-sir." The young elf placed the objects into Zephy's mouth. And it promptly closed tight. Zephy then disappeared back into the trees. The young ranger, still scared half to death, started running as fast as his legs could carry him back to Kelethin.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"What is this for?" Florin asked as he put on the tunic that was just a bit big, and looked at the sheet of parchment strangely.
"Those are the task that must be completed in order to pass on from the first circle of the ranger onto the second." Zephy explained to the boy.
"Hrm..." Florin looked of the parchment. "Hey, this looks easy!. It says here I just need to help with the bat population, it says there are just too many of them. That shouldn't be too hard, I just pluck the wings from then. This'll be easy Zephy." Florin looked up at the wolf happily. Florin was confused as to why Zephy was smiling, but he didn't care, he would complete the first circle easy enough.
"So Zephy, where do I go to kill these vile beasts!" Florin said with excitement. Then he looked at his hands and wondered. "And how do I kill them? I don't have a weapon or anything." Suddenly there was a thud and the grass beside Florin made way for a rusty scimitar that lay at his feet.
"There you are young one, just for your size as well." Zephy looked at the boy and grinned.
"But ... it's all, rusty." Florin looked at the scimitar confused and dissappointed. He had hoped to be able to wield a fine blade, like his father, made of the most fine and well balanced steel, while being held with a golden hilt made of jewels and other shiny trinkets.
"Even the mightiest warrior started out as a meager little trainee. As so must the trainee's weaponry." Zephy looked at the child. Florin's mouth was to one side of his face as he looked at the scimitar.
"Well, I guess so." Florin said aloud. He bent down to pick up the sword and when he grabbed it, made the attempt to come up just as fast, and fell flat on his face.
"It may seem a bit heavy at first." Zephy grinned, looking down at the boy as he still lay in the grass.
"Thanks for the warning." Florin said, his words muffled by the dirt in his mouth. He brought himself to his feet and picked up the sword with both hands and staggered around a bit.
"You will get used to it, I promise." Zephy chuckled as he watch the both waver around and catch himself off balance.
"So then Zephy, where are these nasty little bats." Florin grinned as he finally seemed to get used to the feeling of the heavy object.
"Little bats? Why didn't you read it all? These are giant bats." Zephy grinned as he saw the boys eyes open wide. "Yes, take a look at the sheet again."
Florin fumbled in his breeches pocket and flung the note out to take another look at it. Sure enough, there it was clear as day, help control the giant bat population. He was surprised he had missed it before.
"G-g-giant bats?" He asked, seeming very scared at the thought of a huge bat coming down and getting tangled up in his hair.
"Yes young one, in fact, some are even as big you." Zephy said with a grin on his face.
"B-but I dunno if...ack!" Too late, Florin was being drug into the forest, kicking and screaming all the way.
After several minutes of this, he was tired and stopped. Zephy released him and turned to face the child.
"Are you quite done?" He said to the boy who now had a stern look on his young face.
"Yes, but what if they hurt me? They might come out of nowhere and fly down and get caught in my hair!" Florin pleaded with Zephy.
"Do not worry young one. I will make sure no harm comes to you." Zephy replied trying to comfort the poor child. "I have healing spells that will insure your safety." Zephy finsihed, hoping this would help calm the child.
"Really?" Florin asked hopefully.
"Yes really, in fact, I could make it so that you could take on legion of these vile beast and not be harmed one bit!" Zephy said triumphantly.
"Well then, that certainly makes me feel better! Then where are these vile giant bats?! I'll tear em lim from lim!" The child said eagerly swinging at the air.
"Come, 'tis a short distance to a group of trees where there is a large family of bats and I'm sure you can find more than enough bats there to pluck." Zephy told the boy as they walked off farther into the woods.
"So Zephy," Florin started as they walked along a dense path, "Do you think I'll make a good ranger?" he asked hopefully.
"With years of practice little one, you will make a superb ranger." This seemed to please Florin, so he continued.
"I've heard stories of Maesyn Trueshot, he's the ranger guildmaster, you think I'll be as great as he will one day? You think that maybe children will sing tales of my glorious deeds?" again hope filling Florins words.
He looked over to his side and notice Zephy wasn't so bright anymore. He face was now dour and grim.
"Florin, are you familiar with your family's history?" Zephy looked at the child and had a sort of sadness in his voice.
"Just something about a sword and a dragon. Mother said that all family's have a history, especially dwarves, and almost all of those have something to do with swords and dragons, most of them wrong, so mine's probably wrong too. I'm sure the only truth is there was once a smith and a druid in our family you just cast a spell on a really nice sword he made, then went out and killed a few orcs and made a name for himself. That's what mother says anyway. It isn't anything important I'm sure." Florin shrugged it off as he had been asked this question many times.
"Then what of your father? I assume he was a Mistwalker an married your mother?" Zephy asked
"Yeap, he married her and had the ceremony at some old ruins near Kelethin. They were kind of far off he says, and Wizards would seems to meet there a lot. He even said he would take me once." Florin sighed, trying to hold back his sadness.
"Did he ever tell you stories of his family?" Zephy asked again, Florin couldn't understand why Zephy cared, but continued to answer anyway.
"Well sure. Like I said, something about a sword and a dragon. Mother told me not to pay attention but I liked them, even if they weren't real, they were fun to listen to." Florin finished.
Then entered a large clearing of trees. As Florin looked up he noticed a tall overhanging network of branched and nests. One might think it was a huge bird nest, but as Florin continued to look up, he could make out little shapes of bat parts. He would see an ear hanging out here, a nose there, at first he thought someone might have already been here, but then he noticed them moving. That's when he knew they were alive.
"How am I supposed to get them way up there Zephy?" Florin looked at his scimitar and raised it into the air, just to check if he could reach. Of course he could not considering the trees were at least one hundred rood in the air.
The wolf grinned and looked at the child. "Are you in the mood to see a little magic Florin?" Zephy asked the confused boy.
"Always!" Florins eyes lit with excitement as he held the scimitar out in a battle stance, as he saw his father do when he trained with the new recruits.
Then, sparks lit the sky. There were a thousand balls of spiky red-white light that floated around the wolf and made a sound much like thunder. The air around the wolf rippled and split, the sky giving way to the very powers that seemed to be called from the heavens themselves. They hovered around the wolf for just a moment, spinning up into some sort of spiral, then with a quick burst of lighting that seemed to rush up into the trees, the sparkles of light surged into the canopy and seemed to meet in one spot, giving off a huge blast and sending a dead bat falling to the ground.
At the noise and death of a family member, the bats flew from the trees, not to attack the wolf, but to run. But it was too late, Zephy had cast another spell and the space that had once separated the tiny grove of trees had overgrown with what had seemed to be overgrowth of some sort. The weeds and bushes had sprung forth from the grown and filled in the spaces of escape for the bats.
One came swooping down, right in the path of young Florin, whom, seeing the bat, did not know what to do. He looked around the grove quickly, petrified at the thought of a bat flying into him. Zephy saw and anticipated this, some quickly move over to the boy, put hut nose under the hilt of the sword and raised it. Florin looked away and squinted, hoping it would be over soon. He felt a large resistance against his sword and heard the sound of a crunch.
He slowly opened his eyes to see the bat lying dead on the ground. He looked at his blood covered sword, and at the bat lying on the ground, dead. He suddenly felt very sad for this bat, who had died for no reason at all.
"Why ... why do I do this?" He asked quietly to himself. Wondering how something like this could ever be for the good of the woodland people. Zephy saw this, and knew of the boys doubts. But he could not allow the boy to become soft, he must learn the ways of the warrior, weather he fought for good or evil, it mattered little to the Syndicate's needs. With a stern look on his face Zephy turned to look back into the canopy and started to recite words, strange to Florin's ears.
As he finished the incantation, a single bolt flew from his mouth and hit a part of the nest. Down flew bones and meatparts of small animals. Birds, rabbits, cats, deer, and Florin, so his horror, saw the skeleton of a small, baby elf.
"That is why, young one. There are too many of these creatures. They are not evil, but they try and survive, just like you and me. To do this they must eat, and when there are too many, they run out of things to eat, so they must resort to," Zephy paused a moment to look down at the baby's skeletal remains."other sources." He said grimly.
Florin heard this, and even with a minuet understanding of why that happened, he was still filled with a rage so deep, it pierced his very soul. In great anger he swung at the air, over and over, trying to hit one of the flying rats. His efforts were in vain though, as they zipped by his head many times, he was still unable to take even one down.
"You must focus little one, do not swing blindly. Concentrate. Try and focus all of your anger into your sword and eyes. Find one, anticipate his actions, and cut him off before he finished." Zephy finished sternly.
Florin looked back at Zephy and nodded. Then with a scowl he looked to the airs around him and singled out a single bat, flying around madly. That one. He thought to himself. He noticed it take a turn for him and squeak. As it did that, it turned. And then, it approached a tree, and squeaked again, and turned.
"So," Florin said to himself, "everytime the squeak, they're about to turn." He did not look back to see Zephy nod.
The same bat came at him again, this time, Florin was ready. He heard the squeak and quickly jumped into the bats path of turning, and guided his scimitar as it cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. There was a loud slicing sound, a piercing squeal, and then there was one last bad in the area.
Florin stood triumphantly over the dead body. "That," he said to the bat, as if it could still hear him, "was for the baby."
Florin returned to the circle that night with twenty five bat wings. More than enough to complete his first circle. He would also dine that night, on the fine delicacy of bat meat.
Zephy was quiet on the way back, but not out of sorrow, or unhappiness. He had a pleasing smile on his face. Florin could not figure out why but thought it may have something to do with the fact that he was able to complete a whole circle in a day, which meant he would be a Grand Master Ranger in only fifty days. Florin grinned at the thought, but was not vain enough to think that at higher circles, a circle could be completed in a day.
He yawned and stretched and yearned for a bed. They entered the small grove in which the druid ring stood, and, to the left of the ring, there was a small hut. Florin looked surprised and peered over to Zephy. The wolf nodded as he knew Florin was asking if the little house was for him.
Florin jumped for joy and ran toward the hut. Upon inspection, it had a little desk, with parchment and quill, and ink. He had a little bed, just for him, and a bookshelf with many useful books on bowcraft and fletching, to wonderful story tales of knights and elves. Of course, at the time, Florin could not read these writings just yet, but Zephy had planned to teach him.
Florin sat down on his bed. "So I guess this is my new home." he said to himself. "I guess it's not all that bad. At least I'm still in the forest. And I should be grateful to Tunare that I'm still even alive. I could have be killed by those vicious orcs." He sighed to himself and his face grew grim. "And they dark elf... whoever that elf was, I will make him pay!" He squeezed the end of his shirt and looked to the side of his bed. There sat his scimitar.
He thought back the the days events. At the start he was a scared little boy, intent on bringing back his parents from the grave, and running away from helpful strangers. Now, it seemed, different. He knew his parents were dead. He knew he couldn't bring them back, and, although he longed for them, knew he could do nothing but bring revenge to the vile dark elf that slew his Mother, and the wretched orc that killed his father.
Florin lay upon his bed and stared at the ceiling and sighed. And, after much thought, said to himself, "I've changed."
