"You know I expected more things to try and eat us," idit commented, backing away from the edge of the volcano, though she was absorbing the heaven and earth energy. That didn't stop it from being so zaltess damned hot. Her clothing would burn if she sat there too long.
It wasn't a long walk to where they had set up camp. The first thing Idit did was take long drinks of water. Until her head stopped pounding, her vision wasn't smiing," cutting it way too close," but what else was she supposed to do?" There weren't going to be many chances for her to absorb this quality energy anytime soon.
Lying down on her bed, which had been a pain to lug up the mountain. Turning around so her face was pressed into the soft and delicate fabric. I should get to work on sewing a new square. I've worked hard and gained heaven and earth power.' From what she could tell in reference to the books. She was doing well.
'Still a lot of work needed until I cross that line," the one where she would be recognized as an official practitioner of heavy and earth energy. Where her body would go through minor enhancements. From there, she would be able to grow further and faster, gaining and storing more energy that she could use.
Lying in her bed, she closed her eyes and quickly drifted off for a while, uncaring about what happened around her. She woke up a few flowers later, her stomach demanding substance." Ugh. Alright, let's do this." Sitting up, she moved to where she stored her personal supplies, pulling out of the bag a gel, which she quickly popped into her mouth before lying back down, the items melting in her mouth.
"Mm," the citrus and herbal yet meaty taste filled her mouth before she swallowed. Letting out a sigh as she felt her hunger abate, idit drifted off once more, this time not waking up until she heard her teammates going around their camp. Even though she could have really liked to continue sleeping, that wasn't an option for her stubborn ass.
'Why did the zaltess have to curse me with such a strong heart and will?' Her life would have had so many fewer near-death experiences. If she hadn't decided to protect people, she wouldn't have become a hunter.
'Yet as much as I'm complaining, I won't want to quit in the slightest.' Standing up, she slowly went through some like stretches to truly push off the night's hold on her. It worked, Idit's blood was starting to pump. Taking the moment as he stretched, Idit looked over the energy she collected last night.
'Yeah, it seems to have settled.' That was good. If nothing else happened, she'd be able to get more training in a day. But first, the mourning with her teammates. The center of camp was just a few steps away from where she set up her bed. Not that there was much room on the ledge they set up.
There were advantages to it that made up for the lack of room. The drop off made it easily defensible. The air was crisp, too, the faint drifting scent of sulfur and ash from the volcano. You could also feel a bit of heat as well, coming to a stop at their unlit fire pit.
Something used mostly at night when they needed the light." So what are your plans for the day?" idit asked." I think I'll spend a few flowers doing some chores, then, asoebing negyer follwed i don't know a nap before i got into practicing my weapon. I'm still struggling on some meldoies. " idit nodded. Inna hadn't really changed her plans much since they arrived.
They spoke for a while, enjoying the fresh morning air. Preparing themselves for the day ahead of them, looking at the view." Well, time to fill up my water," idit really wasn't looking forward to spending her time so close to a volcano.
Getting up, she attached the bag to her clothing before she started making her way down to the volcanic spring. Once there, it only took a few petals to fill the bags before she started climbing to the opening of the volcano. "Let's do this." Right on the edge, the heat and updraft ruffling her clothing, idit began to meditate.
Opening her senses to the heaven and earth heart, feeling it in the air around her. But only pulling in the energy that rose with the updraft. Mot by mot being pulled into her. Until she felt slightly bloated.
Exhaling, she started working to digest the energy. Making it a part of her storage, getting her capacity to stretch with the energy. It was uncomfortable, like working out a knot in your back, as a painful spasm.
When she used fire-attribute energy, the pain was less; it went down more easily. The assimilation took less time, two long flowers which he freely took breaks for, letting the energy adjust to her body before she went about absorbing more.
A process that repeated over the flowers in the days tunitl the sky started to change color. Then idit pulled back and started stretching, going through her usual stances and movements with her weapon.
'It's getting easier,' idit thought to herself as she got the energy to move around under her skin. Flaring out of her control, a few movements. HA!" she stomped hard on the ground, feeling a wave of heat rush out. Followed by a tremor in the stone. " Ha!" she struck the air next, fueling her muscles. Listening to the air snap around her blows.
Jumping, she spun into a downward kick, landing on her toes. She bounced to her fingers and kicked out ferociously at an imaginary opponent. twislring agins he landed on her feet and sighed. calming herself down." I wonder how the others are doing." Taking another breath, she felt his body twinge, the energy pathways stung abit." Maybe I've overdone it."
Rubbing her muscles and bones, she headed down to camp with her empty water pouches. She stopped to refill them first, dunking her head under the water. Cause, by the Zalts, she still felt overheated.
'Faculty, I think this is coming from inside me.' Was it an effect of the energy? She consulted the book, 'Here it is.' Intake of certain energy types can have physical effects, of the simplest. Fire or water attribute engyer can call changes in temperature. Those who take in earth can find themself growing heavier or developing thicker skin. A natural rise in defense. There were other mentions, but the book didn't go too deep into it.
"I guess we'll have to get other books," but on the other hand. Closing the book with a snap, she sat up and carefully considered her next move. 'If I continue using asorbe such fire-atttributed energy, I'll change more."
The question was, was the change worth it? Did she want to become that different to gain power quicker? idit would like to think she was a paint person, on some level, she was. It took years to become a fully trained hunter. She worked and studied hard. "I'll admit I took some shortcuts here and there."
But none of the shortcuts have anything Idit would call a real long-term concept. Nor did they backfire in a way that she would really be all that concerned about, unlike her permanent rise in body temperature. 'Am I going to get worse fevers now, or will I be at less risk of infections and such. That's a weird thought,' shaking her head, idit rolled over in her bed.
Spending some time thinking. Loir walked into the camp with bundles of wood thrown over her shoulder. She threw the wood to the ground next to their fire pit before heading over to her own bed. Resting for a while before calling out to her teammate." Hey, idit, how did training go today?"
"Ran into a small problem, but besides that, well enough." Loir sat up and asked what went wrong. idit quickly explained to the best of her ability. "I knew things were seeming to easy." idit shrugged, not able to argue against that statement. Instead, she asked what they should do next.
"Excellent question, I have no idea." Part of her wanted to cut this training out immediately, but another part of her understood it was the cost of attaining power as fast as they were. "Well, the cost could be worse, from what you told me, we're not going to be horribly disfigured or something."
"One, that's a good point, second lady, why so morbid!?" Lior held her hands up," It's not morbid, it's generally a thing that could happen. We don't know what we're doing."
Idit wished she had any kind of argument against that," we really don't, do we? I should be more scared of that, cause anything could happen. I might burn alive one day." The book vaguely mentions that the energy could overload her, and she could suffer rejection. Many things could go wrong for her one day.
"I don't think I'm going to stop," Lior asked Why. idit asked herself and found a quick and not surprisingly answer. "Our home is getting involved with space and aliens, the cosmic lord that Aero is. "
"I know we don't have to be involved with it, that there are many people who would probably stand in our place. But I have a chance to do something, and I want to do something, so I will."
"You're an interesting person, idit," Loir said after a moment." I can understand what you're coming from. I believe I'm motivated by a similar self-given responsibility, with a bit more thrill seeking."
"There are worse reasons."
"Everyone says that," idit decided to give an example." I know someone who joined especially for sex." Lior shot up as Tzillia shouted; her teammates turned towards her. "Sorry, I was trying not to intrude on your conversation. idit assured it was fine. "But really, someone is doing it especially for sex. That is new."
It was common to hear people doing it for money, revenge, ecamenint, or the possibility of fame. But sex, that was a new motivator. How does that even work?" Apparently, the one nightstand with a traveling hunter is rather popular."
"what if someone get with child?" idit know the details of that, but she hopped this hunter would do the reaoble thing and at least lay claim to the child as provide some kind of support. "i don't eve know what would happen if she did, could you imagine if Aero found out?!" it was supposed to be a jock but her forced laughere only lasted a few moments. "he'd get pissed, possibly enough that he might travel just to punch her."
"he might try to help the dad," she concluded that was possible, but she really saw him just punching someone really hard. "Would you stop him or join him?" Lior herself might not just punch someone, but she'd help him find his way around, make sure there was a medic nearby.
Distract the authorities.
"Yeah, I'd help, probably to hold him back after a bone breaks." Tzila nodded in agreement before a thought came to her." Have you thought about having kids?" They both looked towards her." Big question, I know."
"Well," Lior started," I'd lie if I say I hadn't thought about it. especially after all this time with Aero." Idit asked how knowing him would cause her to think about this." How am I going to raise any potential son I end up having?"
"Huh," tzilla thought about it for a long moment before deciding she had to agree with her. "Yeah, he's a prime example that he might be treating our sons too softly. Coddling them too much."
"Yeah, like I think I should as his mother. Not only is he fully capable of taking care of himself in multiple ways, skills, and powerful in a way that made her think. Did she want that for her sons? The quick answer was yes, she wanted them happy and safe. The ability to care for themselves and defend themselves is a good place to start.
Beyond that, she wasn't sure, what did she teach? Like her parents taught her? Did she need to hire someone? These were the questions the group ended up discussing that night: "Do we teach them heaven and earth energy?"
"Okay, now that is a heavy question. This stuff has some heavy potential," Tzillia thought over it as she moved some of the burning wood around." I mean, it would definitely secure their safety. It would open a lot of career options. I think it's a good idea. Only after we understand it more."
"Yeah, definitely after we understand it more." Lior nodded in agreement. " We'll get the chance to order more books. This is a must." That led to them talking about what kind of stories they liked to read. What they would read to their children. "Those are all horror stories?"
"I like them."
"You'll give them nightmares," she tried to defend her taste, only for her teammates to tell her that her taste was going to give them nightmares if she continued talking about the scenes described in the book." I know we fight and kill for a living. But what under the stars are you reading?"
It is not that bad; you need to up your gore and horror tolerance." yeah, that wasn't happening unless it was really needed, and reading more books did not count to her. "lets talk about something else, or go to bed it's kind of late." looking at there heaight of the moon she guessed then been talked for almost 3.5 flowers.
"No wonder I'm parched," seeing as they didn't have a really scheduled time, but at the same time, not wanting things to get away from them, they went to sleep soon after that.
The next morning, idit kept away from her Heaven and Earth train, instead focusing on her body and weapons. Even throwing in some training for manipulating the energy she already absorbed. It wasn't much, but what she could do with it surprised her." Guess it means more than I thought." Smiling to herself, idit looked at the volcano's top. For a long while, just watching the smoke dancing away into the sky. "I don't want to turn back."