Chapter 17: Chapter 17 – Training

 

"Damn." A minute later. "REALLY?"

Aila was on top of the stone plateau, practicing, and absorbing large amounts of earth element. The problem is that she wanted to absorb specific amounts, small areas, to cut lines in the stone, but her control was only at a basic level.

"Dammit!" She swore again. Her hand was spread out, palm down, while a large round area under her hand disappeared. It was about two feet deep, and had a spherical bowl shape.

"This isn't what I wanted!" She growled, lifted her hand away, and decided to sit down. She put her feet into the bowl, and thought for a moment.

"What am I doing wrong?" She pursed her lips. "I had the same trouble with the trees, taking so much life elements that the tree would disappear completely."

Aila stayed silent for another minute or so, and closed her eyes. The brown elements were highlighted, as well as the red and yellow elements in the air above her. Not only that, she could sense white elements now that she was up higher.

"White? Is those wind elements?" She asked, and frowned. "Stop getting distracted!" She said quickly.

"I'm not five years old now. I am not in kindergarten, and need to be reminded of what I have to do. It's time to focus on the things I came out here for." Aila firmly scolded herself as she knew she could only rely on herself now that she was in this strange world.

"You know, I had the same problem with the trees." She said softly, and suddenly came to a conclusion. "I am only focused on absorbing the elements, not trying to absorb them in a specific way. That was why I couldn't cut trees the way I wanted to. I will be able to do it better in the future, when it's second nature, but I have to use tools to guide myself right now." She stood up and dusted off her leather pants.

"Which means I still need to use tools, or methods that will do what I picture." Aila nodded just once, and only a small amount as though she put a point on her statement.

"Or I need to better picture what I'm doing."

 

* * *

 

"Cough cough!" Aila waved her hand to clear the dust away from her face after a large section of the plateau's surface turned to dust.

"Blech." She licked her lips and wiped away the dust. "Damn, that didn't work, and now the top is dotted with holes and dents!" For twenty feet in all compass directions, the surface of the stone was pitted and damaged.

"I've been at this for hours! I've made no headway on this at all!" She groaned and sat down for a few minutes.

"What am I doing wrong!" She said angrily. When she was about to punch the stone surface, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Calm. Calm. It only gets worse if I lose my temper. I take more energy when I get angry, and my control is worse. It's like a fire that grows stronger when I'm angry." She slowed her breathing, kept her eyes closed, and lowered her head. If her eyes were open, she would see the stone of the plateau.

"I don't want to see the stone. I want to see the energy as that is what I'm manipulating, and it's also what effects the stone." Slowly, her focus sharpened, and the energy appeared with more clarity.

"Like soldiers in a line, in battle formation, each standing on his brother's shoulders, and each has the back of their brother. They also protect the front if they are in the face. I don't want all of you. Just these ones." She pointed, and pulled a line of energy away from the formation.

"As far as my finger can go in, I want all this. In the left and right side of my finger, I want this." She said quietly, and the line she imagined was pulled away.

"Hm? It doesn't flow like water, but stays in place when there is a gap. I see. I made it flow with my thoughts, and as a result, I took large amounts all around. Just like it was a pail of water in a puddle." Aila opened her eyes, and grinned.

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"I can make bricks." Aila inadvertently learned a small skill, and didn't even know it. She could make the elemental essence move where her thoughts directed it, even if the object was solid like stone, or wood. It would be something that would serve her well in the coming years, as she could use it to smooth just about any surface of any imperfection.

Aila started to cut her brick grid pattern in the surface of the plateau, but realized that she had made a mess of the surface.

"Ugh." He heard a soft growl, and sighed. "I'm hungry, which feels great!" She giggled. "Time to go home and grab a nice hearty lunch!" She jumped down off the plateau, and stirred up a line of dust as she ran at high speed.

If one listened carefully, you could hear a girlish giggle and scream as she ran. She really thought it felt like a roller coaster, and had a lot of fun doing the run.

 

* * *

 

"What are you doing?" The patriarch of the family walked into the room where the slaves were allowed to sleep. His son was in there now, his hands all over one of the female slaves.

"Father!" The man chirped in fear. His father's face was red with anger, the veins on his forehead bulging, and his fists clenched tightly.

"Not only did you cost us fifty large silver for the compensation to that merchant, you drew that person's attention to us!" His father growled. "Now that we need to sell these slaves to get back some of our operating capital, you're playing around and injuring them?"

"But father, why don't we just kill her?" He said with a whine in his voice. His father closed his eyes, and turned his head a little bit away. He wasn't considering the idea, as they had already tried that. He was so angry, if he didn't control himself, he would beat his son into a coma.

"Do you know how many elite guards we lost?!" He couldn't keep his mouth shut now. "We only have a few foundation realm elementalists left! We have no Core realm guards, and it wouldn't have mattered if there were!"

"But why not use an assassin?" He asked. His father's eyes narrowed. "We already lost the coin, but if we use an assassin to kill her, we can take back what we lost." His father's eyes narrowed.

"Do you understand what could happen if that method fails? She shattered the stone with her fist. She burned the gate down. She moved faster then anyone could see. Right now, she's only ignoring us because we have not angered her further." The patriarch frowned slightly. "If the Magistrate was our target, would you suggest this method?" Liam shook his head quickly.

"Not a chance! He's a Core realm and can detect people before they even get close!" Liam said quickly.

"You're not as stupid as I thought. Then listen to your own advice, and remember what she did." The patriarch walked away, and thought he had properly warned his son. He already told him that it wouldn't matter if they had a Core realm practitioner, as she was stronger than that.

Unfortunately, Liam didn't realize that the one he wanted to kill was a lot stronger than that Magistrate he feared, and could detect any lifeforms nearby, or far away. He looked at the girl he really wanted to play with.

"I'll be able to get you back soon enough." The young woman shivered in disgust after he left, while the older women with her held her hand.

"I hope he fails." The older woman grimaced as her slave collar punished her for her words with a little pain. The others didn't speak, but they agreed with her.

They not only hoped he failed, but that the clan would never be able to buy them back. They've heard stories of how other slaves had clothes given to them by their masters, and that although their food was basic, it still filled their belly.

They could not remember a day when they went to sleep with a full stomach, nor a winter where they had clothes that kept them warm.

The Inaris clan was the end of the line for many young men and women, and all wished they could be anywhere but there.

 

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