I get beaten down several times by Roxi and her branches before I can resist her life and earth power. I don't think she laughs any harder than when she knocks me unconscious, only to heal me and lecture me on my lack of skill. I ignore the crowd that gathers and take the beating as gracefully as possible while practicing pushing through her mana control with my own.

This isn't pleasant. Not that getting beat up ever is. I'm not even embarrassed. If anything, the sage picking on a lowly lancer should be embarrassed. Hell, I should be thanking Roxi for the lovely image she is creating for me. No one will think to challenge me if I get beat up enough. The strong fold at the mercy of the weak.

Our sparring ground, which was compacted dirt before our fight began, is now a beautiful grove with grass, flowers, trees, and possibly a squirrel. I'm confident I saw a squirrel, but I might be seeing things. Pretty flowers started spewing poisons, and now I trust nothing.

With her grove of power, the dryad has a wide selection of weapons. I, on the other hand, am still stuck in her grasp of life. And despite her mocking and teaching, I can't break through. Still, I try. I even refuse the offer to end the fight. As I discussed with Fury, we can't afford to be weak.

The problem is, as skilled as Roxi is, she's a terrible teacher. I know this because I have yet to learn what she is trying to teach. Fortunately, Roxi relaxes her hold on the life mana enough that I slip a mind tendril past her guard and connect her mind. Through the connection I learn everything she can't teach me about mana manipulation.

Like the perception skill that comes with cultivating one's spirit, talent — the ease at which one manipulates mana — is another perk. Using mana becomes easier if one cultivates their spirit far enough along a particular path. Tricks and skills can be learned, and essentially, the cultivator can stand on their own against significant mana. Or, more precisely put, with enough talent in your spirit, you won't be subject to every templar or sage that roams the land.

The trick is how to use the talent. Which comes from years of practice and experimentation. I've cultivated my spirit enough for the talent perk; it's just that I need more experience, and unlike other skills that have stayed with me, for whatever reason, I don't have the luck in this regard.

What Roxi lacks in teaching capacity, she makes up for in talent and experience. Since the thought is already on her mind, gathering information and learning from her expertise is quick. I don't even have to dig around in her mind. The wealth of information is just there. It almost feels like I'm cheating. This is so easy. It takes seconds to gain years of experience I lack to apply my spirit talents.

Still, I don't relinquish our mental link. Rather, I keep us connected using my passive focus while my primary and split focus practices the method. As Roxi pointed out, the technique is similar to pushing out my mana and creating a small domain to counter other mana domains. Of course, this doesn't quite work when someone like Fury silences all of the surrounding mana, but I should be free from their hold for all other mana casters. That is if I can get the technique down.

I've already tried extending my shadow mana many times to replicate my previous success. The problem is that I feel clogged by the life and earth that Roxi wields. I've been attempting with death, mind, and shadow several times now. I even tried summoning death armor and coating it with mind mana. It didn't work.

I learn from Roxi that my mana can be removed from a focal point to disperse. Controlling mana is all about your will and thoughts. If you can will it to happen and convince the mana that your will is law, then you can make what you want happen. For me, it's easiest to see mana flowing from my hand, and sometimes my hands even shape the mana constructs I'm trying to make. With experience, you learn that mana doesn't need a focal point. It's no more natural for your mana to run from your cores and channels to manifest in your hands than it is to manifest at your feet, mouth, or head. Nor does all the mana have to manifest all at the same spot.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I practice the idea over and over with my mind connected to Roxi. Death mana is more of a struggle to pull from my body. Mind is by far the easiest. It almost feels like my body is leaking the dark purple mana. Shadow is easier than death but nowhere near as easy as mind. Roxi's experience continues to fine-tune my own skills. After a hundred attempts at varying success, I finally got it. It makes sense that mana can be called in this way rather than all at one point. How I think of it is that it's easier to plug one big hole than thousands of tiny little holes.

With that in mind, purple mana pours out of my channels, coating me in a soft protection against energy. I relinquish my link to Roxi, and we resume fighting. No longer a subject to her domain, I'm free to move and use my mana. Gloom is quickly in my hands, and a stream of arrows is released at the trees, swarming to entangle me. The explosion is a flash of energy I use to cloak myself in shadow. I know I will be called a cheater, but I'm okay with that. Shadow is no less a part of me than any of my powers. And again, we are fighting. There are no cheaters.

In my shadow, Roxi is no longer able to attack me. She has no clue where I am and I take a few seconds to let her thoughts get the better of her. When she starts attacking every shadow, I phase out and back in with her in tow. We are back where we started. "You have a lot of talent. And I appreciate your help. If you would like, I can help you with your perception so you don't get caught so easily."

"Did you catch me, or did I catch you?" The evil smile is on full display as a bloody knife is pulled from my chest. Roxi kisses my shocked face on the cheek, heals my wound, and laughs at my stupor. "Oh, come on now. You can't do the same trick twice and expect to get away with it." She's right. I was predictable. Still, I didn't even feel the stab or see her hands move. I look at the dryad, still questioning how she was so quick. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours first."

"You think I have secrets?"

"Everyone has secrets. That's what makes them fun. Dirty, nasty secrets that will destroy them if they ever find the courage to share them."

"Then why would they share them?"

"Nasty secrets make the best of friends. Now stop being dull and share."

"I don't think I care about your secrets that much." I don't expect my words to hit as hard as they do, but they seem to hit hard. Roxi recoils. Her smile and laughter die down for a second before she puts her mask back on and returns to normal. "I didn't mean it like that." The words are useless. I can't backpedal and unsay what has been said. I care about —

"Spare your thoughts and pity. I decided I no longer care to know what you hide. Smart keeping me at a distance. Perhaps this ragtag of a town might survive the month." Roxi feels around in my shadow with her mana. I haven't restricted her at all, but I do not fear any attack she might be planning. With the new skill to push back against domains, I don't feel so far beneath sages. They are much stronger, but I play a wicked game of luck. No attack comes.

"This wasn't a complete waste of time." Roxi bends at the hip, keeping her legs straight, and reaches past her feet. She stays in that position for a few seconds before switching to a new stretch." Thank you for the spar." Her flexibility is incredible. I start doing stretches to stop myself from being a creep. Still, I steal a glance occasionally as she transitions into new forms.

"Perhaps we can do this again tomorrow?" She doesn't respond as she lifts her right leg straight in the air, balancing on the ball of her left foot. Her right leg continues to rise above her head. "I know I can use the training, and I'm already planning to spar with Fury at first light. Shall we plan for the hour after?" I pick a much less impressive stretch and wait for a response.

"I'll have to check with the boss, but that might work- as long as you make it worth my time."

"No promises, but we can always be stretch buddies. That has got to have some value."

"That has no value, but I accept."

Roxi disappears right after I release us from my shadow realm. She actually disappears, vanishing in a wisp of death mana. The crowd that watched our spar has mostly dispersed. Some still linger, talking amongst themselves, and few are sparring themselves. The sun still hangs high. Our next meeting is scheduled for the evening. I still don't feel suitably relaxed, so I continue training. Spirit talent is a breakthrough for me, and I want to test it out more.