70A Young Girl's War Between the Stars
05
Commissioned by Atin.
Coruscant, 43 BBY.
The first day of my new future career, I mused, pulling on the robes that had been delivered to my quarters, well before the sun rose according to the clock displaying the local time. Taking a few moments to stretch out and limber up, I stuffed my tablet in my pocket, left my quarters, and set out for the cafeteria. The smell of breakfast, caff, and other things filled the air as I entered, to find the place vacant save for a few older Jedi masters and the cooking staff and serving droids.
Making my way to the line, I grabbed a tray and loaded up with what was labeled as scrambled eggs of some sort, a few of the better vegetables I remembered from the previous night's meal, and a serving of something that looked like chicken. I followed that with a big mug of the local coffee equivalent sweetened to my linking and made my way to a table. I demolished my breakfast quickly and did away with my tray.
Alright, things here seem to be set up to encourage the use of the Force in all things. No signage, no room numbers, no labels on even the restroom. So if you want to get somewhere, either ask someone or use the Force to find it, then memorize the route. Likewise, no one has given me any sort of schedule, or told me where I should be or what I should be doing. So I have to assume that is my first test. Find out where I'm supposed to be and when.
Reaching out with the Force as I sipped the last of my cup of caff, I felt the rhythm of the temple around me. The ebb and flow, the paths and routines of those within worn into it over time, like water wearing down stone until it carves its own route. When felt like not particularly soon and the where… I dropped my cup off and followed the flow.
Finding an empty room when I arrived, I sat down on a cushion off to the side and took out my tablet. I started with local news and the stock market before moving on to news from abroad, connecting the ticks in certain stock prices with events being reported.
Grain prices are up again and, as luck would have it, the Trade Federation have blockaded another agri-world that ships to the core. Wonderful. As much as I love capitalism, exploitative hostile takeovers and expansion only lead one place. Having one company come in and strangle competition by forcibly absorbing the competition is bad for everyone.
The free market stops being free. The cycle of inflation begins. This leads to eventual starvation, then war as enough people are unable to put food on their tables. Heads roll. A new regime takes over. Rampant government intervention spreads like a cancer in an attempt to fix the market and make sure it never happens again, ironically further strangling the market. And so on, and so forth as the whole song and dance repeats itself, constantly digging itself deeper into a rut until it collapses entirely, dragging everything down with it and leaving the survivors to pick up the pieces. Dips, market correction, and crashes are inevitable and actually good for the system in the long run, but you always have someone arguing that their organization is too big to fail and needs to be protected from consequences—
"Early, you are."
Looking up at the voice, I saw the green form of master Yoda had quietly joined me on a nearby cushion. "I'm an early riser. Force of habit."
"Mm, I see." Nodding towards the tablet, he asked, "What troubles you?"
Going back over my thoughts, I realized where the spiral had kicked off and sighed. "Seeing the market inflate by the hour and watching the clock count down to war. The Trade Federation is blockading another agri-world. Price of grain shipped from that world just skyrocketed. It'll take about a week for the prices to change on everything here in the core to reflect it. By this time next week, the cost of bread from the primary supplier on Coruscant will be double what it is now, until they find another source for flour. Which will be from," I flicked at the tablet, "this planet. Also in the rim. Most likely next on the list of planets to get a visit from the Trade Federation."
The old master hummed, sending me a shrewd look. "Predict where they will strike next, you can?"
I waved the tablet. "This may as well be a step-by-step guide. All you have to do is follow the money. Take the grain. They blockade a world. They raise the price of exported grain. The people that depend on that grain switch suppliers, going for either the next cheapest option at the time or the closest to a main trade route—which is also usually the cheapest because of shipping costs. The Trade Federation follows the money and goes after that planet next. And so on and so forth. Except they're also doing it for fruits, vegetables, meat production—the entire food supply is under attack."
Nodding, the old man said, "Make a report, you will." A sardonic look crossed his face for a moment and he added, "Understandable even by children, it must be."
I fought down a smile. "So, make it so easy even a politician can read it?"
The old master chuckled and nodded, before hopping to his feet. A moment later, I heard the hurried sound of many little feet hitting the floor approaching. "Later. First, lessons."
Putting away my tablet, I stood as well. A moment later, a herd of children rushed in, all roughly around my physical age. All of them quickly went to a cabinet in the corner and began pulling out what looked to my eyes like over-sized colanders covered in LEDs and putting them on their heads. As they finished donning their headgear, they took up positions around the room—not quite orderly rows, but close enough, and with enough distance that they wouldn't hit each other. Then, they brought out the small lightsabers at their sides and flicked them on.
The sound of a dozen sabers coming to life filled the room and my heart pounded in excitement. The military otaku in me wanted nothing more than to tear one apart and learn how it worked, and then use it on something. I had seen enough vids to know these things were capable of cutting, burning, or melting through just about anything.
But giving a deadly dangerous weapon like that to children? Seems irresponsible, I mused, making my way to the cabinet and pulling out a metal salad bowl of my own. Frowning, I held off on putting it on for now. Instead, I turned and sent master Yoda a quizzical look. "What do they do, master?"
"Amplify reception of the Force. Enhance your Force sensitivity, they do."
I considered it a moment before putting it back. "No thanks."
"Oh?" the master asked, reaching into his robe sleeve and pulling out a saber identical to the ones the other students had, before tossing it to me.
Catching the weapon, I moved over to an empty spot beside the other students. "I'd rather improve on my own than use a," I almost said crutch but caught myself, "training tool."
The old Jedi chuckled and gestured. From a crate beside the locker, a bunch of drones rose up, one tracking out in front of each of us. A moment later, I heard the whine of multiple lasers charging and thumbed the loaner saber in my hands on, lighting up a blue beam of light in front of me. "What's the goal here, master Yoda? To just deflect shots, or reflect them back at the drone?"
"Confident, are you?" he asked, as I raised the blade and intercepted a shot, sending it into the ceiling. "Avoid being hit, you must. Reflect them, if you can."
Nodding, I focused on the drone and settled into the rhythm of blocking and dodging, having gotten a feel for how the drones escalated on the flight to Coruscant. I had never held a lightsaber before, but I had used swords—in my first life and my second. In the first, sports had been required in both high school and college, and while I hadn't kept up with them later in life due to time constraints, I had taken both kendo and later fencing. In the Empire, those sabers on the uniform weren't for show—they taught us how to use them. So I wasn't completely starting from zero when it came to how to hold one of these—I just had to ignore all the stuff about edge alignment.
Actually hitting a 'laser' (actually a very under powered plasma bolt) in flight was easier than you'd think. All you really needed to do was put the blade where the bolt was going to be, before it got there. The before part of that was a bit harder than just dodging, but very doable. Once I could consistently block them, I began playing around with the blade angle to learn the angles to properly reflect them. I used the Force a bit to guide me to get an example, then ignored it for the angles in favor of calculating them myself—something I had been taught to do in the Empire to calculate bullet and spell trajectories and either dodge or shield; the only difference this time was that I needed to also calculate a return trajectory based on the angle of the shot, angle of the blade, and even the force I put into any intercepting strike.
It was fun and entirely too soon, the class ended. Yoda dismissed everyone and from there, the students made their way to an indoor training room—with me following them, as that's where the groove worn into the routine of this place in the Force led. I didn't recognize the Jedi master overseeing the training, but I made an effort to memorize his name and face when he introduced himself. From there, he used the Force to lift a bunch of sections of the floor and turn the room into an obstacle course—albeit a fairly simple one. Then, he turned us loose and instructed us to navigate to one end of the room and back. Shrugging, I took off running.
Eventually, the day ended for the children at lunch time. I collected a plate and found a seat, and soon found myself joined by the same girl I'd spoken to the previous night. Obi, as she had eventually asked me to call her by the time we parted ways last night, sat across from me with a smile. "How did you like your first day of training?"
I studied the girl across from me for a moment as I ate, thinking it over. Finally, I asked, "Is that all?"
"Hm?"
"We have the entire rest of the day free."
The girl chuckled. "Yes, of course you do. You're supposed to play! Or meditate, read. It's free study time. You're young. Going too hard will hurt your body. This is the time for rest and relaxation. Later, the lessons will get longer and more difficult."
"And if I wanted to do more training?" I asked, and she sent me a look that silently seemed to question my sanity.
"You could, I guess. Just don't hurt yourself."
I nodded. "I know the limits of my own body."
"Very well," she nodded.
"What are you working on? You've already been taken on as a padawan by master Jinn. Why are you even still at the academy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We come and go," Obi smiled. "I go with him when he has missions off world, but when he doesn't, we stay here." Her smile fell and she looked a bit annoyed. "Master has me practicing the basics of lightsaber forms. Again."
Hearing and sensing her frustration, I asked, "Aren't the basics fundamental for building on? With a good grasp of the basics, you shouldn't even technically need anything more advanced."
Obi's blue eyes narrowed into a glare at me and she pouted. "You sound like master Qui-Gon."
I hummed, stuffing food into my mouth and chewing as I thought it over. Having acquaintances, even friends, not just among my peers but among those above and below me had paid off across two lifetimes. I saw no reason not to continue the trend now. Obi was a genial sort it seemed, but had taken an interest in me in particular for some reason. Why not expand on that and strengthen the forming bond?
I was fairly certain I knew something she didn't here. A lesson I had learned in my first life that carried over into my second and now my third. I suspected I knew exactly why her master was having her focus on the basics and didn't want to get into the more esoteric stuff yet. The problem was that she was young and frustrated by what she saw as a lack of progress. She didn't need me telling her things she had likely already heard. What she needed was a sympathetic ear, which I was happy to give for the later reciprocity and expectation of being able to use our bond to call in favors from each other—but it wasn't the only thing she needed. No, what she needed was a demonstration of the lesson her master was trying to impart, that came not from someone lecturing her and telling her things she wasn't receptive to at the moment. She needed some way for the lesson to bypass her stubbornness and mental defenses, without leaving her feeling slighted in the process.
I can do that, I mused, finally looking up from my plate as I took a sip of my juice.
"When do we start training in lightsaber forms?" I asked with a small, excited smile. After all, I actually was excited about all of this. It was a new twist on old lessons and included a lot of new technology, techniques, and weapons. I couldn't wait to get my hands on a blaster…
"Soon. They like to get the younglings up to a general fitness level and make sure they're going to be responsible with them before they start swinging them around," she smiled, before looking Tanya over. "But… it looks like you're already well beyond the minimum level and you seem far too mature for your age."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Don't! You're too serious!" Obi laughed. "You should learn to enjoy life more while you still can." Studying me for a moment, she sighed. "But I see you're the type who enjoys all of this stuff more than the average initiate. So, how about a lesson?"
"Oh?" I asked, perking up eagerly as she asked the question I was working my way around to.
"Yes. I don't have anything else to do this afternoon, so I wouldn't mind showing you the basics."
Looking over my plate, I quickly finished off my meat and downed the rest of my juice before standing. "Let's go, then."
"So eager~," she chuckled, following behind me with her own tray. "Is this why masters take students? Because you're so cute?"
I rolled my eyes at the teasing. Soon enough, we found ourselves in a training room. Obi studied me as she considered where to begin. Finally, she shook her head. The girl radiated a mixture of emotions as she came to a decision—annoyance, resignation, ironic amusement, and more. "Alright. Get your training saber out. We'll start with the basics."
I hid a smile and followed her instructions to the letter as she guided me through everything, occasionally asking questions. "So, I have a question not really related to the lesson."
"I'm listening," she nodded, watching as I slowly moved through a basic overhead slashing motion, repeating it slowly but with increasing speed over time.
"The lightsaber's blade is made of plasma, like a blaster bolt, but more concentrated. It shouldn't weigh anything at all. Maybe as much as a sheet of paper rolled up into the same length. And holding it still, the weight hasn't actually changed. But when I move it…"
"Why is there resistance, but no actual weight?" Obi asked, and I nodded. "Because energy flows from the crystal, into the blade, and back constantly. You're fighting to keep that stable as it moves through atmosphere, the planet's magnetic field, and even the Force itself. Eventually, you'll get to the point where you can wield one one-handed, by using the Force to help contain and move the blade. Then, you'll even get to the point where you can impart something like mass to the blade using the Force, for heavier hits—meaning that you loop back around to using two hands, because it's easier to break an opponent's guard that way. So the lessons you learn to begin with stay relevant later."
I nodded, shifting my focus back to moving the blade. As I did, I felt a change come over Obi-wan. A feeling of realization and shock, then rueful resignation. Quietly, she muttered, "I guess it's true what they say. You sometimes learn more by teaching."
She reached out and I sighed as she patted my head. "We should do this more often."
That was how I gained an afternoon training partner, at least while Obi was on Coruscant. Only for the afternoon though, as she liked to meditate in the evening. As for myself, I found my way to the library and got stuck in to do research. While I would love to do a deep dive on their thousands of years of collected history, I was there searching for more practical applications to knowledge. Specifically, I wanted anything they had on the Force without the hokey pseudo-religious overtones—I wanted a scientific perspective on the Force. Anything I could use to further bridge the gaps between the magical formulas I knew and this universe's existing framework.
I looked up as someone joined me at the isolated library table I'd found to study at one evening, barely a week into my time at the temple. Blinking at the smiling form of Sifo-Dyas, I raised an eyebrow. "Good evening, master Dyas."
"Good evening to you as well," he nodded. "How are you settling in?"
Marking the page in the book I was reading, I set it down and leaned back in my seat. "Fairly well, so far. I have few complaints."
"But you do have a few," he acknowledged, and I nodded. "Why don't you tell me of them and I'll see what I can do?"
Considering it for a moment, I voiced my concerns. "I feel as though my time is being wasted with some lessons." At his curious look, I elaborated. "The early morning sessions with the others my age. I've already grasped the lessons and advanced past their level. I've taken to using time in my late afternoons to train in private with more drones."
I had taken the two sessions and combined them, after asking Obi for a little help with the Force-based telekinesis that the masters used to rearrange the obstacle course room. I couldn't hold everything in place in the air yet, but moving static obstacles onto the ground and stacking blocks was easy enough. Every late afternoon, I made a new obstacle course for myself, released a trio of drones, and ran the course while deflecting or reflecting blasts from the drones.
"Yes, it's been noticed," he murmured, nodding. "When someone moves up from one drone to three within a week, the other masters can't help but notice. Many of us have been speaking about it, privately. There isn't a consensus on what to do with you. Some of us want to move you up to more advanced lessons, because at this point you're already doing it yourself. There are some problems with that, however. Certain masters feel it would be showing favoritism. Others feel that you would be advancing too rapidly—that you should take being in the basic lessons as a hidden lesson in patience. Others, like myself, don't like seeing raw talent wasted but the concerns of the others prevent us from acting in more direct ways."
"That's unfortunate," I sighed. "Then I'll continue as I have been."
"Or," master Dyas interjected, and I paused. "There is no rule against not attending those classes, especially if you're doing something better yourself. Results speak for themselves, after all."
"Then you're saying—"
Dyas held up his hands, shaking his head. "No, no. I'm not telling you to do anything. I'm simply… pointing out a loophole in our rules. I would hate for there to be some sort of misunderstanding and have you miss valuable lessons!"
The man grinned, shooting me a wink, and I nodded. "I see. Yes, thank you for that master Dyas. I'll make sure not to miss any valuable lessons."
"That's great," he chuckled. "It seems like your schedule is more busy than the typical youngling, but I was wondering if perhaps you had a bit of time to spare?"
Understanding the request being made as a favor for a favor, I smiled. "As it turns out, I may have some time in the late afternoons."
"Excellent. I went back over that report you gave when you joined. I liked the work. Very solid. Very thorough. You seem to have a good grasp of economics and the consequences of market forces on the wider political stage…" When I nodded, he continued. "And I assume that means you can do the inverse. Infer effects on the market from the political goings on in the galaxy?"
"Easily, with enough data," I confirmed. "Coruscant being the data center of the galaxy, all I really need is time."
The master's grin grew wider. "Great. How would you like to help me with a little project? You see, the order has had some financial difficulties over the last few years. Since before this whole mess with the Trade Federation started, really. Mismanagement of funds. Cutbacks in donations from the senate."
"Political pressure," I interpreted and he nodded.
"Unfortunately, over the last couple hundred years, we've become almost entirely dependent on funds from the senate and wealthy donors to survive. Ships, fuel, maintenance—these things aren't cheap, you know."
"Of course. The order has minimum operating costs to send Jedi out."
"Exactly," he nodded. "I happen to have a few credits set aside as an emergency fund. I was wondering if you'd like to help me decide where to put them to make the most money off of them?"
"I can do that." A brief thought to my own wants and needs reminded me there were things on my wish list that I'd like to buy, and I didn't have much money at the moment—just what little I'd brought from Zeltros. "For a fee. Work should always be compensated, and I work commensurate to pay."
"Naturally! The traditionalists don't understand that the ascetic lifestyle isn't for everyone. Sometimes, it's nice to be able to buy a little something for yourself. A nice meal, some comfortable sheets."
"A blaster," I added, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Most of the order frowns on those, but you know what? Sometimes, it really is just better to be able to deal with a problem without having to get right up in its face," Dyas grinned. "What do you say to ten percent of the profits?"
"Twenty," I countered automatically.
"Fifteen," Dyas offered and I nodded, reaching out a hand to him, which he shook with a grin.
"Should we focus on short term investments, mid-term, or long term? Do you want high risk high pay, or low risk but steady pay?"
"All of the above. Whatever you think works best. Just keep in mind that we have a time limit of, say… seven years."
I saw where he was going immediately and nodded. "I'll need to know how much I have to work with. The amount will change how I invest. A small purchase of shares will go unnoticed, but a large purchase will be noticed and can change the outcome."
"I'll send the information to your terminal," he nodded to my tablet. "Work out what you think is best, send it back to me, and I'll take care of it. Then keep me advised when we need to do anything with it."
"I will," I agreed, and with that, master Dyas stood.
"In the meantime, how about a lesson?"
I closed up my book and grabbed it and my tablet and began following him. "What sort of lesson?"
"Well," Dyas hummed, considering. "You've been learning how to predict blaster bolts shot from drones using the Force." It wasn't a question, but I nodded regardless. "That's just one aspect of the larger field that is precognition through the Force. With enough power and skill, you can even receive visions of the future. You should be careful of them, of course, because you might set yourself down a path you otherwise wouldn't. The future isn't set in stone, but it's very easy to trap yourself. Still, it's still a very useful thing to study. How about I get you started with something a little simpler? A form of precognition that won't wind up hurting you. Something a bit more general than combat precognition or even the typical sense of danger?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, curious.
"Knowing how to be in the right place, at the right time, to meet the right people…"
It took over a month, but eventually they gathered enough new students to justify a trip. There were eight of us crammed onto a small ship for a trip out to the Unknown Regions and Ilum. It was two weeks there and back—most of that time spent in a jump off of any of the normal hyperspace routes, one that had faded into the annals of history as Ilum no longer received much in the way of traffic save for the Jedi pilgrimages.
Of the students, aside from myself, four were female and three were male. It was a mixture of human and near-human species, pretty typical of what I had seen in the academy so far. For some reason, after the first day being stuck in the ship, they gave me a lot of space. I wasn't entirely sure why, really. All I did was my usual routine of training and research. For some reason, that intimidated them—I could feel the emotion coming off of them, along with a bit of fear. I'd even caught a conversation where master Jinn had reassured them that no, what I was doing wouldn't be expected of them any time soon.
I was pretty sure they were just afraid of hard work.
Luckily, I wasn't entirely bored on this trip. Master Jinn and his padawan had apparently drawn the short straw this time, so I spent much of my time when I wasn't working on personal things with Obi. Too much time, really.
The ship was small and quarters were limited, which meant everyone had to share. Master Jinn had his own private quarters, as was his right as ranking officer. Obi had her personal quarters—perks of being the second in command. The rest of the kids were crammed between one more room with four bunks for the girls and the living room for the boys. That would have left one of the girls the odd one out, or sleeping on the floor, but Obi took pity on me. That, or someone had filled master Jinn on my sleeping arrangements. Either way, I wound up bunking with Obi, with the older girl using me as a body pillow. I didn't mind too much, if only because her presence wasn't psychically grating against my own when I tried to sleep. In fact, it was actually rather soothing.
Regardless, when we touched down on Ilum, I was happy to finally be able to stretch my legs as we stepped out of the ship… and onto the ice, where I was immediately annoyed that my tiny body was losing heat. I spun up one of the formulas I'd gotten working in recent days, producing a weak shield—it wasn't omni-directional nor was it enough to stop a blaster yet, but it was enough to shield me from the wind or make an umbrella.
Since that only fended off the wind but didn't stop the loss of heat to the cold air, I split my focus and tried another. It was a simple formula I hadn't tried yet just because I hadn't had a need, but one we had made extensive use of during the Russy campaign in the Empire. It took a few moments, but eventually, I felt warmth spread through my body and let out a happy sigh.
Master Jinn and Obi-Wan both took note immediately but chose not to comment, even as both radiated surprise, curiosity, and in Obi's case amusement. The pair led us some distance away from the ship to an ancient temple, covered in ice and snow. We stepped inside and I let my shield fall as we got out of the wind.
"Gather around, everyone," master Jinn called, and the group of students stopped staring wide-eyed at the empty temple. "This is perhaps the most important trial you will ever undertake as a Jedi. In this temple, you will be tested. Your courage, endurance, determination, wit, and even your character. A different challenge awaits each of you, depending on the path you choose. And at the end of that path, your lightsaber crystal."
Looking around, he met all of our eyes, a grave expression on his face. "I warn you, this trial is not for the faint of heart. Initiates have died in the past. We cannot follow you, as the path is yours alone to walk. The danger is very real. If you feel you are not ready, say so now. There is no shame in acknowledging your limits. You can return to the temple for further study and practice, until you feel confident that you are ready."
Qui-Gon waited for a few moments and, eventually, one of the girls cracked and rushed over to his side, looking ashamed. He merely smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Very well, then. For those who wish to proceed, you may begin. But be aware, there is a time limit. You have until sunset, before the entrance freezes over—after which, you'll be stuck inside. May the Force be with you."
As the other students turned and began wandering into the temple, I sat down and closed my eyes. Reaching out with the Force, I felt the temple around me and the wellspring or convergence of Force it was built upon just like the one on Coruscant. Focusing on my desire to find the crystal that was best suited to me, I felt a pull in the Force and stood.
The pull led me through a door none of the others had taken, then down a side path, eventually coming to a section where the hall abruptly ended with a room to either side. Feeling the pull going through the wall, I spun up a mage blade and cut a hole in the wall, before giving the chunk of ice a good shove with the Force. The circular chunk fell through, revealing a natural path behind it.
Stepping through, I continued, into the dark. Another formula produced a small bead of light above my head. The passage I was in looked old—and like it hadn't been traveled in hundreds of years, if not longer. Not since they put up the wall, however long ago. It slowly sloped downwards, before ending in a larger cave, jagged teeth of ice on the floor and ceiling both and a slow drip from above where light barely filtered down from the surface.
At first, I didn't see a way through and thought I would need to make my own path again, but the Force guided me almost straight to a crack in the wall. It was just narrow enough for someone of my size to slip through. I squeezed my way in, the ice scraping my back and chest as I slowly went, until popping out the other side into a much narrower sloping tunnel.
More walking, more navigating around obstacles, ever downwards. Through more caverns and ever narrower tunnels and cracks in the walls, floor, and occasionally ceiling. I didn't feel particularly close to the source of the pull after well over three hours according to my chronometer, to my consternation.
It was as I was crossing one particular cavern bisected by a rushing river of icy cold water that I heard something and, abruptly, felt danger within the Force. It came again a moment later as a low snapping sound. I turned up the output on my light formula and switched it to directional mode, casting out a beam of light, only to see nothing but the cavern and the water. Nothing living to make any sort of sound on the ice.
So what…?
The answer came to me at the same time the Force warned me to jump back. I made the leap, only for the ground to crack and split below me as the ice gave way. I fell, a torrent of water coming with it as the river abruptly diverted down the new sinkhole—hundred, if not thousands of feet deep, if my perception in the Force was right.
Shit, shit, shit! No! I won't die down here hunting for some magic rock!
I reacted on instinct, dropping my warming formula and firing up a flight formula. I'd tried before, a few times over the years, and it had never worked. I could never quite make the conversion from mana to Force.
In my panic, I tried again. I threw out entire sections of the formula and replaced them with things that I'd perfected with other formulas I'd managed to get working. Then, I dumped Force into it.
The formula sputtered and for a moment, I slowed. It gave out a moment later and I began tumbling in the air.
Come on! Come on! Fly damn you!
The formula roared to life around me as I felt my energy reserves drop precipitously. It wasn't enough to stop my fall, but it was enough to slow it. To direct it. I felt a tug from the force and launched myself at the cave wall, dropping the light formula as I waited until the last second. Slashing forward, a mage blade sprang to life and ripped a hole in the wall, just in time for me to fall into another tunnel, this one sloped far down.
I landed with a crunch on my side even as I rolled. The world turned end over end in a confusing jumble, my body bouncing off of several large pieces of ice and breaking through, knocking the wind from me and leaving me stunned. Until eventually, I slammed into something hard enough that I felt something in my chest give. It might have been another stalagmite or it might have been the wall—I had no way to tell.
There was a brief pain, and then nothing. Nothing but cold and dark as I drifted off.