Kaius’s eyes bored into the jagged shard of stone that hovered in the air between him and Porkchop. They’d been at it for a couple of days now, and he was finally at the finish line. Fire Manipulation and Water Manipulation had quickly followed his first skill. Getting capped as he waged a war against his friend for dominance over the aspected mana.

Fast it might have been, it was also draining. Wearing down on his mind. The first day he had managed two skills, but he had been left feeling like a ringed out cloth. The training left him with a splitting headache that no amount of cold water and Health could fix. In the end, it had been a warm meal and a good sleep that had fixed the issue. They’d decided to slow the pace after that. Squeezing skill training into two days instead of three was of no real benefit if it left him insensate after all.

Kaius yanked on the rock, grunting as he strained against Porkchop’s control of the element. His mana slowly trickled away. They’d decided to up the stakes for the last level. Manipulation skills could affect more than just raw mana. They also offered control of their relevant physical elements. Unfortunately, it came at a cost. Requiring both more focus, and active investment of one's own mana to effect change to the physical.

It was ruinously difficult. He could already feel his teeth creaking in his mouth from how hard he was clenching. Trying with every iota of his mind to claw at Porkchops control. It wasn’t working. His friend’s Crystal Manipulation was too close to earth, offering him more control that he had had with the other elements they had been practising with.

Still, that didn’t mean Kaius intended to give up without a fight. Porkchop had been far too smug with his victories. Rubbing it in Kaius’s face that he couldn’t win, even with a skill matched to the aspect. He’d go down swinging. Porkchop’s wealth of practice might have made him simply better at raw manipulation, but gods dammit no one was going to be able to say that he didn’t at least have gumption.

Grunting, Kaius tore at the stone. Just barely managing to encourage a few motes of dust to float in his direction. He could feel his mana draining, getting close to bottoming out. Dust wasn’t enough, he needed at least a pebble, nay, a shard. Even a fragment would do.

Mana gushed forth as he focused his intent on a small jagged edge of the rock, straining with all his might on the section of stone. His headache spiked to new heights, the light through the windows starting to feel as though it was lancing his eyes.

Honing his focus was tough, isolating the small section of their battleground requiring more from him.

There was a subtle crack. A sliver of stone, barely a fingernails worth, drifted a few hairsbreadths from the greater whole. Porkchop growled, the shard freezing. Kaius breathed heavy, battling for purchase. He was so close.

His mana guttered out. The stone shot towards Porkchop, thumping into his chest and causing him to yelp.

**Ding! Earth Manipulation has reached level 20!**

Kaius laughed at his friend's misfortune, wiping at his forehead as he took in air in great, heaving gasps.

“I win again.” Porkchop sniffed imperiously. “It’s like you dont even try.”

Kaius leaned over, snatching a pillow from a nearby arm chair and hurled it at Porkchops face. “Oh shut up.”

Porkchop chuffed in his best attempt at a laugh, the noise sounding more like a rapid fire of breathy grunts.

Kaius rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics.

“So, are you going to merge them now? You said it would probably take some time to get your formation in place. I’m already itchy to keep going after the Champions.” Porkchop asked.

“Soon.” Kaius answered. His head still ached something fierce, and with the growing demands of his legacy skills on his willpower he wanted to be in top shape for the upcoming merge.

He understood how Porkchop felt though. At first it had been nice to take a breather, an extended break from the nonstop vigilance and violence of pushing further into the Depths. At least, as much as break-neck skill training could be. As the weeks had bled together, that feeling of rest had disappeared, leaving restless tension in its wake. They had so much to do, and just a little over a year to do it.

He knew it was necessary. Taking this break actually sped up their timelines. Neither rune masteries nor manipulation skills lended themselves particularly well to the vigours of combat. It was still hard to feel like they had stagnated. Now that he knew there were Honours on the line. There were only so many champions in this city, and he doubted there would be enough to get Porkchop Born for Slaughter, nor the Honour that they suspected existed for killing the Champions as a group.

At the very least, he was on the verge of working on spell casting. That excitement was the only thing helping him maintain his focus. Just one more skill and he would be ready.

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Then it would be time to practise mixing spells with his swordplay. Something he absolutely would be making full use of in combat with Champions.

“Give me an hour or two for my headache to clear up, then I'll do it.” Kaius said.

“Fine, but let's find something to do until that happens. Sitting here doing nothing is torture.” Porkchop said, rising to his feet.

Porkchop, as always, was a little bit of a drama queen. Kaius rose to his feet all the same, patting his friend on the back and heading out of the sitting room.

…

Kaius sat crossed legged in front of the sitting room's hearth, enjoying the plush rug that covered the floor. As much as he had wanted to think Porkchop was being impatient, he had to admit that taking the time to make a hot meal and do some exploring through the nearby manors had been restful. He felt rejuvenated. Recharged.

More than ready to merge his next legacy skill.

Staring into the flickering flames, Kaius let their slow burning licks lull him into a trance. Slowing his breathing. Letting the wavering tendrils of light wash away all of his thoughts.

Closing his eyes he felt the fires heat upon his skin, pausing for a moment to simply relax and let the tension leave his mind and body.

He was ready.

In the darkness of his mind a roaring bonfire ignited. Hanging motionless in a void field, ten glittering shards of power orbiting in its wake. He was practised at it now, tuning out the call of his platinum edged legacy skills as he latched onto his soul. Drawing out a line of gossamer thin gold.

He raced for the first skill, weaving the wire of his inner self into a dense knot, binding the nexus of power to his soul.

Impressions washed over him. The care free joy of a southern breeze flying over a mountain top. Warm heat carried on an embracing summers gust. The howling fury of a hurricane, implaccable as it tore the forest from its root. The quiet patience of wind as it wore at a cliff over centuries. Air Manipulation was formless, invisible, yet constantly present. Calm, placid, and forgotten, until whipped into a rage. Always unstoppable. The breath of the world.

The skill connected, his claim solidifying with a tinkle of windchimes. His legacy skills reacted to the skill being locked in place, resonating with each other to scream discordantly. A wave of displeasure bursting forth to shudder against his forged wire of self and connection.

Kaius scrunched his eyes and gritted his teeth, keeping his grip on Air Manipulation firm as his soul space shook. Waiting for the aftershocks to subside, he pushed the call of his completed skills to the wayside. Focusing on the next skill in line to merge.

Another resplendent thread shot out under his command. Lancing to the next skill. Binding it tight.

Fire burned. A taker of life and bringer of destruction. A force of consumption, a breaker of chains. Yet that was not all that fire held in its depths. New shoots rising from the ash, nourished in the remnants of their ancestors. A rampant consumer, corralled and leashed, turned from destroyer to home maker. The safety and comfort of a well tended hearth. A torch, revealing what was hidden in the dark, warding off the unknown things that lurked in its embrace. Control was the catalyst that turned fire from an embodiment of hate into a constant companion for the creatures that dared to strive to be more. Fire Manipulation gave that.

A wave of embracing warmth flooded his inner space, mingling with the heat of the hearth. Embracing its place in his growing web. His legacy skills protested, rabid dogs turning to attack their master. Pain lanced through Kaius’s mind as they shrieked. Clawing for a thread of connection for themselves.

Kaius was steadfast under their assault. Letting the pain wash over him. Something hot ran down his lip, gracing his tongue with the taste of iron. He stayed focused, True Sight helping to keep the light of his soul crystal clear in his mind's eye.

Their pull only grew stronger as he wove another thread, connecting it to the next skill.

Water. Life bringer. A gentle caress that wore down even the stoutest mountains given enough time. The river that fed an ancient valley, a knife that slowly cut the world. It was the laughter of a bubbling brook, the rage of a tsunami that flattened cities. The undertow, jealousy hoarding secrets as it pulled without warning. In calm, and in fury, water was undeniable. Water Manipulation held control and surrender in balance.

His legacy skills rose to a fever pitch, as if resenting the water for dousing their uncontrolled heat. Kaius braced himself, fortifying himself against the clawing grasp of his legacy, holding strong as the resonance buffeted his soul.

The waves calmed, soothing to a background ripple. It was time for the last skill. Soulfire shot out, Kaius shaking in place as every muscle in his body tensed. Forcing the thread towards Earth Manipulation. Battling against the mental strain that was the scream of his other skills. He made it.

Earth was steadfast and unyielding, the bones of the world that brooked no argument. The foundation upon which everything stood, the quiet guardian of the world. A mountain sentinel, standing vigil, silent and proud. Earth was substance. A silent promise of growth and sustenance. The stout wall, standing strong in the face of change. Resistance against all things mutable. Orderly. Proud. It was the anger held locked for aeons, exploding in a cataclysm that reshaped the world. A steady drum beat of gravitas that echoed from the heart.

With a final cry of dissatisfaction and hunger, Kaius’s legacy skills were silenced by an explosion of resonance. His manipulation skills thrumming with realised potential. He moved quickly, buoyed by the energy of his success. Grabbing his final thread, he linked the skills together. Each bond caused the skills to brighten, to shake in his mental grip.

It was easy for him to see the thread that tied them together. For all they were natural forces, there was one power, one truth of the world that underpinned them all. There was no playful gust without the shifting power of the mystic. No raging consumption without its avarice. Water flowed because it demanded, and earth stood unyielding because it allowed it. Mana.

The final bond was forged, and the skills roared in joy. Crashing into one another, dissolving in a riotous collision of meaning and power.

**Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**

Kaius accepted the system’s prompting. Watching as it aided him in precipitating his latest legacy skill from the clumping dust, forming a new platinum nexus of power in his soul.

**Ding! Skill Merged! Mana Manipulation obtained!**