The Immortal's Warrior The Coming Storm

Chapter 2

Like a clap of thunder roaring through the sky, Seth's rifle sounded throughout the clearing, a ploom of smoke trailing from the barrel of her gun. Seth flashed a half grin while still staring down the sight of her rifle, "I thought you said this shot was tricky?" She said, teasing her friend beside her who was peering down the sight of his own rifle.

Caldour let out a dramatic sigh as he rested his rifle on the ground from his lying position. "A hundred yards with no scope is hard, for mortals, anyways," he said with a playful prod of his elbow into her side. "I'll be impressed when you shoot the horizon, Lady Seth."

"I'll be impressed when they make a rifle that can do that, then I'll shoot whatever I want," Seth said in response, her grin widening with a devilish glint in her eye as she glanced at Caldour. "Though, I think I would prefer a rifle that could fire more than once without reloading."

"Tell me about it," Caldour said as they each stood up and began reloading their rifles. "It would be nice to shoot more than three shots in a minute. I've been trying to work on a design but it's damn hard to work on anything outside of a bow and sword with Mother Agatha and the other elders around. 'We must stick to the old ways, outside blasphemy has no place here.'" He said, mimicking Mother Agatha's tone. "Never mind that Lady Seth wants to learn about the outside world and its blasphemies, Mother Agatha. It isn't like a goddess needs to learn about the world they are a goddess of, no, not at all."

Seth lightly shook her head at his remark."Watch out, I might strike you down later on when I remember everything. Although, I imagine you'll have some time to atone, considering I'll need to smite the rest of the world, first." Caldour just stuck his tongue out at her before they both broke out into grins and began swabbing their rifles. "But honestly, you're telling me. As 'the goddess' they're on me like a hawk, every waking hour in the day. I can't wear some shorts without them getting offended, they want me in dumb ornate robes and dresses. Wearing pants instead of shorts is just the middle ground they've learned to accept."

"What about learning the rifle, I thought you said they wouldn't be mad about you coming out with me?" Caldour asked as he paused what he was doing. "Did they really compromise on that, too?"

Seth shrugged in response. "Can't be angry about something they don't know about."

Caldour's face dropped. "Wait, you lied to them, and to me? Seth, do you have any idea how pissed they are going to be if they find out?"

"'If,' being the key-word here, Caldour," she said back with another one of her classic, sly smiles. "And besides, I technically didn't lie. The elders don't know I'm here with you so technically they aren't mad, and I told them I needed to get away and relax, to 'meditate,' which for me, this is relaxing and meditative, so no lie there. By my reckoning, I'm still within the bounds of the ancient language."

"A lie by omission is still considered a lie," Caldour said, but only received a shrug from Seth. Giving up on the argument, knowing he wouldn't win against Seth's stubbornness, he instead switched subjects. "So I take it learning how to access your power isn't going too well, then?"

Seth's smile dipped. "No, not really," she said, turning away. "I've been able to pick up really basic things like sensing power and slightly fortifying myself but beyond that, the elders might as well have told me that I had wings and to go fly. Their vague ramblings make no sense to me and no matter what I do I can't even figure out how to channel my power, something that is supposedly second nature to anyone with any sizable amount of power!" There was a silence between the two for a few moments, only the sound of the tangled forest around them and Seth fidgeting with her rifle filled the void. Her frustration was evident, color flushing in her cheeks in contrast to her pale skin tone, her brow, furrowed together, and her body, ridged. Caldour understood her frustration, the elders could be as stubborn and unmoving as a boulder in a road, and what little he knew about magic and power, he understood it was a monster to learn on the best of days. And Seth didn't have a proper teacher, no one in the village could use magic.