— Sheela HearthStone —
[Physique : 352]
[Mana : 340]
[Mind : 250]
[Defense : 403]
[Height : 3.1 meters]
[Weight : 1.2 Tons]
[Blessing of Hearthstone: 200]
— Rey HearthStone —
[Physique : 12]
[Mana : 3]
[Mind : 12]
[Defense : 11]
[Blessing of Hearthstone: 5]
[Height : 1.5 meters]
[Weight : 65 kg]
An arena of sand.
Hearthstone benders standing around.
The Hearthstone House standards flutter in the wind.
Hikari stands on the arena ledge.
Her training fatigues.
The shirt and pants she wears under her wyvern-skin armor.
Plus her boots.
Sheela stands in the sand right in front of her.
She was up to Hikari's stomach.
"Ya ready to learn some sand bending?"
"Yes."
"That's the spirit! But hey, you don't look ready."
"Hmm?"
Sheela pokes at her leg.
"Take it off."
"Hmm?"
"You heard me. Take off everything, especially the boots. Take them off.
Hikari paused.
She looks around.
They were in public.
The soldiers were within musket range.
Their sergeant barks at them to turn their heads back towards the road.
Hikari stares at Sheela awkwardly.
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 thereof.
Only three pieces of cloth covered 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 in approval.
"The socks too."
Hikari disassembles her socks.
She didn't want to get them dirty walking on the ground anyway.
She glances at Sheela and nods enthusiastically.
The sand bender wears a mischievous look that makes her feel uncomfortable.
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 sandbender says nothing, while nodding approvingly.
She disassembles her pants.
The wind exposes her muscles from the waist down.
"Good, now let us begin."
Sheela jumps into the sand arena and slides effortlessly to the middle.
Reluctantly, Hikari steps onto the sand.
Slippery.
She sways to one side.
Her foot slides along the sand to compensate.
She had never fought on sandy ground.
The sturdy ground the benders created helped her fight the sandworm titan.
She staggers toward the center of the arena, where Sheela waits.
The ground shifts and sinks under her massive weight with every step, making it hard 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."
After a struggle, Hikari finally reached the center of the arena.
"He. Good work. Now, first things first. Let's check your condition. Let's see what's inside that massive body of yours."
Sheela placed her palms on Hikari's thighs.
Hikari felt the sand bender's mana flow through her.
It was still much weaker than hers, but she hadn't met such a strong mana user in a while.
Sheela broke off contact, resting her hands on her kneecaps.
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 closed her eyes and relaxed, letting Sheela move her mana around.
It takes a lot of effort, but the sandbender seems to enjoy it.
Simple movements.
The sandbender 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: 50 (new)]
Hikari opens her eyes.
She feels a tingle of the sand bender's mana coursing through her.
Sheela lay back onto the sand.
Her stomach growled loudly.
"Well! There ya go!"
Her attendants waved at her.
Hikari smells food from the cauldron.
"Lunchtime!"
Sheela gets up and slides to the ledge of the arena.
Hikari checks herself; she feels slightly different.
She raises one arm.
Several grains of sand at her feet move as if responding to her movements.
"Hey, continue! You gotta walk on the sand to let the mana form sink in."
Sheela barked as she ate.
Slowly, Hikari took a step.
She briefly swayed to the side.
The sand sank where she stepped, throwing her off 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 glutes begin to strain.
…
"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 weapon loadout.
Her feet sink into the sand with every step.
She had to pause to pull it out before she took the next step.
Sand coated her bare feet as she sweated profusely.
Sheela stands in the middle of the arena, barking orders.
Hikari feels her aura spread through the sand beneath her.
Her footprints behind her closed up.
Each time she makes the round, she steps onto a flat patch of sand.
As she marches, she feels the sand bender's mana move.
Fascinating. A new mana form. 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; she loves a good workout more than anyone.
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 it down.
The workout had made her sweat a ton.
Her shirt was soaked through.
Sheela lent her a towel.
It was big enough to wipe the sweat off her face.
She pulled her loose top off and dropped it onto a wooden platform.
She pressed down, squeezing the sweat through the cracks into the ground.
The towel was squeezed.
She wiped her chest and back, then pulled her shirt back on.
"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 learning the RazenHeir flame returns.
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.
"Whoa, 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 to get the basic form down?"
Hikari blinks at her.
Suddenly, 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 up 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 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 noticed 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 you have been making, and with my brother rushing me to get you prepped for his little raid. I think it's time for us to move on to bigger things."
Hikari nods.
"I don't like this. It usually takes a year to get used to the basic form before the trainee sand bender plunges in and learns 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. Two basic spells 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 opens her palm, the sand doesn't scatter; instead, it coalesces into a stone.
Then Sheela closes her palms again, and the stone breaks down into sand.
"Whoa."
"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."
"Never mind forming a stone for now. It's much harder than smashing into pieces, and you don't need it yet. Now, follow my lead."
Hikari closes her eyes.
Sheela began moving her mana.
Still the basic form, but more intense.
Hikari feels her mana build up and release.
It stretches out, covering the whole arena, then she pulls it back.
"Feel that. Now you try."
Hikari follows, building up her mana.
She moves through the basic form faster and faster.
"Release, quickly."
Poof!
An outward explosion of mana.
Hikari feels sand shower 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.