AETHER BEASTS

"Come on pick up the pace!"

I held back a groan as I continued to jog beside Sandra and Misty who both looked just as winded as I imagine I did. Zirani had us going as fast as we could while attempting to form patterns and practice the exercises she gave us.

The jogging, if our stumbling steps could be called that, was hard enough, but the patterns made it ten times more difficult especially due to the limiters. She hadn't been exaggerating when she had said they would fight back when we tried to use aether. Every time I pulled aether from my core it felt like I was in a tug of war, which I lost half of the time due to the physical exertion and trying to change the aether at the same time.

I hadn't sweat in a while, not since passing the second level, but I was currently drenched in sweat. My body protested every movement and action I took, but I didn't stop. It didn't help that if one of us stopped to take even a second of rest then we would all be hit by seeds until they started moving again.

It was a beautiful day with the sun shining brightly and illuminating the land with rays of gold. It was unlike the forest near West Vale or Orton. The trees were far apart from one another but not sparse and none were crooked or bent. Each had branches brimming with vibrant leaves that swayed gently in the breeze. It was peaceful and serene, or it would have been if not for our gasps and groans which joined together to create a cacophony of weariness.

"How much longer are we going to be doing this?" Sandra asked between gasping breaths.

"If you mean when I will allow you a break," Zirani replied. "Then not for another few hours. Your current pace is slow but we have time. We'll be focusing more on your arcane arts when we do stop, and soon I will be teaching you new techniques and I mean it this time. We've gotten side-tracked but not this time."

With that, she had us jogging for a few more hours before we finally came to a stop in a small area next to a dirt road, probably used by the locals. We weren't that far from Bullock, which wasn't a surprise considering how slow we were moving. We probably had only made a few miles today and I might have been worried if we didn't have plenty of time left before we needed to get to the borders and we cut through the northern forest to get straight there.

"Alright, I want you three to focus on forming your most used patterns, with the limiters and slowly at first, then slowly ramp up the speed until you are forming them in quick succession. I don't expect you to get it done in a day but I do expect you to try your hardest. I don't want any slackers. Oh, and I'll be busy preparing your baths."

Sandra opened her mouth and then shut it as Zirani shot her a pointed look. 'Something wrong?"

"No." Sandra shook her head. "Not at all."

I'd used my current techniques so much that at this point it was complete instinct and I could from my bark armor with a single thought and flex of my will. I'd proven so when it reflexively formed whenever I thought I was in danger or sensed an imminent fight. However, with the limiters it felt like I was back at the warehouse where I'd first met Zirani, trying to learn them all over again. I had to pull at my aether and try to form the patterns at the same time while staying focused. One single lapse or distraction and the limiters will force the aether to disperse or worse return to my core, which caused an unpleasant feeling.

I started with lashing vine as it was the easiest of my techniques, but might as well have been the hardest as for the first hour of trying, I failed to form even half of a vine, but slowly I got there until I was able to form a full lashing vine, without the thorns. I would try that later.

Next came bark armor which halfway in attempting to form some bracers, Zirani called us over to take our baths.

She had us take off our weights and almost immediately stumbled forwards, not used to how light I felt even though it had only been a day. I stretched and jumped, enjoying the feeling of not being weighed down by tons or being unable to use my aether without having to fight for it.

That joy was short-lived however as I entered the bath and my world became pain. There were no dreams or any other sounds of protest from Sandra this time, though at a glance I knew she was still having trouble coping with the pain as was Misty if the way her jaw was clenched was any indication. I have to admit I felt quite bad, and there were times when I felt like telling her she didn't need to do this, but that would be an insult considering everything she'd revealed to me yesterday. I didn't want her to think I thought of her as weak or unable to stand beside me and Sandra, nor did I want Misty to think the same of me and Sandra. They had chosen this so who was I to deny them? It wasnt like I didn't want them beside me. I remembered an old quote then from one of my aunt's old-world books.

Those who stand at the top, above all others, are often plagued by loneliness.

I didn't want that, and I certainly wasnt going to be looking down on anyone, at least not innocents or your average bystander. People like the twin horn, well, they deserve what they'd got and any others like them should take care because Aiden Hawke was done playing around.

I was adamant about entering Zirani's lands not as some above-average arcanist but as someone who could hold his own and impress her mother and court since it seemed like their approval would mean a lot to Zirani. I also didn't want to start any conflict with them since Zirani had said her mother could pull out her core, which probably would not be a pleasant experience nor one I'd survive.

I imagined it would also be good for Sandra when she reunited with her family and showed that even in the plains she'd grown and wasn't lacking when it came to the arcane arts. As for Misty, well I imagined it would be harder for vampires to take advantage of her if she was stronger than a lot of them. Those at the top would be a problem but that went without saying and was the same for everything from government to sects to arcane families.

After the hour had passed, we exited the baths and this time Sandra and Misty managed to stay on their feet, though barely, and with the support of one another. I almost fell but not just due to the pain. Both Sandra and Misty's naked bodies were on full display, beads of liquid slowly running down their curvy and athletic frames.

I was snapped from my admiration of the two women when I felt some hit the back of my head and I winced before turning around to see Zirani standing there with a stick in one hand and an amused look on her face. "Get your head cleared, it's training time."

"What?"

She pointed down and I followed her finger to see that I was standing at attention, so to speak.

I blushed and then walked over to my clothes as I tried to get rid of the erotic thoughts. It was hard since I wanted nothing more to relax and get some release after the day I'd just been through, but Zirani was right. It was training time.

"All right get back to training, we'll be moving out in a few hours," Zirani announced.

"No rest?" Sandra asked.

"You are all at the third level," Zirani pointed out. "Even with the staring on your bodies and cores, you only need a few hours of sleep a week, which will happen when I say so. Now, back to work, I'll be working on some more training resources as your practice, and tomorrow I should hopefully have some elixirs ready for you. Don't think you can go easy though, I will be checking up every now and then and you know what happens if you mess up thrice. Oh and don't forget the weights."

Sandra hung her head, and even Misty looked tired, but none made any complaints as we put on our weights again and fed aether into them to activate the limiters. immediately it was like I was moving in a thick substance and the familiar tug of war began once again as started in on my training.

Through all the pain, weariness, and frustration though was a sense of hope and excitement. I was finally being pushed to the limit and truly doing all I could. The results of the training in the tower had been amazing, and I could only imagine what a month of this would do to the three of us.