Renevere Mars: Part Three

Episode 19: B and E

Ren didn't see Duren again for several weeks. She spent her days training and studying, of all things. School had been the least of her worries since she had arrived in Ossilith, but as it turned out there were some things she could stand to have learned better during her time in the classroom. Runes, primarily. She wasn't a fan of blood art, if she was honest. It required the user to prick themselves and draw enough blood to write a rune with. She wasn't squeamish, but something about having to do this quickly and efficiently during high stakes scenarios just felt unreasonably difficult to Ren. Not to mention, practicing required the same thing, and ending a training session with cut apart palms and fingertips was not in the least bit enjoyable. Still, she needed more offensive skills. Not everyone could be taken by her lower level paraphysical attacks, and she still felt uncertain about the validity of using her forbidden skill on another person. Did anyone really deserve to suffer to that extent? Certainly not everyone she encountered on the battlefield did. So having more offensive strategies would be a necessity if she was going to ever pass the final test to become a fully recognized warrior.

Fire elemental chas were also part of that strategy, and thanks to Trish and Heath she could now cast a decent fire blast without overextending herself energetically. She could also manipulate enemy fire that was shot at her. All of these tactics would not be enough to make her a strong warrior alone, however they would aid her in utilizing a recent discovery. Through her practice on Heath (Trish absolutely forbade Ren to use any paraphysical cha on her), Ren had determined that the energy levels of her opponent could directly impact their ability to block lower level chas like Wakeful Dream Cha. If she could get an opponent to waist some energy fighting her, blasting her with elements and using corporeal redirection to attack, she might have more luck casting these lower level paraphysical chas effectively. This was imperative because she couldn't afford to cast these several times. She didn't have the energy reserve for that. Just another one of her many short comings she was working to overcome.

"I think you might actually be ready to take the final test next time it comes around," Heath said to her as she and Trish were finishing up lunch, sitting on the floor around the coffee table in Heath's apartment. It was clean and simple, without much of his personality in it except for a few pictures stuck to the fridge with an assortment of fun magnets.

"No she's not, you want to get her killed," Trish argued, drawing from the straw protruding from her paper cup.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ren muttered.

"You're not getting put under her paraphysical chas," Heath rebutted at Trish.

"Hell no, I'm not."

"Exactly, they're a bitch. You get caught in one of those things and that's it, you lose, done for."

"If you get caught," Trish said, putting up a finger. "The other squads know about Ren by now. We should assume anyone training to enter the final test is going to be preparing for the possibility of going up against her."

Ren hadn't thought about that, but Trish was right. She had shown her hand the last time which meant other students trying for Homalith rank might actually be training in paraphysical deflection in preparation to face her.

"If you don't get caught," Trish continued, "she's still at Carnol level skills, and a weak Carnol at that."

"Oowwch," Ren said flatly, because she was mostly used to it by now. And Trish was right.

"Where the hell has Duren been, anyway?" Heath asked. "It's his job to train you, not ours."

"You guys have been insanely helpful, but you by no means have to keep—" Ren started to say.