CHAPTER 3 - The Barn Yearns.
"Well this should be interesting," Effy said to Isha, as they left Salanzer's office. Effy had the file for the next mission in her hand.
"Sounds like it might be a wild goose chase to me, " Isha replied. "Good to get our first mission out of the way though, and get straight onto another. Let's go find Gavin."
Isha and Effy headed through the corridors of The Hunters Guild headquarters. They were in full Hunter/Searcher gear. Effy in her Hunters red cloak, her dark red leather shorts, and same colour and material cropped top. Her thigh length red leather boots clopping on the hard floor. Isha was in a dark blue leather catsuit. Tight trousers and long sleeve top. Her v neck top showing an impressive cleavage.
They got directions for the Techno-mage department and headed that way. They found Gavin in his office. They could see him through the window in his workshop. They knocked and he waved them in. When he saw them a big smile formed on his face.
"I knew you two would be awesome," he said. "What a look! It's about time we had a cool looking team around here."
"Thanks," Effy said, smiling. She didn't mind the look he had given them both, it was more impressed nerdiness than sexual ogling.
"Well done on your first mission," Gavin said. "Always good to make it through the first one alive."
"Yeah, we were pleased too," Effy said sarcastically.
"I imagine," Gavin said, completely missing the sarcasm as he stood up. "I've been busy with some items for you. Got some other bits too, which will help you, and drag this place out of the dark ages." He looked at the file in Isha's hand. "Sorcerer's are so against technology."
"I was surprised by the paper file," Isha said. "Feels proper detective like though."
"Very dark ages," Gavin said. "Here you go." He handed them both an ipad. "Whenever they do these archaic files, we make them put it all on our server. It's all preloaded, follow the instructions and you can get everything on there." Gavin also went on to give them an earpiece and watch each, so they could talk to each other discreetly whilst on a mission.
"That's better," Isha said. "Thanks Gavin."
"That's not the best bit," he said. "Look what I designed for you both. I hope you don't mind but I read your files, I saw where your strengths were." He looked at them both and they shrugged, they weren't bothered. There was nothing in them they had to hide. Gavin brought out a hard black case and he opened it up.
Inside was a foot long wooden staff and two, what looked like, knife handles. They looked pretty harmless.
"Okay. Isha first," Gavin said.
"Not fair," Effy mumbled. Isha stuck her tongue out at her. Gavin was oblivious to the interaction, he was staring doe eyed at his creation. He picked up the foot long stick.
"Now, for you my Indian Princess, is this," Gavin said. Isha smiled at the compliment. Effy gave her a raised eyebrow look. He handed her the staff, Isha took it and examined it.
"Nice stick," Effy said. She was being sarcastic, but it was actually beautiful. The dark mahogany wood shone and had an intricate design carved around the middle.
"A staff!" Gavin said. This time catching Effy's sarcasm and giving her a look. "Not just any old staff. Send a trickle of magic into it." He looked so eager he looked ready to pop.
Isha sent magical energy through the staff and the carvings glowed blue. The staff extended to about 5 foot. Isha studied it and started spinning it. She had played around with a baton when she was younger, and had excelled at using a staff during combat lessons. As it spun it formed a blue circle in the air. She stopped.
"The staff itself is practically indestructible and causes quite a wallop if you hit anyone, or something," Gavin said. "That was a shield it formed when you spun it, completely impermeable. It can be any length you want." As if to prove this Isha used her magic to alter its length.
"Also," Gavin continued. "The best bit. Point it at that desk and send your magic through it."
Isha did. A large blast fired from the end. Effy jumped as the desk exploded, temporarily deafening all of them. Gavin was laughing and saying something, but Effy and Isha couldn't hear for a bit. Isha played with the staff until her hearing returned, whilst Gavin and Effy repaired the desk.
"Thank you Gavin," Isha said. "It's amazing."
"My pleasure," Gavin said. "It's attuned to you now, it'll only work for you, and you might find you learn new stuff from each other. Now for my Crimson Avenger." Gavin looked at Effy, and she heard Isha make a strange noise as she held in laughter.
"Crimson Avenger?" Effy mumbled, and Gavin pretended not to hear her as he picked up the two handles. He passed them to Effy.
"Use your magic through them," Gavin instructed.
Effy did and gasped as a blade appeared out of each one. The blades were pure blue light, they shimmered, like a laser or hologram. The shape was phenomenal, not just a blade, it was curved and sculptured out of light. Effy had excelled at knife handling in close combat situations. Long range she had her magic, and that was incredibly effective, at short range it was handy to have something quicker, and these were perfect.
"They'll slice through anything," Gavin said. "Like a mini lightsaber, from star wars." He said it like they would have never heard of a lightsaber before. "But the real impressive part is that it won't harm you. Again, it's attuned to you so if you tried to cut or stab yourself you couldn't, it'll go right through you. Try it."
"Yeah right," Effy said.
"Honestly," Gavin said. "Try it. Try the desk first."
"Poor desk," Effy said, stepping forward. She ran the glowing blade through the desk, slicing it in half, a hot knife through butter sprang to her mind. An old saying her parents used to say. "Wow."
"Now on yourself," Gavin said. "Please trust me."
Effy gingerly put the knife tip very slowly into her bare upper leg, ever so slightly. No pain. No blood, she pushed further until the blade came out the other side of her thin leg.
"That's just too weird," Isha said.
"I know right!" Gavin said. "Watch this." He grabbed a metal pen and pushed it against the blade, it sliced cleanly in half.
"Eeeeewww, gross," Effy said. Isha wretched. The sight of the blade through her leg and the pen cutting was too much. Effy pulled the blade carefully out of her leg. "I don't think I'll do that too often, but at least I won't cut something off by accident. Thank you Gavin, these are amazing."
"They really are," Isha added. Gavin handed them belts to hold them around their waists. Effy's looked like Wild West six shooters, Isha's shortened staff hung on her hip.
Gavin beamed. "Amazing weapons for amazing sorcerers," he said. "Just don't die on me, we're losing way too many at the moment."
