Jimmy listened to the elder, who taught them the properties of various metals. “This is Firesteel, this is Watersteel, this is Bloodsteel…” The elder got out seven metals and introduced them to the class. These were the best conductor of said Law and amplified their effect. The elder produced another seven metals and explained about each of them; Firebane, Spiritbane and Earthbane and so on. These were poor conductors of corresponding Laws—almost an insulator. These metals either diminished or nullified the effect of the corresponding Law. Jimmy learned much in his Blacksmith class. The identities of unique metals, their source, their properties—and how and what to forge with them. How to make an object of power? It was a simple process, impossible as it was to believe. First, forge a required item, take a beast core, and after that reach out with spiritual sense to the item through the core and push the power of the core to the item—the spiritual sense was the medium to such tran
Eron, the last Collector, covered his ears as the earth heaved and shook as if in great agony. This explosion was too loud, even with the wards set on his ears. His wards explicitly filtered out loud sounds like explosions. He was an expert at sound-based blending. Of course, even wards couldn’t handle everything. Tapping and blending weren’t all-powerful art. The war this time was one of the worst. No one had seen it’s like for thousands of years. And the explosions that not even his wards could handle seemed to reflect the ferocity of this war. Of course, no one had fought against the dragons in known history. They were like gods to men, and in some ways, they were. But soon he would be the one to become a god. He crept forward, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible towards the frontline where the battle was most ferocious, and as he did so–he collected as much Drogen as he could, filling himself to the brim. With the amount of power he was holding right now, he could sunder a
Act 1: The Exiled Planet: Eronas Edwin work up to the dreaded sound that was a daily occurrence to him. His master was banging at the door like a raving animal. Edwin groaned, pulling the seats over his head, and used the pillow to cover his ears. It did not work. The banging continued, disturbing his precious sleep. Why must everyone in this Tribe be so infuriating? “Edwin, do you want me to break the door again? Your father won’t be happy. Wake up now—it’s already dawn.” Edwin could hear the door handle turning ominously. He knew his master, Armin, was ready to break through his door. Edwin made a growling sound in his throat. And today was supposed to be his birthday. ‘Father does not even remember, does he?’ Edwin threw the blanket—he was already sweating from the heat. “For heaven’s sake, Armin, at least let me put on my clothes.” “Is that how you address your master? You have one minute—anything more and I will break this door.” “OK! OK! Just don’t break the door.” Edwin
Edwin opened the door of the smithy and went towards the room where his twin brother worked and practised his blacksmithing skills. He opened the door of his brother’s forcing room. Ignoring everything else, he did not even notice Chris who has following right behind him. The wave of heat from the forge struck him. He ignored the anvil, forges, barrels of oil, and the other solution and forging tools that were around the room. His eyes were fixed on his bastard of a father and the most valuable person in the world—his twin brother. He heard someone gasp behind him. Edwin ignored that, too. His blood was boiling. He wanted nothing more than to twist that thick neck of his father when he saw the condition his brother was in. His brother lay there sprawled, his right hand twisted at an unnatural angle. He could see the bone protruding out of his broken arm, slick with blood. He had a blunt wound on his head, and his lower lips had split open. And worst of all, there was a pool of blood
In his room—which only had a bed, a table and two chairs, and one small closet—Edwin made a slight cut in his palm and filled a pewter cup with his blood. That should be enough to bring Jimmy back to full health. Edwin went to Jimmy’s side, who was in his bed. He pinched his brother’s nose and poured the blood into his mouth. Jimmy’s wounds healed at an incredible rate. When Jimmy woke up—thankfully he did not throw any tantrums. Edwin explained everything that had happened to Jimmy in a soft and slow voice as if explaining things to a child. “What do you do now?” Jimmy said with watery eyes. “We do as Father says. We leave this shithole of a tribe.” “But there are monsters outside the walls.” Tears rolled down Jimmy’s eyes. “I know.”“But we will die.”“I…I know.” “Tell me you have a plan.” Jimmy was practically screaming hysterically by now. “You always have a plan. When you and Chris found out about me, the two of you protected me. You hid the truths. You can do it again. You
Once Chris stopped laughing, she looked at Edwin, her lips still twitched now and then, probably with laughter she was trying to control.“One good thing about being the hair of the tribe is that you can know things, learn things. The Aether tribe is real, Edwin.” “It Is?” Edwin said.“Yes, and from what I know, the Aether tribe is not the only strongest tribe on the continent. Two more tribes rival the Aether tribe in strength, though I do not know their name.”“If they are real, why don’t we know about them?” Edwin said, apprehensively. He still did not believe in the Aether tribe. “Why is it just a rumour?”“Of course, it’s just a rumour,” Chris said in an exasperated tone.“The world is too dangerous. Even though there are hundreds if not thousands of tribes out there, we only have contact with four other tribes. The other tribes are either too far or too dangerous to travel to. The rumour flies, however, during the trade with those other four tribes. However, my father quickly su
The next day, Edwin, Jimmy, and Chris mounted the horse, staring at the vast ocean of mist that expanded to the horizon. As the name suggested, a thick veil of mist shrouded the Misty Hills. The three of them nodded to each other and urged their horse forward.As soon as they entered, the mist disappeared. One second it was there, the next it was gone. Edwin halted his horse and looked in front of him. A vast expanse of barren rolling hills greeted them.Edwin dismounted his horse and moved backwards. His other two companions followed him. As soon as he was outside the awe-inspiring zone of Misty Hills, the veil of mist reappeared and when they entered the Veil, it disappeared. All three of them exclaimed in amazement. Edwin had heard of this, but witnessing it yourself and hearing about it in a story were two completely different things. It was both awe-inspiring and somewhat scary.After gawking at everything until they were satisfied, they marched toward the krozon tribe. Following
[More Than a Week Ago][Vancorg Tribe][Edwin’s and Jimmy’s Birthday][Midnight]***Jimmy was being carried strapped to a woman’s chest. Even as the woman ran from the unknown danger, she brushed his hair, all the while murmuring, “It’s going to be alright, Gav. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe.”A sudden force struck them, and Gav—or was he Jimmy, felt a burning pain in his head. The world spun around him. Jimmy could feel his mind slipping away. Something… shifted. Jimmy-Gav found himself sprawled on the ground, his head throbbing, barely conscious. A woman with blonde hair and red eyes placed a red spherical stone the size of a thumbnail in his chest and backed away.There was a flash of red and a roaring sound. Jimmy fell into the world of shearing pain as if thousands of burning needles were pressing against his skin—every part of his skin. The pain kept on rising and rising and rising. The sharp burning pain seeped into his sinew, his bones, and the marrow till it ripped his