They were back on the ship before he could blink.

None of the Mages were on the bridge, which left Alex alone with the Dark-skinned Elf.

“So what are we doing now?” He asked

“Training.” The older man headed for the exit.

Alex followed through the ship until they reached the back of the ship. He hadn’t noticed earlier just how large the cargo bay was until he had a chance to look down on it from the upper floor. The crates were stacked all the way to the ceiling in some places, while others weren’t stacked at all.

“What do you mean training?” The red-haired man asked, “I thought we were going to get someone.”

Mettan took a few items out of one of the crates, then began typing on one of the larger crates. “We need a few more things if there we might be running into a Dark Mage.” The Water Elementalist gestured towards the door. “There’s a stream not too far from here. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.” He put a blaster on a crate.

“Do I get one of those?” Alex took the lift down to the ground floor

Mettan tossed a blaster, “Do not shoot it unless I tell you to.”

Alex looked at the gun in his hand. It wasn’t much larger than a human handgun. It was in a holster that clipped onto the side of the uniform. A baton followed, which he clipped to the other side.

“First task,” Mettan kept typing on the console of the big crate, “Your uniform can store a gallon of water. Fill it at the stream before I get there.”

Alex wanted to ask what his teacher was doing. He was also a little confused about how he was supposed to fill the uniform when he wasn’t sure where the water was supposed to go or how to manipulate water. He had used water to fight back against Alicia, but that had been on instinct. He wasn’t sure he could do it again.

“What are you waiting for?” The Water Elementalist scowled, “Go!”

Alex ran out the bay door and turned to look at the space where the ship should have been. As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but a cow field. He turned towards the woods and headed for the creek.

The water was cool. It was mid-September, so the temperatures were still in the upper 80s. The birds seemed to know that something was going on, and were chirping loudly in the trees. It was actually a very nice day for a walk if you could forget about the impending doom.

Alex squatted next to the stream and ran his hand through the cool water. Despite the temperature, it felt nice. He let the water roll over his fingers and tried to remember how he had controlled it the day before.

He pulled his hand slowly out of the water and watched as it clung to his hand like it was slime. Once the water fell through his fingers and back into the stream it resumed its normal flow.

Alex began swirling his hand in the stream. The water began following his hand instead flowing downstream. He began splashing water and seeing how far he could push the water. Unfortunately, he was too focused on what he was doing and didn’t notice the jet of water upstream.

“Here.” Mettan’s voice was the only warning that Alex had before a jet of water shot at him.

“Whoa!” Alex held out both hands and barely managed to stop the water from soaking him.

“What is this for?” Alex asked as he bounced the gallon of water between his hands.

“To test how much you can hold.” Mettan gestured at the creek and pulled another gallon out. He threw it at Alex.

Alex blocked the globe with his own and merged the two. He held the mass of water in his hands. “How much can I hold?”

“It depends.” Mettan said, “There are different ranks. Each rank can control a different volume of matter.” He threw another gallon at Alex.

Alex palmed the water he was holding in his right hand and caught the new globe in his left. He spread his fingers out as the water coated his hands, “Is this supposed to give me a headache?”

“You’re trying to force it too much.” Mettan began weaving his arms in graceful motions. The water in the creek began swirling to mimic the dance. “It isn’t about controlling the water. You aren’t forcing it to do what you want.” He released his hold on the water, “You are just guiding the flow.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Oh,” Alex poured more focus into his water, “What do you want me to do next?”

Mettan pointed at the water, “Wrap it around yourself.”

Alex spread his arms. The water wrapped itself around him like a blanket.

“Like this.” Mettan pulled water from out of the creek and wove it around his waist. He flicked the water and it started spinning around him. The water looked like a living belt of clear fluid racing around Mettan’s waist.

Alex closed his eyes and lowered his hands. The water consented down to a ring around his waist. He gripped the ring with his right hand. The water curled around his fingers. It was cold, yet soothing. He closed his fingers and spun the belt. He kept palming the ring and spinning it faster. Soon it was spinning so fast that it looked like a solid blue ring.

Alex grinned, “Now what?”

“Catch.”

A rock whistled as it flew through the air. It bounced off of Alex and left a red welt just below the shoulder of his left arm.

“OW!” The water fell to the ground and Alex grabbed his arm, “What are you doing?”

“Teaching.” Mettan picked up another rock, “Again.”

Alex kept his eye on Mettan as he stretched out his right hand at the creek. A tendril of water snaked out and wrapped itself around his waist. Without looking down he spun the new belt.

Mettan barely moved as the rock left his hand and charged at Alex.

Alex gripped his focus on the ring and twisted it up his torso. The rock caught the edge of the ring and skipped out away from his body. It landed in the creek with a splash.

“Like that?” Alex grinned as Mettan picked up three more golf ball-sized rocks

Mettan cocked his arm back. All three rocks flew through the air this time.

“Wait!” Alex yelled but that didn’t stop the first rock that zoomed at him. Alex sent all of his focus into the water belt and sent it up to intercept the rock. His water hit the rock head-on.

“Yesss!” he shot his right hand into the air. He was about to gloat about his victory when a sharp pain blossomed in his left ribs. Fire erupted in his right shoulder and just above his left knee. The water fell to the ground. He dropped his right hand to cradle his now bruised ribs. “Ouch! Why’d you throw three?”

Alex had to twist down to one knee to miss the next rock.

“I’m not ready!”

“Your enemy will never ask if you are ready.” Mettan threw another rock. This one almost caught Alex in the head, “Always be ready.”

Alex twisted around and pulled more water out of the creek. With his left hand, he threw more water at Mettan and spun the ring around him with his right. The ring caught the rock and diverted it away from his body.

Mettan caught the water and threw it back into the creek.

“How’s that?” Alex moved his right hand up and down, rotating the ring up and down his torso.

Mettan’s response was another rock.

Alex parried rocks for twenty minutes. Soon he could intercept rocks and pick how he wanted to deflect them.

“So how long are we going to do this?”

Mettan threw four rocks in quick succession, “Until your friend finds his way out of the ship.”

The belt moved to deflect the rocks. A grin split Alex’s face, “I think I’m starting to get the hang of this.”

Mettan threw all of the rocks that he had in both hands at once. Most of them got through and Alex’s water belt hit the ground as he lost his focus.

“Ouch, that hurt!”

Mettan shrugged indifferently, “Then don’t get hit.” He bent down and picked up another handful of rocks, and then threw them at Alex.

Alex didn’t have time to create another belt so he pulled an eight-foot tall wave of water out of the creek to engulf the rocks. The tactic worked and the wave stopped all of the incoming projectiles. “Ha-ha!” he gloated triumphantly and then rushed to create a second water belt when he saw that Mettan was reaching for more rocks.

Mettan continued to throw rocks at Alex by the handfuls for about twenty more minutes. Alex was tired and sore from bruises where rocks had gotten past him. His head was also ringing. His teacher had claimed that it wouldn’t cause mental strain, but his brain told a different story.

“How long are we going to do this?” Alex lowered the ring a little. It snapped back up when a lone rock tried to get through.

“Seriously?” Alex flexed his palms. The ring widened and shrank with the movements of his fingers. “I’ve got this.”

“You have this?” Mettan tossed a large baseball-sized rock.

Alex used the same tactic. He twisted the ring and caught the rock. Except it wasn’t a rock. It was a ball of dirt. The dirt exploded when it hit the ring. Creek water turned into mud.

The change confused Alex for a moment. He could still feel it, but it wasn’t the same. The mud broke apart as it slipped through his focus. The pebbles hidden inside peppered his clothes. The projectiles didn’t hurt anything, but his pride.

“You can control liquids.” Mettan brushed his hands, “Mud is a liquid. You need to learn how to switch your focus when it does.” He pointed at the mud on Alex’s shirt, “Or you’ll lose control.”

Alex brushed some of the mud off. He cringed as he got hit by a wave of cold water from the creek. The water washed the mud off but left him soaked.

“Why did you do that?” Alex shook water droplets off of his hands.

Mettan motioned at Alex and pulled the water out of Alex’s clothes. He held the water in front of Alex for a moment then tossed it back into the creek.

“There’s a valve by your belt.” The blue-eyed Elf pointed, “Open it and fill your uniform with as much water as you can fit in it. Once you’re done, we’re going.”

Alex watched the Elf leave and began feeding water into his uniform. It felt tingly, with the water so close to his skin, but there only being a thin layer. He was sure there was some reason behind it, but he’d have to wait to ask what it was. Right now they were going to pick up another person to help find the Triftion.