Tips: 0.00 INK
by Fishbucket on Sun Aug 13, 2017 12:02 am
Perhaps it would be better to start this with a description, yes? In our world, there were not that many of us, maybe four or five hundred. Which is fine since our world wasn't neary as large as yours is. You could go completely around our planet inside of one of the weeks on yours.
But despite that, it was our home, it was clean and simple, and safe. It was a world of peace and harmony, where we were content with what we had, and never took more than we needed. On that world, we had lived all our lives, growing closer and closer to each other. Each day went by, and nothing ever changed.
"Amalae slow down. I know you wanna get to town but there's no reason to rush." She was making me gasp for air at this point, though maybe that's my fault for letting myself get so out of shape.
"Sorry Dalen, I'm just really excited!" She fell back to join me again along the road. Her soft smile made me wish we were the only ones there, but unfortunately we had nearly a half hundred other people marching along in front or behind of us. Festivals will do that ya know.
"We've been to the festival before" I rub the back of my neck, glaring at a farmer and his burden beasts stinking up the lane. I try and shuffle to the far side of the road, nearer the trees and grass, Amalae following behind me absentmindedly.
She clasps her hands behind her and marches forward a few more steps in silence. "Well yeah, but still, it's the festival you know."
Ah, can't fool me girl. "Your just excited because everyone's going to be singing you praise and bloating your ego again."
"They don't do that!"
"Yes they do! 'Oh Amalae, your so sweet for helping me with my kids'"
She crosses her arms defensively. "That's supposed to be Mrs Durnell is it? Her little ones are beautiful and sweet, it's a pleasure to take care of them so she and Mr Durnell can enjoy each others company."
"Yeah" I grin "Especially if it gives them a chance to bring yet another sweet little one into the world right?"
I can't help but yelp in pain as she jabs me in the side, reminding me once again of how strong she is. Still, I'm not quite done yet "Then there's Urgo, who'll probably be throwing gilt your way for helping him rebuilt his house."
"It was the least I could do, since I was near at hand."
"Jann, you remember, who you helped put that dress together for."
"Well, she wanted to catch Torge's eye, and everyone deserves a chance at love."
"Yeah... I suppose they do at that." I can't tell if I'm blushing or not, but I really hope I'm not. "Egon, Duln, and Varro will probably want to give you gilt as well for teaching their sons sword work."
"That won't be nec-"
"Marc and Lux will want to repay you for helping with their wedding party arrangements"
"I just-"
"And then the council will probably give you a golden circlet for your work with the guardians."
"Okay okay! I get your point! But there is no need for you to be jealous. It's your own fault you don't ever do anything worthy of rewarding."
Rolling my eyes at her is probably dangerous, so instead I just laugh. "I enjoy my personal time, is that so wrong?"
"It is when your personal time is ALL the time."
I'm just about ready to respond that it isn't quite all the time, obviously, when I note the wall approaching. Made of stone and metal captured by salvagers from the void fields, the seven foot wall is an impressive sight, shining and soft looking, yet undeniably strong. Tested by the Guardians regularly, the wall has served as protection against raids by several Alien races to come to our world over the course of a thousand centuries. It protects the capital of our world, our society, from the wild beasts and the forigners who deemed to stay and try and survive on our world.
The press of bodies around us gets tighter, forcing us to walk with our shoulders near touching, as we pass through the gates. Amalae's fellow guardians are shouting down at her. "Hey Saint, how long you staying in town this time? Should I let the schools know your coming?"
"Not at all! I want to surprise them!" She responds, laughing ever so sweetly.
"So I guess then that I'll get some time to myself later this afternoon?" I mutter, just loud enough for her to hear. I look up to see the stars, which is harder here than it was back at home, all the shinetrees and flashbushes set hanging on ropes between houses and over the roads and walkways making it harder to see the far off light of the stars and nubulae.
"What? Why don't you join me?"
"Why would I? The Kids love you, I'd just be some random person they've never met."
"We could say your a fellow guardian."
"I'm not though."
"Well, not yet."
"Probably not ever, with how things are going."
She wraps her arm over my shouldrs and pulls me to her, smacking my head with her own. "Ow! What the heck?" I growl and look at her, my eyes scanning over her violet skin and ebony antennae. Her soft silver lit eyes never budge from my own.
"Stop with that down thinking, It's not gonna make you any better."
I roll my eyes, which turns out just as badly as I thought it would, as she punches me in the gut. It's not as hard as she could, I know, but I still find myself gasping for air. "I'm being serious Dalen! I have faith in you, so you should have some in yourself."
"Yeah, but you see the best in everyone, even if it's not there."
"Don't be foolish. Your a good man, and strong. You'll make a guardian yet."
The road starts to clear up as we get further into the city and the main thoroughfare widens. Tents and tarps of green and blue and all sorts of violet abound around us, the festival is in full swing, and the sounds of celebration are overwhelming, sending my ears twitching in annoyance. All I want is a nice and quite rooftop to take a nap on. I scan about the buildings, wooden and easy enough to climb.
"Come this way!" She grabs me by my shoulders and steers me along, passing carts and tents and all the various shops. Hitting each and every one. I haven't any gilt to buy anything, but that doesn't stop her making me look over each and every piece with seriousness. Eventually we come to Lorn's shop, off the mainway as it is. "Hey Lorn, how's your mother doing?" She hails him. I take advantage of her distraction to slip out of her grasp, though before she yanks me back again I throw my hands up in surrender. "I'm not going anywhere, I just don't want to be shoved anymore" I explain, turning to look around.
Lorn is a smithy, though that does him no justice. Multiple instruments of war hang on the wall, swords, axes, shields, even a silver bow. Definetly do not have the gilt for that, though some of the smaller bracelets may be in my range. I wonder if she would like one.
Lorn himself is an impressive man, near seven feet and three inches, marks of the mountain scrawl across his skin the color of pitch. He is strong, with muscles clearly visible on his body. His hair is grey, and his antennae stretch out from either end of his brow and out to either side of his head. His Amber eyes glow with joy as he see's Amalae.
"Well if isn't the Saint herself, come to visit me on the day of Drugar." He smiles brightly at her, his antennae arcing up over his head. "She's quite well, thanks to you. That jelly you gave us has done wonders for her aching joints, and I think she may even join the dancing this evening."
"Good to hear! Say, you don't happen to have anything new do you?" She winks at him.
"Your looking for armor? Why? Is something wrong with the set I gave you last year, You know I can repair it if you need. And it's strong and sturdy, it should last you some time yet."
"Oh it's not for me" She grabs and jerks me forward, which sucks considering I had been trying to slip out while she was distracted. "It's for this one. He's to be a Guardian soon."
"Dalen? A Guardian?"
Rubbing the bridge of my nose I say in an exasperated tone "Yeah yeah, go ahead laugh it up."
"Not at all" Lorn replies, and I look to see him inspecting me with the serious air he reserves for when he's measuring a customer. "You'll make a fine Guardian, especially with Amalae guiding you."
"You can't be serious? You too!"
"It's not that strange, you have a good heart, and whenever you can be convinced to do something you do it very thoroughly." He turns and heads to the back of his shop, where he keeps the furnace, anvil, and other tools of the smiths trade. I hadn't been back here before, and If Amalae wasn't pushing me from behind I probably would not have gone in at all. I thought it would be hot and soot covered but it's actually quite nice. Stone and mortar set, with mineral veins of no real value running through the walls to give it color. The Furnace itself is dim, providing warmth but little else, and the wall opposite it is left open to the street, so people might see the work done within. Hammers and chisels and all other manner of tools hang on racks of the wall opposite the door to the shop, and a massive anvil sits in the center of the chamber.
"I've just perfected a new technique, only have one full set that used it. It's good stuff too, channels the fire well. It's flexible, good mobility, yet provides complete protection." He stands next to a set of armor on a stand, clearly prepped for the festival.
"Oh I can't take that, you were going to unveil it at the festival weren't you?" Last chance for me to get out of this, and I leap at it with all my strength.
"Bah, it's nothing. Besides, people know I'm the smith the Guardians trust most. People see you walking around in it, They'll be certain to know it was my work."
"Go on, Dalen, take a closer look." Amalae gives me a strong shove forward.
"Aye, tell me what you think."
What I think is hard to describe. The armor is fantastically simple, yet unforgettable. The overall impression I have is of a Protector, a Guardian. From the Gauntlets to the Greaves, the armor is silversteel, chaised and with etchings and designs carved into it. The pieces that cover the biceps and thighs are made of several pieces that interlock each other, which makes it possible to bend and shift, with the armor following the movements of your body as though living flesh. The torso is made this same way, multiple interlocking pieces that overlap and shift, allowing full range of motion.
Two things catch my eye in particular. "Whats this?" I ask Lorn, pointing at the fabric flowing from the waist.
"Ahh, that's a special ornament. A cape, split tail. But I've a Trick set in it, a sort of skeleton in the leather, of struts and string that, when you pull the belt here." And he gripped the belt and unlatched it, pulling it up and away. As he did so, the fabric stretched and grew taut around the skeleton he had been refering to. It looked almost like a birds wings, but far too short, barely six feet from end to end. "Some of the Guardians have complained about how long it takes them to get from the citadal to the city and I remember one of them mentioned how great it would be to have wings."
"But surely they cannot fly with that?" Amalae stated a question, but underneath it I could tell she didn't think it was a viable idea. "They are too short, and the armor would weigh them down too much."
"Well Aye, it's not meant to let them fly, but more... Control how they fall. I've tested it well and thoroughly Saint, And if you jump from a cliff, You'll get enough speed falling to have enough lift that this will let you glide and control your fall. It's not much for distance, but it works great for speed."
"What about landing." I snort at him. He cannot honestly believe someone will jump off of anything with only that to carry them to safety.
"That parts... a bit more difficult, But I'm sure the Guardians will figure something out about it."
It's just like him to leave things half finished. Gesturing to the other part of the armor that caught my eye. "Whats with the helm."
It looks made from about three pieces of metal, curved into the perfect cover for the face. A plate that covers the face and front top of the head, as well as the jaw, latched to a second plate that cups the back of the head, and a final set of interlocked pieces that wrap around and protect the neck. What's interesting though is the eyes holes, they appear to have glass set into them.
Lorn smiles and nods. "Normally the helmet has only one weakpoint, the eye slits. But with this glass melted to the inside of the faceplate, you can see through the eyeslits, and no longer have to worry about something getting in."
"What if something breaks the glass."
"Then you get it repaired."
"What if the broken glass gets in my eye."
"Then you lose your eye."
We stand glaring at each other for a bit, before Amalae steps in between us. "It's wonderful Lorn, a fine piece of work. How much will you take for it?"
He shakes his head. "For you Saint, I give this freely. I ask only that you make a proper guardian out of the fool who shall wear it."
She smiled at him, while I tried not to retch. He went all formal speech just to butter up to her. Of course everyone treats her like that, and I can't hold it against them. We call her Saint Amalae because that's what she is. Pure and profoundly good, she brings joy and peace to all of us, and our lives are made better by her presence.
I... I am sorry. It is difficult to remember these parts of the story. It was so long ago, but that is not the trouble, it's.. something else. To remember how things were, and to wonder at how they could have been. I wish things had been different, I wish I had had more time, I wish....
But... wishing is only half the battle isn't it. You can wish for the moon and stars, but you will only reach them if your willing to fight.
And sometimes... Sometimes you can't win that fight....
Tip jar: the author of this post has received
0.00 INK
in return for their work.