As my eyes opened in the morning, I was not ready yet to leave my bed. My thoughts drifted to my meditation session the night before. I had felt something deeper in my unconscious. Again my mind drifted to the debunked and ridiculed theories of Freud. Freud had thought that the unconscious mind was vast and unknown to most people. He had concentrated much of his research and writing to the unconscious, and various other things. Modern day therapists rejected his ideas with a view towards exploring clients thoughts and motives, forgetting about the unconscious. My professional opinion was that theses modern therapists were right to do so, on earth. But here, on whatever world or galaxy I am in now, maybe the rules are different. Maybe here, Freud was right.
My mind was buzzing at the possibilities. What could be down there, in the unconscious? In the world of the system. It could be anything. I knew that I should be getting ready for my fight today but I was too preoccupied by the potential of this discovery. I knew that I had to see if I could get some more information. My best option for the info I needed would have to be Korrok. He was my wise mentor after all. With that I set out to find him.
With that, I set out to find him. I figured that the blacksmith shop of Soot and Spark was as good of a place as any to check first. Their shop, always filled with the clang of hammer on metal, was located in the heart of the marketplace and was not too far from Elyria’s Alchemy store, if they didn’t know where Korrok was I could check with her too.
It was just a few minutes later that I arrived at their shop. Pushing aside the heavy leather curtain, I was immediately greeted by the twins. "Hey Everett, good to see you bro!" Spark exclaimed with excitement.
Soot, bounded over and gave me a clap on the back. “We saw your last fight, that was some gnarly stuff. Glad to see you are putting that shield of yours to good use.”
“Yeah, I don’t know where the shield bash even came from to be honest.” I said. “I just did it on instinct and it worked out.”
“Hell yeah it did.” Exclaimed Spark. “We love that move. It’s been good for our business too.”
“Oh big time.” Soot agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t see people coping that move eventually. Not too many have shields as perfectly designed for bashing like yours, but when they get them, look out.”
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“What makes my shield so good for the move.” I asked, with curiosity, I had never even considered whether my shield was good for the bash or not.
Spark was the one to answer my question. “Well, Elyria and Korrok gave us a lot of money to come up with a solution for you, so we gave you the lightest, strongest metal we could find. We also didn’t want it to hinder you as it would be stuck to your forearm.”
“That forearm position it is stuck to is actually great for the way you are bashing people with it also.” Soot agreed.
“Wow I guess I should feel lucky that I stumbled across the move.” I said. The twins nodded along with their agreement. I took the opportunity to change the subject. “This has been helpful guys but I came here with a question.” Soot gave me the go-ahead hand motion, so I continued. “Last night something weird happened while I was meditating.”
I then recounted my meditation experience, hoping they might have some insight. The twins exchanged a questioning glance.
"That's... intriguing," Soot mused. "We don’t have a ton of experience with meditation, but I don’t think either of us have ever heard of anything like that."
Spark nodded in agreement. "It's definitely unique. But, sorry bro, we can't help you there."
Disappointed but undeterred, I asked if they’d seen Korrok. It was Soot that answered me.
“Nope, haven’t seen him since your last fight.”
With a quick thanks, I said my goodbyes and left to check with Elyria. The scent of her shop, a mixture of floral and spice, always had a calming effect on me. She was behind the counter, looking down as I entered. I made a noise to announce myself.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite gladiator," she said flirtatiously. There was something about her today. She was looking at me was different than usual. I can’t quite explain it except to say that a few times in my life I have gotten a feeling from a woman, a look maybe, that lets me know that in this moment, if I wanted to, I would have a shot. I must admit that for a second there I wanted to try. She just looked so beautiful, and there was a tension between us today that I was not used to.
She must have felt it to because she gave me a smile that felt both awkward and inviting. I felt my ears get hot. I don’t know why my ears get hot when I’m nervous. I did not have time for this with Elyria, as much as I wanted to.
Trying my best to get myself back on track, I asked about Korrok. She hadn’t seen him either. Then, with smirk, she leaned closer. "By the way, have you been applying the calming balm I gave you?"
Caught off guard, I stammered, "Yes, I have. It... it really helps."
She laughed, her eyes twinkling. "Good. Remember to use it regularly, and come by to see me more. We should spend more time together."
Trying to refocus, I thanked her and headed for the galley. The sounds of chatter and clinking plates filled the air. And there, across the room, was Korrok.
I quickly made my way over. "Korrok, can I join you?"