The Monk who had been taking care of me for the most part of the day was sitting off to the side, meditating quietly. When I turned to him, he smiled and looked at me quizzically. His older human features had softened in age, and he was slightly stooped forward. He wore the same brown robe as the other non-elder Monks, plain and unadorned with a sash.
“Is there anything more?” I asked.
“No,” he said simply. He stood and took the books away. “Stay. Think over what you learned. Think of what you don’t yet know.”
He shuffled out the door quietly and left me sitting there in the room. What I don’t yet know? Well, I didn’t really know anything. Sure I had learned a little more than I had before but nothing to rave about. Nothing to make me think I knew anything more than your moderately trained wizard or sorcerer. If anything, I knew less.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have gained an important piece of wisdom this day, that you know nothing, but fret not, that is where some of the greatest in their fields begin. It’s a step in the right direction! +2 to Wisdom, +1 to Intelligence.
I was looking over the new additions to my stats when I heard the door open. Elder Leo came in, the same serene smile on his face. I took a knee out of respect, and he chuckled. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he ushered me out the door and down the hall to a quiet courtyard.
The courtyard was small, only forty feet square, less than an eighth of what we had been using to practice our martial skills. There were some small trees, flowers, and shrubs outlining it. A small waterfall dominated a corner of it off to my right. Elder Leo stood in the center of the courtyard and smiled at me again.
“Welcome to my garden,” he said. “I bring people here so rarely because no one lets me teach anymore.”
“Not that I’m ungrateful, but why are they now?”
“I may have put my foot down a bit too enthusiastically.” He chuckled at the thought, and I worried for whoever argued with him.
“Much like your Druidic magics, my own are drawn toward nature and the elements,” he said, his voice taking on a kindly instructor’s cadence. He indicated that I step back, and I did so.
“For generations after I reached the peak of my abilities in the monastic arts, I wandered and honed my skills while learning all that I could about the world around me. Nature, the Great Mother, smiled upon me and blessed me with visions and dreams of ways to harness the elements that she held in her loving embrace and use them in my own way. I have shown your friend my way, but I seek to impart upon you the knowledge you need to further your understanding of nature and the elements.”
He sat where he stood and motioned for me to join him. I sat in front of him, and he smiled as he closed his eyes. I did the same, and we sat there for a moment. He coached me for a few minutes on how to empty my mind of useless thoughts and worries.
Meditation to a Monk isn’t simply making themselves devoid of thought and emotion; it’s letting go of what doesn’t matter. Emotion not tied to the focus is let go. Thoughts and worries outside the focus are let go. Meditation doesn’t empty you, it just fills you with the focus you need to find on a specific subject. Some turn this on to themselves, some turn it on an outside problem. This was kind of both for me.
Elder Leo told me to focus on my attachment to nature and to envision an element to start with. My mind began to scream lightning, but I already had a pretty good understanding of that element. This time, I focused on fire and told him what I had chosen.
“Ah, fire,” he intoned softly. “Destructive, burning heat. Eats greedily all that it can, but that is not all. Fire provides light, warmth, ways to heat and cook food, and removes impurities from water and metal. Fire takes, and fire gives. Let the element of flames, the avatar of fire, wash over your mind. Envision a flame in your mind’s eye and ponder it. How can this element be used? How can you make it your own?”
In my mind, I saw it. First, an ember, glowing and kindling into something greater, a small flame. I thought hard and long about what fire had done in my life. Here and at home. Making my food on a grill, watching my friend use it to burn our enemies. The heat it provides at night in the center of our camp. The more I thought, the more I let the heat and light build in my mind’s eye. Soon, the small flame had become a pyre, blazing and swirling. It consumed my focus and was all I had become.
I see you, Druid. I see the blaze of your mind, the heat of your heart and the burning of your passion. You who would burn your enemies and provide light to your friends and those in need. I recognize you, as you are, little flame. Burn brighter with my blessing.
I opened my eyes when I heard the voice in my head and looked into my now hot right hand. There in my palm was an orange flame no bigger than a small stone. As soon as I looked at it, the flame fell into my palm, and searing pain flashed in my mind. Where the flame had been, a flame shaped, orange tattoo now decorated it an inch wide and long. There was no pain, no inhibited movement, nothing.
“Oh, my,” whispered Elder Leo. “Come, let us move on to the next element. Begin the process again, this time with another element. Not water.”
“Wind.”
“Air,” he corrected gently. “The air we breathe, the life of all. The breeze that cools and blows through the trees, lifts the wings of the birds in the skies, and transfers the seeds of the flowers and pollen. Air, the destroyer, the winds that rip across the plains, stealing the breath from those in its wake. Bringer of the storms and rains. Ruthless and unstopping as a tornado. Wild and untamed for all time. How would you seek to tame this and make it your own?”
I thought on it. I had always thought that wind was the element, but that wasn’t the case; it was air. What I subconsciously filled my lungs with. What kept me living and breathing. The times as a boy when I had been playing outside with a breeze to keep me from dying of heat stroke, or when I used to read outside and a gust of air would make life hell by turning the pages. I remembered seeing little dirt devils while I was serving back home—the examples of tornadoes and hurricanes. As before, a small, cool wind came into being inside my mind’s eye. I could see it lifting and flowing clearly. As I thought about the air more and more, it began to whip around in a frenzy, getting stronger and faster until it too stood in a spiraling column of blue light.
Never will you tame me, Druid. You cannot be as free as I, but I have seen you. I have seen into you and noted that you try. That you, too, are relentless in pursuit of your tasks and journey. I have seen the storm you bring, and it tickles my interest to see what you will do. Will you be a breath of fresh air to the land, or will you smash all before you? Time will tell. Take my blessing, and show me something worthwhile.
Once more, I felt a stirring, this time in my left palm. I looked, and a burst of air swirled in my hand; faster and faster it swirled, then pushed down into my hand. A chill dominated it, then nothing. A blue, swirl-like tattoo sat in my palm, a match to the one on my right.
“Next, water,” encouraged the Elder.
I cleared my mind; it took longer this time, but I did it.
“Water, life giver. All creatures need it to live. It cools and soothes, provides transport to ships. Gives life to crops and livestock for food. It aids in cleansing and purifying, but there is also darkness to water. It carves paths through the land and in the oceans. It holds dark secrets, sinks ships, and drowns those foolish enough to attempt to challenge its strength. It freezes and kills the land for a season. Tidal waves wash away entire villages in its fury. Rains flood entire valleys and kill all. Water is powerful, unforgiving, and necessary. How can you bend the tide to your will?”
I had begun to see a puddle at the beginning of his speech. I knew water well. Not only did it give life and reside in every living being, but it also filled the majority of my body. Our bodies. It ran through our veins, but it was so much more than just that. I had lived near it for years in my own world, flown over it, listened to the waves beat the shoreline. I knew what water was capable of. T
ides eating away at cliff sides until they took the ground into the briny ocean. Rivers flooding and destroying property. Sucking people into the depths, never to be seen again. The water, to me, had been a terrifying thing. I had a healthy respect for large bodies of water—I could swim—but I never swam in the ocean, not because I wasn’t confident in my ability but because of what I couldn’t see lurking in it. The water grew into a great ocean, spanning inside my mind—endless and deep.
Ah, fear. Usually all who think of my form are filled with calm and serenity, but you, Druid, know that my calm form belies my strength and depth. I have seen you, felt your need to be there for those you love. Water shifts and takes many shapes and forms, filling up what can be taken. I would fill you with my blessing so that you may fill this land and quench it before it burns. Go, take this boon.
Water formed in my left hand and spilled out. It flowed and sank into my palm once more, forming a green river around the wind mark that actually looked pretty damn cool.
“And finally, earth,” I said.
“Yes.”
I closed my mind and let the thoughts and emotions fall away. This time, I focused on the element before Elder Leo even said anything.
A small hill of loose earth formed in my mind’s eye. Earth—solid, timeless, and powerful. It provided food from its soil, allowed the trees to grow, and hid the burrowing animals. Time immemorial has seen it become a home to man in the form of caves, brick, stone. Its immenseness alone crushes rock to the point that it makes diamonds. Home to the Dwarves. Home to metal. Giver. Taker. Great plates beneath its solid skin shift and crash together causing great quakes that can split the ground and swallow whole civilizations up in mere moments. The more I thought, the bigger the hill in my mind became until finally, it was a mountain, great and heavy.
Dirt and stones appeared in my palm, growing into a wall bordering the flame on my right hand in a circle.
Tiny Druid, I feel your footsteps on my back. I feel the strength you have in your bones, the solidness of your soul. Though you know fear, your path does not waiver. You stand firm for your friends and for what you believe in. You would shield strangers from sin and suffering. I like you. I will make you as a diamond to those around you. Take my strength and use it.
The wall hardened, and I felt it quake under some immense, crushing pressure. The wall didn’t give but became a diamond border that slammed into my palm under the pressure.
“Excellent,” Leo said. “That is enough for today. You have done exceedingly well. The Lady chose well.”
I hadn’t noticed, but the sky was now dark, and I was sore and hungry. I thanked Elder Leo, and he smiled at me. He informed me to come here in the morning, and we would do more.
I had some notifications to look through, but my grumbling stomach ensured that I would just look at them later. I found a meal in the monastery dining hall. I had a quick bite that filled me up, then went to the room that I shared with Balmur and Jaken.
The two of them had already passed out, and Kayda was asleep in her nest of blankets next to my bed. She was too big to sleep on the bed with me now. Before I fell asleep, I took a look at my notifications.
Congratulations!
You have received the blessing of multiple Primordial Elements! Each blessing individually grants the recipient a boon of the primordial’s choice!
Fire: Flame Hand – Caster can wreath his hands in flames, doing added fire damage to all attacks, magical and physical. Duration: 3 minutes. Cool down: 5 minutes.
Since the Flame Primordial liked your spirit, he has seen fit to bless you with the Force Flame passive ability which gives a small damage boost to any fire spell cast by you. Wasn’t that nice?
Air: Levitate – Caster can levitate at will for 5 minutes. Cool down: 10 minutes.
Water: Ice Storm – Caster calls down a column of ice shards on a 40 foot by 60 foot cylinder. Cool down: 1 hour.
Earth: Diamond Body – Caster covers his body in diamond-like skin that halves all damage. Duration: 3 minutes. Cool down: 10 minutes.
You hold a special place in the… whatever counts as the Earth Primordial’s heart. She has seen fit to bless you with 3 points bonus to your Strength and the ability Diamond Claws.
Diamond Claws – a passive ability that permanently makes your natural claws hard as diamond, though not nearly as pretty.
I had to admit, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. All of these new abilities and the faith of what was probably as close to the Gods themselves saying they liked me. Except for Air, that guy seemed like a dick. I fell asleep after saying a quiet thank you to the Primordials.
Chapter Eighteen
I ducked into the garden that Elder Leo asked me to come back to after eating. When I arrived, I noticed that I was alone, so I sat and meditated while I waited.
I thought about what might be coming with this training and just relaxed. After a I had steadied my mind and gotten through the worrying, I stood up and began to play with the new skills I had. Diamond Claws was awesome. There wasn’t anything around to toy with and try them on, but I took a rock on the ground and scratched it. Where before it might have hurt my nail, the rock stood no chance. I carved a smiley face into it with a satisfied grin.
“May I keep that?” said Elder Leo from behind me to my left. The small man was standing over where I was crouched, looking over my shoulder at my work.
“Uh, sure.” I handed it to him, and he took it with a boyish grin.
“Thank you,” he said, gazing at it. He slipped it into a pouch attached to his robe belt and motioned to the center of the garden, and we walked over.
“Yesterday, we focused on what the elements were and what they were capable of,” he began. “Today, we look into how you will make their power your own. In my way, I transferred the power of the desired element into my limbs, so that I could strike my foes. You have different abilities and thus need to come up with your own way. This is what you will meditate upon today, but first, a demonstration. Sit, please.”
I sat a few feet away and watched. Elder Leo moved, swaying and striking rhythmically to a tempo of his own design. His feet kicked out, and gusts of wind cut the air behind each foot. He punched with his right fist, and a gout of flame belched from his fist. Then he struck with his left, and his hand became encased in stone. He jumped into the air, double his own height, and axe kicked the ground, and a burst of ice crashed into the ground where his foot landed. His movements were so fluid and graceful that it was difficult not to be drawn in. Once he finished moving, he bowed and smiled.
“Were you a Monk, I would have taught you that happily, but you chose a different path. Find your way, young Druid.”
He sat across from me and began to meditate once more. I did the same and began to wonder how I could incorporate these blessings into my own fighting style. I could attempt to use my understanding of these elements to enchant my gear. That was an idea, but it was only one aspect. I had more to offer than just my enchanting skills. I could maybe make elemental weapons, like have my axe do increased damage by trying to surround it with a given element, say fire. But would that damage it? Would ice make the metal brittle? Shit.
An idea dawned on me. I thought about it for a moment, and it seemed possible. Combining an ability with a spell had increased the damage, right? What if I combined my elemental blessing or understanding and used it to shape shift? There were elementals, beings made up of a given natural element made living through magic. I had seen them often enough in games back home, and I had seen a spell in my choices upon leveling up that would let me summon one.
I thought about an element—water—and focused on it the way I would to shift into one of my other forms. I cast the spell, and it took effect. A flash of muted blue and the familiar drain of mana, and then I looked down to see water encompassing my being. My body was vaguely man shaped but completely made of swirling water. I could walk, and the ground beneath me was wet, the way it might have been after a light mis
ting.
I gurgled in glee and noted that I couldn’t communicate at all. Elder Leo leapt up and laughed with me.
“You did it!” he shouted. “You found your way!”
He reached out and touched me. I could feel his fingertips touch my elbow, and water engulfed his hand. It didn’t hurt. His hand was drenched but neither of us cared.
Congratulations!
You have discovered a variant of Druidic Shapeshifting!
Ability unlocked!
Elemental Form – Caster takes the form of an elemental of choice. Cost: 150 Mana. Duration: 5 minutes. Cool Down: 15 Minutes.
Currently Unlocked forms: Water, Fire, Air, Earth.
Congratulations!
That was some clever thinking! Since you’re so smart, let’s have your stats reflect that, shall we?
+4 to Intelligence.
Interesting. Currently unlocked forms? Meaning that I may be able to combine some or make my own at some point. I would worry about that later. I dropped the form and looked at Elder Leo who was still bouncing on his feet.
“What do we do now?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t know,” he admitted as he stopped bouncing. “I wasn’t expecting you to do it so quickly, but now that you have it, we can go to the training grounds and see what you can do. We can let you play.”
“There’s a fifteen minute cool down on this ability so, it’ll be a bit before I can use it again.”
“That’s fine. Let’s go.”
We took our time going to the Proving Grounds, as my companions and I had begun calling them. He asked me about the process I had used to come up with the idea, and I explained the thought that had struck me. I also told him about some of the games that I had played before coming to this world that had allowed similar things.
“Amazing,” he said in awe. “Truly incredible. This world of yours is amazing and terrifying.”
Into the Light (Axe Druid Book 1) Page 24