[06:15] "Right? I'm sure we'll achieve new power beyond our wildest dreams and yet we haven't even begun to touch the surface of what this power is.

New spells or different tires of magic...! The sky's the limit, but we'll need to reach that limit first before anything else.

Soooo....., training is called for and I'll be doing a lot of it with everyone and we'll do our hardcore training after the fact."

Elred's body would probably crumble under the effects of the training and yet he was willing to accept that. It wasn't really that bad, but it would be a lot of work.

"Yeah, within this year we'll be twenty times stronger than we are now and I can only imagine how we'll feel then. I'll feel like a giant wall or something like that...

Though that doesn't sound like a bad idea."
(Elred Yindove)
[06:22] "I really hope so, as long as we just keep pushing ourselves we're going to hit what we land on. I would be happy with just learning a few more spells and trying my best to beat you."

Extremely serious he looked over to Elred with a smile, he wanted nothing more than to beat him consecutively like he had managed with him time and time again.

"If I could unlock the power of the Chiron, then perhaps new magic all together would be possible for me. There is no real limit to that thing from what I understand, which is basically nothing beyond its a warm glowing orb that can be used for something special..."

Really it was just a game of chance.

"I hope that we can manage to grow that much, it isn't going to be easy. But I am glad that I can take this journey with you, my friend."
(Barthalamew Otho)
[06:28] "I'm sure we'll figure it out and we'll start training soonish, but for now we'll plan it out since that's always the best part of it.

What do you think we should focus on? I think we should focus on learning something new."

Elred taps his foot on the ground with a smirk on his face this was going to be a hell of a training session between the both of them.

"This will be our greatest training session we've ever done. I hope you're prepared."
(Elred Yindove)
[06:39] "I am ready whenever you are, but I think we should focus on new stuff like improving our magic and in your case maybe trying to buff up that physical power which seems to be right ahead of me."

There was no joke when it came down to how much stronger Elred seemed to feel, it was absurd... though he wasn't going to give up even if it took everything he had to achieve victory at least one time.

"I know that it will be, I am ready for such a thing my friend. I just hope that it proves to be fruitful, I might even want to bring the Chiron with me... Just so I can be given any effects that it might have."

The Chiron gave him luck, at least it felt like it had been.
(Barthalamew Otho)
[06:46] "We're going to head into the Vale to start training then we're going to buckle down. I have a few ideas..., but we'll have to push our bodies to a limit I never thought one could reach."

Elred motions for Bart to follow him since they'd be in the vale for the training session. Only Vale-born to enter, but Elred was giving permission to Bart so enter.

"We'll let's get started then."
(Elred Yindove)
[06:55] Heading into his room the chest was faintly glowing a golden hue from within, he knew that it was finally time to remove the artifact which he had managed to win almost a year ago... this was the moment to see if it had any real potential, a time for him to work hard and bring everything to the table.

Opening the lid he could see the leather bag which was shimmer with this gold coloration, reaching down he grabbed it. A gentle warm feeling seemed to embrace his hand upon contact, the Chiron a gem of unmeasurable power was lying dormant inside just waiting to be held.

Closing the lid he would hide the bag within another pouch until he and Elred, the Teraphim which decided they were finally heading into the Vale reached their destination. Moving toward the door he walked into the room where his friend had been waiting for him. The Misteer of War, a very defined position which held him in high status compared to so many others.

"I am ready to travel if you are my friend. I know that it isn't far, but I think that it is finally time I take my reward for the tournament with me. Perhaps it can enlighten me on the path which is ahead, at least guide my actions toward the route I need to take in order to achieve our impossible goals."

Impossible they were, to become some of the most powerful that these lands had ever seen. It was hard enough to train for the tournament, but now it was time to prepare for reality. Inescapable pain and torment which could only be matched by sheer will and unbreakable bodies.

"I am ready."
(Barthalamew Otho)
[07:14] Elred took the boy down a path that many shouldn't know of though they still managed to enter, but this time was different for the pair. There has been thought plaguing his mind the past year since he took second place in the tournament, but there was no real path for him to travel down.

The deeper the pair went into the Vale the more clear the thoughts and visions became, but what did they mean? The two travel through a hollow passage, through trees with vines stretching down from the sky.

A place truly untouched by man and finally reached an open space where they two would begin their training, express their ideas, and overcome something new about themselves.

This wasn't normal training, no. . . this was something that would stand the test of time. They would push their bodies to the brink of exhaustion not for the sake of power, no. They did it to ensure everyone around them felt -safe- in this time of war.

They tried to avoid it and they tried to submit to it, but again each action affects the balance in some way, shape or form.

Was there truly no other way? Could Elred finally piece togethers these thoughts?

Time

It felt slower in the Vale and it allowed Elred to clear his mind, turning towards Bart with his blowing blue eyes.

"This will not be -easy-, but if you're truly willing then we'll spend time doing more than jsut training. We'll need to undercover something new about ourselves; I hope you're prepared for what comes next."
(Elred Yindove)
[07:26] Through the city, into a cavern and finally, they would wander through a dark passageway which only spit them out in the bowels of the Vale... This was certainly a place which he wasn't familiar with in the slightest, only having glimpsed the entrance a few times rather than wandering through completely.

It was such a beautiful place that he knew this was where they could train without being bothered in the slightest, here a feeling of peace seemed to flow through him like never before. Astonishing really, how it was separated from the overgrowth outside... This was the real treasure of Myllenoris.

But with Myllenoris having its special treasures. So did Barthalamew, removing the Chiron from his pouch and placing it within his right hand. The young man would then hold it up before the Misteer, to show him just how prepared that he truly was.

"I, Barthalamew Otho, have brought forth the Chiron to guide me through this. I hold it within my hand as a sign for things to come, for this moment between us to be enlightened and fruitful."

The golden gem held within it a power which could rival that of anything he knew of, it felt like an unstoppable force that just wanted to be used. He had so many ideas, but for now, he was going to use it as a charm of luck, one which might bring him a possible vision as a few tales seemed to offer.

"I am ready Elred, I have been preparing for this moment. I knew that it was coming, with this gem on my side. I do not fear what is going to happen."
(Barthalamew Otho)
[07:41] Elred being thinking back to when he placed second in the tournament, why did the man lose? What was in his way that he couldn't place his finger on it.

After a moment of thinking he remembers the fight with Atlas and suddenly the thoughts begin rolling in. It wasn't that people were stronger than him, no. . . it was the feeling of hitting an unbreakable wall for a second.

To have his blade slam against an orb only to have the blade wobble made no sense, but what did they call this magic? It was on the tip of his tongue and yet so far back in his mind.

"H-" it didn't sound right, but what was this called? The magic that made mages seem unbreakable. .. ? "Holy!" he shouted out almost forgetting that Bart had entered the Vale with him.

"Sorry for my out-burst, but I just recalled some thought while the Vale was helping me clear my mind. During my battle in the tournament I lost against a holy magic that could protect himself.

It wasn't normal blocking, no. .. it's as if angels game down and protected him from attacks briefly. This is the strength behind Osrona and why they are feared, this is the strength people refused the fight against.

A magic that's so calm and yet so deadly at the same time it almost breaks the balance in the world. It creates a shell so hard and thick that a normal mage won't be able to penetrate their defense.

I -envy- their blessing, but I don't because I have one of my own."

Elred formed a crystal within his hand and began smirking towards the boy.

"While it might feel impossible I have something they can only dream to achieve. I have a blessing that many would not understand and I'll explain it to you my friend.

I have the power to form green crystals to heal myself, I have the power of red crystals to increase my damage output, and I have the power of blue crystals to keep me stable.

They might have their defense, but I have a gift that allows me to work around this, yes...

I need to understand the true meaning behind them.... not for power alone, no. I hate to see my people confused and worried about Osrona and us being pushed under their thumb.

I want to give them reassurance that even though we don't have their numbers we can make up for it with skill. I want to be the one that shatters the unbreakable barrier that some call holy....."

Elred smirks

"I'll BE THE UNSTOPPABLE FOR TO THEIR IMMOVABLE OBJECT"
(Elred Yindove)
[08:01] Hearing Elred speak of his ideas, the way he wanted to break through the holy layers of defense was by utilizing the very magic which he had been learning and shaping over the time which they had known one another.

An example of their past was how Barthalamew couldn't even barely cast a single shocking bolt of lightning for a long time, it was mainly sparkles and flashes of blue miny arcs which thrummed within his hands. To go from that to the tournament was a mighty challenge that forced him to delve deep inside himself and drag up the magical power which lived within.

Though, that day when Elred claimed the second place was one he never was going to forget. It was merely a few moments after that he was announced as the winner of this mighty stone which rested within his palm.

"As you are searching for a way to crack the shield of light, I am searching to pierce the world... All those who stand against me are who I look to drill down the might of the very sky itself. The true power which rests just below the heavens and above the ground, the thunderous applause which announces the mighty bolts which hail down."

His true love was for the unrelenting and pure power of lightning which never seemed to shake, it was instantaneous and unforgiving.

"I want to feel the true power rain down, to discover all which I have been dragged away from in my pursuit of other magics... I need to master something before spreading my mind thinner than it already is. So I will maintain my focus and energy upon that which lights the sky in its darkest hours."

The moon wasn't it when a storm raged above and it was covered behind the thick clouds which hailed every moment... Lightning was what woke the skies, it was what made people feel fear.

"With the Chiron guiding my path, I will prove to you, my friend. I will show you just how powerful I can become, to wield this stone... If only for a moment, it should be more than enough."

Moving it to his left hand, he would then draw forth his staff to feel the jolt of electricity which it conducted through his mana circuits and into the weapon. That was when he saw it... A flash, a vision, whatever they called it. A lightning blast far greater than any other which had ever been conjured before.

BOOM!
(Barthalamew Otho)
[08:17] Elred continued the pre-training conversation with Bart and while they were friends this moment was deadly serious. Elred pondered his own thoughts on crystals he formed and how they could be used to assist him more than they already have.

But, Bat had his attention at the moment it seemed his friend had his own path, ideals, journey that he wanted to follow. There were so many words meant for a path like this, but they would all lead to the same goal if the proper steps were taken.

"To crack something means it can be repaired; I seek to shatter it until the last molecule. I wish to strike with such a force that those around me feel the ground shake with my might....

I seek...."

Elred fell silent the man didn't know what it was he wanted to achieve only a pipe dream in his mind. Anything could happen with effort placed into it..

"You seek to command lightning more than you already have? You seek the applause from the sky -yet- you don't honor them fully Bart."

Elred smirked at the boy, but he began giving him a round of applause.

"You seek to command lightning? -yet- you don't fully accept it. Bart, have to fully become and embodiment of lightning itself or a pretender?"

Elred posed the question to the boy one that Elred needed to answer himself in a different form.

"I know between us anything is possible, but I need you to understand that -lightning- that element is powerful. You've come to a decent resolve, but you must master the basics before you become a true master."

Elred could feel the emotion, passion, and determination coming from Bart. This reminded Elred of the training for the tournament and just like before his friend managed to give him a new resolve.

"With a gem guiding your path? Yes show me what that gem is capable of my friend. You're the winner and you possess something men have died to obtain... show me what you can do with it."

With the bolt crashing down Elred's reaction was to cover himself in a crystal shell, but it wasn't protection he needed. Elred finally opened his eyes and vision of lightning in its purest form was present in front of him. . .if this was what Bart wanted then he was on one hel of a path.
(Elred Yindove)
[08:30] To hear Elred speak in such a manner as if he wasn't aware of these things... It felt like he was trying to insult him for some reason, there was no doubt that he was required to become lightning itself if he wished to control the very power he spoke of. The roaring winds and with them came striking bolts of Lightning, that was what he wished to focus himself on.

The explosive magics fire had led him down were losing their usefulness which was a reason he wanted to learn of a way to push them off himself, it was dead weight. Much like carrying a giant stone on your back while trying to swim across a lake, it just wasn't feasible for normal people to handicap themselves like that.

"I know that I require more training, Elred, I can feel it within myself that I need to push harder than other people. I need to work for everything because I didn't get my grand chance. I lost, time and time again because I was foolish to not dedicate myself to a single path."

It was that path which he wished to correct, to take this stone and unleash its power in order to bury the stone which he carried through the water. It was nearing the time to let it go completely, he just needed a little help to get it rolling.

"You really want to see what it is like to break the shield? Why not pierce through it, I will give you a taste of lightning. Show you just how far I have come with it. You will see just what embodiment is like."

Gripping the Chiron in his left hand tightly, he wasn't afraid, it was stronger than he was. Not a chance it would crack under the pressure, but right now as he peered off toward his friend, his opponent. It was time to stop talking and start working.

"This stone... It is my chance, a real chance. I am not going to waste it."

Never forfeit an opportunity. Not when it truly mattered most, he was more than just ready. Taking a step toward the swordsman, it was time.

"I don't need to tell you to prepare yourself Elred."
(Barthalamew Otho)
[08:41] Elred continued listening to the boy speak and while he offered plenty of counter points Elred knew. Shattering a shield could break a person's confidence, but this was just more than attack, no. Elred would mimic them in his own way while outputting more than others have in that pace.

He'd take his blade from the Sheathe and tossed his armor and cape to the side, why? He was going to prove a point to himself and others if they were heard or not.

"We both require more training and that's why we're here my friend to push the limits behind what we've had in the past. We've all made mistakes, but in here we have all the time to correct them."

Elred continued to watch as the boy continued trying to unleash the power of the gem. Elred wasn't sure what he attempted to accomplish with this.

"I don't only seek to shatter, but I'll show you my own form of defense my friend. I'll show you what's been running though my mind the entire time we've been speaking.."

Elred begins covering his entire body in crystal...

"Green"

His body was covered in a thick green crystalized armor made purely from the earth beneath the Vale.

"While this might be your last with the gem I don't have long to figure this out myself, but yes I'm prepared to face you.

Don't hold back and I'll give you everything I have to offer to prepare yourself."
(Elred Yindove)
[09:17] Elred was indeed powerful with his lightning strikes, but Elred would prove that armor was just an earthly item that people used. They feared pain? or maybe they didn't believe in their magic.

Elred could see a piece of the green crystal shatter, no this wasn't what he intended and as the battle progressed the armor was completely gone.

Elred smirked at the boy.

"Green"

There was another layer of green crystal surrounding his body, but it wasn't as thick as before. Elred noticed a red crystal and dashed towards it and slammed his blade in the ground, spinning in a circle.

He'd slam his body into the crystal and now was covered in an even thicker layer of red crystal though the green was visible underneath.

"While you might have pushed me this far it won't be enough to stop me. I'll show you that my crystal is just as strong as any holy barrier could hope to be"

Elred charged the boy causing the ground to shake lightly, but the man was indeed slowed with these two layers of crystal around him. He'd swing his blade slow and robustly toward the boy while having his movements hindered.

"Red"

The crystals began to glow and the man dashed towards the body and smashed him into the ground with an overhead attack. The ground beneath them shattered, but the fight was far from over...

Bart was a lot stronger than others might have believed, the Mistress wasn't a cake walk. Swinging his blade to catch the boy off guard he'd swing the blade twice.

Elred smirked

"I have you now!"

Elred tackled the boy into the side of the mountain with all his might causing some of the rocks to crumble. The crystal armor shattered and Elred fell over attempting to catch his breath.

It seemed Bart still managed to get a final blow during that tackle. Elred noticed the burn marks on his skin and they might have gone a little -far-.

"I guess your lightning cuts deep, huh?"
(Elred Yindove)
[09:31] Bolts, gusts of wind. Explosions. It was what he unleashed upon Elred throughout this fight which they sank their heart and souls into, the Chiron was within his hand as he conducted magic throughout his weapon and body trying to gain the advantage when the Teraphim began to use Crystals to cover his figure.

Being inside of a cavern made it much harder to deal with the weather effects he was used to, here there wasn't a lot of wind current... It was all still, he was forced to work it all into a howl around the older Mitress.

"I am not going to fail here."

Determined, he felt like he needed to win... To prove to himself that he was stronger than one of the tournament winners... That he truly earned this Chiron, to be guided in the right direction. Throwing everything he had, it seemed like Elred was charging through crystals in order to secure his form with more defenses that just made him try harder to break through them.

He realized the colors meant something within the crystals, but it was all too late because the moment he said 'I have you now...' it was too late, he was upon him which meant a last-ditch effort.

Channeling his mana throughout his body, it moved toward his right hand while the left was still holding the Chiron tightly and that was when he saw what to do... Unleash everything, raising the right hand as they connected he would use Elred as a conduit to ground the electrical energy which blasted through his body to be discharged into the ground.

Arcs of lightning-sparked all around the pair as they tumbled to the ground, sadly it seemed he had failed once again... But he had come ever closer to achieving victory.

"Sadly, not deep enough yet."

Leaning back, he was exhausted.
(Barthalamew Otho)