The Celestial Way

Chapter 13.3 - Warrior's Way

Veralla went to the main dining hall, where the silvery tables and furniture again variformed to give her maximum comfort while she ate. Glawlrhain was not there this time, but shortly after she took a place at a table, a hoverbot served her raw meat. The smell and memory of its taste made Veralla's mouth water. She began eating with zest, stopping occasionally to glance around in a fit of self-consciousness.

This time, there were many more Radiant Knights in the dining hall, both humans and dragons. They were breakfasting together, chatting and laughing, their relaxed voices echoing off the multihued crystal-inlaid walls. Veralla marveled at how tranquil her surroundings were, when things were so bleak and terrible as a whole.

She was just finishing her meal, devouring the last of several servings, when Glawlrhain entered the dining hall. He approached the table where she sat.

"Are you ready for training today?" he asked.

"Yes, I am ready!"

"Good, get cleaned up, and follow me."

They went to the topmost parts of the stronghold. There, looming above the gardens Veralla had seen during her tour of the base, was an ancient-looking keep with a large, rectangular area at one side. The area seemed plain, yet as Glawlrhain explained, the ground was made from variform materials and the terrain could morph into different shapes during combat exercises. Viridian projector crystals lined the area on one side, able to conjure Æther-infused illusions for sparring and practice. An indentical field rested on the other side of the keep. The weather was clear, mirrored sunlight gleaming off the snow-capped peaks, and a mild wind gusted across the fractal subplane.

"By tradition, when someone applies to become a Radiant Knight, the process is a bit more involved," Glawlrhain said when they reached the keep. "There are trials, tests of faith, ceremonies, and so on. However, due to the rather pressing circumstances of the foreseeable future, we shall skip tradition in favor of practicality, and do things in a backward manner."

"So, I will begin from the last thing a Radiant Knight learns?" Veralla asked.

Glawlrhain rumbled in amusement. "In a way, yes," he said. "But first, I want to gauge your capabilities. I'm already aware you have... troubles in developing the universal traits of our kind. Can I pose a few questions to you in that regard?"

"Yes, I will answer any question!"

"Okay then. Can you breathe fire?"

"No."

"Can you fly?"

"No."

"Can you control your internal gravitic field?"

Veralla flapped her wings uncertainly. "No, I do not think so," she said. She experimented stretching her claws and tail in different ways, yet nothing happened. "I cannot do so," she concluded, disheartened.

"Hmm, this is quite unusual," Glawlrhain mused, his snout-tip tendrils waving gently in the alpine breeze. "Almost like... Do you feel uncomfortable right now?"

"No, I am fine," Veralla said. "I can feel the cold, but it does not affect me."

Glawlrhain raised his claw. A faint energy echo simmered from his palm, yet it was deceptively powerful. "How about now?"

"Oh, is this radiation?" she asked, feeling the charged particles graze against her scales. "It does not bother me right now, but I cannot bear too great quantities of it."

"The amount I used just now was enough to make an ordinary transhuman severely ill," Glawlrhain said. He hrrr–ed pensively. "Right, I've made my conclusion. We'll keep feeding you at maximum capacity and your... condition should fade with time. I believe it's just a matter of stunted development due to malnutrition and adverse environment at the time of your hatching. Now, onto your first training lesson."