Bloom

Chapter 5: Jasiri

The men were still angry at Jasiri for the stunt he'd just pulled off, although their anger was abated somewhat by the news of his discovery.

Lawrence cheered and patted him on the back.

"That was awesome!" Lawrence told him.

Jasiri smiled. Although his smile was tinged with worry.

"The demons look alert! Some of them are climbing the mountain from the north as we speak!" he warned.

"They must have seen the smoke from the pyres. I think it's time to prepare an ambush of our own!" Lawrence exclaimed.

Jasiri was quite enthusiastic at the prospect, and it showed.

"We will set up traps, and we will wait." Jasiri spoke.

"In that case, I have an idea for a great trap." Lawrence said.

"What kind of trap would that be?" One of the men asked with suspicion.

"You'll see. We'll have to go to my cave to get what we need. It's not too far off." Lawrence informed them.

After consulting for a few minutes, they scattered to gather some items for the traps.

Jasiri and Lawrence headed for the cave.

~*~

"Jasiri, I want you to be careful. Those men, they somehow have the ability to dampen Shaping or neutralise it completely. I have witnessed this first-hand."

"Those are no men, Lawrence Godwin. Those are demons that must be slain."

Lawrence chuckled softly.

"No, they're just human, like you and me. They just use Shaping to grow unnatural bodies and make each other look terrifying."

"Why would anyone do such a thing?"

"It's a perk of their trade. The more terrifying they look, the easier their job gets."

"I know raiders who look like you and me. Raiding wouldn't get that much easier with just looks."

"Slavers are not just raiders. They are much worse."

"How so?" Jasiri asked.

"They collect humans to sell them as slaves. Once you become a slave, you lose your freedom. You're kept a captive for life, and you have to do whatever your master orders you to, and endure whatever they wish to use you for." Lawrence explained as memories floated to the surface.

Jasiri was appalled at the concept, and all the memories accompanying it that were coming from Lawrence's head.

"You were taken a slave?" he gasped.

Lawrence looked like he was fighting a losing battle to hold the tide of memories back. Jasiri paused at this, and listened to the stream of memories he could sense. Lawrence sighed.

"Okay. Yes, it was a long time ago. I was extremely depressed, and I didn't care one bit what happened to me. So, I let a group of slavers take me."

Jasiri was confused.

"Why would you do that?"

"To see what it was like."

Lawrence paused as if contemplating something. Then spoke.

"I guess you could say that immortals have eternity, to do and experience everything."

~*~

Once they reached the cave. Lawrence stood looking around at the cracks on the walls and in the ceiling.

"Sorry about your cave." Jasiri spoke.

"What happened here?" Lawrence asked.

"My fear got the best of me when I woke up, and I did this somehow. I thought it was a dream. I'm sorry." Jasiri explained.

"Don't worry about it. Just be careful. Don't bring it down on our heads while we're inside." Lawrence cautioned.

Deep under the surface, Jasiri thought he could detect a hint of unease in Lawrence's thoughts. He tried not to dwell on it.

"Why are we here anyway?" Jasiri asked.

"We're here to get something I've been saving around for special circumstances such as these." Lawrence explained.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to use some science." Lawrence said.

"Will it help us?" Jasiri wondered.

"Trust me. It will be a blast!" He said with a crooked grin.

~*~

Lawrence lit a small fire using Shaping, it caught quickly to a small string attached to a cylindrical object he held carefully in his hand. The string started to burn with a hiss.

"Not yet!" Lawrence whispered as they neared.

"Not yet..." he whispered again.

They were atop a rocky ridge overlooking a part of the forested area that they suspected the slavers would pass through.

"Now!" he suddenly shouted.

Lawrence threw the cylinder far into the air.

"Run!" he instructed.

Everyone followed and they ran away, and like he had told them: they heard an outrageously loud bang and the mountain started to shake.

Jasiri's ears were ringing with the loudest sound he'd heard in his life. If it weren't for Lawrence's forewarning about this happening, he would have thought he'd gone deaf.

He saw Lawrence -- who had conveniently put waxed gauze in his ears, and wasn't currently impaired of hearing as the rest of them -- turn around and aim his crossbow at something.

Pluck!

The bolt went.

His hearing was gradually returning. He heard the scream from behind!

Jasiri was turning around, and Lawrence was reloading his crossbow when they saw the enemy climbing swiftly on his way towards them, undoubtedly using Shaping to steady himself. He was in bad shape.

That's a brave one.

Jasiri thought.

This time, he heard the 'pluck!' of Lawrence's weapon more clearly, and almost instantly, blood spurted from the demon's neck. He fell from his climb to the ground with a gut wrenching scream.

I need one of those.

Jasiri thought excitedly.

"All in due time." Lawrence said.

~*~

Jasiri was thinking of his best friend, Mkuki Kidogo, as they surveyed the aftermath of the explosion.

He missed Mkuki's company. He wondered what had happened to his friend. He'd not seen him since that fateful evening when he went on his nightly walk, and wondered how he was doing. He lived on the other side of the village and was usually out with his father cutting wood during the day though.

He hoped he was safe.

Mkuki would certainly love to get his hands on a piece of what Lawrence had called 'dynamite'.

As his best friend, Jasiri knew what he would do. He would use it to make a small pond near the stream, and use that for trapping fish. His best friend loved fishing more than anything else in the world.

Lawrence heard his thoughts and chuckled.

"Trust me, you don't want to hear the words dynamite and fishing uttered together in the same sentence." Lawrence said.

"You have a lot to teach me about." Jasiri told him as he probed his memories. He was perplexed by the concept of blast fishing.

The rest of the men were still astounded by the destruction around them, trees were toppled and ground to shreds, all by what was evidently a small stick of something so weird and alien to them. The dead slavers didn't look much better.

So, this was science!

If this was the power of science, then he was looking forward to learning all the science he could. He could sense Lawrence's unease at the thought.

~*~

After consulting for a bit, they agreed to send a messenger to warn the sentry guarding their mounts that they would be coming later than expected. It was close to sunset already, and they planned to take out the camp at night.

They all unanimously picked Jasiri for the task, and he was mad and throwing a fit about it.

"You can't do this to me! I want to fight too!" he shouted.

"Your tantrum won't change anything. You're the youngest here, and as such, it is your task." Lawrence said patiently.

"Can I at least fly there?" Jasiri pleaded.

"No you can't, what if Mlima Giza mistakes you for an enemy in the encroaching darkness?" one of the tribesmen, Mguu Mkubwa, said. "You'll end up on the tip of his spear!"

"Jasiri, please do as we say; and stay with Mlima after you deliver the message. We'll catch up to you after we deal with the camp." Lawrence said.

"What if something happens to you?" he asked them.

"We have your friend, his crossbow, and this 'dynamite'. Don't worry about us." Mguu said.

"You can't use the dynamite at all, for it would endanger any captives the slavers may have; and one crossbow against who-knows-how-many demons will do no good." Jasiri said.

"I can Shape too, just so you know." Lawrence interjected. "Don't discount my skills, kid."

"And they can do away with your Shaping." Jasiri was not convinced.

"I can take care of myself." Lawrence said with finality.

Jasiri was livid. He would miss on all the action. He really wanted to test his limits this time.

He would deliver the message and fly back as fast as he could. He decided.

Lawrence gave him a warning look, but said nothing.

~*~

Jasiri checked his body as he moved through the forested area.

Parts of his body were bruised really bad. Some of his clothes were in tatters. Everyone assumed that it was from his ordeal with the tree climb, but he knew better.

He supposed that swarms of tiny nano-bots colliding against you to carry you didn't come without cost. He would have to find a way to keep his clothes from being destroyed and his body from being bruised if he were to fly again.

He remembered his promise to Lawrence and the tribesmen not to fly.

But he really wanted to fly again!

He was walking by a fallen tree when he saw a flat chunk of wood undoubtedly torn off and thrown away by the dynamite's explosion, and he paused in thought.

He was sure he came across the concept from Lawrence's memories, and he would try for himself.

He grabbed the flat chunk and stepped on it. It slowly levitated as he concentrated on making it fly.

And so began his fast glide towards their camp.

~*~

Jasiri was travelling at astonishing speed.

He was dodging trees left and right, and he thought that this was more fun than flying. He had to admit it was certainly more interesting.

If only his friends were here to witness it! He would have to show them later.

He ducked under another branch as he felt the resistance from the air lessen. The chunk of wood he was riding on was slowly being eroded and transformed by the nano-bots! It was almost as smooth as one of the glazed clay pots they traded for now!

He was travelling so much faster this way, too; and his body didn't hurt from the backlash at all. He idly wondered how large he could make a gliding implement such as this.

He loved this, he decided. Learning new things and experimenting with the world. If this was what science was about, then he was looking forward to learning more of it! He would make this work for everyone, and not just those with the ability to Shape! Now,

that

would make transportation so much easier!

He came to a halt near the edge of the mountain and prepared to climb down. The sun was setting in the darkening sky as he began his descent.