The Journal of a Connecticut Yankee Ch. 12

"Excellent, it is ready then."

A dummy appeared a couple feet away from me. Needing no other encouragement, I punched it. From my fist a force emerged that completely destroyed the upper half of the poor mannequin.

"Very good!" Arawn complimented, "You can adjust the infliction of the Blast-Punch based upon how much energy you feed into it. The heavier your fist, the more damage it will do. With time, it shall come inherently to you."

"Groovy."

"Indeed. Quartus would appear to be correct that your inclinations seem to be more toward our own abilities." He remarked.

"Always a fan of your work, buddy." I said with a wide smile, excited that I was able to recreate his signature move so easily.

He turn a slight smile to that and said,

"Form the Blast- Punch again."

I concentrated and once again I had my own Fist of the Northstar going on.

"Now, flatten the bubble and image it to be a blade. Shape it to whichever comes to mind but let the form be that of a blade. A Force-Blade."

I closed my eyes as million different ideas came to mind. I mean shit, pretty much every fucking anime and video game character out there had a god damn sword. But then a specific one came to me. Smushing the energy bubble, I imagined the length of it, the curve. No guard, this mother fucker was purely for attack. I opened them to see the result.

"I believe that is... excessive."

Ichigo's massive Zanpakutō from when he first became a Soul Reaver rested in my hand.

"Go big or go home, baby." I answered.

"In the future, perhaps a smaller blade would be more... reasonable." He said with a frown while staring at the oversized black and silver sword.

"Fine," I sighed, "I still got plenty other choices in mind."

He nodded, evidently relieved that I wasn't gonna use a giant butchers knife to train with, and asked, "If you could now summon your fire arm?"

Letting the sword dissipate, I thought of my lady and was rewarded with her comforting form in my hand.

"Through the use of magic, you could in theory use modify it into that of a much more powerful weapon."

"No can do, buddy," I said while shaking my head, "Winona is made up of metal from my old car. Anything that came with me when I landed in La La Land was made immune to magic."

My explanation seemed to puzzle him as he looked over to his not-brothers then back to me. Arawn took a few moments to think as he stared at Winona , then he asked,

"Its ammunition is not made from your possessions, correct?"

"Correct."

"Then, in a similar method to the Blast- Punch, you could modify the projectiles into that of a more powerful, magical based version."

"Magical explosive bullets?" I exclaimed .

"Yes, with a variable destructive yield and, as long as you have mana, in unlimited number as well."

"Fucking Blast-Bullets? Holy shit Arawn, you just made my day!"

He smiled at my coining of a new ability and said

"Then perhaps we shall now progress to this..."

Holding his forearm up to me, a small glowing round shield appeared.

"The Shield-Buckler. An invaluable defensive ability to use during combat. The shield not only defects blasts and debris, but is also useful to absorb energy, sometimes kinetic, but mostly magical and channel it into the person wielding it. Thus allowing someone at low mana strength to fire off a few more shots with the Blast-Punch. I could have even used it as an umbrella, but my dignity refused to allow me to do so, thus I end up being soaked when it precipitates."

My eyes popped at that one. Who knew that that thing was so damn versatile?"

"Because you are limited by the mana held in the stones, I would advise you to restrain yourself on attacking, and rather have your enemy attack you first, absorbing their energy to fuel your own abilities."

"Kinda seems like cheating?" I asked.

He raised his eyebrow to me as span of silence stretched between us.

"Okay, you're right, I don't give a shit about cheating."

The old man continued on with his explanation,

"The Shield buckler can also be extended out to cover another person entirely from any external threats, though it takes an extraordinary amount of energy to do so, and runs the risk of leaving one unable to do the spell again for a while. It is akin of exercising too furiously, and being left sore afterwards. You could also envelop a person with the shield to trap them like a bear-hug, but too, it takes more energy to do so for longer than a few seconds."

I nodded, listening to his every word. He was right, that little shield had a lot going on. Even as a defensive piece, it could turn the tide in a fight. From then on there I practiced my new found skills. Blast- Punch, Force-Blade, Blast-Bullets and the Shield-Buckler.

Eventually I graduated to where I had to fight and defend against Arawn and another not-brother. Then eventually three and finally all four attacking me at once. It was when we were using our Force- Blades that the shares dream went sideways. Tertius had swept my feet out from under me and Arawn's blade came crashing down. I should have used my Shield-Buckler to block his attack but I panicked and instinctively closed my eyes while crossing my arms over my face. A confusing clang of metal and me being pain free signaled something had stopped the blow.

Peering out, I found a massive blue and grey metal shield had appeared on my forearm, blocking Arawn's blade. I also felt something in the palm of my hand. Opening it, I saw that there laid the blue/ green Goddesses marble nestled tightly.

"A shield of a Valkyrie?! Quartus!" Called Arawn in shock.

"Scanning now." He said rushing to me as he waved the sonic screwdriver over it. After a few moments he reported,

"The signature is that of the Goddess Ilias. It is possible the stone is reacting to Donnie's continued collection of mana from the leyline... Wait! Something else is happening! Primus-"

Suddenly an odd feeling washed over me. I saw the shared dream reality take on a monotone appearance. It was like I was watching everything on an old fashioned black and white tv. Arawn bent and weaved out of proportion, like the reception was going out. I looked over to Tertius, Quintus and Quartus only to see the same. Everyone slowly faded from view until where I stood was now a pitch black room. A bright white spot light shone upon me from somewhere far above.

"Gosh, this place sure is a mess!" Chortled a high pitched voice.

I turned to see another spot light had appeared a few feet away and under it, a certain famous cartoon mouse peering around.

"Mickey?!" I exclaimed with a confused frown.

He put his hands on his hips and exclaimed, "The very same! Boy, your head is a disaster, pal!"

Jesus Fucking Christ! Have I really gone crazy?

"You've been dilly dallying around way too much when she's out there!"

"...Wha?"

"You need to find Romie! She's out there looking for you!"

Romie!

"Where? Do you know where she is?!" I shouted.

Mickey started to static and blur much like with Arawn and his not brothers. Before he could answer, all around me, reality twisted and mutated in a bad acid trip of shapes and colors. There was searing pain and screaming that I couldn't figure out from where until I realized- it was coming from me. Reality wasn't melting, I was.

Was there pain? How can one tell when you don't have nerves, a brain or even a body. There were just colors and liquids.

I found myself back to normal, floating in a sea of stars. Gasping for air, in the dead of space with every nerve ending on fire, I fought to keep myself together, to trick or convince myself into some semblance of control and sanity. I tried to concentrate on what he said. Romie was looking for me. Was she on Earth? But was what he said real? Thoughts raced through my head until I realized where I actually was. The pain subsided and a glow caught my attention. I twisted my head to see what was only possible in tv and movies. A vast heavenly spiral of gas and stars...

The Milky Way Galaxy laid far before me. Massive. Beautiful. Something no human had ever truly seen before from this distance. My adrenaline fueled brain sputtered out at the shear, overwhelming majesty of it all. Was I finally losing it? Everything I've been through, did my mind finally snap?

I felt myself be turned until the face the Chief God herself was almost touching my own.

"You! I... thought you were gone?"

A sly smile graced her immaculate face.

"I am. But I will never leave you."

Blinking, I really didn't know how to respond to her mysterious statement, so I numbly sputtered,

"I uh... I swear I saw Mickey-"

She put a finger up to my lips, silencing me.

"Never mind the mouse."

The Earth marble she once gifted me appeared by our side, twinkling and sparkling as if it were a star in its very own right.

"When you capture a Goddesses heart, you'll never be truly rid of her."

Bringing her hands up to cup my face, she kissed me deeply. Her lips, red and soft like a rose petal. Her taste, almost sweet just like her smell. Cherries with a hint of almond.

"Am I finally going insane?" I breathed to her as she broke the kiss. Everything was so random, so sudden but strangely enough, it made me feel better. Like there was something familiar that I could latch on to. A rock in the stormy sea of chaos.

"No," she giggled in a whisper, "I just wanted to see you now that you're truly beginning to use my gift. Do you like it? I left a piece of myself within along with a few other little surprises to help you."

She kissed me again, "I missed you."

I could feel the need, the want in her voice. Then, an echoing call from the distance-

"~~~ehfbejeh. Quintus adjust for fheuheei. Donnie! Can you hear me?"

It was Arawn. The Goddess dipped her head and let loose a small growl as she sighed deeply in annoyance.

"Never enough time," she grumbled to herself then raised her head back up at me, "Your friends are looking for you."

"Are you real? Is this really happening?"

There was a glimmer in her eye as she grinned enigmatically at my question. She then pecked me on the lips and said,

"As real as anything can be in a dream, I suppose. Fear not, we will see each other again. Even if I cannot be with you physically, this tiny piece of my heart shall always be by your side."

Ilias took a hand from my face and flicked me in the forehead with a finger. The small action sent me speeding towards my home galaxy. Faster and faster I traveled. Stars raced by and started to blur until I was in a tunnel made by their light.

I remembered opening my eyes, discovering that I was laying down on the ground, staring up at the sky. It's soft cerulean color with wisps of white clouds floating on by. I heard the crunch of many fast approaching footsteps on dried, dead grass. All four of my friends faces appeared in my sight.

"Donnie!" Arawn exclaimed as he knelt down to my side, "We feared the worst. Are you well?"

Quartus appeared by my other side, scanning me with his screwdriver.

Was I well? No where in the farthest could I say that I was well, the shit I had seen and experienced made me question hard the last little bit of sanity I had remaining.

"Do you know what happened?" Quintus asked.

I debated on lying to them. Saying I didn't know. I didn't want to explain that a piece of Ilias was forever linked to me. Assuming that what I did experience was real. I felt an instant shame of my thoughts, they were good people, just trying to help me. I couldn't lie to them, they didn't deserve that. So I explained what I experienced, what I saw, who I saw. Arawn and his not-brothers shared a look between them, but nothing more was said about it.

"Come," Arawn said as he helped me to my feet, "there is more training to do and we have lost precious amounts of time."

The grueling sparing was re-continued and as "time" passed, I felt a fever forming. I said nothing to the guys, as my suspicions as to why were pretty obvious. I was dreaming for too long but I needed to push through, I needed to get these abilities down!

"Donnie has reached his limit," Quintus announced durning mid strike of Quartus's blade.

Everyone's weapons disappeared and Arawn walked up to me and took hold of my shoulder.

"If I may have a few more moments with him?" He asked Quintus.

He frowned at the request and replied, "Make haste, Primus. He can not be here for much longer."

"I shall," Arawn responded as he lead me away.

"I know the moment grows short and the longer this dream is drawn out, the more dangerous it is for you but I believe it is imperative that I show you this."

"Yeah, sure." I nodded, fighting to keep the fever and now a growing migraine at bay.

Arawn waved a hand and everything around us faded away until we stood alone in the star filled void of space. For a guy that's never actually physically been to space, floating around there was getting to be pretty damn familiar.

But wait... No... I was wrong. We weren't alone. There was a presence. Every hair on my body rose up in threat and my blood ran cold. Turning, I was met with a being that no nightmare could do justice, no book, no movie, no description. A massive creature that evoked terror and horror at an instinctually primal level.

"W-W-What is it?" I whispered, unable to raise my voice.

"A devourer of life. Born in the beginnings of time itself, a god before there were such things as gods. Ancient, single minded and purposed. Death in its very first form."

"Evil." I breathed, unable to take my eyes off the thing. All thoughts and feelings of pain had vanished as I watched it pass by.

"In my many eons, I have learned that the terms good and evil are quite subjective and interchangeable," he said softly in the tired voice of a man that's seen and done too much, "but yes, for this creature, I would have to agree."

It's pure black surface was littered with tentacles that were ever changing. Shifting from metal to crystalline, and even flesh. We watched as it approached a planet that looked similar to Earth, although it's continents were shaped much differently.

"Absolon 4." Arawn said to me.

I watched in horror as the monster slammed itself onto the face of the world, it's tentacles spreading over the sphere. From so far above, it looked like a festering sore on the planets surface.

"Days before this, my ships sensors picked up an anomalous reading heading towards this system. I thought nothing of it at first, but it was Quartus that discovered the truth behind it. I changed course as soon as could."

A small, single person fighter craft appeared in a flash to our side and shot past us. It then slowed to a stop as the cockpits hatch opened and it's pilot rose from its seat. He was dressed in an armored white space suit with a tinted domed helmet.

"But I was too late. It choose the largest, most densely populated continent to feed upon. In a matter of moments, over 7 billion lives were lost."

I could hear the pain in his voice and in his soul but couldn't respond. I was frozen in sheer terror and awe of watching a planet be devoured.

The pilot swung his arms around in a gesture and colossal beam of pure white energy launched from his hands. It struck the monstrous death god from behind and even though we were in the vacuum of space, I swore I could hear an inhuman scream of pain.

It's funny, but at the time my brain wasn't able to bridge the basic fact that Arawn and the pilot were one in the same person. In all my life, I've never been so afraid, so petrified that even the simplest of thoughts were impossible.

The creature pulled itself from the planet in fury. A burned imprint of itself was left on the surface of a world that was once teaming with life.

"I knew I could not kill it, for the old ones cannot die. So I led it away to a collapsed star, lightyears beyond any habitable region."

I watched as pilot Arawn sped through space, taunting it with his magic and the ships weapons. A shot here and there, just enough to keep it angry, just enough to keep it in pursuit. Ever did it follow him, hell bent not only on revenge but eager to consume the rich source of energy that was just out of reach.

"It took quite a bit maneuvering, and with assistance from Secundus, Quintus and Quartus, I trapped it in the gravitational pull of the singularity. The ships engines nearly burnt out as I barely escaped, but it would never harm another world again. A fitting prison, if ever there was one."

The tiny fighter flew away and the creature screamed in rage of its entrapment. The noise... God to this day, I can still remember it. The sound of pure hatred. The denial of its food, the denial of its revenge and the denial of its freedom. It pierced me to the very core.

Somehow I managed to find my voice and mumbled dumbly, "Wh-What about the planet?"

"Much of the population was killed. But some survived on the opposite side and on outlying islands. Eventually, after many centuries, the world healed and it's people recovered. Life finds a way."

Our orientation changed back to Absolon 4. The scars of the creatures attack faded, replaced by with green growth as time rapidly passed. I too felt my own anxiety and fear pass by watching the miracle of life itself bounce back from death and destruction.

"How were you so brave? How could you face that thing alone? Why did you show me this?" I asked/ demanded, still watching as my mind finally processed what had just happened.

"I did so because innocent people needed my help. Because with great power comes great responsibility. I have shown you this for many reasons, Donnie. In the matrix of stone in which I gave you, I not only included my abilities but also much of my memories and experience as well to aid you. There are beings in the multiverse that make the Maou, her daughters and their power look pitifully infinitesimal. If you do progress beyond what we teach you and if you do ever decide to traverse the stars or the countless dimensions, you will benefit from its knowledge."

I looked sharply over to Arawn. Did that mean I had the potential to be like him? Immortal and powerful? To explore space and even to take on a god? The very thought sent new shiver of fear through me. I didn't want that much power. That much responsibility.

"During my travels, I once visited a world of enormous sentient machines..." The scene shifted to that of a place that Tertius and I had trained at. A beautiful, shining city of transforming metal.

"They welcomed me and I toured their cities. In a particular library housed at their capitol, I had the chance to discuss power and responsibility with one of its librarians. He was concerned about a popular gladiator turned politician and his influential, radical views. It seemed that the former fighter advocated not only aggressive expansion into other star systems but the enslavement of other beings as well."

Despite the returning pain, why did this sound so familiar?

"I did my best to advise the young librarian, but saw a certain righteous spark in his optics when I told him that freedom was the right of all sentient beings. That, as a whole, we have a responsibility to stand up to those that wish to enslave, murder and conquer."

My friend squinted in thought, "I do wish I could remember his name. I had the feeling that he, like you, had the potential for greatness. Orion was it? Orion... Pall? No, that is not right..."

My god.

I looked down in shock. They were real... They just looked different from the tv shows and movies. But they were real...

"Donnie."

Looking back up, I saw the seriousness of his expression.

"There may come a day where you too will need to make a decision. To use your powers to fight for freedom against tyranny or to join it. If Quartus is correct about being able to wield all three magics, you could very well end up as one of the most powerful beings on Earth."