More From the Journal's of Jamison LeFey.

[TheWarden]

Pain, it wracked my body from the very moment that my back struck the behemoth of a tree. The problem with magic was that the fundamental laws that govern the universe and all things. Of course I had shielded myself from the beast's attack. But the creature was still physically strong enough to knock me from my position into the tree to which I had been keeping my back. My shield still held the beat off as it lunched for me, the runes carved into my staff where ablaze with the emerald energy that held the shield up before me. I believe that I will forever remember its gaping maw and gnashing teeth crashing against the half dome that I held up before me.

Repelled by the emerald dome I held up the creature bounded back with a Lupine roar claws outstretched for me, it was confidant that it was going to break through the weakened shield. It was more stupidity that drove this beast to what it thought was its next meal.

Adrenaline was a powerful tool for wizards it made the world appear to slow, sped up the heart beat, the speed of a heartbeat was a critical way to time actions in battle; especially against a faster, stronger opponent.

It took four heartbeats for the beast to come upon me. They where the loudest heartbeat’s of my entire life up to that point.

The first rang loudly, My fingers fell a pouch on my belt. From it, a pinch of finely ground silver dust pulled free and palmed into my hand. It felt heavy, protective, like when one carries a concealed dagger, it felt… safe.

The second beat brought focus to eyes. Watching the beast barrel towards me through the distortion brought by my emerald shield. My fists clenching tightly around the silver dust, around the staff given to me by my master, taken from the same tree that the great and powerful Merlin cut his own staff.

The third heartbeat brought forth Clarity, it was my plan, my course of action, I knew exactly what I was going to do. That came quickly and as such allowed me an eternity of silence to prepare myself.

The Fourth heartbeat was brought with a crash against the shield, the energy ablaze sending sparks filling the moonlit night. With the crash all I remember is shouting, shouting at the top of my lungs as I pushed all I had into the shield… every ounce of me pushed into that green dome before me. The surge of Energy made it shatter like luminescent shards of glass. Glass that pierced the skin of the Loup-Garaou before him. The shield shattered and the beast now sent off course found itself now flying past me, with large shards of the magical ‘glass’ that had previously been my protection from it. protruding from its body. Leaning away from the wolf creature, Jamison flicked a wrist, sending that pinch of silver powder into the beast’s maw.

My shoulder hit the ground hard. Though I heard the beast hacking and wheezing. Coughing like he had never heard anything cough before in his life. When I chanced a glance back at the beast, the only sight was my Master, with his gleaming silver warden’s blade held high, standing over the body of the creature I had just immobilized. Watching as it writhed, clawing at its own throat and chest, perhaps in an attempt to get the silver dust out of its system.

With a blur of gleaming movement it was all over. There was no more hacking, or coughing, there was no more hulking beast that I had known this night, there was silence, silence and the body of a man, the shards of emerald glass fading from existence, leaving only gaping wounds..

My Master said few words to me that night. He was displeased. That much was obvious. “Dumb luck, is not a replacement for skill LeFey… never should an animal get that close to a warden… Be silent on the return trip… and consider how you might improve…”