Date: Monday November 19th 2017

  The last few weeks went by quickly for Helo and his party. They spent less time in the dungeon and more time working on their technical skills. Micah has each of them practicing multiple weapons daily. He said that in a fight sometimes you need to use what is around you.

  The party still gained the level that they needed to reach 30. But everyone only gained a single level.

  Alli and Hinata are level 34, Gabi hit 31, and everyone else went up to 30.

  Both Luna and Aiko choose skills to help them defend themselves. Luna chose ‘Sound Blast’, it is a skill that sends out a blast of sound in either a cone or circle around her.

  Sound Blast (Common): absorb the sound waves around you and send them out in a cone or circle. Can be used as long as you absorbed sound.

  She learned that the longer she lets the skill charge the greater the blast will be.

  Aiko chose a simple skill called ‘Light Arrow’; it used her light affinity to create a semi-physical and heat-based attack.

  Light Arrow (Common): Create an arrow from the light around you.

  Cody’s level 30 skill actually ended up being a movement-based skill. He actually got a mana and ice-based version of Helo’s ‘Double Step’

  Ice Shift: Using the cold air around you create a path of ice to move quickly.

  The skill ended up being really unique. Due to its ice-based nature, the colder it is in the area or the more ice that can be created means the skill will be more powerful. Also, when using the skill Cody loses his stationary buff. But due to the ice nature he still retains the cold based buff to his attacks.

  Lelai has been growing with Helo and she has no skills due to her beast nature, but she gained the ability to modify the temperature of her mist; from freezing to scalding hot.

  Helo on the other hand reached level 20. Along with the increase to stat points, Helo decided to gain another skill. The skill that he chose has a lot of promise.

  Bleeding Cut (Common): a skill that forces cuts to bleed longer and faster. Can be used every five seconds.

  The ability to force a cut to bleed works well for Helo. Half his bloodline is locked behind a barrier that requires Helo to absorb vitality. One thing that Helo has noticed is that in a field with many enemies, he can absorb vitality from the air. Either from blood or the vitality released upon death.

  It is Monday morning now and there is only six days before Helo fights Dorimer Starhaven. Nobody is actually worried that Helo will die, but they are worried about how much he will give away.

  They are hoping that Helo hides his bloodline, aura, affinities, and his knife skills. Micah wants Helo to win using only his naginata training and his movement skill.

  As Helo is sitting on the couch waiting for breakfast, Micah steps into the room. “Alright kid. Time to train.”

  Looking at Micah in surprise Helo gets up to follow him. Once outside Micah has Helo start stretching and going through simple katas of the bo-staff, spear and naginata.

  The sharp tip, shaft length and blade, make it so that Helo can use techniques from all these weapons. As he is warming up Helo is also working on something that Micah has had him training.

  Wrist strength and flexibility is important for the ‘Moon-Staff’ style. So, as he is warming up Helo is also stretching his wrists and slowly going through the wrist movements for spinning a staff.

  Warming up for a while Helo stops in surprise when he sees Alli step into the field as well. She is wearing leggings and a crop top, both of which are filled out nicely on her small height.

  Staring for a moment Helo quickly turns hoping he didn’t get caught. From the laugh he heard coming from Alli’s direction he failed. She starts warming up with him and is surprisingly skilled at staff skills.

  Staring in shock Micah steps up next to him. “I know kid. It’s a real shame, right?”

  Helo gives Micah a side eye and doesn’t respond. Micah doesn’t care though and keeps talking. “She has always been skilled with a staff. She is close to mastering the first energy technique of the ‘Moon-Staff’ style. But the thick-headed girl insists on fighting with a hammer.” Micah says with a hint of nostalgia and annoyance.

  “Seriously, do you know how expensive her staff is? No… Well very. But whenever she gets close to someone, she uses her constructs to attach a massive hammer head onto her staff. She would do more damage if she just used the staff end.” Micah says all this loud enough for Alli to hear.

  She looks at them and sticks her tongue out before going back to warming up.

  After both Helo and Alli are warmed up Micah starts his lesson. “Now I am sure that you both have heard it enough that this is a defensive style. So, I won’t tell you about how it is a defensive style. No need to get defensive, I just want to make sure that you know it is a def…”

  “WE GET IT!” Alli yells at her uncle. “It is defensive. Now you’re going to need to defend yourself, unless you get on with it.” As Alli says this, she lifts her staff into the air. On the end a massive hammer head appears. Taking a closer look Helo can tell that Alli has been working on her runes a lot.

  The hammer head has an array built into it that increases the impact and adds debilitating effects. Helo has also been studying his enchanting. So, looking at and figuring out the runes is getting easier for him. It also helps that his aura has that weird ability to feel what an enchantment is doing.

  “You have been working hard my little niece.” Micah says with a smile, while admiring the hammer head. “That looks pretty deadly.”

  “Any way you both can be pretty hot headed. Alli you are all the time.” Micah says this with a smirk and a wink at Helo.

  This causes Alli to growl at them both. Helo holds his hands up in an ‘I’m not a part of this’ action.

  Micah chuckles and continues. “Helo you can be in a fight. I just need you both to not break style to soon. It might save your lives. Anyway, now it is time I show you how the energy manipulation works.”

  “First.” Micah pulls out a staff. “The style was made for staffs. It creates a staff projection. With enough work you can make the style change its shape into whatever polearm you are carrying. But to start it is a staff style.” He hands the staff to Helo.

  Holding the staff Helo can tell that it is made to help with energy manipulation. “Modifying the projection takes time, meditation, and another technique. This technique basically bonds a weapon shape into your soul. It makes it easier to use said weapon.”

  “To start both of you will be wielding staffs.” Micah pulls out another and starts slowly spinning it. It is a mesmerizing sight. Slowly for Micah, creates gusts of wind that start whipping around the training field. “That faster you move your body, the staff, and your energy; the more projections you can make.”

  Micah slows down and shows how a single projection appears to follow his staff. The projection is always on the opposite side of the staff. He speeds up and a second projection appears. Now they make a triangle around his body. Then a third appears and Micah is boxed in by spinning staffs.

  Finally, his speed picks up so fast that Helo and Alli don’t know what they are seeing. Everything is a blur, but what they can make out is that a fourth projection appeared and now his body is boxed in by only projections. For just a moment they can see the flicker of a fifth projection above his head. The wind has turning into a tornado that is cycling around Micah.

  Micah gradually slows down and the wind stops with him. The projections vanish one by one until there is only Micah and a staff. With a pant he says. “I’m getting close to my fifth projection. That is the peak that out style can create. At least the limit of the style that we have. The greater BrightMoon clan’s style goes past rare tier. I have read about how the style can send projections spinning out to create a primary and secondary line of defense.”

  Micah puts the staff on his shoulder. “After the induction, I intend to go learn.” He says with a wistful smile. “Anyway. Follow my movements.” He starts doing a figure eight staff spin. He is using his left hand, then he transitions to his right without stopping.

  This is one of the techniques that Micah has had Helo practicing. He also used it to strengthen Helo’s wrists. Copying his movement both Helo and Alli start their staff’s spinning. They transition their hands and follow Micah’s movements.

  “Good. Now just watch. Use your magical senses.” Micah says. Helo uses his aura and his bloodline enhanced eyes. They turn to slits and start glowing. Micah who is under observation has to use his body control to not shudder. Damn, this kid is a monster. He thinks as he feels the power in Helo’s bloodline.

  Alli uses her own mana-based senses to follow along as well. Micah starts cycling mana from his hand, to the staff, then back to his other hand as he transitions from right to left. He picks up that pace, the mana is getting passed quicker and quicker, until there is only a moment of difference between when his left and right hand push their mana into the staff.

  “Watch,” he says in a calm voice. Grabbing the staff with both hands he pushes his mana into the staff at the same time. The energy pulses through the staff before meeting together in the center. As the energies meet a projection is released into the air.

  “Now, the energy control must be perfect. The pathways that it takes in your body and the staff have to be precise. Otherwise, it can dissipate or explode.” Micah says as his hand moments slow down,

  “Further projections require more advanced energy control and pathways. Think of it like creating a spiral in the staff that meets, then you need a double helix, then triple, then quadruple. Getting past five requires energy control that I do now know about yet.” Micah adds. He let them know how to progress because he doesn’t want them hurting themselves doing something stupid.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The two watch in amazement and start practicing. To start Micah has them passing the energy between their hands through the staff. They are actually building a trail within the staff that helps them guide the energy. The trail dissipates as their residual energy does, but it shows why Micah always slowly builds up to more and more projections.

  “I see that you two understand now why the style builds itself up. Eventually we will create a weapon that can remember your mana and it will help you build up faster.” Micah stops them and pulls out his person spear. He starts spinning and each rotation creates another projection. Within a second Micah has four projections circling his body.

  “Wow. I wonder if my hammer can do that.” Alli is watching how the projections are taking the shape of Micah’s person spear. This catching Micah off guard and his spear angle shifts, smashing through the projections and making them dissipate.

  “Your father and I hoped that a demonstration might make you realize how much you were missing in staff work.” Micah says as he gets his bearings.

  “Nah. Ill do it with my hammer!” Alli shouts with a fist to the sky.

  Shaking his head Helo gets back to practice. Without mana the technique works a little differently. Micah already told him that advanced versions of the energy techniques use mental and physical energy to create unique effects. So, he is sure that he can do it. He just needs to figure it out.

  The morning went by and Helo got lost in his training. Eventually he is snapped out of his trance by the smell of feed. Looking up Helo stops. “The dungeon!” Turning to face the house he can see Hinata lounging on the patio.

  “Don’t worry, with your fight coming up we decided to skip the week. Micah was hoping that with a week of practice you can get the first projection down enough that the dungeon acknowledges you’re training and gives you a reword.” She says getting up and handing Helo a towel. “Come-on lunch is ready.”

  Following Hinata inside he can smell something delicious and it isn’t just the scent of her blood.

  Having a nice lunch the entire team seems more relaxed. Helo thinks that part of that reason is that Kenneth hasn’t been around. From what Alli told her; her father has been looking into replacement tanks.

  After lunch Helo went back outside and started training. Due to his mana-less state his ‘Natural Meditation’ skill kicks in as Helo is practicing and helps him focus.

  Spending the next few hours twirling a staff endlessly Helo focusing in his internal energy control. He makes a loop near each of his shoulders to send extra energy down his arms, this is risky because without the skill supporting him, he can damage himself easily.

  As the extra energy goes to his hands, Helo creates another loop to sends it into the staff. From what Micah said about creating unique weapons, Helo thinks that the weapons need to be made from energy conductive materials. For some it might just mean finding an energy receptive tree and cutting it down or taking a branch. But it also seems that you can enchant the weapons to hold the unique ‘Moon-Style’ pathways.

  As Helo is practicing, he realizes that he might understand how to make this easier for him. Helo is years away from being able to add more projections. But from his understanding, the way that he manipulates his energy is a lot different than mana. For most to control their mana they just push it around, similar to aura control.

  Alli stopped practicing a while ago because her head was hurting from all the manipulation. Now Helo has been manipulating his aura for a long time, so he has some practice. But it seems to him those natural energies cyclical nature makes it hard to control but easy to add into the cycle. The loops that he creates uses a lot of effort but once the energy is in the loop it is easy to move. Especially if he gives it a path.

  From his understanding people tend to not be able to manipulate their natural energies because mana coats everything. This makes their personal energy hard to see. The closest they get to manipulating it is a mental defense skill or a movement skill. But these are skills made by the system.

  Eventually people learn to control these things with age, research, meditation, cultivation and necessity. But for the first three tiers it isn’t necessary. Helo doesn’t know exactly how all these things go together but he does know from his own experience and questions that most people don’t see the need. Working with their mana, professions, weapons, and affinities already takes up too much time.

  Being able to see your natural energy, then manipulate it takes a lot of effort. Effort Helo bypassed due to his bloodline’s affinity with the energies and his own lack of mana.

  So, finding a way to make it easier Helo starts working on creating loops in his hands that catch and send back the energy. The process is long and taxing because to make it easier on himself, he needs to make the loops in such a way that they spiral his energy with little input from himself.

  This energy manipulation might make it easier for him to learn and use the technique. But to do it he needs to use his impressive control to set everything up. Then like a skill he just activates it. Deciding to try a simple version Helo creates a simple loop of physical energy in his left hand. The energy passes from his hand and into the staff. Swapping his hands the energy goes back into his right hand and to his shoulder before looping back around and into the staff.

  Keeping this process up Helo passes the staff from hand to hand while passing the energy between his hands and the staff. He isn’t creating the necessary spiral to make a projection. He is just sending a stream of energy.

  While he is focusing Micah steps up and watches. As Helo slows down Micah speaks up. “That is good kid. You picked that up way faster than expected.”

  “Thanks, I don’t have to constantly be controlling it like mana. Natural energy likes to move along pathways and in cycles.” Helo says while lowering the staff.

  “I can see that. I am one of the few people in the clan who can actually see natural energy. But I can only see physical energy. A lot of martial artists can see it due to their training. Eventually techniques will require its conscious control. I have yet to be able to control it though.”

  Helo and Micah talk for a while longer and Helo looks around. It is already night time. He had been training all day.

  The next few days go similarly. Helo spends all day spinning a staff and building the energy pathways to perform the techniques. He isn’t focusing on how quickly he can make the pathways, but on getting them built correctly.

  It’s Wednesday night when Helo finally gets it close. He is straining his concentration and control to get to where he is at. Within his left and right arms is a complicated serious of loops that draw energy from his shoulders down into his staff. Then they draw them back into his hands and back into the complicated pattern while building up more energy.

  There are a serious of loops meant to draw energy into his arm’s, another set of spirals meant to twist the energy, and a final sent meant to send and receive energy from the staff.

  While Helo was building up to this point, he learned that the energy pathways he creates are separate from his personal energy cycles. Using his enhanced perception he actually found that they are created within his skin. Using his bloodline enhanced eyes they actually looked like a complicated pattern, a sort of metaphysical tattoo.

  He asks Micah about it and Micah isn’t sure. But they both go to Elder Anthony and he shows them pictures drawn of martial artists that have complicated tattoos on their bodies.

  “That must be a sort of cheat code to control your personal energy.” Micah says while looking at the picture. “That takes dedication. Think about it. What if you’re fighting style changes or you learn a higher form.” Micah shakes his head and sends Helo can to his practice.

  Focus back on his efforts Helo is getting close. It is Wednesday night and he is pushing himself to his limit. His body is drained from all the energy usage and his mind is worn.

  With one final effort Helo builds up his speed. He gets to the point where his staff is a blur to normal eyes. As he was building up speed of his staff he was also building up the speed of his energy. As he is passing the energy back and forth, the energy within his entire body starts spinning faster. As the speed of his staff and energy meet an equilibrium Helo transitions to a two-handed spinning technique for just one spin.

  Micah told him that this was the beginner way to have both hands on the staff at the same time. A more advanced version is to create the projection as you are passing the staff back and forth.

  The energy surges from his left hand and spirals up to the top of the staff. On the other side it surges from his right to the bottom. Helo grabs the moving energy and bends the pathways back toward the center on both ends.

  The energy from the bottom slips his control while he is bending it back around. With a burst of physical energy, the air around him gets agitated and sweep up into a gust.

  Helo tries five more times before Micah comes out of the house and tells him to get some rest. “Your close kid. After some rest you will get it.”

  The next morning on thursday Helo is back out in the training field before the sun has risen. Nobody else is awake and Helo is alone. Siting on the grass he begins to meditate. This time he is thinking about what happened as he failed.

  The physical energy ran rampant but it wasn’t like mana or elemental energy. With his skills his physical energy can enhance his body, or it can form semi real constructs. When the energy ran rampant it was something in between. A semi real power that just forced the world around it to move, creating gusts.

  Pulling some energy out of his body Helo lets it free the energy takes a golden-red color and agitates the air around it before dissipating. Helo tries again and instead of letting it lose he holds it. It just creates a semi physical projection. This is similar to his ‘Fang Extension’ skill but it lacks to system created skill framework.

  “I don’t think physical energy is enough. I need mental energy.” Helo says while thinking about Micah’s projections. They were real and had more substance. Helo doesn’t think that he can mimic mana with physical energy alone.

  Getting up from his meditation Helo tries again. As he builds up speed he focuses on bending the energy back as it reaches the ends of the staff. Grabbing it with both hands he pushes his energy forward and as they reach the ends, he bends both back. The energy starts spiraling down the staff and they miss one another.

  Trying again Helo gets everything right. As the two energies meet a projection of physical energy gets left behind Helos spinning staff. The projection looks like a long vortex and came to being on his right side, as Helo transitions to his left the energy that created the projection quickly unravels and creates an explosion of energy to his right, this explosion send Helo rolling across the training field.

  The noise and gusts bring people to check what is going on. Micah, Graham, Alli and Hinata are the first one’s there. Behind them is James, who runs the valley and Hawk drops in from the sky.

  With a groan Helo gets up. “Owe.” He says as he looks at the group.

  “Are you okay!” Alli says while checking on him.

  With a calmer gait Hinata follows. “Yeah. Just something went wrong.”

  “Do you know what it is?” Micah asks Helo. He knows that Helo would have issues. Normally the projections were created by mana. Micah just had no idea how to fix it.

  “Yeah…” Helo says while lost in thought. “Yeah, I do.” He looks at Micah.

  “I actually assumed that I would have issues from my earlier tries. But I decided to test it.” Helo says sheepishly. Looking to the left he can see a small crater. “I think I created a similar reaction to Lelai’s mist orbs.”

  “Mhm. So condensed energy that acted explosively. From my experience that makes sense.” Graham says from the back of the group. “What is your plan?”

  “Mental energy. The physical energy lacks intent. Without some kind of control, it just acts randomly, like cancer.” Helo says. “I’ll have to find a way to mix in mental energy.”

  As Helo gets lost in thought the groups disperses. Alli and Hinata stay to meditate and train. They decided to sit on the porch while meditating. Both are spending more effort to use their bloodlines to empower their affinities.

  Trying again Helo goes slower this time and starts working mental energy into the mix. Mental energy control is in between mana and physical energy. It has its own pathways but it can also be more easily controlled without giving it a path to follow.

  Starting his attempts Helo finds that mixing in the energy is actually easier than he expected. When he puts the two together, they have their own spiral effect. They energies revolve around one another like two ends of the same whole. But their own spiral is separate from the creation of Helo’s pathways.

  Taking the rest of the morning Helo works with the two energies. Getting comfortable Helo tries to use the projection technique. His first to tries go poorly. But what Helo doesn’t notice is that his mental energy helps the physical energy stay in shape, even when they go out of control. This slows the wind effect and keeps it more solid.

  Trying again it is on the third time that Helo gets the energies to collide in the center of his staff. This causes a chain reaction where the rest of the energy that is following the two spirals constrict. With a twist of his staff and a slight budge from his will a projection is created.

  It is a little more condensed than his staff and has a spiral shape but it holds firm in the air. Helo stops his movements to watch it. A second after its creation the energy starts to dissipate and it’s spinning slows. As it breaks the staff creates a gust of wind all around it.

  After this happens Micah appears. “Good job kid.” Clapping him on the back he continues speaking. “Next you need to keep the momentum. The energy collided, now you need to keep a connection to the projection. You’re going to continue spinning the staff and your energy. If you keep the connection correct then the projection will stay with you and stay powered for more than a second.”

  “Making the projection is easy. Anyone with half a brain and enough talent can do that. You just need to toss some energy into the air.” He demonstrates by creating a blob of mana in the air.

  “This is the part where the technique gets difficult. Keeping the projections connection to the energy that you are passing back and forth takes effort and concentration.” Micah says as the mana blob dissipates.

  “What about using it to defend?” Helos asks.

  “If you use it to block it will break. Then you need to collide your mana again and restart. Think about it, you’re spinning your staff faster than the eye can see and you have four projections. Each one has its own spiral and connection. You’re using them to defend and each time one breaks you need to take that specific spiral and collide them together to create another. All of this without disrupting the ones you already have. That while not stopping your physical movements or getting hurt.” Micah says to him. He put into perspective how challenging this technique is.

  “You saw how powerful this technique can be. But you have barely scratched the surface of how difficult is it to perform.” Micah adds. “You fight in two days. You don’t need to keep control of the projection. As long as you can make it with correct timing, you can consider yourself having taking the first step.”