Shiara landed on her ass, not used to teleportation techniques. Her uncle had money as a Viscount, but not enough to afford that extravagance. Standing up, she took in her surroundings. Elder Maston had said the maze changed each time it was accessed, but it looked like the chamber she had just left; other than lacking the skylights. She wasn’t sure if she was just underground or if this was an extension of the chamber.
How would they monitor the progress of the candidates while everyone was in the tunnel? Okay, focus. Recenter. Breathe. In through the nose, down through the belly, then filling the chest. Out through the mouth. Repeat.
Her Aura Sight buzzed in her vision.
They weren’t exaggerating when they said the labyrinth was rich in natural aura.
Feeling for her core again, she found the small well of mana now inside her. She didn’t have any techniques to use it with just yet, but just the warmth of the power at her center inspired confidence.
Typically, a Wielder had to absorb aura into their body from the environment, and then refine it into mana within their core through cycling and meditating. The act of awakening and the ritual that had been done filled her core up for just this first time, otherwise she would have been empty.
The breathing technique she always did had worked to suppress the intensity of her Aura Sight. It seemed now that she had a core, she had some small measure of control over it. Good. She likely would have passed out from the sensory overload in the maze otherwise. It still took conscious effort, but she now found her Aura Sight was manageable.
Mana gem. I have to find a mana gem.
This task was about speed. Not only did she need to get into Mytheris, but she needed to rank highly in her class. Well, maybe not highly, but high enough to ward off shame for her house, but low enough to not be a target for other students. She would be wonderfully average.
A wickedly loud clash of rocks caused Shiara to whip her head behind her. The ceiling of the maze had begun to cave in. Kicking into action, Shiara began to run down the cavernous hallway in the opposite direction. I guess the Labyrinth wanted me to get moving.
The sounds of rubble falling behind her drove her forward, her pounding feet carrying her as fast as she could run. Am I running faster? she thought subconsciously. She saw only a straight hallway ahead of her with no end in sight. Aura still swam, but she didn’t quite know what the different colors meant. She had spent so long forcing them out when she should have been trying to figure out their meanings. Fuck me, I guess.
Another loud pounding of rocks, and the hallway in front of her started to cave way too. I guess I can’t go that way.
Still running, the gap between the cave in ahead of her and the one behind was slowly closing. She followed her Aura Sight, her gut instinct screaming that her sight was trying to tell her something. Ahead of her, the wall on the left side of the hallway showed a green and blue flash of wispy aura. The same color as the teleportation circle. Without pause, she made for the wall and ran right into the spot where she had seen the aura.
Instantly, she knew she had made the right choice when she felt herself be teleported again. She landed, on her legs this time, in a cavernous room that looked like a small oasis.
There was a gigantic waterfall flowing into a gorgeous blue shimmering pond. Rocky ground gave way to a lush green pasture, filled with giant purple and white flowers the size of her head, and dozens of giant willow trees providing shade to the wildflowers. Shiara took a deep breath, immediately feeling at peace. Her Aura Sight showed a heavy purple aura in the air, looking almost like small clouds. Smaller puffs of white aura wafted out of the white flowers. Was that a sky? Why is there a sky in an underground cavern? She didn’t want to think too much about the mechanics of this place.
The room was warm, as if the sun was out on a ideal spring afternoon. Like the perfect place to have a picnic. The rushing of the waterfall beckoned her. She was thirsty. When was the last time she had something to drink?
Walking over to the shimmering waters, she bent down to cup some water in her hand, but came up short. The water in her hands wasn’t water at all, but a metallic purple liquid.
She focused on her breathing to regain her concentration. Backing away from the water, nothing was amiss. The still blue surface appeared perfect from the small distance, and she saw the reflection of her hazel eyes looking back at her. The shimmering in the pond wasn’t just the metallic purple liquid. In the depths, there shone another teleportation circle.
A low hum sounded in her ears, the beginnings of a melody that sounded like a lullaby. Purple aura swam all around her, her ears telling her the flowers were singing, the tune carried on notes of purple aura. An unnatural calm came over her, the rhythm of the purple flowers seeping into her bones, beckoning her to slumber in the soft grass.
If she could just rest, she would be refreshed for the rest of the labyrinth. She was still tired from her sprint through the hallway after all.
Her feet carried her beneath a willow tree where she spotted a perfect patch of grass. Her breathing slowed and she felt overcome with exhaustion.
The low, calming melody began to grow louder, harmonizing with the buzz of wings. Pulled out of her stupor, Shiara blinked her eyes to see three enormous bees, descending from the tallest tree, 100 yards away from her.
The monsters were vicious, twisted versions of the gentle bumblebees she saw in the gardens back at Sterling House. Twice as long as Shiara herself, they flew straight for her. Their stingers dripped with a sticky yellow substance, and even from this distance she could smell that it wasn’t honey. It was something rotten, poisonous. Yet more purple aura followed the bees, trailing them as they flew.
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One of the bees was larger than the rest, wearing a crown made of what looked to be human bones. A skull in the center with eyes of shining gems.
Gems. Mana gems.
Mana was made by condensing aura in the body. Humans could forge mana gems using their own power, as could Arcanic Beasts. They could also be naturally occurring like they were here in the labyrinth. Her Aura Sight still worked on mana gems, looking less like vapor and more like solid impressions. Mana imbued items or items made of mana looked somehow more real than regular items to her, and most had a slight color to them depending on what manner of aura they had been made with.
She needed to get that crown from the Queen Bee.
There was nowhere to hide or run. She had nothing to fight with except the strength of her body. She had done moderate exercise and basic forms, but it was decreed that no one under the age of twenty begin official training in the Arcanic Arts. Most of her knowledge up until this point was theoretical.
Her brain was screaming at her to do something.
A wild idea rose in Shiara’s brain. Those white flowers had been made of pure aura. No aspect to them at all. She may not have known the various colors, but she knew pure aura had no feeling to her at all. They would protect her from the sleepy stupor of the water and dilute it’s effectiveness. At least in theory.
No time to think, she ran wildly for the white flowers, bypassing several dozen purple ones and kicking up purple pollen that stuck to her brown vest.
The warm haze of sleep threatened to pull her under once again, but by sheer force of will she concentrated on the white flowers a dozen yards ahead of her on the bank of the pond. Her muscles grew weary and her vision started to grow fuzzy around the edges.
Collapsing just in front of the white flower, she grabbed the stem and yanked it from the ground. She hadn’t known exactly how to absorb aura yet, so she did what her instincts told her to. She ripped a petal off the giant white flower, and shoved it into her mouth, chewing viciously.
Her senses sharpened, the buzzing of wings right behind her. Looking to her left across the pond, the Arcanic Bees were about to be right on top of her. Grabbing fistfuls of white petals, Shiara shoved them into the pocket of her trousers and dove. Head first into the pond.
She swam down, concentrating on the feel of the flower petals in her mouth and the pure aura drowning out the purple, sleep invoking pond. It was deeper than it looked, but with her new core full of mana she felt physically stronger and kept pushing on. Her lungs were screaming for air as she finally reached the teleportation array and touched it.
For the third time today, she was transported through a blink in space. She landed on her chest, having been practically upside down in the pond.
She coughed up the flower petals as the purple liquid dripped off of her. There was a patterned carpet underneath her, and she stood with a wet squelch of her boots. She was in a hall of mirrors, rows upon rows of pedestals surrounding her. Each had an object sat atop it, with a plaque displaying its contents.
Treasure. Elder Maston did say we could keep whatever we found. Thank you, Aura Sight.
Looking around, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror a few paces in front of her. Her dark bronze waves were a mess, and she swept them back out of her face. Her freckles were stark against her cream colored skin. The mirror began to alight with glowing scripted words: Fate smiles upon you. Choose only one.
Only one.
She’d have to choose wisely, and quickly.
The message on the mirror flashed away and below it another teleportation array lit up.
I guess that’s the exit.
As a Viscount, her uncle possessed some fine mana enchanted items, but she hadn’t exactly been given free permission to study or use them. This only made Shiara want to study them more of course, and she took every opportunity she could to sneak into his office to look at his trinkets. This felt like that, only much more exciting.
She made for the very first item in the row, planning to read each item methodically before making her choice. The first pedestal came to about chest height and was made of white marble. On it was a silver band engraved with obsidian swirls. The ring wasn’t activated right now, so the aura around it was faint, almost invisible wisps of blue, green, and black.
She read the plaque of the first item:
Band of Slithering Shadows
When mana is channeled through the ring, the wearer is able to teleport through shadows within the area of visibility. Usage is limited to the wearer’s mana quantity and quality.
That certainly would be useful. Though I don’t know if it would be useful right now since I can’t channel mana yet.
Most items and techniques required the Wielder to power them via the mana in their core. However, mana gems could be broken and used to power items externally if a Wielder is drained of mana, or if a Wielder wishes to quickly fill their core with mana without absorbing aura. Mana is the tinder that lights the fire of magic.
Shiara struggled internally. She knew she could use a mana gem to power any of the techniques or spells within these objects and protect herself, but she also needed the mana gem to escape the labyrinth.
Looking again, she examined the next pedestal, which came up to her knees. Floating atop it was a set of glittering brass knuckles, almost blinding in their shine.
Brawler’s Brass Knuckles
Nearly indestructible brass knuckles. They hold no inherent technique, but will allow for Wielder’s existing spells to be channeled through them.
Those seem quite powerful, but I’m not exactly the punching sort.
The brass knuckles were ruled out along with eight other magical items, half of which were jewelry she desperately wanted, but wouldn’t be immediately useful.
She walked up to the next stand, growing anxious she wouldn’t find anything of use. Atop the next marble pedestal sat two curved daggers with faint red roses and green leaves on the hilt and pommel. The metal was dark, almost black. Their aura was dark red, like dripping blood.
Thorn Kiss Blades
When an opponent is stabbed with these twin blades, the edges become jagged thorns that rip into enemies, causing their wounds to bleed profusely. Unless healed magically, wounds inflicted will be fatal. Technique compatible.
These are perfect.
Shiara thought they were honestly a little overpowered, but magical healing was common enough that this would at least assure that she could take on most Arcanic beasts without issue. She was typically drawn to the elegance of swords, but she hadn't seen any in her scan of the remaining items, and she had no time to waste.
She scooped up the blades, and they felt warm in her hand. They also apparently came with a magical holster, because she felt it wrap around the right leg of her trouser the second the blades were free of the pedestal.
Hell yeah.
With her treasure selected, the other pedestals disappeared from the room as if they were never there.