The Elemental Relics

Ali wolfed down his supper in the cafeteria when Bardanes stopped next to him.

“Come to my office after supper,” said the instructor.

The teenager waited until Bardanes left the cafeteria before he turned to Belen who was finishing her meal. The girl gave him directions to Bardanes’ office and he quickly finished his meal. With no intention of keeping the instructor waiting, the teenager speed walked to the office where he knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

Ali entered the office and closed the door behind him. The room was quadrupled the size of the cell he slept in with the instructor behind a metal desk. The teenager sat down as instructed and he listened to the results of his evaluation.

“Overall, you have done quite well. Those who escape the maze are given a C rank immediately. You managed to clear everything except for the giant ant which puts you pretty close to C rank. Train hard and you may see your promotion very soon.”

Next, instructor Bardanes explained the training plan he put together for the teenager. He emphasized the importance of fitness given that, regardless of one’s abilities, one needed the stamina and endurance to overcome unexpected obstacles in combat, especially when one was out of MP. Bardanes also included combat training, believing that the class would help Ali develop an instinct needed to survive on the battlefield or wherever the enemy might show up.

“Do you know how to read and write?” asked the instructor.

The shaking of Ali’s head also got him registered in basic reading and writing class. The teenager was thrilled to get the class as he felt the limitation that came with being illiterate. Given how big the world was, he understood how illiteracy would matter in certain cases that violence simply had no place in. If he could sharpen his abilities for both, then Ali was confident he could reach new heights. With the discussion of his evaluation and classes over, the teenager was handed a piece of paper which he was told to keep for his own reference. Then, he was excused.

I better get Belen to translate this to me.

Later in his room, Ali stared at the ceiling again. He thought back to his duel and how one-sided it was.

What was that defensive ability used by Belen?

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No information available. Cannot scan abilities of other individuals. May only speculate.

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Speculate? Maybe I need to ask more general questions….what are the general limitations of defensive abilities like that wall ability?

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There are three general limitations of defensive abilities:

High MP/min cost

High MP cost per block

High MP cost per cast

Note: Most defensive abilities only have one of the three limitations. Those with two or more limitations might be extremely powerful and/or rare.

Defensive abilities with high MP/min cost use up high amounts of MP over time, regardless if the ability blocked any attacking abilities. Abilities of these types excel at short periods within a certain area when an individual or group needs to regroup or require time to finish casting a certain powerful ability with no interruption.

Defensive abilities with high MP cost per block use up the user MP only if the ability intercepts an incoming attacking ability. Abilities of these types excel at defending the user against weak to medium strength attacking abilities that have long cooldowns.

Defensive abilities with high MP cost per cast have a high upfront cost and limited uses per cast. Abilities of these types excel at intercepting powerful unidirectional attacking abilities as they boast the highest defense.

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From what he learned, Ali concluded that Belen’s wall ability had either the first or second limitation. If the first limitation, his air slash would do nothing until she no longer had the MP to sustain it. If the second limitation, then he should have kept attacking until she couldn’t cast the ability anymore. In both cases, Belen was also using attacking abilities which only depleted her MP faster.

Maybe that’s why the settings were 100 MP? She can use more abilities before she runs out of MP.

Ali couldn’t find himself blaming Belen for what she did. In this world where the strong ruled and the weak suffered, he would be an idiot if he condemned her for creating advantages for herself. He wouldn’t hesitate to do the same himself.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the air element in combat?

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As mentioned before, abilities are broken into attacking, defensive and support types. Air element abilities are rated the following ranking in the three types:

Attacking: A Rank

Defensive: C Rank

Support: B Rank

Higher ranks result in stronger abilities and higher likelihood of those ability types showing up in the selection process.

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With a better grasp of his air element, Ali prepared to sleep. Before he could do so, he overheard some whispering from the room next to his. The walls were terrible at insulating sounds so the teenager only had to press his ear against the wall to hear the conversation.

“They will be energizing the jewel tonight? The same jewel so many lost their lives for?”

“Yes, we cannot miss this moment. We got to sneak out quietly and not attract any attention.”

“Even if we sneak out, where will we hide?”

“The air ducts are available. I’ve been checking them out and they will lead us directly above the room.”

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go!”

Is this the jewel Dhad gave his life for?

Ali could hear the individuals in the other room leaving and debated internally if he wanted to go. Few minutes later, he tailed the other individuals, making sure he wasn’t easy to spot. The hallways were quiet as most other people had already gone to bed or at least returned to their rooms. He soon found himself in the air ducts where he had to wait for the group to turn a bend before making progress. Eventually, the group ahead of him stopped and Ali had to find a grate to look through.

“Looks like the air ducts are clogged with trash!”