great! Linking us together must have done more than I expected! I’ll explain that later, no time right now. You’re not insane, I’m your sword.”
“That’s not very reassuring,” she said under her breath.
“Is that how you treat someone trying to save you? I just made it so you can draw directly on my power. You need to focus on pulling at that warmth you can feel coming from me. Use it to fight that creature."
Sarena gaped down at the sword in her hand. Regardless of if she was actually imagining it or not, Heartseeker did feel much warmer than usual. There was no time to think about it. She could feel the beast closing in on her again as she dodged through the trees. She pulled at the warmth that radiated from Heartseeker, feeling ridiculous as she did so. Expecting nothing to happen, Sarena almost stumbled and fell when the world changed.
Time stopped. She couldn’t hear the sound of the beast behind her, but she could feel that it was there, frozen in place. Just like she could feel everything else around her. Sarena could tell there was a shelf of stone several meters below her, and it was calling to her. Everything that touched even the smallest rock was able to be sensed by her, which included the beast behind her. An incredible feeling of belonging permeated her entire being, making her relax without even realizing it. Something within her knew that if she called, all the stone around her would answer. Without a second thought Sarena did just that, reaching out for every bit of stone she could find and sending it at the beast. As soon as she had done so the sense of belonging left her, and the world jerked back into motion.
The earth shook beneath her, sending Sarena tumbling to the ground. Sarena stopped rolling and faced backwards, right as the earth behind her exploded upward, a massive stone spire appearing in an instant. The creature that had chased her gave out an ear-shattering howl as the spike drove itself into its chest, driving all the way through and lifting the beast off the ground. It continued up until the top was over halfway to the canopy, carrying the beast with it. She stared in awe at what she had done. At its base the spire was so thick it would take over a dozen people with their arms spread out to circle it. Heartseeker was still giving off warmth, but it was nowhere near as much as before.
“That was...a lot more impressive than I expected,” Heartseeker marveled, bring Sarena out of her stupor, “and a lot more draining. It’s going to take days before I’m back at full strength.”
She looked down at the sword in her hand, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Already she was aching for the feeling from before, as if she was missing a part of herself, one she never even knew she had. Everything that had happened to her was because of the sword in her hand, both devastating her life and saving it at the same time. Sarena wasn’t even sure what had just happened. If the gigantic spire wasn’t right in front of her, she would think she had dreamed it all. And how could I forget, my sword is talking to me . All the strength in her body seemed to leave her at once, and her knees collapsed beneath her. The training her grandfather had given her allowed her to stay upright at least, but any more than that was beyond her.
“What in the seven hells was that?” She said looking up at the beast, then looking back down at Heartseeker. “What exactly are you? Heartseeker has never been able to do half the things you have, and not once have I heard of a talking sword anywhere before.”
Almost not expecting an answer, Sarena jumped slightly when the voice responded in her mind. “I don’t know what this Heartseeker is that you’re talking about, but my name is Tyrus. As for what I am...I’m not really sure. I don’t think I was like this to begin with, but I can’t remember much. And for the first question, I don’t have the slightest clue. Its aura felt
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley