Bonds (IX): An Argument, Exposure

I was really confused about how to go about doing all this. But thankfully, there was someone willing to help me.

"Asha, all this people can't just stay in the open can they?, I know there's nothing like a change of weather in the pit, but leaving them all out like this does not seem to be a good idea."

"Indeed it's not, but there's nothing you can do about it. The towers are allocated by the guards, you can't purchase any extra from them. And due to how tall the towers are in the first place, most vampires hardly ever see a need to own any more than the tower that they're allocated. So there's nothing to be done, unless you want let them into your own tower." Asha replied.

"So we have to leave them outside like this." I asked with a voice too tinged with emotion for my own liking. For some reason, I was feeling too much.

"Unfortunately husband that's all you can do for now. You've only just secured a deal with Lukas for blood, but you've not decided how it would be distributed or where you will store it to prevent theft or sabotage. Just take it one step at a time."

How could I have forgotten this, this incredible amount of love and support. This feeling of being able to move forward and tackle any problems ahead of you, just because you knew that if you ever fell, there was someone waiting right behind you to catch you. And even more surprising was the fact I felt all this as a vampire. do I love Asha. After spending a day with her, at this point all I could think about was her, about what it is that I could do to please her. If Love was when someone wants to take out their slowly beating heart and offer it up on a platter of gold to the object of their affection, then I loved Asha. it was gory, but it was love none the less.

But it scared me, such a powerful emotion, such undying devotion, but they had no origins. I did not have the pleasure of falling in love with Asha, or even the memories, it just came to be. Like it was always there, as a part of me that woke up every morning when I did, staying by my side through out the day, and coming to rest inside of me every night as well. I was sure I loved Asha, but my problem now, was that I didn't know how to love her more than I already did, neither did I know how to act or behave when you love someone. It was an enigma, and it was driving me insane.

"You need to see Xaseah, you've not spoken or even seen her since she woke up." Asha said with a pointed look.

"Well I've been a little busy that's why I haven't been to see her yet."

"Cut the bullshit Kael, I know you've been avoiding Xaseah. It's freaking obvious."

Well wow with that. Is it wrong that I find her so hot right now. Her loud voice almost seemed to make her red hair sparkle in the light of the blue district.

"I'm not avoiding her, I've really just been busy."

I couldn't tell her this truth, I mean what would you do. Will you go ahead an tell girl number one, who is pregnant for you, that you're afraid of confronting girl number two, who almost died because of you, and that you might also have feelings for. It's even worse if both of them are present.

"You never learn do you. Of all the times we've spent together, I can't believe you've not grown enough to know that any woman, especially one who's bonded would love to spend as much time as possible with her bond mate. Just talk, I've told you this hundreds of times." She reprimanded in anger.

"Well forgive me if I forgot everything you thought me about women, I've only just lost the memories of my entire life and the people I love, so maybe I don't really know how to act in situations like this!"

My voice was raised, and we were already drawing attention to ourselves due to our rising tempers and voice.

Asha looked like she had swallowed an entire plate of volcanic ash. The remorse and pain on her face was so palpable I could no longer find it in myself to be angry at her. Then she looked at me and said.

"I'm really sorry, I walked right into that one. I've been so happy that I got you back, that I completely chose to ignore what you've been through with your memories missing, and what you're going through now with the bond and everything else. I'm a failure as a wife,....."

"It's not your fault Asha. No one and most especially me, would fault you for getting carried away. This would not have happened if I had seen Xaseah already. You've been good to me, this child within you, and this feeling in my heart is proof enough. It's just that all this is confusing for me, I have no control over it, and also have no idea how to approach it, or live with it. I know I have a bond with both of you, and that I love you, but I don't know how to 'love' you. I know it's confusing but....."

"Kael, it's okay. And I understand what you're going through. Everything is moving too fast for you to keep track of, and you have no idea how to deal with it. There's no secret manual to loving Kael, it's something that you just do. Follow your heart in this matter, it would never lead you astray as far as love is concerned. But you have to promise to see Xaseah."

Listening to the demand, I had this feeling that there was no way I was escaping this. I could either do what she tells me, or get really, really hurt. So in the interest of peace, and keeping all of my body parts intact, I gave in.

"Fine, I'll come see Xaseah, but not now! I have something that I need to take care off."

There's was no way I was doing this immediately, having something to do was just an excuse. This was a way to save face, because no matter how you look at it, this little fight that we just had, has seen Asha emerge as a winner. So if I was going to wear the losers hat, I am going to do it on my own terms.

After our talk, I spent the rest of my time moving among the vampires around. With this much people around, it was hard for me to have a personal relationship with all of them, however I felt the need to get close to them. At least know what kind of people I had around me. And to be honest, it was a fun activity for me. While sixty percent of the people were all about the benevolence and glory of Karl Cor, quite happy to sit back and relax while basking in the light of my protection, the other forty percent were of a different breed.

This group of people had asked if there was anyway they could help, or if there were tasks to be performed. Vampires were prideful, and even though the many years of bondage had changed them in a variety of ways, this pride of ours will never let us sit back and have someone else work for our benefit. Which brought me to my current crazy Idea.

The spirit crystal and Origin Earth tower should finish their bonding by tomorrow or the next. At that time, the earth and water elemental crystals would be absorbed by it. Now I don't know what sort of change can be implemented, but I suddenly find myself with the urge to make sure all the elemental essences of the crystal was filled up. But the only sort of element that was in abundance in the pit was earth and various kind of metal ore. I needed that metal, lot's of it, which was why a crazy idea began to spring up from the depths of my mind.

I secluded myself in a tent, and ask those who were willing to help, to bring every mining pick available. Then I asked them to keep a significant distance away from me, as I began to weave the word BREAK onto their frames. Now I had to be wary of the guards, which was why I said this was a crazy idea. But if it works, these vampires won't just have a more effective tool to mine, but a veritable weapon to attack with.

But I also had to consider functionality and obscurity. Things would go bad if the guards find out that I could weave. It would mean the end of everything, because Kael Cor's ability to weave, my ability. Had been my biggest secret, so much so that even the council of light did not know about it. In their eyes, I was just a powerful, but normal human noble. If they had known I could weave, and I was still sympathetic to the vampire's plight. I would already be dead, because I would have been a very powerful threat to their way of life. Weavers had powerful reputations for a reason, especially those past the tenth circle.

But making runes on the picks is easier said than done. I remembered what happened the last time. A normal pick, made with normal and cheap materials would be completely unable to withstand the power of any rune. At best they will last about ten to fifteen minutes before imploding on themselves. Which meant I had to find a way to make sure the weave lasts long enough for it to be used, and that the pick itself does not kill anyone, while also keeping in mind that it had to remain unseen from the eyes of our enemies.

My first order of business was not to make the rune invisible, but to make sure it sticks without blowing the pick to pieces. I had an idea about that, it was just a theory though, but it could work. I made my way out of the tent, then looked around at the vampires standing and waiting outside for me, then I signaled an elderly looking man to come closer so that I could ask him some questions.

"Is there anything you need Lord Kael?" he asked with a bowed head

"Yes there is. Can you tell me which metal the head of the pick is made from. I noticed that while it was crude looking, the luster on the metal is darker than usual."

"Well my lord that would be because the metal is made from the shavings and pieces of Orichalum after it has been mined and processed. While its quite possible to get normal Iron and steel mined from the mountain, we can not use the items forged from them to mine the mountain as they break on contact almost immediately. So the dwarven smiths on employ to the guard tower, will use what's left of Orichalum, including it's impurities to forge new mining picks that are quite capable of withstanding whatever force that mountain is made of. They don't last though, but it's the best we can work with. The guards would rather die than hand us better forged picks made fully from Orichalum, and mythril is much too expensive for any body to even let it fall in the hands of a vampire, also we're allergic to all forms of silver, and Mythril is a kind of silver."

He had given me a lot of information. I knew for a fact that Orichalum was very conductive for energy, especially magic. So in retrospect it should be possible for it to handle soul energy too, even if it was not pure enough.

"Wait here!" I said to him, as I ran back into the tent.

I picked up a random pick and ran my fingers over its crude and uneven surface feeling the bumps and creases of the dark yellow metal. It did not feel cold to the touch like most other metal, it was just normal. As I ran my finger across the surface, I closed my eyes, and focused my intent. This part of weaving always took precious time away from me, but it's something I'm hoping to overcome with training. If I had to spend several seconds to a minute in order to focus on what and how I wanted a rune to work, I would probably have my head chopped off. But for now this was all I could do, I can only focus my intent instantly during moments of extreme duress.

I told the rune how I wanted it to work, imposed my will on it as I altered the nature of the pick to channel the power of the rune. By the time my fingers finished moving from one edge of the pick to the other, the rune word BREAK had appeared on it's surface. It was a little too big and glowy, but it would have to do for now.

I went out of the tent and gave the pick to the vampire who was still waiting for me. Then I pointed at the ground and said to him.

"Break it."

To his credit, he did not ask me any questions as he immediately raised the pick and brought it down hard to the ground.

"BANG!!! CRACK!!"

To be honest I thought I had gone deaf for a second as the ensuring sound was so loud it made my ears ring. At the point of impact, a three meter wide crater was visible, but the bone of contention was the fact that it was also two meters deep, and filled to the brim with broken and scattered pieces of rocks and hard earth. And from the look of things, the pick was still holding up.

"Hit it again!" I ordered. I needed to see how long the pick would last.

"BANG!" "Again!" "BANG!" " Again!" "BANG!"

Then pick began to glow an eerie deep blue. I knew what came next better than anyone.

"Throw it away, and toward the left, away from the people!" I shouted with a little more than average panic in my voice.

This guy was good listener, and he knew how to act fast. He threw the pick away with all of his strength and took a step back. You did not need to be told that when something begins to glow brighter than usual, the next thing that comes is....

"BOOM!"

"My Lord Kael! What the fuck are you doing?!" That was Asare's voice, and he did not sound to happy. I think I realize why now. I was so excited and focused about my weaving I forgot I had an audience of about a few hundred vampires, and every single one of them has seen my weave in action.

Crap! But at least the experiment was a success.