Nethron (2)
Chapter 4 The story of the Firya Roccars L ong, long ago, when your ancestors were alive, there lived a man named Manesh. In this time, there was a war between the good and evil sides. Manesh was a general in the good army. gThe battle raged fierce for many years and no one won or lost and neither side would surrender. There were many peace treaties, but they always ended in war again. gIt was in one of these treaties that Manesh was out hunting. It was a warm day in august, and the ground was still wet with dew. His target was a buffalo that was ahead of the rest of the herd. gThe buffalo spotted him and instead of running away, it ran towards him. Manesh climbed up a tree to get away from the charging buffalo. gThe buffalo stopped at the base of the tree and much to Maneshf surprise, the buffalo talked. eCome down from there you blasted human! I will help you win your war.f gManesh started shimmying down the tree. eHow will you do that?f He asked. geIfll train you in magic and swordsmanship, better than you ever could do without me.f gBy now Manesh was out of the tree. eMagic? Youfll train me in magic?f geYup. Youfll be able to do magic like an elf. Magic is your only hope of winning this war. There is no other way.f geWhat is your name?f geMy name is Forloe.f geIfm Manesh.f geI know!h gAnd so Manesh and Forloe rode off to the east into Forloefs home. It was a large cave made out of briars and weeds. geDo you know any elvish?f Forloe asked. geA little bit.h Replied Manesh. geDo you know what the elvish word for human is?f Forloe asked. geYes! Firya.f geHow about elven for rider?f geI donft recall hearing that anywhere.f geItfs Roccar.f geWhatfs that got to do with anything? Firya Roccar? Human rider?f Manesh sat down on the ground which was strangely soft and padded. geYoufre a human, and you ride me! Donft you get it?f geI suppose.f geYou are the first Firya Roccar.h gIn the next weeks, Forloe taught Manesh magic and swordsmanship. Manesh got better than he thought was possible. gTogether, Manesh and Forloe restored peace to the world. They trained many other Firya Roccars and told them to train others. When Manesh and Forloe died, there were many other Firya Roccars to train more Firya Roccars. gThe world remained in this state until the Roccars got greedy for more power. Their greed corrupted them, and they didnft train Roccars any more for fear that the new Roccar would take all their power away. gThe Roccars soon died away, and no Roccars appeared until now. Sabian shifted on the floor gAnd I am the lion of the Roccar of the hills, Demoer. We were the last of the uncorrupted Roccars who still trained new riders. gA corrupted Roccar, Demetical, who wanted all the power for himself, killed Demoer, forcing me to kill Demetical. Now I am an Er Collindo Firya, which is elvish for Human Carrier Alone. All Er Collindo Feryas must die two thousand years after their Roccar dies. gI have lived after my Roccar died nine-hundred, and ninety-nine years.h Chapter 5 Nethronfs Collindo Y ikes!h Nethron yelled. gYou have less than a year to train me!h He was startled by this fact, for he could not imagine learning magic and swordsmanship in one year. gShouldnft we get started?h He was eager to see what magic could do. gPatience.h Sabian said. gFirst we must get your hyena.h He got up and started walking towards the cave entrance. gFollow me.h Nethron got up and walked after Sabian. gWhat is my hyenafs name?h gI donft know.h Sabian said, walking out the door. gHe will tell us when we meet him. But first, we must do a little magic.h Sabian uttered some undecipherable words and something very strange happened. The world disappeared around Nethron, Making everything black as night, yet almost not black, but a whole rainbow of colors. Then green jumped out of the rainbow and went into Nethronfs eyes. The rest of the colors mixed to make brown, and formed thick vertical bars. The green grouped up on top of the brown bars, making trees. Everything was still very blurry, and Nethron could just barely make out the shapes coming into his vision. One of the very thick tree trunks split in two, and its colors mixed and churned, and formed some shape. And then the blurriness cleared, and they were in a huge forest, with the greenest plants and trees. The ground was soft and mushy, making it hard to walk. The trees stretched on for miles, and also for miles vertically. But it was not all this that Nethron noticed first, but right in front of him, was a Hyena. gIs my Roccar finally here, Sabian?h The Hyena said in a growling tone of voice that would scare any normal person. gYes. This is Nethron, your Roccar.h Sabian replied. gIt is a pleasure to meet you, Nethron, my Roccar. I am Muisick, your Collindo.h He crouched low on the ground. gMount me, and we will go back to your world.h Nethron mounted Muisick easily, for he was practically lying down on the ground. gMuisick, How long have you lived here in this wood?h gI know not. Sabian will tell you when we get into your world.h Muisick turned to Sabian. gWe are ready whenever you are.h Sabian said some more words, and presently they were back into the normal world. When they were back into Sabianfs lair, Sabian sat down like a housecat to tell Nethron of the magical wood. gOnly the Ilya Istya Ingole knows when you are to come and get Muisick. Ilya means all, Istya means knowledge, and Ingole means magic. It is the all knowing magic.h Muisick was listening intently, like Nethron. gThe Ilya Istya Ingole created Muisick an hour before we came. It knew when we were to come. And now, Muisick, show me what you can do with those claws of yours.h Muisick nodded, and was out the door in a second. While he was gone, Sabian turned into a lion, and then into a hyena, which Nethron found very amusing. Sabian must be able to turn into anything! He thought. By then Muisick was back with a fat rabbit in his mouth. He looked surprised when he saw Sabian as a hyena. gNethron, can you cook anything with this rabbit?h Sabian asked. gYes,h Nethron said. gGood.h Sabian said. gI and Muisick will fight together to test his claws. When we are done, we can have supper.h gWhat about our claws and teeth?h Muisick asked. gWefll rip each other to shreds!h Sabian said something that Nethron couldnft hear, and immediately there was a change. Both their paws lost their claws. gGive me my claws back, or Ifll rip you to shreds!h Muisick said, bearing his teeth. Nethron couldnft help laughing. Muisick didnft have any teeth! Sabian smiled a gummy smile, and said, gIfll give them back when wefre done fighting.h With that, Muisick slashed at Sabianfs face, and Sabian ducked and stabbed at Muisickfs stomach, making Muisick skid backwards. They fought until Nethron called them for dinner. Sabian turned into a human, and Muisick went outside to grab another bunny for himself. gRemember when I was testing your magic?h Sabian asked Nethron. gYes. I couldnft lift the pebble.h Nethron replied, chewing a chunk of meat. gHere is your first magic lesson.h Sabian said, tossing a pebble into Nethronfs hand. gLift it up. The first word is Cala. When you say it, focus on the rock, and then say Onta.h gCala!h Nethron commanded. Nothing changed in his eyes, but Sabian and Muisick saw something. In Sabian and Muisickfs eyes, Nethronfs eyes got very large. They got so big it looked as if they would go off the sides of his head. Then a long beam of light came out of them focusing in on whatever he looked at. Nethron looked at Sabian, for he knew not what had happened to him. He felt as normal as ever. gOnta!h He said. Sabian jumped off of his chair about a foot, still in the sitting position. then he fell back down onto his chair, breaking it to shreds. Nethronfs eyes went back to normal, and he said, gOops. Why did you lift out of your chair, and not the pebble?h gPana!h Sabian said. All the pieces of the chair gathered themselves together and formed a whirlwind. They then stopped, and sitting on the floor was a chair. gYou were not focusing on the pebble.h Sabian said. gYou have to be looking at the pebble. Of course, when you get better, youfll be able to do it without looking.h He looked at the ceiling and held out his hand, saying the words. The pebble lifted off of Nethronfs hand and landed in Sabianfs hand. gCella!h He said. The pebble again lifted off of his hand and hit Muisick in the stomach. gThatfs for that first blow that I tried when we were fighting.h Muisick yelled gCella!h And he proved to have better success than Nethron on his first try. The pebble lifted off the floor and onto Sabianfs head. gAnd thatfs for my fist blow when we were fighting.h He growled. gCella!h Nethron yelled, and the pebble lifted off of the floor and into Nethronfs hand. gCala Onta!h He said and the pebble lifted off his hand and hit the ceiling. gYeeha!h Nethron yelled. gIfve done it! Yippee!h All at once, the pebble started getting larger and larger, until Sabian yelled, gUn!h and the pebble returned to normal size. gYippee is an orcish word that only Firya Roccars and orcs know. It should have never been added to the magic vocabulary. Now let us go and train with your sword, and Muisickfs claws.h Chapter 6 The Seeing Ridge N ethron learned many things that night. He learned how to fake a blow, and swing towards the other side. He learned how to block every blow, and not let one touch his body. He learned how to flick his wrist to block a thrust from his opponent. Although he learned many things, he was not anywhere close to what Sabian could do. Muisick learned many things too. He learned how to avoid bites and snaps at his neck. He learned how to growl better than he could do before. He learned how to sidestep, and bite after that. Nethron and Muisick learned how to fight together, Muisick doing all his moves, while Nethron learned new ones. After a long time doing this, they all stopped, panting for breath. gOne last thing, before we go to bed.h Sabian said. gYou need to learn how to fight another kind of animal.h He then changed into a bear. gAtta!h He commanded. This made him clone into two giant bears, both growling at each other. Then one of them turned into the human Sabian. gSabian, your Roccar was killed, right?h Nethron asked. Sabian nodded. gSo why couldnft you just do this?h Nethron asked. gYou could be the Roccar and the Collindo at the same time!h Sabian didnft answer. gSabian?h Nethron said. gSABIAN!h Sabian pointed at his mouth and shook his head. gDo you mean that you canft talk when you are cloned?h Muisick asked. Sabian nodded vigorously, wielding his sword. He started swinging at Nethron, who blocked and swung back at the bear half of Sabian. The human half blocked at this, and the bear snapped at Muisickfs neck, and Muisick wasnft fast enough. Although the bear didnft have any teeth, Muisick still yelped. Nethron had learned by now that when Muisick got mad, he fought more vigorously than ever. This was no exception. He moved fast as lightning, snapping and clawing at Sabian. Sabian was just too fast. When they were done, all three of them had bruises. They were all tired and sweating. Sabian put himself together into one bear, and then into a lion. gLetfs get some sleep.h He said. gWe have a long journey tomorrow.h gWhat journey?h Muisick asked. gPatience. You will see.h Sabian lay down to sleep. gGoodnight.h gGoodnight.h Muisick and Nethron said in unison. Nethron settled down in the radiant warmth of Muisickfs fur, and started to fall asleep. gGoodnight, Tiny.h Muisick said, closing his eyes. gIfll see you in the morning.h gGoodnight.h The next morning, Nethron woke up to Muisick and Sabian talking quietly. gHe doesnft seem to notice me.h Muisick was saying. gHe acts like Ifm just his horse. Ifm not, am I?h gNo,h Sabian answered. gYou are his lifelong companion, and he is yours. This is very normal with new Roccars. Demoer did this with me once.h gWhat did you do when Demoer did this?h Muisick asked. gI did the only thing there was to do. I told him.h gMightnft he get angry?h Muisick asked, much to Nethronfs surprise. gNo,h Sabian said, flipping some bacon. gI should think not. You can wake him. The baconfs ready.h Nethron immediately assumed the sleeping position, waiting for Muisick to wake him. gWake up, Tiny.h Muisick said, shaking Nethronfs shoulder. gThe bacon is on the table.h Nethron started faking his normal morning activities, which included stretching, yawning and getting dressed. gIt smells good.h He said, following his nose into the kitchen. gDid you make it?h Muisick followed him into the kitchen. gNo, Sabian did.h gIt smells good, Sabian.h Nethron said, faking another yawn. gIt tastes good too.h Sabian replied, chewing a large glob of oily meat. gCome, have some to eat. Youfll need the energy for our journey.h gWill you tell us now where we are going now, or do we still have to wait?h gYou will have to wait.h gShould Tiny bring his armor and sword?h Muisick asked. gYes. But that is not why we are going.h gWhat about my bow?h Nethron asked. gYes,h Sabian answered. When they were done, Nethron got up out of his chair and went to his room. He gathered up his bow and quiver of arrows, strapping them on to his back. He put his armor on with ease, for he had done it many times before. He girded his sword, and a dagger on the other side of the belt. When he got out into the main room, he found Sabian and Muisick ready and waiting. Muisick had on a giant leather saddle with saddlebags. The saddlebags were stuffed with some kind of soft material, but Nethron couldnft tell what it was, for they were closed. But what Nethron noticed first was a beautiful war axe. It was so wonderful, yet so plain. The blade was clean and sharp. gHow is it so wonderful?h Nethron asked Sabian. gThe Ilya Istya Ingole knows whose it is, and it is no one elsef.h Sabian replied. gTo the person who owns it, it is wonderful, but to anyone else, it is just a normal old dwarf-made war axe.h gWhat do you see, Muisick?h Nethron asked, turning to Muisick. gTiny,h Muisick said. gI see it the same as you do.h gCome,h said Sabian. gLetfs go.h He walked out the door of his cave and into the sunlight, with Muisick and Nethron close behind. Nethron was amazed at how accustomed he had become to the darkness of the cave, for the light blinded him. Muisick seemed to be staying out of earshot of Sabian, and Nethron thought it was because of what he had heard that morning. gTiny,h Muisick started, and that seemed to be the only way he started talking to Nethron. gWhat do you think me to be?h gYou are my Collindo.h Nethron replied. gYes, but no.h He said. gI am your Collindo, but I am also your companion for life, and you are mine.h He paused. gDo you see what Ifm getting at?h It was hard pretending not to have heard anything of this before, but Nethron did a fine job. gMaybe. Are you saying that I am not acknowledging you for what you really are, but only for a Collindo?h gYes. I donft want to seem jealous for attention. Itfs just that it doesnft feel right.h gI know how you feel.h Nethron answered, pulling a branch from a tree above his head. gIfve been feeling some kind of a void between us. And I am sorry. I been feeling the same way with Sabian. This is the first time that Ifve seen a talking beast, and I don't feel right about it.h gI accept your apology, and Ifm sorry I had to bring it up. I just couldnft live like that, with a void between good friends.h Muisick caught up with Sabian, and together they rode for quite a ling time. Suddenly, Muisick yelled out, gIfve done it!h gDone what, Muisick?h Sabian asked, never slowing his pace. gIfve finished my poem about voids with good friends! Here it is: When there is a void between good friends, Their friendship cuts off with horrible ends. Yahoo! Ho Ha He! Hooray! „Ÿh gWhatever you do, donft say yippee.h Sabian said. gBut congratulations. I knew you had some instinct in you. Hyenas write couplets, and nothing else.h They then went on silently, until Sabian stopped. gWe have arrived.h He walked into a clearing, and signaled for Muisick and Nethron to do the same. They were on an outcropping of rock, looking to the south. On all sides, there was a thick mist. It looked like a bleached sea of humid air. Sabian then started to say something in a slow chant. gIlya Istya Ingole, tana lu a Nethron. Tana i lu tana le cila a tana, an le ista mana a tanah The whiteness faded away from Nethron, and was replaced with slowly moving blackness. It was smoke, black as a cloudless night. An army with black armor was chanting a victory song in the smoke. A loud voice came into Nethronfs ears, but the army didnft notice it. Nethron concluded that it was only in his mind. gNethron,h It said. gJemico is not the greatest trouble that you have. There are greater forces than you can imagine.h Nethronfs vision focused in a tall figure to the right of his vision. He wore a black robe with blood stains on it. Powerful magic swirled around his figure, so thick, Nethron could almost see it. The voice continued. gNethron,h It said. gYou are one of the last good Firya Roccar ever to be in the history of our universe. If you do not kill the forces of evil in this dark hour, no one will.h Nethron looked at the man in the black robe, and asked, gWhat is his name?h gHis name is Xenith.h The voice paused. gHe is very proud. That is his downfall. Do not tell anyone but Muisick and him his name. His name makes him weak when he hears it. That will help you win the battle. But always, always, use his name in a sentence. Never use it alone. Now go, and finish your training. h Then the smoke covered Nethronfs vision, and turned white, and he was back in the mist with Muisick looking at him and Sabian still chanting softly. Sabian stopped chanting. gWhat did you see, Tiny?h Muisick asked. gNethron must keep what he saw to himself and you, Muisick. Have him tell you when I am not around.h Sabian paused. Then he started chanting again. gIlya Istya Ingole, tana lu a Muisick. Tana i lu tana le cila a tana, an le ista mana a tanah No change seemed to take over Muisick, and he was looking around at nothing. After a few seconds, he said, gWhat is his name?h He kept looking around, and then came back to his senses and Sabian stopped chanting. Then they trained with magic and swords and fighting there, and Nethron also trained with his battle axe. When lunch came, Nethron sat under a tree while Sabian sat on the edge of the cliff. Nethron recalled to Muisick how he had seen Xenith, and how powerful he was. When he was done, Muisick told him of what he had seen. gI saw Xenithfs Collindo, Zildian, a tiger. Xenith is indeed a Firya Roccar. My job is to kill Zildian. That is all that I have to tell.h As Nethron walked home, he wondered how, and why, he had gotten into this whole deal with destroying evil. And he wondered if he would win.
Copyright © 2007 Adam Robinson |