Bow of Thunder

[Bee]

"Finished", spoke Bee as she stared at a finely crafted bow. Well that is what she wanted to say. However Bee was not the one who made it. Mr. Johnson was. He put a lot of effort and craftsmanship into making the weapon and was too tired to wait for the girl to return. He asked Bee to finish the polishing on the wood and naturally Bee did it. She was after all his apprentice, thought that job title was soon to come to a end. Bee had learned a lot of him and she was a natural at smiting metal. However she wanted to learn more. Mr. Johnson had only so much to teach her and currently he refused to teach her how to make magical weapons. He told her she needed to first see the world and understand war. Only then would she understand the seriousness behind creating such weapons. It was by that logic that Bee was suppose to go on her training journey. It was not only to expand her mind in the world of smiting, but to also show her what the world really was. Then after she learned of the world she would return and he would teach her. It was a stupid tradition to Bee, but Mr. Johnson followed it.

"Now just to wait for the girl", spoke Bee as she leaned back in her chair. It was then that she heard the sound of a window cracking from the back of the shop. "What in the world", spoke Bee as she put down the bow and turned the corner. To her surprise there was a rock sitting on the floor with broken glass around it. Somebody had thrown as tone through it, thought she did not understand why or what the purpose of it was. "Who in the world", spoke Bee as she looked at the glass. She was going to need to get a broom and dust pan. Bee then walked back into the main hall of the shop to get the tools when she saw a short hooded figure run out the door. For a moment it puzzled the young apprentice till she noticed the magical bow was gone.

"Thief", shouted Bee as she rushed out the door. Once again somebody had the balls to steal from her shop. As Bee rushed out she grabbed her tome off the table and began to give chase.

[Tamaya]

Tamaya had just arrived back in town to pick up her magical weapon from the smith Mr. Johnson and his apprentice Bee. She had high hopes for the bow, and held it to high standards - she certainly hoped that it would be worth her two thousand gold she was paying for it. Indeed, she could already see the weapon... She was excited. The anticipation was almost enough to overcome the warning her father, an elder of the Cathecassa, had told her - "Be warned, Tamaya, that the power of the lightning will not be yours for a long while. To be skilled at handling the elements takes practice, dedication, and time."

It made sense - apparently, a real spirit lived in the bow, and so it would be folly to assume that it would behave like any other. It was like another fighter, battling with you - you had to learn to fight in harmony, or your attacks would be misguided.

The nomad was roused from her thoughts by a shout of "thief" and a blur that raced past her, holding something in its hand. Then she saw Bee race out from the shop... And her heart sank.

Well, nothing good came easily, she supposed.

"Bee! I will rouse the guard! Let us give chase!"

Tamaya spurred Shikoba into a gallop and shot around the corner after the bow-thief, shouting "thief" to all those who would hear. With the guard alerted, the nomad knew that the thief would be unable to escape through the one gate - so now they just had to track him (or her) down.

[Bee]

What the, thought Bee as she heard a familiar voice. Then a familiar horse rode past her carrying a familiar girl. Well it made sense that she would show up just in time. Bee would not be late to collect a valuable tome and she would not be late to collect a valuable bow. Still the thief had to be swift of foot if they wanted to escape her on horseback, thought Bee could guess what was going to happen next.

As the rider gave chase the thief turned a nearby corner. They then dashed into a small hole in the wall that lead to a familiar house. It was not the first time that somebody stole from Bee and the last thief used the same hole. Bee had boarded that hole up after the incident with the Den of the Disturbed, but as one would expect the thief simply broke the boards down before they made there get away plan. However this trick would not work a second time. For this time Bee had already discovered the trick. Quickly Bee dashed into the small hole and moved into the old building. Instead of rushing through and going out the open front door which lead to the main street Bee instead turned and went down into the basement. She had watched a similar theif use the trick before on another merchant. Instead of pushing though they went down the stairs and into the basement. At the time however Bee was unable to give chase, but now she knew the trick and knew where they were going.

"Not this time", spoke Bee as she pushed down the stairs. The sound of her footsteps caused another pair to spring back into action as the hooded figure moved through a tunnel. Bee preyed that her horse ridding friend would keep up. She would have had to turn around dismount and come into the house. Bee would bet money that she would run straight through and into the main street like she did the first time.

[Tamaya]

Bee yelled something out, which sounded like "Watch the time."

"What?"

As her friend chased the thief into a building, Tamaya quickly scrambled off Shikoba and raced into the building as well, going straight through the open door and skidding to a halt, looking wildly both ways down the main street.

No sign of the thief or Bee. What on earth? Where had they gone?

So she turned back around and raced into the house, sprinting up the steps into the upper room. Again... Nothing. So it was back to the main floor once again, and finally she saw the basement, which she ran down into quickly. No sign again, but she heard footfalls going down through a tunnel, so she bet that they had headed in that direction and raced into the dimly lit, roughly excavated tunnel.

As she went, she drew her bow off of her back and held it at her side, ready to whip up in case. As she ran, she heard the footfalls getting louder, and soon she could faintly see Bee up ahead. Thank goodness she'd done a lot of running and tracking as a child - the endurance was a real blessing in this scenario. How long had it been since she last had to run far? She couldn't actually remember. She was so used to the ease of movement that Shikoba provided. Well, now she was on her own - thankfully, she had Bee. Backup was always a reassuring thing to have, especially in unfamiliar environments like this tunnel.

[Bee]

"To dark", spoke Bee as she gave chase. The thief knew the tunnel like a pro, but this was Bee's first time going through it. AT this point the chase was maintained by the sound, but not for long. As Bee ran she touched her tome and called forth the power of her magic. "Wiggily Woo", she shouted as she sent a fireball forward. The sudden flame illuminated the dirt tunnel and showed the corner the theif was just about to turn. As they moved however there cloak was hit by the fire ball. The tip went up in flames as the fire was being fed by the oxygen. Though Bee had made a hit she did not celebrate. That fire was going to eat up the oxygen in this place and she needed all the air in her body just to keep up.

For a minute she continued the chase. The Thief finally realized that there cloak was on fire. This realization came with a scream as the heat caught her off guard. Yes the thief was a girl. Bee had figured it was a guy. Guys would steel weapons, that is what Bee thought, but this one seemed to be of the same sex as her. "When I catch you I will burn you alive", shouted Bee. The theif responded by unlaching her cloak and letting it fly toward Bee. However this backfired as Bee was wearing her fire resistant which she used as a shield.

The Tunnel finally came to an end. The trio ended up in a large circular room that was illuminated by a single hole in the roof along with a metal ladder going straight up. The thief attempted to climb it, but a fire ball from Bee took that option away from her. "Oh no you don't", spoke Bee as she got a good look at the women. To her great surpise the maiden had the same hair style as she did. Not the box of course, but the single bane of hair covering her eye. Though Bee's hair was pink hers was a bright orange. Not only that, but she also had milky smooth skin that had no blemish or scars. As a matter of a facts she was rather clean for a thief. So to put it in simple terms She was better looking than Bee was.

"Sorry, but I need this bow", spoke the maiden as she pulled out a arrow and pulled back on the bow. Bee's eyes opened wide as the element of thunder began to charge the arrows.

"Crap", she shouted as she jumped. A arrow ripped though the air and slammed into the wall. The power of storm infused into its tip. Lucky for them the maiden had no magic seals, but it still meant that she was a major threat.

[Tamaya]

As fire illuminated the tunnel, the bow-toting nomad accelerated, giving a push of energy as she whipped around the corner, following the trail of flame coming from the cloak. When she passed it, she saw a faint light, and raced into a room just in time to see a flaming orb melt the top of a ladder, preventing the thief's escape.

Tamaya planted herself in front of the door, drawing back an arrow even as one from the magical bow - her magical bow - went slamming into the wall near Bee.

Without another word to announce her presence, the Nomad fired her arrow, watching it fly quickly through the air and... miss. The thief had shifted her weight at the last minute, not because she saw it, but just out of habit or to change her stance. The arrow that embedded itself in the ground near her, though, awakened her to the fact that someone was trying to feather her, even as she tried to feather Bee.

"No..."

Tamaya nocked another arrow, drawing it back and aiming squarely at the thief's chest.

"I can fire this faster than you can draw and fire an arrow at me. And Bee is ready to take you out as well. Surrender my bow, and I shall not kill you... But continue to fight and I will ensure you go straight to the next world - and without my bow!"

The tension was tangible as the Nomad held her bow firm. She was not going to give up her magical weapon after so much work. No way.

[Bee]

Suddenly a arrow fire at the thief announcing to both the maiden and Bee of Tamaya's arrival. Bee was surprised she was here, or the fact that she kept up. The maiden had expected her to be far behind them at the very least. She must be quick on her feet, which caught Bee by surprise. Bee did not think a horse rider would be so fast on foot. She needed to remember that for future reference. Just because they ride on a animal does not mean they can not run.

"Great two of you", spoke the thief as she looked at the women. The orange hair maiden was clearly not going to surrender. Bee could see it in her eyes. She knew that look. It was the look of determination. It often crossed Bee's face when she was younger and living with Guro. She understood that there had to be some strong motivation behind her trying to get a hold of that bow. Though Bee could not guess it she did not feel sorry for the women. Bee was in tough situations too, but she never turned to stealing, especially not priceless magical artifacts. "Sorry I don't have that option", spoke the maiden as she jumped to the side. As she fell she pulled back on the string of the bow and fired a arrow off she had in her hand.

"Oh no you don't", spoke Bee as she moved to cast a spell. However the arrow struck her tome and the element of lightning in it caught the pages on the inside of it on fire. "No, no, no, no, no ", shouted Bee as her magical book began to burn. The ink and pages inside of it caused the flames to burn a eerie blue green color. At first Bee was trying to save it, but the heat from the fire was to much and the maiden was forced to drop her tome. Bee stared with pain and sorrow as her magical tome burned into nothing but ash. she had lost her one connection to the fire spirits that she so loved.

As Bee looked up with tears in her eyes she saw the maiden holding arrows in her left hand which held the bow and firing with her right. The two rods of wood and metal clashed in the air knocking each other out of flight. It seemed the battle of archer had begun.

[Tamaya]

As the thief moved to fire, Tamaya did likewise, and the arrows knocked each other out of the air. A rare occurrence. Needless to say, the Nomad was already moving, and before the bow-pilferer had time to draw another arrow, she had let one fly straight into the girl's leg.

The thief crumpled down, but still managed to release an arrow, which hurtled past the Nomad's ear and almost gave her a heart attack. Fortunately, the thief was no archer - but if her aim had been better, Tamaya might not have lived to tell the tale. Tamaya nocked one more arrow and crouched, aiming at point-blank range towards the girl's chest.

"I gave you the option to surrender. I was kind enough to only wound you with my first arrow. But now, your obstinence makes me unhappy. I will not fulfill my promise - that would be too quick and would not teach you anything. So!"

The arrow flew, embedding itself in the thief's shoulder. There was a scream of pain, and as the girl looked at her wounded arm, Tamaya closed in and punched her in the face. Hard.

The thief slumped, unconscious, and the Nomad grabbed her, lifting the body with a grunt and slinging the would-be bow thief over her shoulder.

"Lead me out, Bee, and take the bow and arrows with you. We shall drop this burden at the guardhouse, and then I will be glad to pay you and hold my weapon for the very first time."

[Bee]

"Umm, right", spoke Bee as she looked at Tamaya. She was surprised at how the battle ended. She was sure Tamaya was going to kill the thief, but it seemed the maiden was in a merciful mood. The thief however was lucky that Bee's tome was destroyed. If it had not been then she would have burned her alive. Bee did not take kindly to thieves, thought she kept that to herself. The maiden seemed quite skilled in battle and bee had no intention of getting on her bad side. Before Bee began to lead the way she first ripped her right sleve off her shirt and wrapped it around a stick that was on the ground. Using her the flames from her burnt book Bee created a torch and lead the duo out through the tunnel. By the time they got back the guards were in full swing. They officially arrested the unconscious maiden and took her to a cell to await a trial. Lucky for her she stole a bow instead of actual gold. If you steal over a thousand they would usually hang you. Items however, well they have a different rule to them. She would be in jail for quite some time, but she would live.

As Bee returned she was meet with the serious stare of Mr. Johnson. This was the second time somebody has stolen from the shop. "Hey it is not my fault", spoke Bee as she looked at the aged man, but his serious stare did not lighten up. Instead Bee simply crawled over into a corner and waited for the old master to finish his business.

"Thank you for recovering the bow just to buy it", spoke Mr. Johnson to Tamya. I hope you did not have too much trouble with the chase", spoke the aged smith.

[Tamaya]

The apprentice quickly created a torch and led the way back through the tunnels, and Tamaya followed, toting the warm but still body of the bow thief until they emerged on the street. After dumping the girl with the guardsmen, Tamaya returned with Bee to the shop and spoke with the master smith, Mr. Johnson.

"I would not have dreamed of acquiring the weapon by any other means. To steal is a great offense in the eyes of my people. I would not break our moral codes; to do so would make me no better than the thief now in prison."

The Nomad withdrew a large sack from her bag and placed it on the counter. Inside were two thousand gold coins, each one earned for hard work. Tamaya had her scruples, and she felt honored to be able to purchase her own magical weapon.

"The chase was no issue, Mr. Johnson. The thief has been apprehended and jailed. Your apprentice was most magnificent. If not for her, we never would have cornered and caught the culprit. The only thing is, her book of magic became a casualty of the battle... So perhaps some of this gold could go to funding a new tome for her?"

As she picked up the weapon, Tamaya smiled, feeling the weight of the rowan wood, looking at the intricate ivory runes, and marveling at the adamantite grip and arrowheads. It was truly a fine weapon, deserving of respect and a fine name.

"Mphezi-Manja."

Lightning-Hands. A most fitting name for the weapon.

[Bee]

"Fine name", spoke Mr. Johnson as the maiden named her bow. Bee sat in the corner quietly as the old man did business. "Well young one you have to understand that my apprentice here made a blunder less than two weeks ago. There was a thief who stole a sword from our shop and made off with it. That thief was never caught and the blade they stole was only recovered thought", the old man paused for a minute, "unsavory means. It was nothing illegal before you raise a eyebrow, but it did have something to do with a building on fire. None the less in this case I will have to decline from giving her gold. She has her own personal funds in which she can buy herself a new tome. Besides if she would have watched the shop more carefully this would not have happened."

"Sorry Master Johnson", spoke Bee from the corner.

"Get out the corner would you", spoke the old man as he turned toward Bee. He did not banish her to it, nor was it a habit of his to send her to it. He had no idea where she gained that habit but it was bothering him. "If you have free time go and buy yourself another tome. You are going to need another right."

"Right", spoke Bee as she walked past Tamya. The maiden stopped as she passed and looked at the young women. "By the way you run really fast. I did not expect you to catch up to us. Also you saved my behind back there. If I had been by myself I am not sure if I would have gotten out of that one in once peace", spoke Bee as she turned and headed out the door.

"Now if you need us for any other projects in the future I will be glad to undertake them", spoke Mr. Johnson.

[Tamaya]

"I thank you, Mr. Johnson. And I do understand your reasoning; the young are, after all, young, and wild to boot. I was indeed much like Bee in my younger years. She is, all things considered, a most capable thief-chaser, and I am impressed with her skill with fire. I could not do the half of the things she can."

As Bee looked at her, Tamaya smiled broadly, the warm feeling of camaraderie and kinship spreading through her as the young apprentice complimented her. She was pure of heart and intention, and that made Tamaya happy - happy that she was able to know such a talented youth, with such a bright future.

"I am glad to have helped you, friend Bee. Had it not been for you, the bow would have been long gone, and so I too thank you. Your flames were what we needed, and only you could provide them."

As Bee headed away to purchase a new tome, the Nomad could not help but throw a few last words after they young mage.

"Goodbye, Bee! I hope we meet again someday! I look forward to it!"

As Mr. Johnson spoke once more, Tamaya bowed to the old man, lifting the bow and placing it on her back with finality, loading the arrows into a quiver on her side afterward and then smiling at the grizzled smith.

"Thank you. I will keep that in mind; undoubtedly I will come to call for arrowheads, or perhaps, once I become comfortable, a weapon for closer quarters. That would indeed be interesting. Until then, I thank you, Mr. Johnson, and I bid you farewell."

The Nomad raised her hand once more in salutation, and then left the shop, mounting Shikoba and heading out the village gate, the bow of lightning crackling on her back. A new era was beginning in her life... What would it bring?

[Exit Thread]

[Bee]

With the bow sold and coin made Mr. Johnson was probably going to take a log break. Bee was going to have to step it up in defensive measures for the shop, but all in all everything was ok. She was still going to need to buy a new tome. This was going to set the girl back a bit. She had been saving up to get a very special magical tomb, or the final tome in her mind. The book was said to be the embodiment of all fire magic and was suppose to be Bee's greatest dream. However the young maiden was going to be set back. It was a shame, but it could not be helped. Bee had gotten her other tome destroyed and she was going to need a new one. She could not let people around here know she was defenseless now.

"Speaking of which I wounder if I will meet her again", spoke Bee aloud. She doubted it. Bee was not going to be around here for much longer. She was soon to finish her basics under the master and he wanted her to go on a smithing journey before he would teach her how to forge magical weapons. It was a important tradition in his family and he wanted Bee to undertake it. "Wait a minute does that mean he considers me to be family", though Bee to herself. The young maiden pondered the thought for a while. She figured Mr. Johnson would be what was equivalent to having a grandfather. Bee never had a grandfather. Her father's father was dead and her mother's father was to far away to visit. She never meet him and could remember very little about him. Still she liked the feeling. Family, it was something that was missing for a log time.

"Welcome", spoke a voice as Bee walked into a shop.

[Thread end]