You can buy the full version of this story here: Legend of the Crystals Chapter 2
Legend of the Crystals Chapter 2
By MagnusMagneto
Version 1.0
Approximately ~8,750 words
Previously on Legend of the Crystals:
The world of Gaia is much like many from our own fantasy tales and video games — in particular, those of western and Japanese role playing games. It is a world of swords, sorcery, and monsters. Humanity is constantly fighting hordes of monsters to merely protect their very existence. Life is harsh outside of well-fortified settlements, so only heavily guarded caravans and highly powerful adventurers ever dare trek beyond their homes. Our story centers on a small, sleepy town named Serenity. In particular, two young adults: Vala and Eloy. Eloy is a strong, handsome, by the books young man who works hard and can come off as a bit of a jerk due to his strictness. Vala is a complete screw-up who can’t even get all of her chores on the family farm done in a day. The two of them are sent to a cave to the north where they encounter a magic crystal that determines if “The One Chosen To Defeat The Monsters And Restore Order To The World” (henceforth called The Chosen One) is in its presence.
To their surprise, the Crystal comes to life, claiming that the Chosen One is indeed in its presence. Strangely no distinction was made between Vala and Eloy. Before they could obtain more details, the crystal seemingly self-destructed, leaving behind the remainder of its essence. Vala felt a tremendous surge of energy coursing throughout her, while Eloy convinced himself that he did too.
Unsure of what else to believe, Vala and Eloy agreed that they were both The Chosen One, or, to be more precise Chosen Ones. On their journey home, they fought kobolds (small reptilian monsters), a battle in which Vala found herself obtaining a tremendous amount of ‘experience points’ (wisps of light left behind when a monster is killed) and gaining strength, muscle, and skill in battle.
Later on, they encountered an ogre, a tremendous beast that threatened to end their lives. For the first time in her life, Vala harnessed the power of magic to weaken the beast and finish it off, which gave her far more muscle and strength in the process.
Back in Serenity, the duo returned to the town’s weapon shop where Alina, a beautiful, muscular blonde who is good at everything, welcomed them home. Impressed with Vala’s rapid results, and fully aware that the formerly mousey girl had next to no combat training, Alina offered to train the girl before they take off.
That’s where Chapter 1 ends, with Vala preparing to train under Alina.
1.) Shortly after Chapter 1 – Burr’s General Supplies and Weapons Shop.
Truthfully, despite the strength she had recently gained, Vala still couldn’t swing her sword correctly. Alina showed her the proper form for each movement, and Vala was able to replicate them fairly quickly. With only a handful of basic lessons, Vala was soon employing swordsmanship that would be fitting for someone who had rigorously trained for weeks.
“Remarkable.” Alina started, “Your ability to develop new weapon skills is immense. No offense, but I’d be willing to bet a week’s earnings that this is tied to you being the chosen one.”
Vala nodded, “None taken, I believe it. I never really had much talent for combat before. Or anything really…” she added with a hint of sadness.
Alina placed a friendly hand on her shoulder, “It looks like all of that is about to change. I guess in a sense you’ll go from relatively talentless, to having every talent imaginable.” She explained with a grin.
“I suppose so. It’s all kind of surreal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really grateful for everything that’s happened so far… for a while I was worried that I’d never amount to anything. I mean, I couldn’t even finish all of my farm chores at home! And now… well now I can rock bikini mail, kill kobolds, and even cast magic!”
Vala glanced down at her bikini-mail clad body. She still possessed the same powerful six-pack abs she did an hour ago. It was difficult for Vala to believe that this body was really hers. She was used to be so small, thin, and even slightly pudgy at the same time. Now her body was filled with rippling, powerful muscle, and it all seemed to appear from thin air over the course of the past 12 or so hours. It wasn’t just her body that had changed, it was virtually everything about her. Vala’s mind felt clearer, her energy levels remained consistently high, and she felt far more confident in general. The world seemed like her oyster; an oyster that was going to keep giving her more and more power. At the same time, she still had some doubts that everything happening was even real; perhaps it was some fever dream, or an elaborate trick by a cruel witch? Either way, she’d make the most of it now, and see where it took her.
–
Alina grabbed two mid-sized battle axes from the shop’s inventory, her thick biceps rippled from the motion. The blonde handed one to Vala and readied the other. “Now, battle axes have a bit more heft, so you have to swing them like so-” Alina cut the air with a strong, precise strike. “Your turn.”
Vala nodded, prepared herself, and swung in a manner quite similar to Alina’s example. She replicated the motion a few times, and it became more natural with each swing. “Ooof, my arms are kind of burning up.” she explained out loud.
Alina nodded, “Your body isn’t used to handling a weapon like this. Keep at it, I wouldn’t be surprised if you get some stat ups from doing this.”
Vala narrowed her eyes and increased her focus, striking the air with the weapon a few more times. “Oh yeah… that burning is getting even more intense.”
“Keep going! Three more swings!” Alina ordered.
Vala grit her teeth and complied, each attack taking more out of her than the last.
After successfully completing three swings, Alina spoke up, “Ok TWO more!”
“What!?”
“Just do it!”
Vala let out a sigh and with a loud, feminine grunt, performed another swing, rested for a few moments, and finally finished her task. Her stamina spent, Vala dropped the axe to the ground with a clang, and started to pant wildly.
“Nice work!” Alina exclaimed, giving Vala a gentle pat on the back.
“Mmmmm….” Vala cooed, “I’ve got that feeling again…” she preempted before her arms began to tremble and quake slightly. “Yes! Energy flowing into me!” she declared and a few moments later, the muscles in Vala’s arms became ever so slightly larger and better defined. With renewed vigor, she grabbed onto the battle axe, and found that she could swing it far more easily than before, barely taxing herself at all in the process.
“Well hot damn. You truly ARE the Chosen One!” Alina squealed.
Eloy merely watched from a distance, skulking slightly at how things were not going the way he had envisioned.
–
Next on Alina’s training list for Vala was archery. Vala was even more pathetic with a bow than she was with a sword. Despite having rippling, lusty limbs now, Vala could barely let loose with proper form, let alone hit anything close to a bullseye. Alina got hands-on with positioning the smaller girl, helping her develop the movements and motor skills necessary to string, pull, and loose the arrow. As was to be expected, Vala improved with remarkable speed. While she wasn’t chaining bullseyes, and likely wouldn’t be able to accurately hit a moving combatant, she could still consistently hit the outer circle of the practice target.
“Huh, that’s funny… my eyes seem, sharper?” Vala asked out loud, finding it difficult to understand precisely what she was feeling. “Like I can see a little bit clearer, and focus on things that are far away more easily?”
Alina nodded, “You must have leveled up your archery ability. When we increase a skill like that, some of our physical attributes are also improved. Considering that you’re the chosen one, and you’re developing your abilities so rapidly, it would make sense that other aspects of you, like your coordination, are improving too.”
Vala found herself drawn more and more to Alina. It was true that, their theories remaining true, that Vala would surpass her in virtually every way (aside from perhaps height and bust size, but that too had yet to be determined), but despite this, Alina was being such a great sport and a mentor too. Vala had always imagined Alina as some sort of narcissist as she was always pushing herself to her limit, but in hindsight, she realized that she was simply blinded by jealous and envy. In reality, Alina really was just that awesome of a person, intrinsically and extrinsically.
2.)
Alina wanted to continue Vala’s training, to explore more weapon types, get into advanced techniques, spar, and even cast magic, but she was interrupted.
“Vala, we really, really need to meet up with the town elder.” Eloy stated, growing more impatient by the moment.
Vala let out a sigh, “Do you always have to be such a spoil-sport?”
“If by ‘spoil-sport’ you mean responsible, then sure.” Eloy retorted.
Alina spoke up, “I hate to admit it since I’m having a lot of fun training you Vala, but I have to agree with Eloy. Your mission to save mankind is a bit more important than learning some basic weapon skills. Plus, I’m sure we can train after you meet with the elder anyways.”
“Thank you Alina.” Eloy replied, “Ready to go Vala?”
Vala rolled her eyes, “Sure, whatever.”
“Say…” Alina interjected, “Would you mind if I tagged along? I find all of this very fascinating, and to be honest, nothing really goes on at the shop anyways; I usually just practice my skills and read stuff instead of doing any actual work.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a great idea.” Eloy replied. It was strange, in the past he would have done almost anything to spend more time around Alina, but he wasn’t fond of how Vala was getting all of the attention from being a Chosen One. Instead, he wanted to keep Alina away from his traveling companion while he came up with a new strategy. In his mind, once they got out of the town and started their mission, he’d start improving as rapidly as Vala, if not moreso. Once they had completed their epic trek, whatever that would entail, he could return as the strongest man alive and sweep Alina right off her feet; or perhaps he would encounter a much more worthy mate on his travels. Either way, he just wanted to get things going and to keep the improving Vala away from everyone until he too began to change.
“Nah, that’s nonsense Eloy! If there’s someone in this town who’s qualified to give us a guiding hand, it’s Alina.” Vala explained with a grin. This statement was also strange, as a mere few days ago Vala secretly despised Alina for being so perfect at everything; now she was singing the other woman’s praises.
Eloy wanted to offer a retort, but realized that he’d look petty in the process. “Alright, fine, let’s just get going.” He conceded. The plan changed to ditching Alina as quickly as possible.
–
A few minutes later, the trio entered the hall of elders and reported what had occurred. The immediate reaction was that of shock, joy, and disbelief; the last of which was put to rest upon realizing that Vala’s new body and other improvements were only possible through something as drastic as her being a Chosen One.
After the initial debriefing, Eloy was the first to try and get things finally rolling, “So, Elder, what should we do next to fulfill our destinies?”
“The truth is, we don’t fully know. All we have known is that someday The Chosen One would be selected. We always presumed that The Crystal would explain what to do next, or The Chosen One would simply intuit their next move.”
Eloy sighed. This whole becoming The Chosen One thing wasn’t nearly as cool as he thought it would be. Alina didn’t seem interested in him, there was no heroic fanfare, and Vala seemed to be progressing far faster than he was. On top of all this, the elder didn’t even know what they should do next!
“Surely there is some kind of direction you can give us, Elder.” Eloy replied.
The old man stroked his long beard a few times as he contemplated the situation. “No, I’m afraid there really isn’t. I suppose that we will give you all the support that we can: whatever supplies that can be scrounged up, and a few gold coins. As I’m sure you’re well aware, we simply don’t have much to offer, not compared to some of the other towns.”
Eloy nodded his head. “That’s understandable. Would it be safe to presume that we should perhaps seek out these other settlements and enlist their support?”
A few more strokes of his beard indicated that the elder was contemplating this proposal, “That would likely be a fair assessment.” He turned his attention to Vala, “As the other Chosen One, what is your opinion on the matter Vala?”
I kind of…” Vala clearly hesitated, “It feels so weird to admit this, but… I really want to go kill monsters.” She let out a short nervous laugh.
The elder nodded, “I suppose that makes sense for a few reasons. First, as humans, we have been at never ending war with the monsters over our mere existence. Second, you’ve finally gotten a taste at combat, and thanks to The Crystal’s blessing, you seem to be developing at an extraordinary rate; I would estimate that as Chosen Ones you and Eloy now have limitless potential, making you even greater than a Hero. Finally, The Chosen one IS meant to save us mankind from the monsters, and I would wager fulfilling that fate will require the slaughter of myriad beasts.”
Despite rarely backing away from a fight, and an occasional monster-hunter in his own right, Eloy found himself at odds with Vala’s desires. It seemed trite to wander around just killing things. “I do understand that as Chosen Ones it will be our duty to slay a great number of monsters, but aimlessly doing so seems fairly pointless…”
“We’ll keep getting stronger in the process though!” Vala cheerfully piped up.
“Vala has a point.” Alina added, “The Chosen Ones will surely need to acquire as much power as possible. The more they slay, the stronger they will become. I would even argue that they need to focus on defeating a great number of monsters as quickly as possible to ensure that nothing happens to them.”
“What do you mean ‘so nothing happens’ to us?” Eloy cut in. “We’re the Chosen Ones, what could possibly happen?”
Alina shrugged, “I believe in the prophecies as much as the next faithful citizen of Serenity, but… let’s be honest Eloy, if you and Vala were to face off against, Maker forbid, a dragon… I don’t think you’d be successful.”
“You don’t know that. We probably have some kind of hidden power that would activate!” Eloy shot back.
The elder finally interjected, “I think you both raise valid points. It is possible that The Chosen Ones possess some kind of hidden inner power that would unleash in the face of true danger, but on the other hand, we do not know this for sure, and we cannot risk the future of all mankind on such uncertainty.
I have also considered both general viewpoints of Vala and Eloy, that the Chosen Ones should kill as many monsters as possible, or perhaps you should be focused. Since you are The Chosen Ones, I will not directly order you to do anything, but I offer the following advice: Incorporate both of these plans. Head towards the Imperial Capital, the hub of all mankind. There are many paths there, with myriad settlements on the way. How you go is entirely up to you. I do suggest that you utilize everything possible to increase your power however. Slay every monster you come across, help the townsfolk to gain as many resources as you can, and obtain the best equipment possible. Always remain vigilant to find new ways to gain greater strength.”
“But… what’s the end-” Eloy would have finished with the word ‘goal’ but he was interrupted.
“Yeah! That sounds awesome!” Vala squealed. She was surprised by how excited this all made her. Not so long ago, Vala was all but devoid of passion towards anything, and now she had true purpose and direction for her life.
“It’s settled then.” The Elder concluded. “Visit the treasurer and explain what has transpired here. You will be given whatever allowance we can spare. Finish up whatever loose ends you have here, and take off as soon as you can.”
“Alright, fine. I suppose this works.” Eloy agreed. He didn’t really like the lack of direction in the plan, but it was still better than nothing; as long as he could get out of Serenity and start fulfilling his destiny.
“Say… Elder…” Alina spoke up, “Well, Vala and Eloy too… Would it be out of place to ask if I can join the party?”
Vala’s eyes lit up, and Eloy’s stomach churned: An exact reversal of how their reactions would have been two days prior.
The elder stroke his beard once more, “Alina… I’m unsure if you’ve been made aware of this, but you are considered very important for the future of our village. You’re a bright, powerful young lady, brimming with potential, and frankly, you carry some of the best genetic stock we have. State your case to join the Chosen Ones when you yourself are not Chosen.”
Alina grimaced at this, she hated the way many of the older folk viewed her as some kind of machine that would pump out superior babies to strengthen the next generation. “Elder.” She started, collecting herself to provide as passionate an argument she could muster, “With all due respect, as of this current moment, I am stronger, faster, and better in combat than both of the Chosen. From what I have observed, the blessing of The Crystal has granted them limitless potential that can be achieved in supernaturally short order, but that will still take time to foster and develop. The world is harsh out there. As I know you are well aware of, I was the only person in Serenity who qualified to join the party of adventurers that passed through earlier this year.”
This revelation in particular was of shock to Eloy’s pride, as he had tried to join those same adventurers and was declined. This must mean that the gap between himself and Alina was far greater than he initially believed.
Alina continued, “And not to boast, but I am of even greater skill today. While I cannot improve at the same rate as The Chosen, I clearly still have much more potential to explore. I really hate to forsake humbleness, but, it is possible that I am close to a Hero in potential.”
All of this confused Vala. She knew that Alina was something special, but a hero? Curiosity taking hold of her, she interrupted the speech to clarify a point: “Alina, if you have as much potential, or even more, than an adventurer, why didn’t you become one when you had the chance?”
The blonde let out a sigh, and the elder fidgeted slightly. She turned her attention to him, “Care to explain for her?”
Te Elder cleared his throat, “The council as a whole specifically requested that Alina stay in Serenity for the sake of our future. We aren’t entirely sure why Alina is as gifted as she is, but her bloodline must be incredibly strong. We feared that if Alina were to leave as an adventurer, she may come to harm, or perhaps never return.”
Oh, that’s right – nobody knows Alina’s parents. She kind of just grew up an orphan here. Vala thought to herself, then realizing how many fantasy books she had read contained a similar trope: the somewhat mysterious orphan character with tremendous potential.
Alina then turned to Vala and Eloy. Without a single word, they understood what this had become: Alina saw this as an opportunity to finally strike it out of Serenity. They both felt sympathetic for her, though Eloy still didn’t want to take her. In Eloy’s mind, he would return from his adventure, sweep her off her feet, and explore a monster-less world with her. Vala on the other hand wanted Alina to join them even more. Sure, they had their disagreements, but it would be nice to have a third party individual, especially since Eloy had been acting so… weird lately. Plus, Alina was more qualified than they were for the time being, and she would provide added security for them.
3.) Outside the Elder’s Hall
“Vala, are you sure you’re ready to depart?” Alina asked.
“Uhh… I think so.”
“Maybe you should say goodbye to your parents?”
Vala’s eyes lit up, “Oh yeah! Woops, I feel kind of bad for totally forgetting.”
Eloy let out a sigh, “Yet another detour to our departure.”
“Hey, cut it out Eloy. Who knows when you guys will get to see your parents again.” Alina lightly scolded.
He shrugged.
“Shouldn’t we stop by and visit your parents as well Eloy?” Vala suggested.
The young man shook his head, “No. They made it very clear that if I am the Chosen One, then I need to complete my task before I see them again.”
“That seems… harsh?” Vala offered.
Eloy shrugged, “That’s just how it’s always been.”
Vala half-smiled, unsure of what to feel. She wondered what Eloy’s upbringing was like if his parents acted that way. Perhaps that’s how he ended up the way he did? Vala decided that she’d have to try to be a little more understanding of Eloy’s uptightness until she had a clearer picture of things.
“Well, okay, only if you’re sure.”
“I’m positive.”
The issue was settled.
–
Vala’s mother, Tilda, was in a word: big. Tall, broad, with thick bones, large features, and of course, tremendous muscles that had developed from decades of grueling farm work.
In the land of Gaia, men and women have the same physical potential on average, although women tend to skew slightly shorter in stature. Of course, each individual possesses wildly varying caps to how far they can develop their abilities, but there is no natural bias against muscular development in females. Additionally, humans in this universe are generally capable of training themselves far beyond what is possible in our own.
Some women, such as Tilda, have seemingly no limit to how far they can develop their own bodies. It is a slow, gradual process, but years of continuous labor can produce some truly tremendous human specimens. In cases such as Tilda’s, only the passage of time dictates what limit their bodies can be brought to, as shortly after middle-age they begin to decline.
She was out in her field, literally carrying multiple bales of hay on her wide, powerful back. From a distance, she saw what appeared to be Vala having finally returned from visiting the cave; not just Vala, but a bikini-armor-clad Vala with what appeared to be bulging muscles.
“By the gods… V-vala!? Is that really you?!” The mammoth-sized woman cried out loud upon seeing her daughter, dropping the bales of hay to her side. Tilda had a thick accent and a rugged voice that was still distinctly feminine.
“You betcha!” Vala grinned.
“But.. How!?”
“We’re the Chosen Ones!” the younger woman cheerfully explained.
“All three of yous is!?”
Vala shook her head, “Just Eloy and me. Alina isn’t Chosen. She’s already perfect enough as she is, you know?”
Tilda took a few steps closer toward her daughter. The size discrepancy between them became more apparent: Tilda was a towering behemoth of feminine muscle, with biceps so large that they appeared to be the same width as Vala’s waist; Vala on the other hand, despite having gained a fair bit of muscle since last seeing her mother, was still comparatively much smaller and shorter. In fact, Tilda even made the brawny Alina look small in comparison.
“I… I thought there was only one Chosen One.” Tilda scratched her head, her thick, throbbing bicep erupting from the mere motion.
Eloy spoke up this time, “That’s what we thought too, but…” he interrupted himself – he was about the recount how the Crystal had not specified who was Chosen and exploded, but realized that it could actually be interpreted that only one of them was Chosen – “Well, things just didn’t turn out that way.” He explained with a forced smile.
“Well I’ll be damned.” Tilda was still somewhat bewildered. “Say, Eloy, that’s yer name right?” She was fairly familiar with Eloy as he was one of the promising young men she wished Vala could successfully court.
The young man nodded his head in affirmation.
Tilda continued: “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’ve seen you around Serenity a few times, and you look about the same as you did last time I laid eyes on ye. My Vala on the other hand… Well, she’s had quite the transformation!”
“Yeah… Uhh, Alina has a theory about that, right?” Eloy deflected the question.
The blonde, always eager to prove herself in any way she could, happily picked up the verbal baton, “You see miss Tilda,” That was one of Alina’s innumerous talents: the ability to recall the name of virtually any villager, “With all due respect, Vala wasn’t particularly… strong, or overly capable, before becoming a Chosen One.”
Tilda let out a hearty laugh that filled the air, she buckled over slightly, slapping her huge thigh, “Ya ain’t kiddin’ me kid. Boy, poor Vala here couldn’t finish all of her farm chores, now she’s here with a rippling six pack in bikini armor!” she laughed once more.
Alina nodded, “Right. Well, I’ve posited that because Eloy was already one of the most capable villagers our age, he had far less room to develop. As a result, he hasn’t seen much of a change as Vala, since she needed to ‘catch up’ in a sense.”
“Posit, eh? That’s an awful nice word to hear round here.”
Alina blushed slightly, “Thanks. I’ve read a lot of books in my spare time.”
“Well, no need to just stand around out here. Come on in kids!” Tilda said, leading them into her humble home.
You can buy the full version of this story here: Legend of the Crystals Chapter 2