Summer 2, 122
Caelum stretched and yawned as he started his training session. He wanted to try something a little more cunning and sly after doing something as simple as shaping wood. He'd thought of an idea to manipulate wood to form a small ball of splinters that he could toss at an opponent's face. They would never have predicted that one. Thus, the dragon got to work creating a new approach for a way of using the techniques he had already learned from his years as a druid.
His idea was difficult on two levels. The first is coming up with a catchy name for it. The second was that it was more of an art than a science to figure out the way of manipulating the wood. Some things were straight forwards with wood magic while others relied solely on trial and error. To further complicate things, it was not unusual for exceptionally skilled wood manipulators to discover ways around obstacles. Shaping in the heat of battle meant that even a small fraction of a second could have more implications than most people realized.
He spent a good fifteen minutes thinking until he was eventually pleased with what he'd come up with. This technique wouldn't need that much advanced work, but every second mattered, and he would be damned if he was caught shaping something carelessly. In light of this, the mage started to channel the saol in his body. He kept at it for ten minutes as he worked out exactly how he wanted to use the energy. The man's foot firmly pressed itself to the ground as the saol gathered around it a moment later. Around him, saol seeped into the wood and trees, creating an unseen puddle with Caelum at its center. After a brief moment, the saol forced itself upward, sending a cloud of wood particles and splinters hurtling skyward. The Aelf felt as though he was in the middle of a wooden explosion, as the splinters suddenly filled the air around him. Knowing that splinters would find their way into his skin if he didn't take care, he took precautions to avoid any injuries.
Caelum would also note how long he could keep the splinters flying under these circumstances. The splinters shot upwards for several seconds despite a slight breeze that was making its way through the woods. In a strong breeze, he bet that splinters would be fairly useless. He tried it again and again, sending splinters of wood all over the place.
"Not bad… I wonder if there's anything else useful I can do…" It took him a little more than a minute to recall an old idea that he'd had, something straightforward but perhaps highly practical. The dragon was aware of how painful it could be to suddenly lose stability or how disastrous it could be to lose your footing during a sprint.
And so Caelum came to learn the subtleties of a new technique, just as he had many times before. The man practiced exerting his saol just like a clockwork machine. Following several iterations, he successfully ingrained the pattern into his memory and repeated the process, this time collecting and shaping more saol. He sensed a familiar, woody feeling that reached right down to his bones as his energy seeped into his hands and became one with the trees around him.
The man knelt down and held his palm open, letting the collected energy seep into the ground. In order to gain a sense of this particular magic, the dragon closed his eyes and felt the saol seep into the wood, trees, and branches. He purposefully moved the saol slowly through the wooden structures. As with all Wood magic, it was similar, but Caelum had always appreciated the small variations in each method. Not two were the same, almost like a birthmark or signature.
As expected, a tiny wooden structure appeared just a few steps in front of him. It practically begged to catch someone's toe mid-run due to its sharp edges. He pictured himself running across a field and then, out of nowhere, feeling the ground give way beneath his foot or stumbling upon something that had not existed a second earlier. The dragon proceeded to finish what he started, filling the surrounding area with wooden structures until he was happy with the outcome. Caelum leveled the area with a breath, making sure he wouldn't unintentionally catch themselves on them.
"What a bore," Caelum said to himself. "Wish Flora was here." It was nice to train like this but it was awfully boring when there was no training partner around. This work was a little too dangerous to involve Flora in, though he didn't think she would mind a little danger.
As if on cue, Flora's form came into view. He almost didn't believe it was her but then he remembered that he'd told her where he'd be. She waved at him and lifted a basket full of what was presumably food. "Master, is it time for a break? You've been working too hard!"
Caelum placed his hand on a tree and focused, slowly melding into it over the course of some time and appearing out of a tree nearby Flora. He called out, "over here," after which he sat down and Flora came over.
"Didn't think you'd know where to look," he said sheepishly. "I was starting to miss you."
"Master, please," she blushed and brushed her hair behind her ear. She opened the basket and took out some sandwiches with some pork and egg. She couldn't cook worth a damn so it was probably something she bought with the pittance Caelum allowed her to spend.
"Ah, you're such a good pet you know that?" he said after sinking his sharp teeth into the sandwich. His teeth were humanlike, but they were razor sharp like a dragon's. So were his nails, which he used to slice open a bag of strawberries. Flora's blush intensified but she stayed silent with her head bowed as he ate. It did not take him long to finish the food – he was always a fast eater for a humanoid. Even if his stomach was full from eating a normal sized meal, his brain always told him that he should be eating more. It was tough to go from eating multiple grown animals per day to a human's meager sustenance. On top of that, he had the ability to gain his energy from moonlight and water, further reducing his natural need for food.
"All of your needs are met?" He asked as he finished and pushed the basket back towards Flora.
"Yes, Master," she said, picking it up and standing.
"Good. What were you going to do now?"
"Go back home, did Master have a task for me?"
"Yes, I think we will do something together." He got up and wrapped a tired arm around the teen and put some of his weight on her for a moment. A sign of fatherly affection, or so the humans had taught him. "You have done good work lately and you are deserving of a reward. Tell me what you desire."
Flora thought hard. She knew what she actually wanted, but she wasn't brave enough to ask. Not now, at least. She pretended to think then said, "Master, I know I'm just your pet but I feel like I'm not doing enough. Like I'm unworthy of your praise." Even though it was a poor act she still flushed from saying such embarrassing things.
Caelum was none the wiser and said, "oh? You are satisfactory, Flora. I would let you know if you needed improvement."
"I… try so hard to assist in any way that I can. I bring you food, follow your orders without question but I wonder if I'm worth anything to you."
Caelum snorted out a puff of black smoke. "You shouldn't think like that. If you were nothing to me I would not allow you in my home. If you truly angered me you may have found yourself in my belly… You are a good pet." He stroked her head in what he hoped was a loving fashion. It was a bit too rough, but he felt it got the message across because Flora nuzzled his hand.
"Thank you, Master" she said as they continued to walk. They were far from the nearest place they could stay. She'd walked hours just to get there and was thankful that Caelum had actually been where he said he'd been and not gotten distracted as he often did.
"Where shall we sleep tonight, Master?"
Caelum thought for a moment. "That's a good question. Do you tire? I do not wish to see you sleeping out here."
"I do tire, yes. But I am fine, Master. Don't worry about me."
"So be it," Caelum said with a shrug. They continued for a couple hours down the path, nodding and waving to aelves that looked friendly. Eventually they came upon a more populated area. Caelum exchanged some coin for a room for himself and his pet and there they rested until midnight which is when they would continue their journey back to his home.
