The Andurin

Alzra P.O.V.

“Convolution of serendipity.” I said voicing my thoughts audibly.

I had one thought only. I need to save this boy!

A Zurian birthed by chance in a foreign nation? With no Elder? Preposterous.

Could it be? Even if it is, I should not be having bane imaginations.

“A good deed is rewarded by the Father as much as it is hated by the world of men.” I reprimanded myself inwardly.

The life of one child in reciprocation for a very troublesome task.

“I will need to find a way to make it worth the effort to the old fogeys, specially my master.” I kept musing.

I looked straight into the eyes of the Zigur and told him, “Violence? There is no need for violence when restrain is sufficient.”

Within a single motion, my cloak swayed and my two daggers directly struck the forehead of the two men in front of me. A perfectly balanced double pommel strike.

Two breaths. The two mean fell unconscious to the floor. The bleeding kid was stable; his life force was still vibrant.

“Seize her, attack in unison!” The Zigur ordered.

The cloaked man closest to me threw a haversack within my field of vision. The sack caused a discharge.

BOOOM!

Four breaths. I charged through the explosion and grabbed the man’s head with my fingers.

“Shen!”

As the man heard the words with a look of disbelief in his eyes, he fell into slumber.

“Impossible!” Exclaimed the two men who had set up a triangle formation with their leader.

“Not impossible just hidden.” Tosen said with a smirk.

“Delay her for me.” Ordered the Zigur turning away to run.

Seven breaths. One cloaked man targeted the unconscious boy on the floor. The other, through a talisman created a purple shield barrier wide enough to block a straight line charge to his escaping leader.

Nine breaths. Rushing to my fallen daggers I picked one and threw it pommel first into his hand. The recoil from the hit barely saved the child. The man hissed in pain or at me, I couldn’t tell.

Ten breaths. I fainted a straight at the hissing man’s head, readjusted mid motion into a half moon kick and knocked him out. I placed my hand on his forehead.

“Shen.” The words vibrated as healing essence entered the senseless man.

Twelve breaths. The remaining cloaked man laughed. “Our leader is gone; you will pay for this.” He continued to laugh almost in a maniacal fashion.

“Tsk! I was hoping it didn’t have to come to this.”

My right hand swatted my cloak away revealing a hexagonal brace on my wrist.

The artifact morphed into a bow. A light reflecting silver bow.

Thirteen breaths. “Augir!” The cloaked man shouted with his eyes trembling.

I took a single long breath. Pulled the string back. Concentrated my essence and a light arrow materialized on the bow. I locked on the Zigur running away zigzagging through the forest. I smiled and pointed at the back of his head.

“You cannot run away from this!”

Exhale. Exhale then release.

Fourteen breaths. “KET.”

ZOOOM!

“I hope the kid can withstand the aftershock.” I mussed as the light arrow pierced the barrier and knocked out the man with its dust tail.

Fifteen breaths. I dashed and rushed through the forest looking for the fallen Zigur and the kid leaving everybody else behind. The wounds from the orgon blast from the haversack finally fully healed.

“Worst comes to worst it will take time to heal him.” I reassured myself.

After rummaging for a while I found them. The Zugir sprawled, lying on his back looking completely dazed from the arrow blow. The boy was superimposed on top of the Zigur. I had travelled a distance of six furlongs.

In desperation, the Zigur must have used the child as a meat shield.

I was very happy to see the boy without any further injuries. I treated him immediately.

“Raph.” Again the words resonated as my essence flowed into the boy healing him instantaneously.

”What? Where am I?” He inquired, all the while checking his surroundings.

“Andara Forest, I’m Alzra.” I said helping him up.

Feeling himself all over, he seemed happy, a grateful look in his eyes was present.

“A little sore I take it? I asked him.

“Yes, yes. You were the one that produced that streak of light?”

I nodded in confirmation.

“The light of Zur never harms its own.”

“Let us be off, we have to see to your companion.” I continued.

The comment reached him like a lightning strike. Without any more words we retreated the same way we came from as fast as he could muster.

We reached the foot of the mountain in about 60 breaths, the boy had a long way to go before he could be as powerful as a trained Zurian sword. I had taken an enormous gamble.

Following Zurian law faithfully will do that to you.

“Well, the words of Zur are always like this when it comes to foretelling, filled and convoluted with double, triple meanings and obscure references.” I said audibly as I meditated.

When we got there. The cloaked men were slouching with their hoods off on the floor.

Looking for the boy’s companion, he pointed him out.

“Excuse my lady, can you help him?” The boy asked me in a meekly tone.

I walked over the lying body of the black haired boy on the floor and blessed him. His appearance surprised me, he looked like me, only that his skin would be considered white, a mixed offspring.

“Raph.”

His complexion got immediately better and his bleeding stopped. I embraced him carefully, the same way my mother would in my memories. He was awakening, albeit very slowly, his essence wasn’t Zurian. It did resonate with mine as mine did with the eastern child. There was no inner core formed yet. In fact, it seemed that it was a long way off from happening.

Notwithstanding, he had very strong and flexible muscles. Possibly a child from awakeners or elite hunters.

“Your friend should count his lucky stars, healers of my ilk are extremely rare.”

The eastern looking boy seemed relieved at my words. He started thanking me continuously.

“He’ll wake up soon don’t worry.” I said softly as I examined him thoroughly this time.

My essence entered the boy and permeated his entire being. I was flummoxed with what I found.

“He was on the edge of ethereal dissonance? Ether? From a country bumpkin child, wet behind the ears!?” I was perplexed as I pondered intensely.

My gaze turned serious and cold. I questioned the standing black haired eastern looking teen in a commanding tone.

“Who are you!?!”

Teng P.O.V.

“My name is Teng. I am orphan and been scavenging and surviving with my friend. He taught me how to hunt. We got our hands on an Argon scripture and we ended up here.” I replied looking at the woman a bit scared.

“Just an Argon? The base scriptures of the ancient faiths on this continent? Is that all?” The woman pressed me for an answer, her tone growing colder.

The hairs on my arms bristled. She was doing something. The feeling was scary.

I started blabbering out as fast as I could, trying to calm her down.

“I also meditated on the twelve decrees that I learned from an old hunter on the nearby village. I also fought the bear over there by using the oath of the Zurian prince in the psalms. I think it worked somehow since you are here.”

I dropped to my knees exhausted from saying what was bottled up inside me.

“You made an oath? An oath after awakening without any training? Are you insane? You could have died.” She replied in an even louder voice.

Seeing her reaction, I blurted out the only thing that could possibly make sense. I had no way of knowing after all.

“We were at an undiscovered orgon crystal cave that was guarded by the bear over there. That’s where the awakening took place.” I said hopeful of a positive response.

The look in her eyes eased.

“You will take me to this cave now.”

She picked her weapons up and placed Ikrei in her arms.

“Teng, I am sister Alzra. Let’s go.”

A strange introduction that sounded like an order.

“Stop you criminals. Don’t move.” One of the cloaked men spoke.

“I have ascertained this boy to be a Zurian member of the Clethora an even more, an Asarin candidate.”

The cloaked man who had just stood up was looking fiercely at sister Alzra but dared not move.

“I have reported this matter to you per our peace accord. Your leader is sound asleep deep in the forest. He might have a slight bruise on the head, just so you are aware.” She said with a smirk.

“What about the other boy?" The cloaked man asked.

“We are leaving. Feel free to file any grievances with the Clethora Courtiers”. She said firmly.

I sighed in relief as she had protected Ikrei. Settling the affair, we prepared to leave.

With a nod and a wink to me, we swiftly left off and running on the road to the mountain range.