Chapter 179: The Intermediaries (2/2)
Red made dismissive noises at the idea, but Mike saw a hint of drool forming at the corner of the dragon's mouth. Chuckling, he jumped, once more aiming for the University. With a little effort he was able to direct himself towards a secluded section of the campus. Judging from the sky, he still had about thirty minutes until it was time to meet up, so he took a moment to visit one of the dining facilities and eat a quick meal.
As per usual, Audra woke immediately after coming within a certain radius of food, and fought to free herself from the confines of Mike's pocket.
He intimated a feeling of exasperation along their link. [I spend the entire afternoon fighting monsters, and you're dead to the world. But the second we stop by a restaurant, you're ready to take on the world. I'm glad I don't actually have to depend on you for anything.]
The little dragon turned to look at him, cocked her head to one side, and replied with a squeaky chirp which translated as 'hungry!'
Sighing, he got in line. The cafeteria was serving a thick pork stew, with a half loaf of white bread, a wedge of cheese, two apples, and a flagon of ale. Not exactly the healthiest of meals, but tasty nonetheless. He made sure to get a second bowl of stew for his familiar, and sat down to eat, letting Audra down onto the table to do likewise.
Despite being distracted by the need to grab the dragon's bowl every so often to avoid having her tip it over, Mike found himself getting lost in thought during the meal.
[So I know mana infused ink works for creating items through Artifice, but how are you supposed to do it with the other methods. Am I supposed to simply incorporate the mana core into the item somehow? What should I do when making something small?]
He resolved himself to research the idea when he had the time, but pulled one of the smaller red cores out of his bag, out of curiosity. He wondered if he could somehow make it take a more convenient form, and applied a little mana-infused will in the attempt.
It didn't accomplish much besides making the core glow a little, and he could clearly tell that he was on the wrong track. Sighing again, he set it down on the table, and grabbed one of the apples, absentmindedly biting into it while thinking.
[The simplest method would be grind it into dust and add it to the item at the beginning…]
Audra, having finished her bowl of stew, was staring at the mana core curiously. She walked over and gently nudged it with her snout. It was a little humorous to watch, since the crystalline sphere was almost as big as she was.
”That's not edible, little one. Are you really still hungry? Here, you can have my other-”
With a loud crunch, she took a bite out of the core. By reflex, Mike moved to pull it away from her, but stopped himself to watch. With slow, steady progress, Audra devoured the sphere, storing it in whatever extradimensional space that served as her stomach. Once she was done, she gave a satisfied chirp, yawned, and curled up to go to sleep.
[I guess dragons really can eat anything. Maybe mana rich foods are an important part of their diet? I really wish I could find someone who knew something about this. Perhaps when the surviving Dragonknights hunt me down for appropriating their name, I can get a little dragon-rearing advice before they try to kill me or whatever.]
He gathered up his familiar, thanked the serving staff, and headed back to the dorm. When he arrived, Tal and Sera were waiting outside, apparently ready for him.
”Finally! I thought you would never get here. Do you know how long we've been waiting?” Sera demanded as soon as he was close enough to yell at.
Mike listened to the sounds of the clock tower in the distance, chiming ten bells, which was when they were supposed to meet up. ”Sounds like you are the ones who were early? What's the matter can't wait to hang out with me?” He teased with a grin.
The Oracle blushed, ”Don't you know that you're supposed to get here first? Its not gentlemanly to keep ladies waiting.”
”Alright, alright, sorry. Now, are you both ready to go?” He said, while motioning back towards the training grounds.
Tal simply nodded, while Sera grumbled to herself for a few moments before acquiescing as well. It was a short walk, and before long, they'd arrived at the deserted yard.
”So what's the plan? Are you going to give us pointers or something?” Sera asked, while getting her weapon ready.
Mike turned to his party members. ”That will be part of it. I've been thinking about this for awhile now. How should I best prepare you for the dangers of live combat? How do I make sure that the two of you, and Brenden as well, whenever he comes back, will be able to survive against the toughest of opponents? Unfortunately, I am not a strong teacher. My innate qualities make it difficult for me to relate to the struggles of others in this world.”
Noticing the frown forming on Sera's face, he made sure to follow up. ”Not that I'm complaining, it just make's this training a little bit challenging for me to plan. That said, I think there is one method I can pursue that will help you prepare for all kinds of dangerous situations. One that can serve as a measure of your current progress while allowing me to help you grow in the future.”
Tal sketched a symbol that basically meant a question mark onto her chalkboard.
”Combat simulations, of course.” He said as he summoned a ball of fire in one hand, before angling it towards the pair. ”Lets see you've got.”