After getting Laxreal's advice, I head back again to my manor. On my way, I bump into Xelyphe. They are sweating and out of breath. "Hey, how are things going with Draemish?"

"They are going well, I think. She is quite hard on us, though she cares for us all. Almost like we are family already to her." They say as they fall in step with me back to the manor.

"It is good to hear that she is treating everyone with the same amount of gusto I get for small mistakes."

"Oh, and what mistake could the mighty Drake have done?" The sarcasm oozing off that one statement doesn't go above my notice.

I decide to play along, "Well, when building the great and mighty fortress of Caelnova, one must look toward the future. Leaving no stone unturned and wanting the most secure locations for my humble population, I made the wall go all the way around us so no monsters would creep upon us."

"Ahhhh, I see, and with said mighty fortifications, what could be wrong with them?"

"There is nothing wrong with the walls themselves, my dear sibling. The lack of things I did not implement has irked our great Knight Commander."

"What?!?!" They gasped in surprise. "How could something the wise and noble Drake do irk our ever-great Knight Commander?"

"She was saying that she wanted to leave the settlement! I mean the audacity. To want to leave my ever-great city that is in progress." I say with faux hurt in my voice.

Flatly, Xelyphe looks at me. "You forgot to put a gate in the walls, didn't you."

"Yup," I say with some pep in my step. "But it's not like it was something I would remember to do. I don't have the blueprint for it yet. I plan on fixing that problem come the morning. There are some other things that I would like to work on tonight, though I would like your help with them if possible."

"What do you need help with?" They ask.

"I just talked with Laxreal about mana circulation. He says that it would be safest for me to have someone nearby when I am working on clearing my Mana Veins."

Stopping me at this point, they state. "You want me to be the person that is there with you while you are clearing out your Mana Veins."

"Yes, I feel safest with you watching over me. He said that I would be vulnerable when I cleared them. Are you willing?”

"Of course, but you know the price of a favor from me." They say with an evil grin.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Yes, yes." I sigh, "I know I must pay the blood price for such a favor from the great Xelyphe."

"Good that you know." They state with a pleased expression.

We continued to talk while returning to the room I was going to use previously. Upon arriving, I sat in the same position that Laxreal showed me.

"What do I need to do while you are doing this?" Xelyphe asks.

"If you would just check that I am not bleeding profusely, that would be the best for now," I answer.

They shrug their shoulders and then get their sword out. I hear them swinging and practicing as I circulate the mana through my body.

It starts with the mana flowing from my chest to my arms. It doesn't take long before I feel a little resistance from the Mana Veins in my left arm. I continue to push the mana through. Once it reaches my left shoulder, I feel it moving toward my head.

Once it gets to the base of my neck, I feel the resistance suddenly spike. It feels like a hose is trying to push water through a clogged straw. The pressure increases in my neck until it becomes a throbbing pain coursing into my skull.

With the increased pain, I can feel that some of the clogged portions of the veins start to break down and clear up. Soon, a small amount of spots are visible covering my neck. I hear my sibling take several steps away from me and continue to practice their stances.

Gritting my teeth, I push forward. I slowly increase the pressure on the mana so it can move through the veins. Gradually, the mana starts to creep higher along my neck. There are smaller off-shoot veins that can be cleared, but at this moment, I am focusing on removing the main set.

Pushing harder, I finally feel the mana gather at the base of my skull. The pain is excruciating. Fighting to remain conscious, I finally get the mana to circulate over an unknown threshold.

I feel the mana flood into my head. This is the last thing I remember before blacking out from the pain.

I start waking up an unknown time later. Looking around, I spot the health potion is completely dry. Muttering, "Xelyphe must have fed it to me as I was unconscious."

"Well, duh. Why not?" I hear their voice from my back. "When you fell unconscious, I panicked for a second before coming over and checking your vitals. Seeing that you were still alive, the decision was obvious. Also, it has been a couple of hours since you collapsed. Did you succeed in your endeavor?"

Going to my status screen, the Mana Veins section has increased by only 5%. Shocked at how little the stat has grown, I look at Xelyphe, "Partially. I was able to get another 5% of my veins cleared. I have a long way to go before finishing this task."

"So, will you want me to watch after you every time you try to clear out more?" They ask.

"No, I don't think that is fully necessary. I will watch how much I am clearing at a time. Though, it is shocking to think that I was able to clear out so much the last time." I admit.

"Was it that bad?"

"No, but yes, I think I know the reason. I want to ask Laxreal for his opinion before I make any conjectures."

"Alright, but if you need anything, come to me first. You know I support you and your crazy endeavors." They say, winking and then turning to leave the room.

I take a deep breath, think about the time, and quickly wash in the little pond/waterfront near the dock. Once that is done, it is about eleven o'clock at night, by my estimates.

I head back to the manor, find a room to lie in, and sleep while thinking about what I need to complete the next day.

"So much to do, and so much to start, and only 43 hours left before the attack," I murmur. Closing my eyes and ending another day.