The Hunter Mage

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Vernon opened his eyes and they glued themselves to the seed as he got to work, shutting everything out as he concentrated on the minuscule item that lay in front of him.

He didn't think this would work the slightest but he figured being gloomy wasn't going to help him. It was better if he gave it his all and nothing happened than feeling that maybe something would have changed if he had just tried harder.

He did not know how long he stood there staring at the seed and he prayed for anything to happen but one thing he was aware of was the silence dragging on along with the strong feeling as time went by that he was just embarrassing himself.

His eyes widened in shock. In a slight moment, he thought the seed shook but it took him only a few milliseconds to realize that he must have stared too hard. His hands soon started to feel slightly heavy and he dropped it, snapping out of the trance that he put himself in by locking the seed in his gaze.

He found that he was panting and it took a lot of courage to look up at Pam who was already clapping. "That was pretty good, Vernon. For a while there I thought I saw the seed shake."

Vernon felt himself smile as a slight hope crept in that maybe it did shake. He allowed himself a happy feeling that maybe this was his zone, his magic group. However, Pam was already moving up to the next routine and it completely interrupted his thoughts.

She placed two tree pots with small plants growing out of them on the ground in the middle of their space. Vernon wondered where she had hidden them before that he didn't notice until she reached to pick them up. The plants in the tree pots were really small. Less than a foot tall with two tiny branches sticking out of it.

"Okay, this time around we are going two at a time. You know the drill, I need you to make this tiny plant as big as you possibly can and I don't mind if you break the pot, we can always get another but try not to kill the plant. They are pretty hard to grow and since you guys can't grow them right out of the seeds just yet, we actually have to go through the normal process to get them to this height, so be careful. Who would go first?"

"I!" Jane screeched, throwing her hands up in an attempt to catch Pam's attention.

"I can hear and see you, Jane." Pam chuckled. "Fine, you can go first." She smiled and Jane returned it. Jane stepped forward just as Pam pointed at one of the girls to join Jane.

The girl in question seemed a little timid and she kept her eyes low as she walked to where Jane stood beside her preferred tree pot, she picked the other pot. When the girls finally got into position Pam finally spoke.

"Are you ready?" She asked, staring from one girl to another.

"Yesss!" Jane called. Vernon stared with a raised brow, he didn't think she was that energetic.

Pam chuckled, "Alright Jane, I know this is your favorite part of the training. Good luck girl, you may begin."

Vernon watched wide-eyed wondering what was going to happen. He could figure it out already and found that he was excited about what was to come.

Jane stretched out her palms while the timid girl didn't. She just stood about a foot from the plant and stared at it. Vernon heard a little creak and Jane's plant began to increase in size.

The tree pots were so huge that Pam had to carry them one at a time and Jane's plant quickly filled the pot and the branches stretched out until they fell to the ground and even then they didn't stop. However, Jane does as she gasses out quickly panting excessively. Vernon was immediately taken aback as he wondered about what was going on.

"Jane," Pam started to say as she rushed to her side. "I have told you to watch your limit, don't try to surpass it too fast. You could injure yourself." She grabbed the girl by the arms and pulled her towards the bench that wasn't far off.

Pam carefully placed Jane on the seat and she sank into it, resting her elbow on her knees and bent her head. Pam turned as she made to address the rest of the group. She didn't look very happy.

"Don't push yourself too hard, replenishing your mana after it has been depleted is hard and dangerous. Don't test it. I should have known that cracking the seed took its toll on you." She finished her words with a frown.

"I am sorry Pam." Jane tried to apologize.

"Don't apologize to me," she muttered. "Just get yourself back in order." She walked away as she spoke.

The timid girl was done at this point, her plant had grown but not nearly as big as Jane's, and then she had shrunk it back to the exact same form it had been when Pam brought it up. Everybody clapped but it was a little weary as the air was tense and a little edgy.

"Nevil, do you think you can shrink this? If it isn't too much to ask." Pam said glumly.

"I can shrink it," the words were barely out of his mouth when he walked towards the huge plant and touched it. The reaction was instantaneous.

The plant immediately began to shrink into itself at a high speed and within seconds it was back to its original size. "Thank you, Nevil," Pam muttered a little coldly. "Next!"

Nevil raised his hand. Pam glanced in his direction and her friend deepened. "Nevil, I am afraid you're going to be one of the last to go as you just use quite an amount of Mana to shrink the tree and I don't want a repeat of Jane's situation.

Vernon cringed on Jane's behalf, Pam wasn't going to let her off easy. It couldn't be that bad but for some reason and because of the way the rest of the group was reacting, he didn't think Pam was overreacting. Mana must really be a big issue around here.