Seeking Strength (SS) p6

Discussion

“Hell? If it was Hell then why make me go through there? Wasn’t there a high possibility that I could have died?”

            “Would you have traveled through it if I had told you the very nature of the cave?”

            “For the journey toward power I’d do just about anything,” I replied, realizing that he had honed in on the level of my desire.

            “Then there was no mistake in my judgment of not telling you. The information would have neither helped you nor hurt you; it simply would have wasted precious time.”

            Stuhl dried his hands on a dingy dirt brown rag he kept near the sink and walked over to his rocking chair in front of the fire place. I lingered half a moment in the “kitchen”, chewing over a few thoughts. Then I’d recalled it was only noon! Surely there had to be more training left in the day.  “Blade Guru, is there not any more training today?” I inquired.

            “No not necessarily. I will need for you to describe to me what you saw on the other side of the cave. I believe I told you that there are many exits, but I do not think I told you that each exit reveals something about the person’s elemental alignment,” explained my teacher.

            “So when do you want to hear about it?” I queried.

            A split second after my question a peculiar, yet familiar rumbling sound filled the room, it was Stuhl’s stomach. There was no need for Stuhl to speak to answer my question; we’d talk of my adventure as soon as lunch was resting peacefully in our bellies. An entire sumptuous spicy chicken was already being warmed on the range with a side of two loaves of bread. 

            I’d seen many things in my travels across the land as I searched for a good teacher. I witnessed ruthless street thugs maul little old ladies, I’d seen rabid wolves tear apart tiny, cute sheep, but nothing was as twisted and as difficult to watch as Master Stuhl devouring that chicken. I was given my share of the fowl, and was quite glad too because if I’d vied for a piece against that man, I would not have eaten. Other than Stuhl’s odd enthusiasm for eating, sitting on the floor and having lunch was rather pleasant. At the end of the meal, we each drank an ice cold glass of lemonade, with our pinkies extended from the glass (it was a ritual custom).

            “So let me hear about what was on the exit side of the Cave of Alignment for you”, Stuhl said, with a bleak look of satisfaction upon his visage.

Author's Note

Anything that needs fixings.

Reviews

[Mioki]

Hm, I didn't see anything here that I thought needed fixing. It was a very short chapter, but then again that doesn't make much of a difference. Writers have many different chapter lengths; it all depends on the main idea of the chapter, message, etc.

I thought this chapter provided some answers though. We now know that the cave was 'Hell', and that Gale's search for strength would have not stopped even if he had known this. My questions about the cave are how the cave is 'hell', and what makes it that way. I'm sure you'll explain later, I'm just getting eager to discover this story's mysteries.

You've written this piece well, good job on this chapter.