Chapter 19: A Foregone Conclusion
The most popular table game in Aviensa was four hands, which Nara could only describe as a combination of riichi mahjong and blackjack. The game was played with wood tiles that could resist the ocean breeze sweeping up from the shore and flipping them over. They taught her the basics of the game, and the four began.
Encio leaned over to whisper into Nara’s ear, “Careful that you don’t show your emotions in your aura.”
“They can see that?”
“They can.”
She gazed at Sezan and Wisteria, “Isn’t that cheating?”
Sezan shrugged defensively, “It’s hardly my fault I can read your aura without trying. It’s as if you’ve flipped your tiles for me to see.”
“The complaints of a loser. Get better or get beaten,” Wisteria cackled.
“You still win at times,” Nara said, glancing at Encio. “How are you pulling that off?”
“I’ve been playing for my grandfather my whole life. I have my ways.” He flipped over one group of tiles he had been building. “First hand.”
Sezan clicked his tongue, “Aren’t you getting too good at this, grandson?”
“I show you only my best, grandfather.”
“Hold up, did you say grandfather?”
“First hand,” Wisteria said, flipping over her own group of tiles. “Your grandson isn’t your only challenger Sezan. Don’t fall behind this old woman.”
The two looked more like father and son than grandfather and grandson. She hadn’t seen any essence user families before; This must have been a common sight for Erras. Once the children grew up, they all looked around the same age.
However, when Nara met Sezan’s eyes, they revealed his age within. She could sense it, the years hidden within that his magical body otherwise concealed. It wasn’t an accurate sensation, but enough to tell that Sezan far surpassed her and his grandson in age.
“Nara, you aren’t a local here, are you,” Sezan’s words weren’t a question, but a confirmation.
“Yeah. I’m actually from Sanshi.”
“Sanshi? That’s quite far from here. How did you get here?”
She had made a mistake. Most people couldn’t skip through the dimensional boundary like they were taking a springtime stroll.
“I have some friends that can portal me,” she said. It wasn’t technically a lie; would she get away with it?
Sezan’s smile was knowing, but he didn’t push any further, “First hand. Nara, you’re the last one.”
“Aiyah, I better focus, or I really will lose all of the snacks I brought with me.” She’d have to bring more next time, her edible version of poker chips that these folk generously accepted as currency.
It was a foregone conclusion; she was the loser of the match. Wisteria managed to pull ahead of Encio, completing her fourth hand before he did.
She pulled out her lute from her inventory, playing a tune she thought suited the whimsical and relaxed atmosphere. It was simplistic; she’d only been learning for a week, past experience of otherwise. She hoped that her amateur music didn’t bother the others in the grove. A promise was a promise, even if she felt apologetic to subject unwilling participants to her music.
With no video games to occupy her time, her lute was her avenue of release and relaxation. She didn’t mind training, she had nothing better to do. She preferred it to the monotony of a full-time job anyway.
“That’s a beautiful lute,” Encio observed, “Polished nightwood, embellished with magic gold. The details are well done.”
“You know your lutes?”
“I have an eye for quality. What shop did you get it from? Was it local?”
“No…” Nara said, running her fingers over the wood of the lute, “I think my friend handmade it. Sorry to disappoint, I don’t think he takes commissions. Do you play an instrument?”
“I don’t,” he said.
“Little Encio here can’t commit to a single hobby,” Wisteria said, waving her cocktail, a mixture of cocono liqueur and something that tasted like pineapple, “He’ll get curious, try it out, perform remarkably well, then get bored of it and give up before he makes any real progress.”
“Now, Wisteria, don’t out me like that. And some exploration hasn’t hurt anybody.”
“Just my finances,” Sezan said.
Encio rolled his eyes, “Your finances are fine, grandfather. You aren’t so miserly to begrudge me this? Shall I tell grandmother about that project of yours you’ve been funding?”
“Are you blackmailing me, grandson?” Sezan said with incredulity.
“Don’t start fights you can’t win, grandfather.”
“Ha! I’ll remember this, Encio,” Sezan said, but his expression was warm and jovial.
“If you place 3rd or lower next round, I’m telling Luciana.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“It’s time to shape up Sezan,” Wisteria cackled, “This time we’re betting your ass.”
“Wisteria, could you please not say it like that? Is this really necessary?”
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Nara removed a timepiece from her inventory. She had been given one by Chelsea. It was enchanted to keep time regardless of the external timestream. Her inventory stopped time, preserving anything within. Normal clocks would not have functioned within. Plenty of essence users had inventories, and of those a portion stopped time, like hers. It was a common problem with a solution long since manufactured in this essence user centric society.
“It’s time for me to head out,” Nara said. “Thank you all for the invitation.”
“If you’re feeling up to another loss, feel free to return,” Wisteria said. “Just exchanging coins has been mundane. Shall we all bring something more exciting next time, like those snacks of yours?”
“Careful,” Encio warned, “You might be the only one losing any snacks.”
As their impromptu visitor departed, the three exchanged glances, their faces leaned in. They were a gaggle of co-conspirators, bandits in a beach grove hideaway.
“We follow her, obviously,” Sezan said.
“Grandfather, that’s rude.”
“You’re curious too. You can’t fool me, Encio.”
Encio couldn’t help the grin that crept across his face.
“Blood of the same stream, the two of you.”
The two stared at Wisteria, in sync despite their generational difference.
“And you plan to stay behind?”
“Of course not. I would never miss such an entertaining event,” Wisteria responded without missing a beat.
Nara was still new to the world, new to aura training, and low rank, so she was easy to follow at a distance. Sezan and Wisteria didn’t actually have to move, their auras could have followed her easily anywhere within the town.
But they were all curious. They wanted to see with their eyes. Sezan used an advanced aura technique that prevented discovery from Nara and all of the locals, even when they looked in their direction. They were tangible illusions and visible poltergeists, yet no one noticed a thing. Nara was no exception.
She walked into a secluded alley, then closed her eyes. Sezan felt her attention focus by reading her aura. His eyes widened as he saw the manipulation of the astral, a thin sleeve of unreality created in reality.
“What is she doing?” Encio whispered. “Is she really waiting for a portal?”
Sezan had no time to answer. She let herself fall backward. Instead of slamming into stone, she slipped through, vanishing like water through the cracks of stone.
“She’s gone,” Encio said. “She isn’t some sort of hidden diamond ranker, is she?”
“I wouldn’t have been able to read her aura so well if that’s the case,” Sezan said.
“You just can’t admit she may have been so good at aura manipulation that you were fooled.”
He glared at his grandson, “Why is your conclusion always that I am inadequate?”
“How did she ignore your aura redirection to begin with, grandfather? More evidence of your inadequacies.”
“She didn’t ignore my aura redirection, I let her through because…never mind.”
“Never mind what, grandfather? What’s your excuse this time?”
“It’s not an excuse. What I’ve done I’ve done for you, grandson.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What is with this disrespect? Am I not your elder? Why are you so ungrateful, Encio?”
Wisteria snickered at their bickering, munching away on some snacks she removed from a dimensional pouch.
*****
Nara’s movement and sword training had been progressing at a steady pace. She was still at the beginning of honing her skills. Like any new skill development, the beginning was still smooth sailing. Each day she showed marked improvement. She hadn’t yet reached a wall of progress, steadily climbing the gentle incline her skill book created for her. Since she had no concern over permanently damaging her body, perhaps the greatest benefit of essence magic and iron rank, she could push harder than she ever would have attempted to on Earth. She hadn’t the nerve nor the reason to learn parkour at all, back then.
She reached the point in parkour that she was able to deftly climb walls, speedily climb gaps, and land safely from almost any position. The ability to reduce her weight with Cosmic Path allowed for moon gravity jumps, and safe landings back down to the earth.
After her latest session with Laius, he tossed her two stones. By now, she was familiar with their distinctive shape to immediately recognize them.
She identified the two with her Guide, one in each hand.
“Awakening Stone of Focus and an Awakening Stone of the Moon?”
Laius nodded.
“It’s okay to use them?”
Another nod.
“What’s the logic behind the selection?” Nara asked, curious. She didn’t have the leisure to be picky, nor the resources to buy her own, but she still wanted to know. She was starting to grasp the new culture of this world, and so she sought answers to questions less simplistic than ‘what is this thing?’
The trends of awakening stones and the essence of awakening stone was a topic thoroughly studied in this world. The Magic Society, an organization dedicated to research in magic, the recording of magic, and the upkeep of magic, recorded general trends, which was enough to make informed decisions about what awakening stones to use. They also kept a record of all abilities awakened. This included which abilities could be awakened by which stones and in what essence combination. They could never hope to record all the possible combinations, but it helped essence users guide the abilities they awakened. An Awakening Stone of Might, for example, was likely to awaken a special attack or strength or durability enhancing special ability based on recorded statistics.
“The first will likely awaken a special attack, spell, or amplification. The second is flexible, but likely related to mana, reflection, light, or darkness. You need mana.”
Nara did have two self-sustain abilities, but they were gradual and over time and not suited for using Phase Shift more often. A way to restore mana quickly would make using Phase Shift easier and more forgiving.
The Awakening Stone of Focus looked completely dark, except for a single pinpoint of light, as if light had been focused by a magnifying glass down to a laser thin beam of light.
The Awakening Stone of the Moon was self-explanatory. A large, full moon shone in a bright night sky. Below, glassy water created a perfect reflection of the celestial body.
She used the stone of focus first, then the stone of the moon. She felt similarly wonderous sensations, the first was as if she slipped into a trance-like state of hyper focus. With the second, she felt as if she could see through darkness, and her body felt like it glowed, though there was no glow when she observed herself.
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-You have used [Awakening Stone of Focus].
-You have awakened Balance Essence Ability, [Astral Return]. You have awakened 2 of 5 Balance Essence Abilities.
Ability: [Astral Return]
Special Attack (boon, combination)
Cost: Low stamina
Cooldown: None
Effect (Iron): A slightly enhanced attack. If used shortly after avoiding or negating an instance of damage while using abilities, the attack is enhanced with additional damage, even if the damage is not entirely negated or avoided. They type of damage enhancement matches the damage dealt by the weapon used. Additional damage is proportional but not equal to damage avoided or negated. Enhanced damage rapidly decays. Can be combined with other special attacks, adding the damage enhancement to that attack instead.
-You have used [Awakening Stone of the Moon].
-You have awakened Balance Essence Ability, [Dream’s Wake]. You have awakened 3 of 5 Balance Essence Abilities.
Ability: [Dream’s Wake]
Special Ability
Cost: None
Cooldown: None
Effect (Iron): Negate all damage and non-damage effects from actively intercepted or parried attacks. Not all damage and non-damage effects from very powerful attacks will be negated. Intercepted or parried attacks will not trigger retributive effects.
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The description of the first ability, Astral Return, was long, but it was essentially a counterattack. If Nara used the ability after she dodged or blocked an attack, the ability was stronger. If she used it without being the target of an attack, it only did slightly more damage than a normal attack. As Laius said, it paired amplification with a special attack.
The second ability, Dream’s Wake, paired well with the first. She didn’t pull the mana aspect of the moon stone, but rather its reflection and negation effects.
“Reflection instead of mana,” Laius observed.
“Is that bad?”
“No ability is bad. That ability works well with the one before it.” The jet black leonid looked thoughtful, rubbing his chin with his hand. “I can make your training harder.”
“Dear lord, is that your conclusion? You sound like Amara.”
He arched an eyebrow. “I agree with Amara.”
Nara belatedly realized that the two Amara and Laius were the training enthusiasts of the compound.
“I’m going to have nightmares about rocks.”