Heavenly Mortals-Act One

XI-Calum ( III )

Hesitantly, Calum found a hunk of stone that was big enough for the job. The only problem was carving it.

He thought about using his Chakra. But he had never smashed rocks to carve them, he smashed rocks to smash them.

It's worth a try, He thought to himself.

Calum took a deep breath. His Chakra flowed to his fingers, as if it knew what he needed. He pictured elaborate, planned strikes. Not for the sake of combat, but for the sake of making things.

He touched his fingers to the rock and his Chakra exploded outwards. But unlike all the times he did it before, his Chakra formed a shape. A shape that he saw in his mind.

The rock was partially shattered. Calum could see part of the shape within it. He did it again from a different position. More rock fell away. On the third strike, he was rewarded... with a hunk of poorly shaped rock. He sighed. This wouldn't be so easy.

He kept using his Chakra to carve the rock, until it was nothing but rubble. Then he moved on to different rocks around the ledge, all in which he managed to destroy and not get some semblance of a mortar and pestle.

It's a test, Calum thought to himself. He wanted a usefully shaped pair of rocks, so he had to learn to make a pair.

Eventually, he destroyed all of the rocks on the ledge. He had to go down to find more. Cold dread filled his chest; he didn't want to go back down there alone. His Megazoiphobia was quite a challenge.

It seemed silly that it would apply in his current situation, but here it was, applied.

Calum went down the ledge. He managed to find rocks easily without having to go too far. He kept on trying to carve out a mortar and pestle. He tried it several different ways, from doing it as if he were carving a crude shape to carefully trying to carve minute details. He ended up smashing the rocks completely or getting poorly shaped lumps. He sighed in frustration.

Why are you trying to carve a mortar and pestle, child? Vouno's voice boomed in his head. He tried not to have a heart attack. Unlike Usoara's peculiar yet delicate voice, Vouno's was deep, mighty and resonant. Even though he was speaking into his mind, he could feel his body vibrate.

My friend is unwell. I want to turn the moss into a broth I can feed her, Calum replied.

Oh, how sweet. I remember when I met Fysis. Such a lovely time we had!

Fysis? The Nature Goddess?

That's right. The earth and nature always go hand-in-hand. Much like you and your friend, we helped each other grow. You might think she is just a burden now, but given time, you will see the fruits your relationship will bear.

Calum didn't stop to think about it. He tapped another rock with his Supernatural Fingers, attempting to make a bowl of rock. He simply took the top off the rock, which was shaped like a small mountain. He groaned in frustration.

Quite a remarkable skill, child. Where did you learn it?

My Grandmaster Katari taught me,

Quite impressive, the Orientals, Vouno remarked, But they never did believe in us like the Granoans. They mistook the dragons of old for us Gods, and they couldn't even capture their likeliness! Vouno laughed.

Calum tried again with the rock. His strikes became clumsier. He reduced the rock to pebbles.

Perhaps you should try magic, child. Work some Granoan magic.