Leaving my best men to the matter of the cattle, I turned toward the map. It wasn’t complete, far from it, in fact. It had no mountain information, or rivers and cities.
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The rippling water and his foggy vision didn’t allow him to see more than what was within immediate distance. However, that didn’t stop him from trying to look, clutching his wand tightly as he prepared to make a show of magic and then make a run for it. The footsteps crept closer, however, and the little amount of oxygen he had almost ran out.
That was when he waved his hand, hiding the glowing of the crystals, and created a small air bubble around his head. This won’t last long. He thought, exhaling, then slowly breathing in and waiting for whatever lurked above water to show up. Onyx didn’t bark at all, which meant that the strange visitor didn’t get close enough, or that he was sleeping too deeply. Could be either or both… Kai sighed inwardly and swam away from his original place, toward the confluence.
Remaining vigilant, he slowly crept his head out of the water, just enough for his eyes to see clearly. Immediately glancing at the place where the sound resounded from, his pupils constricted, and soon he broke out into a laugh. Water quickly invaded his lungs, and he swiftly jumped out of the pond, coughing with tears and laughter. Of course, it had to be something like that. He thought, catching a speeding Lurestag with the corner of his eye.
After expelling all the water from his lungs, he lay down, facing the moon. His face, chest, and lower body were fully exposed, safe for a pair of underwear. Skin stuck to his bones like a famished dog, to the point where counting his ribs could count as a pastime activity. The needle holes created by Barhm had almost fully healed, and even the burning marks seemed to have faded slightly. That was way too frightening! I wonder what Grandpa used to ward off beasts… these totem things.
“Ha…” He sighed, got up and quickly cast a fire spell by pulling out a crystal, just enough for him to dry off completely. After throwing on some clothes, he sat down cross-legged and used both techniques to refill his mana core. At the same time, upon learning his lesson, he created a small area around him whereupon he would be aware of every little movement by using mana. Breathing in a rhythmical fashion, he pulled in unfiltered mana from the outside and purified it using his core, then stored it inside both in the Fusioned Core and the star.
Minutes passed, and his eyes finally snapped open as the moon passed over him. Jumping to his feet, he looked at Onyx, who slept comfortably around the fire crystal, then at the pond, and decided to do his training deeper into the forest. At least I tested some new basic spells, I’ll have time to do that later. Right now I want to see how strong my spells have gotten. Thoughts raced through his head as he too dashed through the forest, then finally stopped upon reaching a more isolated place.
Laying still, he pointed the wand forward and his pupils constricted as the crystal etched onto it shivered. However, no matter how hard Kai concentrated, they didn’t do any more than that, and he found himself grasping his head due to a sudden headache. What… but Grandpa could do it so easily! Scam! After complaining internally, he resigned to his fate and pulled them out manually, replacing them with fire crystals instead. Just wait until I get it right… I’ll cast spells like a madman at a super-fire rate, see about that! Wait… who am I fighting with?
Sighing, he put the water crystals aside and eyed a tree with murderous intent. Basic fireball! From my memories it wasn’t that powerful, only able to slightly burn the surface of the bark… maybe dig a little into it. Let’s see now! His excitement grew, and, unable to contain himself, he immediately pointed the wand forward while muttering softly.
Slowly, a small ball of fire appeared at the tip of his wand. The air around it distorted as it heated up, and it slowly grew in size as the crystals on the wand shimmered with soft light, pulsating, as if seemingly alive. As Kai chanted, the fireball, which only had a few flickering wicks on its surface, burst into flames. It burned with an intense yet restrained ferocity, akin to that of a pouncing tiger. His skin tingled as the burning sensation reached him, however he held control. The flames pulsed with a wild energy, untamed yet obedient to his will. Its surface flickered with a mesmerizing palette of orange, red, and blue, which awaited his command.
Then, he threw it forward.
It hurled through the air like a miniature star, leaving behind a fiery trail that seemingly melted the air. In less than a second, the fireball reached the tree Kai aimed at, and exploded with a burst of heat and light, scattering its beautiful colors as it burned away. The vegetation around the tree -fresh, green grass and weeds- caught fire almost immediately.
Kai walked closer and quickly put out the fire with a few water spells cast with a water crystal. Then, with much expectation, did the same for the tree, snuffing out the violent flames. The aftermath made him gasp in shock, his pupils widening. This… He gently touched the damaged surface, his fingertips burning slightly, however, he had to touch it to believe it was real.
A thick, acrid smell of charred wood inundated his nostrils, making him take a step back. However, that didn’t stop Kai from being left in awe. The bark within a small area around the explosion disappeared completely and turned to ash which drifted with the wind. Its outer edges were charred black, carbonated, and dry to the point of crumbling with a touch. Underneath, layers upon layers of inner bark and sapwood vanished, destroyed. Like a comet falling on earth, the fireball left behind a large crater.
Stolen story; please report.
From its center, the wood had patches of black and brown, whilst the parts that weren’t completely burned to a crisp glowed with a red hue. Taking a closer look, Kai noticed a light shining through the other end, his heart skipping a beat upon noticing.
He ran his hand through the hole, the hairs on his arm curling up, and pushed the last remaining layer of bark without much effort. Pulling back, he shook his wrist and stared at the tree with an astonished gaze. A one-star fireball… doing this much damage? Even when I had two stars this… seemed impossible. A wave of euphoria rushed through his body, and he couldn’t help but let out a low, restrained ‘Yes!”
Quickly clearing his throat, he looked at his wand, and seemingly wanted to kiss it. However, even without anyone watching, he felt that it was weird. Even then I don’t think the wand is the reason.
Chuckling to himself, he decided to leave the trees alone for the night and returned to Onyx. Still sleeping… he sighed softly and gazed toward the sky. The moon had yet to come close to setting, so he nudged the fire crystal away and sat down. Melting into Onyx’s fur, he tried not to startle him awake, and he succeeded, as the Obborik remained in a deep sleep.
Breathing softly, he didn’t dare close his eyes, in fear of falling asleep, and chose to gather mana instead. Still clutching the wand, he began circulating the mana outside of his body, whilst keeping watch at the same time. As he did so, the fire crystals on the wand shimmered and pulsated, sending a comforting warmth toward Kai’s core.
He didn’t notice what the wand was doing but definitely felt its effects. The mana around him began approaching faster and entered his Mana Veins with greater smoothness. As the mana came in contact with the core, it turned into mana of slightly purer quality than before, the impurities seemingly burning away. The immediate changes were minuscule, however, they would accumulate for a greater end product than before.
Pleased, Kai didn’t question where this new aid came from, nor could he fully sense it as he gave all his attention to watching the perimeter and controlling two techniques at the same time.
…
Minutes passed, which turned into hours, with Kai never once stopping gathering mana. A frown decorated his face, though, as he finally reached a point where he had to stop. Thirty percent refined… He sighed lightly, and his eyes slowly creaked open, revealing a fatigued expression. When I started it was already at twenty-eight. Slow, so slow! He groaned, getting up and stretching. His bones creaked, making snapping sounds as he bent his back in weird positions. Then, he ruffled Onyx’s fur, gently waking him up with a few, well-placed pats.
“Let’s go, the day hasn’t started.” He told the Obborik softly, who got up and did some stretches of his own, then walked alongside his companion. They walked slowly, so as to not disturb the quiet of the forest, and took their time looking around. Every so often, Kai bent down to collect a plant or flower, or just inspect whatever took his interest. Aina said it’s important to have a stockpile of medicinal plants, just in case. He thought, taking a look inside the spatial ring she gave him, the inside of which was mostly filled with vegetation. Better be safe than sorry.
As the clamor of the city entered their ears, Kai quickly donned the fox mask and Onyx returned to his smaller size. Reaching the gate, the usual guard took notice of them as he nodded his head. “New mask? What happened to the old one?”
Kai stooped abruptly, surprised that he would get spoken to in the street like this. “It’s been… burnt.” His fake, hoarse voice sounded out, and something inside the guard’s mind seemed to have clicked at the moment.
“Ah! Aren’t you that guy that fought the wolf thing? I heard about it at the garrison.”
Raising an eyebrow, the boy didn’t say anything else but nodded slowly, and got ready to leave, however, the guard’s voice stopped him before he could. “Man, so many people got… actually nvm, I don’t want to take your time too much.” The guard then returned to his post, alongside two or three others, making sure that no stranger entered or left the city.
Did such good work to keep out that thing. Kai thought, almost spitefully, then left quickly, and hid himself in the dark alleys. With a quick flick, he changed some of the water crystals on his wand for dark crystals. Then, with a simple gesture, cast a concealing spell on himself. It won’t make me invisible, but it’ll do. He thought, dashing alongside Onyx toward Barhm’s house. Raymond is lucky I have no time to talk to him… and I’m also afraid. Ro Nin said it has been taken care of but I’m doubtful.
However, since he could do nothing about it, decided that the best course of action would be ignoring it, and trusting that it’s been resolved.
His clothes flapped softly as he stopped, then pressed a stone against a wall before disappearing together with Onyx. Inside Barhm’s house, everything seemed normal. The chair that bound Kai disappeared, and so did any signs of the experiments subjected to him. Well isn’t that quick… He made his way to the couch, and, just as he wanted to sit down, a familiar voice rang in his ears.
“You’re here, good. Come, I need more information.” Barhm said imperatively, and Kai followed with a sigh. Glancing at Onyx, then thinking about Darky, he hesitated whether to let his companion know about the copycat. However,r it was much too late as the Obborik had already dashed past him and into the research room.
“Onyx, wai-” He called out, rushing after him. Still, surprise overtook him upon seeing his companion’s tail wag with happiness upon seeing Darky. Ugh… I guess he doesn’t recognize himself in a mirror either huh… I thought he was smarter than that. But since it seemed the two got along, he didn’t pay them any mind and focused his attention on Barhm.
“I understand you fused a Body Core and a Mana Core, and that the process was mostly random and suicidal.” The strange boy said, making Kai frown behind his mask. Taking it off, he was prepared to berate Barhm, however stopped as the boy shot him a cold glare. “After studying the two techniques, I’ve come to a better understanding of magic in this world, adding to the one I was forced to practice with the bunch.”
“Your two techniques are barely compatible with each other, hindering themselves more than you’d think.”
Kai rolled his eyes, metaphorically, upon hearing that. Barhm frowned, despite him not actually rolling his eyes, seemingly sensing disdain in the air. However, he kept quiet. “So what do you suggest we do?” Kai finally asked, after what seemed like an eternity.
“Undress,” Barhm commanded, making Kai take a physical step back, his body shuddering upon hearing that word.