The Lightbearer's Gift

I stood in front of the large mirror in my room examining my armor. The brown set of leather armor to my displeasure clashed horribly with the elven sword. The leather and iron buckles didn’t match the purple, silver and white of the sheath. At least my hair was in proper condition, one of my first priorities once we reached Hearthaven would be getting another set of armor. Hopefully, whatever armor inside the city can man make me a set entirely in white set accented with purple and silver to match the sword belt and sheath. It would be a pain to keep it clean, but the price would be worth it. Regardless of how plain the armor was I still cut an impressive figure that screamed mage.

A knock at my door brought me out of self-admiration. I had sent Benny into the city to get a few items for the road so no doubt that was her return. She took over an hour longer than I expected but it’s not as If I was in a rush. The trading Caravan would stay for a few days and return north back to Hearthaven.

“Come in Benny,” I said loudly.

My wonderful apprentice entered looking radiant as ever. The two weeks since she had gone through her transformation had had a marked effect on her appearance. Her skin was completely clear of blemishes, and I could feel the aura of power that surrounded her. Health being a large factor, her beauty had given her no small amount of pride that bordered on arrogance.

Initially I had feared that once she had gained a significant amount of power, she would then question my leadership or disobey me. In the end those fears were unwarranted.

Before she was loyal but now it borders on fanatical. Any behavior from those that didn’t show me absolute respect was usually met with violence and she even killed a man who called me a knife ear. Granted the idiot was drunk, but that made no difference to Benny. The guard captain was rather upset at that but what was she going to do, arrest me? Now half the city feared her.

Usually, I would try a more subtle approach but lately I found myself encouraging the behavior. Now most simper and bow to me to avoid her displeasure. I assumed this was sparked by the inevitable question that entered their minds. If the apprentice was such a monster, then what of the master that commands her. That lingering question was enough to cow most everyone I met. I won’t lie, I have been enjoying it immensely and exploiting it ruthlessly.

“Master the trading caravan arrived earlier.” She said as she stood next to me in front of the mirror. By the looks of her she just came from a Salon. Her hairstyle seemed similar to mine.

“At least we look appropriate for the occasion.” Well-prepared armor and expensive jewelry were the two most important parts of the mage’s ensemble in my opinion.

“Come let's go see if there’s anything interesting worth buying.”

We headed out to the main street where the caravan was likely stationed. By the growing ocean of humanity that was flowing towards the entrance of the city the location of the caravan was obvious. Our names have spread through the city so anyone with sense gave us a wide berth. In the main square, taking up much of the roads, were at least 50 carriages, packed heavily with goods. Everyone from nobles to peasants milled around waiting until the merchants and tradesmen finished unpacking their goods and set up stalls.

“Here, go get something for yourself. Meet me back at the inn for supper if you can’t find me later.” I handed her a pouch containing at least 50 geldings. She grinned and said.

“Thanks master.” She grabbed the pouch and skipped off towards the one of the stalls that were selling swords. She currently had my old sword belted at her waist while I wore the elven blade.

Soon enough the main square was whipped into a frenzy. A long line formed in front of every merchant or transman, each had burly guards that gave peasants the stink eye if they got too handsy with the goods.

These range from everyday items like pots and pans, to luxury items like jewelry, books, art sweets, one man even sold pets. Many of the creatures I couldn’t give names other than bird or cat, their specific species were too odd. There was one gray bird that seemed to be an odd mixture between an eagle and an owl. It was at least two and a half tall with gray feathers and a pitch-black beak, its legs were as thick as my wrist. I skipped in front of everyone in line to get a closer look at the bird. Its eyes were such a deep brown they looked black.

“She caught your fancy sir mage?” the large red haired bearded man who was just finishing setting up his display of animals called out to me as I examined the bird.

“Yes, tell me what she is.” I met the owl-eagle creature’s eyes as she tracked my movement.

“It’s an Arlette only a year old with room to grow.” He said, the man pulled a strip of meat out of nowhere and the Arlette gulped it down whole. The feathers around its face morphed and she lost her owlish shape. I’ve been wanting to test my abilities on animals and this Arlette was such an impressive looking creature that I had to have it.

“I’ll take it.” I said as I reached for my own coin purse.

The man seemed surprised but recovered quickly.

“That’ll be………10 gelding Milord.” I assume he was overcharging me, but I didn’t care.

I took out said gelding without comment and handed it to the man.

“Does she have a name?”

“Ahh no, sir” he said as he began searching though his large carriage. Pulled out a sack containing strips of dried meat and handed it to me.

“This is enough feed for a few days.”

After a brief discussion about how to care for the bird, I made my way to a lone bench in the middle of the square. The large cage was cumbersome, and the bird squawked indignantly as I jostled her about during the trip.

“Well, what shall I name you.” I tried to think of a few names.

“Cloud for the feathers. Not too predictable.” I gazed into her near pitch-black eyes and a word came to mind.

“Noire. That shall be your name” I liked the way it felt on my tongue.

I stuck a hand through the cage, and she pecked at it. It took a few moments for her to calm down and let me touch her, finally, I had steady contact with a leg. Then I began channeling life ether into the bird. She stiffened, shook rapidly, her feathers puffing out then calmed down. It took almost no time to meet the familiar barrier. It took so little life ether that I suspected if I blew past it now the bird would die. As I pulled my hand away, she pecked at me gently.

“A bird master?” Benny said from behind me.

I was so focused on her that I didn’t notice Benny’s approach.

“Yes, I wanted to run some tests on how my abilities worked with animals.” I explained.

Looking at her I didn’t see anything obvious that she bought. But I didn’t really care.

“Did you do what we discussed yesterday?”

“Yes master, the head guard for the caravan said that they would leave in 4 days. We have to either pay for room on the traveling carriages or provide our own” Benny gave me a mischievous grin as she continued.

“I gave him 10 geldings for him to arrange a private covered carriage for us. I made sure to show a little magic, so he knows not to screw us over.”

I smiled; it was fortunate that I didn’t have to bother myself with such mundane things.

“Excellent, we have just enough time for me to test a few things. Did you end up buying anything?”

“Yes, a few toiletries, a lovely necklace and some caramel sweets.” As she spoke, she pulled said items out of her bag. I shrugged, not really caring either way. I tried one of the sweets. It was an enjoyable combination but sweet, salty, and buttery.

“Let’s head out of the city for a bit. I want to test a few things with Noire.”

“The bird?” she asked.

“Yes, It an Arlette apparently”

“Strange name.” Benny said as we headed out.

As we walked outside the city limits, Noir constantly pecked at the cage trying to get my attention. It was similar to how my horse acted. After some of the ether dissipated in the eagle’s body I push past her barrier even if she dies it would be an interesting experiment. When we were an hour's walk into the forest I began my test.

Reaching my hand through the bars of the cage I came into contact with the large bird. She ran her head along my hand no doubt waiting for me to put more energy into her, and so, I did.

I pushed past that barrier with little effort and pulled away. Within a few minutes the familiar process started. The bird staggered as if drunk and then released such an ear-piercing shriek that in reflex I covered my ears. Noir thrashed in the cage in abject agony. I did feel sorry for the poor creature but not enough to stop the process. After only a few hours the screeching stopped and the bird slumped awkwardly in the cage, seemingly unconscious.

I opened the latch of the cage and took out the limp bird. I thought it was dead until I checked it with my abilities. Bird anatomy was unknown to me, but I could see the similar changes I observed within Benny happening with the bird.

“Well, that was unpleasant. What do you think will happen to it? " Benny asked.

“Haven’t the foggiest, but I suppose it will just be a stronger bird.” I said as I put the bird back into the cage.

“Come, let's head back, and prepare to leave.”

The next day the bird awoke and as expected was ferociously hungry it ate through most of the dried meat that the merchant gave me. I resolved to just have the servants in the inn bring a freshly killed chicken. One thing I noticed from the bird is how it stared at me. As I walked through the room her dark eyes tracked me near constantly.

Curious to see what she would do, I opened the door, and she stepped out. We locked eyes, her head twisted to the left and right like a dog. Unsure of what I should do I stared at her for over a minute. Shrugging I held out an arm and said.

“Come Noir.”

With a single flap of her wings, she flew across the room and landed on my forearm. Her powerful talons used it as a perch. I had the distinct feeling that if she wanted, she could crush bone. Within the ether she was much brighter. Her head twitched to the door and her face feathers puffed out making her look like an owl. I could faintly hear boots that got louder as they reached my door, Benny walked in.

Noir took an aggressive stance before I said.

“None of that now, Benny is a friend.” Noir’s head twitched to me then she calmed down. It’s almost like she understood me. As soon as she did, I poured some life ether into her. Her talons clenched for a second, then loosed.

“She could definitely crush bone.” I said to myself.

I wasn’t sure how to train a bird, but I was interested to see how my power would affect her over the coming weeks. I gazed into her eyes again, and I swear there was some intelligence in them that didn’t exist two days earlier.

How strange.

“Well at least she is better now, I’ve been overhearing some of the staff complaining about how many chickens she ate.”

She had eaten at least 10.

I didn't care about the staff’s complaints.

“How’s the preparation for our coming?” I asked Benny since the caravan was slated to leave today.

“We depart in 2 hours, master.” Benny said.

“Good, let's head out to the caravan and see to our carriage.”

As soon as we exited the building, with Noire still on my arm, she flew off into the air. She did a loud screech as she took to the sky. She flew off into the distance until she left the city. I had no real interest in owning a bird or carrying around a cage so this would be for the better. I had learned all I really wanted to over the last few days. I had simply just made a stronger bird, there were no noticeable fluctuations within the ether like with magical creatures such as the drake or the arctic quail from the auction.

“Hopefully she lives a good life.” Benny said.

I shrugged, not really caring either way.

We made our way towards where the caravan was stationed and gone were the large crowds. Most were in the final stages of packing up their goods or dealing with some last-minute shoppers. Benny led me to the middle of the caravan where a single guard stood in front of a covered two horse carriage. He nodded to Benny as we approached.

“My lady, my lord, I will be your driver,” He said and bowed as we approached.

I didn’t bother saying anything to the man and entered the carriage. It was decently sized accommodations with plush seats and the windows had curtains if I wanted privacy. Benny had a short conversation with the man before she entered and closed the door.

“We should be leaving in a quarter hour, Master.” She said,

“Very good here, I have a gift” I said as I passed on a newly made grimoire, I had completed the night before. It was for the telekinesis spell. Benny grinned and grabbed it out of my hand.

“Oh, thank you master, I've been dying to learn this spell.”

I smiled approving of her eagerness to learn.

“That should be a good way to pass the time, don't you think?” She nodded though I’m not sure if she even heard me. The train of over 50 carriages slowly made its way out of the city. We travel at an easy pace only slightly above walking. While traveling alone would be faster this offered more safety. Over an hour into the journey the sun was just reaching its zenith, Benny and I sat in companionable silence as she studied the telekinesis spell and I read a book on the history of Hearthaven that I purchased from a merchant. A familiar loud screech interrupted the constant sound of horse’s hooves, carriage wheels on paved roads, and distant conversation.

Benny and I looked at each other as we both had the same thought. Pulling back the curtains for the caravan window I looked into the sky and after a few minutes I spotted her. Noire flew high in the sky seeming to be circling the carriage. After a few minutes she flew off and once again I lost sight of her.

“I guess she is following us?” Benny said.

“I suppose so, how she is tracking us is not sure, but my abilities could have done any number of things to her.” I whispered back.

It continued like this for most of the day. We would hear a cry. She would circle for a few minutes then fly off. Finally, the sun started to set, and travel ended for the day. The caravan was led to a clear field, and all-around humans began to prepare for the night. Our driver prepared everything for us, so in the space of an hour we had a tent prepared for us to sleep in. After a small meal Benny, who was tired from constant practice, went to sleep.

It seems that even though she needed less sleep than a normal human it was still necessary for her. I needed almost none at this point and resolved to practice magic through the entire night. It still proved to be difficult integrating a third spell circuit, and progress was slow. I assumed it would take me most of the year to finish. In the middle of the night a shriek sounded outside my tent. It didn’t sound like it was from the air. I opened the flap and in walked Noir her beak and feathers were stained with a small amount of dried blood. I reached out my hand, she flapped and landed looking at me almost expectedly.

Shrugging I channeled some more ether into her since I had plenty to spare. After a few minutes I stopped the flow and sat her down in a corner of the tent. I looked at her curiously as she prepared to sleep.

Has she grown bigger?

The cycle continued for over 10 days, most of the caravan stayed clear of the large bird that would perch itself on my carriage while traveling. Oftentimes when we stopped to rest, she would fly off and return with a kill. I watched as she devoured a vaguely deer looking creature that was as large as she was. Before I estimated that Noire was roughly 15 pounds but now she had grown to at least 35. She now stood 4-foot-tall and seemed to have an endless stomach. As she kills at least 3 times per day.

“I wonder how big she will get?” Benny asked.

“Not sure, from what the merchant said she would grow to about 3 feet tall in a few years. Now she is far bigger than that.” I said as she finished off the creature. The peasantry gave the bird a wide berth as they ran around doing whatever it is peasants do.

“Well, she is scary looking, I mean those claws.” Benny said.

Before they were the size of a man’s fist, now they looked like they could crush a man’s skull. One peasant who got too close drew an ear-piercing screech from her that caused them to run off in fear. With one flap she took off into the air likely in search of another kill. Noire had an almost 10-foot wingspan.

“How is your training? “I asked.

She had been having some difficulty with the 6 axis controls, but it was mostly a matter of practice.

“Alright I suppose, I didn’t think it would be so straining.” Benny said, while she practiced the telekinesis on her sword. It twirled through the air jittering in odd directions as Benny tried to regulate the controls.

I spent some time giving her advice on what was the most optimal way to regulate the control system when I heard something in the distance. Tilting an ear, I could hear a faint rumble. While I would usually ignore strange sounds my ears picked up, the odd rumbling in the forest was oddly familiar. Most of the carriages were parked in a loose circle in the large field. Tilting my head I could tell that it was coming from the forest, the edge of which was around 500 feet away.

“Master is something amiss? Benny asked.

I didn’t respond as my mind finally realized why the rumbling sounded so familiar. Boots on the ground, hundreds of them running towards us. What is this an ambush? The sound grew in volume as the group got closer. I looked around and realized no one else had noted the sound. I gauged the distance. And cast a radiant shield on the entire group. Sounds of alarm sounded as all 50 carriages were covered with the shield.

“Benny inform the guard captain that there will be an attack. Hundreds of people are storming towards our location from the forest. We have a few minutes before they arrive.”

Worry, eagerness, anticipation, a myriad of expressions ran across her face before she sprinted off. Not a minute later the guard captain and 20 men came running towards me, while all around civilians were being gathered and carts were being moved to provide cover. The guard captain was a middle-aged man who just started graying. I’ve never interacted with the man, since I left all things like that to Benny.

“Sir mage are you sure?” the man said in a deep baritone.

“I assure you guardsman; these ears are large for a reason.”

He looked up at the large shield that covered the entire group. Since he seemed to be out of his depth, so I said.

“My apprentice and I will kill them as they exit the forest. Have hour guards pick off any stragglers that get past us. Once I confirm that there isn’t an enemy mage, I can finish off most easily. Have the rest of the humans gather behind and inside the carriages for cover.”

He nodded, for the next 30 seconds there was a frantic rush as peasants guards and merchants scrambled to get to cover. By their haste they no doubt started to hear the sound of boots. Then there was the telltale pulse in the ether as a spell was released. There was a great cry of terror as shards of ice began to rain down from the sky. they crashed against my shield with a loud slightly metallic sounding bang.

“I’ll hold the shield against the mage, once the soldiers exit the forest get ready to counterattack like we practiced.” I said to benny. She nodded with a grin spreading across her face, her anticipation clear.

Turning my gaze to the captain, I ordered.

“My apprentice and I will handle the majority of the attackers. Prioritize defending the humans from any that may slip past our notice.” I said.

“Yes, sir mage.” The man said and saluted me. He started barking orders and the rest of the 30 men got into formations spread out to cover our flanks.

Then hundreds of armored soldiers exited the forest accompanied by another rain of ice that my shield head strongly against. Instead of the few dozen from before there were hundreds. There were great cries of terror from the peasants as they watched in fear as the man-sized spikes of ice exploded against the shield. The noncombatants held children close as they hid under the carriages. I could hear faint prayers.

Now that the rain ended, I dropped the shield and instantly Benny responded. The space of 3 seconds she released 2 air blasts that detonated in the middle of the rush of men. The explosions instantly killed over 50 men and many more flying. Almost in the same instant that her spells were released I began raising the second shield. As a massive spire of ice erupted from inside the forest crossing the over 500-foot distance and colliding with the shield. This was a far stronger spell than before draining a significant amount of stamina from me. As strong as it was, they would need dozens to drain my stamina.

“Target their location with higher strength this time.” I ordered Benny.

Once more I dropped the shield as she responded. I gave her an extra second to overcharge the spell and she released it. Again, as we practiced, I raised the second shield. The rush of bodies didn't stop though and a 20 or so managed to get within the barrier a radiant lance and getting and a well-placed arrow by one of the guardsmen ended all attackers.

Benny’s spell detonated near the location where we saw the spire of ice originate. This detonation was at least twice as large and killed even more soldiers than her initial attack. This blast was enough to break them and soon enough there were calls to retreat. There was no response from the mage, but I held the shield until my ears informed me that they completely retreated from the area.

The fight barely lasted two minutes, there was an early silence only punctuated by the heavy breathing of the peasants behind us. The massive spire of ice from the mages last spell cracked and broke apart under gravity. That was enough to break the tense silence that had fallen over our group.

“That was random.” Benny said.

I strained my ears but could hear nothing in the distance.

“I think they’re gone.” I said and dropped the shield at the same moment. The captain walked over to us and said.

“My thanks, I have never seen magical combat before, but it was as terrifying as the stores suggest.” He said as he glanced at the massive shards of broken ice that littered the area where my shield held.

“Yes, it’s usually quick and violent. It is fortunate that we were here. Who knows what would have happened to you all otherwise.”

Eventually the terrified people exited their carriages and crawled out from their hiding places staring slack jawed at the large amount of ice that littered the area.

“My apprentice and I will examine the forest to ensure that there are no ambushes. Prepare the rest of the carriage for travel. It is best that we head to Hearthaven with maximum haste. If you can grab any survivors as prisoners no doubt whoever is in charge would want to know what happened here.” I ordered, once more the man saluted me and ran off to just that.

Benny and I walked towards the battlefield largely ignoring the dozens of dead and mangled bodies. Once we were far enough that we wouldn’t be overheard, Benny asked.

“Why are we checking the bodies?”

“I’m mostly searching for the mage, hopefully you managed to catch him in that blast.” I said. from the cover of the tree lined I couldn’t see them.

“Oh right” she said, realizing my intention.

Occasionally, we would come across dying men picking out one that seemed unconscious but reasonably healthy. I gave him a quick heal so he wouldn't die. I signaled to the guard captain to take this one as a prisoner. The rest I ripped their lives away while pretending I was checking for a pulse. Eventually we reached the location of Benny’s second blast. I looked around but none of the bodies we found had the ostentatious armor common with mages. So, I had to assume he or she had escaped. Glancing around at the broken bodies I noted that they were not armored with the random assortment of leather and scavenged plates that most bandits wore. Instead, their armor seemed standardized like that of an army.

“Well Benny, it looks like we just stumbled in the middle of some conflict.” I asked as I examined the emblem of one of the soldiers, it looked like a two headed drake.

Benny walked over and examined the same emblem. “I’ve no clue who it belongs to.”

I smiled as a thought occurred to me.

“I know that smile, what are you thinking?” Benny asked.

“If there is one thing, we know about Hearthaven is that they are wealthy. Originally, I saved these human’s lives as an excellent way to introduce ourselves to the city.” I said.

Benny finished my thought. “If there’s some war coming no doubt whoever is in charge would want our services. How much do you plan to change?”

I considered for a moment how much coin I would want to have in the bank before I reached the capital.

“15 thousand a month and any magical items of our choosing. No doubt whoever is in charge has many magical items in their treasury.”

“Didn’t you charge the baron 5000 a month? Do you think they will go for triple that price?”

“It’s possible that they will refuse, in that case I will simply move on to another barony, maybe to their enemies.” I got up and brushed off some dirt from my armor.

I breathed in the cool spring air excited at the profits that will come to me. hearing a groan, I noticed a young woman in armor she seemed to have badly broken legs from Benny’s attack. She was splayed on the ground staring up at the canopy above. She had pitch black hair and eyes so brown they looked black. Behind the mask of dirt and pain she clearly had a lovely face.

“Please help me.” she begged. Benny and I walked over and stared down at the woman.

Benny looked at me and asked. “What do we do with her?”

I considered interrogating her for information about the attack but that was a lot of work that I couldn’t be bothered with. No doubt I would find out all I needed to know once we reached the city.

I gave her my most charming smile, kneeled down and laid a hand on her cheek. She seemed almost enthralled by my eyes.

she asked once more through the pain. “Get me to a medicant please.”

Without another thought ripped the life from her. Her body thrashed madly as it tried to fight the flow but in a few moments she was dead. Her once lively black eyes were dim and empty.

I looked over to Benny,

“How about a quick refresher.” I said as I extended my arm.

Benny grinned understanding my meaning,

“Yes master.” I cupped her face much in the same way as the woman. I gave her half the life ether that I collected from the injured soldiers. A cry above brought my attention to Noire who preached on a branch and was watching the entire process. I didn't even hear her land.

“Ahhh I’ll never get tired of that,” Benny said.

Once I was done with Benny, I said to Noire.

“Fine, come on then.” She leapt down and landed on my forearm. She has gotten heavier now. I had to guess she was about 35 pounds. As I funneled life ether into her and at around 2 lives worth of I reached the second barrier. Reaching that barrier for either Benny or I would take dozens of lives so I might as well see what would happen to Noire if I pushed past it a second time.

“Go somewhere safe before the pain sets in” I said to noir. One thing I noticed was that she somehow understood my commands. So, she took off into the air, her flight lacking the powerful grace she usually had.

Benny and I watched as she flew away almost drunkenly.

“What do you think will happen to her?” Benny asked.

I wasn’t sure but at the very least I could extrapolate what would happen to me or Benny when that happened.

Finding that many people to fuel the transformation would be a problem. A thought came unbidden to me. In wars there would be many prisoners I considered deeply if I should add that to my price. I igonored any moral implications of such an action and settled on my decision.

I shrugged they were just humans anyways.