"So," said Siquioce as he walked, "I heard you mention a project earlier. What's it about?"
Kantuta glanced at Siquioce and answered, "I'm going on a trip around Kodalia to collect certain ingredients for various spells. My mentor, Archmage Tung, sent me on this mission to help me develop my magical capabilities. So far, I've gathered...6 ingredients." she smiled, "Do you wanna see?"
Siquioce shrugged, "I don't see why not."
Kantuta nodded, "Okay, then." she reached for her large yellow hat and pulled it off, revealing a big burlap sack. She took it and opened it, revealing a bunch of animal, plant, and inorganic parts that were all covered in a light blue aura. "Here they are," she said, "Leg of bufrog, tendril of shineroot, heart of rollbug, a beatstone, a cluster of dendrumite, and a live baby firefowl. Impressive, right?"
Siquioce looked with curiosity at all of the items, "Yeah, impressive. I can't say that I've seen any of these things before, though..."
Kantuta smirked, "Well, yeah, of course! These things are only found on the surface." She sighed, "The thing is, there's a lot more useful ingredients in the sea where your kind lives, but...I can't get to them."
Siquioce peered at Kantuta and asked, "Why not? There's nothing stopping you from just diving in."
Kantuta tapped her fingers together and said in a quiet voice, "Ah, well..." she shook her head and cleared her throat, "Anyway, that's not important! Besides, it's not like the surface doesn't have plenty of ingredients, right?" She looked at Siquioce, "In fact, why don't I show you what I can do with the ingredients I have right now? My mentor's tower is nearby; I can craft up a spell using the cauldron there. Would you like to come with me."
Ignoring the evasiveness of his friend, Siquioce answered, "Sure, this sounds interesting."
Kantuta smiled, "Great! Well then, just follow me!"
Still making use of his crutch, Siquioce followed the elf, trying his best to ignore the worsening dry feeling in his skin.
After a long walk, the duo found themselves in front of a tall, run-down, rocky tower. "And here we are!" announced Kantuta, "Magnificent, isn't it?"
Looking at the structure, Siquioce said with dry lips, "I guess you could say that."
Kantuta grinned, "Right? Master Tung really knows how to build his homes." she skipped ahead, "The cauldron should be over here. This way!"
Still feeling less moist than usual, Siquioce hobbled after Kantuta.
Kantuta made her way to the base of the tower, stopping in front of a large, empty cauldron. "Here it is." she said, "Now, where did he keep the water, again?" Heading through the doors of a small shed next to the cauldron, Kantuta rummaged through its contents and found a few jugs of water.
"Okay," she said as she brought out the containers, "I've got them! So, Siquioce, are you ready to..." she grew silent, looking around with a confused expression, "Siquioce? Siquioce, where'd you go?" Feeling a bit worried, Kantuta set down the jugs near the cauldron and retraced her steps, heading back towards the hill where she and her friend had come from.
Once she got there, she gasped in shock; Siquioce was lying unconscious on the ground!
"Oh, Peron," she exclaimed, "What happened?!" She paced back and forth, her eyes wide with panic, "Oh no, is this what I think it is?" She looked down at her ally and pondered the situation before picking Siquioce up, tucking the staff in front of his neck, "Hang tight, buddy, I've got you!" She then picked up the Samanian, grunting with exertion as she did so. "Don't worry," she grunted as she struggled her way back to the tower, "I can still save you!"
Siquioce suddenly woke up on the ground with his body drenched in water. He took deep breaths in and out, finding this task to be easier than before.
Kantuta, who was standing in front of Siquioce with an empty canister, breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew!" she exclaimed, "Thank Peron you're okay! I thought you were a goner!"
Looking at his friend with confusion, Siquioce asked, "What happened? One minute, I was walking, the other, I'm here."
Kantuta leaned against the wall of the shed, "I'm pretty sure that your lungs just failed. Samanians like you rely on their lungs being moist in order to function properly." She held her chin, "Still, I haven't heard of anything like this happening before. Usually, the Samanians that come up have trained their bodies to go without moisture for a good amount of time. Did you forget to do that?"
Siquioce smiled with embarrassment, "Uh...maybe?"
Kantuta put a hand on her hip, "Wow, seriously? I thought that you would've been a bit wiser than that..." she shook her head, "But I shouldn't be so judgmental; you were probably too busy doing whatever it is you do down there to find time to train."
Siquioce chuckled, "Yeah, for sure..."
Kantuta pushed herself off the wall and asked, "Well, now that you're healthy, do you want to see that spell I was talking about?"
Sitting up straighter, Siquioce answered, "Yes, please."
Kantuta nodded, "Alright. I'll just grab an ingredient…" She reached inside her sack and pulled out the suspended firefowl chick and threw it into the cauldron. She then unloaded the water of the 4 remaining canisters into the cauldron before picking up her staff and waving it in a circle. "Po tem ka…" she chanted, "Alle ma su ga…"
Standing up to get a better view, Siquioce noticed the water inside the cauldron swirling as the orange, feathery body of the young firefowl disassembled, turning the water a bright orange.
After this event, Kantuta thrusted her staff into the liquid, shouting, "Dommé ni!" The solution rapidly started to lose its color and volume as Kantuta's stick trembled and shine radiantly. After 5 seconds, Kantuta pulled out the object, holding it proudly in the air. "Just like that!" she declared, "Now, I've learned a new technique! Would you like to see?"
Amazed by the spectacle he just witnessed, Siquioce wordlessly nodded.
Kantuta smiled, "Alright, then." She looked around, "Now, where's a good target…?" She pointed at a pile of garments to the right of her, "Right, my baby clothes! Been meaning to throw those away." She gave Siquioce an excited look, "Are you ready to see greatness?"
Siquioce answered, "I'm interested."
Kantuta giggled, "I thought that you would be." She held her staff with both hands and looked at the clothes, "Okay, here goes!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before pointing her staff at the pile, "I cast Fireball!" A baseball-sized ember then shot out from Kantuta's staff, hurtling towards the clothes and setting them ablaze. "Ha-ha!" she laughed with her hands on her hips, "I've always wanted to do that!" She looked at Siquioce, "The water in the cauldron is good enough for four more uses. Just give me a minute and I'll have learned 4 more spells."
Siquioce, whose eyes were still sparkling after the demonstration, replied, "Uh, okay, that sounds good."
Kantuta smiled, "Great." She rummaged around her bag, "Now, what should I learn next?"
After some time, the cauldron was completely empty, leaving Kantuta with her newfound powers. "Done and done." she stated, "These new spells will definitely be handy. But I can learn many more! All I need is more fuel." As she said this, Kantuta looked at Siquioce with a thoughtful expression. "Hey," she said, "I have an idea…"
Giving Kantuta a curious look, Siquioce asked, "Yeah, what is it?"
Kantuta replied, "So, as it is now, you're going to require a lot of moistening sessions to stay alive. Instead of doing this the boring, water wasting way, why don't I just teach you the art of water-bending?"
Siquioce widened his eyes, "Water-bending? You can teach me that?"
Kantuta nodded, "I sure can! It should be especially easy for a sea-dwelling guy like you. All we need is some water, magic, and patience. So, are you up for the task?"
Siquioce thought for a minute before grinning, "Yes! This sounds like a great thing to learn."
Kantuta gave a thumbs-up, "Perfect. There's a lake near here; we can begin our training there." she frowned, "But it's pretty far away, and I'm not sure if you can make the trip." she tapped her chin, "Say, why don't I just temporarily freeze you? You can't suffocate if you aren't moving, right?"
Siquioce held up his hands in objection, "You're going to do what? Wouldn't that hurt?"
Kantuta shook her head, "Nope. Trust me, you won't feel a thing."
Siquioce held his hands together as he pondered. "Well…" he said quietly, "If you say so…"
Kantuta smiled, "Glad to hear it." she set her staff down and pushed her hands outward, "Stay still now, okay?" With her palms facing Siquioce, Kantuta moved her hands in a diamond pattern, saying, "Suspend!"
Siquioce then felt his body suddenly freeze in place as a light similar to the ones that surrounded Kantuta's ingredients covered his body. His sense of sight and hearing were the only things he had as he stood still as a statue.
Rubbing her hands together, Kantuta said, "There we go." she grabbed Siquioce's hand and dragged him away, "I hope you can wait, cause this'll take a while…"