Veltai ceased her relentless onslaught against the dummy and went over to Yo Hin. She extended a hand and helped him up.
“Thanks,” Yo Hin said. “I can’t seem to get that technique right.”
“Because your brain is too big.” She prodded his head with a finger that was almost a match for one of Kegohr’s. “It’s weighing down the rest of your body.”
Yo Hin laughed in an unsure way, and Veltai smiled beneath her locks of red hair. Her smile broadened when she caught sight of me and the others standing at the edge of the practice yard.
“Hey, handsome,” Veltai said to Kegohr as she approached. “Fancy a bit of sparring?”
“Uh. . .” He scratched his neck with a giant paw, and his gray fur bristled so that he looked almost like a frightened cat. I would have hated my uncomfortableness to be so easy to spot by other people. I’d never seen him in a state like this before.
Veltai brushed her nunchuck along Kegohr’s sleeveless tunic, and her eyes settled on his bare arms. Her mouth pulled back into a three-toothed smile that managed to look both devious and aggressive.
“I thought you were the biggest and strongest initiate in the guild,” she said. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of women?” She pulled her arm back, and then brought her nunchucks around, but before they could strike Kegohr, he snatched her forearm and clamped it beneath his massive hands.
I jumped to defend him, but he shook his head at me before looking down at Veltai.
“No, no, no. I’m not afraid of women.” He held her tight, and she winced under his grip. “Although, I will take you up on the offer. Maybe another time?”
“Uh, Kegohr, I think you’re going to break her arm.” Yo Hin peered over Veltai as he clasped his hands together.
Veltai smiled through gritted teeth. “Another time.”
Kegohr released her, and she tucked her nunchucks into her belt without massaging her forearm. She smiled at him one more time before she left the practice yard. Yo Hin offered little bows to each of us as he followed her back into the guild house proper.
“Well, that was weird,” Vesma said.
“I’ll second that,” I added. “Kegohr, I didn’t think you--”
“I just want to fight her when no one is watching,” he cut in.
“Right,” Vesma drawled.
“How about we practice?” I asked as the awkwardness started to become palpable.
We lined up in front of the practice dummies and stood a few feet apart.
“I want to see Untamed Torch,” Kegohr said, giddy like a child.
“I suppose I could benefit from an example.” Vesma shrugged, as though she didn’t care whether I used the technique, but I could tell she was almost as eager as Kegohr.
I brought my wrists together, spread my hands, and pointed my palms toward the targets. I pushed the Vigor down that channel, letting it become a flowing thing of fiery power. A ball of flame appeared between my hands, the size of a baseball. It shot through the air, straight at the target, and burnt a hole in the left side. It was much larger than the ones I’d used on Hamon, and pride filled my chest as I realized I’d already grown in strength.
“Now, close your eyes,” Vesma said. “Sense that channel within you, where you carved it when you absorbed the cores. Take deep breaths. Each time you breathe in, imagine the middle of that channel moving a little toward the outside of your arm. Keep doing that until its a curve, running from the inside of your shoulder out to your elbow and then, back in to your wrist.”
I did as she said and felt the path moving within me.
“Done,” I said. “It’s not well fixed, but it’s there.”
“Now, try using it again.”
I opened my eyes and summoned the flames once more. This time, when the fire shot out, it did so in a curve. The ball missed the targets and hit the wall to my right.
“Aw,” Kegohr said. “I thought that would work.”
“It did.” I grinned as I realized what was different. “Watch this.”
I summoned the fire of Untamed Torch again. This time, I had more control. It shot out in a curve, around one of the dummies, and spiraled to hit the next one in the back.
I could attack enemies around corners.
“Another one,” Vesma said. “This time, thicken the path right at the end, making something like a funnel.”
I did as she suggested, then summoned the power. This time, the Untamed Torch burst forth in a wide spray that hit all the targets. With its power dispersed, it only did a little damage to each one, but the effect was intimidating.
“You’re a genius!” I said.
Vesma shrugged and hid her face, but not before I caught a slight blush on her cheeks.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Kegohr said. “We can do this with other techniques too, right?”
“Of course,” Vesma said. “Let’s try Flame Shield. I suggest that you-”
“No, no, no,” Kegohr said. “I’ve got this.”
He raised his left arm, and a fiery disk appeared on his forearm—the Flame Shield. It didn’t look very substantial, but I knew from sparring that it could block any weapon, mundane or magical, if the Augmenter knew how to fight.
Kegohr let the shield fade away, then closed his eyes and took a series of deep breaths. I felt as though I should have been able to see something—a rippling in the air or a wriggling under his skin, anything to show the channels changing. But it was all inside Kegohr, invisible to the rest of the world.
He opened his eyes and raised his arm again. The shield appeared once more, a simple disk of swirling flame. As far as I could tell, nothing had changed.
“Maybe if you try—”
