//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Learning to fly… or how to hug the ground for dummies // Story: Destiny's Call: The tales of a foreigner in a familiar land // by Zenith Starwalker //------------------------------// I woke early the next morning feeling quite refreshed. I just about jumped out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom to take care of the call of nature and to keep up my standard of oral hygiene. I noted with some interest that these people didn’t seem to use toothbrushes since I couldn’t find any; instead I only found a bottle of what looked like purple colored mouthwash. I got the impression from the shiny tooth logo on the front. Shrugging to myself, I popped the lid and took a swig; only to find out that this particular mouthwash had three times the burn of Listerine. Since the spiciest experience I ever had was eating three habanero chili peppers in one sitting and not chickening out to grab the milk (true story, I even remember the burning feeling going straight to my ears), I fought through the burn before gargling and spitting out the liquid into the sink. While the mouthwash itself didn’t have any flavor, it left my mouth with an odd yet not unwelcome lavender flavored aftertaste and an immaculate freshness like no other. I also took this opportunity to slowly lift the sleeves of my T-shirt to find…that my shoulders were the same as they were the day I was born, silky smooth and free of any mark. Now I’m sure a lot of guys in my position would be disappointed to find out they did not possess a mana mark. However, I was decidedly neutral about it since I never cared much for having pictorial designs on my skin to begin with. Shrugging to myself, I finished up in the bathroom and left to seek out my hostess. I found Crystal downstairs in the kitchen already eating a bowl of oatmeal with a generous amount of cinnamon sprinkled on top. She acknowledged my presence with a nod (since her mouth was full) and I took a seat across from her at the round dining table. Once she finished her breakfast, she decided to speak up. “Good morning Zenith” “It certainly is a cheery looking morning” I agreed, appreciating the warm glow the Sun cast through the windows that were carved into the solid architecture. “How did you sleep?” she enquired. “Decently” I answered curtly. Before the conversation delved further into that redundant morning talk I despised, I decided to ask Crystal about something that was on my mind since I woke up. “Crystal?” I asked looking her in the eyes. “Yes?” She answered after she swallowed the contents in her mouth. “Does anyone else in the kingdom know about my… unique arrival?” I gingerly asked. She thought for a moment before placing her spoon on the table and responding. “I don’t believe so; I was the only person around when I witnessed the event of your coming” she paused before continuing. “The only person in the kingdom with enough magical affinity to sense the undoubtedly immense energies comprising your teleport into our land would be our Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or as she insists to be called… Cadence. And she would have sent guards immediately if she sensed you as a threat.” She said in a somewhat mellow tone at the end. “But” She continued, “I do not regret bringing you into my home in the slightest, you have been nothing but an absolute gentleman since I’ve gotten to know you” She smiled at me as she spoke but held a slightly wistful expression, one which I filed away in a metal folder for inspection later. “Still” I said, “It must have taken a lot of faith and trust to bring a possibly dangerous individual into your household, and I am most grateful for your kindness” I spoke in my most appreciative tone and placed a hand on my chest and bowed my head to show my thankfulness. A bit dramatic, but I can be somewhat theatrical when given the proper reason to be. “As I said before Zenith, I would have done it for anybody who needed it” She said while wearing the same cheery expression and giggling at my exaggerated display. “On another note” I changed the touchy subject, “Is there a public library here?” I asked despite knowing the answer; didn’t want to give away anything after all. She nodded, “M’hmm, but you’ll need a library card to check out any books” She walked over to one of her crystal counters and opened a drawer that was carved into it and pulled out a card and a paper sheet. She then handed it to me along with an added written list before speaking. “I needed to check out some books myself but since it’s on your itinerary, could you pick them up for me?” I nodded in affirmation. “Wonderful! You can use my card to check out some books for yourself if you want, just tell Agatha I sent you” She instructed. “Is Agatha the librarian?” I asked, to which she nodded. After asking Crystal for directions to the library (turns out it was on the same street, go figure) I saw a few people from yesterday who recognized me from the jousting match and waved at me which I did my best to return. I made my way up the avenue to the library building, paying special mind to the crystal griffin statues next to the door ‘I wonder if the griffins here are still chimeras’ Pushing the doors open I was treated to this sight. ‘Wow… you can practically hear the glimmer coming off those shiny bookcases’ I wryly thought. The library itself was only two floors in height but had another level below. There were only a paltry amount of people perusing the wide array of books in the library from what I could see. Walking inside I was almost immediately greeted by whom I assumed to be the librarian standing to my right. She looked to be in her late sixties and had very pale, almost white shades of magenta in her hair which was arranged in a bulbous shape which seemed to be a common hairstyle among the women here. On her hands was a mana mark of an unfurled parchment scroll. She was also wearing those god awful circular eyeglasses that you’d associate with old people too. “Welcome to the Krystal Kingdom public library, how may I help you?” She said in a slight drone that suggested that she recited this greeting thousands of times before and it was getting as old as her. “Yes, I’m here on behalf of Crystal Clear to check out some books for her” I looked down at the list she gave me before showing it to the librarian. “Do you think you can point me in the direction of these specific titles please?” I politely enquired. She read the list for a moment before pointing to the west wing of the library. “You can find the crystal cookbooks in the culinary arts section and the fashion catalogs a few rows to the right of them” She directed for me with her hands. “Also, do you have any all-encompassing books on flight techniques and the like?” I further asked her. She thought for a moment before nodding her head, “Yes I believe so; it should be on the second floor in the aeronautics section” “Cool, thanks for the help” I spoke to which she nodded and returned to her desk. Considering the copious collection of codices, it took me a little longer to find Crystal’s books than I would have liked. After compiling the books; a good three in total, I made my way upstairs to the aeronautics section. There were relatively few books here regarding flight techniques that I could find. It made sense considering that the population of the kingdom consisted almost solely of agrarians with the exception of their ruling prince and princess. However, I managed to find one book that matched my requirements. It was titled ‘How to Soar for Skyborn’ and had golden metallic wings on the front and back cover that looked a lot like this. I sardonically noted that it was about the same thickness as my old advanced placement biology book back in high school. Opening it up changed my opinion of it, if only slightly. The font wasn’t nearly as microscopic and had a great deal more pictures and diagrams of various flight techniques, styles, and terminology. I gathered all the books and headed downstairs to check them out. I pulled out the card that Crystal gave me from my left pocket and handed it and the books over to Agatha. I heard her mumble something that sounded like ‘confounded newfangled identification credentials’ while she scrutinized it. If I was to hazard a guess, she probably thought that the laminated library identification cards were too new fashioned for her old fashioned tastes. She then asked me a question after marking her records of the books being taken out of the library. “You said you were checking out these books for Crystal Clear yes?” “Indeed I am” I responded. “What is your relationship with her?” She asked. I was expecting this question sooner or later so I thought about the answer ahead of time. “She’s acting as my caretaker during my stay in your delightful little city” I spoke earnestly. “Make sure to be on your best behavior young man, Crystal is one of those I consider very dear to me” She said protectively. “Of course! I always do my best to be courteous to others, especially if they’re the ones who are hosting me” I said with utmost honesty. She looked at me with a rather scrutinizing gaze, as if scanning me for any trace of deceit. Finding none, she nodded to me and spoke. “Good, Crystal can be quite sensitive and I try my best to look out for her when I can” “Don’t know why she needs supervision, she seems like she’s capable of looking after herself just fine” I said with a doubtful tone. “You’d be surprised youngster” she said looking back down to her paperwork. I shook my head in confusion before grabbing the books and making my way to the exit. Heading back to Crystal’s I couldn’t help but reflect on what the librarian told me, what about Crystal could make her sound so susceptible as Agatha described? Did something happen in her past to cause emotional vulnerability? I decided to keep these questions to myself considering that I’m not the prying type. Although I did decide to be extra careful around her as a precaution. I knocked on the door to her house and waited for a moment before she opened up. “Oh it’s you Zenith, back already?” she said wearing the same cordial smile. “Yeah, you make it sound as if I was quick as a wink, I couldn’t have been less than twenty minutes” I smirked in amusement; I always did get my errands done sooner than most people expected. “To take that short of a time to find my books for me would be considered efficient to me” she said in an impressed tone. “Well anyway, here are your books” I handed her the three cooking/fashion related books while keeping mine in the crook of my arm, which it seemed she took notice of. “So what book did you decide to check out?” she asked me curiously. “Oh, just this book on Skyborn flight techniques and aerial history” I spoke casually before whipping it out. “Look! It even has wings on the cover, pretty classy right?” I showed her the metal wing adorned cover and wagged my eyebrows making her chortle at my antiques before looking it over. “Oh my, that is a most eye catching cover” she looked at the book in wonder. “But what do you need it for?” She asked and tilted her head at me. “Well… since I don’t exactly know how to use these” I gestured with my head to my empyrean wings, “I thought it most practical to find some sort of instruction manual regarding their usage, fortunately for me I found this in the upper floor of the library” I paused, “Although I can’t help but wonder what a city consisting mainly of Agrarians would do with such a book to begin with, other than read it” Crystal must have thought the same before seeing an inscription on the lower portion of the book cover. She pointed this out to me and I took a look, turns out that this book was relatively new and was donated from someplace in the grand city of Concordia. “What’s Concordia?” I asked Crystal. “That’s the capital city of Arcania” She told me. ‘Must be this world’s version of Canterlot, which is strange because I half expected it to be called Camelot, guess some things are entirely original here’ I pondered about my subverted conjectures. “Neat” I briefly vocalized, “Well I’m gonna go find someplace quiet and secluded to read this and see if I can’t get myself airborne, I suspect that I’ll be out for a while” I told Crystal to which she nodded in understanding. “Be careful Zenith” she spoke in a conspicuously mother like tone. “Don’t worry; I have to test out my new ethereal appendages sometime. Might as well undertake it here while the light and wind conditions are good” I reassured her before bidding my farewell and turning to make my way to the grassy outskirts of the city. I found myself a nice grassy knoll next to an open field after five minutes of my brisk walking speed. It really was a lovely day, the sun was shining, wind conditions were only slightly breezy, and I was pretty much ecstatic about the possibility of flying under my own power. I felt as if I could just leap into the air right now, but more realistic thoughts prevailed and I sat myself down to begin reading from my big book of flying. Starting from the table of contents, I immersed myself in the rich world of Skyborn heritage. Before getting down to the basics of aerial arts itself, the book covered the history of the Valkyrian people, from their proud and organized militaristic origins and their dealings with the Gryphon people; who I found out were also human ‘what was with the library statues then?’, their ability of weather manipulation which made them the stewards of climate conditions during the divided clan times (a continued tradition to the current day it added), and the role Commander Hurricane and his Attaché Private Pansy had in the founding of Arcania along with the other two clan’s leaders and their respective advisers. Moving on from the historical section of the book, I browsed the section on wing articulation and pre-flight stretches; I noticed a little footnote at the end that spoke of how to dispel and summon the wings at will. ‘I can do that!? Sweet…’ I decided to read more into that later and stood up to begin getting better acquainted with my wings. Now, the sensation of wings on my back was similar to what I believe having ghost limbs would feel like (though my wings were essentially just that). To put it into context, the closest thing it felt like was having two legs attached to your shoulder blades by the hip joints. Given the structural similarities between the two I guess it made some sense… or about as much sense as having ethereal wings sticking out of your back would make in the first place. Moving on, I gave my new-found wings a few experimental test flaps to get used to the motions; I spent about five minutes flapping them lightly in different angles before slowly putting more effort into them. Much to my instant chagrin, I discovered that even a modest flap would ascend me several feet off the ground, causing me to lose focus and land flat on my ass, thankfully the grass managed to soften my landing. ‘At least it doesn’t take much effort to get airborne’ I sarcastically inferred. Getting up and brushing off loose blades of grass and ignoring the annoying wet green stains on my jeans I tried again; this time knowing how much effort to put into flapping to get me off the ground. I soon found myself hovering off the ground; taking about a flap per second to stay suspended in the same spot. Mentally high fiving myself for my slow but sure progress, I tried to orient myself parallel to the ground to move myself forward and optimize my aerodynamic profile. This part is what gave me the most issues, every time I leaned forward a disorienting feeling of having my lower organs in my throat (kinda like what you’d feel during a rollercoaster drop) would cause me to lose focus and fall flat on my face into the grass flavored dirt. To my great displeasure and mounting frustration this process repeated several times, before I finally managed to break the cycle and get myself flying through the air. All of my previous irritation just… melted away as I experienced the wonder of flight. You know all the joy and thrills you would get from riding Tatsu at Magic Mountain? (If not, look up the front row cams on youtube). It was a lot like that, only magnified multiple times and I had full control of where I was going. I had direction over my roll, pitch, and even a little bit of yaw despite lacking any sort of tail rudders. I may have let out a few whoops and hollers here and there as I flew above the fields. It was quite simply, an exhilarating feeling; I felt as if the whole world was at my fingertips. It gave me a sense of complete and utter freedom. After an hour or so of blissfully soaring through the skies around the grassy field, I decided to satiate another curiosity I’ve had since my arrival. Spotting some clouds not too far off from where I was, I swooped down to them and slowed myself using my wings as airbrakes as I reoriented perpendicular to the ground. ‘Well, here goes nothing’ I thought as I ceased flapping my wings, slowly easing myself onto the white puffball that was a cloud. I felt the cloud sink slightly before becoming firm beneath my feet; I then proceeded to sit down. ‘Wow… this is comfy’ I thought. One way to describe it was like sitting down on an extra padded sleep number mattress set on extra plush that was also cool to the touch. I noticed that the clouds here were still as wispy as the ones back home, though a good deal more compacted. On a whim, I took a handful of cloud (it felt like moist cotton candy) and stemming from that thought, took a bite. Unsurprisingly, it tasted like the cold water vapor of dry ice; causing an irritating parched feeling in the back of my throat. It was at that moment that I felt as if someone was watching me with ample bemusement, but I simply dismissed it as mild paranoia that my whacky antics were being observed. Deciding to get back to my book, I stood up and walked to the edge of the cloud ‘Well this is a gutsy move for my first day of flight’ and swan dived off it. I used my wings to glide back down to the field where I left my book and landed. “Well that’s one way to get your heart pumping” I dryly remarked to myself; my heart feeling like it was beating a thousand times a minute. ‘I gotta do that more often! Always wanted to skydive’ I openly chuckled as I walked back to my book. Picking it up, I opened back up to the part regarding the summoning and dispelling of wings. From what the book told me the manifestation of wings was apparent by default and a subconscious process, but could be consciously dismissed with relative ease; not unlike the clenching of one’s hand into a fist. I focused on reigning in my wings based on the book’s advice and felt a sensation flowing into my back. Opening my eyes, I looked behind me to see that I successfully dismissed my wings. Looking back at the book on how to resummon them, it told me to focus on the intrinsic need to feel the joy and freedom that only flight could bring. Thinking back to my earlier breath taking experience and the absolute jubilancy it brought me, I felt my wings return and flare open in a display that I found somewhat epic. I took note of the fact that my wingspan was only slightly longer than my arm span. Wondering if I could touch them, I ran a hand through; quite literally through them, and only felt a tingly sensation in response. I postulated that my intangible wings still had sensation in them, but weren’t solid themselves. Giving myself a nod, I concluded that my afternoon flight practice session was a resounding success and resolved to return to Crystal. Getting back, she almost immediately noticed the scuffs and dirtied clothes that I bore from my early failed attempts to get airborne and expressed a great deal of concern over them. I told her that some nicks and scratches were a small price to pay to learn how to fly, which I then jovially informed her that I did. She seemed happy for me but fussed over my soiled clothes, telling me that she’d have to launder them herself. I told her how much I’d appreciate that and asked her if I could use her shower. “It’s upstairs in the master bathroom, although the only hygiene products available might be too feminine for your tastes” she said to me. “It’s fine” I told her “I can swallow my masculine pride for the rest of the day and smell girly if it means cleanliness” I sighed and sagged my shoulders in a fake display of grief. She merely laughed lightheartedly at my melodramatic demonstration “You are a strange one Zenith” she remarked at my unusualness. “Well… they say pride goes before the fall, and I’ve taken my fair share of spills for the day” I said with a small and tired smile before heading upstairs to the shower. After my refreshing albeit feminine scented cleansing, I discarded my dirty clothes in the hamper and headed to my room to rifle through my belongings to find new clothes. Donning my playboy penguin t-shirt and new pair of jeans, I continued sorting through my possessions. Coming across that intriguing red baton again, I closely scrutinized it to find a thin almost imperceptible seam in the wood on one end within a black stripe. Pulling at what I assumed to be the handle, I unsheathed a blade that I instantly recognized as a Tantō from playing Far Cry 3. The blade was about eight and a half inches long and didn’t seem to have the curve that you’d associate with most Japanese blades. Judging from how wickedly sharp the edge was, I don’t think it needed one; this thing could probably split hairs down the middle with a minimum amount of effort. I sheathed the blade and was about to put it back in the backpack before I noticed a peculiar symbol mark which didn’t look so much engraved as projected onto the pommel; it looked very much like this. It may have been my imagination but the more I looked at it, the more it seemed like it glowed. Shaking my head to distract myself from the symbol, I placed the Tantō among the rest of my belongings and headed downstairs to have supper with Crystal. We talked about trivial things and how my flight session went, as well as the new recipes she learned from the cookbook that I checked out for her earlier. I helped her with the dishes before saying goodnight and heading back to my room to read more into the flight book. I read for a few hours before I felt my eyelids grow heavy and succumbed to the allure of sleep.