Outlander Pt. 03

I focused and attempted to pull a small amount of mana through the channels in my arm to my hand. With the mana flowing through my hand, I tried to force it into a ball above my palm. It felt like I was trying to push a golf ball through a garden hose. The more I tried to force it, the greater the resistance. After several failed attempts, I opened my eyes. "Why is it harder to form the orb the more I force it," I asked.

Petra was the one to answer, "Because there is no need to force the magic. You push the idea of what you want into the mana. You don't push the mana into the concept." The clue she gave me brought the memory of burning the bodies. I hadn't forced anything, I simply told the mana what I wanted, and it made the fire a reality.

I closed my eyes and tried again. As the ball started to form, I was suddenly smacked in the head. The mana building in my hand suddenly shot through my body like a taser charge. I fell on my side, twitching. Fortunately, someone held my head, so I didn't smack it on the ground.

Once the charge had settled and I could feel my extremities again, I angrily jumped to my feet, "What the fuck! Why the hell did you do that? It felt like I was being tased again."

Petra answered as she returned to her spot, "I'm sorry you had to endure that, Shaun. It was the fastest and easiest way to drive home the dangers of mana burn. Every time you attempt magic, there needs to be mana running through your channels. You remember what happened to the Mage Hunter yesterday, correct? If there had been mana in his channels when you hit him, the shock, while disabling, would not have killed him. During our lessons, either Milla or I will randomly attempt to distract you and cause the spell to backfire."

I thought over what she said and the limited timeframe we had. After concluding they were right, I sat back down and created the orb of gold mana. They both smiled and resumed teaching. I noticed a few things as we ran through the types of magic; it was easiest for me to change the mana when I thought of the sensation of the element I was conjuring.

I recalled the feeling of the stone cliffs I used to climb when I wanted earth mana, and I remembered the sensation of the atmosphere rushing past in free fall while parachuting into a combat area for wind mana. I was surprised when thinking of Shalyndria while holding my orb changed it to fire mana. I was unsurprised when thinking of Petra turned it to water. However, I did have trouble with two opposing elements, light and shadow.

Petra was able to help me with light, "When I need light, I think of the warmth of the sun shining on my face."

Milla had an oddly philosophical approach to shadow, "I think of the absence of light, like the darkness I see when I close my eyes." Her advice did help. I thought of the absolute darkness I had encountered in the caves and tunnels I had searched through during the war.

We finished with a game of "Simon Says," Milla started by calling out a mana type. The first to change to the correct type called the next one. If you conjured the wrong mana, you were out. I finally won the fourth game.

While we stopped for lunch, Terrance came out and talked to Petra for a second and went back inside. "We have the guard's obstacle course to ourselves all afternoon," she explained after sitting back down. "Shaun, in an hour, I want you dressed in full armor at the front gate. Your next lesson and training will be on the course."

Once we finished eating, I headed up to my room to get my new armor on. Fortunately, Tessa was able to help me with the straps and such the first time. I thanked her as I strapped my duty belt on and slung an M4 over my shoulder before leaving.

I met Petra by the front gate, and we headed back into the city. We headed in the opposite direction of the market area and towards the city's Keep. As we walked, Petra pointed out several landmarks to help me know where I was in the city and how to get back to the Manor. As we paused in a small square, I remarked quietly, "I didn't realize crime was so prevalent in this city."

Petra angrily replied, "What do you mean by that? It's not the guard's fault we are understaffed and underpaid!"

I wrapped my arm around her waist and replied, "Please tell me you noticed the five idiots in black armor following us?" I pulled her tight to my side to stop her from turning around, "Don't look. We will have them follow us down the next alley. They should attack when we stop and start kissing."

The feral look in her eyes told me she liked my plan. After turning out of my grasp, she smiled shyly at me before grabbing my hand and pulling me onward. I look at her quizzically when we walked past the next alley, but the mischievous otter simply smirked and pulled me further down the street.

When we came to an alley Petra liked, she abruptly yanked me down it. After walking about 100 yards, we made a left turn, then I pushed her against the wall and pretended to be kissing her neck as Petra watched down the way we had come. I whispered, "Our new friends brought some others. We have eight now coming down the alley. Should we ambush them at the corner or wait till they attack us here?"

She mulled over the choices as I distracted her by nibbling on her cute little ears. She finally answered between whimpers, "Wait till they are close. Oh, goddess. They might tell us something if we seem preoccupied."

I pulled her lips to mine as I readied my M4 with the other hand. "They should come around the corner in about 20 seconds," I whispered. We kissed until we heard a snicker coming from our left.

We pretended to be surprised when we jumped apart. I kept my right side and the rifle against it, facing away from the thugs. The leader called out, "Well, look what we have here, boys, the guard whore they want for the next shipment, and a True Mage wanted by the church for heresy! It must be our lucky day."

I looked to Petra when he finished, "Well, what do you know, lover, you were right. The fucking morons answered most of our questions without being asked." We laughed while they just looked shocked.

"Grab the whore and kill the mage. Remember, we need his head intact for the bounty." The leader yelled angrily at our antics.

I squared up to them, shouldering my rifle as I reminded Petra, "We need one alive, preferably the leader for interrogation."

"Fine, but, let me kill some!" was Petra's response before activating her physical enhancements and rushing forward. Her katars were a silver blur as she clashed with two of the assholes. All eight had white mana wash over them as they activated their enhancements. Petra's skill floored me as she fought three thugs simultaneously.

"Our armor was enchanted by the church to absorb your magic, Mage," sneered the leader as four others advanced toward me. I laughed at the fool. My first three shots hit right where I wanted them, striking the first goon in the groin, chest, and forehead. The second moron caught the rifleman's combo, two to the chest and one to the head.

The third hoodlum should have taken a single shot between the eyes. I missed him completely; in fact, he appeared to have moved to the right. Not believing my eyes, I lined up another similar shot. As he fell with a new hole between his eyes, the final gang member made it into melee range. I was forced to use the side of my M4 to parry his first attack.

Pushing his sword away, so all it did was spark along the cobblestones, I was able to draw my sidearm after knocking him off balance. I immediately fired the entire mag into his chest, ruining the plate armor and spraying blood and gore out his back. I reloaded the pistol while checking on Petra and looking for any surviving kidnappers.

The alley was full of blood, and seven of the eight thugs laid dead. Only the leader who had hung back remained standing. He tore his eyes from the fallen and met mine. Not liking what he saw, the slaver turned to run down the alley. I holstered my sidearm and raised my rifle for a final shot. When I pulled the trigger, his left knee exploded when the 5.56mm round blasted through it, almost amputating his lower leg.

I caught Petra's eye as he laid screaming in pain, and we smiled, knowing we might finally get some answers. We walked toward the injured man as he rolled on his back, holding the maimed leg. His screams quieted once he noticed Petra and I looking down on him.

"Well now, what are we going to do with this walking enema jockey," I asked my partner while the goon quaked in fear on the ground.

"I say we turn him into a eunuch for fun before we question the trash," was her reply with a feral grin. Mirroring her feral grin, I pushed my rifle behind me and pulled a kukri from its sheathe. I twirled the now blue flamed weapon before his eyes.

"Please, I'll tell you anything you want to know," the injured man begged. "We are paid to collect females for the Baron and the Church," were his last words. He resumed screaming as I felt the charge of mana fill the air. Gold mana covered his breastplate as it started to shrink. Within a minute, the man laid dead. His enchanted breastplate having shrunk enough to fit a toddler, crushing his bones and squeezing his organs into pulp.

Petra's shocked look made me laugh. "The leader of the assassins we encountered on the road was killed by an archer before he gave us any information as well," I relayed to her as we left the gruesome alley. We returned to the main road and continued on our way.

Chapter 13

We arrived at the Guard Barracks just under an hour later. I followed the Lieutenant through the building. Once in the training yard, I was impressed by the course they had. It reminded me of the course I had to run regularly in the Marines.

Petra explained what was to happen as we walked to the beginning of the course, "Ok, for a baseline, I want you to run the course without using your mana." She pointed to a couple of hourglasses embedded in posts, "When I say go, I'll turn the first glass and start your time. We will use the others for your other runs."

I cleared my M4 before hading it off to Petra, then I began to stretch and get my blood pumping. Once I was ready, I moved to the starting line and gave her a thumbs up to let her know I was ready. I took off when I heard the word "GO!" I was surprised at how much the armor's extra weight affected my performance. I was upset when I finished the course.

"Is something wrong, Shaun," asked a concerned Petra.

I replied angrily, "No. I need to rerun it." She just nodded in understanding and reset the glass. My second attempt was much better. I had adjusted to the weight and balance of the armor during my first run.

When I walked up happy, Petra smiled and kissed my cheek, "That was very impressive. Only ten minutes, most take twenty the first time. Now I want you to run it fully magically enhanced for speed. Do not augment your strength. You could just jump right over the course." I nodded in understanding, wondering how this would help me learn to control the process. Petra was stunned by the sonic boom that was released when I started my third run. I managed to finish the course in just under five seconds.

I laughed when I saw The impish otter's jaw on the ground. When I closed her mouth with a finger, she finally came out of her daze, "What the hell was that! I've never heard a boom when someone took off before."

"I must have broken the sound barrier when I left. Sound travels at about 700 mph, so I was going at least 701 mph." I replied. Her darling face was scrunched up in confusion. "Just know I was going faster than any sounds I was making," I laughed. Once we settled ourselves, I asked, "So, what is next? I'm not sure how this is going to help."

She gave me a knowing look before informing me, "Now, you are going to run the course in specific amounts of time. In the first couple of attempts, I will give you a five-second leeway on either side. I will close that gap, the better you are until I expect perfect timing. Your first goal will be three minutes, chop, chop. We don't have all night."

I shook my head at her antics as I walked back to the start. We spent the next few hours practicing like this. In the last half hour, she was randomly shouting the time just before saying go. I was exhausted when we finished for the day. Limping up to my sexy partner, I kissed her gently before commenting, "Wow, I never considered training my magic control that way. I ran that course like, a hundred times. I'll be reaming about it."

She laughed as we started the walk home, "Maybe, we'll see what you dream of tonight." I couldn't read the look in her eyes. While walking through the barracks, several guards stepped out of one of the squad bays.

The biggest one sneered when he saw my arm around Petra's waist, "What do we have here, boys, a disgusting animal lover. What, couldn't get a real woman to ride your millimeter peter?" The others laughed at his little joke. My expression hardened in anger. Few things pissed me off more than worthless fucks like this.

"Do you know these useless wastes, Lt. Lontra," I asked Petra. A few eyes shot up when I addressed her. Three of them froze at her name and slipped back into the bay when they recognized the name.

Petra rested her hands on her hips before addressing the rookies angrily, "No, I do not, Knight Kaughman. It seems I might have to talk to the captain about their training."

"I'm Erikson Chauvin, you worthless animal. What gives you the right to disparage a noble," was his angry retort. He pulled back and made to slap my mate. I shook my head while pulling and opening my asp.

His cry of pain when I struck echoed in the hallway. He stood glaring at me while cradling his broken wrist. "You'll pay for this, peasant," he cried just before storming off with his sycophants in tow.

"Well, today has been interesting," I chuckled while turning to Petra. I stopped when I noticed her icy glare aimed at me. "What did I do wrong, my love," I asked once I wrapped her in a gentle hug.

"I could have handled that," she retorted. "I'm not some damsel in distress needing to be saved!" Her demeanor went from chilly to downright glacial as she spoke. I pulled her tight despite her resistance.

"And I don't see you that way Petra. However, that does not mean I'm not going to protect a woman I love. His insults and actions incensed me, as well. Let's get home. We have something to discuss with Terrance and Shalyndria, do we not," I took her hand and led her from the Guard Barracks.

When we returned, Petra and I found Terrance already talking to Shalyndria in her study. Once seated, I described the gang of slavers and what we learned. A dark, angry look passed across Shalyndria's beautiful face.

"We already knew the Baron was involved. However, the Church's involvement is a surprise. I'm curious how much this bounty they have placed on Shaun is," the Princess thought out loud. "Petra, I want you to go to the barracks tomorrow. We need to know if and how pervasive this group is in the City Guard." Shalyndria ordered. "Shaun, work with Milla in the morning on magic and the city guards we borrowed in the afternoon on weapons," she continued. "Terrance will be heading to the church. He will be using his upcoming wedding as an excuse to talk to the clergy and see what info he can glean."

We went our separate ways after that. Pondering the implications, I headed up to my room. I was shocked to find my door closed and locked when I arrived. I caught sight of Tessa just down the hall and called out to her, "Tessa, what's going on? I can't get into my room."

She came back and responded, "Oh, they didn't tell you? It was decided to put you in a new room. If you follow me, your belongings have already been relocated to your new room." So I followed the happy rabbit further into the Manor.

She pointed to a door with a nameplate that read Kaughman. The biggest shock came when I opened the door. The room was twice the size of my old one. The part that took my breath away, though, was lying on the queen size bed. Petra was napping facedown in just a pair of black shorts. I smiled as I sat on the bed next to the gorgeous otter.

I ran my hands gently up and down her back, eliciting a moan as she rolled over and looked up at me. There was a gentle smile on her face as she regarded me. Petra sat up and kissed me before speaking, "Like your surprise? This room is ours, now let's get you out of that armor. Tessa will be back soon with dinner."

We stood together, and she helped me remove the armor and gear. While I was clearing and putting away the firearms, our dinner arrived. Our evening was filled with laughs and plenty of good conversations. When it came time for bed, my nerves finally got the better of me. I became awkward. Petra noticed my distress and comforted me, "My love, please stop worrying. Nothing will happen until your ready for it, I promise. Now cuddle with me so I can finally get a good night's sleep." I smiled sheepishly and laid on the bed with her in my arms as we drifted off.

I was awoken the following morning by Tessa knocking on the door. I kissed a sleeping Petra's cheek and left for my regular workout. When I returned, a sleepy Petra was wrestling with her armor. I chuckled at the comedic display before stepping to help the poor woman.

Once she left the Manor to investigate the Guards, I went out back to the training yard to work on my magic. We spent the next two days in a similar routine. Around midday on Sunday, Terrance rushed into the training yard while I was sparring with a guard and yelled, "To arms! Milla Nekonova and Petarina Lontra have gone missing!"

Chapter 14

I froze at Terrance's exclamation. My magic training had paid dividends allowing me to access my core in a heartbeat. I briefly touched the red cord to check on Shalyndria, and all I felt was fear and worry for her friends. I then pushed fully into Petra's blue cord. I was almost crushed by the amount of anxiety I felt from my mate. I pushed it aside and focused on what she could see. I shuddered in disgust at what was revealed. The dirt floor was covered in old blood and other bodily fluids. Several other women, including Milla, were chained around a windowless room naked. After confirming they still lived, I pulled back and ran over to my furious friend.

Terrance saw me running over and opened his mouth to speak. I interrupted him, "They are alive, and I think unharmed. I'm going to my room and gearing for war. I'll need to know where to start looking when I'm done."

He looked relieved when he responded, "I hoped you would say that. I'll have the other guards start searching around the market. That was where they went this morning to do some shopping. You and I both know the Church is likely behind this. Start there and bring her back to me safely." Tears started to fall from his eyes as he pleaded for me to save his future wife. I just nodded and ran inside and to our room.

I was surprised to find Shalyndria waiting for me when I entered the room. I started to speak as I rushed to change clothes, "What can I do for you, Princess? I'm in a bit of a hurry." I started to pull on my original clothes when she spoke.

"I know you're assaulting the church, and I can't go with you. I wish I could help more, but this is all I can do," she stepped in front of me as I pulled my shirt down and grabbed the sides of my head. Once she finished kissing me, Shalyndria stepped back and pulled something from her dress. She held a badge out to me and spoke in a formal voice, "Royal Guardsman Shaun Kaughman, Please kneel and hand me your blade."

I turned, grabbing one of my kukris off the bed, and knelt with it held over my head. The Princess took it and touched each shoulder with the blade, "You are now my Royal Knight. Please stand, Sir Kaughman." I stood and looked into her eyes. The fear I found there was unsettling. I just smiled and nodded for her to continue, but Terrance entered the room.