Chapter 55: Training Chamber
"Are you sure you'll be able to pull this off, Young Lord?" Thora asked me—her eyes filled with concern as I started performing a few routine warmup stretches in the backyard.
"Doubtful, are we?" I smirked, allowing my demonic power to course through my veins in preparation.
"Not without reason," she admitted. "While I wouldn't dare question the command you hold over your Wood Manipulation. Your proficiency with other elements… leaves much to be desired." Her tone was strained. A clear attempt to try not to sound too condescending.
Although… there's certainly a fair bit of truth to her words.
"Oh, come on, all I'm doing is playing around with a little Earth Magic. What's the worst that could happen?" I chuckled, insistent on going forward with what I had planned.
"There's hardly anything 'little' about what you're trying to do…" Her eyes narrowed with apprehension. "And need I remind you're 'playing around' with not just safety of everyone here… but the entire neighbourhood?"
I huffed, waving her worries off. "There's no need to be such a worrywart, safety's practically my middle name!"
"Uh-huh." She deadpanned.
Strange, it's almost like she doesn't believe me?
Eh, it must be my imagination.
"Trust me, everything will be just fine." I interlocked my fingers, stretching my hands outwards until the joints in my appendages let out a satisfying pop. "There'll be a slight tremor at most, that's all."
"If your definition of a slight tremor and a magnitude-ten earthquake are one in the same, then yes, I suppose there will be." She replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Now you're just being dramatic," I rolled my eyes. "Just sit back, and be amazed by your Young Lord's masterful prowess!"
I knelt down and placed both palms against the yard's soft grass, injecting a sliver of earth-natured demonic power into the soil and letting it dive deep below the foundation of my villa. By allowing it to work in tandem with my Ki, I could essentially scan the area and map the space I was going to mould out. Quickly finding where all the power lines and important facilities connected to my villa and the surrounding houses were.
"Knowing you, it's probably pointless to ask—but are you sure you wouldn't rather I do this instead? I'm not sure Lord Lucifer and Lady Leviathan will be pleased to visit Kuoh in a state of absolute ruin."
"Sheesh, first you're worried about the neighbourhood's safety, and now the whole town? Have some faith in my abilities will ya?" I pouted while creating a mental blueprint of the dimensions of the underground training area I was about to create.
With the help of a few barriers here and there, it is indeed possible to host one-on-one training sessions in my backyard. But it isn't really optimal, not only is it exposed to the elements, but there's a high risk of my beautiful plants being damaged during sparring.
My gardener's pride won't stand for that.
Which is why I've decided to create a much larger, underground area for my lovely students to utilize while they're staying here. It's a lot more convenient since they'll have a space where they can train, test their new abilities, and wreak havoc to their heart's content without worry. And because I'm thinking of using my Wood Clone technique to train them simultaneously.
They might not be fit for active combat yet, but I think they'll do just fine for sparring. Especially for Isaiah, he'll need continuous access to a test dummy for when he wants to put all the new attributes he'll be creating into practice.
In hindsight, they might be useful for more than just physical training. Since they share all my knowledge, I should be able to use them to provide the peerage with verbal guidance as well.
Huh, it looks like I did find a proper use for them after all—neat.
"I have plenty of faith in your abilities, Young Lord. Just not that particular ability, I'm afraid." She replied, as if she totally wasn't scooting away from me to brace for impact. Earning a miffed look from me in return. "I'm merely trying to be your voice of reason, that's all." She insisted.
After about a minute or less of mental drafting, I had the positioning, depth, width, and height of the training chamber all planned out.
Here goes nothing.
Without further ado, I allowed a torrent of Earth Magic to unleash itself from the pores on my palms, crashing into the soil like a broken reservoir, only to be wrangled back into my control in an instant—before it could cause any palpable destruction.
Thousands upon thousands of cubic meters of subsoil, weathered rock, and bedrock were being torn apart and shifted at the same time. The force I was exerting was enough to form the epicentre of an earthquake almost as potent as the one Thora had cautioned me about, only smaller in radius.
Yet, not even the slightest tremor or rumbling could be felt.
Why? Because I had made sure to layer the perimeter of the strata I was altering beforehand with a coat of flexible wood—the ratio between water and earth being composed in favour of the former to give it a more sponge-like composition, thus allowing it to absorb all the tensional stress the moving rock generated.
Good grief, it pains me to admit it… but there's no way I would've pulled this off without Martha's advice regarding the balance of water and earth involved in Wood Manipulation.
If only she'd teach me how to actually create plant life as well, rather than just manipulate its existing form. I'd love to decorate the training grounds with some flora.
Guess I'll just have to make do with what I've got. Maybe I can create a nice river or waterfall to give the place some added colour? I could also install some plants manually… though that might be too much even for someone with my degree of passion for gardening. I've yet to even finish filling up my greenhouse.
"Young Lord?" Thora called out to me with a questioning tone. She watched as I stood up and opened my eyes, snapping out of my state of deep concentration only minutes after entering it. Still not feeling so much as a slight shake beneath her feet.
"I told you, didn't I? You just needed to have a little confidence." I smirked, crossing my arms with a proud pose.
"You're… finished?" She looked around, noticing that nothing was awry with the visible terrain. "I didn't feel a thing…"
"It's alright, I understand how difficult it must be to bear the pressure of being in the presence of my unyielding genius." I rubbed my nose, holding my head up high. "But before I let you sing my praises till sunset, I should probably let you have a look at the work I've done first."
I stomped my foot against the grass, triggering the creation of a rather lengthy flight of stone steps. Leading around fifty feet beneath the villa's foundation into a large, unfortunately empty rectangular expanse composed of stone and uh… more stone. With the wooden impact-absorbing layer safely hidden beneath the rocky walls, flooring, and ceiling to keep the area nice and secure, preventing it from collapsing from the inevitable combat that'll be happening within.
I wouldn't want the place caving over my students' heads and crushing them into a fine paste while they're training now would I?
The dimensions of the space were about two-hundred feet and fifty feet in length and width respectively, and about twenty-five feet in height. Making the chamber roughly double the size of the gymnasium located within Rias' schoolhouse. Of course, these were all rough estimates since the scanning technique I just used doesn't come with an in-built calculator. But now that I'm seeing the area I've constructed in person, I'd say the margin for error is less than 1%.
"It seems I was… mistaken about your elemental prowess, Young Lord. I hope you'll forgive me." She muttered while taking a moment to survey the landscape I had created.
I chuckled, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Actually, I wasn't entirely sure I could pull it off myself. I was just hyping myself up so my nerves didn't get in the way once I began."
"I see," she hummed inquisitively. "Whatever the case, it's clear your skills have improved quite a bit. While I wouldn't want you to become too self-absorbed, I don't think there's any harm in taking a little pride in your work."
"True," I nodded my agreement. "But my work's a bit dull looking, wouldn't you agree?" It wouldn't be doing the mentality of my students any favours if I left them in such a gloomy place all day long.
"It sounds like you have something in mind."
"Yup," my reserves still had plenty of demonic power left over to continue landscaping. So there's no reason for me to stop here. "This time there might be some turbulence, so you may want to brace yourself."
Once again, my palms met the ground, and my body started to generate a considerable amount of earth-natured demonic power. Not as much as I used to create the chamber itself though, probably only about a third of that.
RUMBLE!
Since there wasn't any interior padding in the room, the tremors coursing through the expanse were violent—to say the least. Varying sizes of rock started to crumble and tear off the walls and ceiling, trembling in the wake of the seismic waves that were pouring out of the space's flooring that I was trying to alter, while simultaneously keeping my focus on the ceiling's stability so it didn't collapse over me and Thora.
It was like trying to circle both arms in different directions… which quickly made me realize that I may have bitten off more than I could chew.
"Young Lord, focus on whatever it is you're trying to do. I'll ensure the place remains stable," she offered a helping hand, focusing all her efforts on the ceiling and stabilizing it almost instantaneously.
I let out a bout of dry laughter. "Oh Thora, whatever would I do without you?" With her help, I could now focus completely on the river channel I was creating straight down the room's middle.
"Save your praises for later, the amount of weight I'm keeping from falling down on us is proving to be rather… taxing on my concentration." I noticed a singular bead of sweat form on her forehead.
I think that's a signal for me to hurry the hell up.
I continued to expand the channel, stopping only once it had taken up a fourth of the chamber's width, and the depth had reached twenty feet. The curvature and overall shape being to my exact liking.
I can't help but compare my landscaping work to that of Martha's. The fact that I'm being this picky about everything hardly comes as a surprise to me.
Just you wait woman, one day I'll have a forest of my own that'll make yours look like a toddler's arts and crafts project. After I figure out the secret to plant creation—that is.
"Alright, you can stop now." I gave Thora a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Thanks for the assistance."
"I'm merely doing my job. Although… I'd appreciate a warning next time you're about to attempt something like that." She exhaled, needing a moment to catch her breath.
"Yes, Ma'am!" I saluted. It was now time for the final step of installing the river—getting some actual water flowing through it.
I mean, I could just keep pouring water into the channel until it's filled, but where's the fun in that? I'm trying to make something with flair! Besides, I'm really not in the mood to figure out a way to control the room's temperature so the water doesn't just straight up evaporate. It'd be tedious to keep refilling the river time and time again since it can't naturally refill itself through rainwater in an underground space like this.
"I know that look on your face," she remarked with squinted eyes. "You're about to attempt a high-level spell you have absolutely no confidence in successfully pulling off, aren't you?"
My lips dropped into a frown. "Oi, when did I give you permission to use a mind-reading technique on me?" She merely rolled her eyes in response. "Besides, I managed to pull off creating this entire place, didn't I? You said it yourself, my skills have grown."
She shook her head and sighed in resignation. "Why do I even bother trying to dissuade you?" Honestly, I'd like to know the answer to that question as well. There's not a single lifeform who understands my stubbornness as well as she does. "Go ahead then, at the very least, this should be a good learning experience for you."
I dashed over to the furthermost end of the chamber, my eyes drifting back and forth between the end of the empty river channel and the wall it was propped up against. Mental calculations swam through my brain like a school of herrings—not only did I need to make sure the spell was successful, but I also needed to ensure the precision of its deployment to make sure I didn't end up flooding the chamber.
After all, I was planning to install a miniature waterfall into the wall, the water of which would flow into the river and fill it up for me.
Of course, since there obviously wasn't a natural source of water for me to utilize down here, I'd have to make one on my own. Magic would be my instrument. More specifically, a technique called the Waterfall Basin Technique.
If I asked Thora to, she could cast with little to no trouble, but just because I'm training my students doesn't mean I should neglect my own training. Not if I'm serious about devoting every fibre of strength and focus within me to achieving Satan-Class.
With the technique, you could create a source of spring water in a place that completely lacked water veins—and manipulate the water source to create waves that would serve as the waterfall's flow.
I recall attempting to pull it off when I was younger to impress Thora… and let's just say the results left much to be desired. I'm pretty sure I was thinking with my lower half more than I was with my upper one.
My understanding of Elemental Magic was awfully rigid back then, like a raw piece of dough that had yet to be moulded into a fine piece of pottery. There was no craftsmanship or finesse in the way I used demonic power.
I like to think that isn't the case anymore.
Technically, the technique's classified as water-type. But when you really break it down to its roots, you need a firm understanding of water, earth, and wind to bring it to fruition.
Water, to create your source of spring water.
Earth, to create an area for the water to reside, angle the waterfall's stream, make an opening for the waterfall's plunge pool, and most importantly, to ensure that the rock beneath the waterfall's stream is actually strong enough to support its weight. Otherwise, the rock would just erode, and your waterfall would come crashing in on itself.
And finally, wind, to make sure the force of the waterfall's current is as strong as it needs to be. The flow of a waterfall needs to be fast and powerful, like a crashing rapid. Not a flimsy, timid stream.
I'm obviously far more experienced with water and earth than I am with other elements, but I don't think I'll struggle with the wind part. I managed to coat the entirety of my gargantuan, fully dragonified wings in Wind Magic after all. Merely accelerating a current should be nothing to me.
Once I felt like I had everything mapped out, I took a deep breath and placed one hand against the coarse stony wall. I closed my eyes and honed my visualization of the formation I wanted to breathe life into as much as I could. Resonating with my imagination—the root of demonic power's source, to its fullest extent.
It was time to begin.
Taking proper precautions this time, I created another layer of flexible wood under the entirety of the chamber's ceiling.
I started to notice the toll all the high-scale landscaping I was doing in quick succession was taking on my demonic power reserves, but I decided to persevere. I still have about 40% of my total energy left in the tank despite having just moved thousands of cubic meters of earth. As long as I don't muck up too much and force myself to make corrections, I should be able to create the waterfall with energy to spare.
Thora knows the dangers of completely exhausting one's reserves in such a short span of time, if I were in any actual danger, she wouldn't hesitate to step in and stop me before I cause myself permanent harm.
That said, the sweating and quickening of my breathing was making it rather difficult to gather 100% of my concentration.
"Calm yourself, Alduin. You're not satisfied with remaining a third-rate mage, right? So focus and prove to yourself that you've improved. You have to if you want to have any hope of catching up to her." I muttered aloud, pushing myself to recompose myself. Even circulating some of my Ki in a rhythmic manner to help with the calming process.
Alright, let's do this.
The sound of rock grinding, tearing, and shearing against itself resounded throughout the chamber, echoing with immense vibrato. Bit by bit, my demonic power started to carve a pocket in the upper wall positioned right above the start of the hollow river channel.
Carefully, I started to expand the length of the pocket backwards, giving the water source I was going to install some breathing room—and making it easier for the Wind Magic I'd eventually apply to obtain maximum coverage. Squeezing it all into a tight pocket isn't impossible for me, but it most certainly isn't ideal.
Next, I started to harden the layers of rock tucked beneath the pocket, strengthening them to their utmost limit and plugging any joints that water could seep into to completely nullify the possibility of erosion.
I don't even want to imagine how embarrassing it'd be to flaunt my creation in front of my students, only for it to come tumbling down until it was reduced to mere rubble.
The total process took about ten minutes of silent, gruelling concentration and effort. The initial formations weren't an issue, but all the touch-ups I had to do afterwards to guarantee maximum security and stability proved to be quite the tiresome task.
Phew, I heaved a sigh of relief once I concluded the first section of the formation. I wiped the accumulated beads of sweat off my brow. It was now time to create the spring water source.
Spring water wasn't particularly difficult to create, it was just rainwater that had been naturally filtered by the earth. It runs through layers of rock and soil, and the downward movement removes all the impurities and sediment from it. Leaving the water clear.
When water is created through Water Magic, it's got about the same composition as rainwater. If you exclude the glaring fact that it's composed of particles of demonic power.
All I had to do was use Earth Magic to create a sheet of pebbles and soil on top of the designated pocket, and summon the water above it, filtering it through the sheet like a strainer you'd use in a kitchen.
I might not have to use spring water for the formation, but I'm in the mood to push myself, so I'm doing it anyway. Oh, and I could incorporate some Fire Magic to create a hot spring later on if I wanted to.
I mean come on, who wouldn't want to take a soothing dip after working up a hellish sweat? Hot water's quite beneficial for post-workout muscle relaxation. Just because I plan on working my students to the bone doesn't mean I can't spoil them a little every now and then.
The task of making the spring water itself was hardly a challenge—the duration of it on the other hand? Now that was something else.
I needed to continue pouring water until enough of it had flowed from the source into the river channel to fill it up completely. Once that was done, the formation would naturally draw upon my demonic power reserves to replenish itself as long as I was close enough to it.
Considering that the channel itself was two-hundred and fifty feet long, twenty feet deep, and twelve and a half feet wide. It quickly became clear to me that I was going to be here for a while.
Part of me thought it was better to ask Thora for a bit of assistance, but that part of me was quickly engulfed by the burning desire to someday reach Martha's level of prowess. It didn't matter how minor or major the improvement was, as long as there was a chance to improve, it wanted me to seize it for all it was worth.
I can't afford to let myself get complacent. It's a joy to have the privilege of training my students, but everything I'm doing here in Kuoh is temporary. At the end of the day, I will always be Alduin of House Buné.
This town is nice, but it's just a stopgap with the sole purpose of buying me time to prepare for the inevitable day when I confront that house. I've known this from the get-go, when I first made this deal with Serafall and Lord Lucifer.
With that resolve in mind, I continued. Focusing on nothing but the sound of water seeping its way through sediment and slowly, but surely filling up the river channel. I refused to acknowledge the encroaching fatigue until my work was completed.
One minute turned to two. Two to three. Three to four. Four to five. So and so forth, drip by drip, the image of the waterfall I had visualized remained firm as ever within the confines of my brain.
The once thin sheen of sweat covering my skin grew thicker and thicker with each passing moment. The circuits of demonic power contained within my body didn't let up for a single second, just as determined as I was to see this project through, learn from it—and use it to create something even greater in the future.
Time continued to tick by, my internal clock no longer bothering to keep track of how long this was taking. My concentration continued to strengthen, sharpening to the point where I started to grow numb to everything around me, save for the cascading image I had conjured in my head.
"Young Lord, that's enough."
Until eventually, Thora's soft voice snapped me out of my trance-like state. Followed by the gentle brushing of her digits against my back.
I blinked, groggily opening my eyes that had been closed for an uncertain amount of time, and breathing in the earthy, musty smell of spring water permeating through the chamber.
"How long was I out?"
"A little more than half an hour, Young Lord." Her eyes directed themselves over my shoulder, observing the gentle flow of water from the pocket embedded within the upper wall into the start of the river channel. A genuine smile graced her lips as she did so. "You did well, exceptionally well. You should be proud of yourself."
At last… my river had been filled. With about 15% of my demonic power reserves remaining, give or take. It was truly a sight worth marvelling at, one that added a much-needed sense of colour to the once barren, lifeless chamber.
I could only imagine how much its beauty would magnify if I were able to surround it with an elegant bed of flora and vegetation. I suppose I'll just have to allow that wish to fuel my motivation for the time being.
"It really is quite something," I allowed genuine words of self-praise to leave my mouth. "But it isn't a waterfall yet."
The water was flowing. But I didn't need it to flow, I needed it to crash. The sound of a waterfall's overhang stream clashing with the plunge pool that lay beneath it was a trademark component of a waterfall's splendour.
With the wave of my hand, I called upon the power of Wind Magic, and the current's force increased threefold. The pleasant sound of waves crashing finally made audible—the water bursting at the base of the plunge pool appearing white from the air-water collision.
Finally,I could say with complete confidence that I had successfully cast the Waterfall Basin Technique.
"Much better," I couldn't help but smile. An overwhelming sense of pride welling up within me as I observed the finished product. "Now then, I think it's about time I introduce my students to their new training ground."
"Young Lord, I believe a bit of rest is due before you tend to them. You may not be completely exhausted, but that doesn't change the fact that you just used up nearly the entirety of your reserves within less than an hour."
I huffed. "Nonsense, I've still got more than enough energy to start training them—!" The second I started to march towards the exit, I was met with an abrupt loss of balance, my legs nearly staggering to the point of collapse.
"You were saying?" She raised a single brow.
I rubbed my nape. "Uh… I suppose a quick nap couldn't hurt."
===
Man, I didn't plan on this scene being an entire chapter on its own... but for some reason it just flowed really, really well. And I had a lot of fun going in-depth with Alduin's magical process. I might do it again at some point, but I won't overdo since I understand the importance of pacing.
———
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