Everlast

Chapter 6; Learning the fifth time around.

One thing they don't tell you in books is just how messy battles can be; to be sure, they sound rather exciting when one reads about them in stories, but they are a different matter entirely in real life.

Ajay understood that now.

Though, he wished he could have learned it WITHOUT experiencing the chaos that was before him. For, almost as soon as Emmer had been surrounded, the dark elves attacked, coming at her from all sides, their sharp teeth bared like daggers. But the elf immediately sprang into action, dodging their blows and attacking with strikes of her own so elegantly placed that it looked to be more of a dance... A spiky sword-filled dance of death. 

Yes, that's was precisely what is was.

A moment after that a grumbling Jareth joined in the fray, followed by some goblin who hadn't even spoken once to them, then a few more leapt in and, before one could say 'My gods, what happened here?' the whole place was in an uproar. There was a plethora of punching, kicking, biting, shrieking, and clawing, and outraged slapping. Blood spattered on the walls, teeth were knocked from skulls, and swearing in multiple languages abounded. It was complete and utter madness, and not unlike the lunch-breaks in Ajay's school. They were horribly similar actually.

But during the entire ordeal, Ajay could only stand and watch helplessly as his friends beat off foe after foe fearlessly. Truth be told, Emmer looked quite attractive the entire time as she fought, and Ajay wondered if perhaps warrior-elf-women were his type. There was something about her as she fought; maybe it was her tendency to kick her enemies in the groin, or the way she punched them with her delicate fists, or the blood speckled on her rosy cheeks, but she looked wonderful during it all. Like an angel. A very scary angel, but an angel nonetheless.

And while Ajay would have gladly watched her fight all through the rest of the day, a table came hurtling in his direction suddenly, rudely breaking him from his thoughts. He ducked and it flew over his head, crashing into a wall with a loud bang and nearly hitting an old man who had just come through the door.

The old man glared at the table, then at Ajay, then the fight before him, then back at the table. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE UNDERWORLD IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" he roared.

Time seemed to stop then and there. The room stilled, and the troll in the corner set down the next table he was about to throw.

It went dead silent.

"Look at you!" the man hissed, his grey beard practically quivering in anger, "A group of acclaimed theives, mercenaries, pirates, and rebels behaving like common outlaws. I'm ashamed of you, I am. Now, clean this mess up or I'll turn you ALL to stone."

With a chorus of grumbling, the creatures peeled themselves off one another and began to pick up the mess they had made. They sort of reminded Ajay of toddlers being sternly told by their mothers to clean their rooms.

But just as Ajay went to help, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder and his eyes met the stern gaze of the old man.

"You. Come with me," he said, "And bring your friends."

Swallowing, Ajay nodded nervously. Perhaps they were going to be turned to stone after all.

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"Is there a reason you wanted to see us?" Emmer asked as the old man poured her a cup of tea.

They were seated around a small table in a back room where the man had lead them and were now awaiting what he had to say. So far, he hadn't turned them to stone, but with Ajay's luck THAT was just around the corner. Truth be told, Ajay was still rather nervous around this stranger, mostly because of the whole turning-to-stone matter and the fact that he was too young and handsome to be turned into a statue. Nevertheless, he made himself stay still and keep quiet, listening to all that was said. Much like a real statue would, come to think of it.

"I called you here," the man replied, "Because I know who you are and, more importantly, I know who HE is." he pointed to Ajay, who felt his stomach drop.

From the corner of the room, Thistle piped up, "See? I TOLD you I knew people! Adventurer people."

"Yes, yes, quiet now, Thistle-wit." the man waved his hand, clearly exasperated.

"It's Thistle-BIT, for your imformation! Thistle-wit is my sister and--" 

"Oh do shut up, would you? See here, adventurers, I know that your friend here is not of this world and I know that he MAY be the Chosen One, though why the gods would give us the likes of him, I'll never know."

Ajay was not sure if he should be flattered or deeply offended. 

"However," the old man continued, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "I DO know that if you are to complete what the prophecy had fortold, you will need magic."

"That's absurd!" Ajay burst out, "Magic does not exist."

They all turned to him, giving him a look that made him feel about two inches tall.

"Not very bright, is he?" Emmer remarked, to which Ajay responded with a glare, his blood coming to a slow boil.

"Now, now, let's try to be civil." Jareth butted in, desperately trying to difuse the suddenly thick tension in the room. "Ah, Grimble, what was it you were saying about teaching Ajay magic?"

The old man thought for a moment before answering, "I believe you and Emmer could teach him the basics of matters such as sword fighting and elemental magic, but he will need a Spell Master to teach him the ways of Elder magic. And a Spell Master is exactly what I happen to be."

"So you'll join us? On our quest, I mean."

"If I must..."

"Wondeful!" Jareth replied brightly, making Ajay smile, "We shall set out early tomorrow then, training Ajay along the way--"

"WAIT!" Thistle yelled suddenly, "What about ME?!"

"What about you?" Grimble huffed, his bushy brows meeting together in a frown.

"I want to go too! I could be a thief in your group! You never know when you might need a thief!"

"It is highly unlikely that we will need you for such a task-- you'll only be in the way."

Ajay watched as her face fell and he felt something inside of him stir. Usually, he wasn't the type to speak in front of so many people, but before he could stop himself he burst out, "I think we should let her come...we may need a thief after all. One never knows."

"I agree!" Jareth cheered, giving Ajay a warm grin.

And thus it was settled; Thistle and Grimble would be joining them on their quest. And while Ajay was nervous about the whole ordeal, he felt a small part of him thrill at the thought of being taught magic. Actual. Magic.

THAT was something one was not taught in school as an extracurricular.

He wasn't entirely sure what Elder Magic was and he would have asked, but the others were rather busy planning the boring bits of the journey, like provisions and maps and the like. They talked into the late hours of the night, speaking of many things he did not uderstand. Wonderful, frightening things, things of magic. Things that wormed their way into Ajay's dreams as he slept that night, haunting his dreams till dawn.

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