^^ Black Steel Armor ^^

Teleportation was weird.

Simple statement, Complex implications.

Medea had demanded to watch when she realized I was leaving with Luna, and Luna did her the favor of not turning invisible first. Apparently, each person's version of a spell was vastly different, and they were incredibly personal, because they were direct representations of your Soul, given form and used to affect a change in the fabric of reality. Still, Luna allowed Medea to copy down the semi-geometric design, then promised to help her develop her own, later.

Then we stepped into the little circle, -it was only perhaps two feet wide, and she was pressed very closely against my chest to fit, which only made her smirk,- and all thought fled my mind as I suddenly dropped like a stone, landing on top of something soft.

I blinked a few times, my vision blurring and focusing on what -or who,- was under me, and then I stood up swiftly, away from the grinning Luna. "Well that was... bracing! Up you get!" I grabbed her armor's collar and hauled her to her feet, slightly peeved at her behavior so far.

She nodded and looked around the room, perhaps twelve by twelve, full of various books and a mannequin of the human body, well-detailed and describing the circulatory system, it seemed. "Odd... thought she'd be here..."

"Who?" I asked, picked up a leather-bound book without a title and examining the spine.

"That's a journal, I don't imagine it's polite to read them, though I've never used one myself, and I thought my mother would be here." She hummed.

"I thought your mother was a Warrior that didn't want you to be a Healer?" I asked, gesturing at the medical books as I placed the journal back where it had been.

"Ha! She studies medicine to find more efficient ways to kill, not heal!" She laughed sharply, clearly disapproving of the concept.

"Smart, I suppose. A knowledge of your enemy is required for any type of victory. Those without knowledge and information are doomed to fail." I shrugged.

"Wise words, I like her..." a woman of the same height as Luna came out of a side room, drying her hair, and raised an eyebrow at me. "Though she is barely equipped for a scrap with a duck..."

"I've had three weeks here, and that time has been spent making sure my Clan are secure and safe. Equipping myself before they had shelter and food would have been both stupid and wasteful." I responded blandly, while Luna had been stumped and stuttering an answer. Clearly her mother intimidated her, which I understood easily enough.

She grinned happily, and gave me a solid hug, making Luna stare at us in a puzzled stupor. "Oooh I like her!!! Are we keeping you, my dear? Your clan is so very small, we wouldn't mind you becoming a Branch-Clan and relocating here to the capital?"

"Yeera has very clearly stated my Clan is to be called the Children of the Half-Mountain, Lady Luna. Moving would possibly be Blasphemy, though I don't believe she would mind overly much. And I do not like being touched." I shook my head and freed myself from the hug with a shrug of my shoulders, making both of them gasp softly.

"Ah... my apologies, then, I meant no offense." The woman in front of me nodded apologetically, stepping back, and Luna's jaw dropped. Her mother, of course, noticed with the eyes on the back of her head. "Close your mouth, girl, and stand up straight! You are being rude!" She turned and frowned at her daughter severely, instantly correcting the behavior.

"Apologies, mother." She muttered, standing straight.

"Humph... now, you had a reason for entering my chambers without going through security? Is this a secret visit?" She got to business easily, and then surprised me by stripping the bathrobe she'd been wearing, tossing it into a small basket and pulling on a pair of underwear while I remained frozen, staring at the ceiling.

"Yes, mother."

"Mm... alright. What needs doing?" She accepted the answer easily, and sat on a stool nearby, making Luna relax, though I was still looking away from the naked woman.

"They'd like to join the Collective, and have one of our branch clans move to the Half-mountain to help with production and security; Johann and Theo are the only fighters from the clan of ten, and they're both technically Blessed Craftsman with an affinity for warhammers, not Warriors." She gave the truncated version of the situation, which both I and the bold woman before us seemed to appreciate for its efficiency.

She hummed softly, smoothing her medium-length white hair back. "Well, I don't mind... Blue Rock Branch was just ousted by that Flood of the Valley, and they can't return until late next fall at the earliest, so they wouldn't mind moving sixty miles or so uphill. I'll have it done. The Collective, though... as a White Clan? Or A Blessed Artist Clan?"

"Well... all of them are Artists except for Clark, my new Apprentice, as a Healer, but they're all Blessed... I only worry that because they don't actually export anything currently..." Luna shrugged.

"Do not shrug in front of me, girl... but they are a Blessed Clan, regardless. Tax is only one gold piece for that type of clan... if you have enough for six months' membership, they'll allow it, and the White Cliff Red Clan will back you. Anything else?" She asked casually, drinking from a canteen.

"The Challenge is today? She wanted to watch, to understand how we do things here. The Laws of Combat are different in her Old Realm."

"Oh? Yes, I imagine they are! Your little Girlie is welcome to stand by you on the Healers' Rise!" She winked at Luna, who blushed fiercely at the implication.

"I am no one's Girlie, Woman. Check yourself." I raised an eyebrow down at her, irritated by both the misconception and the way she talked down to us both.

Luna flinched, taking a slow step back as her mother stood up, nearly eye-level with me. "Indeed you are not... you again have my apologies. Now be on your way, both of you, and come through official channels next time." She nodded and turned away from my impassive, piercing gaze, pulling some clothes and a set of armor off of an armor stand next to her bed.

I grunted in surprise when I was yanked through another teleportation circle, and now I stood amongst a group of about thirty people, on a hill. "What the-"

"You got more apologies in that conversation than I've gotten in a lifetime... I pulled us out of there before you pushed your luck too far." Luna sighed in relief and plopped on the grass to my right tiredly.

"Is this how people feel when you teleport them all over without warning?" I gestured to my stomach, which was not happy about the transition.

"Pretty much, yes. Sorry." She stood up slowly and stretched her back, watching a few people in robes approach us, helping along a very old man. "Elder Healer Gump, it's been a while!"

The older man grinned happily at her and nodded. "Why, Yes it has, Miss Luna! You look a bit peaked, though, is everything alright?"

"Fresh from a meeting with my mother, is all, I'm fine." She waved his concern off, and he nodded understandingly.

"Yes, indeed... and who is this young woman? I am the Healer from Gump Forrest, Elder Mica, but people call me Gump!" He held a knobby-knuckled hand out to me to shake, smiling kindly.

I smiled and gripped the hand gently, shaking it and releasing before I broke his fragile bones. "Theodora, originally from Rainbow Glacier, Montana, and currently the Half-Mountain Of... I'm not sure what region. Blessed Craftswoman."

"Half-Mountain? Why haven't I heard of such a place?" He looked at the small man who had been escorting him curiously.

"It is new, Elder; when the Clan she speaks of was Summoned here from their Realm, half of the Silver Clay Mountain was 'traded' for them and their iron carriage; the new arrivals are Blessed Artists except for one Blessed Healer, now rumored to be Healer Luna's Apprentice, and they number Ten." The young man explained quietly.

"Don't forget the 50 of our People who died in the Arrival." I added dryly, unwilling to let them be so easily ignored; their names had been found in their belongings and luggage, and recorded just in case.

He bowed his head, startled. "I-of course, I meant no disrespect!"

"Wise. Now, when's this Challenge happening? I'm curious to see what your people call a Battle... 300 is a generous number, but your side seems a bit lacking?" I gestured at the thirty people around us, confused by their scholarly dress, for half of them, and the other half wore armor. "Or... are these the Healers and their Guards?"

"There you go, dear. Yes, this is the Healer's Rise, a hill near the center of the selected battlefield; the wounded on either side are brought here for Healing, and then kept here until the end. Those are the Collective's forces." Luna pointed over my shoulder, and I looked south, finding a teeming field of people wearing medieval armor and showing varying degrees of high spirits.

Kindle popped out of the crowd, waving, and was stopped at the bottom of the hill by two of the guards. "Hey Luna! Brought your Sweet to the Rise, huh? No fair!!!"

"Suck an Egg, Kindle!!!" Luna yelled back, flipping her off, and the woman laughed carelessly, unaffected by the rebuttal.

She produced a set of armor and some curious weapons from behind her back, undoubtably through magical means, and handed them to one of the guards, who grunted at the weight. "Give those to the lady with the Pink Hair, Alright? I've got to get back to my Clan. Bye Lovelies!!! See you in a bit!!!"

We waved, and she disappeared back into the crowd as the guard lugged the heavy pile up the slope to me. He dropped them in front of me, and blew a deep breath out. "By the five, what is that armor made of?" He grunted.

"Looks like Black Steel of some sort." I hummed, and picked it up casually. It weighed maybe eighty pounds, total, with two layers; chain-mail and then plate-mail. It was a bit hefty for clothes, but seemed to give protection to every portion of my body except the interior of my thighs, and even that was covered in a layer of chain-mail. "Help me put this on, please?" I asked Luna, unsure of how it worked.

"Of course, you might need it soon." She nodded, and began showing me the Hidden buckles under the plates, which fastened the plates to the chain-mail and the chain-mail to the harness, which was a portion I hadn't seen, that looked not unlike a mechanic's jump-suit. It didn't inhibit my movement any, which I liked, and I tested jumping and jogging in it, and it was even easier than running with a backpack; the weight was distributed perfectly, so there was no need to re-balance myself every step.

"Alright, I like it... now for these weapons... what has she brought me?" I smiled, picking up a large hammer, easily another eighty-pounds, which had enough heft to need some muscle for me to swing around, but I still needed only one hand to do so. "I like this one... and this?" A longer weapon, the same height as me, which seemed a mixture of a hammer and an axe.

"A Halberd... not many can wield them properly." Luna explained.

It was about forty pounds, but the length made it unwieldy and slow, so I set it aside. An axe finished out the set, the same size and weight as the hammer, and they seemed a matching set. I gave them a few test swings, and nodded appreciatively. "I like these, yes. I'll give her the halberd back, none of the others will be able to use it."

She stared at me for a moment, and then hummed. "Do you... feel stronger, after being blessed by the Lady Yeera?" She asked.

"Hmm? No, she Blessed my Golem-Making ability; she specifically said she wouldn't bless my ability to Destroy things, only to Create them." I shook my head, and attached the two weapons to my hips, where they hung comfortably. "Why? Do I seem stronger? They're nowhere near as heavy as the Train, my dear, and you saw me pull that?"

"You're not wrong... I suppose." She shook her head, and looked at the Elder Mica, I believe his name was. "Well, regardless, the battle will begin at Noon, yes?"

I picked up the last weapon, a heavy crossbow nearly as heavy as the rest of the weapons. It looked like it would work for now, though I'd need to make my own soon, a proper Compound or Double Recurve, maybe both if I could manage it. I slung it on the strap that kept it at my back, and looked up to find the man regarding me appraisingly.

"Indeed... And is your strong friend taking part?" He asked, looking at her.

"No, Elder-"

"If the two survivors who killed my predecessors are here, I suppose I'll have to take part, Yes. I did not know them, but I think my responsibility in the matter is clear." I answered for myself, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh... sorry. If you're taking part, Theo, you can't be up here... I thought you just wanted to watch?" She asked, confused.

"And then I received weapons, just in time. I take that as a sign, as small a one as it is." I shrugged.

Her confusion cleared completely, and she nodded. "I see, yes, then you'll need to stay near Kindle. You're a good match for her, with those weapons. I hope I don't see you until the end of the Challenge; if I do, it'll mean you're getting healing." She explained, and shooed me off the hill gently.

I nodded and kissed her cheek, grabbing the Halberd. "Don't you worry your perty little heart over me, Luna, I'm a Tough'ol Gal."

"Yes yes, off with you!" She blushed, shooing me away more insistently as her fellow Healers giggled and whistled softly.

I jogged down the slope calmly, taking a direct route towards where I'd last seen Kindle. People parted before me curiously, -likely thinking I was a Medic going towards a wounded, given where I'd come from,- and I reached her with almost no trouble, finding her standing with a group of people armed with spears and shields, each as lightly armored as she was.

"You're not supposed to leave the Rise, Theodora..." she sighed, noticing me as I approached.

"Eh. Felt like getting weapons right as I was being asked if I was participating was a pretty clear omen." I shrugged.

Three of her fellows nodded seriously. "That does seem like an Omen."

"Hmm... Alright, I'll take responsibility for my part of that." She shook her head at whatever she was thinking, and gestured to her circle, indicating I should step in.

"Mm. Oh, and this is for you; I don't really like the balance, so I'll stick with what I know." I handed her the Halberd back, and showed her the hammer and axe on my hips.

She raised an eyebrow slowly. "Both?"

I shrugged and drew them easily, flipping them in my hands with little effort. "They're not very heavy, maybe 80 stone? Same as the armor, really. Is there any armor that's heavier?"

Her eyebrow twitched a little, and she sighed. "No. No there isn't, unless you mean Adamantite, and that's too expensive for you. Easily fifty gold for a full Heavy Plate set of that stuff. Twenty more for a weapon made of it." She shook her head as a final answer to the question.

"Mm... I see. So five more of those little Bandit-Bands, and I can get that stuff? Easy pickings. Anyway, are you ready? I'm a bit hungry... oh! Here." I pulled some Jerky out of my leather satchel, -it was basically a purse, but I refused to call it that,- and offered her some, chewing on my own piece.

She accepted slowly, and then sniffed it and sighed deeply. "Theo... Wyvern Jerky is worth its weight in Silver. Don't waste it."

"Food is only ever wasted if no one eats it; my dad taught me that." I shrugged, offering her friends some.

They hesitantly accepted it, when she sighed and nodded, and we sat in companionable silence, munching happily on the Jerky that Sam had made pretty tasty, after they'd added some basic spices and smoked the meat a second time in a salt-pack.

"So when is the battle considered over? When everyone on one side is down? When their leader is down?" I asked, watching the progression of the sun as it approached noon.

"When there's no one left standing on their side. Then their clan is sent to a new area, under the protection of a different clan, or several, if they're very big. With one as small as theirs, one clan will be enough. Probably White Cliff, now that I think about it, seeing as they're not participating today." Kindle hummed, looking up from sharpening her spear.

"Wait, I thought all the Collective took part?" I frowned.

"Yep, or you send a Blessed Healer. That exempts you from the Banner Call, because one Blessed Healer is more useful to the battle than all your Warriors combined." She explained seriously, and her friends nodded solemnly. "Also, the White Cliff is considered a Crafting Clan, even though their Warriors are almost all Arch-Hunters, just like my Clan, because the ratio of Warriors to others is 1/8, not 1/3." She nodded to a few particularly dangerous-looking people nearby.

A horn sounded suddenly, and everyone around us perked up instantly, like hunting dogs hearing a rabbit in the bushes.

"And so it begins... let's see what you've got." I grinned at her and cracked my back and shoulders to loosen up.

"Says you; you're the one who has something to prove, Theodora." She smirked back at me.