Chapter 10: The Long End of The Stick

On our left, over the sea, a storm was brewing. In the distance, the grey cumulonimbus clouds towered some six thousand feet above us. The wind rustled through my hair as the pressure in the air changed. I could hear the trees cracking and creaking in the breeze that came up the cliffs from the advancing tempest. I stood opposite my Dad. He stared at me emotionlessly, unaffected by the hastily changing weather. Sensing his seriousness, I began drawing on the mana around me into my core, simultaneously imbuing my entire body. The coolness of integrating the uncommon substance with my body added to the chill of the wind causing a slight shiver to run down my spine. I then simultaneously began to imbue my body, the circulating flow of power from my core contrasted the chill and filled me with energy, awakening my senses. My gaze still locked with my fathers unrelenting cold grey gaze made me feel slightly uneasy, like prey. Taking a breath, I took a step forward preparing my stance. One foot ahead, one behind. My two handed grip on my sword faced the ground, in my 'now enemy's' direction. Conversely, he took a crouched stance, his right elbow forward and both hands on the sword hilt in its sheath.

-

The first sound of thunder echoed in the distance. Then the duel started.

-

I took a sharp step to my left, as the slice that emanated from my opponent's unsheathing sword rippled through the air to my right, sending a non-lethal shockwave past my shoulder. After narrowly escaping his first strike, I began work on my own.

I leaned forward and leapt, using the power of my mana to strengthen my muscles and joints, my lunge was unbelievably fast. So fast, that the speed wouldn't have been possible even as an adult back on earth. The magic was truly frightening. A loud smack of wood indicated how the strike was swiftly blocked.

Without a moment to think, by spinning his upper body to the left, a low sweeping leg was thrown at me as a counter. Using instinct alone, and taking advantage of our height difference. I rolled forwards under the leg, keeping my momentum, and popped back up onto my feet. The move was a perfect doge, however, my legs had buckled under the strain of my initial leap. Falling forwards I performed a one eighty hand spring to gain further distance and tumbled to a stop a couple of meters from the position I was in before.

Stunned as to how I'd manage to last this long, I stood, legs shaking slightly, as I sent stabbing eyes at my opponent. he had already returned to his stance and was waiting for me to make my next move. Without breaking eye contact, Imbuing myself once again, I took a different approach. Holding the sword in my right hand, I began to enact my plan.

Rain began coming down In torrents as the weather front hit the land. I began conjuring a ball of wind in my left hand. As I prepared to initiate my sword strike, his eyes didn't even blink. he expected me to attack. Taking advantage of this knowledge, I rushed forwards with a burst of speed. A slight smirk broke the facade of emotionlessness on my enemy's face. As I had predicted, he wanted to punish me for making such a reckless move for a second time. Closing my eyes, I listened for the sound of his oak blade cutting the air as it picked up speed. My heightened senses could even hear the rain hitting the wood. Just before contact, I released the ball of air still residing in my palm. The force from this snapped my body upwards into a spin, and over the incoming swing, allowing me to land a twisting strike upon his chest.

-

Just as my blade was about to touch his chest, I felt resistance. My goal had slipped between my fingers, and I found myself dangling from my rear leg, in the firm grasp of the soggy man who was now again my dad.

Surprisingly, he laughed. "I'm impressed Kharl, that was good spar."

The storm roared around us even harder than before, almost deafening me as a ragdoll in the whirlwind

"I tried my best" I panted in a shout. I was very out of breath, and now feeling a bit dizzy from the inverted position I was stuck in. I squirmed to get free, and my dad set me down.

All we could do was laugh hysterically, as the force of mother nature ripped apart the air around us, hurling water pellets around with such power we both felt completely inconsequential against it.

-

My dad had finally opened up to me.

-

-

After drying ourselves off and changing into warm clothes, we returned to the corpse that sat untouched on the kitchen counter. Taking down the barrier spell, my dad stood proudly, arms crossed, looking intently at the fish. I mirrored my Dads pose and said ."Dad… I'm not tall enough to see…" Rolling his eyes at my stance and comment, he grabbed me by the back of my jumper and plopped me onto the table next to it. "Can you see it well enough now?!"

You are reading story Around Two Worlds and Back at novel35.com

The face I made at the awful smell emanating from the oversized fish was enough of an answer for him. Apparently amused at my mild discomfort, he continued to speak.

"This is a Centrun Kharl. It's a species local to the Burgeo sea around Ascal. As I said earlier, It feeds off ambient mana in the ocean, fueling its life force."

As the rain battered against the window, I took a moment to think,

"So why did you buy one?" I asked, "Does it taste good?"

"Good question, It tastes nice if cooked correctly, and due to the fact It has not got many innards other than its heart and brain, it has more meat than other fish. However! the main reason I bought this one was that Its mana crystal is still inside of it."

"How much did it cost?"

"It was cheaper than normal for one of this quality, around three gold in total. Anyway, the mana crystal in a centrun is very potent and can be put to good use in many magical items, and It makes a very good boost for younger mages trying to jump core levels depending on its size."

"So you bought It for me? I didn't think I would need something like this, the artefact has plenty of mana to last me for the foreseeable future."

Dad then shifted his position awkwardly, "No no…" he trailed off, "your mother and I actually wanted to tell you about this sooner, but uhh, your cousin is coming to live with us for a while. She's a couple of years older than you, and we wanted to give it to her as a welcoming gift, she's hoping to form her mana core at some point after her sixth birthday you see."

Perking up a little, I asked "Oh," I said, "when will she be arriving?"

"My brother told me she'd be arriving in Nzar around six weeks from now, and that we would have to go and pick her up. "They are from the capital. so she may be a little unaccustomed to the change of scene and way of life out here." He gave a shrug. Pulling out a foot long thin knife from the central kitchen drawer, he sharpened it as he continued to talk. "I'm a little worried about it in honesty, my brother was always a bit stubborn and arrogant when we were younger. I just hope his daughter Bella isn't too similar, otherwise, It'll be a little troublesome to deal with day to day."

He sighed deeply, "what I'm trying to say is, just try your hardest to get on with her." Cutting into the fish, he severed Its head and tail. Performing the task with such grace, It would be difficult not to be impressed by his handiwork. Flipping the fish so its belly was now facing him, he ran the blade down the spine in a fluid sweep. Flipping the fish, he repeated this process again, leaving two perfect slices of fillet lying on either side of the bones that had, only moments ago, held them together.

In awe, I admired the royal blue and white crystal that glowed vibrantly, sticking out of the flesh on one of the slabs of meat. It was surprisingly long and thin, about ten inches in length and two wide. Sensing the mana emanating from it, I reached over to pick it up, making sure as to not absorb the densely packed energy it had stored inside.

It was light, weighing no more than forty grams. "beautiful isn't it?" my father said rhetorically, plucking it from my fingers. "now we just need to wrap it up ready for when she arrives." Stashing it in his pocket, he began cleaning up the mess on the table. While I wondered what kind of person my cousin would be like.

-

-

It wasn't long before we received a letter from town stating that Bella had arrived. She was staying at one of the various Inns in Nzar. The six weeks had passed quickly with the repetitive cycle of training, reading and completing various tasks around the house. Having mana at my fingertips gave me more stamina and strength to keep up with my jampacked routine. I was though very much looking forward to having a new face around. Putting down the letter he received, my father and I grabbed our lightweight coats in case of a brief downpour and set out towards town, The now warm spring air pairing nicely with the taste of pollen and salt surrounding us. A few darker clouds could be seen in the distance, but the chances of rain were slim.

I noticed how the changing of seasons had changed the landscape slightly as we walked, the grass was now nearly a meter in height and was scattered with a variety of flowers. The trees were a more vibrant green than before and the sound of the sea was quieter and more timid against the cliffs, now the post winter weather had become light.

With high hopes for the summer soon to come, I smiled at my dad, "I hope my cousin and I get on well!"

You can find story with these keywords: Around Two Worlds and Back, Read Around Two Worlds and Back, Around Two Worlds and Back novel, Around Two Worlds and Back book, Around Two Worlds and Back story, Around Two Worlds and Back full, Around Two Worlds and Back Latest Chapter