Andy stood quietly, greatsword over his shoulder, watching the steam rise out of the body of the eldritch creature that the group had just vanquished. Arlene's Alchemy Bomb and Kermit's clobbershot had been devastatingly effective.

Looking at it now, the creature seemed quite frail. A human body stretched thin, too thin, to accommodate the transformation of the feet and hands into clusters of tentacles and the expansion of the head into its fearsome form. Its acid attack and its use of Fear had been formidable, but they had faced more difficult challenges.

Why had this mage, Natham, gone to all the trouble of transforming himself into such a terrible beast if it could be defeated so easily? Had he intended to do it? Had something gone awry in the summoning?

Andy looked toward the cottage, its windows blown out and smoke pouring upward. Thankfully, it showed some signs of slowing.

"After the smoke clears, we'll need to investigate," said Andy.

Verin dropped to his knees, breathing heavily and unevenly, restraining himself from full-on weeping.

"I can't… I can't believe it," said Verin.

"What do you think happened?" Morwen asked.

"I couldn't say," Verin said, regaining his composure. He lifted himself back up to his feet and wiped a tear from his face with the back side of his undamaged hand. "Natham was an advanced scholar… practicing things I've never heard of in all my life. And I never wanted to understand. It was always too much for me…"

"Is it evil magic?" Arlene asked.

"What do you think?" Sven said. "Look at the thing! And it tried to kill us."

"No," Morwen said. "It's a fair question. Just because something is scary and hostile doesn't mean it's evil. Not necessarily."

"What do you mean!?" Sven said.

"She's right," Andy said. "Do you think PL is evil?"

"Of course not," said Sven. "He's just often misunderstood."

"Exactly," said Andy. "The first time we met PL, he tried to kill us, remember? He was made to be an obstacle during our arena event. But PL isn't evil. Natham's magic may indeed be powerful, fearsome, and ugly, but we don't understand it yet. And, more importantly, we don't know why he was conducting the rituals in the first place. He could've made a mistake."

"Oh gods," Verin groaned. "What have we done… what if we interrupted him at a crucial moment and caused… all this…"

"Don't think like that," said Morwen. "We need to focus. Once the smoke clears, we need to investigate the cottage to be sure that no loose ends remain. An unattended portal or alchemical process could prove even more devastating that what we've just observed. We can't leave it unattended."

***

It felt odd to stand around and wait while the smoke poured out. It was finally clearing up, but it had taken quite a while.

"It's clearing up, ready to head in?" Andy asked Morwen.

"We don't know what we're dealing with," said Morwen. "We need to wait til it completely clears."

Andy felt a surge of frustration. He was antsy to get through with the investigation, and learn who it was they may have just made into enemies. Natham, or rather the horror that had disfigured Natham's body, had mentioned the Elder Planes…

"Be patient," said Morwen, noticing Andy's preoccupation. "You should've learned this by now in your training. Have you been training?"

Andy's heart sank. "I… no. I've been busy."

"Go train. Now."

Andy chuckled. "Wait, really?

"Yes," she said. "We've got at least another half-hour until we can get in there, maybe more." She reached into a pouch on her belt and produced a twig, the same twig she had given to him in Bundybrook, when she had first told him to focus on it. "And you dropped this.

Damn. Busted.

Andy felt himself begin to blush, but he took a breath and relaxed before it took hold. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I dropped it." He extended his hand and took the twig, placing it in his pocket securely.

"Off you go," she said.

Andy turned away from the smoldering building. There was a small hillside with a staircase carved into it leading to a meadow with small stone statues and a bench. It looked like an ideal meditation spot. But he was still so amped up from the battle, there was no way he was going to be able to focus.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"I don't think I'm gonna be able to concentrate," said Andy. "Can't it wait until we get a camp set up?"

"No," said Morwen. "You're too agitated right now, and that's what you need to learn to deal with right now." She stared at him blankly. "Go on."

Andy let out a playful huff as he turned toward the meadow.

"This isn't optional, you know," Morwen said. "You can become a powerful fighter if you just rely on the System, but you can't become a truly skillful one."

Andy paused. What she was saying made no sense.

"The System gives you skills though, doesn't it?"

"It gives you levels which you can use to buy skills and feats," said Morwen, "but that's not true skillfulness. True skillfulness is hard won through training. It makes your mind more capable, and thus your body more capable. The system gives you skills and feats, but you have to have the practical wisdom to know when and how to use them. That requires skillfulness which you can only get through training."

"I see," said Andy.

"Right now, you need to learn how to wait. It is important. It is the foundation of all other skillfulness."

"Ok," said Andy. "I meant no disrespect."

"It is forgiven," said Morwen.

***

Andy sat on the stone bench facing a semicircle of statues that sat on the perimeter of the small meadow. The grass under his shoes was exceptionally soft, a pale green that almost shimmered in the sunlight.

He watched as a group of butterflies danced toward him and them back away, and then toward him again.

The statues around him were various kinds of sylvan spirits: a woman with antlers in a gown, holding a staff, along with a faun, some kind of dancing fairy, a perched falcon, and a gnomish figure on a small mushroom throne.

Andy didn't know what this place was supposed to be, but it was relaxing. He unstrapped his sword and got into a more comfortable position, crossing his legs beneath him and straightening his spine. He tossed the twig down onto the grass, about halfway to the line of statues, and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

He opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the twig. It rustled there for a moment in the breeze. Then it grew still.

Andy attempted to make himself still. He couldn't stop his mind from wandering, thinking about what they were going to find in Natham's dwelling. Would there be any legible clues about the Elder Planes? Would everything be too charred?

Concentrate. Return to the twig.

Andy brought his focus back and took a deep breath. Morwen had been right, this was good exercise.

He was fighting the urge to live 45 minutes in the future. It was so habitual as to be practically invisible if he didn't note it in meditation. Suddenly he realized how distractible he really was. And now he was being distracted by his own commentary on being distracted.

Return to the twig.

Finally, his mind began to settle. He felt the breath in his nose, his chest gently rising. He controlled his exhale, allowing it to last a long time. His gaze remained on the twig. He was finally getting the hang of this.

Breathing in, breathing out. There's the twig.

Breathing in, breathing out. There's the twig.

Breathing in, breathing out. There's the twig.

Andy became aware of his body, his posture, all the sensations on his skin. He felt the weight of his body sitting on the stone bench. The future began to fade, and thoughts became less intrusive. He realized his own presence. Breathing in, breathing out.

There's the twig.

Andy's mind began to wander a bit more, and he continued to return it to the twig. Until, finally, Arlene entered his thoughts.

Huh, he thought. He realized for the first time that, if they were going to be here for a while, well… maybe he should get to know her. They had spoken a few times, and he knew some details about her past life, but he didn't really know her.

To be fair, though, he had met her less than a week ago.

She seemed strong, resourceful, driven, and compassionate. And very cute, too.

Amazing. It felt as if they'd already been there for years, but it had only been days.

Return to the twig.

Breathing in, Breathing out. There's the twig.

***

By the time Andy got back down to the scene of the battle, the smoke was practically nonexistent. He had remained in meditation for probably an hour.

He was relaxed, unworried. He thought only about what he could do to help his friends.

Morwen approached. "You look good," said Morwen, smiling. "It appears you've finally understood how to train."

"I think so," said Andy. "I think I'm getting it."

"Very good," said Morwen. "Keep it up, at least a half hour, every morning and every evening."

Andy nodded.

"That counts as your morning. You'll do your evening meditation before bed."

"Will do," Andy said.

Morwen raised her eyebrows.

"I promise," Andy said in an exaggeratedly apologetic tone.

"Very good," she said, raising her hand and patting him on the shoulder. "Now let's see what we're working with in this cottage here."

Morwen and Andy approached the front door. PL, Sven, and Kermit sat in a circle off to the side of the yard. Arlene sat beside Verin on a small hill not far behind the house.

What is she doing with him?

The lifeless body of Natham, eldritchly deformed, was still slumped out front.

What is she doing over on the hill alone with him?

"Andy, let's have a look, shall we?" Morwen said.

She opened the front door, a layer of soot falling off and blowing away into the wind.

"Stay close," she said. "We're just going to have a quick look."