Members of the camp gathered around Austin in anticipation. While there was a divide between scouts and those who maintained the camp, everyone, except the children, worked on their Essence. So, everyone wanted a shot at getting a weapon. To help even the odds, Natasha announced to the group that everyone would be provided with a powerful elixir daily. While the elixir would be helpful, everyone was mostly concerned with using Essence to create a weapon. Most people had a good handle on enhancing their body and creating a blast out of Essence, but they struggled greatly with using Essence to create. Because of this, everyone gathered around Austin because of his use of Champion techniques.
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“Uh, hello everyone,” Austin said nervously as he began his lecture. “I was made aware that many of you struggle with the creation aspect of Essence. Which makes a lot of sense, honestly. Enhancing your body is probably the easiest thing to do with Essence. Your body is like a blueprint for a way to channel Essence. There is a controlled area, and the Essence is already inside you. So, you just have to circulate the Essence through your body.
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“The natural progression after that is using Essence in the form of a sort of energy attack. This is when you push your Essence out of your body. While an energy attack is the most basic way of doing this, you can also push the Essence for a positive effect. This is how you get healing techniques.
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“The thing that makes creating solid matter out of Essence difficult is the fact that you are sort of combining the two concepts. You have to push Essence out of your body, but instead of releasing that energy, you have to maintain and control it. This maintenance becomes even more difficult because you don’t have your body as a blueprint.
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There is also a common misconception about creating solid matter. That is the idea that you have to constantly circulate Essence into the matter you create. This is how you get over exertion and failure to create an item. Instead, you need to control your Essence to the point of creating an item and then release your circulation. This also means that you need to find that comfortable point as you are creating an item.”
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Austin looked over the group after he finished speaking. Some took notes, while others had a wide-eyed expression as they tried to understand his explanation. He decided that he would let the group catch up before he continued.
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“I understand the idea behind it,” a member of the group spoke up. Austin looked to see if it was Zack. Standing next to him was Sean, intensely writing notes. “The problem comes in practice. How did you learn to control Essence in that way once it exited your body?”
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“I’ll be honest, for me it was kind of dumb luck,” Austin replied. “I was in an intense situation, and I managed to create a shield when I needed it. I know everyone is not like that, though.”
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Zack nodded but still seemed to have a confused expression. Austin bit his lower lip as he tried to figure out a way to get his point across. He knew that his answer was not that helpful, but it was the truth of the situation.
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“Um, by a raise of hands, who here can perceive the flow of Essence?” Austin asked the group. “I know you can perceive your own flow, but a fundamental skill is seeing the flow of others.”
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A little over half the group raised their hands. Austin was shocked to see that more people who spent time in the camp raised their hands than the scouts. He figured that all the scouts would have a better understanding of Essence. He was also shocked that most of these things did not come intuitively to people. He wondered if it was a difference of naturally becoming aware of Essence versus using a fruit.
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“We have a lot of work to do then,” Austin said. “I think if you are struggling to grasp how to create matter out of Essence, then it might help to watch how my Essence flows when I do it. But there is a good number of you who don’t know how to perceive Essence yet. So, we need to work on that. Is there anyone who feels like they have an especially good understanding of perception?”
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A brown skinned woman shakily raised her hand. She was around the same age as Austin and had curly black hair. Austin quickly recognized her as one of the mothers of the camp. If he remembered correctly, Maya told him that her name was Ava. She had spent most of her time watching the children and practicing alchemy.
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“Oh, good, I am happy to see one of you feels that way,” Austin smiled as he motioned his hand to his side. “Ava, could you come up here?”
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Ava nodded and walked towards Austin in a careful and quiet motion. Austin hoped that he did not put her on the spot too much. He had just thought it would be a good idea to have her help with instruction on perception.
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“Don’t worry, you know everyone here,” Austin whispered to Ava as she stood next to him. “I just want you to help instruct people on perception.”
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“I don’t know if I can do it,” Ava whispered in response.
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“You’ll do fine, I promise. If you need any help, you can ask me,” Austin said.
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“Okay, no promises. I’ll try, though,” Ava said.
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“All I ask for,” Austin said before he turned his attention to the group. “Ava will help instruct people on their Essence perception. The rest of you will watch as I use Essence to create matter. Try to watch the way my Essence flows.”
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The group split into two separate groups after that. Austin walked his group a small distance away from Ava’s. He figured it was best to get some distance so no one was distracted.
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“No more talking, just watch closely. I will do simple matter creation so you can understand it at a basic level,” Austin said to his group.
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Austin reached his hand forward and slowly started to gather his Essence. Because of his use of Champion techniques, creating an item was like second nature. This meant that if he was going to show others how to do it, he needed to take a much slower approach. It was actually more difficult to slow the process down than he had imagined. He felt like a person with immense strength trying to control it.
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Austin managed to gain control of his Essence to move it slowly, but it was still a difficult process. The sensation was like trying to stop a boulder from falling down a hill. It took everything in Austin not to use his natural output. As he managed to allow the Essence to flow, it entered the palm of his hand. He imagined his Essence taking the shape of many different lines that came together to form the shape of an object. The lines started out scattered, but Austin shaped them together until he felt they were in the right position. Once everything was in place, he let his Essence flow into the lines and fill the gaps. Finally, after all was said and done, a silver knife appeared in his hand.
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Austin spun the knife in his hand a few times before he said to the group, “That’s how it is done. It may look like a long process, but I was trying to break it down for you guys. Also, with practice, you should be able to do it like it’s second nature. Everyone, spread out and give it a try. Simpler is better.”
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The members of the group distanced themselves from each other. They each eagerly started channeling their Essence. Austin figured they did not have much of a starting point, and now that they did, they were eager to try. As they worked, Austin walked through them. He carefully observed the flow of each person’s Essence. While he could see the failings of each member, he did not immediately intervene. Instead, he decided it was best to let each person try a few times before he instructed further. There was only so much they could learn from a lecture.
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As Austin observed the flow of the Essence of the group, he started to gain familiarity with their different affinities. He was not exactly sure on the exact affinities of the people of the group, but he was able to make some assumptions by the colors he saw. He soon found that people with affinities related to solid matter seemed to have an easier time trying to create matter. It was like their bodies understood the process easier.
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Light flashed in quick succession as people started to successfully create objects. A variety of expressions washed over their faces. Some seemed shocked that they were able to succeed, while others instantly cheered.
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“Those who have succeeded, please line up and show me your item,” Austin ordered the group. “Those who have not, keep trying.”
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People lined up, with their variety of objects, to Austin. Many of the people had a knife in their hand, using Austin’s example as a blueprint. Only a few people decided to do something different. Austin could not blame them for making a knife first. They barely had any understanding of creating an object, and he gave them something to work off of.
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As each person approached Austin, he gave a light flick to the flat of the knife. If a knife stayed structurally sound, Austin sent them away to train on their own. If a knife so much as cracked, Austin sent the person back to try again. Of the group, about half had to go back to supervised training.
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“Remember, this is a tool that you plan on using,” Austin started to lecture. “You don’t want to make just the shape of a tool. You want it to be as structurally sound as possible. I won’t let you leave until you make an object that holds up. So, shortcuts will not cut it.”
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Austin started to notice frustration rising in the group. As more people tried and failed, they stomped the grounds and tried to force their Essence through without proper control. In one case, someone managed to create a weapon, but it almost immediately exploded in a flash of light after the person put in too much Essence.
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Austin started to rub his temples, carefully. As people grew more and more sloppy, he was not sure how he could help. Austin knew that with the contest coming, they all wanted to get a good grasp on creation. But if Austin took more than a day to train them, then they would be severely behind for the contest.
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“Alright, I think it is time to break for lunch,” Austin sighed. It was not a decision he wanted to make, but he could tell that there was very little progress being made.
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“But I’m almost there,” Josh protested. “If I skip lunch, I know I can make it.”
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“Sorry, it’s not optional. You are making steps backwards as you keep trying,” Austin explained. “There is such a thing as overworking yourself.”
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Several more people began to protest Austin’s order. He did not expect such enthusiasm from the group. Austin tried to speak and give a reasonable reason for the break. But as the group protested, their voices began to merge together into a wall of sound. Austin could no longer make out the specifics that each person said. Everything had blended together in the form of a mob. Austin soon felt overwhelmed by the chaotic noise. It was like he could do nothing to stop it.
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As Austin tried to recover from the intense noise but it took him a moment. During that moment, he swore he recognized someone moving to the front of him. Once Austin had started to address the group, he recognized who stood next to him. It was Gavin, and he looked pretty angry.
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“Do as you're told!” Gavin yelled out. His voice came out as a boom and echoed through the forest. Somehow, it even quieted all the protests. “Austin knows better than you all. So just do as he says.”
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As everyone broke apart from the group, Austin looked towards Gavin with a raised eyebrow. “Uh, thanks, I guess.”
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“No problem at all, boss,” Gavin gave Austin a playful smack on the back. “You’re a nice guy, but sometimes you need to be a little more demanding. Let me know if you need any help like that again.”
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Gavin walked away to eat his own lunch. Austin stared at Gavin with a raised eyebrow as he walked. Austin felt weird about the whole situation. Gavin had been so standoffish with everyone, but suddenly, he was next to Austin and helping him get the attention of the group. Austin could only wonder if he had somehow made a breakthrough with Gavin.
