Krystal once again woke up before Fox. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something different about him this morning. She couldn't explain it, but he looked different. Lighter, perhaps. Was this a common occurance with his people? If she asked, would he even know what she was talking about?
She didn't get much time to dwell on these thoughts as he soon woke up.
"After breakfast, we train in your staff's special powers." Krystal announced as Fox crawled out of bed. She realized he hadn't had the opportunity to bathe as his scent was almost overwhelming.
Not as masculine as she thought his scent would be. Again, she didn't know much about his people. Perhaps his scent was what his people would consider masculine. She could ask, but she decided she could learn about his people later. For now, they had training to do.
After a quick breakfast, they returned to the training grounds.
"Our weapons work by forming a bond with their users." she explained, "Right now, your bond is weak. It takes time to strengthen it. The important thing is to keep using your staff until the bond is strong."
She then lifted her staff and fired a few fireballs at some wooden targets. The fireballs exploded when they hit their targets, but left no marks. Fox wondered about the inner workings of his staff. How did this "bond" work?
Krystal moved out of the way and motioned for Fox to give it a try.
"Don't overthink it." she told him, "Just point and shoot. Will it to fire and it will fire."
Fox pointed his staff at the targets and fired a few shots. They all missed, striking the wall behind the targets.
"Just adjust your aim and keep firing." Krystal told him, "Eventually, you'll be able to sense what your staff is aimed at. It's all about the bond."
Fox nodded and kept firing. After about a half hour, he finally hit a target. An hour later, he was hitting a target about once every dozen shots.
Krystal had to admit he was a fast learner. Probably had years of combat experience. Maybe fought in a major war. Definitely learned faster than just about any one else firing their staff for the first time.
Fox could feel himself getting better with the staff. It wasn't like a rifle, where you lined up your shot with the sights and adjusted for wind and elevation. It was more akin to pitching a baseball. You focused on the target and let muscle memory take care of the rest. Eventually, he was hitting a target with every other shot.
"You're a natural." Krystal explained as he lowered his staff.
"It's not too different from holding a rifle." Fox explained, "The only real difference is having to rely almost entirely on proprioception for accuracy rather than lining up the sights."
"Propree-seption?"
"The sense that tells you where each of your body parts is at any given moment." Fox explained, "Basically, feeling where everything is and what they're doing without looking."
Krystal nodded. Did his people have a big word for everything?
"Anyway, your staff has a variety of powers beyond simple fireballs." Krystal explained, "The other of the more universal powers are a short-ranged blast of literally freezing air, a quake, and a rocket power that lifts you to a higher elevation. It is possible to customize your staff with other powers, but those are best saved for when you're far more experienced. You don't want to get new powers before you're experienced enough to know what new powers you need. For now, we're sticking with just the fireballs. Why don't you try firing more shots at the target?"
Fox lifted his staff and continued firing. Krystal could definitely sense there was something different about him. He seemed a little smaller. His clothes seemed baggier. It could just be a trick of her mind or it could even be something that happens to everyone where he's from. She'd ask him at some point later. For now, she had to get him ready as fast as she could.