As the afternoon sun began its descent, Nyx set aside the last of his freshly brewed potions. The fatigue from his earlier training session weighed heavily on him, his muscles protesting with each movement. He wiped the sweat from his brow and decided it was time to conclude his experiment.
With slow, tired steps, Nyx made his way back to the farmhouse. He found his clones exactly where he had left them - one sprawled on the bed, another reclined in a chair, and the third curled up on the makeshift pallet on the floor. All three appeared to be in deep, restful states.
"Alright, time to wake up," Nyx called out, his voice betraying his exhaustion.
The clones stirred, each blinking away the remnants of their rest. As they sat up and stretched, Nyx could see the renewed energy in their movements, a stark contrast to his own weariness.
Taking a deep breath, Nyx prepared himself for the moment of truth. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, and with a wave of his hand, he dismissed the clones.
The effect was instantaneous and astonishing. As the clones vanished, Nyx felt a rush of energy course through his body. The bone-deep fatigue that had plagued him moments ago evaporated like morning mist under a summer sun. His aching muscles relaxed, the soreness melting away as if he'd just emerged from a soothing, cold bath.
Nyx's eyes widened in surprise. He flexed his arms, rolled his shoulders, and hopped from foot to foot, marveling at the sudden absence of pain and exhaustion.
"By the Four Towers," he exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face. "It worked! It actually worked!"
The sensation was akin to having consumed ten cups of invigorating tea, but without the jittery side effects. Nyx felt refreshed, rejuvenated, as if he had enjoyed a full night's sleep and a thorough massage.
"This changes everything," Nyx said to himself, his mind racing with the implications of this discovery. The potential for increased productivity, faster recovery from training, and more efficient use of his time was staggering.
As he reveled in his newfound energy, Nyx couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. Here he was, a mage who had struggled with magical theory in school, now pushing the boundaries of what he thought was possible with his physical ability.
After his successful recovery experiment, Nyx resummoned all his clones. They gathered in the farmhouse, discussing the best approach for future training.
"We're mages first," Nyx said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Swinging axes and swords isn't really our forte."
One clone nodded in agreement. "But we can't ignore physical combat entirely. What if we focus on footwork?"
"Good idea," another chimed in. "Thorne Ironheart and Fiona Swiftblade have excellent techniques we could adapt."
With their plan set, Nyx and two of his clones made their way to the underground Illusionary Hall. Two clones remained behind at the farmhouse to rest, continuing their recovery experiment.
In the training center, Nyx activated the magical apparatus. The air shimmered as translucent overlays of Thorne and Fiona materialized, their forms ghostly but distinct. Nyx and his clones spread out on the training floor, each positioning themselves with either Thorne or Fiona. As the illusory figures began to move, Nyx and his duplicates followed suit, their feet tracing intricate patterns across the ground.
"Wait a moment." Nyx said, he cast a spell breaking the illusion the metal walls dropped down. He ran over to the control panel and ran back. The metal walls came back up the air shimmered as translucent overlays of Thorne and Fiona rematerialized in the background, the melodious voice of Elara Moonsong filled the air, her enchanting song providing a rhythmic backdrop to their training.
They shuffled, pivoted, and lunged, mimicking the defensive stances and evasive maneuvers of the seasoned warriors. But this was no ordinary footwork drill. At key points in Elara's song, typically at the apex of a crescendo, Nyx and his clones would pause in their movements to cast Magic Missile.
Bolts of arcane energy shot from their fingertips, streaking across the room to strike targets set up in a circle along the walls. The timing of these spells coincided perfectly with the beats of Elara's song, creating a dazzling display of light and motion.
From an outside perspective, it looked less like combat training and more like an intricate magical dance routine. Nyx and his clones moved slowly in perfect synchronization, their bodies flowing through the warrior stances while their hands wove patterns of magical energy.
As they trained, Nyx felt his movements becoming more fluid, more natural. The combination of physical movement and spellcasting was challenging, but he could sense improvement with each repetition.
"This is it," Nyx thought to himself as he sidestepped an imaginary attack and launched another Magic Missile. "This is how a battle mage should move."
They continued their practice, the room filled with the sound of Elara's singing, the whoosh of magical projectiles, and the rhythmic footfalls of Nyx and his clones. It was an unconventional method, to be sure, but one that played to their strengths as mages while addressing their need for physical combat skills.
As the session progressed, Nyx couldn't help but smile. This fusion of magic and martial technique felt right, a perfect blend of his magical training and the combat expertise of his retainers. He knew they had a long way to go, but this approach held promise.
With each step and spell, Nyx was not just learning to fight he was crafting his own unique style of magical combat.
After several hours of intense training, Nyx and his active clones decided it was time for a break. Their bodies were drenched in sweat, muscles aching from the repetitive movements and constant spellcasting. The fatigue was palpable as they made their way back to the farmhouse.
"Time to test our theory again," Nyx said, his voice tinged with both exhaustion and excitement.
As they entered the farmhouse, Nyx found his two resting clones exactly where he'd left them. One was curled up on the bed, while the other had made himself comfortable in the old armchair by the window. Both appeared to be in a deep, restful state.
Nyx approached them, his steps heavy with fatigue. "Alright, let's see if this works as well as it did earlier," he muttered.
He gently roused the sleeping clones, who blinked awake, looking refreshed and alert – a stark contrast to Nyx and the clones who had been training.
Taking a deep breath, Nyx prepared himself. "Here goes nothing," he said, and with a wave of his hand, he dismissed all of his clones simultaneously.
The effect was immediate and profound. As the clones vanished, Nyx felt a surge of energy course through his body. The bone-deep weariness that had settled into his muscles during training evaporated almost instantly. His breathing, which had been labored moments ago, steadied and deepened.
Nyx flexed his arms and rotated his shoulders, marveling at the absence of the soreness he'd felt just seconds earlier. He bounced on the balls of his feet, feeling light and energized.
"Incredible," he breathed, a grin spreading across his face. "It worked again!"
As he reveled in the sensation of renewed vitality, Nyx took stock of his magical reserves. While the physical fatigue had vanished, he could still feel that his mana pool was somewhat depleted from the numerous Magic Missile spells he'd cast during training.
"Interesting," Nyx mused, concentrating on the feeling of his partially drained mana. "The physical recovery is almost complete, but my magical energy still needs time to replenish fully."
Adding another layer to his understanding of his unique ability. It seemed that while his clones could accelerate physical recovery, magical energy followed different rules.
Nyx walked to the window, looking out at his farm as he considered the implications of this discovery. The potential for increased training efficiency was enormous, but he'd need to be mindful of his magical reserves.
"We're onto something big here," Nyx said to himself, his mind already racing with ideas for how to optimize his training regimen further.
Despite the renewed energy coursing through his body, Nyx couldn't ignore two pressing needs. The pungent odor of dried sweat clung to his skin, a stark reminder of his intense training session.
"Magical recovery is great and all," Nyx muttered to himself, wrinkling his nose, "but it doesn't do much for hygiene."
His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, as if in agreement. The sound echoed in the quiet farmhouse, drawing a chuckle from Nyx.
"Right, can't forget about food either," he said, patting his rumbling belly. "Even a mage needs more than magic to keep going."
With a resigned sigh, Nyx headed towards his modest washroom. A good shower and a hearty meal were in order. After all, pushing the boundaries of magical abilities was important, but so was taking care of his basic needs.
"Shower, food, then back to work," Nyx declared, already looking forward to feeling clean and well-fed before diving back into his experiments.
As he gathered fresh clothes and a towel, Nyx made a mental note to factor in these essential self-care practices into his future training regimens. Magical prowess was important, but not at the expense of his overall well-being.