It hadn't taken much convincing to get the Elementals to agree to teach him, especially after he showed them what Pyrae Mortalis was now capable of. They lacked [Analyze] so they couldn't see the detailed description that he did but what he showed them had been proof enough.

  [Pyrae Mortalis

  Tier III (IV) Hafted Weapon

  Titles: First Relic of Earth, Elemental Blessed

  A Bone Axe made from the [Lesser Skeletal Armament] Trait and won in its owner's first battle. It has served them ever since, being as much a part of their Path as the Spirits they call on. It has feasted on the bones of the foes who's lives it has reaped, evolving into the First Named Armament of Earth and reaching Relic Status due to it's unique powers and synergistic bond with its owner.

  Damage: 55-64 slashing

  Additional Properties:

  - -NEW- SOULBOUND: This Armament grows with and may only be used by its Soulbound owner. Its nature is affected by its owner's Path, Traits and Personality

  - +40-47 fire damage

  - Passive: The Armament passively draws in energy to boost itself, the higher the ambient energies the more powerful the axe becomes. The axe stores the energies absorbed, up to a limit (94+50), and uses them to enhance itself when needed

  - Passive: The Armament generates a moderate amount of Fire Mana (4.7/second) and -NEW- a tiny amount of Fire Elemental Energy (0.047/second) that is absorbed by its other passive

  Tier I: Can repair and upgrade itself through absorbing inanimate bone it is in contact with

  Tier II: Improve the effect of any Spirits used whilst holding this weapon by 2 Levels

  Tier III: Improve the passive effect of any Merged Spirits whilst holding this weapon by 2 Levels

  Tier IV: You may expel and control any Fire Mana -> Fire Attuned Energy generated by this weapon]

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  He had demonstrated its new functionality by expelling the point of Fire Elemental Energy it made every 20 seconds for a few minutes straight without letting the relic take any energy from the environment. The Elementals had been suitably impressed and as a result he found himself in his current situation.

  Liam sat cross-legged, with his axe across his knees, only a short distance from the Rift. Each time he got enough to control, he extracted the resource from his weapon and sent it towards the tear in space to be used as fuel to keep it open. As he was doing this, the Fire Elemental, which he had learned was nicknamed Ember, and a miniature version of Noisy he [Analyzed] to be a [Lesser Sound Elemental], who the kids called Whisper, stood in front of him giving a lecture on the nature of Elemental Energy and it's uses.

  The flaming humanoid would shape its Fire in demonstrations, all the while crackling away, and the child sized Sound creature would translate what it was saying to spoken words for him. However, even with the explanations and demonstrations, he was finding the energy incredibly difficult to grasp. Sure, he now understood a lot of it on a theoretical level, having learned it from a literal incarnation of the energy, but his control, focus and practical understanding left much to be desired. In other words, he was untalented.

  It wasn't like with Spirits, where his talent had been raised by his Progenitor Title and it all came naturally to him. Instead he would have to rely on hard work and study to make up the difference. But it almost seemed like his Spiritual instincts were interfering. He found himself trying to reach for or twist the energy a certain way, to use his [Spirit Shaping] on it but when he did so it was even more difficult to grasp.

  Other Elementals had been rescued though the portal in the time he had been here, and other humans had constantly been coming in to charge the Rift, which was glowing brighter than ever despite using more and more power to stay open the longer it existed. He didn't need to sleep, just rest, so he had been keeping watch over the portal whilst he trained to try and spot if the Revat refugees had and ulterior motives or hidden plans but if they did, it likely didn't involve the Rift.

  The Storage figure included in the Area Dungeon notification steadily climbed up, taking small dips when the portal was used but quickly making up for the loss and climbing even higher thanks to his, and the small community of sheltered humans', contributions. According to his hosts, when it was full they'd be able to integrate themselves with [Earth] and become Native to it, binding them to the cause of defending it but also giving them a new home they could live on without the threat of impending extinction.

  They didn't seem hostile and he was uniquely suited to dealing with them if they did become so. Therefore, he was happy with helping them out. It would both increase the strength of Earth and also give him a chance towards some non-combat or Path related Titles, if there were any for what he was doing.

  With a crackle, the lecture came to an end. Whisper told him that until he mastered the very basics he had been instructed in, continuing further would be pointless. He nodded and thanked the elementals before getting back to grappling with the energy in his axe. It seemed that the Tier Bonus provided no help in him actually controlling the energies, instead just letting him attempt to when otherwise he wouldn't have been able.

  Eventually, he felt the fatigue that had been plaguing him lift from his bones. A notification popped up and he read it.

  [Status Effect: Fatigue I had been removed]

  Apparently he had been doing this long enough to count as being rested. He couldn't wait until his [Spirit of Protection] was cleansed of its corruption and he no longer had to worry about rest at all, though he wondered how unhealthy not taking any breaks would be.

  He got up and got ready to head out. He wasn't going to learn to control the Fire just sitting in here. The lecture had given him the foundation and now combat would teach him lessons, as it had for his Spirits.