SunRider

[08] Inheritance

—And three were called forth, the booming voice of Abealon full of joy and energy: Come hither Jamiir, come hither Lovattimarsh, come hither Ballion! For by the work of your hands—more beautiful and far greater than the other Gods—have by this your victory been granted. Hark and listen all existence, for three winners have been selected. Let it be noted in the books of time that the competition stands at a close. Let us enter a time of rest and witness the reward, let the three first mortal races flourish to their full capabilities! Thus we shall call this the first measured Era, the second Era after the time of the Gods, the Era of First Birth!—

-Domolov, the Three-Fingered Cleric's Historic Book of Speculative Deity Theology, page 34,007; sub-section 9

     Finn opened his eyes. The Slaglands were no longer hot. It took a moment to reorient, but when he did, he jumped to his feet, spinning in place. He brought his left arm up and stared at his wrist. The metal bracer rested there, bound like it was part of him. He tried pulling it off, but it wouldn't budge, as if it was woven into his skin.

     "What is this?" he shouted in frustration.

     He remembered putting it on, falling to the ground, and seeing visions. Visions of... already the memory of what he'd seen faded. He could only recall small fragments. A golden man screaming and... lava. Or fire. He couldn't remember. Finn shook his head. A Star-Child bracer on his wrist. Did it make him like Nozgull? Did it make him powerful? Would he be able to control gems and stones?

     Finn pointed to the center of the crater. He focused and waved his hand to the side, imagining black stone breaking free and flying about. Nothing happened. The stone didn't move. With a growl, Finn tried with both hands.

     "Move!" he shouted.

     "Obey me, stone!"

     "Fly!"

     There was no response from the inanimate object. Was the bracer too old and the magic worn away? Or had Nozgull lied about the origin of his power? But if so, why had Finn come across a bracer just like Nozgull's at the epicenter of the Slaglands? Epicenter... Maybe this bracer had another ability? Maybe... it caused detonations?

     Finn imagined a small explosion happening in the distance. He tried waving his arms. He stomped his feet in an angry dance and screamed out every foul curse he could think of, knowing it was no use; the bracer wasn't going to work for him. He wasn't going to achieve the power Nozgull had shown back at the mining outpost. If Nozgull could see him now, he'd be on the ground rolling in laughter. And Goblin—Finn had made a promise to protect the boy, yet had turned and ran for his life. Now he was in the middle of the Slaglands, about to die from thirst and heat and...

     Finn wasn't thirsty. Neither was he hot.

     The realization made him freeze and blink. How could that be? With sudden shock, Finn jumped. Was he dead? He slapped himself and yelped. No, he wasn't dead. So how was he not experiencing the effects of the Slaglands? It was as if he was spellbound or using a magical gem or...the bracer. He lifted his arm again and stared at the object in open wonder. Could the device have made him immune to heat and in turn made him resistant to the base need of drinking?

     Finn paced around the epicenter, careful to not step in the trickle of lava pouring from where the stone man once stood. No, he could feel the distant need for water. He would have to drink... eventually, but he felt he could go days more without a drop. The bracer hadn't made him impervious to thirst, it had enhanced how long he could go without water. Enhanced it a lot.

     But what about heat? Stopping and examining himself, he found another surprise. All the spots on his skin where he'd been burned by contact with the sun-soaked rocks were healed. He also had no sunburn. In fact, his once-pale cave-diver skin was now a hue darker, a little tanner. It was as if he stood at the bottom of a mineshaft; shaded and cool, yet nothing but bright, harsh light hit him. Was he now immune to high temperatures?