Spirit Taming

Chapter 720: Arrogant Training

"I knew that matriarch and brought these young humans in for a reason. It wasn't because they had fooled anyone, but because they were smart humans." The elves that wwe gossiping on the side had quickly begun to say things like this.

Clark had easily heard it since he had sharper senses than what most people did because of the energies provided by his partners. He didn't say anything though.

He was paying attention for a reason.

The elves had been able to show off their skills but also tried to show off that they had many better techniques than the humans. This had led multiple swordsmen to spar with Reese and his partner. Even all at the same time.

One group of earth elves had challenged Jerodl to hide from them while he moved. Jerold and gladly said it would be ideal training since he recalled the earth elf guards noticing him. His footsteps still touched the earth, therefore, the earth elves had been able to see him everywhere he went.

The game of hide and seek like this had turned in to trying to tap the person hiding at the moment. While Jerold was completely useless at tagging someone, he had actually started to improve in how he stepped. His feet placing themselves on the ground with more delicate mo events.

This led to the earth elves praising his ability to learn from them. His ability to be able to do what they were sure other humans could not. Jerold didn't pay much attention to that though. He knew that he was a long way off of proper stealth. One that he could sue so that he would not notify any beast that he was nearby scouting an area.

When it came to Grace, Maria, and Isa, they had ended up doing what Maria was best at. Archery.

There were many elves that had been quick to join them at the long archery area of this massive training area. Simply because they knew full well that their archery was more advanced than what humans knew. Regardless, that didn't stop what the three girls were doing. Grace was working on shaping arrows with ice since her partner could assist her in doing that.

Even though it had been keeping itself afloat in the air to avoid being bothered.

The larger size it had with more dense ice energy and wind energy had made the past form of a frost finch to be somewhat enjoyable by comparison. But that was why Grace had begun understanding the ice and wind energy better. She could refine arrows using the cie energy, then make them fly with the wind. Her partner had that much spare energy after all.

But this training also taught her to use these energies better.

Once she had done so, she could awaken a unique taming space so that ehr partner's new size and unique species as a one of the species of phoenix could be less focused on. Not that the elves had spent their time saying anything about that. They would not bring too much focus to that since they would lose the attention on their own archery at the moment.

Idssa was worried about the arrow she shot. She had been struggling more with how to alter the direction of the arrows with wind energy. Before, she had felt she was developing better. She had trained it with some help from the others. But where he training hit a wall was when it came to both making arrow spin so that they would do more damage, and also changing their direction.

This was all without even pushing the arrow to move faster in general.

Maria had tried to help her, but Maria was not one to focus on making an arrow change direction. Specifically, Maria did not even have a beast that could use wind energy. Nor was she like Isa or Grace whose beasts allowed them to manipulate these energies in skills. She had healing, alchemy, and her body guard hiding away in her shadow.

Compared to the elves, when Maria went back to just firing arrows at targets hanging in the trees or set on the ground, her form was less elegant. The elves made long drawn out movements. Like they were showing off how they shot a bow every time. But this made them use their entire body when firing an arrow.

It changed the way that they aimed and how they were able to better add force behind each arrow. That was without their beasts playing a part of them using specific techniques for the most part.

But Maria stunned them. A human with impeccable aim who used a bow style that relied on efficiency only. This spoke a lot of Maria. She would always get right to the issue at hand. Especially when she was healing or learning about potions. She would not let her focus slip at all.

A few of the youngest elves did not believe she should be there for archery when humans were not a race known for that. But they were quickly shut up when Maria fired five arrows in succession. Each one had hit their mark making them shut their mouths for some time before they began to challenge her to it further or more complicated targets.

The odd ones out were Ralph And Brad. The elves did not seem to be as interested in the physical training that Brad wanted to do. Simply because they would not desire their slender figures to become too bulky. As they were, they could easily move through a crowded forest or cave. If they became muscle heads as they called it, they would not be able to match what their other fellow elves could.

On Ralph's side, none of the elves would even bring up forging techniques. He tried his best, which was fair, but all it had brought him was silence. Simply because the elves wouldn't share this information with anyone. It was one of the more important pieces of their culture. They would have to keep it hidden away or it could be used against them.

Techniques related to foreign with natural elemental energies that were in energy dense areas were very sought after, they were powerful and could be set up depending on the season or locations. That means the right conditions in nature could allow for there to be a better item forged just by forging it under those conditions.

There were also the more unique techniques that didn't require flames at all. It required the imbuing of energies to shape the materials. Normally making staves or other forms of channeling weapons. Not usually armors, weapons, or shields.

As for Clark himself, he found himself unapproachable. He had tried to speak with a few elves, but he had managed to just have a short conversation before they moved on. Yes, he had been glaring around using the analysis skill to learn things. And yes, he had been focused on the group growing overall so he looked like he was very focused. Very serious. Not at all friendly by many means.

The main reason though, was the death energy. The dragon energy that he possessed because of Crim was already very powerful. Very hard for people to spend time around. Yet, the slight death energy that dripped from him was naturally terrifying to elves who believed in nature and had a deep connection with it. They could feel uneasy around it.

While they did believe that nature was an aspect of nature as a whole, they knew that an area with higher enough energies in death would mean bad things, animals would avoid it too. The final nail in that coffin so to speak, was that the matriarch was said to have liked this human. Someone that the matriarch liked must be powerful.

So why would they challenge someone they knew they would lose against?

Losing to Clark would be a somewhat insulting event for them. Especially when it came to the techniques that they used as elves and how they bragged about them having the best skills overall. Now they would not want to lose their image since most of them saw themselves as powerful and well above the weaker humans.

"I will spar with you if you wish. Young miss Jasmine instructed that I ensure you are able to use the training area while she reaches." the guard that had been the only one guarding them as they moved through the elven city interrupted Clark's thoughts. She appeared to want to spar just to see more of his strength. Or at least this was what Clark believed.

He also figured that she might want to understand a little more about how powerful Clark was overall.

"Sure, we should have a chance to spar for a little bit while the others finish up. I hope to see the rarer herbs and the market area before we are done with the tour," Clark relaxed a little as he prepared his spear. He was ready to stretch a little.