Chapter 35: Wisdom from the Past

We journey back to the city on the caravan, and I wonder, "So you really did it, Altaria? Lulith seems in control of herself." Altaria nods, "Mostly, yes. I managed to help her regain her free will, but she still has a lot of work to do. We need to train her to properly manage her new powers, so she doesn't lose herself in the process." The rest of the way back is mostly silent, the wounds from losing Era in such a pathetic manner stinging. Yuna keeps trying to free herself from my control, yelling out an occasional "dammit."

Once we return to the city, Altaria explains, "Eat something, and then come find me at the school grounds. The two-day limit starts tomorrow, but you will be staying at our dorms. I want full control over you for these two days, even your diets will be under my control. I also need to give you my review of what I think each of you needs. Find me in the courtyard." We follow her instructions since she's offering us free training and food. It seems she has more of a stake in this than I originally thought.

We find something to eat along the way, as it's about 4:00 p.m. now, close enough to dinner. We go back to the inn and have a light meal before heading out again.

The meal is fine; I just order some chicken cutlets. Quinn doesn't eat much, as usual just some bread. Lulith has some breaded pork, and Lysandra opts for chicken wings. We eat in silence, with nobody really wanting to talk and the mood slightly tense. I decide to offer Yuna some of my cutlet, saying, "Here, eat. You need food to survive, and I'm not really that hungry. Have the rest." Yuna gives me a sharp look but takes the plate begrudgingly, muttering, "I can't believe how far I've fallen." I choose to ignore her.

Once we finish eating, we head back to the school where Altaria is waiting in the courtyard, reading a book. She stands up from a bench when she sees us, her face full of vigor despite her age.

Altaria states, "Now I know you all are feeling dejected after that last fight, but use your anger as motivation. I have a few things to tell you, new students, first." I listen slightly half-heartedly, my mind wandering a little as I think of Era and what they could be doing with her. Altaria begins explaining, "First of all, I would like to address exactly what area each of you needs to improve yourselves to an even greater level." We all pause, waiting for our evaluations. Her words cut deep, but I think we all could use some help here.

She looks at Lulith, "To start, let's address my most recent student, Lulith. We have worked together for a little while to get her stable. However, as I said before, we need to stabilize her powers even more. Control is going to be key here. Your past weaknesses are less of a problem now because you just have a lot more power to work with. We will work on improving how you handle stressful situations."

Next, she looks at Quinn, "I won't pry on the details, but you seem to be able to mold your body in any way you want. This power, even if it is not magic, is very versatile. But I think one thing you are lacking is experience. You need to be able to work as a team better, but I think you are aware of this after the last fight. Something tells me that in the past you have primarily fought for yourself, by yourself, but it is time to change that."

Next, she looks at Lysandra, "I was surprised when I first saw you fight briefly, and I did watch your fight with Lucius from a distance." She lets out a knowing grin as she continues, "I will put it bluntly. You have no control over your powers and show great impulse in fights. You let your anger blind you in battle. Something we need to work on is control for sure, much like Lulith. There is something else, though, something you yourself might not even be aware of." With an annoyed look, Lysandra says, "Old lady, you really know how to drive a lady to smoke." Altaria ignores her comment, "You have a powerful magic you aren't utilizing. I can sense it in you, and it is very rare."

Lysandra takes the smoke out of her mouth and points it at Altaria, "What are you talking about, lady?" Altaria smirks, "There are six main elements of magic in this world, as you might know: Light, Darkness, Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind." Lysandra says, "Yeah, even grade-schoolers know that, your point?" Altaria explains, "There are six other elements that you might have heard of: Electric, Quantum, Celestial, Plasma, Life, and Death. These 12 different elements can also be mixed to create new types. I can sense powerful Plasma magic in your body. You aren't fully using your potential. Let me tell you this." She puts down her cane, her eyes becoming serious, "In all my years, I have seen only two casters of plasma magic. Young one, what you have is a gift beyond measure. You can combine this plasma magic with your fire magic to burn a lot hotter than you do already you can create a unique element all your own."

Lysandra, like a child who just got a new toy, practically yells out, "Well, what are we waiting for? Show me how to use it!" She seems easily charmed, and rightfully so, to be told that by a grand mage was pretty incredible. Altaria regains her smile, "Tomorrow, girl. Today, you need to rest; you just fought a hard battle. Trust me, I am excited too. It has been a long time since I have seen such an interesting group."

Finally, she turns to me, and I gulp a little nervously. Altaria begins, "I left the best for last. I saw some of what you applied, and I must say I am pleased you took what I said to heart. However, I have some bad news for you. The runes you are able to use in fights are still pretty basic level magic spells that my students could cast easily. Don't let that get you down. Studying rune magic has a high payoff. I noticed you casting your spells faster, but I think it is still too slow. You need a faster way to cast spells."

I ask, "A faster way? How can I go faster?" Altaria responds, "The rune mages I have met in my time all had one thing in common: they all used a type of magic to enhance their casting. The type I am talking about is ink magic the combination of two kinds of magic which I will explain more tomorrow. It is usually hard to learn, but there is a very basic spell that all rune mages could cast." In a grim tone, she states, "However, you have an extremely low affinity for magic. Most rune mages had some sort of magic pool to tap into." I say disheartened, "Does that mean I can't get much stronger? Have I reached my cap?" Altaria responded flatly, "Yes, or rather, if you didn't have such an excellent woman as your teacher, you would be at your ceiling." I ask, "How can I improve, then?" Altaria smiles, "Look, the king and I go way back. I knew his son; he often visited me here at the school. I won't mince words; I thought of him like a grandson. I also have a history with the Covenant; one of my close friends joined a long time ago. What I am saying is I want them dealt with just as much, if not more, even than you do."

I ask, "What are you suggesting?" Altaria explains, "Look, I could rely on the knights here, but I don't think they are up to the task. I am suggesting that I can offer you one of my magic items to aid you in your pursuit of the Covenant." I ask, "What kind of item?" Altaria digs into her pockets, "I have this in my possession from a long time ago, back when I was an adventurer filled with ambition. I want you to have it now; this gemstone, forged into a necklace, can be used to store magical power. I have loaded it with my own magic, but once it is empty, you can store your own. It has a pretty decent capacity, but it won't turn you into a mage. However, it will allow you to use your rune magic, and this basic ink spell relatively without constraint." She holds out a shiny emerald necklace with old sigils engraved in it, dazzling with gold. I say, "I can't possibly accept this; it is so valuable! Priceless is a better word; this thing would sell for thousands of mints, Altaria!"

Altaria shakes her head, "I am but an old woman, and I kept it as a memento from my youth. It is something I wouldn't dream of selling. Instead, I will give it to you, the new generation. I want so badly to come with you, but I have decided to trust your group with this. I know I am old; my generation has long since passed. I know that young people of today have a lot of pride. I think if I ended up helping you here, you would never grow as a team, or as indivduals. I have decided to leave the new generation with their own stories; that is why I built this school so many years ago now." I get a little emotional; I had no idea the kind of life she led before, but I vowed that I would live up to her standards. She finally adds, "Oh, and I promised you a little gift should you succeed with your mission; I never ended up giving it to you." She takes out a piece of paper from her pocket; she says, "I used to fight beside a rune mage; this, and that amulet are the only things I have left of her." I read what is on the small piece of paper; it reads, Barrier: Bacura. With an 'I' inside of an octagon.

This was a rune that could create a barrier; this would be amazing in battle. Different thoughts flashed in my mind of potential defensive spells I could make. I say, "Wow, this is amazing!" Altaria smiles, "I am glad you like it. This will solve part of your defense issues we talked about last time." She finally states, "Tomorrow I will teach you the spell I have in mind, so get ready for some hard work. Finally, she turns to Yuna, "I have nothing to say to you, girl. Maybe one day you'll snap out of the path they put you on, but as for tomorrow, you'll be their training dummy. Now, let's get you kids introduced to the dorms." As we leave in the direction she points out, I almost think I hear her say, "Clover, lend him your strength." We depart towards the dorms; we will head to bed to recover from our big day today, but tomorrow, we'll find ourselves one day closer to rescuing Era and taking on the Covenant.