Descendence
The Catalyst Stories
Edge’s Story
The Grand Mage Teachings
&
The Bandit Break-In
* * *
Edge's Story
The Grand Mage Teachings
‘Day 8‘
After finishing his morning workout routine, Edge wasn’t quite sure how to spend his days now. He was quite unsure of what was actually going on outside now. Apart from the Military District being on lockdown, even to its own soldiers, the rest of the city, at least Rich District seemed...fine.
There were no alarms, no monsters trying to break in, it seemed whatever security measures were in place for this District, they were holding out. Edge could only count himself lucky that he was here in one of the safest Districts as opposed to being out there, in what could quite possibly be considered as the wild.
But he had to spend his time wisely somehow. There was only so much pain you could push your body towards before you ended up doing serious harm, and Edge was taking his precautions wisely when it came to exercising.
If he couldn’t exercise his body, then maybe he could exercise his mind.
Sparda’s living room features a wide arrangement of bookcases, on either side of the large marble fireplace in the centre of the wall.
Edge had naturally already been reading every night, but he had mainly been looking for stories to fall asleep to. He hadn’t considered trying to find any that could actually teach him something. There were basic books he had already dabbled into, mainly when it came to the art of the blade, but he wanted something fresh. Maybe a new type of weapon to learn about, it didn’t hurt to expand on your arsenal, which he figured he may need at some point.
His search ended in disappointment as he returned to the sofa in the centre of the room, and with nothing else to do, Edge began to pry through the pile of books he’d taken out recently, trying to see if there was still any worth in them.
It didn’t take long until a certain batch caught his eye.
Edge had always been curious about magic. He knew the basics, not in casting, but in general knowledge. Magic used the sixth sense energy within one’s body, and that meant when that energy was harnessed, the user could cast spells of the elements. Edge had never even attempted such a form of combat.
When he was a child, he remembered just how wise Sparda was in the art of magic. Sparda was able to perform expert levels of magic. His energy was so great, he could probably light a flame and keep it awake all day and night. Edge remembered the nights where Sparda used to tell stories of daring wizards and witches who battled against fearsome monsters in these incredible places. Using the powers of magic Sparda would be able to set the scene perfectly, he used so many elements.
One time, Sparda had told the story of how a daring band of heroes charged on a lonely tower out at sea, in order to stop the plans of a dark sorcerer. Using the element of ice, Sparda had constructed the tower itself, that cold chill seeping off those walls and creating a chilling atmosphere. Creating miniature sparks of lighting, and puffs of small flame to signal the battle going on above. Edge forgot how that story ended, but the fact Sparda had such control over magic, it must have taken years to master. So much time put into learning the elements and controlling them to even the simplest of requests.
Time was something Edge had now too...
* * *
Edge sat outside in the gardens, and while the barrier still fazed his eyesight, he now sat cross-legged in a patch of grass, performing deep breathing techniques. The first book he had bought outside with him, titled ‘Magic & Mastery, A Beginner’s Guide To The Arts.’ Hopefully this would be the start of a new venture.
The thoughts of the possibilities excited Edge so much. Imagine being able to explore caves and lighting your own way, no fears of darkness. Being able to craft magnificent intimidating forms to scare away those who would do harm. Being able to enchant his weaponry with an element to make it that much more damaging.
He had to contain that excitement and ease it down as he breathed in deep. He remembered the words of Sparda.
“No one learns magic because it’s fun. They learn because they wish to become one with the world, to learn its own ways, and call upon its help in times of need.”
That was what everyone needed right now. They needed help, and while meditation was an art form that helped study magic, Edge was trying to call out to the world once again, asking for its help in his new quest.
When he opened his eyes, he felt no different. He did not feel as if a new power had been granted for his use, and he did not feel like he could now control the waves of the rivers and lakes. He felt the same. There was no frustration however, he had not exactly expected much.
His body was growing, but perhaps Edge needed a more personal approach to the training of his mind.
He stepped forward, looking down at his hands.
“Imagine the form you wish to call upon and let the world heed your call...” Edge muttered to himself. Memorising the book’s words, Edge stood with a strong stance and raised his left arm. With an outstretched palm, he closed his fingers only ever slightly. In his mind, he thought of flames, the element of fire. He tried to push this thought down his spine, through his arm, and into his palm. When he believed he had done so, he opened his eyes and flexed his palm open to call upon fire.
Nothing happened...
Edge blinked for a moment, and then looked at his palm. Had he done something wrong, was he not concentrating enough?
He tried again. Closing his eyes, clearing his mind, reaching out to the world around him, with an open palm. His eyes shot open, and Edge grunted as he pushed his palm forward, as if trying to summon the burst of flames.
Yet again, nothing escaped his palm.
“I don’t get it.” Edge gasped in frustration as he quickly bent down to pick up the book that had been by his side. Ruffling through the pages, Edge tried to find the answer. There must be some sort of step he was missing. But no page offered a clear answer. He was already doing what the pages were instructing him to do.
Maybe it was just a matter of time, maybe that was the issue. He just wasn’t ready to wield the power of magic. Perhaps it was a skill Edge would never learn to develop. While still frustrated, Edge could only sigh as he picked up the book, and went back indoors. He took one last look at the barrier before heading inside.
He’d try to learn magic again, and when he did, next time, he’d summon forth flames. Edge was going to need everything he could get his hands on in order to survive the Catalyst Challenge...
“Wish you were still here, Sparda...” Edge whispered as he closed the garden door behind him.
* * *
Edge’s Story
The Bandit Break-In
‘Day 9’
The sound of shattered glass caused Edge to sit upright in a split second. He groaned as he quickly, but quietly climbed out of his bed and moved over to the bedroom door. He could already hear noises, the sound of footsteps. They were downstairs, and they were moving rapidly, no care for how much noise they were making.
Edge pressed himself up against the doorway and opened it only slightly, just trying to see if he could listen. His ear peeked from the gap, and he heard a voice.
“Just take what we can see how much food is stashed here. It’s Rich District for crying out loud...” The voice trailed off. So they were downstairs.
Edge rushed back to his bedside, and his hand gripped the hilt of the Unavenged Sheath blade. Edge didn’t think to get dressed, with the blade in his hand, he exited his room, and began to make his way downstairs.
His eyes were remarkably attuned to the dark, Edge had always considered himself to have a gifted sight, he believed his eyes were his strongest feature. As he slowly stepped downstairs, he made sure not to make even a mummer.
Approaching the hallway, Edge turned down towards the living room. He darted in there just in time as he was sure he could make out a figure coming into the hallway.
He backed up against the wall, clutching the blade even tighter. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, but if it came to it...
Edge kept himself along the beige wall as he slid around towards the dining room and kitchen. He peeked around again, there was a source of light. Whoever had broken into the house, they seemed to be raiding whatever food supplies were stored here. Sparda’s large white fridge was wide open, with the sound of rattling shelves and food being stored into a large sack.
“What a mother-load, we’ll be eating for weeks on this.” A male’s voice, quite gruff on the occasional word but no older than Edge. He only caught the second half of that sentence, and with the sword gripped tightly still, Edge emerged from the doorway, sneaking over the kitchen counter quickly, and drawing it forward upon the thief.
“You’re not supposed to be here, especially back here in my kitchen.” said Edge.
He saw the male freeze, in the light of the refrigerator, Edge could make out the male was wearing a classic thief getup. The majority of his attire was black, complete with a mask to hide his identity. He heard the gruff voice call back as he raised his hands, the tip of Edge’s blade poking his back.
“Now, now, no need for that. You’re right...I shouldn’t be here.” he turned around to face Edge, who noticed now the size of this thief. He was slightly taller than Edge, but his posture was much bulkier. The thief clearly had a neat workout routine showing, which compared to Edge, right now, meant he might be the tougher opponent. But Edge was armed, and in the limited light, he couldn’t see a knife or any sort of concealed weapon on them.
“I’m a reasonable guy, I won’t tell anyone, if you won’t.” he replied quickly.
“Yeah that’s...that’s going to be a problem...” sighed the thief.
As Edge took his stand further, beginning to poke the blade further towards the torso, he suddenly yelped in pain. Someone else had sneaked up behind him and twist his arm behind his back, pulling up on the forearm. The quick sting of pain allowed the male thief to make his move. Edge felt the bottom of an open palm strike his lower face, knocking him back. Whoever was holding onto him had let go as Edge stumbled back and hit the kitchen floor.
“Gotta admit, we didn’t think anyone would still be living here. Not like we planned this heist out, but everyone needs food...and Rich District has got a lot of it.” said the thief.
Edge began to get up, the pain obviously hurt, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He could hear the thief approaching him in the darkness as the light from the fridge was still the only source of sight.
“Now look, just let us walk out of here with what we need. We won’t starve you, we’re not killers. We just need our take of survival, that’s all.” warned the thief.
Edge began to stand up, spitting the pain away as he did. “You’re lucky I said I was reasonable, cause that was my only warning too-”
Edge felt a firm boot connect with his side as he was sent across the room again. He bounced off the wall, falling back down to his knees as he wheezed through the new surge of pain. The thief now stood over him, looking down.
“Don’t bother. Just stay down.”
That wasn’t going to fly in Edge’s mind. He got back up, slouched across the wall, but standing nonetheless.
“I didn’t want a fight, just wanted you to leave. But you’ve pushed that out the window now.” Edge growled.
In the brief light, he could see the thief nodding, no doubt smiling given his tone. “Okay then, let’s see what you’ve got.” Edge saw raised fists, and it was only now he realised his blade was gone. It must be somewhere on the floor, but unarmed, all Edge had to use as weapons, were his own two fists.
Edge took a quick step forward, swinging his arm around towards the thief, who naturally pulled himself back, avoiding Edge’s attack.
Right now Edge assumed that pressure would be the best bet in causing a thief to think twice about breaking in. He quickly aimed another strike, this time with his other arm, swinging again with as much force. The thief, at least feeling some pressure, was forced to duck under the arm as it passed him. Their shadows flickered along the kitchen wall as they now swapped places, the thief near the wall, and Edge in the open kitchen space.
His back turned to the thief, Edge turned around, only to see a faint black speck of an item head towards him. There was a large grunt as Edge felt the thief’s boot hit him again, this time in the upper torso. The force sent Edge back into the kitchen counter, his body almost toppling over it as he collided with the contents. As he regained himself, he felt the thief press up against him, feeling another hard shot, this time from the thief’s fist, into his jaw again. Like he had before, Edge’s body almost leapt up to the counter as he tried to recover from the punch.
The thief pulled him back down and attempted to lock him into some form of submission. Edge struggled as best he could as he felt his left arm being tangled, and with a lucky punch, his fist collided with the thief’s abdomen. There was a gruff grunt from the thief as Edge felt himself being freed, the workouts were paying off in some regard.
As he pushed himself off the counter, Edge felt a swift elbow hit his lower back, which caused him to grunt out in pain again as he stumbled forward. What he expected to be a wall, turned out to be a person. Edge collided with someone else, the other thief, and whoever they were, they let out a high pitched yelp of surprise as they pushed him away.
“Two on one is hardly fai-” Edge began to speak but he felt the punch of the thief who he had caught hit his side, his left jaw. In some form of retaliation, Edge threw a punch into the dark, and he missed again. He felt a quick jab in his ribs, another punch from the thief. How could this guy see so well in the dark, with such little light to aid him?
He heard a loud yell now, which if anything, finally put the odds in Edge’s favour. The thief charged towards him, and Edge used whatever hearing he could still use out of the ringing in his ears, to figure out his position. Grabbing the thief as he charged, Edge let him pass by, and keeping the memory of where the footsteps made their echo in the hard kitchen floor, Edge charged towards the thief. He managed to catch him, pushing him further until they connected with the wall. There was an angered grunt from the thief as Edge quickly managed to locate the thief’s arm, and locked it behind his back.
“Another messing around! I’ll forget all this if you just leave now!” barked Edge as he pinned the thief up.
“Guh! Can’t...I won’t!” growled the thief. He continued to struggle, but Edge had him in a knot that couldn’t be untied so easily.
“Then...you’re leaving me with no choi-” Edge felt something hard hit the back of his head. Instantly his grip loosened, and his body naturally fell to the floor. Shortly after he hit the floor, a burst of light entered his eyes. He closed his eyes tight, it was brighter than usual, the room light. In a crumpled mess, Edge’s vision had become so blurred he was seeing three of everything as he opened his eyes. He could see six figures all dressed in black, no wonder he’d been caught off guard if there were that many.
“Did I kill him!?” squeaked a higher-pitched person...another thief?
Edge saw someone bend over towards him. “No, he just looks dazed. Might be out of it. Come on, grab what you can, and let’s go.”
For the new few minutes, Edge only heard the ruffling of food being disposed into sacks again.
“Why did we do this, you said no one would be here!” said the second thief in a scared tone.
“What’s done is done. Leave the sword, we don’t need that. Give the guy something to defend himself with.” said the first thief.
Despite the kindness of not taking the sheath, Edge still had to get up and stop them from taking his food. They had no right to take it, no right.
He heard the footsteps beginning to leave, and as he summed up all the strength he could, Edge grabbed onto the kitchen counter and pulled himself back up.
“Come...back...” he wheezed as he tried to stand.
He heard the front door slam as the two thieves bickered on their way out of the house. Edge stumbled into the hallway, reaching for the front door.
“Come...back...” The weight of the situation was too much, and Edge fell to the floor.
For the rest of that night, Edge was out cold in the hallway.
Next Time:
Aries’ Story
The Next Step
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