The group descended the stairs leading to what his grandfather was calling an Amory. Sandoron was shocked. He had no idea there was a room next to the milking barn, let alone that it had a basement. How many other secrets had the farm held for over two decades?
As they reached the bottom he was just beginning to come to grips and realize he should probably be angry at his grandparents for keeping so much from him when a set of doors opened and all thoughts ceased.
Behind the doors, an almost painfully bright white room opened up. It had to be nearly twice the size of the whole milking barn above. Arrayed throughout were racks and racks of weapons, shields, armor, ammunition, everything he could imagine a small army needing. Beyond all of that though, was another door. This one glowed it was covered in runes and everything about it said stay away. Unfortunately with all that had gone on and fascination with magic that just meant he headed striaght for it.
“Sando!” his grandfather shouted. It was too late, he had reached the door and threw his hand to the strange ring pull in the center. Suddenly, he realized his eyes were closed and his back hurt, well, all of him hurt but his back worst of all.
“Sando… it’s time we began your lessons on magic. The first rule is don’t touch anything…” his grandfathers’ voice. As he opened his eyes he realized he was laying on the ground in front of the door. His clothes were a little worse for wear, and his hair was standing on end.
“This my boy, is the magical vault of our little armory, it warrants extra protection. You just encountered the warning runes.” Warning? That was a warning? It had nearly fried him!
He scrambled to his feet to watch as his grandfather stood after patting his shoulder and walked to the door. The last password was strange, what the password to this door be like?
As the group surrounded him, hardly keeping their eyes off of the already shocking supply of weapons around them they quieted watching as he raised his arms and began to speak. “Badger Badger Badger…” it went on for a strange time only occasionally being broken up by a “Snake” or “Mushroom”. Sandoron shook his head. He couldn’t imagine how his grandfather kept his position straight so many words just repeating. He guessed that’s what made it a good vault password.
Gramps took a gasping breath, finally finished reciting the password. As he lowered his hands the door glowed brilliantly, before sliding down into the floor.
Sandoron gasped “So the handle was fake?! I got shocked by runes falling for a ruse?”
Gramps gave a nod and looked contrite “Yeah, always thought it’d be funny to get someone with that, would’a been funnier if it was my enemies though.”
Sandoron scoffed “You, enemies?” he haughed.
The rest of the group chose to remain silent, focusing on the room beyond the door.
In the center of the room were three pedestals atop each was a shiny black orb.
Sandoron strode forward and reached for one of the orbs, as he lifted his hand though there was a collective gasp and all of the sudden his grandmother had a surprisingly strong grip around his wrist.
“These are for the adults.” She said. “We will find you some other toys to play with.”
He grumbled. “I’m not a child, and I was just curious why there were three you said Gramps had taken the othe I found in my room -“ another collective gasp “- and put it in his workshop in the house. Did you guys bring it down here later?”
Grams was silent, looking between the other two oldest members of their group.
Gramps was the first to speak up. “Sando… These are different, they’ve been used and their power different. That other one was new and unclaimed.”
Grams shot a quick look at the gnome, an appreciative look in her eyes.
Bennett finally spoke up, “You found something, “ he gestured toward the orbs “like those?” he asked mouth agape.
Alaphon clapped a hand on his shoulder and he seemed to sag a little under it’s weight.
“Yeah, sure.” Sandoron replied. “Grams said it was another one of Gramps’ inventions. Some sort of magical thing. Is it not?”
The whole group looked at one another Alaphon almost glaring at his children.
Grams shook her head “They’re just surprised by your grandfather’s lack of care. I may have understated their danger. You recall the way the second one affected the house wards?”
There was another intake of breath at her mention of a second stone. Sandoron paid it no heed. “What do they do then? And if they are so powerful why not make one for each of us? Or go get the ones from upstairs?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “Because they are not exactly magical weapons or tools. They are conduits between ourselves and forces outside our normal plane of existence that grants us additonal power.” She said finally shoulders sagging.
“So what does one have to do to channel with these then?” he asked not backing down at all though his hand was starting to turn a funny shade of reddish purple.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“You must be… erm… chosen… by on of these… forces… and let their power wash through you. It would re-mold you and continue to do so as long as you used it.”
“How do you get chosen?” he asked.
Alaphon stepped up, taking his wrist out of his grandmother’s grasp and putting himself between Sandoron and the pedestals. “Now is not the time for this discussion we must be quick and be to bed so that we can rise early and prepare to aid the town.”
Sandoron started, with all of the revelations about his grandparents and his home had he forgotten why they were there?
He looked around the room and marveled at all the bottles of various colors, bags of increasingly ludicrous size, and his eyes finally rested on a staff floating above a short pedestal. It was a dark purple wooden thing with a curved head. It was just barely shorter than his grandfather and had rainbow tassels hanging from it. In the center of the top swirl it had a gemstone glowing a vibrant green.
The older people in the room all moved together tearing Sandoron’s eyes away from the other items in the room back to the pedestals and their contents. They all stepped up to a pedestal, Gramps climbing up to his like he was climbing invisible stairs. They all paused and looked at each other before reaching out and taking a stone each.
There was a flash of lights, several different colors each bringing a different feeling. A golden light, that could only be described as happieness, a dark light that felt like a moist cave, and a rainbow light that felt like any time he’d touched a magical devices.
And as fast as they appeared they were gone, leaving a lingering sensation from each that faded much more slowly. Sandoron cleared his throat “So that was the power you mentioned? From different forces?”
Alaphon’s children were staring at their father and grandfather with awe. And now that he looked at them all three of the orb bearers appeared more… well just more. More vital. More youthful, More powerful.
—
He stared at the orb on the pedestal in front of him. When they’d put these here they’d each sworn never to take them up again. Their time as heroes was done. They’d won their battles and lost their share enemies and friends alike.
However, things had changed. They had to protect something more precious than their own lives. It was their duty to their fallen comrades. They had to protect Sandoron. The boy had been Called. They’d failed to protect him with their own limited power. If they were going to keep him alive long enough to learn the truth and protect the world from this latest danger and get through it alive himself they needed the power of the system the gods had put in place to aid them in times of need.
It was different the mana that flowed through the world. Though it interacted with and enhanced it. It stood alone in this world as something touched by the divine directly. It measured their progress and rewarded their successes. It even punished their failures. It was a harsh taskmaster but it was the one thing the thinking races had over the terrible monsters and their creators which warranted a Calling.
As he touched it he felt a sense of connection. Light flashed and he felt the thrilling touch of unaspected mana. He shivered at the sensation he’d been chasing this thrill since he put the stone down. Never quite able to reproduce the feeling. He hoped he’d have the strength to release it when the time came once more.
Suddenly, he heard a voice, one he knew only he could hear. It was his interpretation of the bond. A magical construct that had been formed in his mind centuries ago. It sounded mechanical, unnatural, like the metal cogs of his homeland scraping across a slate tablet as they crushed it. “Hello old friend” it said. “It has been 45 years since we last spoke.”
Kasner shivered. “Hello Automa” he thought back. “Please list immediately pertinent updates. The rest we will deal with I do not have an audience.”
Automa made a noise like papers shuffling “There are a lot of updates to go through Kasner the most important one left unread is also the oldest.” It shifted tone slightly “Cleo has cast ultimate sacrifice - Chose action is Stasis. Duration until Kasner says it’s safe.” It’s tone shifted back. “There are two hundred other notifications remaining. However only one warranting your attention at this time. A quest.” Once more it’s tone shifted slightly. “Restore Peace to the City of Kasnerville. It has a time limit of one week beginning yesterday.”
Kasner sighed. “Accept the quest and share it with my party if they did not also receive it.” Mentally commanded the interface. “And give me a status update please.”
> Kasner
> Mana: A Full Teahouse. With two empty teacups.
> Stamina: A racetrack with ten sprinters loping around the track.
> Vitality: A heart beating, full of blood and oozing just a little from the top.
>
> Skills:
> - A man casting spell after spell while talking to his friends
> - A man riding a four legged animal while casting
> - A man casting under water
> - A man inscribing with the tip of his finger
> - A man walking on stairs that don’t exist
> - A man drawing in particles of mana from the air around him
> - A house collapsing and a man walking out from the rubble with a translucent golden shell around him.
…
There was more but these were the most commonly used and he always chose to limit his view to that which was useful. Even if that view was somewhat strange when he compared it to how the others talk about how they interacted with the system. That was fine with him, they could view themselves and the world however they wanted. This was how he chose to view it all himself.
Kasner mumbled aloud… “Two teacups from the little casting I’ve done? I’m out of shape.”
Aelene looked like she had completed her re-integration more quickly than he had and she had a small smile quirked on her lips. “You and your teacups…”
Kasner glanced at his two party members, asking “You got it?”
They both nodded, “Yep, save youville” Alaphon chuckled.
Kasner just frowned. “I have always hated that name and every year I vote to have it changed to ‘Alaphonzorate’ but I’ve not managed to get the votes. I might start offering bribes if you make a thing of it.” He warned.
—
The three stepped back from the pedestals, it had only taken them moments and they had briefly whispered amongst themselves but everyone there could see they had changed considerably in that time. They all stood taller, well both Alaphon and Grams did, he wasn’t sure Gramps could ever look taller. They looked like the heroes from story books except they didn’t have any gear on.
It was time for them all to rectify that situation. Grams lead the girls to a separate section of the armory where they could gear up with armor suited to them while Gramps guided the boys to the racks with gear for them.
“Find something that fits, it’s not a beauty contest. If a golden helmet fits your head and a pink belt your waist to hold up lime green trousers over your red boots then that’s what you’re going to wear. The weapons suitable for those of your stature and strength are on the racks behind me here. Take one you’ve been trained on not the one you think you’ll look the coolest wielding. Sandoron that means you’re taking a truncheon or club.” Gramps explained.
It wasn’t long before everyone had gear and they trudged back up the stairs to get some rest. The next day they were setting off, into a situation they knew would be somewhere between bad and catastrophic.