The walk back to the strider took some time as they recovered from the fight, and by the time they reached it the crowds had begun to thin. Corrin’s mind was still racing, but he’d calmed some on the walk over. The air was crisp as the temperature dropped lower and lower, winter was just a little over a month away, and he was beginning to feel it.
The docks were lit with a mixture of softly glowing lightstones and torches, not to mention a few drifting light spirits. It was nothing like back home, but they helped. He hadn’t been off the strider in a while, so as Corrin approached Siensa, he was reminded that light spirits weren’t the only ones about. The bubble-like lift spirits licked the underside of the immense creature, twinkling silver in the light. Corrin pulled a trickle of mana into his eyes, ignoring a faint ache in his channels as he did so. The world grew awash with color again, a bit fainter this time—he was using less mana.
With his battle high gone, he was able to breathe and focus far more on his surroundings. Bluish lights, different from the light spirits, drifted along with the faint wind as red particles swirled around the torches. The grass below was filled with sparks of green and gold that traveled up and down the stems. As always, the stream of black and white moved through his own channels similarly, and now he knew the two were linked. He watched in awe of the hidden world he’d been introduced to.
“So, what’s it like?” Wyn asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.
Corrin blushed and the mana drained away, he must have been making a face. “It’s not that—no nevermind. It’s incredible. It’s like I’ve been blind my whole life and I can suddenly see.”
“That’s amazing,” Wyn smiled. “I hope he can help me figure it out…”
Corrin grabbed his friend’s shoulder. “I’m sure he can. We’re going to leave this place stronger than ever.”
“You’re right,” Wyn nodded. His eyes lingered for a moment and then he looked away, but Corrin saw a faint smile on his lips. “Slight problem for now though, they’re not up there.”
Corrin looked up to the top of the veldstrider, he couldn’t see over the lip of the saddle. “How do you—oh your little friend. Well that’s not great, where are they then?”
“There’s a note,” Wyn tilted his head. “Oh, they went to a restaurant Ven knows of. The central island on the western side…”
Wyn jumped to the top of the strider and came down a moment later, note in hand. “Guess we should go check in with them, yeah? We’ve got another hour before we’re supposed to meet Tor.”
Corrin’s stomach rumbled, they’d eaten in the early afternoon, so it was already passed dinnertime, and the fight with Tor had taken a lot out of him.
“Actually yeah, that’s a great idea. Race you?”
Wyn gave him a dry look. Then he turned and hobbled towards the island as quickly as he could.
***
Technically, the building they were eating at was an inn, which was clearly enjoying the influx of business from the colossus hunt. The room was bursting with people, far too many for them to all be staying in the fairly small building, and as they made their way towards the back where they’d spotted Kei, Corrin noticed many of the tables and chairs looked somewhat thrown together, as if they’d been made quickly to accommodate the extra guests. Thankfully, it was late enough in the evening that even in the lively room they were able to find two chairs to drag over.
Kei was the only one sitting at the table, and she glanced at them as they sat down, but didn’t protest. She took a large bite of her sandwich, spilling a bit onto her bright blue tunic.
Corrin snorted. “Very ladylike.”
“Shut up,” she complained with a smirk. “I’m starving. And it’s the first real food I’ve eaten in almost a month.”
Corrin’s stomach rumbled in agreement, the rations on the veldstrider mostly consisted of salted meats, dried biscuits and whatever fruits they could scavenge from the islands. The warm smells of cooking meat and hearty stews filling the room were almost enough to make him drool.
“Where’s Ven?” Wyn asked.
Kei pointed to another table across the room where Ven was talking animatedly with a group of young men. “Apparently he’s catching up with some familiar faces. Trading news and all that. He was right though, his place is really good.”
Corrin looked around for a barmaid or server of some kind to order food, but it was difficult with the crowd. As he looked around, he noticed Kei had taken the peppers off of her sandwich and left them on her plate.
“Hey, are you gonna eat those?”
“They’re all yours.”
Corrin reached out for them, but Wyn’s hand stopped him. “Wait Corrin.” His face was deadly serious. It could only mean one thing.
“Fine, best of one.” Corrin said. Wyn nodded in confirmation.
“What are you idiots doing?” Kei deadpanned, but Wyn held a hand up, hushing her.
“Hang on Kei, we need to focus, this is very important.” He reached his hand out, and Corrin did the same, their fists only a few inches apart.
“Sword, shield, bow, go!”
Corrin threw out two fingers, mimicking the slash of a sword. Wyn’s hand turned sideways, forming a shield between him and Corrin.
“Nooo! Why’d I go shield? You always go sword!” Wyn lamented immediately, staring at his hand in shock as Corrin grinned and snatched the peppers for himself, biting into the spicy fruits and savoring the taste of them and his victory all at once.
“What was that?” Kei asked.
“What do you mean? It’s hand swords, you’ve never played? Maybe they don’t have it in the east?” Corrin was a little surprised about that. The traders that came to town knew the game, but maybe it was unique to the plateau.
“So… sword beats shield then? How does that work? Wouldn’t the shield block the sword?”
“No no, shield blocks bow, bow shoots sword from range, and sword beats a shield by itself,” Corrin corrected.
“Don’t think about it too much,” Wyn said, looking around even more desperately for a waitress.
Kei blinked. “Well, either way you don’t have to fight over my scraps. I’ll buy dinner as a celebration for a good journey so far.”
Wyn tried to decline, but Corrin wasn’t one to turn down a free meal. Besides, she was rich right?
“Sounds great to me, you’re the best!” he patted her on the back.
Kei blushed slightly at the compliment. “Of course, it’s only fair after all.”
Finally they were able to find an overwhelmed staff member to place an order. After the waitress left, Kei asked them a question, “So, what happened with the spirit knight, did you find them?”
“Yeah we did,” Corrin said. He told her the whole story, though if he was honest, he may have made the fight seem just a little bit closer than it actually was. Still, he mostly kept to the truth, it had been a really one-sided fight after all.
Kei seemed somewhat shocked. “I knew spirit knights were strong, but that’s something else entirely. How did Din Kai compare?”
“He didn’t.” Wyn said simply. He was right, in Corrin’s mind. He didn’t think a hundred Din Kai’s could so much as scratch Tor, the difference in power was that vast, and the spirit knight hadn’t even been going all-out.
“Do you want to come with us to the meeting Kei?” Corrin asked. “It might be nice for you to get to talk to someone from Taravast.”
Kei flinched before looking down at her feet. Her lips twitched into a smile, but it didn’t seem very happy. “Well, actually I think I want to get an early night, so I’ll pass. Thanks for the offer though.”
“Hm, well suit yourself.”
Wyn gave Kei a look that Corrin couldn’t place, but before he could ask, the sandwiches arrived. As his stomach took over his brain, he tabled the question for later.
“Thanks again for the food Kei,” Wyn said.
“You—no, don't worry about it. We’re friends right?”
Corrin rolled his eyes and smirked. “Don’t make it sound like an actual question. We’ve only been traveling together for almost three months now.”
“When you put it like that it honestly seems short,” Wyn said, taking a bite. “I feel like we’ve been on the road forever already… Damn this is really good.”
“Isn’t it? I don’t think I want to know what kind of meat this is, but I can’t deny it tastes great. Also, don’t whine about it, I’ve been out here for almost a year now. I can’t believe it's almost winter.”
“Can we even travel the sea in the winter?” Corrin wondered.
“Not really,” Wyn said. “I asked Ven about it and we’ll be cutting it close. The delay from the colossus is going to eat through our safety window. It’s harder to supply a trip in the winter, but we should make it in time.”
“Not to mention, icemaws, winter wolves, well those wouldn’t be in The Grass Sea I suppose. But we’d still worry about frost wraiths, corpse-eaters, ktaadn, …” She trailed off, noticing the looks of horror on their faces. “What? Do you not have those?”
“I’m sorry did you say corpse-eaters?”
***
Their sandwiches were long finished by the time Kei finished apprising them of the dangers of winter outside the plateau, and the time for Corrin and Wyn to leave had arrived. Kei paid the bill as promised before grumbling about how overpriced lodging was in the town. As their paths split at the door, she waved them off, wishing them good luck, and they were on their way.
The tavern Tor had sent them to was also on the central island. It was a bit run down, with a faded sign and doors that creaked loudly as Corrin shoved them open. As soon as he did though, it was like entering a whole new world. Despite the streets being quiet so late in the evening, the room was bursting with people just like the inn they’d eaten at. Clustered in tables, people were betting, drinking, and playing all manner of games with no reservations about the noise. Unlike the inn however, most of the men at the tavern seemed like soldiers, dressed in uniforms and carrying weapons or armor.
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In contrast to the rest of the building, the bar itself seemed very well maintained. The counter was crafted from polished wood and the back shelves had more bottles of alcohol than Corrin could count. The owner—as he almost certainly was in a town like this—was standing behind the bar with a tired expression, but it was the kind brought on by physical exhaustion, not exasperation like Corrin would expect from one having to deal with such a rowdy crowd.
At the center of it all though was one man, the spirit knight Tor. Well, he wasn’t at the literal center, he was sitting at the bar on the back of the building downing a large mug of what must be alcohol. But the world within the tavern certainly seemed to revolve around him. Even just sitting and drinking, he stood out, his presence was larger than everyone else’s. As he downed more and more of the liquor, the soldiers around him cheered him on.
Finishing his huge mug, Tor slammed it down onto the counter, empty, and raised a fist into the air. The soldiers went crazy, exchanging bets and celebrating in good fun, or lamenting their losses.
“Haha! I told you, I could do this all night boys!” He waved a hand towards the empty mug, “Behold! The true power of a spirit knight! Let me get another!” He raised it up into the air and nodded at the bartender, who nodded back while he finished with another customer.
It was just after this that Tor seemed to notice them approaching. “Ah look! The guests of honor have arrived!”
Corrin chuckled awkwardly as the older man ordered his men to give them some space, clearing a barstool for each of them. Corrin took a seat on the wooden stool and leaned against the counter.
“Order anything you want, it’s on me,” Tor said amicably.
“Thank you for the generosity,” Wyn said.
Corrin nodded. “Thanks.”
“So,” Tor leaned onto the counter, looking over at them with a slight smirk on his face. “I imagine you’ve had plenty of time to think up the questions you want to ask?”
“What’s an ash channeler?” Corrin asked.
Tor laughed, “Straight to the point, I can respect that. What’s an ash channeler huh? Well tell me, what do you know about mana and aura? I need to know what I’m working with.”
“Wait… mana and aura?” Corrin repeated, slightly confused. “Are those two different things? I only know about mana.”
“Well, they’re kind of the same. How to explain… Let’s start here—have either of you ever noticed that you were stronger or faster than most people?”
Corrin thought about it. It hadn’t started out that way, but he and Wyn had been more physically able than even the adults in their village for almost four years now. “Well, I guess so…”
Wyn spoke up. “Isn’t that just the result of training though?”
Tor scratched his chin absentmindedly. “Yes and no. A normal person with training wouldn’t do half as well against me as you two did.”
Wyn snorted. “That was well huh? It seemed to me like we got our asses kicked.”
“Oh you did! But trust me it would usually be a lot worse.”
“Fair enough, we’ve been a bit stronger than most for years now, so I see your point. Continue.”
“Anyways, the how and the why aren’t really my area of expertise. You’ll need to talk to somebody smarter than me for that. The important part is this: aura is an innate energy that all creatures produce. For most people, it simply leaks away, not that they produce much to begin with. But some people, either consciously or subconsciously, learn to train it and produce more. Considering the circumstances, I would say you two are of the subconscious type. From what I can see, you each have at least… six or seven times the normal amount, and produce it faster too.”
Corrin thought about the base level of mana in his body, the amount he couldn’t get out with breathing alone. Since he was twelve he’d been as strong and fast as an adult, and the gap had only grown since.
So then, that’s my aura? He looked at his hands—ever since Azoth had imprinted the channeling technique onto him, he’d been able to see his own body’s mana, even before he could see the mana outside it. The white-black energy flowed through the channels in his body, swirling power moving like the blood in his veins.
“So I have aura too then?” Wyn asked, his eyes widening a bit in understanding.
“Of course ya do, the main difference is just mana and a channeling technique.”
Corrin’s brain turned, putting the pieces together. If aura was made in the body, but he’d had mana poisoning in the dungeon, then that meant…
“Mana’s the shit in the air,” Tor confirmed. “We don’t produce it naturally, it’s something to do with spirits… lifecycles or something? If you see Nereus you can ask him, he might know.”
Tor paused as the bartender arrived, refilling his drink and pouring some water for Corrin and Wyn. Corrin also put in an order for some bread and cheese, even after eating at the inn with Kei, he was still hungry.
The knight glanced oddly at that before he continued. “Anyways, what really matters is how you use it. Mana and aura are almost the same shit practically speaking, so the words are basically interchangeable except when you’re trying to explain stuff like this. With a channeling technique, you can draw mana into your body and mix it with your aura to make yourself stronger, or to fuel other techniques.”
Wyn glanced at Corrin, who nodded. It all lined up so far, and in practical terms he hadn’t learned anything new.
Wyn spoke again. “So then, all I need is a channeling technique? How can I get one?”
“What, whoever taught Corrin here didn’t want to teach you?”
“Close enough,” Corrin chuckled.
Tor raised an eyebrow, searching Corrin’s eyes for something. “Well, that’s a true shame. Let’s come back to that topic though, I’ll finish my explanation on aspects.”
“Oh right,” Corrin nodded. “I almost forgot. You said I had an ash aspect?”
“Once someone is able to sense their own aura and use it actively, taking in mana from the outside, that’s when they become a channeler. We call that stage being ‘open’. For most humans, at that point their aura is going to be mostly pure, still in its natural state.” He paused, pointing at Wyn. “Your aura is about as pure as any I’ve ever seen, especially for someone with so much.”
Corrin caught on. “And I take it mine isn’t.”
Tor nodded. “Exactly. Pure aura is… unassertive compared to other auras, and it’s not nearly the same as what we would call pure mana. Corrin, channel to your eyes and look at that candle. What do you see?”
The process of channeling mana to his head still felt weird, but it didn’t cause a headache this time, and he was still being careful with the amount he used. Like before, the world sharpened in clarity, and he became aware of the mana outside his body. He looked over at the candle.
“Well, there’s a few specks of red in the air around it, that’s mana right?”
“Fire mana,” Tor said.
Corrin noticed some of the bluish white motes drifting through the air. He pointed at them, “So then that would be what—air mana?”
“We’d call it wind, but you’re on the right track.”
Corrin thought about it for a moment. “So I take it this has to do with my aura having an ‘ash’ aspect? Is that another type of mana?”
“Aye, it’s a very dangerous type too. For an inexperienced channeler, as you channel, your aura will begin to dilute—no dilute isn’t right. What’s the opposite of dilute?”
“Concentrate?” Wyn offered.
“Not what I’m thinking of. Let’s just say over time your aura will begin to change. Instead of producing pure aura, your body will begin to produce aura with the same properties as the most prevalent mana you’ve channeled. When that happens, you surpass the open stage, and become ‘aspected’. Typically, if someone is aspected, you can expect them to be stronger than someone who is only open, simply because they have been at it longer.”
“So I’m aspected? But I’ve only been channeling for a few months now. How is that possible?”
“Frankly, I have no idea. It shouldn’t even be possible—ash is tough ta’ cultivate. It only occurs naturally on desolate, mana-rich battlefields, and in Aleris where The Colossus of the South roams. And even then, most people on battlefields like that are either already aspected or dead. So unless there’s been some wars on the plateau I haven’t heard about, I don’t know how you managed it.”
Corrin looked at Wyn, their eyes meeting. Nothing they’d done since he’d become a channeler had been out of the ordinary. Which meant there was no doubt. It was a result of whatever Azoth had done to him.
Wyn nodded and turned back. “Sir, is there any other way to become aspected other than taking in mana?”
“A few, but none that would apply to you.” He looked at Corrin again, his eyes sharp. “You’re talented, but altering your own mana properties takes a lot more time and skill than anything you’ve done so far. Hell, even I’d have trouble, and I wouldn’t want ta’ do it anyways. There’s also imprinting, but other than some noble families you don’t hear about anyone doing that anymore.”
“And how exactly does imprinting work?” Corrin asked.
Tor glanced to the side thoughtfully. “I couldn’t say. All I know is that it’s a way to force a channeling technique onto someone. It's not done anymore because it's incredibly dangerous, one or two noble brats die every year from it if I had ta’ guess. Even if I knew how to do it—which I don’t, I definitely wouldn’t hand it out to a bunch of kids.”
Corrin let out a breath of relief. Forcing a channeling technique onto someone… That sounded a lot like what had happened to him, but it seemed the process itself had been the most dangerous part. In fact, it could be that having a channeling technique chosen by a powerful demon was the kind of advantage he needed.
“I’ve got one more question,” Corrin said. “Why does it matter that I have an ash aspect? Your reaction to it earlier was a bit much, no?”
“Well, for one, it's rare like I said, so most aren’t familiar with it, but I fought a few ash channelers back in the war, so I know a little. First, every mana aspect behaves differently, and they take on the properties of the thing they’re mimicking. For example, my aura is earth aspected. It makes me durable, and can add weight to me and my attacks, but it's pretty sluggish. It’s one of the better aspects for defense. A wind channeler on the other hand would be quick, it lets them lighten their bodies to move incredibly fast, and I’ve even known a few who could fly in short bursts.”
“Flying? Are you serious?” Wyn asked.
“It’s a sight to see, that's for sure. Ash mana is different though. It’s not named after an element like wind or water, it was named for the color of the aura.”
“Yeah,” Corrin said, “It's white and black, ash makes sense.”
“A more accurate name would be something like ‘destruction’ mana. As that implies, ash aura is dangerous, it offers little in the way of utility, but in terms of raw power, no other aspect comes close.”
“Is that why I was able to break through your armor earlier?”
“Armor?” Wyn asked.
“I had my mana gathered outside my body for defense,” Tor said offhandedly, “But yes, that’s exactly right. Ash mana is honed for destruction. It’s fast, powerful, and especially effective against other aspects in a straight confrontation.”
“That makes sense. If I could break through your defenses, it really must be powerful.”
Tor grinned. “Don’t get too cocky, kid. Just cause I didn’t expect an attack like that from somebody who just learned how to see mana, doesn’t mean I can’t defend against it. You’ve got a long way to go if you want to break through an earth channeler’s real defense. At least one on my level. That said, if there was one aspect I wouldn’t want to face as an earth channeler, it would be ash.”
“It sounds like it’s the best then right? Why doesn’t everyone get an ash aspect?” Corrin asked.
Tor grunted. “Like I said, it’s rare to find it occurring in large amounts naturally. But also, it’s not without its weaknesses. For one, it's terrible in any sort of sustained defense. But more importantly, didn’t you notice how I said you and your friend have roughly the same amount of aura? As a channeler, I assume you’ve been training your aura directly, which means you should have faster growth. But ash mana is difficult to contain, and harsh on your channels. If you had a water or life aspect, your effective capacity would be far larger by now. In fact, ash probably has the worst counter of any aspect, that being fire.”
“Wait so I’m bad against a fire channeler?” Corrin blinked. “Why?”
Tor waved his hand. “That’s a whole different thing. But yeah, it's a terrible match up. Each type has its tradeoffs, I wouldn’t say any one is better. It’s gonna come down to how you like to fight.”
So, his aspect was great for attacking, but he could hold less of it? Corrin thought that fit him perfectly, he preferred attacking to defending anyways. So he had the power, he had the talent, there was only one thing he was missing.
“Can you teach me how to use it?” Corrin asked.
Wyn stood up. “Please, teach us. I want to learn a channeling technique, I have to learn one.”
Tor took a slow sip of his ale. His voice was steely. “I can’t.”
Corrin’s heart dropped, and besides him he saw Wyn stiffen. “Wait, why not?”
“Explaining a thing or two to a pair of kids is one thing, especially since I did say I’d answer a few questions for ya. But real training is different. For one, unlike some knights, I’m a direct member of the Edrian army, and you two aren’t citizens of the kingdom. I could get in trouble for spreading what are essentially military secrets.” He rolled his eyes at the phrasing. “On top of that, I’ve got a mission to oversee here. We’re hunting the colossus at the end of next week, and I have a whole battalion to prepare before then.”
“Ah…” Wyn’s head drooped. “I see.”
“Now hold on,” Tor smirked. “I wasn’t finished. I can’t take too much time away from this assignment right now, but if two potential assets to the hunt were to show up…”
Corrin’s heart sped up. “You mean—”
“Recruiting from local forces is something I’m allowed to do, and I’m technically allowed to train the men under me however I see fit for the purposes of the mission.” Tor smirked. “How would you two like to join the hunt?”