The Guards of Verilidan

"Damn you boy! Are you never going to do it?" Asked the old man frustrated "It’s really not that hard" He said, as he demonstrated.

Pale strands of magic shot from his hands, and they solidified around a small apple in the tree thirty yards from him. He flicked his wrist, and he was already drawing the swords strapped to his back, as the apple flew towards him. Eight slices dropped to the ground in front of him, as he sheathed the blades.

"You see, what it is all about, is in here" he pointed to his head. Your soul cannot exist without a mind to control that which gives it material. You control your soul from up here boy!"

"Yes master." The youngster replied, with an annoyed look on his face "I see that, yet I find it hard to concentrate on both soul and mind and body, while I’m fighting." He really wanted to learn. But like his physical limitations, he had his mental ones as well.

"You have to be one. Ignore that thing about mind body and soul. You are not three, you are one, made up of three parts. Like three thirds of an apple make one. If you keep that in mind, you shall succeed."

The boy concentrated hard and …

Black tendrils shot from his hands and feet. They were thick as tough rope, as they solidified around the rock. The layer of his soul melted into the night. It was as black as oblivion. The rock lifted, and flew towards the xoc. It caught the beast off guard, and sent it flying.

He has only emerged from the Guards, and he felt relieved. He left, and now the whole world was at his feet. He held his horse by the reins, and he drew in a lungful of the foul air around him.

Ekhon.

The name said it all to him. For years, it was the place over the mountains, where the nightmares lived. Now it was a reality, and his stomach churned at the sight of it.

A weak layer of black material exploded around the youth, and he made a few quick hand movements, shaping it. Suddenly, it all disappeared again, leaving him more confident of himself. The three smaller creatures sprinted towards him, as the Xoc regained consciousness. They attacked from three sides, steel talons outstretched.

He thought he was prepared for anything. The masters knew he had talent, and determination, and they thought him well. But there comes a time when the student becomes better than the teacher. That was the time when one should take to the road.

The youth blocked a set of claws, and slid below a second set. The third ripped into his shirt, and tore down the skin on his ribs. He winced in pain, as he raised his long blade to block another set of talons. He performed a backwards flip and landed on a small one’s neck, breaking it. He panted from the exertion, but he kept up his defensive stance.

Ekhon was not a place where you step lightly. He loosened his long blade in his scabbard. It was not a sword, it was not long enough for one. But it was deadly. He heard the baying of creatures in the distance, and he shivered. Steeling himself, he went about, trying to find a good camp-site.

The Xoc rose slowly, he noted, pleased. He still had time. He faced the first creature, and he hacked away at it, kicking backwards to catch the last one in the chest. He slid between the defences of the first fiend, and finished it off with a stab.