“You’re going to need to explain what a cultivator is,” Nathan said. “Because I really don’t know.”

Emi sucked in a breath. “Of course, I’m sorry, sir Nathan. Allow me to explain,” she said. “There are two ways of manipulating magic in this world that have been discovered. The first is through what my people call Formulae.”

She raised her staff in the air. Glyphs appeared and a blast of wind burst from the tip of her staff. The wind ruffled Nathan’s hair and clothes, cooling his skin.

“Developed through extensive study and time,” she said. “These Formulae allow one to manipulate mana along pre-determined paths. It’s the easiest method of casting a spell. I have been taught fifty Formulae, I’d say. That spell you just saw me cast was one of them.”

She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

Why does she look like that?

“My mother was the one who taught me that one,” she said. “Air Burst. A simple one meant for practicing power.”

“Your mother…?”

“It’s not important.” She let out a laugh and shook her head. “Sorry. We should stay focused, sir Nathan. Where was I?”

Nathan pushed the awkward moment out of his mind. It was none of his business. “And what’s this cultivator business?”

“Cultivation is an alternative method of manipulating mana. Rather than manipulate mana, it’s more…“ she paused and looked up at the sky. “…mystical, I guess. I’m not sure how to describe it—I’m not a cultivator, after all. The analogy that’s always used is that Formulae mages cast spells using their mind. Cultivators cast using their heart.”

“And I’m one of those cultivators?”

“It sounds like it?” Emi shrugged. “The terminology you used is the same one I’ve heard cultivators use. It sounds like the System is guiding your path so that you can tap into those abilities.”

It’s not the System—it’s the sea giving me these quests. I think.

“Why didn’t you make a Formulae during the battle against the Raptors? Fireballs just sort of appeared when you were fighting.”

Her eyes widened. “A very astute observation. Impressive.”

She leaned in toward him. Nathan stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

She coughed and drew back. “Why I didn’t use a Formulae earlier? Well, the System—we’re not exactly sure what it is—takes care of Formulae for you. The way it does this is via skills. It embeds the knowledge into your body. We have similar techniques in my homeland, but none as effective as the System.”

“Is it a bad thing for me to be a cultivator?”

Emi frowned.

“It depends on who you ask. There are certainly disadvantages.”

Nathan’s heart sank. “Like?”

“Well, it takes much longer to learn spells due to needing to understand it on a much deeper level than Formulae mages.”

“Can I just… do the Forumlae mage stuff instead?”

Emi grimaced. “Maybe? But you’d have to learn from scratch, without the assistance of the System. By the time we’re done with the Nine Circles, I might be able to teach you two or three basic spells.”

“Ah.”

“Chin up! You’ve got amazing physical abilities. Even if you never advance in terms of magic, does it matter?” she said. “Besides… you’re extremely special, Nathan. The strongest warrior of the apocalypse, according to the rankings. If there’s anyone who can master cultivation in a matter of months, it would be you.”

Nathan thought about it for a second.

“Can you teach me? Show me how to tap into these abilities?”

She scratched her cheek. “I don’t know. I’m not a cultivator. I’ve only read some books on the subject—but I’m willing to try.”

Nathan nodded. “Let’s try.”

----------------------------------------

After explaining the descriptions of the quests and what had happened with Chad, Emi was able to explain what the issue had been with getting anything to happen with Tidal Shield.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Of course, defensive abilities aren’t as powerful. You have the bearing of an attacker, not a protector.”

Emi hadn’t elaborated, and Nathan didn’t feel like asking for more information.

I might’ve picked wrong when I selected Ocean Warden.

Either way, Emi had asked him to focus on Riptide Grasp. They waded into a nearby river, the water going up to just below Nathan’s knees. Emi had walked in wihtout any hesitation, unconcerned for the fact that her cloak was soaking wet.

“Okay,” she said. “We will begin by meditating. Once you’ve hit a state of mental quiet, I want you to nudge your thoughts toward the feeling of the water pulling at your legs. I believe that’s what the quest seems to be aiming for.”

“Got it. I’ll shut my eyes now.”

Nathan shut his eyes.

“Breath in and out with me. One, two, three, four, five…” Emi said.

Nathan followed the instructions. It felt like a physical weight had lifted off his shoulders.

“Once more, with me,” she said.

Nathan breathed in and out. His limbs relaxed. His jaw unclenched.

Meditation is actually pretty nice, I see why people like to do it.

Emi had gone quiet. Nathan didn’t mind. A minute ticked by. He felt a hot breath tickle his face and opened his eyes.

Red eyes were staring at him from inches away.

His face twisted up with incredulity. Emi jumped back and fell into the water with a splash.

“I was just checking to see your state of relaxation!” she squeaked. “I’m sorry, it wasn’t what it looked like!”

Nathan reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

I do not need whatever this is right now.

“Can we just get back to meditation?” he said.

“Y-yes! Of course!”

Nathan managed to slip back into his meditative state relatively quickly. He focused on the sound of his breath going in and out.

A warm breath tickled his cheek again.

“Emi,” he said without opening his eyes.

“S-sorry!” she said. “I’ll stop now!”

I’m getting some stalker-y vibes from this girl.

Nathan tried his best to push the thought out of his mind. He was here to focus on ‘contemplating the water.’

Minutes passed, and this time, Emi didn’t come over to ‘check on his relaxed state’.

The sounds faded away around him. The rustle of the wind in the trees. Emi’s breathing. His own heartbeat.

The only thing left was the sound of the water streaming through the river. Even that faded away.

The feeling of water wrapped around his legs. Gripping them, attempting to pull him away.

Goosebumps ran down his spine. There was something at the edge of his awareness. Something that he was about to understand. A thread, waiting to be pulled.

“Don’t be surprised if nothing happens,” Emi said, her voice muffled through his meditative state. “It might take weeks just to see the slightest ripple—“

He pulled on the thread.

Water gushed and shifted. He opened his eyes. The ground to his sides was devastated, dirt thrown everywhere and clumps of grass on the ground.

Emi stared at him. “T-the water, it just… how did you do that?”

Nathan’s mouth opened and shut two times. Finally, he shook his head.

“I don’t know, I just did it.”

She was about to respond when she froze. He turned her head to the left and sniffed the air.

Her pupils dilated to pinpricks.

“Orc,” she said, the words coming out as more of a growl. She looked back at Nathan. “Stay right there!”

Before Nathan could respond, she’d already taken off into a dash.

----------------------------------------

Nathan ran after her, of course, and easily kept pace. She glanced back at him and a flicker of reason seemed to come into her eyes. She nodded her head and faced forward again.

Within a minute, they came across an unusual sight.

There was an orc seated on a fallen log. The orc was built like an iron ingot, all hulking muscle and sharp edges.

He hadn’t caught sight of Nathan and Emi.

“Maybe we should discuss a plan—“

Emi pointed her staff at the orc. A fireball appeared.

The orc perked up. A moment later, the fireball launched. The orc dived out of the way, dodging the fireball.

“Slippery bastard,” Emi muttered. She raised her voice. “You’re not getting away!”

The orc turned and growled.

“I have no conflict with you, girl. Leave this place.”

Nathan stiffened. He could speak? This wasn’t a monster, it was an intelligent creature.

“Emi, stop, I need to talk with this guy.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t!” Emi shouted. Her staff lit up with a glow and two more fireballs appeared. They launched out.

The orc thrust his hand out to the left. A massive two-handed hammer materialized from the air.

The two ran at each other. The orc swung his hammer. A blast of air redirected the blow into the air and a bolt of water flew toward the orc. The orc spun and swung the war hammer at the bolt, causing it to explode with a splash.

Emi screeched and raised her staff. Four fireballs appeared.

Nathan launched his harpoon between the two of them. It smashed into the ground with a loud crash. They both froze.

“Stop. Right now,” he said.

Emi stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Nathan, you don’t get it, he’s an orc! We have to kill him before he kills us!” Emi said.

“I have no such desire, girl,” the orc said. “Leave me be.”

Emi shifted her staff. The orc responded in kind by gripping his war hammer.

“You don’t get it,” Emi said, her voice dropping to a whisper.“You asked what happened to my family? How I became the heir? They happened. Every single member of my family was executed by these bastards.” Her voice raised and she glared at Nathan. “So don’t tell me to stop!”

Nathan’s eyes widened.

Holy shit, no wonder she went berserk on this orc guy.

The orc flinched.

“You’re the princess?” the orc muttered.

“That’s right.”

“I do not hold culpability for the crimes of my people, girl—“

She rolled her eyes. “Cut the crap. You think I’m going to buy that? That war hammer is military-grade. You’re not some innocent civilian.”

The orc’s jaw clenched.

“I promise that I was not involved in the death of any of your relatives,” he said.

“Uh-huh.” She shifted her hand.

She was about to attack him.

Nathan had a split second to make a decision. The world slowed to a halt.

He moved and grabbed Emi’s staff. Her face twisted up in pain.

“Why are you stopping me?” she said.

“I’m not going to stand by while you execute someone for being of another race,” Nathan said. “Like, that’s seriously screwed up, even though I get that you’ve been through some horrible stuff.”

Emi’s shoulders shook. She ripped the staff from Nathan’s hand and walked off, leaving the orc and Nathan alone.

The orc stared after her. “Gods above, that girl is a monster in the making.”

Nathan sighed.

The orc grunted.

“The name’s Bjorn. You’ve probably got a few questions,” he said.