Austin and Natasha decided that she would lead a group of scouts with Jess first. There were a few reasons for the decision. The first reason was that Natasha had not gotten much of a chance to leave the camp, and she wanted to take her new opportunity. The second reason was to give Austin a chance to interact with more people at the camp and gain their trust. The final reason, which was the most important to Austin, was that Elliot was finally awake from his Essence fruit-induced sleep.

  ?

  As Natasha left, Austin played with Elliot. Elliot suffered no grogginess despite the length of his sleep. Instead, Elliot was even more filled with energy than usual. He was practically bouncing off the walls as he ran all throughout the camp. Austin chased after Elliot, allowing Elliot to narrowly escape capture as he did. While Austin knew that he could easily catch Elliot, he also knew that it was more fun for Elliot if they continued their chase.

  ?

  “Daddy’s so slow!” Elliot laughed as he ran away from Austin.

  ?

  “I’ll show you!” Austin feigned frustration as he continued his pursuit.

  ?

  The chase started to move throughout the entire camp. Elliot ran in between people and objects. His tiny body allowed him to run through gaps that Austin could not. He left Austin behind and started to laugh as he confidently felt like he had got away from him. A mischievous smile came across Austin’s face as he watched Elliot’s path through the camp. Austin ran along the edge of the camp to cut Elliot off.

  ?

  Elliot’s eyes grew large as Austin cut him off on the edge of the camp. Before Elliot could turn the other direction, Austin lightly tackled him to the ground. As Austin took Elliot to the ground, he assaulted him with tickles.

  ?

  “Got you!” Austin laughed.

  ?

  “Not…” Elliot tried to talk between laughter. “Fair!”

  ?

  “You almost got away,” Austin smiled as he stopped tickling Elliot. “It’s just sometimes an indirect approach provides a better solution.”

  ?

  “In…direct?” Elliot asked as he seemed to struggle with the words.

  ?

  “Yes, an indirect solution,” Austin said as he lifted Elliot and carried him. “Sometimes there is something that blocks your path, and the only way forward is a different path.”

  ?

  Elliot’s eyes grew large as he tried to understand Austin’s words. He seemed to struggle to make sense of Austin’s meaning. Austin soon realized that maybe it was too early to try to explain the concept to him.

  ?

  “Sorry, don’t worry about that,” Austin apologized. “I just want you to know that even if something seems hard, there is always a way forward.”

  ?

  “Don’t worry, he understands in his own way,” Beth smiled as she approached the pair. “He may not understand completely, but even as you give him lessons at this age, it will create a foundation for him later on.”

  ?

  “You think so?” Austin asked. “I felt like I just made him confused.”

  ?

  “Not at all, you are working on his foundation right now. Even the smallest lesson will be carried forward in some way,” Beth then addressed Elliot. “Do you want to go play with the other kids?”

  ?

  Elliot’s face lit up with a smile. “Yes!”

  ?

  As Austin set Elliot down, Beth pointed in the direction of kids of all ages. Most of the kids were older than Elliot, but they all played together. “Go over there and introduce yourself.”

  ?

  Elliot nodded and ran over to the group of children. Austin watched for a moment as Elliot introduced himself. Austin was relieved to see that the group welcomed him. After the kids introduced themselves, they quickly started a game of tag. Austin watched for a little longer before he felt satisfied with the group.

  ?

  Beth placed a hand on Austin’s shoulder. “They are all good kids, you don’t need to worry.”

  ?

  “I’m sure you’re right,” Austin nodded. “It’s just hard not to.”

  ?

  “Yeah, you are always going to worry,” Beth agreed. “Just try to worry a little less.”

  ?

  “I’ll try at least,” Austin nodded. “Was there something else you wanted?”

  ?

  “Ah, yeah, I did send Elliot to the other kids for a reason,” Beth explained. “It might be a good idea to get to know some people. I know you want to spend time with your son, but the people in the camp will feel more comfortable with you if they get to know you. Maya and Josh have already started to get to know people.”

  ?

  “Honestly, I’m not that good with people,” Austin sighed.

  ?

  “Oh, I can already tell that,” Beth laughed. “But that’s good. That’ll make you seem more human to everyone. Josh is with some of the scouts right now. Why don’t you join him?”

  ?

  “Fine, I’ll go,” Austin frowned like a child being forced to eat his vegetables.

  ?

  “Not like that,” Beth said as she grabbed Austin’s face and forced his cheeks upward. “You need to smile and seem friendly.”

  ?

  “Fine, fine,” Austin batted Beth’s hands away and awkwardly smiled. “Better?”

  ?

  “That’ll work,” Beth laughed as she pushed Austin forward.

  ?

  As Austin walked towards Josh and the group of scouts, Beth returned to sitting next to Maya. Austin noticed out of the corner of his eye that Beth and Maya were laughing together as he walked towards the group. He could only assume that Maya put Beth up to forcing him to meet people. She probably figured that he would feel more inclined to hear it from someone else in the camp.

  ?

  “Uh, hey guys,” Austin awkwardly said as he waved his hand.

  ?

  “About time you came over here,” Josh smiled as he gestured to the group. “Meet some of the guys. This is Gavin, Zack, and Sean.”

  ?

  Austin looked over the group. The first person that Josh identified as Gavin was the man with a buzzcut from the meeting the day before. He was of average height with an athletic build. Zack had long black hair that he pulled back into a ponytail and had a similar build to Gavin. Sean had messy brown hair and was very tall and thin.

  ?

  “There he is, the legend himself,” Zack grinned.

  ?

  “We don’t need to hype him up any more than he already is,” Gavin said with aggravation.

  ?

  “I don’t think he sounds all that bad,” Sean said.

  ?

  “We barely even know him, and yet we are hyping him up,” Gavin sighed.

  ?

  “I mean, he sounds like an incredible guy. He is on the same level as Natasha,” Zack said. “Not to mention what Josh told us. Is it true that the first thing you did when you met him was save his life?”

  ?

  “Uh, yeah, kinda,” Austin felt awkward. If he was going to meet people, he at least hoped for regular conversation. “It just sort of happened. Some creep attacked him, and I couldn’t let him just die.”

  ?

  “Told you he wasn’t all that great,” Gavin said with satisfaction.

  ?

  “Sounds pretty great to me, honestly. What kind of guy just saves a stranger like that? A pretty good one in my opinion,” Zack smiled as if he won the argument.

  ?

  “Whatever, I’m not gonna argue it,” Gavin said as he crossed his arms.

  ?

  “Honestly, I would rather you not treat me like I’m any different from you guys,” Austin said. “I just got lucky. It could have been any of you guys.”

  ?

  “I don’t think so. Natasha made it sound like the masters were very specific on who they wanted and attracting those people,” Sean said with a flat expression. Austin did not realize it at first, but he now realized that Sean had an almost unnatural calm monotone to his voice. “Regardless, if you want to be treated like a normal guy, then I will. But I don’t think just anyone was going to meet a master.”

  ?

  “I guess that’s true, but I am still just a guy,” Austin pointed out. “I really just got a head start. Anyone could be at the same level as me.”

  ?

  “Well, that is definitely true. Since I am going to catch up to you in no time,” Josh grinned as he wrapped an arm around Austin.

  ?

  “I take back what I say,” Austin laughed as he pushed Josh off. “One of these guys could catch up with me, but not you.”

  ?

  “So you’re only the second Copper we have ever seen. What is it like?” Zack asked with anticipation. “Natasha has been kinda guiding us, but it still feels very vague. She just says to work on building your Essence, solidifying your affinity, and creating techniques. But I don’t understand what exactly that looks like. Like Natasha has a shadow affinity and uses Beast techniques.”

  ?

  “Well, it looks kind of different for everyone,” Austin explained. “Each affinity feels different as it courses throughout your body. I’m sure you have tried to work on that and have an idea of how it feels. As for techniques, you should stick to what feels right to you. I use Champion techniques because that felt like it would fit how I wanted to fight, but also because controlling my Essence in that way felt natural to me.”

  ?

  “How did you know the way you wanted to fight?” Zack asked. “Seems like a hard thing to conceptualize.”

  ?

  “Well, my master made me pore through a bunch of stories about different Essence Users,” Austin said. “Then I also knew that I wanted to use my abilities to protect others, and it all connected together.”

  ?

  “You read stories while you were training?” Gavin chuckled. “Doesn’t seem like a good way to spend your time.”

  ?

  “I thought the same thing, but creating a technique also requires creativity. It was a great way to spark the imagination and come up with techniques that suited me,” Austin explained. “If you want, I could show you some of the books. Maybe they could help you out.”

  ?

  “I kinda like that idea,” Sean said with the same monotone voice.

  ?

  “I’ll be right back then,” Austin said as he started to walk towards his pack.

  ?

  Maya had set up an area for their family on the side of the camp. Since the camp was larger, Josh had set up his stuff with some of the scouts. While the camp was still open, it gave Maya and Austin a little space to themselves.

  ?

  Austin started to dig in his pack as he arrived. It took him a moment to sort through the various scrolls until he found the one he was looking for. Once he did, he ran over to the group.

  ?

  “Alright, here we go,” Austin said with a smile as he summoned a collection of books from the scroll. Afterwards, he handed a book to each of the people in the group. “You guys can read these, and maybe they’ll spark some inspiration. There are several different stories in each book. I’m sure you’ll find something that sparks your interest.”

  ?

  “Thanks a lot!” Zack smiled broadly. “I really appreciate it.”

  ?

  “It’s no problem at all,” Austin said. “Maybe with the inspiration from the books and the resources we find, you guys will make it to Copper soon.”

  ?

  “I don’t know, it seems kinda silly to read stories,” Gavin groaned.

  ?

  “You got anything better to do?” Austin asked. “You aren’t constantly out in the forest, and you can only meditate for so long. This is a low-effort activity that will be productive.”

  ?

  “Maybe you should stop being such a grump,” Sean said dryly.

  ?

  “You do always seem in a bad mood,” Zack laughed.

  ?

  “You know, you seem awfully stubborn, too,” Austin pointed out. “I’m assuming you are pretty far along with your affinity. What color is it?”

  ?

  “Silver, why does that matter?” Gavin responded.

  ?

  “I had a feeling,” Austin nodded. “I still think you should take a look at the stories in there, but we might have the same affinity. Do you want me to show you some things?”

  ?

  “Uh, I don’t know,” Gavin seemed caught off guard by Austin’s offer. “I guess that could be helpful.”

  ?

  “Alright, then you’re coming with me,” Austin smiled as he wrapped an arm around Gavin and started to move him. Austin then turned his head around to look at the rest of the group as he walked away. “You guys start reading. When I get back from working with Gavin, I want you to tell me some of your favorite stories and any technique ideas you come up with.”