Floating targets were torn through with great speed as Austin threw his shield. Austin had started to get into a rhythm and was able to time a successful hit with a pull. The rhythm of Austin’s throws and catches turned into a sort of dance. Essence channeled through the shield to make it move as a blur of silver as it was thrown, then Austin quickly moved into a return position and used Essence to pull the shield back to his arm.
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The method of throwing and returning did take a little time for Austin to get used to. He quickly learned that his shield could only be pulled back in a straight line. This meant that he had to move his position to catch it effectively with his throwing arm. Otherwise, the shield would come at an angle that was difficult to catch.
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While Austin was able to get into a rhythm of throwing at high speeds and catching the shield, he still struggled with targets that moved at higher speeds. While he focused mostly on the slower targets, he would still try to hit the faster targets periodically. Despite his repeated tries, he still kept missing the fast targets. He learned very quickly that he would have to learn to adjust his throw timing to hit them effectively. Even when he threw the shield at a higher speed, he would still miss them.
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After another failed attempt, Austin sat down on the ground. He had started to notice that his shield was weakening. It started to not conduct his Essence as well and Austin needed to use more Essence to produce the same effects. Instead of forcing it to go further, he willed the shield to break down into Aether. The shield broke apart into wispy motes of silver light that rose into the air before completely disappearing.
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Austin tried not to get frustrated with his failure to hit the fast targets. Instead, he took a moment to catch his breath and formulate a plan to hit the targets. With the weakening of his shield and his use of Essence, he figured that he needed to take a break.
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While Austin tried to think of a plan, his mind wandered from his training. Instead, he thought of Maya and Elliot. While he was glad that time moved more slowly in Artas’s domain than in the Survival Game, he still missed them and wondered if they were okay. They probably did not even think anything about the time he had been gone but he definitely felt the effects due to the slowed time. He was not sure the last time he did not sleep next to Maya or at least see Elliot. There were plenty of times he came home from work late but he always came home everyday. At the end of every day was always the comfort of his wife and son.
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Austin tried to push those lingering thoughts away. He would be fine, and this was for them. He just needed to push through the training, and he would be back to them. This would ensure their safety in the Survival Game, and maybe he could even give some pointers to Maya and Josh when he got back. It was just like the long hours at his job. It might be hard, but it was worth it for them.
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Artas walked up behind Austin and said, “Deep in thought?”
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Austin’s heart jumped for a moment as Artas spoke. He was so deep in thought that Artas snuck up on him. “How do you always move so quietly and scare me?”
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“Consider it one of my myriad of talents,” Artas smiled confidently as he gestured to himself.
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“I get that you have every right to be so confident, but it’s still annoying,” Austin rolled his eyes. “But yeah, I was just thinking of my family. I noticed my shield was weakening and was trying to catch my breath a little before continuing.”
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“You’re allowed to take breaks here and there. Don’t worry,” Artas said. “You know I understand missing your family. I have a few kids and grandkids of my own.”
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“You seem pretty secluded here. Do you just not see them?” Austin asked. “I don’t know if I could do that for an extended period.”
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“It is definitely tough, but it helps that most of them are grown up now,” Artas replied. “Also, there are things I need to do to secure their future. You may reach that point yourself, one day. Right now, it’s about defending them in the short term, but you may want to secure their futures in other ways later.”
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“Maybe, I just can’t imagine that,” Austin said. “I would want to spend time with my family even when they get older.”
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“I also understand feeling that way,” Artas said. “Whatever you choose in the future, it will be right for you and your family.”
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“Well, I appreciate the sentiment,” Austin nodded. “I should probably get back to my training.”
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“Technique training is over for the day. We need to move on,” Artas said. “Time for lunch and then meditation.”
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“I can’t continue for a little longer?” Austin asked with disappointment.
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“Sadly, no,” Artas shook his head. “We do varied training, so you don’t push yourself too hard in any specific area. You saw that you were experiencing weakness in your shield? That was you reaching your limit for the day.”
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“Oh, okay,” Austin frowned. “You know better than me. So I won’t argue.”
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“Good boy,” Artas smiled as he wrapped an arm around Austin. “Now let’s go eat.”
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The pair walked through the trees and back to the shrine. As they walked, Austin started to understand why Artas told him to stop. While not completely exhausted, he did start to feel the amount of Essence he used during training. There was a feeling that Austin had. It was like his Essence was like a muscle; he could push it to its limits, but if he went too far, then it would do more harm than good.
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Once they arrived, Artas walked towards the inside of the shrine and said, “Wait here, I’ll grab our lunch.”
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“Wait,” Austin stopped Artas as he grabbed his vest. “Where are you getting all this food? I did not see anything in there when I grabbed my uniform.”
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“I was wondering when you would ask,” Artas smiled. “I’ll show you since you did. Follow me.”
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Artas led Austin into the shrine. Austin had noted previously that the shrine was not very large and there was not much room for storage. There were a few small chests, but he did not understand how Artas could store food.
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Artas opened a wooden chest, something that reminded Austin of a classic treasure chest. As he opened it, Austin saw various tubes of different colors. Artas grabbed a red one and opened the lid from the top. He slid a scroll from inside the tube into his hand and presented it to Austin.
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“This is a storage scroll,” Artas explained. “I can use it to store various items, including food. The nice thing is that it keeps objects in the same condition as when I put it in. So it works perfectly for food.”
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“Oh, that’s awfully convenient,” Austin replied before his eyes lit up with realization. “Wait, so I know about creating elixirs, but are there other things you can do with Essence?”
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“Oh yeah, there is a lot you can learn and do,” Artas said. “I’ll explain over lunch.”
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The pair walked back towards the dining table, and Artas spread the scroll out as they sat down. The scroll was covered in a script that Austin did not understand. Austin watched as green light flowed from his hand into the scroll and lit up the script. As the last character lit up, two sandwiches popped out of the scroll. Austin was caught off guard by the way the sandwiches popped out. They seemed to almost jump out of the scroll cartoonishly.
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Artas handed a sandwich to Austin before he said, “Scrolls are one of various types of enchanting. Many times, they are used to store items or abilities. For example, I could seal a technique into a scroll, and then you just need to run your Essence through the scroll to activate the technique.”
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Austin grabbed the sandwich and started to eat. The morning’s training had definitely made him hungry, and he was all too happy to start eating. While he took bites, he nodded along and listened to Artas’s explanation.
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“So, this is something I can learn?” Austin asked in between bites. “I feel like it could be really useful.”
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“You can definitely learn how, but it requires an understanding of the script used and Essence control,” Artas replied. “Right now, we need to worry about getting you to Copper.”
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“Oh, that makes sense,” Austin said, disappointed. He had really hoped that he could learn to do it.
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“Don’t act so disappointed,” Artas said. “I’ll give you a book on it when you leave here. So you can practice. Right now, we just have one thing to focus on.”
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“Really?” Austin’s eyes lit up. “That would be great. I bet there are all kinds of things I can do if I learn it.”
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Artas chuckled at Austin’s sudden switch to excitement and said, “Yes, it’s a very flexible tool.”
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“So what else can you do besides scroll enchanting?” Austin said with excitement. With the introduction of scroll enchanting, Austin felt like there were many more possibilities besides just training his Essence.
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“I like that look. You usually are so serious,” Artas smiled. “It’s good to see you act excited. You remind me of a kid in a good way.”
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“I mean, it just seems really useful for my family and me,” Austin said.
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“It’s okay to be excited about this stuff,” Artas said. “You can enjoy Essence arts and use them for practical reasons. The best users do get enjoyment out of it.”
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“I guess I do enjoy it,” Austin admitted. “It just feels really fun to me. Like I’m exploring something new and exciting.”
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“You still sound like you feel guilty about it,” Artas observed. “Being a parent doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice other enjoyments.”
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“Fine, fine,” Austin sighed. “I really do enjoy all of this. Now, can we move on to you telling me about the other stuff in Essence arts?”
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“Much better,” Artas grinned. “There are all kinds of things. So get comfortable. Okay, so you know about creating elixirs. We refer to that process as alchemy. Alchemy is also how you create pills. Alchemy uses a combination of various materials, but sometimes requires the use of Essence. Then even amongst those, there is a group that requires Essence of a specific affinity.”
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“Enchanting scrolls is just a subset of enchanting as a whole. All enchantments require the use of Essence to create and activate,” Artas continued to explain. “Scroll enchantments are used to store effects or items, like I said earlier. Those arm bands I wore last night were another form of enchantment. Item enchantment is more difficult than scroll enchantment because it is used to produce a certain effect. Most things fall under enchantment and alchemy because both have a variety of applications.”
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Austin nodded and then said, “I see. So I am guessing that the effects from alchemy and enchanting are pretty different?”
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“Yep, the best way to describe the difference is that alchemy produces internal effects while enchanting produces external effects,” Artas said. “But of course, there is still more nuance to it. Like the armbands I wore suppressed my Essence, which looks like an internal effect but is actually an external effect of putting pressure on my Essence. An internal way to affect my Essence would probably work for a longer time or be irreversible.”
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“All this talk makes me want to learn it sooner,” Austin smiled widely in excitement.
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“Good, good. Keep that excitement,” Artas said. “We still have to get you to Copper, but now you have something else to look forward to.”
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Austin took two comically large bites to finish his sandwich and almost choked as he barely chewed. “Alright, time to stop sitting around. I need to get to Copper.”
