Chapter: 630 – Together at the Waning

Tala watched, being held back by her own will but still appreciating Rane’s hand on her shoulder, reminding her not to interfere.

They stood on the plains outside of Alefast, Waning, their daughter walking toward a rather aggressive seeming thunderbull.

-I mean… is there any other kind?-

No… I suppose not. They aren’t quite as human-hating as many arcanous and magical creatures, but they aren’t exactly warm and cuddly.

Lea had proven her restraint time and time again over the last six months, and that meant it was finally time to really let her cut loose in a true fight. Hence, the thunderbull.

“Is this too soon? Are we rushing her?”

Rane squeezed her shoulder. “She’ll be fine. Besides, she’d have been out here years ago, if we let her. If anything, we’re holding her back.”

They both glanced to the side, where Terry waited on a nearby hill, eyes fixed on Lea and the bull.

“See? Terry could get there basically instantly in the event of disaster, and our aura is already fully covering that hill. We can interfere if we need to.”

Tala squirmed slightly, fighting against herself more than anything else. “But what if we interfere too early? That would teach her that she doesn’t need to be careful, that she’s safe no matter what, and that could ruin her as a fighter, not to mention getting her killed.”

Rane sighed. “Then, we’ll address that if it happens. I don’t think she’s bent that way, but if she moves in that direction, then we’ll expose her to things that teach her otherwise.” He grimaced, likely remembering his own lesson in that regard. “But that won’t happen. We’ve been very careful. Moreover, we’ll be careful, now. She’ll be fine, and if she isn’t, we’ll make sure she recovers.”

Tala shifted, trying to rid herself of the nervous energy. “What if we interfere too late? What if she gets so damaged that she’s in the tank for years? What if we leave her scared to ever face another opponent.”

Rane turned his wife toward him. “Tala. If that happens, then we’ll be there with her for those years. We’ll keep her company if she’s conscious, and watch over her if she’s not. But she’s got this, and if anything goes wrong, we’re here.”

Tala looked up at him for a long moment before nodding. “I know you’re right…”

He smiled. “But she’s our daughter.”

She nodded, even as he pulled her in for a hug.

“She’s had good teachers, you included.”

“Thank you.” They turned, still embraced but moving to more of a side-hug as they looked back toward where Lea was almost to the top of the hill.

The thunderbull had noticed her by that point, and it had turned to face her, seeing her as the more immediate threat than the strange terror bird on the next rise.

-He’s lucky that he’s right today, even if normally he wouldn’t be. Terry isn’t interested in him.-

Indeed.

The bull lowered his head, snuffing and pawing the ground.

Rane tightened his arms around Tala, and she almost got irritated, thinking that he was trying to keep her back, that he didn’t trust her. Then, she saw his face, and how much he obviously wanted to move to his daughter’s aid.

That washed away the frustration, and she squeezed him in turn, watching their daughter.

Lea stood tall, her stance relaxed, but well balanced, ready to spring in any direction.

The bull did not seem to like that. He bellowed, lowering his head further and charging.

Tala couldn’t help but whisper to herself. Though, she knew that Rane would have heard her as well. “Come on… don’t forget that he’ll sweep at the last moment…”

Lea didn’t forget.

As the bull closed, she lunged forward, throwing off the big beast’s timing.

She couldn’t steal the big thing’s momentum. She could impart hers without doing so, but to take would require establishing authority or magical control over it. Well… thinking of it that way, she likely could, but not without overcoming his magical weight, and that would spoil the test. She needed to fight it as if they were on equal footing, magically, or as if she had a disadvantage.

Regardless, she lashed out with a punch, her full body behind the motion, a chain of magic adding to the kinetic chain of the strike, pouring a massive amount of gathered momentum in at the last minute before it was perfectly transferred to and through the point of contact.

At that moment of contact, Tala also saw a sequence of inscriptions flare around the girl’s wrist as she accepted the momentum of the strike—not all that was in the beast, just that which it was trying to impart in its strike—and sent it right back along with her own.

The bull’s head was hard and strong. It was used to battering against fellow thunderbulls at great speed. As such, the head didn’t detonate… but it did streak backward, tearing through the body behind it, creating a rather horrific meat tunnel that lasted for only a moment before the surrounding insides moved to fill the gap, splooshing out both ends atop the mess already there.

Tala blinked a few times, and Rane’s mouth hung open. Huh… I’d have thought the spine and muscles reinforcing the skull would win, but apparently the skull is stronger?

-So it seems.-

Terry let out a long series of chirps and trills that was clearly his form of laughter.

The husband and wife turned to regard one another for a long moment. Finally, Rane closed his mouth and cleared his throat. “So… restraint in violence? That’s the next lesson?”

Tala gave a slow nod. “Absolutely.”

* * *

Tala grunted as her daughter’s fist slammed into her stomach, deforming the armor and sending a ripple of damage through her insides.

Maybe I shouldn’t have just taken that hit.

-Eh, you’re fine, and she didn’t break her own hand?-

Yeah… that would have been unideal.

Healing followed shortly on the heels of the damage, restoring what little actual harm had been done. The armor righted itself a moment later. -I mean… it also didn’t really do much? It’s good for her to learn that not everything bursts at a single hit.-

Tala grimaced and Alat did the same, both remembering the thunderbull incident.

-I mean… like mother like daughter?-

Tala grinned. She didn’t have a helmet on, so her daughter saw it.

“Oh… not enough? I thought I might actually affect you, there.”

Tala shook her head, letting her smile shift to a patient one. “That wasn’t the task, Lea.”

The girl grimaced. “Right… I was supposed to hit you like you were a mundane…”

Tala held up a finger, manipulating the white steel of her replaced left hand to make the gesture. “Who…?”

Lea sighed. “Who I wanted to survive the encounter.”

Tala nodded once. “Would a mundane have survived that hit?”

The girl groused. “No…”

“So…?”

“So, I don’t pass this test.”

Tala shook her head. “That answer is not quite what I was looking for.”

Lea looked up, frowning. “What?”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Tala smiled at her daughter, taking on an encouraging tone. “You don’t pass this test yet.”

That made the girl brighten. “You mean… I can try again?”

“Yes.”

Lea laughed. “Alright, then!” She did a few hops, shaking out her arms. “Let’s see what I can do.”

“Lea…” Tala gave her daughter a stern glance. “We can test your power after. Right now? You are taking another shot at the test.”

Lea stopped, then deflated slightly. “Fine… Do you want him to walk away? Require minor healing? Or just survive if there is a skilled Healer nearby?”

Tala gave her a flat look. “Survive without magical intervention.”

“Fine…”

The girl drew in a long breath, seeming to center herself. She moved through a few motions, forming her fist before she suddenly blurred, lashing out, magics flaring to generate a strong hit.

This hit did nothing to Tala, but still sent a loud, resonant thump of two pieces of padded, solid metal impacting.

Once again, it had been directed into Tala’s abdominal region. On a mundane? It would have damaged organs but shouldn’t have burst anything. Had the impact been to a bone instead, it likely would have broken them… on a mundane, not on Tala.

She slowly nodded. “On the hard side, you might cause internal bleeding with a hit like that, but it shouldn’t be immediately lethal.”

Lea cheered, holding her hands up in triumph. “I pass!”

“You do… but barely.”

Lea frowned at her mother. “Come on, Mom. I did it. Momma, you tell her.”