"Let's begin.
These are force crystals. They are our common currency. But why do they have value?"
Ohn shook his head slightly, somehow managing to get the fur out of his head. Now, a strange reddish slit could be seen on his head where his eyes should be. Obviously, this was his method of observation which he used to scan the room now.
After a moment a female student in the first row calmly rose her hand, prompting Ohn to nod at her.
"Because they attract and store forces."
"Good. This force can then be used. We can make engines, weapons, and more.
But that's not all. Our artifacts can use force. But so can warriors.
Force crystals can speed up our training. They can also help us recover."
Suddenly Tepo's eyes lit up. Now he understood why this course was recommended for new students. He only wondered why Quill never mentioned this to him.
"But not all warriors can do so.", continued Ohn calmly. "Some of you might know the ihrt race. That's where I am from. We aren't compatible with many forces. But we have great synergy with a few.
And that's important. Only with high synergy can you easily reach deeper immersion."
The guest teacher paused for a moment, letting the information settle before continuing:
"Immersion means your understanding of your force. It allows you a more proficient and versatile use.
Example:"
Ohn slowly reached out one of his legs. The force crystal lying on it suddenly began to float in the air.
"This small trick is easily doable with most forces. But its not practical. Don't think of doing this in combat. The efficiency is terrible."
Strange, short hums left Ohn's mouth. Tepo could only guess that the guest teacher was chuckling.
"To use force in combat you need deeper immersion. But that's not part of this course.
We are here to talk about force crystals. You can already guess it. Even with shallow immersion force crystals can help you in training.
Immersion is difficult to quantify. We use a point system from 1 to 1000. If you reach about thirty, you can do this:"
Some of the students present already knew what to expect. They took this course in the hope of learning something new, but the guest teacher decided to start from the beginning.
But one man's disappointment was another man's joy. Tepo and Yerive felt like a new path was opening before them as they stared at the force crystals in Ohn's hand.
Suddenly the small, white crystals began to shine brightly. The sensitive warriors could even feel considerable amount of force attracted by the crystals, flowing into the room like a faint breeze. But it was easily absorbed by Ohn, the amount not even a drop in the bucket.
But as Tepo and Yerive looked closer they noted something peculiar. One crystal shone brighter than the others. Fortunately, Ohn was just about to explain this phenomenon.
"You see the power of crystals differs. This bright one is called a mid-quality crystal. It has the power and worth of about 1000 low-quality crystals. We also know about high-quality. Those have the power of about 1000 mid-quality crystals."
A heavy frown formed on Tepo's face. He observed the crystals closely as Ohn ended his demonstration. Only now did he notice the difference in pureness.
But it's strange. The crystal chunk I gave mother somehow seemed even purer in comparison. Don't tell me…
Tepo suddenly couldn't hold back a dry chuckle. He might have given his mother the equivalent of millions of low-quality crystals. And even more was wasted in the solved dungeon.
Although the young man didn't particularly value money, such a waste still hit him hard.
And this is the loot of a single dungeon. No wonder people start wars over dungeons…
Afterwards Ohn continued to explain more about force crystals and where to find them. The students politely listened to the big warrior as the clock hanging above the door slowly advanced.
As only five minutes were left of the two-hour course, Oh suddenly perked up. He let out a strange sound as he muttered to himself.
"Oh. I forgot to talk about myself again."
With that said Ohn abruptly changed the topic. His voice didn't have much enthusiasm, but he told a story of how he and his team found a big crystal mine in a dungeon.
Tepo nodded in understanding. Now he understood why the forum worked with many guest teachers. It was obviously another method for warriors to make their names known.
Since understanding the need of warriors to gather fame, he thought this was a fair exchange. Maybe this was an option for his future as well.
Finally, the course ended. The students politely thanked the guest teacher before everyone left the room.
The mood between Tepo and Yerive had improved, the earlier discussion dismissed. The two friends talked for a moment, but quickly agreed to a change of plans.
Originally, they thought that training would take priority, but after a single course they understood the worth of the lectures offered by the forum.
Thus, they spent the rest of the day listening to knowledgeable warriors teaching about materials, immersion, and the force of natural perception.
At the end of the day Tepo any Yerive grabbed some food and returned to their dorm. They were met with Shorey sprawled on a couch, a girl in his arms.
"Ha! My new dormmates. Come in, come in! Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend Firain!"
"Hi!"
Tepo scanned the food and drinks in the room before his eyes fell on Firain. It looked a bit comical as the rather tall and corpulent woman almost buried the smaller Shorey beneath her.
"Nice to meet you."
"Hi. Is there something to celebrate?"
"Haha of course!", laughed Shorey. "I successfully engraved my first nine-runed spell! Finally, I can be taken serious among my peers!"
"Oh? Congratulations!", spoke Tepo genuinely.
Yerive also smiled brightly, but he had a question in mind:
"Is it difficult to engrave a nine-runed spell?"
"Naturally. Every three runes are a huge watershed. Personally, I don't know anyone who managed to engrave a nine-runed spell without outside help like pills."
"Yes, you did great, baby!"
Firain was obviously happy for her boyfriend as she kissed his cheek, leading to Shorey giggling happily.
Watching their flirting, Yerive felt slightly embarrassed while Tepo was more interested in the information Shorey just dropped, committing it to memory.
"Come guys, sit down. Quordh will be here anytime with a few friends so we can celebrate."
Tepo and Yerive looked at each other for a moment. Although the former felt it was a waste of time, he new that his friend was hoping to form more connections. Thus, Tepo and Yerive agreed to join them.
A few minutes later a small party began. Quordh brought another five young men and women.
But Tepo found it hard to fit in. He was more intrigued by what Shorey called cheap booze.
But even when drinking, the feeling was off. The young man wasn't used to drinking in happy or social settings. In his former life the only celebration he ever attended was when Shev retired.
Additionally, the students bought normal alcohol, intended for commoners. It had barely any effect on warriors. Although Tepo praised them inwardly for this decision, it only reduced his enjoyment more.
Thus, the young man excused himself after two hours and went to train in his room.
Blending out the youthful voices from the next room he took a deep breath and immersed himself in meditation.
Just like he learned today, Tepo connected with his Core of Time. The familiar violet nebulas appeared all around him. Although they were attracted by the specially constructed training area, it was way slower than even a low-quality force crystal.
But Tepo wasn't eager to absorb the Force of Time at the moment. He wanted to try something else he learned today.
Tepo breathed evenly as he deepened his connection with the Core of Time. He was surprised as the difficulty was lower than the teacher claimed. But after a few minutes he found out the reason for this, as the Core of Time began to voluntarily pull him in.
The more I learn, the more I feel like my core behaves unusual. But why? Could it be that it was originally a separate entity? Or is it just naturally stronger than others?
Maybe the Core of Time isn't the only one with such a strong own will. Maybe this is rare, but it does exist?
I should browse the library when I have the time.
Perhaps I can even find something about cores which have no connection with the spellcirlce. So far, this situation appears to be unique to me as well…
Tepo noticed that his thoughts began to stray. He stabilized his mind, knowing that concentration was important in training.
Using the Core of Time as a bridge Tepo's mind gradually managed to reach out towards the force stored within the core. It felt ethereal and in constant movement. It carried an inherent might but was obedient before the Core of Time.