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The reaper’s amusement infected a few of the others, even getting to Axiolis and Qorvass, apparently.

For their part, however, Zeff and Asad did not look altogether pleased as they began walking toward him in unison.

“The young lord wishes to learn,” said Zeff.

“Then it is our duty to teach,” said Asad.

And so they taught. For quite a long while, in fact. And arguably, at times, against Hector’s will.

First, Zeff completed the technique he’d been trying to demonstrate earlier. It turned out much more advanced than Hector expected.

From the cloud of steam surrounding a blanket of water, Zeff clapped a full suit of solid ice armor around Hector’s body. Then, he removed the cloud of steam, which made the blanket of water begin boiling--then hissing as it began turning to steam so quickly that the body of water looked as if it were melting into Hector.

When the water was almost all gone, the ice began disappearing as well. But it never quite did. Zeff had chosen to soul-strengthen vital areas of the ice armor; and moreover, to those areas, he had “bound” a self-regenerating condition. This was the technique that the Lord Elroy had been wishing to practice, apparently, and it resulted in an endless cloud of steam which followed Hector wherever he went--and without requiring Zeff to accompany him and maintain it, even.

Hector was suitably impressed, but Asad seemed upset that Zeff could pull such a thing off. Regardless, Hector all but demanded a full explanation for this “binding” thing that Zeff was using.

Asad took the liberty of explaining. “Essentially, it is a highly advanced memory technique which requires years of meditative training.”

That caught Hector’s attention.

“It allows the user to convert a task which normally requires active concentration into a task which does not.”

Hector’s brow rose as he tried to imagine that.