Chapter 16 - Augmentation

The weekend passed rather smoothly, Raiden frequently meeting up with Alex and Kai to practice his ability to imbue his arms with lightning matter. Today was Monday, marking his return to Pathfinder lessons once again.

Raiden still hadn’t talked to his sister since their last dispute, one he harshly criticized himself for. I could have handled it better, told her more, told her the truth. These were thoughts that plagued him ever since that night, and thoughts he dismissed thinking once again that he couldn’t, wouldn’t.

The arena doors opened before Raiden found himself walking in for the start of his third week. The stadium today was the same as always, sand covered the floor, and students found themselves chatting and idling; waiting for their eccentric old man of a teacher, the brawny figure of the man not currently present.

All twelve students were already accounted for when the doors of the arena were pushed open with a certain flair. At the forefront stood Adam, their practical class teacher, but it was what was behind him that caught Raiden’s interest.

“Attention Please!” Adam yelled, walking into the stadium followed by a group of four other adults. In came a group comprised of men and women, a familiar face to Raiden among the bunch.

“We’ll be moving on to phase two of augmentation class now, and to speed things along, I’ve invited a teacher of each element here with me today.” Their original teacher added.

“From left to right; we have Thomas, the new teacher for Fire element matter wielders. Zakari, the new teacher for Lightning element matter wielders. Sarah, the new teacher for Wind element matter wielders. And finally, Loire; the new teacher for Water element matter wielders.” Adam concluded, gesturing to each new mentor as he voiced their names.

Raiden took specific notice with Sarah, who he already knew. He wasn’t expecting to meet any new instructors, let alone an officer that he’d already met. Nonetheless, having a master who knew the ins and outs of his element was surely a welcome boon.

Adam looked over the students, and motioned for them to quiet down, “I’d like for you all to group up by element, from left to right, I want Superiors, Lightning wielders, Water wielders, Fire wielders, Terra wielders, and Wind wielders respectively.” he continued, “The professors will interview you all shortly, please be patient.” Adam said, walking back to the wall to finish his statement.

Raiden wasn’t used to seeing Adam talk so formally, he was normally much more laid back and unprofessional, but he figured the man simply wanted to look good in front of his coworkers.

Once the groups were finalized, Raiden found himself beside one other student, Alex. They were alone in the group of Superiors, for obvious reasons; but what concerned Raiden was the fact that there were only five professors total, one for each base element. Meaning that he would need to continue figuring out his dark element alone.

The first teacher to introduce herself was Loire Castillon, she was their class’s new Water element instructor. She was a shorter lady, her figure slender, with flowing black hair and piercing blue eyes. She mentioned that while she wouldn’t be teaching either of the two men, they could both come to inquire about her element and its properties.

The second instructor was Sarah Yellowblade, who focused on introducing herself to Alex. Her red hair was as straight as it was the last time Raiden saw her, and she remained equally alluring. The officer would be spending a fair amount of time with Alex, the man wielding Wind as his secondary matter element. Raiden needed no introduction, both simply greeting each other before Sarah went to learn more about the other wind students.

The third professor was Zakari Anwir, and Raiden’s future mentor. The man took a similar role to what Raiden had in mind himself, he was a scout for the pathfinder team he belonged to, and a single dagger found itself holstered on his hip. Zakari looked to be in his early thirties and had medium-length auburn hair falling down the sides of his face.

Being in a squad of pathfinders meant being able to choose your own attire, not being limited to the confines of military clothing. With that said, the man really fit the title of a rogue, light combat gear resembling the kind of stuff Raiden had only read about in fantasy books worn by the man. Regardless of his... efficient costume, it was clear that Raiden would have much to learn. It was common to be the team’s scout as a lightning wielder, their innate speed and precision bringing next-to-optimal results, and the only other party frequently taking the position were wind elementals, their stealth a natural bonus.

Stealth shouldn’t be a problem regardless… Or at least that was what he imagined, Raiden’s second element the most stealthy of all seven abilities.

“Hey there, you’re a lightning wielder, correct?” His voice was baritone and suppressed, he talked with a certain but unplaceable deftness.

“That’s right! Ah, what should I call you, Mr. Anwir?” Raiden tried his best to reply. The man briefly raised his eyebrows before looking him up and down, with an evaluating stare. The arena was at a mild and steady volume, distant chattering and conversations induced by their current situation. It was little more than a minute before Zakari continued their conversation.

“You may address me as Zakari, or Anwir. I have no preference, formality is of no importance on the field.” he finally addressed Raiden, “I assume you to be the Superior wielding the dark element, both a blessing and a curse…” The boy nodded.

“I look forward to calling you my pupil, Raiden Sullivan. The only other prospect wielding lightning is some flashy boy named Dilbert Fullentorrow, and he doesn’t interest me much, nor does he seem as capable.” Zakari finished, stepping back. Alex looked at him curiously, both he and Raiden still side to side.

“I look forward to calling you my master, Zakari Anwir.” Raiden replied, agitated by Anwir’s openly backhanded insults to one of his classmates.

The man walked off to where Adam was standing, alongside one of the other female instructors, Loire.

Finally, the last teacher to introduce themselves was Thomas Helios. He identified himself as the prospective instructor for fire elementals, making sure to get a good look at Alex; who would be one of his students for the foreseeable future. The man had somewhat long tan hair and wore a flashy red coat that hung over his black pants. He was similar in various aspects to Alex, or Raiden felt no less than a certain similarity.

While Alex was being interviewed by Thomas, Raiden took the time to count out the students of each element, there were three wind wielders, four if you included Alex. Three fire elementals including him once again. Two water affinities and two terra wielders. There was only one other lightning wielder aside from Raiden, a man named Dilbert. Overall, their class was well balanced, with at least two students being of each element type. By the time Raiden had finished his deliberations, Alex’s conversation was nearing its end.

The excitable man left not after introducing himself, all four teachers now locating themselves beside Adam when their Terra instructor continued his lesson.

“As you have all likely presumed, we five will be teaching you in-depth practical information on the elements you wield. Considering myself to be aligned with Terra, I can’t do much to teach the rest of you, that’s why these four will be guiding you personally.” Adam said before he continued, “They are all competent Pathfinders and Officers, respectable Frontline members who wield power beyond the current scope of your comprehensions. Remember that, and learn to the best of your ability.”

“With that said, I implore you to begin learning from your new instructors, and be sure to inform them of your current progress.”

It had been just over an hour since Raiden met Zakari, the man staring intently at him and Dilbert while they demonstrated their comprehension of lightning matter.

Mr. Anwir had instructed them to show their current abilities ever since Adam had first motioned for them to meet with him. The two not getting any breaks whatsoever, they both sparred in the sand for nearly an hour, exhaustion set in before long.

Beads of sweat muddied the sand below him when he heard the relief of his master’s voice. “Stop! That’ll be enough,” he shouted, the two young men carrying themselves towards the edge of the arena before sitting down, both panting tiredly. “Your endurances are lacking, that will be the first thing you’ll work on outside of class, make sure to run for a few hours every day.”

A few hours? Raiden thought to himself begrudgingly.

“Raiden, your control and technique are excellent. I was worried at first to see you wield two blades instead of one, but it seems that they work well for you.” He looked at Dilbert with a slight reluctance, “I’m not certain why you chose nun-chucks, but if you intend to stick with your choice of weapon, you’ll need practice, much more practice. Aside from that, the control over your element is satisfactory, nothing more to say.”

Dilbert looked slightly discouraged upon first hearing his teacher’s insights, but it soon transitioned to determination, and he nodded.

Zakari turned back to his other student, and elaborated on their spar, “Raiden, I understand your reluctance to hold back your second element with another student, but do be aware that it will fall behind if you do not utilize it.” he said.

“You’ll spar with me from now on,” he added.

Great… Raiden knew the implications of fighting another one of his teachers, he’d learned that lesson well from Adam, who despite holding back, was so incredibly powerful that Raiden could barely even reach him, let alone land an actual blow. He could only imagine the speed and offensive power that a lightning Pathfinder wielded. Both a blessing and a curse indeed…

“Also, I’ve noticed your ability to enhance the soles of your feet with matter, is that self-taught?” The man asked, looking at him more curiously now.

“That’s right, I figured it out when I was training in my spare time,” Raiden replied.

“Interesting, you have talent.”

The lesson continued in this fashion for the rest of their work period, Zakari correcting many mistakes Raiden was unknowingly making with his daggers as well as his body enhancement. After his master’s insights, he noticed an immediate improvement. There were many inconsistencies with Raiden’s lightning imbuement, despite being one of the best in his class. He truly is incredible...

After his lessons, Raiden could wield his matter more effectively while needing to focus even less on the individual limbs, allowing him to pay even more attention when sparring. While he hadn’t yet had a bout with his teacher, he knew simply from the man’s ability to pick up on minute details that his knowledge and ability were vast.

The class was eventful, and far more interesting than his theory classes, which went into detail on human interaction, de-escalation tactics, and cultural knowledge about the continents of Colarus and Tanazoir. All of which didn’t interest Raiden much, aside from small tidbits of general information on the two continents.

Raiden’s day ended in a similar fashion to the rest of his week, the only difference being his two-hour run after dinner; tomorrow was Tuesday, and also his second day with a new instructor.

He spent the rest of the evening shadowboxing under his new teacher’s instructions and admiring his new knives, as well as trying to imagine what would occur the following day.