章 373: CHPT 373: Growth, Possibility, Potential...
Thursday Morning, December 25th, 2240.
Christmas Morning!
After spending his Christmas Eve at a bar publicly embarrassing himself and losing his hard earned money, followed by realizing the Raider Band Rikah descended from had found a home in the Vada District, Christmas had lost its celebratory charm. Much like his birthday. Much like many holidays. They didn't matter. They were now only present in his life to signify time passed. Time to reflect on his growth.
Because that was all that mattered. Growth, promises, revenge and maintaining his responsibility.
His presents on this day would be keeping everyone alive and seeing that Frosty had enough sheep to eat to fill an Orc's stomach. Maybe no nightmares would be a welcome present too....but that was unlikely.
Which is why he stayed awake, feeling the cold snowy grip of night tighten as the hours waged on before releasing him in preparation for the warm touch of the sun that now hovered over the forest around him.
He had a reason to stay awake anyway.
Another lesson from Rollan.
"Again, Monsieur." The Druid repeated.
The lesson had been put on the back-burner some hours ago. Rollan had a tendency for drawing out the main aspect of his lessons until Claude could accurately pull the answer from Rollan directly or simply understand them himself. An extremely aggravating process when combined with what he was currently doing.
Failing. Failing his ass off would be a more accurate descriptor. Not literally of course.
"Rollan.....we've been at this for hours..." Claude huffed as sweat dripped from his soaked Druidic blindfold, marked in green with the triskelion that signified progress. How ironic.
"And still, you don't understand your Element, no? Even as you look at it and work with it....you fail. Again, Monsieur. A Druid needs knowledge.....belief...ideals....judgement.....restlessness....strength, connection and finesse. You cannot smash and slash your way through all things, hm? You need...ehh.....précision and understanding. So, again...de nouveau."
"Your lessons suck ass sometimes.." Claude said before removing his shirt and standing, ready to attempt growing portions of nature through the holes in the metal cylinder a few feet ahead of him.
Bonk!
Following his words, a metal object collided with his forehead hard enough to aggravate but do little else. The unavoidable smell of alcohol that he could now recognize clearly emanated from the object, telling him that Rollan had just cracked him with a bottle cap.
Claude snarled at the faintly green glowing silhouette of the man perched on top of his cylinder, letting the man see his canines sharpen into fangs.
Rollan laughed a deep and refined chortle of a sound, "You think you scare me, Monsieur? You can't even use your Element and it's standing right in front of you!....much less understand it."
Claude straightened and took a deep breath. Idiotic anger wouldn't get him anywhere-- even if he was fatigued from his trainings. The only way out was the solution. Understanding the lesson. The basis of his Element. The basis of the green waves of energy he could emit from his hands to use his Nature Element and now manipulate things disconnected from nature. What did it mean, what was it?
Figuring that out was the only way out.
"Again." Claude repeated.
"Exactly."
***
Another hour passed with the sun now hung well above the forest. It watched him from the clear blue skies as he flipped and rolled around the metal cylinder, only stopping to connect the markings on his arms to the earth before unleashing another blast of natural energy aimed into the metal holes.
Since his first time trying the peculiar training process, he progressed. Even having enough precision to grow a wooden spear he'd thrown into a Troll's leg in the Astral Realm. Now, he stood across from the metal pole, green streaks sticking out from holes all over where he'd hit his mark. He could've kept going, aiming to make more green lines of light burst from the black outline. But he was done. He understood. In theory.
DING!
[+ 2 Accuracy]
[+1 WillPower]
With his Natural Vision active, he could see Rollan lean in from his seat on top of the cylinder with interest.
"Tell me, Monsieur....What is the basis of your Element? What is the basis of Nature?"
"It's not life. But I am seeing life....they're two different things." Claude replied, still firm in his beleif-- while also developing a new understanding in one area.
"Explain." Rollan said.
"The green I see....the glowing cracks. In you, Ursula, Frosty....the trees-- the grass. It's life...or health...but what I'm usi-- Nature, isn't life is it?"
He couldn't see it directly but he could feel Rollan smile. "Very good. You do not wield life...no, no. That is not what Nature is, Monsieur. But the element of Life, it is connected to Nature. And the strongest Nature Element users have a strong hold on life...a strong hold on Nature. But...the basis of your Element is the very thing that binds the two....Nature and Life that is. So, Monsieur, I now ask you, what is a byproduct of life and a sense of strength in nature, hm? It is very simple."
Claude looked at the results of his training. A sight of Nature exploding through the cracks of what once held it within. Memories of his use of the element at it's strongest...when he was at his strongest. Manipulate and working with the element, injecting his own evolving and increasing emotions and feelings to rebuild forests and clearings in his image. He knew the answer. He knew the basis of his Element. So embarrassingly simple yet profound.
What is a byproduct of life and a sense of strength in nature?
Rollan spoke before he could answer, reaching down to break off a piece of one of the wooden branches emerging from the holes in the metal cylinder.
"Allow me to show you, Beast of Beasts...The basis of your element-- the byproduct of life-- the sign of success in the forests you roam. It is growth, Monsieur." As he said the words, he tossed the twig at Claude.
He watched the small twig flip towards him in silence the green cracks within slowly dimming and fading as it's connection to life faded-- almost completely missing the arrow thin flaming shot of natural energy burst from Rollan's finger and into the twig.
In a flash, the light yellow-green light of his element coated the stick and grew in brightness until he was nearly blinded, listening more so than seeing as the fading green cracks and fissures of life in the stick fed on Rollan's energy and expanded as the stick grew-- sprouting new branches in an explosion of growth until Claude had to duck out of the way of a tree that flew over his head with a wooden screech.
FWOOOM!
CRASHSHSHSH!
The uprooted tree smashed into the floor behind him, shaking the ground as if a stampede was taking place right over him.
When it all settled, he ripped off his blindfold and turned to look at the tree from where he lay on the ground.
And there it was. An actual tree, grown from a discarded twig in an instant. It had to be at least twenty feet tall and wide enough to be older than him. It looked like it had just been ripped from the ground.
When he turned to speak to Rollan, the man no longer sat atop the metal cylinder. Now looming over him as he leaned on his cane.
"Man what the fuck! I thought you could barely use Natural Vision to see? What the hell was that? I could've used that against the Harpies!....Or the Demons??! Or the Snake-Heads?!"
Rollan swirled the liquid in his bottle. Still more than half full-- an oddity for him. "Well, Monsieur. That wasn't our agreement. You do the protecting, I do the healing and teaching, no? And by now I think it's safe to assume....my shortcomings fall under my regenerative capabilities....yes, yes they do."
Claude could've screamed, "Are you telling me this whole time your Mana has been regenerating? This whole time?! Like ever since I met you??"
"The curse of an unfortunate union." Rollan mumbled.
"Well. It looks like you're well enough now." Claude said, still in disbelief, he suddenly had a deep fear for what parts of the story of Rollan the Harpies left out when they spoke of him. If he could turn thrown twigs into catapulted tree's, hiding inside a tree sounded like the least of their worries.
"Partially.....and you, Monsieur, are now educated....and better than before. Your growth is most impressive and fitting, no?"
"Suddenly feels like nothing.." Claude mumbled, looking back at the tree that Frosty now sniffed as the hairs along his back stood on end from being awoken so abruptly.
"Not at all, Monsieur. The evidence of your power and growth with Nature is represented in the beasts who follow you....among other things."
Claude stood up, dusting off his pants, "What are you talking about?"
"You see....there is one stat of the Reborn-- one aspect of Man and Beast, that works on behalf of Nature better than others...it works on behalf of life better than others as well. Fitting no?" Rollan said as he began walking back towards his home with Claude following.
"What stat is that?"
Rollan stopped and turned, "WillPower."
The mystery stat that played a part in him becoming the last Potential.
"It's a bit of an anomaly to the human's systematic power. You see....your stats have direct applications-- purposes. But, your WillPower is an aspect of your inner being made magical. It's not one simple area of expertise or focus. It is many. The ability to endure.....to overcome the numbers that are meant to represent your power....the power to impose your inner intensity onto varying forms of life...to make them understand and work with you. That inner intensity transcends many boundaries, Monsieur. It also is felt by Nature. Your Nature is as intense as your Will....and it's growth is brought forth by your intensity."
Claude was too stunned to speak. So many thoughts, questions and ideas swelled in his mind. He settled with silence to sort them until Rollan came to a stop at Claude's Ancient Oak.
It had grown since he'd first awakened as a Druidic Warrior in training. Now standing twelve feet when it was previously six a mere few weeks ago. It's bark retained it's dark nearly black coloring combined with the magical glow of leaves that adorned the claw-like branches fanning out above them. A sign of his crest, Black-Oak.
"Now that you know your power of Natural Growth. We will begin the next step in teaching you to apply it to yourself." Rollan said flatly.
"What?"
"For other Element Users it is often called a....uhhh...a Magic Shroud?...no. Warrior Shroud?....Hm..."
A lightbulb went off in Claude's mind followed by a second wave of disbelief, "You mean Elemental Shroud? I thought Nature Users didn't have that?"
"You also only just realized the basis of your Element a few minutes ago, No? Druids know many things, Monsieur. Things you too will understand. For now, sleep."
Claude watched the Druid silently walk back into his home where Ursula slept-- unbothered by the tree being thrown in her hibernation-like slumber. If only he could enjoy sleep in such a way.
But, he wouldn't. Instead, he'd think the day over until his mind eventually forcefully shut him down.
The last thought he had before sleep welcomed him this time was a simple one. One he had the second Rollan spoke of inner intensity and WillPower.
"If I became a Potential in part because of my WillPower and Determination....and WillPower relates to the strength of my Nature.....wouldn't that mean Rollan has a high chance of becoming a Potential too? One even more adept than me?"
クリエイターの想い 
_Avatar0FFury_
_Avatar0FFury_ Rollan is the most weak op Druid-Drunk in existence. Anyway, thanks for reading, let me know what you think of the lesson and small bit of info on stats! Thanks for the powerstones frenandoi, alex99, WarriorWolf, TheLucidParagon, krissch, Bop_, Sonius, Bonb_Crusher, Shadowwolf1928, AnnabelleXD, Shazcam, blackrabbit4378, Demosura, Ominous_Reader, Deadra606, Lucas_Gommes_1300, White_Wolf_0636, Ordenador, and DaoistlgkuVU!
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