Chương 21: Meet The Manalings

"Okay," Arielle responded. She started doing stretches like her brother had taught her to do, wondering how physical this battle was going to be.

"How about you go up against...." Professor Hammond ran his gaze across the other students and said, "You. Brian."

"It's Byron."

"Whatever." Arielle recognized him as one of the boys who had been with Faulkey when he'd approached her. He was the quieter one, the one who hadn't done much except occasionally smile and stare. He also began to do stretches, cracking his neck. As he did, Riorke, who was coincidentally standing next to Ari, took her elbow and tugged her over. Ari stiffened as he whispered, "Watch out for his right hook. He's going to try to feign a hit before he shoves you.

He has a warrior build and puts his levelling points into speed. He's also very sneaky and will try to trip you if he gets close. So, you know, don't let him get close." She was about to just nod, but then she recalled what the book had said about showing appreciation for even the slightest favors.

"I appreciate the advice," she said, and moved her hand away from his. He noticed the distance staring at it pointedly.

"Oh, sorry," he said as though he realized that he'd made her uncomfortable.

"It's okay. Just try not to do it again." She added a smile at the end, as the book told her to do when gently censuring others. It made him frown for some reason.

"Noted."

"His left ankle," Lacey commented.

"It's his weak spot." Ari accepted that too with a nod. Ari turned back to her opponent, who was finally done with the stretches.

"Both of you step into the circle," Professor Graham said, and they obliged. They stood on both sides of the circle whose diameter was about twelve feet across. Ari was curious to know just how fast he was, but she had a feeling that she didn't want to find out. Suddenly, someone stuck up their hand and said, "Professor Graham?"

"What is it, Lisa?"

"It's Lyra."

"I truly don't care." Lyra worried her bottom lip for a second before she finally spat out.

"I don't think this duel should happen."

"Why not?"

"Because I believe there's already established animosity between the two, and Byron has been here longer and duelled more."

"So you think your friend will lose?"

"No." Her voice tilted at the end.

"I just think... maybe it might get personal."

"Hmm." Graham scratched the back of his neck before asking Ari, "Would you like me to switch your partner?" She shrugged.

"I don't care. I think I can beat him."" Ooooh," a few students chorused as Byron smirked.

"You're going to eat those words in under a minute."

"I doubt it." She didn't like the fact that he likely accompanied Faulkey in bullying Lyra, so she added, "You won't lay a single mark on me." That triggered another row of oohs, and Lacey yelled out.

"You tell him, Swanchild." It took her a second to realize he was calling her that because of the story she'd told her earlier. How amusing. However, she wasn't sure she liked it. She would talk to him about adjusting the nickname later.

"The duel proceeds then," Professor Graham said.

"Now, since you're new, Arielle, I'll remind you of the rules. Five minute scrimmage. No low blows. No killing spells. No excessive harm. Your role is simply to knock the other person out of the duelling circle, not to knock them out. Understood?"

"Yes," Ari and Byron parroted.

"Good. When you hear the bell, begin." Graham backed up as they waited for the bell. Ari remained relaxed, hearing her brother's voice in her head. People always have tells when they're about to attack, Brom used to say. Only the most trained soldiers learn to suppress it, but for most average fighters, there are hints of what they're going to do. You just have to watch for it. Ari tracked her opponents body. She looked at his leg, the weak ankle that he'd kept behind him.

She analyzed the angle of his stance and the twitch of his ear. He was going to launch himself at her. The bell rang once, and both were in motion.

"[Blink]." Ari zoomed away just in time to avoid his heavy landing and his shove. At the same time, she spun around and targeted him with her wand and one of the spells she'd learned yesterday.

"[Kinetic Push]." [Kinetic Push] was like a more powerful [Wind Gust]. It added a destabilizing effect to the target's legs, so that even if they landed on their feet, they would immediately lose balance and fall. It was a really good spell, one of the few with Vacu as a balancer instead of massa. Or in this case, it was an un-balancer. The switch allowed for more unrestricted force, which allowed the simple spell to send Byron flying.

In fact, he flew about eight feet outside the circle, plunging to the ground, rolling over with a heavy groan. Ari stepped back and turned to Professor Graham, who was quietly frozen with his finger over his lip.

"I win," she said, because he wasn't speaking.

"I see that." He blinked rapidly.

"Have you duelled before?"

"Does duelling with my brother count?"

"It depends. Who's your brother?"

"Brom Blacksoil."

"Brom Blacksoil." He repeated and planted his hands at his waist.

"Is he a Knight?"

"No, he's a Keeper of the Bog."

"Well," he said.

"I haven't seen a Mossborne who was good at magic before."

"She was adopted," Lacey said, thankfully lying on her behalf.

"I see. Do you know your biological family?" Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. She swallowed. Here came the hard part. Lying. Don't look at the ceiling.

"Elric Earthbinder is my cousin."

"The archmage?" he nodded.

"Ah, no wonder. But why did you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like...'Elric Earthbinder is my cousin?' not 'Elric Earthbinder is my cousin.'" Ari didn't know how to answer that. She shrugged.

"Can I sit down now?" she asked, because Byron had already gotten up and taken his seat, throwing her sour looks.

"Yes," he said.

"Is that a record for the fastest duel yet, class? I think it might be."

"It is," Lacey said as Ari took her place between him and Riorke once more.

"Good job, Ari."

"Thank you." She was pleased with her performance but also more than a little disappointed. It had been too easy. There had been absolutely no challenge facing Byron because she'd instantly known that she could beat him. Her power eclipsed his by miles. It probably eclipsed everyone else in her Cohort, making any duel moot and boring. She released a breath. She had a sinking feeling that boredom might be a recurring problem in this class. Well, at least she had spell craft. That would keep things exciting.

Lacey went next, and his fight was far more interesting than anyone else she'd seen. He had a fluid style, like dancing while avoiding pulses of air sent his way. His opponent also attempted the [Kinetic Push] Ari did, but he wasn't as successful. Lacey won the scrimmage. Arcane Combat was the last class of the day, so once it was done, Arielle returned to Professor Valeria's classroom. There was an office tucked behind the black panel, and she knocked on the door.

"Come in," the professor called. Arielle walked in, admiring the way the sun made the glass walls glitter and how clean and polished everything in the room was.

"Arielle," Professor Valeria greeted, and then gestured to the hardback seat opposite her.

"Please sit." Arielle sat, and the professor folded her hands.

"I hope we can have this meeting as sincerely as possible," she said.

"Therefore, I must ask if you're going to answer my questions honestly." Arielle felt a put on the spot. She cleared her throat.

"I don't know. It would depend on the question." A small smile ticked up the side of Valeria's lip.

"I appreciate the candor. So let me be candid with you as well. I know that there's more to you than meets the eye." Arielle's toes curled in her shoes, her fingers flexing on her knees. Was she about to be caught?

"I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do," she said.

"I've been to the Dean's office and discovered Elric Earthbinder is your cousin. Is that true?" She nodded.

"Did he guide you at any point?" she leaned forward.

"Train you when you were younger?" She shook her head.

"No. I just met him a few days ago."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Did he mention a bloodline trait?"

"No."

"But you did have an affinity from when you were young." This she could answer.

"I think so. I didn't know what it was at the time, because they told me Mossbornes couldn't use magic, but I felt it inside of me."

"You mean your cores?" She nodded.

"Every time I meditated, I could feel it expand and fill up, and it calmed me, so I kept doing it." At least this part of the story was true, so Ari felt comfortable saying it. It also wouldn't get her in too much trouble, as it happened when she was a child, and Elric told her that it was a known, albeit rare phenomenon amongst talented mages to have them awaken their core awareness young. Professor Valeria's shrewd eyes kept staring at her, as though analyzing, scanning. Ari was more than a little nervous.

The professor was a Luxa-dominant mage, and Luxa-dominants were known for being dogged truth-seekers. However, the professor eventually sighed.

"Well. Legendary stories typically have legendary beginnings." She leaned back in her seat.

"I've never heard of a child performing guided meditation on their own. It would be expressly illegal too, and your parents would have been jailed if they aided you, but, understandably, they didn't have any idea what you were doing, being that they're Mossbornes."

"I never told them," Ari said. She didn't want her parents to get in trouble.

"I didn't tell them what I was doing."

"Of course you didn't. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how you got here; you're here now. And the important thing is that you continue to advance as safely as possible." She slid open her drawer and pulled out a large, leatherbound tome. It was titled 'Advanced Spell Craft for Apprentice Mages.'

"I'm going to give you this book, but first I'll test you with a few spells, and I want to see if you can perform them. If you can perform them satisfactorily, we will begin extra lessons about spells and spell crafting. I know that might seem daunting to you–'"It's not daunting," Arielle nearly jumped out of her seat in excitement.

"I want to learn spellcraft." Valeria flashed a small smile.

"We don't typically start advanced spell craft till the second year, but we make exceptions for exceptional students like yourself. If you accept, then you will see me at least once a week to work on any spells that meet your interest, within safety parameters, of course. This book should help you as well. It has my notes on the side. I think you will find those notes valuable, especially as another mage with a Luxa-Massa lean." Ari reached over and took it, brushing her hand over the leather top with reverence.

"Thank you, Professor Valeria."

"You're welcome. Now take out your wand and your miniscroll. Let's get started." She did just that, and Valeria told her the three spells she would need to do. The first was a Tier 5 protection ward cast around a chalice that Ari completed with ease. Then she was asked to animate the chalice to hop two steps to the left. It was a Tier 5 spell as well, not as complex or fun as Professor Woden's spell, but still a nice change from the usual. The final spell was an illusion.

With all of the spells, Arielle ensured that she slowed her casting time and tried to struggle just a little before casting. Still, Professor Valeria seemed happy with what she'd achieved, beaming.

"You've done very well, Arielle, and clearly you're a fast learner. I will spend some time searching for a more suitable mentor for you, but in the meantime, please allow me the honor of serving as your mentor."

"Okay," Arielle said with ease. She liked Professor Valeria and her calm, clean office. She was also very direct, which Arielle appreciated. Once they concluded, Arielle took the book back to her room and opened her journal to find that Elric still hadn't replied. That dimmed her excitement a little. Was he alright? Why hadn't he responded to any of her messages? She didn't have time to linger on it, because she had to meet Rava at the shed.

The sun was starting to set when they got on the boat that would take them to the islet known as North base, just a few hundred metres from the island. While they travelled on the self-propelling boat, Rava stared at a small device in her hands with knobs and a glowing dial.

"This can't be right," she said.

"What?"

"I think this thing is fritzing out," she said with a sigh.

"Fantastic. Perfect timing."

"Why is it perfect timing?" Ari asked.

"It's not. I was being sarcastic."

"Oh, I see." One day, she would make a spell that could automatically detect sarcasm and signal her when it was happening. It was officially sunset when they got to the cold cave, where Ari finally saw these manalings. Lots of clumped together essences, streaming in through a broken vacuum channel, hanging low in the air, some of them scattered on the ground. Even if she couldn't see essences, she felt them in the air. It felt heavy, charged. A little menacing.

"I'll have to check on the leak first," she said.

"But you can start sweeping it into that pipe over there. Once I'm done with the leak, we'll go to the other side and make sure they go through the cleaving channel. Garrick and I will take care of the rest."

"Okay," Arielle said.

"Here's the scanner." She handed over a smaller handheld device to Ari.

"Pass it over the ground, and the tip should turn red when you see a manaling. Although you probably won't need it, because it feels like they're everywhere. And here's the reservoir you can use for the sweeping spell. It has about two hundred units in it. Whatever you don't use, you can keep."

"Really?"

"Yeah. In addition to the three hundred units added to your weekly allowance." That was five hundred extra units. Ari was excited.

"Do you need anything else from me? I know it's a little scary to be here by yourself but I'll be back in a jiffy."

"No," Ari assured her.

"I'll be fine." After Rava left, Arielle set her goal, to clean without using up all the mana. Or maybe using no mana at all. What if she could order the manalings into the cleaving channel without using the reservoir and then she would have all five hundred essences left for her personal use? Her fingers itched with greed. The first thing Arielle did was study the coagulated essences.

They were harder to move than even the used essences, but she pulled one toward her, balancing it on the tip of her finger, and examining the shape. These essences were unused, shining brightly yet, broken, unable to be used. They'd formed multiple twisted bonds with each other, clinging close as though depending on each other for survival.

"Is that what it is?" Ari asked the orbs.

"Will you be too broken to live if you get separated?" They buzzed and trembled, but Arielle did not know if that was an affirmative or a denial. She had to test it herself then. She put her two index fingers together, holding each side of the structure. Then she began to attempt to pull them apart. They resisted. They didn't want to be pulled, but she held on anyway, watching the space between both halves expand. Then, a shrill whistle, like a near-silent scream. She stopped. So it was true. It had hurt.

"Sorry," she said.

"I just wanted to know." They trembled even harder now, trying to float away from her, but she held them still, a clump of Vacu, Massa, and Calor. Though unbalanced and likely uncomfortable, they resisted being separated. She guessed they could only survive together, as miserable an existence as it was. The cleaving would be a mercy killing. She didn't want to do it, though. She didn't want to hurt them.

Somehow, she knew there was a fundamental difference between essences that had been used and hence could float about with faded mana and those that were going to be killed in such a cruel way. And they'd had to endure that for years before her arrival. No wonder they were so terrified at the sight of her. No wonder the air was so dark and frightened. They must have known what she was sent here to do, must have seen what had happened to their other friends.

There had to be another way to solve the problem without hurting them. Ari began to pace, biting her lip. What to do.... what to do.... Suddenly, an idea occurred to her.