Chapter 4: Train by Fire

"You will no doubt find that you have gone through several changes inside as well as out," the god avatar was explaining to his new Demi-God, who was casually strolling along behind. "Enhanced physical strength, improved mental alacrity, perhaps even a few…hah ha …well, human appendage enhancements as well?" Zigar glanced back. Magnus was as still as stone, his face unmoving, as uncrackable as the foundation of the world.

"And hopefully, especially in your case, you were also gifted with a better sense of humor as well."

"Not really my strong point," Magnus informed him, almost ridiculously nonchalant about these whole proceedings.

"Really? I would have never imagined. Ah, here we are." They now stood at the entrance of what Zigar had called the training grounds. It was outside, more or less, in the extreme barrenness and heat of the Plane of Fire itself. Of course any normal person that stepped foot on this place without some manner of protection would have been destroyed at once. But there were many creatures that had fire written into its very being, and thus were able to survive. Dragons for an example, fire elementals, lava monsters, and all in between.

Magnus even before he had ascended had the ability to survive on such a harsh environment with no trouble, thanks to his psionics. Having unbearable temperature, no air, immense pressure, it didn't matter. Now though, he didn't even need that power, he felt totally at ease. The landscape was simple, charred ground, scorched rocks, crimson sky, and a few mounds of black gravel that would occasionally erupt with lava in a somewhat violent fashion. A hostile land where few would readily venture.

"Now then," the god announced, "I shall go over the most basic of things, and let you have a run with them. Remember though, as of right now, you are still a fledging, in the terms of your abilities. Meaning, your power and strengths are at a minimum right now. The key to unleashing your great potential wasn't bestowed upon you in that ritual. You were given gifts, yes, but the majority of what you will eventually have will be gained through toil and effort. That is what will make you strong."

"You will work on these things on ce you return to the Prime, and train yourself. Using your everlasting lifespan to practice, learn, and experiment, you will achieve strength of your own variation. That's the fun of it. If you are as wise as I seem to believe you are, you should find plenty of ways to combine your unique gifts with your newfound abilities. Do you follow?"

"I do."

"Very good, then let's begin. First physically, your overall performance is increased easily over one hundred fold. This includes raw strength, as while your body isn't any different, do not let it fool you. You are now as strong as nearly any creature. With this increase, you should be able to break down stone walls with your fists, lift enormous amounts of weight, and in combat, either hand to hand or with a weapon, you will be able to slice and pound just about everything in your path. Even with a standard sword. Many of the fiercest of enemies can be defeated with ease."

"Next…your flexibility. You were somewhat clumsy before, if you recall. Falling off that ledge in the dragon's volcano? If not for your ability to levitate or teleport, you would have been burned to ash. Now however, you needn't suffer that embarrassment again. Climbing, fancy footwork, and even handsprings, if that strikes your fancy, should be easier now."

"Your body has also hardened too. When struck, you shall absorb a good portion of the damage, leaving fewer marks. Not to mention being much more resistant to damage itself, both the physical and magical variety. And any damage that you do receive will be healed in a timely fashion, as you've also been given a small gift of regeneration. This doesn't mean you can be reckless, but you are far more difficult to kill. I would also think that your stamina and endurance have risen too."

"Mentally, an important aspect as you will no doubt agree, your mind has been broadened substantially. The ability to grasp more complex concepts is at your disposal. In relative terms, you could easily be called a genius. I have no doubts that you will put this to excellent use back on the Prime, with either you usual day to day life, or more likely, to increase the output of your psionic gifts. Which proves to me that you are quite a dedicated man. The more I'm talking about you, the more I'm feeling like I made the best choice with you."

"Finally, as well as being smarter and wiser, I've taken the liberty of altering your appearance a bit. Of course, if you don't like what I've done, you can very easily change it to your own liking. I'll find you a mirror once you're done out here. Though I think you'll find that you will have become rather irresistible once you return." Magnus turned to the god, his eyebrow raising. Zigar grinned back, a knowing expression on his face.

"Moving on. Those are your bodily changes, but I've also given you a few things more. You are completely resistant to fire, normal and magical. Heat as well, high temperatures and even low temperatures will not bother you anymore. You have access to a few fire abilities; launching blasts of flame and covering yourself in fire, things of that nature. I'll leave it to you on how you wish to shape them."

"Lastly, you are immune to all forms of natural diseases, so you needn't worry about plagues or other lowly illnesses. This is by no means all you are capable of, but as I've already explained, you will unlock the rest in time. Now, with that synopsis out of the way, I'll leave you to it. I recommend you practice out here, and get accustom to your body first. Then we can try you abilities in combat. I'll summon something for you to fight and see what you can do. But later. For now, get comfortable with the new you." Zigar turned away; somewhat anxious to see how Magnus would begin his experimenting.

"Now," Magnus called.

"Pardon? What do you mean by now?"

"I mean summon whatever you wish now. I am more than ready as I am." It was the avatar's turn to raise a burning eyebrow.

"Indeed? Already prepared? Somewhat boastful and arrogant, aren't you? Perhaps I've not made it clear, that while you are far more resilient, you are not indestructible by any means. And any foolish mistakes brought about by your ego and pride is unacceptable. I put forth a good amount of my own essence into empowering you, and I'll not have it squandered so meaninglessly with your conceited attempts to impress me." Magnus turned to the god, his face serious and still.

"I'm touched by your worries. But what I say isn't out of pride nor to impress. For one to get the most accustom to something new, they need to learn to use it in a split second. In training, I want to put my skills to the test. I cannot do so if I am merely jumping around by myself, now can I? To face a foe, when my life feels threatened, my reactions will be faster and I'll be required to think quicker. A good skill to have, I'm sure you'll agree. And do not concern yourself with my well being. I have been given a valuable gift; to have infinitely more years than I should and powers straight from the gods themselves; I'll not fritter it away here moments after I received it. I thought you said I was smart? Having doubts in my now half-mortal mind?"

Zigar's face mirrored Magnus's calm unwavering expression, the two staring into the others eyes. Finally, a smile began to rise from Zigar, as he chuckled.

"I do not know whether to strike you down in a vengeful hellfire for such insolent words, or to agree with you. For a mortal in the presence of a god, you certainly have arrogance. But as you said, I do believe you are intelligent, so I suppose I will have faith in my own recommendation. Very well, let's see exactly what you can handle." With this declaration, the god lifted one of his arms up high, calling forth some manner of servant to do battle with his demi-god.

In a blaze of a swirling inferno, up from the ground came a towering creature. Its skin was charcoal black, with a face full of filthy bright orange hair. It was tall indeed, well over twenty-four spans, with a squat thick body, and ugly protruding lower jaw, to display its unsightly inner mouth, including yellow colored teeth, and dark gums. It was wearing an enormous suit of dark ring mail, tight fitting, and a pack strung over its back. In its hands was a gargantuan two-handed sword, with a keen and intimidating looking edge.

This creature was a native to the realm of fire, being one familiar with the blistering lands. A fire giant, a hateful, militaristic, violent type of the species. And this one looked none too happy about his surroundings, being ripped from what he had previously been doing. Magnus stared up at the daunting figure, which was glowering back at him. Zigar had vanished somewhere along the lines, leaving the two of them alone. Just the way I like it, Magnus thought with a smile. Not a good idea.

Seeing that smile must have triggered something for the fire giant bellowed in rage. He didn't even ask a single question, or even hurl an insult towards Magnus, opting to instead raise up his huge weapon, and bring it down on top of the little mans head. Undoubtedly with intentions of splitting him in two. Magnus's reaction was a sight to behold indeed. He didn't move at all. He could have but he didn't. Instead, he lifted his hand, palm open facing up, and waited. At the last second, he seized the end of the descending blade of the long sword, halting it at once, a sudden jolt that shocked the giant.

This huge warrior had swung a massively heavy sword, using incredible might, and yet Magnus was holding it off with one hand, and not appearing like he was straining. Magnus knew that he could defeat this creature simply, he felt it in his body, his newfound strength was all but pouring off of him.

Taunting this giant may have amusing, but he didn't feel like letting this fight drag out. He had other things to be doing, so he decided in his mind to end it. Without so much as a twitch, Magnus fired a huge force of psionic energy, a crushing wave which lashed out, and belted the giant right in the legs. The power behind this attack was the equivalency of the fire giant being struck by an invisible bolder, as tall as a normal man, moving at tremendous speed.

Naturally, the brute lost his balance, and with a roar of surprised pain fell forward. Not wasting a second Magnus, still holding on to the sword, pulled hard with a single sharp jerk, yanking the hilt from the giant's grasp. Before the towering mound could fall atop him, Magnus crouched and silently leapt straight up into the air, hovering a instant over his prone opponent.

He twisted the great sword around, bringing the oversized weapon to bear, and pointed it straight down, and ceased his hovering. He plunged downward, and landed square on the giants shoulders, while the wide blade pierced straight into the back of the giant's head, going in and coming out with a crunch of shattering bone.

There was a gurgle from the giant and a gasp, before it let out its last breath, its body going limp, save for a few twitching muscle spasms. At once Zigar was there again. While he showed nothing, save a curious eye, he was indeed impressed. Magnus had simply adapted himself perfectly to what he could and could not do, such as having the precision and strength necessary to stop that descending sword, almost as if he already knew about his various abilities and their limitations. Such rapid adjustment was quite remarkable.

"Ah, so you knew what you were doing after all. Well, I was thinking you were going to require a significant amount of time to test yourself and learn of your boundaries, but you've seem to have done quite nicely on your own. Unless there is something else you'd like to do here, then I suggest we move on to the great forge of Alaronus. We need to get you outfitted properly. It seems you will be deployed back to the Prime even sooner than I expected."

Magnus shrugged, but before leaving, clenched his hand, which promptly erupted in fire. Sensing its power, he turned as casually as one would expect him to be, pointed his open palm towards a large outcropping of rock, and with a roaring discharge, launched a huge stream of searing fire at the stones. When he ceased, the great black rocks had become soft and melted. Proof enough of exactly how much heat he could generate.

"No," he answered nonchalantly, offhandedly walking past a clearly amused Zigar; "I'm through here." The god watched him pass, shaking his head, and the both of them reentered the hall.