I breathed a sigh of relief because I thought we were safe. Then I heard the sky crack and knew my mistake. They had let us through, and now we were alone with the raging elements. "Get away from the trees" Nuroara looked at me blankly. Like the me from ten seconds ago, she thought we were homefree. Not wasting time with an explanation, I grabbed her and sprinted out of the forest. With barely seconds to spare, a pillar of lightning came down changing the tranquil forest we had been standing in to a conflagration we just barely managed to duck out of. I saw comprehension dawning on her face, slow and terrible. "The Stormcaller" I shook my head. "You're not wrong, but he has an older name than that, one closer to the truth. Skymancer. It's been said he shaped this land when he walked it. Storms, rains, the weather itself is a lasting byproduct of his machinations. He doesn't call the storm, he is the storm" I glanced up, I hadn't seen him yet but he had to be close. She looked at me curiously "How do you...?" "Later" I said with a head shake. Moments away from being zapped seemed a poor time to start a long story. There was nothing but open plains between us and a deranged, ancient mage who could do what he liked with the sky. As I was scanning, I noticed an angle, very subtle, but an angle of vision where, if I happened to put my head just so, would cause me to be assaulted by wind. It was so violent I had to look away. This tricked something in the good ol' memory banks. I immediately pushed all thoughts from my mind, quickly finding my center. Closing my eyes, I sent out waves of energy, invisible and undetectable to any but myself. The grass around me became mine, the spirit of the forest joined itself to me, the air surrounding us became our allies. I felt the intrusion exactly where the wind had kept me from looking. With something to go on now, I opened my eyes yet continued to impose my center on the world around me. I started to move forward with my charge behind me, and the weather changed immediately. What before had been nothing but thunder turned to torrential downpour. With a sinking feeling, I knew what was about to happen, even before I felt the rain drops hardening. "Down!" I screamed, already my blade was in my hands. She hadn't seen many of my tricks yet, distantly I wondered what she would think. I held my sword above my head and concentrated. My hands slowly went out wider, the blade rising off of my hands and expanding. In the space of a few seconds, I had it how I wanted: a metallic dome that shielded us on all angles. Not a few moments later, the soft dink of raindrops turned to violent crashes. The innocent life giving rain had turned to spears of ice, larger than arrowheads and doubly sharp. The strain of holding up our shelter was taking its toll but I wasn't worried in the least. I was particularly good at rising to a challenge, and truth be told, was a little excited at getting a shot at this ancient evil. I was a little worried about the girl. She had to be my first priority. If I fell, it could not be before she was safe. When this kind of resolve is upon me, I am at my most dangerous, and between you and I, that's saying something. So when the ice onslaught stopped, when I lowered my dome and prepared my blade for the next movement, there was no fear left; only fury.