Thea looked at each item on the alters in turn. Simple, sturdy, tools of there respective trades. Each an ancient heirloom from the original founders of each village profession, the founders of the tiny isolated mountain village. Most of the artifacts where old and worn away. Her parents and instructors where at the back of the room looking both proud and a bit annoyed save for her combat instructor. He smiled at her and nodded to her knowingly, obviously more clued into what was going on with her than the rest of the people there. Most thought she would choose the right hand glove, representative of the villagers healing house. After all even though she was a total failure at magic she was still quite good at mundane methods. Steady hands and a keen eye, things that made her a passable hunter made her a good healer.
A few more seconds of working up her confidence though and Thea caused almost every mouth in the room to fall open simultaneously. It wasn't so much shock as it was worry for her life. She had put her and on the talisman for warriors, a troll's helmet that likely had comparable weight with the torian herself. By any measure the girl was pathetic in combat, often ending up in the infirmary with self inflicted wounds when her offensive spells detonated on her or she fumbled her staff and bashed herself. The tension of such serious thoughts was broken however when the second part of the ceremony began. The new citizen of the community was supposed to take the artifact to the centre alter and begin her prayers so that she may also select a god to serve. However when she tried to lift the helmet it didn’t budge. She tired harder and it only slid an inch or so.
Despite the seriousness of the mood before the hall erupted into laughter as she put both small legs against the alter and tugged with all her might. Still nothing. When she could take the shame and embarrassment no more she launched herself up through the sky light of the temple that graced the items with noon day sunlight. While she was away her parents arranged for her to try again on the next new moon's noon.
It was some time before the little torian rolled back into town. She was incredibly glad that the ceremonies where private, but it still felt as if everyone around was looking at her with amusement. Perhaps one of her instructors had gotten drunk and loose lipped. Or perhaps she was finally going crazy. One creature could only take so much failure. If the gods where there then they had made her for there noir entertainment it seemed. Thinking about it drunk was where she wanted to be. She hated alcohol but it had its uses.
That in mind she headed into a bar and ordered an entire bottle of elven wine. It would only take a glass or two to get her off but she didn’t care about that now. She intended to try for the entire bottle. But just as she was starting to lose her rationality the worst possible person walked in. Her magic instructor, a rude, arrogant, lecherous gutter spawn that she wished she could just kill and be rid of. And of course he chooses to sit down next to her. "Quite a lot of drink you have there, maybe you should be smart and just share it." He said in his oh so smooth voice that she hated.
"You came to laugh some more?" She asked coldly glaring at her bottle.
"And if I say yes?" The mage asked picking up a half full glass that he hadn’t even ordered. Showed how much of a patron he was. She couldn't tell that he was trying to be charming. She was far too drunk for that before she had even looked at a bottle. Instead she took it as an insult and ripped her sickle free from her sash and slammed it into her instructor's leg. Panicking she ran out from the city and took flight again, the bloody weapon was still in her hand. Fate was working against her though and there was a sharp pain in her head and then blackness.
The next thing Thea knew she was sitting up in chains. She immediately tried to struggle out of them, but that was no use. Her small muscles where no match for the cold steel. She was more liable to break one of her hollow bones then to break free of them. Suddenly a figure pushed its way into the tent where she was trapped. The torian immediately jumped up to defend herself, hoping the chains wouldn't impede her too terribly. “And you wanted to be made a town defender.” Said a familiar voice.
One could notice her face visibly brighten at the sound of her combat instructor's voice, a voice she had been romancing for years, but she didn't quite get the rescue she had imagined. All that registered on his face was disappointment. She would try to apologize but he would just ignore it until finally she snapped. “What!? What is it?” She yelled in frustration.
“Your weak Thea.” He said simply. “I think now that is never going to change. Your captors had very little skill yet they still had you. It is because you are weak.” This statement Earned him his first ever hate full stair. “Be angry, but I cant leave the village in hands like yours. I wont let people die for your ego.” Thea couldn't find the words to argue with him and just turned away.
“What do you want from me?” she asked hopelessly.
“I want you to stop holding us back.” He sais the words as if they where nothing then continued walking on coldly. The torian's eyes tear up and she shouts her promise that she wouldn't be back until he was at her feet groveling. Though he kept walking away he had a smile on his face. 'This will give me plenty of time to bury the village,' he thinks to himself sadly not watching her go, but hearing the angry footsteps. There where some things people like her just shouldn't see. And what was fueling those smoke signals in the distance was something she was not ready for. “In truth she will most likely die in a month anyways.”