I was feeling a strange sort of joy in feeling this boredom. I was experimenting with my lightning element, having it dance around my arms. But my right shoulder didn't move around too much.
"It's a bummer to have my shoulder like this. Do they have healers in this world, too?"
"In some nations, even the regular folk have healing magic. Here though, it's more of an occupation set up here in Rugiet Fulger. But the king usually pays for most of their fees, so healers are usually present in all the villages. Their prices aren't bad, so I'll be taking care of it when we get into town."
"Thank you. I realize I didn't really have time to earn money yet. If I had to work with a bum shoulder, that'd really suck."
"yeah the king gave me around $200,000 while we are at the academy. The card is right here."
I went into shock. Her forearm actually had a card in it, unlocked by her magic. I knew something was off, but this world perhaps advanced in technology unproportionately. This could be possible because of the heroes of old. I don't know how many worlds could have better tech than what we have, or if it pulls people from different time periods. It was much too jarring to have such a mysterious magic available to them.
"I've had heard of the academy once before from you. But I haven't really been told about it."
"Arcanum Valorium is a boot camp for heroes, where the air crackles. They will subject you to extreme challenges that test your resilience and push you to the very edge of your limits. With William Benedict at the helm, expect no mercy. Even the sheer size of the place is awe-inspiring, as if it could stand as its own bustling capital, with every corner pulsating with the energy of aspiring heroes."
"Sounds like it's quite the place, a real crucible for aspiring heroes. A place that challenges you to the limits… daunting but fascinating…"
I honestly don't want to be there. Who knows if I can escape such a place, and if something like this is there, the capabilities of people will be higher. Even if I leave the academy, I may still be in Caelum Benedictio. It will be a nightmare without help. Even if I leave now, Riya has a much better training in her ability. I can overpower her now, but I don't know just how crafty she is. I could tell she didn't need direct sight of those bandits within her domain.
"Hey earlier you seemed unaffected by your ability. When there was no air."
"I train under those conditions to move unaffected. When you learn to control a domain, it grows with you. From perspective, my domain is about a quarter mile. King Aethelrics is about 8 miles, the widest of any nation's king. Most people who can attain their domain are about 10 to 30 feet wide."
"But just because it can be as wide as you can make doesn't mean it should be, right?"
"Quite astute, imagine if King Aethelric made his domain only a 100 feet. Just from the density of Aether alone, he could crush you. Besides that look, the village is just ahead. The name is Firewood crossing. You might have learned that the wood here is extremely resilient to even magma. So collecting wood that can burn is a bit of a business here. The clinic here is pretty nice too, based on the one in Caelum Benedictio. The capital there likes to use the extremely resilient trees around here. Other than that, there isn't too much around here."
What a surprise. The village had a more modern appeal, similar to what you might see in a small town back home. Looks like there could be less than 400 people here.
"Why does this town look so different from the castle?"
"That castle and its surrounding city have been there for over 270 years. This town is only 5 years old. Caelum Benedictio's hero last summoned hero was 83 years ago, his wealth of knowledge grew it to be what it is now. He taught the capital how to create modern construction methods for his time, generating power and wiring. He threw the balance of this world into chaos, and it only settled down just a few years ago. His descendents watch over the city now."
"How old was he? Someone, even from my time, wouldn't know that much if he was young."
"At 45, the nation summoned him, and it is his actions that have caused the world to be this warped. There has been one other hero, one creating the floating markets of Alopexia. also known as Nephelagora. That, though, is only about 34 years old. But their recent progress was another contender against the superpower of Aetheris Regnum. That Hero is now the King of Alopexia, about 54 years old now. Their tech is much more advanced, but their progress is also slower because of their complexity and costs."
Out of every nation, I was despondent that the oldest looking nation of the bunch had summoned me. I think Riya noticed.
"Don't worry, out of every nation, Rugiet Fulger has the richest mana of any country. We have the most mana potential out of every nation, short of the Zephyr Dragon race's overwhelming destructive power. They cannot create domains, but use the trails of aether to extend their reach. We can be as fast as lightning, but they can carry their speeds to the skies."
"I feel like there is too much information to lose out on, being summoned by another world. It looks like the clinic isn't far from the village entrance."
"Yep, it's not long now. Just before the sun had settled, too."
We made our way into the village and walked into the clinic. It was a white and pristine clinic, there was even a receptionist area. If you've hadn't told me, I probably thought I was just abroad the country side. Well, at least I know the world has some decent hygiene because of this. The doctor brought me back after filing some paper work. But this is when things got strange. The first thing the man in white did was draw my blood.
"I am glad you're nicely hydrated. Sometimes dehydrated patient's veins can be hard to poke. With this, we can run it through this machine and see the type of resonance your aether has. This can expedite a 30 minute healing to 3 minutes."
I saw the machine. Its strange glow was beyond what I could comprehend. I was never in the medical engineering field, anyway. But he looked at the results and started healing me. The process was about a minute and a half. During the temporary relocation, my veins got ripped apart, mostly from the rash relocation of my arm. Then there was bruising on my back and chest, most likely from the explosion.
"That's all, Volkner, you're good to go."
"Thank you, and good day."
I left the examination room and found Riya waiting in the lobby area.
"I am all good now Riya, let's find a place to sleep."
"A good motel is just a couple of blocks, and a diner is just next to us."
"I am quite tired myself, lets just get a couple of rooms."
"Sounds good, Volkner. I have more than enough."
We found the motel, bought a room, and I fell onto the bed, falling asleep before I even knew it.