The Celestial Forge
By: Schin Ka'Tharos
CHAPTER 22
(Part 4)
When I didn't respond to her question, after a few seconds Ciara took the offensive again. A kick from her cracked out taking me right in the chest and throwing me several yards in the air before I slammed into a wall, starlight reflections sparkling around me. She held out her hands forming intertwining celestial essence into spheres within both palms. Just as I had recovered to stand she threw one of the orbs at me. The edges of my sight were hazy but I recognized the technique immediately as her web net she had used extensively against the abyssal worms. I knew I couldn't be caught in the attack or else I would be in serious danger. I sprang forward and managed to dive and roll under the ball right as it started to expand. The opened essence net slammed into the wall behind me and an eerie sizzle resounded within the hollow air.
Her question rung in my mind and the truth of it stung. I had used up a significant amount of my essence in that last attack and to push my aura beyond its current natural boundary. I was paying a price for being too inefficient and ineffective in my spell-forging and had sunk too much into the first few moments in the fight. Additionally, my will was already strained and thus my control of my flame weakening. In my training I had been pushing myself hard to the edge of my limits everyday and hadn’t given sufficient rest to my will. I couldn't make this an endurance competition.
I came up from my roll and sprinted directly at her. I switched to a different technique. Back when I had fought against the jackals in the tower's garden, I had managed to guide the overflowing and uncontrolled essence into rough gauntlets. The patterns in the essence for that makeshift technique had reminded me of one of the techniques grandfather had taught me called Shattering Force. It’s a technique that typically requires the third flowline but I had been inspired to rework the pattern to one I could manage at my current advancement.
Ciara hurled the second sphere of essence with significantly more force than her first attack. Instead of attempting to dodge, I tore off the Ghost King mask and flipped it right into her web net orb. The mask collided with the technique and the net sprang around it in a burst. I slid around the explosion, sparing a brief thought of hope that my mask was unharmed, and was on top of Ciara the next instant.
I came at her with a flying knee. I saw a flash of surprise on her face right before she covered up to block. I followed it up with a flurry of punches which glanced off her curled up defensive position as she rolled with the punches. I then threw a couple of light uppercuts up the middle into her raised hands trying to force her defense tight to restrict her vision. My technique snapped into place and a single thin line of celestial essence arched across my fist as if I had managed to grab a looping ring of lightning.
I smashed my Shattering Force fist into her side just below her armpit and right into her ribs. I felt the technique connect solid and a jolt ran up my arm. It felt like I had punched a rock. Then pain crashed through my face and I lost awareness.
I came to a second later on the floor a few feet from where I was previously. I looked up just in time to see Ciara leaping toward me. Countless strands of essence exploded out of her in a complex interlacing dance. All threads wove towards me with deadly intent and I felt an overwhelming oppression from the attack. Millions of strands crashed around me from every possible direction outlining my body and countless more hovered over me threateningly pointing at me like a waterfall of suspended needles.
Ciara stood looming over me like a queen passing judgment and I lay there completely at her mercy. There was no fury on her face. No hate or malice. Only a blank face and weighing eyes. We stared at each other for a long moment and then she abruptly let out a big breath. Her technique disappeared as if it had never been. Then she reached down with a hand to help me up with a small embarrassed smile partially hidden behind her cascading hair.
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“Ashes,” I said, coming to my feet. My head still rang with thunder. “That last technique is incredibly strong. It's completely overwhelming.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “It's mostly effective on you because of how weak you are. I don't even bother using it with someone closer to my rank, it would be a waste of my essence and forging.”
“I’m that weak huh?”
“You have a good foundation.” She said, “ You will be a monster to deal with once you're closer to my advancement. In pure physical combat that is.”
She walked over to the Ghost King that sat on the floor. Her web net was gone and it lay face up with no visible damage. She picked up the mask to inspect it. “I like your little trick with this. What is it? Some type of limiter? Your speed and strength in both your physical and spell-forging capabilities improved noticeably once you took it off. “
“To some extent,” I said. “But that is more of a by-product of its main functionality. It's more like a filter for the first flowline, increasing the burden of essence and limiting air flow.”
“Ah, like wearing a weighted vest or a blind fold. Using it increases your benefits for training and removing it unshackles the self-imposed restraints.” She said, “It is a marvel of construction. I’ve heard of artifacts similar in nature but nothing quite like this.”
She handed the mask back to me and then retrieved her chest-plate. I was content to let the silence remain while we both equipped our gear. I watched for any signs of damage that I may have caused from my attack that had landed but she showed no indication of it.
“Based on our non-forging engagement I had almost forgotten how far below me you are in rank.” She finally continued after a few minutes. “Like I said, you have an incredibly solid foundation, but as far as spell-forging is concerned, that's all you have, a foundation. You take way too long to lock your techniques in place for one. The potency and strength of your essence is fairly lacking as well, even with your mask off. I can't say your natural flame is doing you any favors here. The techniques themselves would be difficult for me to critique because it would be like critiquing a child's brush strokes. You may be imitating a master, or making it up. I cant really tell. The techniques seem odd, but may suffice, unless it is the techniques themselves that are causing you to lag in speed.”
“I’ve been working on removing my deficiencies.” I said. “Three months isn’t long but I was hoping I had made more progress.”
“I will say, the extent that you have increased your aura in just a few months is quite impressive.” She said and made her way back over to where her brother was lying. She continued the conversation, inviting me to follow. “Is that all of the techniques you have?”
“For the most part, yes” I said. “All that I can use at this advancement anyway and have any level of control over”.
“What about whatever technique you pulled out on the skiff on the worms? Shooting the rendings.” She asked.
“That's just an unrefined trick.” I said dismissively. “It's extremely limited in value. It’s not effective unless I have rendings. .I don't like being dependent on a limited and valuable resource like that. Also, the range and power is weak. I feel like it was just uniquely effective on the worms due to their low level of defense and their vulnerability at that stage of evolution “
“I’ve never seen anything like it, though. I’ve never even heard of using raw celestial rain or rendings as a weapon in such a way. The general understanding is that unconsumed essence was not only mostly impervious to any spell-forging but also down right dangerous. It is generally forbidden to spell-forge into rendings or raw manna at all due to any spell-forged essence coming in contact with it would be permanently lost to the Forger.”
I had gathered a few things from my area and walked over to sit next to her. I brought out two cups and a teapot. This was one of the things I had found in the basement along with a stash of my grandfather's favorite tea. Just the smell of it raised my mood.
“I’m at a loss to know why my little trick works. Maybe it has something to do with my use of my natural flame.” I said. Then I held out the teapot for her to take. “Speaking of flames, would you tell me more about your eternal flame while you kindly brew us some warm tea?”
Next Chapter...
Chapter 23