Again, however, the aura wasn’t controlled like any animage with that much power would be. Certainly if someone that powerful was disguising themselves as a student, they’d also disguise their aura at the very least. Failing that, and no disguise, they’d simply be in better control of their essence. Truly puzzling, and that didn’t even add in what he’d Seen when he shook the lad’s hand.
It had been exactly as he’d described to Tom/Edwyrd last night. Wizards and demons all scheming around this innocent. Innocent? perhaps that was not the proper way to phrase it. Certainly this Tom was less innocent than any of his compatriots, except perhaps for Gastropé, but even so, the image of a young man thrust out on his own, against his will, out of his normal environment and in over his head persisted in Maelen’s mind. Another puzzle: while he’d seen a fundamental basis of good intent and a certain honor in the lad, he’d also seen blood and death. The reconciliation of all these images was not easy, Maelen had decided the lad was, at heart, ‘good;’ however, circumstances and fate might force his hand otherwise at times. Supervision, or at least observation, was called for. There was too much power here, to be left completely unobserved. If nothing else, others would try and use it.
Altruism aside, Maelen had also sensed a link between his own future, and Tom’s. After leaving Tom/Edwyrd last night, he’d contacted Johen in Seren. He’d shared his Seeings, and Johen had concurred. Perhaps more disturbingly, Johen had hinted that he already knew something involving this group of travelers. Or at the very least knew something about demons and their involvement in upcoming events. The events in fact, that Johen wanted him to discuss with this sorcerer, Elrose. Maelen hadn’t liked the sound of that, he’d Seen nothing that clear, and Johen had been reticent to reveal more until they were physically together.
Maelen broke his reverie as the pace of the crew increased to a slightly more frenzied level. The Oorstemoth ship was closing relatively quickly. Very soon it would be within ballista range. Maelen looked around again. The young wizard girl was busily sorting through some spell components, Gastropé simply rubbing his arms up and down. On the top of the stern castle, Rupert was pacing in circles, and Edwyrd/Tom was just looking rather seasick. Maelen cleared his mind, trying to prepare for the healing he knew he’d have to do soon.
Crack!
Maelen jumped. He hadn’t expected that. The foremast was falling over! There had been a brilliant flash of light and then the loud crack. He quickly turned his vision to the Oorstemoth ship. Why hadn’t he noticed before! There were two wizards on board. The weaker one was at least as powerful as their own two young wizards. The stronger one’s aura glowed red-hot. pyromancer, Maelen thought. It was times like these he wished he’d studied more pyromastery. That man was definitely a match for their group.
Maelen’s stomach fell a bit more. This choice of paths was not looking hospitable at all. He shook his head as crewmembers began clearing the debris of the fallen mast. The mast was only broken halfway up, even so it had to be cut free lest it help capsize the ship when the damage got more severe.
Crack!
Another bolt of lightning lanced between ships. This one however was apparently from Gastropé. It looked like Jenn was busily rattling off some form of protection spell.
Whoosh!
A ball of flame went scurrying across the deck. Maelen had to back up a little to avoid the trail of flames that swept along beside the ball. Fortunately the ball didn’t hit directly and only lighted some incidental small fires on the deck. The crew rushed buckets of water to put these out. Other crewmembers were madly arming ballistae trying to fire on the other ship, but it was still too far.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack... Slam!
Another volley of lightning between the two ships was exchanged. The third crack belonging to the bolt that slammed into the main mast and split it. The mast, cracked at the base, began to tilt heavily to port, the ship rolling with it. The mast was broken enough to fall over, but by no means broken free of the ship.
Jenn ran up and quickly began doing something to the mast. Maelen couldn’t tell what she was doing, but it seemed to require a lot of effort on her part. Maelen looked back to the other ship. So far they’d only faced the junior most wizard. The stronger one had simply sat back and absorbed the bolts that Gastropé was sending.
Crash... Crack... Boom!
The ship rocked violently. Maelen hadn’t seen anything from the enemy, he glanced over his shoulder. Jenn was covered in wood chips, but the mast had broken free of the deck. She’d apparently caused the remaining mast connections to rot rapidly and come free. Currently she was levitating one end of the mast off the deck of the ship. The top end was in the water already. Jenn was keeping the mast from dragging the rest of the ship with it. Actually rather impressive, Maelen thought, that mast had to be extremely heavy.
Maelen noticed a sailor laying on the deck where he’d fallen from the mast. Maelen quickly ran over to see to the man. As he bent down and began scanning with his mind for injuries, he heard another series of lightning volleys.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Whoosh!
Crack.
Whoosh! Boom!
Maelen couldn’t spare much attention as he willed the sailor’s broken skull to knit back together. He calmly rerouted blood to and from the wound and the head and brain as necessary. Despite this, he was pretty sure that Gastropé had just taken a fireball direct on the forecastle. From the corner of his eye he could see Jenn waving her arms trying to put out flames in that region. He had to stop the swelling in the man’s brain, make a quick patch to a crack in the man’s spinal cord. Accomplishing this, he was able to begin the hard part, repairing the damaged brain tissue.
A good thing he’d gotten there when he had, another moment and the sailor would have been dead. Maelen had always hated head wounds, in the seventy-five years he’d been healing, head wounds had been the most difficult. All that nerve tissue. Nervous tissue just didn’t respond well to healing and regrowth. While he could have stopped with just eliminating the swelling, the damage had been sufficient to probably cause permanent mental impairment if not promptly repaired. Thus he had to take additional time. As he finished, and the sailor blinked, conscious again. Maelen stood and hurried over to the forecastle.
Zzzt... Zap... Crack!
Crack... Crack... Crack!
Gastropé was back in business. He got off a whole succession of quick bolts to the other ship. Maelen bent down over a badly burnt sailor. In less than a minute he had the burns stabilized and healing. He’d get the process going and head to the next one. At this point he didn’t have time for full healing, three other sailors were down as well.
More bolts continued to rage back and forth, along with the occasional fireball. Jenn was busily putting out fires with her magic. Tom hadn’t done much of anything except clear debris. As he finished the last of the sailors, Maelen glanced up to Gastropé who was looking at the end of his rope. He’d been going one on one with the other two wizards by and large. Actually the big wizard still hadn’t attacked, just the lesser one.