The Chronicles of Weyard
By Pyro1588
Chapter 1: Prologue
"What a beautiful day," Santur thought, as he hiked through the foothills of the mountains west of Lunpa. Santur had been raised in Lunpa, the town named for the noble thief of ancient days. 'I can't believe that on the other side of this mountain range is the heart of Alchemy!' he thought as he sat on a rock to catch his breath. Alchemy was the great power that, long ago, had been sealed up to prevent the destruction of Weyard. As legend had it, a group of nine companions discovered how Weyard was dying because of the seal. You see, Weyard needed that power to live. Alchemy is what it thrived on. A group of Mars adepts embarked on a quest to break the seal and revive Weyard. Their first attempt had failed miserably, killing all but two of their party. Three years later, however, they returned to try again. They found the scholar, Kraden, who eventually became one of the nine companions. They questioned him, but found him of no use. As they where leaving, they met three young teenagers, who also where destined to become companions. They allowed them to pass, then followed them secretly into Sol Sanctum, the ancient shrine which Vale guarded. Isaac and his friend, Garet, managed to unlock the portal to the elemental room, home of the elemental essences. The two Mars adepts, Saturos and Menardi, followed them into the elemental room. By the time they had entered, Isaac and Garet had recovered the Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury elemental stars. Saturos and Menardi held the scholar and a girl, Jenna, hostage, and proceeded to take the stars from Isaac and Garet. With only a quarter of the power left to sustain the chamber, the ceiling began to collapse. Saturos and Menardi managed to escape with the hostages and their accomplices, Alex and Felix. Isaac and Garet, however, where left in the collapsing room, still holding the Mars star. The Wise One, an ancient guardian of Sol Sanctum, appeared and helped them to escape. He then gave them the quest of finding Saturos and Menardi and preventing them from lighting the elemental beacons. While on the quest, they gained two allies: Ivan of the Jupiter Tribe, and Mia of the Mercury Clan. Later in their quest, they met up with Felix and his companions. Kraden then explained to Isaac how they had a choice: They could either light the beacons and risk mankind destroying itself, or they could sit back and watch as Weyard died for lack of power. Isaac joined Felix on his quest, and thus the Companionship was formed. After many trials and hardships, they managed to light the two other elemental beacons and break the seal of Alchemy.
That was ancient history, though. It had been over three hundred years since the unleashing of Alchemy. Everyone was able to use Psynergy. Some had just enough skill to do heavy lifting. Others practiced daily and could do precision work such as gemstone carving with just their Psynergy. Others devoted their whole life to the study and use of Psynergy. If they had true skill, they could take a Psynergy ship and sail to the Land of Mist. If they could pass through the Sea of Time, then they where allowed to test their skills. If they succeeded, then they earned the Badge of the Adept. The most noticeable effect was that their pupils changed color. For Venus Adepts, their pupils turned to a dark brown. Mars Adepts had bright red pupils. Jupiter Adepts had purple pupils, and the pupils of a Mercury Adept turned deep blue. Adepts also gained a birthmark of the same color under their right eye. After earning the title, their skill was said to double. If they performed exceptionally at the test, then they where given a companion to join them on their journeys: an Elemental Horse. Very little was known about the creatures, though. All Santur knew was that it was said they could move incredibly fast through their own medium. Santur dreamed of someday facing the trials and earning the right to be called an Adept. He trained everyday for three hours. He practiced all sorts of types of Psynergy. For an occupation, he wanted to be a Psynergy warrior. He also wanted to see an Elemental Horse, even if he couldn't own one.
But that was all a long way off. Right now, he had to get home in time for supper. He had heard that master Adepts of the Jupiter Tribe had the ability to teleport to various locations. It did take, however, a great amount of one's strength. That ability would definitely be helpful right now. He was already late. 'Boy, am I in for it,' he thought as he ran down the slopes, leaping small boulders. He was fast for a boy of his age. But that was one of the natural attributes of a Jupiter person. Along with it came several other abilities: An uncanny insight into what others where thinking (some people trained this skill to the point where they could read minds,) wonderful eyesight, quick reflexes, and several others, like the ability to weaken another person's Psynergy. He had also honed several other skills that did not come naturally with the Jupiter Element. These included the ability to summon a small rain cloud, many people called this 'Douse', and the ability to create small ice crystals. The reason he was able to use these Psynergies that where unique to the Mercury Clan was that Jupiter and Mercury shared a symbiosis. 'But that's beside the point,' he thought as he raced up to his house and slammed the door open. "Hi Mom. Sorry I'm late," he said as he shut the door and untied his shoes. "I thought I told you to be on time," she replied. "I know, but I got caught up in thinking and lost track of the time," he replied. "I know. About Psynergy. And becoming an Adept." She knew him well. He sheepishly took his chair at the table. His baby sister, Ganor, was playing with her food. "Eat up, wash up, and go to bed. Tomorrow's when summer vacation starts, and I know you'll be busy. You'll want to get a good night's sleep." "But Mom, can't I stay up just a little?" he begged. "Nope, you need to get some sleep. Once you turn thirteen, I'll let you stay up another hour past supper. Remember?" "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to go out and enjoy the night some" he replied. "Sorry, nope." After supper, he washed up and went to bed, dreaming of his months of vacation.
Over the next month, Santur spent most of every day training his Psynergy. Brigg, his coach, had told him that if he could master a Psynergy called 'Force', that he could start using some battle Psynergy. He was incredibly excited. The moment he had been waiting for all his life was almost in reach! He was already excellent at hand-to-hand combat, but battle Psynergy made one unbeatable! Brigg had also taught him his swordplay. He used an old sword, called an Elven Rapier. If he could focus properly, he could get it to do something called a 'Vorpal Slash'. Basically, a large slashing force would come and hit his opponent. This didn't happen often, though. He had been practicing with it, trying to get it to unleash its power more often, and he had been getting better. As for his useful Psynergy, he could now create a small whirlwind. He was getting better at it each day. "Okay, that's enough work for today." Brigg said as Santur was trying to knock over a small log with his mind. "Go cool down, and then go for a walk." "Sure thing," he replied. After a nice cold shower, he grabbed his Elven Rapier and, strapping it on, left the city gates. As he was walking through the trees outside of his town, he heard the noise of leaves shaking. But it only came from one tree. It was like there was a small wind inside the branches. He quietly unsheathed his sword and walked toward the tree. "Who's up there?" he challenged. A small blue creature flew out of the tree. It was about a foot tall, and hovered a couple inches above the ground, staring at him. It then lunged toward him and he felt himself knocked back, as by a powerful wind. He picked himself up and started chasing it. It stopped in front of a tree and turned to face him. As he brought his sword up to strike it, he felt himself caught up in a spinning whirlwind. When he was about ten feet off the ground, the whirlwind vanished and he dropped like a rock, bracing his fall and rolling to his feet. He began to focus his mind on his sword. It started howling, and a Vorpal Slash hit the small creature. He then raised his hand and a small rain cloud appeared above it and completely drenched it. It collapsed on the ground, panting. As soon as it had caught its breath, it jumped up in the air and dissolved into a stream of sparkling light. It began spinning and spiraling towards his right shoulder, reforming into the small creature. It was perched on his shoulder, but it was about a quarter of its normal size and was transparent. He sheathed his sword and reached his hand up by it. It hopped on his hand and perched there, looking at him. He put it back on his shoulder and headed back to Lunpa at breakneck speed. He ran up to the town gate, completely out of breath. "Hi Santur. How ya doin?" asked Meron. She was a girl about his age, and a good Mercury person as well. "I just found the most amazing thing! See it perched on my shoulder?" he gasped. "Bairly. It's transparent! What is it?" she asked. "I don't know. I'm going to go ask Brigg what it is. If anyone knows, he does." They both ran over to Brigg's house and pounded on the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming. What is it?" he said as he opened the door. "Oh, hi Santur. Hello, Meron. What's the big rush?" he queried. "Look what I just found out in the woods!" Santur exclaimed as the small creature perched on his hand. "Oh my!" exclaimed Brigg. "Do you know what it is?" questioned Meron. "Yes, I do. It's called a Djinni. It's an Elemental Spirit. I haven't seen one of these for years. They used to be used in battle, but they were eventually lost. Very few are still serving humans now. The only one I've ever seen was a Venus Djinni called Flint." Brigg explained. "But what are they?" asked Santur. "Okay, sit down. Time for a history lesson."
"The Djinn are the Elemental Spirits. They have the ability to use Psynergy, and are quite proficient at it, actually. They were lost for many years when Alchemy was sealed, but when the Elemental Stars where stolen, they returned from their sleep. Many of them were eventually collected by the Companionship, but many more remained uncaptured. Each of them has, in addition to its Psynergy, a special ability. Let me look this one up." Brigg grabbed a book entitled "Elemental Spirits" and quickly looked it up. "Let's see... It's obviously a Jupiter Djinni. Now we have to look it up according to its markings, which are very small. Please unleash it so that I can check the markings on it." Brigg said. "How do I do that?" Santur asked. Brigg explained, "Place it in your right hand, palm up. Then cup your left hand on top of it, palm down. Then, flip both hands back so that they are open." Santur did as he was told, and the small creature jumped out of his hand, full sized. "If there were an enemy here, the Djinni would attack it. Now let's see those markings... Ah, here it is. This Djinni is called 'Gust'. It has the ability to attack an enemy with powerful wind gusts." Brigg said. "I know." said Santur. "It knocked me back on the ground with those gusts." Brigg continued, "After a Djinni has been unleashed, it will follow you around. Or you can set it to yourself again, or you can have it follow you." "What's the advantage of it following you?" Meron asked. "If it's not set (this is also called Standby,) then you can use it to summon an Elemental Power." Brigg said. After an hour of practicing with Gust, Santur went home for supper. That night, he slept with Gust at the foot of his bead.
In the following weeks, Santur continued to train. He mastered several battle Psynergies, and became quite good at Psynergy combat. His parents started letting him go on trips, first to Vault, and then further. He could hike from Lunpa to Vault in a couple of days. Meron often went with him on these expeditions. She was a valuable battle partner to have. Many different types of creatures would attack them, especially when they where in wooded areas. As they continued on their travels, they found a Mercury Djinni named Hail. Meron got that one. Santur continued to study Psynergy and Elemental powers whenever he could. By the end of his summer vacation, he could defeat almost any creature that he met on his journeys. Unfortunately, he had school to do now. There would be no more time for expeditions until the next summer. He still worked on his Psynergy three hours a day, however. Brigg was amazed at how fast he could learn new types of Psynergy. He had even been able to use his Psynergy in a real encounter with a bully at school. The bully was picking on Meron, so he had tried to intervene. The bully knocked him back with a powerful blast of Psynergy. Santur then proceeded to seal his Psynergy and pummel him with Force. He went home crying.
Another fall, winter, and spring passed. Santur was once again released from school for the summer. Now that he was thirteen, his parents agreed to let him journey to Tolbi and watch Colosso. He had already been to Kalay once, but Tolbi meant he would get to go on a ship! They had consented to his begging only when Brigg had volunteered to go along and keep him out of trouble. Brigg was, after all, a powerful man skilled with Venus Psynergy. He had already consulted Meron, and she had begged to go with. Her parents where willing to let her join him. After all, they had been on more than one expedition together. They were great battle partners. With Brigg helping, they where sure they would be safe.
Two weeks later found them in Kalay, sleeping soundly at the inn. Brigg was sawing logs and Meron was softly snoring, but Santur found himself sitting up, unable to sleep. Having nothing better to do, he climbed out of bed and drew his sword. It was a new one he had gotten just recently, a claymore. Though it couldn't unleash any special powers, its cleaving power was amazing. He began to swing it around, one-handed. During normal combat, he would be using both his hands to deliver a blow, but during fencing, he would use one hand only. Not that a claymore was any good for fencing. It was large and heavy. But it was all that he had handy to practice with. 'Wait,' he thought. He had given his old Elven Rapier to Meron. She was only good with light swords, and the Rapier was perfect for her. It was much lighter, and Santur could swing it with ease. He bent over her backpack to grab it. As he was picking up the sheathed blade, he heard the slightest creak in the floor. Not that a creaking sound was unusual, but this was less than three feet behind him. He whirled around, unsheathing the blade and holding his right elbow just in front of him. It met with the chest of a fully-grown man holding two knives in his hands. The man let out a grunt as he was shoved backwards, landing on his back. He quickly rolled backwards, bringing him up on his knees. He launched himself at Santur, who leaped aside nimbly. So far, they hadn't made enough noise to wake Brigg, but Meron was stirring. The assassin dove for Santur's legs. Santur jumped at the last second, letting the assassin hit the floor and grind to a stop, face-first. Santur landed behind him with a light thud, and proceeded to hack at the man's legs. The would-be killer screamed in agony, waking Meron completely. "Here!" Santur yelled, tossing her the Elven Rapier. "Get me my claymore!" She stooped down and, picking it up, tossed it to Santur, who then continued to hack at the legs and back of the assassin. The killer jumped to his feet, stumbling from the wounds to his legs. Santur began to feel very hot. Then he realized it was because the man was of the Mars Clan and was casting Flare on him. He yelled in pain as the fire sprang up around his feet. Meron quickly cast Douse on him, extinguishing the flames. The assassin jumped to his feet and grabbed at the doorknob, trying to escape. Santur threw his claymore at the man. It hit him squarely behind the knees, causing them to buckle and the killer to fall back. Santur pounced on him and began to punch him in the face. Meron tossed him a paperweight off an endtable. He caught it and proceeded to clobber the man senseless. As soon as Santur checked to make sure he was out (he did so by using Mind Read and making sure there was nothing to read,) he woke Brigg and explained what had happened. Meron was busy bending over the man, using her healing powers to cure the numerous slash marks on his legs and back. Brigg came over and looked at him. "He's a member of the Gray Company. They're a group of Alchemy fanatics who think that it's their duty to gain the power of Alchemy and use it to cleanse this world of all who won't join them. I have no idea why they're attacking you, Santur. If he doesn't answer any questions, just read his mind." Brigg then cast Revive on him, bringing him to consciousness. He then began to question the assassin. "Who are you?" Brigg said. "I'm Elkand, a member of the Gray Company." the man replied. "Why did you attack this young man, Santur?" Brigg yelled, bairly able to contain his anger. "Santur is not his name. He is called Isaacen, and is the reincarnation of the warrior Isaac." Elkand replied. Meron walked up to Santur, who was busy reading the man's mind, and grabbed his hand. Anyone who joined hands with a Jupiter person using Mind Read could read the subject's mind as well. "He's telling the truth," she said. "He really thinks that Santur is Isaac and is planning to seal Alchemy and destroy the world." Brigg suddenly looked confused. "What makes you think he is Isaac?" he asked. "Our legend says to look for a young man from the city of thieves." Elkand replied calmly. "We are charged with the task of destroying him and-Oh!" he said, grimacing. He was obviously dying. "I have failed, and I have no right to live now. Beware the Gray Company!" he said, his face twisted with pain. He gave a shriek, then his head dropped back. He was dead. "I don't understand," said Santur, pulling himself away from the mind link. "Why did he die?" "I think I know." replied Meron. "While you were getting information on his motives, I looked into the last few days of his life. He was poisoned, then sent here to kill you. Though he didn't know it, he would have died either way. It's obvious that one of the higher-ups in the Gray Company doesn't believe their religion. Whoever it is sent Elkand to kill you. He wanted it to appear to the rest of the Gray Company that anyone who fails to kill you will die a very painful death." "But why?" Brigg mumbled to himself. "Can't say. Probably because whoever it is wants Santur dead, and wants it very badly. There aren't many things that can motivate people as much as death." she replied. "Well, if they're out to get you, I guess I'll go stand guard." Brigg said. "You two get what sleep you can. I'll be watching the hallway." he continued, strapping on his sword and stepping into the hall.
Both Santur and Meron tried to get to sleep that night, but neither could. About 1:30 in the morning, Santur decided he wanted to talk. "You awake?" he asked. "As awake as you are." she replied. "Wanna talk?" he asked. "Sure. What about?" she replied. "Anything but tonight. I don't like the idea of attempts on my life. I'll be glad to be out on the open road soon, so no one can track us." "Sorry that it happened." she said, trying to comfort him. "Oh, that's all right. I just hope that they don't come again. I don't want to have to deal with anymore attempts on my life. I just can't believe that they want to kill me for no reason." There was a long pause. "So, are you looking forward to Colosso?" Meron asked. "You bet. I hear that they do some great swordplay in it. In the finals, they actually get to use Psynergy! I can't wait to see what they can do!" "You sound excited." "Well sure I am. Aren't you?" he replied. "I don't know. I'm looking forward to it, but at the same time, this trip makes me realize how soon I'll be on my own. I'm not looking forward to growing up," she said. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It does make you think about all the complications of life. But by the time I hit sixteen (in Weyard, this signified adulthood,) I think I'll be ready for life." "I suppose. What are your plans?" she asked. "Same as ever. Become a Psynergy warrior. Wars are still fought all over Weyard. And if I can become an Adept, that'll secure me any job I want." he replied. "What about you?" "Oh, I've had the same thought. Join some army as a medic. That's my best skill so far." "I hope we end up in the same army," he joked. She laughed. "Yup. You can count on it." "Well, we'd better try to get some sleep before morning," she said. He lay back in his bed, thinking about the title of Adept. Many kids dreamed about it, but very few came as close to it as he. He actually had a chance at it. Still thinking about it, he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, they walked around Kalay a bit. After checking out numerous different shops, they headed to the edge of town where the palace was. It was built by the founder of Kalay, Hammet. It even had a tunnel that led out of the city, built as an escape route. After touring the palace, they headed to the western side of town where the docks were. In ancient times, Kalay was so small that the docks weren't inside town. They were several miles away! Anyway, they purchased their tickets and climbed aboard the boat. Boats of this time were operated mainly by sail, but had seamen who could operate oars with Psynergy if the wind failed. They walked around the ship, eager to be off. After what seemed like hours, they shoved off. Santur and Meron had never been on a ship before, and it took them a while to get used to the rocking motion. "Ugh," Meron said as she wiped the barf off her lips. This was the second time in an hour she had lost her lunch. Santur wasn't doing much better. Brigg assured them that a good night's sleep was all they needed. They hoped he was right. Fortunately, he was. The next morning, they both woke up full of energy. They would reach Tolbi that afternoon, the captain said. Suddenly, the ship lurched to the left. Santur and Brigg ran to the right side to see what it was. "We've been bumped by a small pirate ship!" exclaimed Brigg. A ladder was thrown up right next to Brigg. He waited until the pirates were half way up before using Move to tip it back. It landed in the water with a large splash. More ladders were thrown up. Brigg, Santur, and Meron busied themselves with throwing them back down. "Keep them busy!" yelled a fourteen-year old boy. He ran to the edge of the ship and closed his eyes, preparing himself for a burst of Psynergy. Suddenly, he thrust his hand up and a large wall of flame appeared on the pirate vessel. It caught fire, but the pirates quickly put it out. "Fine!" he yelled. He closed his eyes again, concentrating hard. He held his hand up again, but this time a dozen fireballs flew from it. Normally this attack would concentrate them all at one point, but he directed each fireball to a separate place on the ship. The pirates were soon busy putting out a dozen different fires. The boy again closed his eyes, focusing. He then threw another dozen fireballs at different points on the pirate vessel. It burst into flames. The pirates began jumping overboard or trying to scale the side of the passenger ship. Santur, Meron, Brigg, and the other boy all started throwing ropes over the side, hauling up the pirates and extinguishing them when necessary. In fifteen minutes they had most of the pirates onboard. One pirate suddenly panicked. "Quick!" he yelled. "Get away from our ship! I forgot! We have blasting powder onboard! It'll blow any minute!" Santur quickly gathered Meron, Brigg, and the Mars boy around him. "I can create a protective aura big enough to encircle a person," he said. "If you can direct your Psynergy to me, I should be able to protect the ship!" They all closed their eyes and transferred their Psynergy into Santur, who was standing with his eyes tight shut, sweating from the exertion of creating the massive aura field. Without any warning, a bright film, like a soap bubble, encircled the ship. Santur remained focused. A massive blast echoed from the pirate's ship as the fire reached the blasting powder. It hit the aura, but was deflected. Santur flinched, bairly able to hold the shield together. All the flaming debris fell into the water and was extinguished. "Santur," Meron said, "it's safe. You can stop." Santur stood there for a moment, then collapsed on the deck. Meron began to cast Ply on him. He started coming to. "Are we safe?" he asked. "Yes. You saved the ship, Santur." Meron responded. Suddenly, one of the pirates issued a battle cry. The rest of them drew their swords and started attacking the sailors, who were charged with their custody. Santur, Meron, Brigg, and the Mars boy all drew their swords as the pirates came charging at them. They started hacking at the pirates. But it was no use. They were outnumbered five-to-one. They reverted to Psynergy, using abilities unique to each Element. Santur picked up five of the pirates in a large whirlwind and threw them overboard. Meron froze anyone who came at her into a block of ice, as Brigg started throwing massive swords at them. Ragnarok was one of his favorite abilities. The other boy threw fireballs at anyone who came near him. Five minutes in, the pirates started dropping their weapons. The sailors picked them up and tied the pirates' hands and feet. Meron jumped up and down, hugging Santur. "We did it! We did it!" Brigg shook the Mars boy's hand. "I'm Gandas," he said. "My name's Brigg. Pleased to meet you. Nice fighting." Brigg replied as they shook hands.
Two hours later, they were pulling into port at Tolbi. "Oh boy!" Santur exclaimed. "Tolbi! We're finally here!" "By the way," said Gandas, "do you mind if I hang out with you for a while? You see, I'm kind of on my own, and I don't know anyone here." "Sure," said Santur. "Let's go!" said Meron.
Well, that's the end of the prologue chapter. Whaddya think? Email your comments to me at [email protected]. Please make the subject "Chronicles of Weyard". If you notice any inconsistencies or typows, please let me know. Thanks.
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/
5/15/03
5:34 PM
20 paragraphs
372 lines
4842 words
By Pyro1588
Chapter 1: Prologue
"What a beautiful day," Santur thought, as he hiked through the foothills of the mountains west of Lunpa. Santur had been raised in Lunpa, the town named for the noble thief of ancient days. 'I can't believe that on the other side of this mountain range is the heart of Alchemy!' he thought as he sat on a rock to catch his breath. Alchemy was the great power that, long ago, had been sealed up to prevent the destruction of Weyard. As legend had it, a group of nine companions discovered how Weyard was dying because of the seal. You see, Weyard needed that power to live. Alchemy is what it thrived on. A group of Mars adepts embarked on a quest to break the seal and revive Weyard. Their first attempt had failed miserably, killing all but two of their party. Three years later, however, they returned to try again. They found the scholar, Kraden, who eventually became one of the nine companions. They questioned him, but found him of no use. As they where leaving, they met three young teenagers, who also where destined to become companions. They allowed them to pass, then followed them secretly into Sol Sanctum, the ancient shrine which Vale guarded. Isaac and his friend, Garet, managed to unlock the portal to the elemental room, home of the elemental essences. The two Mars adepts, Saturos and Menardi, followed them into the elemental room. By the time they had entered, Isaac and Garet had recovered the Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury elemental stars. Saturos and Menardi held the scholar and a girl, Jenna, hostage, and proceeded to take the stars from Isaac and Garet. With only a quarter of the power left to sustain the chamber, the ceiling began to collapse. Saturos and Menardi managed to escape with the hostages and their accomplices, Alex and Felix. Isaac and Garet, however, where left in the collapsing room, still holding the Mars star. The Wise One, an ancient guardian of Sol Sanctum, appeared and helped them to escape. He then gave them the quest of finding Saturos and Menardi and preventing them from lighting the elemental beacons. While on the quest, they gained two allies: Ivan of the Jupiter Tribe, and Mia of the Mercury Clan. Later in their quest, they met up with Felix and his companions. Kraden then explained to Isaac how they had a choice: They could either light the beacons and risk mankind destroying itself, or they could sit back and watch as Weyard died for lack of power. Isaac joined Felix on his quest, and thus the Companionship was formed. After many trials and hardships, they managed to light the two other elemental beacons and break the seal of Alchemy.
That was ancient history, though. It had been over three hundred years since the unleashing of Alchemy. Everyone was able to use Psynergy. Some had just enough skill to do heavy lifting. Others practiced daily and could do precision work such as gemstone carving with just their Psynergy. Others devoted their whole life to the study and use of Psynergy. If they had true skill, they could take a Psynergy ship and sail to the Land of Mist. If they could pass through the Sea of Time, then they where allowed to test their skills. If they succeeded, then they earned the Badge of the Adept. The most noticeable effect was that their pupils changed color. For Venus Adepts, their pupils turned to a dark brown. Mars Adepts had bright red pupils. Jupiter Adepts had purple pupils, and the pupils of a Mercury Adept turned deep blue. Adepts also gained a birthmark of the same color under their right eye. After earning the title, their skill was said to double. If they performed exceptionally at the test, then they where given a companion to join them on their journeys: an Elemental Horse. Very little was known about the creatures, though. All Santur knew was that it was said they could move incredibly fast through their own medium. Santur dreamed of someday facing the trials and earning the right to be called an Adept. He trained everyday for three hours. He practiced all sorts of types of Psynergy. For an occupation, he wanted to be a Psynergy warrior. He also wanted to see an Elemental Horse, even if he couldn't own one.
But that was all a long way off. Right now, he had to get home in time for supper. He had heard that master Adepts of the Jupiter Tribe had the ability to teleport to various locations. It did take, however, a great amount of one's strength. That ability would definitely be helpful right now. He was already late. 'Boy, am I in for it,' he thought as he ran down the slopes, leaping small boulders. He was fast for a boy of his age. But that was one of the natural attributes of a Jupiter person. Along with it came several other abilities: An uncanny insight into what others where thinking (some people trained this skill to the point where they could read minds,) wonderful eyesight, quick reflexes, and several others, like the ability to weaken another person's Psynergy. He had also honed several other skills that did not come naturally with the Jupiter Element. These included the ability to summon a small rain cloud, many people called this 'Douse', and the ability to create small ice crystals. The reason he was able to use these Psynergies that where unique to the Mercury Clan was that Jupiter and Mercury shared a symbiosis. 'But that's beside the point,' he thought as he raced up to his house and slammed the door open. "Hi Mom. Sorry I'm late," he said as he shut the door and untied his shoes. "I thought I told you to be on time," she replied. "I know, but I got caught up in thinking and lost track of the time," he replied. "I know. About Psynergy. And becoming an Adept." She knew him well. He sheepishly took his chair at the table. His baby sister, Ganor, was playing with her food. "Eat up, wash up, and go to bed. Tomorrow's when summer vacation starts, and I know you'll be busy. You'll want to get a good night's sleep." "But Mom, can't I stay up just a little?" he begged. "Nope, you need to get some sleep. Once you turn thirteen, I'll let you stay up another hour past supper. Remember?" "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to go out and enjoy the night some" he replied. "Sorry, nope." After supper, he washed up and went to bed, dreaming of his months of vacation.
Over the next month, Santur spent most of every day training his Psynergy. Brigg, his coach, had told him that if he could master a Psynergy called 'Force', that he could start using some battle Psynergy. He was incredibly excited. The moment he had been waiting for all his life was almost in reach! He was already excellent at hand-to-hand combat, but battle Psynergy made one unbeatable! Brigg had also taught him his swordplay. He used an old sword, called an Elven Rapier. If he could focus properly, he could get it to do something called a 'Vorpal Slash'. Basically, a large slashing force would come and hit his opponent. This didn't happen often, though. He had been practicing with it, trying to get it to unleash its power more often, and he had been getting better. As for his useful Psynergy, he could now create a small whirlwind. He was getting better at it each day. "Okay, that's enough work for today." Brigg said as Santur was trying to knock over a small log with his mind. "Go cool down, and then go for a walk." "Sure thing," he replied. After a nice cold shower, he grabbed his Elven Rapier and, strapping it on, left the city gates. As he was walking through the trees outside of his town, he heard the noise of leaves shaking. But it only came from one tree. It was like there was a small wind inside the branches. He quietly unsheathed his sword and walked toward the tree. "Who's up there?" he challenged. A small blue creature flew out of the tree. It was about a foot tall, and hovered a couple inches above the ground, staring at him. It then lunged toward him and he felt himself knocked back, as by a powerful wind. He picked himself up and started chasing it. It stopped in front of a tree and turned to face him. As he brought his sword up to strike it, he felt himself caught up in a spinning whirlwind. When he was about ten feet off the ground, the whirlwind vanished and he dropped like a rock, bracing his fall and rolling to his feet. He began to focus his mind on his sword. It started howling, and a Vorpal Slash hit the small creature. He then raised his hand and a small rain cloud appeared above it and completely drenched it. It collapsed on the ground, panting. As soon as it had caught its breath, it jumped up in the air and dissolved into a stream of sparkling light. It began spinning and spiraling towards his right shoulder, reforming into the small creature. It was perched on his shoulder, but it was about a quarter of its normal size and was transparent. He sheathed his sword and reached his hand up by it. It hopped on his hand and perched there, looking at him. He put it back on his shoulder and headed back to Lunpa at breakneck speed. He ran up to the town gate, completely out of breath. "Hi Santur. How ya doin?" asked Meron. She was a girl about his age, and a good Mercury person as well. "I just found the most amazing thing! See it perched on my shoulder?" he gasped. "Bairly. It's transparent! What is it?" she asked. "I don't know. I'm going to go ask Brigg what it is. If anyone knows, he does." They both ran over to Brigg's house and pounded on the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming. What is it?" he said as he opened the door. "Oh, hi Santur. Hello, Meron. What's the big rush?" he queried. "Look what I just found out in the woods!" Santur exclaimed as the small creature perched on his hand. "Oh my!" exclaimed Brigg. "Do you know what it is?" questioned Meron. "Yes, I do. It's called a Djinni. It's an Elemental Spirit. I haven't seen one of these for years. They used to be used in battle, but they were eventually lost. Very few are still serving humans now. The only one I've ever seen was a Venus Djinni called Flint." Brigg explained. "But what are they?" asked Santur. "Okay, sit down. Time for a history lesson."
"The Djinn are the Elemental Spirits. They have the ability to use Psynergy, and are quite proficient at it, actually. They were lost for many years when Alchemy was sealed, but when the Elemental Stars where stolen, they returned from their sleep. Many of them were eventually collected by the Companionship, but many more remained uncaptured. Each of them has, in addition to its Psynergy, a special ability. Let me look this one up." Brigg grabbed a book entitled "Elemental Spirits" and quickly looked it up. "Let's see... It's obviously a Jupiter Djinni. Now we have to look it up according to its markings, which are very small. Please unleash it so that I can check the markings on it." Brigg said. "How do I do that?" Santur asked. Brigg explained, "Place it in your right hand, palm up. Then cup your left hand on top of it, palm down. Then, flip both hands back so that they are open." Santur did as he was told, and the small creature jumped out of his hand, full sized. "If there were an enemy here, the Djinni would attack it. Now let's see those markings... Ah, here it is. This Djinni is called 'Gust'. It has the ability to attack an enemy with powerful wind gusts." Brigg said. "I know." said Santur. "It knocked me back on the ground with those gusts." Brigg continued, "After a Djinni has been unleashed, it will follow you around. Or you can set it to yourself again, or you can have it follow you." "What's the advantage of it following you?" Meron asked. "If it's not set (this is also called Standby,) then you can use it to summon an Elemental Power." Brigg said. After an hour of practicing with Gust, Santur went home for supper. That night, he slept with Gust at the foot of his bead.
In the following weeks, Santur continued to train. He mastered several battle Psynergies, and became quite good at Psynergy combat. His parents started letting him go on trips, first to Vault, and then further. He could hike from Lunpa to Vault in a couple of days. Meron often went with him on these expeditions. She was a valuable battle partner to have. Many different types of creatures would attack them, especially when they where in wooded areas. As they continued on their travels, they found a Mercury Djinni named Hail. Meron got that one. Santur continued to study Psynergy and Elemental powers whenever he could. By the end of his summer vacation, he could defeat almost any creature that he met on his journeys. Unfortunately, he had school to do now. There would be no more time for expeditions until the next summer. He still worked on his Psynergy three hours a day, however. Brigg was amazed at how fast he could learn new types of Psynergy. He had even been able to use his Psynergy in a real encounter with a bully at school. The bully was picking on Meron, so he had tried to intervene. The bully knocked him back with a powerful blast of Psynergy. Santur then proceeded to seal his Psynergy and pummel him with Force. He went home crying.
Another fall, winter, and spring passed. Santur was once again released from school for the summer. Now that he was thirteen, his parents agreed to let him journey to Tolbi and watch Colosso. He had already been to Kalay once, but Tolbi meant he would get to go on a ship! They had consented to his begging only when Brigg had volunteered to go along and keep him out of trouble. Brigg was, after all, a powerful man skilled with Venus Psynergy. He had already consulted Meron, and she had begged to go with. Her parents where willing to let her join him. After all, they had been on more than one expedition together. They were great battle partners. With Brigg helping, they where sure they would be safe.
Two weeks later found them in Kalay, sleeping soundly at the inn. Brigg was sawing logs and Meron was softly snoring, but Santur found himself sitting up, unable to sleep. Having nothing better to do, he climbed out of bed and drew his sword. It was a new one he had gotten just recently, a claymore. Though it couldn't unleash any special powers, its cleaving power was amazing. He began to swing it around, one-handed. During normal combat, he would be using both his hands to deliver a blow, but during fencing, he would use one hand only. Not that a claymore was any good for fencing. It was large and heavy. But it was all that he had handy to practice with. 'Wait,' he thought. He had given his old Elven Rapier to Meron. She was only good with light swords, and the Rapier was perfect for her. It was much lighter, and Santur could swing it with ease. He bent over her backpack to grab it. As he was picking up the sheathed blade, he heard the slightest creak in the floor. Not that a creaking sound was unusual, but this was less than three feet behind him. He whirled around, unsheathing the blade and holding his right elbow just in front of him. It met with the chest of a fully-grown man holding two knives in his hands. The man let out a grunt as he was shoved backwards, landing on his back. He quickly rolled backwards, bringing him up on his knees. He launched himself at Santur, who leaped aside nimbly. So far, they hadn't made enough noise to wake Brigg, but Meron was stirring. The assassin dove for Santur's legs. Santur jumped at the last second, letting the assassin hit the floor and grind to a stop, face-first. Santur landed behind him with a light thud, and proceeded to hack at the man's legs. The would-be killer screamed in agony, waking Meron completely. "Here!" Santur yelled, tossing her the Elven Rapier. "Get me my claymore!" She stooped down and, picking it up, tossed it to Santur, who then continued to hack at the legs and back of the assassin. The killer jumped to his feet, stumbling from the wounds to his legs. Santur began to feel very hot. Then he realized it was because the man was of the Mars Clan and was casting Flare on him. He yelled in pain as the fire sprang up around his feet. Meron quickly cast Douse on him, extinguishing the flames. The assassin jumped to his feet and grabbed at the doorknob, trying to escape. Santur threw his claymore at the man. It hit him squarely behind the knees, causing them to buckle and the killer to fall back. Santur pounced on him and began to punch him in the face. Meron tossed him a paperweight off an endtable. He caught it and proceeded to clobber the man senseless. As soon as Santur checked to make sure he was out (he did so by using Mind Read and making sure there was nothing to read,) he woke Brigg and explained what had happened. Meron was busy bending over the man, using her healing powers to cure the numerous slash marks on his legs and back. Brigg came over and looked at him. "He's a member of the Gray Company. They're a group of Alchemy fanatics who think that it's their duty to gain the power of Alchemy and use it to cleanse this world of all who won't join them. I have no idea why they're attacking you, Santur. If he doesn't answer any questions, just read his mind." Brigg then cast Revive on him, bringing him to consciousness. He then began to question the assassin. "Who are you?" Brigg said. "I'm Elkand, a member of the Gray Company." the man replied. "Why did you attack this young man, Santur?" Brigg yelled, bairly able to contain his anger. "Santur is not his name. He is called Isaacen, and is the reincarnation of the warrior Isaac." Elkand replied. Meron walked up to Santur, who was busy reading the man's mind, and grabbed his hand. Anyone who joined hands with a Jupiter person using Mind Read could read the subject's mind as well. "He's telling the truth," she said. "He really thinks that Santur is Isaac and is planning to seal Alchemy and destroy the world." Brigg suddenly looked confused. "What makes you think he is Isaac?" he asked. "Our legend says to look for a young man from the city of thieves." Elkand replied calmly. "We are charged with the task of destroying him and-Oh!" he said, grimacing. He was obviously dying. "I have failed, and I have no right to live now. Beware the Gray Company!" he said, his face twisted with pain. He gave a shriek, then his head dropped back. He was dead. "I don't understand," said Santur, pulling himself away from the mind link. "Why did he die?" "I think I know." replied Meron. "While you were getting information on his motives, I looked into the last few days of his life. He was poisoned, then sent here to kill you. Though he didn't know it, he would have died either way. It's obvious that one of the higher-ups in the Gray Company doesn't believe their religion. Whoever it is sent Elkand to kill you. He wanted it to appear to the rest of the Gray Company that anyone who fails to kill you will die a very painful death." "But why?" Brigg mumbled to himself. "Can't say. Probably because whoever it is wants Santur dead, and wants it very badly. There aren't many things that can motivate people as much as death." she replied. "Well, if they're out to get you, I guess I'll go stand guard." Brigg said. "You two get what sleep you can. I'll be watching the hallway." he continued, strapping on his sword and stepping into the hall.
Both Santur and Meron tried to get to sleep that night, but neither could. About 1:30 in the morning, Santur decided he wanted to talk. "You awake?" he asked. "As awake as you are." she replied. "Wanna talk?" he asked. "Sure. What about?" she replied. "Anything but tonight. I don't like the idea of attempts on my life. I'll be glad to be out on the open road soon, so no one can track us." "Sorry that it happened." she said, trying to comfort him. "Oh, that's all right. I just hope that they don't come again. I don't want to have to deal with anymore attempts on my life. I just can't believe that they want to kill me for no reason." There was a long pause. "So, are you looking forward to Colosso?" Meron asked. "You bet. I hear that they do some great swordplay in it. In the finals, they actually get to use Psynergy! I can't wait to see what they can do!" "You sound excited." "Well sure I am. Aren't you?" he replied. "I don't know. I'm looking forward to it, but at the same time, this trip makes me realize how soon I'll be on my own. I'm not looking forward to growing up," she said. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It does make you think about all the complications of life. But by the time I hit sixteen (in Weyard, this signified adulthood,) I think I'll be ready for life." "I suppose. What are your plans?" she asked. "Same as ever. Become a Psynergy warrior. Wars are still fought all over Weyard. And if I can become an Adept, that'll secure me any job I want." he replied. "What about you?" "Oh, I've had the same thought. Join some army as a medic. That's my best skill so far." "I hope we end up in the same army," he joked. She laughed. "Yup. You can count on it." "Well, we'd better try to get some sleep before morning," she said. He lay back in his bed, thinking about the title of Adept. Many kids dreamed about it, but very few came as close to it as he. He actually had a chance at it. Still thinking about it, he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, they walked around Kalay a bit. After checking out numerous different shops, they headed to the edge of town where the palace was. It was built by the founder of Kalay, Hammet. It even had a tunnel that led out of the city, built as an escape route. After touring the palace, they headed to the western side of town where the docks were. In ancient times, Kalay was so small that the docks weren't inside town. They were several miles away! Anyway, they purchased their tickets and climbed aboard the boat. Boats of this time were operated mainly by sail, but had seamen who could operate oars with Psynergy if the wind failed. They walked around the ship, eager to be off. After what seemed like hours, they shoved off. Santur and Meron had never been on a ship before, and it took them a while to get used to the rocking motion. "Ugh," Meron said as she wiped the barf off her lips. This was the second time in an hour she had lost her lunch. Santur wasn't doing much better. Brigg assured them that a good night's sleep was all they needed. They hoped he was right. Fortunately, he was. The next morning, they both woke up full of energy. They would reach Tolbi that afternoon, the captain said. Suddenly, the ship lurched to the left. Santur and Brigg ran to the right side to see what it was. "We've been bumped by a small pirate ship!" exclaimed Brigg. A ladder was thrown up right next to Brigg. He waited until the pirates were half way up before using Move to tip it back. It landed in the water with a large splash. More ladders were thrown up. Brigg, Santur, and Meron busied themselves with throwing them back down. "Keep them busy!" yelled a fourteen-year old boy. He ran to the edge of the ship and closed his eyes, preparing himself for a burst of Psynergy. Suddenly, he thrust his hand up and a large wall of flame appeared on the pirate vessel. It caught fire, but the pirates quickly put it out. "Fine!" he yelled. He closed his eyes again, concentrating hard. He held his hand up again, but this time a dozen fireballs flew from it. Normally this attack would concentrate them all at one point, but he directed each fireball to a separate place on the ship. The pirates were soon busy putting out a dozen different fires. The boy again closed his eyes, focusing. He then threw another dozen fireballs at different points on the pirate vessel. It burst into flames. The pirates began jumping overboard or trying to scale the side of the passenger ship. Santur, Meron, Brigg, and the other boy all started throwing ropes over the side, hauling up the pirates and extinguishing them when necessary. In fifteen minutes they had most of the pirates onboard. One pirate suddenly panicked. "Quick!" he yelled. "Get away from our ship! I forgot! We have blasting powder onboard! It'll blow any minute!" Santur quickly gathered Meron, Brigg, and the Mars boy around him. "I can create a protective aura big enough to encircle a person," he said. "If you can direct your Psynergy to me, I should be able to protect the ship!" They all closed their eyes and transferred their Psynergy into Santur, who was standing with his eyes tight shut, sweating from the exertion of creating the massive aura field. Without any warning, a bright film, like a soap bubble, encircled the ship. Santur remained focused. A massive blast echoed from the pirate's ship as the fire reached the blasting powder. It hit the aura, but was deflected. Santur flinched, bairly able to hold the shield together. All the flaming debris fell into the water and was extinguished. "Santur," Meron said, "it's safe. You can stop." Santur stood there for a moment, then collapsed on the deck. Meron began to cast Ply on him. He started coming to. "Are we safe?" he asked. "Yes. You saved the ship, Santur." Meron responded. Suddenly, one of the pirates issued a battle cry. The rest of them drew their swords and started attacking the sailors, who were charged with their custody. Santur, Meron, Brigg, and the Mars boy all drew their swords as the pirates came charging at them. They started hacking at the pirates. But it was no use. They were outnumbered five-to-one. They reverted to Psynergy, using abilities unique to each Element. Santur picked up five of the pirates in a large whirlwind and threw them overboard. Meron froze anyone who came at her into a block of ice, as Brigg started throwing massive swords at them. Ragnarok was one of his favorite abilities. The other boy threw fireballs at anyone who came near him. Five minutes in, the pirates started dropping their weapons. The sailors picked them up and tied the pirates' hands and feet. Meron jumped up and down, hugging Santur. "We did it! We did it!" Brigg shook the Mars boy's hand. "I'm Gandas," he said. "My name's Brigg. Pleased to meet you. Nice fighting." Brigg replied as they shook hands.
Two hours later, they were pulling into port at Tolbi. "Oh boy!" Santur exclaimed. "Tolbi! We're finally here!" "By the way," said Gandas, "do you mind if I hang out with you for a while? You see, I'm kind of on my own, and I don't know anyone here." "Sure," said Santur. "Let's go!" said Meron.
Well, that's the end of the prologue chapter. Whaddya think? Email your comments to me at [email protected]. Please make the subject "Chronicles of Weyard". If you notice any inconsistencies or typows, please let me know. Thanks.
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/
5/15/03
5:34 PM
20 paragraphs
372 lines
4842 words