Chapter 34: Dream work makes Team work

Ash stared on at scene before him, kids partying. They rampaged around their new home, using the tables as places to hid and scramble, in their mad capering’s. It was good to see them happy, a weight lifted at least temporarily from his shoulders.

He sat at one of the fancy tables with Sela, also watching on, quietly eating some of their meagre rations. She must have been stuffed already but who was he to complain, with the Petrie meat they had eaten like kings and had plenty to spare.

Seria still stuck by his side eyeing the other kids, she was still a bit shaken up. He gently nudged her off his lap and eventually after looking back at him a few times, ran off with the rest of the kids. They were making him dizzy now, the room was large but not that large. However it was something to behold. Never had they been a space so pristine! Well it was pristine the kids had done their best to reverse that, still it was like living as royalty. He hated to think what it might be like in here though if not for yet another miracle, hadn’t occurred.

In the middle of them eating and the ones slightly younger than his age chatting excitedly, and the little ones just looking on wide eyed. It was funny really had they not been there too, when Adam had taken those guys down. Taken them down like he was just kicking so much dung across the yard, effortlessly. They even speculated at what had happened in the second fight, as they could only hear that one from inside the mine, mores the pity. Anyway while this was going on, a room within their room appeared.

At first they were unsure what it was for as they all pushed one another to get in and see. It was on out house but indoors. Not so exciting, but very needed. They each took turns at using it, some of them going more than once just to have another look he imagined.

He stared into space then at the great pile in the corner where they had dumped all the stuff Adam had brought them earlier. It had felt like all their coming of age parties at once new clothes, and in bright colours and fancy styles. He as oldest got first dibs, though it didn’t really matter as he had got stuff in the right sizes for everyone.

Later the kids got tired and before trying to get them to slow down a bit, they would have to get them to sleep at some point. It was at this point that Libby, spoke into the room. He was unsure what exactly Libby was, some kind of spirit beast owned by Adam. He was unsure.

“You might want to see this.” Libby announced. It was not ideal timing but hell getting this lot to sleep might well be an impossibility anyway.

A view of the outside world, he presumed, appeared in front of one of the side walls. It looked like a moving picture suspended in the air above a green meadow. But he knew better he had tested the room and found its perfectly flat walls, made of some super strong material.

It was evidentially night outside, so it was a bit hard to see but what he could see was fire. Loads of people on fire, thanks for that Libby. How would he get the kids to sleep now? Were they in danger? Is that why she was showing them?

Then the other kids crowded around the view, he got them to sit down so everyone could see. They obediently obeyed. They were quiet, expectant. Were they going to get to witness another of the master’s fights? He sure hoped so.

Adam was deliberating what to do, but only for a fraction of a second. He knew what to do, it was just the how, that temporarily flummoxed him. It was always handy that Libby could read his thoughts. As he neared the flailing people, the fire dispersed from around them, snuffed out by his mana field that stretched out like a great invisible dome. He said invisible because unless you had mana sight, LCD, like him you wouldn’t see it.

More fire balls hit but these ones to the confusion of their attackers, three or four dickwad pyromancers, went out as soon as they hit. Negated totally by the mana field. Nice work, Libby.

Now, what to do? I was surprised to see Thawain join me then I realised why, the dude had come to lend a hand, appreciated. Although I wasn’t sure what he could do initially, until I saw what he was doing. The crowd nearby were basically trampling each other to try and get away. But Thawain appeared to be calming them down, not by shouting at them, but evidently by using his mentalist abilities. Handy, that! Even though it seemed to only be affecting a handle full of people. It was the thought that counted and I valued his efforts. Also I need to learn some of that.

My first course of action was to lead this bastards away, so that I could try and deal and with them.

I didn’t want to draw to much attention to myself, well more than I already had. So I used what I considered would be multiversally understood and pulled a face at them. No worries about them not seeing me as the area was still pretty lit up. I couldn’t do anything for the poor sods who had been toasted but at least I could do this. I ran.

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I could hear their shouting an jeering, even as they launched multiple fireballs at my back. Success!

Running through London at full pelt, down the cobblestone roads. I headed for a place I remembered a small square, somewhere nearby. I could hear them hot on my tail, the fireballs unerringly weaving closer and closer. I ran on, jumping high over cars and dumpsters, alike, evading their shots. I could trace the energies coming my way with my LCD view and allowed them to get close but not to close. Arriving at my destination, a small courtyard, with gothic style buildings rising up all around. I realised I had last been here during daytime but now it was night or maybe it was just it was apocalypse time. The heavy iron gates were closed. I paused then picked up speed, then leaping over them and heading for the centre of the square.

Islaw was an emissary of the shadow court, tagging alone with this bunch of hoodlums to keep them out of trouble. They were the sons of some wealthy duke, who like to team up. He had left them to talk to some of the faction representatives but came back to find they idiots, flambéing the locals. If his court did not owe favour to these idiots he would not have wasted his time on such wastrels. He was now following them on some wild goose hunt for a stray human. The pyromancers had reached some massive iron gates and were proceeding to quickly climb them, dropping down into the square ahead.

Adam waited dodging more fireballs, these attacks were tedious but he needed to lure them in as close as possible for his plan to work. The first entering started using other abilities now he was closer, not waiting for their companions. He had to roll to the side as they tried to engulf different parts of the square in flames, always rolling back to the centre. Finally they were all, there and so he executed his plan. A dome of invisible mana erupted into existence in the square, negating all their energies. He assumed they were all pretty much one trick ponies, only having fire element. And then he started to lay about them.

Islaw wondered whether he should intervene or see if this might just teach the youths a lesson. They were being thrown about like ragdolls by the? Clearly not, an earthling. Earthlings had no special abilities, no energy affinity, at least not until granted by the system. He waited until none were standing and readied himself to step in and save their sorry arses. But there was no lead, the assailant had no murderous intent it seemed and after laying them low, made his exit. Strange. And the guy then vanished though he could see traces of his energies disappearing into the night. Shadow energies. Stranger still. He would have to make a few enquires maybe. A skilled raw recruit was hard to come by.

Adam went back the long way round in case, someone was tracking him and entered the vicinity of Hyde Park, this time from the North East. There didn’t immediately seem to be any disruption. But what he did notice was someone emitting energy like a star burst in the night. From what he could make out he was up on top of one of the buildings ahead.

“Libby, is there any way you can shroud my energies?” asked Adam, hofefully.

“I can do that but it will mean a constant drain on your mana but it will be manageable.” Replied Libby.

Libby New Skill Added Mana disruption Level 1

“You should be good to go now.” Said Libby, ever helpful.

In the pocket dimension, room, the kids had been discussing the fight.

“Being a mage is definitely over rated.” Said Theia. Her sisters Clay and Higan looked sceptical.

“Come on you two agreed before, traitors! “ said Theia reddening. The three sisters had always been though very different, thick as thieves. But nobody bigged up mages unless they were talking about mentalists. In the same way as using anything other than a spear or bow would be frowned upon. Tradition was tradition, after all.

Ash added his thoughts on the matter. “I think we all have to wider our views a bit. If we want to be useful we’ll need to do whatever is well, most useful” Ash did not feel he was very good at being a leader, but he did his best. And mostly he did not want them to lose favour with their benefactor.

They all paused then spoke up eagerly. This was not exactly what he had meant.

They all wanted to be anything other than a spear wielder, except for Sela, who was already quite skilful. Seria at only 5, wanted to do whatever big brother did. Which was study those strange symbol script things, ‘scripty’ as she called them. Shuga who was 10, had silver hair and actually made his points better than Ash, to his initial annoyance, stated “We are a new generation of Relites, in a new world, lets us reforge ourselves a new!”

He clearly listen to way too many stories to speak like that. But even though younger than Ash, he was Thawain, son so he was given due respect. Well, almost the kids all clapped then looked at each other before falling about laughing. They then proceeded to practise their chosen skills and abilities.

Prancing around the room, throwing imaginary fireballs or giant swords about. Ash and Seria both just watched as their skills were not offensive. Well not as far as Ash knew, his knowledge was quite limited after all. The Seria looked perplexed, then tugged at his sleeve until he produced the waxy pages, which she happily studied, despite having no idea what was written.

Adam used shadow jump to cut in the line to the various faction tents. Then waited in the massive queue. While he waited Thawain caught up to him, and then mysteriously disappeared or not so as it was still dam dark. Now, there were many factions here. Which to choose? And how to get them to part with some information on Sam? If they even had any.

He worked on a hunch having nothing much else to go on. The factions must select based on the potential there saw, but as Earthlings had no magic. They probably weren’t searching for that. He was going out on a limb here. Sam’s main talent was sword play, if anything. Were there any sword sects here? He would ask.

Klaus looked around the area no sign of the culprits, just some smouldering bodies. Had they moved on elsewhere? He could see no signs, apart from, a familiar energy. That explained it, Islaw, must have quelled the trouble. If he’d know the old bastard would be here he could have finished his practise. He sighed inwardly at this, then remembered there was nothing really left of the Shard. He wondered if he could persuade Islaw, to have a match, of golf that is?