A dark purple orb pulsed violently surging with power before sputtering out into harmless motes shimmering light that scattered like stardust in the air, Lorelai's thoughts had drifted back to the bath where Thrax's lean muscles had glistened with sweat, her eyes trailed down..."LORELAI!"
Lorelai straightened, the red flush on her face only deepening as she turned her focus back to Siktra, the trollkin gravity magic instructor. Siktra’s booming voice cut through her thoughts. “What in blazes are you thinkin’ about girl? Cause it sure isn’t controlling your magic! Not to mention, the color of your face is that of a tomato!” The trollkin’s sharp green eyes glinted, her large, tusked grin betraying the frustration she felt.
Lorelai slightly bowed her head in shame, "I'm sorry Instructor Siktra, it wont happen again."
"See that it doesn't. You are one of the few that possess a natural affinity for gravity magic, like myself. It is our duty to further study the subject. Since I now have your undivided attention, lets refocus on the Gravity Centrifuge spell."
The gravity magic class had been challenging, but today she had truly lost herself in her thoughts; thoughts of a certain dragonkin who must be so smug right now. Her heart was still racing from the previous encounter in the bathhouse, and the flurry of emotion had made her lose control for just a moment.
Siktra gave a grunt of approval and then turned her large, muscled frame as she walked to the edge of the training area, a wide circle marked in the ground where they would practice the advanced spell. "As you're aware; you create a focal point, a center of intense gravitational force. Everything within a fifteen-meter radius is drawn towards the center. The pull of gravity is strongest at that point, but it extends outward. The closer they are, the harder they’re pulled, and the further away, the weaker the pull. Now, lets begin again."
She gestured to the empty space between them. “You’ve worked with it before, but I want you to refine it. You have used gravity around you with your spells, but it’s about directing it now, making it a weapon. Like letting it go and letting it run its course.”
Lorelai nodded again, mentally steeling herself. Gravity magic wasn’t like fire or water; there was no clear shape or form to shape with your hands. It was invisible, omnipresent, and dangerous. Lorelai glanced up at her instructor. Siktra was a towering figure and a force of nature in her own right. Standing over seven feet tall, her trollkin heritage was evident in her thick, muscular build. Her green skin, marked with swirls of dark tattoos, seemed to absorb the very light around her. Her wide, tusked grin was almost always there, but it was her eyes that conveyed the true weight of her words—sharp, intelligent, and intense, like the pull of gravity itself.
This time Lorelai focused inward, closing her eyes for a moment. She breathed deeply, trying to shake the last vestiges of her daydream. The pull of gravity was everywhere—always. It pressed down on her, on the earth, on the air. She wasn’t trying to feel the pull right now; she was trying to direct it, to create it, to form it into something more.
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She spread her hands out before her, palms facing the ground. Her mind reached for the gravitational force beneath her feet, calling it, commanding it. It wasn’t enough to just summon the power. She needed to focus it, mold it into the shape of a singularity, a force of attraction that could pull enemies from all around.
Slowly, a dark purple orb began to form between her palms, swirling like liquid ink. The air grew heavier, and Lorelai felt the weight of the world pressing down on her chest, but this time, she welcomed it. It wasn’t just a feeling, it was a part of her.
As the orb grew in size, Lorelai allowed her senses to extend outward. She could feel the gravity stretching out in all directions, pulling on everything in its reach. She willed the orb to condense, to focus the pull in on itself. A sharp tug against the air. And then—
“Pull!” Siktra’s voice cut through her concentration, a snap that pulled Lorelai back to reality.
Lorelai gritted her teeth, pushing her focus deeper. She could feel the resistance of the space around her, the pushback of reality as she tried to condense the force. She could hear the sound of air compressing, crackling with energy. The orb sputtered, its edges rippling like the surface of water disturbed by a stone. Then, with a sudden rush, the orb collapsed inward, the air growing heavy as everything around her seemed to bend toward the point.
The pressure grew, and Lorelai clenched her fists, focusing all of her energy on maintaining the pull, keeping the orb intact. The weight of the spell was immense. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple, but she held her ground. She could feel the pull; objects in the training hall were beginning to move toward the center, their motions slow at first but gaining speed.
A loud crack split the air. The orb left her hands to the center of the room, objects began flying towards it. Then after a moment, the orb exploded into a burst of violet light. The power of the spell ricocheted out, sending a shockwave through the air, knocking several crates and training dummies off their stands.
Lorelai stumbled back, gasping for air. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her hands shook with the remnants of the spell’s power.
[Gravity Centrifuge obtained]
"Better," Siktra said, her voice gruff but tinged with approval. "Better, but now you have to learn to do it much faster. After the alloted time it will destabilize at the center exploding outward doing a good amount of damage to the area. Like the strength of the pull, the closer to the center, the more damage the enemies receive."
Lorelai took a deep breath, steadying herself. Her body hummed with the strain of the spell, but her mind was already whirring, analyzing the mistakes. She could feel the magic still pulsing in her veins, eager for another try.
"I understand, Instructor Siktra. I’ll try again."
Siktra gave a short nod, her expression softening slightly. "You’re strong, Lorelai and you’ve got potential. You’re task is to use this spell in the dungeon during combat. I will assign someone to monitor you since your delve is in a few days."
Lorelai took a deep breath and raised her hands once more, ready to summon the dark pull of gravity. This time, there would be no distractions. This time, she would control the force better.