Within one of the combat rooms, Oscar and Frederick traded blows.
They reserved it for the entire day to hone their Lower Apprentice Exalt powers. Simply having the power was not enough. They needed to sharpen themselves and be versatile in utilizing it.
Oscar, clad in blue Ein, rushed towards Frederick. His speed was unlike anything he had experienced before, and he arrived in front of Frederick. He lowered his stance and kicked his leg towards Frederick's side.
Frederick stepped back to avoid it, but Oscar would not let him go easily. He was quick on his feet and followed Frederick tightly. He tried to swing a punch from the side onto Frederick's head this time.
Frederick blocked the blow with a crossguard. Then, one of his hands immediately grabbed onto Oscar's extended arm before he could retract. Frederick turned around while grabbing Oscar's arm and lifted Oscar off the ground, swinging Oscar over his shoulder.
The ground slammed with a loud shake as Oscar landed flat on his back. Although his blue Ein prevented any significant damage, it was immensely painful.
"Urgh." Oscar let out a groan of pain. He and Frederick had sparred multiple times today, yet he could not get a single victory. Frederick stood above Oscar and made a victory sign with a wide smile.
"Os, you need to work on your moves." Frederick helped Oscar, who was rubbing his back, up.
"I didn't expect you to grab my punch like that." Oscar was impressed by the way Frederick moved.
"I trained in battle since I was young, so it's an obvious result. However, your attacks hurt. You have one heck of a fist."
They took a break to catch their breath and replenish their thirst and hunger. Frederick noted some improvements Oscar could make to be a better fighter.
"As we become more powerful Exalts, it's better to have a good mastery of Ein and the body. When you attack, you should think about your next move. Your last punch stayed still for too long, allowing me to grab it. Be quick on your moves."
Oscar nodded before taking out a book he borrowed from the Neptune Archives. It was a book on basic martial arts. When he first borrowed it, Frederick laughed. How can the book help?
They set it up so they would take 30-minute breaks between each sparring session.
"Let's begin." Thirty minutes passed, and Oscar reviewed more of the book. He felt ready to get his victory.
"Don't get hurt too badly." Frederick got into his stance with his two hands held up, one to his chin and the other by his ribcage.
Oscar held a similar stance but held both hands near his chin. At the sound of the bell, the two clashed.
Frederick let out a flurry of jabs trying to tap Oscar on the head, but Oscar sidestepped each one. Then, as Oscar closed in, Frederick responded with a low kick to knock him off balance.
Oscar hopped to avoid it, but that left him open in the air for Frederick's right punch to his body. Oscar reacted in time to block it but was flung a few meters back.
He stumbled a little before regaining his footing. Frederick did not miss this chance and punched repeatedly. Oscar struggled to dodge and block, allowing Frederick's second kick to sweep him off his feet.
"Damn." Oscar gasped for air while lying down on the floor. Frederick wiped off his sweat with a towel while tossing another to Oscar.
"You need to work on your legs. Maintain a well-balanced footing, and you won't be dragged in the mud like that."
"I had to jump when you kicked," Oscar said.
"It's better to counter with your kick or step back to find another way to attack. If you could fly, that would work. But the whole point is to know your space and what you can do."
Frederick was serious whenever he talked about fighting or Exalts. Although he fooled around many times, he was very persistent in his training.
"Footing…." Oscar always thought he had a good sense of balance due to his experience working on the stables on his farm. But fighting was different, and he got flustered in some moments, leading to his loss.
"We have one more hour left. Let's practice our Anima." Frederick suggested they switch armaments to do something else. He knew Oscar would need time to make adjustments and improve.
"It's 10-0. I swear, I'll knock you out." Oscar declared his intent to bash Frederick down.
Frederick responded with a smirk and manifested his Anima, the green hawk. It soared around before diving towards Oscar.
"Sore winner." Oscar focused his Ein, manifesting the blue deer anima. It trotted towards the hawk and stabbed its antlers forward.
The blue and green anima clashed. The beak collided against the antler. The air was disturbed as a small whirl of Ein exploded outward.
The hawk fell back and perched itself on Frederick's shoulder while Oscar's deer fell back to his side. Oscar felt a small pang of pain in his chest. It was his Exolsia core.
Oscar noticed a part of his deer's antlers was chipped. He read that damage to the Anima would result in pain to its wielder. Frederick felt pain from a small crack on his bird's beak, but not as much as Oscar.
The two focused as Ein gathered and recovered the injured parts of their Animas.
"The deer anima took more damage. Grade Four has less resistance." Oscar sighed.
"Don't overthink it. My bird's beak is sharper and more specialized in that diving maneuver. Your deer blocked it with only a scratch and even countered." Frederick was surprised at the sturdiness of Oscar's deer. It was known that deer antlers were quite hard, so it wasn't unbelievable.
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"But not good enough." Oscar sighed and noticed the time. "We should get dinner and rest. Tomorrow is the first lecture."
"Still got a little time in this room. Let's continue." Frederick wanted to get one more spar in.
The two clashed their Animas again. After that, they began honing their Anima's abilities. Frederick made many flight patterns with his hawk while Oscar controlled his deer to sprint back and forth.
After a long exhausting training session, they stumbled into the Commune, ate a hearty dinner, and slept the night away.
In the early morning, Oscar was on the grass plains. He released his deer anima and let it prance around. The good mood of the deer affected him to be happier as well.
He let out a peaceful smile and a long breath of relief. The month had been full of training. But, this small respite in the morning was what Oscar loved.
"Your Anima is very lively." Elder Saul appeared out of nowhere and spoke to Oscar.
Oscar let his deer run free the past few days, so Elder Saul was aware. He would often remain silent and watch as the deer anima rolled around.
"Sorry about the grass." Oscar shyly apologized for his deer's behavior. The wielder controls Anima, but animal types are capable of independent actions. Oscar let his deer control itself in the mornings.
"It's fine. Rather than idiots messing it up, it's better suited for this scenery." He was correct. The view of the deer hopping and trotting around the grassy plains was a good match and natural.
"It is also good to let your Anima learn independence. You never know when they may do something unexpected that helps you." Elder Saul talked more than before, as he advised Oscar.
Oscar nodded, noting the elder's words in his heart. The relationship between the wielder and the anima propelled them to the next stage. Oscar yearned to reach the Integration Stage.
"The lecture will start soon. You should go on your way." Elder Saul yawned and wandered away.
After a few more minutes, Oscar felt he was out long enough and returned to the dorms. Before entering inside, Samuel popped up and stopped him.
"Out of my way." Oscar did not want to deal with Samuel at this time.
"Don't think you can keep running away. You will accept my duel request." Samuel tried numerous times to goad Oscar into a duel to teach him a lesson. Normally, people would accept lest they be mocked for being a coward.
Oscar was different and did not care about what others thought of him. He was already a Grade Four at the bottom, so what difference are a little more jeers? Oscar was determined to fight when he was prepared and ready. The last few spars with Frederick showed him his shortcomings.
"You're wasting your time. If you want to fight, just go for people who would give you a challenge." Oscar sarcastically stated. In the future, he was determined to stomp Samuel underfoot.
He moved to the side and walked past Samuel, who could not do anything. Any complaint could lead to him being put away.
Oscar was irritated and moved along to his room. Inside, Frederick was still snoring while mumbling some incoherent sentences.
"Wake up, Fred. The lecture is starting soon." Oscar shook Frederick to wake him up. But Frederick remained still. Having little patience and slightly irritated by Samuel, Oscar took some water and splashed it on Frederick.
"Cold?!" Frederick snapped awake and jumped out of bed. His hair was wet as water dripped down his face. Finally, he realized what had happened and stared at Oscar in shock.
"I told you to wake up." Oscar grinned.
Frederick grumbled as he changed his clothes and tidied up his wet hair. Together they left for the auditorium. Unlike the last time, the crowd was not as enormous. This lecture was specifically for new students, so the older ones did not attend.
An instructor waited for the students to arrive. He remained stoic, with his hands collapsed behind his back.
"Welcome, everyone. I am Preceptor Frank Dullen. I will teach everyone about the possibilities that are open to Exalts."
The crowd made not a single sound to catch every word from Frank. A lecture was a rare opportunity in the Outer Hall. They needed to benefit from it however much they could.
Frank waved his hand as images showed above him. There were potions, animals, weapons, scrolls, and some floating orbs.
The potions came forward and enlarged themselves before the crowd.
"As an Exalt, there are many different possibilities. Naturally, you are all warriors with fighting capabilities. But Exalts can be so much more. Alchemists who create elixirs. The Ein Amassing Elixir distributed a month ago was created by the efforts of our alchemists."
"Alchemists combine their Ein with ingredients like plants, bones, blood, and others to create elixirs. The process is meticulous and precise; therefore, there are many failures while concocting an elixir. The difficulty goes up as the grades increase. Elixirs are categorized from Grade One to Grade Nine, much like our own Exolsia."
"Anyone can try to be an alchemist, but very few have the talent for it. The Anima within us is a good indicator of talent. Plant-type anima and anima of tools related to alchemy are the best."
Some students' eyes glinted with yearning. They had those kinds of anima, so perhaps they were capable alchemists.
"The Palace of Whirlpools is where you can seek guidance in alchemy. But as Outer Hall students, you would have less access to resources and instruction."
The students' looked disappointed but also gave off a feeling of helplessness. In the end, they could not enjoy everything as Outer Hall students.
Ignoring their woes, Frank waved his hands as the potion image shrank and flew to the back. In its place, the animals enlarged and strode forward.
"Some Exalts prefer to build a partnership with other beasts as a companion in their journey. There are many different kinds of beasts throughout the world. Our Blue Ocean Pavilion and the Brilliant Drake Empire worked hard to create safe zones where the civilians live, so some of you may never have seen any of them."
"Once you leave those safe zones, you will see them. They are far different from your usual horse and deer. The beasts are also capable of Ein. They can become stronger, like us, Exalts, so we call them Exalt Beasts. Their strengths are divided in the same way as our Exalt stages. From Apprentice Exalt Beasts to King Exalt Beasts."
Some students made audible gasps as they had never heard this before. Oscar would have been the same, but he read about the Exalt Beasts in the Neptune Archives. He could not believe it when he first learned about it, so their reactions were not surprising.
"Exalts are capable of forming a bond with Exalt Beasts. However, an Exalt Beast can be aggressive or unwilling. Often, they attack without even thinking about it. This is where the animal anima can shine. If you have the anima related to a certain Exalt Beast, you have a better chance than others to form a bond."
"Some Exalt Beasts may take the initiative to come to you and willingly follow."
Oscar did not read about this in the book on basic Anima. He was elated at first to hear he could have a partner that would fight alongside him. This way, he could overcome the difference between Exolsia grades. But a question popped up. Were there any deer-based Exalt Beasts?
"An Exalt Beast is a powerful ally who can grow with you. There is a level above simple taming that is stronger. It is to make a soul connection with the beast, and it can only be done if the two are willing to lay their lives together. However, forming a connection means you will die if the Exalt Beast dies."
The crowd thought it was ridiculous to leave their life in the hands of a beast. Only an idiot would form a soul connection despite the power it can give.
"The Menagerie is where you can meet and tame the beasts we have reared."
Once again, the images rotated, and the weapons and armor replaced the animals.
"When it comes to a graded armament, it is very versatile. There are hundreds of different types, all ranging from swords to helmets. Armaments are also divided into Grades One to Grade Nine. A Grade Nine weapon is said to be the weapon of the gods."
The gods? Oscar was shocked and wondered if the gods were real. Frank ignored the clamoring of the students and continued to lecture.
"The graded armament can have special properties that allow them to have effects such as a spell engraved within them. The weapon and armor animas are amazing for this. Once you reach the Meld stage, you can merge your anima into the weapon it resembles. This strengthens the weapon and protects your anima from harm thanks to the new body."
"That is why weapon and armor animas are heavily favored for battle since they are devastatingly strong from the Meld Stage. However, others cannot showcase their fullest potential until the Integration Stage."
"Of course. How is it made? We have Fabricators who are Exalts capable of creating graded armament. Much like Alchemists, they are very specialized in it. Fabricators typically have an anima related to it like hammers and tools."
"The Foundry is where our Fabricators reside, and they provide an elementary course."
Frank noted that he had spoken long enough and suggested a break.
None of the students moved from their seats and burst into conversations about what they had learned.