All of the characters portrayed here are copyright their respective owners. 
Liath, however, is mine.

The End of Pain
By Shadow Dancer

******
Ch. 7
******

"My, you do like to tempt fate, don't you?"

I don't know what you're talking about.

"Right, pull the other extremity. We heard what you said at the springs, and to 
be honest, you got off rather lightly."

I wouldn't exactly call this light.  Actually, you're right, this IS light.  I 
mean, even with what just happened, it's just the hormones. And I didn't 
actually do anything.

"You won't be able to hold off forever. We already can see the cracks in your 
resolve."

Of course you can, you're perfect.

"Thank you."

Maybe I can hold it off long enough for it to not hurt, then. Surely that is 
possible at least?

"It is possible. Highly unlikely, but possible."

So aside from the hormones scrambling what's left of my brains, I should be 
okay, right?

"Oh, they didn't scramble anything. They just shut off your higher functions 
for a short while. You should be coherent when you wake up again."

So is it only sex that this new body needs?

"Oh, you need food as well. But just closeness can compensate for sex, for a 
little while at least."

Um, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll find out eventually.

"Go back to sleep. While your visits are entertaining, you really shouldn't be 
here yet."

Okay.

******

Brittle light in my eyes wakes me up rather more sudden than I am used to.  I 
turn my head, just enough to get the sun off of my face, and then breathe in 
deeply.

"How much trouble am I in now?" I whisper to myself. I'm sorely tempted to not 
even move from where I am, I don't want to find out what new problems I'll be 
running into today.

The light landing in my eyes makes THAT a moot proposition. I roll away from 
the light again...falling onto the floor. Ouch that hurt. I open my eyes, to 
see a woven cloth rug, covering a solid wooden floor. Very solid. "Ouch."  I 
lift my head and shake it a bit, then try to examine where I am now.

I'm in a sparsely furnished circular room, which means, to me, that I'm 
probably in one of the guesthouses. The window above the bed is wide open, 
through which I can hear someone getting their morning exercises out of the 
way.  Or maybe in the way as I hear a slightly meaty smack of wood on flesh. 
There is the bed I just fell from, which is a fair bit bigger than the cot I 
slept in last time I was here. Hmm, this may be someone's house, rather than a 
guesthouse.  The door stands ajar, and I can see another house through the 
door, from my current position.

I carefully push myself up, and then back on my knees. "I dearly hope that I 
wasn't as zoned as I think I was," I mutter softly, and then try to piece 
together the comments from the day (evening?) before. A pole by the door 
catches my attention before I remember too much from before, and I gaze at the 
piece of wood in wonder.

There are many types of wood in the world, some of them hard, some of them 
soft. They come in all varieties and colours. The four and a half foot long 
piece of wood in front of me is one of the types I have had significant 
difficulty (before I expired) finding in any significant size. The rich black 
wood fills me with a sense of...presence. I notice that there isn't so much as 
a single scuff on the wood, nor can I see any engravings of any kind.

Ebony is one of the more rare woods, I believe. And grown in the wild, it is 
one of the stronger woods when it comes to focii.  The staff in front of me is 
stronger still than the few pieces of ebony I've ever managed to touch, and I 
find it hard to step over and pick up this piece. I stare mesmerized at the 
staff, for I don't know how long, until something, or someone, moves between it 
and me.

"Nihao," a female voices whispers, and I look up to see the girl, no, woman, 
who was carrying me before. Was it only yesterday?  Even without the hormones 
addling my perceptions, her hair seems like fire rippling in the morning 
breeze.

"Good morning," I reply, a smile slipping onto my face unbidden. Butterflies 
decide to take up residence in my stomach as I gaze at this person's face.

"Are you okay, Li-ya?" she asks softly, staring into my eyes.

I nod, happily, "Yes. I only fall off bed." I gaze at her face and almost am I 
brought to wish that she could care for me like I feel I already do for her.  
She reaches out with one hand, touching my cheek.  I lean into her hand and 
close my eyes.  "Staff who owns?" Maybe the hormones aren't completely gone, 
I'm pretty sure I knew how to say that properly before.

A delighted giggle causes me to open my eyes again, and look upon her face. 
"Silly...that is your staff. All of those who use magic get one, at some 
point."

My eyes open wide in surprise, "But, why?" I ask in shock, "Yesterday I 
inter...inte...questioned. Why today I get staff?"

Her mirth fades as she looks at me, then replies, "Because you drained yourself 
dry yesterday, casting three spells at the same time.  According to Ku Lon, you 
had already used almost everything before you did that. What were you doing 
that would drain you like that?" Her eyes held genuine curiosity as she asked 
her question.

"I travelling," I reply, blushing slightly, "Japan to Jusenkyou. Would no have 
be so bad if Ryouga not come with." A thought occurs to me, "What name?" I ask 
almost desperately. Maybe if I have a name to latch onto I won't act so much 
like a schoolgirl with her first crush.

"My name is Lai Lac. Don't you remember from yesterday?" I can see another 
giggle hiding behind her eyes, although it hasn't escaped, yet. "And how did 
you drain yourself just travelling?"

My blush gets even deeper than before, "Went from village near here, to Japan, 
to Jusenkyou fast fast. One hour, I think," I'm pretty sure it was an hour. 
Maybe it was more, maybe it was less, time when between places like that is 
hard to keep track of. The travelling seemed instant, but it could very well 
have taken longer. "And no," I answer her question, "I no remember. I sorry."

Lilac grins, "That's okay, I forgive you. So are you going to try the staff?" I 
feel a little nervous as I shrug, and she smiles, "Hey it's yours, don't need 
to worry. You can even use it to fight with, if you like. Have you ever fought 
with a staff before?" I shake my head, "No? well, we can always start now. Pick 
it up and let's go?" Her smile gets infectious and I slip around her, letting 
my wing caress her arm as I go past.

I hesitate for another few seconds, my hand just a short distance away from the 
staff...I then breathe in deeply, and gently take a hold of it.

Strength flows through my arm, like a warm summer day, or an even stream. 
Waters of light sift around my consciousness as I feel the smooth wood beneath 
my fingers. I breathe deeply again, smelling fresh bread, overturned 
soul...wood shavings.

My attention snaps to now as I notice the last sensation. Wood shavings.  It 
has been so long since I've felt fresh wood beneath my fingers, ready to be 
shaped, that I almost ache.

"We go to wood shaper?" I ask softly, my fingers tracing soft whorls in the 
wood, almost invisible to sight, but naked to my fingers touch.  The wood is 
smooth, yet not, there is a glassy feel to some sections, and others are rough, 
unshaped...unloved. Pure wood is fine for many, but to a craftsman of any 
calibre, the shaping of the material is almost a labour of love. And to one who 
uses magic and wood alike, it IS love that is instilled in the crafting.

Now that I'm closer, I can see where, at the top, and bottom, the wood is 
ground down slightly, ready for butt-caps to be placed on, either hot or cold. 
I pay attention to that last thought. Hot OR cold forged caps.

Several metals have different effects on magic, even in the same metal, if some 
of the metal has been hot forged, and some has been cold forged. Steel is a 
prime example. Cold forged steel is supposed to be proof against both magic, 
and some of the fey; they call it the death metal. While hot forged steel makes 
an excellent conductor of heat magic, and can be used to polarize spells that 
are cast at the holder. Steel doesn't eat all kinds of magic, thankfully, but 
it does make it difficult to cast certain types of spells around them.

With a thought to my current form, I sadly conclude that steel caps, of any 
flavour, wouldn't be good. But silver, that's another story. Silver is a sign 
of purity, no matter how it is forged, and many kinds of evil can't touch it. 
Just having that should help people see me as good.  I hope.

I don't even notice that we have been moving since I asked the question, I'm 
just following Lilac to...the training circle.  Oops.

******

I know that it hasn't been forever since I stepped into the circle with Lilac, 
but I can't help feeling that it has been.  I KNOW she was going easy on me the 
entire time, but that doesn't make me feel less like a training dummy.  I'm 
pretty sure I managed to block one of her much slowed down strikes.

One, out of I don't know how many hundred swings she took at me.

"What you practice?" I ask, my breath coming in short quick gasps as I lay on 
the ground.

"I practice the spear usually," she replies with a smile, "Although I do use 
swords on occasion."

"Thanks," I whimper, "You could have leave me with illusion that block I make 
was not pure luck." The pout on my face seems like an adequate reaction, 
considering how much I ache right now. And it is only an ache; that of muscles 
sorely tested, but not injured.  Well, not injured yet, at least.

"That was the worst showing from any Amazon I've ever seen in my life!" 
exclaimed someone from behind me.  I turned slowly to glare at Cologne, "And 
I've been around for a long time, so that should say something to you," There 
is a twinkle in her eyes that belies the harshness of her tone.

"Excuse me," I grumble, "Not everyone born or bred warrior. I just simple 
little mage, why bother me?" the end of my query comes off in a plaintive note, 
and I'm sure my face matches.  A hand runs through my hair from behind me. I 
almost jump out of my skin from the touch, until Lilac's voice reassures me.

"Leave her alone please, Matriarch. She's new to our ways still, and mage or 
not, she still has yet to learn the staff, even though she just received it."

Cologne nods, "Yes, that is true. Take her to see Ku Ten later, to have her 
staff finished. Who knows, maybe he will live up to his mother's skill some 
day." a sly grin crosses Cologne's face as she continues, "Don't worry, he 
should be good enough to finish an apprentice's staff."

Lilac's voice has an edge to it that surprises me, "Indeed Elder. But with what 
she can already do, with barely a month of training, are you sure she ranks 
only as an apprentice?" I twitch uncomfortably underneath Lilac's hand.

Cologne's voice reassures me, marginally, as she replies in a laughing tone, 
"Maybe not in magic, no. Most people who can do what she does so easily are 
ranked as masters and more. But HERE," she stresses, "she is but an apprentice. 
She must be able to use the staff, as well as the magic it signifies." A hard 
edge in Cologne's eyes says she won't budge on this. Not yet, at least.

Lilac's hand tenses in my hair for a minute and then relaxes. "True, she needs 
much work in the martial skills. But even then, for an outsider mage, she is 
just fine, true?"

Cologne grins again, "True." she replies.

"Not have to say like that," I comment, pouting, "I know I not good. You no 
need to rub it in."

Cologne smiles, "I notice you didn't use any of your other skills in the 
circle. Were you afraid to? Or were you just pushed so hard you couldn't think 
about it?"

I shrug, "Pushed hard and harder. No had time for think, let alone move."

"Why don't you try this time?" I can hear curiosity, and something else, in 
Cologne's voice.

For a minute I deliberate with myself, to try, or to not.  I know that using 
magic through a weapon is supposed to make it easier to use the weapon itself, 
but I don't know what it will do if I don't know anything about how to use the 
weapon yet.  Well, that's not exactly true. I do know a VERY little bit on how 
to use a staff, back from several lifetimes ago. Maybe more than that, really, 
I never did try and figure out how I learned to use the staff I was playing 
with back then.

"I be clumsy," I warned Lilac, "I very bad with staff. You know saying, yes?"

A wry grin crosses Lilac's face as she replies, "The best weapons master fears 
not the second best, but the worst, because the worst person with the weapon 
doesn't know what they can't do."

I smile in return, and then use my new staff to lever myself standing again. I 
examine the length of the staff for a second, and then lift it comfortably into 
my palms. I start moving it in a slow circle, feeling the flows of air around 
me. I concentrate on that feeling, only peripherally aware of Lilac slipping 
into a defensive posture across from me. I grasp the air around me, pull it 
inside�and then breathe out, pushing the air from my body into the staff.

Air moves around me, following the path of my staff as it spins.  My staff now 
feels almost as light as a willow switch, and it responds just as quickly as I 
reverse the spin of the staff, knocking aside Lilac's practice staff.  Again I 
breathe, again the staff feels lighter still, and again a gentle tap pushes 
aside her strike.

I'm starting to feel light-headed with this constant movement around me. Air 
seems to glow to my eyes, and I can't see anything but the air moving. Another 
tap that I hear more than feel, and can't see.

Hand over hand. Hand cross over hand. I remember a movement to change spin at 
this speed, and I'm tempted to try it, just to see if I can. Hand over hand, 
cross over turn, and pull it forward Quick! A sliver of pain seems to light 
across my ankle as I misjudge (of course) the timing. That's going to burn like 
nal-fire in the morning. Another crack I hear, and I lose the focus�and my 
staff. The weapon spins from my grasp as I lose the flow and�

I fall to the ground, gasping, as what feels like a miniature cyclone spins 
around me, lifting my hair in its grasp. My staff I see, lying outside of the 
circle, and Lilac's staff is at my chest, barely an inch away from skin. Her 
flame red hair flows and whips in the wind, and a grin is plastered across her 
face.

Cackling laughter behind me, "Well done, Liath, well done. Maybe with a few 
years of practice you might be able to get that good without using magic, yes?"

"Not likely," I grumble, "if I lucky, maybe less than hundred years."

"She passed your test, Elder Cologne." Lilac declares jubilantly, causing me to 
blush.

"Very well, Let Sil Ku see to her weapon." A twinkle in Cologne's eye tells me 
she's either got something planned, or she's pulling Lilac's leg again.

"Silk?" Lilac replies in disbelief, "Why her? She works with jewlery, not 
weapons. What good would it be for Liath to take her weapon there?" I turn away 
from the conversation, crawling over to my staff. My entire body feels like 
pudding, I feel so weak.

Cologne's reply reaches my ears as I caress my fingers along the smooth wood of 
my staff, "Because Silk's work is good enough to handle magic. Hers is the only 
metalwork in the village that can do that." My fingers glide silently along the 
sturdy wood, testing for dents and divots in the wood. I don't find any.

"As you say, Elder. I wouldn't know, though my grandmother might." One end of 
the wood feels overly warm to my touch, then it cools off to ground temperature 
in the middle, and becomes ice cold at the other end. Strange. "Again, though, 
why Silk? She works in the softer metals." Lilac asks yet again.

"Silver," is the reply she receives, although it is me doing the replying.

"Why?" her tone is softer now, a query, rather than a demand.

"Because the softer metals work better with magic, and a mage rarely uses her 
staff as a weapon. She should always be able to use the staff, true, but her 
staff is a focus to her power, not a weapon in and of itself. You especially 
should know this, Lilac. Your grandmother wouldn't have let you leave her home 
without knowing that little bit." Cologne's comment is both repressing, and 
soft. An interesting combination, now that I'm paying attention to her.

My staff slips easily through my fingers until I grasp it at the balance. I 
then lever myself up, again, and turn to Cologne. "Thank you, Elder, for 
suggesting that to me. Thank you as well, Lilac, for not bruising my ego too 
much," I don't know what language I'm using right now, I just seem so fumble 
tongued. Oh well, at least my tone and movements should convey the information, 
right?

*Whap* Cologne's staff raps against my forehead, "Speak a civilized tongue!" 
She reprimands me with a laugh. Lilac also laughs at the reaction of the Elder.

******

I'm currently at Silk's workshop, and Cologne and Lilac must be laughing behind 
their hands here, because I'm having a hard time trying to explain to Silk why 
I want the ends different like I want.

"No no, you don't want that. It's very bad for a mage to have opposite forgings 
on her weapon." Silk reiterates for what seems like the fifth time today.

"Why?" I grumble, "Is only for focus, I not using it as weapon!"

"Silly, you're an Amazon now. Of course it's a weapon, and you really don't 
want to have hot AND cold forgings on your weapon, especially if you're a 
mage!" Silk seems both frustrated and amused, and I still can't see why.

"Fine then. You show me why?" I'm about to give up, really I am, but I want to 
know why she keeps on insisting on this.

Silk grins, "Finally you're making sense. Here," she hands me a light staff 
with iron caps on either end, "That side is hot forged, this side is cold 
forged. Go and try it, with a touch of magic. Outside!" She growls, "I don't 
want you making a mess in here!"

I blink at that comment, looking around the wider and higher than usual 
building, and then shrug. I reach out to grasp the haft of the staff, but Silk 
pulls it away, "No, outside." she repeats, pointing with one end out the door. 
I sigh in exasperation, and then step out of the building, and keep walking 
until she finally does hand the staff to me.

The staff doesn't feel like much. I can see weavings around each end, and I can 
tell that the ends were forged differently. The hot forging leaves a certain 
sheen to almost any metal. I step away from Silk, to get room to move the 
staff, and then take a couple tentative swings with it. Silk grins at me, 
watching. Possibly expecting me to fall on my butt or something. I start the 
spinning of the staff that I used with Lilac earlier, and blink as Silk steps 
even farther away with a wince.

I shrug, and continue the spin, starting to draw in on the air around...

"She's going to hurt, isn't she?" I can hear Lilac whispering to someone.

"She's going to get very very sick," Silk grimly replies.

I'm almost tempted to prove them wrong by shoving the magic through the staff 
all at once, but something inside tells me not to.  Heeding that inner voice 
(for once) I let a trickle of air slip into the spinning weapon.

The world...bends, for lack of a better description. I know it isn't bending 
really, just my perception, but it's nauseating nonetheless. I keep everything 
moving steadily, until my stomach settles down again...and then I let more 
magic flow...

Suddenly, it feels like it's not the staff that's spinning, but me. And at 
different speeds as well. I hold the pattern for maybe half a second...probably 
less. I then let go of the staff and kneel down, ignoring the spinning wood. I 
just want that movement to STOP!

Utter silence greets my ears as I heave and try, desperately, to get my stomach 
to stop spinning in circles like the staff has been doing.  I don't know how 
long I'm kneeling there dry heaving, but it's still silent when I finally stop, 
and can look up again.

The staff is hanging there, in mid-air, almost in the exact position I let go 
of it. My eyes go wide in shock as I stare at it, and I then spin around to 
look at the three watchers.

Cologne is standing still, her staff at a slight angle, her eyes wide and 
staring at where I was practicing with the staff. Lilac's mouth is open 
slightly, and she too is staring...wait. I know there was a wind before I 
started this, and Lilac's hair is lifted slightly as if touched by wind...

Oh.

I feel the wind inside of me, running through me, seething with energy, even as 
I look at Silk, who is also motionless, her hand lifting slightly as if 
reaching for something.

I step away from the staff. One step, two, three.  I then turn to look at it, 
and I can see the threads of wind around it clearly...even though I don't know 
what they mean. I breathe in, feeling the magic inside pulse.

And breathe out, releasing all that pent up power.

"No!" I hear Silk and Lilac shout almost at the same time. Silk is the first 
one to notice I've moved, and her eyes are wide in shock that I moved without 
her noticing. Lilac casts her gaze around frantically until she, also, sees me.

Cologne is the only one to laugh.  "There, Liath, do you see why she was so 
adamant that you not do what you wanted?" the merriment in her tone is 
understandable. I can almost guess that she did the same thing once.

"Yes," I reply wryly, and then stumble over to Lilac. "I not wanting different 
sides like that. Hard on stomach." Lilac glares at me for a second, before she 
too laughs.

"Well then, now that you're making sense," Silk is grinning again, "What metals 
did you want on your staff?" She must have done this too...why couldn't she 
just tell me what would happen?

"Silver," I reply, then grin at Silk's own surprise, "I not evil, body not 
evil. Only looks like. I be safe with silver, maybe people think I not evil, 
yes?" I grin at Silk's wry look. "Hey, no look like that. I good...well, I try 
at least." I attempt to look as innocent and angelic as my body will let me. 
Lilac's laugh tells me it's not enough, but still, I'm having fun again, now 
that my stomach isn't rebelling anymore.

I stand next to Lilac, waiting for my balance to settle back again, when I feel 
a drop of water on my cheek. "Rain soon," I mutter, looking around for the 
nearest building. Silk's workship os the closest to us. I start running...too 
late. Lilac giggles from behind me, and Silk looks rather surprised.

"I see why you're so sure you won't have problems with silver." Silk grins 
mischeviously, looking me up and down.  I pout at her.

"Come inside," Cologne says, cackling softly, "We'll get your staff done, and 
we shall talk of my great granddaughter."


*~*~*~*~*~*

For previous chapters, please e-mail me privately.

Comments and criticisms are both asked for, and welcome

For those of you reading this the first time, this is to me a rough draft. I 
will eventually get around to writing it properly, but that time is not now.

I await the flames!

Liath Corrine Hidson
Shadow Dancer
<Fiction mirrors life, life mirrors fiction. Wherein lies the line which tells 
us which is which?>

Wings of Hope:
God gave you wings,
And a voice to sing,
Although you don't know why;
Powers so fair,
Suddenly not there,
Find your own reason to fly...
(c) October 22, 1998, Liath Hidson


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