The Arcane Trickster

Chapter 10 - Battle Focus

Asahel was at a loss for words when he returned, the magical feeling of floating around still fresh in his mind. Asahel was at a loss for words when he returned, the magical feeling of floating around still fresh in his mind.

"That was so unexpected; I never expected to be able to float around so freely." Asahel had a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

"So how was there?" Derwyn quickly asked, he had great expectations of Asahel.

"There was a big stone door in the middle of the space, with a pure white background."  Asahel was enthralled by the experience, and a sense of wonder grew in his heart.

 

-" Did you discover anything on the door?" At first, Derwyn was skeptical of the speed with which Asahel connected to his Spiritual Door, yet, when he began to tell his experience there, all doubts vanished from Derwyn's mind.

 

-" Yes, there were two diagrams on the door, one on each side, the first one, on the left, was illuminated by a green light." Asahel stopped for a moment as he clenched his fist. "I received a skill called "Battle Focus, I got some information about it, but it was all a jumble, and I'm still not sure what it means."

 

Reynald was taken aback as Asahel continued to describe what he had discovered; he didn't believe it at first, but his face sank when he watched his uncle nod in approval. -" You are so damn lucky, I gave my best, but nothing happened to me."

 

Derwyn grimaced as Reynald continued to complain; he did his best to ignore his obnoxious nephew as he began to explain the intricacies of this skill to Asahel

 

 

-" You already experience the skill's effects, I suppose, of course just a fraction of it." Derwyn face was serious, even Reynald stopped his grumblings and focused. " This spell accelerates the speed in which your mind can process information, or should I say that slows your perception of time?" Derwyn shook his head as he was getting sidetracked. " How it works shouldn't matter too much, I should focus on what you can do with it." 

 

Reynald was bored during the explanations; based on what he had learned, the skill wasn't worth much in his opinion, - "It doesn't appear to be very valuable to me? Isn't this a waste of a skill slot?"

 

Derwyn furrowed his brows as Reynald began to voice his opinion, and Asahel's expression indicated that he, too, did not think highly of the skill.

 

-"It is usual for people to underestimate this skill at first, yet Battle Focus is one of the most important skills any class can learn. If you're going to battle, it's virtually a must-have tool.". Derwyn stepped back a few meters.  "The human mind was a limit, and our bodies are no exception. 

What happens when you push your body to its limits but your mind remains unchanged?"

 

Reynald and Asahel exchanged glances, not understanding what Derwyn was saying. Reynald was ready to ask his uncle to explain further, but before he could, his uncle drew his sword and sliced in the direction of a nearby tree branch.

 

Derwyn's slash stunned the two boys; it was so fast that they couldn't follow it, only realizing his attack when the branches fell to the ground. Reynald stood up, elated by his uncle's demonstration. -" Uncle! Uncle! Was that a skill? Will you teach this one, right?"

 

Derwyn sheathed his sword and set it down on the ground. "How can you fight accordingly when your body moves faster than your mind? This is an advantage that battle focus provides for us: a method to break the shackles on our brains." Derwyn continued speaking while completely ignoring Reynald.

 

Asahel was now seeing the significance of the skill he had acquired, but uncertainties lingered in his mind. - "But, the skill says it increases my concentration; wouldn't increasing it has the same effect?"

 

- "Although increasing your concentration will enhance your reaction time. There is a limit. The shackles I mentioned earlier aren't just metaphors; they're a barrier that can only be broken after you've broken through your realm."

 

-"Realm?" Asahel and Reynald both inquired at the same time.

 

"Yes, your realm is essentially your class; when you first awaken your gift, people begin to call to you as awakened; this is due to the fact that you are in the awakened realm. Knowledge beyond this is extremely difficult to come by because most individuals do not progress beyond this, but when you awaken your second class, you are in the ascendant realm;"

 

So, what is the name of the third class realm?" Reynald was now seated and patiently listening. Derwyn always thought that Reynald's most unfortunate aspect was that he could only focus when something piqued his interest.

 

-"When you get your third class, you're in the Transcendent Realm, and there's even less information about this realm, as for the fourth realm." Derwyn paused for a moment and gazed up at the sky. "The fourth class is a bit of a mystery to me; there are stories about church leaders and monarchs being in this realm, but its name is entirely unknown to people like us."

 

 

Reynald and Asahel were astounded by Derwyn's tale; the world of the awakened was full of wondrous and extraordinary things, and this was their first glimpse of it. Reynald was ecstatic and wanted to ask his Uncle to keep telling them stories, but Derwyn stood up and asked them to wait a moment. After a few minutes, Derwyn returned with four books, and Ashel and Reynald remembered the gifts he promised.

 

"Asahel, those are the four Skill books that I have; you may select two of them. I just have something to tell you first. As you may know, each realm allows you to have ten skills, but those ten slots are separated into six normal skill slots and four class skill slots." Derwyn placed the four books on the ground and stood there silently watching Asahel pick them up.