Only after the shop door fully closed did my master begin laughing hysterically. *Ahahahahaha!* Patting me affectionately on the head while mussing up my hair, she then drew out a basic healing potion as well as cream that I assumed was for Lynette’s full body sunburn.
“Let’s get you taken care of dear while your cousin is away.” She then guided the lightly shivering girl out of my view to take care of her in the dining room.
Having no desire to invade on their privacy, I decided to peer out the front door to watch as Joel continued his tortured walk.
Guessing by his current tender and jerking stride, it would take him about 15 minutes or so to reach the pillar. Pleasure at observing his current pain made this venture and creation of his potion so very worth it.
My main reason for watching him, however, was to make sure he didn’t double back and catch us mid-treatment for his cousin.
I knew she wasn’t suffering nearly as much as him, but he didn’t need to know that. A viciously satisfied smile formed on my lips before swiftly disappearing as I turned to see both Victoria and Lynette returning from the other room.
Giving her a quick once over glance I said. “You look much better from before. How are you feeling?”
Maybe it was the recent trial she went through, the absence of her cousin, or the motherly aura that Victoria put off, but she appeared to be far more alive and reactive to questions.
Her eyes lit up ever so slightly and she looked up to meet my gaze for a moment before blushing and looking back down. “Much better. Thank you.” She replied.
“I’m glad” I replied with relief. Her emotions reflected what she said, giving me further confidence in my planned actions. “Would you like to continue on to assimilating the water potion now?”
Her eyes took on a wary yet slightly anticipatory cast. Fear warred with hope and expectation. Yet her gaze firmed up and she replied. “Yes, I would appreciate that.”
Wasting none of the time that was in limited supply, she took out the recently made glowing blue potion, and drank it.
I watched on as condensation formed around her, slicking her skin and drenching her black hair. Her clothes became damp and clung to her body in revealing ways. My eyes were inadvertently drawn to her figure before my sense of decorum made me turn away. My mind briefly dwelled on the fact that she had a well-developed body despite her regressed age of 14. I instantly tasered the inappropriate thoughts. She was also 17 years old in reality, thus marking her as off limits to pursuit, both here and back on earth.
I went by the calculated age disparity formula for dating. Half my age +7. Being 22 years old results in me only being able to romantically pursue someone who was at least 18 years old. Admittedly, I felt that as I grew older, as long as they were legal aged and mature enough, I wouldn’t refuse to get to know someone who showed enough reciprocal interest in me, be it as close friends or romance.
I know that there were many relationships, particularly with celebrities where the age discrepancy was vast, but I didn’t blame their choices. I believe that if the younger of the two is the individual to initiate the first, second, and third or so advances, then that would prove enough interest to allow for reciprocation. Do I think such relationships are always healthy? Certainly not, but there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
It was nice to have an internal dialog to distract me from the view I just had. But it was difficult.
When a person tells you to not think of a pink elephant, even a disciplined mind may struggle with blocking and holding off the image of said creature. The mind is quite adept in formulating thoughts which you intentionally seek to not process. *Hehe!* My thoughts were further distracted as I recognized Victoria’s chuckle.
“It is safe to turn around now.” She called out with a notable tease in her voice. She definitely knew why I turned away.
Still feeling a little hesitant, I slowly turned to see how things worked out. Lynette was surprisingly wrapped in a thick furred blanket of sorts. Her lightly damp hair lay spread out over the curled edges of the blanket around her neck. Her initially pale face was a bit rosy, but also tinged with a more healthy glow from the hydration of her skin.
Stolen novel; please report.
My master answered my unspoken question before I even looked at her. “I drew off the majority of the moisture coating her skin and clothing with my ice element, however, that obviously left her much colder.” *Sigh* “I guess that is the disadvantage of having such a high affinity with ice.”
“Thank you,” I replied with heartfelt gratitude. My master’s nod and light smile showed that she was happy to do so.
Looking back at the now bundled up girl, I asked. “How are you feeling after the latest assimilation?”
Seemingly lost in the blissful comfort of the thick blanket, it took her a few seconds to respond. “Good.”
The words were mumbled as her face was buried somewhat within the folds of fuzzy warmth. Her gaze was fixated upon the door now and I felt the beginning creepings of fear return.
My right hand reflexively clenched outside of her view as I knew what caused her discomfort.
“Before your cousin returns, is there anything you want to ask or know about?” I spoke up as I wanted to help her in the little time we had.
Despite the conversation with the attendant earlier regarding blocking her from enlistment with the military for her sake, I was still unsure if things would work out where she would be free from Joel’s restricting influence.
With her eyes still glued to the front door, she was silent in thought for a moment, and then spoke haltingly. “You said something earlier about shadow creatures being resisted with the light stone. Does that mean that there is a shadow or dark stone which can be used?”
Happy to tell her, I answered. “There is. It’s called a shade stone.” I didn’t volunteer any more details than that as I thought she was simply curious, but then her next question surprised me.
Turning her eyes briefly away from the door to meet mine, she held my gaze with surprising firmness. “Will you please let me use one?”
My eyes widened in response to her seemingly harmless request. Were it any of the other elemental stones outside the esoteric, I would be happy to aid her in the concoction and assimilation of it. However, my personal fear of that stone made me doubt the safety of her intent.
Fearing I had little time for an honest answer, I asked her. “What interests you about the shade stone?”
Her eyes took on a haunted glow and her face buried deeper into the folds of the blanket. “I always want to be able to hide.”
Hearing her say such nearly broke my heart, but even more so I felt the rush of despair mingled with deep yearning in her request as it washed over me. Despite my troubled past experience with assimilation and well-meaning with holding off on her own attempt, I didn’t have it in me to refuse.
“Wait here.” I replied. I have some stored away. Casting a glance at Victoria whose lips were pursed in thought, she did not stop me as I ascended the stairs to my room.
Returning with a stone in hand, shadows crept about my fingers, as light was unable to pierce past the effects of this nightmare of a rock. With the clock ticking, I began crafting the shadow assimilation potion.
Since the time I had used the potion myself, Victoria had shown me alternative methods to craft it and the ice element potions without the use of a flame. Darkness could still be crafted with heat, so long as it was not an open flame. However, it wasn’t worth it to bother with a mini sized kiln. Instead, there was a way to create black fire. I didn’t have all the details for how it was made, but it involved the use of sodium and some other alchemical ingredients.
After catalyzing the element with the additives, I only had time to slip the resulting potion it into a shatter resistant bag from the display case, and hand it to Lynette who secured it away in a pocket of the initial Travelers clothes. Just as she had finished shuffling the blanket around, her cousin had sauntered in the front door with a tiny ball of light hovering above his hand.
His eyes were alight with pride which reflected the tiny light. It shuddered a bit as if about to go out, but he stabilized it again. “Hey, check it out cousin!”
I had to admit that it was impressive for him to succeed in creating light so soon after assimilation. I had not succeeded in manifesting any overt signs of my assimilated elements.
It was extremely disappointing, except that Victoria had told me that my assimilation appeared to be fully reinforcement in nature. That meant that my physical body appeared to have absorbed all of the benefits, like a body forger.
I had far greater strength, speed, endurance, improved sight, and other physical traits than any others at my level and a couple above me. After several sparring sessions with Monroe, he said that I was on my way to being unparalleled physically to any who had assimilated a Tertiary stone. That was the 3rd Tier of mage stones!
However, it appeared to come at the cost of nonexistent external manipulation. . .
The only thing which might speak otherwise, would be my ability to call my weapon to my hand and the spacial and emotional sensory skill I had gained with the space stone. The telekinesis with my weapon was explained as being due to my connection with it. As far as my external sensory, it was just that, sensing. I could not affect anything outside of me, including moving things around or pressing my emotions onto them.
I gritted my teeth at this realization, but then I relaxed as I considered the benefits to this strength. I had since made peace with my growth and limitations, but now seeing someone who I considered as a great annoyance showing off his light manipulation, I couldn’t help but feel a pain at being unable to do such.
Glancing at Lynette, I watched as she closed her eyes and appeared to focus. It wasn’t long before she too was able to gather a ball of light on her hand. It too was faint, and even faltered a bit, but soon it began to strengthen and become more stable. Eventually, it was able to dwarf the ball of light Joel had created. Awe shown in her eyes as I saw a reflected grimace and frustration show in her cousin’s.
Poisonous jealousy poured out from the boy in front of me. His face scrunched up and clouded in anger, appearing ready to burst. At this moment, with the show of both lights, my plans for disarming his anger were all for naught. I didn’t know what to do or say.
I watched on in concern as Joel’s eyes widened and then narrowed while his face turned a mottled red. His mouth opened as if readying to release a myriad of expletives. It was then that my master interrupted his likely tirade.
With an exuberance I had never seen from her before, she gushed at the boy saying. “Well, you came just in time to hear about how useful your cousin is going to be for you.”
Giving the wrapped up young woman an appraising look, she continued. “It is rare, but there have been instances, like now, where a secondary trial and assimilation can heal the effects of a prior one. In this case, it bodes very well for her promise of being a healer.”
Casting her gaze downward, she added. “It is unfortunate that she will not be able to harness such ability for aiding you in the moment.” Her eyes and voice then lit up, “But given enough time and training, she should be a great healer to support you in your grand achievements!”