Sparks and Steel(Main)

A boy, carrying a mage's staff, strode down the forest path, smiling as his eyes, peeking past the hood of his robes, examine the trees. So nice and peaceful.....He couldn't help but wonder when he'd get to the next village though.

"Hey Mister," Charity called out. She had been playing in the woods before seeing the traveler. He seemed to be in a good mood, but he was probably still tired and thirsty. After all, it was a long walk from the nearest village. "If you're thirsty, I can get you some water. The town's just a few minutes away. It's not super big or fancy, but there's a lot of nice people there. And we have great food, too."

Charity ran over to the road and started skipping alongside the stranger as he continued toward the village. "Where are you from?"

Jeklo blinks as a child appears, telling him she could get him some water. Smiling thankfully, the boy nods, humming happily at the news that the village wasn't too far away.It did sound like a nice place....Blinking at the question, he responds softly."T-the Institute, in Watchcountry...."

Charity had never heard of the Institute, or of Watchcountry. She hadn't heard of a lot, to be honest. "Sounds like a fun place." She started skipping backwards, letting her long, white hair float behind her in the wind. A genuine smile crossed her face. "What brings you all the way here? Some important business? Just passing through? What's with the stick?"

Jeklo nods. He supposed it could be, what with all the busy cities....Someone less retiring then him could probably find a lot to do in it, especially the in the capital....Noticing her hair,he blinks. Huh....what an odd color for someone so young....Then comes a flood of questions. Yelping slightly in surprise, he smiles sheepishly, answering softly."U-uhm....mix....I wonder from town t-to town and banish unhappy or bad s-spirits....And i-its a mage's s-staff..….."

Charity looked into the traveling mage's eyes with clarity, almost as if she was studying his soul. Her smile faded a little. "If you banish them, then don't they stay just as unhappy as they were before? You haven't really helped them out."

Jeklo blinks at the way she looks at him, then smiles sadly."I-I suppose banish is the w-wrong word, though I d-do have to on occasion resort to t-that...For those merely confused and l-lost, I try e-explaining, t-talking to them and g-guiding them to move on.The mortal world, i-it weighs u-upon a soul, and t-the longer they stay t-the more h-hurt they w-wind up hurt....A-all the things they miss out on, all t-the things never done or f-f-finish....All of that can warp a spirit into something dark and cruel,then they become a danger to others.T-that's when I must use true b-banishment, though I try to g-get there before I h-have to....." Unfortunately, he's been too late on a couple of events."A-and then there's those never human t-to begin w-w-with..." His steps slow, and he stills. The young mage had, thankfully, only faced one of those so far, and it was the most terrifying experience in his life.Shaking his head, he grips onto the staff, reassuring himself, and smiles reassuringly at the girl.

Charity shrugged. It seemed like this traveling mage wasn't a bad guy. "I'm Charity, by the way. What's your name?"

They arrived at the village. It was small, but pleasant. A few public tables waited in the middle of town, beneath a large, wooden rooftop. The village enjoyed eating together. Right now, however, most of the villagers were hard at work with one task or another.

"I'll get you some water. Go ahead and sit down. Your feet must be killing you." She skipped away to a nearby house.

A gentle breeze danced with the leaves on every tree, carrying a sweet smell with it.

Charity returned, being careful not to spill the cup. "Here you go." She waited to let him have a sip. "Is it fun going from place to place, seeing the world? I haven't really been anywhere else before. What kind of places have you been?"

Deep in the woods, a dangerous force stirred. A figure clad in metal stalked ever closer to the unsuspecting village.

Jecklo smiles as Charity introduces herself, and returns the favor softly."J-jecklo Arincer....It's nice to meet you, Charity." As they arrive the young mage glances around curiously. What a nice place...Guided over to a table he smiles gratefully, sitting down, at her."Thank...you..." As she leaves he leans his head back, eyes closing as Jecklo intakes the breeze, how sweet...Blinking as Charity returns, the boy nods, taking a sip and humming in gratitude as he's refreshed. Eyes widening at the sudden questions, he smiles, nodding to the first one."Y-yes....very fun, t-though sometimes scary and d-dangerous....I-Ive been in c-cities, tracking down befuddled spirits, and in abandoned crypts taking care of fallen warriors....I've also been in villages much like this, bringing peace to families and setting up barriers to stop wild animals from attacking...It's been......exciting, to travel so far...And I've seen many wonderful things, though scary things as well...I recall having left a ciities Narkoren cathedral a few weeks back...It was beautiful, but pestered by a poltergeist. Believe it or not, said poltergeist....was a mischievous hamster!! You wouldn't believe how long I had to spend running all around the building, trying to convince it to cease it's antics!!!Eventually, I managed to calm it down. It's still there, but now a guardian much beloved by the children that visit it." It seemed that when speaking of his work, he grew more confident, and the smile, though still gentle still, had a tinge of playfulness to it." Thankfully, that's usually the kind of case I have to work with....So, wandering the world is often....amazing, I suppose...." Blinking, he feels something tickling his conscious, and glances at the woods....Huh, must be his imagination... Glancing back at her, he asks," W-what is it like, living in a v-village?"

Charity listened to the mage's stories, in awe. Jecklo had been a lot of places, and had done a lot of exciting and important things. One day, Charity wanted to leave this village and go on adventures just like him, helping people everywhere she went. Maybe she'd get to meet that poltergeist hamster.

Jecklo asked what life was like in the village. Charity shrugged. "It's alright. I mean, everybody is nice. We're like one big family. But lately...I just feel a little...bored." She had decided long before this traveler showed up that she wanted to explore the world. This village just seemed too small to hold her for the rest of her life. She wanted to get out there and see all the beautiful things there were to see.

Besides that, there was her gift...

A screaming villager came running into town. Men and women dropped what they were doing and came to investigate. The man wasn't hurt, but he had a look of sheer terror on his face. He was pointing back at the woods. "There's armor...but, there's nobody in it. It's moving by itself!"

Seconds later, a hulking suit of armor did indeed emerge from the woods. No body inhabited it, but it moved with strength and assurance. The metal was badly worn and rusted from untold ages, and even seemed to be stained green in a few places. In one of his gauntlets, it held a long sword.

The people kept at a distance, fear frozen on their faces. Suddenly, the cursed armor lunged into motion, running at a villager who couldn't get away fast enough.

Jecklo smiles."A-a family? Sounds n-nice..." Though, she did seem the adventurous sort....he could see how she would get bored...though maybe a little young for adventuring...but again he was younger then average as well."J-just be careful, and s-safe when y-you do go, OK?" Then suddenly a villager comes running in,screaming about...moving armor?! Must be a stirred up spirit!!! He stands, staff in hand, as the armor appears. As it rushes at the villager he holds out a hand swirling with energy, eyes glowing as he coughshouts a incoherencible word."GUARD!!!  " A barrier of energy springs up, shielding the villager, and Jeklo warily approaches."Cease....Why do you attack?"

The shield of energy blocked the full force of the animated armor's attack. The monster turned to face Jecklo, but it did not answer his question. The only noise is seemed to make was reverberations from walking. The armor was hollow, no body was left inside of it. A coat of arms was still half-visible on the chest plate, but it was old, very old.

The armor ran towards Jecklo, swinging its sword at him.

Charity watched from a distance, hiding behind a table. What was this monster? And why was it trying to hurt her friends?

Jecklo furrows his brow. No response... Either the spirit wasn't wishing to speak or it wasn't a sentient at all.What was that coat of arms, though.....Appeared old....As the armor charges, the boy narrowly dodges, heart pounding as he swings the staff at it's knee.The crystal ball on top glowing, the enchantment changes the force from a feeble child's into that of a mighty brute.Raising his hand, the young mage let's out another word."[PUSH  !!!"A barrier charges at the armor, attempting to ram it."Please, stop!!!"

The armor fell to one knee. It had not expected such a powerful strike from the mage. A moment later, the magical barrier sent the monster sliding across the ground.

Given time to study the animated armor, Jecklo might notice several things. The spirit that made the armor move was definitely that of a human, but there was another force entirely that surrounded the armor, holding that soul trapped inside. It was likely that this outside force was what controlled the armor's movement.

Charity noticed something different, though. "It's in pain."

The girl stood up and walked towards the armor, with her hands held out in front of her. It was almost like she was trying to calm an animal. "I know it hurts. Let me help you."

The armor stood up, lifted its sword, and started running towards Charity. It swung its sword with intent to kill.

Jecklo breathes in and put, rapidly. He...he'd only dealt with pure spirits and the occassional bandits...nothing like thisthis....Having an opportunity to now examine it further, the boy activates a spell that deepens his spirit sense, eyebrows furrowing.An outside force.....a puppeteer?Nodding as Charity speaks, he frowns."I know....we have to stop this before it goes through any....Eh?! Stay away!!!" As the sword comes down, the young mage dashes, pulling charity out of the watpy and swinging his staff at the sword. If he was lucky, he'd bend or break it beyong use.

Charity was afraid. She didn't understand why the armor was trying to hurt her, and she wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. At the last second, Jecklo managed to push her out of the way. She hit the ground and scraped her elbow. It hurt, but it was better than getting cut in half.

The staff crashed into the sword, and there was an instant of struggle. The sword cracked and broke in half. The animated armor now had a half-sword, but it was still plenty dangerous. The monster reached for Jecklo's robe, trying to catch the mage by his outfit. If it was successful, it would try to stab the broken blade into the mage's stomach.

Jecklo sighs in relief. Safe....Then he sees the gauntlet reaching out. Yelping he dances backwards, trying to get out of it's grasp....but too late.Seeing the jagged point draw back, the young mage hurriedly spits out a spell.GUARD  !!!!" A barrier springs up, but the blade crashes through the not yet fully formed field. Thankfully, it was never less stopped before it could fatally wound him...but a tear of pain drops down as Titus wiggled slightly, trying to get the halfinch of old steel out from the wound.Stammering, the boy casts another spell."B-BIND  !!!!" A series of barriers form around the weapon arm, stopping it from moving.

Things were looking bad. The armor had managed to injure the mage. The wound was little, but the man looked frail. The villagers didn't think he could handle much more punishment. One of the villagers picked up a wood ax and started running towards the armor, intent on helping. Before he could reach the fight, however, something happened.

The armor's weapon arm was locked in place, but it's other arm was still functional. The monster lifted Jecklo off his feet by his robe, swung him backwards, and then swung him at the broken blade. The armor couldn't stab Jecklo, but it could sure impale him on a stationary weapon.

Jecklo cries out as he's swung, then wignnles and spins, trying to make sure he isn't gored in the stomach. Thankfully, he's not, but his side was pierced through. Letting out a cry of pain, the young mage reaches out, grabbing the 'face' of the armor. Enough was enough!!!! He pants, then focuses. Had.,.to.....break the control of...the puppeteer."Break the strings,break the leash,break the chains. Blind the oppressor with burning salt, hobble the oppressor with hammers, bind the oppressor with their own chains. Let the prisoner run, let the prisoner dance, let the prisoner SING!!!!!" Pure magical energy pulsed out of his hand as his eyes glowed brightly. Hopefully this would work...

The armor dropped Jecklo, then fell to all fours. At last it made sound, like heavy breathing with metallic echos. The control over the monster had been broken, and now it was free.

Charity walked up to Jecklo, her knee bleeding just a bit. She couldn't stand to see the traveler hurt. She reached out and touched his injured side. "Get better." They were simple words, obviously not of any magical origin, chant, or incantation. Still, as soon as they were said, a bright white light appeared around Jecklo's wound. All the pain the mage was feeling instantly vanished, and the wound closed itself. There was not a drop of blood, not a tear on his cloak. It was as though he had never been hurt. This was the power of the divine.

Charity smiled, glad she had been able to help her friend.

The armor moaned, then grabbed its helmet and started to shake. It had control of itself, but merely to exist in this plane of existence was pain. Charity could feel it, the desire to be free, not from control but from the binding shell of armor. The soul of a once proud knight was trapped within his own armor, and he longed to finally move on to the afterlife. Charity didn't understand his full story, but she knew what he wanted. And she knew how to help him.

"I can help you, too." She placed her hands on the armor's arms, and the monster held still. Again, the bright light came forth. It engulfed the armor, and after a flash, the now empty husk fell to the ground.

"I'm sure we'll meet again, Mr. Knight," Charity said, quietly.

Jecklo's eyes gathered water. This...this was probably it....he hadn't the capability to heal wounds like this, and they more then likely didn't have a healer good enough...even if he didn't have any immediately lethal wounds, or bleed out, he'll probably get sick and......And Charity just healed him? That was divine magic, as well!!!! How?! Ignoring the funny feeling he had coursing through his body, the boy stands up,observing the armor sadly. He was in pain....He plants his staff into the ground, point first, and stretches his arms out, getting ready to help him pass on.Then Charity sends him on herself. Blinking,Jecklo grabs his staff up, walking over to her and laying a hand on her shoulder with a grateful and proud smile."Well d-done....Y-you gave h-him peace, a-and that's a a-amazing thing...."

(TECHNICALLY WIP!! Must ask aomnething)

Charity shrugged. "I just did what I thought would help. I was born with these abilities. Everybody tells me it means I'm a Saint. But I'm really just like everybody else." Her elbow was still bleeding, and she cradled it now. "I can't heal myself, though."

A man and a woman ran up to Charity and hugged her. "Charity, I'm so glad you're okay."

"Well I had some help, Mom."

Mr. Rivers reached out a hand to shake Jecklo's hand. "You fought well, magician. We are grateful for your protection. And thank you for protecting my daughter."

Charity grinned as her mom finally let her go. "Hey dad, can I travel around the world with Jecklo?"

"What?"

"He says that he's seen all sorts of amazing things. I want to see those things, too."

Mr. and Mrs. Rivers looked at Jecklo, waiting to hear what he had to say about the matter.