“You’re doing it all wrong!” Morgan declared to Aiden a frustrated sigh, as she pushed another piece of hair back out of her way. “Magic can’t be forced. It doesn’t work like.”
Elara stood a bit further away, and somehow the tinkle of her bracelets even sounded frustrated. “You don’t just think about doing magic, Aiden. You have to actually make it happen. Intent is everything in magic.”
Jabari, who had been observing until now, finally stood up and walked over, “Let me try,” he said, his voice even but commanding attention. He positioned himself in front of the runeportal, his posture relaxed yet full of purpose.
“Watch.” With a few whispered incantations and a graceful sweep of his hands, Jabari focused intently on the space above the runeportal. Moments later, droplets of water began to materialize, cascading gently over the stone surface, a shimmering curtain that caught the light.
Jabari gave him a reassuring look, his dark eyes twinkling with encouragement. “It gets easier,” he promised, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Magic is as much about feeling as it is about action. You’ll get there.”
“So, you had to learn this all when you got here?” Aiden asked.
“Well, yeah,” Jabari asked with a wry grin, “but I was like four, and landed in Wyndora with a family that took me in, so it wasn’t like I was in the middle of something like this. I don’t even remember learning magic, it just feels like it was always part of my life.”
“Can you talk later? Our Quantix is still dropping,” Morgan reminded them.
Aiden checked his QCore:
Quantix: 94.96%
It was going down slowly, but she was right, it was still going down, and if he couldn’t figure this out, they could all wind up Drained. Considering that he had only just learned he could do magic, that seemed to be hugely disappointing.
“If he doesn’t get the hang of this soon,” Elara said softly to Morgan, “We may need to think of another way to get back to town and warn everyone of what we found out here.”
Aiden realized she had said it soft enough that he didn’t think he would hear, but the words still stung.
He looked over and she seemed to realize he heard.
She gave him a small apologetic smile, “But I’m sure you’ll get it,” she added with a shrug.
He looked back to Jabari, “Can you show me again?”
With a smile, Jabari repeated the trick and once again rain landed on the runeportal.
Confused and a bit envious, Aiden shook his head. “I can watch you do it, but how did you do it?” he asked, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and frustration.
Jabari met Aiden’s gaze and furrowed his brows, “I don’t know how exactly to say it,” he began slowly, searching for the right analogy. “How do you kick something?” he asked, turning the question back on Aiden.
Aiden was momentarily taken aback by the simplicity of the question. “What, I don’t know, you just kick it,” he replied, feeling like the question was a bit ridiculous.
“Exactly,” Jabari emphasized with a nod. “You don’t stand there thinking about every muscle that you need to move in your leg or exactly what angle your foot will contact the ball; you just do it. You feel it and react.” He spread his hands as if to show how natural it should be. “Magic is like that too. You can’t think your way to doing magic, or force it. Once you learn how to do it, it’s exactly as simple as throwing a ball. But it is not the same as thinking about throwing a ball. Does that make sense?”
“Sort of,” Aiden answered as he tried to consider what Jabari had said. He was right, if he thought about kicking a ball, he wouldn’t kick it, he just had to kick it, but he didn’t know how to do magic, so how could he just ‘do magic’. It was starting to make his head hurt.
“Then it, shove a Bramblefang,” Jabari said.
Aiden stood there for a moment and walked into the middle of the street so that he could have a better view of a nearby Bramblefang. All he had to do was push it. He didn't fully grasp the concept; the idea that magic could be as intuitive and effortless as the act of kicking a ball was a bit impossible. But somewhere within, a spark of realization flickered. He had done it before, and he hadn’t even known magic was real then, he had just really wanted it.
With a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind of the doubts that had cluttered it so far. Maybe, he thought, he needed to stop dissecting each movement and to start feeling it instead.
"Just shove it," Aiden said to himself quietly.
He squared his shoulders, looked at the spot where the Bramblefang stood and thought about what he wanted. He didn’t just want the Bramblefang to move, he wanted to shove it.
Taking a deep breath, he extended his hands, as he thought about what he wanted and then pushed. He felt the small rush of air move from him outward and saw the Bramblefang move backwards just a bit.
Shove it!
Spirit Shove: +3 XP!
The message appeared and a broad smile spread across his face. He had done it—actually done it.
“It worked!” he exclaimed with surprise.
The excitement among the group was palpable. Elara, Jabari, Morgan, and even Dorian came over to him, their faces alight with delight and surprise.
"You did it, Aiden!" Elara exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with pride.
Jabari clapped him on the back, his grin infectious. "See? Just like kicking a ball," he teased gently.
The little Bramblefang seemed to notice him as well and turned, then steadily began rolling toward him.
“Okay, so what do I do now?” Aiden asked.
“Hit it again,” Jabari offered.
Concentrating, Aiden tried to shove the creature, but the power he had been able to use seemed to be inaccessible again. “It’s not working,” Aiden said, and he backed up a bit further down the road, putting a bit more space between himself and the approaching angry ball of branches.
“Try again,” Jabari said, encouragingly, “But don’t think about it, just do it!”
Aiden took a deep breath and let it out again. Jabari was probably right. If he thought too much about the fact that he was doing magic, it would seem so ridiculous that he wouldn’t be able to cast the spell. He had to just not think about it. All he had to do was shove.
He looked at the Bramblefang getting closer and closer and instinctively his hands came up to his chest and he pushed forward. He felt it as soon as it happened, some part of him reaching out past where his hands stopped.
The Bramblefang started rolling backwards:
Super Slide!
Spirit Shove: +1 XP!
“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” Aiden said looking back at Jabari and smiling.
Taking another step forward, Aiden pushed and rolled the creature back a bit more off the road and onto one of the overgrown front yards.
Aiden took another step forward, and the Bramblefang rolled back. One foot at a time, Aiden pushed the angry little creature back, bit by bit gaining experience with each push.
Aiden hit it again and was rewarded with a new message:
Level Up!
Spirit Skill: Shove Level: 2 - Delicate Dusting Description A small breeze of force that can be used effectively for clearing a few crumbs from a table or for dusting delicate figurines that you don’t want to endanger.
Aiden read the message excitedly, but his excitement turned to disappointment as he read the description. Sure, he was levelling up, but this one Bramblefang wasn’t in any danger from him if Level 2 was still good for “figurine dusting”.
While Aiden was considering the message he had just read, the little ball of angry thorns gathered itself and started rolling back toward him, gaining a bit of speed as it went. When it got too close, Aiden shoved the Bramblefang back again and this time, and he was grateful when it rolled a bit further than before. Gaining the level did make a difference after all.
The Bramblefang rolled end over end, looking to Aiden a great deal like a tumbleweed with how it moved. Finally, it thudded to a stop in front of another green ball.
The little green ball shook and wobbled and then turned to face Aiden. It was darker than a Bramblefang and wasn’t made out of branches at all. In fact, Aiden thought looked a lot like a very angry watermelon. It had the green outer skin typical of a watermelon with lines around it. But the most disturbing feature was its large, menacing mouth filled with an abundance of sharp, pointed teeth.
The angry green watermelon looking creature, turned toward Aiden and he could have sworn it looked right at him and gave him the most unsettling grin.
‘QCore, What is that thing?’ Aiden thought to himself:
Creature Name: Garden Roller Level: 2 Description A creature with a straited green outer covering with menacing teeth. Known for its troublesome nature, it skitters along unpredictably, causing mischief and discomfort to all who cross its path.
Aiden grimaced as he realized that the creature was a bit higher than the Bramblefang.
Together, the two creatures, rolled their way back to Aiden. He took aim at the first one and when it was close enough, pushed hard.
Not only did the first one start rolling backwards, but the second one did as well.
Double Shove!
Spirit Shove: +2XP times 2!
“I got two of them!” Aiden shouted, and watched as they rolled to a stop in the middle of a small group of them.
The largest ball, the Bramblefang, came rolling to a stop then headed back toward Aiden with a few new Brambles in tow.
The little one, the Garden Roller just kept rolling away.
“Where’s it going?” Jabari asked.
But Aiden wasn’t paying attention as he now had quite a handful of Bramblefangs headed toward him.
“Um, what do I do? Which one should I aim for?” he asked as they got closer and he started to back away a bit.
“I don’t think it matters,” Dorian said, “Just shove any of them and see what happens.”
Aiden took a deep breath and once again put his hands in front of him. He picked the Bramblefang he thought was the original and then aimed at it.
Got a Group!
Spirit Shove: +2XP times 5!
Aiden smiled as the creatures rolled away again and went skittering in different directions.
Level Up!
Spirit Skill: Shove Level: 3 - Light Push Description Push against the item in front of you. This skill is effective for closing open doors as long as you are close enough to be able to close the door by hand.
“I got a new level!” Aiden shouted, finally getting comfortable.
“Um, Aiden,” Jabari said.
“I think I’m getting this,” Aiden shouted back.
“Aiden… I think we have a problem,” Jabari said.
“I got this,” Aiden said, watching as a small group of them started back toward him again.
A hand grabbed his arm and started pulling him backwards.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Hey!” Aiden shouted as he turned to face Jabari, “I can’t concentrate if you’re pulling at me.”
“There are too many, Aiden,” he said and pointed at the other side of the street.
The small Garden Roller he had hit was still running around the old buildings and in between and under the broken fences. And everywhere it went, the Bramblefangs nearby started moving and rolling…. Toward Aiden.
“What are they doing,” Aiden said, as he watched a few dozen headed toward him from across the street.
“I don’t know, but I hope your push works on large groups,” Jabari said.
Aiden took a step back and realized that there were more coming, everywhere the Garden Roller went, it was sending nearby Bramblefangs rolling toward him.
“Aiden, they are all over!” The shout came from Morgan who was across the way and Aiden could see Bramblefangs rolling.
“How many do you think the spell will work on?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t know but most spells have limits,” Jabari said.
“Now you tell me that!” Aiden shouted.
“Well, now you need to know that!” Jabari countered.
Aiden turned toward the group of Bramblefangs closest to him. “Here goes,” he said and pushed as hard as he could. A few of the Bramblefangs rolled backwards but others continued toward him!
Shove 'em all!
Spirit Shove: +2 XP times 5!
“Another group of five,” Aiden said a bit annoyed. “Is that the cap? Just five? There have to be twenty here?”
Aiden started backing up down the street away from the runeportal to put some distance between himself and the Bramblefangs.
“Then shove them faster,” Jabari said. He had been standing near Aiden and now he too had to back up to get out of the way of another Bramblefang. He picked up a long branch off the ground and started pushing the others back.
Looked up toward the runeportal, Jabari shouted, “Elara, any change over there?”
Elara ran to the center of the runeportal and stood on the stones closed her eyes and then opened them again, “Not yet!”
Aiden pushed another group back away from him, but again only a handful were affected:
Keep 'em going!
Spirit Shove: +2 XP times 5!
“Where are they all coming from?” Aiden shouted.
“It’s that one little Garden Roller you hit,” Morgan said. “It’s been running off and gathering the other Brambles” she said out of breath. “Dorian and I can’t seem to stop it.”
Aiden concentrated, pushed and then another five of the Bramblefangs got pushed away and another message appeared.
Push 'em!
Spirit Shove: +4 XP times 4!
But, as he looked, it seemed there were even more than before. He took another step backwards to get away from the ones that weren’t effected by his push, but the creatures just kept coming toward him.
“There have to be forty of them or more,” Aiden said to Jabari.
“And there are more coming toward us,” Jabari answered. “What’s happening over there?” Jabari shouted.
“We can’t stop it,” Morgan shouted frantically.
“They aren’t even interested in us,” Dorian said, exasperated as he threw his hands up. “The little Garden Roller is still running around and just causing trouble.”
Aiden pushed back on the brambles again and another five moved backwards.
Push ‘em real good! Critical Hits! Spirit Shove: +4 XP times 5! Level Up!
Spirit Skill: Shove Level: 4 - Sturdy Sweep Description A very useful skill which can be used for cleaning floors throughout your home and even outside!
“Level 3!” Aiden shouted and then added under his breath, “I hope it helps.”
He pushed back again and waited for the next message to appear:
Great hit! Spirit Shove: +2 XP times 5!
“Jabari, I just leveled, so why am I’m getting less experience than I was before?” Aiden asked, as he read the message.
“Well,” Jabari said as he knocked one of the creatures a bit further back, “They are level 1 and 2 and you are now, level 4, so less experience since you are higher than them.”
“But there are so many of them,” Aiden argued.
“Look, I don’t make the rules,” Jabari retorted, “just hit faster I guess.”
There was something about this that was getting easier as he levelled. He didn’t have to concentrate as much, and he didn’t miss as much as he had been missing in the beginning. Maybe he was able to hit them a bit faster now. But at the rate he was going, it would take forever to get rid of all of them.
Get 'em good! Spirit Shove: +2 XP times 5!
“That’s it!” Elara shouted, “Whatever you’re doing, it’s working. The runeportal is starting to power up!”
“Whatever I’m doing?” Aiden said, “I don’t think I’ve popped even one of them!” He pushed again toward the creatures and then took another step back.
Great hit! Spirit Shove: +2 XP times 5!
“No, I don’t think you did either,” Jabari said, “But look where we are and look where the Bramblefangs are. There aren’t as many near the runeportal as there used to be.”
Aiden looked and realized that Jabari was right. They were quite a bit away from the runeportal now, but so were the Bramblefangs.
Dorian was running toward them and as expected, the Bramblefangs were continuing to ignore him, all their attention on following Aiden.
“Keep going, the further you get the better,” Dorian shouted to Aiden as he looked between Aiden and Elara, “They said the runeportal is almost working.”
Aiden hit the Bramblefangs again and again as he and Jabari continued to back up and lure the creatures further and further away from the runeportal.
Level Up!
Spirit Skill: Shove Level: 5 - Heavy Gust Description When you really need to dry something out, and just don’t feel like you have time to wait.
“I made it to Level 5!” Aiden exclaimed to Jabari, a hint of pride in his voice.
As he pushed another group, he managed to strike as many as six at a time now, but he was disappointed to see that his experience had dropped down to just one point per creature. With the increasing experience required to advance to the next level, Aiden quickly calculated that reaching Level 6 would be a much longer time than he had hoped.
Dorian finally reached where Aiden and Jabari were standing. “Morgan and Elara have the runeportal working,” Dorian said, “They think, that if Aiden makes a run for it, we will have enough time to runeport out before all of the Bramblefangs get too close again.”
“Are they sure? If we’re wrong, we’ll all get trapped here,” Aiden said, “maybe you should all just go without me so they can at least tell them about the shadowspawn. I can keep pushing the Bramblefangs until you can come back or send someone back or something.”
Dorian frowned, “We leave together, or we will find another way to let them know. Keep hitting the Bramblefangs,” he instructed. “When Elara gives us the signal, then, all three of us need to run for the runeportal. Just follow me back through the Brambles and don’t worry about the path.”
“Are you sure, there are a lot of them,” Aiden said as he looked over at the sea of Bramblefangs in front of him.
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll find a way through them, you keep hitting the ones in front of us with shove and I’ll get us through whichever don’t roll out of the way.” Turning to Jabari he added, “Jabari keep an eye out from behind us and do what you can to keep them away.”
“Got it,” Jabari answered.
“Be ready to run, Aiden,” Dorian said. “When I say go, stay with me.”
Aiden waited, shoving as many away as possible as he waited.
Out of the corner of his eye, Aiden saw the runeportal, it’s the light grow steadier, a beacon amidst the chaos. A new message popped up in front of him:
Time to Transport to South Gate 00:10
"Let’s go!" Dorian yelled and pulled Aiden toward the gate.
A surge of adrenaline rushed through him as he started towards the flickering gateway. The runeportal was working, they just had to get there in time.
00:09
As they weaved through the creatures, Dorian kept himself slightly ahead but held onto Aiden’s arm and pulling him along.
“Hurry,” Dorian shouted.
00:08
Aiden kept shoving as many of the Bramblefangs away from them as he could and the ones that tried to sneak behind them, Jabari pushed away.
00:07
Somehow, Dorien found the spaces between the creatures, winding them through the mass of Brambles until the path to the runeportal finally was clear.
00:06
“Run for it!” Elara shouted.
Aiden, Dorian, and Jabari sprinted forward and made their way quickly to the top of the glowing stones.
Standing next to Elara and Morgan and gasping for air, Aiden waited for the transport.
00:05
Suddenly, the Garden Roller burst from the underbrush and rolled itself up onto the runeportal. With one smooth motion, a thorny appendage snagged the satchel crossed over Dorian's chest with a strong pull that cut a clean break in the leather strap.
00:04
"My satchel!" he exclaimed, his voice panicked.
Dorian reached for the bag with a desperate lunge and stumbled.
00:03
Morgan reached out and grabbed Dorian by the arm. "Dorian, it’s gone!" she insisted, her tone sharp with urgency.
The runeportal was activating, the ground beneath them vibrated with power.
00:02
"I can’t leave without it; I need my satchel!" Dorian protested, his gaze locked on the retreating Garden Roller as it dragged the bag away.
00:01
Aiden grabbed his other arm, and helped Morgan pull him up onto the stone pad.
"There's no time!" Aiden said, feeling the pull of the runeportal intensifying, a sign that it was ready to transport them.
00:00
As the transport started, the last thing Aiden saw was the image of the Garden Roller disappearing into the underbrush with Dorian’s small brown bag.
Transport to Stonebridge: South Gate In Progress
Aiden felt frozen in place as the transport started.
He took one last look around for Pearl. Not sure what he would do if he found her but checking just the same.
He felt that same stillness as it started. Bit by bit he saw himself disappear. The sensation of moving through the runeportal was like flying, or falling—a strange, stomach-churning experience that seemed to stretch both seconds into hours and compress an eternity into a blink.
He closed his eyes.
* * * * *
Welcome to Stonebridge: South Gate in Draydon!
The message appeared and when he opened his eyes again, he realized he was in a very different place. The transport had finally worked.
Suddenly, Elara's voice pierced the air. "Bramblefangs!" she cried out.
Aiden turned to see what she was pointing at and rolling toward the runeportal across a large empty field was a very big, very unruly mob of Bramblefangs. He attempted to estimate their numbers but there were too many to count, way more than had been at the other runeportal, which meant probably too many for them to handle.
“Run,” Aiden shouted, “there’s too many!” He didn’t know how many he could push back or how long he could hold them off, but he would have to try.
Before he could do anything, he felt a strong wave of power pass over him and he stumbled, nearly falling to his feet.
The force burst through the angry mob of Bramblefangs and all at once, they stopped and dropped to the ground in small little heaps.
“How?” Aiden wondered aloud as he looked at the field of flattened Riftshadows in front of him. Not one of them was still standing.
Aiden spun around, looking at his friends to see who cast such a strong spell and instead, found himself staring at calm woman who was staring at them. She was a hand shorter than himself with dark hair, a dark blue dress, and an even darker countenance. She had her hands placed firmly on her hips and she looked annoyed. Above her appeared the words:
Talindor Instructor - Wizza Halding
But that wasn’t what surprised him about her.
What Aiden couldn’t stop staring at was not her, but the small white bird sitting on her shoulder. It was perched comfortably, and had dark eyes that stared intently at the group. The bird’s feathers were all white except for one wing which had a dark grey patch that looked as if it had been singed or burned.
“Pearl!” Aiden whispered with surprise.