Austin found the process of just writing a character for enchantment to be a difficult one. As he wrote, he needed to provide a continuous stream of Essence through the stylus. As he did this, the tip of the stylus would glow silver, and he could begin to write characters. The problem he encountered at first was his split focus between channeling Essence and writing characters. Austin started to write a character, and then his stylus would stop functioning because he would lose focus on his Essence.
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Once Austin was able to get himself focused enough to write while not losing Essence, he worked on getting the right amount flowing. Finding the right amount was even more difficult for Austin; he either would put in too much or too little. Austin found that when he put in too much, his lines became thicker and sometimes would even blotch together. If he put in too little, it would barely apply a line to the page.
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Despite Austin’s challenges, he studiously worked at trying to get it right. Luckily, the book even gave him a goal to work towards to know that he got a character right. An incorrect character would turn black and stay on the page, while a character that was done correctly would glow and lift off the page. Austin assumed that a character that was not connected to a greater enchantment would just activate immediately, and that was why it lifted off.
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After hours of work, Austin had filled multiple pages with the same character. He was able to get the right amount of Essence down, but he struggled with perfecting the lines. Austin felt like the work was an extremely technical art form, and the universe itself was grading him. Each time he wrote a character and it did not lift up, he felt like he was being graded by the strictest professor of all time.
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Austin sighed and leaned back from the sheets of paper. Eventually, he decided that any more practice would just make him continue to make mistakes. It was also about time that he checked on Maya and Josh.
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As Austin forced the pair out of their mediation, they initially looked at him with wide eyes. Their initial reaction was almost as if they were confused, and then they quickly realized where they were. Austin wondered if he had a similar reaction when he came out of meditation. There were several times he found himself lost in it.
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“That was a different experience,” Maya commented. “It felt more methodical than gathering Aether and purifying it.”
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“I agree,” Josh said. “Not only that, I was shocked by how quickly time went by.”
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“Yeah, I think time can fly by easily during meditation, but especially during the process of changing your Essence,” Austin agreed. “It’s also a strange sensation finding your affinity.”
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“Yeah, I felt like I had to keep trying to grab a hold of mine. Like it was this fleeting thing that I had to control,” Josh said.
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“That’s not how I would describe it,” Maya seemed to disagree with Josh. “I felt almost overwhelmed by my affinity. Like I had to be careful or it would grow over and control me.”
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“Wait, what are you guys talking about?” Austin’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “For me, it was like trying to carefully move a heavy object.”
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“Maybe it has to do with our different affinities,” Maya suggested.
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“That would make sense,” Josh agreed. “I’m sure each type would feel different.”
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“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Austin said. “But we can talk about it more later. You guys need to take your elixirs.”
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Austin grabbed two vials of elixirs that he had set on top of books earlier. He casually tossed the elixirs to Maya and Josh. Their hands were quick and precise as they snatched the vials out of the air. Austin felt some shock at their speed. He figured the Survival Game had improved their reflexes, but he did not realize how much.
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“Bottoms up, I guess,” Maya said as she flicked open the elixir and swallowed the contents.
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Austin watched the pair as they took in the effects of the elixir. For a moment, their bodies seemed to slump over before their muscles tensed and shot their arms out. Their backs arched as if electricity was going through them. Then, in no time at all, their bodies relaxed, and the pair started to breathe heavily. Austin was shocked to see how fast the effects went through them. When he drank the elixir, it had felt like forever, but in actuality, it was much shorter.
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“That was a lot,” Maya held her knees as she tried to catch her breath. “I thought it would never end.”
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“Me too, the feeling just kept persisting for so long,” Josh agreed.
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“Well, the first time is the worst,” Austin reminded them.
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“Good, I’m not sure if I could handle it again,” Maya said as she fell into a sitting position. “I need to relax after that.”
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“I get that,” Austin laughed as he saw Josh join Maya in sitting. He looked over to Elliot and noticed that he was still napping. He wondered how long Elliot would sleep because of the fruit’s effects. “Well, since Elliot is still sleeping, do you want me to grab a couple of books for you guys to read?”
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“Sure, that sounds nice,” Maya said. “Nothing too intense, please.”
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“Well, that works out well,” Austin said as he walked towards his pack. “Artas gave me a bunch of books about legendary Essence users. He told me to use the stories for inspiration for my own techniques.”
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“That’s perfect,” Maya smiled. “Sounds great to just relax and read.”
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“I’m not really sure what I want to do for my techniques,” Josh commented. “So it would probably do me good.”
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“These should work then. Hopefully, you enjoy them,” Austin released two books from a scroll, then handed them over to Josh and Maya. “Before you start reading, I want to continue our discussion. What do you think of your affinities? Any idea what they might be?”
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“I’m not too sure,” Maya said. “I think it is hard to say this early. I know the color was like amber. Maybe the feeling it gave me is a hint, but I’m not sure what it could be exactly.”
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“Yeah, I agree. I’m not too sure how I would find out,” Josh said. “The color of mine was like white. It was sort of strange because of the light color Essence already takes.”
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“I’ll have to think on it,” Austin commented. “I was mostly just curious. We will find out in time.”
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“With the resources we have, I’m sure we will find out soon,” Maya said.
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Austin nodded in agreement. “You two get some rest. I want to see if I can find some beasts to practice my techniques.”
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“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Maya questioned. “We are pretty drained right now. What if someone comes to attack us?”
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“Don’t worry, I thought about that.” Austin grabbed a few scrolls from his pack. “Within these scrolls are some of Artas’s techniques. In a big emergency, you can use the Thousand Wood Fist scroll. I don’t think anyone could get past that. Otherwise, use the Great Tree Glaive scroll. I think it could stop most people.”
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“How are we supposed to do that?” Josh asked.
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“It’s really simple,” Austin explained. “Just channel your Essence through the scroll and it’ll activate.”
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“You have everything figured out,” Maya laughed. “I’ll trust you, but next time I want to try to hunt some beasts. I think it could help me get stronger.”
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“Definitely,” Austin nodded. “I want you both to get out there. I think the best way to grasp your techniques will be in practice.”
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Maya and Josh began to read as Austin left the building. Austin could not explain it, but he had a great desire to fight since he came back from Artas’s domain. It was as if the constant training and sparring with Artas had made Austin want to do it even more. He knew it would not be the same to fight beasts, but he did not want to fight another person if it could be helped.
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As Austin walked through the forest, he began to wonder how big the forest actually was. While he figured it would be best if he did not encounter other people, he was shocked that he had not met many people. He theorized that most people were sane and tried to avoid others for their safety.
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Austin was disappointed to see that he could not seem to find any beasts to challenge. He knew the beasts of the forest were Essence aware, but he expected at least one would come out and challenge him. The transition to Copper must have scared them all off.
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Austin was about to give up his trip and return to camp until he felt like something was watching him. Whatever watched him, it was definitely recent. It was like Austin entered something’s territory, and it was carefully keeping track of his movements. Despite its carefulness, Austin still could tell that he was being watched. The fact that he could tell made Austin think it was a person and not a beast. He imagined most people in the Survival Game were not good at keeping themselves hidden due to their ordinary lives.
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“Come out, I know you’re watching,” Austin called confidently. Regardless of who watched him, he was confident he could take care of it.
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From within the trees and nearby bushes, a group of people came out. The three men and two women of the group each carried wooden spears. Their clothes were torn in various places, but the most noticeable feature of the group was the purple paint adorning their bodies. Their cheeks were painted with triangles, while around their arms the paint was shaped like armbands. The majority of the members had one painted armband, but one of the women had three.
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The woman with the three armbands moved in front of the group. “Who are you with?”
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“I don’t think I understand what you mean,” Austin replied with a raised eyebrow.
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“Are you trying to play dumb?” The woman responded aggressively. “The Three Kings of the forest. Who are you allied with?”
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“I don’t know anything about any Three Kings,” Austin said. “I keep mostly to myself.”
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“I find that hard to believe,” the woman raised her eyebrow. “The Three Kings have each split up the forest.”
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“Like I said, I mostly keep to myself,” Austin shrugged. “Just trying to survive until The Game is over.”
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“I would believe you,” the woman’s eyes narrowed. “If it wasn’t for those robes you are wearing. I heard each of the Three Kings wears them, including the one I serve. So who exactly are you?”
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“Oh, I can assure you, I’m no king,” Austin laughed. “I just happened upon these.”
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“Don’t lie!” One of the men spat. “Lady Natasha told us that you can only get those from an Essence master! Anyone with those robes has to be a king!”
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“Like I said, I keep to myself,” Austin replied. “I have no interest in having control of this forest.”
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“Lies!” The same man said. “You’re probably here to scout out Lady Natasha’s territory and take it for yourself!”
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Before Austin could reply, the man lunged forward with his spear at him. As the man approached, a flash of silver light surrounded Austin’s arm, and Essence took form as his shield. Austin quickly blocked the attack, causing the spear to bounce off. Austin quickly moved in as the man was caught off balance and shoved him to the ground.
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“I don’t want to cause any trouble. I really just want to be on my way,” Austin said to the group.
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“Still keeping up the lies!” The man growled.
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“Will you stop?” The woman with the three bands said. “He is obviously much stronger than we are. He has no reason to lie to us.”
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“Thank you,” Austin said to the woman. “Now, is it okay if I leave?”
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“I don’t believe you mean any harm,” the woman said. “But ultimately, I think Lady Natasha would be the better judge of that. If you are being honest, will you come with us to see her?”
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Austin let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, if it will satisfy you.”
