Dwarven Ax

The following morning Tad woke up feeling good, really good, actually. He sensed people around him, but it was more like he felt them now without nearly as much concentration. Something was different but easier in some way. He needed to talk to Jack. Yesterday was rough. Tad had somehow managed to get back to his family's wagon in a daze and immediately fell asleep. He missed his tumbling lessons and slept through dinner. Marena checked on him a few times to make sure he was not ill, and when she tried to wake him, Tad just mumbled something about being tired and fell back asleep. But this morning, he felt great.

Tad had heard Beothorn moving around on the other side of the wagon, so he got up and gathered his practice ax and shield. Tad threw on his helmet and headed outside to spar with Beothorn. The axes were padded to keep the noise down and absorb the blows. Although most of the carnival was already up, many of the carnies drank into the evening, and a few of them had complained to security about the noise from the morning sparing.

But today wasn't going to be like all the other days, and Tad knew it. He felt different. He was different. He wasn't sure what it was, but first things first, it was time to have an honest conversation with Beothorn about using this ax. He knew it wasn't quite right for him. He didn't have the shoulder strength to wield it properly while using the shield.

"Beothorn, I do not think I'm ever going to be good at this. I don't see myself being able to do what you can do with a shield and this ax," said Tad.

Beothron paused in thought. "I understand how you are feeling right now, Tad. You're good for sure, but you will be tall, much taller than I thought when we started. Though you are putting on a fair bit of muscle, it will not be enough to move farther with the ax for a while. Would you like to try a sword?" Beothorn suggested the latter in a hopeful tone.

"I do not know," Tad's head lowered in defeat. "I'll think about it. I am getting taller. Perhaps a sword will do, or a spear. I'll go over to Jared's tent and view some weapons later," said Tad.

'Jared's Wonderous Weaponry' had a variety of weapons suited for almost every creature. Out front, Jared mostly had mundane items with fake gems encrusted on them, which he sold to kids and farm hands but in the back is where he kept the quality weapons. Nobody touched those without him watching. Jared knew more about weapons than just about anyone Beothorn or Tad had ever come in contact with. Someone once told Tad that Jared used to be a weapons master for a king. It wouldn't have surprised Tad at all. Many types of folk become carnies here.

"I like the shield, though. I'll look for something I can use with that if I can," said Tad.

Beothorn nodded and smiled, "Let me know what you decide on, and we will give it a few sessions next week. Your shield work is fine. It will serve you well."

"I feel like I'm letting you down with this, but I know this is right for me somehow," Tad searched Beothorn's expression for disapproval. He cared about what his father thought about him and wanted him to be proud of the things he did.

"Tad, you know everyone is born, lives, and has the opportunity to succeed or fail. There are no guaranteed outcomes. Do you hear me squawking unhappily that you can reach the top shelf when putting away dishes, but I can not? There are no guaranteed outcomes. Know what you can do and what you want to do. Life's experiences teach what you will do. It is your job to be ready for when an opportunity presents itself. Sometimes you will even get to choose it, " said Beothorn sagely.

***

Axes? What axes.

After breakfast, Tad grabbed his cart and pushed it over to Jack's wagon. He had to find out what exactly Jack had done to him. Opening the door at the top of the ramp leading into Jack's wagon, Tad asked in a rush of words as he walked in, "Jack, what did you do to me exactly?" Jack stood motionless, exactly where he was the day before.

"What did you do?" Tad belted with more emphasis.

"I straightened out both of your souls, " he calmly projected.

"Both of my SOULS? What are you talking about?" inquired Tad. He was becoming concerned and was not sure he was going to like what he was about to hear.

"Calm down, kid, lots of people have multiple souls. It happens when one or both of your parents have strong souls. It is common in the Fey Realm, and I've felt more than a couple wandering through the carnival over the years. Of course, none of the ones I've noticed that came through here understood it, which is why I could sense it so easily. Anyone with any knowledge would try to hide this fact. Plenty of beings will try to make that strength as their own if they could," warned Jack.

It was always nice to hear you are not the only freak after you find out you are a freak, Tad thought sarcastically. He took a deep breath trying to settle on which of the million questions he was going to ask first, "Fine, what did you do to straighten my souls?"

"Kid, have a seat, " directed Jack.

Tad went over to the low table and sat in the chair.

"Did Marena ever talk about soulscapes?" asked Jack.

Tad said, "No, and I didn't see anything covering that in any of my books."

"Ah, well then, let's start at the top. Soulmancers use their soul and mind to do things. The most basic is an empath; the powers scale up to shifting physical items such as planar walking. The most powerful can use this ability to make others not see them, move objects, and even project themselves into the astral form. I do not recommend that last one, by the way; there are a lot of bad things in the astral plane, and it is not safe to float around unprepared. Your basic ability is an empath, so you can feel what others feel. Your power is growing as you mature. I do not know what you will be able to do, just what you can do now. I do know with empathy comes some tricks, such as projecting thoughts to others. The way I am doing now with you. " Jack paused, letting Jack catch up.

"You still haven't answered my question," said Tad.

"Kid," Jack sighed, "What I did was flood the one soul you were using with so much energia that it was forced to connect to your other soul to release the pressure. Once it formed that link, it carved a connection from your mind right to the second soul. Which in your case, is much stronger, by the way. I'm interested to see how powerful you become someday if you live long enough," added Jack.

There was a long silence, then Tad asked in a panic, "What do you mean live long enough?"

"Power like yours has a way of drawing predators that will want to use your powers for themselves," said Jack.

Tad thought this through. If he could stop broadcasting, no one would know about his power, and no one could read his thoughts anymore. "So how does all this help me to stop broadcasting or whatever you called it yesterday?"

"Well, you need to be whole before we move forward. Most beings will never join both sides of their soul the way you have. It takes a great deal of power to push through a strong soul, and yours took a lot of power. More than I have ever seen before. I was tired myself for quite a while. Your weaker half is the one you've been attached to and actively using. It doesn't appear as if you've used that other half in years, if ever. When I say half, I would not take that as a measurement; it's more like a figure of speech. I do not think I could have helped you if it had been the other way around." Jack paused again, giving Tad time to process. "Are you getting any of this, Kid? Because my show starts in a few minutes."

"I think so, but how does attaching a more powerful soul help me when I am trying to hide this projection of my thoughts? " Tad retorted, "Doesn't your show just involve you standing there?"

"Funny Kid." Jack said dryly. "Shielding one half, especially the weaker half, will work for you while you are awake as long as you don't get too excited, drink too much."

"Wait, are you implying that I am broadcasting while I am asleep also?" a whole new sense of embarrassment washed over him.

"Yep, any nightmare or overly emotional dream will trigger the second half. I can fix it, though. What I'm about to show you will work for both halves now that there is only one. We will not have to worry about you waking me up with dreams about girls or falling off a cliff anymore." A new blush of color swept across Tad's cheeks. Now hold onto that chair a second. This won't be as rough as yesterday, but I'm going to show you via projection what you need to practice." Jack closed his eyes.

Just as suddenly as yesterday, a rush of information started flowing into Tad's mind. It wasn't as disorientating as yesterday, Tad thought. He could even make out the images and feelings more clearly. The rush of images slowed and then stopped. Remarkably Tad somehow now just knew stuff.

"So I just will myself not to project?" he almost didn't believe it.

"Not exactly, but that is a good verbal way of putting it. You practice for a few days. We can test it after you bring me an entire bucket of ale." Jack replied as he walked past Tad. Once Jack hit the ramp, he turned his head back toward Tad without slowing down. "And make sure it's the good stuff!"

Tad, still sitting in the chair, half stunned by all that had transpired, was struck by the realization Jack could have tested it out right then and there.

"Fine," said Tad to no one in particular as he stood up alone in the wagon.

Tad cleaned up the wagon, swapped the buckets, and left for the monkey's trailer.

***

He realized he was a bit late, having spent too much time with Jack, and hoped it wouldn't cause any issues. Luckily the monkeys were still sleeping in the shadowy part of their pen when he opened the monkey's wagon. His mind had been so occupied with Jack and broadcasting that it was not until this moment he realized he had forgotten the extra apples. Tad repeated what he had done the previous day. And with another promise of extra apples, the monkeys moved from cage to cage. He locked up, emptied his cart, and dropped it off with the intent to find Jared's tent.

Tad was determined to pick out a new practice weapon. By the time he had reached the tent marked 'Jared's Wonderous Weaponry', his dreams of being outfitted as a powerful knight had taken full bloom in his mind. Although the carnival gates had opened a few minutes ago, no customers had made it down to Jared's tent yet.

"Good morning Jared," said Tad with a smile.

"What can I do for you today, fine sir?" asked Jared.

"I need some advice and a new practice weapon," said Tad.

Jared waves his arms at the several racks of weapons in front of the counter with a nod. "Do you have anything in mind? I've seen you practicing with Beothorn on my way back from the city a few times. You are making good progress. Is it an ax or something else you have in mind?"

"Well, I know a dwarven ax and two-bladed ax, but I do not think they are for me. I'm looking for a weapon that works with a tower shield and doesn't take the strength of a dwarf to use correctly." Tad added with a soft laugh.

Jared raised an eyebrow, "I've seen you two sparing. You looked very good with that ax and shield."

"I am trying, but I can't do what Beothorn can do with it. No, I do not see myself mastering an ax, at least not for a long time, if ever. I'd prefer something without an edge if you have it. I am not necessarily interested in killing someone or bisecting them. I just want to be capable of protecting the carnival, my family, and myself. Beothorn and Marena keep telling me how tall I'm going to be, and I'm much taller than they are now, so perhaps something that can leverage my height." Tad added as a last-second thought.

Jared hummed a bit, then clucked his teeth while looking at the racks of weapons he had in the tent. "You have an interesting request. Not many weapons work with a tower shield and have no edge. A mace would be my first suggestion. It's quite common and works well against armored opponents. An unfanged chain morning star could work. They are both heavy weapons but lighter than a dwarven ax." Jared emphasized this revelation while he spread out his arms. "You could use a Warhammer, but it will have the same weight or even more than the ax." Tad did not say anything. He wasn't entirely certain if Jared was talking to him or to himself. A spear is a good weapon that you could always back up with a mace or morning star," said Jared.

Tad moved closer to Jared's goods and lifted a mace from the shelf. It wasn't much lighter than the ax. He put it back down. He was a little discouraged after playing with a couple of weapons.

"Ok, I'll keep thinking about it, thank you." Tad left thinking to himself that this was going to be more complex than he had originally thought. He grabbed some food before going to his tumbling practice. There was a parade coming up that he intended to be part of; he just needed a solid set of flips and cartwheels. He was looking forward to it. It would be his first parade that he wasn't attaching ponies to carts the whole time. There was always a parade when the carnival went to a new city. It helped draw in customers by giving just a tiny view of what would be in the Big Tent shows. He also thought how this could be a good distraction from all the crazy going on in his life right now.

Tad went to practice as soon as he had finished eating. He was earlier than normal. Upon entering the big tent, he was surprised to see Kibriel practicing. Tad let the flap down and stood just inside the door, watching the older woman. He had never seen the flying kicks and flips she was doing with her legs extended, much like a cartwheel, but without using her hands to touch the floor. Her motions were fluid, like the tail of a kite moved by a gentle breeze. She continued to amaze him for a few more moments before coming to a stop in the middle of the area with her back to Tad.

Tad was surprised when she addressed him. He had thought she had not noticed him until she stated, "Tad, you can come in. I'm just finishing up. You are early today."

Tad felt a little embarrassed being caught watching her. But her moves seemed more fluid than humanly possible.

"I've never seen flips or kicks like that. What are they?"

"Those are just something we used to do before we joined the carnival. Now it seems like an old dream I had long, long ago," Kimbriel said.

"Are those moves for fighting?" he asked.

"Yes, some of them. It is an art where I'm from. We would have great competitions where masters would come from far and wide to compete. The competition was about the art, not about combat, but my people used our art to enhance their combat. We call each move a form," said Kibriel.

"May I learn them?" asked Tad.

"No, truth be told, I should not have let you even see them. These forms are considered a secret entrusted to each artist. Every city had its forms unique only to them. The training is sacred and is always passed on from master to student from their city." Kibriel laughed lightly, changing the seriousness of the mood and the subject. "Also, you are a bit far from that kind of maneuver. If you tried them, it's quite possible you'd get hurt. Perhaps if you keep training for now."

Tad wasn't surprised by the answer. He was nowhere near doing those types of flips. He was still struggling with the standing back tuck. "I came early to practice the parade routine so I can go with the troupe this time," said Tad probing for a hopeful response.

Tad always sensed Kimbriel as just this neutral feeling. She was always very calm, which is odd because most humans struggle with self-control. She had once told him it was part of her training long ago. Her husband had mastered this calm state. She had said her boys were trying to learn it also.

"So, how are you so early today, Tad? Don't you work until after lunch?" asked Kimbriel.

"Not anymore. Ralph moved me to the magic pavilions. The other attendant quit, and I volunteered for the position, you might say. It's nice, though, and I have more free time," admitted Tad.

"Oh, no problems then? You seem like something is on your mind," said Kibriel looking intently at Tad. He had rarely shown up early for practice; half the time, he arrived late, coming in out of breath from having to run across the carnival to make it.

Tad thought about Jack and his problems with the ax. "I have decided to look for a new weapon to train with Beothorn. I liked the ax, but it is just not right for me right now." Tad paused before explaining, "I just do not have the shoulder strength needed. You'd be amazed at how heavy that ax can be after a half-hour of swinging it around. Which now leaves me looking for another weapon to use." Tad continued taking advantage of the captive audience, "Everyone says a sword or spear, but I do not think using an edged weapon is the way I should go. Jared suggested a mace earlier, but it is as heavy as the ax. I just might have to go with that or a spear if I do not find a better option."

Kimbriel thoughtfully looked at Tad for a few moments as Tad started to do his pre-practice stretching. He didn't always like doing them and probably would have skipped them if Kimbriel wasn't there watching him.

"Do you care if I make a recommendation?" She did not wait for his reply. "I've seen how you balance practice and approach the training here. You have some bad habits you have picked up from your dwarven fight training. I have some suggestions that can work for you? If you want to hear them, of course." said Kimbriel.

Tad's face brightened up, "Sure, what do you think?"

"Come with me. I'll have to show you. I do not think the merchants carry some of these weapons in this plane, but I have a couple that you can see," said Kibriel. She picked up her towel, slipped on her sandals, and they left the tent together. Soon Tad found himself in front of the two wagons the acrobats use. Looking around, he noticed there were more people in her troupe than he had seen before. Tad had only come here once. The acrobats do not socialize much with the rest of the carnies. She gave the two men sitting around a table playing some game with white tiles a look, then motioned Tad to the back of the second wagon.

"Stay here, and I'll grab them," Kibriel said as she slipped into the wagon. She had left the door open, but Tad could not see through the thick bead curtain that hung across the entry. Kimbriel said something in a language that Tad didn't understand to someone in the wagon. He looked down at where his language charm should be, but the enchantment had worn off. Tad reached out a bit and sensed her husband was in the wagon. Just more calm emotion from him is all Tad could sense.

Kimbriel came out with a long bundle a couple of minutes later. She placed it on the ground and unrolled the weapons. Inside, he saw two staves or staffs. Tad was familiar with staves, but these were a bit thinner. The two additional weapons in the bundle looked like two short sticks attached to each other by a short rope. The rope looked like it went right into the end of the sticks, so the wood remained smooth. The last weapon was similar to the stave but was built in three joining sections. It was a darker color and thicker than the stave. "Do not let its thin appearance fool you.This is a hard stave. It's made from one of the hardest and heaviest woods that grow on the plane I am from. She handed it to Tad using both hands, opening them in reverence for the weapon. "Here, take it and give it a few swings."

Tad took the stave and immediately realized it was much heavier than it looked. Tad had spent most of his time wielding a heavy ax, so this didn't bother him. He swung it two-handed a few times, then thrust it like a spear. "This feels like it could do some damage, but it is easy to handle." The smile of approval across Tad's face was easy to recognize. It was clearly not just a stick. "I would need some training with it." Tad looked at Kimbriel hopefully.

Kimbriel took the staff back into her hands, "Let me show you a bit of what you can do with this." She started spinning it, hand over hand. First infront of her, then above her head. She dazzled Tad as she passed the rotating staff around her body and, in one fluid motion, brought it forward, stopping as if hitting it hit someone in the head. 'Yep, that would hurt.' thought Tad silently. She bowed slightly to him and placed it back on the blanket.

"I do not think I would have shown these to you, but my sons and I have grown rather fond of you." She said as she picked up the two joined sticks.

"This is a chuk. It is an ancient weapon that originated from sticks used to beat the harvest to make the grain fall off the plant. The farmworkers became so familiar with them that they developed it into a convenient weapon anyone could carry around without drawing attention." She began in a low crouching position whirling it about. The chuk spun so fast that they looked like the wings of a hummingbird. Passing them between hands still spinning, she did a strike again to an invisible head, then caught one end under her arm while holding the other. "They are fun to play with and are quite deadly to unarmored opponents. I would not try to take one of the guards on with these, though," she said while picking up another staff.

"This is a sectional staff. It can do damage to armored opponents and it can also work well to disarm and pin your opponents." She stated this as she brought the ends up to speed. She sent the one end lashing forward while holding the other end, then drawing it back quickly as well as holding in position for another strike. "It requires a bit of room to use it fully if the opponent is armored," explained Kibriel. "Last is the flexible staff. This wood is solid with a medium weight. It can be used close-up and will work against armored opponents. If you get enough room, the force you can build will deliver crushing blows that would put a standard mace to shame." She took a few steps forward, bringing the staff around in a swing that ended with an overhead two-handed slash. She was so fast Tad was afraid to blink, or he would miss the whole thing. The swing took the staff entirely parallel to the ground as if the entirety of the staff was a blade itself slicing through an apple. Tad was shocked at the force he felt through the bottoms of his feet when the rod hit the ground. Her knees were bent, so her body was so close to the ground that she appeared as if she was floating before she sprang back up and repeated the maneuver all over again. Even after repeating the move, Tad was puzzled how she had ever managed it in the first place.

"So what do you think?" ask Kibriel.

Tad thought for a bit wanting to sound intelligent even though this was an absolute uhhh moment. He looked at the four weapons intently. "I'm not sure, I like the shield stance I've been training with, and I'm not sure how I could use any of these with that."

Kimbriel considered his words and handed him the flex stave. "Swing this around a bit. You know the staff is both a weapon and shield. No, not a shield to stop arrows, but it has two ends, and with a bit of training, you might find it will work as both," she said.

"Well, I could test it for a few days and see how it works. I do not know what Beothorn will think," said Tad.

"Wait here a second. I will find you an instructor," said Kibriel.

Kibriel went back into the wagon and closed the door this time. Tad could hear now and then a bit of loud chatter, so he reached out. Her husband had lost his calm. That was new, Tad thought. The arguing got a bit louder, and the men at the table looked over his way briefly, then returned to their game. The shouting stopped as suddenly as it started, and Tad felt her husband go back to his calm again. Tad hoped he wasn't causing some problems. Beothorn always frowned until his face turned red if Tad ever did that on purpose at his wagon.

The door popped open, and Kibriel came out and wrapped up the weapons.

"It is settled. Starting tomorrow, you and Magyar will begin training in the flex staff. I am not an expert in that weapon, but he is, so you should learn much if you listen to him. We will not do any tumbling until you choose a weapon and the parade is off your list until you do. So learn well and decide. Go over to Jared and see if he has an extra flex stave for you. If he gives you any trouble, tell him Kimbriel said she approved. We will see you tomorrow early after lunch," she nodded towards the opening that led out of the troupe's ring of tents. She turned and re-entered the wagon with the weapons. Understanding when he is dismissed, Tad went to revisit Jared's weapon tent. He didn't remember ever seeing a flex staff before, but perhaps he missed it.

***