Testing the Winds

A blade was where Veritas felt most comfortable in, although he is skilled with every weapon. The blade is what he was best at and by blade he meant a sword. It was a common term within Elrod to refer blade as a sword. 

Yet, without Will of the Winds, he could not form a perfect blade for himself. He could only use Windsong and use trial and error with it.

"Blade!"

The winds were pulled towards his hand and a long thin sword was formed. This was not very satisfactory for Veritas. So, he tried again.

"Blade!"

This time, a miniature sword formed, it was as small as a dagger. Another failure. Veritas already tried many times yet he had failed to form a sword that can be utilized. Thus, he assessed the situation.

Seeing as the blade could not be formed accurately due to its complexity, should I try being more specific? Should I make my words louder? Should I make my words longer?

"I guess I'll try."

Air filled his mouth and his words felt much more powerful now. He inhaled the winds and spoke:

"O! Winds, heed my words. Form me a blade!"

As he spoke, the winds scattered around him and were pulled towards his hand. Instantly, a blade of 1 meter in length was formed. It felt light and durable, although not perfect for Veritas, it was still usable. 

"It worked. Good."

Veritas swung the blade and tested it out to get used to it. This was now his weapon against anything that comes to face him. The might of Elrod was not to be trifled with.

Veritas then breathed out and deactivated his skill. He found out that anything he said with Windsong were imbued with his soul. He'd learned this the hard way when he tried saying "Make me afloat", and bumped his head on the golden ceiling.

It was not.. a good experience, one could say that it was a hard one. 

Nevertheless, his goal was now finished and he had a suitable weapon to fight with. One thing that was left in his mind though, was the eclipse. He did not know if that was a one time thing or was it reccuring. 

So, Veritas decided to wait in the flooded house, testing his skills.

There were a couple things in his mind.

One, was a wind veil that would protect him from the water. This could be useful when going into the depths of the Sunken Golden City.

Two, was the limits of his Windsong. Could he use it underwater? Could he create wind slashes? Or how many times could he use it?

Lastly, his Galebreathe. If activated, how long would it last? With how faint his soul is as of right now, Galebreathe seemed like it wouldn't last that long.

He was first going to try the hardest out of the three which was the wind veil. Although using Galebreathe to test how long he could last was the easiest one, running out of Soul here was not ideal as he could be attacked at any point in time. 

So, he gazed upon his Soul and used Windsong once more. He filled his mouth with air and said the words:

"Cover me with the Winds"

Winds then came rushing towards him covering every part of his body. Veritas then noticed that his knee and below were now unsubmerged. The wind was block the water from approaching him.

It worked. 

Veritas then tried moving with the veil and it felt like he was wearing a light armor. It also boosted his movement and agility, feeling like his muscles now moved with ease. 

"Pretty good"

Satisfied with the new skill, Veritas aimed to try and test Windsong even more. He wanted to see the capabilities of the skill.

Seeing as the Wind Veil already repelled the water underneath his feet, he tried using simple words this time and tested the Winds.

"Cut!"

With that word high pitched sound echoed across the room and then ended up with a *pang!*, hitting the golden wall. However, it had not made a dent on the wall, maybe it was due to the fact that his soul was still faint.

Veritas then tested it more.

"Cut! Cut! Cut!"

This time, with every word he spoke, a high pitched sound echoed ending with a pang every time, hitting the same spot on the wall. The difference however was now the golden wall had a dent on it. Although it was quite small, this is satisfactory for Veritas. 

"Very useful and versatile. It doesn't use up much of my Soul either."

Thus, his second goal was now complete, he was not going to try and test how much he can use Wind Cut, that would risk his faint Soul running out.

Waiting for the next darkness to come, Veritas decided to rest his soul and recover. 

Before, he thought that Whisperer of the Winds was not comparable to Knight of the Winds or Warrior of the Winds. But now! Whisperer was so much better than those two who could only conjure weapons and strength. 

Whisperer was so much more versatile than other classes! If Whisperer could do this much while still having a faint soul, imagine how stronger it could get when he gets an Impure soul or even a Pure one!

Veritas laughed like a gremlin. 

So, a couple hours have passed and he felt well rested. Although he had not slept at all, he still felt energetic and strong. 

It didn't seem like the eclipse was returning anytime soon, so Veritas decided to traverse the waters. 

"Beware of the Deep"

The voice of his father resounded in his mind, he had to become extra wary when traversing the water. 

His goal was to reach the Golden Tower, stay there for a couple of hours, and hopefully eat something as he was getting hungry. 

After that, he would go to the nearest building and keep repeating it until he got closer to the depths. 

Then, he would have to dive and hope for the best. He felt that in the heart of the Golden City, lies his soul and finally unlocking his path becoming a fully-fledge Pathbearer. 

"I wonder what my Path is" He pondered. 

It could be something related to Whisperer, but Veritas pried no deeper. He was going to find out anyways, as long as he survived this challenge. 

"Still, this Golden City. How did it sink, and why are there no people."

The fairy tale that his mother had told, explained how the people were amongst those that turned into gold. Yet, even though Veritas had not seen any golden person, whether it be underwater or abovewater, it was weird or peculiar. 

Another thing was the mountains. How could the door and everything outside of it be golden yet not the mountains? After he entered the golden door, he was surprised by the lush greenscape of it. He expected everything to be gold once he entered, but he was wrong. 

Veritas felt that as he dived deeper towards the heart of the Golden City, he would learn more about the truth.

Veritas never felt the thing watching him vanish. Even when he tested out his skills, he felt as if there was something prying. This was another mystery that he had to know. 

If the watcher was hostile then he would have to fight it, if it were too strong for him to handle then he needed to escape. 

If the watcher was the opposite, then he could ask it for help, or maybe negotiate with it. 

The former seemed to be more likely than the latter. Even if the watcher showed no hostility, he still had to be careful as that could change suddenly. 

"Could I beat it?"

Something that could pry from far distances seemed something unbeatable for Veritas. Yet, he must first assess the watcher, only then will he determine the danger that it poses. 

Veritas then got up and steeled his resolve. He was now going to head to the golden tower. He had to be ready so he gazed upon his soul and activated Windsong. 

"O! Winds, heed my words. Form me a blade!"

"Cover me with the Winds"

With that, he summoned his Wind Blade and Wind Veil. As he approached the edge of the Sunken Golden City, he breathed out and deactivated Windsong.

He gazed upon his Soul once more and activated Galebreathe. Then, he dived and swam towards the looming Golden Tower.