Astral's Rise Part 17: Testing

Astral would polish off his rifle. It was an interesting fight, he needed to work on marksmanship in a hurry. Feeling satisfied with his work he knows that everyone else will be too fast for all but the sniper.

 As he walks back to everyone greeted by Adam first. "So, we asked Lucky about everything. He has your memories and skills, but it seems like he still needs some coordination from you from time to time." Lucky was standing behind Adam nodding. "If you send him to earth he would be closer to a monitor system."

"Well Lucky, with you as our monitor, you need a guidance system back to us, and your own special item. Here, sit down for a second, you too Adam." Astral summoned chairs from the pocket dimension as a table was dropped for them.

"What's your plan?" Adam sat as he faced his friend. Lucky leaned back in his chair waiting for Astral to incorporate what was needed.

"Adam, draw up a dice, with the properties that each side of it amplifies, when licked he gets returned to me with the dice as well." Astral spoke out as his vision of the die came to fruition. Adam would rip the drawing out as he tossed it to Lucky.

Adam motioned for Lucky to roll it. "C'mon, try it out, I want to see if it worked." Lucky would roll the die as it landed on a two, feeling a wave of energy surge through him he felt ready.

 "Perfect, Lucky, are you ready to be sent to earth?" Astral asked as Lucky nodded up and down. With a flash of light he would be in the warehouse. "So any other things about him?" 

 "He seems so peaceful, he talked about wanting to study more history and learn even more about life and how it works." Anders showed notes from the clipboard. 

"It's all of the things I still want to do. He is manifesting them however." He smiled, "I just have my focus on combat right now. Without it, I don't think we would have made it through the first phase." making Anders write down a new note on her clipboard. 

"Anyway. I am going to talk to her." Jaimie was busy asking the two various things. Coming up from behind her he gave her a nice gentle hug. Jaimie's warmth even more here in the coldness of space.

 "You know I like it rougher than that." Jaimie spoke as Astrid started to laugh from the joke leaving Astral in a state of shock. "Anyways, how is it going? These two are, uh, doing not so hot."

Angel looked over to Astral and Jaimie "It's so difficult to learn, why do you think we just fight through everything?" She slammed her head into the ground in frustration.

"My brain hurts." James spoke as he was laying facedown on the ground with Nyan sleeping peacefully on top of him.

Astral walked over to the two. Scratching James behind the ear and Angel on the top of her head. "It's okay guys, generally when we learn everything is when we are younger, not at this point. Jaimie, we will help you two after we are done here. Right?"

"Yeah, we will take it slow and figure it out together." Jaimie spoke while showing Astral the notebook results. They failed all but three questions. Astral heard the coo's and purrs from the two. He was glad that they were trying. "Outside of this they have a true mastery of combat."

 "Huh, interesting." He looked at the two and smiled. They are good kids and deserved a chance to excel at life, and not be trapped in an endless loop of combat. He only wants them to make a choice they want to make. Not forcing them down a path that he puts them on. "You two are special and can do whatever you desire." He spoke softly to them, still scratching their heads gently.

The two of them would remain silent as Astral looked at Jaimie. "There brains aren't as spongy as they could be, they missed the chance to develop the love of learning. We can't implant that into them." Astral continued to pet them as Adam and Anders strolled over.

Angel's voice would echo. "These questions were stupid." Jaimie felt insulted as she felt like she wasn't a good teacher.

"Here, let's frame the conversation a bit differently." Astral motioned his hands as a screen popped up in front of the three of them. "Count the number of parries I make here versus the two swordsmen." Astral showed the clip of Imoto and Kyodai barrage of attacks as they watched intently.

Adam looked at this and it clicked, Astral did this for every student, just not on such a personal scale compared to the way he did it as a teacher. The twins would watch. "Twenty seven direct clashes of the sword and thirty indirect versus the wind." the two spoke in unison.

"See, that wasn't too bad now was it. I will help you learn, we just need to go about it in a different manner." Astral spoke as Adam came over sitting next to Astral.

Adam started to sketch away on his notebook as Astral knew what he was doing. Adam handed the sketches to Alexa who would play the scenario up. Showing ancient battles of old. "Now tell me, how many people are in these battles?"

"Thousands, tens of thousands!" James exclaimed jittery with a new found excitement, Jaimie stormed off pouty like a toddler who wanted to throw a tantrum.

"These battles must feature such stats that we have to learn and lead from?" Angel asked as the two turned to each other.

"Video games!" Adam and Astral shouted as Anders just facepalmed. Astral waived over Nyan and would set it up in laptop mode.

"What game do you want to guide them, any rtos game?" Astral looked to his peer and pupil.

"Heh, why not Roman Conquerors, it is where I got that scene I drew up from, Alexa connected the dots for me and made it work." Adam would pull up the game on Nyan as Astrid pulled out her own laptop and connected herself to the lobby with a cable.

"Do we get to watch the screen?" Angel and James would question the two as Adam handed them a controller each. Drawing a second monitor and connecting it to Nyan.

"Yes and you two will go against Astrid over there. I get to help you try and defeat her while teaching you things at the same time." Adam explained as Astral looked at them with a smile gleaming as he walked to Jaimie.

Astral lifted her up above him. "Well now who is the sourpuss?"

"Not funny." Jaimie's harsh tone was caught on as Astral sets her down gently. "I don't get it, why aren't they getting it, but can understand your teaching just fine."

"Its all about what they want. If they don't want to learn they won't. They need the right motivator." Astral pointed his finger over to the kids having a great time.

"After this is over will we give them an education?" Jaimie asked.

"Depends if we make it out of here in one piece. The challenge will be that." Astral pointed to the dwindling timer. "I am getting more winded faster, and can't keep this pace forever, we both know who the last fight is. I won't have enough for him." Astral would slowly trail off as Jaimie kissed him on the forehead.

"Don't fret too much, take it one step at a time. Like how you teach the kids." Jaimie would use his own logic against him. He hugged her quickly as he looked back.

"At our rate, they may just need to learn how to be leaders. So pair them up with you and Adam on our first few conquests to have them learn." Astral showed the digital map he had of the galaxy.

"You want to keep them enslaved to this life?" Jaimie looked at him in disgust.

"Oh, they have their own choice about it." Astral tried to speak.

"Like how you had Adam make a choice?" Jaimie stood in front of him. "I don't want them destined to violence for forever. It won't be all that they know."

"They can learn more, but if they want to stick to our side, you have to admit, they have talent and it can be honed, I even feel like it can be pushed farther than they even realize." Astral tapped his stomach as Jaimie looked not so amused.

"Will you let it be their choice?" Jaimie's voice was drowning in disappointment.

"Yes." Astral returned the kiss from earlier.

 "Astral, please come to the arena." The gods announced. "Your opponents are Spirit and Babentuna."