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The Chains she Chose chapter 1

05 Mar 2008 01:47 #11817 by happiest_in_shadows
The Chains she Chose chapter 1 was created by happiest_in_shadows
Feed back and constructive criticism would be appreciated and is well sort of required if you want me to keep posting the story here. So if you like it and want me to keep going tell me what you found wrong with it or what you'd like to see. At the moment the chapter is no where near complete.

“My lady is this really necessary? I mean don't you believe this is a little dangerous?”

“Don't worry I'll be careful not to kill you. However, you have to be punished for leaving your post.” As she spoke Casandra made her way to the center of the room. As she was walking towards the center of the room she busied herself securing her hair in place seeming to have no concern for the armed group of five before her. “You know you can attack me at any time.”

A long sigh escaped the guard as he took hold of his sword hilt. They had went into town the previous night to have a few drinks. They had done this before as all their post was at the far edge of the security parameter. It was rare that anyone came that way and unlikely they would be caught as they were each assigned to watch the other. Unfortunately one of the alchemist had been in the tavern that night and reported them. “We're going to make that bastard pay.”

“Oh I would like that! It'd give me a reason to go really hard on you for a punishment.” As she spoke Casandra's voice was sweet and energetic as ever. Like a child that had just learned she might have a chance at a special gift.

All five of the men grew still for a moment as they focused on her. It was clear from the expression on her face she wasn't joking and for a moment four of the five focused on the talker scowling slightly. They didn't take their gaze from Casandra for long though as they knew she'd begin soon. “My Lady can't we resolve this some other way?”

“I suppose we could but this way is more fun for me and in the end what's important is you're punished and I have fun. Now are you going to attack me or do I have to make the first move?” At last Casandra's hands left her hair and moved to the front of her crossing over her chest.

At last one of the guards moved. This wasn't his first time being punished in this way and he knew that making Casandra wait was a bad idea. Reaching behind himself he quickly took hold of his lance at the same time moving forward. Casandra wore no armor and she was hardly in a defensive stance but he knew better then to go easy on her. As he charged forward he only half extended his arms intending to fully extend them at the final moment and put as much power into the lance as he possibly could.

Even as the guard charged her Casandra made no effort to move until he had crossed nine tenths of the distance between the two of them. Pressing off the ground with her right foot and raising her left so that the hill was the only thing that pressed into the ground she quickly spun to the side. At the same moment she quickly thrust her hips to the side and towards the guard. She felt her hips barely graze his side and could hear and impact similar to a club impacting with someone.

He could see Casandra move, he could see her swing to the side and his spear just pass her by. He could even see her quickly thrust her hips towards him as he struggled to bring himself to a stop. There was no time to think about this though as pain flooded into his mind as he felt himself lifted off the ground and he lost hold of his spear. The impact sending him flying backwards a good meter before landing on the unforgiving stone floor.

A sigh escaped Casandra as she shook her head. “A head long charge like that? Perhaps I should have a few words with your commanding officers. It seems that your training has grown somewhat relaxed.”

It had taken him a moment to react but he had. It was his first time fighting with Casandra and he didn't know how hard he should try. Upon seeing her send his friend sprawling though he resolved to try very hard. Coming in from behind Casandra the guard readied his weapon and swung the blade downward aiming it for her shoulder. He was quite surprised whenever his blade met her flesh though not at the point he would have liked.

Instead of attempting to dodge the guard Casandra had reached around and taken hold of the blade. She intentionally avoided the top of the blade in order to reduce the energy she had to soak and avoid the sharper edge. “You're going to have to do better then that.” The moment she spoke Casandra quickly pulled forward taking the guard along with the blade. Instead of striking him though she pulled him directly into her body causing him to slam solidly into her frame and sending him sprawling backwards as he bounced off of her.

Oshgun tapped his foot as he watched the scene going on before him. So far Casandra had downed two of the five but they weren't out of the fight just yet. She was playing around but so long as the guards kept attacking her one at a time she could do so and that frustrated him. He was quite relieved whenever he noted the three other guards opting to move as one this time. One charging just ahead of the other two with his spear drawn. Now his student would have to quit playing around.

It hadn't been intentional but it was beneficial to them that Casandra had downed their friend. It meant her back was turned towards them. As the three men neared her they quickly separated one continuing through the middle while the others moved to the sides intending to attack her from every direction. They weren't quite prepared for Casandra's response though.

As the three charged her Casandra chose to meet their charge. Her strength quickly propelling her to inhuman speeds. As she neared the point of the first guards javelin though she quickly pressed off the ground. The energy used in the jump was so great that it sounded as if someone had slammed a massive war hammer against the stone. It provided more then enough energy for Casandra to leap clean over the three men landing a short distance behind the one on the right side of the center.

At least Oshgun could hope Casandra was learning something now. If she had remained stationary she would have had to fend off all three weapons at once. This would have been a considerable strain on her energy and possibly overwhelmed her. He was actually surprised by what she chose to do next though as she quickly reached down and took hold of the guards' legs.

A surprised shout escaped the man as he felt his legs pulled out from under him. Before he could even think to respond though he felt himself moving through the air only to impact something very solid. A cry of pain escaped him as he and whatever he had struck was sent flying backwards and toppling onto the ground. Moments later they hit a third object though this one brought them to a stop even if it did fall.

Out of all the things that could have happened he hadn't expected his friends to be used as weapons against him. As the man lay beneath his two buddies though he could only groan in pain as he struggled to regain enough of his breath to scream at them. His attention was taken from this though as he noted movement to his side and half expected to see Casandra there. Instead he found the one to lead the charge.

“We're going to have to work together.”

Had it been a real combative situation there is no way that Casandra would have let them recover. This wasn't true combat though she could end it at any time she wanted. This was meant to be a punishment for them and time for her to further develop her skills. So she chose to hold her ground while the guards gathered themselves back together. “Come now if you can show me the discipline that you failed to show at your job you can leave early.”

A low growl escaped one of the guards as he clutched his stomach where he had been struck. He could feel a heavy bruise forming. “We can't rush her one at a time. Two of you come with me while the others stay back a way in case she jumps again.”

“Alright I'll come with you.” As his buddies finally got off him a low groan escaped the man despite his words as he rose to his feet. “Fuck that hurt.”

“I'm waiting, get it together.”

Oshgun doubted that Casandra had seen him as he watched her sparring with the guards. He would have to do something about her prideful behavior later but he didn't want to crush it. It was her pride that had let her progress so far despite her young age. That and her intellect. Of course her station had also helped a great deal in her progression. He wouldn't normally have agreed to teach one and only one student but he was paid very well for his services and in the end he felt his efforts could have far reaching affects.

They didn't want to wait until Casandra charged them. So despite their pain the men once again moved forward. As planned three held the front while the other two stayed several yards back though keeping up. Even if she could jump over all five of them those two in the back would act as a shield giving those three up front time to move.

They were learning quickly that was apparent. As the five charged them Casandra felt a sudden wave of concern but she held her ground. It would have been a simple manner to outrun them until they fatigued but that was hardly the type of victory she wanted. As the first one neared her Casandra reached out with her right hand taking hold of the spear shaft and quickly pushing it backwards. As she overcame the mans forward momentum she felt a slight drain on her energy.

They had known she would deflect one of their attacks. As the center was stopped the sides quickly spread out moving in from either side their swords drawn and ready. As they neared Casandra each man felt a surge of adrenaline as they heard their friend struggling to maintain his weapon. He wouldn't be able to hold Casandra for very long and they all knew that but they didn't need very long.

A shard of pain shot throughout the man's arms as his weapon was forced to a sudden stop. This was replaced by the pain in his gut caused by the shaft of his spear being forced back into his stomach. Yet he held on having prepared his mind and body as best as he could. Gripping the spear tightly with both hands he pushed forward continuing to drive it into Casandra.

“Whoops.” As she spoke Casandra quickly jerked forward stepping to the side as she did so. The man's own forward momentum and her pull was far too much and he was tugged forward swiftly. This created a temporary barrier between herself and one of the sword wielders while she turned to deal with him. Unfortunately she was too slow and she felt the blade slam solidly on her shoulder. “Gah!”

Had the blade been meeting the flesh of someone less capable the guard knew that it would have taken their arm off. As things were all he saw was a grimace on Casandra's face. She had been forced to redirect energy to her arms to stop the spear from reaching her but that hadn't left enough energy to shrug off the sword without any harm. As the guard felt himself pulled forward though his eyes widened and he tried to brace himself for the pay back.

This time Casandra didn't just settle for a punch. As she pulled the guard forward she thrust out with her leg slamming her foot heavily into the man's stomach. There was more then just revenge in this action though. As the force of the impact lifted him off the ground he was sent flying backwards towards one of the two that had taken up the rear. Unfortunately even with her speed she wasn't quite prepared for the two still standing.

As they rounded their friends both guards struck out. So far they had managed to get one good blow in but they would need more then that. As the guards moved their training took over and they actually coordinated their efforts striking from both sides to keep their opponent from being able to move backwards. Their efforts had the desired affect as Casandra was forced to use both of her arms to stop both of the blades.

If she had been able to redirect energy more quickly to her legs she could have avoided the blades. However, she already had a good deal of her energies inside her arms and redirecting the flow would have taken too long. As she caught the blades she was once again made to flinch as one of the blades managed to make a mark in her skin. It would have been easy for her to deflect both attacks if she had a weapon of her own but she was training to use her own body as a weapon. Not depend on some piece of metal she carried with her.

While for a moment they had worked as one once their blades were caught the guard to the right took the initiative. Reaching to his side he quickly drew his dagger and thrust it towards Casandra's stomach. He was a bit surprised whenever the blade never reached its target but he felt something slam into his arm. The force of the impact sent his arm flying upwards and he could have sworn broken his arm. There wasn't time to think on this though as his friend came slamming into his side.

A sharp gasp escaped Casandra as she stumbled backwards upon slamming one guard into his friend. She could feel the cut in her hand minding but she could also feel the strain on her energy. Stopping that many attacks at once had been difficult. Her first instinct was to go on the offense and insure that none of the guards had a chance to move like that again but she knew that would be counter productive to her development she had to wait.

“Fuck! Fuck! She broke my arm.” As the guard lay on the ground groaning in pain he felt a sudden surge of energy rush through him. Fire seemed to engulf his arm and he gritted his teeth against the pain. Fortunately it only lasted a short time as bone within his arms were minded. Moments later the pain was gone though far from forgotten. At the same time a massive green glow could be scene erupting from the center of the room engulfing the floor, walls and roof as well as everyone who touched them.

It had been difficult to acquire but when the room had been built Casandra had included a powerful healing glyph within it's confines. The powerful healing magic was meant to prevent death and help with injuries to increase the time one could spend developing their abilities. At least that is what Casandra meant for it to do and felt it did. The guards that found themselves forced to help her train felt that it was meant to prolong their torture.

As the guards waited for the magic to heal them Casandra took a moment to compose herself. Their combined attacks had drained far more energy then any single attack. Well over double the energy drain actually but she still had plenty of energy. A true master of the art could actually handle any number of attacks and only have the drain increase linearly. However Casandra wasn't skilled enough to direct her energies like that so that the drain was exponential.

The healing stopped all too soon for the five as they readied themselves. Fortunately they knew that while the healing energies did recover ones body it didn't help with ones spiritual energy. Casandra thus was still injured in many respects due to their previous attacks even if she had managed to recover some energy while waiting around. “Okay we can't use the same tactic but we can't attack randomly either. Last time she was able to separate us.” The man didn't get to finish as Casandra's fist slammed into his face.

This time Casandra wasn't going to give them as long to plan. So that while their guard was down she moved on them and drove her fist firmly into the talkers face. Without missing a beat she spun around and moved to strike another one of them. She was a bit surprised whenever something very solid struck her arm driving it away from the man. Before she could even begin to react she felt two shards of pain in her back as the two guards behind her thrust their swords into her back. A sharp gasp of pain escaping her as they did so.

At first only one of them had been certain about their situation and what they should do. After being injured so badly though several of them were now. So that the moment Casandra was amongst them all five responded except the one that was already downed. One had deflected her attack from their friend while the other two had attacked her. As they saw her face wearing an expression of pain there was a wave of delight.

“That hurt!” Spinning around Casandra felt the blade glide against her flesh and could feel the pull on her energy reserves. For the moment though she was too angry to care. As she spun around she extended her leg slamming it solidly into the nearest guards' side. The force of the impact tore him away from the ground and slammed him into his friend. Instead of stopping though Casandra used the energy of the motion to once again face the two before her. As she repositioned herself she bent at the knees ducking out of the way of their blades.

Oshgun gave a sigh and shook his head. It was a shame that Casandra had to be injured before she started fighting seriously. Previously she had been relying on her speed and strength alone. She hadn't been using any of the combative techniques he'd been teaching her beyond the mystic aspect and that's why she'd been hurt like she had. At least she was taking it seriously now though he felt perhaps a little too seriously as he saw her take hold of the two men in front of her and slam them together.

Despite her anger Casandra still remembered her goals. As she slammed the two guards together she released them and then quickly fell backwards. Her arms weren't crossed over her chest as they had been before though. Rather they moved to her sides her right hand extending slightly further out then the others as she took on a combative stance. “Well after that I hope you're ready for me to do some serious training!”

A shiver of regret ran throughout the men's spines as they listened to Casandra. Previously they had wanted to harm her as much as they could to end their pain sooner. However, it seemed to have backfired on them as she was now clearly upset. They might have ended their pain sooner but apparently they had insured their pain would be far worse.

Despite their previous plan backfiring in a sense all of them knew they couldn't take it easy on her now. They had already succeeded in upsetting her and to hold back would just extend their own suffering. In order to get out of their current situation they had to work as a team and bring her to submission quickly. This brought a bit of dread though as the guards new how rare that was. Actually none of them could remember Casandra being brought to submission. “She keeps using us as weapons against one another try to ground yourselves more.”

It was clear to Casandra that the guards were thinking now. As two of them took the center and rushed her the other three spread out. She knew that the other two would be coming from her sides while the fifth would be guarding the rear of the attackers and coming up for a finishing blow. It was a tactic they trained for dealing with creatures such as ogres and trolls. The two in the center held it while the others finished it off.

As he neared Casandra the guard thrust at her with his javelin. He remembered the previous times though and made certain that he kept it away from his gut and held a firm grip on it. This meant that he had to go slower then previously so it had less power but he was also more stable. He was a bit surprised though whenever Casandra's hand struck the side of the javelin with just enough energy to deflect it but not force him to a completely stop at and at the same moment pushed forward.

They were three ways Casandra knew to get out of that move. First was to move backwards and avoid the forward rush but this was hard, the second was to move to the side and try to crush one of the wings before the main body could aid it. The final method was to destroy the center before the wings could close in on you. This time Casandra chose to go after the center. This was normally what the opponent wanted you to do but they had made a mistake. The center was no better armored then the wings.

With his javelin moved aside the guard quickly released the weapon and went for his sword. Once an opponent was inside of his weapons range he knew that he had to resort to his secondary. Fortunately his friend already had his secondary weapon at the ready and would be able to delay her. At least that's what he thought until Casandra fell below eye level and he felt something very solid slam into his legs.

Oshgun tapped his chin as he watched Casandra kick the guards' legs out from under them. If she was older she wouldn't have been able to use that move as easily. It made him wonder if he should scold her. Then again he had taught her to take advantage of what she could. So in a way she was setting herself up for a fall while in another she was practicing what he had taught her. It left him torn between what he should say to her later.

The wings had expected her to attack the center but what they hadn't expected to happen was for it to collapse. Before they could move into position they heard their friends shout and immediately moved to aid them.

As Casandra knocked the legs out from under the man she rose up driving her fist upward at the same moment. Her tiny knuckles slammed solidly into the man's stomach causing a rasping cry to escape his lips as the air was forced out from within him. As she sunk her fist into his stomach she gave her arm a quick jerk tossing his body to the side. Instead of attacking the second guard though she quickly pushed forward and past his partner to avoid the incoming wings and instead moved strait for the tail.

Had the center been better armored he felt certain the maneuver would have worked. As things were though she had already pushed past the center and inside of the body well away from the wings. Now he found himself acting as the center and hoping the others could adjust. Instead of trying to fall back though he continued to press the attack reading his weapon. As Casandra came within striking distance he lashed out with his weapon.

Her forward momentum made it difficult for her to avoid the blade but she didn't want to risk slowing down. Instead Casandra chose to use some more of her energy and deflect the blade with one of her hands. Unfortunately this meant letting more of the blade strike her then she'd liked. As she readied to strike the guard though some movement caught her eye and she noted a dagger quickly racing towards her. Using her one free hand she was forced to stop the blade.

It didn't surprise him when Casandra caught his weapon but the guard was surprised by how she did it. Instead of just blocking it with her palm she had allowed the blade to pass between her fingers and caught hold of his hands. Pain instantly shot through his arm as she took hold of his hand. For a moment he feared she'd fractured his fingers but he didn't have time to think about that as he saw Casandra's head swing backwards. It came forward too quickly for him to notice much of anything and slammed into his chest sending him flying backwards.

This time Casandra kept hold of the blade though she knew she'd have to be careful with it. The healing energies were powerful but they couldn't help someone that had been cut in half. Spinning around she met the blade of the guard that had managed to catch up to her. It still required her to use some energy to strengthen her body enough to stop the attack but it wasn't nearly as draining as using her own skin. As she deflected the blow with her sword she quickly lashed out with her leg slamming her foot firmly into the man's stomach and sending him sprawling backwards.

The two that still stood grimaced as they watched their friend fall. He was by far the quickest runner of them and seemed to have forgotten that. If he had waited there would have been an opening to get through Casandra's defenses. As the two neared her though they made certain to strike at the same time hoping that she couldn't deflected both of their blades. They were disappointed.

Instead of trying to dodge Casandra made use of both her speed and strength. Her blade met the first sword before it was even one third of the way to her while the other was barely half. Both times she insured her strike carried more then enough to deflect the blade and stun the guard. This also served to leave an opening for her to strike out against them. This time she opted for a punch driving her hand firmly into the stomach of the first to have his blade deflected. She felt her fist easily push into his flesh and into the muscle behind it. Impulsively she jumped backwards before even thinking about the other guard.

Casandra's punch carried more then enough force to push out the man's lunch. As a jet of vomit left his lips he was sent to the ground at least the impact didn't carry enough force to send him flying as previous ones had. If he hadn't been in so much pain he'd realized that it was a good thing Casandra was now aiming for soft targets instead of trying to bat them around. It meant that her energies and thus her strength was decreasing.

“If you do you'll need to find a new teacher.”

For a moment Casandra's attention turned to Oshgun as a look of surprise appeared on her face followed by one of disgust. “But teacher do I have to continue!”

“Casandra your enemies aren't going to care where their blood falls in combat. You're going to have to fight in far more unclean environments then this before long if you want to continue. Now continue your exercises.”

A low groan escaped Casandra as she shook her head. “Fine..!” Casandra didn't get to finish as a blade slammed solidly into her. Pain surged throughout her body though her skin did stop the blade. Before she could respond though a second, third and fourth blow landed on her flesh as the remaining guard lashed out against her slashing his weapon into her as quickly as he could. She could feel her energy draining away rapidly as she struggled to endure the pain.

He didn't know if it was wise or not but he had taken advantage of the situation. Now as Casandra tried to strike him he quickly fell backwards. It was clear that she was feeling drained already as he managed to avoid her fist. He was not however able to avoid her leg which slammed into his side. The impact sent him staggering to the side but it didn't down him. That came from the two punches that Casandra rapidly landed sending him down to the ground.

Casandra took in a few deep breathes as she felt the slight cuts from the blade mending themselves. As she felt the healing energies running throughout her body she couldn't help but take notice of something warm moving on her skin. Glancing down she wasn't pleased at all to find out that she was bleeding. The guards had managed to do enough damage to her to draw blood with regular attacks. Her skin was still resisting the damage but not nearly as well and it now took several strikes to down her opponent.

Oshgun couldn't help but grin once Casandra turned away. She had progressed faster then any student he had before but she did have certain advantages. She had no responsibilities to take her away from her training and plenty of motivation. She had the finances to higher him and several others to help her not to mention have a special training area constructed. The healing wards placed throughout the room let her extend her training time far beyond what most could and the medallion helped her mind.

They were getting through to her that was clear. As the guards readied themselves for another attack they felt certain things would be ending soon. Though none of them were happy whenever she retrieved the sword she'd taken from one of them earlier. They still had a chance. As Casandra's energy reserves diminished her strength, speed and endurance did as well. She was still far stronger and more durable then any of them but there would be no more sending them several meters with just one strike from a leg or fist.

It was important to keep her opponents in front of her even Casandra knew that. With her energy supply falling she quickly moved to make sure they didn't get behind her again and moved towards one of the corners of the room. Unfortunately there was little she could do about the wings in the formations they'd been using thus far. Then again as she watched them beginning to move she doubted that they were going to be using the wings like they had been previously.

Without a well armored center their previous formations wouldn't work as they were intended. Instead the five chose to move out around the room each hoping to attack from a different direction. As long as they moved together they felt certain it would work. One of them would undoubtedly be downed almost immediately but that would give the others time to move in. All they could do was attack and each hope they weren't the one she singled out.

They were few that could avoid five attackers at once when even remotely similar in abilities. As the guards moved on Casandra he knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid all their attacks. She would be forced to endure some of them while dispatching one of her attackers at a time. This was good practice for her to control the energies that she used to strengthen her body though. It also helped her developed her pain tolerance which he knew was something she'd need later if she hoped to achieve the level of power she requested him to train her to.

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“Do I even have that much blood inside my body?”

“At anyone time? No you don't. Those healing magics you had placed within the room are quite impressive.”

A low groan escaped Casandra as she gripped the banister she was leaning against more firmly. “Ugh I feel so weak right now.”

“I'm proud of you Casandra you were able to keep going until your spiritual reserves had ran dry. That's really quite impressive.”

Despite her previous annoyance Casandra couldn't help but grin. “So teacher how much longer until I catch up to you?”

A slight chuckle escaped the old man as he shook his head. “You have a ways to go but you're doing well. You're far more powerful then I was at your age or even twice your age.”

A sigh escaped Casandra as she looked up at Oshgun. “It's amazing what gold can buy.”

“Now Casandra, all the gold in the world couldn't buy you the drive and initiative you need to endure the hardships you put yourself through.”

“Then what is this?” As she spoke Casandra reached into the collar of her outfit and pulled out a small medallion. “I know that if I didn't have this I would have broken down long ago.”

For a moment Oshgun glanced at the amulet Casandra held before him. The trinket was truly a remarkable little device. Technically it was an amulet of dominion or charm whichever you chose to call it. However, it was unique in that the amulet could only be used against the person that was wearing it. Further more the wearer was the only person that could use it. It was an item the wearer used to dominate themselves.

“Casandra one of the great accomplishments in life is learning to take dominion over your body. You just happen to be using a tool to help you accomplish that task. And I must commend you on that. It was very clever to have such an interesting little trinket made. If I had such a device every time impatience got the better of me I would have been far better off.”

“I wonder why it doesn't help me handle people throwing up.”

“Ah well that isn't really a matter of willpower.”

“Then what is it?”

“You being a pampered fourteen year old princess that barely had time to even get dirt under her nails growing up.”

A snort escaped Casandra as she turned to look at her instructor. “Oh I'm so sorry my parents never let me go out and play in the mud like everyone else. I'm sure every girl who's parents let her go out and play doesn't even beat an eye lash at a bug.”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he patted Casandra on the head. “Don't you mean peasants?”

“No! I hate that word.” In response to Oshgun's comment Casandra gave the banister she'd been leaning against a quick tap with her fist. She was quite surprised when she heard what sounded to be a mini explosion and glanced to her side to find that she'd cracked the banister.

“Hm it seems you have yet untapped energies. I'm going to have to make it a point to get you upset before your next training session. Casandra tell me something, what makes you hate that word so much?”

Despite her initial surprise at damaging the banister Casandra quickly regained herself. “I'm just a slave to the will of my parents the same as the peasants are. I'm being forced into a marriage that I do not want to a person I do not know. Then again I suppose it's best that I don't know him or I may hate him even more. And what am I suppose to take in compensation for this?”

“Plenty of food, comfortable surroundings, protection.”

In response to this Casandra gave a quick snort. “Weakness and helplessness as well. I know that my life is more comfortable then what most people experience and I should be grateful but I want to make my own choices.”

“Oh I don't know about more comfortable at least not anymore. Those final sword strikes were cutting quite deeply into you. I'm sure that several of times you'd died if it hadn't been for the healing magic in that room. Of course you realize that this isn't nearly as bad as things are going to get.”

A low groan escaped Casandra as she nodded her head. “I've been thinking about the stories you tell me and how much I like them. Now I've been putting myself in your place though and honestly I get sick. I can't even imagine what it would be like to face off against a small horde of goblins being surrounded by stinking corpses and covered in blood.”

“Ah don't worry you get use to it after a while!”

“That's not helping.”

“Well you could always fire me and find another tutor.”

“No!” In response to Oshgun's statement Casandra spun around to face him. “Oshgun you're the only teacher that has taken me seriously and tried to train me how I want to be trained. I can't lose you.”

“You surprise me at times Casandra. You're wise beyond your years to recognize the value of what you want as compared to the value of what you need.”

Now Casandra was made to grin as she leaned back on her hills a bit. “Well I had someone show me what I really wanted a long time ago. I just wish that I could see him more often.”

“Okay I believe that you've had a long enough time to recover. Let's get to work.” As he finished speaking Oshgun gave a slight jump leaping from the balcony down to the training ground below. As he was landing he channeled energy into his legs allowing them to endure the impact despite his age. He then glanced up towards Casandra who was looking down at him wide eyed.

“You've got to be kidding me!”

“Nope, now get down here young lady.”

“I just finished with those guards though.”

“Yes and you seemed to have quite a bit of fun doing so. Now we're going to move onto more serious training. I was impressed by your energy reserves but you're still not using the energy you have to maximum affect. Right now while you have just enough energy is the best time to teach you focus and to aid in that I have this.” As he spoke Oshgun reached into a satchel and pulled out three large tops.”

A sigh escaped Casandra as she too jumped over the balcony. She was tired but she knew she had enough energy to take the fall easily. “And just what are those for?”

“Well one of these I'm going to balance on your index finger so extend your hand.”

It actually surprised Casandra whenever Oshgun placed the top on her finger after she extended her arm. Immediately she withdrew her hand as a slight yelp escaped her. “That's sharp!”

“Yes they are. You're going to have to strengthen your skin so they don't penetrate now let's see that hand.”

A slight whimper escaped Casandra. “Can you give me a second?”

“Sure thing.”

After giving a slight nod Casandra reached into her shirt and withdrew the medallion she'd used earlier. Extending her arms and holding it out before her she channeled some of her energies into the piece of metal and felt something immediately take hold of her mind. “This is nothing, you can handle the pain and how sore your body is. You've felt far worse and this is perfectly manageable to you.” As she finished speaking Casandra placed the medallion back within her shirt and once again readied herself.

This time when Oshgun placed the top on Casandra's finger she didn't even flinch though he could tell she was having trouble. He could see the energy moving through her body and forming at her fingers to resist the force gravity and the top exerted against it. It was remarkable how much of a difference Casandra's medallion made in her training. She was determined but still a child, the medallion let him push her in ways that he knew wouldn't be possible in a child without it. At least not without damaging the child's mind.

“Okay now what?”

“Now this.” Once again Oshgun placed one of the tops on Casandra this time setting it on her shoulder. “Don't worry about moving you'd have to intentionally cause one of these to fall. They were enchanted to help train endurance not balance.”

“Gr great.” As she spoke Casandra gritted her teeth not due to any additional pain rather the strain of directing her energies to two places at once. Of course she remembered the third top and her concern greatly increased as she imagined how difficult it would make things.

“You seem strained as is. I'm going to wait a while before I add the third. Now Casandra do you remember what I told you about handling two impacts at once?”

“Yeah.”

“Would you repeat it for me?”

“The difficulty in handling two impacts doesn't come from the impact itself rather it's from the mind's reaction. Instinctively we try to strengthen not just the areas of contact but everything in between. That is where the primary energy drain comes from. So the further apart two points of impact are the greater the energy drain.”

“That's correct and keep going.”

“In order to maximize our energies we must learn to only strengthen the areas that need it and not those that are not being touched.”

“And how do you keep from leaving a spot open to attack?”

“Channel a very tiny amount of energy throughout your entire body that responds and strengthens instantly when touched but I already learned that.”

“Indeed you have and you do a wonderful job of practicing it. You've come a long way from having to see an attack coming and then consciously directing your energies to that location.”

“Oshgun, this conversation really isn't helping me focus.”

“Would you rather I add the third top?”

“No!”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he nodded his head. “Well then I take it you remember what you're suppose to be doing now.”

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05 Mar 2008 04:05 #11820 by yaracyrrah
Replied by yaracyrrah on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
I like the basic idea, I think it's your best so far. I think your prose could be tighter, but mine is too spare so I'm not the best judge. The second scene was paced well, but the first I ended up skimming.

Constructive criticism, my personal wish list:

The fight scene has too many pronouns. I think you might need to bite the bullet and give the guards names. Also, I think more exposition, more background, would help capture my interest; you could maybe kill two birds with one stone by starting the scene from the perspective of one of the guards, letting him "tell" us who Cassandra is. Physical descriptions would be nice too, for Cassandra and Oshgun at least. I would also like to know what it feels like for Cassandra while she's fighting and using her energy.

Finally, I found it incongruous that Cassandra was portrayed as serious about her training in the second section but not serious about it in the first. My preference is for serious; I frown on stories which require the protagonist to be incompetent in order to create tension and plot.

I do hope you'll continue to write and post this story; I'm looking forward to reading it.

--Y

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05 Mar 2008 05:24 #11821 by happiest_in_shadows
Replied by happiest_in_shadows on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
Thanks for the feed back and I'll keep in mind what you said about the guards. It's just that I hate to name characters that probably won't ever be mentioned again. I'll probably get around to describe Casandra soon but keep in mind she's only 14 years old at the moment. You make a good point about the guards needing names maybe I'll just come up with a few generic names and just change one letter in each name when they're used.

Now as for Casandra's difference in demeanor. You might have missed why she was goofing off in the first part. Before hand she didn't realize Oshgun was watching her and she was just playing around. This was recreation and she felt certain she could dominate easily and could indeed as long as her energy held out.

This changed the moment Oshgun made his presence known. It meant she couldn't just quit when the experience became painful so she had to take it far more seriously. The difference in her behavior was due to changing from play to work.

I'll definitely cover how Casandra feels whenever her energy is really pumping later.

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06 Mar 2008 02:13 #11828 by happiest_in_shadows
Replied by happiest_in_shadows on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
In response Casandra eagerly nodded her head while being careful not to knock off the top. As she felt the tops pushing into her skin she began to focus on those areas that weren't being touched. She didn't want to redirect the energy rather she wanted to get it to relax. Unfortunately that was difficult to do and not relax the energy flow to the points were the tops currently were. “You intentionally set this up so that the energy would be flowing threw my throat didn't you?”

“It is one of the most important areas not to leave vulnerable and one of the most difficult to relax.”

“Teacher can you really see the energy flowing inside of my body?”

“Yes I can and eventually you'll be able to. One benefit of learning to control your own energies is you learn to observe the energies of others as well. However, don't rely upon it to be a one hundred percent accurate reading of their abilities.” As Oshgun was speaking he noted the energy flow throughout Casandra's body and was glad to see the energy flowing through her shoulders being reduced. She was far from mastering it and it would require a great deal of time but she was showing progress.

It had been hard to find Oshgun. Casandra had convinced her parents to hire instructors in the past but they had all been lacking. Not due to a lack of knowledge or ability but due to a lack of willingness to teach. They wanted to train her as a princess which she didn't want. She had learned of Oshgun from of the alchemist guild as he had built up a reputation amongst them. He had once been an adventurer that they often hired to retrieve items that were somewhat dangerous to secure.

Before Casandra could even notice him move Oshgun lashed out. Two of his fingers struck her firmly on the side of neck and he noticed an immediate wince from her. Both of her eyes immediately focused on his. “You lowered the energy flow to your neck too much. It could have easily been cut off just then.”

“You don't need to explain Oshgun. You wouldn't to any of your other students would you?”

“Princess! I'm offended.”

“Huh?!”

“Of course I would explain it. The first few times I did it then I'd expect them to get the message. You hired me because I wouldn't go easy on you right?”

“That's true.”

“Well then I'm going to do my job.”

“Than..Youch!”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as Casandra glared at him once again. Actually he was going somewhat easy on her. He would have normally scolded a student for such an attitude. Casandra was young though and as long as she didn't say anything he would let her get away with giving him a few angry glares from time to time. At least she expressed her dislike where he could see it instead of talking behind his back.

“How long am I going to have to do this?”

“Oh this will take weeks if not months for you to even begin to get right. Of course I can't focus entirely on this or your other studies will suffer. I believe that this will be a good way for you to end each day. Perhaps an hour before bed time that way you have something to look forward to for the rest of the day.”

In response Casandra gave a quick snort. “I need my amulet just to help me get through my days with you!”

***********************************************************************************

Tunarin gave a sigh as he turned to face Casandra. “I see that Oshgun has been monopolizing your time once again. You've hardly had any time for your lessons.”

“What makes you say that? Didn't I answer all the questions correctly?”

“Yes you did but not with anywhere near the reverence I meant for you to feel. All of these people had a major part to play in our society many of them descending from your own blood line. Can't you at least pretend to care about their accomplishments?”

“I hear enough about the accomplishments of the males of my family.”

“Not this again. Princess Casandra Gale we all have a part to play in this great society of ours and as long as each of us fills our roll we all benefit. Can't you see what has been accomplished in just a few hundred years? We went from a far spread nomadic people to this wonderful society that stands as an example to the wrest of the world.”

Casandra didn't know if she wanted to laugh at or strike Tunarin more. She knew not to say anything against what he had just said though or risk complications in the future. Her general attitude towards the roll her parents had set aside for her had already caused her trouble in the past. So she had learned not to rock the boat too much though she couldn't hide that she rather disliked her situation. It was easier to object a little and deal with some aggravation then try to hide her true feelings entirely.

“Princess Casandra are you listening?”

“Yes Tunarin I'm listening.”

“So you have nothing to say for yourself?”

“Gale the third was a poor military leader who was only able to hold onto these lands due to the intervention of the Grove. His poor tactics and inability to think about the larger picture led to far greater causalities then were needed. He also failed to secure the lands he is credited with securing. Indeed the hold held on them was weak at least until his grandson took the throne and strengthened our position there. However, his methods were so brutal and unnecessary that he was nothing more then a murderer.”

“Princess where did you get these ideas!”

“I studied the history you assigned me.”

“That was in none of the books I assigned!”

“Ah well I found the tomes you assigned to be somewhat lacking in credibility. So I sought out more accurate reference material.”

“You mean you went to the Grove's archives.”

“I find that the materials they provide are far more enlightening as far as historical accuracy. They seem to be more focused on the facts of the situation rather then self glorification.”

“Young lady you do realize that it's only due to the work of people like Gale the third that you are currently enjoying your life style. I swear why your father tolerates the Grove is beyond me.”

Before Tunarin could finish Casandra spoke up. “He tolerates them because they're too powerful of an organization to challenge openly. The royal family may have the ability to remove the Grove from existence but not without great expense that would leave them severally vulnerable to other organizations as well as other natural disasters the Grove has helped to counter act.”

Princess Casandra had always been remarkably intelligent. Far more so then the vast majority of students he had encountered but her attitude made her frustrating to work with. “Princess your father has entrusted me with teaching you proper respect for your family.”

“Yes and he believes you're doing a very good job of it.”

A sigh escaped Tunarin as he wondered if he should be grateful or enraged. He knew that Casandra behaved very differently around her parents. “If your father knew how you were behaving.”

“You'd get far worse then I would.”

“For your next assignment Princess I want you to come up with things you admire about your family. They can be based on recent or historical figures.”

Instead of frowning Casandra was made to grin as she met Tunarin's gaze. “Sure thing.”

It was clear to Tunarin that Casandra wasn't taking him seriously. Unfortunately there was little he could do in the matter. Striking her was out of the question and even if he could get away with it he knew it wouldn't have any affect. He'd seen her training with the guards in the past. He would have loved to have that room removed but he knew it wouldn't happen. As far as her parents were concerned it was necessary for her safety and insuring she wasn't blemished.

“You know Tunarin I'd think you'd be happy. I complete all my assignments without complaint after all. I even go above and beyond the call of duty and learn things that you didn't even require me to know. I'd say I make your life quite easy.”

“You learn everything I teach except what I want you to learn.”

“You mean the lies.”

It was hard for Tunarin to contain himself whenever Casandra responded like that. “Casandra at times things we considered evil or wrong must be done for the greater good. It's important to be able to look at the larger picture. Just look at how everyone who's been brought into the flock has prospered all under the leadership of the Gales.”

It would have been easy for Casandra to respond if she had wanted to. As far as she was concerned that prosperity was due to the them being granted greater access to the services the Grove provided. She couldn't be that open though as she didn't want to cause the guild more trouble then they could manage. “You mean the ones that are born several generations later and don't remember what it was like before hand?”

“I swear Princess Casandra you seem to choose to only see negative in your family. At least that should make this assignment more interesting. I'll give you one week to find five things you admire about your family lineage and then present a speech on it.”

***********************************************************************************

“Casandra what are you doing?” Oshgun couldn't help the curiosity in his voice as he approached the princess. He was used to some strange behavior from her in particular when her parents were around but this was a bit more unusual.

“Reading?”

“While training?”

“You'd be amazed by how much less painful having these tops pressing into my skin is then reading this book. Hey Oshgun why are they tops anyway?”

“Ah well they're suppose to spin and try to bore into the person's skin. You're not quite far enough for me to risk that though.” As Oshgun spoke he made his way over to Casandra and glanced down at the book. He immediately recognized the seal on the pages as that of the Grove. It was one of the historic records they stored. “I'm amazed they are allowed to keep these. One thing I must give the Gales credit for. They know the value of controlling information.”

“Hey that's right! I can use that! Thanks Oshgun!”

“Huh?”

“Oh I'm having to come up with five things I admire about my family heritage. That sounds like a good one though.”

A sigh escaped Oshgun as he shook his head. “You know Princess your family tree isn't entirely rotten. Have you ever considered why Gale the first brought these lands together?”

“It was done in the name of defense and prosperity. Before hand the tribes of the land only shared weak bonds at best keeping to their own territories while small battles occasionally broke out. The only time they would ever band together is when a foreign power tried to exert control over them. After one such event and significant loss of life Gale the first began uniting the surrounding people in a permanent union for the protection of all.”

“What's wrong with that? Do you believe he went too far?”

“I believe that his children and their descendants took what was meant to protect everyone and turned it into something meant to serve and protect their interest. I do admire the fact that Gale the first chose his successor based on ability however he still chose from amongst his sons.”

“He chose who he thought was most suited to the task from amongst those he knew best.”

“It was still a poor decision and it set up the current system. It was his son that decided that leadership would only be inherited from father to son excluding the daughters entirely.”

“So you're upset that you didn't have a fair chance at power?”

“No! I. I have no desire to rule. What I find objectionable is the way that I'm ruled.”

“Why was it a poor decision?”

“You know the answer to that!”

“I know my answer but I don't know your answer.”

“I thought we covered this whenever I became your student.”

“I want to see if you've changed.”

“It was a poor decision as it set up the frame work for how things have became. Gale the first was so obsessed with protecting people from an outside threat that he never stop to consider an internal one. He never realized that he might be setting up the frame work for the oppression he sought to avoid. So instead of having a foreign dictator we have a home grown one.”

“You seem to feel very strongly about this.”

“Anyone who would say, I care not what all others say for I alone am correct isn't fit to be a leader. Which is exactly what the Gale family has done for several generations now.”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he shook his head. “No wonder Tunarin is always giving me those dirty looks! I swear I'd flatten his nose for him if he wasn't protected by royal order. He must think that I'm the one putting these thoughts into your head. Though I am interested in how they got there to begin with.”

Now Casandra was made to chuckle as a smirk appeared on her young face. “I may be young but I have plenty of time to think. Do you really want to know what started me down this path?”

“You do have me curious.”

“I was eight years old and giving my tutors a hard time by hiding in the castle to avoid my lessons. I was hiding in the garden when I met another child. He was wearing the insignia of the Grove. We ended up playing together. We started playing together fairly regularly albeit in secret. At least for me was a secret at the time he didn't even seem to recognize who I was.”

“How is that possible?”

“Well even at the time it seemed like most of his head was devoted to alchemical knowledge. Now that I think about it I'm not sure what made him decide to spend so much time with me and take away from his studies. Anyway, eventually I got to thinking about him and my arranged marriage.”

“So that is when this all started.”

“Kind of. It was whenever people started talking about moving away that it really sunk in. If I was forced to go through with the marriage I wouldn't be able to see my friend anymore. Huh? You know what? I wonder if that was why he played with me. I didn't have a great many friends. I had other children to play with but I don't know if I would call them friends.”

In response Oshgun gave a slight nod. “So that's all that it took? You're one head strong little lady.”

“That was all it took to plant the initial seeds.”

“And you think my training will help you get out of this arranged marriage?”

An amused chuckle escaped Casandra as a blush appeared on her face. “Well that's got a little story to it as well.”

“Oh really? Care to tell?”

“I. I suppose. I'd often have one of my attendants tell me stories for bedtime. One thing I always noticed in most of the stories was that the prince saved the princess. So one night I asked one of them what would happen if the princess didn't need saving from the dragon or wizard or demon or whatever. They responded by asking me how the prince would win the princess's heart if he couldn't save her from something.”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he rubbed his forehead. “So you decided to scare the prince off by slaying the dragon yourself?”

“Um well yeah. I know that it isn't as simple as that anymore but that is still part of it.”

“I swear I don't know how your mind gets from point a to point b but I'm guessing that it would be a rather interesting road.”

Before she could respond Casandra gave a slight yelp. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“You relaxed the energy flow to your shoulder too much or that wouldn't have hurt.”

“I thought we were just talking!”

“Casandra when is it safe to relax your reactionary energy flow?”

“Never it is only to be relaxed if you're being forced to tap into your own life energy and you'll die if you don't.”

In response Oshgun gave a quick nod. “That's correct. You can't let it down just because you're having a pleasant conversation with someone or believe you're safe.”

“I swear I can't wait until I learn to see your energy flow so I can smack you.”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he shook his head. “You know I felt the exact same way about my instructor. I'll tell you the same thing that she told me. If such a time ever comes I will thank you for correcting my mistake.”

***********************************************************************************

The crash was something Casandra couldn't get used to or learn to enjoy. She had used her medallion to change her mind on many things. One of the first things she had changed was how she felt about her training. At first it had been a chore, long, hard something she suffered through. Then she had her medallion made. Now the feeling of her strength increasing, seeing the world slow down and feeling her body work was a far greater pleasure then most anything else to her.

It allowed her to continue training despite the pain of being opened up with a sword or pierced with a javelin from time to time. It made the entire experience pass quickly and let her enjoy herself so that she didn't fatigue mentally. What she couldn't convince herself to enjoy though was what came after words. Whenever most of her energy was drained to the point that it was barely flickering.

These times were more then annoying to Casandra they were frightening and even painful. By making it so that she enjoyed the feeling of her own strength she insured that she hated the feeling of weakness. This provided great motivation and she recognized this so she didn't try to rework her mind to enjoy it. Of course even if it wasn't for the motivation she knew better then to use her medallion to alter her mind to enjoy pain. The dangers of such an act were not lost on her.

She needed to motivate herself to become stronger not do something that might make her enjoy weakness or injure herself beyond repair. As she considered these thoughts Casandra instinctively reached for the medallion and held it up. All in all it had been a very easy purchase to make. A slight chuckle escaped her as she remembered whenever she'd explained what she wanted to the mage.

Medallions of dominance were generally regarded as quite dangerous. The way one could manipulate another with such magic items wasn't to be taken lightly. It was for this reason that most mages that could make such items chose not to. Even those who were less then moral recognized the dangers of such items and tended to avoid making them overly available.

Of course given Casandra's situation she knew that it would be impossible for her to acquire such an item. A young princess destined to marry one of the son's of a greater house? It would have been seen as far too risky and a great threat to the current power structure. She had however caught them off guard whenever she explained what she wanted.

Apparently a medallion of dominance that could only be used on the wearer and only used by the wearer wasn't just rare it was unheard of. This had actually surprised Casandra as well. It was so hard to convince ones self to do something they considered unpleasant. At least whenever one had to depend entirely on their own motivation. It didn't have to be that way though with a medallion of dominance though. To Casandra it had seemed like an effective solution to a major problem.

Having it only able to affect the wearer and be used by the wearer had other benefits as well of course. It was considered sufficiently benign that no one had thought much of letting her have it. The mages hadn't even felt the need to inform the royal family. It had still be rather costly though Casandra imagined that was due to the mages own preference for gold more so then the actual cost of the materials or knowledge needed to make it.

There was however certain dangers. Casandra knew that she had to be careful what suggestions she puts into her head or she might end up doing something she'd regret. One idea that had occurred to her early on was to make herself enjoy pain so that she wouldn't be bothered by the sword strikes. She had never done it though as a short while of thinking had made her realize the danger of such an act. While the healing energies in her training room would let her endure such a suggestion the battle field outside of it wouldn't be so generous.

It would also hinder her training as she wouldn't be trying as hard as she needed to when blocking or evading attacks. This would slow down her skill development. So she needed to continue hating pain as much as she ever did. Fortunately by making herself enjoy the feeling of strength even more then she naturally would she gave herself more pleasure then she did suffering. The only thing this didn't tend to help with was things that she felt were revolting and her stationary training.

Of course even with the medallion's aid she could only repress her natural instincts for so long. Eventually the pain would get to be too much and she'd have to use the medallion to reinforce the previous suggestion. However, as she'd used the medallion she'd noticed a trend developing. Before hand she had needed to reinforce the suggestion nearly every hour. As the years had passed though the times between doses had grown larger and larger though very slowly. So that only now was she truly beginning to notice the changes.

“Ouch.” A slight sigh escaped Casandra as she moved her right arm and felt the muscle inside of it quiver for a moment. A slight sting of pain made her hold her arm still for a few moments. “What is taking them?”It was a relieve to Casandra when a few minutes later she heard a knocking at the door.

“Princess Casandra I have your drink. May I come in?”

“Enter.”

As the guard entered the room his attention went immediately to the window. Almost every time he brought her drink to her she was setting there. As he carried the flask over to her he couldn't help but notice how her eyes seemed to fix on it as they always did. “Princess Casandra would it be too forward of me to ask you a question?”

“You may ask but that does not mean I'll answer.”

“What are these drinks?”

“They're just a little something to help me recover throughout the night is all. I suppose you could think of them as a long duration healing potion though it's not quite that simple.” For a moment Casandra turned her head to the side as she considered how to describe the drink in fairly simple terms. At the same time she took the flask. “Yuck I don't want to use this terminology but I guess I have no choice. Just call it human fertilizer.”

“Princess that is a positively revolting analogy.”

“Yeah actually I kind of wish I'd thought about it more.” A slight shiver ran up Casandra's spine as she remembered whenever she first began drinking the solution. She actually had to use her medallion to make herself enjoy the flavor. Unfortunately there was no way to change the taste of the drink without upsetting the alchemical formula that was used to make it.

“Would it be going too far to ask why you feel the need to drink these Princess?”

“I don't want to be flat chested.”

“Huh?!”

A slight giggle escaped Casandra as she looked at the guard. “Exercising like I do you burn a lot of fat. This would normally hinder the growth of certain regions this little drink helps replace what I used up while exercising.”

For a moment the guard just stared at Casandra clearly having trouble believing her. “Princess.”

“It's true Claude.”

A sigh escaped the guard as he shook his head. It was still unusual having a member of the royal family call him by his first name rather then by his position. “Princess Casandra surely there is more to it then that.”

“Well yeah.” As she spoke Casandra took a quick sip of the drink them set it back down. Rolling her sleeves up she extended her arm and began to slowly curl it. The moment her arm began to move a rise could be seen in her skin as her bicep made itself known. “It helps other things grow and develop as well.”

In response Claude gave a slight nod. “Princess I know that you're not happy about your arranged marriage but do you really believe this will change that? You convinced your parents to have that room constructed so you could train your body, you used your connections with the Grove to find a tutor and you drink these nightly but do you really believe it'll be enough?”

“I'm doing quite a bit to make myself as different from the other ladies of the court as I can aren't I?”

“Well yes Princess but I don't see how that would stop the marriage.”

“By itself? I doubt it would.” A slight giggle escaped Casandra as she took another sip of the flask. It tended to amuse her that most people forgot about her medallion entirely even though to her it was her most valuable tool.

A sigh escaped Claude as he shook his head. He had been serving Casandra for a few years now and the young girl surprised him on several occasions. She had far more knowledge then one her age should if not more wisdom. He knew better then to continue questioning her on this subject as he doubted he'd like the answer. “Princess be careful.”

It had taken quite a bit of doing over the years but Casandra had worked to find at least a few soldiers who could be loyal to her. Claude was one of the few that she had managed to find so she confided more in him then others. “Now Claude. If I wasn't being careful would I be taking so much time?”

“I suppose not.”

***********************************************************************************

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11 Mar 2008 01:34 #11864 by happiest_in_shadows
Replied by happiest_in_shadows on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
Dean gave a sigh as he examined the vile. “Three weeks work and that's all there is.”

“All of what?”

There was no need to turn around as Dean recognized the voice right away. “One of the primary basis for the elixir of strength you have me working on.”

As Dean had been speaking Casandra made her way over to him and lowered her head so that she could get a better look at the flask. Inside she noted a bright crimson liquid that had a slight glow to it. “So how much more do you need?”

“Oh roughly thirty times that amount.”

A low groan escaped Casandra as she straitened up. “Thirty times?! But I want it now.”

A slight chuckle escaped Dean as he gave his head a slight shake. He knew that most the time laughing at a client would have been a bad idea especially when that client was royalty but Casandra was different. She didn't wear her title the same as the others and her tone spoke more of a child pouting them actual anger. “Well I'm sorry Princess if this stuff was easy to make every royal would have the strength of a giant.”

“Humph. I guess I'll have to be patient then. Is there anything I could do to speed it up though?”

In response Dean gave his head a slight shake. “Nothing short of acquiring more of the raw ingredients would truly have such an affect. At least with my limited knowledge. You could always replace me with a more experienced alchemist.”

“Mm pass on the second one.” A sigh escaped Casandra as she started to reach towards the flask. “And sadly I can't do the first.” Before Casandra could continue speaking she was surprised whenever a hand quickly took hold of her wrist and her gaze turned to Dean.

“Um Princess please don't touch the flask.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Well for one thing it's hot.”

“Bah it's not like such a weak heat could burn me.”

“Another reason is you could ruin the solution inside.” Before Dean could say more or even blink he felt a massive force suddenly pull him forward. The shear strength behind the motion caught him entirely off guard. If it hadn't been for him bumping into Casandra he felt certain that he would have ended up halfway across the room. Fortunately for him she also worked to cushion his fall though the impact was still noticeable.

“Are you serious?!” As she spoke Casandra slipped her hands under Dean's arms in order to help steady him.

It took Dean a moment to respond as he glanced down towards his hand. Already he could feel his fingers starting to hurt him and realized what had happened. Whenever Casandra had withdrew her arm she had taken him along for the ride. Unfortunately the injury wasn't bad enough for him to justify taking anything for the pain so he'd just have to cope. “Yeah, it's pretty unstable right now.”

“But just touching the flask? What makes it so unstable?”

“Ah well you see this is actually what triggers the changes inside of your body whenever you drink the potion. It does most of the work of restructuring your muscles and bones however right now it has nothing to guide it. If you were to get too close it could end up absorbing some of the mystic energy from your aura which would cause it to restructure itself. Just what this would cause I don't know but I am quite certain it wouldn't give the desired affect.”

“Neat! So what is it made of?”

“Um are you sure you want to know? You'll be drinking this you do realize.”

“Yep go ahead and tell me!”

“Ookay well I'll start with some of the basics. Troll's blood.”

“What?”

“The blood of a troll.”

“Are you serious?”

In response Dean gave his head a slight nod. “Yes. The remarkable healing ability of a troll extends to their entire being including their blood. This isn't just simple healing though. Not only can trolls recover from cuts and bruises but they can regrow entire limbs.”

“So what all does this do in the actual potion?”

“Well that has more to do with a troll's recovery after something is oh say broken improperly. Have you ever heard of a troll with an injury that didn't heal correctly?”

“Well no but I haven't heard much of trolls.”

In response Dean gave a quick nod. “My bad. Well you see trolls don't simply heal they never heal abnormally. That means that not only do they recover what was lost they reform what was misshapen. It's truly a remarkable ability and it's utilized in the potion. The way the potion reforms your bones and muscles is the same way a troll reforms its body while recovering.”

“I see! So what else is used in the potion?”

“You mean you want me to continue after learning it contains troll's blood?”

“Well it is kind of gross but it's also really neat!”

Now Dean was made to stair at Casandra for a moment before giving his head a quick shake. “Okay then. Now don't go trying to use pure troll's blood as you do realize we refine it. Anyway for the base I'm currently working on it also contains a very small amount of powdered damacus.”

“Huh? Isn't that a cursed metal?”

“Yes it is. More often then not it's used in blades that are meant to drain energies from those they cut though at times they get the wielder if the handle isn't properly made. It's used to help the base absorb the other components forming into a single formula.”

“Isn't that dangerous?”

“If it's not done properly it could end up draining the life energy of the drinker yes. So yeah it's quite dangerous in some respect. It's also rather dangerous to handle. I once got a few grains on my hand. I never want to relive that experience but it sure taught me to wear my gloves.”

“Okay tell me this. What percentage of the components of the potion are lethal if not used properly?”

“Well, just about all of them.”

A slight groan escaped Casandra as she placed a hand on her forehead. “Well that sure is comforting.”

“I'm sorry Princess Casandra I didn't mean to upset you.”

“No. No. I asked what was in it but you know. I believe I'll stop there. Rare, extremely dangerous to acquire ingredients, requiring exceptionally careful processing I'm starting to see why this stuff is so expensive. What's taking it so long to prepare though?”

“Well I have to get the formula to the right concentration and purity first. After preparing the base I then have to filter it several times to get it closer to the correct purity level. However, filtering alone isn't enough and I have to evaporate and condense it down several times to work it to the appropriate levels.”

“So this can't be rushed?”

“Well some of the more experienced alchemist might know a way to do it. I'm sorry Princess Casandra but I'm not even a full fledged alchemist yet. I'm actually quite concerned about giving you what I'm making now. If the methods to produce the potion weren't so well detailed I wouldn't even chance it.”

Now Casandra was made to frown as she shook her head. “Dean I chose you for several reasons. One of the reasons is that I have confidence in your abilities.”

A sigh escaped Dean as he shook his head. Of course he knew there were other reasons one of them being the level of devotion the task required. In order to help the Princess to the degree she wanted general elixirs wouldn't be enough. He was having to study not just alchemy but Casandra as well in hopes of finding new ways to help her. The level of devotion required for such a task was the same level other alchemist poured into studying a new life form or plant life.

It would have been insanely expensive to higher one of the more experienced alchemist and require such a level of devotion. Factor in that he had been employed by Casandra for several months already and his contract called for several years of work. He had been chosen because he was the right price as an less experienced alchemist. “I'm glad to hear you have confidence in my abilities Princess Casandra. I'll do my best not to let you down.”

In response Casandra gave a quick nod. “Dean you can call me Casandra and leave out the Princess part. You're my personnel alchemist. I doubt that anyone in this world knows me better then you do. You know Dean. You said it would help speed things up if you had more ingredients right?”

“Well yeah Prin.” Dean didn't get to finish as Casandra quickly clamped her hand down on his face.

A sigh escaped Casandra as she looked into Dean's eyes. As she did so she couldn't help but wonder. Didn't he realize she remembered him? Their difference in positions and paths had separated them for a few years that was true. But did he really think she could have forgotten those early games in just a few short years? “Dean you are to call me Casandra.”

“Sorry Casandra. Yes it would help speed things along if I had more ingredients to work with.”

“Mm they're too expensive for me to purchase at least with the money my father allots to me.” A sigh escaped Casandra as she shook her head. “I suppose I'll just have to go retrieve them myself.”

“Casandra!”

Instantly Casandra felt her face light up as a massive grin formed on her lips as she looked directly into Dean's eyes. “Yes?”

“You have got to be joking! Do you have any idea how dangerous a troll is?! It's not like fighting three guards in a secure rooms. Swords have been known to break against their very skin!”

“You know one of the other reasons I requested you Dean? You care about my safety and not just about the gold.” Before Dean could continue Casandra quickly spun on her hills and pushed off the ground. As her hills pushed off against the floor it sounded like someone had struck it with a large hammer due to the force of the impact. “Well I'm off hunting.”

Dean gave a slight jump as he heard a massive impact upon Casandra shutting the door. For a few moments all he could was stair as he struggled to realize what had just happened. After a moment his mind finally caught up with the wrest of the world and he found himself dashing to the door. As he pulled the heavy oaken structure open though he was reminded of how fast Casandra was. It wasn't surprising whenever he looked down the hall she was already gone.

***********************************************************************************

Tunarin couldn't help but detest Oshgun's presence. Oshgun was a large fellow who's hands showed the affects of years of combat. There had been a time before he was a master and his body showed it. The skin on his hands seemed abnormally thick and was cracked in several places though those hands still seem to function perfectly. They appeared to be perpetually dry and had a rough look about them. This appearance extended to his entire body.

A long curly red beard covered covered his face with only the signs of at most three minutes of grooming each morning. His hair was better managed though that seemed to have more to do with its limited supply. Standing just short of two meters tall his entire body sported massive muscles from years of training. All in all Tunarin felt his appearance better suited that of a bear then someone fit to train the Princess.

Oshgun didn't need to look behind himself to know that Tunarin was looking at him. The scholar didn't try very hard to mask his presence and Oshgun could just about feel his scorn. Despite that Oshgun made no attempt to acknowledge his presence in hopes that he would move on. At times it worked and at times he didn't. Of course being glared at was far better then talking to them man.

“Oshgun we have to talk!”

A low growl escaped Oshgun as he let his head slump for a moment. Sadly ignoring Tunarin didn't work nearly enough. “About what?”

“Princess Casandra of course! What is this I hear about her wanting to go troll hunting?”

“Oh that! Well she's come to feel that she's ready for some active field training. In truth I've been feeling it's long over due. They are some things you just can't get off the battle field. I do wish she had picked something easier to handle though.”

“You're not seriously considering taking her are you!?”

It would have been wonderful to say yes if only to see Tunarin sweat but Oshgun opted against it. “Unfortunately I don't know of any trolls in the region. I really do need to take her to face a humanoid though.”

“Whatever for?”

“Casandra's combative abilities have progressed nicely. She quite a capable young lady easily more capable then the vast majority of soldiers you might find. However, she has not once had to actually deliver a finishing blow.”

“You mean kill something?”

“Yes. In the end no matter how well Casandra is trained she'll be restricted if she isn't able to kill her opponent should the situation require it. Even if she could she might suffer from the experience and I can't have her going into shock in the middle of a battle.”

“So you're going to do it?! You can't teach the princess to murder!”

“I would never teach her to murder however she does need to learn to kill. Right now is as good of time as any though. I believe I'll take her out into the field and get her some true combat experience. Of course trolls are out of the question at this moment. She simply doesn't have the combat experience to take on such an opponent and besides. I don't know of any trolls in the region.”

Tunarin suddenly found himself trembling as he struggled to contain himself. “This is madness! Casandra is a princess she isn't suppose to be roaming around like some common wonderer fighting vial beast. How do you think that'll look?”

“Casandra fighting some vial beast? I'm guessing pretty messy at first and she'll probably end up losing her lunch the first few times. I remember whenever she couldn't stand the site of blood. Hers or someone else's she's doing better now though I still see her flinching whenever someone loses their lunch. It's going to be something else whenever she sees some organs.”

“You can't allow her to do this! I won't allow her!”

In response Oshgun chuckled lightly as he shook his head. “You really want to try crossing the little lady in that way?”

“I have her parents backing.”

“Tell me, what do you believe Casandra is capable of doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Tunarin let's say that somehow you had me removed from Casandra's service. What do you believe she'd do to you? Even if she didn't lay a hand on you. You've seen what a little actress she can be in front of her parents.”

“You think they won't realize what is going on when they learn their daughter was out gallivanting around risking her life against some monsters?”

“Tunarin you worry too much. I would never endanger the Princess's life that's why I'm not going in search of any trolls. Fortunately I've managed to get information on some other troublesome creatures that I believe would serve nicely. Now why don't you go back to your mirror and see if you can make your clothing in straiter?”

“How do you think King Gale would respond if I told him how you were corrupting his daughter?”

“Why don't you go find out? We can also find out how Casandra responds to. Come now you act as if she's going to be in grave danger. Don't worry we're taking a dozen guardsmen with us. Casandra will be perfectly safe I'm risking my life on it. As well her father would have me killed if his daughter died while she was under my supervision.”

Tunarin immediately realized what Oshgun had done. He'd taken a possible threat and reworked it to better suit himself. It frustrated Tunarin but he had learned despite his appearance and demeanor Oshgun could be clever. “Very well then.”

***********************************************************************************

“But why can't we go in search of some trolls?!”

Oshgun gave a sigh as he shook his head. “Princess I don't believe you realize just how dangerous trolls are. I know you're confident in your abilities but that doesn't mean you're ready to face one of them. Now we're going to be fighting something that's easier for you to handle.”

“Like what?”

“Princess before I answer that. What would you say if I told you we were going to face something that has been terrorizing a border town for months now? The local magistrates have sent soldiers in an attempt to remove the problem but so far they've only managed to silence it for at most a few weeks.”

Casandra immediately recognized the town as being minor from what Oshgun had told her. If the greatest level of concern it reached was a magistrate she knew it couldn't be that valuable. “Has anyone been killed?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

A slight giggle escaped Casandra as she stuck her tongue out at Oshgun. “Well then let's go and help them before someone is killed!”

“So you don't have anything else to ask or say?”

“Nope! It isn't what I wanted to be doing but it needs to be done.”

“I thought you wanted to move your training to the next level.”

In response Casandra gave a quick shrug. “Well yeah that is one of the reasons but that wasn't my only reason. In truth I was hoping to retrieve some troll's blood for Dean.”

“No wonder you were in such a rush. You want that potion completed don't you?”

“Well of course I do!”

Before they could continue speaking Casandra and Oshgun's attention was turned towards the door as they heard a quick knocking. “Princess Casandra, Commander Oshgun we're reporting in for escort duty.”

In response Oshgun turned towards the door. “Come on in though I don't know where this commander business came from.”

Greg gave a slight shrug as he entered into the room. “Well we didn't want to call you sir as you aren't nighted. You don't have any formal rank that we're aware of but at least here we're pretty sure that you out rank us. It seemed like an appropriate measure.”

“Just call me Oshgun. So are all the supplies ready?”

“Yes we have everything you requested prepared. I wish to mention some concerns though.”

“Go ahead.”

“It seems that we are packing rather lightly for the journey. Shouldn't we be carrying some additional provisions for Princess Casandra.”

Before Oshgun could comment Casandra spoke up. “I have requested that Oshgun treat me as any of his other students. So I don't expect any abnormal treatment on this journey.”

“Ah I see. Very well Princess Casandra.”

“I'm not sure that you do. That means I don't want special treatment from any of you either.”

A grin formed on Greg's face as he looked at Casandra. “Oh no I got you. In that case none of us will be offering to help you carry your equipment.”

It was impossible for Casandra to not notice the grin on Greg's face. “What does he have me packing the horses?!” As she finished speaking Casandra's eyes turned from Greg to Oshgun.

Immediately Oshgun clamped his hand down on his face to keep himself from bursting into laughter. “Now Princess I wouldn't push you that hard. Your gear is roughly the same as all of ours except I included a few extras so you wouldn't get in trouble with Tunarin.”

“You packed a library in my bag didn't you? Ah well it should feel pretty nice at first.”

Now it was Greg's turn to be surprised as he noted the tone of Casandra's voice. “Huh?”

An amused giggle escaped Casandra as she looked at Greg. “I know that it'll be difficult in the long run but at least I'll get to enjoy the initial feeling of pumping my muscles full of energy. It's quite a pleasurable experience really.”

“Don't worry Casandra I planned this trip carefully. I believe I have a sufficient amount of mass for you to carry to insure that by the end of the days travel you're ready to train with the tops.”

When they had first hinted that Oshgun had additional supplies for her to carry Casandra had seemed surprised and a bit upset. Just moments later though she seemed relaxed and almost to be enjoying the thought. It actually caught Greg and the others off guard as they tried to figure out what was going on. For the moment though they'd just have to wonder about Casandra's sudden change in demeanor.

***********************************************************************************

While Casandra could always feel her energy moving throughout her body there was a vast difference between when she was relaxing and when it was in use. As Casandra carried the equipment she could feel a warmth within her muscles. What first felt like sunshine on her skin grew in intensity and slowly began to reach deeper within her muscles changing from a light glow to an encompassing warmth. No matter how she felt before hand the feeling was always the same once the energy began flowing. It was as if she had came in from a freezing cold winter to a warm fire.

Yet it wasn't heat and Casandra new this. This was apparent from the comfort she always felt. No matter how hot it was or how cold it was outside she always felt more comfortable with her energy flowing. She knew why. The more energy flowing throughout her body at anyone time the stronger she was and the less vulnerable to the outside environment. So if it was scorching hot she felt as if it had become cooler while if it was freezing cold it seemed warmer to her.

As Greg walked along he couldn't help but glance back at Casandra. She was easily carrying twice the weight of any of them however she didn't show the least bit of fatigue. Of course they had only been walking a few miles. “Oshgun can I assume that we're traveling incognito?”

In response Oshgun gave a quick nod. “Yes that's why I had you all pack clothing without any indicators of royal allegiance.”

“Are you concerned that someone might interfere with the Princess's development if they knew who she was?”

“Well that and other things. I wish to keep this little expedition as quiet of a matter as possible.”

“In that case I'm guessing that you don't want her parents learning the full extent of what is going on here. Of course that would mean you fear that what we're doing is either something they would disapprove of or something you know they would disapprove of. Then again you know fully well that Tunarin is going to insure that her parents hears about you taking the Princess out to receive in the field combat training so trying to hide this seems a futile effort. Unless you didn't tell Tunarin the full extent of what we're going to be doing.”

“If that was the case would you find it objectionable?”

A slight chuckle escaped Greg as he shook his head. “Nope not really. I just realized while we were gathering that all of us sort of are indebted to the Princess to an extent.”

“Oh and what do you owe her?”

“She helped me out of a rather lengthy confinement for insubordination.”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he shook his head. “I bet you were worried when you learned about your change in destinations!”

“Actually, at first I was just glad to get out of that cell. Then I got some more information and well yeah I was worried. Nothing like learning you're going to be serving as the punching bag for a royals kid. Needless to say I was quite relieved whenever I actually got here and learned things aren't quite as I thought they were going to be.”

Up until then Casandra had remained silent but at last she felt the need to speak up. “Early on the most trust worthy guards I could find where those I could pay off. I realized they were other ways to find ones I could use though once I started asking for people to spar with. I started checking through the books and asking around about soldiers with discipline problems and what type of problems. I figured they were a few that I could use.”

“Yeah and those that don't work out you get to beat on for disappointing you?”

“Yep!” An amused giggle escaped Casandra as she gave a rather toothy grin. “It's a win win situation for me. The number of soldiers that I could use though has been rather disappointing. Fortunately I get to send those that don't work out back eventually. Hey Greg I forget what where you in trouble for?”

“Oh we were supposed to clear out some of the forest of a giant spider infestation. A lot of other units had been sent it and failed to come out though. So instead of just going in and meeting the same fate we cut down a few of the trees and created a nice fire barrier. We then set the place ablaze. Our commanding officer wasn't happy with my choice of actions stating I destroyed acres and acres of royal timberland. Naturally I felt it was worth it to avoid more soldiers being eaten by those things. It's not like they could make use of the land with the spiders there at least. Anyway he didn't like my view point or tone.”

It was impossible for Oshgun to keep from laughing as he imagined the seen. “That's using your head! I bet he was just upset that he hadn't done it! Still I bet you had it rough during those initial moments.”

“Those damn things are smarter then people think! We knew we'd see some spiders once the fires got lit but we got far more of them then we expected. Fortunately they don't fight to well while engulfed in flames.”

“No. Not many things do and those things that do you should avoid.”

“Yeah. Anyway it worked out in the end. A nice cushy job and one of the trusted inner circle. At least I believe I am. There isn't a circle within the circle is there?”

A slight giggle escaped Casandra as she shook her head. “Nope.” When it came to who she could trust Casandra knew she had to be careful especially with the way she chose to gather new people. She wasn't foolish enough to trust blindly. Rather she depended on those she already knew she could trust like Claude to watch the others and tell her who she could bring in closer. Slowly at least she knew that it was a bad move to let anyone learn too much too fast.

After a moment Greg gave a shrug. “Anyway, Casandra you seem to be doing fine with all that. How about adding some extra challenge and taking some of my bags to?”

“How about I make you spar with me one on one when we get back?”

“Um no no. I'm good.”

Now it was Casandra's turn to chuckle as she focused on the road before her. As she walked she was actually being very careful to let her body take at least some of the weight. She doubted that she could make the trip like Oshgun had planned if she depended on her spiritual energy entirely. Besides Oshgun had warned her several times of relying entirely on ones energies and forgetting about the body. “It's nice to be out here.”

“Just wait until the bugs start trying to eat you or it starts raining.”

In response to Greg's comment Casandra quickly stuck out her tongue. “Unlike you I don't have to worry about little bug bites. They'll never make it through my skin.”

“Okay just wait until you start feeling dirty then.”

A groan escaped Casandra as she shook her head. “Okay you have me there. I admit I'm a bit fond of being able to bath daily.”

Now Oshgun was made to speak up. “As I feel that being dirty wouldn't have any major benefit to your training you don't have to worry about that.”

“Really?! Oh thank heavens!”

“Besides you'll be plenty filthy soon enough. A right mess that's going to take several hours of hard scrubbing to get off. You don't get through a battle with what we're up against without ending up with a layer of filth that would do a hog proud.”

“Oshgun!” Casandra was made to pout as she listened to the various snickers around her. She knew they were done all in the name of playing but she still wasn't happy about the news.

***********************************************************************************

As Casandra took the block of wood in her hands she pressed her thumbs firmly against the center. A loud crack was heard as they both sank into the block and a large split appeared on either side. With remarkable ease Casandra then pulled outward splitting the block in half before tossing it over to the pile she'd been working on and retrieving another block.

It was easy for Melvin to hear Casandra splitting the blocks off wood in the clearing they'd set up their camp in. “I don't see why we couldn't stay at the inn we passed by. It's not like we had enough day light to make much more progress.”

In response Greg gave a slight shrug. “It's not so bad out here if a bit more risky then I'd like. Besides I'm certain that Oshgun has his reasons for wanting to set up camp outside. Even he wouldn't pick sleeping out here over sleeping in an actual bed without a reason.”

“Well I can't argue with that but it doesn't change the fact that I'd have preferred the inn. Anyway, what do you think about all of this?”

“Of what?”

“What do you think of Casandra?”

“Nice kid, hard to believe she's one of the royals, kind of funny behavior.”

“I know! That's what I mean though. Have you ever watched her mood change.”

“It's the amulet she wears.”

Both mens attention was drawn behind them as they turned to face Oshgun though it was Greg who spoke. “What do you mean?”

“You know that Casandra has been using a medallion of dominance on herself to help her train. Well she has certain suggestions built into her mind that kick in at certain times. I'm not sure what all she has put in there but I've noticed a few of them. She seems to get a strong dose of pleasure whenever she realizes something would be beneficial to her development. That is something that she didn't already plan on doing and contradicts with previous plans.”

In response Greg gave a nod. “Like what happened whenever you told her she couldn't go troll hunting?”

“Yes, with her original plans gone she didn't feel the same drive to come she had beforehand. However, after she realized that it would be beneficial to her training the sleeper affect kicked in and she got a reward for agreeing to go. Part of me is scared though.”

“How come? It sounds all good.”

“Such a system of rewards is bound to affect her mind. I'm certain Casandra realizes this but she is slowly altering herself on a very deep level. What's more the longer she uses these methods the deeper the changes to her core self are going to be. I just wonder if she is watching where she is going or if she is only focusing on the moment.”

“If you're so concerned why let her keep the amulet? I've seen the affects wearing off before.”

This time Oshgun gave his head a slight shake. “She would replace me and acquire a new amulet. I know she values my services but she also values that medallion. Casandra is smart enough to realize that there is a limit to her patience. By making use of that medallion though she gives herself a nearly unlimited drive and besides. She may know exactly where she's going and that might be where she wants to be.”

“Oshgun! I've finished splitting the wood!”

In response to Casandra Oshgun began walking towards her and raising his voice so she could hear him. “Alright Casandra, how much of your energy do you feel like you have left?”

“I'd say a bit over twenty percent.”

“We need to bring you a little lower then that. I want you to dig a fire pit now. Use both hands in unison and try to keep from wasting your energy despite having two areas of contact.”

“Okay!”

A sigh escaped Oshgun as he glanced back at the others. “She's developing at an astounding pace. I haven't told Casandra this yet but the level of ability she has developed already would generally take a young life time. I would normally expect a student that I began training at nine to twelve to reach the level of ability she's achieved by the time they were twenty one. She can already handle several armed guards at once and by herself.”

“Do you think it's the medallion?”

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13 Mar 2008 17:32 #11887 by argonaut
Replied by argonaut on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
Happiest:

Sorry it's taken me so long to post the feedback you asked for.

First off, this story is right up my alley. I love mythology, folklore, and fantasy literature (although I find a lot of contemporary fantasy to be pretty derivative) and I'd love to see more of us "genre" writers draw from those wells. That was what motivated my own stories about Atalanta and Sebia.

My reaction to the opening chapter pretty much echoes yaracyrrah's. Starting a story in media res with an action scene can be an effective ploy. But I was hoping to get more of the back-story filled in sooner. Because the nature of the action in this case was largely repetitive, I found my interest flagging a bit and (like your other beta reader) I started skimming. Differentiating the guards more strongly would have helped, as would providing some physical description of your protagonist. Since she's a young teenager, you could have exploited the contrast with the older, larger, and more experienced guards to good effect.

Later chapters filled in the back-story I wanted and addressed some of the questions I had. I think you've gotten the story moving nicely after a somewhat sluggish start, and I'm genuinely curious to see where you're going to take it. You use dialogue well, to sustain interest and keep the story moving. (The character's idiom is sometimes anachronistic, but that's hard to avoid.) I still find the pace somewhat slow, but I think that's because the story is being doled out a few pages at a time. I can see that you're developing your story along several fronts, and I'm sure the build-up will pay off in time.

Argonaut

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14 Mar 2008 14:46 #11899 by happiest_in_shadows
Replied by happiest_in_shadows on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1

Happiest:

Sorry it's taken me so long to post the feedback you asked for.

First off, this story is right up my alley. I love mythology, folklore, and fantasy literature (although I find a lot of contemporary fantasy to be pretty derivative) and I'd love to see more of us "genre" writers draw from those wells. That was what motivated my own stories about Atalanta and Sebia.

My reaction to the opening chapter pretty much echoes yaracyrrah's. Starting a story in media res with an action scene can be an effective ploy. But I was hoping to get more of the back-story filled in sooner. Because the nature of the action in this case was largely repetitive, I found my interest flagging a bit and (like your other beta reader) I started skimming. Differentiating the guards more strongly would have helped, as would providing some physical description of your protagonist. Since she's a young teenager, you could have exploited the contrast with the older, larger, and more experienced guards to good effect.

Later chapters filled in the back-story I wanted and addressed some of the questions I had. I think you've gotten the story moving nicely after a somewhat sluggish start, and I'm genuinely curious to see where you're going to take it. You use dialogue well, to sustain interest and keep the story moving. (The character's idiom is sometimes anachronistic, but that's hard to avoid.) I still find the pace somewhat slow, but I think that's because the story is being doled out a few pages at a time. I can see that you're developing your story along several fronts, and I'm sure the build-up will pay off in time.

Argonaut


Thanks for the review. Hm okay that's twice now so apparently I didn't do a very good job on the opening pages. I'll look into rewriting them later if I can find the drive to go back. Personally I'm eager to continue forward at the moment so it may take some doing.

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16 Mar 2008 03:29 #11913 by happiest_in_shadows
Replied by happiest_in_shadows on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
“Do you realize how few students are able to turn their training into a game? She doesn't just train because she has to but also because she's made herself enjoy it. Now the training she does on her own isn't as effective as the supervised but it does have an affect. On top of that she hasn't missed a single day of training thanks to healing energies in the room.”

“That and her own alchemist to take care of her when she gets sick?”

In response Oshgun gave a slight nod. “Her title does grant her certain advantages that other students would not have. However, she makes far wiser use of that title then anyone I've ever heard of. Even I didn't realize how much of a bonus to her training that medallion would be until I began working with her.”

As Casandra pushed her hands into the soil she gritted her teeth slightly. She hated when Oshgun had her used her hands like this. She'd have to scrub quite diligently to get the dirt out from under her fingernails. The soil gave easily to her grasp though as easily as if it was made of sand so that she sunk her hands in well past her wrist. She then pulled upward drawing a massive hunk of the earth up with her hands and pushing it to the side.

Digging was actually more complex for Casandra then simply enduring the tops. Whenever she forced her hands into the ground she had to focus a considerable amount of energy into her fingers. This was both to give them the strength then needed to work deeper and to boost their endurance to the point that it wouldn't harm her. While she had to increase her hands endurance though she had to avoid doing the same to her entire arm and chest region.

It was annoying for Casandra as she could feel herself putting energy into her chest as well as her arms. Far more energy then she needed to and that meant she was wasting energy. Then as she drew her hands upward she had to relax it even in her hands as there was no longer the need for that level of protection just the strength. At least she could take things slowly. “Oshgun is there anyway to learn to control my energy flow more quickly?”

“Sorry Casandra that's just one of those things that comes with time and practice.”

As Greg listened to Oshgun respond to Casandra he shook his head. “So tell me how far along is she in regards to that?”

“She's at least three years ahead of where she should be when it comes to controlling her energy flow. She's still wasting a considerable amount of energy but the efficiency has gone up. If it wasn't for her limited energy reserves I'm sure she'd be even further along.”

“Oshgun, I hope you don't mind me asking this but. Why couldn't we stay at the inn?”

“Huh? Oh I'm just trying to prepare Casandra mentally for what is to come. I can tell her what's going to happen until my face turns blue but that won't help her prepare in all honesty. Heck she still flinches whenever she sees someone throw up.”

As Greg looked at Oshgun he had no doubt that he was being honest. At the same time though he felt there had to be more to it then that. For the moment he chose not to say anything though. “Ah well she never had to cope with such things until she found you. Did you know none of her previous tutors had even let her encounter blood? They all chose to spar her personally.”

“That doesn't prepare one mentally. I approve of Casandra fighting a variety of opponents.”

“Oshgun I have the fire pit dug! I think I'm ready for the tops now.”

“Okay Casandra I'll be right there.”

***********************************************************************************

Danlin gave a slight sigh as he counted his stock. Since the raids had been coming more frequently it had been harder to keep a decent stock. This meant he was having to charge more to make enough money to live off of but at the same time people had less and less to spend. So his tavern was seeing less and less business. So there was quite a surge of excitement when he heard the door open and he quickly rushed to the counter. He was even more surprised whenever he saw fourteen people entering into the tavern. “Good day folks.”

In response to the bartenders greating Oshgun was the first to speak up. “Good day to you as well.” As he spoke Oshgun began making his way over to the counter where Danlin currently stood. “Pardon me but we came hear after hearing you were having some trouble could you fill is on the details? OH and I'd like to order twelve bowls of hedge stew.”

“I'd be glad to! But times are tough so the stew is kind of costly.”

“Quite alright we understand!”

In response Danlin gave a quick nod and glanced towards the kitchen. “Hey Patty fourteen bowls of hedge stew.” After calling out Danlin turned back to Oshgun. “You'll have to give us a bit to get everything ready. Once again a burden of the times. We can't afford to cook what won't be eaten. Anyway what would you like to know?”

“First of all just what is the source of your troubles?”

“Kobolds the little bastards have taken up residents in some old mines up in the hills.”

“Old mines?”

In response Danlin gave a nod. “They were dug while my father was just a kid. The ore payout was low though so they were shut down quick they're not that deep but plenty deep enough for some pest to move in. Some soldiers come by every now and then and clear them out but lately it hasn't done much. The soldiers come by, clear them out and things are okay for a week. Then they're right back and well the soldiers can't come out here every week it seems.”

In response Oshgun gave a quick nod. “Did you get a good look at the soldiers when they came by?”

“Yeah of course. They tend to stop in town after checking the mines to wrest.”

“On average how many go in and how many return?”

“Well all of them. They're professionals in dealing with monsters you know. A special group the magistrate put together to handle things like this.”

In response Oshgun gave a slight nod. “Well that was awfully kind of him.”

As Oshgun was walking back to them Casandra couldn't help her curiosity. “Oshgun you seemed skeptical do you think something strange is going on?”

“Actually, yes I do.” A sigh escaped Oshgun as he settled into his seat. “This town is pretty secluded hardly a major source of tax revenue. So one wouldn't expect the nobility to take notice if it was having troubles. Some might even be happier if it didn't exist. Make policing the region much easier after all. Rather then having to send men all the way out here.”

“So you think they're not seriously trying to wipe out the kobolds?”

“They might even be dealing with them.”

“Huh?! You can't be serious. Those things are too stupid to be reasoned with.” Before Casandra could continue speaking she took note of Oshgun chuckle. “Huh? What is so funny?”

“You've got a lot to learn young lady. Believe me those things are smarter then most give them credit for. I swear the idea that there some stupid beast with no more intelligence then a wild dog has gotten many explorers killed. You should know better then to rely on stereotypes. Now I'll admit there not the brightest bunch of beasties you'll encounter but be careful.”

“Are you series?”

“You'll see soon enough. Tomorrow we're going up to the mines and see what we can do about them. And by we I mean you.”

A slight giggle escaped Casandra as she met Oshgun's face. “They won't know what hit them.”

“Or you won't.”

“Hey! Have some confidence in your student.”

Oshgun gave a slight chuckle as he glanced towards the kitchen. It would be a while before their stew was ready. “ Melvin it'll be a while before our food is ready. I want you to take four men and go look around town. See if you can find anything interesting or hear any rumors.”

In response Melvin gave a quick nod and stood up. “Okay but don't let my stew get cold.”

“Then work fast.” As Melvin left the table Oshgun glanced over at Casandra. “Are you alright?”

“Yep! Why do you ask?”

“Well this isn't exactly the type of dining you're use to.”

In response Casandra gave a slight shrug. “It's not as clean as I'm used to but it isn't filthy.”

“Ah well that probably has more to do with the lack of patrons then the keepers intent. So being here doesn't bother you?”

“Oshgun I'd be lying if I said I didn't mind the smell. I'm also used to a better cushioned seat and I have no idea what the quality of the food is going to be like. I find the creaking of my chair to be annoying and I'm used to it being far more cushioning. In fact I could set her and name off at least twenty things that are bothering me just off the top of my head. Do you really want me to do that?”

“Why don't you?”

“Because crying about things that can't be helped doesn't do anyone any good and this is the condition these people live in.”

It was impossible for Greg not to smile as he listened to Casandra. He still had to make a comment. “Yet you get sick whenever you force someone to expel their lunch?”

“I can't help it if I think it's revolting!”

“So Casandra what made you decide not to complain about such things.”

“Hm.” For a moment Casandra said nothing but closed her eyes as if thinking. It was a few minute later at which she gave a quick shrug. “It's more fun to focus on the things I do enjoy! Don't let the things you don't like distract you from those that you do or you're going to be focusing on the negative all the time.”

“Like you focus on the pleasure of using your strength when you train rather then the pain you experience?”

“Yep! That's it!” Now a curious look appeared on Casandra's face as an amused giggle escaped her. “That is neat.”

“What is?”

“Well I used my medallion so that's how I would feel about my training. I never realized that is how I'd come to feel about other things. It really helps though.”

In response Oshgun gave a quick nod. “That's not a bad way to look at the world.”

“Thanks! I have to admit though I never really thought about it until you asked me. It just seems like chasing the carrot is better then running from the stick.” An amused giggle escaped Casandra as she placed her hand on her forehead. “You know I never really thought of this! Oh but speaking of the carrot stews ready.” As she spoke Casandra pointed towards the kitchen which a rather large woman was exiting with several bowls.

***********************************************************************************

“So what was all that about yesterday?”

Oshgun glanced over at Greg who had apparently woken up as soon as he had or close to it. “It's important to know as much about my student's mental state as possible. I don't want to find out that I've spent the last few years of my life training a murderer after all. You don't think that is all there is too it though. Do you?”

“I think you're also testing the changes the medallion has had in her.”

“Most humans run from the stick rather then chase the carrot. I didn't know Casandra for very long before she got the medallion but back then that is what I felt she was doing. She was avoiding the stick of the arranged marriage she did not want though claiming to be chasing the carrot of who she desired. As time has gone on though she has indeed seemed more interested in chasing the carrot during her training.”

“So you think the changes she's been making to help her train has been bleeding into her day to day life?”

In response Oshgun gave a slight nod. “It's impossible that it wouldn't. Anyway, let's wake her now. We need to get to those caves and get to work.” As he finished speaking Oshgun gave the door to Casandra's room a few quick taps. He was a little surprised by how quickly the door opened to reveal a fully dressed Casandra.

“Good morning Oshgun.”

“Good morning Casandra. Um how long have you been up?”

“Just long enough to do some morning warm ups. We're going to deal with the kobolds right?”

“Yeah, the others are waiting down stairs. It's not likely we'll get much information on the layout of the critters layer until we actually go there though. I have a rough idea of their numbers and there doesn't seem to be anything unusual other then how quickly they restore their numbers. Given what we're facing though that isn't unusual either.”

“Okay I'll get my bag.”

“No Casandra not this type. I want you to have all your energy for this. Anyway the others are ready and waiting. Breakfast should be as well. Let's eat and then move on out.”

“No heavy bag? Yay!” As she cheered Casandra stretched her arms above her head. The action was cut short though as she felt a stiffness in her clothing. “This armor is kind of restrictive don't you think?”

“It's just leather armor. You won't get much better freedom of movement in something that provides anything even resembling protection.”

A sigh escaped Casandra as she shook her head. “Wasn't the whole point of my training to make it so my skin was my armor?”

“No. The point of your training is to make it so that your skin can serve as armor. However, in real combat you shouldn't waste any energy you don't have to. Just because your skin can stop a blade doesn't mean you should allow it to connect.” As he was speaking Oshgun began to make his way down the steps, Casandra and Greg following close behind.

As the group came down the steps Danlin couldn't help but notice the little girl. Absently he glanced over at Melvin who was at the bar enjoying his breakfast. “Yesterday you said that you were here to look into the kobolds but what is up with the kid?”

“Oh you see the big guy? Well he's actually the young lady's instructor. He's bringing her along to get some combat experience.”

For a moment Danlin was going to question the age of the child but chose not to. He knew that some groups started training at a very early age. “Just what is he training her in though?”

“Are you familiar with the liberated whole?”

“I've heard of it. Isn't that some form of magic that involves enhancing the body?”

In response Melvin gave a quick nod. “Yeah that's the one. Anyway the young lad you see is something of an experiment. We're finding out what happens whenever one begins to break down the seals at such an early age. It should be interesting to see how it affects her development as she grows. It's just a shame we couldn't start when she was even younger.”

“What?! You can't be serious!”

Instead of trying to dismiss his fears Melvin gave a dismissive wave with his free hand. “Don't worry it's not like it'll harm the child. At least it shouldn't harm her.”

Danlin was made to shudder as he considered striking Melvin. As a father himself he couldn't help but be upset by the man's lack of concern. “And just who is the child?”

“Like I said she's the big guy's student.”

“What did you people really come here for?”

“A test of course. So far the little lady hasn't had any real combat experience. We want to see where she stands after all the training she's received.”

“You can't send her to fight those things!”

“Relax, too much money has been invested into her for us to just let her die.” As Melvin finished speaking he quickly finished the last of his stew and stood up. “You'll know how well the test went depending on when the kobolds come back.” Instead of waiting for Danlin to respond Melvin quickly moved towards the wrest of the group which had already gathered at the door.

Oshgun chose to wait until they were out the door and heading down the road to speak to Melvin. “So how did the disinformation go?”

“Oh they bought it. I have a feeling a few were quite upset with me. I'm curious though what affect will Casandra's training have on her growing body?”

“With all the potions she's drinking? I honestly don't have a strait answer for you. The training I'm giving her alone should be quite beneficial though. As long as she remembers to use her natural muscles and not depend only on her spiritual energies. Did speaking with those people get you to thinking?”

“Well it got me to thinking about magic in general. I've seen a few mages that seemed to have taken on aspects of the magic they were studying. I got to wondering what it would do to a child who was still growing.”

“That's a rare situation. In order to have enough mystic energy going through your body to affect you typically you have to reach a very high level. However, if a child should reach such a level at a young age then I have to believe it would alter their growth patterns. I can't say if it would be good or bad only that they wouldn't grow up quite normal.”

While the others lagged behind Casandra found herself in the lead. Oddly she felt like she was about to burst with excitement as she thought about arriving at the caves. She had read about kobolds and heard stories though as Oshgun had mentioned the information was rather lacking. Still the ideal of actually fighting them excited her despite what she'd heard about their lairs. “Come on you slow pokes!”

Greg had fallen back despite Casandra's encouragement so that he was walking amongst the others. As he was walking he turned to Oshgun. “I remember the first time I had to kill an intelligent being. It wasn't easy on me you know? Do you believe she's ready for this?”

“If she doesn't respond well she'll have a few years to cope before her marriage at least. If she responds positively though we'll have a few years to see what path she's going to take. Right now this is an important test.”

“She's never killed anything though.”

“I know. However, she has broken peoples bones, crushed muscle and rendered them unconscious several times. She enjoys fighting them despite the pain they've been going through. I don't believe she has and I haven't seen any signs of it but I've even feared her learning to enjoy the pain of others due to her experience in the training ring. Fortunately she's never forced anyone that didn't need reprimanding to fight with her.”

For a moment Greg grew silent and turned his gaze to Casandra. “I never thought of that. I know she tends to enjoy sparing with others and she sure does enjoy winning. So you're worried that she might be learning to enjoy the suffering of others. I can see how that would be an issue.”

“It's always a danger whenever one has a single student of such exceptional skill. Casandra is my only student though so she doesn't have anyone to knock her down and keep her grounded. I can do it of course but I'm her instructor and well. At the rate she's learning I don't know how long it'll be before she's the one humbling me.”

“Are you serious?”

“She's progressing quickly and young as well as using other methods to increase her power. I may have more experience, skill and energy but I also have a life time of battles scars weighing me down.”

While the others had been talking Casandra had been rushing ahead of them. All she knew for the moment was that she felt excited and ready to go. Thoughts of an actual battle played about in her head as did other thoughts. Perhaps if she did well here Oshgun would let her take on stronger opponents. She'd be able to help Dean sooner and even have a reason to come and see him more often. To add icing onto the cake she also felt a slight rush at the thought of helping the town. “Hey Oshgun do you think taking care of these kobolds will make the life of the town's people much better?”

In response to Casandra Oshgun quickened his pace and called out to her. “Well it'll let their lives return to normal. I can't say that it'll better them though but at times normalcy is all we ask for.”

A sigh escaped Casandra as she turned away from Oshgun and slammed her fist against her side for a moment. “Well darn. That's right.” After a moment of silence Casandra gave a slight shrug and once again picked up her pace. “Well that doesn't mean we shouldn't help them does it?”

“Is that what has you so excited?”

“Well. It's part of it.”

Oshgun gave his head a slight shake even as he was made to chuckle. “I swear that child never has a single reason for doing anything it seems. I don't believe I've ever gotten an answer as to why she's doing something that didn't involve several parts.”

“It beats her claiming that she's doing it because it's the right thing to do.”

“Indeed. I always get suspicious of those that try to claim such simple reasons.” After responding to Greg Oshgun once again turned his attention to Casandr and raised his voice so she could hear him again. “Casandra slow down the kobolds aren't going anywhere.”

“How do you know that? It isn't like their feet are nailed to the cave floor. Yet!” A delighted giggle escaped Casandra though she did slow down her pace for the others to catch up.

“Now I thought you were doing this because you wanted to help the town.”

“Well I also want combat experience! Besides it's best when several goals coincide with a single action. Wouldn't you agree?”

After a moment of silence Oshgun gave his head a slight nod. At times it was hard to believe that Casandra was just a child. “You're quite right about that. Ah and speak of our destination.”

In response to Oshgun's comment Casandra quickly spun around. “Huh? What are you talking about? I don't see any mines.”

“It's right there.” While she had been standing still Oshgun had managed to catch up with Casandra. As he spoke he proceeded to point towards a passage that was currently obscured by several shrubs. Shrubs that he immediately recognized as being rather hazardous to anyone with skin instead of scales.

“You mean that is it?” As she spoke Casandra began to walk towards the entrance clearly oblivious to the vines' nature. Before she could go too far though a hand came to wrest upon her shoulder and she was made to look to Oshgun. “What?”

“Casandra I want you to get a good look at those vines and remember them. You see they're poisonous. They're not life threatening but they're an okay starting defense. Kobolds like to use them to mask the entrances to their layers. Not only do they offer cover but it gives the explorers something to worry about. On top of that the little bastards are immune to the poison.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes Casandra I'm serious.”

In response to Oshgun's comment Casandra began to walk towards the vines. As she was moving forward though she got a bit of a surprise whenever she felt her foot sink into the ground. Immediately she responded by pulling her foot free unfortunately her action was more reaction then thought. As she pulled her foot free she didn't see the arrow moving towards her though she felt it as it slammed into her shoulder. A slight grunt escaping her as she felt the impact. “Well ouch.”

Oshgun had seen the arrow and could have stopped it had he wanted to. He had chosen to allow it to reach Casandra though. “They also like to lay traps outside their lair not just within.”

“So I noticed.” Reaching up Casandra took hold of the arrow and quickly pulled it out of her armor. She then proceeded to lift her shoulder pad and examine her arm where it had struck her. She could see a slight bruise but it hadn't broken the skin. “I take it they are going to be more then a few of these.”

“More then you'd care to count.” After a moment of silence Oshgun turned around to face the group. “Okay Casandra and I are going to proceed inside. I want you all to stay out here and insure nothing escapes.”

“Just the two of you?”

“Yes just the two of us. Are you ready Casandra?” As he was speaking Oshgun retrieved a torch from his pack and quickly set it aflame.

In response Casandra gave a quick nod. “Yeah! Their trap damaged my outfit I can't let them get away with that.”

As Casandra and Oshgun moved towards the cave Melvin was glad to see her moving with more cation. There were concerns though that he couldn't keep to himself so that he moved to stand next to Greg. “Do you think she used that medallion last night?”

At first Greg said nothing but stayed focused on Casandra. Once they entered the mine though he turned to Melvin. “I wouldn't be surprised if she did.”

“Doesn't that worry you?”

“I don't know. At least she's using it less these days. You weren't here whenever it was an every two or three hour thing. Now she just uses it in the mornings, evenings and a little late in the day. Well that and whenever something particularly draining happens.” A sigh escaped Greg as he shook his head. “Dang when you think about it she still uses it pretty often I suppose.”

Upon entering the cave Casandra soon noted Oshgun staying back. She knew what was going on. Finding her way to the kobolds and dealing with them was her responsibility. Oshgun had no intention of holding her hand during this fight but at least he would be there to insure she didn't get killed or dealt an injury that wouldn't ever heal properly. The thought still made her heart race and she felt her body growing warm as she had to push aside some of her fears.

The trap outside had been a nasty one but not one meant to be fatal. Most likely the kobolds had meant it to injure someone and force them to go back for medical aid. Given that it was placed outside it would be easy to choose to turn back rather then face further danger. The next one Casandra encountered probably wouldn't be so gentle. The thought made Oshgun grateful that they both had a full night's wrest. There was a good chance he'd need his energy and he felt Casandra would need hers.

As Casandra walked through the tunnel she tried to keep an eye out for traps. However, this was her first time performing such a task and the kobolds had learned their craft well. As she was walking by a small pile of bones she didn't notice the horse hair wire which blinded in wonderfully with the dirt of the floor. She did however fill it as the hair snapped and heard the sound of the blade cutting through the air. Energy surged throughout her body as she looked to her side.

Oshgun could see as the spear raced towards Casandra. The heavy metal tip carried far more energy then the arrow did outside. At the same time though he watched as Casandra's right arm extended upward with speed surpassing that of the spear. Her slim fingers wrapped around the metal shaft and he could hear a dull whine as she tightened her grip on the heavy metal in an attempt to to negate the energy. He heard the grinding of the dirt as her feet dug in even while she was being pushed back.

Upon getting a grip on the spear Casandra felt her arm quiver. Whatever was propelling the weapon it was meant to pierce armor. At the same time though she could feel the weapon slowing. As she felt the weapon's movement slow she gritted her teeth trying to pump more energy into her arm and legs to better let her stop the tip and regretting that she couldn't bring her free hand to help. She was rather surprised though whenever she suddenly felt herself move forward and heard a horrific screech as she pushed the spear back into the wall at least in part.

In the moment Casandra had been too focused on stopping the spear to realize how well she was succeeding. After waiting a moment Oshgun took a step forward. “Wonderful work Casandra, the moment you realized you'd set off a trap you increased your reaction time to the point that you could cope with it. You were also able to channel enough energy into your arm to stop the attack.”

A sigh escaped Casandra as she took in a deep breath. “I still wasted energy though. If I realized what was happening sooner I could have moved out of the way of the spear.” Upon finishing Casandra released her hold on the spear slowly flexing her fingers as she did so. Gripping the spear so firmly had actually caused her to hurt her hand a bit. She was distracted from her pain though upon looking at the spear and realizing she'd put a dent in it. “Hey! I guess I am pretty strong.”

It was impossible for Oshgun not to chuckle as he noted the surprise in Casandra's voice. “Indeed you are! Well then shall we continue?”

In response Casandra gave a quick nod. “Okay but we could use some more light in here you know? That torch of yours really isn't doing much.”

“Try directing more energy into your eyes to make them more responsive to the light we do have. Remember your training isn't just about strengthening the body. You also must learn to improve your senses something you haven't been working on very much it seems.”

“Well the strength is more fun to work on after all.”

“Most seem to think so as well but that comes with a price.”

In response Casandra gave a nod and began to direct some energy to her eyes. As she did so she felt them warming up and the cave became clearer though her vision was far from perfect. She would have to make due for the moment though. As she began walking she also found herself wishing she could see the spiritual energy of others. She knew that the kobolds would be laying in wait deeper within the old mines. “Hey Oshgun this place doesn't seem to be much of a mine.”

“The ore payout was much lower then expected so it didn't last long. It was barely here long enough to get the town started. There is a good likelihood that the mines' current residence have added to the complexity though.”

While Oshgun was speaking Casandra had continued forward. As she rounded a corner though she was surprised by what she saw and quickly pushed off the ground. The sound generated by her feet pushing off the ground so quickly could be likened to the sound of a pickax striking stone. As she leaped backwards a volley of arrows cut through the arrow missing her by two thirds of a meter. As she landed Casandra kept her eyes focused on the turn. “They know we're here.”

“Humunss leave!”

As Casandra landed near him Oshgun glanced over at her. “I think they want us to go. How do you want to handle this?”

Instead of replying to Oshgun Casandra chose to respond to the kobolds. “You are the ones that have been raiding the near by human settlement I presume. You will put down your weapons and surrender immediately or you will suffer the consequences.”

“Okays we'is surrender. Yous come out.”

For a moment Casandra looked at Oshgun and rolled her eyes, her little tongue then stuck out from between her lips for a moment and she straitened up from her pounce. Inhaling sharply she began channeling energy to both her legs and her eyes. While there was always power running to them this time she began pushing the limits to the point were it would be far from efficient. Instead of leaping back into the hallway Casandra slowly made her way forward keeping her pace nice and steady until she rounded the corner and looked at the kobolds.

None of the kobolds needed a command to fire. None of them needed to look at their leader to know that he was lying. The moment the human girl came back around the corner all of them let their arrows fly having every intention of pinning her to the wall. Even as they let the first volley loose they began preparing another for her friends. They could hear and knew of the larger human and had no intention of letting him leave their caves. After all he had been the one that told the soldiers outside to kill them. They'd teach them who owned these mines.

It didn't surprise Casandra whenever the kobolds began shooting at her. She had expected it but she had been giving them a chance to surrender. The moment the arrows were fired at her she quickly moved to the opposite side of the tunnel and began dashing towards them. As she ran down the tunnel she glanced to her side and at the arrows as they past by one another. They were far better made then the stories had led her to believe and she had no doubt they'd be able to pierce chain mail. Perhaps even put some dents into plate.

While they had seen Casandra move quickly before the kobolds hadn't really registered just how fast she was. As she dodged their second set of arrows it became clear. Without a word their leader quickly turned away and let out a horrific scream. A human would have mistook it for a shout of fear but in truth it was a warning. He was letting the others know that something dangerous had entered into their caves.

Even as their leader was warning the others those on the front line drew their weapons. Crude short swords but effective none the less. Unfortunately they weren't quite ready for how quick their opponent was. Zut hadn't even managed to fully remove his sword before an incredibly powerful force in the form of a young lady's fist slammed into his chest. The others heard a sickening crack but they didn't see their friend as he was sent flying backwards by the force of the impact carrying both the strength of Casandra's arms and her forward momentum.

Oshgun took in a deep breath and clutched his arms as he prepared for how Casandra would respond. Of course he knew her reaction wouldn't be immediate. Right now she was back in the training room in her mind. Death hadn't entered into it yet though he knew that the kobold she'd struck was dead. She had put enough force into that blow to collapse it's ribs and crush its lunges. Soon Casandra would realize this and she would have to face what she'd done.

With one kobold out of her way Casandra had to move quickly. She pressed off the ground once again she easily sent herself into the air and above the kobolds. Unfortunately none of them let their arrows go clearly knowing better to try to hit something they couldn't see. They'd find her first and then let her have their arrows. She wasn't going to wait for them to fire though. As Casandra was landing she quickly struck out with her leg slamming it solidly into one of their sides. She felt the small creature's arm shatter as her foot met it.

With the message sent Kinl needed to get back to the fight at hand. As he turned around he wasn't at all happy to see that two of his men had already been taken out of the fight. Reaching down he quickly drew his sword. Unlike the others though it was far from crude rather it was a well made steel sword. One taken from a previous adventurer. Grasping the blade in both hands he quickly moved towards Casandra intending to sink his weapon into her back.

With one kobold dead and the other out of the fight Casandra only had three more to take care of. One of them being their leader. Instead of just turning to face Kinl though she quickly reached out with her hand and took hold of the nearest kobold. The creature let lose a scream that no human lunges could duplicate. Quickly spinning around she held the creature before her just as Kinl thrust his sword forward. The blade burst through the other kobold moments later and Casandra quickly pushed forward sending the skewered kobold into Kinl.

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19 Mar 2008 03:27 #11937 by happiest_in_shadows
Replied by happiest_in_shadows on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
Now the remaining kobold knew were Casandra was but it was too late. As the creature spun around to bring its bow to bear on her she quickly took hold of the bow stopping it from being aimed at her. Drawing back her free hand she slammed it solidly into the creatures face a sickening crack resounding throughout the tunnel as she caved in part of the creatures skull and sent it slamming against the opposing wall.

By now Oshgun had rounded the corner to better watch what Casandra would do. He was a bit surprised whenever he only saw five kobolds. Normally the creatures attacked in far greater numbers. As he was walking down the hallway though he couldn't help but notice several darts in bedded into the wall. He immediately realized what had happened. Whenever Casandra had dashed down the hallway she had set off a trap she had just been moving too fast to be caught by it. He'd have to speak to her and make sure she had at least noticed it.

Kinl growled as he pushed his fellow off of him. There was no remorse in what he had done only frustration about being immobilized. A frightened yelp escaped him though the moment he felt a hand take hold of his throat. Before he could protest he was lifted off the ground and suspended in the air though just barely. His opponent wasn't too much taller then he was. “Whatss?”

“You have a strange way of surrendering.”

“Stupss, I's surrendar! I's surrendar.”

Oshgun knew that as long as Casandra had her hand around the creature's throat it would say anything to save its life. Kobolds weren't exactly known for their loyalty. Fear was just about the only way to get any form of cooperation from them if you weren't a kobold yourself. Casandra had the creature pleading for its life now but he knew the moment she let it go it would regroup with some other kobolds and then try to kill her again. He was still surprised by what happened a moment later.

“Um no.” The moment she spoke Casandra quickly jerked her arm to the the left and then the right. The action was horrifically fast and with the only thing supporting the kobold being her hand around its throat the response was obvious. A sharp crack could be heard the moment Casandra jerked her arm in the opposite direction followed by a thump as she released the kobold sending it slamming into the opposing wall to slump over.

The moment the kobolds neck broke Oshgun felt his pulse quicken. He had no remorse for the creatures death and indeed felt it deserving. What concerned him was the way Casandra had reacted and how she'd just tossed the body to the side. He knew that she could be behaving in such a manner for numerous reasons but several of those reasons concerned him. “How do you feel Casandra?”

In response to Oshgun's question Casandra quickly turned around a huge smile on her face. “Like I used a little more energy then I should have but I believe I can handle the rest. Proper energy management is something I need to practice as well I suppose.” As she finished speaking Casandra turned around and gave the body of the kobold that had been stabbed a swift kick. She then bent down and retrieved the sword Kinl had been using. “Would you mind if I used this?”

“No that's fine. You're making good use of what's available to you.”

“I just wish he had a shield as well.” As she finished speaking Casandra began walking only to stop a few steps later and glance back at the corpses. “Um should I check them for anything of value?”

“I swear you've been reading too many books about this stuff. You may want to check their leader for anything noteworthy but generally there isn't time to inspect a corpse unless you see something obviously valuable. I doubt these ones had anything note worth on them though.”

Despite Oshgun's words Casandra bent down next to the corpse of their leader and began examining it. As she worked though she tried to keep her eyes turned away from the kobolds behind her. One benefit of breaking his neck was that she didn't have to look at any blood. At least that is what she thought. Casandra gave a slight jump when she noticed some blood flowing from the creatures mouth. “Yuck!”

It didn't change the fact that Oshgun was concerned about how Casandra had broken the kobolds neck. However, he was made to grin and felt some relieve when he noticed her reaction to the blood. “I thought you were used to blood by now.”

“Ugh. I did to but. I mean back in the training room there still alive. This is a corpse though.”

“Yes it is. A corpse you made.”

After a moment of silence Casandra gave her head a quick nod and stood up presenting a few items to Oshgun. “Aren't these scrolls enchanted?”

“So do you think they're other entrances and exits?”

Greg didn't bother looking back at Melvin as he spoke. “You ever dealt with these things before.”

“Nope.”

“Lucky you. Yeah you could safely bet half a years pay that there is more then one exit. The one we found was the one the miners dug so people are going to know about it. Of course the kobolds realized this so they prepare some entrances that only they know about. I doubt we'll be using those though.

“I take it they're not made to be human friendly.”

“Ever tried fighting on your knees or crouched?”

“I can't say that I've ever been in a situation where that'd be a good idea.”

“If you try fighting them in their tunnels that's how you're going to end up fighting. At least if Casandra gets lured into one of those places she won't have to crouch that much though. I'm not exactly sure how Oshgun would get around in such a situation though.”

As the flames burst through the wall Casandra quickly raised her arms shielding her face. At the same time she pushed off the ground demanding as much speed from her legs as they could possibly offer. Yet she felt the flames meet her skin and clothing. Those parts of her that weren't shielded by the leather took the worst of the heat while those that were stayed cooler longer. The wall of flame that engulfed her only covered a width of one meter yet it felt much longer as Casandra moved outside of the flames and quickly fell to the ground.

Oshgun didn't wait for the flames to die down. As soon as Casandra had exited the other side he was next to her. Even before he had time to examine her one hand was reaching into his pouch for a vile of salve. He was rather surprised though whenever Casandra removed her arms from her face. Both from the fact that she didn't seem to be hurt and by the anger he saw.

“Damn it! Those things are suppose to be dumb! How did they set up a fire trap?!”As she spoke Casandra was already raising to a seated position. The flames had burnt away some of her energy but that was all it had managed to touch. Still she could still feel the heat licking at her flesh and this alone was enough to make her shiver. As she came to a fully seated position she turned her gaze towards the flame and was surprised by what she saw. “They know magic?!”

When Oshgun had let Casandra take the lead he had felt certain she'd be fine. He'd been training her for quite some time and felt she was more then capable of dealing with this problem. With him staying near he had no fear of losing her. However, the fire trap had caught him off guard as well though unlike Casandra he had a better idea of what the kobolds were capable of. “Indeed were did you think those scrolls came from?” As he spoke Oshgun kept his concern out of his voice.

“I thought maybe they had stolen then or. Ah!” Casandra felt her body flinch as her right hand grasped the wrist of her left. It had been the first the flames had met as it had been on top when she covered her face. She didn't believe she had been burned so she was quite surprised whenever she felt the pain. “My wrist hurts.”

“Let me see it.” Instead of waiting for Casandra to remove her handle Oshgun gently but quickly moved it for her. He was quite relieved whenever he didn't see any burn marks. “Casandra you're alright you haven't been physically hurt. It's just your mind's response.”

“What do you mean?”

“Casandra you saw yourself get hit by those flames. You're not physically injured but your mind still believes you've been burned as your common sense tells you that there is no way you couldn't have been burned by those flames.”

“It. It doesn't do this whenever I block a sword though.”

A sigh escaped Oshgun as he placed a hand on his forehead suddenly feeling very foolish. “You've been prepared to handle those types of strikes. Fire is something that I haven't prepared you for.”

Instead of commenting Casandra pressed her hands against the mine floor and began to raise up. In the training room pain was swift but brief. The healing energies within the room would recover her from even a minor cut fairly quickly. This pain was lingering and thus it had caught her off guard. “How did you forget something like that?”

Oshgun was actually surprised by how calm Casandra's voice was now. As he looked at her face though he felt certain she was still in pain. Unfortunately without any physical injury to speak up she couldn't really be healed. “I had so many other things I wanted to accomplish with your training I forgot one of the basics.”

Before speaking Casandra took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She held the breath for seven seconds and then slowly released. “Okay let's get going.”

“Is the pain gone?”

“I can't wait for it to leave I have work to do.”

Greg couldn't help but grin as he gently poked the ground with the tip of his sword. One of his fellows had located what they thought was an entrance to the mine built by the kobolds. As he examined it he had to suspect that he was right. “Okay we need to find something to block this off. Melvin do you think you could drop that tree onto the door?” As he was speaking Greg indicated a rather robust oak.

“Hey now, I'm not a logger.”

“Oh it's easy you winer. Just cut a notch into the tree so that when it falls it goes in that direction.”

“I'll give it a shot. I guess if I miss we can just roll it on top of it. Shouldn't we set up a trap though.”

“This is a trap. If they do try to use this exit they'll find themselves trapped in the mine with Casandra and Oshgun. We're just setting up the anvil for whenever the hammer falls.”

What did she feel when she broke the kobolds neck? Why had she decided to speak to it before she had killed it? Did she feel any guilt after taking several sentient beings' lives? Oshgun wanted to ask Casandra all these questions and more but he chose not to. At the moment Casandra was in a mine full of things that wanted to kill her. That alone was enough to cause a change in one's mental state that could explain such behavior. He needed to wait and see what happened after a day or two. Perhaps he would see some sort of feeling then.

A low groan escaped Casandra as she quickly weaved to the side avoiding the spike that thrust through the ground. While generally she liked the feeling of her energies running through her body she wasn't used to keeping them at such a high level for so long. It was still more energy efficient to avoid the traps then endure them but it was more frustrating. “Oshgun how long were you doing this before you got a feel for how these things set up their traps?”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he brought a hand up and rubbed his cheek. “It's not so much a matter of time as how often you have to work your way through these. Would you believe that these aren't just simple traps? In kobold culture the making of such protective measures is not just functional it's religious.”

For a moment Casandra said nothing as she considered what Oshgun had told her. Finally she stopped and glanced back at him. “How do you know all of this?”

“If you want to know how to best defeat your enemy you'd best learn everything you can about them. It just took a while as such information isn't exactly common knowledge. Few people care to learn about the little beast that are ruining their town or ambushing travelers. Well past how to kill them. Of course the most important lesson about such traps I learned quite early.”

“What is that?”

“Always let someone else walk in front of you.”

Now Casandra was made to stop and turn around completely. “Oh! Ha ha ha, very funny.”

It was impossible for Oshgun to keep from grinning as he noted the expression on Casandra's face. “I'm glad you think so.”

A sigh escaped Casandra as she turned around and resumed her walk down the tunnel. “So they learn to make these things in church?”

“Pretty much.”

“Hm well I don't have anyone to walk in front of me so.” As Casandra walked she extended the sword she's retrieved from the first kobold and began to move it around before her. Taking her time to give several of the rocks before her a quick tap and swiping the blade through the air periodically in search of wires. Yet she still missed the depression until she felt her foot sinking into the ground. Fortunately she was more then fast enough to evade the arrows as they shot by and strait towards Oshgun.

Did she do that on purpose? Flashed through Oshgun's mind even as his hand flashed through the air. He didn't bother catching the arrows but gave them each a quick swipe easily knocking them away. Upon looking to Casandra he wasn't surprised to see a grin on her face though there was some surprise mixed in. So he doubted she did it on purpose but felt certain she had enjoyed it. “Yes even if you're behind someone else you're not entirely safe.”

They were currently in enemy territory with traps all around them. Normally this would have been a very poor time to be having a conversation and Casandra knew this. She chose to continue speaking though as she knew it didn't matter. From what she did know of kobolds they were masters of their lair. Most likely they knew exactly where Oshgun and she were at any given time and not talking wouldn't change that. By now she was growing curious as to why they hadn't encountered anymore of them. “They're waiting up ahead aren't they.”

“At a very strong defensive position yes. These traps are just meant to reduce numbers and slow us down.”

The first group to encounter the intruders were dead. Kins didn't plan on sharing their fate. He had felt that the entrance to their home was poorly defended he would use this to bolster the argument. Later for now he had to deal with the intruders. As he looked around a grin formed on the kobolds face. He had enough archers to feel the halls with arrows and three of them would be using acid tips. He had also managed to get the aid of two of the priest. He could hear the humans talking but had forbid his subordinates from saying a word.

It was becoming clear to Casandra why these creatures felt so secure in their layer. It wasn't that it was a fortress but it was quite a journey. At the moment she was estimating another trap every five yards though some were particularly well set up. At last she came to a stop though as she noted the tunnel beginning to widen and realized they were coming into a larger area. “They're going to be waiting for us in there aren't they?”

“Most likely.” In truth Oshgun could see the kobolds waiting for them. He could see the energy running throughout their bodies and wasn't too surprised by their numbers. This was most likely a branch group. The resources in their previous home must have become strained so they move further away to start a new layer. For this to be brought to an end they'd need to find their leader and kill him as well as any other kobolds that might take over the roll. Of course killing them all would work as well.

Casandra wished she had a fire bomb, a smoke bomb, a shield. They were a lot of things she found herself wishing she'd brought alone. As she thought of these her eyes turned to Oshgun's pack. She was a bit disappointed whenever he put his hand over it. Instead of arguing with him she got the message. The kobolds so far hadn't been much of a threat to her after all. “Oshgun these things seem kind of week. Why are they so dangerous?”

“Go into a region they've been occupying for fifty years or so. You'll see true numbers then.”

Taking in a deep breath Casandra didn't put as much energy into her body as she had before hand. Still she did push herself to a higher level of performance then she normally would in preparations. Not even trying to be subtle she quickly moved forward dashing down the hallway. As she moved she felt her a wire catch her in the stomach and break milliseconds later. She heard the rocks tumbling down behind her but she didn't look back feeling certain Oshgun could get through.

“Clever.” A sigh escaped Oshgun as he walked over to the rock trap. Casandra had easily avoided it. She probably would have even if she hadn't been augmenting her speed so he doubted this trap was meant to catch the one that set it off. It had been meant to separate the group. Instead of breaking through right away he chose to wait.

As Casandra dashed down the hallway she noted a sharp increase in the available light. What she saw moments later though was something she doubt many would like to see. Several kobolds were rushing towards her axes and swords drawn. While behind them many more were reading their arrows. The intent was clear. Kill the group that was trapped on one side of the rocks quickly and then kill the other. As the arrows were let loose she was certain of one thing. There was no dodging them.

Kins had been quite surprised by what he saw. He had no doubt that the warning had been serious. He also didn't doubt the others were dead. However, he didn't expect to see a human child. Instantly his mind shifted to an illusion spell and he called out. “Trick, kep destunce.”

If she were to move forward it would be her momentum and the momentum of the arrows she had to deal with. Realizing this Casandra chose to hold her ground while she quickly searched the area around her. It was hard for her to keep focused though as she felt the tips of the arrows press into her skin. Her enhanced reaction time allowed her to watch as the arrow tips met her body, the way they bent and flexed and then slowly bounced off of her or were caught in her clothing. Even though the arrows didn't break her skin she felt a sting.

There was no way Kins would have his men charge the girl. He felt certain she was an illusin hiding something greater. However the arrows did seem to affect her so there was no need to stop the archers. “Sheldz.” As Kins called out the order he watched as two priest he had brought moved forward and began preparing a ritual. He wanted them to have a shield prepared encase they were surprised.

Despite the pain Casandra soon found what she was looking for. Spinning around she quickly took hold of a rather large slab of rock. She then turned around and held the massive slab up before her shielding most of her from the arrows. The heavy rock would limit her speed but at least it protected her. With that in mind she began to sprint towards the kobolds. As she moved she could hear the arrows striking the large stone even as she built up speed.

Oshgun didn't know exactly what was going on. He could see Casandra's energy though and the energy of the kobolds. For the moment he noted Casandra's energy was still holding strong and she was now moving forward. It was a bit risky but he opted to remain behind the blockade the stones had created. If he were to make an appearance he knew the kobolds would focus some of their attention on him. Casandra needed this experience and for the moment she seemed to be doing fine.

She was going to get a shield. She didn't know if she would use it all the time but Casandra knew after this she'd be getting a shield. Oshgun never carried a shield stating it would just hinder him but she wasn't at his level. The boulder worked for a makeshift shield at least though far from what she'd liked. It was heavy so it slowed her down and drained a decent amount of energy. It was also awkward for her to carry thanks to the poorly distributed weight.

The boulder had to be heavier then she was Kins new that. The girls foot steps had been noticeable to a kobold's ears even beforehand. Now they were positively thundering as she charged forward. Glancing towards the priest he quickly indicated the tunnel and saw a quick flash of light. Moments later he heard a massive impact and saw a massive wall of dust fly up into the air. He didn't notice as both of the priest were slammed into the ground.

It had caught Casandra off guard. One moment she had been proceeding quickly the next she'd slammed into something remarkably solid. The force of her hands pressing into the stone from one direction and the shield on the other had been too much. Her hands had pushed through the stone but it hadn't met the barrier and the boulder didn't stop. Rather it went from being carried to tumbling into the group of kobolds before her. The backlash from the impact had been enough to cause the two priests to be knocked to the ground though they were only dazed.

Not all were well though. The boulder that Casandra had been packing might have left her hands. However, it had still been moving forward with plenty of energy as it had punched through the barrier. Now the massive stone slammed into the front line of kobolds crushing several under its weight and breaking many more that were unlucky enough to be caught by it.

As Casandra looked into the cloud of pulverized stone she was surprised herself. The stone wasn't exactly sturdy but she didn't expect it to break like that and she didn't know what had stopped her. Whatever it had been wasn't there anymore though. With a clear shot to her opponents Casandra wasn't going to waste time. Charging forward she readied the blade she'd retrieved and struck out at the nearest group she could find. Between her speed and strength as well as the blades edge she was able to cleave the nearest three in half. Unfortunately her reach limited things.

As Casandra moved into the kobolds Oshgun noted the energy bluring. Unfortunately watching spiritual energy wasn't as reliable as actual site. It tended to blend and blur together though as one grew more skilled it became easier to distinguish each person. Casandra's intensity made her easy to see but he couldn't watch the movements of the kobolds as carefully as he'd like. At last he began the task of sifting through the rubble though working slowly and careful not wanting to take their focus off Casandra.

Kins gave a low growl as Casandra moved into his soldiers. He had expected the barrier the priest had put up to stop her but in the end it had only slowed her down. “Achers move bak.” As he called out Kins turned his gaze to the priest that were raising back to their feet. “Strenth.” As he spoke Kins pointed towards those soldiers that were closest to Casandra. He didn't need to say more for the priests to know what he meant for them to do.

She had managed to catch them off guard and strike down several kobolds. Kirvin had only managed to avoid her blade thanks to her greater combat experience. Casandra's blows were far from unrefined though indeed they were far more developed then most Kirvin had seen. It wasn't her skill though that had the kobolds worried. It was the shear power with which Casandra was striking out. This fear was suddenly made to lesson as Kirvin felt a sudden surge of energy hit her and felt every muscle in her body tighten.

Kins knew that Kirvin was one of the most skilled sword fighters they had. So he was glad to see that the priests had sense enough to strengthen her even when he hadn't named her exactly. Normally he would have taken this time to call for the priests to start healing the other kobolds but that would have been a futile effort. Nearly every blow Casandra delivered was instantly fatal. He was going to make use of them. “Judje hers.”

Infused with strength from the priests rituals Kirvin lashed out against Casandra. As the kobold swung her blade to meet Casandra's a horrific clang rung out. Fortunately for Kirvin her blade was on par with the one Casandra used. Unfortunately for the kobold Casandra's strength far surpassed the strength the ritual had given her. The force of the blow quickly jerked her arms upward causing a scream of pain to escape her mouth as she was nearly lifted into the air by the force of the blow.

Casandra's strike had carried so much power that it had torn several muscle in Kirvin's arms. She didn't get the chance to fall out for healing though as Casandra's fist quickly slammed into her stomach the force of the impact caused her fist to sink deeply within the kobold's stomach lifting her upwards and sending her flying into the air.

It had surprised Casandra whenever the kobold had been able to deliver such a powerful blow. The power contained within the strike was on par with the strongest soldiers she'd trained with. Far more power then what most kobolds could put into their strikes. It had still been easy for her to overcome but it drew her attention away from the group she was fighting and strait towards the back. Oshgun hadn't just taught her how to fight he had taught her tactics and her eyes quickly found some prime targets.

Kins had to repress his instinct to run as the human girl began to move towards them. Fortunately he had seen to his own defense and the archers would slow her down. He was quite disappointed that the priests' ritual had so little affect though. Had he known that their opponent was strong he would have arranged things differently. Let the weakest go first and remove some of the frail from their tribe. “Poisums!”

In response to Kins command both the priest began quickly chanting. As they chanted a green aura began to form around their hands. One ritual their god had granted them was the ability to poison an opponent. They weren't alone in this though as those archers that were permitted to use acid arrows readied them and began to let them loose on the human girl. Unfortunately there was a problem that Kins hadn't accounted for. Casandra had more room to move.

She did not want to let the two kobolds finish speaking. Casandra didn't know if they were mages, priests or something else but she knew she didn't want them to finish. Whenever one didn't know what an opponent was saying it was best to shut them up quickly. As she sprinted towards the priests it was easy to duck and weave in between the arrows. Unfortunately there were some issues. Such as the rather well armored kobolds that were waiting for her up ahead. At least they were well armored compared to the others.

As Casandra neared them Kins jumped down amongst his guard. His weapon was a rather large ax which he quickly readied. This opponent was very resistant to physical attacks and he knew that. If they were going to kill her he had to protect the priest. This wasn't truly in his nature but there was another issue. He outranked the priests in many respects but to let them both die would most likely lead to his death. His was a culture in which face was very important and he didn't want to lose it as that often came with a loss of life.

Did they make themselves targets on purpose? Casandra wasn't sure but she immediately recognized what she believed to be the lead kobold. His weapon was far different from the others. Much better quality and while her sword had been damaged it was still good enough to hack him in half she figured. The priests might have been hard for her to reach but he was a nice open target. Wanting to make the most of the situation Casandra took hold of her sword with both hands intending to get as much power as possible behind the strike.

He had seen how easily she'd bested the others. It hadn't been a matter of skill but rather strength. Her speed was also truly remarkable. As she neared though Kins swung his ax towards her while Casandra moved to meet his blow. Apparently she hadn't learned much about sparing her blade. He was truly surprised by the power of the blow and immediately bent at the knees to try and lesson the strain. He was surprised by the blow but not as surprised as Casandra was.

It had caught Casandra off guard. The kobold had managed to withstand her strike. She had no way of knowing though that Kins had prepared before the battle. The kobold didn't just have his body backed by rituals but by potions as well. Between the ritual of the priests and the potions he had enough strength to counter her blow which meant he had enough strength to hold her still for a moment. In that brief moment Casandra felt several sharp pains in her back as several acid tipped arrows found their mark.

A grin formed on Kins face as he heard the priests chant and then saw the human suddenly convulse. Not only had the arrows found their mark but so had the ritual. This temporary lowering off his guard quickly proved to be a mistake though as he felt something very powerful slam into his stomach. The force of the impact didn't kill him but it overwhelmed his body weight and sent him screaming into the air.

Casandra was made to convulse violently even as she kicked Kins. Suddenly she wished there wasn't so much light as she felt the acid burning her back. The liquid hadn't eaten into her skin yet but it was eating away at her energy. To make the situation worse she now had to shrug off whatever the priest had done to her. The arrows before hand had sapped a good deal of her energy and they were so many kobolds left to kill.

With all these things stacked against her it felt odd to Casandra when her lips twisted into a smile. She felt terrible and yet she looked at the priests. Removing Kins had left her a clear path to them. Pushing off the ground once again she slammed her shoulder into the nearest kobold knocking it out of her way and quickly covering the distance between them. As she neared them she thrust forward with her sword. This time there was no shield in her way and the blade sunk into the kobolds chest.

The second priest didn't have time to scream as he watched the blade burst through his comrade. Before he could blink a hand ceased him by the throat and jerked him into the air for but a split second. Moments later he was slammed violently into the ground the force of the impact shattering his skull and spilling the contents out onto the ground. The last site he saw was the human girl grinning at him.

As Kins landed he quickly tucked in his legs and arms so that he was made to roll across the ground. Upon brining himself to a standing position though he was horrified by what he saw. Both of the priests were dead. It had seemed like they'd won for a moment that they had managed to deal their opponent a blow she wouldn't be able to recover from. Now he didn't know what to think. He could see the arrows stuck in her clothing and she seemed to be slouching but her left hand was still stained with fresh blood.

Normally Casandra would have been sickened by her hand being covered in blood, bone fragments and a bit of some other materials. There wasn't time to scream though or vomit though the poison ritual had her feeling like she would already. There was a mine full of creatures that wanted to kill her and who needed to die. This was her first test in real combat. Oddly while the test was in her mind no thought of running to Oshgun occurred to her or of him saving her.

Kins wasn't the only one that saw the priests die. Every kobold in the room found themselves looking at the same site. Then as Casandra stood up they couldn't control themselves. The room was filled with screams as numerous kobolds broke rank and began to flee. They had the numbers, they had injured her however she had just struck down two of the more powerful kobolds in their social structure. Their instinct to flee was going into overdrive and the less disciplined couldn't control it.

It didn't occurred to Casandra that many of the kobolds were trying to run away as she pulled her sword free of the priest. Instead she quickly spun and began sprinted towards the nearest group striking out at whatever kobold was unlucky enough to be within striking distance first.

As the others began to flee Kins gritted his teeth. It was hard but he was strong enough willed to fight his instinct to run. Taking in a deep breath the kobold let loose a shout that resounded throughout every tunnel in the mine. “Fights!”

The sudden decrease in energy told Oshgun that something was going on. The movement had become increasingly violent as Casandra charged towards them. He had confidence in his student but realized this was a dangerous moment. Having no desire to put Casandra in too much danger the old master quickly slammed his fist into the remaining stone wall. The stones his fist struck were more converted into powder then projectiles as those around were sent flying. Before they could even reach the ground he quickly charged forward.

It was amazing how motivated by fear these creatures were. One moment they were fleeing for their lives the other almost all had turned to confront her. Those closest to an exist and thus safety in their minds did continue to run though. Casandra didn't care as she moved towards the kobolds slashing forward with the blade she'd retrieved. As she continued to hack through the creatures though her blade was showing the signs of abuse. Several parts of it had been chipped away from knocking metal out of its way and from cutting through bone.

Was this his student? As Oshgun watched the scene before him he could hardly believe what he saw. The strength and speed were indeed Casandra's but the viciousness with which she fought wasn't something he was prepared for. The young girl didn't even seem to notice as her clothes her slowly being died crimson. Instead she continued to tear through the kobolds one after the other with no regards to whether they were defending or attacking it was just a matter of whichever was closest.

Kins growled as he watched the seen before him. Had they stood and fought they might have had a chance against her. However, when they'd broken rank and ran their positions had been confused. He had called out and told them to fight but he knew he couldn't reorder them. Instead of trying the kobold began to quickly move throughout the battle field finding those he knew had the self discipline to control their fear as quickly as he could.

Had Casandra been paying more attention to her surroundings she would have noticed the small group that was quickly organizing. She wasn't of a mind set to notice any particular kobold though she worked to cut through as many as quickly as she could. As she moved she didn't even notice the way her clothing was made to stretch as her muscles began to expand thanks to the increasing amounts of energy pumping throughout them. Several tears were made to appear as the leather armor grew stiff as it was drawn taught but proved unable to hold her strength.

While Casandra didn't notice the kobolds Oshgun did. He watched as eleven of them began to move towards Casandra. Not unusual except they moved as one. Two of them held the front while a third walked just behind them. The others fell in behind. The speed and purpose with which they were moving told Oshgun that they didn't intend on running. However, it also showed that they hadn't noticed him.

Casandra heard the kobolds moving towards her. She heard every foot step however as she turned around she wasn't prepared for what happened. Two of the creatures struck out at her at once. In response she moved quickly to deflect their blades however as hers struck upon the first a horrific ringing sung out and while the blade was knocked away so was hers as it shattered. Less then a tenth of a second later she felt the blade of the second kobold push into her side.

A feeling of elation ran through Kins as he saw Casandra's blade break. The kobold wasted no time moving in as the first blade struck her flesh. Swinging his ax above his head he brought it down with all the force he could manage. He was surprised and delighted at the same time. Delighted whenever he heard Casandra cry out surprised whenever he didn't cut her in half.

It was impossible for Casandra to contain herself as she cryed out. The pain of the heavy ax slamming into her flesh surprised her. Yet that isn't where it ended. Moments later she felt several impacts in her body each one draining more energy then the last as the other kobolds began to hack away at her flesh. Yet she couldn't remain still. Remembering the kobold with the ax from before she forced her hand to reach upward and take hold of the hilt. Seconds later she struck out with her leg slamming it solidly into Kins's chest.

There was a difference between being as strong as and being as durable. Kins had strength on par with Casandra's thanks to his augmentation though no where near as long lasting. He didn't have the endurance though so even though it was just one kick from her it was enough to force him back and to let go of his ax. As he was sent sprawling backwards. The kick wasn't enough to keep him down for long though he didn't get up quickly enough to regain his ax.

None of the kobolds stopped with one strike. As Casandra took hold of the blade they continued to slash and hack away at her skin cutting away her armor and revealing her skin beneath it. The pain would have been too much for her to handle if it hadn't been for Oshgun's training. She didn't even realize it whenever the blades began to cut through her skin and began to spill her blood. As she took hold of the ax handle she quickly swung the blade around sparing no force as she slammed it into the group around her.

As Kins drew himself to his feet it was just in time to see five of the ten he'd gathered cut down. However, he could also see Casandra bleeding and smell her blood. “Backss arowws.”

Casandra immediately realized what was going on. The seven remaining kobolds quickly moved away from her and the archers let loose. Pushing off the ground she tried to dodge out of the way. As she tried to move though she felt something take hold of her or it seemed to. She hadn't been able to moderate her spiritual energy and didn't even realize that she'd burned herself out. As she began to fall towards the ground she realized what was coming yet she didn't close her eyes even as she waited for the arrows to pierce her body.

The arrows never reached Casandra. A horrific hiss escaped Kins as he watched the arrows strike a body but not the girls body as another much larger human appeared and shielded her. Before he could call out another order the figure had slipped one arm under the human girl and lifted her from the mine floor.

It had happened a bit too fast for Casandra to follow with her energies so low. One second she was on the ground another she was held against someone a vial forced into her mouth. She didn't even have time to think about drinking the contents as they were already being poured down her throat. As she felt the liquid moving throughout her body and warming her though she realized who it was. “I'm sorry Oshgun.”

“Hold those thoughts for now.” Reaching down Oshgun quickly retrieved the ax that Casandra had dropped moments earlier. How a kobold even wielded the weapon was beyond him. Apparently their leader liked to have some form of strength enhancement on quite often.

Kins didn't care who the man was that had just saved the girl but he was concerned. He knew the girl must have some form of mystic protection to endure so much damage. From what he'd just seen of the man though he also had the same abilities. The girl had badly depleted their numbers already and there was a good chance that the man had even more strength. Indeed the kobold's mind immediately associated Oshgun's greater size with greater power. It was now that Kins broke turning around the kobold began using all his strength to run.

Oshgun didn't immediately give chase but continued to examine Casandra. She had several deep cuts and had actually loss a decent amount of blood. The potion he'd given her would mind tissue but it wouldn't restore what had bled away it wasn't designed to restore blood. She wasn't completely out of energy but he doubted she would have survived alone. That wasn't overly surprising though. Her strength was on par with an ogres, her skin reminded him of steel plate and her speed surpassed a horse's. That wasn't enough to take on such numbers though.

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21 Mar 2008 22:30 #11957 by happiest_in_shadows
Replied by happiest_in_shadows on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
Casandra couldn't help but feel upset as she realized she'd failed her test. If only she hadn't wasted so much energy traveling through the mine she felt she could have won. By the time she'd reached the kobolds though she didn't have the energy remaining. Of course if it hadn't been for the one with the ax she felt she'd still managed to win. He had thrown her off considerably. “Oshgun you can't let them escape.”

“I know Casandra.” As he spoke Oshgun altered his stance slightly preparing the ax. He didn't put Casandra down even as he moved into the kobolds.

***********************************************************************************

A low whistle escaped Melvin as he examined Casandra's armor if it could be called that anymore. He felt tatters would be a better word. “They really got hold of her didn't they?”

In response Oshgun gave a nod. “She did well but their numbers got the better of her in the end. Even with my training though that was her first real combat situation.”

“So how long do you believe she's going to sleep?”

“The potion I gave her helped her flesh heal but it didn't restore all the blood she lost. She's going to be weak for a while.” As Oshgun was speaking he continued examining the ax that they had retrieved from the mine. Only looking away whenever the door opened and Greg stepped in. “So how are things going?”

“Some of the towns people just came back from the mine. I somehow doubt all the items they brought back are really theirs though.”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he shook his head. “No they rarely are. At least that should motivate some of the others to go retrieve their belongings now. I just hope they're being careful and searching for traps like they were instructed. Casandra found most of them.” For a moment Oshgun grew silent and grinned. “The hard way but I doubt she found them all.”

“So what's up with that ax?”

“I didn't have time to examine it before hand but after the fight I got a good look at it and realized the blade wasn't damaged in the least. This thing is actually enchanted. A pretty decent enchantment at that.”

“Didn't you say the kobold was using that? What does the enchantment do? I'm guessing make it lighter.” Instead of getting a strait answer Greg was a bit surprised whenever Oshgun held the weapon out towards him. Still, Greg reached forward and took hold of the ax. Moments later he had to jerk upward to keep from dropping the weapon as Oshgun released his hold on it. “Crap that's heavy!”

“It's Dwarven make. When you belong to a species that seems born to break its way through stone you have some nice natural muscle. No the enchantment helps the blades edge. It's actually sharper then what it looks and much stronger then the alloy would normally be.”

Before speaking Greg hefted the ax up and began to examine it. The weapon was heavier then his sword or javelin. He didn't have the training to use such a weapon properly either. “So what are you going to do with this thing?”

“I believe I'm going to let Casandra have it. She should get some spoils from her first battle and I somehow doubt the rightful owner of this weapon is going to return to claim it.”

“Yeah you're probably right. Though even with that I can't help but think it stinks we're not getting anything out of this. I bet those little bastards had stolen some nice things.”

“So you want to take from the thieves and just leave the rightful owners out to dry?”

A sigh escaped Greg as he shook his head. “No. Blast it things are always so much more complex then when you first hear about them. When I was a kid I thought explorers just kept whatever they found and had a right to it. Then you realize that most of that stuff already belongs to someone and the right thing to do is return it.”

Now Melvin spoke up. “That depends on your point of view. I personally feel their failure to retrieve the items is a sign that they forfeit ownership. Thus they should be grateful for what I don't take.”

“So you'd have them go and get killed trying to retrieve their belongings or give the item up? Do you have any idea how much like a bandit that makes you sound?”

“I think the popular term is adventurer.”

Oshgun was made to chuckle as he retrieved the ax from Greg. “Doing the right thing can be rather difficult. You save someones belongings but in the end it's entirely up to their good will as to whether or not you'll get anything out of it. Of course this was actually a rare situation.”

“I imagine most of the time finding the true owner is impractical, you can't just leave the items there and there is a good chance that the proper owner is dead. Thus why you feel confident letting Casandra have the ax.”

In response Oshgun gave his head a quick nod. “This ax wasn't from this town that's for sure. Anyway, those that managed to obtain such weapons rarely just hand them over without a fight. I'm quite confident that whoever once owned it is well past needing it.”

It was impossible for Greg not to chuckle before speaking. “Are you sure? Maybe we should take it to a oracle and see if they can divine the rightful owner?”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he shook his head. “Like I'd trust one of those so called oracles? I swear half the time I think they're giving you a load of crap just to get some gold out of you. I wouldn't be surprised if this ax ended up belonging to one of the oracles close friends. I bet a lot of things end up belonging to the friends of oracles whenever you ask for help.”

Now Greg was made to lean forward as he noted the tone of Oshgun's voice. “Had a bad experience with oracles have we?”

“You could say that.”

“Pardon me.”

In response to the voice Oshgun glanced over his shoulder and noted Danlin standing in the door way. The barkeep was holding a plate. “Yes what is it?”

“I thought that the young lady could use a nice warm meal after her ordeal. I couldn't help but notice her condition whenever you brought her in. Is she still asleep?”

“Yeah but you can go ahead and give her the food. Just set it on the table.” As he spoke Oshgun pushed the door to Casandra's room slightly just barely opening it. At the same time he scooted back a bit giving the barkeep more room.

“Thank you.” It was hard for Danlin to keep his tone respectable. He was grateful for what the young lady had done but he was quite upset with all the men that she'd come with. The fact that a young girl had been injured so badly under their watch upset him to no end. However, yelling at them wouldn't get him anything and he wanted to help the girl. So he bit his tongue as he walked through the door and refrained from yelling.

Both Mevlin and Greg watched intently as Danlin entered the room placed the food on the table next to Casandra's bed and left. Melvin then turned to Oshgun. “I take it that was the people deciding to give something.”

“Yeah I imagine they'd give more if it hadn't been for the story we spread yesterday.”

“Yeah but if we didn't people might ask questions. I know drifters come and go but not with a young lady like her. We had to give them something or someone might have realized who she was and I doubt Casandra would want that.”

In response Oshgun gave a quick nod. “Still I'm sure Casandra will appreciate the meal though I doubt she can finish it. There looked to be enough to feed three.”

Before Greg could comment a slight clatter got his attention and he was made to lean forward so he could just peak into the room. He was a bit surprised to see Casandra up already working on the food that had been set next to her bed. It actually surprised him to see how she was going at it though. “Um Oshgun are you sure about that last comment?”

Instead of responding right away Oshgun glanced into the room to see what Greg was talking about. He was rather surprised by what he saw. Casandra was quickly digging into the food Danlin had left for her. Apparently the smell of the meal had been enough to wake her up and now she was digging into it at a pace that two men would had a hard time challenging. After a few moments of just watching he set up a large grin on his face. “I may have been wrong.”

***********************************************************************************

For a moment Dean turned his eyes away from the tome setting before him to quickly write down a few notes. The book had arrived from the Grove only recently and he was busy looking through its contents. Many thought that alchemy involving plants only affected the plants however that was only if it was done properly. This required experimenting and careful observation to make sure the alchemic process used on the plants didn't affect the creatures that then ate them. Over the years this has produced some interesting side affects though often dangerous.

Now Dean was looking through these past notes and how it had affected the animals in further hopes of helping Casandra. So far he had found several promising routs though he would need time to further explore them. For the moment though he was just marking them in his notes wanting to first amass as many possibilities as he could instead of blindly chasing after the first few he found. It required a little time but it was a practice that had served him well in the past.

His attention was taken away from his work though as he noted a knocking on the door. “Who is it?”

“Casandra.”

Instantly Dean felt his pulse quicken and he turned towards the door. It wasn't just due to who was visiting it was the tone of her voice and the lack of the word princess in her name. There was also something else, something telling him this wasn't a usual visit. “Come in Casandra.”

After a moment of hesitation Casandra pushed the door open and stepped into Dean's lab. “I hope I'm not disturbing you.”

“Of course not! I work for you after all. Is there something you need.” Dean was a bit surprised whenever Casandra opened her mouth as if she was going to speak then bit down on her lower lip. “What's wrong.”

“I. I need you to examine me.”

“What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

“When I went out with Oshgun I ended up getting injured. I need you to examine me and make sure that I'm not scarred and if I am I need help concealing it.” It actually surprised Casandra how nervous she was. She'd never had trouble speaking to Dean before of course it might have been because an examination wasn't the only thing she had come for.

“I see. Well then let's just shut the door.” As he was speaking Dean stood up and began to make his way over to the door to do just what he'd said. “Then you can roll up your sleeves and lift your dress a bit and I'll give you a looking over.” There was no need for Dean to examine all of Casandra's body and he knew this. He just needed to check those parts of her people would normally see. So he was rather surprised when he turned around.

Instead of doing as Dean had told her Casandra had reached behind her back. She'd undone her waste band, collar and several buttons then let her dress fall to the ground. Underneath she wore a white bathing suit leaving her legs from thigh down entirely exposed, while her arms from shoulder to finger tips was exposed. Her head down to her collar bone was left uncovered. It wasn't anywhere near nudity but it was far more then the princess normally showed anyone and it was far more then what was considered appropriate for a royalty to show in such a setting.

It was impossible for Dean to contain his surprise. “Casandra! You put that back on. Do you realize how much trouble you could get in.”

In response to Dean's comment Casandra gave the door behind her a swift kick and reached behind herself locking it. “That's what those are for.”

Instead of just continuing the conversation Dean quickly turned around. “You know you can't be walking around like that.”

“I'm not I'm having my doctor examine me for any injuries. Do you really believe you can examen me properly with only a small portion of my legs showed, my arms and my head?”

A sigh escaped Dean as he shook his head. “No it's a joke but you're not seriously injured after all.”

“Dean if I told you I was hurting in a place that is well. I'm not allowed to show. Would you give me a real examination?”

It actually surprised Dean how easily the answer came. “Yes. You deserve proper medical care regardless of what etiquette says.”

“Thanks. Now turn around and check me over.”

“Casandra is this really necessary?”

“Yes! I don't want to risk having to explain an injury I didn't notice to my parents.”

A sigh escaped Dean as he turned around and looked directly at Casandra. She was cute. At just fourteen years old Casandra was rather tall for her age standing a meter and two thirds tall. At least for a female Dean thought she was tall. Her eyes were an extremely bright blue almost sapphire though a bit odd. At times Dean could have sworn that they were actually glowing. Her nose was a cute little thing with a rounded tip. Her hair was extremely bright crimson almost as red as blood and quite wavy except when Casandra was training as she would always tie it off to keep it out of her way.

As far as complexion went her skin was extremely light. She had been raised inside castle walls behind closed doors so the sun had never had much of a chance to touch her skin. Her skin texture was also exceptionally fair kept that way by various potions and skin ointments she used. She was a smart young lady fully aware that her parents would know something was up if they noticed her skin showing the signs or battle of intense strain.

He imagined she was grateful for her dresses when she visited her parents though. She was young but her muscles were already making themselves known. She probably had to be careful not to flex her arms while in the presence of the so called polite society. He had no way of knowing how long she could keep that up though. Her body was developing further and as she got older her muscles would really begin to let themselves be known. Dean knew that the formulas he was preparing for her wouldn't help hide her muscles either.

Instead of waiting for Dean to say anything Casandra turned around so that he could see her backside. She then glanced over her shoulder. “Well do you see any injuries?”

Dean didn't respond right away. Instead he found his mind thinking of other things as he remembered Casandra's tone. Her voice had changed but it was the tone she used when they played as children. He could still remember how surprised he was whenever he'd learned she was over two years younger then him. Given the house hold she'd grown up in he imagined she had to grow up fast. The thought brought a smile to his face. “No. You don't seem to have any scars your skin does seem paler then normal though.”

“I lost some blood.”

In response to this comment Dean quickly stepped around Casandra to look into her eyes. “How much blood?”

“Don't worry I'll be fine. Oshgun said I'd just be tired for a few days.”

“Oshgun is your trainer I am your alchemist.” As he spoke Dean walked past Casandra and began to rummage through some drawers. “Couldn't you just step into your healing room and have it fix you?”

In response Casandra shook her head. “No. You see part of the way that room works is that it doesn't let life energy escape it. Rather it reflects the lost energy from a wound back to the injured person. It does have some power of its own but not enough to heal me.”

“That's impressive it must have cost a lot. Ah here we go.” As he spoke Dean stood up and held out a small bottle to Casandra. Inside were several bright orange tablets. “I want you to take one of these three times a day. Once in the morning, once at midday and once before you go to bed.”

“What are they?”

“Just a strong vitamin concentration. They'll help you recover more quickly.”

“Thank you. Um Dean, there is something else I want to talk to you about.”

“What is that?”

“Dean, when Oshgun took me out.” For a moment Casandra grew silent as she felt fear gripping at her and she had to quickly push it back down. “I killed some beings.”

In response Dean gave a nod. “I know you killed some kobolds.”

“I. I don't feel any remorse for it. Is that normal?”

Now Dean was made to grow concerned as he looked at Casandra. He could tell she was worried. His fear wasn't due to her lack of remorse rather how she was feeling at the moment. “Casandra I'm an alchemist. They are several potions and other things we make that require components and even spiritual energy from sentient beings. By going down this path of knowledge I know I'm giving value to the death of sentient creatures but I don't feel guilty about that.”

“Why is that?”

“People often forget to ask why you did what you did. Casandra why did you kill those kobolds?”

“To further my training and to help the people they were harming and.” Casandra had to stop herself quickly biting down on her lip to keep herself from speaking the third reason. She wasn't ready for Dean to know that just yet.

This was an odd time for Dean. It had been so long since he'd spoken to Casandra like this. He had lost the ability to do so the moment they had come to know one another by their official stations in life. Even now he knew he shouldn't be speaking to her as if he had some ability to advise her. He was only a low ranking member of the Grove only there because his rank made him cheap and by her request. “I believe you should feel proud then.”

“Proud? Proud that I killed them?”

“Of course not! You shouldn't take pride in the death of another sentient being. You should take pride in the fact that you helped those people, you helped them get their lives back and proud that you're trying to become stronger.”

A smile spread across Casandra's face that threatened to split it in half as she looked at Dean. “You know I was glad that I could help them. Up until now I've mostly taken so it felt nice to know I was giving back and that I could give back while getting what I wanted as well.”

A slight chuckle escaped Dean as he shook his head. “You're more generous then I am.”

“Huh?!” Now it was Casandra's turned to be surprised. “Why do you say that?”

“Going into a mine full of those little creatures, risking life and limb? No I'm not quite that fond of people.”

“You became an alchemist to help them though didn't you?”

In response Dean gave a nod. “Well yeah.”

“So you don't risk your life and you don't like the idea of spending hours a day developing your fighting skills. You're still trying to help people and make a living for yourself as well. You can't help someone if you don't have anything to help them with. You should be proud of yourself as well.” As she was speaking Casandra bent down and gathered up her dress, she then began carefully slipping the garment back on.

“Well thank you.”

“Welcome!” As Casandra responded she felt her body suddenly jerk forward. Before she knew what she was doing she'd pressed her lips against Dean's cheek giving him a quick kiss. The action was brief and it caught even her off guard but when she moved away she was grinning. “Thanks for being honest with me.”

Dean didn't have time to comment. By the time he found his voice again Casandra had taken hold of the medicine he'd given her and darted out the door. When he had first been hired he had wondered if it was his friend hiring him or the princess. He had been unsure at the time but still did his best both out of friendship and a need to prove his worth to the Grove. Now he felt certain that it was his friend from years ago that had hired him and not the princess.

***********************************************************************************

“It's a shame that I died on my first test.”

“Don't worry about it Casandra. Would you truly have gone there without anyone to back you up?”

“Well no. I would have taken the guards in there with me.”

“Which would have made a tremendous difference even if you had been separated from them. If it hadn't been for me going along you might have even waited so you could deplete their numbers during a raid. Going into an enemy's lair always adds additional danger and difficulty.”

In response Casandra gave a quick nod. “I know but that doesn't change the fact that I died. I'm still far too weak.”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he shook his head. The idea of Casandra being weak was laughable. “Princess, if you had gone in there all alone would you have only been wearing leather armor and carried no weapons other then your fist?”

“Well no I would have at least worn some chain mail and brought along a blade of my own. I doubt I would have thought of bringing a shield though next time I most assuredly am.”

“Oh?”

“Do you have any idea of how many times a shield would have helped me in there?”

“I imagine it would have been quite useful. So don't feel as if you suffered a defeat you intentionally handicapped yourself to better the learning experience.”

“I know. I just wish I had made it to their leader. Would you believe I thought the one with the ax was in charge?”

“I'm guessing second in command myself.”

“So what would have happened if you hadn't killed the wrest?”

“They'd most likely would have moved on. Once Kobolds have been dealt a painful enough blow they tend to retreat but many make the mistake of thinking this means numbers. It's the leadership you have to injure to cause them to leave. If that wasn't the case though they'd dug in even deeper as to be prepared for the next attack. Perhaps even built up their forces and burned down the town.”

“Just how quickly do those things reproduce?”

“Faster then humans slower then rats.”

“That's rather vague you know.”

“Well it's partly situational. You see they bread even more rapidly while coming into a new area or preparing for war in order to replenish their numbers or prepare for an attack.”

In response Casandra gave a quick nod. “Okay that makes sense. Do you really think we got them all?”

“Nope.”

“Well drat.” Before continuing Casandra walked over to the wall were the ax she'd retrieved lay setting. Bending down she picked up the weapon and examined it for a few moments. “It's really wonderfully made. Drawfen craftsmanship is really impressive. I can't believe that kobold let it get so dirty.”

“Well they're not the tidiest creatures in the world.”

“Yeah. Okay that's enough small talk I have training to do.”

“Are you sure you're ready to move to this step? This is very different from fighting a human you know.”

“Well my encounter with those kobolds taught me I still have a lot to learn when it comes to fighting a group. However, I also need to fight someone that is stronger then me. Are you ready Bruin?”

In response to Casandra's question the golem slowly lifted its head and looked towards her. The creature was humanoid in form though far larger standing over three meters tall. The construct then slowly began to stand up and walk towards the center of the training area. Its foot falls were noticeable even on the stone floor thanks to its density being far greater then that of a humans'. It was impossible for Oshgun not to speak up. “I can't believe your parents let you have that.”

“Well it's not like they were using it for anything which is surprising. Anyway, it makes my father uncomfortable to have it in the battle field or too close to the castle. He fears that some mage could just come along and turn Bruin against him. So he won't risk using it in battle.”

“Just where did you learn about it anyway?”

“I learned about it while studying some of the Grove's notes. Apparently Gale the third grew somewhat concerned about the security of his throne. He wanted some enforcers unquestioning and powerful. So he had these golems constructed of course such things are costly. Even the king couldn't afford to have a true army of such constructs made. In the end only three were made one was stationed in the castle court yard of whatever castle the king was at and two were with him at all times.”

“So what happened to the other two?”

“They were eventually destroyed in battle leaving only one behind. For a while it stood as guardian to the king but my grandfather didn't have a taste for such creatures. Something that my father inherited from him.”

After a moment of silence Oshgun gave a quick nod. It wasn't the most powerful golem he'd ever seen though it most assuredly showed a royal bankroll behind its construction. He had no doubt that whatever destroyed the previous two must have been quite powerful. “Casandra I have to wonder why you choose to face off against this instead of against me?”

Now Casandra was made to grin as she glanced back at Oshgun. “I need you here this time to insure it won't kill me. After that if it works I'll have a sparring partner I can use anytime I desire. Unlike you who has your own things to take care of.”

“I see. Well thanks for the consideration.”

“You're welcome. Now Bruin I'm going to strike you. The force that I use against you is the same amount of force you can use in your punches while you spar with me. You are not to kill me and if it seems I've been seriously injured or I tell you you're to stop immediately. Do you understand?”

In response the golem slowly nodded its head though no words came through its lips. However, the construct did cross its arms clearly creating a barrier for Casandra to strike. Its cold eyes focused clearly on Casandra as she bent at the knees taking on a combative stance and then pushed off the ground. Instantly Bruin's orders to defend itself kicked in and were overridden by Casandra's previous orders. The golem allowed her fist to connect solidly with its own body.

As Casandra struck the flesh golem she felt a brief moment of give followed by an insanely solid response. Her punch was stopped cold despite carrying both the force from her legs and arms. There was no doubt in her mind that Bruin was well beyond her ability to damage with her fist and more then capable of tearing an ogre apart. For a moment she actually felt a slight tingle in her knuckles as the punch actually hurt her hand. The strike was more powerful then her average punch but she meant for Bruin to use more power then she would be.

Upon receiving Casandra's punch Bruin uncrossed his arms and took on a crude combative stance. Whoever had made the golem had either given it or the ability to learn basic combative techniques. However, without an order to begin attacking her the golem held its ground simply making ready for the fight.

At first Casandra said nothing but looked upon the golem. She then took in a deep breath. Fortunately the magic that ran throughout the walls and floor would keep the room from being torn apart most likely. “Spar with me.”

In response to Casandra's comment Bruin quickly struck out. The massive golem's fist cut through the air making full use of its immense size and thus superior reach over Casandra. Her orders limited the power that it could put into the punch but the golem didn't have any intent of going easy on her. This was something made all too clear to Casandra who had miss judged the golem's reach and ended up receiving the full force of the punch. Fortunately for Casandra there was nothing holding her to the ground.

Before she could even think what of what was happening Casandra felt herself lifted off the floor and flung through the air. The impact hurt but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it would have been if she'd been rooted in place. It was made clear to her immediately she she'd given Bruin permission to use quite a bit of force. There wasn't time to think about this though as she could already hear Bruin moving towards her. Pressing off the ground with both her hands and feet she quickly leaped out of the way as the golem's massive fist met the stone.

Nearly the moment Bruin's fist slammed into the stone floor Casandra had spun around. Pressing off the ground she quickly leaped into the air and drove her foot into Bruin's arm. As her foot impacted the massive golem she was once again reminded of how sturdy the construct was. It didn't even flinch under the force of her kick. Fortunately her body did respond to the force and the reaction was enough to send her well away from Bruin's massive fist as he struck out at her again.

Bruin was well beyond Casandra's ability to handle with her fist. This was already clear to Oshgun. The golem had just shrugged off Casandra's kick like it was nothing. However, Oshgun couldn't help but be proud of her. She had taken a solid blow from such a monstrous creature and kept fighting. Given that such golems could easily bash their way through castle walls it was no small accomplishment. What's more if she were to take up her ax he felt she had a good chance of winning. There was a world of difference between force spread out over a human fist and the same force focused on the blade of an enchanted weapon.

As Casandra landed she wasn't too surprised whenever she felt a shard of pain in her foot. She'd put a lot of power into that strike and it had very little affect. Unfortunately such situations didn't allow her to tap a golem. The only way she was going to bring down Bruin with her fist was to hit him hard enough to overwhelm the constructs mystic armor. At the same time though she had to keep up her defense and avoid being pulverized. It made her glad she'd chosen to restrict Bruin's strength.

By now Bruin had recognized that Casandra wasn't currently able to harm him. Now the golem forgot all forms of defense. When an opponent wasn't able to harm you it was best to finish them as quickly as possible before aid could arrive. That was the teachings Bruin had been given for such situations and responded to. As the golem moved forward each one of its foot steps resounded off the walls. The golem was anything but subtle but its methods were effective.

Attacking Bruin directly wouldn't work and Casandra knew this. She also knew how quickly those arms could move. As he moved towards her though she couldn't help but think the golem moved slow for its scale. Uncertain as to whether or not this was true or if the golem was holding back Casandra chose a wide attack path. Moving well to Bruin's side as she began to maneuver around behind him.

As Casandra found herself moving behind Bruin she couldn't help but grin. The golem was far more durable then her and if it wasn't for her order stronger. She knew that attacking Bruin's upper body wouldn't do much good. So she chose to focus on his legs. Casandra wasn't prepared for how quickly Bruin responded though. Nearly the moment she came within the constructs reach it spun around with a speed of movement seeming to defy its size.

Oshgun watched as Bruin turned around, the massive constructs fist at the ready. In less then a blink of an untrained eye it spun around and drove its fist into Casandra. Fortunately Casandra had managed to shield herself with her arms. It was enough to impress Oshgun. All golems he had encountered were strong, all of them were durable but very few of them were fast. He doubted that Casandra appreciated this at the moment as she was sent flying across the room and slamming into the wall.

“Gah!” All Casandra could do was gasp as she was made to slam into the stone wall and topple to the ground. She had thought she'd found Bruin's weak point but the golem had shown her. The speed with which it moved was far greater then she thought it was able. At first she fully expected it to be on her in seconds however upon looking up she found Bruin hadn't moved. A slight grunt escaped her as she began to stand up and realized the situation.

Bruin was slow when it came to direct travel. However, he could quickly twist around and adjust his position. You could easily get behind him but that didn't mean you had the advantage. So at the moment his only weakness seemed to be that he was easy to run away from. Then again Casandra figured he could probably throw something pretty far considering how he'd just sent her across the room. “You're, better made then I thought.”

“Princess Casandra you may have to limit Bruin's speed for now. At the moment I'm afraid the only thing you're learning is how to be smacked around.”

“You may be right Oshgun. I guess there isn't always a lesson in defeat.”

A slight chuckle escaped Oshgun as he shook his head. “No. It's nice when there is a lesson and often there is but when your opponent is this far beyond your abilities I doubt you'll learn much.”

“At least he'll last me a while then. Okay Bruin I want you to cut your reaction time down by one quarter of a second..”

Once again Bruin nodded though this time it took him a fourth of a second longer to respond.

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It never ceased to surprise Dean how many things were learned purely by accident. He knew of alchemist that had spent their life times trying to find ways to improve upon living things and they had indeed met with some success. However, as he looked over his notes he was surprised by how many paths they had never tried. Was it because the discovery had first been made by alchemist working in plants? It didn't make sense to him. While the planet alchemist didn't have much interest in such results it didn't mean that another couldn't see where the path led.

Of course now came the tough part. Deciding which path was truly the most likely to succeed while also finding the one that was the most testable. First he would need to strike out those paths that he couldn't begin to examine either due to cost or the materials involved. Dean didn't get too far into the task though as a knocking at the door drew his attention. “Who is it?”

“Oshgun, I've come to speak to you about Casandra.”

In response Dean stood up and made his way over to the door. Unlike Casandra Oshgun didn't have a key to the door so he had to open it. It was rare that Dean spoke with Oshgun so he had to be reminded to look up upon opening the door. “Come in.”

It was clear to Oshgun that Dean didn't want to speak about Casandra in the open. He hadn't even hinted about what they were going to talk about and Dean already wanted him inside and the door shut. As he stepped in his eyes immediately fell upon the potion of strength Dean was working on. The heavy concentration of energy inside the vial made it stand out right away even though it wasn't complete yet. “I heard that Casandra came by and talked to you earlier.”

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21 Mar 2008 22:31 #11958 by happiest_in_shadows
Replied by happiest_in_shadows on topic Re: The Chains she Chose chapter 1
“Yes she wanted an examination after her battle. She was worried her body might have been blemished.”

“Was it?”

“No. She recovered quite nicely from her injuries and I couldn't find any visible signs of a wound. I imagine the swift application of a healing potion had something to do with that.”

In response Oshgun gave a quick nod. “So is that all she wanted you to do?”

“That's all I feel comfortable talking about.”

They had only just began to speak and Dean was already putting up walls. Oshgun had no doubt in his mind that he wanted to protect Casandra. It would be difficult to press the alchemist for information. He didn't want to resort to threats and didn't know how well that would play out. “I'm concerned about Casandra's mental health. Did anything happen that would make you worry?”

“No. Her mental state is fine as far as I can tell.” As Dean spoke he chose to only refer to Casandra in the presence tense. He didn't want to give any indicators that she had been upset whenever she first came to him. However, Dean didn't want to lie about the matter either. He knew Casandra trusted Oshgun so he hoped to avoid deception. Regardless of Casandra's trust though Dean didn't want to talk about her either without her knowledge.

“That's good. I was worried whenever I saw her fighting those kobolds.”

Dean couldn't help but suspect that Oshgun wanted him to ask about the fight and while he was curious he had a better answer. “I'll have to ask Casandra to tell me about it whenever she has a free moment and comes by. I find that talking helps people to relax and makes examinations go more smoothly.”

In just a few words Dean had opened a door and promptly shut it once again. He had admitted to speaking with Casandra on casual terms then shut the door by reducing it to a medical practice. However, he hadn't locked the door. “I think what surprised me most was whenever I saw her take a kobold by its head and drive it into the ground. She actually put enough force behind the impact to shatter the skull. I thought she may throw up right then and there but she didn't. It's odd she sees vomit and wants to quit because she thinks it's gross. She spills someone's brain on the ground and she didn't flinch.”

For a moment Dean was made to frown not at Oshgun telling him this but that Casandra hadn't mentioned it. It was impossible for him not to worry that she was keeping some burden tucked away. He knew she had enough to carry around at the moment. “I'm sure the fact that there was a small army of kobolds trying to take her life had something to do with it.”

“I hope you're right.”

End chapter 1

Okay, it'll be a while before I begin working on chapter two as I need to redo the first few pages of the story. I also want to work some on chapter 7 of a gts story I'm writing.

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