Master Of None

As much as the party could train for days and hours, the mana they were using was too much to allow that to happen. Their mentalities greatly outweighed their ability at this moment in life. However, that did not limit the pressure they could put on one another.

Walker was able to start pushing the earth condensing skill on to the earth sculpting skill. The two high level skills were mixing very well. Enough that it seemed that he would be able to do much more when it came to earth mana in general later in time. He also had started a competition to make the earth claws that Midnight was using tougher. The two had a simple goal of beating the shields that Su made.

While Midnight and Walker struggled to create a quick and tough earth shield, Su was able to make one much more easily once she was in battle. Something had clicked in her mind that was definitely related to her affinity. The shield she could make barely required any of the grand earth spirit's assistance now. She could make one whenever she needed as long as she had the earth mana to do so.

That didn't stop Remey from trying to make sure they all broke through. The fire elemental affinity knuckles have been forgotten momentarily for the earth affinity knuckles. Ones that Remey barely ever used since she had such a great affinity for fire now. In doing so, Remey had been able to greatly meld the defense breaking fist with the earth affinity of the knuckles.

The combination was proving to be tougher because of the added affinity of earth to her punches. The earth was tougher and allowed Remey to similarly pull earth or stone to her knuckles as a sort of gauntlets protecting her. This defense added to her fists allowed Remey to punch with more of her strength without any backlash that would normally come from adding too much force to a hit. Many brawlers struggled with the concept when they were younger because they believed that hitting harder meant that they would win a battle faster.

Faster wasn't always better though, Gil had shown this in his current state of training. The speed at which Gil had normally pushed himself was greatly held back as form and technique was completely followed. Especially when it came to the defensive abilities of the earth related dagger techniques from the elves.

The reason that Gil had slowed down was simply because he was able to focus on defensive measures that way. Where the defensive measures had taken place specifically were with his ability to deflect then counter attack. In doing so, he needed to focus on the qualities of earth and stone that the sand and stone elves had greatly focused on.

These aspects were able to resist the tougher attacks that the rest of the party could throw at him. Just like Remey's punches, when they hit, the effects would be different. To resist the defense breaking fist enhances by earth, Gil needed to understand what the earth affinity in them brought and how to alter that with his solid movements.

To resist through sheer defense was not a bright idea, but using the strength of the blade and the earth stance of his dagger technique, he could use his own force to deflect and alter the path the attack was taking. Such movements were a test of Remey's mentality while they were a challenge for Midnight who had not expected that Gil would make her attacks useless in a similar way that Su was able to deflect attacks.

Although, Midnight was still the one making the greatest progress. Since the entire group was using earth styled attacks, earth affinity items, or earth mana, she was able to make her own progress greater. Midnight had the earth affinity due to her blood and true dragon champion status among dragons. She was able to access the earth affinity and train it through her actions. It had just been slumbering in a way. Waiting for her to adapt to it. To become familiar with her own defenses and strengths.

"Reporting from my lords! The wyverns have begun to stir. The wyvern queen still slumbers but the wyverns are going to awaken." The sudden interruption of a dragonkin reporting to Walker stopped everyone. None of them had been focused on time but their mana had run thin so this was surprisingly ideal. Not that they would have stopped if they didn't have no choice in the matter. The group was clearly on a roll with their training advancements.

"We will head there now." Walker didn't hesitate to follow the dragonkin immediately. He found that the words were very true as they all followed behind. The smaller wyverns that had rushed to the ruins and caves were twitching or beginning to grumble as they awoke. But that was not the half of it. Walker was able to see the changes using his all around appraisal.

'Half wyvern

Due to the awakening of the earth wyvern bloodline that was created through years of hard effort by the wyvern queen and the recognition of the world, the wyverns born with said bloodline had become half dragon half earth wyverns. Those born between them may be full wyverns or lesser dragons.

The half wyverns is much closer to a pure earth wyvern like some of the younger or more focused of their species. They are able to manipulate the earth to create tougher scales along their bodies. They will also be able to follow the teachings of the wyvern queen to learn other skills unique to their race.

The Wyvern is able to bring a berserker skill in to battle using their monstrous instincts. When in effect, the wyverns of older times is brought out of them. They will go in to a vicious physical battle…'

There was more but Walker could already see the differences. There were no mentions of mindless wyverns. Instead, there were skills that could bring them in and out of these instinctual battle mindsets if they needed to be. But there were also many more mentions of earth related skills that were directly linked to their earth wyvern blood. A very good change in the all around appraisal from what they had been before.

On the way toward the wyvern queen's chambers, the entire party stopped as they felt the clashing of manas. Specifically of condensed light and darkness mana that was not what they had expected in the moment or at all. They all knew it was Alice and Onyx, but they had not expected that while they had been training in earth mana, that the two had been focused on the condensing of their own elemental manas.

Specifically, Onyxx showing his ability to make the shadows around him bend to his will. To make the shadows act as his own personal place to hide and attack with. Adding in the nearly inaudible song that Alice was singing that seemed to be intentionally quiet to condense and attack more secretly, then there was an impressive scene of power and strength.

That didn't mean that Walker didn't want to know what the skills he saw were. What the shadow serpents clearly made of shadows that Onyx controlled were called and what the skill Alice was using was called. The two had changed their focus on condensing and created new skills to use or at least the start of two clearly powerful new skills.

When the rest of the party passed them by, Walker saw Onyx and Alice stop immediately and start to follow them. A dragonkin had told them as they went by what was happening, but the two were clearly worn out from their own training. Walker had expected that Alice would be resting for much longer after using a skill that had taken so much mana and focus. But she had pushed herself in to training the moment she had woken up from resting for just a short while. The few potion bottles around where they had been proved they had both used mana potions to push themselves along.

"Brother, we can help out here for a while." Onyx had changed his size to a smaller and more manageable one but he and Alice still looked too tired to do much.

"Just relax. We should let Terron take the lead. He is their guide for now. But you should tell me what skills that you two were using. They looked powerful. It's impressive." Remey and Gil backed Walker up on this, making both Alice and Onyx look slightly shy at the sudden praise. Yet it was well deserved. They had all taken their resting time and thrown it away for their desires to become stronger yet again. Even though they had not fully rested, their shoulders had less weight on them knowing they were even slightly better prepared for the future.

….

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