Adventure in Ayremus

Chapter Five: Defense

Ruby stood up and gestured outside the window, "This place is known for its woodcraft, and almost everything is made out of wood, except the blacksmith of course." I stared at the interior of the room, noticing that everything was made out of wood, my eyes shifted from the few statues placed on the shelf beside me to the cabinet by the door. Even the small cup of water that sat next to me on my bedside table was made out of wood. I looked down at myself, my hands shaking like jelly, void of the energy I once had. My outburst of power saved thousands of lives, but I started to realize that if I had killed myself in the process, it wouldn't have been worth it. My 'little act', as Ruby kept chiding me on, had left me bedridden. I was trapped by my very own legs, which were in no condition to move and definitely would not have supported my weight. Although my body was confined in the space of my room, I let my mind wander. I thought about the Great Ether, thought about the downfall of Alteria City and the invincible army that brought hell, thought about my future in this world...

Ruby worked hard outside, helping out wherever she could. She was an intellectual wonder, being proficient in many aspects of organization and boasting skills in the art of war. Within a week, the entire military had been rebuilt from its shambled state into one of great force and power. A scouting party was met outside the gates, showing that the army planned to return. There was a rush to arm the Amitiel troops, and large plans were set up to try to counter their attack. In the midst of all the happenings, I had recovered, spending a full two weeks sitting on my bed. Those two weeks for me were not very eventful, either meditating silently on my bed or controlling the ebb and flow of the ether to prepare for what came ahead.

Boom.

A thunderous crack shattered the serene atmosphere. War horns blared from the battlements as I was pulled up to my feet by Ruby, who seemed very much awake. She took me up to the tallest tower in the castle, hastily shaking me awake along the way. When I reached the top of the tower, the view knocked all the fatigue from me. I was flabbergasted. The size of the attacking army was unimaginable. They flooded the nearby forest, spilling out to the sides as they took their position, preparing for their siege. Ruby whispered a few words of luck and left, very soon appearing on a stage where she started rallying the Amitiel soldiers, organizing them into small troops and sending them outside the wall in preparation. She resumed her position atop the battlements, shielded by a small group of the best soldiers. I mustered my strength and let the ether flow, I moved my arms and caught hold of the battlefield, bringing the air to a complete standstill.

War horns sounded again, and I quickly swept my arms around in a circle, forming a round shield that deflected the first wave of arrows and bullets. Our troops split evenly, creating a three-front attack that took the enemy by surprise. An all out brawl happened, the front lines completely torn apart as the ranks of soldiers behind them took their position. They fought long and hard, as I deflected wave after wave of projectiles hurled towards Amitiel City.

Another horn sounded, and our soldiers moved backward without warning, creating a huge gap in between both sides. I smiled, Ruby had just allowed me to surround the enemy troops in a massive bubble of ether. Our soldiers hastily ran forwards and combat immediately broke out again. As I twirled atop the tower, I noticed that it had started glowing. What looked like carved rocks moved outwards from the tower and glimmered with a pure blue light. I felt genuinely strong for once, my arms suddenly brimming with energy. I let my eyes fall on the enemy troops again, hesitating for a while before I brought my hands down.

With a swish, the entire enemy force dropped to their knees or on their face, knocked off their feet with a highly compressed wave of ethereal energy. I shook my hands and directed a whole bunch of our arrows straight into the enemy, piercing armor and flesh. Our army quickly finished off the heavily injured and took the rest of the enemy hostage.

"How did you activate the runes?" A quizzical voice rose from the steps. Ruby emerged and wiped off the sweat dripping off her, awaiting my response. "I... I don't know, they just floated up on their own, and I felt strength and power coming from them." I stammered, still breathless. "Its a natural trait maybe" I continued, shaking off the topic.

"It's not just another trait, that is something extremely rare, don't just shrug it off" Ruby shook me painfully. "You didn't train for it, you just have it, I trained for years for my control, you're just lucky."

"Whatever I did in the past, I earned it, I just..." I mumbled, watching as she stalked off, leaving me behind.

I never saw her after that.

Ruby immediately left the city with her possessions, leaving naught but one of the precious leather-bound books I had written in the past. I held the book dearly, now residing within the walls and safety of the castle. Word spread like wildfire of my great feat and the king had wished to speak to me personally. However, I was still in a broken state, clutching my book tightly for most of the day and reading through page after page. I was mostly left alone in my room, except for the general who painstakingly brought my food up to my door every day. Everyone held me in such high respect that they did not think themselves worthy of speaking to me. I convinced myself that it was a time of reflection, that they were leaving me alone to think and plan for my next course of action.

Should I leave or stay?

Time passed, and my decision was made for me. I spoke with the king, and he expressed his concern for the safety of the place. He had already authorized the building of a new tower in my absence, and the structure was already starting to tower up higher than the city walls before they finally capped the white stone tower with a roof. I watched outside my window as they ground the stone walls outside, polishing it to a perfect shine. I had spent a week carefully reading through and pondering about the book. The writings in the book had described unimaginable power when runes were activated near the specialized caster, where they could not only have more control over the ether; but force the ether to contract in a way that was powerful enough to lift up the robust foundations of an entire city high above the ground.

And so I tried.

The sun rose high over the horizon, taking an arc over the world much high than it should, scalding the land in its presence. It was the time of year where the sun mercilessly beat down on everything it could reach, its scorching rays unrelenting. I stood at the ready in the middle of the finely engraved stone floor at the foot of my tower, preparing myself for the ascent. The king carefully stepped in and gave me an uncertain look. I ignored his gaze and focused on the marking on the wall, raising my hands while doing so. The floor shifted slightly as I took control over the ether around it, forcing the king to lower himself to a crouch so he did not fall over. I stared upwards and flicked my wrists, sending the stone platform flying upwards at a steady pace. The King yelped and immediately covered his mouth, forcing himself to stand up. I felt the mechanism take hold of the stone platform as I reached the top, cradling the bottom of the platform the same way the ether did. The runes rose up from their spots on the ground and hovered a slight bit off the ground. They could only find five out of the eight runes that they have kept secretly hidden in the tower for a long time, in which they got through years of trading.

The king hastily stepped out of the incomplete circle of runes and watched with a mystified wonder. I let all my thoughts go and sapped every last bit of energy from the runes, which were glowing brightly. My arms twitched uncontrollably with power and I slowly moved them about as carefully as possible, keeping a tight grasp on the ether as I manipulated its movement. I felt the ground shake beneath me as the runes all pulsated a radiating blue glow. An ominous rumble could be heard in the distance.

What have I done...