Chereads / Plight of the summoned / Chapter 57 - "Class dismissed!"

Chapter 57 - "Class dismissed!"

Evren went to visit the forge after his morning practice with Walter. The two chatted about his practice, what he needed to improve upon and what he was doing properly. As Evren asked questions, Walter gave concise answers that Evren understood. When they arrived, they sat on a log nearby and continued their conversation while watching Levi prepare the forge. He had loaded it with coal and was now waiting for the coal to get up to temperature.

A couple of the villagers had gathered and were asking what Levi was going to make. When Levi asked Evren what he should make, Evren said, "Do you still have that knife I asked you to make with the tools when I first arrived?" Levi looked to the table where he kept a few projects and nodded, "Yeah, I think that's a good idea too."

Levi grabbed one of the ingots he had made after learning how to make steel from the pig iron he had been using previously and set it in the forge. The coals were still a little cool, but after putting magic into the forge, they heated up quickly. Levi took the billet out of the forge and started working it with the hammer. He put magic in it as Evren had taught him and shaped the steel into a basic knife. He put the knife into the forge to heat it up, the pulled it out to let it air cool to normalize the metal, making it easier to work with.

He used files and the grinding wheel to bevel the edges of the blade, then put it into the forge to get it back up to temperature again. Once hot enough, he quenched it in his new oil vat that he and Evren had made. He further refined the blade with files and then sharpened it with a series of progressively finer stones until he finished the blade. When compared to the knife he made before there really was no comparison. It was as if the first one was made by a beginner, and the second by a professional.

He showed the two knives to the towns folk and was met with several oohs and aahs, many putting in an order right away for new knives to replace the ones they have currently. Evren smiled and looked at Walter, "Looks like it'll be some time before I get to use the forge." Walter laughed and said, "No worries, not like I need it right away. The mithril one I'm borrowing works just fine."

Evren nodded and the two of them headed to Joseph's house to do their afternoon lessons. They had already learned how to cast 'light', 'flame', 'drink', and 'heat' and today they were going to learn how to cast 'chill'. Their reading progress was average. Evren focused the words used in spells as a priority.

The wagon had become something of a command center. Evren had attached several maps to it and had several open books on the boxes scattered around it as impromptu tables and chairs. He learned of a big hurdle after speaking with Joseph about the Holy State Grandia. It was on a different continent. To the east the continent of Seeclind, former home to the Great Elven Empire, the first and most brutal victim of the Holy State's "purge of unclean."

Evren was also planning on going deeper in the dungeon. He wanted to get down to the 151st floor to meet the lich, if possible, but he knew that would take some time to do. He also wanted to visit other towns and dungeons to see if there were other groups of survivors. Joseph had found a few books in town, but nobody could read them. He had them sitting on the table he was using to teach from and would read through them later.

Walter had advanced the training today, so that was still running through his head as the lessens progressed. Currently, he only needed to answer questions, so he had the freedom to get distracted. He's now added footwork to his strikes, such as stepping outward when doing the uppercut as it protects his body with the strike. He's also now doing an exercise called 'remaining' where he has to learn how to feel the movement of the opponent's sword while their blades are touching to anticipate their actions.

He was thinking of making a practice dummy to use when Walter is out on patrol, and he has nothing else to do. He also has to make some target dummies for when he starts teaching offensive magic, if they want to learn. While thinking of stuff he has to make, he needs to include Walter's sword, and then some armor for himself to replace the worn-out armor he's using currently. He hasn't made armor before, so he may need to get with Levi about how to fashion it.

Evren was asked, "What are you smiling about, Mr. Evren?" by Harley.

Evren looks up and says, "I didn't realize I was smiling. I was just wondering if I would live long enough to get everything done that I want to do because it feels like it'll take a long time."

Joseph asked, "Why does that make you happy?"

Evren smiled, "I believe this body has an average life span, similar to everyone else. In my old body, I lived twice as long as everyone else."

Harley asked, "Wouldn't that be a good thing? To live longer?"

Evren flashed a sad smile, "Not when everyone around you gets old and dies. It's a very lonely thing."

Evren blinked a few times and said, "Ah, sorry about that. Being normal, this is a good thing!"

Isabel shook her head, "You are not normal, Evren."

Evren fake sobbed for a few seconds, "You break my heart, Isabel." He said while wiping away fake tears.

Everyone laughed and Evren said, "Ok, now that it seems like everyone has time to joke around, lets move onto the next step."

"Unlike with 'heat' you have to think of something cold, like ice, which I'm not entirely sure any of you have seen or experienced before, except maybe Joseph and Isabel." Evren stood and started walking towards the door, "So follow me for some practical experience."

They walked outside and towards the field out back. Evren said, "I haven't done this before, but I'm pretty sure I can do it." And then under his breath, "and not hurt anyone."

Harley heard him mumble and asked, "What was that last bit?"

Evren didn't look at her and said, "I said, 'and have some fun.' That's all."

Harley squinted her eyes, "Are you sure that's what you said Mr. Evren?"

Evren held his hand up for everyone to stop and took a few steps forward. "Yeah, basically."

He took a deep breath and focused. Harley said something else behind him, but he didn't hear it. First, he cast 'drench,' which created a large ball of water in a spot he designates. It doesn't fall immediately after summoning, usually staying in place for half a second before gravity takes over. In that half of a second, Evren used telekinesis to catch the water and hold it in a ball shape over the ground. He then cast 'freeze' on the water ball, freezing it solid. The air around the water ball got cold, and some of the grasses got frost on them. When the freeze spell finally stopped, Evren let the ice ball down to the ground.

He turned around and said, "This is ice, and on the ground is frost. Frost happens when little droplets of water freeze. When water freezes, it forms crystals and gets bigger. I'm not sure if you were paying attention to the water ball when it froze, but it increased in size a bit because of the crystals. That's also why the center of the ice is cloudy."

"Now, come over and see what ice is like," he said to them.

Everyone came over to look at the ice ball, including Joseph and Isabel. The frost made a crunching sound as people walked over it. Many were commenting to themselves that it was cold, or slippery when Joseph came to ask Evren a question.

"Do you think you can do this to make ice cream?" he asked.

Evren tilted his head and frowned, "What is ice cream?"

Joseph smiled as he got a chance to explain it, "Oh! It's a wondeful thing. You take milk, sugar and salt and get it really cold, and it makes ice cream."

Evren looked at Isabel, specifically her chest, then back to Joseph, "Milk?"

Joseph looked at Isabel at first confused, then with comprehension, "Oh, no no no no… we use cow or goat milk."

Evren's face got a look of disgust on it, "Cow milk? You drink milk from another animal?"

Joseph nodded, "Yes, its delicious."

Evren shook his head, "Who the hell thought that was a good idea? Milk from a cow. Gross!"

Joseph said, "No, it's really good."

Evren replied, "Stop. Just stop. I don't want to hear about it anymore."

Evren stepped away and said, "Ok, now that everyone has an idea of what ice is, and the feeling you get from it, when you cast 'chill' do so with that image in mind. Now, everyone take a cup and chill the water in it. The if you chill it for long enough, you could freeze it."

Joseph said, "Oh! Cold milk would be good to drink again."

Evren turned to Joseph and said, "Stop, or I'm gonna stop teaching you."

Joseph said, "What? No, you wouldn't do that. Would you?"

Evren said, "Try it an… no wait, I have a better idea. Try it and I'll do something else."

Joseph asked, "What? What'll you do?"

Evren just stared at Joseph expressionlessly. To which Joseph stared back for a while before giving in, "Fine. Fine, you win."

Evren switched back to teacher mode and made sure everyone was able to cast the 'chill' spell properly.

Amelia had frozen the top of the water a little and poked a hole in the ice and was drinking through the hole. That is until the ice came loose and water spilled over her face and the front of her dress. Evren winced and looked away. Amelia didn't mind though, her and Pascal were laughing at the situation, which drew attention from others, and everyone was having a good time.

"Ok, that's all for today," Evren said, "Be sure to practice your letters and we'll pick up again tomorrow."