Hella!

Chapter 3 - Magic Training

Although his room was warm and his bed was comfy, Erin found it difficult to sleep. It took him almost two hours to fall asleep the first time, only to be woken up by somebody in the next room shouting. It took him even longer to sleep after that, as his brain went into overdrive, thinking about the predicament he found himself in. If he hadn't spent almost an entire day here already, he would have thought he was still dreaming. But Erin knew, this was no dream. This truly was his life now.

It wasn't a total loss for Erin, he thought to himself, still struggling to sleep in the early hours of the morning. The life he had come from wasn't exactly amazing. The only thing Erin thought he was going to miss, was his technology. He didn't even care about losing his games, he just wanted the internet. Having the internet on hand in this world would have been invaluable in keeping him alive. That was his last thought before finally drifting off into an uneasy sleep around six in the morning. However, it didn't last long as a knocking woke him up only half an hour later.

"Yeh?" Erin said meekly.

"It's time." Hella's voice spoke softly, muffled through the door.

Erin did not want to get up yet. Why did he need to wake up this early? Surely the training could start at a later time. Fighting through the tiredness, Erin **** himself out of bed. In his usual routine, this would be where Erin would change his clothes, though he quickly realised, he had no other clothes to change into. Slightly concerned and not wanting to stink while living in a house full of girls, he decided to bring it up with Hella later. As he opened his bedroom door, the sound of glass chinking from downstairs, told him that Hella was down there. Making his way down, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he knew all too well who he was picking for training today.

He had thought about it a lot in his sleepless night. He considered simply picking the girl he found most attractive, since these training sessions very well might lead to him sleeping with these girls. Ginny seemed like a bit of a brute, but she was also attractive in her own way. Her red hair lit up her fiery attitude even more. Her breasts were almost the biggest out of the five girls he had met. Her body seemed built and well toned. Hella however, was small and shy. Her breasts were about average, though it was hard to tell exactly under the dress she wore. Her bright blonde hair only helped to highlight her more angelic features and she was far ****. If he was going to pick someone solely from attractiveness, he was leaning more towards Hella. But after thinking about it long and hard the night before, he also remembered something very important. The Royale seemed very harsh. If he was to survive here and make his way up the Royale, he had to know how to fight. With that thought it mind, Erin figured magic would probably be one of the biggest helping factors. So Hella ended up being his choice.

As Erin made it to the bottom of the stairs, a sleepy looking Hella greeted him with a smile as she lay two plates on a table next to two glasses.

"Good morning." Hella said shyly. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't actually get all that much sleep. Had a lot on my mind as you can imagine."

"I understand." Hella responded, a little more quietly. "I suppose this is going to take some getting used to."

Erin make a light grunting noise to voice his agreement and sat down at the table.

"Have you made your decision then?" Hella asked.

"I have. I think I would like to learn from you to begin with."

"Oh." Hella said, sounding shocked. "I assumed you would...but Ginny..."

Sensing her confusion in his choice, Erin explained.

"I thought about it a lot last night. Magic seems as though it will be far more useful to know than how to swing a sword."

Hella seemed to ease up a little as Erin told her about his decision.

"I also feel as though I am less likely to get injured training with you."

"Oh no." Hella said suddenly. "Ginny is actually quite a good teacher, even with weapons she doesn't use herself. She has a lot of patience and gives really good advice."

Erin listened intently. He felt a little better about training with Ginny, knowing that she wasn't going to knock his head off for getting something wrong. Hella walked back behind the bar for a moment as Erin sat thinking. She returned a moment later, the sound of sizzling coming from where she was.

"There are a few things to note about magic, if your really do want to train with me first." Hella said, avoiding eye contact as she finished talking.

Erin nodded, signalling her to continue.

"Ok, well. First things first, magic isn't for everybody. By that I mean, not everybody can actually do magic. Today we will be finding out what, if any, your magic abilities are."

"Do abilities change depending on the person?" Erin asked, genuinely intrigued.

"They do. Me for example. My magic is what's known as Tempering magic. In simpler terms, I have the ability to affect things. It's much easier to do on items, such as making a sword sharper or with a little more effort, levitate items."

Erin nodded, following along eagerly. "Can you affect people with that?"

"It takes a lot more energy to do so but yes. I can give people what we call buffs and debuffs. I can for example, enhance somebody strength or speed, but I can also do the opposite, making someone weaker or slower. Though I have found that doing so in a battle, leaves me also just as weak."

"Interesting. So somebody else might not be able to do the same magic as you?" Erin asked.

"Exactly. The most common type of magic is elemental. Being able to control elements. In the lower ranks of the Royale, most people will only be able to manipulate one element. But I have seen others who can control all of them."

Before continuing, Hella once again walked behind the bar and through the door, returning a moment later with a plate full of bacon.

"I went to the butchers really early this morning and got this."

Erin's eyes lit up. Having only eaten a small amount of food yesterday, this bacon looking exquisite. He thanked Hella, who took some herself as she sat down. Erin grabbed a small handful and began tucking in.

"Good, I'm glad you're hungry." Hella stated. "One of the first things you need to know about magic is that it drains you very quickly. Using magic, uses energy. If you run out of energy, you run out of magic in a sense. Most people call the energy mana. However, eating, especially meats, will regain mana. So eat as much as you can, it will help us discover if you have any magical abilities."

"What happens if I can't do magic?" Erin asked, only realising for the first time that he might not even be able to.

He was from another world. Perhaps this prevented him from being able to.

"If you are unable to perform magic, the unfortunately, there is little I can do to help you."

As Hella finished talking, she seemed to look away. Almost looking sad at the prospect of not being able to teach Erin. Wanting to keep the conversation flowing, Erin continued.

"Can people learn more than one type of magic?"

"It is uncommon but yes. I know a lady on the other side of the city who can use elemental magic as well as manipulation magic."

"Manipulation magic?" Erin asked.

"Manipulation magic is also uncommon. It allows the user to, as the name implies, manipulate people. It is uncommon because it is difficult to use and drains mana quickly but it can be used for changing emotional states or even controlling somebody directly."

For the first time, Erin was glad that not everybody here could use magic. That power could very easily be abused by bad people. Brushing this from his mind, a new question came to the surface.

"How do we even test to see if I can use magic?" Erin asked, a little worried about the answer.

"There are a few ways. The main technique we can use is called mana transference. Basically, I will attempt to transfer some of my mana reserve to you. Either your body will accept it, or..."

"Or?" Erin said as Hella looked worried.

"Well, should your body reject the mana transference, there may be a slight bit of pain."

"What?"

"Mana transference is a potent form of magic itself. Doing so to somebody who cannot accept it, can cause issues. Though I can guarantee you won't die. Remember, in the city, there is the protective magic that prevents **** from anything other than old age."

This didn't put Erin's mind at ease as Hella might have thought. Erin only hoped that he did have some sort of magic to prevent that from happening.

"Anyway." Hella said, clearly wanting to move on. "If you do have some magical ability, we then need to figure out what kind it is."

"How do we do that?"

"That is where it can get tricky. Most people who have magical powers, are born with them. By the time they are a teenager, they will have used magic by accident plenty of times and by their adult years, they will have mastered the basics on how to actually use their abilities. For you, I suppose it is going to be trial and error."

Once again, Erin did not feel confident in her answer but he didn't have time to question it anymore as Hella had stood up.

"Come, it's time to head out back."

Erin, apprehensive but also nervously excited, stood up and followed Hella behind the bar and through a back door to the tavern. She led him down a dim alleyway that seemed lead to only one place. Turning right at the end, they both walked out on a fairly sizable grass field surrounded by dense trees on one side and a large stone wall on the other. There was no way out from this field apart from the way they came in and. At the far end of the field, was another wooden building. Smaller than the tavern, the sign hanging from the front door read "Bathhouse".

"Along with the tavern, we also own this bit of land." Hella began talking again. "We knew the field would come in handy if we ever managed to summon somebody here. The bathhouse we had built last year. We use this field and for exercise and afterwards the bathhouse to freshen up. It is the only type of training we are legally allowed to do. Weights, running, things like that are ok here."

Erin nodding in understanding, knowing all too well that he could probably do with a bath right now. Remember his ragged clothes, Erin perked up with a question.

"My clothes..." He started, unsure of how to fully convey his concern.

Though it seemed he didn't need to as Hella was smiling weakly at him.

"Unfortunately, clothes like that are what mark you as rank Z. The further you climb the ranks, the more shops you can legally enter and the better the goods you can find."

Erin immediately didn't like that system.

"That is how people who don't participate in the Royale are **** to live in squalor. They aren't allowed to get jobs, the little money they get given can only be spent in a single bakery. They don't have access to any other shops."

"What is actually stopping them though?" Erin asked, thinking he knew the answer.

He was correct. Hella listed up her arm to once again show the rune.

"Walking into a prohibited space sends an alert to the guards who immediately remove you. You get punished for it too, though I don't know what they do."

Hella finished talking, looking a little sadder than before, however, she quickly picked herself up and smiled at Erin.

"Enough about that. It's time to see if you are magical or not."

Erin was hit with a very sudden nervousness. He prayed to anybody watching. Prayed that he wouldn't be injured here. Hella walked forward, rubbed her palms together and they began to glow a light blue.

"Ready?" She asked.

"I'm ready if you are." Erin replied.

Erin hesitated for a moment before nodding. Hella walked closer until she was closer enough that Erin could hear her breathing. He felt a light tingle as she moved her hands closer to his chest. She placed both hand on his chest. Erin felt a sudden surge of energy rushing through his body. It felt as though lightning was running through his veins from his finger tips to his toes. He began shaking lightly as the energy started pulsing. He closed his eyes. Worried that this is what the rejection felt like. He felt as though his body was about to explode with energy. He felt Hella remove her hands. The energy began to subside. His body returning to normal. He opened his eyes to see Hella, down on one knee, panting heavily. Erin let out a long breath.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

Hella picked herself up off the floor, looking a little weary.

"I'll be fine. Like I said, using magic can drain energy quickly. I might have put a little too much into you. I have never actually...done that before." She finished and took a deep breath in, refocusing.

Erin looked at his hands. He felt mostly normal. The only difference was that he felt like he could run a hundred laps around the field right now. He looked back at Hella who was smiling happily at him.

"It worked." She said.

"I have...magic?"

"Yep. Though what you have I don't know yet. What did it feel like when I did the transference?"

"It almost felt like electricity was coursing through my body."

"Interesting. That could mean you have elemental abilities."

Erin smirked. Being able to control the elements sounded very cool to him. He began wondering about all the things he would be able to do.

"Could also be weather manipulation." Hella continued, muttering to herself.

Erin didn't feel quite as strongly about that one. Being able to control the weather didn't sound nearly as useful as elemental abilities.

"That could also just be what mana transference feels like. As I said, I have never done it before."

"How can we find out?" Erin asked, eager to start using magic.

"Lets try the method I used when I first started. I want you to close your eyes."

Erin followed Hella's instructions, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Now, I want you to try and empty your mind. Clear all unnecessary noise. Imagine a blank space. The only thing in this blank space, is my voice. Focus solely on my voice and nothing else."

Hella went quiet for a moment. When she spoke up again, she had moved behind Erin for some reason.

"Now, I want you to remember that energy you felt. Imagine a pool of energy inside you body. Picture it. Connect to it."

Hella continued, now moving around Erin as she spoke.

"Now, imagine you're tapping into that energy. Drawing from it. Connect that energy to yourself, connect yourself back to that blank space. Now, open up the blank space. Allow yourself to feel the wind on your skin. The earth beneath your feet. The air in every breath you take. Connect the energy to the very essence of matter itself."

Erin tried as hard as he could to follow Hella's commands, though it was getting harder to do so as Hella kept inching closer and closer. Her breath brushing Erin's ear with her last command.

"Now, guide that energy, shape it, control it. You are the energy and it is you. It is yours to use however you like. Guide the energy into the palm of your hands."

Erin, doing his best to follow, did exactly as Hella had said and it seemed to be working. The palms of his hands felt strange. Almost as if he had placed them in a large tub of oil. They felt heavy but free to move. His instincts took over. He slowly guided his hand upwards, feeling the energy within do the same. The ground beneath them began to shake slightly. Erin heard Hella let out a light gasp. Erin was suddenly jerked back into reality as Hella lot out a happy sort of giggle and was clapping her hands.

"You did it! I can't believe it. I have never seen anybody pick up on it that quickly before." As she finished talking she pointed in front of Erin.

Where previously there had been only flat, freshly cut grass, now lay a rather sizable boulder. Around the boulder, the earth had been torn up and thrown the the sides. Erin looked on in confusion. Had he done that? He looked at Hella for conformation.

"That was you! I watched you lifting your hand and the boulder just came ripping out of the ground."

"So..." Erin wasn't sure how to proceed.

"Soo, this means you have elemental powers."

"Didn't you say those were common though?"

"Yes, but having any sort of powers is amazing. Remember, we aren't allowed to train, so honing our skills is very difficult. You however, on your first try, just pulled a boulder from the ground. Can you imagine what you can do once you're trained?"

Erin couldn't help feeling excited. If what he had done was really that impressive, he couldn't wait to do more. Erin now turned around to face Hella, who was still standing behind him.

"Take it I did good then?" He asked.

"Good? That was brilliant."

Hella, in her excitement, began moving forward, seemingly going to hug Erin. Suddenly, her foot hit something and she tripped. Protruding out of the ground was another smaller rock. Similar to the boulder, it too looked as though it had been ripped out of the ground. Hella, off balance, collided straight into Erin, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor, Hella landing on top of him.

Erin rubbed the back of his head, which had hit the floor rather hard. He felt the weight of Hella on his chest. He moved his arms forward, placing them on Hella's bare shoulders. He felt a light, quick rush of energy through his body but it vanished quickly. Hella lifted her head up, a confused look on her face, mixed with embarrassment. Her cheeks suddenly flushed red. Erin felt her legs twitch. She appeared to be awkwardly straddling one of his legs. Erin was about to apologise and try to lift Hella up but she did something he didn't expect. She had a strange look on her face and began grinding on his leg. Very lightly, Erin felt the fabric of her panties, brushing along his upper thigh. Her legs clenching tighter. She wasn't moving very much but it was enough to know what she was doing. Erin was a little confused. Where had this sudden behaviour come from? But Hella didn't stop. Her eyes were closed, her breath getting more raspy as she began pushing her crotch harder against Erin. She let out a light moan before opening her eyes. Erin met her gaze with a look of confusion. Hella, seemingly hit by a sudden realisation, her eyes went wide, a look of shock on her face.

"Wha..." She couldn't seem to find her words.

She quickly jumped up, straightening her now slightly dirtied dress. Her cheeks almost as red as an apple, completely throwing off her normally pale white complexion. Erin picked himself up off the floor, noticing a slight wet spot on his leg as he did.

"Are you o..." Erin began asking but Hella held up a hand.

"I...I think it's best we stop there today." She said.

Erin nodded, a little disappointed but understanding. Without another word, Hella turned around and walked back towards the entrance to the field. Erin shortly after followed. They walked back to the tavern in silence. Both in shock at what just happened. Erin wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to bring it up. They reached the tavern and entered. Erin, feeling very thirsty was about to ask Hella if she could show him where they get the food and water but she walked straight into the main tavern and up the stairs. Erin felt as though she might have been mad at him but couldn't quite understand why. Standing there in shock, he wondered whether he should follow, at the very least to apologise and see if she is ok.