After a few hours of walking, the trio found themselves sitting in a circle in a small cave they had found near the northern mountains. They had gotten there rather easily, aside from the sight of dead bodies every once in a while. Without any rules, the participants had let their primal urges take over.
"So Barry," Daren says, polishing his armor. "You don't want to use your magical abilities because, even though you were born with them, you never properly practiced how to use them and are afraid of the damage they could cause?"
"Pretty much." Barry answers.
"And that little device of yours let's you hide your aura so you won't be driving too much attention to yourself?"
"Correct," Barry answers, taking a look at the device he carries. "But this one is still a prototype and it has a time limit. It will fail every once in a while and release my aura, just like you saw earlier with that Dave fellow. I have to reboot it to hide my aura again once that happens."
"Do you have any kind of advice for him, Kate?" Daren asks.
"No." Kate answers curtly.
"Because you don't care?"
"Because I can't help him. I'm an ice mage, and without any knowledge of what magical capabilities he has, I can't tell him what to do or how to do it."
"Fine, I understand." Says Daren. "Anyways, those were some amazing moves you did back there with your staff Barry. Who taught you those moves? They must have been quite an expert in martial arts."
"Not exactly..." answers Barry, taking out the staff from his pocket and extending it. "Master Galf was just adept at using the staff. He wasn't the best at wielding magic at close range, so he instead tried his best to find a weapon that would allow him to simultaneously use magic and have good mobility. After many tries he ended up with the staff. He then mastered the essence of it and incorporated it into his fighting style. I met him one day while... Well... That's a story for another time..."
"Well, how did he end up teaching you?" Daren says, prompting Barry to continue.
"Oh, right. As I was saying, After I met him, I ended up watching him for a while, and eventually, he invited me to try his combat style. It took a while, but I managed to get the essence of the staff. Now I can use it as if it was just another part of my body."
Barry then makes the staff spin and throws it in the air, he then closes his eyes and catches the staff.
"And I learned a few tricks on the way." Barry adds with a smile on his face.
"That's amazing Barry!" Daren says standing up and patting him on the back. "But I think we should talk about some strategies, now that we are a team."
"Right, we haven't been able to properly coordinate back there." answers Barry, putting his staff back in his pocket.
"Well, assuming that your abilities will be the most useful in the front line," says Daren looking at Barry. "That leaves me and Kate." He then turns towards Kate. "What you said earlier opened my eyes. I can't deal with weapon enchanters myself, so I want to ask you if you can deal with them when the time comes."
Kate nods at Daren, as he continues to talk.
"As for myself, I'm good against elementalists, summoners, and shapeshifters. So I'll focus on them if we meet any."
"Now Barry," says Daren, looking back at him. "I don't know what drives you, but not killing an enemy in a battle like this one could be a death sentence. If Kate hadn't been there, you would've lost your life."
"Right..." Barry says.
"I will leave you to think about it for now," Daren says, noticing that Barry wasn't going to answer. "Now Kate, do you have any weakness against any particular kind of magic?"
"Yes," she answers simply.
"But you don't plan on telling us."
"I do not."
"Suit yourself. Well, if we don't need anything else to discuss for now, it's time for bed. Barry and I will take the first watch. Come on Barry!"
Daren picks Barry and walks towards the outside of the mountain. They climb it, finding a good place to take watch and make sure nothing is coming their way. Daren then begins to tell Barry stories of his travels. How he killed a giant, ended a plague, and destroyed a green wyvern. Daren then begins to explain his feelings regarding the previous day.
"No matter where I go, the strong oppresses the weak. People are always dying of starvation, plagues, wars, or some monster intervention. I've seen death all my life. But I never got used to it. Seeing all those dead bodies just lying there, lifeless, yesterday... my chest ached. I could see the suffering and the fear all of them went through. But, what about you Barry? How did you feel when you saw all those dead people?"
Barry stays silent and looks up at the stars in the night sky.
"I don't like seeing dead people, Daren," answers Barry. "That's part of the reason I don't like using my powers. I can't control them, and that means that people are in danger by just being near me."
"Don't beat yourself up too much, my friend," Daren says, patting him in the back. "You know, when I heard about this tournament, my first thought was that finally, after a lifetime of good deeds, after a life of trying to make a difference, fate was sending me a message. I've tried so hard to save the world from its misery, but no matter how hard I tried, my efforts were never enough. But with the Magium... maybe I might have a chance."
Daren then turns towards Barry, who smiles at him.
"Heh, I'll do my best to help you on your journey, but don't think that I'll make it easy for you," says Barry. "Even if you are only after the Magium, I will try my best to win this tournament."
"That's what I wanted to hear!" Daren says enthusiastically. "Can't wait for our friendly competition to start..."
Then silence falls between the two men.
"So, how are things going on with Kate?" Asks Daren with a mischievous smile.
"What do you mean?" Asks Barry confused.
"You know, getting her to fall for you and all," Daren says while making a heart shape with his hands.
"For the gods no, Daren!" Answers Barry. "I didn't come to find her just to make her-"
"Find her?" Daren asks suspiciously. "Are you telling me that the reason you came here, risking your life in this tournament, was all for a banshee?"
"She isn't a banshee Daren," Barry says, scratching his head. "It's a long story, and... I'd rather not talk about it right now."
"I see..." Daren says, sitting straight. "Look Barry, I trust you. Whatever you say about Kate, I'll go along with it, but just in case, take this."
Daren then proceeds to give a small device to Barry. A magical transceiver.
"I know I said I trust you, but I still have my doubts about your judgement. I want you to carry this with you at all times. If you are ever in danger, and you need my help, just tap this device three times and I'll drop everything to help you."
"Just promise me something, Daren," Barry says, putting the small device in his pocket.
"I'm all ears."
"Please, and I beg you, please don't try to purify Kate. Not unless you see her transform into a banshee."
"You are asking a lot of me Barry," Daren says as he gives a long sigh. "You should know that they are very hard to stop after they transform. But if it means so much for you, and she is the person you came looking for, I promise I won't purify her."
"Thank you, Daren. I really mean it."
A pause falls.
"Come on, it's time we leave. Let's wake up Kate so she can take the second watch."
After waking up Kate and falling to sleep for a few hours. Barry wakes up to the sound of Kate's voice. She is whispering.
"Hey, staff master," she whispers. "I need your help with something."
"What is it?" Barry answers.
"Be quiet, you'll wake up Daren. I need you to come with me and take a look at something. It won't take more than a minute."
"I do owe you," Barry says standing up from the ground. "But why me instead of Daren?"
"Because unlike him, your little story before taught me that you had gone to many places. It's only a hunch, but I think you can help me with this. There's also something I want to ask you in private. So come on, before Daren wakes up."
They then exit the cave and head for the trees. The moon is high, so Barry figures that not more than an hour or two must have passed since he went to sleep. An awkward silence formed between the two. Barry's mind begins to run wild.
"Did she figure me out?" He thinks."Was she eavesdropping on the conversation I had with Daren?"
Barry needs answers.
"So uh... What did you want to ask me in private?" He asks.
Kate then stops in front of him, and looks at him straight in the eyes.
"There's something that's been bothering me ever since we met yesterday," she says. "When you and Daren first saw me, you started whispering between yourself for about a minute. When I asked you about it, you told me an obvious lie. I was going to let it slide but then a whole day passed and none of you made a single comment about me being a banshee. Even after the mage called me that. It's painfully obvious to me now that you were discussing whether I was a banshee or not, and decided there was no need to purify me."
Kate then stops, as if she is waiting for something.
"The question is why? I decided to seek Daren's help because I fooled myself into thinking someone as kind hearted as him would not sentence me to death. But with a clear head, I now realize the risk I've placed myself into by showing myself to him. Why did Daren decide I wasn't a banshee when all evidence pointed to the contrary?"
"I can't tell her I was the one who convinced him otherwise," Barry thinks. "She wouldn't believe me, and it would only bring more suspicion to me... and I still can't tell her who I am..."
"Daren said he had met a banshee before," Barry says. "He said he could tell you were different somehow, and that he was going to keep an eye on you for the time being."
"I see," Kate says with a relieved voice. "That's all I wanted to ask you, let's keep going."
"Good..." Barry thinks. "Now I can focus on figuring out when to tell her everything... I hope I'll be ready for that."
Upon walking a few more feet, Kate turns around and looks at Barry with suspicious eyes.
"There is something strange about you," Kate says, eyeing him. "I just told you I wasn't a banshee, and yet you didn't question the fact I can use magic... what's your deal?"
"Crap!" Barry thinks. "I forgot to act surprised!"
"W-Well..." he says nervously. "I don't really think there's any point in questioning things. You did save my life back there, afterall. Besides, everyone has their secrets."
Kate looks at Barry, both doubt and uncertainty in her eyes.
"I wasn't born a mage, true." She then says, "I was in fact turned into one later in my life."
Barry knows exactly what it is that she's talking about. Afterall, it's hard to forget what happened in that cursed hell they called an orphanage. He begins to remember the pain they all went through, and with that he notices a pained expression on Kate's face.
"You don't really have to tell me anything," Barry says. "If it is something that pains yo-"
"Don't act like you can read me," says Kate, cutting Barry off. "You have no idea what I've been through, and that's as much as I'm willing to talk about on this subject."
Kate then storms off ahead, making Barry rush to follow her. They then travel about ten minutes in complete silence.
"Hey, Kate," calls Barry.
"What?" She answers turning around.
"Aren't we moving a bit too far from our cave? What if someone attacks Daren when he's asleep?"
"You don't need to worry about that," answers Kate suspiciously calmly.
"And that is because?"
"See for yourself. Go on, try to head back to the cave."
Barry then turns around and moves forward in the direction they came from. However, the more he walks, the more an urge to go back fills him. He tries to walk. He always ends up back in front of Kate.
"What's happening?" Barry asks, disoriented.
"I see... Even someone with such a strong magical aura as yourself is affected by this kind of spell. The spell I used is part of a subset of magic called suggestion. These spells insert an idea in your head, and they make you think you were the one who came up with the idea. You noticed something was wrong because you specifically aimed towards that direction. Most mages wandering around this area won't even notice the spell's effect."
"So that's how you managed to slip through my fingers so many times..." Barry thinks remembering the many times he had almost gotten to find her but failed for some mysterious reason. "No wonder you survived out there for so long..."
"Is there any way of counteracting it?"
"All you have to do is focus on the cave. Visualize it clearly in your head as you head towards it and you will reach it. As long as you have a set destination inside your head and not simply a general direction, the spell won't work on you. This spell helped me survive for so long against banshee hunters. It covers a pretty large area, but I can only cast it about two times a day, and only lasts for a few hours. Now, let's continue. Our destination lies just ahead."
Barry and Kate proceed walking for about five more minutes. They stop in an area full of fallen trees, much like the one where they fought the previous day. But there are no bodies in this one. There was clearly a big battle there. Barry then notices a faint trace of magic, resonating in the air around him.
"This is where I wanted to bring you," says Kate. "Please tell me what you can see by studying the magic in the area..."
Barry then stands completely silent, concentrating on the magic particles around him. He became quite adept at such detection ever since he studied with a mage a few years back.
"There has been at least one elementalist battling here," Barry tells Kate.
"Yes, but can you tell me which element the caster was using?"
Barry then closes his eyes, focusing on the essence of the magic. All the particles in the air are moving in erratic motions, much like fire, but even more directed.
"The particles are erratic, but unlike the fire particles, these are more... electric."
Barry then looks at Kate, her face lighting up as she hears his words. That was the first Barry had seen Kate smiling ever since they met.
"I see..." Barry thinks. "To think you can still smile after everything you've been through. It's good to see that you can still feel happiness."
"Thank you... Barry. You've been of great help!"
"Don't worry about it," Barry says with a smile. "We're a team now. It's the least I can do."
Just before Kate could reply, a dart appears out of nowhere and hits her left shoulder, making her drop to the floor.
"I'm alright..." Kate says, her breathing heavy and barely able to keep herself conscious.
The laughter of a man comes from behind the trees.
"As expected of a banshee," the man shouts. "Even an expensive sleep dart such as this is not enough to bring you down. But you are barely able to stand. This battle's winner has already been decided. Surrender now, and we might show you some mercy. Your human companion will get a quick death, you might not, depending on how long you take to respond."
"Is this a joke?" Asks Kate trying to sound as confident and intimidating as possible. "I can sense that there's at least a hundred of you hiding behind the trees around us. And yet, none of you are mages. Do you honestly think you can win against mages by outnumbering them?"
"Mages are no gods. They all scream with the same agony as any of us and bleed all the same. If they bleed, they can be killed. And so can you!"
Then the man sounds a horn which makes all the sounds in the forest disappear. Suddenly, a rain of crossbow bolts come flying towards them from every possible direction. Kate thinks fast and creates a dome of ice to block their attacks.
"Barry," Kate says, sweat dripping all over her face and her eyes barely staying open. "You need to listen to me. I can't hold this dome together much longer. I need you to get back to the camp and call for Daren. We can't win this fight otherwise."
Damn it! Barry thinks as he sees Kate struggle to even form words. "I can't leave her here like this! Okay, I think I have to use it... I got this... you got this Barry."
Barry takes a deep breath, Kate looks at him puzzled.
"What are you doing?" Kate asks. "We need Daren... ugh..."
"Kate," Barry says, his eyes now blazing in courage. "How long do you think you could keep this dome up?"
"I can't say for sure, but I could try to keep it up for the next ten minutes... shouldn't you have been heading for Daren?"
"I can't do that." Barry says. "Daren is too far away from us and there are too many of them. This is going to sound crazy, but I'll take care of this."
"What?" Kate asks, surprised. "Are you going to use your magic?"
"I don't want to, but I can't leave you here by yourself," Barry says, closing his eyes and concentrating. "If I keep calm, there won't be any risk of blowing up..."
"Blowing up?" Kate asks. "What do you-"
"Just listen to me!" Demands Barry, unyielding determination in his voice. "I'll take care of this, just make sure to keep the dome up for as long as possible."
"Okay," says Kate, focusing on the barrier. "Make it quick."
"I'm on it!"
"You can do this Barry." he tells himself as he feels his magic aura slowly slip out into the ground below him. "Remember to keep it calm. Now sense them Barry, you can do it." Inside Barry's mind a map of the area forms, where he sees magical particles, clustered together between trees. "Okay, now all you have to do is concentrate and not kill anyone."
Suddenly a small rock comes out of the ground in front of them, no bigger than a baseball. Kate sees the rock and looks back, Barry totally concentrated on his task. Then the rock shoots towards one of the small clusters. Between Barry's senses and his rough idea of human proportions, Barry is able to direct the rock right into the head of the men. He makes sure to keep the rock at a relatively safe speed, one which would knock them out but wouldn't kill them.
"Left, right." Barry commands the rock to move as it plows down through the enemy lines. "Up, left, right, forward, rig-"
Suddenly Barry hears Kate's grunt of pain as she struggles to maintain the dome.
"Kate!" Barry says losing control over the rock. "Are you okay?"
"I'll manage," Kate says, her face showing otherwise. "But you haven't.... done your part yet... ugh..."
"Open the barrier for a second!" Barry demands. "Let me get out there."
"Are you stupid?" Kate asks, looking back at him. "Hundreds of arrows are coming at us, you will be killed!"
"Just trust me on this one." Barry says, looking at Kate in the eyes. "I won't let them hurt you."
There is a small moment of hesitation, and then the dome opens behind Barry.
"Don't worry, I'll keep us alive." Barry says as he sprints away into the clearing.
"Damn it..." Barry thinks as he senses the many enemies around the area. "They got us surrounded, and Kate's dome doesn't look like it can take much more of this..."
Barry turns around, lifting his hand into the air before slamming it into the ground, a rough barrier of earth covering Kate's dome.
"Rough around the edges, but it should work for now."
An arrow makes its way into Barry's left shoulder. He let's out a pained grunt before snapping it in half and, similar to his previous spell, slamming into the ground, the earth in front of him splitting. Trees begin to fall down, the cries of men being trapped and others around the hole fearing for their lives fill the area. Some men get stuck in the ground while others just barely manage to get away from the splitting ground and falling trees.
"Keep it together..." Barry tells himself as the pain in his shoulder increases. "Don't kill them, just injure them."
Barry makes a dash towards the enemies, some are taken back and try to make a run for safety, but Barry is too fast. With swift moments, he begins to mow down all the men close to him. Each strike is calculated and it leads into another, such a dance. While swiftly moving across the enemy lines, Barry looks back at the dome, where a couple men are approaching it. And without a second thought, Barry uses small rocks to knock each and every one of them down.
"I am the one you should be worried about." thinks Barry. "Leave her alone and focus on me!"
The crossbow men's numbers begin to dwindle, some of those who see Barry coming at them deciding to drop their weapons and make a run for the forest, not that Barry allows them to do so. As he sprints towards another group, an arrow flies towards him. However, with meticulous movements, Barry uses his staff to deflect the oncoming projectiles. He looks at the men who shot him, who then drop their weapons out of fear.
"Keep shooting!" A man's voice cries out somewhere on the opposite side of Barry. "Are all of you stupid?! That's only one person! How can you not kill him! I paid all of you enough to turn your miserable lives into ones of luxury! How can you not get the job done!"
"So you're the leader... I've got you now!" Barry thinks as he sprints full speed towards the voice. "If I take that one out, all of them will fall! I can finish this righ-"
Suddenly Barry feels the sharp pain in his left leg. As he almost trips to the ground, he sees a man with a crossbow aiming towards him. With a flip of the wrist, a small rock shoots towards the men, knocking him down.
"Damn it!" Barry thinks as he snaps the arrow now embedded in his leg. "I have to end this now!"
Suddenly, an air current forms itself around Barry, lifting him up and getting him on his feet. He tries to take a few steps but his injured leg can't possibly take his weight.
"I guess I'll have to give it a try..." Barry tells himself as air currents begin to engulf him, raising him up in the air. "Control it... control it... you don't want to fall to your death, do you?"
It takes a few seconds for Barry to gain a small level of control of his air currents, but after that, Barry begins to move towards the voice. Upon getting to the source, he sees a man in fancy garments, a noble perhaps. The man looks up at the person hovering above him with fear in his eyes. Barry forms a small boulder on his arm which he then shoots right next to the man. A warning. The man looks at Barry terrified, but his pride doesn't allow him to surrender.
"Shoot above the trees you useless mongrels!" The man shouts.
Dozens of arrows fly towards Barry, with determination and adrenaline flowing through his body, he uses his staff to deflect many of the arrows, together with the air currents working as a shield. One behind the other, arrows fall down to the ground. Some graze him, destroying his hood in the process. One manages to make it through his defenses and hit him right in his right arm. But Barry doesn't let one simple arrow stop him. He makes some hand movements and the earth below him lets out a thunderous cracking sound as it splits open. The troops, at the sound of this, stop shooting and most of them retreat into the forest.
"Stop this right now," Barry demands at the man. "And I will let you go with all your limbs intact, unless you want to go back home with a few crushed fingers?"
The man lets out a horrified scream, turns around and makes a run for the forest. But Barry creates a wall of rock just in front of the man, stopping his escape.
"If I ever see you face again, no matter where you are, no matter where you hide, no matter who you hire, I will find you and a few broken bones will be the last of your concerns."
"You got it!" The man screams before running off into the forest.
The sounds of steps hurrying away fill the forest. Barry takes a look around, making sure that there weren't any other men in the area. He uses his magical sense to check further, but the only stationary aura he can feel is that of Kate, still faint, all the others move away into the distance.
"I... I did it!" Barry thinks. "I managed to do it! So many years without using them and yet I managed to do it!
Barry's celebration, however, is short-lived as the wind currents around him dissipate, leaving Barry falling to the ground. But with the experience he has, Barry is able to land in a safe way, rolling as he reaches the land. But the pain of his injuries is felt. His left shoulder is palpitating, his left leg is almost too painful to use, and right arm is limp.
"Could've been worse..." Barry thinks as he starts using his staff as a crutch.
As he walks across the land, destruction scattered around, Barry wonders whether it was luck, or if he really took care of all those men by himself. His vision is blurred from the excessive use of his magic after so long, to say he was out of breath would be an understatement. But he doesn't get enough time to think, as through his blurred vision he sees the shattered remains of his rock dome. Barry's heart skips a beat, as the idea of his failure to protect Kate rushes through his head. He falls to his knees, completely exhausted.
"No..." Barry thinks as his vision begins to clear. "Did I fail again?"
Suddenly, Kate's voice shouts across the field.
"Barry!" She shouts as she rushes towards him as fast as her tired body can.
Barry lets out a sigh of relief as he sees Kate still alive. He then begins to feel his body start to give in to the damage he sustained in the battle. Hot blood runs down his arms, back, and legs.
"Barry!" Kate shouts as she reaches him. "For the gods! Are you okay?"
"I... will... manage..." Barry says as he struggles to form a single word. "Are... you... okay?"
"In better shape than you," Kate says, a slight light tone to her otherwise cold speech. "Come on, we have to reach the cave so Daren can heal you."
Kate carefully holds Barry by his uninjured arm and lifts him to walk. Barry uses his staff to support them, not wanting to have Kate support all his weight.
"I take it you took care of all of them?" Kate asks. "I guess that aura from before wasn't just for show..."
"I... did what... I could..." Barry struggles to answer.
"I couldn't see what you did from back there since you blocked my sight with that earth magic."
"I had to... reinforce your dome..." Barry's speech slowly returns to normal. "And honestly... most of that... was pure luck... Maybe if... I practiced my magic... I wouldn't be hurt... this badly..."
"Well..." Kate says. "You still saved me..."
"Heh... we even now?"
A small smile forms in Kate's face, one that reminds Barry of that which he had seen so many years ago.
"On the contrary, I still owe you," Kate says. "I saved your life, you saved mine and you helped me identify the magic type. I'm still at a loss here."
Barry lets out a small laugh.
"Let's just call it even."
Suddenly Kate's eyes widen as she senses Barry's magical aura getting released. His little device has reached its limit.
"Barry!" Kate exclaims. "What in the hell is all this pressure you are giving off?!"
"Damnit..." Barry says as he reaches for his pocket, taking the device out and rebooting it. "Why didn't this happen during the fight? I could have scared away all those mercenaries easily with my aura."
"That little device of yours really picks the worst times to malfunction..." Kate says as they walk into the forest, a little hesitation in her voice.
"I'll need to improve it or learn to conceal my aura," Barry says, putting the device back into his pocket. "It would have helped me so much to be able to control it... wait, now that I think about it, you've been concealing your aura all this time. How do you do it?"
"It's never really been a problem for me, so I guess I can try to teach you. Though I don't know how helpful it would be," says Kate.
"Thanks..." Barry says. "But maybe we should leave it for later... until I can walk straight at least."
The rest of the trip to the cave was rather uneventful. Silence mostly reigned between the two, but it was a welcomed silence. Barry, however, began to think about the look on Kate's eyes as she sensed his aura. He questions whether she had figured him out or not. But he ultimately stops thinking about it as they reach the cave.