Goldmind - A Short Story

[the winter system]

The Goldmind, a short story about a rebellion and gold. 

 

 

    Sai itched to tap her Steelmind. She itched to ignore the carefully laid plans by the group. However, the Metal Rebellion's carefully laid plans could not be disrupted by one Feruchemist's wild urges. The Terris Confederacy would have their own Feruchemists, carefully storing wakefulness in the day to watch through the night. Was it true? It seemed too good to be. 

   Sai twisted an ironmind around her wrist. She had a purpose to her extra metalminds. Most Feruchemists didn't store as much as she did. However, Sai needed as much a charge as she could get. Tonight, the Metal Rebellion would strike. Sai was one of the six Feruchemists that the Metal Rebellion had on this mission. This was important. Vital to the success of the Metal Rebellion in general. If the Terris Confederacy had discovered a new metal which could hold a charge? One that could store health? They'd be unstoppable.

 

And that's why Sai was there to steal it.

 

   Sai heard a crash and a scream. That would be Kae and Jordian, executing Stage One of the operation. Sai tapped steel, becoming three times as fast. She also tapped a pewtermind and a zincmind. She used the extra strength to pull herself up the walls of the fortress. This couldn't be done without the guards noticing, but in the moments it would take for them to tap zinc and steelminds, she would be gone. She let herself fall off the other side of the wall, filling her ironmind. She loved that particular feature about iron. Storing produced somewhat positive results.

   Another Feruchemist ran after her, but he was obviously only tapping the steelmind for twice as fast as normal. Sai stopped and pulled out a knife, stabbing it towards him. It was so fast that only the tapping of a zincmind probably saved him. The Feruchemist grabbed a sword out of his belt, but then Sai was gone.

   Inside the fortress. Here the Feruchemists would be more free with tapping metals. The Terris Confederacy, luckily, wasn't as paranoid as the Metal Rebellion. If she had been one of the Confederacy's Feruchemists, sneaking into the Metal Rebellion's bases would have been impossible. Instead, Sai ducked into a corner of shadow. She stopped tapping her metalminds. Sure, she had a lot of metals. That was no excuse to be sloppy with her stores. Sai had gotten past the walls and now it was time to wait for Ceron to do the same.

     "Where did that intruder go?" A normal guard mused. He was walking around. Sai was good at sneaking, even without using metalminds. She had been a thief before realizing she was a Feruchemist. That's why the Metal Rebellion had chosen her. 

    A guard disappeared from his post across the room. Sai tapped her vision tinmind, zooming in. Yep, that was Maylan in the shadows. Sai groaned, inwardly. If she had noticed the guard disapearing, what would those three obvious Feruchemists standing around the door think? Sai fingered the tinmind she was tapping. She didn't need to keep tapping it, and so she stopped. Sai stumbled as her sight returned to normal. Even with two years of experience, she still was disorientated by returning to normal vision.

    The last Feruchemist on the mission was the fourth guard. As the window smashed open, a fist of incredible strength smashing through, Shes turned against the others. Ceron ran in, pursued by exactly 7 ordinary guards and 2 Feruchemists. Feruchemy wasn't common, but the Terris Confederacy considered this "healing mind" valuable enough to go all out on it. The other guards jumped, surprised as Shes attacked. He had obviously practiced his swordplay recently. Shes pulled out his sword, slashing one guard's arm. Sadly, the wound began to close. The healingmind! Sai wanted to run forward, but this was another diversion. The real attack would begin once Shes and Ceron brought as many guards as they could away from the locked door. 

       The normal sniper that had been positioned earlier hit the same guard in the leg. The wound began to heal, but not all the way. Apparently the guard had only so much healing saved up. That made sense. The guards chasing Sai turned towards Ceron. Shes and Ceron ran out of the gate, the one that Sai had entered in. A fight would happen, but by that time, Kae and Jordian would join them. Sai sneaked slowly, tapping multiple metalminds in order to prevent foolish errors. There was five feet left, but no cover. Sai took a risk and bolted. She tapped her steelmind. Then she tapped pewter and hit the wall. She tapped iron as well, taking a heavy dose of increased weight. A trick Kae taught her, last week. It worked like a charm, the door breaking open.

    The room was filled with gold. Gold being forged into bracelets and earrings. The blacksmiths noticed Sai.

    "He'o, mist'ess Feruchemist. Have 'ou came to check on 'e work?" A blacksmith asked, soot covering her face.

    "Yes. I want all of the goldminds you have." Sai's unfamiliar voice alarmed the rest of them.

    "'Ey. You ain't with the Terr'sis 'Federacy, are ye'?" A man asked.

    "No." Sai acknowledged. "Give me your goldminds."

    "Nah, lassie." A blacksmith shrugged. "This room's a trapped, ya see?" Sai raised her eye, until she noticed the rest of the Feruchemists dropping from the roof. 

   "Surrender your metalminds. All of them." The head Feruchemist ordered. "You have a right to remain silent in the court of the law."

   "No way!" Sai said. "For Preservation's sake, no, I won't give up."

   "You give us no choice." The Feruchemist sighed. "I had hoped it would not come to this." 

   "Come to what?" Sai asked, tapping most of her metalminds. The circle of Feruchemists rushed forward. Sai grabbed a sword, swinging it wildly, just hoping to persuade them to stay away. However, the Feruchemists dodged her blows easily. Sai focused on one, but another swiped at her, making her focus on defending herself. Sai managed a lucky blow, but the Feruchemist just healed from it. Suddenly the head Feruchemist was there, knocking Sai off balance. Sai scrambled to her feet, but they were there. Someone pulled off a metalmind. Then a pewter enhanced hit knocked Sai dizzy. Almost unconscious, if not for her own pewtermind. 

    "If you surrender, you will be spared." The head Feruchemist warned. "If not, there will be no judgement for you."

    "You would have torn apart a nation." Sai gasped, her throat dry. 

    "We would have saved one." He growled. "Judgement?"

    "No." Sai was defiant, even facing death.

    "Very well."

 

Sai and her companions were hung the next day.

Edited November 13, 2014 by pir2h

[Curious Anamaximder]

Nice story!

[the winter system]

Thanks, I'm glad people like it!