Although Aida was worried about Sue, she was glad that she stayed to watch Abedi Bellow and Shon Yanomo fight. Natalie Wok and Tera Trippe’s styles would be a mystery, but at least she would be somewhat prepared against Pritchard’s friends.
Abedi had a very strong physique, and he used that to his advantage. When the match started, he gathered all of his mana to pull a massive battlehammer out of the ground. Shon evidently expected that; he had caused vines to sprout over the battlehammer, grasping the head in its tendrils, so that Abedi had to flex his powerful muscles in order to yank the weapon out of the ground. Shon took advantage of Abedi’s temporary entanglement to grow several more vines around Abedi’s legs, causing him to kick his legs out in irritation.
How does Wood win a match? Aida wondered, baffled. She drew vines and flowers in her notebook, all wrapped around a mallet. How much mana does Abedi have to create metal out of the ground? Unless there’s an ore deposit down there?
Aida glanced up from her drawing to see that Abedi had finally freed his weapon, and was now swinging the hammer haphazardly at Shon, forcing the smaller boy to stay constantly on the move lest he receive a pounding.
Shon began directing his plants to fire leaves at Abedi, leaving superficial cuts across his skin. Abedi moved like he didn’t feel them, but Aida could tell from his grimaces that they hurt. Death by a thousand cuts, Aida thought, wincing. At least the tracksuit uniform held up. How would she counter Shon’s plants?
Finally, Abedi missed his footing and tripped over a plant that reached up to catch his toes, sending him and his hammer sprawling. Unluckily for Shon, the hammer spun straight toward him, and he was not able to get out of the way of the projectile. The handle of the hammer whacked him squarely in the face with an unmistakable crunch, and the boy collapsed.
Aida peeked from behind her notebook, horrified. She had been more worried about how she would handle Shon and his leaf-spitting plants, but now she was worried about how she could protect herself against Abedi’s armament. Healer Luk was already leaning over Shon, her hands spread over his face and an intense glow emanating from her hands.
“Caleb, how do you recommend I deal with Abedi’s hammer?” Aida asked queasily. Caleb also looked uncomfortable about what had just happened.
“I think as long as you’re careful, you can avoid an accident like that happening,” he said helplessly.
“But I don’t even have enough mana to make my own water,” she said, slightly hysterically. Her mind began spiraling. “How am I even going to fight Natalie tomorrow? Surely I can’t just keep shooting mana blasts?”
Caleb gripped her shoulder tightly to calm her down. “If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes.”
Aida took a deep breath, nodding. Panicking would do her no good. But neither is my lackluster skill. She felt her breakfast push against the back of her throat. Clapping her hand over her mouth, she stumbled away from her seat and upended the contents of her stomach on the ground.
“Aida?” Caleb called after her. She heard him climb over the seats towards her and lay a gentle hand on her back, rubbing in gentle circles. She kept heaving, even after she threw up a few more swallows. The back of her throat burned, and her mouth tasted acidic. “I’m going to go get Healer Luk,” Caleb said worriedly. He squeezed her shoulder. “Stay here.”
Aida remained hunched over her puddle of vomit, suddenly weak. Her arms were shaking. Gentle hands pulled her upright, leading her to a seat a fair distance away so she couldn’t smell her own byproduct anymore.
“Here.” Wiping the tears away from her eyes, Aida saw an orb of water floating in front of her, hovering over an unfamiliar hand. Tracing her eyes along the hand up to its owner, Aida came face to face with Dev, who was sitting next to her. His ice blue eyes were locked on hers. He lifted his hand, moving the ball of water closer to her lips. “Rinse your mouth out.”
Carefully opening her mouth, Aida took a few sips from the sphere. The water was cool and refreshing, and revitalized her. Swirling the water in her mouth, she turned to the side and spat it out. Dev offered her a few more sips, which she gratefully took.
“Feeling better?”
Aida nodded. “Thank you.”
“Nerves?”
Aida nodded again.
Dev nodded in understanding. “You shouldn’t worry too much. You’ve already made it further than anyone would have expected.”
“I wasn’t worried until I saw Shon’s nose get broken,” Aida mumbled.
The slight wrinkle that appeared around Dev’s nose was the only indication of his disgust. “An unfortunate accident.”
Aida pressed her hands over her eyes, trying to suppress the memory of the crack and her concerns about her matches this star cycle. “…I really don’t belong in the top fifteen, do I?”
“That’s not true.” The certainty in Dev’s voice made Aida drop her hands and eye him skeptically. He was still staring unblinkingly at her. “You did things no one’s ever dared do before.” He tilted his head, finally breaking their gaze as he looked off into the distance. “…and your recklessness might be what gives you an edge over the rest of us.”
Aida frowned at the cheesy attempt to comfort her. “Yeah, I think I learned my lesson about being reckless.”
Dev glanced at her, but before he could respond Healer Luk arrived, with Caleb, Ezra, and Levi following at her heels. “Miss Loreh, are you all right? Mister Tulver said you started vomiting.”
“I’m fine now, thank you,” Aida said awkwardly. Levi was eyeing her and Dev suspiciously. Dev rose from his chair, excusing himself. Ezra let him pass with a hard look, while Caleb looked worried.
Luk put the back of her hand on Aida’s forehead, feeling her temperature. “It was just nerves about tomorrow’s match,” Aida explained. “I’m feeling much better now.”
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Healer Luk tutted. “Very well. Remember that your ability to manipulate your mana is highly dependent on your mental health as well. Take some time to meditate today and find equilibrium.”
Aida thanked her for the advice as she bustled off. The three boys stood around her.
“Um. So who won?” Aida asked brightly.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Aida paced around her room during lunch, worrying her lip. Her status boxes hovered around her, keeping pace with her pacing.
Character Stats
STR: 4 - 15% to next level.
FOC: 8 - 20% to next level.
INT: 6 - 5% to next level.
DEX: 2 - 60% to next level.
VIT: 5 - 30% to next level.
Skill List
Freeze (Lv2) 69% to next level.
Heal (Lv4) 32% to next level.
Ice Blast (Lv2) 0% to next level.
Mana Blast (Lv4) 0% to next level.
Mana Cycling (Lv6) 0% to next level.
Mana Surge (Lv3) 20% to next level.
Water Blast (Lv3) 20% to next level.
Water Manipulation (Lv3) 90% to next level.
Unlearned Skills
Detox (Lv1) [5 RP]
Water Cage (Lv1) [110 RP]
Total RP: 99
She flopped her whole body onto her bed, screaming into her pillow. She was 11 RP shy of learning Water Cage. How could she get 11 RP before tomorrow? She could feasibly level up Water Manipulation and Freeze today, but where would she get the last 5 RP?
Aida sat up. She had low DEX still - and she hadn’t done any training yet today, so she might be able to level up her DEX, and still have time to level Water Manipulation and Freeze.
Her breath hitching, she scrambled off of her bed. She was going to have to be very careful with her time and mana management. She still had full mana, so first stop was to see if she could eke out Water Manipulation.
Sprinting down the hallway to the bathroom, Aida turned on the faucet at the nearest sink, waiting for the water to collect in the basin. Holding her wand at the ready, she took a steadying breath, then pulled the stream of water straight from the faucet. She felt the weight of the water in her mind. Pulling the water like a rope, she drew it around her body like a lasso. The more water she pulled, the heavier the toll it took on her mind. A small voice in the back of her mind whispered anxiously that she was going to drop it all, and she would have to start over. She felt her heart rate rise in response to the nagging thought, and she firmly forced it away, forcing herself to breathe deeply and calmly, and just focus on the water.
Eventually, the water’s weight stopped increasing - or at least any additional water she pulled from the sink didn’t seem to add to the strain anymore. Curious, she kept pulling water, just to see how much she could hold—
SPLASH
“Aida, what are you doing?” Lara demanded. She had her wand out, and was the one who had disrupted her concentration. She was surrounded by several other third-year girls, all watching Aida with wide eyes.
Congratulations! You have leveled the following skill:
Water Manipulation (Lv4) [+3 RP]
Perfect timing!
“Sorry, I was training. Hey, can you clean this up for me? Thanks so much!” Without another word, Aida sloshed through the pool of water, pushing through the girls crowded in the bathroom.
Bursting through the bathroom door, Aida was nearly upended as the water rushed out behind her ankles. Clinging to the door handle, Aida regained her feet before dashing down the stairs, flipping open her status box. Excellent. Her Water Manipulation had only consumed a tenth of her mana.
Daring to feed a bit of mana for a surge, Aida hopped over the banisters, back and forth, as the stairs folded back around on each other. When Aida finally landed adroitly on the ground floor, several students in the hallway yelped in surprise as she dashed around them, sprinting towards the boys’ wing.
Aida skidded to a halt in the gym, panting as her eyes darted around, searching for suitable boulders she could use as a dexterity exercise.
“Aida,” Caleb said in surprise. He was with a few boys from the younger classes, coaching them in a training session. “What’s wrong?”
Congratulations! You have improved the following attribute:
DEX: 3 [+5 RP]
“Nothing! See you later!” Waving haphazardly behind her, Aida dashed off again, back in the direction of the girls’ wing. She slowed down as she approached the groups of students lingering around the main hall, taking a breather as she headed to the door that exited from the girls’ wing and took her towards the lake.
Stepping outside, Aida noticed the sun was beginning to set. She still had about three-quarters of her mana left, but would she have enough? Enough time, enough mana? She pressed her lips together. No time to wonder.
Striding purposefully towards the lake, she began Mana Cycling, if only to take her mind off of the anxiety that was nipping at her heels.
When Aida finally reached the bank of the lake, she was feeling significantly calmer. The lake’s tranquility reached out to her, sharing its peace. Leaning into the feeling, she drew her wand, focusing oh-so-gently, oh-so-carefully. Freeze.
Instead of losing control of her mana like when she faced the giant wild cat, Aida was able to leverage the lake’s ancient wisdom in helping her guide her mana. The Lake had seen many seasons, and was familiar with winter, and freezing. But not all the way. The Lake had incredible depth, so never completely froze. The Lake guided Aida’s mana, teaching her how to control how much water to freeze. She didn’t have to force the water to crystallize, she just had to guide the droplets into the form they were familiar with.
Congratulations! You have improved the following skill:
Freeze (Lv3) [+3 RP]
Total RP: 110