Karl watched as Hawk shook the water out of his feathers, and then let out another little puff of flame, testing his new skill without setting off the alarm again.
“Do you think that he just needed more of the potion? Like multiple doses, the way that we had to double the dose when I was taking the first round of supplements? I don’t feel like any of that potion went to me, it’s all him, but I think it’s possible that whatever change it was trying to create needs more than just one dose.” Karl suggested.
Rita nodded. “That is possible. We could make another batch so that there is more, and then give him as much as he wants until the process is complete. As long as you have more drake scales, that is.”
Karl smiled. “I think I will have enough of them. But for now, we can let Rae try her dose and see what happens.”
Rae stepped out of the space to stand beside Hawk and inspect him for changes, then carefully took one of the vials between her mandibles and drank it down.
[This is tasty, I kind of like it.] She noted as she swallowed the tonic.
But other than that, there was no visible reaction, and she wasn’t showing any other signs of change.
“Well, it appears that she likes the flavour, but that’s about all that she has to say about it. Thor might get a bit more benefit from a second dose, and Hawk almost certainly will, but Rae doesn’t seem to be that compatible.” Karl noted.
“That’s a shame. But she’s been doing well today even without a supplement. I didn’t expect her to pick up on a skill as complex as Lacerate within a single day. If she had also been compatible with the potion, it might have started to push you close to the Ascended Rank already, and that would cause no end of jealousy among the other students.” Rita replied with a laugh.
Come to think of it, Karl was feeling a bit more fit these days. It was a small and subtle change, but the beasts were still growing, and it was improving his physique. Not as much as theirs was, but certainly more than the minimal amount of training he did would account for.
“Well, we can save the testing for the end of the semester exams. By then, I think that Thor should be mostly grown, and Rae almost certainly will be at her full adult size. Their growth rate is phenomenal, but their bodies will reach full size before they have reached full strength for their species.
If anything, I believe that we might not be training hard enough for the accelerated growth rate. Rae should be close to Commander Rank when she’s full-grown, right? She’s in the ascended Rank for combat power now, but I can’t say by how much. That’s still a huge gap from where her adult combat power would be expected to be, but she’s three quarters grown.” Karl explained, worried about their progression.
Rita and Alice both shook their heads.
“The growth in power comes just after they have reached full growth. There is a transition from the juvenile growth phase to the adult strengthening phase. Once she stops increasing in size, you will start seeing more power gain.” Alice explained.
Rae was content with her power as it was. She had all the skills that she needed to tear apart anything she found, she just needed time to master them. The speed that she was growing was only making life difficult for her, as it was cutting down the time that she had to practice and master her skills before she reached the next milestone.
Karl sensed her annoyance and gently patted her armoured foreleg.
“I’m not trying to rush you, just making sure that I’m taking good care of you.” He explained, to which Rae rolled her eyes at him.
It was a strange gesture, with the multiple sets of jet black eyes. It was difficult to tell when they shifted, as they were all one colour, but the shape seemed to adjust as she did it, and there was no doubt what the gesture meant, even without reading her mind.
“Alright, let’s eat before we go to the next class. Should we drop Thor off first, or can you keep up the learning skill from a distance, so Hawk can wait for the mages to show up to class?” Rita asked.
“I think that I can do it from a distance, but I learned this morning that it’s best for me to use it on both parties so that there is a link. Once I know what else Hawk is keen to learn, I will know which mage I should target.
I’m guessing most likely one of the Fire Mages, as he just gained a new fireball ability. The better that he is able to control that, the more versatile the skill will be.” Karl suggested.
Hawk thought about that with a hint of amusement. The mages could split their fireballs and make them go at different speeds. The water mages would hate it when he showed off that trick. If he had Karl help him learn from the Fire Mages, then right by the end of class he could show off his new skills and torture the water mages to death with rage.
[You know, you really need to stop holding a grudge against the water attacks, just because they flow around Rend.] Karl reminded his feathered partner.
[Never. I will never forgive the water spells for daring to defeat Rend.] Hawk replied resolutely.
Karl’s smile caught the attention of the others, but he just shook his head and tapped his temple with one finger, signalling that it was a conversation in his mind.
Rita shrugged, not particularly concerned about Karl’s inside jokes with the beasts.
“Alright, we will drop off Thor first so that he can practice Earthquake, and then go over to get Hawk set up to improve his Fireball skills using one of the Fire Mages as an unwitting conspirator. Or a willing one, whichever works for you.
Should we find another training spot for Rae? Or is she content to practice where she is?” Rita asked.
Rae took a swipe in her spot, testing the lacerate skill, then frowned and shook her head, unsatisfied with the way that it activated.
[I am fine here. Unless they’ve got live targets for me. If they do, then I will come out to play.] She informed Karl as she tried the skill again.
“She’s fine there for now, unless you’ve got live targets. From what I can tell, practical experience is the best teacher, and they can only learn so much in a controlled environment.” Karl explained.
“That’s true for everyone. No matter how good they think they are, the new students are always in for a shock when they head out into the real world. We will try to get you another mission soon, possibly one with other Awakened Rank students, instead of having you chaperone the other freshmen.
That should give you the enemies that you need, as the missions are usually higher risk, and they will normally have one Ascended Rank student with them, which reduces the risk if you come across a stronger monster.” Rita agreed.
Karl smiled. They had already taken out one Ascended Rank beast, the Giant Beetle, which he had almost forgotten was still tied up in Rae’s web.
“They will all be happy to hear that. Working together, we should be able to take on most threats that are within the mission parameters for Awakened Students.”
