Chapter 6 Training

Seth

The sun was high in the sky as Seth approached the Colosseum. Seth had only been in a few parts of the gigantic building that towered over all others in the academy. It had One big arena at its center for spectacles and other Academy wide events but also over a hundred smaller arenas surrounded it. These arenas were arranged in a spiral that led to the center grand arena. The further inside you went the smaller the arenas.

It was a good place to get lost. Even with the rooms labeled with letters and number like 2A or 38A all the way to the center at 100A. Even with this measure it was still quite easy to get lost. That is why it was advised within the Academy to never go in the Colosseum alone. As Seth got ever closer to the west entrance the evening training group was getting out. As Seth looked closer at the armor they were wearing he noticed that they belonged to the 63rd battle group. The group that had been assigned to the west wall along with the 10th battle group. They were among the largest of the battle groups. Usually agents worked alone or in pairs. Only in times of war were they assigned a battle group and a rank.

As Seth passed them some took notice and nodded in his direction. Seth noticed Strat leaning against the wall by the door wearing a simple chainmail shirt that fit tightly over his normal attire. His back leaned against the wall, he seemed to be watching Seth approach with something like stern interest. His look almost made Seth balk. He wore an expression of excitement. Excitement was not an expression strat wore often. Seth reached him and stood awkwardly waiting for Strat to speak.

"Alright!" Strat said rubbing his hands together as if he was trying to warm them. "We'll start by teaching you how to navigate using the earth. I'm going to go inside and wait at one of the arenas. Your job will be to locate me using the earth." Seth crossed his arms and gave strat a look of annoyance.

"That's all really interesting but you forgot one tiny detail."

Strat raised an eyebrow," Oh and what is that"

"Oh I don't know maybe the fact that you haven't exactly explained how i do that."

"Right, well yeah I should probably do that." Seth smirked

"I can already see how wise you are," he said

"Well anyway try closing your eyes."

Seth did as he was instructed. "Now I want you to try to feel the ground through the soles of your feet. Try to imagine the power of earth as an energy in your body sturdy and immovable. Can you do it?" Seth tried to form an image in his mind of a formless substance in his body that moved through out it like the blood in his veins. I took him a few moments to keep the picture firmly in his mind but once he did it became much easier to maintain. It was only after managing that, that he began to feel something in his heels.

Like a warmth that spread from a place just to the right of his heart four energies spread throughout his body. Each one felt different than the others. But only one was what he was looking for. Sturdy and immobile, that was the one he was looking for. After examining each one he finally found the one he was looking for. He grabbed a hold of it and forced it down through the soles of his feet. But when it left his feet he was able to extend it past his limbs and into the ground. It expanded like a sonic wave through the ground using himself as an epicenter. The first thing it came in contact with was the soles of Strat's boots. It mapped out his entire body and then left. Next came the buildings, Seth was able to map out the entirety of several buildings before he felt Strat tugging at his sleeve.

"Seth, Stop!" Strat exclaimed grabbing him and tugging him off balance. The movement shattered Seth's concentration and the power faded. Seth whipped around pushing Strat off of him

"What was that for i almost had it!" Strat crossed his arms as if he was dealing with a kid.

"Yeah, I could see that. But you know what, I don't think the residents, most of who are earth elementals that live in this area particularly appreciate their privacy being invaded." Strat nodded behind Seth and Seth turned to see several people some in lightforce uniforms others in just civilian clothes eyeing Strat and Seth with scowls. Their looks reminded Seth of the same one his mom gave him when he got suspended from one of his schools, intense. Seth felt his cheeks redden as he realized some of the rooms he had been mapping out had some rather inappropriate things being done.

"It is one of the rudest things you can do," Strat was saying.

"What is?"

"To scan someone before meeting them. It is just one of the customs all earth elementals abide by." Strat waved to the people who were now watching them and they seemed to relax going back to there day to day activities.

"Now, you can use this in the Colosseum but don't extend past its boundaries. So shall we begin." "I'll go into the Colosseum and then you will wait twenty minutes and then try to follow. got it?"

Seth nodded an affirmative still trying to shake what he seen in the rooms out of his head.

"Yeah, I got it," he replied.

After Strat had gone in Seth stood outside waiting. Since he didn't have a way to tell exactly Seth waited till he was sure twenty minutes had passed and then he entered as well going straight for the center, his feet clicking against the stone floor. Seth pictured the energies in his head again drawing upon the abilities god had given him. As he once extended energy out from the souls of his feet in a shockwave he managed to locate Strat easily. He wasted no time getting there either. As he entered the training arena Strat began to clap.

"Well done! You catch on well. But now its time to learn how to direct the earth, to actually bend it to your will."

The arena they were in like all the other arenas was circular but this one was also split into four sections. Each section was dedicated to a different element. The one Strat was standing in was the earth element. The floor was made of many different kinds of stone. Quartz, marble, obsidian, cobblestone, limestone, even Flint were present in some amount.

Seth walked over to where strat was waiting.

"Today I'm going to teach you fluidity. You must learn to adapt the way you think about the earth. About stone in general. Stone is sturdy, rigid and strong, but it is also soft life giving and at times even fluid." Seth's confusion was obvious, and Strat put his hand on his head releasing a sigh of exasperation.

"I guess it was too much to expect you to understand with just words.

"Sorry," Seth said. Seth was more of a visual learner.

"Alright I want you to stand over there," Strat said pointing to a spot near the middle of the training room. Seth complied unsure of where this was going. "Okay I'm going to throw several attacks at you the normal way and we'll have you block them."

Seth nodded his understanding his mind already reaching for the power he knew was there. After a Curt not between the both of them to ensure they were both ready Strat launched the first attack.

He stomped the earth and the ground spat out four rectangular boxes of pure stone. Strat then swept his left and right arms out in a punching gesture. Seth didn't wait to see what strat was going to do be cause he had a pretty good idea of how he was going to attack him. Seth raised his arms in a defensive x and the ground raised in a wall of earth five feet tall and at least that big across.

Seth felt the wall shake as the blocks impacted the wall. After a few minutes Seth imagined the wall lowering back into the earth and it obliged.

"Good! Good!" Strat said. "That was a nice and solid defensive wall. Now, let's do that again and we'll see if you are able to defend against it so easily this time." Seth took a defensive position again. Strat wasted no time this time attacking immediately. A continuous column of earth shot out of the ground straight at Seth. Seth raised another earth shield almost automatically and waited to feel the resounding impact of the column hitting his wall.

Suddenly Seth saw a flash out of the corner of his eye but he was too late. And impact pick him up off the ground and flung him into the wall of the training arena. Panting Seth immediately recovered.

"What the heck," Seth said trying to see who had attacked him. But he was astonished by what he saw. The column that had shot out of the ground at Strat's feet had stopped inches from his wall and them went out to the right curved around his wall and struck him in the side.

Strat walked up to him and offered a hand. " Do you get what I was talking about now?" He asked helping Seth to his feet. Seth nodded.

"I think so but I'm going to need a lot of practice."

"Good at least you know your own limits," Strat said with a warmness to his voice Seth had rarely heard. Was that pride. Seth stood up.

"We'll we have the entire evening to work so are you willing to work with me?" Strat just nodded. "Well then let's get to work," Seth said with a smile.