Chapter 20: Wind Stone

While Karl lay in bed, wondering how he was going to deal with the mage class in the morning, Hawk was busily finishing absorbing the wind gem that he had been given. With the level difference between the Hawk and the stone, it should be giving him all sorts of benefits, but after the first stone, which brought him to the Awakened Level, there wasn't much change. His mana levels were steadily growing, which was pulling Karl up with him, but nothing as shocking as the first stone. It was with great regret that the generous offer of resources was wasted that Karl fell asleep, only to be awakened before dawn as a surge of magic flowed through his body. [Skill Gained: Wind Shield] The absorption of the stone had granted Hawk a new skill, though the new spell was unavailable to Karl, at least for now. "Now that's more like it. Another spell for you, and that is one that a normal Windspeed Hawk wouldn't manage to learn. Congratulations." Karl cheered for the bird, who was already settling back down to sleep. It had managed to comprehend better magic with the help of the stone, and now it had no intention of being awake while it wasn't hungry. Unfortunately for Karl, he wasn't so lucky, and the excitement kept him awake for hours, letting him get back to sleep just before the alarm went off to get ready for breakfast. "You're looking chipper this morning. Aren't you sore?" One of the boys from the combat training class asked. "I recover pretty quickly. It's all just a matter of eating enough to keep up with your needs." Karl laughed as he pointed to the plate in front of him. After the breakthrough yesterday, his appetite had grown much larger, and again this morning, his clothes were a size too small. Before he went for training, he was going to have to go to the supply room and get new uniforms that actually fit. Karl made his way to the laundry room, where the sign said they could apply for new uniforms, and was greeted by a very large woman in a raincoat. "What do you need then? A bit early in the day for laundry, it won't be ready until later, and I'll put it in your room." She announced. "Actually, I need uniforms that fit. I've been growing like crazy since I arrived, and neither of the ones I was given fits anymore, I can't even do up my shoes, I'm standing on the heel." Karl replied. "Ah, right then. I'll get you sorted out. Just bring the others down to me later." The laundry woman came back a few seconds later with two uniforms in fresh plastic bags and a pair of boots, plus a pair of shoes and sandals. "If you turn out to be one of those giants, then you might need the sandals later. Just try to keep things in good condition, so I can issue them to the other students once they're all washed. Once you're settled through the growth phase, you should be fine." Karl returned to his room to change, and then went down to meet Rita for their morning visit with the mages. [Hey Hawk, which one do you think is more mana efficient, Rend, or Wind Shield?] He asked. [Rend, of course. But Wind Shield can block big things, and water balls. Stupid water balls.] Hawk replied. Karl wasn't sure what the water had done to him, the bird had been sleeping most of the morning yesterday, but there was a chance that the young bird was just moody and needed more attention. "Why don't you come out and sit on my shoulder for the morning? We can block water balls together." Karl suggested, and Hawk was instantly out, sitting on the shoulder of his coat while impatiently rocking, waiting for them to get to work. "I take it Hawk is going to join us for the day?" Rita asked. "He was feeling a bit caged in, waiting to be able to do something other than sleep and wait. I think it will be good training for him as well, and there are plenty of spells for him to block. Don't worry, he knows to block the spells, not to attack the casters." Rita laughed as she led them to the training grounds, where the mages were already assembled and waiting. "You have a pet bird? That is just awesome. Will he be watching? That's a male Windspeed Hawk, right?" One of the girls from the mage class asked. "He is. His name is Hawk, and he will be helping me out today with the blocking duties." Karl agreed. The mages looked extra excited. They were wondering what a magical beast would do to block their attacks, but they didn't want to go find a wild one to find out firsthand. This was much safer, and they would be able to learn if the Hawk's logic on what should be blocked was different from what a human's would be. The barrage began again, but with faster attacks, variable speed attacks, and multiple castings to try to get around Karl's defences. As soon as the fight started, Hawk leapt up into the air and circled behind the targets so that he could attack downward, the way that he was used to, and began targeting the water balls. Nobody else noticed at first, as there were only a couple of water mages, but they were quite certain that the bird had something against them. "Hey, did that Hawk just cast a Wind Shield? I swear that it used a barrier spell when my water balls split to go around the rending blades." The water mage complained. "It's a Windspeed Hawk. Since when do they have a barrier ability?" One of the other mages laughed, and then saw his fireball simply dissipate against an invisible shield. "Dammit, they do have a Wind Shield. Alright, I've got a counter for that." The Fire Mage raged, while the other mages laughed and the Hawk screeched happily. His next attack was three fireballs, split in speed so they wouldn't be easily blocked. Hawk spread his toes and swung his foot, sending a trio of rending blades out to intercept. They hit all three fireballs at once, and the other mages cheered. "Man, he's good. No wonder people tell horror stories about trying to get away from bird type monsters."