Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 2141967" data-attributes="member: 5808">Part the One-Hundred NinthIn which: Lira’s head spins for one reason, and Euro’s does for quite another.Lira chooses her words carefully as she formulates her answer to Chi’i’s question.“There was a time not long ago when the answer to that question would have been very different,” Lira says slowly, “but no, I wouldn’t choose to change who I am.”“I see.”The silence settles on the room again, until Kiara burst out, “Wait a second!  You can make her not a sorcerer anymore?”Chi’i nods, not breaking eye contact with Lira.  “It is possible.”“But…” Lira searches for the right words.  “If I wasn’t a sorcerer, what would I be?”Chi’i merely smiles.  “This could be your chance to find out.”###Lira is too shell-shocked by Chi’i’s offer to notice much about dinner, but the rest of the party has a perfectly pleasant meal.(SpyScribe: Don’t mind me; I’m just over here having a head-trip.)Naturally, everyone wants to know more about what Chi’i meant by making someone “no longer a sorcerer,” but her explanations remain general.“Sorcerers tap into the source of arcane magic.  Sever that connection, and an individual can no longer cast spells.”“Do you know a lot of sorcerers?” Annika asks.“I am one,” Chi’i replies.A pause falls over the table.  Anvil frowns.  “We are looking for a wizard.”Chi’i clarifies.  “I was born with a talent for magic, and there are spells that I can cast because I know them the way that Lira does.  However, that is not how I chose to develop my talents.  I devoted myself to the arcane arts as a matter of study instead.”“Oh, I see.”  Anvil nods, as if to signal that this is acceptable.At the conclusion of the meal, Kiko brings out a strange-looking stringed instrument which she places on the floor in front of her.  She plays it beautifully, singing in a strange language none of the adventurers have ever heard before.Reyu asks her about it when she finishes.  “It is the language of the Go’nah-li.  The Old Ones, as the Sovereigns call them,” she explains.“The Go’nah-li,” Reyu repeats.  She turns to Chi’i.  “That was who you said called the substance we found Gods’ Breath.”Chi’i nods.  “They are the people who used to live in these mountains many hundreds of years ago, before the Sovereigns came.” “What happened to them?”  Thatch asks.Chi’i’s eyes darken.  “What happens to anyone who stands in the way of the Sovereignty?  Those who would not convert to Sovereign beliefs were exterminated.  And there were not many who chose to convert.”A pall falls over the small gathering.Chi’i puts a hand on Kiko’s arm.  “Why don’t you play another song for us?”Kiko does, another lilting haunting melody, and although none of the party members can understand the words, the sadness behind them is all too clear.###The next day, Lira seeks out Chi’i in her private study. It’s a small room, with bookshelves filled with ancient tomes, loose papers, and scrolls of blank vellum lining opposite walls.  Chi’i sits at a wooden desk placed against the wall below the room’s only window.  Sunlight, filtered through the pine-boughs outside, speckles her work-surface.  Chi’i turns her chair to face Lira and offers her a spot on a small settee. As Lira settles in, she notices Euro suddenly going to alert from his post on her shoulder.Hey Boss.  I think that cat is lookin’ at me.Lira follows his gaze to where a large orange cat is perched at the top of one of the bookcases.  She cuts her eyes over to Chi’i.  “Is that…?”Chi’i nods.  “Your weasel can introduce himself if he likes.”You want to say hello, Euro?As Lira watches, the cat extends one of its forepaws, pad up, and beckons, eyes narrowed.Oh you better believe it, Boss.  You know… I think that cat is messing with me.Go ahead then.Euro takes off, hitting the floor and scampering up the face of the Chi’i’s bookshelves.  The cat waits until he’s just within reach of the top shelf… and then languidly leaps across the room to settle on the top of the shelves opposite.Oh… now I know she’s messing with me!Eruo tears down the shelves again and crosses the floor to scale the other side.  The cat affects a yawn.“So, what’s on your mind?”  Chi’i asks.Lira forces herself to tear her eyes away from the mustelid vs. feline smack-down and focuses on what has brought her to see Chi’i in the first place.“Um… I don’t mean to be rude, but… When you talked about making me not a sorcerer… Is this something you’ve actually done, or it is just a theory?”“Well, I have more than just theory to support my research, but no.  You would be the first,” she allows.  “Have you changed your mind?”Lira shakes her head.  “I really think Ehkt made me as I am for a reason, even if I don’t know what that reason is.”“I certainly respect your choice in this matter.  I wouldn’t wish to force you to do something which you do not truly desire.”Lira nods, and allows herself to be distracted by Euro and the cat again.  Chi’i follows her glance and smiles indulgently.  They sit for a few moments in silence.“Could I ask you another question?” Lira ventures.“By all means.”“Why does Kiara like this place so much?  She said she could feel it, tugging at her, when we were still days away.  I don’t think it’s a familiar thing.  I mean, Euro doesn’t seem particularly affected.”There is a small pause before Chi’i answers.  “Kiara is a very special little girl.  Very magically attuned.  I’m not surprised she’s sensitive to this place.”“The Sovereigns used to call this valley the ‘Valley of Untamed Fury’, Now it’s ‘The Valley at the Center of the Storm.’  Was it you that changed it?”“What the Sovereigns call this Valley is not my concern.  They leave me alone and I return the favor.  However, my… presence… here probably has something to do with it.”Lira is pretty sure that Chi’i is not telling her everything, but at the same time, she doesn’t know what the other woman might be holding back.  She also doesn’t get the impression that she’s being maliciously lied to.A sudden crash brings Lira out of her thoughts.  Ouch.She looks over at Euro.  He lies on his back, blinking rapidly, and slightly stunned.  Euro!S’okay Boss.  I slipped.Lira looks helplessly at Chi’i.  “We should probably be going.  I’m sure you have work to do.”The wizard waves aside her excuses and rises to see Lira out.  Lira scoops up her familiar, and takes her leave.As it has been nearly since the moment she met Chi’i, Lira’s mind is racing.  Can she do what she says she can?  What is the source of arcane magic?…  What would people like Devon do if they found out that being a sorcerer had become, in effect, a choice?  What would people like the people who blew up the Mages’ Academy do if they found out?  Is this where my path splits, like Alirria said in the prophecy?  But which way is the stagnant pool, and which one is the rough rapids?  What am I supposed to do?Unfortunately, no matter how hard she thinks, she can’t come up with any useful answers.</blockquote>

Verification