—----------- Sheela HearthStone —------------
[Physique : 352]
[Mana : 340]
[Mind : 250]
[Defense : 403]
[Height : 3.1 metres]
[Weight : 1.2 Tons]
[Martial proficiency : n/a]
[Arcane proficiency : 179]
[Firearms proficiency : n/a]
[Hearthstone potency : 200]
An arena of sand.
Hearthstone benders standing around.
Standard of the hearthstone house fluttering in the wind.
Hikari stands at the ledge of the arena.
Her training fatigues.
The shirt and pants she wears inside her wyvern skin armour.
Plus her boots.
Sheela stands right in front of her in the sand.
She was up to Hikari's stomach in height.
"Ya ready to learn some sand bending?"
"Yes."
"That's the spirit! But hey, you don't look ready."
"Hmm?"
Sheela pokes her leg.
"Take it off. Especially the boots."
Hikari paused.
She looks around.
They were in public.
The soldiers were within musket range.
Their sergeant barks at them as they turn their heads.
HIkari glances at them and then turns back to Sheela.
The sandbender throws her an annoyed glance.
"Well. Do you want to learn sand bending or not? You have to feel the earth with your bare skin."
Hikari studies the sandbender's outfit or lack of one.
There were only three pieces of cloth on her.
One over each of her breasts and a rectangular breach in the middle of her waist.
"I see."
Uncomfortably, Hikari disassembles her boot.
Sheela nods.
"The socks too."
Hikari disassembles her socks.
She didn't want to get them dirty walking on the ground anyway.
She glances at Sheela who nods.
The sand bender has a mischievous look on her face.
Hikari continues.
Her sleeves and the area around her abdominal muscles,
leaving her with a loose top to cover her chest.
She glances at Sheela.
The sand bender said nothing.
She disassembles her pants.
Her muscles exposed to the wind from the waist down.
"Good, now let us begin."
Sheela jumps into the sand arena and slides into the middle effortlessly.
Reluctantly, Hikari steps onto the sand.
Thud. Thud.
She sways to one side.
Her foot slides along the sand to compensate.
Thud.
She had not fought on sandy ground in forever.
The way the ground shifts and sinks under her massive weight whenever she steps makes it difficult for her to move normally.
"Good. I knew you folks who were raised in that nice solid ground wouldn't know how to walk on sand."
Hikari finally managed to reach the center of the arena.
Moving through the sand was a struggle.
At least her wide stride means she didn't need to take many steps.
"He. Good work. Now, let's check you."
Sheela placed her palms on Hikari's thighs.
She could feel the sand benders mana flow through her.
It is still much weaker than hers, but Hikari had not met such a strong mana user in a while.
Sheela broke off her contact, resting her hands on her knee caps.
Her breathing was heavy.
"Phew! man! You're much tougher than you look. Guess you didn't just train your body. Your mana pool is insane."
Sheela went back to it.
She moved her mana around Hikari's body which was massive compared to hers.
Hikari closes her eyes.
She relaxes and allows Sheela to move her mana around.
It takes a lot of effort, but she seemed to be enjoying it.
Simple movements.
The sand bender starts with the basic form.
The mana flows into the ground below them.
The sand moves around them.
Hikari feels the sand at her feet brush against the sides.
—----- Hikari —-----
Hearthstone potency : 0 -> 50 (new)
Hikari opens her eyes.
Sheela was laid back on the ground sweating.
Her stomach growled.
"Well! There ya go!"
Her attendants waved at her.
Hikari could smell the food on the cauldron.
"Lunch time!"
Sheela gets up and slides to the ledge of the arena.
Hikari checks herself.
She raises her arm.
Several grains of sand on the ground in front of her moved.
It was hardly visible.
"Hey, continue! You gotta walk on the sand to let the mana form sink in."
Sheela shouted from outside the wind.
Slowly, Hikari takes a step.
She briefly swayed to the side.
The sand sank where she steps, causing her to momentarily lose her balance.
"Good. Don't expect immediate results though. That's not how it works."
Hikari steps.
She watches Sheela stuff her face with stew.
"Get back to it! I prepared your lunch too! But you gotta sweat it out first!"
Sheela barks.
"Yes, Sheela."
"It's master Sheela to you! Remember that."
"Yes, Master Sheela."
Thud. Thud.
Hikari walks on the sand.
The swaying continues.
Her gluts were starting to feel the stress.
…
"That's it! Feel the stress in your legs!"
Hikari marches in circles inside the sand arena.
Sheela filled her harvest sack full of sand.
It was heavier than her entire loadout of weapons.
Her feet sink into the sand with every step.
She had to pause to pull it out before she took the next step.
Her bare feet are coated in sand as she sweats profusely.
Sheela stands in the middle of the arena barking orders.
Hikari could feel her aura spreading through the sand below her.
The footprints closed up behind her.
Every time she makes the round, she steps into a flat surface of sand.
As she marches, she feels the sand bender's mana move.
She tries to mimic it.
"Good! You're a tough one are you. Most of our newbies would have kicked it long ago."
Thud.
Thud.
Round and round Hikari went.
She wasn't complaining, this is a good workout for her.
Walking on a sand surface that wouldn't support her weight properly was a new exercise.
She feels her footing getting more stable on level ground.
"Alright stop, time for some meditation."
Thud!
Hikari drops her harvest sack full of sand.
It was large enough to fit enough supplies for a small army.
She picks up a water tank and gulps down its contents.
The workout had made her sweat a ton.
Her shirt was soaked through.
Sheela lent her a towel.
It was big enough for her to wipe her sweat.
She disassembled her loose top into a pile atop a wooden platform.
She presses down, squeezing the sweat out into the ground through the cracks.
The towel was squeezed.
She wipes her chest and her back and reassembles her shirt.
"Hurry up! Don't let your body get cold."
"Yes, master sheela."
Hikari walks back to the center of the arena.
She was getting used to walking on sand.
She sits down, back facing Sheela.
The sand bender presses her palms behind her back.
"Now, let's see how much of the form you have going for ya."
Hikari closes her eyes.
A normal meditation session for her.
She can feel Sheela's mana movements.
Slowly but surely, she was getting its rhythm.
The faint memory of her learning the RazenHeir flame was coming back to her.
Compared to that, picking up sand bending felt a lot less punishing.
Something clicks in her head.
She takes over the flow.
She moves the mana through her body.
The sand around her chatters.
It wasn't nearly as smooth as with casting her RazenHeir flames or telekinesis.
But it felt like she had opened a door.
Hikari opened her eyes.
Sheela was sitting in front of her.
Her expression was filled with bewilderment.
"Whao, were you part of a geomancer guild or what."
"How did I do?"
"What do you mean 'how did you do'. Do you have any idea how long it takes just to get the basic form down?"
Hikari blinks at her.
All of a sudden, the sand bender bursts into laughter.
"Ahaha, you really are a genius. Or maybe I'm just such a great teacher. Haha! I knew I was a genius teacher."
"Master Sheela"
"Yes! Call me master again hehe."
"Master Sheela."
"Who is the greatest master in all of Herdial?"
"Master Sheela."
"Yes! That's me. Master Sheela. Again! Who is the greatest master?"
"Master Sheela."
"Good. Enough rest. Get back to training my good student!"
Hikari picks the sack of sand and starts another round.
"Go! Faster!"
…
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Fast marching through the sand.
Hikari controls her breath.
The sack of sand on her back hasn't gotten lighter.
On top of that, she was now holding the weight of a boulder in each hand.
"Move it! Don't forget to keep doing the mana movements that we practiced."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Hikari was feeling the heat.
She hasn't been pushed like this in a while.
Thud.
But she notices something.
She was not spending as much time pulling her foot out of the sand anymore.
It was like the sand was responding to her movements.
She felt more and more like she was walking on solid ground.
"Alright that's enough!"
Hikari hastily drops the weights.
After a quick round of refreshments, she sits in front of Sheela.
Walking to and back from the center of the arena was no longer a chore for her.
They meditate together.
Hikari could now sense Sheela's mana movements through the sand.
She lets her lead.
They were still the basic movements from the first day.
Sheela stops.
Hikari opens her eyes.
"Master?"
"Oh right! Ahem! Seeing the good progress that you have been making, and also how my brother has been rushing me. I think it's time for us to move onto bigger things."
Hikari nods.
"I don't like this. It usually takes a year of getting used to the basic form before the trainee sand bender plunges in to learn some useful spells. But it seems that you're gonna need more than just the basic form if you're gonna survive in the caves."
"Yes."
"Alright, listen up. There's two basic spells that would be extremely useful no matter what level you are at. An earth sense or whatever you call it. And this."
Sheela grabs a fistful of sand.
As she opened her palm, the sand did not scatter, instead they coalesced into a stone.
Then, Sheela closes her palms again and the stone breaks down into sand again.
"Woah."
"He. Isn't it impressive. Isn't your master the best?"
"Yes, Master Sheela."
"Alright. Alright. Enough. You'll learn how to do it too. The earth sense will let you see through walls when you are in the mines. The shattering skill will let you dig your way out of rock slides and avalanches. Sounds useful eh?"
"Yes, Master Sheela."
"Now, follow my lead."
HIkari closes her eyes.
Sheela began moving her mana.
Still the basic form.
But more intense.
Hikari feels her build up her mana and releases.
It stretches out, covering the whole arena and then she retrieves it.
"Feel that. Now you try."
Hikari follows, building her up mana.
She moves through the basic form faster and faster.
"Release, quickly."
Poof!
An outward explosion of mana.
Hikari feels a shower of sand in her hair.
"You are trying to sense the earth, not blast it to bits. Try again."
Sheela restarts her demonstration.
Build up, release and retrieve.
Hikari tries again.
She's still stuck on the basic form.
"Try again."
Build up, release and retrieve.
Hikari tries again.