Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 35: A Hard Pill to Swallow

"When can we move on?" Merida asked with a sigh after shattering yet another helpless log with a constricting chain. They had been training for a few hours, and she had essentially mastered the art of summoning and controlling chains. She could catch targets, bind them, crush them, lift them, drag them, anything you could think of except skewering.

"When I am satisfied with your abilities." Narinder answered simply.

"Am I doing something wrong? You haven't given me any pointers in a while..." She argued.

"No, but practice is important. I want to be sure you have total control over them before I allow you to attempt anything dangerous."

"I've been practicing all morning." She insisted, gesturing towards the sky. It was the early afternoon by that point. "I don't want to go back without at least attempting a barbed one."

"That would not be so terrible." Narinder crossed his arms.

"Come on, I don't want to wait another month to try. It's better to try now after I've warmed up doing all of this."

"I do not feel that you are ready."

"Why not? I've done everything you've asked. I'm consistent. I only messed up a little when we first started. I haven't had any other issues."

"It is just a feeling, Merida..." Narinder sighed, "Continue to practice and we will see."

"Is it because of what happened to Dad?" She guessed, resting her hands on her hips irritably. Narinder raised a brow in apparent surprise.

"I am surprised Aym told you about that..."

"He didn't for a long time. He used to just avoid it when I asked about his eye. Last time I mentioned it, he told me."

"I see..."

"So, is that it then? You're afraid I'll blind myself too?"

"Or worse... Had I not pulled Aym back in time he would have died." Merida sighed.

"If that's what you're worried about, then you'll never let me try it. An accident could always happen, but I'm fine with taking the risk. Anyway, Dad was exhausted when that happened, I feel fine. What I'm doing now doesn't take a lot of energy." Narinder considered her for a while and nodded.

"Very well... I will allow you to attempt it. Do be careful though, Merida."

"Of course." She grinned. Narinder nodded and took a step back. "You do have an impressive level of control over the curse. For barbed chains, your focus should shift from intention to aim and speed. Think of it as shooting an arrow." Merida nodded. "To start, I think it would be best to use a target a safe distance away." He looked off then pointed at a pine tree about twenty feet away. "I'd like you to conjure the chain a few feet away from that tree, and attempt to skewer it." Merida's brow furrowed, unhappy with his chosen target.

"Wouldn't it be easier if I tried it a little closer? If I can see the conjuration point more clearly, I think it'll go better." Narinder sighed.

"Just attempt it this way first, please. If you have significant issues, I will think of how best to proceed. Take a moment to breathe and clear your mind. Choose a specific point to conjure the curse, as well as the point in which it will strike the tree. Envision the chain with the barbed point."

"Like an arrow." She nodded and closed her eyes to breathe and focus her mind. In theory, it seemed simple. By this point, though, Merida knew that was rarely, if ever, the case. When she was ready, she squinted her eyes to see a bit better. She picked the spot on the tree first, there was a noticeable knot in the bark, the lump was easy to spot even from the short distance. Then, she picked out a little, sparse patch in the grass near the base of the tree. She took a moment to imagine an arrow, specifically the speed and power behind such a ranged attack. She had been shot at by heretics enough to recall it well. With that in mind, she gave it her first try. A small portal opened up in the ground, from it a chain appeared. It did not skewer the tree as she had intended. Instead, it grappled. To be fair, it was much more violent than usual. The chain cut deep into the trunk, and might have snapped it to bits had it been a younger pine. She sighed and looked at Narinder for his assessment.