Nineteen

The days slowly passed. The two main Formations headed towards completion, but that wasn't the end of our project. Once the Formations were placed, we had to link everything… Or rather the Grey Lizards had to. Then everything had to be checked over a few times, adjusted where necessary and tested. That alone would take some time, but we were nearly there.

My Formations skills improved on a day to day basis. Rowan was a great teacher, and he understood really well my knowledge and skills. He never asked for the impossible, but the pace he threw at me was indeed something difficult to keep up with. Nonetheless, I've learned how to combine all basic Elements, and produce unique Formations with their use.

Of course the obvious combinations were the easiest, but there were a few which required some deeper knowledge. Wind and Fire Element combination was once such an example. The proportions played a huge part in the process, and depending on them there'd be different results. One could either receive a fiery wind, or a blue flame.

Neither of these were normal to be honest. Wind was usually attributed with sharpness, but the fiery wind was different. Although some sharpness remained, it was the burning force behind sharpness that made the combination stand out. When testing out this type of Formation on wood, the Dead Trees were simply obliterated into nothingness. The Wind Element simply cut the trees into pieces, while Fire Element burned them to ash.

The blue flame was also something else. From Rowan's explanation, that sort of flame was great for blacksmiths. Melting ore and smithing became easier, since the flame was hotter. Moreover, the flames were better at removing impurities from the ore, which in turn made the job easier for the blacksmith. He even said that working with rare metals became easier. Of course, this sort of flame could have its applications in combat, but Grey Lizards didn't really delve into that too much. After all, they were interested in Formations and knowledge, not fighting.

There was another interesting combination, namely Water and Fire Elements. Albeit the results weren't unusual compared to other unique combinations, the mist or steam produced had its uses too. Of course not in everyday use, but rather in combat. This was something for me to exploit, but there were only two Formations available. The reason was the same as with blue flame. Grey Lizards weren't warriors, so they didn't try to develop these things further.

That wasn't unique, but Rowan showed me one unique combination of these Elements. When the right balance was struck, a rain of fire would fall down to the ground. Whether it was Rowan's strength or the Formation itself, the fiery rain burned small holes in the ground upon contact. The reason was somewhat simple. Rowan told me to imagine lava falling onto the ground. Of course such rain couldn't be compared to the destructive force of lava, though the principle was the same.

The worst part about that Formation was balance. There wasn't a single balance to it, the balance was dynamic. In other words, one had to find the proper balance while drawing the Formations. From his explanation, the conditions such as wind speed and temperature mattered.

Of course our North had these mostly under control. There was no rain, and wind usually remained similar throughout the year. Even temperature was similar, albeit changing a bit one way or the other. Using that Formation in the Endrosian Empire would be much more difficult, but not impossible.

Nonetheless, just because Grey Lizards didn't see many uses for those combinations, I saw things differently. My plan was to incorporate Formations into my sword. All combinations and combat Formations were welcomed. Especially those which produced some unique effects. That had to wait though. Possessing the knowledge about such Formations was one thing, using it in combat was another. 'I have time, and I'm still growing. One day though… One day I'll surprise everyone, including you, dad'.

Besides the work on the project, I saw how much my friends' puppies grew. They became normal wolves, but each of them had a different sort of training. Dawn taught her wolf how to hunt, track and help her out. Of course that came as no surprise, since she wanted a wolf for her line of work. I had nothing against, since she treated her very well. Dawn's wolf got the name Ariel.

Tara on the other hand was too lazy to train her puppy. She took him for a few hunts, mostly due to my insistence, but that guy had a slow and easy life. I had no issues with that either, since the wolf was happy. She named her wolf Kron, only because it sounded funny to her.

Leran of course chose the performance path. He tried to teach the wolf some moves and whatnot. Maybe that was the biggest surprise, since his wolf performed really well. She could spin around, jump in various ways and listened to some simple commands. Leran was really happy with his wolf, and she got plenty of exercise. He named her Patty, because she patted everyone with her paws for food and other things.

Uncle Ulon took a bit of a different approach. He was teaching his wolf about plants… I had no clue what sorts of results that would bring, but the puppy got a lot of care from uncle. He named him Reed, after the Ophilis Reeds found in Apium. The others were doing well with their wolves, allowing me to calm down and stop worrying too much.

As for the little Hope? He grew up a bit more, learned to eat meat by himself and his parents slowly taught him everything there was to learn for a wolf. Once he became a little wolf instead of a puppy, the pack took him for hunts. Though the little fellow was weaker, he really tried his best. Hope grew attached to Dante, unlike anyone else. They played together a lot, and Hope always protected Dante from anything. He minded him like an older brother, even though Hope was younger.

My parents returned back home after a few months of absence. My mother seemed visibly tired, but my father looked mostly the same. "Did you miss us, guys?", he asked while dismounting Frosty. "The Formation is nearing completion, though I have some stuff to add thanks to you. Anyhow, when are we going to Hatmandor?", aunt Alicia asked.

"Hehe, finish first, there's no rush. Besides, I'll have to collect a few other people from your place", he replied while heading towards me and Dante. "Little Dante grew up a bit, eh? We haven't seen each other for a few months. Did you miss daddy?", he asked while grabbing him from my hand. "Dadda is bad… you left for a long time", Dante complained. His vocabulary became much more extensive. Forming basic sentences was no longer such a problem for him.

"Look at you, taking already. Daddy's proud... I'm surprised you decided to keep one of the puppies, Anna", he said. "I'll tell you later, but yea, this is Hope. Others are doing fine too. Anyway, Dante, come here for a moment, let's show mommy and daddy something", I replied with a smirk.

They had no clue what Dane was about to show them. I placed him on his feet while holding him, then said, "Come on, walk to your daddy". Dante tried really hard to keep his balance. One shaky step after the other, he made his way to our father. I could see tears in our mother's eyes. She was so happy to see Dante walk.

"When did you teach him to walk?", father asked, surprised. "Go thank Leran, not me. I was too busy for that. Leran helped out a lot with Dante, and he actually taught him how to walk. Though still a bit shaky, he made a lot of progress", I replied. Mother snatched Dante from my father's arms and hugged him. "My little boy can walk, mommy's proud of you", "Hehe, I love mama".

My parents didn't need to leave anymore, at least not at that stage. I could relax a bit, and focus on my Formations instead. My father and I had a long chat as well. Though most of the talking was done by me, he shared a few things from his recent journey. That made me really happy, being treated like an adult sat really well with me. I was an adult already, but parents always think otherwise.

The reason for that trip was rather simple. They went around the North, and simply taught people how to get stronger. From what he mentioned, my father's concoctions played a large part in that. Of course concoctions alone wouldn't make miracles happen, but he was a being who reached the Primal Limits stage. Therefore he knew some things, others had no clue about. Unfortunately, he didn't share those things with me. I wasn't ready for that, since my abilities didn't even reach the Inner Limits stage.

When I asked him about those concoctions, he smiled and refused to give away anything. Both of my parents maintained the same opinion, 'Want to get strong? Earn it by yourself'. I knew that already, but the curiosity remained. "Anyway, I've been thinking a lot. That journey in the Endrosian Empire, I'd like to return there. This time though, I'd like to take a few of my friends with me. As a team we'd be much safer, and they can explore the Empire as well. The thing is, they need that permission".

"So you want me to give you one, eh? I'm happy you want to broaden your horizons, but how do you plan to conceal your friends? Endrosians will not welcome Shades or Atols calmly. Most of them will freak out, since they never saw these races", he asked. That was indeed the question, but a question with a ready answer on my part.

"I've been studying Formations, as you know. There are ways to alter the look of people… Or rather mask their look. I'm sure you can use illusions for that, but we can't. Instead, they can wear special clothes, which will solve that problem for us. Moreover, the Endrosian Empire is full of life and Elements. There shouldn't be any issues with the supply either".

"Hahaha, clever. Sure, but why are you telling me this? You are nineteen years old after all, a grown woman", he said. "Oh Sh… I mean, I forgot about my birthday… Everyone forgot to be honest. We were busy, so I don't blame them. Wait a minute, since you know, where's my present?", I replied. "Ah, the present... You know? You're starting to look just like your mother… Anyway, it's never too late to celebrate. Since you guys didn't, we can celebrate today", he dodged my question.

That's exactly what he announced to everyone. When they learned that my birthday passed without anyone realising, I could tell they felt a bit guilty. 'Well, at least they care'. We had a party, and people tried to come up with presents for me on the spot, which was really amusing. Though it wasn't about presents anymore. I was happy to celebrate with all these people, the presents didn't matter.