Kedryn breathed in slowly, following the technique Riya had taught him back in the catacombs. It was hard to believe it had only been a little more than a week since she had shown them how to process the stray mana particles from inside their bodies. So much had changed since then. He had gained in several levels, increased his magical abilities, and become the second in command of a named settlement.
There had been a great many external factors that helped contribute to their success, but one thing was certain. It would have been far more difficult without the technique. Not only did the breathing exercise help to center his mind, but it had a tangible effect on his ability to use mana. And given his current circumstances, he needed every advantage he could get.
Congratulations! You have gained skill level 6 in Endure Pain. +12% ability to ignore pain per skill level.
His mana pool was once again filled to the brim, stretching its capacity well past the point of being tolerable. He would have to bleed off the pressure soon, though he wasn’t sure how much damage he was doing to his fire channels by doing so. Still, it was either that or allow his mana pool to rupture.
He hadn’t believed Bragden for a second when he had told him all he would feel was some pain. If ruptured mana channels almost killed Glade, he couldn’t imagine how much worse damaging his mana pool would be. He was planning on having a long talk with the surly dwarf once this next crisis had passed. This could have been easily avoided had the damned dwarf explained how difficult the process would be.
Kedryn exhaled, letting the frustration bleed out of him as he recentered his focus on the churning within his soul. He had long since been able to feel out both his mana pool and channels after the many hours of practicing his processing technique. The goal had been to expand his magical repertoire in both earth and astral spheres by now, but Bragden had cautioned him more than once to take his time. Though, now that he knew what went into opening one’s channels it made more sense why the dwarf had delayed until they had access to more resources. Though, that wouldn’t keep him from having words with the dwarf. He shouldn’t have to learn these things the hard way.
Breathing in, Kedryn felt more air aspected mana enter his pool, stretching the borders a mere fraction further. The pain was intensifying. Instead of the steady burn he had become accustomed to, it now felt like it was on the verge of bursting. Exactly what he had been waiting for.
Glade’s help in locating the block to his air channels had been both timely and insightful. Not only did he know where to focus his efforts, but he now understood the nature of the block itself. Like a poorly healed scar, it would either need to be worn away or punched through. In either case, stretching his mana pool to its greatest tolerance should make the sealed over opening more vulnerable.
At least, that was his current theory. His previous failures were the reason his pain tolerance had leveled.
Holding his breath, Kedryn forced the mana within his pool to move, envisioning a wave of force that rolled along the outer edges of its borders. With each revolution Kedryn urged it to move faster.
The pain worsened as the integrity of his mana pool threatened to collapse entirely. When he could bear it no more, he forced the wave to crest, guiding it to crash onto the blockage.
Congratulations! You have gained skill level 7 in Endure Pain. +12% ability to ignore pain per skill level.
Kedryn cried out as he felt something inside of him tear.
A feeling of dread filled him as he instinctually cast spark followed quickly by manipulate flame, directing the torrent of mana into the ocean below.
Several heart stopping moments passed as Kedryn relieved the pressure inside his mana pool.
A whispered concern touched the edges of his consciousness.
“I’m… fine…” he forced out, doing his best to comfort Ember. The egg had been checking on him regularly, each time with growing concern. Not that his friend could do anything about their circumstances. Ember didn’t have any authority over air like he did with fire or else his friend would have already stepped in to help.
Carefully, Kedryn extended his consciousness into himself. On the surface, nothing had changed. He couldn’t sense any leaks or tears, but his self-awareness was far from perfect.
With a long sigh, he resumed his breathing technique and waited for his pool to refill. The wave theory hadn’t worked, which meant he needed to come up with another method for moving his mana. Maybe if he tried condensing it first?
As Kedryn began formulating another way to approach the problem, he felt the feather light touch of Glade’s mind connect to his and Bragden’s.
“I’ve caught Bragden up on what’s happened up to now,” Glade said, his voice a mask of calm with a just hint of concern below the surface. Honestly, if not for the daily interaction he had with the man, he might not have noticed. But for a someone like Glade whose emotional norm was on par with that of a rock, well it just showed how much this situation had rattled his commander.
“Aye, and I have to admit, you’ve done more’n I thought you could,” Bragden said, obvious respect in his voice. “How ye be doin lad?”
“I’ve... been better,” he got out, deciding that honesty was better than bravado under the circumstances. “I’ve tried three different methods to break through the blockage, but nothing has worked so far.”
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“Thanks to Glade’s fancy spell combined with this here telepathy, I done saw what ye just tried,” Bragden continued. Was it just him or did the dwarf sound annoyed? “If’n I had known about the true nature of his spell, then I could have suggested…”
“Bragden Grimheart,” Glade growled, the mental projection of his voice going so dark that Kedryn tried to take an involuntarily step back. Instead, he jerked against the ropes tying him in place. “We have already discussed our combined failings that have led us to this point. Do I need to remind you of the consequences of what will happen if you continue to waste our time?”
“Ah… yes, right,” Bragden stammered. “My… apologies.”
Kedryn opened his eyes and stared dumbfounded through the sheets of rain at the dwarf. Had Bragden just… apologized?
“So, let’s get to it,” Bragden continued, clearly off balance as he glanced between him and Glade. “First, ye should be congratulated. I taint ever seen a mage whose been casting magic for under a month be able to even sense their mana pool, let alone manipulate the bloody mana inside it. For that alone, ye should be proud!”
Praise and an apology? Exactly what had his commanding officer threatened the dwarf with?
“We’re looking at your mana pool now,” Kedryn heard his commander say before an image was projected through the link. “The good news is I’ve taken steps to extend the duration of my spell so we can watch your progress in real time.”
“What’s the bad news?” Kedryn asked, examining the image. Everything looked to be about as he had expected. His fire channels were now thoroughly contaminated with the subtle yellow of air mana, though that was not his primary concern. His mana pool looked… off.
“There be more than one,” Bragden didn’t quite growl at them, but it was a near thing. “Yer fire channels be shot to bloody hell, though I don’t know if that is necessarily a bad thing. I’d wager ye’ve got one, maybe two more good casts before ye either lose yer attunement altogether or they tear open. Likely both, given our luck.”
“The other issue is ye’ve damaged yer mana pool. It’ll heal up on its own given time and rest, but neither of those are a luxury we can afford. That said, it limits us on what we can do moving forward.”
“Limits us how, exactly?” Kedryn asked, intrigued. And if he were being honest, a bit frustrated as well. It sounded like Bragden was about to reveal some critical information that he could have used before.
“What ye were doing before by letting yer pool stretch a bit is the easiest method most who help open channels use. It stretches the openings near enough to bursting that a few precise applications of force with mana is all that be needed. Though to be honest, most who go that route have a high tolerance for pain and can’t afford the more qualified mages. If we go that route, yer pool will rupture for sure.”
“Instead, I’m going to have to walk ye through what be known as the Howling Vortex or Bloody Splinter technique. Both take exacting mana control to use and will hurt worse than the Greying Rot in yer nether regions,” Bragden finished.
“Why didn’t you explain the process earlier?” Kedryn asked, his frustration leaking into his projected voice.
“Because I didn’t slagging know ye were so advanced in yer mana control,” Bragden snapped back.
“Did you ask?” Glade responded quietly, his voice like whispering death.
Both Bragden and Kedryn froze, their rising anger immediately displaced by the projected weight of promised violence if the answer wasn’t to Glade’s liking.
An involuntary shudder ran down Kedryn’s spine.
“Ah… no,” Bragden said, his face paling. “But in me defense, no one in all me years has ever done reached the level of proficiency… the royal… has… shown…”
Bragden’s thoughts trailed off as Glade continued to stare at him, the same intense feeling of danger echoing in all their minds.
“How about we just focus on helping Kedryn open his channels,” Bragden coughed.
“Excellent idea,” Glade said.
“So, here’s what ye need to do…”
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Kedryn kept one eye on his rising mana as he maintained what Bragden had loftily called the Howling Vortex.
“I still think we should call it the Draining Tub,” Kedryn muttered, spinning his mana so fast that it created something that resembled a whirlpool. The concept was simple enough to understand. Create a spiraling vortex within one’s mana pool directly over the blockage. Over time, the point would drill through the block and then begin a controlled funnel of mana into the targeted channels.
It sounded a lot more doable than the splinter method, which required him to create several compressed needles of mana and repeatedly stab them into the blocked channel. Not only was this method far more painful, but it had an increased chance of further damaging the lining of his mana pool.
“Stop yer yapping and focus,” Bragden snapped, his normal waspishness back in full force. “Now, make sure the vortex is centered on top of the block…”
Kedryn tuned the dwarf out, focusing instead on increasing the rotational speed of his vortex. This was their fifth try and he was hopeful it would finally work. The first couple of attempts were spent getting a feel for how the mana should move and how full his pool should be in order to make it work. Too little and there wasn’t enough mana to generate the required force. Too much and the whole thing just spun around like a pot of soup. The optimal fill, they discovered, needed to be between half and three quarters full.
Currently, he was just over half full, Glade having emptied his mana channels before by using repeated castings of mana manipulation. It saved his fire channels and mana pool from further damage, but it felt like his insides were being pulled through his skin. Which basically meant that it hurt. A lot.
The third trial had helped him figure out the appropriate speed, and his last trial had very nearly worked. If it hadn’t been for the utterly devasting pain that had surprised him when the sufficiently spinning vortex had begun to erode the blockage, then he very well could have broken through. Needless to say, he now knew why Howling was the first part of this technique’s title.
Now that he knew what to expect, he should have this wrapped up in no time.
Kedryn slowly increased the speed as a grinding pain shot through his entire body.
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“You’ve got this,” Glade sent, his mental voice fading in and out of Kedryn’s conscious thoughts. He was so tired he couldn’t even tell if it was Glade who was falling asleep or himself.
“One more time, lad,” Bragden said, his projected voice laced with exhaustion. “Just one more time.”
Kedryn grimaced. They had been at this for hours. If it hadn’t been for Bragden renewing the temporary enchantments on the coins they all held they would have long since frozen in the icy spray of the storm. Though he hardly noticed the wind and rain anymore. All he could see was the spin of his mana as he unconsciously increased the speed.
The familiar sensation of pain welcomed him like an old friend before darkness claimed him.
“We’ve got to find shelter!” Crixus yelled, though Kedryn could barely understand the man. He bet the others were in the same state. He was so tired, and his mana pool was filling up far too quickly, the potion drawing in air mana faster than Glade could remove it. This was likely their last chance. But succeed or fail, after this he could rest…
Spin the mana, center it onto the blockage, ride out the pain.
Something inside Kedryn cracked.
“Hold on… a bit… more…” Glade encouraged.
There was more pain, though by now it was something he was used to.
Spin the mana, center it onto the blockage, ride out the pain.
Somewhere inside himself, Kedryn felt a dam break.
A shriek of exultant triumph echoed through his mind as mana rushed through him.
A smile graced Kedryn’s lips as he let the spinning vortex of darkness whisk him away.