Chapter 24: The Importance of Leadership

  Zeltara awakened to the now increasingly familiar feeling of her ankle being pulled. Instinct took over, and she kicked away the hand that had grabbed her. Grogginess leaving her, Zeltara rolled further into the tent. The hand reached in and missed her by several inches. She pulled out a knife and crouched, ready for anything.

  “Well, at least you’re improving. Still not good enough. I shouldn’t have been able to grab you in the first place,” Dollanti said from outside the tent. Zeltara scowled and put her knife away. Annoyance at the continued criticism clashed with the pride of her swift reaction. Nether side won, leaving an uncomfortable mix of emotions to stew within her.

  Hearing quiet footsteps walking away from her tent, Zeltara took the time to gather her gear. There was no point in trying to warn her friends. All it did was annoy Dollanti, and that meant more laps around camp. She had learned that the hard way three days ago. Now ready for the day ahead, she exited her tent into the early morning light.

  The first thing Zeltara noticed was Kaztos tied up outside his tent. Apparently, he had less luck than she did. She couldn’t fault him, as this was the first time Zeltara had fought off Dollanti’s wake-up surprise. She looked over to see the veteran adventurer reach into Saiya’s tent. He dodged out of the way as a knife flew through where his head had been. The veteran adventurer let out a chuckle.

  “Good, at least one of you is getting the hang of things. It took you long enough.” He then walked over to Kaztos and untied him. “Come on, kid. At least try to be serious. You haven’t shown any progress yet.”

  Kaztos turned away with a blush. “My apologies, sir. I’ll try to do better.” Dollanti grunted.

  “Be sure you do. The last thing you want is to fall behind. I don’t appreciate stragglers.” Kaztos nodded but didn’t respond. Zeltara felt her anger boil at the sight.

  “Lay off. He’s trying his best, okay?” Dollanti didn’t spare her a glance, keeping his gaze directed at Kaztos.

  “Is he? I should hope not. If he can’t learn something so simple, then why should I bother continuing his training? I won’t waste my time on someone who’ll get killed in their sleep.”

  Zeltara growled at the threat. “Kaztos can handle it. I have faith that he will.” She wondered if Dollanti would punish her for talking back. It had happened before during training. She would gladly accept it. Kaztos’ grateful expression was more than worth it.

  Instead, Dollanti said, “You know the drill. Meet me outside of camp in five minutes.” He then walked away without another word. Saiya poked her head out of her tent with a scowl. Seeing Dollanti gone, she exited and walked over to join them. Kaztos gave an unenthusiastic wave, which Saiya gave a nod at. He then turned his attention to her.

  “Thank you for defending me.” Zeltara nodded. She rapidly clenched and unclenched her hand to burn off her stewing agitation.

  “It’s no problem. I can’t stand that guy.” The remark drew a look of concern from Kaztos and a side eye from Saiya.

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? You’re upset about something,” he said.

  “I’m just mad at his treatment of you. He had no right to berate you like that. You’ll get the hang of it eventually.” Zeltara hoped that would drop the matter. She didn’t want to talk about what she was feeling.

  Kaztos shook his head. “No, that’s not it. Sure, you’re angry on my behalf, but something’s been bothering you for a while now. It’s been eating at you for the past few days. Please tell us.” She almost did, but decided against it. Even now, the whole thing felt embarrassing to say aloud. Instead, she mustered a smile to reassure Kaztos.

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I just had a bad night’s sleep, is all. And you know how Dollanti gets on my nerves.” Zeltara started walking away. “Come on, we don’t want to be late again.” She hoped that would be the end of it.

  Neither Saiya nor Kaztos responded as they followed her. She could feel their uneasy gazes drilling into her back. While Zeltara knew she should feel appreciated for their care of her, irritation continued to build in her. Just something else to add to the pile then. It made her stew over recent events as they walked.

  It had been a week since they had begun training with Dollanti. So far, the only way Zeltara could describe it was a waste of time. She didn’t believe that their expectations were too high. All they expected was learning a few techniques, lessons in battle strategy, and maybe some sparring. Things that would help them become better adventurers. None of that had been the case so far.

  All they had done so far was physical exercise. If it wasn’t running laps around the camp, then it was general workouts. Pushups, situps, pullups, and lifting rocks were just to name a few. Zeltara already hated it, and the hellish pace Dollanti made them go made it even more unbearable. As soon as training started, she had to fully exert herself until the end. The physical torture made it harder to keep up with her work during the day. The aching muscles and fatigue always caught up with her.

  But for Zeltara, that wasn’t the worst part. The problem was Dollanti’s constant insults while they trained. It didn’t matter what they did. He would always meet it with ridicule. Even their successes were met with backhanded compliments or veiled insults. His continued attitude got on her nerves. Why did he even bother to train them if he was going to act this way?

  Part of her wondered if they even needed him. They had gotten this far without a teacher. Who’s to say they couldn’t go even further? Sure, it would be a rough road ahead, but they could persevere. But then Zeltara would realize they needed his help. Dollanti destroying them during the spars showed there were many things in the world that outclassed them. Really, it was lucky that they hadn’t run into one of them until now.

  That didn’t stop the whole situation from grating on her. Even just thinking about it wore on her temper. Zeltara took a quiet breath to calm down. It wasn’t the time for this. The last thing they needed was for her temper to get them in trouble again. Best to hold it in for now. If only Kaztos and Saiya would stop giving her those concerned looks.

  They reached the training ground in tense silence and stood across from Dollanti. He gave the three of them a stern look, which further annoyed Zeltara. She shifted from one foot to the other to burn a small amount of anxious energy. Didn’t this guy have anything better to do than stare at them like this? Did he think they held the secrets of the realms or something like that? All it did was get on her nerves.

  Finally, he said, “Starting today, you three will start more personalized training. Every day, one of you will stay and train with me. I will teach you lessons to better fit the role you have on your team.” Zeltara thought it interesting that he had them divided into roles. Giving it some thought, she realized the three of them had already done so instinctively. Maybe having their team roles better defined would improve teamwork. Dollanti continued. “Meanwhile, the other two will continue your physical training. You will take turns in who has personal training. Then, once you learn what I have to teach you, we’ll begin team training. Get you working as one unit.”

  “What will we be learning during our private instruction, sir?” Kaztos asked. Like Zeltara, he was shuffling in excitement. Meanwhile, Saiya seemed unaffected by the news.

  “You’ll find out when it’s your turn. The elf will train with me today.” Zeltara jumped up with a cheer as Kaztos let out a cry of dismay. Finally, something other than exercise. Now, she could finally get better and take the next step in becoming an adventurer. It made the past week of torture You'dworth it. Zeltara went over to Kaztos and gave him a pat on the back.

  “Chin up. It’ll be your turn before you know it. You just have to wait a day or two.” Her words brought a smile to Kaztos’ face as he straightened up.

  “Of Course! I’ll be sure to do my best during training today. You'd better do the same, Zeltara.” She gave him a nod in return. Both still felt giddy about the news.

  “Enough,” Dollanti said. His harsh tone stopped their celebration in its tracks. “Now isn’t the time for goofing off.” He pointed to the camp. “You two, twenty laps around camp. Then do your regular exercises.” Kaztos sighed.

  “Very well. Though I still wished I had been picked.” Dollanti crossed his arms, unimpressed.

  “Twenty-one.” Before Kaztos could open his mouth to protest, Saiya grabbed his hand and dragged him off. As the two passed, they gave Zeltara a quick goodbye. She then turned to Dollanti and waited for the lesson.

  Her mind was turbulent with the possibilities of today’s training. What did the veteran adventurer have in mind? Maybe he’ll teach her martial arts. Her hand to hand was lacking. It would make sense to cover a weakness. Or perhaps they’ll do weapons training. That would take care of the close-quarters issue as well. And that would better synergize with her inventions. Oh, maybe Dollanti was interested in her inventions and wanted to give ideas. Zeltara felt eager, wanting to regal her genius to someone new. It could even be some secret technique that he wanted to pass down to her. The possibilities were overwhelming.

  Zeltara couldn’t take it anymore. “What are we going to do today? Are there secret skills or techniques you want to show me?”

  “No, today I want us to talk.” All the excitement she felt gave way to shock. He wanted to talk?

  “Come on. That can’t be all we’re doing. Why can’t we do something else?” Dollanti’s glare cut Zeltara’s complaining short.

  “Stop talking. That’s the reason we need to have this chat. Your attitude has been unacceptable from the start, and it ends now.” An explosive mixture of incredulity and anger ignited in her. Did he really just say that?

  Zeltara said in a voice just below a yell, “Excuse me? My attitude is a problem? You’ve been an asshole since the moment we met you.” The harsh look Dollanti gave Zeltara for that remark would normally have stopped her, but she was too fired up to care now. “Since we’ve started, all you’ve had us do is basic exercises. How are running and pushups supposed to help us? We’ve already proven ourselves capable. Why are you holding us back with something so simple? You promised to train us as adventurers, but you’ve only wasted our time. Of course I’m pissed.”

  Dollanti growled and raised his hand in a fist. Zeltara took a step back, seeing the open rage on his face. She realized that may have gone too far and cursed her temper. But then he paused, took a deep breath, and lowered his hand. Expression more calm, Dollanti said, “All you’ve proven is that you’re lucky.” Seeing her coming rebuttal, he raised his hand. “You will let me finish, or I’ll walk away. Then you’ll have to explain to the other two why you’re out a trainer.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  A spike of fear pierced through the outrage she felt. Zeltara couldn’t let that happen. Even if the training had been poor so far, it was better than nothing. To throw that away now would be beyond stupid. Combined with what Kaztos and Saiya would think. The scenario made her shiver. Crossing her arms, Zeltara looked down and muttered, “I’m sorry, sir.” Dollanti stared at her for a moment before continuing.

  “As I was saying, your group has gotten incredibly lucky so far. I haven’t heard the entire story, but I know well enough. You three should be dead several times over. I have met many people who have done things less dangerous than you and died because of it. Sure, you’re creative and quick on your feet. But you need much more than that to survive. I’m trying to build a solid foundation so you don’t end up dead three weeks after leaving the caravan. Those exercises are to give you that foundation. I’ve seen enough people die too young, and even now I don’t want it to happen again.”

  “Then why even train us in the first place? You could’ve just left us alone and not bothered.” Dollanti sighed, pinching his nose.

  “Didn’t you hear what I just said?” The annoyance in his tone made her grimace. She really was messing this up. “I don’t want there to be any more dead kids if I can help it. It doesn’t matter what I do. The three of you are going to be adventurers, no matter what. Hell, I tried to talk you out of it several times before, but it didn’t go through your thick skulls. And if I can’t convince you, I might as well prepare you. Otherwise, you’ll end up dead in a ditch or eaten by some monster in the wilderness.” An ember of her anger flickered at the last part. Zeltara met his gaze.

  “We’re not that incompetent. We can take care of ourselves at least.”

  “Do you know how many people I’ve heard say something similar only to end up buried? If they’re lucky.” Dollanti asked. “Every year, dozens if not hundreds of people like you become adventurers. Fewer than half are alive by the second year. All because of their arrogance and self-importance. You aren’t special just because you’re still alive. So quit acting like it.”

  Defeated, Zeltara stared at the dirt in front of her feet and sulked. What was the point of them trying then if it didn’t matter in the end? Dollanti said that he would help, but all he seemed to want was for them to stop. Were they going to end up dead before long? Have all her past efforts been pointless? It seemed like it at the moment.

  Seeing her downtrodden expression, Dollanti asked, “Having said all that, why the attitude? I’ve been watching your group for a while, and you haven’t acted this way before. It only started after we began training.”

  Zeltara didn’t answer, happy to drown in self-deprecation. What was the point of answering? Dollanti didn’t care. Not in the way that mattered. That, and she still felt guilty over why she was acting up in the first place. It still felt too embarrassing to say. She then heard him sigh.

  “Come on, kid. Just tell me what’s bothering you.” Dollanti’s tone was the softest Zeltara had ever heard it. It was one step away from being reassuring. She glanced up to look him in the face. His expression snapped her out of her depression. For the first time, Dollanti wasn’t looking at her like she was a waste of space. The absence of his usual hard expression made him look ten years younger. Was he trying to comfort her? She found herself touched by the gesture. Maybe a part of him cared.

  She finally decided to answer. “It’s hard to explain exactly. I’m just frustrated by the whole situation.” Dollanti nodded.

  “How so?” She brushed her hair in frustration. How did she go about explaining this?

  “I guess it started with the spar. I knew that there wasn’t any chance of me winning, but to lose like that. You didn’t even try, but we still got destroyed. It was humiliating. And after everything we struggled with, that hit hard. I know we had plenty of luck, but we still put everything into getting here. It took all our strength and wit just to survive this long. I thought that we were strong to make it through that.” Zeltara took a breath and glanced at Dollanti. He motioned for her to keep going.

  “But then to face you, an actual adventurer, and fail like that. It felt like none of that even mattered. Despite all our struggles, we still hadn’t gotten anywhere. We didn’t stand a chance against an actual thinking opponent.” She let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “I thought my inventions could help me. Allow me to overcome my physical limitations and stand on level ground with everyone else. But when I faced you, they were useless. I knew I needed to get better. Then, to just do dumb exercises afterwards. It felt like we were going nowhere fast. I needed to get better quickly, but it wasn’t happening. It’s embarrassing to say out loud. I shouldn’t be getting this hung up on a loss like that, but I am. It meant that my inventions were useless in the end.” Zeltara kicked a rock away in frustration, ready to hear his harsh words again.

  “Your inventions are actually quite impressive.” Zeltara turned to him, confused. “Don’t misunderstand me. They need a lot of work. I meant what I said before about their lack of stopping power. But you have one of the more unique fighting styles I’ve ever seen. Acknowledging your limitations and working around them shows you have potential. I wouldn’t have bothered training you otherwise.”

  Wiping her face, Zeltara was surprised to find her hand wet. She was crying? She then let out a huff of amusement over the situation. “Do you really mean that?” Was she over blowing this? Were her inventions good enough?

  “Kid, let me make one thing clear. I was an adventurer for decades. There aren’t many people who are better than I am. It didn’t matter how good your inventions were. I wasn’t losing you.” Zeltara smiled as she wiped her eyes. “But understand that they aren’t good enough now. If I could overcome them that easily, then someone else will too. That’s something you need to get better at, and I can’t teach you.” He then gave her an intense look. “Can you make the effort to improve yourself? Or is all your bluster at camp just talk?”

  If he had asked Zeltara the question just minutes before, she might have answered no. But now, a fire had been lit within her. This was just a setback, and she had experienced countless of those before. True, it was harder than most she’d face, but Zeltara was ready to fight.

  Determined, she said, “I will. I’ll go back to the drawing board and create new inventions. You’ll see when I knock you flat on your ass.” Surprisingly, Dollanti chuckled at her declaration.

  “Good, maybe I’ll live to see that day.” He then sobered up, his hard expression returning. “Now I want to talk about why I brought this up.”

  “I thought you just wanted me to stop whining? Why did you bring this up?” Zeltara asked.

  “That was part of it, but not the whole reason,” Dollanti said. “The other reason is your role in the group.”

  “My role? You mean as the leader?” He nodded.

  “That’s right. You’re the leader of your ragtag group. That means, like it or not, you need to set an example for them to follow. That’s why we needed to have this talk.” Zeltara was starting to understand what he was getting at.

  “You’re saying that my attitude over the last week has been rubbing off on them?”

  “You’ve been acting like that all week, and it’s been bringing the whole group down. It doesn’t just hold you back from improving, but them as well. Think about how they acted around you lately.” Zeltara remembered to just that morning. It wasn’t the first time Kaztos had expressed worry over her. Saiya also seemed concerned, even if she was better at hiding it. Was she hurting them with how she’d been acting? “As their leader, you can’t show weakness or the entire group can fall apart.”

  “I understand that, but I didn’t ask to be leader. It just ended up being something that was decided.” Some bitterness rose up over the unfairness of it. Why did she have to be the strong one? Kaztos had optimism in spades.

  “It doesn’t matter how it happened. You’re the leader now, and that’s probably not going to change. Besides, after observing your group, I can see that you’re the one best suited for it.”

  She couldn’t help asking, “What about Kaztos?” To Zeltara, he seemed charismatic enough for it. Kaztos had repeatedly shown he could talk to people. She struggled to not offend anyone she came in contact with. But Dollanti shook his head.

  “Too impulsive. He doesn’t think things through most of the time. You’re more levelheaded.” Seeing that Zeltara was still unsure, he sighed. “Think of it this way. Your friends are confident in your leadership ability. If you aren’t sure that you’re capable, then at least take their word for it.”

  That made her feel better. Zeltara nodded in thanks. This was the best she had felt in some time. Getting that off her chest helped. She turned to see Saiya and Kaztos still running laps around camp. How long had they been talking?

  “Well, time to start training.” Zeltara looked over at Dollanti, surprised.

  “Wait, so we actually have training then?” He nodded. “Then what is it?” Excitement filled her. Finally, she can start improving herself.

  Dollanti said, “We are going to talk.” Zeltara gawked at him. Was he making fun of her?

  “We already did that! Get serious!” At first, he looked nonplussed at her screams. But then Zeltara noticed it at the corner of his mouth. He was smirking at her. How dare he?

  Before she could verbally lash out at him, Dollanti continued. “I’m going to teach you strategy and battle tactics. From what I heard, you seem to have a knack for it. We’ll go over what to do when alone, with your group, or working with others.” He sat on the ground and gestured for her to do the same.

  “It sounds interesting, but wouldn’t it be better to do this with the others? They’d benefit from this as well.” Zeltara joined him, sitting cross-legged. She still would have preferred skill training, but the earlier conversation had her willing to accept anything at this point.

  “Eventually, we’ll work on group tactics together. For now, we will focus on improving your leadership skills. I know you want to do something else, but this is just as important.” Conceding the point, Zeltara pulled out her journal and pencil. She ignored his questioning look.

  “Alright then, what will we start with?”

  “We’ll talk more about the conduct of a leader. What their responsibilities are and how to act on them.” Dollanti then paused in thought before continuing. “Another thing. I can only hone your mind and body. So make sure to improve your arsenal in your free time. I can’t teach that, so you need to take the initiative.”

  Zeltara smiled. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll have something to knock you off your feet in our next spar. You'd better be ready.” Dollanti grunted, and they began the lesson in earnest.

  For the next twenty minutes, Dollanti lectured her on the qualities needed in a leader. It reminded her of when she was still in school. A part of her still missed those days. Even if most of the information taught back then wasn’t relevant, Zeltara always sought to expand her horizons. The veteran adventurer proved a good teacher. He explained things clearly and in a way that was easy to understand. It made it easy for her to record in her journal.

  It amazed her just how much she was already doing. One example was mediating disputes between group members. Zeltara hadn’t realized it was so important, or that she did it so often. Just how many times did she get in the middle of a brewing argument between Saiya and Kaztos? It was already hard to keep track. Those two were morally very different. It made Zeltara wonder how many quarrels would be in their future. Whose side would she take then? Would she make the right choice when the time came?

  Morality was all well and good, but sometimes one needed to take the pragmatic approach. Kaztos seemed all too willing to help someone. Even if it was to their detriment. On the other hand, who knows how far Saiya would go for their benefit? This made Zeltara appreciate her role as leader. With those two often opposed, there needed to be a neutral authority to balance them.

  Unfortunately, they ran out of time before going over anything else. Kaztos and Saiya had finished their exercises and walked over to them. Before they arrived, Dollanti said, “We’ll continue this in three days. Remember, much of your improvement will be on your own. I can’t help you as much as the others.” Zeltara nodded, ideas already filling her head. She couldn’t wait to get back to the tinker wagon.

  “Thanks for telling me what you did. Even if I didn’t want to hear it, I needed those words.” She then smirked at him. “Who knew you were such a softie on the inside? I can’t wait to tell the others about this.”

  Dollanti, in a deadpan tone, said, “They’ll never believe you.” She thought about it and realized it was true. There’s no way they’d believe that rough face would be capable of empathy.

  “Damn. Well, could you at least lay off the insults? Kaztos and I are hard enough on ourselves without you bringing us down.”

  “Not a chance. It’ll toughen you up. But spoiling an old man’s fun? I expect five extra laps tomorrow.” Zeltara sputtered at the increased workload. Even worse, that smirk was back. She was about to yell at him when Kaztos and Saiya reached them.

  “Greetings! How was training, Zeltara?” Kaztos asked. The mention of her supposed training extinguished her irritation.

  “It went fine.” He noticed her lack of enthusiasm, so Zeltara rushed to reassure them. “I learned a lot. I’ll tell you when we’re done today.” Kaztos nodded, and they turned back to Dollanti. He was back to being stone-faced.

  “You’re done for the day.” He pointed at Kaztos. “It's your turn tomorrow, so get ready.”

  “Fantastic! I can’t wait!” Kaztos exclaimed. He turned and ran back to camp in excitement. Zeltara and Saiya had to chase after him to keep up.

  “This won’t make tomorrow come sooner, Kaztos,” Saiya said. He looked back at them as they reached their firepit.

  “I know, but I just can’t wait. Special training just for me.” Kaztos then looked at Zeltara. “Come on, tell us how great it was. What did Dollanti have you do? Learn ancient techniques? How to use weapons? Secret spells he’s passing down to us? Come on, tell us.”

  Zeltara paused as she thought about what to say. Should she reveal what they talked about? Dollanti mentioned that a leader needed to be strong for the group. Did she want to tell them what she had felt? Then Zeltara saw their concern as she hesitated to respond. Her mind drifted back to when they had traveled through the wasteland. The three argued because they did not talk about their problems. She knew what to do. It didn’t help to keep things like this in. Better to have it laid out and figured out.

  “We didn’t train at first. Dollanti wanted to talk to me first.” Zeltara sat down and gestured for them to do the same.

  As Saiya sat, she asked, “What did you talk about?”

  “I know you guys noticed my attitude this past week. We talked about that. He wanted me to stop because it was affecting the two of you. Then we talked about what caused it.” Zeltara hesitated to continue, fighting against the urge to drop it.

  Fortunately, Kaztos helped give her a push. “We’ve noticed something bothering you the past week. I myself have asked about it several times. What’s the matter? We can help.” Saiya nodded in agreement. Their support helped her find the strength to continue.

  “It’s embarrassing now that I think about it now, but here it goes.” Zeltara then shared her conversation with Dollanti. From their initial confrontation to her insecurities. She even went into her continued doubts about her capabilities as a leader. A brief silence followed as Zeltara waited for them to respond.

  Saiya sighed. Zeltara flinched, expecting a negative response. “I thought we already talked about this back in the wasteland.” She nodded. “Back then, we decided to make you leader. Do you remember why? It’s because Kaztos and I saw that neither of us were suited for it. You’re the one with the makings of a leader. Nothing has changed since then. These doubts are all in your head.” Kaztos cleared his throat before Saiya could continue.

  “Not exactly how I would have put it, but she is correct. You haven’t done anything wrong to make us doubt you. Sure, there have been mistakes, but we aren’t expecting perfection. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you. So, believe in yourself like we do.” Zeltara smiled at their words.

  “Thank you. I appreciate your support. I’ll do my best not to let you down.” They were right. She had let this get blown out of proportion. Sure, setbacks and losses hurt, but she shouldn’t let herself get hung up on that too easily. Zeltara would do better in the future. She would be the leader they thought of her as. Relief filled her as the cloud of the last week finally dissipated. Kaztos grinned and playfully hit her on the shoulder.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Now, how about you tell us about your training? You couldn’t have spent all that time talking.”

  Saiya smirked and said, “I don’t know. There’s not a scratch on her. Maybe she couldn’t handle it.” That got a chuckle out of the three of them.

  “No, my training will be more theoretical. I’ll be learning about strategy, tactics, and leadership skills.” Zeltara then summarized what Dollanti had taught her. As she spoke, breakfast arrived, and they ate. It wasn’t the most exciting topic, but Zeltara appreciated her friend’s interest. It was enjoyable just to relax and talk among the three of them. She had been too anxious the past week to truly enjoy the time they spent together.

  Soon it was time to pack up camp. The caravan had continued its travels several days ago. They hadn’t been able to find any of the missing before then. Kaztos had seemed upset at the time, but Zeltara and Saiya managed to cheer him up. After they finished storing their supplies, the three went their separate ways to their jobs.

  As she jumped into the tinker wagon, Zeltara felt anticipation. Sure, she had plenty of work to do between finishing up camp defenses and general repairs, but she could do it without too much trouble. The time for new inventions was now, and Zeltara was ready to invent something new. She grabbed her grapple crossbow and looked around. Her eyes landed on the gauntlet she had found.

  Ideas swirled in her head as she got to work. Yes, there had been setbacks, but Zeltara was beyond that now. For innovation to happen, there needed to be an obstacle to induce it. She recognized that now. Zeltara giggled, thinking about everything she could create. The next level was there, and she was going to reach it. So what if it took a few explosions? That was the price of progress.