He had explosive constructs stored in his void key that he had prepared for his fight with Kiro but never gotten a chance to use, not to mention his Skysworn armor, which would have held up against the swords for long enough to close the distance. And Lindon had to hold his techniques back; he could hardly use dragon's breath to its full potential when it wasn't a fight to the death.

But Lindon had faced plenty of life-or-death situations. He wasn't preparing for a deadly showdown; he was training for a series of matches with rules and limitations. These elite Akura Lords were far better suited for fights like those. He was playing their game, and he had to learn how.

He would learn by losing.

When his body had recovered enough and Little Blue had soothed his spirit, he rose to his feet. His stance was unsteady. Pain shot through his joints, and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and wait for his aches to fade. No one would blame him if he slept. Dross would encourage him.

But sleeping wouldn’t move him forward.

“Dross, could you show me my opponent?”

Lindon's vision blurred for a moment, and then the young Underlord appeared opposite him, six scripted blades floating behind his head.

[Did you see how fast that was?] Dross said. [And look at all that crisp detail! I already want more Sage madra, and I haven’t even finished digesting it yet. Will she give me some more when I’m done, do you think?]

Lindon resolved to find out. He was afraid that revealing Dross' appetite would make Charity suspicious about his nature, or that making too many requests would anger the Sage, but he could push a little.

Improving Dross might be just as important as training himself.

Dross simulated the battle, and Lindon attempted his strategy. If he ignored the swords and fought with only Striker techniques, he could indeed pierce through the opponent's techniques and kill him before Lindon himself died, but that resulted in a dead opponent and a few severe gashes on Lindon. There had to be a way to win without murdering the other person or taking wounds himself.

Lindon tried again.

When Dross grew tired, Lindon switched over to the Enforcer training. The device left by Charity projected images into his mind, so it felt much like practicing with Dross. But this one transported him to entirely new scenarios.

First, he stood on an icy mountain as the wind whipped snow by him. Flocks of ice-feathered birds flew past, slicing the air with their wings.

A bald old man, wearing only a wrap around his waist, blazed with golden light. He slipped away from one diving bird, crushed another with a fist, and spun into a kick that knocked a third from the sky. As he fought the flock, his movements blurred until Lindon could barely follow them.

Charity's voice echoed everywhere. “The full-body Enforcer technique. It is common and flexible, and its properties depend on the madra, but it does not excel in any area as a more specialized technique might. Full-body Enforcement often radiates light or has external markings, but even when it does not, it can be easily sensed by anyone Jade or higher.”

The scene changed, and suddenly Lindon found himself deep within the earth. Shining green sap dripped from the ceiling like a very slow rainstorm. A woman walked through the sap, wearing a very broad, flat cap that kept her dry. Beneath her hat, she wore a long cloak with a high collar, so Lindon could see almost nothing of her.

“Attack techniques are also very common,” Charity's voice said, as the woman cocked her fist back.

The fist began to shine with white madra, which shaped into a tiger's head and roared as the sacred artist plunged her fist into a nearby stalagmite. The impact shook the entire chamber, the force blowing her cloak back. She had to hold onto her hat with one hand. The stalagmite cracked.

“These are, just as they sound, individual attacks that carry the power of a technique behind them. They are considered Enforcer techniques because they primarily enhance the effect of a single motion, even though they may project power outward as Striker techniques do.”

The stalagmite, cracked by the woman's fist, exploded as a tree-sized worm burst from within it. The worm screamed, revealing a round mouth filled with teeth on all sides, and the sacred artist gathered madra into both hands.

“Indeed, many such techniques have characteristics of both Striker and Enforcer techniques, and could be developed in either direction depending on the needs of the Path. Enforcer attack techniques carry more power than full-body techniques, but as a result they can be clumsier. They tend to leave the user open for counterattack.”

The scene changed again, and Charity took Lindon through examples of movement techniques, weapon techniques, and defensive techniques.

How am I supposed to get a perfect score? Lindon asked Dross. Will there be a quiz?

[Oh, this is more than just a dream tablet. It is interactive. I'm sure...ah, you see? Here it is.]

Now Lindon stood in a blank white room, but the man in the loincloth stood in front of him.

“This man will randomly use Enforcer techniques ten times in a row. You must accurately identify the type of technique within one second.”

It was harder than Lindon had expected because he couldn't use his spiritual perception. The illusory man was a void to Lindon's senses, so he had to rely on visual clues alone.

Dross, of course, identified every one instantly. When the man adopted a defensive posture, so Lindon was sure it would be a defense technique, Dross correctly called it as a full-body technique.

“How did you know?” Lindon asked.

[His breathing, his arms, his calves, his posture, and the way his eyes moved.]

“...oh.”

If Lindon simply had Dross hand him the answers, he would have passed immediately. But he had to learn on his own.

After two hours, when he had finally recognized every detail about the man's techniques, he thought he'd finished. Then the woman in the hat and cloak appeared.

“This woman will randomly use Enforcer techniques ten times in a row. You must accurately identify the type of technique within one second.”

Her madra was completely different from the man's, and she showed different physical cues. It was harder to see her at all, shrouded as her body was.

[If you're going to finish this in three days without my help, I hope you have some Dream Well water left. You're going to have to go without sleep.]

Lindon did have some, but not much. He was down to one jar and two small bottles. He had used it sparingly, primarily to nourish Dross, and he didn't want to use it up here.

But he did use just enough to stay sharp.

Especially because, the next day, no less than five different Akura Underlords challenged him to duels.

Between fighting, recovery, and the analysis afterward, it took him two days and a night to complete the Enforcer training.

He handed the dark red jewel-device to his servant with a heavy heart, telling her to report to Charity. Even as an Underlord, he had beaten Mercy's accomplishment as a Copper by only a few hours. Though the test had nothing to do with advancement, he was older and more experienced than Mercy had been as well. He had hoped to finish within a few hours.

Charity did not send him a comment in return. Instead, she sent him a new gem-construct. This one was dark blue, instead of dark red, and contained information on Forger techniques.

Lindon got to work.

~~~

Information requested: Seshethkunaaz, King of Dragons and Monarch of the eastern Ashwind continent.