Spring 10, 115
Since Caelum had shifted his training to a communal area in the forest, it appeared that not many people were present today. It seemed that people were out enjoying themselves more during the nice weather than they were for something as taxing as training, he supposed. Caelum stood in the middle of a sizable open area with a small stream cutting through it. The ground was quite rocky. He had traveled to this location specifically for the stream.
As he stepped out into the water, the dragon channeled Saol to the bottom of his feet. At first, he was a little wobbly and feared he would sink right down. A bird flapped wildly over him, disrupting his focus and his ability to remain above the water as he stayed motionless on the stream. The Dragon suddenly became wet and climbed up from the riverbank, silently cursing himself. Caelum had never taken the time to learn the art of flying in his human form, which was a completely different skill that required a unique approach.
Caelum sent energy tumbling down the bottom of his feet once more and floated above the stream, feeling the energy beneath his feet gently push him back from the forest floor. For those unfamiliar with magic, it was an amazing feat to be able to fly over the surface while gliding above the ground, but for dragons, it was a fundamental ability that needed to be mastered. Caelum was skilled at controlling the flow of energy through his body; he had spent countless hours honing this ability in his youth.
Caelum started to fly the entire width of the stream, zigzagging as he went, and occasionally going back and forth. The dragon found the process exhausting, but his perseverance got him through it; otherwise, Caelum would have called it a day. This time, however, was different; instead he persevered out of his own desire to improve. Caelum didn't know where this sudden wave of motivation and good vibes came from, but for the time being, he didn't care. He was going to become one of the greatest dragons to have ever flown in human form!
Caelum made a modest alteration to the routine, flying across the entire forest stream at a bit faster speed. This not only made the journey a little bit longer, but it also made using energy more taxing; he was beginning to get tired from frequent use. Caelum was starting to see the effects of his training; they weren't very apparent, but they were still there. His ability to balance in the air above the constantly shifting ground had improved, as had his muscle memory and control.
He quickened his speed across the stream, gliding above the water's surface and kicking up droplets with each move. His flight over the liquid surface became even more imbalanced as a result of this movement. His control momentarily faltered, but he quickly centered himself. Caelum flew back and forth above the forest stream, sometimes descending and then ascending to maintain his continual modifications to the energy he was expending.
Caelum took a break in a spot in the forest surrounded by a sizable group of pillars that formed a pattern like a grid. Here was where Caelum would start his next phase of his training. Using his energy to propel himself forward, he started jumping up and down between pillars, getting faster and faster until he lost his balance and had to catch himself in midair by flying. Then, he'd go back up to try to regain footing on a new pillar, leaving a loud thudding sound as his feet crashed into each pillar and pushed away from it to land on another.
It was a kind of punishment system that made training harder overall and made Caelum's training more taxing. Nevertheless, each time he stumbled, he would reset back to a slower tempo and start working his way up again. The mage then started incorporating simple acrobatics into his moves, attempting flips and somersaults while briskly moving between pillars, usually failing spectacularly because he was no good at any of those stunts. He simply had more time to attempt them because of his ability to hang in the air a little.
Again, Caelum sensed his control over his energy usage tightening. The more he used it, the more skilled he became; perhaps, after all, the challenge his mentors had put before him was doable. He still had plenty of times to get some results; he wanted to expand both the range of magic he could use and the depth of his magic.
The aelf had advised him to try to learn more through readings, but Caelum had bigger plans in mind. In addition to learning more about magic, he wanted to explore a different avenue. Caelum hovered over to the top of the center pillar and taking in the view of the training area from the stone plateau. He reached into his bag and withdrew another scroll, this one adorned with an artistic illustration of plants engraved on a green ribbon around the middle. The title of this particular scroll was "The Wonders of Botany," and it was removed together with another scroll. Caelum placed the second scroll, titled "Basic Plant Alchemy," on the stone floor.
He had known for a while that he was drawn to nature-based magic, so it made sense given how harmonious plant magic and nature were. He started reading from the Botany scroll. Like most other aelves, though he wasn't technically one, Caelum had always found concepts of growing plants to come easily to him, but he had never really studied it well. The more he studied, the more enthralled he grew with the idea of growing plants in general.
"Plant manipulation is often utilized defensively, typically involving manipulating Saol in the body to control the growth and movement of plants around the user." Caelum was usually the type to read softly. "More straightforward uses of druidism involve creating barriers or entangling foes in vines. Plants can be manipulated or used in other ways once their growth is controlled, although doing so takes talent." Caelum's stare seemed to nurture the very page as he proceeded, growing more and more engrossed in the scroll.
"Vine entanglement is a common technique amongst users of this style, while most beginners are unable to produce a substantial or lasting effect, there are those who have mastered this technique bringing it to new heights. Some notable practitioners of this style within AElheim are..." While not actually knowing everyone in the community, a few names struck out to Caelum as he silently perused the names.
He ultimately got to a section that mentioned useful plants to bind to. Having just read about how useful vines were, he decided to check if there were any useful vines that grew in the area. Ædorian was the one he'd been particularly drawn to. It was a plant that could sap the very life force out of people, which sounded oh so useful. The trouble was, according to the book, that it was difficult to visibly distinguish from other vines. That meant that there was next to no chance that he would be able to spot the differences on his own.
The dragon stood up from studying the scrolls and breathed deeply, slowly inhaling and expelling. Caelum started to channel energy throughout his body in an effort to use it as efficiently as possible while pushing himself to the maximum. He could feel the energy swirling around him; it was real and there even if it was hidden from his sight. Caelum's breathing grew labored, his body felt heavy, and sweat started to trickle down his body as tiredness started to set in.
Still, he made an effort of flying from tree to tree, examining the various vines that were on them. He put his hands on each of them, trying to find one that sapped his life force. He must have been at it for an hour before he found the right vine. When he first laid hands on it, he winced and pulled away instinctively. It was not a pleasant experience. He dreaded anyone who had to put up with being fully wrapped by one of these things.
"Alright, let's get this binding over with," her murmured.
The dragon was beginning to feel the effects of trying to do so much; his muscles hurt and his bones creaked, finally causing him to give in when the pain got too much. Feeling weak, Caelum fell to the branch below him and rested, reading more of his papers to confirm that this vine was indeed the correct one.
After triple checking, he began to meditate. He put one hand on the vine, squeezing it caringly as he tried to ignore the Saol being drained from his body. The process of binding was relatively simple and didn't take that much time. It was more of a mental thing than anything else. He felt himself slowly becoming one with the vine, and after an hour or so he had managed to weave slivers of the vine into the very fabric of his hand. It was a strange feeling, to have one's life force drained constantly by something that was a part of himself… but it was draining into his own body so it cancelled out.
"Finally," Caelum said when it was all said and done. He pointed and fueled his palm with life force to see a thick vine shoot out and wrap around a nearby branch. "It's done."
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