A fierce battle and a nice chat

Nothing is as unbearable as to be kept in the dark, hunkering down and not knowing what is going on! So when I heard the first shrieks, roars and bellows in the distance, I interrupted my calculations, got my binoculars and crept slowly and carefully towards the cave's entrance. Unfortunately the dragons were in my blind spot, so I had to leave - partially at least - the cover of my cave and peek between large boulders and cracks in the solidified lava to my right. The angle wasn’t optimal and I was vulnerable from above, from my left and my back. At least I could dive with one or two leaps back into the cave if necessary.

But what I saw was worth the risk and nothing short of terrifying and spectacular!

On the first encounter I was far away and even through the binoculars I wasn’t able to see all too much detail. Now they were closer and were much better visible.

The dragons were enormous beasts, truly gigantic! The biggest were close to about two hundred feet in length, the smallest at least half of that size. They looked strangely bloated, and I thought, maybe they stored a light gas like hydrogen in their bodies to lessen their weight. As far as I could see, they came from all sides and angles to encircle Illyára and attack her from all directions.

But the ælf was prepared this time. She didn’t let them come even close! When they entered a certain radius, she immediately started attacking them with her cone shaped, sharpened boulders. These were truly terrifying weapons! They flew with unbelievable speed and could even change direction, like guided missiles. But they didn’t explode when they hit their target; they penetrated with sheer force and devastating effect. They tore through the attacking beasts like bullets through light planks and mercilessly killed or crippled them in dreadful quantities.

Illyára let dozens of these dangerous projectiles fly the skies and weave a deadly net the dragons couldn’t penetrate. My line of view was limited, but I saw them falling out of the sky like ripe fruits, not even one coming close into firing range for their own long-distance weapon, the fire beam. Some tried to fight back by using it against Illyáras projectiles and actually melted some of them mid flight, but the ælven girl had more than enough in reserve and replaced them quickly.

The ground shook from the falling bodies of the deadly struck giants, and I retreated back into the cave to my Munchie, shocked by the brutality of the fight. It was nothing less than a massacre among the attacking beasts, and I wondered what could have provoked them to such a suicidal attack. Were they just extremely territorial, or had the girls stolen something precious to them?

Fortunately the lava tunnel seemed stable and the Munchie was not in danger of being struck by any falling stones from the ceiling. I stayed in my faithful vehicle for the remainder of the ongoing battle and tried to reconcile with the brutality and callousness I’ve witnessed, haunted by the dying screams and wailing roars of the beasts. Over and over again I told myself that the girls had no other choice to stay alive. This really was a battle of life and death. If they didn’t kill every attacking dragon, they’d be done for. The beasts wouldn’t hesitate to roast them in their fire breath or tear them apart with their claws and teeth.

The attack ended after about fifteen minutes, and Illyára practically beamed when she entered the cave, but was taken aback by my sombre, everything else than victorious mood.

“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. “We are safe for the time being! I slew the attacking dragons, and the remainder flew out into the open again. I didn’t even need Reeza's help!”

“Yes, I know.” I answered. “I saw part of the battle. It’s just, I never experienced war and it’s cruelty. Please don’t get me wrong, I know, you had no other choice. It’s a matter of life and death. I just have to process what I’ve seen and witnessed.”

She nodded understandingly, but still looked somewhat disappointed.

“The experience of the first battle is always shocking to somebody who has until now just known the orderly life of civilization, I understand that.” she said. “But I can only advise you to adapt quickly, otherwise you’ll not grow old in these lands. There won't always be someone around to protect you from the dangers of this world. Or from yourself.”

With that she turned and left. I went after her.

“Please wait.”

She stopped and looked back.

“I have rice left. Do you want some? As a way of thanking you. Provided that you are hungry.”

For some moments she stood still, motionless. Then she nodded.

“Thank you. Better prepare some more, because Lily and Reeza will join us. They are hungry too!”

“Great! Brown rice needs at least thirty five minutes to cook!”

She tilted her head.

“Sorry, this doesn’t tell me anything.”

I sighed.

“A little bit more than half a candle, I guess?”

She nodded.

“All right. I let them know.”

With that she entered the cave again.

“Are you somehow telepathically linked?” I asked, when she made no perceptible move to call for her companions.

“All magicians can communicate with just their minds.” she answered, a little bit surprised. “With non magicians it’s not so easy, but possible too.”

The thought was thrilling, but also a bit unsettling. Thoughts from a stranger in your head! But maybe it was just like a phone call. On the other hand, thinking about Al’Reeza's intrusive probing through my mind I instinctively recoiled in horror. No, that wasn’t anything for me!

But I had another question on my mind.

“Are there any magicians in Tóràbun?” I asked while reheating rice, tofu and vegetables in my pan.

“Yes, of course.” she answered distractedly, intrigued by my cooking gear.

“Can’t you communicate with them telepathically?”

Sadly, she shook her head.

“No, the distance is too great. You need a special amplifier for that and an appropriate energy source. Or be a prodigious magician. The device was in the iceboat of our leader, but the link is severed, so we are cut off from any communication to the outside.”

She sniffed the air.

“That smells delicious!”

“Oh no. I can’t cook very well, just heat some things and spice them up. Nothing special. My master on the other hand could cook really well. My cooking is no comparison to his!”

She tilted her head.

“Who was your master?”

I smiled sadly at the memory of him, not knowing if I would ever see him again.

“My master is truly an extraordinary person.” I started. “You have to imagine: In my civilization you have to go to school at least for nine years. It was a waste of time for me. I learned nothing there, except maybe, what spiteful creatures humans can be!”

I shuddered at the thought.

“Despite that my parents forced me to stay at this despicable, crippling institution for all of thirteen years! I hated them for that and left them as soon as I reached legal maturity. My older brother was at that time the only person I could rely on. He helped me to survive for the next two years, until I met my master.”

“How did you meet him?” Illyára asked, interested.

“It was at an internship for a bicycle shop.” I answered.

“You see, my master worked in the bicycle business and built specialized, handcrafted cycles.”

“Excuse me, but what are bicycles?” asked the ælf. Of course she had never seen one! Instead of long explanations I pointed towards my Munchie.

“That is a very special, if not to say, unique type of cycle: a velomobile!”

She went over to inspect it, but I stopped her, because her food was ready. I had to put it on my used plate and hoped she didn’t mind. Immediately I went to make two more portions for Lily and Al’Reeza.

“Mhm! That is really tasty!” she said while chewing. The used plate didn’t bother her in the slightest.

I blushed and shook my head.

“No, as I said, my master's cooking is in a whole other league.”

“Well, it’s better than most I’ve tasted over the last two years.” she replied. Of course, being in the wild doesn’t support any luxury cuisine!

“But you still haven’t told me anything about your master.”

Absent-minded, I cut the tofu and the vegetables. The rice was already boiling in its rice cooker. I always use brown rice. Not only because it’s healthier, but also because you need much less amounts.

“Well, my master immediately recognized my talent for craftsmanship and took me under his wings.” I went on. “In the end he taught me everything I couldn’t learn for myself. Craftsmanship wise. Socially he couldn’t help me as much as he’d like.”

“What do you mean?” she asked between two spoonfuls.

I sighed.

“I was never good in social situations.” I replied a bit hesitantly. “And the school didn’t help very much. I just couldn’t understand all the different nuances and rules all the others seemed to understand by instinct. I also always had difficulties remembering faces or names. I felt really awkward in school and my classmates sensed it like sharks blood in the water and taunted, tormented and bullied me relentlessly.”

She shook her head sympathetically.

“That must have been really hard. I’m sorry to hear that! But what kind of school were you in that allowed for such misbehaviour to happen?”

I laughed bitterly.

“You have a big building with lots of rooms, in every room are about twenty to thirty children and at the front is a teacher who tries to explain things to them.” I explained a bit abbreviated. “And that goes on for hours with a few pauses in between at least half a day, sometimes even longer. Every weekend is free and there are also holidays around the year. Every here and there for a few weeks.”

Again the ælven girl tilted her head.

“I don't understand the concept of weeks or holidays.” she said. “And your schooling system, as you describe it, sounds to me like a recipe for disaster. Are you never out in the open?”

“Not very often.” I admitted. “Most of the time is spent with scholarly studies.”

She shook her head.

“Unbelievable! Not even the humans here are so stupid, although there are some alarming tendencies towards that direction.”

“Well, how does your education system look?” I asked with interest.

She shook her head and stood up, her meal finished.

“As much as I’d like to tell you about it, I have to resume my watching post.” she said apologetically. “But I’m pretty sure, we’ll have plenty of time to chat on our journey back together.”

With that she left me alone with my cooking and went outside again.