Chapter 68.

The human companions accepted the Palisci's demand without question, trusting her more for all she had done for them. Afterwards, the Master began showing them what she was capable of. She first made a thin concentrated whip out of fire elements and then used it to flog the ground violently. With each strike the air rumbled, flames blackening the soil while deep craters appeared. Is was not random though, as they could see the marks forming a series of geometrical shapes, all perfectly fitted together. The destructive potential of this Mystical Art was impressive and, according to Ischyra, the only energy expenditure was at the creation of the whip. As long as one was focused, using it constantly was 'free'. The downside happened to be range : only six meters.

The second technique the red-skinned woman showed was more middle-range, up to fifteen meters in fact. By compressing fire energy into a tight ball to an extreme degree and throwing it at a hard surface, one could produce a powerful air current and make torrential flames flood an area of a few meters. It was best used from at least ten meters, as less would put the mage using it at risk, and more than fifteen would make the Mystic Art way too unstable. It was more technical than the Flame Whip, which was already complicated enough.

But that was not all ! A third and last use of fire energy was presented to the trio, something that would interest Rose the most : how to use flames in the perfect way to make the forging of objects shorter and more effective ? A profound subject that bored Nick and Enora to no end. It was all about checking the colour of the metal, choosing the right direction for the flames, knowing when to stop for a while and when to get back to it, and so on. Very tedious work that would most likely bear great fruits and only one of them needed to know any of it. Lucky them, only one of them wanted to know any of it.

- I will explain the specific ways to use these Mystic Arts., said the Master. But you will have to train by yourselves and experience them in real situations to become good with it. It takes time and sweat to learn techniques, but it will be more comfortable for you with me giving a head start. Most other students of Schools are forced to roughly guess how something works and find out by themselves the precise details.

- Thank you for your time., excitedly said Rose.

- So !, continued Ischyra. For the Flame Whip, as long as you can compress energy in a rope shape and lightly force the elements to coexist in a physical manifestation, you will be fine. From that point on, you will only need to adapt the technique to your liking while using it, in other words : the more familiar with it you are, the more efficient you will get. As for the Detonation, it is more complicated.

She explained that the small ball of compressed fire energy was extremely unstable even when under control, as the elements could not coexist together in such a tight space. That was because of the regular tremors that this energy produced, the very tremors that actually generated the flames. Rose quickly understood that point by remembering the time when Enora got her arm hurt from playing around with fire energy. When she checked the injured limb back then, Rose discovered all those little pieces of magic stuck inside, sending out wave after wave of scorching heat. The very nature of the fire element was what kept Rose from healing her friend earlier than she wanted.

- So that is why …, she mumbled.

- What ?, asked Ischyra.

The small blond explained her thought, making her interlocutor nod in understanding.

- Yes, that is a common occurrence among young fire mages. Thankfully, you all reacted quickly and efficiently. More so than you should be expected to considering you had never heard or used magic before that event. For the Metal Mastery, I guess only Rose will learn., she said with a frown. Well, what matters is that at least one of you does. It will mainly be theoretical knowledge, as practising it is costly.

After all this, the trio separated from Ischyra in a good mood, 'scheduling' another meeting for a few days later. They did not want to change their current plan of going on a two days exploration of the tunnels. They could not wait to see if they were able to perform the new Mystic Arts they had just learned in a real fight. The earlier tries were far from what the non-human would call satisfactory, both in creating the whip or ball and in handling them, but that fact did not deter Rose from her excitement.

(Rose) Come on, guys, it means we can only go forward ! Positive !

(Nick) Guess you're right. Doesn't matter, for now. I was tired when getting back at the inn, and the lesson just now completely drained me.

(Enora) Same. Can't wait to get to bed.

Inside the dining room, the trio saw a known person walking towards them, a pint in hand : Cusmo ! The guard that had brought them to Sephayis when they completed the Trial. They had not met since then. He did not seem drunk, probably because he had just arrived and ordered his drink, however, he did not look happy. Not fuming or enraged or anything of the sort, but he looked rightly annoyed.

- You three really paid my help with punishment !

- Beg your pardon ?, asked Nick in confusion.

- You don't remember ? When you went to see my Captain, you told him I sent you and all. Well, he was not pleased by it !

- Oh come on !, downplayed Enora. It must not have been that horrible.

- I would not say 'horrible' either., admitted the man. But the Captain is not a kind fellow. I still had to take care of cleaning up the militia tower alone until today. It's not the end of the Conjunction, but I would not call that pleasant by any stretch of the imagination.

Getting why he was a bit angry, the three companions wondered :

(Enora) Are we responsible for it though ? It was his mistake for telling us this. He must have known that we would quote him at some point.

(Rose) You think he used us to get good points with the Captain ? Thinking bringing us back was a good thing ?

(Nick) That would explain why he is not happy about the outcome, since the exact opposite happened. It's a bit funny.

(Enora) Let's just leave him be.

(Rose) Wait ! I'll pay for his drink. That way he'll forget about it, and we can call him for help if need be in the future.

(Nick) Are you genuinely thinking that far ahead, sweetheart ?

(Enora) It's pretty impressive, you know ? I don't like the idea of losing money for no reason though …

(Rose) It's not much and can gain us an ally, just in case.

Without waiting for answers, Rose frisked Nick and fished out just enough copper to pay for that beer, momentarily stunning the off-duty guard. He then proceeded to smile and thank the small woman before leaving them to their business. Business which consisted of finally getting to bed !