Protector
Crrrrack! Clack! Clack-pum-pum!
My heart fell down the cliff, following the stone I was trying to grab. Hanging onto the cliff, I watched it fall. The hammer of my heartbeat was crushing my poor eardrums. My left hand was desperately keeping me from meeting the ground. My feet and my now-free right hand searched for support but found only thin air. The height seemed infinite. Hope and safety non-existent. A second passed, another, and finally, I understood what happened. I almost fell down the mountain. In fact, my life was still in danger.
Terrified, I grasped with my free hand another sticking rock. I hyperventilated. Cold sweat ran down my body. The sweat was picked up by the cold wind. And with the sweat, warmth was also leaving me, making the wind not just cold, but freezing. Ignoring it, my feet searched for some support. I knew it was there somewhere, so why did my search seem so hopeless? Finally, my feet found the hard stone to rest.
Thank you, Munte, for having mercy on me. I swear to keep protecting the weak and give to the needy. Thank you, Qumo, for giving me strength. I'm gonna keep exercising, so your kindness won’t go to waste.
Seconds passed. I realized that it was over. I lived, and now I had to move unless I wished to turn into an icicle. The mountain was high, but I didn't need to reach the very top. I could not see the threads of roads below — they were too thin. Even the Land crumbs were below me. I looked up, and the clouds seemed so close I could almost touch them.
The cave I had to reach was close; I sensed it. So, the ascent continued.
Slow and steady, Son. Grab onto the next bulge. Check if it's stable. What will your other hand grab onto? Where will your legs go? If you're heading to a dead end, can you return and choose another route? Won't you trap yourself?
Those were the questions taught by my parents. They weren't treasure hunters like I was, but occasionally, they showed their devotion to the Stone by climbing mountains. My own devotion required more finesse.
As long as I could remember, I always liked gems. Even before faceting, their glow mesmerized me. And after seeing the same awe in the eyes of others, I decided to dedicate my life to finding them. But simple gemstones weren’t enough for me. They were expensive, making me able to give away substantial sums of money, but ever since I saw my first magical gem, I could not look at anything else.
I loved their magic. Sometimes, it made them glow. Some emitted sparks of color. Others were filled with smoke or tiny bolts of lightning or liquid colors. Sometimes, the magic gems were cold as ice or hot as lava. But they were always special. Unique in some regard. Gorgeous and priceless. The money I got for them enabled me to help so many people, and that was my true prize.
Warmed by the images of people who I helped, I quickly reached the cave I sought. Shaken and tired, I crawled inside and sat down. The cold wind no longer bothered me. The insane height also. So, the harsh pressure lifted from my mind and from my body. My fist clenched the Connection pendant on my neck. Its familiar shape calmed me further. To help recuperation, I breathed. Some called it "meditation." It was great for stopping thoughts that had no place inside my mind. And it was great for resting. But long ago, the Saxum found out that meditation had another use. And that use changed my whole life.
Some believed us to be the second species of the Lands by population. And even though the Igni are more numerous, the Saxum individuals are the biggest and the strongest. Males are well over two meters tall, while females are generally smaller. The skin color of a Saxum can vary from dark shades of green to blue. But, sure, a lot of us are gray-skinned.
Unlike some species, the Saxum don't have horns, claws, tails, or resistance to fire. We can't fly, breathe underwater, and we don’t have hair at all. Well, at least the Saxum have two pairs of eyes, one under another. It's helpful in a fight since it's twice as hard to blind us. But the Saxum have one more advantage.
All Saxum can "feel" the Stone. With concentration, we can feel where fertile land lies, and where hard rocks are. With more effort, we can find pockets and layers of valuable minerals deep underground — perfect for mining. And we can feel the underground streams and lakes — perfect for new settlements.
The magic-infused gems also had a very distinct feel to them. The same feeling I sensed right now. It was the sense of spiciness. Fainter than pepper in a steaming dish but with a peculiar aftertaste. An aftertaste of sorrow. How could sorrow be an aftertaste? How could I sense an aftertaste if the "taste" was constant? I had no idea, but I felt it, nonetheless.
I knew my gemstone was near. This hike, this climb, this near-death experience — everything I'd been through was about to be rewarded. I already saw the wonder on the face of my future buyer. The gems paid excellent, and the money allowed me to do so much good. That was my true prize.
I got up and looked inside the cave. It was big, so the sun could not light the end of it. The ceiling was barely high enough for me, but it didn't matter. There was no vegetation, no indication that some creature called this cave home. Yet, it was not plain and simple. The walls themselves told me a story of this place.
The stone was made of dozens of mineral layers, each with its own texture and color. I brushed the cold stone with my hand. At first, I felt nothing. But with each passing second, my understanding grew. And as I was learning, the irregularities of this cave became apparent. I knew exactly where the bolts of lightning hit the mountain. I counted several landslides that left their marks. I did not see any of it — it all happened to the outer surface of the mountain years ago. But I could feel it as clearly as my own breathing.
And just like that, I knew exactly where my prize was. An anomaly so jarring was impossible to miss. I turned around, tilted my head downwards, and was now looking right at it. A spot on one of the walls near the floor was so unassuming, but was, in fact, significant.
I left my bag on a tiny bit of stone near the cave. My pickaxe left its holster. My arms swung… Tun! Tiny stone shrapnel zoomed everywhere. Blam! My feet twisted, anchoring me to the ground as firmly as they could. I swung my pickaxe not only with my arms, but by turning my whole torso. I wound myself as a giant coil spring. And as the tension reached its peak, I let it loose. My entire body unwound. My pickaxe followed, gaining momentum rapidly. TUN! The shower of stone shards hit
my legs. The impact transferred back to the wooden handle, hurting my hands. I
was so close!
The hits continued. The process swallowed my whole focus. There was just me, the wall, and my pickaxe. I sensed no more swings — the hits kept coming on their own. I heard no more impacts — my own breathing was all that I could hear. With each new hit, with each new stone shower, my nerves tensed. I half-anticipated, half-dreaded what was to come.
TUN!
The ringing silence that came after was deafening. My eyes pierced the dull red stone, uncovered by the pickaxe. My hands squeezed its handle so hard that the wood cracked audibly. I realized that I forgot to breathe only when it became unbearable. Give me strength, o mighty Qumo! I sighed heavily, gathering my will.
BOOM!
The moment my pickaxe touched the red stone, it exploded. My pickaxe flew back in one way, my body in another. The feeling of pain as I hit the hard floor... My body rolled, and I rushed to stand up... The ringing in my head... The intense smell that comes after heavy rain...
All of that happened instantly and was left unnoticed by my mind. All I knew was that I successfully threw the pickaxe out of the way so I wouldn't land on it, and that the sinister red smoke flooded everything around me.
My hand jerked and unsheathed my trusty sword. Its weight and rigidness gave me some courage. I breathed and watched how the evil-looking red smoke was thickening. I knew it was no use to smash it, so I had the time to center all my thoughts. There was no sound besides my own fast heartbeat. I felt blood running from my ears, the bruises on my body. But it did not matter. My prize was so close. I knew I could get it. Just one more battle.
Soon, the smoke concentrated near the hole I made. It was so thick and energized that it began to glow. And to my astonishment, it did not take the form of a beast. It was a bit below two meters in height. The figure of a Saxum or some other large species. No horns, no tail, no weapons. But its magic nature and the red glow made it look sinister.
I raised my sword as the red figure moved. It was like he (or she?) just woke up and was coming to his senses. The smoke fists clenched and opened. The red arms and legs moved. And on the faceless head appeared two burning yellow eyes. They looked right at me…
“Aarrgh!” I heard my own battle cry as I jolted into battle.
And in an instant, a red sword appeared in the hand of the protector. It blocked my blow. I jumped back; his swing missed. My false edge cut; he moved sideways. He pierced; I pushed his sword away.
Shit!
Used to fighting the smoke beasts, I did not expect such an opponent. My sword skills were nowhere good enough!
I feinted my next cut, and as the protector moved to parry it, I jolted towards my pickaxe. An inhuman cry reached my ears, but my hand had already touched the handle. I turned around as a whirlwind and let it go. The pickaxe flew right into the head of the enraged being. I jolted forward even before it hit him. His arm jerked up to protect his face when my sword found its target.
Aaaaaaarrrgh!!!
With a deafening cry, the being stumbled. A deep cut across the protector's chest was as black as the abyss. He took one more step back and looked at his horrific wound. His hand touched it. But the burning eyes did not fade. Instead, they burned with new energy.
Fuck!
I barely raised my guard in time. His wild swing was so strong, I almost lost my footing. Ding! The blow came from the left. Dang! Another from the right! Each pushed me back another step. Each made me fear my blade would shatter. The burning yellow eyes looked furious. They didn't want me dead — they wanted to destroy me.
A sharp pain pierced my leg. I jumped away, barely missing another blow. I counterattacked. The protector easily avoided my overcommitted cut and sliced across my chest. The leather of my clothes saved me from a deeper cut but not from pain. But this time, the pain did not make me jump away. It enraged me instead.
I cut diagonally — the being blocked it. Another cut! I pierced and chopped, and chopped, and chopped, each blow forcing the protector to back away. I feinted a low cut, stabbing instead right into the being's belly. He shrieked, but I already pulled my sword back and chopped again. My blow broke his parry, yanking the red smoke sword out of his hand. Before it reached the stone floor, I was victorious. My blade was deep inside his skull.
The whole cave started vibrating. The air became thick, electrified. A great deal of energy was about to be released. I dived behind a barely big enough rock protruding from the floor close to the exit. I plugged my ears and shut my eyes but could still feel the low rumble getting louder. I felt the power concentrating, and then…
BOOM!
I felt like the whole mountain shook. With a racing heart and ringing ears, I waited until the dust settled. And when it did, the realization finally came to me.
I did it!
I rushed out of my cover only to fall from the pain in my poor leg. The hard stone hurt, but its coolness calmed me. I snickered to myself. I did it! The wound on my leg didn’t look bad. And the slice across my chest was shallow. I stood up, and my eyes immediately saw what I was looking for.
A big gemstone lay in the corner, shining rich red. I rushed towards it but did not pick up my prize immediately. Instead, I laid myself down to take a closer look. My nose was half a centimeter away from it, but I did not feel heat, cold, or electricity coming from it. Inside the stone burned a small candle-like flame. And as I breathed, the flame shook, like the air from my lungs could penetrate the solid red rock.
With shaking hands, I picked it up. Oh! I couldn't! My fingers weren't strong enough. I grabbed the stone with my whole hand. Such a small object weighed nearly as much as I could lift!
Thank you for creating this gift, o Amma, the creator of everything! I shall use it to do good — this, I swear to you!
I stood up carefully, found my bag where I had left it outside the cave, and hid my treasure. The stone would add a fair amount to my burden. My leg hurt. My muscles ached. I was exhausted.
But there was no hurry. I sat down, facing the cave exit, and witnessed the last sunrays. The dark-purple sky spoke of long-awaited peace and rest. I took some dried meat from my bag, a pouch of water, and realized I'd never tasted anything better. The first stars lit up. The gentle cries of the night beasts reached my ears from down below.
After the climb, after the fight, it was so peaceful. Before my eyes appeared my Peema, Mom, and Dad. Appeared many more people I knew and loved. I thought of our reunion. Of what I could do with the money I would get for the gem.
What could I build? Who could I enable? Should I buy a great many useful books and give them away? Should I pay off someone’s debt? Should I pay a researcher of our vast world? What good should I do after I sold this pretty yet useless trinket? Well, if I could do magic, if someone could do magic, maybe the gem would actually
be useful? And as I thought, a smile was wide upon my face.
