Balancer's Soul (48 page)

“Jack, I know why your
shield didn’t work. When you made your shield you wanted it to only
repel an attack, right?” Jack confirmed his suspicions. “Well fire
is the purest form of energy and it gave me an idea. Instead of
blocking from it I made the shield absorb. When you threw that
fireball at my shield it absorbed the energy and transferred it
into me. Thus I just increased my energy from
your
attack.” Connor looked at
Sarah’s mother who was still upset from his last show and tell.
“This shield cannot work against anyone other than a fire wielder.
Jillian, throw a small amount of water at my shield.”

Connor made another shield and Jillian
threw a small amount of water. As the water touched the shield it
collapsed in on itself. “This shield is only capable of defending
against Fire, if any other element comes in contact with it, it
will collapse just like that.” He turned to Sarah. “Sarah, you need
to try.” He turned to her father. “Jack, I want you to try as
well.”

Sarah’s father stood beside her as
Connor instructed them on this new fire technique. Her mother
finally calmed and stood beside Connor.

“Begin.” Connor commanded. Sarah
focused on her left forearm and a small shield appeared over her
forearm and it looked like a Targe of equal size. There wasn’t any
heat coming off of it, but she could feel it drawling heat from the
air slowly and feeding her own energy, even as she released it to
maintain the shield. No energy was wasted because she released as
much energy as the shield absorbed from the air and returned it
back into her stores. The fire spun slowly as well as moved along
with the movement of her arm as if it were connected by some
invisible thread. “Ready?” Sarah turned her head to her left and
saw that her father as well made a shield and he was staring in
amazement.

She felt a surge of power and looked
over to see Connor holding a fireball in each of his hands. “Take
your stance.” And Sarah did. She took the same stance Connor made
and as she pulled the shield up and threw both balls at her father
and herself.

As Connor’s flame hit both shields
Sarah felt her shield change of its own accord. The moment his
flame hit the defense, the shield spun quicker and seemed to
control itself. As his flame absorbed into hers Sarah felt the
warmth of his energy add to her own. When Connor’s flame fully
absorbed, her shield slowed down to its original pace and
size.

“Now Jillian you’re up. You have more
control than I do over Liquid.” Connor said, allowing her to take
his place. “Thank you for your confidence.” Jillian said and patted
his shoulder.

She also made two small orbs of water
in each hand and tossed them. As they hit the shields it felt like
someone pinching Sarah’s arm hard as the shield imploded. Sarah
looked at her father and knew he felt it too.

“What do you two think?” Connor smiled
at both of them.

“To me it felt like the hotter it is,
the more energy I will be able to absorb.” Jack said
excitedly.

“Exactly the thought I had.” As Jack
looked up at Connor, Sarah did as well. “This technique will give
you a massive advantage over other Fire Balancers. The more fire
they expend at you, the stronger you become.”

“Connor, can we do any other
variations? What else did you come up with?” Sarah
asked.

“I know of a few things that are
possible, but the way we are now…” He shook his head. “It would not
only be foolish, but also dangerous to try with our current level
of stamina. I can feel that my body is still evolving to
accommodate for more energy storage.” He turned to Jillian. “Your
theory may be right. Last week when you gave us the test I was
barely able to move some objects, but it is getting much
easier.”

“I thought it was only me who was
still changing.” Everyone turned to look at Sarah. “I feel like I
have more energy to use than I did last week too. Even my
telepathic communication with Connor and you two is clearer when we
speak.” Connor smiled and nodded in agreement.

Changing the subject, Connor asked
Jack “Should we keep working on defense against
elements?”

“No, that was enough for today. For
now let’s have close combat while using elements.”

***

“Are there any pointers you can give?”
Connor asked Jack.

“Only that you keep a clear and
focused mind.” Jack walked over and picked up Haunt from where he
stood it up in the ground. He slung it over his shoulder and walked
away from the group.

Connor followed him after giving his
princess a smile. When Jack stopped he did as well and took Tool
out of his belt. “I’m ready!” Connor said, but apparently he
wasn’t.

Jack held the metal club in his right
while he made fire with his left. He rubbed his left hand over the
smooth surface of Haunt and created a flaming metal club. Connor
stood frozen in cautious fear as Jack dashed directly at him.
Connor moved instinctively, just in time before Jack jumped in the
air and yelled as he struck the ground where Connor stood a moment
ago. As he pulled his club out of the ground Connor noticed how
deep he hit. The strike held absolutely nothing back. What was left
behind was a smoking crater two feet deep in the stony ground.
Connor would have died if that connected. He looked back at Jack in
shock. “Connor, I told you to focus. As a warrior you know to never
take your eyes off the enemy.” Jack said while Haunt remained
aflame.

Taking a few breaths Connor finally
found his voice. “Now I’m ready!”

This time he ran directly at Jack who
stood over one hundred feet away. Connor focused as he ran directly
at Jack as Tool jumped to the other hand. Connor encased the handle
with an invisible fist of Pressure. Thirty feet away he released
Tool from his grip, but the invisible fist held the handle and
matched the set pace. As he saw Jack’s eyes widen Connor used the
Pressure to throw Tool directly at him.

As Tool launched from his side it was
intercepted with a heavy blow from Haunt. Connor then gathered his
own fire to encase his palms. Jack continued to spin and Connor
braced himself for the next daring move.

As Jack spun using the weight of Haunt
in a circular arc Connor raised his flame encased hands. Jack
recognized too late what he planned as Connor caught the head of
the flaming metal club with both of his large hands. His hands went
instantly numb from the tremendous impact, but they stopped the
immense force and he only slid back a foot. Connor then focused on
his forearm and made a flame shield to suck in all of the flames
from his opponent’s flaming weapon.

Jack tried to kick him away, but
couldn’t as Connor held Haunt, turned his back and with both hands
over his head, gripped Haunt tighter between his hands. With all of
the strength at his disposal Connor threw Jack up and over his
head. He expected to flatten Jack on his back, but just before his
backside hit the ground Jack twisted in midair, yanking his weapon
out of Connor’s grip. The flame absorption hadn’t been completed as
Jack swept Connor’s legs out from under him with Haunt.

“That was some slick movements.” Jack
said casually as he put out the remaining flames that lit Connor’s
pants. Unfortunately Connor ended up on his back. His heart kept
drumming from the excitement. “How do you feel?”

“Numb!” Connor smiled at him and
started laughing. Not only were his arms numb, but now his legs
were as well.

“Connor, are you
hurt?”
Sarah thought worriedly.

He turned his head to see
her standing and staring at him from the shade.
“I’m fine; only a little desensitized at the moment. I will
be better after a rest.”

“Good. Come over here and
rest for a few minutes out of the sun.”
She sat down and tapped the ground next to her.

As he struggled to stand and not show
them how he really felt, Jack tossed him his weapon back. “Give
this to Sarah. She needs some practice as well.”

Walking slowly Connor finally sat down
in the shade next to Sarah. “You’re up next for a sparring lesson.”
He handed her Tool and before she left she kissed his cheek. Connor
smiled as he leaned against the trunk of the shade tree and sank to
the ground from exhaustion and numbness.

“I think I should be the one to spar
with her. You know, keep things even!” Jillian announced to her
mate. She stood up and took Haunt from Jack. Jillian doused Haunt’s
remaining flames as she picked it up. Jack smiled at her. If Connor
didn’t know Jillian wasn’t a Balancer he would swear it would be
impossible for a woman of Jillian’s size to swing that solid metal
club with one hand as one would a small stick. Jillian spun and
flipped Haunt like it was nearly weightless.

As Jack came and sat over next to his
sparring partner he answered his astonished expression. “What? You
thought Jillian couldn’t fight or is it that how she’s able to use
my weapon?”

“Both actually!” Connor said, brutally
honest.

He snickered. “Son, as old as Jillian
and I are, we have been through many scrapes in our lives.
Sometimes I couldn’t be around to protect her. I have a short story
you should know about my mate.” Connor listened carefully to the
story.

“About five hundred years ago or so
when Pearl was at the age of a young teenager and Amber was an
infant, I was out hunting during the winter. In those days I could
be away for weeks on end, searching for our next sustainable meal,
but I never came home empty handed. Nor did I let my family
starve.

“One day, a band of thieves and
rapists tried to hurt my family. Jillian was alone, nursing Amber
at the time they broke down the front door. They saw only one
nursing mother, not an enraged Balancer. They thought they’d found
a prime target, but it proved to be a fatal assumption. She used my
weapon to kill two of them in a second. She then used her water
ability to drown the rest of them by forcing water down into their
lungs. They didn’t stand a chance.

“No one in our village knew
what happened to those men because I returned in time to dispose of
the bodies, but we got word that since they
left
, our community had blossomed
without fear of the band looming nearby. We had to leave soon
after, just incase we might have been suspected to have done
something beyond human understanding.

“Connor, so you can see that even when
Jillian was unprepared, she was easily able to take care of five
full grown men all by herself. Her frail femininity is just a
disguise.” Jack finished and pointed to the spectacle about to
unfold.

“Just watch and see for yourself.”

Jillian raised her left
hand straight in the air while the club rested gingerly on her
right shoulder. With her raised palm, Jillian made a beach ball
sized water orb. She then dropped it on her head, soaking every
part of her.
“That’s why she wore her
bathing suit.”
Now dripping wet, she
charged at Sarah.

Sarah stood still and relaxed while
holding Tool tightly in her right hand.

Just before Jillian swung her weapon
at the side of Sarah’s head, Sarah dove between Jillian’s legs.
Sarah rotated and tried to grab her mother’s hair, but Jillian bent
forward and kicked backwards and straight up, missing Sarah’s jaw
by an inch. Sarah jumped away and as she did, she threw Tool at her
mom’s unguarded back. Jillian moved to the side, clearly avoiding
Tool and swung Haunt in Sarah’s direction and let go.

Sarah ducked as the heavy weapon arched past
her head. Sarah grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at Jillian
as a distraction. Some sand landed in her eyes and she didn’t
scream, but it didn’t stay for long. Jillian collected the water
that clung to her body and used it to flush the sand out of her
eyes.

It was enough time for Sarah to get in
close though.

As Jillian was finally able to open
her eyes two seconds later, she realized that Sarah stood before
her with the sharp hatchet side of Tool close to her throat. Sarah
smiled at Jillian and said loud enough for Connor to hear “I win
this round, Mother.”

Her mom smiled back innocently. “More
like a stalemate!” Sarah looked confused. “Look at your chest!” She
looked down. Wrapped around Sarah’s chest was what looked like a
lasso of water and the end of the water rope encased Jillian’s free
hand. Then both girls started laughing.

The girls walked back to their mate’s
and sat down. And Connor had to ask “Princess, how was that
considered a stalemate? All she had was a funnel of water across
your chest.”

“Oh, that’s because if Mother wanted
to, she could instantly tighten the rope. She could kill me with
enough force to crush my entire upper body with one pull.” She
explained in a light tone.

After a short break they all took
turns fighting for the rest of the day. Jack beat Connor badly.
Connor barely managed to win six matches to Jack’s twenty three.
Sarah lost to Jillian as well with a score of nine to twenty
two.

Sarah and Connor came to the same spot
everyday for the next week to train and work on bettering their
winning odds against their elders.