He held his hand back in a braced position, aiming square at the face of the ferocious foe, remembering everything Halsey told him–about pushing energy away from his core, or wherever this energy was stored. This was getting marginally easier–he just had to direct that energy, like holding a taut rubber band. He let loose with a mental sensation of allowing the energy to flow, like a nocked arrow.
But this creature moved fast, and anticipated this move. It swerved to the right, and the fiery bolt singed the fur on one of its ears. It snarled at this offense, and hesitated. Claire and Varrick had both retreated, with Claire leaning on the frame of an accent wall, firing with precision.
The powerful round tore into the creature’s flank, while Varrick fluttered backward as the creature was closest to him, swiping and lashing out with its tail–a longer member that told Shawn even its rear was not unprotected. The spines tore a chunk out of a wooden fence post Varrick had been adjacent to.
He loosed another fire dart, once again missing–the bolts were too slow for this fast feline, and it ducked and leaped after him again, having decided he was the bigger threat. He tumbled away and felt a set of instant bruises on his wings–he’d forgotten they existed, and now he was paying for it.
“Varrick, it’s too fast for my gestalts!” he called out.
“And it’s eating rifle rounds for breakfast!” Varrick balked, firing with deadly aim as he put rounds into the creature's flank. But they didn’t seem to have much impact, and it screeched in fury, still trying to fight its way toward Shawn. He scrambled backward and nearly had his foot taken off by a deadly swipe, and fell back to a porch of an adjacent building. Halsey, what about my ice ability?
You need to focus on it, you need to channel your ability! It’s different than the fire, it’ll feel different as the power goes through your Etteria network!
My network?! What does that mean?!
Oh right, I didn’t explain that one. We really should go over my observations and some pointers–
Halsey, not now! He frantically grabbed a wooden chair to put an obstacle between him and the creature, and it stumbled when it skidded across the surface, flung with all his might. He focused on that other pathway within his core with deadly, patient calm, and was rewarded with feeling the reassuring chill of hoar frost creeping along his talons.
The Jabberyowl screeched and tried to hook outwards with its forward paw, slashing at air and missing him by millimeters. But, it bought him time to blast a globule of frost onto the porch, snap-freezing the surface and coating the porch and a good portion of the surrounding area with ice.
The frost did not climb up the feline’s legs–it only seemed to be effective on inorganic matter, and the creature reared back its paws as the ice spread underneath it. In doing so, It scrabbled and slipped on the ice. He took that as his opportunity to focus on the globule of fire in his hand, pushing down that impulse of energy from his core, down his arm, and using his fingers to hold the globule in place, channeling power and feeling his fingers shaking from the vibration of the power.
And pain. It felt like a splintering pain was emanating from his wrist, along his lower arm, but he held focus and aimed at the temporarily staggered creature. Once he lined up he released the blast of fire with as much force as he could. It impacted on its chest, its fur smoldering, and it reared backward, rolling on its side in the dirt of the town center.
But Shawn wasn’t exactly focused on that, so much as the burning recoil on his arm, and he clutched it. He warily kept an eye on the monster as Varrick and Claire–and other militia members, now free from the roars by the gate–opened fire on it. Most of the shots missed and sent up plumes of dirt and grass.
The creature screeched, locked its intense green eyes with Shawn, radiating hatred. It skidded back onto its legs, bounded up along a house adjacent to the wall with an incredible feat of athletics, and then leaped with incredible grace over the town wall. It kept yowling with that screechy tone, and used its wings to glide away to safety–the rounds traced after it, but found no purchase in its body.
“Yeah, you better run!” Shawn called out with a screech and grimaced against the burning pain of his right arm. The hoar frost on his other hand melted and faded, and he gripped his arm. Distantly, the pack of animals fled into the forest depths, with fading screeches and yowls.
“Shawn, are you okay?!” Claire called out and slid out the cylinder from her revolver–just as Varrick tossed her a spare one, which she reloaded with incredible fluidity before snapping the cylinder back into position. He nodded and showed his fingers–a little scorched, but the pain was fading.
“Yeah. Mostly self-burn.” He glanced at Varrick, shaking his head. “What the hell was that all about?”
Varrick growled audibly while he reloaded his lever action, and after glancing at the ramparts, let out a soft sigh. “Damn Jabberyowls. That was aggressive, for them. Normally they don’t come close enough to the wall for us to shoot at them. And they like our powerful gestalts, even less. Life out here keeps you on your clawtips, or you become a monster's next meal.”
“Fun. How did I burn myself?” Shawn muttered.
“You better learn to channel your gestalt a little better. That was impressive…but inefficient,” Varrick stated, before slinging his rifle back between his wings. He then motioned to examine Shawn’s hand. “Ah, minor burns. Let’s get this wrapped, it should heal quickly. We also need to run you through some training. I can’t make use of you if you’re dead.”
“Ain’t life in Remaria grand,” Claire uttered with a snarl and examined the revolver. “These rounds didn’t do anything but piss it off.” Varrick frowned, before taking off the belt for the holster, and handing it to her, surprising her.
“Keep that. Even a firearm that’s only good against smaller creatures has a good chance of scaring off the bigger ones. The Jabberyowls are pack hunters, and they’re clever. Occasionally, they pick off game animals from the nearby farms, then run away with the kill before we can respond, to share amongst themselves. Not so sure why they were willing to leap over the wall to eat a rather scrawny Aveeran,” he added with a smirk, pointing to Shawn.
“I’m glad I’m not considered a filling meal,” he muttered. “Do you think they were focusing on me?”
“That’s a good point.” Claire picked up on his cue. “Most predators are opportunists and ambushers. They charged through here in broad daylight, past the sentries which they knew to avoid. Unless the rules of the animal kingdom are wildly different in Remaria, there were better targets to choose from. I’d say, something was driving them.”
“Hmm. Possible. I’ve known gestalts that could control or make it easy to train and tame various monsters, but…it’s just speculation on my part. Try not to look edible, Shawn. It’ll up your chances of survival.”
Shawn felt the urge to snap his beak at Varrick, who laughed at the gesture. “Yeah. Top of the priority list: make more effective guns, get this gestalt figured out, and build a bigger wall. And looking scarier.”
“That last one's never gonna happen, with your appearance as a stuffed bird,” Claire stated with a smirk. He gave her a smoldering look in response. “Life lesson: don’t play with magic rocks.”
“I hate you sometimes, you know that, Claire?”
“What are family members without a little animosity?” she added with a grin. “Okay, that’s a more intimidating glare. Keep working on it. Someday, you might be able to scare small forest animals.”
“Bite me. You were complaining about how I am constantly courting death."
"Well if it's unavoidable, best to be prepared." He softened his expression.
"A fair point."
After the excitement of the day, Shawn was glad to be back at the smithy, where Varrick had a living quarter attached. There was a guest room with two beds–it was sparse but serviceable. The bed was larger, to account for Aveeran wingspan, and their slightly taller stature. Varrick gave them a quick tour.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“So, as you might have noticed, the orbital platforms had…different tech. I was up there once."
“This strikes me as 1800’s, early 1900’s technology. Minus whatever you can do with the gestalts.” The furnace was serviceable, as well as the other equipment. What it needed was maximum utilization. “So, your house, your rules. Anything specific?”
“Sure. On the off chance you meet a plus one…maybe take the action someplace else.” Shawn and Claire glanced at each other skeptically while Varrick bit on his pipe gently. “You earn your keep, if you’ve got skills, we’ll put them to good use. Try to be home before nightfall, lock the door, and make sure you clean up after yourselves.”
“Indoor plumbing is high on my priority list,” Shawn muttered. “Why is the tech level so disparate? The orbital platform had steel works and advanced magitech, it held gravity and an atmosphere. This is…not the same.”
“Ah, noticed that, have you?” Varrick pointed to the forge and grunted. “The Radiants tend to keep tech to themselves. There were means of manufacturing that were advanced at one point. However, the scattered nature of the world makes it tough to propagate information. And industry. Valtiria Prime might have some good examples of magitech prevalent everywhere, and in some of the major cities. Same story, with the layers below. But…lots of it gets stuck, and you can't get it from one place to another. Not easily."
“Yeah, he’s got a point. It’s hard to ship industry when your entire planet is one giant asteroid field,” Claire pointed out sourly. “It's all over the place. Orbital platforms, and then this! Gestalt users with literal firepower, and then a town without a functional sewer system!” She placed her bag on a counter and then looked at Shawn. “Telga hosed us. Giant cat monsters tried to eat you today. You're acting unnaturally chill.”
“Would you prefer I act doomy? Because I don't. Claire, I still have my books, and we aren't the only travelers from Earth. We have something to start from.” But, she wasn't hearing logic, eyes narrowed at him.
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? I think you're traumatized!”
“Yep. Let's talk about my trauma. Because it's the thing I love to talk about the most. If I wasn’t fine, I would say so.” She leaned in, fists clenched.
“No, you wouldn’t. You bottle it in, like you do, every single time. Right until you call me at two in the morning on a weekday, sobbing and–”
He felt every feather bristle on his body at that accusation, and she knew she’d gone too far, when she stopped herself, biting her lip. “I–I shouldn’t…” she trailed off, unable to take back the words.
“You shouldn’t have,” he stated quietly. He could feel the peering gaze of Varrick out of his peripheral vision, and gestured to the veteran smith. “Just some…well, stuff that we were still working through, back on Earth.”
“I know that look. I know that deflection, Shawn. Because I’ve seen it too much in my life.” Varrick pulled his pipe away, to sprinkle in some dried product, before lighting it with what Shawn suspected was a primitive match.
Varrick waited for the tiny plume of smoke to clear before he regarded them. “Look, I’m not going to pretend to be blind. You in particular Shawn, have damage, but I’m guessing it’s from prior events. Regardless of whether you admit it, or not. My advice? Square it away, or find a way to put it behind you. Distractions get you killed in Remaria faster than a Radiant in a bad mood out here.”
It felt like a rebuke, but Shawn also realized he was giving a stark reminder: Life was not easy in this world.
Claire puffed out an impatient breath of air. “We’ll handle it, Varrick. We made it this far.”
“Good. Now, if you need an extra ear to listen to on occasion, I can do that.” Varrick took a contemplative puff of his pipe. “Anything I should worry about?”
“We’re good,” Shawn answered before Claire could get a word in, and she took his lead and slowly nodded. Varrick tilted his head, looking satisfied at the response.
“Oh, new rule. No rivalry squabbling.” Shawn turned to aim a droll look at Varrick, who chuckled. “You aren't exchanging fists, so I presume this is normal for you two.”
“Unfortunately,” Claire responded with a puff of air. She took one of the bunks–the lower one. “Seriously, what can we do against a guy who can blow moons out of the sky? We’re boned.”
“Just let it rest for a day, Claire. We can find solutions along the way. Varrick, I think we might stand a chance. But, I also need some space to test out my gestalt. I've got a few theories.”
He nodded and pointed to the forge. “Best practice where you can't burn or freeze something solid. This building is well fortified, and the timber is quite fire-resistant from the local trees. Try not to make yourself an ice sculpture or roast yourself, yeah? The barracks also have some training grounds for gestalts. Especially for people on bonding day.”
“What’s that?”
“Ah, when people come of age, we give them an Etteria crystal. It's a ritualistic day, a little bit of celebration, a little bit of a rite of passage. People might be born with a gestalt, but not everyone’s is notable. In most cases, people can take the crystals and gain a gestalt. Usually, only one."
“I thought–”
Claire cleared her throat audibly and gave him a face full of ire. He stopped mid-sentence–he had another resource. Hang on. Halsey, confirm something for me if you can. Can the normal Etteria be bonded to someone with a gestalt?
Yes, but it’s not the same, based on Telga’s brief description. It either gives them a new power if one has not manifested by genetic heritage, or reinforces their existing one. I think. You should research this one later, I only vaguely recall this one.
So the primal Etteria is different. Does it need a blank canvas to work? Someone who has no gestalt or genetic changes?
Good question–we should investigate this when we can. We have one sample we can test, before Claire uses it. If she wants to use it.
Shawn cleared his throat in that brief instant of time, taking Claire’s cue. “So, what other gestalts are there, in town, if almost everyone has one?”
“Most are minor. Low-level telekinesis, instant memory recall, creating a small spark or a flame on demand. Turning invisible for a few seconds at a time…damn teenagers always trying to go snogging, but they forget they still make sound,” Varrick added with a huff.
“Yeah. I think tomorrow will be a busy day,” Shawn replied hastily while Claire rolled her eyes. “Alright, Claire, I need to go practice some stuff. I can’t rest right now.”
“Yeah, I’m with Varrick. Try not to turn yourself into fried chicken,” she added sourly.
“What’s a chicken?” Varrick asked.
“You don’t have those here?” Shawn felt a small part of his entire existence die when Varrick shook his head.
“No. We don’t. What is it, anyway?”
“A small game animal that everyone swears tastes like everything,” Claire explained. There was no need to emphasize that they ate birds as part of their diet, before this.
Shawn let out a frustrated exhale as Claire got settled in her bunk a moment later, and Varrick used a short burst of flight to leap up to the second floor, though a series of climbing points were there for those without wings.
Varrick turned around, gesturing to him. "Your gestalts. Are you getting a feel for them? Most people go through training on them...but no two gestalts are quite the same. I can tell you, find your core, first. It all starts there."
"I...sort of feel it. But is it physically there?" he asked hesitantly.
Varrick nodded. "The Etteria, it bonds to us. it's got a physical presence...and then one that exists elsewhere. its influence isn't limited to its physical connection, either. Telga knows more. Me, I'm just a simple smith who knows metals, Shawn. Though, I saw you worked out a few basics. Not everyone gets those right. Some people even hurt themselves. Start small, feel them out."
"How?"
"You'll feel the power channel through you. Think of it like a river. You're tapping off a small stream at a time with...floodgates, in essence." Shawn took note of the analogy. "You need help...I'm right here."
"Yeah. I just...I need a little time to think," Shawn answered, after thinking on it. Varrick nodded calmly before heading up to the loft, out of sight. He glanced around the open space of the forge, and could feel the comforting heat of the coals within. Varrick had said before that evenings were starting to get cool–an autumn equivalent wasn’t that far away. He glanced at a small pile of metal scraps on the table, labeled iron. He hefted it in his claw–it didn’t weigh much, probably only a few hundred grams, at best.
Halsey, let’s get to testing. I want to explore what I can do, but we’re starting small. He regarded the iron in his hand, and his abilities. There was vast potential if they worked the way he thought they worked.
It was time to unlock that potential.
I typically save announcements for pre or post-author notes, but I think these two matter too much. Hallowed World hit RISING STARS late last night. This is awesome, guys! Now, for those of you tuning in, please, if you want more people to see this story, we need to boost the visibility, and climb! Add a follow, favorite or a rating, if you've made it this far! These all matter for which stories are considered popular!
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Shawn's done messing around. It's time to study and train.
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