Tranquility

For a few seconds, Jerrod and Grant simply stared at each other.

Both equally confused by the others words.

No matter how much Grant focused on his surroundings or his own body, he was unable to sense the pressure that Jerrod had referred too.

Seeing Grant looking all around and even down at himself, Jerrod realized that maybe Grant wasn't exerting the pressure consciously.

That realization caused him to facepalm and complain internally, 'No wonder people were looking at him with terror as he walked the street!'

After a few minutes and still not finding the source of this so called 'pressure', Grant heard a voice in the back of his mind.

Unlike normally though, it was Sherlock, but Maximus instead.

[Hey you naive fool, its not like the pressure you're exuding exists in physical form! Why are you looking around like you're going to see it or something?!

Earlier, as your mental state was slowly refined by your convictions and growth, the aura around you was subtly affected.

Your aura before had been so chaotic and disorganize, just like you, that it had been barely noticeable to those around you.

But now that you have focused your mind and improved your mental state, so too has the subtle pressure you exude around you!]

Grant was surprised. This was the first time he was hearing about anything like this. Why hadn't Skit or Couzar mentioned anything about this before?

And why couldn't he sense anything coming from the two of them even though they were both stronger than he was?

[Thank you for the information Maximus. How do I control it? Their must be a way. Especially since I've never been able to sense anything from Couzar or Skit even though they are much stronger than I am.]

A bout of hearty laughter rang throughout his mind following his question and deduction.

[So you do know how to say thank you! I'm surprised!

Whatever Skit said to you earlier must have really had an impact on you! I never thought I'd hear you say those words!

But I'll refrain from giving you too hard a time right now since you seem busy! Of course there is a way to control it!

You simply need to focus your mind and suppress your raging emotions.

Normally, people's auras don't naturally spread outward but clearly you are a special case!

In the short time I've known you, you have always worn your emotions on your sleeve and been very vocal about your feelings and opinions.

Simply will your mind to control those waves and the aura will naturally decrease or dissipate all together.

Of course, if you are ever in a state of extreme emotion, they will burst forth even stronger than they do now.

But that's for another time!

Good luck kid! That's all the advice I can give you!

Never forget, one of the keys to victory is not just control of your body but of your mind as well!]

Grant could only shake his head at the old man in his mind. He would never admit it, at least not easily, but he appreciated all the things that Maximus had already taught him and he looked forward to what more he could learn from the man.

When Grant had begun the conversation with Maximus in his mind, he had closed his eyes to better focus, so no one in the room had bothered him the entire time. They simply stared at Grant who appeared to be meditating.

Now that the conversation was over, Grant kept his eyes closed and immediately tried to control himself.

It was an odd feeling for him.

He had never bothered to check his emotions or control them in any way.

He had always lived free and so had his feelings.

Now however, he needed too or he would have no chance of interacting with people anymore. At least until they became as strong or stronger than he was.

Grant didn't know how to control them but he forced himself to take a few deep breathes.

In and then Out.

Over and Over.

The more he repeated this simple action, the more tranquil his mind became.

As he grasped at that feeling and allowed it to overtake him and his mind, the pressure in the room decreased.

The people sitting on the room instantly noticed the change.

It felt as if someone had been standing on their chest this entire time and just now lifted their foot ever so slightly.

The pressure still remained, but it was rapidly decreasing.

After a few more minutes, the pressure was so minimal that it was barely noticeable.

At this point, Grant finally opened his eyes and looked at everyone in the room.

Seeing the relieved looks on their faces, he knew that he had accomplished the task at hand.

Everyone shot grateful glances towards Grant in response. They had realized he was not intentionally doing it and weren't going to hold it against him that they had suffered for the past half an hour under the weight of his strength.

Not that anyone could actually do anything to Grant even if they wanted to complain.

Seeing that the room was returning to a more tranquil state, Grant motioned for everyone not already sitting to go ahead and take their seats.

Once everyone was seated, Grant finally spoke.

"I apologize for the discomfort I caused each of you, it was not intentional. I will find a way to repay you guys for having to endure that."

Immediately everyone in the room started saying it was not needed and that it was a simple discomfort but nothing too much to worry about.

Grant knew that they were simply trying to appease him but he decided not to push the issue any further.

He shot a glance towards Jerrod, who understood instantly what Grant was thinking. A short nod later Grant moved the conversation forward.

"Alright, now with all of that out of the way, lets get down to why I'm here.

We are going to expand the dungeon and I want your opinions on how we should do it."

Their was a look of surprise on the faces of nearly half the people at the table. Clearly they hadn't been informed on what the dungeon was capable of or how it came to be the way it was now.

So before they could even get into exactly what they needed to accomplish before the Earth entered its Path, he would have to explain how the dungeon worked.

Grant took a deep breathe, before he began explaining everything he knew about the dungeon.

Although his knowledge was limited and his explanation short, the people in the room bombarded him with questions for hours trying to dig out every little detail they could to best plan for the future.

At one point, Grant even had to call Skit in so that he too could help answer some of their questions.

By the time the Q&A was finished, it was already late at night.

Rather than continue the conversation throughout the night, they decided to return the following day and put together their expansion plan for the dungeon as well as any new policies for contributions of the town's inhabitants.