IABD 56: Sprinting Ahead

Matthias Stonebreaker shielded his eyes as crimson light flared across his brother’s back, momentarily blinding everyone in the garden. Bregindoure’s roar thundered through the sky.

Every ghoul prowling Windstone likely heard it, whether deep underground or lurking near upper windows.

“Breg!” Dagma was screaming. “Bregindoure!”

She stood, ready to rush to him, but Matthias reached out, gripping her shoulder.

“Stay back!” he shouted. “We need to give him room! We need—”

Suddenly, red-hot flame and shrieking voices erupted, stopping his words. Through the crimson light jarring his vision, he spotted ghouls rushing from the abbey, hurling themselves at the ward’s hungry fire.

Perhaps the monsters had heard Bregindoure’s cry, thinking it a sign of weakness; if so, they paid for their hasty assumptions with blood and fire.

The red light’s intensity lessened, dimming, settling between his shoulder blades, manifesting a Rune now visible through his shirt; one shaped like a sword raised skyward, a pair of outstretched wings serving as its pommel.

Bregindoure’s roar waned, as he leaned down, resting both hands on the ground, catching his breath as though he’d just run a far distance.

HIs mother—close by his side—gripped his shoulder, lending a strong hand should he need support. “Are you well?”

“I am,” he hissed out, a fierce satisfaction in his voice.

Slowly, he rose to his full height, stretching, his shoulders popping as he did so; the Rune burning on his back, as clear as though there were no garment covering it. He looked no worse for wear, much to Matthias’ relief. Already the ward’s fires were dying done, leaving only white and black ash behind. Surviving ghouls had fled, retreating to the abbey, disappearing down its darkened halls.

The young greatfolk released his sister, moving alongside her to Bregindoure.

“Breg!” Dagma cried. “Did that hurt you?”

“No,” he rumbled. “It was like how I imagine being branded would feel, except there was no pain; only a rush of…I’m not even sure how to describe it, to be honest.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re not hurt and congratulations!” she cried. “You did it! I knew you would!”

“Good job, big brother!” Matthias clapped Bregindoure on the back, making sure to avoid the new Rune. “Life-enforcement and a Rune! That’s a damned good day, I’d say! Do you know which Rune it is? Do Runes always appear on Rune-marked if they unlock Life Enforcement?”

“Not always,” Bregindoure said. “But I was unlucky; my first two Runes were right in the pathway of mother’s life energy, and their power was interfering with hers. I had to overcome them to pass the affinity test and when I did, it seems my success was considered a worthy trial. I read that Rune-marked who unlock Life Enforcement while overcoming an obstacle receive Runes as a reward; I suppose I was both unlucky and lucky at the same time.”

“Rune or not, I am just glad that you passed, because it is what you wanted!” Beggahasta clapped her son’s other shoulder. “Look at the wonderful children I have! See their strength, determination, wit and will!” Her loud boasts echoed through the courtyard. “Has anyone walking the face of the world ever been as blessed?”

“Mother! Stop! You’re embarrassing me.” Bregindoure blushed.

“As is my right.” She grinned. “Tonight, I will prepare us a feast so tasty, that the wonderful aromas will overpower even the stench of this cursed place.”

“So, tell us, what Rune did you get?” Matthias asked again. “Come on, don’t leave us in suspense.”

Bregindoure grinned. “Let me show you. Come to the courtyard.”

###

Matthias and Bregindoure—their mother, sister, Polla and Ellian---stood in the courtyard outside their hermit house. The wind had carried all lingering ash away; erasing the remnants of the ghoul attack.

“Alright, so, what’s this all about, then?” Matthias asked his brother.

Bregindoure simply grinned, deep-set eyes shining. “Just a demonstration, Matthie.”

He pointed to one of the courtyard’s ruined walls about a hundred yards away. “We’re going to run to that wall,” was all he said.

“Oh, a race?” Matthias raised an eyebrow. “Does this new Rune have something to do with speed? Are you after revenge because I beat you at Bear’s Head?”

“Just watch and learn, brother,” Bregindoure laughed. “This isn’t about revenge; if it were, I would have lured you into a bet, something like: ‘the one who reaches the wall last gets tossed into the ghoul nest’, but I am not so cruel as to set such a trap...for anyone. Anyways, I would not want to be tossed in there if I lost, but in any case, will you just humour me and run?”

Matthias shrugged. “Alright.”

“Can I race too?” Dagma asked, excitedly.

“Why don’t we all run together?” Beggahasta suggested. “Or would that ruin your demonstration?”

“Oh no, the more the merrier,” Bregindoure’s grin was downright evil. “I would love to test myself against all of you…except you, Mistress Polla. Flying would be considered cheating, I’d have to say.”

“I am content to merely watch your demonstration,” the mage said. “In any case, I am not much of a runner.”

“Ellian?” Dagma offered.

“Running? With all that sweating and the gasping for breath?” Ellian said. “I’ll stick to observing, thank you.”

“Alright then!” Bregindoure said. “On the count of three!”

The Stonebreaker family lined up, tensing, eyeing the wall. Matthias glanced at his mother; there was no way he would out-race Beggahasta Stonebreaker—not yet at least—but he was sure he could beat his two siblings.

“One…two…three!” Bregindoure cried.

“Let’s go!” Dagma shouted, sprinting for the wall.

Matthias gave her a head start, then picked up his pace, rushing past her.

“Hey!” she shouted.

“Move those little feet, sister!” Matthias laughed.

Some other, less competitive big brother might have graciously allowed Dagma to pass him…but Matthias was not that big brother.

He quickly pulled ahead, Beggahasta keeping pace with him; he could tell she wasn’t moving anywhere near her fastest. Meanwhile, Bregindoure had pulled ahead of Dagma, but he was fighting to catch up to his mother and brother.

His running form had improved over the weeks he’d been training; he wasted far less movement; his legs were quickly falling into an easy rhythm, taking advantage of his immense stride. Even though his brother had just unlocked Life Enforcement, Matthias recognised how much the art was already helping him, quickening his pace by empowering his body.

Of course, he wasn’t able to catch his younger brother quite yet.

Matthias was faster now than he had been when the two of them had raced at Bear’s Head Pond, more of his foundation had solidified since then, which gave his body greater power.

An overconfident thought ran across his mind: ‘There’s no way he’s going to catch me.’

He knew well enough that entertaining such a thought could easily go wrong; that fool Petric had gloated about his victory…right up to the moment he’d lost, and Matthias had relieved him of his teeth.

‘Maybe thinking I’ve won before I’ve actually won might be a bad idea,’ Matthias considered, looking over his shoulder.

Bregindoure was still huffing and puffing a good distance behind them, as they were nearing the wall.

It seemed there was no way he would catch—

The Rune on the giant’s back flared.

He grinned.

Then became a blur.

“What in the name of the gods—” Matthias began, his head whipping to the side as Bregindoure shot by.

In a single breath, the giant reached the wall, hand pressing to it while eyeing his brother with an evil grin. The red glow slowly faded from his back. “Well, well, perhaps I should have made that bet after all.”

“Whoa!” Dagma cried, quickening her pace. “How did you do that?”

“Yeah!” Matthias shouted, slowing to a walk. “What was that?”

“I now have the Rune of the Sprinter on my back, as was announced to me when it appeared there. A voice whispers what each Rune is called and its purpose through my very blood and soul---” Bregindoure pointed to his back. “—this Rune allows me to vastly increase my running speed for short bursts.”

“That was incredible!” Matthias cried. “You must have travelled at least twenty yards in a blink!”

“Very impressive.” Beggahasta smiled. “How often can you use it?”

“The Rune of the Sprinter must be charged between uses, which takes about a minute, initially.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘initially’?” Ellian walked over to them, eyes burning with curiosity.

“Oh, so first you’re too good to run, now all of a sudden you’re interested in a running Rune?” Dagma rolled her eyes.

“Some Runes grow and evolve over time,” Bregindoure explained. “Certain ones are static: the Rune of the Berserker will not change, and neither will the Rune of Clarity, but Runes like the Rune of the Sprinter can evolve into more powerful versions that enhance their abilities, or even allow a Rune-marked to unlock other Runes. It’s interesting. The Rune of the Sprinter will recharge faster as it advances and evolves to one of the other Runes involving speed. The Rune of Celerity, for instance, enhances speed and all reflexes permanently—allowing one to fight and strike much quicker—and it can then be charged, allowing for even greater bursts of speed.”

“That sounds legendary!” Matthias grinned. “I cannot wait to fight at your side, Breg. Can you imagine it? Me with my Divine Breath and shadow ability, Dagma with her Gift and Life Enforcement, and you with Life Enforcement and your Runes. We’ll be unstoppable!”

Beggahasta said nothing, simply looking at her children with ferocious pride.

“You will need to work hard to keep up, Matthias,” Polla said.

“Yeah, well, it’s not about me today.” He grabbed his big brother by the shoulder. “Let’s celebrate!”

And they did.

The Stonebreaker family returned to the hermit house, preparing, then hosting a feast. Polla flew to Duvik’s Pass for extra supplies to add to the meal; harvest time was underway, and there was plenty of fresh fruit, meats, fish, and a host of vegetables available.

That night, they devoured spit roasted boar, venison, baked apples, pumpkin pies, and more. There were no spirits served with the meal as—Polla did not indulge in alcoholic beverages, and Beggahasta expected complete abstinence because of the high number of ghouls creeping around—but cooled honey milk, cider and fruit juices served them just fine.

Laughter rang out through the night and most likely—for the first time in thousands of years—Windstone knew cheer.

Polla retired to their home when Ellian began falling asleep, but the Stonebreaker family continued celebrating until the moon was high.

Once the celebration was finished, however, an atmosphere of watchfulness returned.

A milestone had been reached today, and there were many more ahead of them; Dagma, Bregindoure and Matthias still had far to go before they were ready to descend into Windstone Abbey and face the ghouls lurking there.

Come morning, they would be training with increased focus.

But for Matthias, his training began the moment he wrapped himself in his bedroll, closed his eyes and fell asleep. That night, he circulated his energy while moving his arms and hands. 

He did the same the next night and the next.

Time went by.

The days grew shorter.

And the Stonebreaker siblings grew stronger.

###

One day turned into a week, and that turned into a fortnight, then more.

As winter’s chill deepened, Matthias moved his body while circulating his energies. Having grown capable with his arms, he shifted his attention to his legs, first moving one leg—including his toes—then both.

For a week, his practise involved lying on his back, moving his legs up and down and side to side—wriggling his toes—and pumping his soul. When he’d reached fifty repetitions doing that routine, he knew it was time to return to the very first movement he’d ever attempted: circulating life energy while walking.

And it was still trying.

Walking, as he came to understand, wasn’t just a matter of simply moving his legs; dozens of muscles and more were involved in the process, stabilizing his body and shifting his weight. He kept practising, steadily improving, until, at last, he could stroll through the dream-realm while comfortably circulating his energy.

Walking turned to running, and that turned to sprinting, which turned to jumping.

He did pushups, stretching and more challenging movements while circulating…adding in talking, however, turned out to be a challenge. By the time he was able to say a few simple words while circulating, the last traces of fall had fled, and the winter snows were drawing near.

The challenging part of speaking while circulating was that he needed to move his mouth while his mind was occupied with finding the right words, diverting focus away from pumping his soul. Winter’s grip was strong on Windstone by the time he could speak in full sentences while circulating.

When he finally reached that goal, he decided to approach his mother with a request, one that he thought could really help him.

It was also one that he was reluctant to ask her for.

###

“Mother?” Matthias said to Beggahasta one winter morning, when he finally worked up the nerve. He and his mother were shoveling snow around the hermit house. His siblings were inside cleaning up after breakfast, while Polla and Ellian were comfortably tucked away in their own home.

The warrior woman thrust her shovel into a snow drift—face ruddy and breath misting—scooped up a shovelful of the white powder and threw it over her shoulder. “What is it, Matt?”

He cleared his throat, eyes falling on the pouch attached to her belt...the pouch containing her harp. “Would…” His voice cracked as he blushed then cleared his throat again. “Would you be alright with teaching me how to play the harp?”

She paused, her eyes growing wide. “I would be honoured to teach you, but why?” she asked. “You’ve never shown an interest in playing before?”

“Well, honestly, I knew it would take up more of your time and you’re so busy training Bregindoure and Dagma and me and keeping the ghouls in check and—” He cut his words off; feeling he was beginning to babble. “Playing music is challenging, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” she agreed.

“Right! When you play the harp, you have to move your fingers, hands and arms, then focus on which notes to play, what song you’re playing…it’s challenging, right? I mean, I know I just said that, but erm, I was thinking that if I learn how to play, then I’d be able to fight or do almost anything else while circulating.”

“I don’t quite follow.” Beggahasta raised an eyebrow.

“I mean that, um. Playing music challenges the body, the mind and the soul, right? Fighting challenges the body, the mind and the soul, right? So, if I were to learn how to play the harp and play it while circulating, that could help me with learning how to fight while circulating. Since both would challenge me in the same ways, ah, maybe I’m not making sense.”

“No, it’s actually a very reasonable thought. Music and battle are not so different. But there are other things you could learn that would challenge you in the same ways. Like climbing, for example. You enjoy climbing, and I don’t want you doing something you might not be interested in just because I do it. That’s not what you learning the harp is about, is it?”

“No, erm…” He thought of the song that had saved his brother, as well as the other beautiful songs his mother would often play. “I…it would be useful in different ways. It’s, erm, practical.”

Matthias blushed.

Not wanting to be a bother to his mother, Matthias had avoided voicing wishes he’d considered ‘selfish’ throughout his life. He’d kept himself occupied with practical things, like combat training and his apprenticeship.

Even now, his interest in the harp was mostly practical—he truly did believe it would help his training—but part of him also just wanted to learn the instrument to have more in common with the woman who’d raised him. He considered that a bit childish…that’s why he’d waited until his siblings weren’t around to ask her.

Even then he felt flustered and could hardly meet her eyes.

He could feel his resolve crumbling.

“Erm, maybe I shouldn’t have asked,” he said quickly.

Beggahasta rested her shovel in the snowbank, came forward and gave him a hug.  

“Wha–? Mother?” he sputtered, surprised. “What’s that for?”

“You looked so scared when you asked me that.” She hugged him tighter. “Matt, you can ask me for anything and—if it is in my power—I will grant it to you. It honours me to know that you want to learn my instrument; it will take many years for you to truly master it, but if you want to learn simple melodies while you practise your Life Energy Circulation, I could teach them to you in a matter of weeks.”

Matthias’ heart jumped and he hugged her back. “You’re the best!”

“Now that is music to my ears.” She laughed. “Say it again. You used to always say I was the best mother in the world.”

“Mother, no!” Matthias tried to squirm away.

“Come on, you can tell your mother she’s the best,” she teased him. “It’s not like there are young ladies around for you to impress, so you can impress this old lady instead!”

“Moooother!” he whined, pulling from her grip as her laughter filled the courtyard.

###

Learning the harp was no easy task.

In the evenings after supper, Beggahasta would set aside an hour to instruct her youngest son how to play her instrument. Her fingers danced across the taut strings as she quietly explained notes and how they corresponded to different strings.

After a demonstration of the days’ lesson, Matthias took her place in front of the harp, touching it with a sense of reverence; the same reverence he’d shown when he’d touched it for luck on the morning of his Awakening ritual.

His large fingers carefully plucked the strings, haltingly at first, but with growing confidence over the evenings. He began practising each day for as many hours as he could—focusing his intent on learning to play—finding himself growing more comfortable as the wintry days went by.

He began feeling like he was meant to play the instrument; even though his fingers were thick, he had little difficulty finding the right strings to play simple tunes.

His mother commented on his progress. “It seems you were born for this. It took me longer to play the same simple melodies that you’re picking up so quickly.”

He beamed at her praise.

As the weeks went by, he attempted circulating his life energy while playing a tune. For hours, he’d stay indoors, playing the same simple songs repeatedly and circulating his energy under Polla’s guidance. His sister and brother kept up their combat training, Beggahasta was teaching them the basics of winter combat.

At times, he would join them, practising old lessons he’d learned from Sur Friya, and new ones he was learning from his mother.

In the heart of winter—right before Dagma’s eleventh birthday—he reached his goal; his fingers danced along the harp’s strings, his mind focusing on the music, while his will pumped his soul, circulating energy through the life channels between his body and spirit.

The number of repetitions he could perform, while doing something difficult like playing the harp was well into the hundreds. Even Polla’s guidance wasn’t necessary as he practised, the mage watched him in silent approval as he pumped his soul effortlessly.

“It’s becoming automatic for you,” she noted. “It should happen any day now.”

“What do you mean?”

She smiled mysteriously. “You will see.”

He found out just what she’d meant when he awoke one brisk winter’s morning.

Something was different, it took him a few minutes to realise what that was: he’d woken up that morning unconsciously circulating. It had only lasted a short while but, for the first time, his will had been contracting his soul automatically.

Excitement surged through him; in the months since he’d arrived in Windstone Abbey, he’d strengthened his channels significantly, additional stones had developed in his Tower’s foundations, and now he’d been able to circulate automatically.

The time was coming:

“Time to practise circulating while fighting,” he said. “I’m almost there.”

He looked toward the abbey through the frosted window.

“By winter’s end, I will enter Windstone Abbey.”

###

Author's Note

Hellooooo! Welcome to a new week, my lovely friends!

So here we get some interesting stuff with the Runes. So when I came up with the rune-marked I kinda wanted a mix of hard and soft magic, with one of the first thoughts being 'what if chaos warriors from warhammer had more specified abilities'.

We'll get a mix of softer abilities and harder, more specific abilities with them.

And so Matthias advances. Long ago, in a very very early iteration of the character he actually played a hand harp so in many ways this chapter is something of a call back to the character's earlier history in my setting.

Alright, cya on Wednesday!