.^^ Bedlam ^^

— James —

I sighed and looked at Warren's raised eyebrow, as I entered the outdoor arena he'd found, apparently usually used for paintball tournaments, if the paint was any indication. "Yes, I know; late to the first session, bad sign. I had to go save my father from being stranded in Laos."

He raised the other eyebrow. "How'd he get stranded in Cambodia?"

"Apparently a drunken sex-stroll with Rafaela. I don't know, nor do I want the details." I shrugged.

He nodded. "Had a few of those, though the furthest I've ever wandered is Scotland. Long story, that, but funny as hell. Now, first lesson, Fight a Dragon." He said casually, and a dragon dropped out of the sky.

I summoned my shield and sword in a split second, blocking the flames with both weapon and shield as I found cover.

The sword rang softly, and I looked at it, as the blue flames gained a red tint, turning almost purple.

"Huh. At least my enchantment works." I dodged a claw as the dragon lashed out, and cut through it, making him screech, and leap back. The sword took that, as well, and I grinned, setting my shield in front of me, and charging the beast.

Warren appeared, kicking me aside and catching the dragon's paw, just as casually as he'd summoned it. "No. You're fighting like a human. You're Not... at least, only half." He shrugged.

"And magic will do what, exactly, against a dragon?" I asked archly.

"Lots, if you know how." He shrugged, and waved a hand. The dragon squeaked, now a very large rat. It hasn't changed size, only species. With another wave, it was back, and glaring at him. "Magic washes off their scales, yes, but I think you've already figured out the fix for that, yeah?" He asked.

I hummed, then nodded, stepping back. When the fighting resumed, I pushed my magic into his open mouth and nostrils, blinding him with sudden silver cataracts over his eyes.

"Interesting strategy. Step 1: Block his senses, sending him into a directionless rage. Then Step 2: Stop his heart. Well done. Well, that's enough fighting for today. Release him." He shrugged.

I nodded and reversed everything I'd done. "I appreciate your guidance." I said in draconic Latin.

He hummed deeply, then nodded. "I appreciate the opportunity to train with an Ünterking." Then he curled up on one side of the arena, and went to sleep.

"Uhm... is he staying?" I asked.

"Of course, he's my Familiar. His name is Bedlam, and he'll be your partner most days, until I decide you're strong enough to fight me without dying." He nodded.

"Oh... I didn't know dragon's could be familiars." I grinned.

"It's very difficult, Yeah. Now moving on to the best part. Meditation." He nodded seriously, and sat down across from me on top of a pair of pillars, which we situated ourselves on carefully.

"Seriously?" I asked dryly.

"Yes. The best way to control your emotions is to clear your mind, direct the emotional energy into something positive, and then relax. So, meditation. You'll be using your emotional energy to levitate." He nodded, and closed his eyes, floating off the pillar a few inches.

"I don't actually know how to levitate. I'll forge, instead." I shrugged, and pulled out a piece of volcanic glass, obsidian, then closed my eyes, pushing what he'd described as Emotional Energy into it, along with Mana, then carved the rune for finding/seeking into it.

It slowly thinned, in my minds eye, into a monocle, thicker around the edges, while the middle got clear. The Runes for seeking I kept carving around the outer rim, on all three sides available to me.

Finally, I carved the Runes in Greek that were a bastardization of the original spell I'd been taught. This one only allowed you to see through illusions, not tear them down.

"You're not relaxing." He sighed.

I flinched and almost dropped the monocle. "I was, actually, until you spoke! Crafting relaxes me!"

He hummed. "Well, I suppose everyone relaxes differently... but try something that takes no mental effort, like pushing magic into something you've pre-enchanted, just waiting for power. That way you can relax mentally and physically, while draining off your excess emotional energy... but always remember, don't get rid of all of it. You need a few drops, to still have emotions in the day, you know?"

I nodded. "That last part makes sense, but I feel like you don't actually understand Crafting. You can't 'pre-enchant'; it's not a computer that can download programming without installing it." I said dryly.

He grinned. "Isn't it, though?"

I hummed at my finished monocle, and set it into my bag, then pulled out a piece of volcanic gold. "Pre-Enchant... Hmm... sounds stupid." I tried anyway, seeing if it was possible to lay an enchantment with no power.

The enchantment stuck immediately, and I activated it by pushing magic into it. It ignited for a moment, then the magic ran out, unlike when you did it the other way around.

"Huh... that's very interesting. Not very useful, but interesting." I shrugged, and went back to what I'd been doing.

—

I was shaken back to my senses, and looked at the mass of little talismans floating in front of me. "Hmm. How long has it been?"

"You successfully proved me wrong. You meditated for about five hours, actually. And it looks like you have your own little source of income." He nodded at the talismans.

I tucked them all into my bag, and nodded. "Alright, So it's about noon?"

"Just about." He nodded.

"Then that'll be my schedule. I'll meditate with you, then sell my creations, and buy new raw materials." I nodded, and hopped down from the pillar.

He grinned. "In a hurry to leave? I can still teach. We were only supposed to meditate for a few hours. 3 at the most."

"Oh... what was next?"

"Well, now that your emotional energy is drained off, it's the perfect time to train you physically. Come at me." He pulled off his jacket, setting it to one side, then lit a cigarette, throwing his lighter into his jacket.

I gathered magic in my fingers, and he shook his head. "You know what I meant." He sighed, blowing smoke.

I shrugged and stepped into his body, until my face was a few inches from his chest, before he could flinch away. My fists laid deep blows into each of his kidneys, and then a knee into his sternum, stunning his diaphragm.

He stumbled back a step, and hummed, tapping ash off his cigarette. "Decent, you've had training before. But what about dealing with an opponent faster and stronger than you?" He darted forward, his form blurring.

My instincts helped me dodge the first few attacks, while I pushed my magic deep into my muscles, casually manipulating my skeletal density. The many medical lessons Athenos had taught me, while we healed his patients together, helped immensely.

Crystal from my bag pierced my skin, grafting itself over my bones and under my skin like endoskeletal and sub-dermal armor. He noticed, and paused, then smirked, continuing his attacks, faster now.

I thought about my crystals, as I responded to his attacks nearly unconsciously, and began changing their structure meticulously. I had studied non-Newtonian ballistic gel, in my last school, (the teacher was a total nerd who just thought it was cool, during physics class, to show us a Non-Newtonian Substance, which made everything he taught us meaningless,) and I knew the basic theory behind it.

Before I changed the ones in my body, and possibly killed myself, I made some in my bag, to test it's structure. The goal was to make a gel-like crystalline substance, that was fluid in its non-activated state, while any impact made it suddenly rigidify.

"Are you thinking of something nice?" He asked, barely breathing hard.

"Yeah, actually. Really interesting physics problem. Non-Newtonian substances." I grinned, and began blocking, instead of dodging, and now actively analyzed how he fought, instead of reacting unconsciously.

It was clear he was a boxer, not much else, by his build, which focused on his upper body strength and balance, more than kicking.

My substance completed, I changed all that I'd put inside myself, and rolled my neck to release the new tension. After the impromptu surgery was completed, I began my attack.

I was suddenly too fast to fully control, but I quickly dialed it down, until exactly when I needed to strike. He grunted in approval, when I managed to take his glasses off with a sharp kick that should have hit his temple.

"Very good. You adapted... but you should really think before you alter your body so permanently, yeah?" He hummed.

"It'll grow with me. Unlike metal, it won't poison my blood, and as it's not solid, it won't light up any metal scanners." I grinned.

He nodded. "I suppose next you'll be doing what I had done, and branding your bones?"

"Sounds appropriate. Maybe some Runes to prevent people using Seeking on me, something like what's on my sword, to absorb spells I don't know. I don't know the limit of my powers. I'll find them, though." My foot connected with his chest, and he skidded back a few steps, against a low wall.

He grinned. "Alright... now it's a party!" He launched himself at me, speeding up until my instincts were all that was keeping me from getting pummeled, as I couldn't see him clearly. He wasn't that much stronger than me, physically, but his speed made him extremely difficult to fight.

I stopped moving suddenly, and caught the fist he swung at my chin. "Gotcha." I grinned, and hauled off my left fist, burying it into his stomach.

He grunted, stepping back. "Ow... decent hit. Not bad." He shrugged, and then his own fist dug into my gut.

I flew over three separate walls, before I slammed into one, my new armor working as if designed it, but the sudden stop still shook my brain, and destroyed my balance.

"Gotta work... on the balance thing." I nodded, and puked up my breakfast.

"What balance thing?" He was standing nearby, leaning casually against a wall.

"The blow didn't do any physical damage, but the sudden stop destroyed my balance." I shook my head to clear it, and stood up.

"Hmm... interesting armor. Started liquid, turned solid around my fist. Nicely done, but you'll still need to develop some natural toughness, like me. No fancy armor can do that for you." He shrugged.

"You're Right... but that's requiring me to play fair." The ground under him turned to sand quartz, each tiny granule of sand crystallizing, and expanding rapidly.

He smashed through them easily, as their density was rapidly decreased as they got bigger, but it distracted him long enough for me to grab a handful of sand, and throw it at him, expanding that as well, when it hit his skin.

By the time he smashed through it all, I was gone, climbing the walls and running along the top.

"I was wondering when you'd stop fighting like a human!" He laughed. "Rules are for squares! Unless you've sworn to follow the rules, they mean nothing! But how long can you run?"

"A very long time. I do track and field." I responded, and dropped behind him, slamming an oaken club down on his skull, then dropping him into the sand, as it all condensed, making a pit.

He looked up at me from the bottom. "Really? A pit? You realize I can jump out of this, yes?"

"Can you?" I challenged, and created a glass ceiling, laced with Runes of power to stop him getting out. Then the sand returned to its normal density, slamming him against the glass.

He chuckled softly, and then dug his hands into the glass, as I made the sand under him melt. His eyes widened, as he sank, and I froze it again, as soon as he was neck-deep.

The dragon snorted. "The little one has done admirably. Stop toying with him."

The Warren In the glass turned to a wooden manikin, and I blanched. "I was fighting... a wooden manikin?!?"

The real one (I hoped,) sat on the edge of the arena, clapping. "That was well done! Now let's break for lunch, yes?"

I chuckled softly, shaking my head. "Yeah. Sure. Let me guess, you are much, much stronger than that manikin."

"It contained a fraction of my power. Perhaps a tenth. Don't sell yourself short. It's about as powerful as an above-average Ogre. Not these run-of-the-mill Ogres running around everywhere, all cocky-like, no... real Ogres." He hummed, shaking his head.

"Can I make one?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll teach you. Not that difficult. Yours would be made of crystal, I suppose, and capable of doing magic. It's a great way of going places, without moving. You, of course, can just portal your way around, but that takes so much magic... a Golem is much better. On its own, it'll follow the maker's orders... but with you possessing it, it becomes as powerful as you can make it." He nodded.

"So, no matter where it is, I can connect to it, and effectively go there, while my body stays safe. Invented by a coward, no doubt." I snorted.

"No doubt. Useful, though. Now for food!" He led me back to the compound, and I was surprised by the increase in numbers. Apparently weekends meant even more family members.

"Good god... how do I possibly remember all their faces?" I breathed.

"We're all related. They're all iterations of the same face, if you look closely enough." Grampa Xeda clapped my shoulder, shoving a bowl of stew into my hands. "Eat, you look very tired."

"I've been fighting and forging all day, I suppose I should look tired." I chuckled, and scarfed down the stew, then went to find something else.

Even the grammas were amazed by how much food I ate, and I was amazed by my own appetite. I realized, after I had finally satisfied myself, that I had eaten far more than my fair share.

I blushed and apologized, giving the lady and men who'd cooked some of my best Relics as compensation. They tried to refuse, but Xeda shook his head. "The Boy Fed himself, and now makes sure everyone else is fed, as well. Take them. The Market will appreciate them."

I nodded and made my way to one end of the courtyard, finding Mum sleeping on a couch, stomach distended. I laughed, and covered her with a blanket. "The Gramma's got ahold of you, huh?" I asked when she opened her eyes.

She smiled dreamily. "They are very nice... but my stomach can't hold this much food..."

I chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Sleep It off. If you're lucky, you'll miss dinner." I winked.

She giggled. "Yeah, Maybe, Huh? How did your day with Warren go?"

"Pretty well. Turns out I'm as physically powerful as a Dragon, and also a 'Real Ogre'. I wasn't aware normal Ogres were an inferior breed." I hummed.

She blinked, sitting up against the arm of the couch behind her. "He said that?"

"Well, he implied it, I don't think he said that normal Ogres were-"

"No, the other part?"

"Oh, yes. And I fought him and his dragon Familiar, (who is awesome, named Bedlam,) and turns out he was using a Golem, the whole time, though I beat the golem without a mark on me. Trapped it in Rune'd Glass." I smirked.

She smiled. "That's my boy... interesting. You're more powerful than I thought. I'm sorry for underestimating you, my dear. I will go with you to your next training session, and show Warren what-for. Seeing two royalty going at it will open your eyes a bit, I guarantee."

I grinned. "That Sounds hilarious. I'm off to Market, you get some sleep, Alright?" I pressed her back down into the couch, then covered her and tucked her into the blankets.

She chuckled. "Mm. You're growing too fast... Not supposed to be more mature than me." She complained sleepily, and yawned.

"Get some sleep, mum." I kissed her cheeks, and then left her, finding my way to the Market.

Kari was buying some materials, so I joined her silently, and then when she examined a piece of diamond, I spoke. "I wouldn't recommend-"

"FUCK!?!?" She shrieked, and I caught the diamond she flung, setting it back on the table.

"I wouldn't recommend that one. Flaw in the matrix, see?" I pointed at a small crack in the center of the diamond.

"I know, I'm taking flawed materials to teach you all tomorrow about how to fix them." She nodded, pressing a hand to her racing heart.

I realized I could hear her heartbeat, and smell the sweat on her skin, even amongst the Market, where millions of scents and sounds intertwined, making the air thick with them.

I shook my head, and paid attention as I realized she'd continued speaking. "-and Craft the renewed substances into talismans. It'll be fun, yes?"

I nodded distractedly, my eyesight focusing on the scar in her left brow, then the black follicles of her blonde hair. "You dye your Hair... Interesting." I hummed, the vibration traveling down my sternum distractingly.

Suddenly she was yelling, though her words didn't really reflect any change in emotion. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT, CHILD? YOUR FACE IS VERY PALE... DO YOU HAVE A FEVER?"

"I'm sorry... can you... speak softer? My ears-" I groaned, covering them as the sounds around me assaulted my suddenly tender eardrums.

She gripped my shoulder, and a shattering amount of pain and tactile sensory overload ripped through me. The crystal in my body shivered, chilling me to the bone, and my heartbeat began to skip.

She gasped, and caught me as I crumpled to the ground.