Nyxpera
The 14th of Thargelion
The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals
The days that followed the incident with the haemoak were quiet. They upped the watch rotations, keeping two awake throughout the night. Arche burned to talk about the haemoak but the rest were loath to speak of it. They all took it as an ill omen and a sign that the Sylv wasn’t safe for anyone or anything. There was truth to that, but Arche suspected it was no random forest monster. After all, how many creatures could exsanguinate a tree?
Three weeks of double watches had done little for their morale. Every day seemed to be full of a miserable amount of walking. Without his eyes to watch his surroundings, Arche found himself interminably bored, left with nothing to do but try to keep his feet under him. The few times he’d tried practicing his Mana Manipulation were met with utter failure. The Mana was so sluggish that it barely cycled at all when he told it to and trying harder only succeeded in giving him a nosebleed. Helwan had nearly panicked at that, so Arche promised he would stop practicing it. This left him miserably, utterly, completely bored until they finally left the Sylv behind.
The change in scenery made little difference to Arche, though he was glad that the forest roots weren’t tripping him up as often. For as little as it meant to him, the effect it had on the others was undeniable. Helwan spoke louder, more confidently, and started to sing songs again. Basil laughed louder at the jokes and Tess didn’t hiss at them as much to be quiet. When they had left the Sylv entirely, Tess leaned close to his ear and described the path ahead.
“We’re standing atop a hill at the edge of the forest. For the last kilometer, the trees have been thinning to the point the sun is able to paint the ground in strips. Ahead of us is a grassland covered in hills. There will be a lot of ups and downs ahead of us, so stay close or you’ll lose your footing. In the distance is Ship’s Shape, a great cluster of buildings that jut out into the sea, which continues onward and out of sight.”
Arche tried to imagine all that water and was surprised when he was easily able to conjure the image in his head. Waves of blue stretching in all directions, out to the horizon like nothing else existed. The thought of it made him shudder. A reminder of his near drownings in the river by Myriatos.
“Let’s not waste time, then. The sooner we can get there, the sooner we can find someone to fix my eyes.”
“It’s nearly dusk,” Tess replied. “The journey over the grasslands will take two days, maybe three. We’ll find someone to help you, Arche. Just hold on a little longer.”
Arche struggled to do as he was asked. He stumbled up and down the inclines, focusing on his breathing to distract himself. The pain in his legs had faded entirely, but that had done little for his balance. An unseen rock caught his foot, sending him sprawling to the ground. Blood slicked his teeth as he bit his tongue to prevent a violent outburst.
When they stopped for the night, he had another set of annoyances to deal with. He had made Tess hold good to her promise to train with him, but it hadn’t gone well. He felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough. Into what, he wasn’t sure, but each time he cast his Psychic net of awareness outward, it was starting to get a little clearer.
Psychic Link has reached Level 7.
-0.5% Mana Cost (-3.5%)
+1 Wisdom
+1 Willpower
Though he wasn’t directly connecting with anyone, simply using his Psychic trait was apparently enough to level the skill. He got the feeling it was inefficient when compared to actually connecting with another mind, though, which helped explain why he was still in the Beginner ranks even after weeks of constant usage. It didn’t help that his Mana Scars made everything a struggle. He had hoped it would become easier with practice, but it was still as difficult as when the scars were fresh. He was used to visualizing Mana as water, but it was quickly switching to tar in his mind’s eye.
“Again,” he said.
“This might go better if you tell me what you’re trying to accomplish here.”
“I’ll tell you when I figure it out.”
Arche picked himself off the ground and stood, hands slightly out to the side for balance. He kept one foot slightly forward, trying to give himself a stable base. Tess pushed lightly on one side of him as he cast out his mental awareness once more, trying to focus on her movements. He tried to open up all his senses to her. He could hear the grass shifting beneath her foot, feel the air bending around her as she moved toward him. He knew exactly where her head was, feeling the presence of her consciousness, but the rest of her was dim and hard to make out.
Arche stepped to the side, twisting away from Tess’s outstretched arm, but too late. Her touch pushed against his shoulder and he had to take another quick step to readjust himself. In that step, his entire awareness flickered. His senses mixed with his Psychic awareness to create, for just a moment, an electrified outline of his surroundings.
Then pain erupted in his forehead and the outline was gone.
“Agh!”
“Arche!”
He couldn’t respond, the pain was too severe. He withdrew into his mindscape. The outside world blinked away and the pain in his head slowly faded. He quickly checked his Mana, only to find he was sitting at about seventy percent of his reduced total, much too high to be causing Mana withdrawal symptoms. When he felt he could manage it, he left his mindscape and let his senses open up.
“I’m all right.”
“What happened?” Tess demanded.
Arche pulled his hands away from his head, trying to fight down the rising swell of frustration on his chest.
“I hurt my brain.”
“You’ve been pushing against your Mana Scars, again, haven’t you?” Helwan asked.
“Not intentionally.”
“Has the damage worsened at all?”
Arche hesitated, then checked his active debuffs.
Mana Scarring — Tier 1
-55% Mana Flow
-55% Mana
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Shit.
“I’m still at tier one.”
“Thank the stars for that,” Helwan said. “Imagine coming all this way only to cripple yourself further only a few days away from help.”
“I don’t need to be reminded of my failures,” Arche growled. “I am well aware.”
“That’s not what I meant, friend. I mean that you must be kinder to yourself. Our journey is nearly over and if anyone can help you, it will be the people inside Ship’s Shape. Don’t give up hope and please don’t make things harder on yourself.”
Arche grunted in response.
“We’re done training,” Tess said, the edge in her voice invited no argument.
Arche opened his mouth to argue anyway, but his head throbbed again before he could get the words out.
“Fine. For now, at least.”
Tess made a dissatisfied noise but left it at that. There was a shuffling noise as the rest of them started to go about their business around the camp. Arche became aware of someone standing next to him but was hesitant to expand his awareness to find out who. As it turned out, he didn’t need to.
“You all right?” Basil asked.
“I’ve been better.”
Both were quiet for a moment before Arche relented.
“Did you need something, Basil?”
“Are you magic?”
Arche snorted, taken by surprise.
“Do I look magic?”
“I don’t know. I thought I knew what magic looks like, but you do things I’ve never seen before. And you never give me a clear answer.”
“If I said ‘yes,’ what difference would it make?”
“Can you teach me?”
Arche paused.
“I’m sorry, Basil. If I could, I would. But the things I can do are not things I can teach. I’m an anomaly, if I understand my position correctly.”
“A Trait?” Basil asked, excitement filling his voice as he dropped it to a whisper.
Arche paused, remembering what Lyssa had told him about Traits. They were rare and highly sought after, but they were dangerous information. Trait hunters would try to hunt down Trait holders and kill them just for a chance at gaining their power.
“No, it’s not a Trait. It’s more that something was done to me to make me different.”
“Oh.” Basil’s voice was tinged with disappointment. “Can you do it to me?”
“I wouldn’t know how to start. Even if I did, the process would probably kill both of us. If your hope is to become like me, I’m afraid I’m only going to disappoint you. If you want to learn magic, you would be better off learning from Helwan once he starts up his school.”
“I don’t have much interest in learning to shape the ground or bend light, unless it can help me do what you do.”
“If you could learn to do those things, you could do things I can’t. My abilities are almost purely physical. I have no utility.”
“But you can do such amazing things. The way you killed the Gourdian Knot was incredible.”
“And if I had access to fire magic, I could have killed it in a much safer manner,” Arche said. “I could have burned its appendages and boiled the water it lived in. Very little risk in that. If I had lightning, I could have electrified it. Don’t discount the power of using your head. If I was smarter, I wouldn’t get hurt nearly as much.”
“I’m not, I’d just like to learn to use magic the way you do.”
“Talk with Helwan, I’d say. He’s much better prepared to talk about the diversity of magic and what it can do for you.”
“If you say so.”
Arche gave a grim smile.
“Don’t set your sights on me, Basil. Aim higher.”
There was no response, so Arche sat down. He listened to the others doing camp chores, setting up tents and cooking food over a small fire. He heard Basil’s voice a short distance away, talking to Helwan, but there were too many other noises for him to make out what they were saying. With any luck, the young Warrior would take his advice.
“Your condition frustrates you.”
Arche flinched and bit back a curse. Efterpi’s voice was very close to him and slightly muffled, as though something was pressed against her face.
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“Merely observing.”
Of the group, Efterpi was the most withdrawn. Cora had said very little to him over the course of the journey, but she had, at least, spoken with the others. Efterpi kept her own company. She moved so quietly over the ground that Arche often completely forgot about her, only noticing her again when his Psychic awareness brushed against her consciousness and even then it was tenuous.
“You’ve been quiet this trip.”
“You have not.”
“So I’m told. I doubt you came here for small talk, though.”
“I came to ask you a question.”
“Ask away.”
“Why do you push yourself?”
Arche scratched his chin.
“I don’t understand the question.”
“You are injured and do not allow yourself to heal. Why?”
“I suppose I don’t accept my injury.”
“You don’t accept?” Efterpi sounded confused. “It is not an offer. It is what you are.”
“Why does everyone want to make me introspective today?” Arche muttered. “Look, I can’t let my injuries slow me down. I have to figure out a way to get strong around them.”
“I see. Strength is admirable. The pursuit of it is often difficult.”
“Is that why you joined us? To get stronger?”
“In a way.”
“Well, I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“Indeed.”
“Are you from Ship’s Shape?”
A pause. Arche tilted his head, wondering if she was still there.
“No. I had a home far away, but it is gone now.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Sorry? You were not involved.”
Arche cocked his head.
“Are you an elf?”
“No.” The word practically snapped at him.
Arche didn’t know how to respond to that, so he didn’t. After a period of prolonged silence, he was pretty sure she had left. The way she moved about was ghostlike, making no sounds and leaving no traces. It reminded him of Lyssa in a way, though Efterpi did not speak with the lilting accent that Arche had come to associate with wood elves. His curiosity was piqued, but there was little he could do in his current state to learn more about the enigmatic woman. Especially when she was so indirect about her answers.
Arche twisted himself into a poor facsimile of a lotus pose, resting the Tridory across his lap. He turned his attention inward, falling into a sort of meditation as he focused on his mindscape. It had been a while since he had really tried to meditate there. Normally, he was too exhausted after their hiking and his training to turn his focus inward, but now that the going was easier on him and his training was interrupted, he found himself returning. His allies wanted him to be introspective so he would introspect.
One grateful aspect of the mindscape was that his physical shortcomings didn’t transfer over to his nonphysical form. In short, he could see the world of his mind. The avatar of his consciousness walked the grassy field, examining the barriers that formed a dome over him. Most of the walls remained a conglomeration of mud and sticks, though, the stone upgrade covered a solid third. Most striking, however, were the long strips of burned grass that streaked the ground of his mindscape.
Arche followed the scorched grass and dirt. The lines grew broader as his avatar flew over them, converging near the center of his mind. Arche landed at the foot of his Mana pool, where the burns originated. The pool was a roiling, bubbling mass of unstable, orange energy. It wasn’t smaller than it used to be, which surprised him given that half of his Mana was unavailable to him, but it was tapped. Streams of Mana wisped upward and evaporated. He held out his avatar’s hand and tried to draw some of the Mana to himself. The Mana surged in response, but the burned grass pulsed, pulling at the Mana even as Arche gathered some around his fingers. He could see firsthand how the scars dragged his Mana as he tried to channel it.
Arche lifted his hand and channeled the Mana toward his mindscape walls, not wanting to waste any. He was hesitant to draw too much out, worried it would aggravate the scars. Since his mindscape was able to show him the problem, there had to be a way to treat the scars, but where to begin? He only knew how to interact with his mindscape through Mana, but the scars had been caused specifically by an influx forced through his channels. He didn’t have the experience or control to channel the Mana away from the scars and forcing it to flow through them was only going to deteriorate them further.
Arche pulled away from his mindscape, returning to the present. He stretched his neck, about to stand and check on dinner when he heard Tess’s voice, sharp as steel and twice as hard.
“Not one step closer.”