I certainly want a working Hud and Status. This would be so much easier. This world felt so much like the MMOs that I played, yet had a gritty realism that I never experienced when playing a game. I could not conceive that this was not real. I was going to make more of this life than I did my last.

For the next approximate hour. We all worked hard at our exercises. For myself, it did not take long before I was dismissing notifications. After one cycle of slowly increasing speed, then adding more weight. I could feel the difference. At one point Fanny seemed to light up and grow noticeable. I wondered if the same was happening to me.

The next cycle came and went. This time there were fewer notifications. So at the start of the next cycle, I added extra weight. It was about this point that rather than crushing the dummy Robert was slicing into his dummy. My assumption was that it was the skill that was doing the damage rather than the actual dagger, after al,l how could a weight that had no sharp edges cause that type of damage. Almost instantly after seeing Roberts' new ability with the skill both Fanny and I had breakthroughs. The impact that our skills had on the dummies jumped considerably, and there was a slew of notifications.

Unsurprisingly Belief was a powerful influence on the progress of skills. If you believe in your visualization then it works better.

While we were still short of the candle mark. I called time. When I examined my notifications I was amazed at the changes. In less than an hour, I gained many attribute points and 2 skill upgrades along with a new skill. Yet I had not suffered any real pain. Either my pain resistance had worked, or having the changes spread out did not cause the same impact.

Attribute improved - Strength - +3

Attribute improved - Speed - +5

Attribute improved - Focus - +2

Attribute improved - Mind - +1

Skill improved - Basic Strike - 7/10

Skill Improved - Basic War Hammer - 7/10

New Skill - Basic Feathered Staff - 1/10

Attribute improved - Belief - +1

Attribute improved - Body - +1

I asked, “Are you willing to share your notifications?“

Robert slumped to the ground with his eyes staring into the distance and started to recite the changes.

Attribute improve - Strength - +4

Attribute improve - Speed - +2

Attribute improve - Endurance - +2

Skill improved - Basic Slice - 6/10

Skill Improved - Basic Daggers - 4/10

New Attribute - Belief - +1

Attribute improve - Body - +1

Fanny gripped her head as if the impact of the changes was only becoming real now. She was clearly suffering but nothing like the two big changes that I had experienced, Which I would not have wished on anyone even Steven. As her mind cleared she also started to recite a list of changes

Attribute improved - Strength - +6

Attribute improved - Speed - +1

Attribute improved - Body - +1

Skill improvement - Basic Hammering - 8 /10

Skill Improvement - Basic Mace - 5/10

Attribute improved - Belief - +1

Attribute improved - Spirit - +1

Once they had finished I did the same.

As we did so I felt that the vast mind in the stands pay increasingly more attention to us. There were other groups around us that I was now vaguely aware of, while that mind seem to be flicking across all of the groups, it was clear to me that I was the focus of its, her, attention

Skill improvement - Unusual Mental Awareness - 2/40

Skill Improvement - Basic Skill Trainer - 4 /10

I also had picked up improvements in a skill which I had actually forgotten about.

We now had some considerable time before we could expect Steven back. I was now nervous about continuing to train at this level with the amount of success that we achieved. Both Fanny and Robert would disclose their progress if he was to simply ask for the details of their progress.

“Guys I know that we have to continue to train as that was Steven’s orders, but he was not very precise in what he instructed us to train in. We needed to improve the attributes within the body pillar. We have achieved more than I think he expected. Clearly those threats were not idle. He was certain that he would be able to have us beaten. So I want you to if at all possible report as simply as possible. Don’t give details unless he presses you. Robert just say that you improved your Strength, Speed, and Body. And Fanny you can say the same thing. I am not sure that either of you realizes that each time that your body attribute improves you have grown physically, You are taller, more muscular, and more classical attractive. You have become more impressive. The changes to Mind and Spirit have given you an increase in presence. I think that this presence will help protect us from Steven. I doubt that it would have any impact on James, or worse those monsters pretending to be human that were viewing when we arrived.

What I would like to do is for you to focus and practice the shielding that we talked about. If you are able to get the shielding in place then we can attempt to remove the curse before he returns.

I will work on the concept that I have for removal.

I remembered from the previous night that some of the eddies were spinning in the opposite direction from the rest. I checked each of the eddies that were available, I found one that was barely moving and was only just obstructing the flow. While I was looking for it I noticed that the river had grown, and there were two new eddies that had formed. In particular, the flow that came out of the aspect that I had labeled Mind was much greater. I smiled to myself because that made so much sense I had learned two new skills and had gained two new eddies. In particular, the Unusual skill had caused a new path to open up in the landscape of my mind.

While this was exciting, I knew that I had to concentrate, this new internal world that I had found was constantly distracting. It was a fault that I had in my old life, it was so easy for me to just move on to the new thing without finishing what I started.

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So I swung my focus back to the eddy that spun in a different direction, It was more an illusion of something rather than something that was currently blocking the flow of the river. That sort of made sense since the curse was only active in me when I am issued a command. I suspected in the others it would not be as simple as that.

The concept I wanted to develop was to remove the curse rather than resist the curse. I had a horrible thought just then, Those others that had observed the ritual that had summoned us, and for that matter, James were clearly more powerful than Steven, and if Steven was influencing me and I was needing to resist him, What would happen if someone with a lot more power triggered the curse. I shivered, even while dwelling deep within myself.

I could see two results coming out of the current experiment. One was learning a new skill that removes curses, and the other was the possibility that I could learn a new skill that creates curses.

I realized suddenly that the river was flowing with more force. Did that mean that power was not limited to attributes that affect the mind or spirit so that any attribute change also changed the flow rate which I linked in my mind to power? Damn it I did it again, I keep getting distracted.

Back to the curse. Urh. I am so easily distracted.

So my visualization is of a flood of power that washes the river bed and scours the river bed out and removes the curse, rather than the river being mine in particular I viewed it as a generic river, Similar to the braided rivers of the canterbury plains. The words I use are ‘Remove Curse’, and rather than risk failure at this point, I plan on pushing about 20% of my available power at the curse. Also, I decided to vocalize the chant even if I suspected it was unnecessary.

“I then woke myself from the trace that I had drifted into. I know that I am ready. Robert, Fanny are you ready to try this.”

“Yes”

“Definitely”

“To achieve what I want I need to focus, please let’s form a triangle and hold hands. You guys get started with the shielding, I know that you will be able to do this! “

As we started I felt a power flow over us, from that monster in the stands. It felt like a blanket, or comforter. Soft and protecting. While the caster was now brighter in my mind all the other influences faded from view. It was as if they had just lost interest, rather than being blocked from sensing us. This was an immense and yet subtle skill.

I closed my eyes and started to focus.

“Remove Curse, Remove Curse. Remove Curse”

New Skill - Basic Remove Curse - 3/10

Skill improved - Basic Curse Resistance - 4/10

WOW, that was significant. The whole steam within the river was scoured out. I had not addressed the curse resistance eddy yet the flood of power that I had pushed down that path had changed everything it is. Looking ahead I could sense the suggestions of multiple eddies that were only potential at this point.

I looked in my mind for Fanny, using the sense of perception that I had mostly ignored. I reached out somehow through the physical connection of our hands and used my mental trick of just doing the chant in my mind “Remove Curse, Remove Curse. Remove Curse”. Of course, I did not put anything like as much push into the chant this time as I did not want to damage her mind, body, or spirit.

Something clicked, and a distinct click sounded in my mind. Fanny gasped. Quickly before she could break her connection with Robert I pushed the skill towards him. With him there was a greater sense of resistance to the skill, it was as if he had accepted more of the curse into his river system. Again there was a distinct click in my mind and I knew it had worked. I opened my eyes. Robert groaned and gripped his head. The flames that had surrounded us, for I had no idea how long guttered out.

Skill improvement - Basic Remove Curse - 4/10

Skill improvement - Basic Remove Curse - 5/10

Skill improvement - Basic Perception - 3/10

I collapsed onto the ground and shut my eyes. While sleep was still a distant dream, I needed to explore the changes to my internal vision that had come about due to today's efforts.

The overall flow that passed down the river had certainly increased. Down the branch that had previously contained just the two eddies, “curse resistance”, and “curse of obedience” now held “curse resistance” and “cure curse”, the flow had not so much increased, it had somewhat, the real change was the depth of the flow. The movement was across the surface but the Eddies seemed strong and were coming from a deeper base.

I looked further down the flow to the next eddy while this eddy had not formed; it was clear that was an active ability that held the power to inflict a curse. Dwelling on it I knew without knowing how I knew that it was a skill with the power to slow the reactions of my opponent. The next couple of eddies seemed to have the same sense of influence on others, without the same certainty of what that effect might be.

Perhaps I had used too much power on that first cast

It was an odd sensation to realize that maybe the concepts of regeneration of power and the amount of power were actually separate. My original hypothesis had been that they were causally linked. My thought had been that as the power was used the size of the inlets would result in power flowing in to fill the now empty space. The emptier the space the faster the flow. My view of the skills was that they were linked to the outflow. This meant to increase the capacity it was necessary to keep the pool of power as low as possible while maintaining function.

The new hypothesis using the river analog means that the flow through the river was regeneration and the volume held within the river was the amount of power available. And that

The Eddies clearly slowed the flow when they filled the channels. If the river flow stopped then the power would become stagnant.

This new idea meant that increasing the spin of the eddies, both meant that skill was more powerful and it pushed the flow increasing the regeneration. The braided rivers of my home land were a great model.

If one path became too powerful it would drain the flow from other streams.

A balance seemed to be required, Each eddy encouraged the next, but at the same time too much spin and the flow would become blocked, and the feedback could cause complexity to ripple across the whole system. This was going to be harder than I expected when I considered the clear power that that spectator had demonstrated.

I wondered if the sheer number of people meant that there had to be methods or heuristics they used so that each person did not have to discover all this themselves. At this point, I wondered about the path that Steven was prompting. Using my river image it was as if we were digging out one or two channels which caused the other streams and paths to dry up and limit the total amount of skills available. Certainly, the advice to limit the number and range of skills and how proceeding too fast would result in progress becoming blocked seemed to be a deliberate falsehood.

I had a distinct feeling that we, the summoners were being used.

After these thoughts, I suddenly started to talk, Both Robert and Fanny were startled awake by my speech. I had not realized that they had also fallen unconscious.

“It is important that both of you pretend to still be affected by the curse. There is no reason to suspect that they will not curse you again if they think you are free from their control.

Do you understand”

I waited until both of them acknowledged the importance of the deception.

“Good I really need to rest, that took a lot out of me.” I think that we look sufficiently exhausted that Steven will think that we have been following his commands. Now that you don’t have to worry about the curse, you do need to deceive him. Given this just start with the simple answer, and if he presses, reduce the increases to 1 or 2 points. Definitely don’t mention the new skills, either from the physical training or the new shield that you have developed.

When we get back practice your new skills, with the least possible power that you can push at the skill. This I believe will help train the skill and hopefully protect us from discovery.”

As I completed this speech the blanket that had been enveloping us rolled up and disappeared as if it had never been. I shivered. We or more importantly I had become the focus of one of those powers.

Thinking back on the day I suspected that the new Unusual skill was related to my race, being partially celestial.

It was not that much later that steven returned and questioned us, about the attributes we had gained. It was odd since it had only felt as if ½ hour had passed but it was now the end of the day.

All three of us were able to conceal the degree of changes that had occurred, but at the same time convinced him that we had done enough to prevent punishment. My awareness at least had been reduced to the point where I was hardly aware of the return trip.

We eat an evening meal and staggered towards our beds.

Unsurprisingly sleep was hard to come by.