Chapter 7 Origins of my father

*Improved November edition

To all who have been following this story, sorry for the Really long wait! Recommended soundtrack- Serment from Shakugan no shana 3

Monica

"Alright. Details. NOW." I snapped. All this time, my father never told us where he was from or what he was; what WE were. And all of a sudden just because he was sick of the world I grew up in, he divorced my mom and left me and my brother without explaining why he was leaving or where he was going. He owed an explanation for that. And one way or another, I was going to GET that explanation. Kale ( I refuse to claim him as my father at the current point and time) gave a slightly exasperated sigh.

"Alright, Monica. Alright, Just… calm down." he said. Breathing hard, I clamped my mouth shut and sat next to Bruenor as Kale told us what had happened. He turned to Drizzt. "First off, Drizzt, do you remember the experiment I was telling you about? The one that would open up portals to other realms?"

"...The experiment I advised you against? Yes, I remember." Drizzt said flatly.

"Well," Kale continued, "I decided to try something other than what I was doing, since the incantations and materials I was using didn't seem to be working. Rather than the bones of a troll, I decided to use something else. Something with much stronger magical properties...the heart and bones of a Dragon. I didn't expect such a strong result, and when the shaking started, i thought my home was going to collapse on top of me. I expected the portal to open in the arch I crafted from the bones of the Dragon. But instead, a vortex opened beneath me and i sank down into it."

For some reason, to get my mind off my present anger; I started to worry about Prince Nuada.

"It was a dark place, yet at the same time, it was as though I was surrounded by the night sky. I looked beneath me, and there was a blinding light at my feet. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, i was in another world. In a country called America. The state I began in was called...Oregon, I believe. Believe me, it was no small feat learning the customs of the people there." I folded my arms- so when IS he going to explain about me?

"Which is why you were advised...by MANY... against such a ludicrous project." Drizzt mumbled, shaking his head. But his comment went unnoticed, and Kale went into how he met my mother.

"Luckily, I had a fantasy writer to help me. Her name was Brianna Larson. She knew something was odd about me when we met, and somehow, she believed me when i told her where i came from. Please hold all questions until I finish my tale, Bruenor."

The Dwarf opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when the wizard said this.

"She taught me all about how to go about finding a career there, as well as how to use their technology, and how to make their food-all of these things are much more vast in variety and more advanced than ours, by the way. We had spent three years together. Two of which I spent courting her. We were wed, and had Monica and her brother, Kyle. We were...happy...for some years. But when Monica was 13, I found myself missing the land of my birth.

"I tried to convince Brianna to bring the children and come back here with me, but I suppose the things I told her about the Orcs and Trolls and such must have made her too worried to come with me; much less bring Monica and Kyle. Brianna and I tried to make our relationship work; I tried to forget about Faerun. But the more i tried to forget, the more I wished to come back. My heritage, my Call of magic refused to be silenced. Finally... the arguments my wife and i had, escalated, until...we just decided to give up on trying. We got divorced...and I left."

"You Needed to use the same spell and ingredients to get back here. How did you manage it if you couldn't find a Dragon heart?" I asked.

He shook his head. "That's the strange thing. Somehow...When I returned to Oregon; more specifically, the spot I was in when I arrived in your mother's world...I was transported back here automatically. I've been trying to figure out why and how, but have so far been unsuccessful in my research."

"Dad why do I shift to places? When I get frightened? I don't understand!" I almost shouted. Drizzt turned to me, his expression unreadable.

"Because you, and Kyle, aren't fully human. We share the same blood of Faekind."

I looked at my hands. But that didn't make sense, I Still felt human even now. He should have been here to guide me, to show me how to control my magic! All of these stuff swirled around my mind. Instead of solving my issue, he turned to Bruenor, Drizzt and Wulfgar. "Alright gentlemen. NOW I will answer your questions."

While the men were talking about some of the details Kale failed to explain (like what a Divorce is), I took the chance to slip away, not very far, mind you. Couldn't deal with Orcs and some of the less friendly Drow. Just far enough to get some personal space; about six or seven feet from the campsite.

Exhaling, I sat down behind a tall evergreen. I didn't know what about my father's story made me seethe more. That he didn't tell us about who we actually were, or where he had come from! We had missed out on being a united proper family, what kind of father was he? How dare he be so selfish!

Another part of me was thrilled that I'm not human, that actually Faerun is my birthplace! It had its many...MANY dangers, but in its own strange way, Faerun was a sort of paradise,meant only for those whose hearts and souls could take it on.

I mean, come on! Kyle Hates school! I smiled. Drizzt and the others would have to help me train him, but he would LOVE this place. i guarantee he would look up to Drizzt and Wulfgar like the older brothers he never had. Someone who understood all that D&D combat and spells kind of crap. As it was, my brother would probably knock Drizzt's boots off with how fluent he was in the Elvish languages...Drow included.

And as for me, I was getting the hang of this place. I could speak some Elvish, and combatwise I had gained a level. And when we made camp, my father explained something about wanting to teach me magic. Maybe when I'm a little less angry with him, I'm sure I'll be open to learning. Not right now.

I still wanted to go home, but at the same time, I wanted to stay. I missed my mom and brother, but I didn't want to say goodbye to my new...well, I don't know if all of them would consent to me going as far as calling them friends after such a short period of time. 'Comrades.' Yes I didn't want to say goodbye to my new comrades.

I had plenty of questions to ask, myself. But right now, I was too pissed to speak to my father again for the night.

"Wait a moment...where's Monica?" I heard my father ask and he repeated my name a few times.

"Confound it all! Lass, where'd you run off to this time?!" Bruenor called. Would Drizzt be concerned?

"I'm over here! Behind the tree just to the left of you guys! Relax!" I hollered I testily added, "I'm not SO stupid I'd run off on my own in the damn dark!" Then I almost got a panic attack when a shadow fell over me. Boots appeared to my right, silent as a cat's!

"You should be careful. It is not safe for a woman to be out alone," Drizzt said, and knelt beside me. But he did not speak any further. Elves, why couldn't they make some noise?

I replied ok and he could have alerted me with more sound. The drow's ears pricked as he got up and moved in front of me, marking a tree trunk. I observed him, temporarily not over-thinking.

Nothing really happened after that. Before we settled in for the night, I asked my father how did he meet Drizzt, and all he would tell me, was that he had been gathering ingredients for a potion and got ambushed by Orcs. Drizzt came along and helped him and a few weeks later, they ran into each other again and started traveling together. My dad acted as a healer whenever Drizzt got some really nasty wounds, and over time, they got to trust one another as friends.

No big details, I didn't really care. I preferred to press for more on their adventures in the morning. We were all exhausted. I turned to face Drizzt. His back was to me, and his silvery hair gleamed. His snores were louder tonight. I wished he would turn around so I could see his sleeping expression. What did he think of me?

Will they continue to help me? After all Kale is his friend. Finally I surrendered to dreams.

Morning rushed in all too quickly for me, and before I knew it, I was being prodded awake by a certain Dark Elf.

"...Five more minutes." I didn't want to move. The prodding was more insistent. I sighed.

"Alright, alright. I'm up."

I felt around for my boots a moment before sitting up and pulling them towards me.

"How can you people get up this early? The sun isn't even UP yet." I groaned. Drizzt laughed merrily and his lavender eyes glittered. That was infectious, how can I stay mad at him happy?

He was in a great mood and continued,"You'll get used to it. I'm assuming you never woke before sunrise in your world?" I shook my head.

"Never. But it's starting to get very hot in the afternoons; meaning summer is either here or just around the corner, and the more we train while it's cool, the better, I suppose!" I said, pulling my boots on and getting to my feet. I fastened my sword belt to my waist. Drizzt always seemed to me, like the leader of our group.

"Alright, so what's on the agenda for today?" I asked. At first Drizzt didn't understand what I meant, when I explained what 'agenda' was, he motioned towards my father.

"Kale is going to be teaching you magic." he said. Dammit. I opened my mouth to argue, but he sounded firm and this was not debatable. The last thing I wanted to do was to get on HIS bad side.

"Alright, Monica, the most important thing you need to know about learning magic is that your state of mind will affect your spells if you aren't careful. Casting magic in a state of rage will get the job done, but it will also more often than not spiral out of your control. Which is why it is crucial to keep a level head when dealing with sorcery. If you cannot calm your anger, it is better to use your sword than magic. An equally important factor is concentration. You must focus MUCH of your attention on your spells if you want them to work. So until such time as your skills in swordsmanship are at the level of natural reaction, I suggest that you use either your sword or your magic in battle, but not both at once. Do you understand?"

I moaned inwardly. He wanted to know if I was paying attention.

"Yes. Don't use magic when I'm angry or I'll end up killing comrades and/or myself along with enemies, and if I'm not focused on my spells, they either won't work or won't be as effective. And if I try to use magic while swinging my sword around, I'm likely to get myself killed or any number of other negative results. Right?" My father nodded.

"Correct. Now, while I do not practice in all of the elements myself, I DO know the beginning spells for each element, though I pride myself in my abilities as an Ice Wizard. I also specialize in healing magic, as mentioned last night. But healing magic is very complex, mainly when healing other people. If you're a beginner, it isn't advised that you attempt to use magic to heal others. If you do, you'll either make their injury worse and kill them, or you'll take the wound upon yourself, and if it is a critical wound...it will kill you. So if Drizzt or one of the others gets injured in battle, you let ME heal them. Understood?" I just nodded and my father continued.

"Now, because it is one of the simpler elements to practice and my specialty, the first element I am going to teach you is Ice magic. Then wind, and water, and so forth. Fire will be saved for last, as it is the most difficult element to control. Are you ready?"

"Hold on. I have a quick question." I said. This had been nagging at me for a while.

"What is it?" my father asked.

"Well, I was wondering...why do wizards need staffs?" I looked down, face red in embarassment when my father, Wulfgar, Bruenor laughed. Even Drizzt gave a slight chuckle.

"You mean you don't know? Your brother told you everything else about this kind of world, but he didn't tell you that?" Wulfgar asked. I glared up at him. Bite me, 'He-Man'...

"No. He didn't. Or if he did, I wasn't paying attention. I thought this kind of place was fictional, remember? I had no interest in any of that D&D stuff whatsoever." Again, now I wished I HAD paid attention to everything Kyle told me. But...no use crying over it or anything now, right?

"Well Monica, to answer your question, most sorcerers use a staff because it helps them to channel their magic." my father said.

"Oh." I felt like an idiot. I guess it really should have been obvious whether I paid any attention to my brother or not. Exhaling, I picked up a broken off piece of a tree branch about two inches taller than me.

"You said a staff helps channel magic right? Well here's mine. Alright, ready when you are." I said. Even though I still wasn't completely over how upset I was at my father, I couldn't help but be excited. I just hoped I wouldn't turn anyone into a human popsicle.

"The type of magic I'm going to be teaching you isn't like what I'm sure you're expecting. There are two types of magic. Incantation magic and Silent magic. The magic I specialize in is Silent magic. Close your eyes. Alright, now what do you see?"

"...Nothing. Just darkness." I replied.

"Think about the element I am going to teach you. Picture yourself in a frozen landscape. The terrain is your intrument. Try to will a sphere of ice from that landscape into your hand."

"Kale," Drizzt interrupted firmly, "Silent Magic is a more advanced art. It's impossible for a beginner to will their mind into an Elemental Plain. As I recall, when we met, you told me it took you three years to get that far."

I think my father said something in reply, but I didn't hear it. When I opened my eyes to look around, I was standing by the edge of a frozen lake. Everything around me; the hills, the trees, the mountains; was covered in snow.

"Monica."

Just one person saying my name. That's all it took for me to be roughly jerked back into Faerun.

"What?" I asked in annoyance.

"Ye seemed off for a minute, Lass. Drizzt said yer name three or four times and ye didn't answer." Bruenor replied. Three or four times? My mind was only in that Ice World for a few seconds...right?

"Sorry." I mumbled. What other response could I come up with?

"What's that on your shoulder?" Wulfgar asked. I looked where he was pointing. A flake of snow stuck there.

All the men gaped, except Drizzt who did not look perturbed. Cool. I got them impressed.