19 At the Crystal Inn

1143 Words
After completing his business with Bob, Matthew walked over to where Judi and Hugh were standing with Kenneth.  “That is some distraction device you have there.  I am always intrigued by anything that deals with magic.  Kenneth and I have a business where we build magic machinery and products for sale.  Perhaps we can talk.”   “That sounds great!  I would love to learn more about what you do for a living as well,” replied Hugh.   “I have an idea,” said Matthew.  “Why don’t you and Judi accompany the two of us back to where I am staying at the Crystal Inn; you can stay on with us for a couple of days.  They have all the amenities and specialize in catering to an elite clientele.  You would be my guests, of course!”   Judi and Hugh exchanged glances.  Matthew then continued, saying, “Please, it would be my pleasure; my way of thanking you for returning my son to me.”   “Wow!  That’s very generous of you.  We would love to come and be your guests,” Hugh replied cheerfully.   Hugh and Judi were treated royally by their host.  They spent hours with Matthew, discussing the use of magic in creating machinery.  Matthew loved their enthusiasm.  He grew very fond of the pair; he told Hugh that he reminded him of how Kenneth had been as a youth.  Matthew shared his knowledge freely, and imparted some of his trade secrets to Hugh in a letter, admonishing him to always keep it safe and not share it with anybody.   Hugh promised that he would keep the letter safe; away from prying eyes, and never share the information it contained.  He felt very honored that Matthew would entrust something so precious to him.    One evening, after a lavish dinner, the group retired to the opulent main hall.  Kenneth sat by the cozy fireplace and began to read.  Matthew, Hugh, and Judi relaxed in the comfortable chaise lounges located along the wall.  With Kenneth engrossed in his book, Matthew took the opportunity to speak quietly with his guests.   “I feel I have gotten to know the two of you very well over the past few days.  I can tell that you are both trustworthy and reliable.  I would like to share with you, the reason I came to the fourth level with my son,” confided Matthew.   “When we were at home in Stuhr, I was building a magic machine using a dark element; something went terribly wrong and my son was afflicted with a curse.  He was suffering from horrible pains and headaches weekly.  His body began deteriorating; his water magic was corrupted and manifested as ice magic.  His weakened state makes it difficult for him to control his magic.”  Matthew stole a look at his son; his worry and concern clearly evident on his face.  “I thought that maybe I could use the strong, dark magic of the abyss to counteract the curse from the dark element inside him.  We went down to the chasm and collected dark crystals which we formed into a pyramid.  I had Kenneth sit in front and hold a pure water crystal.  I focused my water magic through the pure crystal in an attempt to flush the darkness out, aided by the draw from the dark magic behind.  It appeared to work because Kenneth felt much better; that night, however, he experienced even more excruciating pain and ran out of our tent … that was how he got lost.  It seems that the curse is getting worse.  This turning to stone is a new side effect; this time, the curse abated.  I am very worried that it may get to a point where the transformation into stone will be permanent.  It is for that reason I will be staying here for a while; I need to do some more research to try and find a cure for this evil curse.”   Hugh and Judi had listened to Matthew’s sad tale with reverence and sympathy.  They recalled the ice wall that had formed around the wagon during their encounter with Bob.  The realization hit that it was most likely Kenneth’s ice magic that had been responsible for the event; triggered by his fear of the situation; not because he had control over his magic.   Judi remarked, “He could benefit from some training on the focusing and control of his magic.  I have an affinity for and some experience in the use of magic; I can teach him some techniques to help with that, but I am not a formal teacher.”   “That would be great,” Matthew replied, gratefully.  “I would certainly appreciate any help you can give; I know that Kenneth would be enthusiastic, as well.”   “Good.  I would be happy to help,” replied Judi.  Then, turning to Hugh, continued, “I could teach you a few things, as well, if you would like to join us.”   “Yes,” Hugh replied, as he quickly accepted her offer.   “It is set then,” said Judi.  “We can start first thing tomorrow.”   Matthew called Kenneth over to them and said, “Judi has offered to teach you some techniques to help you hone your magic.  What do you think of that?”   “Oh, I would like that!  When can I start?” asked Kenneth, excitedly.   “Your lessons will start tomorrow, outside in the courtyard.  Hugh will be joining you for the training as well.”  Matthew smiled at his son’s enthusiasm.     The next morning, and for several days following, the two students and Judi met in the courtyard.  Judi first asked the pair to close their eyes to block any outside stimuli.  She told them to purge their minds of any errant thoughts so they could focus only on what she was saying.  She then showed them how to meditate and center their energy in their core.  “Your core is the source of your energy.  When you can shut out any internal and external distractions, you can focus your core energy and successfully use your magic in battle.”   When the students had mastered their centering skills, Judi set up some targets at the opposite side of the courtyard.  She had them focus their energy, as they had been practicing, then visualize their magic reaching out towards the mid-point of the targets before them.  The first attempts to project their magic was weak, barely managing half the distance across the courtyard.  As they continued to practice, the energy strengthened, and soon they were successfully impacting the target.    Hugh was pleased with the new skills which Judi had taught him; he saw he was now at Level Thirteen.  His attribute points had also increased accordingly.   Matthew had been a close observer of their daily lessons; on this day, he watched them with a smile on his face; proud of his son’s progress.  In his mind, he was confident that both Kenneth and Hugh were much more prepared for any challenges that lay ahead … and the way that things had been going lately, that could be at any time!
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