Chapter 14

The Fyre Chronicles

Chapter 14

“Well…” Sates started. “I’ve been here a year now after I finished training with Santuric. He found me about two years ago and I’ve spent about a year with at the hut before I passed his test… In fact, how long did you spend with him?” he said and looked curiously at me. “About three and a half month I think…” Seriously?! Most people don’t manage it in under about 18 months. Deff did so in 15 and I thought I was something because I managed it so fast, but you’re something special… Chosen, huh…” An awkward silence fell for a minute, which I was eager to break. “So, how did Santuric find you?” I asked. Sates, who had been staring into the table, looked up, a bit perplexed. “Well… Uh… Well, I have always been that special someone who knows he’s something special, but don’t know how, and is therefore a bit lost, you know. Then, in January ’03 Santuric showed up and dragged me with him. I had thought that, since I lived alone and didn’t really know anyone, I might as well try and go with him, and that’s how it began… Well, that’s my story, how about yours?”

“Well, I have had that feeling too and then back in late April I was sitting at my office when I was taken to this other plane. Here there were some voice talking to me before I was sent back and straight after, my boss apparently possessed by Yce attacked me. I only survived because of Santuric and my instincts… And then I was taken to the hut and had it all explained…”

Sates looked dumbstruck for a minute before he exclaimed “You’ve seen battle already?! None of the apprentices arriving within the last couple of years have even been allowed a sparring match; we only have the dummies till we’re deemed worthy…”

We continued eating breakfast till we heard a bell sound throughout the complex. “That’s our queue to go to lesson.” Sates said and rose. I followed him, and all the others streaming into the hallway to a large dojo looking room. Mats lay on the floor, light emerged from the torches on the wall and messages written on drapes hanging from the walls in some message I didn’t know, but otherwise the room was empty. Shaw stood at the end of the room waiting silently. He had donned a Vulkanadon cloak too. We walked further into the room and I now saw slightly darkened spots on the mats, indicating were we were supposed to stand. Sates and I found a place to stand where Deff quickly joined us and after a minute, I could count that there was actually 37 persons excluding the mentors. When everyone had found a spot, we were standing in a U shape following the walls, with the open end facing Shaw.

When everyone was settled, Shaw took a step forward and said aloud in his usual angry tone “Today! We start with some exercise, 50 of each!” Everyone seemed to know the routine, and so fell down to do crunches. I tried to keep up, but as I strained to do my 50th crunch, everyone else was already doing pushups. This continued for a while until Shaw yelled “That’s enough!” I was much winded at this point, more than everyone else in the room, but I tried not to show it. Shaw then yelled “Alright, now I would like to see a staff!” Some of the older looking people managed to draw a staff from their cloak, some younger ones, like Sates, took longer but finally managed it. I was left staff-less as the only one in the room. Shaw noticed this and walked towards me.



He looked at me for a second and then said “So… You’re that new guy eh? Let’s see just how good you are, shall we? Craft me a Vulkanadon sword!” He stared directly into my eyes, but I didn’t look away or say anything. “What’s the matter? Are the CHOSEN too fine to answer to the council?” Several people began muttering at this, but Shaw quickly silenced them with a raised hand. “How would I know?” I said. “Santuric never to…” but I was cut off by Shaw raising a finger in front of my eyes. “I am going to tell you this only once, boy! I don’t care if you are the chosen or not, you will NOT get any special privileges! So you just get in line and know what every other NORMAL apprentice knows!” Shaw then walked back to his spot and continued the lesson. I was not able to craft anything and I could feel the burning stare of Shaw on me and the curious looks of the others.

When the training was over, we were allowed to run off. Looking at the big clock in the dorm, I could see we had had training for about 7 hours as it was now 3:05. I sat on my bed and Sates came and sat on his. “Well…” He started “That didn’t go to well. Don’t worry though; Shaw is always in that mood.” Silence fell for a bit. Other people came into the dorm and started reading, playing games or talking. Some even fyre’d away to whatever destination they had. I looked at Sates. “Could you… Teach me how to use Vulkanadon?” Sates looked at me like he was surprised that the ‘chosen’ has asked for help, but then said “Okay. We have free time from now to 7pm anyways.”

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Original post: http://www.fyreball.com/d/Ae6dqc

So, a slightly delayed chapter 14 for ya.

I had planned to include the part where he learns of Vulkanadon in this chapter but had to cut it out so I could lessen the delay and plus I have to be ready to host the Fyrefight in and hour.

BTW, the guy with red hair is Sates.

- Ting

Chapter 13

The Fyre Chronicles

Chapter 13

I didn’t get much sleep, as tired as I was, and when I got up, it was still red outside, although, it was probably always red outside. I looked at the clock with dark wooden arms hanging at the wall at the end of the twenty meter long dorm. It was only 5.38 AM, which was not any earlier than I had done with Santuric, but these time zone changes had thrown my rhythm off. There were no visible wires connected to the clock. Maybe it ran on some refined form of Fyre. Some of the other beds were already empty, and Sates next to me were standing with his head down in his trunk. “Great, you’re up!” he said. “Get in some clothes ‘cos the day begins soon.”

At first this confused me. In the past months I had only had the clothes I had had on when it all began, and these had gotten pretty dirty and tattered over the months, but I now saw a trunk like Sates’ at the end of my bed. I opened and saw a neatly folded orange cloak made out of a thin material on top of clean regular clothes. I looked at Sates, who had already donned one of his cloaks. He looked at me and nodded, and I hurried to get something clean on and then the cloak. It was surprisingly light and completely airy so I didn’t get hot in it. “Come on” Sates said “I’ll explain on the way”

We went out into the hallway and started walking out. “First of all, you need to learn to go about this place on your own. All the doors look the same for defensive purposes. The sooner you figure it out, the better.” Now that I could look at him better, I saw he was about the same age as me, in the middle 20’s. “These cloaks are made out of a substance called Vulkanadon, which is summoned and manipulated with the Fyre.” He stretched his arm out and the sleeve seemed to come alive and formed a sturdy dagger in Sates hand. “That is part of these studies we are having here, which you got to learn. Here we are.” The dagger molded into his sleeve again and we went in though a door on our left.



We entered a very dark room with nothing on the walls, no windows or decoration. Instead, torches hung from various places on the wall and mats covered the floor. “This is the meditation room” Sates whispered “We come here every morning to focus our minds on the day ahead.” My night-vision started to kick in, and I now saw a few persons scattered around the room all facing the far wall. In the far end sat a person turned the other way. I squinted for a second and then recognized Santuric. “Yeah, he’s one of the guiders” Sates said when he saw I was looking at Santuric. “Yeah, it’s great he’s here but… I thought he was going away.” I said. “What do you mean?”, “Well, you see. When we arrived yesterday, the council said they had a ‘special request’ for him, so I assumed he was going to leave.” “Interesting…” Sates said and gazed in space for a moment. “But we don’t have time now, let’s discuss it during breakfast.

While we found a spot to sit down, I looked towards Santuric to try and catch his eye, but to no avail. Soon the room began to fill up, and when everybody seemed to be inside I counted around 35 people. Nobody was talking, like this was a ritual they had done hundreds of times. Sates had his eyes closed too, so I used what Santuric had learned me, and started meditating. At first it was just like what I had done when I live at the hut with Santuric, but my mind and body soon filled with an extraordinary energy that seemed to revive me like I had been dead until now. I didn’t know how long this took, I just sat and let the energy fill me, but after what I later found out to be an hour, Sates pricked my shoulder and we rose and left along with everyone else. But Santuric was now gone.

We walked along the hallway, probably to the mess hall. “You felt the energy?” Sates asked “Yeah, it was like I had been drained right till now” I answered. “That is the doing of the Fyreorb; I guess you saw it when you met with the council. Here we are, let’s get some grub!” We now entered a long room with big windows on the left showing the red-hot volcano outside. Wooden tables were stationed around the room and people were already beginning to find their places. Now in a well lit room I could see them properly. Most were older than me all with their special features and all wearing the orange Vulkanadon cloak.

“This is where I usually sit” We sat at a little table and soon another person joined us. He was around 20, a bit lower than me, was quite pale and bald, had thick mustache and donned a black top hat. “This is Deff” Sates said “Deff, say hello.” We shook hands and nodded. “Sates, I’m just going to shove it down, I’ve got a lot to do” Deff said with a peculiarly deep voice and an accent I couldn’t quite place. He conjured a bowl of soup and gulped it down in one draught. He then fyre’d the bowl away and left the hall. “Yeah, that was Deff, I hang around with him. Well, that also shows you how we eat. I hope Santuric showed you how?” “Yeah, he did. Otherwise we wouldn’t have survived” I replied. “It’s excellent to keep your training fit too.” Sates said while he conjured a plate of French toast. I made a big pile of eggs and bacon, and then started to shove it down, because I was starving.

“So, if I tell you my story, will you tell me yours?” Sates said after eating for a while. My mouth was full, so I just nodded. “Alright then” he said.

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Original post: http://www.fyreball.com/d/Amz1MZ

Remember to also check out my new series called Fyre!

- Ting