The grand assembly was the most heated one Sapp had ever been a part of. The people were angry, and the council struggled to calm their collective temper. The Chief of the Sheriffs resigned, the council offered to pay the injured civilian and the shopkeeper compensation, but the people demanded compensation be taken from the Military instead. They promised to “send an appeal” and spoke about measures to prevent things like this from happening again. There were talks of “a dark day in Mupnal” and “bouncing back from this incident stronger than ever”.
The only thing Sett cared about was the announcement that the Military had found the box they were looking for in the Woods, and would immediately withdraw. Sapp mentioned that the Captain leading the troops seemed very stressed and anxious. Sett’s father assumed it was because of the citizen’s response, but Sett figured it was because they couldn’t find the contents of the box. Since they were leaving without investigating, he hoped they would just blame the fugitive for eating it.
Overall, Sett was happy to have gotten away with his adventure and excited to get back to work again. He hoped whatever benefit the pill gave would help him in the upcoming Ether crafting lessons with Thane. He was level 7 now, still a bit away from his body being ready to fully utilise Ether, which came at level 10, but he could practice his control now.
He skipped through the streets that morning with a slice of bread in his mouth, contrasting the somber mood of the residents around him. He walked into the smithy to find Thane waiting for him with a square of unshaped metal on the workbench.
“You wanted to start Ether crafting? Let us start then. Sit down.”
Sett excitedly sat down opposite his mentor, and stared at the piece of metal in front him. He noticed a straight line drawn with pencil cutting across the strip.
“Do you know how to circulate your Ether?”
“Yessir”
“Good. Can you accumulate it on one hand?”
“Err.. sort of? I can circulate it more in my left hand, but it feels weird and not smooth. I’m not too good with my right.”
“Fine. Then do that while holding this piece in both your hands, release it into the metal and carve a straight line from left to right across it following the pencil I have marked for you.”
“That’s…a lot”
“So figure it out. You have loads to practice on,” Thane said as he dropped a big box on the table, filled to the brim with similar strips of metal.
Sett picked up the first piece and placed it between his hands. He circulated the Ether through his body first, and then let it slowly accumulate in his left hand. He willed it to enter the metal, feeling it push against the walls of his skin and…stop. He pushed harder, the discomfort in his hand increasing, until the strip of metal shot out of his hand with a bang and hurtled across the room. Sett stared wide eyed as Thane roared in laughter.
“If you force something out like that, it will come out with some strength. Let it out slowly. Do not fear, you have many pieces to practice with.”
Sett sighed as he picked up the next piece from the box.
Sett dragged his feet through the cobblestones as he made his way home. His body was wrung dry of Ether after a full day of sending metal flying through the smithy, and all he managed in the end was reducing the distance it flew. He reached energy exhaustion by midday, but Thane just shoved a steak into his mouth, let him nap for half an hour, and woke him up to continue again. All the excitement for Ether crafting gave way to the dread of this training method. He just hoped things would get easier the next day.
Things weren’t easier the next day either. He left the smithy in the evening just as exhausted as before, but this time he had managed to keep the strip in his hand and even made a small indent on its side. It was far from the fine, straight line that Thane wanted, and it even heated up a little which apparently wasn’t supposed to happen, but it was a start. At least he didn’t have to deal with flying strips of metal anymore.
This continued for three more days, with Sett making a tiny amount of progress each day. By the end of the third day, Sett could make a rough half inch long cut on the 4 inch long strip. He expected a few more days to reach the end of the strip, and then it’s down to refining and shaping it to match the pencil mark.
Thane had gone to drop off Aiya at Central City since her mother was going to Krakar II for a meeting and wanted to bring her family. Thane refused to go since he had a lot of work lately, so he dropped his daughter off and returned, leaving Sett alone with the smithy for the day.
Sett stepped out to grab lunch and stopped when he heard a loud rumbling. Looking up, he saw dark clouds looming over the sky. Shit, looks like a storm.
Deciding he didn’t want to be caught in a storm, he decided to call it a day and head home. He locked the smithy door and walked towards the main street, before cursing and turning around. He ran back to the workshop, grabbed a handful of the metal strips, and shoved them in his pocket. He then sprinted towards the residential district, briefly stopping to grab a slice of cake from Madam Fen’s patisserie. It was the twin’s system onset the next day, and he thought about what he could gift them as he ran.
He jogged up the stairs of building 6-7, a consequence of a brilliant idea he had on his way home. Sett wasn’t satisfied with his progress on the Ether control exercise the big guy had him doing, regardless of Thane’s assurances that he was progressing faster than expected. So, he decided to ask the only E grade he knew for help. From what he understood about rifles, you needed to channel Ether through the weapon to power it, which didn’t sound like a task requiring fine control but uncle Tecc couldn’t have reached E grade without some achievement.
Thunder rumbled again as he trudged the last few steps, only a little less tired than he was the last time he was here. It was barely afternoon, yet the clouds in the sky made everything look like night. Sett made a mental note to carry an umbrella with him from the next day, noticing the onset of the rainy season.
He knocked on uncle Tecc’s door, and then knocked again after a minute. Just as he raised his hand for a third knock, the door swung open. Uncle Tecc wore a serious expression, more so than usual. His hair was messier than usual, and he looked like he got up from bed. There were heavy bags under his bloodshot eyes, a departure from his state just a few days ago. Sett noticed the faint smell of whiskey in the air.
He was immediately worried. Uncle Tecc rarely worked since his retirement, only occasionally helping out in the farm or selling his handicrafts, but he still kept a strict routine. Sett hadn’t known him to drink too much either, though his father had mentioned a period of alcoholism following his discharge from the Military. Sleeping late and binge drinking were worrying signs, and Sett’s brows furrowed.
“Oh. What’s up, kid? What brings you here?”
“Oh I just wanted some advice on Ether control.” He held up a strip of metal. “Forget that, are you okay uncle Tecc? Have you been drinking?”
Tecc snorted and let his nephew in.
“A little. Hearing of red plates in this town brought back memories. I’ll be fine, kid, don’t worry about it.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Sett walked in uneasily, but didn’t reply. He would talk with his father first before doing anything.
“So what’d you want help with?”
“I’m supposed to channel Ether through this strip of metal and engrave a fine, straight line across it.”
Tecc observed the metal for a bit, before motioning to a cushion. Sett sat down and took back the strip from his uncle.
“It’s basically what I do while carving wood. Wait here, I'll freshen up a little and be back. I just woke up.”
Sett watched his uncle disappear into the bathroom, and got up. He headed to the kitchen, searching for some bread or something. Uncle Tecc’s kitchen was clean and simple, though it looked untouched for a few days at least. He found a loaf of bread that was a couple of days away from turning stale, but he kept it on the countertop anyway. He threw some rakeseed into a pot with water, sliced some carrots in, and threw an old beet in the trash.
As the porridge boiled, Tecc emerged from the bathroom, his hair and beard still wet. He looked a lot better, though the bags under his eyes still looked heavy. His eyes were still red, but they had calmed a little.
“What are you doing?”
“You need to eat first. I’m making porridge.”
His uncle replied with a nod, and sat down on the futon. Sett made a mental note of what groceries uncle Tecc could possibly need as the broth boiled, intending to return the next day. He poured the porridge into a ceramic bowl, garnished it with a piece of bread and brought it to Tecc.
“Thanks.”
“It’s okay.”
Sett watched as his uncle sipped the broth, colour slowly returning to his face. The man ate quickly, and Sett wondered how many days it had been since he ate anything at all.
“Did you hear what happened at the assembly? The red plates are gone. They didn’t find out I stole the pill. We’re safe now.”
Tecc didn’t say anything as he stared at the empty bowl.
“Yeah. I suppose so,” he said after a minute.
“What’s wrong uncle Tecc?”
“I don’t know, kid. I’ve had a bad feeling since those bastards showed up here. I thought I was over it. It still haunts me, kid. Jagged Rock still haunts me.”
Sett nodded somberly. He didn’t know what to say, or if he even had to say anything. Uncle Tecc cleared his throat and broke the silence first.
“So. Ether control. Show me what you can do now.”
Sett nodded and picked up the piece of metal, channeling Ether through his left hand. He’d become adept at localising the Ether in his body to accumulate in his hand, and he gently nudged it into the metal. At least, he hoped it was gentle but the energy still rushed too fast, lightly heating up the metal. Sett focused, willing the flow to concentrate on the middle of the strip. A small, rough engraving began forming, like a river pushing through sand. A few seconds later, the groove grew to half an inch, but the metal burnt Sett’s hand and he dropped it.
Tecc stared intently for a few seconds, before speaking.
“You’re just forcing the Ether out of your hand, kid, instead of controlling where it goes. But you can learn that with practice. Your biggest problem right now is that the Ether has nowhere to go once it enters the metal, hence heating it up. A lot of the Ether you’re pouring in is lost. You need to take that back first.”
Sett nodded slowly, though he had figured that much out on his own.
“How do I take it back?”
“Circulate Ether in your other hand. Draw in the Ether in the metal into your right hand, so it isn’t lost to the material and returns to your body.”
“I’m pretty bad with circulating Ether in my right hand uncle Tecc, I don’t think I can keep up both hands at the same time,” Sett replied, feeling very embarrassed at his earlier confidence.
“Then practice. Watch,” he picked up another strip of metal Sett had kept on the table, and held it between two fingers on the same hand. A thin line began forming along the pencil mark, with the exact width of the marking. The line was complete in mere seconds, perfectly tracing the required path, and nothing more.
Tecc’s lips slightly curved at Sett’s wide eyed stare. He put the metal down, grabbed a piece of wood and a carving knife, and began engraving.
“Look. I’m using the knife as a conduit for my Ether. You’d probably use tongs or a hammer or something for your work. Either way, you won’t be able to channel anything through your tools if you keep heating them up.”
As Sett watched, he proceeded to carve a corner of the piece, his Ether carving fine, swirling patterns on the wood as the knife glided across it.
“I release the Ether into the wood only at the point where the knife touches the wood, and take back the excess with my other hand that’s holding the block. Wood is a bad conductor, so I need to hold it near where the knife touches the block. Metal is a good conductor, so you can reabsorb the Ether at the other end.”
Sett watched intently, amazed at the incredibly precise control on display. Tecc looked up and grinned, the biggest smile Sett had ever seen on his uncle’s face. That alone was worth the trip here.
“Man, I think you should come to the smithy tomorrow. You’re a much better teacher than Thane.”
“Don’t talk about your mentor that way kid. He wanted you to figure it out on your own.”
“Okay, but you should still come though.”
“I’ll see.”
Sett nodded and picked up another piece of metal, this time trying to maintain circulation on both hands simultaneously. He failed miserably, but now that he had a direction, he gladly practiced.
He left uncle Tecc’s house two hours later, feeling exhausted but happy. He hadn’t managed to accomplish what he wanted, but he made progress.
It was raining heavily outside, and he could barely see 10 metres ahead of him. He slowly descended the stairs, trying not to think about walking through the storm. A cold wind hit him when he reached the ground floor, reminding him of the misery he was about to endure.
He noticed the rain had reduced, or even stopped, right outside the building. He thanked his incredible luck, but paused for a moment. He could still hear the rain in the distance, just not in front of him. He looked up in confusion, and his eyes widened.
There was a massive, black starship hovering right above them, blocking the rain. The thing spanned a few apartment blocks at least, shaped similar to the dropships Sett had heard about from uncle Tecc, but looked nothing like any ship used by the Krakarian Empire. He assumed that they appeared while he was descending the stairs, but he hadn’t heard a single whisper of the wind. It was like they just appeared out of thin air, hovering ominously above their heads.
He ran across the courtyard and into the street, and he noticed that many people seemed to have the same idea. The rain was pouring halfway across the street, indicating the point where the ship’s influence stopped. Above the roar of the rain, he could hear the low hum of the engines.
He could make out some writing in gold on the side of the ship, written in the Universal Common Tongue. Sett spoke the Teh’ner dialect of the Mala language spoken on the planet, but he had learnt Krakarian in school as well. Universal Common, however, was a distant third language he had a few lessons on but nothing more. He recognised the word “Resource”, the third word of four.
In the distance, he could see more such ships. Above the commercial district, above the farms, above the schools. His heart tightened in anxiety and he began jogging towards the school district. He didn’t get far before a voice laced with power bellowed out from the ship, stopping Sett dead in his tracks.
“Citizens of this town in Resource III. Assemble in the large expanse of land to the south of your town in half an hour. Failure to do so will result in consequences,” an androgynous voice called out in the Krakarian tongue. By the dialect, Sett guessed it belonged to a noble. What a Krakarian noble was doing on a mysterious ship like this and why they wanted everyone in Trent Park, he couldn’t guess.
A minute later, a low, blue light glowed from the underside of the ship, and flashed brightly. About 30 soldiers, dressed in all black armour from head to toe appeared on the street. The light flashed again, and another set of soldiers were deposited in another street. The light flashed three more times before it dimmed into nothing.
Short distance teleport. Only really high quality E grade ships can manage that.
The soldiers looked nothing like the Krakarian military, their armour looked modular and utilitarian, with matte-black plates contoured around the body. Their helmets covered their whole head, with a shiny, black visor covering the face. They had none of the flair or pomp he associated with the military. With their jet black rifles, they looked like brutally efficient killing machines.
The most terrifying aspect was the aura they gave off. A tangible feeling of power billowed from the soldiers, suppressing Sett’s movement, and awakening a primal fear within him. He recognised the feeling immediately.
The aura of a platoon of E grades in full blast.