Tyler Kimball - Lessgently
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Pallesia - Chapter 168
🕑 Added 2024-09-11 15:00:12 +0000 UTCAfter spending an hour walking to restore his dwindled mana reserves, thinking about how to proceed with a flight spell, and hyping himself up for smacking into another tree, Lee started his experimentation once again.
It wasn’t uncommon for Lee to fail when creating a spell, but it wasn’t something he normally had to worry about. Although he wasn’t sure about how long it took others to create their spells, he assumed he was near the top of the list for speed. His knowledge about the wide assortment of required education from Earth really helped during spell creation. But, all of that knowledge didn’t really help when creating a spell for personal flight. That wasn’t a topic discussed very much, or at all.
He knew how flight worked for planes, but the thing was, he wasn’t a damn plane. Lift? He didn’t have wings. Thrust? Well, he could simulate thrust, but without wings he had no way to deviate from his rocket-like path. The lifting and lowering of the flaps on a planes wings created drag, which in turn, turned the plane in the air.
So, he needed a way to turn and orient himself while in the air. At first, his thoughts drifted to the Sci-fi stories and movies he’d seen. Most spacecraft had some sort of… jets that launched air sideways, shoving the craft side to side. That was an option, but it didn’t seem sustainable and would require an enormous amount of thought and focus.
Next, his mind wandered toward a cheat. If he created a platform of air solid enough to stand or lay on, then perhaps he could simply ride the air as a way of flight. After some testing, he didn’t have a way to create a stable platform that could hold his weight.
After several more minutes of testing and failure, Lee took a mental step back and thought about the air spells he currently had. Gale Burst was a condensed gust of wind strong enough to blow foes away. How did this spell work? Well, in simple terms, it was a dense ball of air pressure which released in a direction of his choosing. Sonic Boom was similar in application. That spell created a small area devoid of air—zero pressure. When the spell ended, the air collapsed back into the empty spot, creating a loud shockwave of sound.
Howling Cyclone used the qualities of temperature to create a vicious tornado. Hot air rises, cold air lowers. When these forces collide, a tornado is the result.
He didn’t know too much about air pressure, but he was able to create numerous air spells using that knowledge already. Perhaps flight could be done the same way?
Lee checked behind himself to make sure no wagons were nearby before trying to create one of the most difficult and convoluted spells to date. He didn’t have wings, but he knew the basic principles about how they worked. They were slanted, and the thrust from the engines caused the air to push against the bottom, creating lift. So, what if he artificially created lift?
A current of gently whipping winds surrounded his form as he focused on splitting the gale both above and below him. Below, slow moving air circulated around his feet. Above his head, faster, howling winds took hold. On his shoulders, he could feel a gentle tug.
This spell was similar to a whirlpool, but instead of water and creating a low pressure sucking, he was using wind and creating a high pressure pulling.
Ever so slowly, Lee pushed his mana outwards, increasing the intensity of the wind up above his head, lowering the air pressure further. Soon, his feet left the ground as he inched his way up into the sky.
Next, came the primary issue of turning and stability.
By slightly adjusting the pressure to his left or his right, the pull from the vortex above would shift and force him to deviate from his straight path. He was only a few feet into the air, so without worry of dying a horrible death from splatting onto the ground, Lee minutely adjusted his sides, causing him to spin sharply.
Stopping that, Lee determined that the plane of his standing body was probably the issue. If he was flattened, or laying down on the air, he could choose the pressure point from along his length. If he chose near his left foot, he would turn sharply left, if it was his hip, he would turn slightly in the same direction.
It took a solid ten minutes to adjust himself flat in the air, and once he was confident in his form, he rose up and gave his real attempt at flying.
He started slow, but as he grew more comfortable and learned the ins and outs of turning, he increased his speed. After two hours of testing, he was flying through the air faster than he ever imagined. While he never broke the sound barrier, he was still way above anything a flight capable creature should be capable of. If he remembered correctly, the speed of sound was around seven-hundred and fifty miles per hour—An absolutely absurd speed. With his best guess, he was going around four-hundred miles per house at his top speed.
As he landed on the dirt road to take a break, a giant grin spread across his face, the wanted notification appeared in his sight.
New Spell Created!
Spell Name: Vortex Ascension!
Spell Description: Manipulate surrounding air pressure to achieve flight. Create pockets of high and low pressure around yourself to lift off the ground and glide through the air. Control direction and speed with pressure adjustments and ride natural air currents for effortless movement. Soft landings are possible by gradually reducing pressure.
Duration: Concentration.
With an embarrassing fist bump, Lee moved on to create the next, needed spell. With the difficulty of creating flight, this next spell was simple and one of the spells he vaguely remembered from his past.
New Spell Created!
Spell Name: Feather fall!
Spell description: Manipulate surrounding air pressure to create a cushion of buoyant air around yourself or up to five targets within range. This cushion significantly slows their descent, allowing them to fall gently as if supported by a thick, invisible layer of air.
Duration: 5 minutes.
Cooldown: 3 Minutes.
With his safety and means of transportation assured, Lee rose up into the sky and gazed around.
It was at this moment, that he realized that he had no clue what direction he was meant to go.
—--------------------------------
After a whopping ten minutes of flying, Lee found himself back at Vargus. That put his general speed into perspective. Landing outside and out of view, Lee made his way back into the humble village and kept his eye out for the teens he had saved. If he could avoid them and their families thanks, questions, and concerns, he would. He didn’t want everyone to know who he was. Being ‘normal’ was nice, and he didn’t want to let that freedom slip by.
He quickly made his way back to the inn he had previously spent the night, then asked around for anybody that might have a map.
Then he learned that maps were rare, extremely so. Most people here couldn’t even read, and they had some maps of their small village, but nothing encompassing the kingdom. Most people scoffed at him for even asking about a map, but with a little bit of bribing and flashing of gold coins, Lee found his way to the village heads home.
With a few knocks and a slight wait, the door in front of him swung open, revealing an older woman with graying hair done up in a bun and hunched posture. She narrowed her eyes as she looked him up and down. Lee put on his best charming smile and tried his best door to door salesman pitch. “Sorry to bother you, but I have been directed here from some of the patrons of the inn. I’m in need of a map of the kingdom. I don’t need to keep it, but may i bother you for a quick look? Maybe I copy it down?”
The old crone ever so slowly began shutting the door as she kept her eyes locked on Lee’s swirling rainbows. Lee leaned sideways as the door closed to keep his smile plastered on her face. “I’ll pay you five silver for a look.”
The door paused, and Lee knew he had a chance. “Fifteen if I can make myself a copy!”
The door opened again and the old village heads wrinkled face scrunched up. “You one of them spys?”
“Uhh, no. But, I am not from Thexis. I’m trying to get to Felispar, but I need a map to know where I’m going.” Lee explained, earning him a suspicious glare.
“Where you from if not from Thexis or Bardum?” She asked.
“Different continent.” Lee threw out his answer, not expecting much backlash.
“Lie. Go away. I am not some young lady who covets the coins of a liar.” The old crone began shutting the door again, and Lee sighed.
“I’m a healer and a mage. How about a very rare healing potion? I just want to get back to my friends. I don’t want any trouble and I’m not some spy from the war.” Lee begged. “I’m a long way from home, and I just want to return.”
The door paused again and he could hear the old lady grunt. “Potion and the coins. I don’t give a damn if you’re the king himself. Nothing less.”
“Deal!” Lee easily agreed.
“You have fifteen minutes.” The door swung open and Lee could finally see that the old lady had been armed. She placed an old and worn hand crossbow on a hanging rack near the door, then she supported herself on a cane and wandered deeper inside the building.
Fifteen minutes later, he was poked out of the building by the tip of her cane. “Begone. Don’t come back.”
The door slammed behind him, but he had a rough… very rough sketch of the kingdom on a map. He would still have to fly along the roads to make sure he was heading in the right directions, but he had a path forward.
A path back to Felispar.
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