Keeping a loose watch on both cousins, I returned to harvesting various edible mushrooms and other useful herbs in the vicinity. At one point, Joel had managed to startle some kind of dark furred animal from the underbrush with his rock throwing. As its hasty form took off in freight, I watched as he disappeared from sight amidst the dense foliage.
Losing interest in his actions along with his disappearance, I returned to foraging. It was only after harvesting a small portion of my latest discovery, that I noticed Lynette hovering silently beside me. It was her emotions which I felt first, causing me to look up and meet her gaze. A tendril of hope and determination had replaced the sense of wonder I’d felt before, with her display of playful control over the water element.
Now she stood with her hands clenched tightly by her side and eyes narrowed in reflection of the feelings I felt exuding from her. “Andrew.” Her voice had lost much of the shyness it held before as she spoke my name.
“I want to become stronger and take the darkness potion now. I . . .” Her voice hitched a little as I felt a thick cord of fear and threatening loss tangle through her prior determination. “. . . I can’t lose this place.” She raised her left hand up to show me the dancing water droplets as they rushed about over her skin. Then, as if suddenly losing the energy that guided the droplets, they fell from her hand to scatter among the plant along the ground.
Bowing her head, I watched as her long black hair cascaded over her eyes, draping them in shadows from the obscuring strands. Her words continued, somewhat muffled now. “I need to become strong enough so that Joel will need me here.”
My recollection of her reasoning back in the apothecary shop haunted me. The desire and ability to disappear and hide within the element of darkness felt both lonely and incredibly useful. I could imagine several scenarios and including monster encounters where such an ability would allow the wielder to engage in risky ventures while remaining far safer than a direct heads on approach.
It was my personal experience with the element that made me cautious and worry for her. However, despite my fervent encouragement to delay the assimilation, she was determined to take it now and only came to me for advice on how to best proceed. In my eyes, the current circumstances were less than optimal to say the least. The shadows of the evening were growing longer which would magnify the effects of the assimilation. She was in the wild and away from a safe place to experience and recover from the process. What I mostly worried about though, were the mental demons she likely would have to face, given my suspicions of her personal history of abuse.
*Sigh* And so, given her personal conviction despite my attempt at dissuading her, I could only watch on as she sat down on an open space of ground. Pulling out the potion of darkness and drinking it, she then closed her eyes to the world around her.
I believe she was aware of the consequences regarding a prematurely aborted assimilation. I had emphasized such at least three times in the short while I had known her. Given our surroundings, I fear she risked losing permanent access to the entire element of darkness if this all went sideways. Seeing her reasons and actions, I knew that desperation and fear too often make us take chances and risk greater consequences than we would ever consider in a more peaceful time. In her case, she was undergoing this half-hazard venture to quickly become more useful to an ungrateful cousin.
My own anger and disdain, being rekindling for Joel, ironically seemed to summon his unwelcome presence. With my sensitive hearing, I heard a commotion in the direction from which he had disappeared.
“Hey guys. . . come on and let me go!” His unfortunately familiar voice was punctuated by the sound of several slaps which were accompanied by grunts of pain. “What the Hell!” He screamed out. “Why are you doing this?!”
A voice I didn’t recognize then rang out. “You said you got enlisted in the military, right? As your senior comrades, it is our responsibility to help you get toughened up for the fight, isn’t it?” A round of derisive chuckles sounded out from multiple points within the obscuring underbrush. Then a couple more slaps echoed out, followed by agonal and enraged screams of pain. *Arghhhh!*
I was admittedly torn between enjoying the moment as karma was being dished out to the ungrateful brat verses interrupting an obvious incident of bullying. Were this nearly anyone else among the many travelers I’d encountered, including the ones who I pointedly avoided due to a mix of bad vibes and ill behavior, I would have stepped in the moment I recognized what was going on.
As I stood there debating the moral obligations that may or may not exist, I watched on concernedly as Lynette began undergoing her trial of darkness.
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Her sightless eyes sprang open wide with her pupils dilated to the greatest degree as if silently screaming for even the slightest hint of comforting light. I knew that all she would see was darkness. I could only pray to the heavens that she suffered far less than I did during my own trial as it certainly was no casual walk under a dark starlit sky. This was a trial without any visual input which preyed upon the insecurities and fears of the heart.
Nightmares and terrors of the highest order were likely to come out of the woodwork of her imaginings. Even now I watched as she curled her arms crosswise over her chest and dug her nails into the opposite shoulder. I almost ran to her to hold her in my arms, as she began lightly rocking back and forth just the slightest bit as quiet whimpers slipped past her tightly sealed lips.
Only now, seeing it from an outsider’s perspective could I see why Victoria had been unable to stay around me, until I had overcome my personal trial of darkness. The pain she must have felt at likely knowing some of what I suffered, while being unable to step in until all was said and done must have torn deeply at her.
I had to wonder if this was much like how a caring mother or father might feel when they see a beloved child of theirs heading wayward in a world filled with so many painful paths and choices.
I know that there are a lot of broken families out in the real world and these two cousins who accompanied me in the form of young teenagers, were victims and fruits of such. Who knows how each of them might have turned out, if they had been raised by a more loving and ethically stalwart parent or relative.
I would never place all the blame upon the parents though as some of the most rotten of apples can come from a beautiful tree. However, a shattered home weighs heavily upon young souls, too easily leading to a shattered world view. It takes an incredibly strong heart and soul to break free of the shackles of their jailer and predecessor. Sometimes, some of the most beautiful of creatures can come from a troubled childhood, rising up in a time of need for the sake of another in order to challenge the status quo.
Too often though, the cycle of destruction and abuse continues on, unbroken and unchallenged for want of an absent savior.
My inner thoughts were interrupted by the emergence of Joel, as the angry adult in a teen body came tumbling out of the concealing underbrush. His disheveled appearance was accompanied by the sound of another loud slap. I could finally see what was happening as the glistening metal tip of a spear had been struck against his bare calves. Red imprints about 2 inches in width marred his skin, from which thin streaks of blood trickled down.
I confirmed that he was certainly being toyed with as I quickly made the connection between the dimensions of the spear head and the wounds inflicted. His antagonists were using the flat of the spear head to cause the greatest amount of pain and embarrassment, while not outright crippling or killing the annoying guy.
*Sigh* My flagging morals finally and begrudgingly rose to the challenge as I saw the extent of what was happening. Four men, each in standard military garb and wielding a spear, took turns in striking Joel in various places like the forearms, legs, and even the face.
Despite them being out of range from my empathic sensory field, I could still see the vicious delight in the eyes and expressions of these four wolfen, as they tormented the new Traveler. I was unsure if they had jointly known each other before coming to this virtual reality or they just happened to meet up. Their actions appeared practiced and comfortable, as if they had done this to many prior victims without any sense of remorse.
Their current victim was a blubbering mess of snot, tears, and blood. I was unsure if he had ever been treated this way before in his life. Honestly, I was quite surprised that he had not yet chosen to log out and escape from this abuse. My eyebrows rose with his display of resilience as I considered the possibility that he just might not be as bad as I had taken him to be.
With the decision made to finally intervene, I felt the familiar stirrings of energy within me as my power too rose to the challenge before us.
Before I had crossed more than a few meters of distance between us, with staff in hand and violence at the ready, Joel turned to briefly face me and his suffering cousin. With us in his sights I watched as his face transformed from a fearful mess into a rictus smile.
I was too far from him to sense his current emotions, but a chill formed and washed over me. It was as if I had been doused in ice water which ripped away what little warmth I previously had. A single thought ran through my mind screaming to the effect that his expression did not bode well.
Pausing mid-dash, I kept my distance as the opposing party too halted at my appearance.
Although I was not personally acquainted with any of the four antagonistic militant Travelers, I could recall instances where some of them had been involved in past altercations in the marketplace and tavern, labeling them as frequent troublemakers. I saw as the expressions of two of them change in recognition of who I was. Unease tinged their eyes as their steps also faltered in comparison to their companions.
I smirked a bit as this was one of the rare times I was gratified for the authority offered to me by my master, regardless of my own accomplishments. If my position as Victoria’s apprentice could relieve some of the pressure off the blossoming confrontation I feared was coming, I was grateful for it.
Squaring my shoulders, I loosely gripped my staff in casual preparation. It was just as Monroe had taught me when facing an unknown opponent. The intent was to be open and ready to react to near anything that might be thrown my way. I had been taught that too rigid of a stance, could cripple you in a moment when versatility and flexibility was key.
A part of me felt a thrill at the likelihood of getting to use all that I had been learning for the past several months of intense training and body reforging. My eyes narrowed in expectation as a vicious smile of my own graced my lips. Perhaps I was less averse to confrontation then I had previously assumed.
I waited with bated breath to see what would happen next.
Like moths to a flame, the eyes and attention of the four hoodlums were drawn to me as their initial prey was momentarily forgotten with something new in their sights. Joel turned away from them and rushed to hide behind me as a shield to their oppressive actions and intent.
As he entered my sphere of emotional awareness, I could feel his fear like a greasy and cloying stench that irritated my senses.
Something rankled deep within me to have him at my back. He was an unknown threat in a chaotic situation. Given his past behavior, I’d rather dispatch him with great prejudice than place any trust in his integrity and support.
“Hey shrimp!” The eyes of the largest wolfen with black glossy fur slid off of me and called out to the cowering boy behind me. “Unless you can give us a better option then this guy, we will be taking out our stress on you once we get through with him.”
The fear and disgusting feel I got from him twisted into a kind of slimy and evasive thrill.
From behind me Joel cried out. “She’s not much, but you can have my cousin over there!” His words then became quieter as he muttered, “At the very least she should be good for something.”