Wind Whisperer

Downpour

At the sound of Braen's clear whistle vibrating in Lyaen's chest, the elite sprung. With a surge of his powerful arms, Braen threw off the hatch with one clattering heave, then swung up into the dining hall. Everyone surged towards the square of light, thirsting for battle. Her nerves having been washed away by the sweet spice of adrenaline, Lyaen threw herself out of the hatch and landed in a squat on the hard stone floor.

She knew something was wrong the moment she tried to summon her Core. Normally when she reached into herself, their was a wellspring of hot, fiery power, but all she could feel was a stark emptiness. That's when she knew. Before she even raised her eyes to look at the heavily fortified room, she knew. She didn't need to see the empty dinner tables or the battle-ready Cambrion soldiers that lined the room, because no unprepared enemy would have a Core-blocker in action. They had been betrayed.

It was like a sword of ice had been stuck into her and twisted painfully. For a split second she wondered who it had been, but then realized it didn't matter. They were doomed. Their mission had been likely to fail even when it was a suprise attack. Now their enemy was ready for them, and on top of that they couldn't use their most powerful weapons: their Cores.

Nevertheless Lyaen charged into battle with the rest of her squad, not willing to go down without a fight. Even as she dodged one sword and parried another though, she was thinking of her lost Core. Then she had an idea. Maybe she couldn't be there for the young Whisperer, but maybe someone else could.

Just as a sword plunged through Lyaen's chest, she called her winds to her. The Core-blocker made it difficult, and her winds couldn't stay long, but she only needed a minute. Blood pouring onto the stone floor like a grotesque waterfall, she gave them their last orders. With a whoosh they left her, and she lay in agony waiting for her end. However one wind did not leave.

"Jerud! Get out of here!" she cried, knowing that he would be destroyed by the blocker in a matter of seconds.

"No." Jerud wrapped himself around his beloved mistress, giving her one small comfort in her death. Lyaen sighed, then her head hit the floor, dead as stone.

Meawhile the other winds set out on their quest to fulfill their mistress's last wishes. Even as they blew across the land, her words echoed in their minds, "Find the next Wind Whisperer."

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We sat there in silence as he finished his story about the warrior Lyaen. It was less of an explanation and more of a tale really. Though it was really sad and interesting, it left me with more questions than I had before, and I told him so.

Gale chuckled, "I guess so, but that story is always a good place to start for me. I can tell it well and it gives many avenues from which to explain things.

"Now Cambrion and Coreshir had been in silent struggle for centuries. Cambrion was jealous of Coreshir for its inhabitants with magical abilities; their Core."

"Which is-?" I interrupted. I decided to completely pass over the whole magic thing for now. I mean, when you're  talking to a Wind, magic doean't seem that far fetched.

"A Core is an inner bond with something in the world. This extends to water, wind, waves, rock, metal, trees, animals, people, paper...and so much more. This bond allows you to communicate with the material, draw power from it, and have it do your will. You see, everything has its own spirit, it's just harder to talk to some of them. Like, humans-easy, rock-not so much. New Cores are being discovered every day, though the progress is slower in this day and age since the majority of the population doesn't know Cores exist.