Chapter 2 #2
You have failed to hit your target.
You have failed to hit your target.
Skill-modified finesse check made! You have successfully struck your target.
Wind Blast is now Rank 2!
Alex took a surprisingly ragged breath, more drained than he cared to admit under Sulia’s unforgiving stare, ignoring the soft snort behind him and the sheer smugness radiating from half a dozen future wujen as he struggled repeatedly to strike the paper crane one of them effortlessly slid through the air, protected by what the smiling girl swore was the thinnest ward, yet Alex had found it harder to penetrate than hammering his fist through steel.
“Adequate,” Sulia said at last after a painfully long stretch. “For a rank beginner.”
“And it was only five yards. That’s hardly any distance at all! How is this silly fool a wujen?” snorted one boy to a grinning girl beside him, clearly looking to impress.
Sulia smirked, clearly having heard, but doing nothing to correct the boy, and Alex froze his momentary spike of ire, counseling Linnea with a gentle squeeze of her hand to do the same.
Sulia had always had reservations about him, and here he was, butting into her class by the caldera edge, just days after she had declared him unworthy.
Of course, a lot had changed in a very short period, especially after Alex had proven himself fighting by her side on a desperate mission to save the caldera, and his actions had certainly garnered her respect.
But how could it not rankle, just a tiny bit, the loss of face that he being thrust upon her now represented?
So he bowed, saying only, “I agree with you completely, honored instructor. I’m eager for any counsel you can give this aspirant.”
“Asking for counsel from someone clearly your superior? That’s a mark of wisdom I wouldn’t have expected…
but am glad to see.” She gave a thoughtful nod.
“Continue practicing with Ping, just as you are. Ping? Extend the paper crane a foot farther every time he manages to ruffle the wings. You will continue with this exercise until the hour is up or you are drained, at which point you will cultivate until you are fully restored.”
She then gazed thoughtfully at Linnea. “As someone who’s seen your affinity with fire firsthand… most impressive. Come, let us exchange pointers with the rest of the class. I suspect we could learn a lot from one another. Insights that would benefit us all.”
With a silent nod from Alex, his companion’s hard glare immediately brightened to a winning smile.
“I’d love to!” Linnea gushed, and he didn’t blame her a bit.
Far better to spend her time fruitfully in practice, seeking inspiration from the techniques the rest of the students immediately began embracing with whirlwinds of air, golems of ice, and serpents of flame skittering through the air.
Far more fun than just staring at him doing his best to strike the paper crane a second time as a clearly displeased Ping clamped her will tightly about the parchment, her eyes making it damned clear that she’d far rather be practicing with the others than babysitting him.
To be fair, at least he got to savor a fantastic view of the valley below and the deep-blue sky above while training in Sulia’s class, with plenty of wind gusts from the play of hot and dry and warm and damp air that did necessitate some sort of wind ward with something so delicate as paper this close to the caldera’s edge, even if Alex was almost certain that the girl “training” him was as eager to put him in his place as much as anything else.
You have successfully hit your target.
You have failed to pierce Wind Ward! You have FAILED to synergize Piercing Strike with Wind Blast!
Ping raised a single mocking eyebrow. “Really, Ruidian? You couldn’t manage to knock this absurd crane a second time in the quarter glass we’ve been standing here, pointlessly?” She gave a condescending shake of her head. “Why are you in this class again?”
Alex frowned. Not because of the girl’s clear disdain, but simply because it seemed to be far harder to enhance his one genuine ranged attack with abilities like Spell Cleave.
Yet as humble and near pointless a skill as Wind Blast seemed now, Alex’s excitement and focus wouldn’t be deterred.
Because this singular skill represented a path forward that transcended all ancient strictures he now realized that Long Wang had never truly been bound by, and perhaps it was time for him to break free of those limits as well.
Still, he certainly wasn’t playing to his strengths—at least, not for the moment—but he had high hopes that with time, persistence, and dedication, they just might become such.
He turned his frown into a bow before the girl could claim offense. “This one thanks you for your assistance, honored classmate.”
She snorted, deliberately putting down the paper crane a good ten yards from him, at the very lip of the caldera’s rim.
“Clearly, this is a waste of my time. So let me put your little crane where you can caress it with wind all you like, and you can come bother me when you can actually do something useful with your gift.”
Alex clenched his jaw but said nothing, merely dipping his head. And Sulia seemed anything but irate with Ping’s initiative.
“You’re done tutoring the Ruidian? Wonderful, Ping. Let’s pair you up with the Fire Adept here. I think you’ll be surprised by just how useful she is as a training partner. If you would be so kind, Linnea?”
“Of course, Lady Sulia!” Linnea enthused.
If anything, Alex was glad that Linnea was taking a shine to them.
It meant that his purely mental Spirit Qi visualizations of a shield to guard his thoughts might be working, which ensured both greater mental privacy and Linnea not getting overly upset by the petty slights and insults Alex didn’t really care about at all.
Compared to the hazing he had suffered in other times and places, this was the gentlest of initiations, really, and without malevolent external forces trying to screw him over, he just might turn some of those scowls and jaded looks around if he could actually blossom into a student worthy of their time.
Right now, of course, he was seen as little more than the class clown, the furthest thing from the rumors now on everyone’s lips, according to the excited whispers and gossip carried in the wind.
The city was alive with tales of a valiant band of heroes who had rescued a noble family, battled undead, retrieved an actual golden core, and struck down traitors to the city as they went about rescuing the entire caldera.
If anything, the fact that absolutely no one associated Linnea or himself with that mysterious band was a source of relief.
At this point in his cultivation journey, being able to hide his potential was still the greatest defense he had, no matter the divine veil that would hopefully continue to shield him from the ire of his most hated foes.
There were no doubt plenty of powerful and ruthless men and women who would have profited mightily from a shift in the status quo and would be more than eager to give him and Linnea payment of the bitterest sort.
The fact that more than a few rumors were now painting the sovereign prince himself as the leader of the band that had done so much to rescue the city was absolutely perfect, Alex thought, never mind that Prince Quiang had effectively been held hostage for most of that night.
Legends had a way of being very forgiving with cold hard facts, especially with the passage of time.
Most importantly, it strengthened the position of a man who seemed to have nothing but gratitude for Alex and his companions.
Alex and the others being so willing to play ball and fade into the background while the prince used the events of that night to solidify his own political capital was just common sense.
It assured Alex and all his Ruidian companions that they had the staunchest ally they could ask for, whose position was now so secure that Alex doubted the man would ever have to worry about an internal coup again. Not for decades, at least.
Skill check failed! You have failed to successfully manipulate Wind Blast at thirty feet!
Your wind crane has fallen into the caldera.
Bullrush!
You have successfully claimed your paper crane.
Wind Walking skill check effortlessly made!
Alex frowned as his hand just barely snapped out in time to catch the paper crane as it flew right over the lip of the caldera.
Alex dangled for a heartbeat with just one foot on the grassy knoll and gravity already pulling him down.
Yet it was nothing for him to stride across the air so buoyant and alive with moisture and updrafts for a single gust to carry him right back where he had been standing, just moments before.
“He’s flying. That Ruidian… he can fly?” whispered the boy who had been mocking him so readily before.
“No. That’s impossible. It must be some trick! Even Silver-tier wujen struggle to learn that art. He could barely touch that crane!” said another one of the students, shaking his head with either awe or dismay. Perhaps both.
“I heard rumors that a pair of students had been seen flying in the air, sparring with swords. I thought it was just a silly rumor… but now?” murmured a girl now peering at Alex with an odd intensity that actually made him a bit uncomfortable.
“I saw you teleport. How?” hissed none other than Ping, her earlier disdain turning into awed disbelief.
Alex smiled politely. Instead of answering, he turned to meet Sulia’s enigmatic gaze before giving a respectful bow. “This one apologizes for nearly losing your crane, Lady Sulia.”