Alexander laughed at the obvious joke. “Okay, 68 days. Yeah, right. Get a load of this, Pengu. We fought for two months straight.” Rolling his eyes, he was joined in laughter by Pengu’s chirps.
Udra huffed loudly beside the two. “I never jest. It has been two months and 6 days, but the time was compressed into 4 days.”
Seeing the reindeer was intent on continuing her charade, Alexander began to pick apart her statement. “And how exactly do you explain the fact I haven’t eaten, used the restroom, or slept in that whole time. Each of those is essential for life, and you expect me to believe none of us partook in them. No, that’s not possible. That’s not even taking into account the fact mine and Pengu’s mana would never have lasted these supposed two months. It’s ludicrous!”
“Do not base your expectations on the standards of mortals, Alexander. Ever since the 9-colored flame blessed you with its powers, you rose above those things. An expert of my level can sustain themselves an even longer period of time so long as their mana reserves do not end.”
A long yawn escaped Alexander before he was able to respond. “That’s umm, that’s someone of your tier.” He smacked his lips as he rubbed his eyes. “How exactly would two Master-tier beings such as us accomplish that?”
Positioning herself behind Alexander and Pengu, Udra began to channel her wind mana, creating two bubbles of air around the pair. “Yes, alone you two would never survive two months, but the king himself set up this formation. Not only did he spend his mana decelerating time within this clearing, but he also blessed you two with access to an amount of mana you simply wouldn’t be able to finish. All the hunger and tiredness from two months is about to descend on your bodies now that the king is shutting off the formation. I recommend you two lay down.”
Alexander was swaying at this point. His vision had gone blurry, and he was only able to hear glimpses of what Udra was saying. Why? Why am I feeling so tired? A powerful grumble nearby cleared his thoughts for a few seconds.
Hungry… Ander… Pengu plopped into the air bubble Udra had prepared beforehand. The debilitating aftereffects of training within the forest had incapacitated the small penguin first.
Unable to understand most of of what Udra had told him, Alexander wondered if this was some sort of mental attack. Maybe she goaded us unto letting down our guard. Is she- She’s headbutting Pengu! Through half-closed eyes, he spotted the reindeer attacking Pengu. He tried to move his legs to stop the underhanded attack, but it was like they were cinder blocks. His head felt like the only thing he could move, and it wasn’t even very effectively. Soon, his head slumped too, his neck giving out under the weight it was forced to bear.
Falling forward, Alexander managed to speak dazedly. “Leave Pengu alone.” The words suspended in the air as Udra gently wrapped him in the air bubble.
“What a pair of silly challengers.” Commanding the wind to carry the two bubbles, Udra pushed a small stream of mana into both of them to help reinvigorate them. She realized when the king shut off the formation it unintentionally sapped all of the dragon’s mana back. Using her own mana, Udra worked as a personal IV bag to keep Alexander and Pengu stable. “Troublesome, too.”
Suddenly, her head raised in alarm. Ears twitching, Udra looked around until she zoned into a particular direction. “Lord Edro, you left me quite the exasperating task in your absence.” Trudging along through the forest, she headed towards the mana fluctuations she had detected.
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Sitting in front of a forge, Thomas waited with bated breaths as Bale, the leader of the mana crafters, finished forming a spear. He was currently in a large room with vents all over the ceiling to provide the fire with an escape. Long curtains drew divisions in the room to separate the different steps of mana crafting. Clangs resounded throughout the blacksmith’s workshop as the head craftsman forced the metal into a pre-shaped mold.
Alternating colors shone on his claws as he tapped the air above the forming spear. A shower of sparks would travel from the tip of his claw down into the metal, gifting it with magical properties. The process continued until the now fully shaped spear began to rattle within the mold like a beast eager to break free.
Collapsing back into an oak rocking chair, Bale motioned to several waiting apprentice mana crafters. The young polar bears respectfully lifted the near-finished product and moved it to an ice bath where a crew of polar bears were stationed to maintain the water just shy of freezing. Exhaling tiredly, a rather high-pitched voice commanded the apprentices. “Let Martha know the spear will soon be ready for her. Should the shield be done, bring it back here so we can finish the ceremony.”
Shifting his gaze, Thomas stared expectantly at Bale. The miniature polar bear scowled when his eyes met Thomas’ and proceeded to shut them, happy to continue basking in the soothing rhythm of his chair. A few minutes of silence were all Thomas could muster before he broke it. “Are you sure I can’t go check on Martha’s progress? I’m sure I could be of some use. The spear and shield will be my partners from here on out. Maybe she needs to make some edits. I could- ”
“You could and would annoy her. My wife is as skilled a mana crafter as her temper is short. You would be wise to remain here and wait patiently.” Rustling through the fanny pack Bale had on his waist, his little paws closed around a sleek wooden box. Popping it open, he took out his pipe and emotively lit it, his shoulders slinking in relaxation even before he had breathed in the smoke.
Disappointment riddled Thomas’ face as he continued staring at Bale, internally pleading with the bear. Unfortunately, the lead mana crafter was too busy enjoying his pipe. Oh’s and Ah’s were the only reaction Thomas got.
After a while, he chose to give up and began meditating. Focusing on the internal movement of his mana, Thomas’ thoughts wandered to his past few days. No headway had been done in understanding the black color; that’s what he felt anyway. Lorenzo and Dartuga seemed satisfied at what Thomas perceived to be a whole bunch of nothing. He had fought Lorenzo bare-handed, armed with his weapons, and even using magic only- the only break from the fight had been afternoon dives in the black colored pond.
Underwater, he felt nothing in the best of ways. It was a liberating feeling to be unburdened of his worries and think only of the water element. His father, grandmother, the royal tutors, and briefly his older brother had all spoken about the enigmatic 8th color, the king’s path some called it. At its core, it was power over your element no matter what. Easy in theory, but water controlled by another Elementalist was so foreign it might as well be another element entirely. The same troubles haunted other Elementalists no matter the clan. Few were those who could add the black color to their arsenal of techniques, but if you found success, fame and power followed. Thomas could redirect projectiles just fine, but if it was water still actively under someone else’s control, he wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on it.
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It was difficult to put into words, but the pond took the hardest step away. Sitting in the depths of the water, Thomas was alone with his element- the singular thought of dominance his only companion. For a whole week, he went through the motions a zombie. Battle, battle, battle, dip in the pond, battle, battle, battle. Lorenzo hardly gave him any advice, either. Here and there the turtle would correct his battle posture, but when asked on tips to understanding the black color, he would only point to the pond, the eerie pond. At first, he had missed the detail, but with every dive in the pond, he soon realized the water’s anomaly. It was steadfast: unwavering in its decision to remain unmoved. Even when Thomas shook his limbs at full strength, the pond responded with the stillness expected of a mountain.
His progress so far had left him filled with frustration. One he sought to expel during his training beside the pond. He had been sparring with Lorenzo at the king’s waterfall up until this morning when the turtle finally sent him to the great oak tree to receive Nidra’s fruit for passing the trial. While fighting with spear and shield on his hands, his anger fed into his mana, powering up his strikes but inadvertently breaking the rules of the duel. It didn’t matter, however, since the frustrated shield slam had caused a ripple in the pond, the first movement he had ever seen in the water and the only evidence Thomas could remember denoting talent in the 8th color.
Walking through the portal opened in the tree’s trunk, Thomas was welcomed into the nightmarish Haunting Plains. This particular challenge proved to be on the easier side for him following his time in the mind’s waterfall. He had successively reached the summit of the pagoda in one fell swoop in the same day, but it had been Bale who awaited him at the top floor of the pagoda.
The polar bear had been the only one of its kind not wearing a suit. Styling himself with only a silvery helmet with two horns and a fanny pack turned toolbelt, his image brought nothing but a smile to Thomas. Bale was small, smaller even then the suited cubs he had seen running around the village, but his anger was that of a full-grown bear, Thomas had come to find out. Buckling Thomas to his knees, Bale had chewed his ear off for smirking when he laid eyes on the bear, figuratively thankfully- the whole height different seemed to be a sore spot for the bear.
Once he determined Thomas was apologetic enough, he had simply shoulder thrown Thomas off the pagoda before gently flying down. The hard fall had taught Thomas the bear was more than willing to use action, and it had helped keep Thomas restrained throughout the forging process. A new spear and shield had been dictated to be Thomas’ rewards for perfectly completing the second challenge Bale had informed him, and the small bear had used the gravity magic it was so proficient in combined with the rituals of a mana crafter to form top quality items.
Loud thumps brought Thomas back to the present. A monstrous silhouette took shape behind a nearby curtain before a pair of razor-sharp bear claws drew back the curtain revealing its owner. A 7-feet-tall grizzly bear wearing a black coat stomped over to Bale. Stabbing a shield and spear into the ground, the grizzly bear squatted. “You piece of shit, Bale! You did the easy part and left me to empower the equipment on my own!”
Puffing out a smoky o, Bale cheekily responded. “My lovely wife is the best around. Why shouldn’t I let her show off her flair? I would trust you to fulfill the orders of Lord Cosmo over me any day, Martha.”
The grizzly released a guttural growl but eventually relented and lightly kissed Bale’s forehead. “You always were a smooth talker, you.”
Bale and his wife traded a few more loving compliments before he turned to Thomas. His tone became much grouchier as he pointed at the weapons. “Alright, kid. You know the drill. I saw your orange color weaponry earlier, so I know you’ve already strengthened them once. Do the same as last time.”
Shooting to his feet, Thomas grasped the new shield first. His old one was shaped like an upside-down triangle, but this new one was a concaved oval. Rugged lines ran through the soft green metal of the body. It was modeled after the turtle shells of the psychic turtle clan with modifications by Bale and Martha to make it an efficient shield. Knocking his knuckles on the hull, he marveled at how dense the shield appeared to be.
Appreciating the wonder in Thomas’ eyes, Bale gave out additional details. “The turtles informed us of the weight changes your yellow color gives out, so we fashioned the shield out of a metal that works very well with my own clan’s gravity magic. You’ll notice about a twofold increase in your weight manipulation with this.” Picking up the spear, he continued. “This shares that same attribute, but Martha also added in a secondary enchantment. Provided you have stabbed into an enemy, you absorb their mana by manipulating their blood unto the spear. It won’t drain them entirely, but enough snowballs can become a waterfall.”
Thomas received the spear Bale had handed over and admired it. It was a mid-length spear crafted from a white metal. From afar, it looked like a trident, but up close, Thomas could see there were actually five blades on a tuft of fur symbolizing a bear claw. Smiling appreciatively, Thomas spoke. “With this, I will enter battle with the turtle and your own clans on my side. Thank you both, Masters Bale and Martha. These will be tremendous upgrades to my equipment.”
“You bet they are! I’m surprised Tlaloc was only able to supply you with weaponry of that tier.” Bale replied smugly.
“Our beast faction is mostly focused on battle. We do not have very many beasts who have mastered the auxiliary magics. The few masters focus on equipping the upper echelons of Tlaloc rather than a measly prince such as myself.”
Breathing in another mouthful from his pipe, Bale remarked callously. “No pity parties allowed in my workshop. Get on with it, kid. Upgrade your equipment so you can move on to the third challenge.”
With a nod, Thomas took a few steps back before summoning his crystallized shield and spear. He began to crazily gather mana into his hands. A small gust picked up around him, fluttering his hair and shaking all the curtains around. Abruptly he stopped and faced Bale. “Umm… last time I did this I was carefully guided by a trainer. Could you assist me? I don’t want to mess up my new toys.”
Slapping his forehead, Bale approached Thomas while cursing under his breath. Martha roared in laughter from the rocking chair, nabbing Bale’s spot as soon as he stood up. “The orange color is balance. It is absorbing a creation of the world into your own power. You can create a weapon from ice, but that will be trash tier. The color can only shine when it is modeled after a real object. What you must do right now is overlay your previous equipment over the new ones and channel as much orange color as you can into the weapons. Nature will take its course from there.”
Following Bale’s directions, Thomas did as he was told. His mana burned rapidly as he channeled all the orange tinted mana he could muster. Once fifty percent of his total mana had been consumed, the crystallized weapons began to tremble furiously. At seventy-five percent they burst open, hailing unto the newly forged masterpieces. The ice shards landed on the metal of the shield and spear and were directly absorbed. Slowly, the two crystallized, bringing with them a hum of power as Thomas held them for the first time.”
Taking a deep bow, Thomas moved to profusely thank all the polar bears, but was hastily cut off by Bale. “I other projects to get to. We’ll meet again… probably. Either way, I don’t care. I told Cosmo to open up the portal on my signal, so this is-.” The small bear pointed his finger, and Thomas was whisked away horizontally through a portal.
Rolling backwards, Thomas landed on his feet with both of his weapons at the ready. Analyzing his surroundings, he found nothing out of the ordinary. At least in the swamp and the plains, he could detect some sort of anomaly, but this was a totally normal forest. Refusing to lower his guard, Thomas advanced deeper into the woods. He had come too far to fail the last challenge due to an ambush.
A cracked twig under a foot caused Thomas to whirl around as he held his spear ready to be launched. Spotting the origin of the sound, Thomas became livid. A reindeer had captured his best friend and their baby! “Release my friends, you scoundrel!”
Udra sighed. “You’re just as foolish as them, I see. No matter, I need to fight you anyway.”