I had died many times in my previous Trials but that wasn’t permanent. The Family Trial was our first real brush with death.
Did it change us? Yes.
Did it deflect us from our chosen course? No. Of course not.
If anything it hardened our resolve. We became stronger but we have to grow stronger yet. We have to be able to face the challenges of our new life.
We were absolutely exhausted when we returned from the Family Trial. So exhausted that we all spent an entire day resting. Just sitting in the common area talking, or in meditation to get to the Librificium and read.
Addie spent a lot of time alone with Penny. Neither one of them talked to us about it, but I think they were therapy sessions. Penny went from looking gaunt and haunted to something more like her usual rosy-cheeked beauty.
###
It was the day after when she asked me to meet her near the Library.
“Are you feeling better?” I ask as she leads me down a hallway I’d never seen before.
“Yes. I am, thank you,” she signs. “After the Trial, my memories were all jumbled and confused. Addie was able to use her Mind magic to teach me how to control them. How to … limit their release? Yes. How to limit them. So only a few new memories come in a day. And in some order that makes sense.”
We walk for a short while, each of us lost in our own thoughts, until she stops us before a large, imposing double door flanked by ornate luminaires composed of powerful magical crystals the likes of which I had never seen before. Looking around, I realized that we were now deep into the part of the Palace dominated by the Dungeon, before turning to her with a questioning look.
“My mother the Goddess has prepared two rewards for each of us. One of them is in your personal Inventory. Your second reward is here.” says Penny. “Open the door.”
I reach out to the door, which opens automatically at my touch. Inside, I can see a large training room shaped like an arena. I look back at Penny. “Go on,” she signs. I step forward. As my foot crosses the threshold, the arena lights up and I stumble to a halt. Right in front of my face, a holographic screen appears. Just like a touch screen on an invisible computer.
Welcome to the Magical Training Center (MTC). This simulation room has been designed for the exclusive use of Sakura Tsubaki, known as The Destroyer, by the Goddess Manalea, once known as the Lady of Order.
Please choose from the following menu:
- Design and Cast Spells
- Fight a Simulated Battle (random setup based on user level and abilities)
- Fight a Simulated Battle (advanced setup - requires user input)
- Design a Non-Battle Scenario (advanced setup - requires user input)
With a silent squeal I turn and pick up Penny in a mighty hug before dropping her and turning back to the screen. Let’s see, what should I do first?
Thrust!
Block!
Thrust!
Return!
Sweep!
Backstep!
Thrust!
Thrust!
Block!
My instructor calls out the moves as I sweat my way through morning weapon drills. I work diligently, but to be honest I’m getting a little bit bored. The Yari is a good weapon, perfectly suited for the needs of someone standing behind the front line in a formation. But it just doesn’t click with me.
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I’m a vampire. My greatest strength is the ability to suck the life out of my opponents. It doesn’t feel right to use a weapon that keeps enemies at a distance.
The instructor calls a halt for the day. I walk over with the others to place my training weapon in its rack.
“Addie! Addie!” I hear a voice call and turn to see Kari racing across the training field towards me.
“Yes?” I inquire, raising one eyebrow.
“Have you looked in your Inventory? Have you? Have you? You have to look! Look! Look! The Goddess left us each a reward! See? Look!” Kari held out her tiny hand and a weapon appeared in it. A … hammer? A giant hammer. Handle as long as Kari is tall, large blocky head bigger than a bowling ball, a dark olive green with every surface covered in etchings and runes done in burnished gold.
Kari swishes it around vigorously. It looks like it weighs a ton but in her hands it moves in an inertia-defying blur. She completes her last move, seamlessly integrating it into a pose of heroic fury. Truly she looks like a Tiny Giant in this moment. “Pretty cool, huh? I found it in my Inventory. It’s a reward from Chen Luhn! You should look in your Inventory.”
Huh. That’s a bit of a surprise. Or not. I guess the Goddess did say we would receive a reward. I mentally access my Inventory with a vague request for any items put in by deities. To my surprise, something appears in my hand.
Kari and I look it over. It’s a simple thing. A wooden handle the width of my hand. Between my middle and ring fingers, a slim metal shaft protrudes at a right angle to the handle. At its other end, the shaft curves into a hook with a wickedly sharp point.
“A cargo hook?” questions Kari.
My face stretches into a wicked grin. “Also called a box hook or longshoreman’s hook. In agriculture, a bale hook.” I step over to a training dummy, sweeping the tool out and around to contact the wood then pulling it in towards me to set the hook.
Kari looks confused as I wiggle the handle and push the hook back out of the dummy. “What good is that?”
“I don’t know,” I say before dropping into my shadow and reemerging from a different shadow directly behind her. She doesn’t have time for more than a gasp before I set the cold metal of the back of the hook up against her shoulder.
“What sort of person would sneak up behind a person and draw them in close?” I whisper into her ear, then kiss her gently on the neck before reappearing in front of her again with a wink.
Kari gapes like a fish, her mouth in a perfect ‘O’ shape. Finally, she pulls herself together enough to speak. “Please don’t do that again.”
“Sure, maybe I won’t,” I say as we turn and start walking toward the exit of the training grounds.
“Seriously, I think I peed a little.”
“I am a vampire. Your fear is only natural,” I say, buffing my nails on my shirt. “I call dibs on the cookies!” I cry out and start running.
“Hey! Wait! I wanted to show you what my hammer can do!”
“Sorry, you’re too far behind. I can’t hear you!” Ha ha. Too late you silly girl. The last word is officially mine!
As well as the cookies…
I dodge into a shady alcove and look around, making sure no one sees me. I gather my energy and channel it into speed before making a break for the next door down the hall. Haha! Success! I have made it to my objective.
Slowly I pull the door open and slip inside. The perfect place. Out of the way, never used by anyone for anything, only one entrance and the door can be locked behind me. Time to be clan-des-tine! I’m Kari, the Stealth Shadow. Slipping in and out with nary a trace! Impinging on the awareness of none. I am the epitome …
A voice whispers to me out of the darkness. “Kari. Whatcha doin’?”
I pull out a magelight and set it off. Nix is sitting there in a comfy chair next to an ornate table. Sitting in his lap is the rabbit girl. Calanthe? I think her name is Calanthe. Wait a minute, are they…?
The rabbit girl gives out a little snore as she shifts to snuggle up closer to Nix’s chest. There’s a line of drool down his shirt from her mouth. I guess they aren’t. She’s sound asleep, although there are some old tear tracks on her face.
“Shhh!” he says quietly. “She finally got to sleep.”
“What on earth are you up to?” I hiss, quietly. “I thought that you were a better man, Nix.” I was caught tryin’ to be stealthy. Best to open with a diversionary attack.
“She’s had a rough time, Kari. She’s been hiding from the others, but I try to get her to come out for a little while each day and talk to me. I think she’ll be okay.”
Well, what can you say to that? Therapist for Bunny Girls. Whoda thunk? It probably goes both ways too. Nix has more than a few complexes hisself. Unlike me! “Uh … okay. I’ll leave you to it.”
“If you’re looking for a room to sneak off to and do something nefarious, I’d suggest the room three doors down on the left.”
“Nefaribus? Me? Would I do something of that nature? Nuh-uh, not me! I’m completely innocent … of anything that could be considered … nefarimous.”
I back quickly out the door and run away. He doesn’t suspect a thing. Nefarious does have four syllables, though. Might be worth considering for future utilization (5 syllables!). I duck into the room three doors down on the left. ‘Cause I wanna. Not because some dork told me too.
Locking the door, I pull it out. My other reward. I turn my lamp up a little higher and open the rough cover. The lettering on the cover page is in some kind of gothic script: Scrying Windows: Views Across Space and Time. That’s right. I’ma gonna be spying on people. They’re keeping secrets and enquiring minds wanna know. Specifically: I wanna know.
Bwahahahaha! Nothing can be hidden from the Great Kari, Mistress of … uh … finding things out. Yeah. I sit down at the table, pull out a cup of hot tea from inventory and settle down for a good read.
I’m a snoopy girl. So sue me.