Capítulo 16: Start of a different routine, Part 5

Ultimately, we decided the training rounds would alternate between myself against Sowanar and rounds between him and Fasnilthar to offer me breaks in between sets. Those would last about 10 minutes for every 5 to 8 rounds, depending on how much spirit essence I used during them, just to make sure I wouldn't run out during training. Despite all of her restrictions in such a space, Fasnilthar still looked confident. Likely in parts due to the advantages Thalgignir saw during individual fights, even if I still interpreted that confidence as a good sign. Personally, I couldn't say the same applied to me, in regards to my opponent and the condition I would face him in.

"Even if we were standing on the opposite sides of this backyard, his earth casting should still be capable of reaching me. My barriers can't handle repeated attacks of his either, so blocking spells isn't an option for long. Being even closer will only make my situation worse as well. Meaning my options mostly come down to dodging and landing my hits before any match can last for too long. If I don't switch around offensive tactics between rounds, I'm rather unlikely to get any victories in a roll as well. Some of this will still depend on the ruling Nalfimiria offers us, but most likely I should pick a posture between 40 and 48… Maybe 38 could also be helpful. Many of these should fit well with this environment, but I'll need to adapt aspects of each. The precise choices for altering between should be made once I've learned more about the rules, and preferably had a few rounds to see Sowanar's fighting. My stances should alter frequently as well. Probably take on elements of stances 3, 4, 7 and 9. Perhaps some of the advice offered in stance 11 as well."

The ruleset offered did give me some additional benefits, at least. Following it, the normally lethal shots Sowanar could fire were interpreted as weakening instead of disabling, since in a populated environment he wouldn't be able to use earth casting at full strength. Adding to that the fact it was judged that my barriers would survive an individual bolt of his, it effectively meant that if I managed to block the shots I would have four chances to be hit by them before losing a point. It was also ruled that my attacks would count as a point, so long as they were properly aimed to pierce heavy armor, which might not have been accurate to a real fight. The type of armor he wore probably would be able to survive my hits more times in an actual battle.

I didn't like being offered an edge during training, yet the others argued that simply would help nullify the boons offered by the practice field and the gap in stages between us. There were also some constrictions to our concentration, to account for the fact we wouldn't be using our potency in full. His were slightly stricter, due to the gap in our ability as well, and alongside the other training gear we also placed the proper amount of inhibitors to handle that part.

With that discussion done, we moved to the different ends of the circle prepared for the sparring after putting on the protective layers suggested for this type of exercise. Finarkzir, Nalfimiria and Fasnilthar all surrounded it, just to make sure no spells escaped the confines of the vessel based barriers around it as well. The eagle and elf would be the ones who judged what counted as a hit or not, in case there was some doubt in either end. There was enough distance between us that we weren't immediately at range of our weapons, even if both were to lunge at each other at once. Still, almost any form of spell casting would hit the other with that little space between us, regardless of ranks. By that point, we had our weapons of choice readied as well. In his case, it was the training spear he had been using, alongside two shields strapped to his jacket. In mine, merely a sword and a few blunt throwing weapons we had around the practice gear. I could simply conjure throwables, though it always did help to have real ones near, due to some of the advantages they had.

—I am ready whenever. — He said, holding the training spear in position.

—Same. Who calls it? — I asked, to which Finarkzir offered herself. Her position around the circle was more central than that of the other two, so that made it easier to keep track of either of our movements.

As Finarkzir prepared to give the warning, some final thoughts passed through my mind. Mainly concerning the choice of weaponry of my opponent. "Breaching through the shields from the front will be difficult. The combination of those with a longer weapon and his magic as well should make it difficult to have any success in a direct confrontation. Maybe that's where the opportunity for surprise lies early on, then." With those final thoughts done, we heard a first screech, one warning us to be ready. With the sound of a second one, the first match would officially begin.

Both of the shields around him started floating and my spirit veil took shape around me, yet that was all of the movement that happened at first, from either of our ends. It looked like the two of us were simply trying to measure each other up at that point, and to gauge the other's reactions. I had not drawn my weapon yet as well, since that would imply giving him extra information by that point. As we continued our brief stare off, I decided it would have been best for me to use this to gain initiative. Surprise favored me, and if I allowed him to take the offensive first it would be far harder for me to retake it, due to our gap in standard defense. The shields could both be used for blocking and bashing, after all, while my barriers served merely for one purpose, despite their many benefits at accomplishing it.

Being offered the first move, I began conjuring a spiritual reflection in the shape of an arm, while moving my hands in position to create light blasts. Expecting him to quietly watch for me to prepare to attack would have been foolish, thus I thought it best to make sure to have a means to push him back while the arm took shape. All the while, it looked like he was readying himself to parry the initial wave of spells. Seeing this, I made sure to give the blasts forming in my hands the kinetic potency to at least knock those shields back slightly, so that he wouldn't have the option of rushing through after blocking them. I then fired the first two blasts in an arc, as otherwise the same shield might be used for both. The aim was also to make it harder for him to avoid, as that would deny the spell its ability to buy me time. A third shot would be fired from the arm being formed, around the time the first two would be making contact. The intention was to capitalize in whatever his reaction might have been.

Instead of using both shields, he blocked a shot by launching one of them forwards, while striking the second with his spear. A feat only possible to a mage, seeing as light magic was among the fastest spell types a mage could conjure, and one that would require a lot of training even for a mage to accomplish at the early stages. Good information to have, both for the purpose of this fight and our work as teammates. Watching him, I noticed both the shield and spear had been slightly knocked back, yet to add to the impressiveness of the parry it also looked like the shield had recovered from the blow quickly, as the push that sent it forward partially canceled the force of my strike. The lance was thrown out of the way, however the second shield floated in position to block the third shot.

Noticing it wouldn't be easy to hit with it, I changed its composition to best match the situation, before firing it. The third blast traveled just as quickly as the other two, but the explosion it produced was different. It had nearly no power backing it up, instead creating a cloud of white where it landed, both due to the flash I intensified of the spell as well as the dust I merged into the physical aspects of the spell. Based on his reaction, I had successfully blinded him momentarily, even if this ploy hadn't been free of a defense on his part.

As I got ready to charge closer upon his blinding, I prepared another wave of light blasts, all the while avoiding a stone bullet he launched by the smallest margin. It looked like he had hidden his own conjurations behind the shields, before throwing them in the curtain I created for him. Still, I fired another wave of blasts, all the while shaping an illusion after my image. This way in his moment of blindness, before he pushed away the dust around him, I would use a chance to keep him from knowing which image was the real me. This is in part because I didn't expect the light blasts to score, but simply gain me time again. Even blinded, he still could have detected them through magic, causing him to fall on a defensive stance.

That time, the same knockback I had originally caused as well didn't occur. It appeared as if he had used earth infusing to make pushing the shields harder on my end. By the time his vision was back, both images were rushing closer, holding a dagger in the spiritual hand, the sword in one of their real ones and keeping the other at ready to conjure a light construct. He prepared both shields to meet an image, while placing the spear between both of them, all the while some kind of magic formed around his perimeter. Likely his way of responding to my activation of the illusion spell, seeing as he probably could have detected its creation through his magical senses, even if those wouldn't be enough for him to spot the real thing.

A strange glimmer formed around his presence, as if obfuscating light around him. It didn't betray a whole lot of potency, yet even if it would have no direct effects, the method still seemed sufficient to reveal me, despite the fact it would only do as much as I would have been almost at reach to attack. "Curse magic, it seems. Of course. Even if weakened, the mist can't affect a construct at all. A coordinated attack will be risky." At that little potency, neither a curse nor interference would have much of an effect, but any effect at all would be enough for him to decide which was my real body. With this final bind, I would need to adjust my final plan. Trying to attack him at multiple points would have offered him the time to detect my real presence, after all. Instead, both figures were focused on different methods of assaulting him.

The one to the left would use conjured steps as a means of gaining some height, all the while concentrating part of its spirit veil towards the dagger and sword. To the dagger, merely to add to the strength of its launch, to the sword as a means of transferring energy through it. This would threaten an attack towards a direction more difficult for him to block, as the image soared towards his back. The other halted its charge, instead focusing its ability in creating a different arm through reflection while stepping away, all the while preparing to throw both weapons while charged and creating a small volley of light blasts to follow. The intention was to produce too much force into those blows for him to block them without at least tripping, something that might have offered me the chance to score the needed point.

Naturally, I also took steps to make sure he didn't have the option just to focus on the one he guessed was real. Namely, though the illusions themselves as constructs are simply the surface of conjured mass meant to imitate real objects, the weapons used by the false version were real conjurations, controlled by a reflection connecting me to the copy. And however limited my ability to extend my magical reach was, having actual constructs to use as a base meant charging them with additional energy wasn't an issue from such a small distance.

Similarly coming to the conclusion this fight was about to end, Sowanar switched focus to deal with the pair of threats I conjured. He shifted a shield upwards, to address the rising image, all the while preparing to charge the grounded one with the other shield and spear. Additionally, he launched a stream of small pebbles against the figure taking air. Having confirmed it was the illusion after the rocks flew past it, the shield raised against it was launched like a projectile into its direction. Specifically, it hit the constructs being charged with energy, causing them to detonate, even if in the process also knocked the shield used for this purpose away from him. All the while it seemed he undid the strand tying the shield to him, so that the launching of it would have no influence over his own movement.

As quick as his answer was, I didn't have time to react. Instead of backtracking, I simply opted to attempt to finish my assault before he got the chance to strike himself. As such, I threw some of the attacks I had readied at that point, trying to score my point before the spear got the chance to hit me. Both the sword and dagger were launched, causing him to briefly sidestep while dealing with part of the blow with the remaining shield. It looked like that would have been enough to knock it away as well, which might have left him open for my last wave of attacks, yet it appeared the knight predicted that possibility. After coming into contact with the sword, the blast resulting affected the trajectory of the dagger enough for it to miss him partially after the side step, all the while hitting the shield from an angle Sowanar managed to catch on its way back. It seemed he had roughly estimated the blasting capacity I had incorporated within the sword's veil.

It was through a combination of launching it and the spear thrusts I ended up being hit before I could complete my final attempt at an attack. Had he taken any longer to decide which of the images was real, or even staggered while blocking the blasts from above, I might have had the time to attack in a way he couldn't have blocked. Though in our already small battlefield, the swift decision of which image was true had been enough to turn my momentum into a trap. After I recovered from the blow, I went to retrieve some of the training weapons I had thrown, all the while Fasnilthar brought back the shield that had been thrown back. It seemed it had enough metal in it for her to pick it up through her magic, something Sowanar appeared to be paying close attention to. That information might become of use for him soon enough, when those two were the ones in the ring.

—That was an excellent start. I didn't think our first battle would have ended up being so thoughtful. If this was just the start, it looks like our training as a group will remain productive, from now on. — Sowanar said, while returning to position. I couldn't see much of his face, since both of us had a visor on, but I agreed with the sentiment. The fight likely was easier on his end than on mine, though it did seem like the two of us struck some balance, at the very least.

—Yes. The assistance is welcomed. Although… — The fight was not only for the purpose of practice, after all, though also to understand how the other fought.

In this sense, I believed I got a brief chance to understand his title better, as "The Serene Tempest." His fighting style might have been primarily based on aggression, or at least at some points in proactive defense, yet it still looked like he was very good at striking a balance. Knowing in what situations he can and should defend, and most importantly on how to switch from protecting to attacking in a moment. Even without utilizing many earth constructs, each time he utilized one during counterattacks their intended effect was reached. His application of infusing also appeared to have been precisely measured, something all the more relevant in a context in which our concentration was limited. All of this painted the image of a warrior who knew how to utilize his strength with a delicate precision, born not only from their magical prowess but from how accurately he knew how to apply it. In this note, this made me value a certain piece of feedback I wanted from him all the more.

—Is something the matter?

—The final choices of the match. What led your reasoning to guessing the real image? — For every other counter he offered, it seemed to have been born out of some kind of precaution. He knew what I could do, so had a countermeasure ready ahead of time when dealing with my attacks. And though he did make sure the jumping image was a fake, he still took no time to charge the real me. I wanted to hear his logic, as it could potentially prove useful later on.

—Concentration usage. Sustaining a full body illusion likely takes plenty of it, as well as moving it so fluidly, combined with creating multiple paths to an attack, the conjured arms and the inhibitors we're wearing… It simply made more sense for you to pick the path that would need to use less of it, to reduce the risk of accidentally hitting the limit. The steps you've created as a jumping tool would have needed to be far more solid to act as a base for jumping if you were on top of them, compared to the illusion. It was very likely you couldn't afford this extra use of your concentration, so without being offered the time to analyze the composition of the stepping point, all that was left was to guess at the least risky choice, in your end. Though of course, detonating the light magic on those constructs would have counted as a point regardless, even if it was shaped within the veil around them. It's one of the advantages of fighting people using detonation based magic. A proper timed and measured counterattack can turn their own spells into a threat to them. — His logic was simple enough to understand.

It was best to always assume the opponent acted for a logical reason, when two mages would confront each other. In this sense, determining the type of logic that would be used in a given situation is frequently the best method at predicting this type of action. This also did offer me a hint towards a practice of Sowanar's, as I mentioned, though I decided to gather more information before trying to act on that tendency. Still, as we got ready to begin once more, I considered how well I had applied the techniques I put to use in that match. "I managed to keep him from acting too freely, yet I failed to capitalize on surprise at any point. He read through most of my options while I was attacking, after all. The concentrated frontal assault also ended in a failure, meaning I'll need to think of more indirect ways of matching him. Perhaps playing more around distance this time might work, or attempting to bait him into offense? I'll need to change my mentality towards my stances, though I do believe my posture work was as described. It might be easier to find chances at surprising him after some additional rounds."

Another factor I felt could be of significance was the amount of concentration each of us was committing to the constant exchanges. Other than keeping the shields up, Sowanar didn't make use of many things that kept it in constant usage. He likely had also intentionally restricted his usage of infusing, so that it would be just potent enough to overpower me while veiled with my magic. He even went as far as to cast away one of the shields, when it finally came time to counter. Had I resisted for a few seconds longer, it was entirely possible he had a different counter measure already prepared. "Entrapping him in a bad situation will take a lot more effort. I'll need to select the perfect forms against this kind of opponent, and even then, I'll need to apply it with some flexibility. Using the same form repeatedly is rather unlikely to bear any results for me." With that decided, I returned my focus to the preparation of continuing the sets.

Thus I signaled I was ready, to which Sowanar quickly complied. The starting shrieks were offered, and the matches continued. From there, we fought eight more times until I took my first break, completing 9 matches over that round. In total, I won 3 matches, something that might sound unimpressive, but I was rather satisfied. The opponent was at an advantage due to our specialties and the location, was older, had fought through actual battles before and clearly learned well from them. The points I scored had to be earned, and with each victory and loss I still felt there were things to learn. Sparring is ultimately a means of fighters studying in safety, hence why learning was by far the greatest task in this situation.

I kept trying to adjust my tactics to deal with the situation better in each match. Be it in how to use the meager distance between us, my attempts at finding cracks past those shields or simply best finding ways of putting him in situations he couldn't easily escape off. The job was made slightly easier by the fact he seemed intent on offering me initiative in most sets, though even as he fought reactively it was still difficult to find the needed openings. As mentioned before, Sowanar had an ease to analyze a situation, and prepare the needed measures against my magic. Any who might be convinced earth casting and infusing are areas attractive to those appealing to brute force would be shocked with the ways this knight applied his craft. Nothing he ever did seemed spurred from haste, or from lack of thought, and at times it felt like he was constantly trying to keep multiple steps ahead of me during a match. If this were a serious battle I would have fled from his vicinity before he showed even a quarter of such indications.

It was more than just his caution as well. Being as deadly an area as it is, the precision with which he used earth casting was certainly intimidating. Not only due to his control over his shields, yet also of every other construct I saw him conjuring. He even went as far as to utilize the ropes binding the shields to him as weapons at times, with a dexterity that would have been impossible through the area, if not for rigid training of the user. I didn't believe some of the control he showed with this form of magic was even possible at his stage before meeting him, that is. Thus it felt to me that was also a signal I lacked experience against capable and serious foes of his greater area, and possibly some of the other areas as well. All the more reason to value my time training with that group, due to the variety of specialties between the different mages on it.

As to briefly describe my tactics during my victories, it mostly came down to how to utilize what distance we had to my advantage. Both in terms of best spreading out my abilities for them to take effect over multiple angles, due to how small the battlefield was, as well as trying to deceive him by breaking away from patterns I had intentionally been creating between matches. The final one also involved putting to use a detail I had been noticing about him.

Namely, Sowanar doesn't have any drop of faith in luck, from the looks of it. Even if he was certain about a choice, whenever I created images mirroring me, he still would put countermeasures against any trick, and would always try to find ways to deal with both potential issues. In a sense, it looked like he was hostile to the idea of merely taking a blind guess, regardless of how little information he had towards making a decision. Exploiting that tendency enabled me to score a point, though a part of me suspected he would be far more watchful towards this kind of trick, as I had revealed my noticing of said weakness.

That was the point in which I chose to rest somewhat. Rather, I still could go for a little longer and felt like it, but Nalfimiria recommended taking breaks after finishing sets like this. That way, I would be giving Fasnilthar and Sowanar enough time to have a good number of sets within the breaks, all the while keeping my spirit essence filled at the start of each round. I sat close to the training grounds beside Chiaisei, so that I could watch their matches while recovering.

Fasnilthar's inclusion in the training and me simply watching meant there would be one less person handling misfires, yet the two responsible claimed it still shouldn't be an issue. There was some talk if it would be fair to have a long ranged specialist inside such a small training space, though Fasnilthar was insistent that those worries were unnecessary. Despite the fact he raised some of those questions himself, Sowanar didn't need much convincing to accept as much. Even if the environment didn't necessarily favor her, being in any situation where one only had a single foe would greatly empower any practicing Thalgignir.

With that agreed, it didn't take long until they started. Compared to my own fights, those seemed far more one sided and incredibly fast paced as well, being that the one taking the beat down was the knight. Two shields wasn't enough to hold off someone capable of attacking as quickly as Fasnilthar. She hardly ever did anything other than attack during those fights, but that not only proved to be enough yet likely also the most effective choice. Having trouble finding even a moment to breathe, Sowanar couldn't worry about pressuring Fasnilthar at all, which effectively placed his only hope on outlasting her ammunition. And that in turn continuously enabled her to attack as much as she wanted, in whichever way she chose to.

All of this was hardly surprising, to be fair. Thalgignir excelled at circumventing a foe's defenses, despite the trouble the form showed at overpowering them. Fasnilthar's ability at applying these strengths should be expected, to an extent. Though admittedly I was surprised by just how good she was at this. I knew it would have been a tough fight for Sowanar, just not that it would have been this rough, considering his own skill. And he fought well, mind you. Despite the continuous barrage of projectiles thrown his way, he still managed to keep his losses relatively close. Many of those battles ended with nothing but one or two Fyetrij separating them, and as Fasnilthar has made extremely clear the prior day, putting her in striking range would instantly get him a victory.

Still, despite the many things the knight tried, none seemed to quite finish the fight. Even with three shields covering him, each massive enough to almost stand at his same height, Sowanar still would be incapable of blocking all of the angles Fasnilthar could search for. Once the first wave of shots hit the ground, just about any of them could be picked up through an extension and launched again. And plenty of shots that supposedly missed or were tossed away would shortly just after change the direction of their flight, meaning that unless a projectile landed outside of the training space at any point it could be launched again.

I suppose the benefit of a small battlefield for a Thalgignir user was that covering most of it in spell extensions became all the easier. Her own zone of influence probably took up over a fifth of the training area, adding to the chances of extending it, it was no exaggeration to say her influence could have been anywhere in that garden. And even if Sowanar could react to her projectiles more easily than my light magic, Fasnilthar could fire up to ten shots a second, while I was limited to four at most, after using some seconds preparing conjured arms. This was one of the main advantages areas connected to manipulation had over purely conjuration based offensive, namely the limitations for exits of magical energy of one method compared to the other.

If the match started at the range of his weapons, the contrary might have happened. But even with that small distance between them, trying to rush forward would have been too difficult for most. Perhaps it would have lasted only two or three seconds of running, even if it started at a still. Maybe if he devoted the necessary infusing for it a single leap would have covered the gap. Regardless, brushing off between 20 to 40 shots of steel over those seconds likely would have wounded anyone, and would have been more than enough to end a match considering it was point based. Even while using barriers, moving and blocking spells became much harder, and Fasnilthar knew this well enough to greet any attempt appropriately.

Also, even if it probably wouldn't give her a lead in a confrontation based on potency, Fasnilthar had enough control over kinetics to affect his balance, on occasions he would charge in recklessly. Her kinetic control couldn't overpower him, yet toppling him after finding an opening to use it would be more than sufficient in this situation. The same applied to directly using magnetic waves to push and move the knight and his equipment, who normally would be entirely equipped in metal. There had been some cases of Fasnilthar magnetizing different parts of his training suit, as a means of stalling and creating openings, or of her luring one of the shields to his equipment or weapons.

Approaching in a defensive stance was also too passive an approach to work. If given time, Fasnilthar would simply opt to substitute the role played by her steel bolts by bolts of lightning or her other types of projectile spells. She couldn't make them at the same pacing, and their path was far more predictable yet Sowanar's equipment wasn't meant to handle electricity in the first place. The shields became irrelevant as a result, even when he tried adding some conjured surfaces to them. He could resist some of it through earth infusing, though nowhere near enough to handle her shocks from multiple directions.

For the other types, ice bullets carried the advantage of being limitless, despite their weaker blows, while directly conjured missiles offered her much greater control over their movement. That, and the fact she could also use light magic, though in her case the Laenixir version of it. This proved an additional danger if ignored, as her light blasts hit much harder than mine already, and more than most of her other spell forms as well.

Fighting Fasnilthar strictly at range would also have been difficult, mainly due to the difference in pacing and variety between their attacks. Finding openings for these exchanges was much harder for Sowanar, as a result. Their defenses were somewhat comparable as well, since even if not her focus, barrier casting of any kind tended to be far superior to defense based fighting. Against physical attacks, Laenixir based barriers wouldn't be suffering from their greatest weakness as well, namely the fact it is much harder to adapt them to various types of energy compared to the other main methods of barrier casting. Kinetic absorption was their default version, after all.

And while those couldn't fully block a powered earth shot by the knight in question, this still made them far easier to handle through dodging what remained, or the many occasions my colleague chose the not so wise defensive option of shooting down an opposing projectile mid flight with her own spells. Seeing that in action made me question the veracity of her comments towards her aim at that point. No sane person would target a moving projectile if their aim was "rusty". Sowanar did also try mixing in heat based spells as a means of breaking the barriers, yet it still didn't get him many results. Fasnilthar knew how to adapt to those options well enough to compensate for the lack of ability in changing her barrier's resistances.

Ultimately, my resting period ended before Sowanar got a single win. I wasn't counting how many matches those were, or how long each lasted, though that still was a pretty noteworthy feat. They did pass the line of ten minutes, and each fight lasted at most 20 seconds with almost no delay between preparation, other than collecting Fasnilthar's ammunition past each round. This was especially noteworthy considering Sowanar was far from what anyone would define as incompetent.

Some might also argue that despite all of the advantages of the greater area, the situation couldn't have gotten much worse for Fasnilthar in regards to the battlefield either. Those matches were ultimately just a few steps away from turning into a direct fight, and those would have left her helpless. If she was any worse at exerting pressure, she likely would have lost immediately in most of those matches. Any more biased towards the knight and Fasnilthar would have started the matches tied up, or at direct striking range. I was impressed, all the more so because Sowanar didn't seem to take the beating negatively at all. If anything, it looked like he enjoyed the sparring, even though his partner had been treating him so roughly.

—When was the last time someone destroyed me so thoroughly? Ah, it feels like I'm back to being a child. What a great challenge, though I apologize if the feeling wasn't mutual. — He sounded somewhat invigorated about being beaten, even. It seemed like he also operated under the mentality of the potential of learning through losing, in many ways.

—Don't worry too much on that end. If I had made any misstep I would have been beaten immediately, from what I gathered. I don't know many direct types who make me feel like that, even with these distances. Besides, if you were given more points to spare these likely wouldn't have been as rough.

—I'll take that as a high compliment, coming from you. I am guessing you're very experienced at this type of situation as well?

—Yeah, I had this kind of sparring pretty often at the old gang. The main difference being the distance, as we didn't fight in rings this small, and well, numbers. After spending months on end without ever losing to either of the boys, I managed to convince them it would be fair for me to try to take on both, if I was offered more distance. Funny thing is, I don't count my score against people normally but I'm pretty sure I kept it positive while fighting both of them. — Fasnilthar said, seemingly happy with herself.

—Is that so… Well, it is no wonder you're so well used to tackling a closing in target. This is probably where your decision making got so sharp as well. Say, what were those matches usually like? — After the sparing was done between them, they discussed the topic for some additional time. I observed closely, without necessarily getting too involved. While this discussion remained, Nalfimiria briefly headed back to the table to drink some from her cup.