Elevation of Mana Chapter 11 Battle Against the Bear

Elaya was using fire, which was good, but I was thinking of something a bit more... energetic. In my hand I visualized the spell I'd thought of, pulling the thoughts together cohesively faster than I'd ever thought possible. Force pooled in my hand. It was odd, so very odd to feel pure kinetic energy warp and mold in ways that really shouldn't be possible, but within an instant a spear of pure force hovered there, waiting for a direction.

With a minute flick of my small hand I sent the spear flying. The air hummed as the force was imparted with direction. I saw grass and bushes shred as the missile of directed force rocketed, silently screaming through the air.

Before it landed, before it could even make it half way towards the creature I was spinning up more of them, one in each hand. I even began my own slow plodding towards the monster, aiming to save mother from the oncoming abomination of fur and spikes.

As the first of my projectiles struck there was a thunderous boom and the beast faltered. Several of the large bone-like growths protruding from its body cracked, but the effect was far, far less than I'd hoped for. Something about the creature seemed to push back against the magic, resisting the force that sent a plume of grass and dirt back from the point of contact.

The next two flew similarly, but to little avail. One missed, striking a nearby tree and making its base explode, whereas the other landed true, but merely pushed the creature back again. Either this monster was unbelievably resilient, or it was somehow negating my magic.

The next problem with this fight made itself known instantly and with its own potency. As I tried to step forward my body faltered, like all the energy had been wrung right out of me. I'd never casted like this before, and it was clear that it would be a problem.

Ninden was nearby, as the passing energy made itself known he looked back at me, eyes wide. I could see him trying to process, trying to understand how I could do what I'd done. He could ask questions later, for now though, we still had an enemy present.

"More spears," I wheezed to Ninden, sure he could hear me.

"I can only throw once!" He protested in panic.

"More spears," I repeated, trying to work my way through the fog.

He turned to run, the other boys may have had one or two between them, they weren't great, but would be better than nothing. If nothing else we could brace them, because I wasn't leaving until my family was safe.

Our assault of wood and spell had an effect though. The bear's charge had been stopped dead, looking from my mother towards us. It must have spotted the group because it turned from my fleeing parent towards our group, roaring rage and defiance.

Ninden's father met it halfway, his own speed gaining as he sprinted, a small stone knife from somewhere making its way to his fist. The man might not have too much magic, but the scream of rage showed he also had no fear. He was determined to do all he could, much as any of us would.

He also had skill. I barely saw the monster pull back, but it attacked with a blurred claw at the man, which he ducked somehow, either through insane reactions or practice the likes of which I could only barely fathom. The furred appendage left his hair rippling in the passing wind and his hand slashed up, scoring a hit. Sadly the backstroke of the monstrous bear caught the hunter, sending him flying a good twenty feet back spitting blood.

Mother turned her head in her run and her eyes widened as she saw the creature's now path.

"ELIAN!" She shrieked in panic seeing me right there on course with the abomination of fur, bone, and flesh.

"Mother," I said quietly in return, knowing she couldn't hear me.

"NOOOOO!!!!!!" Came the roar a second later.

I didn't know if this creature was male or female, but I did know that I had a mother bear of my own. Mom stopped running as she yelled, hands blazing brighter than I'd ever seen before with power. From her right a green fist, causing innumerable vines and roots to spring, several times more than before, to capture the beast.

Her left hand was more terrifying though, a black torrent, raging forth like an angry thundercloud in fast forward. Where that cloud touched there was only death, grass turning black and almost liquefying at its passage. It slipped close, but not touching the fallen elven man and slammed into the bear.

The struggling beast hadn't fully stopped before the cloud hit it, but it mattered little. It screamed in agony as wave after wave of my mother's rage washed over it, pulling and yanking as it came to a complete stop.

That power couldn't last forever though, and after only a few scant moments the cloud faltered and soon died. A look confirmed that mother had collapsed, presumably from the same exhaustion that I could feel eating at my own strength, pulling me down into a sleep that might well never end if I succumb to it now.

Ninden returned with two spears, and I grabbed one. I didn't know much how to use a spear, but even I could brace it on my foot against a charging beast. That was good, since after mother fell the creature ripped with impossible strength, pulling the vines her own magic had so damaged till they broke and tore with a sickening snap. It looked towards her, but seeing her no longer standing returned to charging us, even if slower than last time.

It forgot though, much as I had, that even with her gone, there was still another to contend with. The tree I'd felled flew at it at an angle, the broken wood now a spear and bludgeon. The old elf had spent the moments we'd bought with our combat weaving her magic around the spar of wood, and now threw it at the rampaging beast.

I could see her hard face, experience from many years telling her to hold her attack until the right moment. While her features were young, now they hardened like an ancient general, planning her attack. The wood slammed it, then turning to pull it away from all of the combatants, the creature's back now toward the woods.

Our enemy wasn't crushed though, as I might have hoped. Bears could climb and this one was quick, turning and bounding up the tree like a squirrel. The giant wooden spear crashed loudly into the forest, but it bounded, landing winded, but facing us all.

"Stupid beast, they're not alone," Elaya smiled. For a second she seemed to sense something and smiled. "None of us are."

The monster was breathing heavy, but still looked towards her as if it understood she'd said something. Sadly the meaning was lost on this beast. A second later it screamed in renewed pain, turning and revealing another spear lodged through the bony spines and into its back.

More wooden projectiles flew, along with more of the minor spells some of our kind could manage interspersed as the woods disgorged a screaming horde or angry elves. The hunters, who must have seen the same screaming ball of purple that had drawn us to the fight had finally arrived.

At their head was my father's friend Larus, the largest and most built of our village, roaring a war-cry as he separated from the group and sped like a freight train forward. The only thing that beat him on his course was dad's own scream of burning anger. That yell took an almost physical form in a wave of magic that slammed the beast, making it flinch and the hair blow around it.

The furious men swarmed the bear like bees, or perhaps wild dogs, surrounding it in a flash. Though I was still struggling to keep going they took a circle around it, small strikes landing in practiced cooperation, making small bites while the warrior struggled to hold the animal's attention.

I wasn't one to flinch from this fight though, not if it would leave any of my new people vulnerable. Seconds passed agonizingly slow as I wove magic around the spear in my hand, like a net. I no longer had enough for another of the pure force balls, but I might manage something else.

As the monster finally pulled back onto its hind legs in frustration I loosed my spear, straight at the now exposed chest, the point just below where I thought the sternum would lie. Earlier in the fight it would have probably been able to bat the wooden spar from the air like nothing, or used whatever inhuman resistance it had to survive. Now however the beast was spent, and my spear slammed home digging deep, joined by dozens of others shortly thereafter, none willing to risk the monster getting back up.

As the men descended upon the dying beast I saw blackness creeping in on the edges of my vision. I laughed as the exertion caught up with my small body, sending me falling face first and completely unconscious into the soft grass.

As I woke it felt like someone had crushed my skull with a hammer blow. My eyes snapped open to the cool darkness of evening and the pain screaming in my head. The second I rose though was not unnoted by the villagers.

"Elian is awake!" Father declared. "Now the stories can begin. You ready to tell everyone your part Elian?" He said smiling.

I'd been laying against mother's side and now hurriedly rose, moving towards the fire. Everyone looked on expectantly as I pitched over and emptied my stomach into the fire-pit, along with a fair quantity of bile. The general uproar that caused seemed to indicate that was not the answer everyone had been hoping for.

"Not now," I answered after the spasm of my stomach stopped and I'd managed to spit a few times. "Head hurts."

Mother looked briefly alarmed, but from behind Elaya spoke. "He's fine, just pulled out too much of his light. Let the boy rest for a bit." At her words the whole crowd settled down.

My mom scooped me up into her lap, as I was still very small and held me.  I could feel her very subtly pushing a bit of her own magic into me to heal anything that might be wrong.

"Rest, shh," she cooed.

I saw a hand near her ear from the older woman, who grabbed and twisted, if very lightly.  "You already pushed too much of yours out too girl.  The child needs only rest, not for you to pass out again."

Mom looked briefly very angry, until she saw the soft eyes of the elder.  Elaya might not look it, but she was something like a grandmother to us all.  The other woman patted mother's hair after her censure though, and took a seat beside us.

Meat was being passed around to all of us.  There was almost literally a ton of it, and while some could be dried and stored it was better fresh.  There were smiling faces as each and every member of the tribe could eat to their fill on nothing but the tasty protein, a very rare treat.

Stories began, with or without me.  There were a lot of perspectives, and since the women were there first, they got to start, telling where they were, and what happened.  There was rapt attention, and I quickly learned that while there'd been injuries, quick action had prevented any deaths.

Our group went next.  I learned part of why they were waiting for me.  My spear at the end had apparently dealt massive damage to the monster going through both lungs, so it had been decided that the kill was mine.  I'd been aiming for the heart, but lungs was not a bad place to hit.  I was urged to tell what I'd seen first from our group.

I tried to weave a tale for them, struggling with some of the words, but managing well enough.  All eyes were  on me as I did so, everyone happy to hear about my magic, though some eyebrows went up when I spoke of it.  My mother and Elaya were among those most prominently.  I did stick to tradition though and try to make everyone else look like the hero, which got me smiles and nods.

Ninden's father went next, though his story was short, being that he'd been dropped quickly.  Everyone was quite impressed at his bravery though, and when he told of how he'd dodged a straight on strike there were gasps.  The woman who could only be my friend's mother clung to him like a vine, making it clear that he was very much so hers.

Then the younger son went, telling us all about it from his eyes.  I noticed one of the girls who'd held me captive not so long ago inching closer with rapt attention.  I also noticed that neither did he seem to mind, but passed her a little of our hard-won honey after he'd finished.  He was nearing the age when girls stopped being icky and started being very, very interesting after all.

The hunters went last, telling their stories with gusto.  How they'd finally surrounded the beast, and of the single spear that flew like a lightning bolt into the creature's open chest.  Their speakers though indicated that it was the work of those before that had made the kill so easy though.

When it was all over I was still sat there, full to the brim with tasty food and my hair being played with by mom's gentle fingers.

"I want to learn to fight," I said.

"You're still too young," mother said without hesitation.

"He'll need training, particularly since he is so young," Elaya interjected, still near us.

Mother nearly growled at the older woman.  "He's still little."  I was, only about as big as a three year old.

"More the reason, and we both know it.  From what I've seen he's like me, so I will teach him.  That power he let loose is dangerous and we both know it."

"You are not taking my child off into the woods for months," mother declared through gritting teeth.

"Only until I think he's safe.  Those strikes against the beast would destroy a hut, and we can't have that, or him hurting or killing any of us.  You know I'm right, and you know it must be done."

Mother seemed ready to spit fire, but a hand landed on her shoulder, calming her almost instantly.

"What do you want Elian?"  Father asked, looking down at me.

"I want to learn," I said.

Mother looked irritated, but with the nod my father gave could see that she was outnumbered.  "You will bring him back every few days for me to see him or I will come and find you."

"Very well," Elaya said.  "Rest child, for tomorrow we'll go to teach you what you must know."

Excitement or worry might have kept me up most nights, but I was tired, and with a belly full of meat.  Soon enough I found myself drifting off before even rising to return to my bed.