FOUR

Shifter Training

After assuring Alora many times that Argus was fine and was going to stay at the Heralia estate, the High Priestess finally reluctantly left. Argus knew how busy she was at the temple, and its operations must be suffering without the nuns and its High Priestess. As they left Argus turned to Malec.

“So, what about my psychology exam?” At Argus’ question, Malec was taken aback.

“Well, Master Argus, you missed your examination, we would need to schedule another if you would like to take it, however, I must insist that you focus on your powers from now on until you can at least awaken enough to defend yourself.”

“But Professor Garrow doesn’t allow retakes. Damn, I was just about to ace it when Oram decided to play cheeky. Hey, Ory! You listening to me? Not cool man…NOT. COOL.” The last part was shouted by Argus whilst looking skyward and pointing a finger as if admonishing a child.

Malec looked positively scandalised by this. As he quickly grabbed Argus’ finger. Shooting a quick apologetic look at the sky and already feeling his hair turn grey he looked at Argus.

“Master Argus, that’s surely unnecessary, I’m sure as your new status as Heralia will help convince the professor. We will send some of the enforcers to schedule an examination, meanwhile, I think you should get some rest. Your shifter training will commence tomorrow morning.” With that, he turned and left.

Argus just stood there for a second then realised that he was dismissed. He asked one of the enforcers to take him to his room as he realised that he forgot where it was exactly, now that is was dark out.

Later on, that night as he lay in the huge bed, he thought about how his life would be from now on and he realised, that he was excited.

**

Argus woke up with knocking on his door, it took a while to place himself in the foreign room, he was expecting his dorm. As the previous day’s memories came rushing, he told them to come in. As he got up, he saw Zoe, and a maid come in, the maid had a tray full of breakfast. She blushed as Argus got up and revealed that he sleeps in nothing expect his boxer-briefs.

“Good morning,” Argus said politely to the maid as she mumbled a greeting, bowed and practically ran out of the room as if it was on fire.

“What just happened,” Argus said confused, as Zoe lost her shit.

Still laughing a little she choked; “Ary, she just saw Geas’ most powerful man half naked and you don’t need me to tell you that you’ re a looker,” she gestured at Argus, in his naked glory, he looked down to discover that his briefs actually were quite… tight.

“Anyway, My Heralia, you have to eat and get ready for your training. Elder Xander doesn’t like tardy students. Trust me, you don’t want an angry ancient wyvern after you.”

Feeling oddly proud, Argus got to work.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Argus was showered and ready, at the courtyard behind the mansion. Green fields surrounded the courtyard and you could see apprentices of The Order going through drills. Right in front of him stood an old looking man, his face had many wrinkles and his bones looked frail. Seeing that he was a shifter meant that the guy is basically ancient. Argus assumed he is Elder Xander. The Elder was scrutinising him from head-to-toe, by the end he felt thoroughly violated.

“Hmg,” the Elder grunted then suddenly he sat down cross-legged and motioned for Argus to follow.

“We have got to make a man out of you before your coronation, I see we have a lot of work to do,” the Elder croaked.

“Wait a minute, what coronation? Also, I am very much a man already sir!” Argus questioned and grumbled the last part.

“Hmg,” the Elder grunted again.

“In a month from now will be the Ninth’s wake, following that will be your coronation as the Tenth,” the Elder clipped. Argus started to think that this Elder was a man of few words, or of a few grunts.

Before Argus could reply, the Elder started again; “Now, the first part of your training will be with me, this will be getting connected to your Were powers, your creature. Now usually we know the ancestry of the apprentice and thus can-do specific things to make that dormant creature come out. But you are a special case with no known family history. So, we will have to try different methods of the awakening. First will be to spirit walk. Many wizards and mages can do this as their primary power, but shifters can do this to get in touch with their other halves. To Spiritwalk is to look inside oneself or another. To see what exists within.” Argus was following the lecture very carefully, he always wanted to study about powers of shifters, but alas if you weren’t one you didn’t get any taught any shifter secrets.

“Your other half has been dormant your whole life since you were a non-para. Shifter children have their creatures awakened at a young age. It can happen in two ways, either their other half is very powerful, and they wake up and make the connection on their own, or at the age of ten an elder help draw the creature out. Now that Oram has awakened your bloodlines, your creature will come out soon, if it is powerful then sooner.” Wow the Elder was a chatty Cathy during his lectures Argus thought. But he understood.

“So, you’re saying my creature will come out soon, on its own?”

The Elder pursed his lips and said; “Boy, what I said was if your creature is powerful then it will make the connection soon. But today I will try to coax it out, to make it show us a glimpse of its nature. We can’t leave it be, if its weak, then it’s possible that it may never come out. A Heralia that cannot protect himself cannot protect others.”

Argus bristled at the insinuation that his creature might be weak, if he was Argus’ other half, he could be nothing but incredible, even if it was a mouse, he would love it.

“Slow your breathing and close your eyes,” Elder said in a no-nonsense tone.

“Now, I will enter your spiritspace through mine, all shifters have a connection to each other, the connection’s strength depends the creatures’ spirit and its will, some creatures are powerful enough to command others to obey through this connection, this is why I do this, my Wyvern is quite dominant and that makes it easier to wake up dormant creatures.” the Elder continued in a softer voice.

Argus sat there, trying to be less nervous about this. This was the first time they were concentrating on his powers. Wait didn’t Zoe say that the Elder was a Wyvern. What if he scares my creature? No one whose asleep for such a long time wants to be waken up and ordered about by a behemoth such as a wyvern. Trying to calm himself, he fell into a trance like state, and he felt something foreign inside his mind, like a nudge by an outside force, which didn’t have a physical impact. After a couple of nudges, he felt nothing else, nothing awakening. He could tell the nudges by the Elder’s Wyvern were getting a bit more forceful. But there was nothing in response.

Then suddenly, Argus heard a loud shout, it sounded like the person was in intense pain, as his eyes shout open frantically, he saw the Elder flying in the opposite direction. There was a trickle of blood coming out of his mouth and his eyes. Argus rushed over as several enforcers that were guarding the courtyard came in to see if we were under attack.

“Call a healer!” Argus shouted, although he was confused as to what happened, but he felt like it was related to him.

The Elder was still unconscious when a healer in a silver robe rushed in. She was an old mage who focused on healing magic.

“What happened, My Heralia?” She said in a professional and authoritative tone, as she was checking the Elder’s vitals.

“I don’t know, we were focusing on bringing my creature out through a spiritwalk and then this happened,” Argus said.

Checking under his eye lids, she turned and ordered this enforcer to get a gurney to take him to the Healer’s building.

Argus noticed that now even the apprentices that were training in the distance, stopping and were looking in his direction.

“I want to know what happened to him,” Argus said. The healer looked like she was going to rebuke Argus for interfering with her time but seemed to remember who he was and motioned him to follow.

“His condition and the circumstances before the accident indicate that this is most likely a spirit backlash,” she relayed quickly as they followed the Elder’s gurney taken my enforcers to the Healers.

Spirit backlash? “Why did that happen?” Argus interrogated.

Answering in the same clipped voice, the healer replied; “It can happen when a weaker creature tries to forcefully command a stronger one, or if one suffers a spirit attack.” With that statement, she turned and looked deeply into Argus’ eyes, as if in accusation. Noticing the tension, one of the enforcers took a step towards the healer, in order to protect Argus.

“Why would that happen though, I haven’t awakened my powers, we don’t even know if my Mana or Spectra ancestors had the ability to use spirit attacks.” Argus said, feeling wrongly accused of something, and frankly a bit terrified.

“Why indeed, I apologise for my behaviour Heralia Argus, it’s just that I’m Elder Xander’s wife and I haven’t yet met any of his students that can cause this reaction. His Wyvern is not only strong, but also very wise with age, clearly, he had reasons to believe that he was safe, before attempting a Spiritwalk. Now I have to run some tests to make sure there are no other effects of the accident.” With that, she turned to leave.

“Let me know how he is afterwards, I will pray to Oram that he will recover.” Argus said. The healer turned back with a small smile and nodded as they went in the building.

“Oram help me, can I leave you for a minute before you’re off making trouble Master Argus.”

Argus turned and spotted Malec striving towards his direction.

“Well, Mal, it’s not like it was my fault, blame Oram.” Argus said indignantly and as expected he found a tick in Malec’s jaw when he called him Mal.

“Malec or Head Enforcer will be fine Master Argus,” Malec said in an aggrieved voice.

“Nup, I like Mal.”

Malec sighed and the enforcers that were there looked like they were a heard of deer caught in headlights. No one back talked Malec, he had a violent reputation. He commanded The Order with an iron fist. This side of his was previously unseen by them. They still remembered the beatings they suffered under the Head Enforcer when they were apprentices.

Argus was feeling proud of himself for winning this morning’s verbal match, however, after a beat, his face changed to a serious expression. The mirth quickly drained from his eyes.

“Mal! I’m late, I’m already late!” Argus barked out of nowhere.

“What, what is it?” Malec question also turning serious, his eagle eyes roaming around him, looking for threats in the vicinity.

“I have a date, I’m late for my date!” Argus babbled as he turned quickly towards the mansion, which a contingent of enforcers trailing after him, and Malec who at this point had his head in his hands, groaning.