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<01/12/1972 ~ 09:41 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>
The day passed by quickly, leading right into Wednesday morning before anything eventful could take form. Luckily, Fronas had not seen any more excitement, and Dakota's rate of special training only continued to accelerate under Eliza's control. Evaluations were Friday, so it was to be expected. Other classes were under different levels, and the other basic classes did not make it this far yet. The general atmosphere around the school became excited and refueled once again, and the display of an interesting set of props were placed outside in the field of Fronas. The cluster was only a set of metallic training dummies designed for the Leray students. Nobody asked people to stay away from them as of yet, but it was implied based on the time and effort it took to set them up that nobody was to mess with the human figurines unless told to. Their very presence only foreshadowed what was in store for everybody today.
Dakota's doors were open as usual. This time, Taylor and Danny caught up to Jane before she got through to the main hallway. They were both curious as to how Jane was feeling compared to before. It was a long shot now - just to try and remember how excited Jane was acting in the past. It could have been a facade for something else, or just a temporary phase of human energy Jane caught a hold of. Perhaps after all that has happened recently, Jane just stopped caring. She may still be sincere about training hard, but her passion and determination are still somehow dwarfed by her past behavior. At least that's how Taylor felt about the situation. Danny pondered whether it was still a matter of physical recovery stopping her from being her usual energetic self. Not too long ago, Danny dreaded every moment with Jane because she was usually too much to handle, but this turnover might be worse than he thought.
Jane thought a lot more about the event that took place a few nights ago. It was after the crimson crystal shards were stolen, and Jane had snuck out of the house alone. Successful in getting to walk around Fronas in the middle of the night with the inability to sleep, Jane once again caught a glimpse of the moonlight through the random brewing clouds above. Those clouds were still here today, but a storm was far off from the weather's severity. Even though the moon was not full, just the slight beams of white light from its beautiful reflection gave Jane the most incredible feeling inside. It wasn't describable in words, but she was just fine with that. The thoughts still weighed in her mind. That's when Danny and Taylor found her earlier than she wanted them too.
"Hey Jane," Taylor greeted. "Nice morning, huh?"
Jane hated when people do that. Taylor obviously wanted to say something more than just nice morning. She must be making small talk to lead into something else... Jane began thinking more about her friends. Were they really her friends? After all said and done, what exactly does Taylor and Danny want to do? Jane faintly remembered the far-out story they both told her, about the way they accidentally made it to this country by sea. If that were true though, why would they hang around here instead of flying a plane back home? "Uh-" Jane realized that in her chain of thought, she was taking far too long to answer the simplest question. "Sure." Jane knew that was not good enough to be left alone, but then she had to consider why she doesn't want any company right now... Jane didn't recall feeling upset, or angry, not even depressed. Nothing about their presence triggered any ill sensation.
"Have any spoilers for us today?"
Now Danny was trying to make a conversation. Jane just didn't want to be a part of it anymore. To be truthfully honest however, Jane didn't know what was going on today either. This was finally the first time that Eliza's group was going on ahead towards the end. It would be redundant to receive a new student now. "No, I don't." Jane sped up her walking speed slightly, trying to get to class. She wanted nothing more than to be left alone with her thoughts. Though maybe something's wrong with me instead.
Taylor couldn't believe it. Yesterday, she was led to believe by all of Jane's hard work that she had fully recovered from what happened to her in Blue Port, but the way she was acting today was just something else. Jane was not her normal self anymore. Taylor had some doubts about it right up until now. Jane wasn't even interested in talking to Danny or to Taylor. If Jane isn't going to be herself, than who is she going to be? Was she still messed up about Danny flipping out at her that one night, the first time Jane woke up from her incident?
Taylor followed Jane to the classroom, seeing as she had no choice being in the same class as Jane. Danny was right behind Taylor, and she could sense that Danny was concluding the same thing about Jane. Taylor felt like giving up just for now. If there was a way to bring Jane back to her normal self again, it wasn't going to be in the middle of a crowded school hallway. After reaching room 706 and taking their seats, Jane still kept her distance from those two by facing the front of the room with intention to block out everything else.
Eliza waited patiently for the whole class to settle down. At least by now, everybody made it in. Jane was seriously focused on her for once, as if she wanted nothing else today than to learn everything in one swoop. Sure does match her profile. Eliza already had a short lesson plan for today, followed by more intense training out in the field of Fronas. There was a bit to talk about this time, more important than yesterday's tips.
The room's volume was finally cut down, and Eliza took that moment to begin her lesson from the top. "Good morning. As you already know, today is Wednesday, and Friday is the final evaluations test; which is why I want to briefly go over what it means to graduate from the Dakota Training Academy." Eliza waited for any immediate responses or comments, but nobody was speaking, so she continued. Eliza slowly paced around the room with her hands behind her back, the usual pose she gives off when getting bored. "The current class you are in now? This is just basic level training. That's all that is required to earn your official Leray wielder's license and bring it into the real world, but there are additional levels reaching beyond basic. Some people would prefer to hold off on their license and train for several more years. This is always possible, to train even harder through the school facilities. The reason for this lies in the experience done in your first official Leray battle out of school. With this level of basic training, you may not be as prepared as others above your level."
"Doesn't that seem redundant?" one girl asked. After getting the teacher's attention, she raised her hand after forgetting her basic manners, and continued to elaborate. "I mean, wouldn't it just be faster to earn your experience in the world that way, instead of using the school to train?"
Eliza nodded with a smirk. "That is up to the wielder's choice. There is an upside and a downside to everything. By immediately dispersing into the field, you must work much harder and quicker to earn rewards and spoils for the next battle, and the next one, and so on. If you lose too many battles, and by extension, credits, then you will have to temporarily resign and apply for work somewhere, or head back home. It's hard because you must always upkeep a basic amount of funds to support yourself on the road. That means food, water, medicine, and the supplies necessary to carry out another battle. Careers based on this don't end with failure, but they are set back more easily by losing fights. Your probability of losing often goes down if you have advanced training skills from another facility when starting out. The downside to advanced training is that it takes more time to learn those skills, as you also don't get to go out into the field and have real battles until you are ready."
Danny's head started spinning. That was really a lot to consider just for a career in Leray battling, not to mention the big step from graduation or replacement into a better class. It seems even after basic, students in higher classes won't have time to battle others outside. But what does that mean for Dakota? Danny raised his hand, waiting for Eliza to point to him before putting his arm back down. "How many levels are there total?"
Eliza answered, "It really depends on what facility you go to, and sometimes what Leray related position you are trying to achieve. Due to a lack of regional funding, Dakota only has three levels of classes. The basic class here, and then elevated Leray training. After elevated training, the class types move up to advanced training volume one, then two, three, four, and five. Dakota's highest is Advanced Volume One. I think that the richer facilities like that one in Lennith City has a volume six. But the elite school in Eldora City has one more above that, known as Elite training. I hate to say it, but the richer schools offer more options. Elite training is as far as it goes, and requires that you first pass all six volumes of advanced Leray training."
Elite of elites, Danny thought to himself. It sounds like one impressive resume to build if one were to take that road. But then according to what Jane has been saying, going on an adventure and fighting firsthand is a better way to learn. So that must mean it is redundant to go to advanced schools, right?
"That's why license statuses can change all the time," Eliza continued. "You get a license for basic training, then one after graduations. But after graduating from higher-level classes, that bit of information is transferred to the same license, which is then used to evaluate whether one is legally allowed to move up the ranks in a learning facility like this one. You can always go back to an upper-level class one above the current rank even if you haven't decided to initially. After this week, those licenses will become your lifeblood in Sprawn Valley. So don't lose them! The technology to replace lost or stolen licenses is out there, but it's still imperfect and expensive."
Another male student raised his hand, speaking before official permission. "So like, what do we do with the licenses?"
Eliza knew that question was coming. So simple to understand, yet it rolls right over somebody's head each year. "You need one to battle. The role of battling between people all in Sprawn Valley is a privileged sport. It has become so popular in time that people can literally live off of battling these days. What it means to battle people is to offer and accept challenges from other Leray wielders. People will walk right up to you all the time, asking you if you have the credentials to battle. If you do, you must accept their offer no matter what."
"I still don't understand that," Taylor blurted. "What's to say it's a bad time and I could just decline?"
"If the one challenging you is in a generous mood, and says it is okay not to accept any terms, then no battle needs to occur, and no penalties will arise. But there are rules and reasons set into place for why people need licenses to battle. Everyone must always be serious about battling. If somebody challenges you when you have a Leray wielder license, and you decline, they then have to decide whether to make their offer one more time, or leave it be. If they finalize a request to battle, and you say no, then you get a penalty strike on your license. That penalty strike works with the card, and the license can automatically detect whether your intentions to refuse a battle are genuine or not. The only exception occurs if the betting limit is essentially zero, as declining a battle without any reward offsets the system to optional inquiries. You can avoid these penalties by accepting the offer in the first place, or by declaring a 30-hour emergency. The license card will then go into emergency mode for thirty hours, and you will not be penalized for refusing hundreds of battles within that time frame."
"Oh."
Eliza didn't make out who was playing out the understanding of the group, but it didn't matter. So she just continued. "However, declaring an emergency is specifically designed for an actual emergency. Say you need to get home quick because your family got hurt or is in danger. Or say you need to get somewhere quickly because you are the one in real danger. In the event where crime or an accident somehow disrupts the normal way of things for a Leray wielder, that thirty-hour period shields you from penalties received by persistent challengers when you decline their offer. At the same time, developed as an anti-cheat protocol, you must turn in your license card to an agent within that same thirty-hour period, and file a report regarding whatever the emergency was about. Longer lasting situations must be taken up for acceptance by a Leray agent office. If you declare an emergency for something other than an accepted reason for an emergency, your license will be revoked for a long time, depending on the severity and frequency of such an occasion. It is possible to lie your way into it, but there is a risk of committing that crime every time, so it is not ever wise to make things up for that purpose."
"I get it now," Danny spoke. "You're not allowed to refuse challenges, because what would be the point of battling if you could pick and choose every single time?" It was actually quite harsh in itself. For a career, it made perfect sense, but for an average traveling wielder, that would sure make it hard to get around places. What offsets the issue of getting exhausted all the time?
"Correct," Eliza responded. "Now of course, that rule of line works the other way. If you are the challenger, then the rival party will be penalized unless they accept to battle with you. Win or lose, no penalties are taken upon you as long as you have a battle in the first place. But beware of reward systems. They work like bets. If you battle someone for a reward system of 700 credits and you lose, then you are the one who must pay those credits to the winner. You don't have to worry about not having that much ahead of time, because the reward system works with both licenses, and does not exceed any limit caps. To put the last matter to rest, the penalties on a person are shifted to account for possible exhaustion. If a wielder successfully wins or loses at least five battles or more in a twelve-hour period, they then become immune to penalty strikes for the next fifteen hours. This ensures that no one wielder gets overwhelmed."
They really thought of everything! Taylor figured the system wasn't so complicated up until now. There was all of this complicated stuff about having a license, and all of it wasn't even inside of the range of a real battle. There is almost too much to Leray wielding, but it's so incredible all at the same time how much it allows people to form strategies.
"A penalty strike is added to your license for refusing a battle. If your license accumulates a total of three penalty strikes, it will automatically become null and void until you take it to a Leray training facility. There, your license will be stamped with a digital activation code, which will renew your license after the total duration of two weeks passes afterwards. So it's more or less being on suspension. But of course, that time of two weeks turns to four if the occurrence is a second time. Third time is three months, fourth is a full year, and if you get your license revoked five times in a row, then you will have it permanently revoked. If that happens, it's back to basic school all over again."
Taylor blurted, "Wow! Sounds like they really want people to battle - or else."
Eliza continued pacing around slowly, making sure her voice was reaching everyone today. Taylor did nothing but saturate everything she was saying, thus it was harmless. "The system is in place as these methods to weave out the weak. There is nothing more disappointing than easy wins to wielders who have been training for years to make it to the top. That's why people who get a license are required to obtain a basic set of skills, so that they are more of a threat when released into the battle area, which is officially anywhere."
The sound of gasps were heard from at least half the entire group of students. It all made sense to them now. Danny figured out why one must train so much before getting in real experience; this was it right here. By placing minimum skill levels around the entire continent, battles will never be too far outmatched. It would defiantly be possible to match a basic person to an elite wielder, but it would also happen so randomly. The skill level of everyone eventually mixes into this massive saturation of wild magic wielding fighters going around for challenges and wins, and the reward system is used to further encourage people to do their absolute best.
"Battles are encouraged so much, that by accepting three battles consecutively over any period of time, your penalty strike on your license will decrease by one if you have any. So say you have two strikes, you can battle three times in a row, (win or lose), and end up with only one strike left. Six consecutive times total would remove both of those strikes, and thus eliminate any concern about being penalized."
"What if you're fresh out of money and items to bet with?"
Eliza addressed the student sitting behind Jane. "Then the reward cap is set to zero for the one struggling. Which means the one who has nothing also has nothing to lose, while the other challenger has everything on the line to lose. Even though the bet should be zero in that case, there is a minimum pay off of two hundred and fifty credits. So if you have nothing, you can still win a small portion of money in the end by battling anybody. But in that situation, you would never have to worry about accumulating a debt of credits. Otherwise, your wins would be worthless. As for unofficial battles that occur from mishaps like dealing with a criminal, the rules have all but disappeared. In the event of a true emergency, there is no holding back to save yourself from real danger. You'll know the difference, because only official battles have dome shields there to surround both wielders."
"They really thought of everything..."
This time it was Taylor processing it all. "Of course Taylor. Leray battling is about having fun all together, so we must make sure everybody gets a fair experience in some way or another. The rest is up to you as an individual. And soon, your final evaluations will test your readiness to be sent into the field with a license."
"So then, where's the practice today?" Jane was eager to get started already. She knew most of this information already, but her question gave her a rather rude offset.
Eliza ran out of things to discuss anyway. That was all of her lesson plans for today. "About training, it doesn't stop even after graduations. Today you may have noticed a lot of target dummies placed outside in the field, all in the basic shape of people, minus the feet. Those figurines are your target practice, if you decide to go and train outdoors today. Some need a change of environment from time to time. So dark room six will be open to train, while you may additionally train outside by targeting the figurines. Those metal figurines can take a lot of punishment, so don't worry about overdoing anything today. Just learn new skills, and everyone should be fine."
"Th—that's it?" Taylor hesitated.
"No assignments today or tomorrow. Just train, train, train. And now is the time to begin. Class is dismissed."
Taylor couldn't believe it. Learning was finally over; training was almost over. All she and Danny had to do now was train some more and prepare for the final test on Friday. It's closer than it sounds. There is no way Jane isn't the least bit excited. "Come on Jane! Let's train some more."
Jane lifted her head up slightly. Taylor's voice had risen, and it hurt her ears a little, but something was a bit different with her now. Taylor was acting totally psyched about some more training... Although, they now had the chance to train and learn more stuff outside for a change in scenery. Jane could polish up on the spells she does know, or master a really awesome one. Plus she can get the chance once again to show Danny who's the boss when it comes to Leray magic.
Jane was suddenly beside herself. This whole time, all day and yesterday, she did not feel much of anything lately. For whatever reason there was right now, Taylor's incredible excitement was getting contagious. Jane could think of nothing more right now than training and learning new skills. Just a few minutes ago, it was all overcrowded with the incredible moonlight that was stuck in her mind. Even while Jane tried to switch her imagination backwards, it was no use. How did Taylor just do that? "Uh— sure. Let's train outside this time."
"Fine by me," Danny exclaimed. "I'll show you how a real pro does things."
Jane laughed, sparking a sudden sensation of something familiar to her before. "Like that'll happen."
Danny didn't expect that to work at all. In the past, Jane would always taunt or tease Danny's Leray abilities by comparing them to hers. Though she had reason, he was always under the impression she did that just to gloat, but that wasn't the reason at all. Jane already knows how powerful she is, but by himself claiming otherwise, it puts her in a playful mood, and she tries even harder to impress others. It was subtle, short-lived, but Jane's basic emotions were finally coming back to life after so long. Something had to be on her mind in order for Jane to recede like that, but as long as she is herself again, who cares what that one thing could be?
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Chapter Theme Shift: Blockade (Extended Ver.) ~ Ace Combat 4 OST
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Jane led Danny and Taylor outside to where the stationed targets were set up. Fronas is such a small town, so the people walking anywhere near here outside were populated at about two people every seven minutes or so, making the area even more private, but a few of the other students from Dakota had the same idea in mind to train outdoors. There was plenty of space to train here, but that meant the population would appear to go up, despite them consisting of students living in Blue Port or Gross City. Jane chose her spot wisely, where nobody would be able to accidentally interfere with her momentum. As it was now, Jane, Taylor, and Danny stood in silence for a few seconds together. Jane was eying the target dummies, but also while visualizing every one of her skills and how it would affect them. Jane already knew her power. Now was the time to test and see how much her friends really know. "We'll each take turns. Danny, then Taylor, then me. It's time to show off."
"I was waiting for you to say that," Danny replied. It was true as well. It felt like they were getting a different Jane every day, but now she was back! "Stand back and I'll try an easy one."
Jane wasn't interested in seeing an easy skill right now from Danny, but it would at least get him warmed up, so she kept her concern to herself. It would be just a short moment before Danny shows off one of his random spells. They both had to know some skills that Jane did not, only because she chose not to learn them for her own reasons.
Danny concentrated on his powers as he did before. It really is true about what they say. Even with learning difficult Leray skills, learning how to actually concentrate and focus MP energy into a series of motions and powers gets easier each time, and faster as well. Even after learning a difficult skill has been achieved, the successful use of that skill later on is still much easier than it was the first time, and that gave him all the confidence he needed to use this spell. He wanted to learn it for a long time after one of Jane's demonstrations that day. Now all of that hard work paid off in full. Danny charged that energy into his hands, making them glow a dim color of blue. Just before releasing that power while aiming at one of the targets in front of him, he chanted the name of the Leray spell. He was already doing well now, but chanting the name also helps focus the mind on which skill is being invoked at the time. "Shadow Wave!" Danny thrusted his arms forward at the same time, releasing a large dark colored aura that began traveling forward while bound to the ground.
Taylor's jaw dropped in amazement. Danny never told her that he learned Shadow Wave. The skill was beautifully executed, the same as Jane's Shadow Wave when she used it on Taylor that first day. Even when Jane and Eliza were sparing with each other with that evasion therapy, Jane launched a Shadow Wave attack then. The one Danny used now was one and the same, all with the same elegance and beauty. A darkened black mist tightly holds to the ground, spanning upward to gain height, and then travels forward at a high speed, carrying with it non-elemental magical damage and slashing damage dealt together with a number of hits on a target. The spell called Shadow Wave was really complex in its structure of the form. It's really like a shadowy force coming to life while heading towards any target with a vengeance. The wave Danny shot off already ended up hitting one of the dummy targets. The speed of the attack was quick as well; not as quick as Jane's, but she has had much more practice anyway.
Danny watched as his target wobbled with the hit, after which the Shadow Wave itself dispersed in a small explosive dark mist that faded within less than a second, making an awesome whooshing sound at the end. His hands have long since stopped glowing, since his attack was already launched. Invoking Shadow Wave wasn't too difficult, but it also cannot be controlled once it is launched. It becomes an earth bound projectile, which explains why all he needed to do was make it happen and then let it roll. In a battle, it may be possible to get in two attacks, launching a Shadow Wave and then something else while the opponent must then focus on dodging or blocking the Shadow Wave. By the time the Shadow Wave hit the dummy target, Danny was certain that he could have already charged up another spell before then.
Jane seemed mildly surprised. Danny said it was an easy skill, but Shadow Wave is quite advanced for someone with a set of basic skills. On top of that, it can do wonders in a fight between beginners. Still, that Shadow Wave was no match against one of her own. Jane knew what would happen in such a scenario. When you have two spells opposing each other with the exact same spell invocation excluding projectile attacks, something such as two Shadow Waves colliding creates a power struggle. The person with the stronger Shadow Wave will have their Shadow Wave attack burst right through the opponent's spell, destroying the attack aura from the opponent and allowing their spell to reach that same opponent.
"My turn!" Taylor ran up to Danny, taking his place while diffusing his exciting idea of a combination attack from long range. "That was great! But now wait until you see my new skill."
"Go ahead." Danny slowly walked back to where Jane was standing. He and Jane were not more than three meters away from where Taylor was - to her side. It would not be dangerous to watch form this distance anyway since Taylor had a good enough aim. Even if something did happen, what's one attack going to do with 100% HP to start with?
Taylor immediately focused her energy into her hands. Her planned skill was easy to use because of how little MP it consumed. The damage potential wasn't high either, but Taylor figured it would be a great attack to learn how to use in a fight for any reason. After getting her hands to glow, Taylor threw them out in front of her, opening her palms to the target dummies. With this one, her aim would not need to be spot on. "Ice Needles!" Taylor's chant helped the bright blue glyphring form in front of her quickly. The glyphring was amazing this time, forming an energy bond between both of Taylor's hands, while the ring itself remained sturdy and stable. Taylor's power was released into the glyphring, which then shot out a barrage of small icicles facing forward. The icicles traveled at an incredible speed towards the target, but the barrage itself was spread out a bit further. This was done by design, an attack that would be nearly impossible for the opponent to dodge. Even though there could be counters for this attack, it was one of Taylor's proud spells. She still had her power releasing, making sure that the full barrage of ice needles were fired outward. All of those needles ended up hitting something in the distance. There must have been four or five target dummies affected by that attack alone, seeing as at least forty solid needles were used in the spell.
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Danny was mildly impressed too. He knew that Taylor was practicing for surprise spells, but this one just happened to look incredible. As soon as the barrage of icicles was over, Taylor's glyphring faded quickly, and her hands stopped glowing as well. "Pretty good job, Tay."
"You two haven't seen anything yet." Jane scoffed both of them for attention. Danny's ability to learn Shadow Wave was barely impressive at that, and Taylor's Ice Needles would not do very much damage at all in a real match. Now that it was Jane's turn, it would be her chance to actually master one of her newest abilities.
"Oh?" Danny returned. "And I don't suppose you can do any better? Show us a spell you haven't shown us before, one more powerful than ours combined."
"One powerful spell coming right up." Jane pointed to Danny with much confidence. Such confidence had Danny silenced in seconds; or perhaps he was simply waiting in hopes that Jane would mess it up. Jane wasn't certain which scenario he was thinking about. Messing up her new abilities now would be embarrassing, after the high hopes she just set for herself in front of her friends. Taylor stepped back to where Danny was so that Jane could take her place. "The spell you are about to experience is called Tri-Attack."
Jane knew it would be a surprise either way. There is just no possible way Danny or Taylor could know what Tri-Attack is or what it looks like. They were both down and disoriented in that battle against the Scarlet grunt who stole the crystal shards. Jane remembered the whole thing perfectly however. She remembered getting hit with a Tri-Attack in that battle. Such power! Jane needed to know that spell for herself. According to what she read, Tri-Attacks can severely vary based on what actual elements are used. The official name is unofficially anybody's guess, but Jane had a wonderful idea to mix in a Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, and a Thunderbolt all into one. She had been practicing for it before, but never actually made it work. Even right now, this would be a risk to her pride in front of Danny. Jane was still determined that today is going to be the day she masters Tri-Attack. Such a powerful attack spell cannot go ignored. And so, here it goes.
Jane patiently waited for her MP energy to charge. It took up about fifteen percent of Jane's total energy capacity for her to get started. Though nobody's energy scope was turned on, Jane knew how much power she was using just based on the feeling of things. Her hands were glowing an intense orange aura, after which Jane released all of her energy while concentrating on exactly how the invocation should go. In her mind, the dummy targets were visualized already, and Jane had to imagine that all three elemental glyphrings were connected together while spaced out differently. Soon, her imagination became a reality. One large red glyphring formed far to the right, aiming at the target dummies from an angle. Then another glyphring appeared, just as large but colored to be bright blue. That glyphring appeared far on the left in the distance. Then, the jade colored glyphring of electricity formed just in front of Jane. This formation happened in just the flash of a second. As they were, all three glyphrings that formed at the same time created the shape of a triangle, if viewed from above or below.
"Tri-Attack!" Jane's voice elevated into a powerful angry yell as she released every last bit of her charged energy into her attack pattern. The glyphrings all lit up brighter until something amazing happened. The electric glyphring fired a Lightning Strike attack from the center of the ring, striking one of the target dummies. The large red glyphring shot off a Fire Bolt from its core, and the blue glyphring fired an Ice Bolt from its center. All three glyphrings activated at exactly the same time, but the spacing was all different, contributing to the synchronization of the actual impacts of each element on the targets. The Lightning Strike hit first naturally, since it is an electrical attack that strikes too quickly to dodge. Then the Fire Bolt struck one side of the target dummy shortly before the Ice Bolt struck the other side. Though the activated fire was totally synchronized, the impacts were not. However, it was a very powerful combination attack using fire, ice, and electricity all into one single spell. That triangle basically surrounded Jane's target, and then attacked with multiple forms of magic. In theory, based on the timing of those hits, one would think that the actual impact timing being far off would only made it more difficult for anybody to dodge them at all. The three glyphrings slowly faded away on their own, and Jane gave a large inhalation of breath that nearly made her fall forward. That one spell took a lot out of her for the moment being, especially since this was her very first successful invocation.
Jane shook it off quickly, and turned around to Danny and Taylor. The expressions on their faces; both of them were speechless. It was to be expected; nobody has ever seen that skill used by a basic level student before. Additionally, Jane managed to master it much faster than it would normally take anybody. Then add in their unknown fact that Tri-Attack is often referred to as a power-level-six skill. "Well?"
Danny sighed regretfully. "Okay. You win this round." What else could he say? Danny thought he would actually get away with showboating today with Jane, but who would have thought Jane was practicing advanced level spells like that? It may be a stretch though to see Jane use it again. There is no way she could have mastered that at any other time than right now. So it's still probably now as powerful as a power-level-five attack spell. Thus, his next mastered skill could prove to be more useful.
Jane walked back to her spot, helping to coax Danny to try again. "Now let's see about round too. Show me what you know." Jane waited. Both Danny and Taylor were still processing the use of that awesome skill. Danny was still however encouraged to walk back to the imaginary station spot and try something else. Jane wasn't thinking about it much, but she was smiling. I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun. It was a moment like this that made Jane wonder why she wasn't training with Danny or Taylor since a few days ago. She could feel herself becoming more excited by the minute.
Danny stepped a bit closer to the dummy targets. His next idea of an attack was not exactly a long-range skill, but he had been practicing at it for a while now. Danny knew this skill was widely used everywhere, but hardly anybody knew how to use it. After concentrating and charging energy again, Danny unleashed his power while imagining the skill being used under his orders. With his hands both glowing with a mostly transparent brown colored aura, he let go of that charged energy while chanting, "Earth Glave!" One... Two... Three... Nothing. Danny's hands stopped glowing, and he hunched down in a humiliating look of defeat. "Uh... Failed again."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Jane cheerfully hallowed. "Let Taylor have a go now." Earth Glave would have defiantly been hard for her to follow up on. It's a great skill to practice for his level. Unfortunately, he doesn't have it yet.
"Yes!" Taylor jumped. "Sorry Danny, but now it's my turn. You'll have to learn Earth Glave later."
"Guess so." Danny traded places with Taylor, setting himself back to Jane while they both were about to watch and see if Taylor knew of any special tricks to win. If neither one of them were capable of getting in just one spell more powerful than Jane's, then all of Jane's teasing would have actually been for something.
Taylor concentrated, smiling at herself with how much confidence she had in this next type of attack. Taylor exhaled carefully, giving herself the sense of focus that she needed. Then, after releasing her energy, Taylor began. "Whirlwind!" A powerful gust of wind began to surround Taylor while spinning in a full circle over and over again. That wind and air quickly became visible with a transparency, in the form that it was now a wind based magic attack. Before letting it end there, Taylor released a secondary attack while her Whirlwind was surrounding her. "Ice Bolt!" Taylor attempted to fire an Ice Bolt out of her hand while trapped in the vortex of wind. While the glyphring for it formed around her wrist as one would expect it to, the bolt of ice that came rushing out suddenly exploded while it was still releasing from her hand. Taylor's arm was now freezing, and the Whirlwind quickly subsided on its own. After it began to die down, her friends got to see after their view being obstructed before that Taylor was holding her arm in defeat, since she had caused Leray damage to herself in the process.
"What?" Danny didn't believe that Taylor experienced any trouble with that one, but it was also unclear to why she used two attacks so quickly. "Taylor? What happened?" It was obvious from here that her hand was somehow hit by her own Ice Bolt. The coloration throughout her arm became pale with melting frost. It must have backfired somehow. Perhaps trying to use one inside of the vortex proved to be far too challenging, for the bolt's escape velocity that is. The vortex of visible air that surrounded Taylor was quite impressive itself. She almost had an interesting thing going there, defending herself using a spell while attacking through that same spell. It was a good idea in theory.
"Darn!" Taylor shuffled back to Danny and Jane with a frown on her face. Jane sympathetically smiled at her good effort, and then explained to Danny what just went wrong.
"Taylor tried to use a combination attack."
"Combination attack?" he echoed.
Jane continued, "It's where you try and make a really effective use out of just two spells, fusing them together somehow without learning any new skills in particular. I imagine that Taylor was hoping to create a freezing Whirlwind attack by infusing ice and wind together. But not all combination moves are meant to work like that. Taylor? You can't fire Ice Bolt or Fire Bolt while surrounded by a wind based vortex like that. You're Ice Bolt exploded in your hand because the wind-current was too close and too strong."
She was way off. Taylor knew that all she wanted to do was make that Ice Bolt fly through her own Whirlwind and keep going to any particular target, but it failed. However, the thought of creating a freezing vortex of wind instead of just regular wind was far more intriguing to her than what she previously had in mind. For that reason, Taylor didn't try and correct Jane, since it made her seem more intelligent. She would try that from now on anyway.
"That's weird," Danny claimed.
"No," Jane disagreed. "It's not weird. Taylor had a good idea, but like any good training session, she has just learned that elemental attacks can be effectively weakened by wind attacks. That's the reason people sometimes fight using wind elemental magic. Wind elemental magic can often be effective against all elemental projectile attacks, but it's mostly true for lightning than anything else. Danny? If you shot a Fire Bolt at me, and then I use Aero Blast to try and diffuse it, my attempt will likely fail. But if that gust of wind is strong enough, I can still manage to change the course of your Fire Bolt so that it loses track of the initial target and becomes useless anyway."
Danny thought about it. That's actually amazing! One simple low powered Aero Blast can do all that? How was he ever going to learn with that much to consider in a battle? Danny was briefly distracted by the fact that Jane was now giving something another try.
Jane stood tall after taking Taylor's place and approaching the target spot once again. "Sometimes, the simplest attacks really are your best bet." After waiting and charging her energy again, Jane released all of it into one short burst. "Shadow Wave!" Jane unleashed another Shadow Wave, but because she had practice with it so much, hers came out appearing much larger in total size, likely to be strong as well. The Shadow Wave was the same in every other way, bound to the ground while traveling forward with much speed. The darkness of the wave made it a little hard to see, but since the sun was still shining brightly, there was no problem with catching its glimpse the entire time. However, the impressive fact surprised even Jane. The Shadow Wave is known to build on height and get a bit wider to increase potential damage areas as it advanced forward, but Jane's Shadow Wave was about as high as four and a half feet, which was twice the normal size of any powerful Shadow Wave. Not only that, but the impact on the dummy target created a loud smash echoing through the air. That wasn't all. The very moment that her Shadow Wave impacted the target, the material shattered into thousands of small fragments. The small pieces of what once was a target dummy were now raining down all over the place. The material wasn't the same indestructible metal made using the Dakota facility walls, but it was still a strong metal-carbon mesh that was difficult to damage. Of course, now it's Swiss cheese.
Jane couldn't believe the damage she saw before her; she froze still pondering what exactly happened. Eliza specifically told them that these target dummies would not break. One would have to use power-level-eight attacks to damage them. So what on earth was that about? Jane could tell that Danny and Taylor both were having just as hard of a time believing their eyes and ears. What if that had been a live target? Would they lose an incredible amount of health, or would they completely explode in a gory pile of—
"That was a Shadow Wave attack?!" Danny hollered. "No way, I'm trying that again."
"Count me in as well," Taylor added. "I can use Shadow Wave after enough demonstrations. I didn't think it was that powerful!"
"Neither did I," Jane whispered. She didn't let Danny or Taylor hear her surprise. Jane never recalled any of her Shadow Waves being capable of dealing that much damage in the first place. Practicing can really make spells that much stronger? It didn't seem likely based on the bigger difference given such little time. If the Leray protection zone doesn't protect anybody when Jane tries to use that spell on them, bad things can start happening quick. After getting out of their way, she held out her right hand to her face, staring blankly into her skin with deep thought... Jane exhaled again, calming herself down to one of the more well known facts. Leray protection does not naturally protect inanimate objects from damage. A simple Fire Bolt could catch any one of these houses on fire at any moment. So there is still that to consider. It isn't that powerful, Jane just got a lucky power burst is all. It isn't known to happen at all.
"Shadow Wave!"
"Shadow Wave!" Taylor copied right after Danny's chant. She managed to successfully fire off her very first Shadow Wave, just a quick moment after Danny shot his off. They both aimed for a different target, which was the same as each other's, now that the first one exploded from Jane's magic. Taylor watched both Shadow Waves travel, hers behind Danny's. The incredible whooshing sound happened again at an increased volume. Both of the Shadow Wave attacks hit the target dummy from the bottom, one after the next. Ultimately, that would have been high on a damage meter, but the target dummy they aimed for did not wobble very much. Taylor watched the Shadow Waves hit that same one with all its force, but still, nothing. "You're saying that Jane's Shadow Wave is more powerful that the two of us combined?!"
"Okay..." Jane wanted to change the subject. "I'm calling that a fluke. I'm just as surprised as you are. So let's go for round three and do our best."
"A fluke huh? I'll buy that!" Danny did his best to get Jane the least bit angry at him. He knew that in the long run, that was still better than Jane turning into a dark anti-social freak.
"Watch it." Jane responded with the anger Danny wanted her to, but all at the same time, this got Jane thinking. "You know, I think I'm doing well so far. Soon, I'll be nothing less than a Leray master!"
Danny tilted his head. Jane was warming back up to her old self, but maybe this was a little too fast. "Cool off Jane. Leray masters can't just turn up overnight."
"I never said it did!"
"Okay," Taylor interrupted. "I'll go first this time." After putting the spotlight on herself, Danny and Jane backed away to the waiting patch again, while Taylor now had a chance to try and learn another new spell. After using up some more of her MP, Taylor suddenly felt a little less alert than before. After all, this intense training really runs down MP quickly, whether one can see it or not, but it didn't stop her from trying. "Triple Fire!" Taylor visualized the red glyphring in front of her shoot out three Fire Bolts at once, but as luck would have it, the glyphring itself refused to show up. Taylor's spell was far from close to mastery. At least this, time it was a good attempt. Triple Fire, or its alternative name, Tri-Fire, is a skill that shoots three Fire Bolts instead of one from the same glyphring in a combination sequence. It's much faster, does more damage, and carries overwhelming force to the opponent if they all hit, but Taylor wasn't having any luck with it this time.
"You know," Danny began, "regarding which abilities she does know already, Taylor sure does favor ice and wind based attacks. She must be specializing as a strategy. And it would explain why fire attacks are not her strong suit."
Jane took what Danny said under advisement, since there wasn't really anything else to say. It was just an observation. Maybe she could use that later if they get to battle each other. "Keep trying Taylor. Let's all move up to get in some close range training as well." Jane began walking with Taylor, both now heading forward.
Danny followed them, trying not to get left behind. Now they were getting closer to the target dummies. Only - Jane ended up walking so close, she might have bumped right into one of them.
Jane saw the remains of the destroyed figurine off to the side. She remained silent, but could feel her cheeks getting warm at the thought of it. Eventually, somebody is going to come out here and wonder why one of the figurines is busted into millions of pieces. It's amazing nobody else noticed it yet. All Jane would be able to say is, "Oops!" The plastic material target dummies are easier to replace since they are cheap, but these organic metallic figurines weren't going to be as easy to replace with a budget already set so low.
"Here's good," Taylor allowed. "I'll try something different this time." Taylor got really close to the target dummy, only three feet away. Whatever she planned on trying, it was incredibly close-range. After taking a deep breath, Taylor released her charged energy all down into her right foot. She was wearing shoes, but the slight auric glow still surrounded her entire shoe anyway. As soon as she was ready, Taylor released all of her energy, concentrating her power to her left foot. She then jumped and spun clockwise in the air. While she was airborne, her left foot was lighting up with a strange grey colored aura that was still somehow intense by its brightness despite the color. Taylor threw her entire leg outward, and ended up landing her left glowing foot on the target she intended it for. Taylor landed her skill successfully this time, even though it caused her to fall on her butt after the force knocked her down. She did it correctly, but had no method of landing back on her feet.
"What spell was that?" Danny questioned. Taylor didn't even chant its name this time, so it could have been anything!
"Taylor just infused wind elemental magic inside of her kick," Jane observed. "There isn't an official name for that. Which means Taylor came up with it all by herself."
"And I did it!" She cheered. "I'll call it, Aero-kick." By infusing her foot with air magic, she could easily increase the level of damage just with the use of her shoe. Since it has never been invented yet in the book of spells, she knew she could patent it.
Jane admitted Taylor's simplified skills. "Not bad. See what happens when you simplify an attack? A normal kick would not do any damage, but an Aero-kick certainly would. Don't forget that wind damage can sometimes cause slashing damage as well based on the infusion. Three in one is the best way."
"Okay," Danny chanted. "Now it's my turn." Danny took Taylor's spot after watching her succeed for once. He knew of a skill already that would not fail him, but it only works at close range, so the timing could not be any better. It took no time at all to use the energy it took to use his next spell. "Hammer of Might!" Danny's arm stretched out again, creating a yellow generation glyphring. Shortly after the glyphring spawned, the large hammer formed in his hand through pure light again, initially shaped by some strange kind of pixilation effect. Once that glyphring disappeared, Danny used his hammer on one of the dummy targets. Due to the size and weight ratio, Danny expected the entire figurine target to shatter like it did when Jane used Shadow Wave on it. But after one hard and clean hit, the only damage that happened was a slight crack in the structure of the figurine. The sound of his clanking impact however was deafening. The hammer disappeared shortly after his first hit.
Jane probably should have told them that it isn't polite to completely destroy the only training materials that the staff has available. Lucky for her, Danny's Hammer of Might was still a ways off from getting too powerful. "I've seen that one before... You should work on that further though. Hammer of Might is supposed to allow a maximum of two hits close range, not just one."
"Well I did try," Danny confessed. "I'd like to see you do better."
"I already have." Jane didn't want to argue about that again. Besides, she had reached her quota today for destroying public property. "I'll test my simple attacks, make sure I'm in shape."
Jane didn't want to bore them on her turn by using her weaker attacks, but she needed to see about something for herself. After charging some more energy into her hands, one ended up glowing orange while the other ended up glowing bright blue. At the same time, Jane managed to form a red glyphring on her right wrist, and a blue glyphring on her left wrist. Fire Ball and Ice Ball. Come on out! Jane released all of it, attempting to shoot a Fire Ball from her right hand, followed by the Ice Ball charging in her left. Her double attack was not synchronized, nor was it intended to be. Jane specifically chose two different targets for each hand, and released the elemental attacks as such. The Fire Ball hit one target dummy, while the Ice Ball hit another. However, the simple yet skilled projectiles carried in so much force, that both of the target dummies wobbled in place, about to fall over from those two magic spheres.
"No way!" Taylor challenged.
Jane could hardly believe it either. It wasn't just her Shadow Wave attack. It was all of her spells! Fire Ball and Ice Ball are naturally weak even for her level, and Jane didn't train with them enough to cause mayhem with the tactic. Yet somehow, two of the most minor attack spells ended up carrying enough force to be more powerful than two or even three normal Shadow Waves. The evidence was being measured in how much any three of them could get these small statues to wobble on the ground, as they are naturally sturdy. Were all of her spells suddenly overcharged like this? "I wonder..." Jane faced both of her friends, begging them to indulge in her own curiosity. "May I have a third turn?"
"Sure," Taylor granted. She watched Jane try another spell. With a few motions in her arm, Jane failed to do much of anything.
"Earth Glave!" Jane released the energy needed to try such an attack. Earth Glave isn't that hard to master, but it does take time and effort. Jane had never actually done enough to get close to mastering the skill, so this is the result; absolutely nothing. Though for some reason, Jane was relieved that it didn't work. "Guess not."
"Well now," Danny interrupted. "Looks like we be on the same level, eh?"
"No. I think not." Jane didn't even try to explain how far off Danny was from coming near Jane today. "You can always train hard and get better though. Just because I can't use Earth Glave, doesn't mean you can invoke Tri-Attack."
"Just a joke, jeese."
Jane looked at Taylor's expression and Danny's. The rate they were breathing was slightly elevated. Using higher-level spells consumes much more MP for every attempt, passed or failed. They were getting a bit tired alright, but one more turn cycle shouldn't be impossible. "Alright. Final round. Let's say all three of us go at it with something special?"
"You mean, at the same time?" Danny guessed.
"That right," Jane replied. "Come on. Let's choose our skills silently, and then release all of them at once." They were in agreement with her plan already. It took little time to set up their formation since they needed to pack a bit of distance to retain a moderate range to a single target. Jane was on the left, Danny was on the right, and Taylor was in between both of them. They weren't too closely compacted together, but it would make area attacks impossible. Jane thought of her next move. Even she doesn't know any official area attacks yet. That's really advanced stuff, but there were plenty of wonderful ideas for her to continue with.
"Here we go!" Taylor wanted to fill the moment perfectly. She already knew which attack she was going with; one of her more advanced wind based attack skills. She and the others were standing at least ten feet away, which was a good distance for this kind of thing. She already began charging energy for the moment.
Danny decided on Whirlwind, and began charging his energy to accommodate his own wish. He only managed to use it twice before watching Taylor, but it wasn't his favorite kind of attack either. For this moment, it might as well be good enough.
Jane took a long time to decide. By knowing so many more spells, her invocation timing would be more rapid as well. After a little more thought, Jane went with a Whirlwind attack. Might as well practice with air-based spells after all. Jane had no idea what Taylor or Danny were about to go with, as nobody knew. It was intended to be a surprise. After her charging was complete, Jane spat "Now!" to help them synchronize the attacks. Jane went with her chant at the same time Danny did, not even realizing that his and her attacks were exactly the same. "Whirlwind!"
Taylor wanted to go with Whirlwind at first, but there was an even better skill. She executed it just before either one of them shouted the name of their spells. Taylor chanted her skill and ended up flying towards the target at the same time. "Tornado Strike!" Taylor created a powerful whirlwind of air around herself too, but her attack was a bit different in formation. Taylor jumped, after which her entire body ended up flying at an incredible speed towards the target while surrounded by an incredible glowing aura everywhere on her skin. Taylor basically became a magical based projectile, while surrounding herself with her Whirlwind. As soon as Taylor's body slammed into the target dummy, she successfully knocked it over and landed back on her feet. The whirlwind around her faded shortly after, and her attack skill went perfectly, much better than she ever would have imagined. She was fearful at first that that hit from her body slam would hurt her as well, though the aura around her skin prevented any feeling other than a force of impact.
"Wow! A Tornado Strike?" Jane sounded impressed towards Taylor, shutting down her Whirlwind spell before powering it to full.
Danny didn't understand what was going on. Though he saw what Taylor did, he never heard or seen a skill like that before. "What just happened?"
Jane turned to Danny to explain the natures of Tornado Strike. "Tornado Strike. It's what Taylor just used. Tornado Strike infuses the user's entire body into a magical attack aura, and self-propels them at an incredible, speedy body slam mid-air. Not only that, but the user also does all of this while surrounded with their own powerful Whirlwind. Taylor just ended up dealing magical blunt damage, while surrounding herself with wind slashing damage as a way to ensure a dodging opponent still gets hit with the Whirlwind aspect."
Danny answered, "I've never seen anything like that before."
"It's a higher level skill, and harder to learn," Jane credited. "Good job Tay. I think you've won this time!"
"Which ones did you two use?"
Danny and Jane answered at the same time, "Whirlwind."
Taylor noticed how awkward it sounded, especially now since Jane nor Danny realized they had accidentally chosen the same kind of spell. It was rather anti-climactic, but Taylor got to show off the last of her newly mastered skills. Of course, it wasn't until now when the fatigue came crashing over her like a bad storm. "Whew! I'm tired."
"You've both been training a lot." Jane noticed that Taylor was sweating, and Danny was breathing quickly in his own exhaustion. "You're MP energy is likely drained out by now. You two take a rest then. That's enough training for today.
"What about you?" Taylor requested.
Jane pointed to herself and then explained, "I'll be sharpening my close combat some more. Don't worry about me." Jane seemed far from exhausted. She had to have exerted about the same amount of MP as the other two did, but for whatever reason there was, Jane was used to it. Her MP reserves must be above half, even after all of that excitement. She didn't even seem winded in the slightest. Jane approached the target dummies, getting as close as she possibly could. With her two daggers in hand, Jane really planned on fighting close combat without using any more magical abilities.
"Never a dull moment with her," Taylor added. Jane couldn't hear her, but she was talking to Danny. Both of them were now just sitting down in the grass, too exhausted to continue training further.
"Hey Tay?" Danny waited for Taylor to look at him before asking. He already knew the plan earlier, but if it changed in Taylor's mind, he needed to know. "Once Jane graduates, we're going with her on that journey she mentioned, right?"
Taylor responded, "Of course. And I wouldn't worry about it too much. Being with Jane will be awesome, especially now that she's in tip top shape." Taylor saw Danny processing, studying Jane as she flipped around, spun, and danced with her daggers. Jane was a moving sight, not letting her guard down for a second. She was punching, hitting, kicking, and slashing at as many dummies around her as she could. Jane was certainly back to normal. Perhaps all she needed was a reminder of what it was like to train with Danny and Taylor, but to Taylor, it felt like the other way around. Training with Jane was considered an honor around here, as is being one of her closest, most trusted friends. Jane was looking really happy today, especially right now. Her confidence reflected in her entire battle style, as if the whole world could not stop her anymore. "She'll be fine."
"Huh?" Danny didn't know what Taylor meant by that. Jane would be fine? Well, she sure looks a lot better now.
"I'm talking about her license. We don't have to worry about her passing that final test. I'm sure of that."
Danny took it all in again, concluding every single ability Jane was now capable of using. "I wouldn't be surprised if Jane set a new national record for that test. Though I'm not sure if they score it that way..."
"But if we plan to go with Jane," Taylor conflicted, "We need to pass that test ourselves. Get it now?"
"Yeah, I know." Danny answered. "Eliza is confident in all of us, so it can't be that hard. Let's just do our best Friday."
"Sounds like a plan." Taylor studied Danny's expression. Rarely was he ever this calm and content with the way things were. Ever since they've arrived in Sprawn Valley, he has always been cautious and on guard about something. But now, he was finally at peace with this new set up. Wasn't it Leray magic itself he was so wary about before?
"Zero Zone!"
Taylor and Danny looked up, confused as to why Jane was now trying to use another new spell at such close range to the targets. Jane sure did chant something at the top of her lungs. It was easy to tell that she was exerting a lot of energy, but nothing was happening. Jane just stood there for two seconds before realizing that her ability failed to activate. Must be one of her unmastered ones. "Come on Jane, you take a break too."
Jane was panting after dropping her concentration. The use of Zero Zone is not easy to master, and requires a lot of MP energy on its own. Even without checking her energy scope, Jane knew her levels were very low now, all for nothing once again. Taking Taylor's advice, Jane walked over to where they were sitting, and took a seat on the grass with them. She didn't realize it until now, but as they were facing the north exit of town with the sunlight directly overhead, the scenery was beautiful and peaceful. One of the only benefits of having such a small town is the amazing sensation of having a wonderful forest all around you. Still, this was nothing compared to the Arragon.
Danny examined how much she was breathing. Jane just about had it herself today for training. "You'll do fine on that test Jane. No need to prove you're better than everyone once you already have."
"Thanks for that compliment," Jane allowed. Danny was usually the opposite, trying to show off that he was better than Jane. Finally, he was caving in.
Taylor got Jane's attention at the thought of something else. "Jane? What kind of attack is Zero Zone?"
Jane winced, not expecting to have to answer that question. It was not easy to explain to anybody, and Zero Zone is a very rare talent at that. "Zero Zone is hard to explain."
"Try me," Danny demanded. I've just about heard and seen everything since coming to this place. Nothing surprises me anymore.
Jane cleared her throat, thinking about how to put it into words. Even she couldn't fully understand how it works, which is probably the reason she keeps failing to use it. "Zero Zone isn't actually an attack on its own. It's an aura skill that can temporarily stop time, universally so."
"It can stop time?!" Danny and Taylor were of the same voice in their surprise.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Adventure Awaits ~ Adrian Von Ziegler (For The Pack)
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Jane predicted that sort of reaction coming from them. Even if magic is so new to them, and after all they've been through, stopping time universally for a moment to one's self is quite a large deal, and it's officially a Leray spell, so it's not exactly unknown to people who study magic like she does. "The user is still free to move around, but the purpose of Zero Zone is to stop time for everybody except for yourself. It gives you a major advantage in battle, allowing you to get in several more attacks against a totally defenseless target, and it's one of the rarest and hardest skills of all to master. Of course, its downside is how much energy it cost to use in the first place. If you can't score enough damage right after using the skill, you're screwed."
"Well," Taylor sounded a little frightened by the thought of such a powerful skill. Imagine stopping time for about thirty seconds for the user. You could get away with absolutely anything at all. Stop time to steal something. Stop time to spy on someone. You could even stop time to set someone up for something in a most unexpected way. "Keep trying. You'll get it one day I suppose."
"Thanks," Jane appreciated. "You know, you two practiced hard today as well. You'll have no problems getting that license. Just remember though that a license will force you into a lot of battles on the road. It will keep you busy for a while."
"Well, I don't mind," Danny admitted. If anything, taking a longer time than normal to reach Junon was a good thing in his case. There still wasn't enough time yet for him to think of a more realistic solution for Taylor to get out of this problem. "Don't forget. You promised that we could travel on the road with you Jane. We'll be happy to accompany you on your journey of becoming a Leray master."
"That's..." Jane wasn't expecting this, but the memory of the second day flashed into her mind. It was when she and her friends first met, after she revealed that she wasn't really a bully. All she wanted to do was figure out if they appreciated Leray magic, and when they did pass the scale of her unordinary test, Jane was happy to make them her friends. Now look where she is. Jane remembered everything that happened since the day they arrived here. The stories Taylor and Danny told her, the moments of special training and lessons, even the moment where she was unconscious while Danny and Taylor helped her out in her own home. That is the true meaning of real friendship, and it still lasts on today. How could I forget that? All because of some stupid... Stupid spell bomb? "That's awesome! I couldn't think of a better way for you two to get stronger, and we can still travel together at the same time."
Taylor felt happy inside. Jane was more than just excited. This is exactly the person Jane is supposed to be. Always positive and exhilarated inside. That's why she was such an interesting person. Jane offers to everyone what they don't already have. The journey alongside Jane would be even more exciting than traveling to New York for the very first time.
"Uh—" Jane placed a hand over her stomach, embarrassed that it would make such racket out here and now. "Let's say we eat in at my house? My parents won't mind cooking a little extra."
"Count me in," Danny accepted.
Taylor looked at him suspiciously. "You never turn down a chance to eat, do you?"
"Hey, there's no need to make fat jokes. I'm far from going there." Danny was average size for his age, not too skinny or thin. In fact, it felt as if he grew a little extra muscle from all the commotion he had to face on the cliffs.
"You keep it up and you'll grow inproportionally." Jane only suggested her comment as a joke, but thinking about it made her go overboard.
Taylor and Jane were both laughing at him now, more so at Jane's remark. It didn't last for more than a second, but he could tell they were just teasing him about eating. With all of this training involved, Danny didn't believe he could get fat at all. But dinner at Jane's house? What better way to end a day of hard work! Nobody would refuse that.