The King shows me his archery field, where all his soldiers will have their target practice. There are round targets 10 meters away from us, a beginner's level. He made sure it was free to teach me more about Elemental Magic in private.
"You can practice your target skills with your elemental power here."
I look at him. "Your Majesty, with all due respect. What water elemental power? The only thing I can do is get hit by a water tendril. I can't even sense the difference between a water bubble and the ocean."
He raises a brow and strokes his beard. He gestures for one of his servants to come over. One scurries over to him. He whispers something to the servant, who nods and scurries away.
Shortly after, the target for arrows is changed with a target bell. He scans around the field, making sure there's no one in sight. His only audience is me.
He whispers to me, "Ling Yue, watch this."
He cups his mouth, then spits. His spittle shoots straight to the target bell. Ding!
My jaws drops open. I did not expect that as training. My master will be mortified. He doesn't even allow me to speak with my mouth full. I'm beginning to think that there's something wrong with the merfolks. The monarchs here are both strange. Well, as a guest, I should humor my gracious host.
So, I gather the phlegm at the back of my throat and spit. The projectile doesn't go far. The drool just hangs from my mouth. I turn to the royal, giving a questioning look, shaking my head, and the drool sticks to my mouth. It would not leave.
The King strokes his beard.
"Hmm. Based on your roar, I expected more distance. Well, practice makes perfect. I shall leave you to it."
He swims off, leaving me alone to train, with the only instruction to spit.
I stare at the target bell. How long will it take for me to be able to spit that far?
I have to focus on spitting. The fastest way to leave this absurd place is to level up so my master can return and pick me up. Focus. And spit!
Same result. The drool just won't leave my mouth. I can't help it; this form is too awkward for this task.
I sink into the sand and roll around, some sand sneaks into my mouth, making me choke. I naturally spit it out. Why? Why can't I do this ridiculous training?
When I couldn't sense the water bubble, Her Majesty whacked me with it. And now I can't spit, so His Majesty left me to mull on it.
As I lie on my back, pondering about life, the drool finally drops off. Wait! It dropped off!
Lying on the floor, looking up toward the target, I spit upside down. My saliva didn't go far, but at least it left my mouth. I try one side, then roll over to the other side. It seems like upside down is the best bet. I've never tried this before. I wonder if I can twirl my body. My body spins, making me dizzy. I'm not going to try that anytime soon.
What would my master do in this situation?
My mind comes back blank. I don't think he will ever be in this situation. Wait… maybe he knew air power would clash with water. That's why he sealed it. He tried so hard to teach me manners. What if I seal my manners off and see how far I can go? Okay, forget everything about manners. Don't worry about manners at all.
I might be overthinking this. When I used the Air Blast, I wasn't thinking about an Air Blast, I was just screaming; it happened on its own. Maybe for this, I shouldn't think so hard about spitting. I should just let it happen on its own.
Floating upside down at eye level to the gong, looking straight at the target. It doesn't matter whether it's a hit or not. Let's just imagine hitting it with air. Taking a deep breath, collecting saliva from the back of my throat. And aim. Ding!
Yes! Success! Oh, I can't wait to show my master this move.
With this momentum, I keep practicing. After all, "Practice makes perfect."
Ding! Ding! Ding! Now I'm excited since I'm getting the hang of this.
I start swimming around the archery field. I want to see if I can still do it while moving. This is fun! It's not as exhausting as air blasts. Let's see, how else can I put this into practice?
I hear some guards saluting nearby.
A devilish grin spreads across my face.
Today's quest: search for new targets. The goal is just one hit per guard. And I mustn't be seen.
Sneaking to observe a few guards aiming at targets 50 meters away.
Just like how the Queen showed me. I creep behind a nearby boulder.
The guards draw back their bows, and each hits the bullseye. I wait for them to draw an arrow from their quiver, nock their arrow, and draw their bow, steadying their breath. Here's my chance.
With precision, my spit hits the middle guard's helmet. Ding! His arrow shoots to the floor, while the two hits the bullseye. I quickly hide, stifling my laughter as my body trembles. The Queen has taught me well.
Next, I explore the palace, peeking through gaps in the coral wall, and searching for guards to aim at.
Ding! Ding! The guards stationed at the entrance of the throne room jerk back their heads from the contact of my ammo. They look at each other and then scan the shadows to find the culprit.
I better move to my next target. I spot a guard with his back by the window. I float upside down diagonally above him. Ding! His head jerks forward and his helmet clatters as it hits the floor. Quick, hide.
Satisfied that each spit hit the bullseye. I let out a satisfied sigh.
I hear a melodic humming, I creep closer to a nearby window. I see the Queen combing her hair as she admires herself in the mirror.
Whack! A water tendril hits me on the head.
"Ling Yue, don't even think about it."
Oops, busted. I quickly flip my tail back to my chamber.
***
Back in the throne room.
The King waves his hand and starts the connection with Long Fei.
"Greetings, Your Majesty, Ling Yue."
"Master, I want to show you this new technique I learned today."
Before I can open my mouth, a water tendril wraps around me, securing my mouth shut. My eyes snap to the King, shaking as I try to speak. Oh, looks like he doesn't want me to disclose his method of training.
"Elder, it's a work in progress. It's not to be shown yet."
"I don't mind seeing her work in progress. I am curious what new water elemental techniques she's learned today."
"It's still unrefined. We'll show you once it's at a more acceptable level." The King stutters, clearing his throat.
Long Fei eyes him with curiosity. Then his gaze shifts to me as though reading my eyes, and with a knowing look, he sighs.
"Very well, I'll wait till when it's refined."
The King raises his hand, sending water ripples through me to appraise me:
"Courage: Level 20
Elemental Power: Level 15
Physical Power: Level 16
Strategy: Level 13
Agility: Level 17
Speed: Level 17."
Yes! I knew today was productive!
Long Fei's eyes soften after hearing the results. Then he nods to the monarch. They exchange a silent understanding and his image vanishes.
His Majesty releases his power.
I gasp, stretching my jaw.
"Let's keep the training a secret between us. I doubt the Elder would be impressed by the method."