Chương 54: Chapter 50: ‘I’ve got it this time!’ He thought as he didn’t get it.

Three successful deflections. That sounded simple enough. He could do three. The whistle blew again. Fabrisse immediately crept toward the nearest passing lane. Severa reached the ball before he could even raise Stillbrace and flung it somewhere else. He sprinted after it. The ball came toward Larna, but Verryn deflected it with a swift breeze. I've got it this time! He thought as he didn't get it. Fabrisse jumped in to intercept the ball. He intercepted Larna instead. The silkball sailed over both of their heads.

"What are you doing?" Larna grunted. By the time they looked back, the ball was already halfway across the field. Severa was now near the centerline, sending it onward with another current. Larna gave Fabrisse a light shove toward his flank.

"Look, I don't really care who started it, but at least wait until after class before you sabotage each other." What was she even talking about? If she wanted to cryptically complain, she should've gone to Severa and not him. He didn't have the mental capacity to decipher it. By the time Fabrisse wandered back to his designated spot, he managed to accidentally place himself where he predicted Rhel's pass would arrive. Perfect.

"Ivory—" The silkball changed direction at the last instant. Instead of intercepting the pass, Fabrisse successfully blocked… Severa.

"Thanks for the screen!" Cuman lunged in to take advantage. Severa had to sidestep him while keeping the ball in her current. She spared Fabrisse a long look before stealing it back. Fabrisse lowered his head. This might have been a mistake. Perhaps three successful deflections simply weren't possible today—"Too much!" Cuman barked. Verryn had overhit his pass. The silkball veered off-course and was now heading toward Fabrisse's flank. He launched himself forward.

Severa turned to Fabrisse and mouthed a single word, "Cast."

"Ivory stillness!" The barrier formed just as Cuman thrust out his palm.

"By the rushing gale!" Cuman sent a gust at him. Severa flicked her wrist. The silkball veered aside just before it reached Cuman's current. Instead of being blasted away... It struck Fabrisse's Stillbrace. The barrier splintered, but not before it rebounded the silkball. She caught it and sent it ahead.

"Larna!" Larna was already past Cuman. The pass dropped right in front of her, leaving only Terrero between her and the goal. She sent the silkball toward the upper corner. Terrero jumped, reaching as high as he could. His fingertips caught the bottom of it just enough for the silkball to go over the crossbar. The crowd groaned. [Quest Progress: 1 / 3] She walked over as the ball was retrieved.

"You timed it well. When I say 'cast,' cast. I'll collect the rebound." Then she walked away before he could answer. Cuman got the ball next. Fabrisse saw him look up, and immediately smelled trouble. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it There were three perfectly reasonable passing options available to Cuman, and he chose to charge at Fabrisse.

"By the rushing gale!" Fabrisse stepped aside. That was it. Cuman tore past him, making it several strides farther before twisting around.

"Hey coward!"

"What?" Apparently, refusing to be flattened was unsporting.

"You—" Severa swept past him. The silkball flew out of Cuman's current before he could finish.

"Flames damned it—" The ball spun loose behind her. Fabrisse ran for it. Severa was already moving on. Stillbrace formed in front of the silkball. It hit. The barrier cracked, but the rebound was better this time. The silkball bounced back toward Severa, and she picked it up on the way past. [Quest Progress: 2 / 3] Verryn was unfortunately faster than Larna, blocking her passing option. She tried a hit from a difficult angle, and Terrero got his hands to it.

It took Fabrisse another thirty seconds after he'd gotten involved to finish his quest. [Quest Progress: 3 / 3] [Quest Complete: Trust the Current] +10 Air Thaumaturgy Mastery Passive Aetheric Skill Acquired: Nascent Resonance I"Half mark!" Instructant Aval cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Three-minute tactical break." The silkball dissolved into loose strands of aether. Everyone split off. Cuman's team packed themselves into a huddle and immediately started arguing about positioning. Fabrisse's side was quieter. Larna was still mourning her missed shot while Halma assured her it had been 'basically impossible anyway,' which was probably statistically incorrect. Aval turned to the students on the sidelines.

"Observe what you've just witnessed. Miss Montreal has extraordinary fine control over ambient aether. That's why she can manipulate gusts from forty meters away without appreciable degradation. Talent plays a part, certainly, but many of you already know how much of her childhood she spent inside Affinity Chambers. Sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. Most people are not willing to make that sacrifice."

A second later, he said, "Fortunately, those of you who have already missed that developmental window needn't panic. Air Thaumaturgy is rather forgiving in that regard. Take Mr. Gollivur." He pointed toward Cuman. Cuman puffed out his chest.

"His fine control is nowhere near Miss Montreal's." Cuman's smile disappeared.

"His sequencing, however, is excellent." The chest came back out.

"Take note how every offensive gust he cast today was powerful and direct because he consistently invokes Triumph. The emotion matches his intent, so very little is lost during manifestation. Mr. Rhel takes a different approach. His currents are swift and economical because he uses Conviction as his emotional foundation." Fabrisse stopped listening. He knew all of this already. What he didn't know was what ten Air Mastery could buy him. With ten points, he could redeem two basic Air spells. He checked the list.

Most of the spells were immediately useless since they were too dependent on Resonance. He needed to avoid spells he couldn't control. [Draftstep I — 5 Air Thaumaturgy Mastery] [Crosswind I — 5 Air Thaumaturgy Mastery] Draftstep would allow the wind to push his feet forward. Crosswind was exactly what it sounded like. A gust from the side, barely enough to knock a silkball off course. Five points each. Fabrisse had watched first-years fumble both spells and still make them work. Surely he could manage that much.

More importantly, Resonance didn't account for more than 30% in either calculation. He redeemed both. Now all that was left was to serve Cuman up a pleasant surprise.

"Kestovar." Fabrisse whipped his head up from the blue panels.

"Hm?" Severa asked him, "How much of that did you hear?" He glanced around. Larna was looking at him now too.

"Most of it?" He said.

"None of it, then." Larna snorted. Severa pointed across the field.

"Keep your shots low. Terrero has trouble getting down." She waved Halma toward the near side.

"Pull him over there. Larna, if he follows, you'll have room." Her eyes came back to Fabrisse.

"You only need to remember one thing. When I tell you to cast, do it."

"That part I understand," he admitted. Why do I need to know this? I'm not the attacker and she's just reminding me of my existing duties.

"Good," Severa said. Or maybe… I need to know this after all. Maybe my spell can hold without dissolving now. He smiled at the thought. If his calculations were correct, Severa might finally be able to treat his barrier as a predictable variable.