Gelid essence, it turned out, was more or less the opposite of Flame essence, being concerned with cold and ice. While creating barriers of ice would certainly be a useful defensive ability, he wouldn’t get there with low level essence use. Like his own Virtue essence had been, low level abilities to use an essence were generally restricted to touch range. Low level Flame essence use could have some amount of range, but that was only because the fire could be pushed out from the body in a spray. Doing the same with Gelid essence could at most cool someone off from a few feet away.

Flame essence was fairly straightforward, and even skimming a bit Seth could somewhat understand a couple of the more philosophical accounts of the ‘true meaning of fire.’ That did not change the fact that using fire combatively was a horrifying prospect, so while the essence had some useful utility aspects, he moved on.

Risk essence was by far the most abstract essence Seth had ever tried to wrap his head around, far more so than Virtue. Abilities that incorporated it usually related to avoiding dangerous things, or benefiting from being in danger. Learning to use the essence seemed to require gaining a fundamental understanding of how everything around him could be a threat. Not interested in developing some kind of anxiety disorder, Seth set the book aside.

This left Plant and Virtue essence, aside from the small collection of scroll copies that Priest Andrea had made for him to take and read later. Scanning even faster than before with only ten odd minutes left, Seth decided with some reluctance that focusing on expanding and improving two of the essences he already had might be best. The Plant tome offered interesting ideas about using the essence that helped take the sting out of the lost chance to learn something new.

Decision thus made, Priest Andrea passed him a rigid satchel that was perfectly sized for the unusual tomes, and had an attached scroll case. He slid everything in, and they left the room. Seth left the bag of powder on the librarian’s desk as they walked by, and saw the old woman’s gaze follow Priest Andrea until she was out of the building.

Once the pair was outside, Seth asked, “Where are we meeting them?”

Priest Andrea looked around, then put her hands on her hips. “I’m actually not sure. I would have assumed here, but he didn’t say. Let’s try the guest housing.”

They headed back the way they’d come before, and found Levi, a pile of assorted goods, and a well dressed man slightly older than Seth in front of the building. Seth could feel his dad’s essence projection, which was withdrawn the same way Seth had done to help with tiredness a couple days ago. He gave Levi a quick hug, then turned to the other man who was eyeing them oddly.

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“Hi, I’m Seth,” he said, extending his hand.

“Chadwick,” the man said in kind, effortlessly crushing Seth’s hand.

Chadwick was shorter than both Seth and Levi, but he was so well muscled that it looked bizarre. This close, every muscle in his body was defined and visible beneath the skin, rippling slightly with every movement. The muscles weren’t just for show either, his casual grip enough to compress Seth’s hand. Nothing was broken, but several of Seth’s metacarpals tore the tissue between them.

“Golden Virtues, ow!” Seth said through gritted teeth when he got his hand back. It healed in seconds, but he still felt the pain of the bones grinding.

Glancing back at his dad, Seth saw that Levi didn’t look surprised and seemed to be keeping his expression carefully neutral. Seth let it go for the moment, and made a mental note to heal anyone he saw Chadwick so much as brush past.

“Did you find what you needed at the library?” Levi asked, looking from Seth to Priest Andrea.

“Yes. He made a good choice, even if I still think he should consider Flame at some point,” Andrea replied with a smile.

“Thank you again for your help,” Levi said, shaking her hand to pass her some Value.

Priest Andrea’s eyebrows rose. “This is more than we agreed. I told you you didn’t need to pay me to begin with.”

Levi waved her off, turning to Seth.

“There’s a boat headed towards Lith leaving in two hours or so,” he explained. “We’re supposed to be on it at least an hour before it leaves. I didn’t have time to pack all of the supplies that I bought last night, so it’ll be awkward to carry in one trip, but we don’t have time to come back.”

Seth looked over the pile, which did have a couple bags. Unfortunately, efficiently packing the assorted armor pieces, cookware, preserved rations, and camping materials, among other things, would indeed take a while. He started shoving small or flexible supplies into the two bags as quickly as he could. Almost half of the pile fit with some insistent stuffing, leaving mostly larger items that would be easier to keep track of carried separately.

After he and Levi each took a bag, they started trying to divvy up the rest in a way that would balance the weight. Chadwick unexpectedly expedited the process by grabbing most of what was left in one armful and carrying it with apparent ease.

“Thank you again for your help,” Levi said to Priest Andrea off to the side while Seth was trying to thank Chadwick. “I don’t know when or if I’ll be in Estroma again, but if there’s anything I can ever help you with, just send a message.”

“Well, you can do one thing for me now,” she replied, and Levi raised an eyebrow as Andrea handed him a scroll. “I had an abridged copy of the book on Flame essence already. I’ve even made some notes on my own experiences. Once your kid’s got a better grip on his abilities, give him that. Virtue Priests almost never learn to use Flame essence; I’d be interested to talk to him about it when he gets the ability.”