Tole's Gift Uncovered

Ok, so I have written a little.  This is a continuation of the post from Sept 2020 called Training...Kind Of. In this little snippet Serilla helps Tole uncover one aspect of his gift. Let me know what you think.

Wayne

The rest of the day was spent working on my access to my gift. Serilla went over the runes I had learned that would let me discharge any magical build up. That set Valsh on edge.

He stomped around the clearing throwing his hands up as he spoke. "He needs to learn to master it, not ignore it. The ability to touch magic is a gift given by the gods and it must be embraced so you do not invite their anger at your disrespect of their benevolence."

That set Serilla to laughing so hard that small gouts of flame shot out of her nose. It reminded me of being a kid and laughing while drinking milk and having it shoot out of my nose. That image only served to make me burst out laughing right along with her. Our laughter just made Valsh angrier.

When she finally had her laughter under control Serilla sat down on one of the logs by the fire. "Magic is a part of nature and creatures that can manipulate it can do so because of their nature, not because of some invisible father or mother figure that allows it. Nature simply is, Master Valsh. It is nothing more complicated than that. Tole's stubborn streak is his nature just as his ability is. Their only difference is that one can kill him if he does not let go of the other."

Valsh and Serilla argued back and forth about the nature of magic and how best to go about teaching me for almost an hour. My protests that I really had no desire to learn fell on mostly deaf ears, so I finally wandered off into the brush around the camp.

They finally noticed I was gone and Serilla called me back to camp. I went, but it was reluctantly.

When I stepped into the clearing Serilla met me and laid her hand on my shoulder. I could feel the tug of our lingering link through that touch. "Let me show you something, Killer. Come make your circle again, but replace that drawing with the image that called to you when you were concentrating."

I sat down with my legs crossed and used my dagger to draw the crescent moon I had pictured in the dirt in front of me. Serilla shifted again and this time appeared as a drake about the size of a German Shepard. That form allowed her to fit inside the circle with me.

She laid down beside me and put her head in my lap. I could hear her thoughts in my head. "Close your eyes and hold that image. Picture it beginning to glow. Good. Now reach out and touch the glow. Take the moon in your hand. Imagine it sinking into your hand...becoming a part of you...absorbing into you. Perfect. Now, open your eyes."

The world had taken on a strange shimmer. When I looked at Valsh, it was like looking at him underwater. There were several small glowing spots on his body. After a second, I realized that those were the locations where orcs were vulnerable to fatal strikes. Each one glowed with a slightly different hue identifying them as most to least effective.

"Whoa." The word escaped my mouth before I had a chance to stop it.

Serilla's voice had taken on that almost purr-like quality again. "What do you see, Killer?"

I turned to her." I can see how to kill you, quickly and quietly. I can tell which would be merciful and which would be torture. I feel...no, I know I could take you before you could react."

"Amazing. Your gift is quite specific."

"Preposterous." There was something in the way Valsh said that that felt like fear. "I've seen you fight. You bested Gujek, but if memory serves, he gave as good as he got."

Without thought and in one motion I stood, crossed the clearing to Valsh, and poked him in three of the brightest red spots on his body. "There, there, and then there and you're dead."

Valsh fell back on his haunches. "Holy gods that was fast. How did you?'

"It is his gift. It is his nature. It is what he is. Death." This time she actually did purr.

"How do I turn it off?"

I felt her now human hand on my shoulder. "Close your eyes and imagine that glow going out with your exhaled breath. When you no longer see it in your breath, open your eyes."

As easy as that it was gone. The world was normal again. "That was incredible."

Serilla kissed me gently on the cheek. "It was a beginning. Today I used our link to help you touch your gift. Eventually you will be able to draw it as easily as you now draw your daggers. I will try to help you find out what and how much you can do, but it will take time, if I can help you master it at all. Like I said it may take another of your kind to teach you to truly master it. For now, the discharge runes are going to let you vent when you get overcharged."

"You've convinced me. This could be damned interesting."

Valsh let out one of his patented belly laughs. "Interesting he says. Tole, you may have just taken a step to becoming one of the most dangerous men to ever exist. I am glad we are friends. I would hate to be one who opposed you."

Serilla stayed the night and slept beside me.