Elydes

Chapter 189 - Enlightening

Relaxed in a comfy armchair, Kai smelled the sweet scent of coral flowers. The sun filtered through the matte windows, suffusing the hall in a warm light. Pictures of natural landscapes hung on the cream walls, and an unseen harpist played a tune in the background.

He had to admit the House of Enlightenment could almost justify its price tag. Built to combine coziness and sophistication, the dampening arrays blocked any trace of the clatter and noise of the city outside.

There was no sign of the screams, blood and stench that were sure to inhabit the building.

From the lowest peasants to queens and emperors, The House of Enlightenment offered assistance for a fundamental step in everyone’s life—for those who could pay. If the receptionist was to be believed, they had been offering their services for over three thousand years.

It had been the talk of the capital when they opened a branch in the archipelago. A sign of civilization. ‘Highly experienced staff and the best facilities to ensure a pleasant transition to a higher state of being. Across Talthen the House of Enlightenment brings the process of advancing down to an art.’

Fliers and announcers had flooded every corner of the inner city for a week. It had a bit of a pompous name for a place where people came to progress their race. When Flynn finally hit the end of Orange, they decided to check what the fuss was about. Better than using their house or a patch of shrubbery.

Pity. That would have been fun to watch.

While enhancing wasn’t as bad as advancing to another grade, no one would call it pleasant. Gross, messy and excruciatingly painful, maybe, but not pleasant.

And still, people would give anything to reach it sooner.

He was no exception. With the second milestone of Gifted Novice, which doubled down on the skills over level 50, his mana skills had progressed smoothly. He had made decent strides towards Yellow and kept alive the flickering hope of advancing before fourteen. It was possible teaching someone else helped too. Virya always said how it offered new perspectives.

How long is he going to take?

Waiting for Flynn’s return, Kai broke the seal of the letter he had gotten this morning. His mom hadn’t stopped writing just because they could talk every two weeks. The pages were brimming with her neat writing.

The pregnancy was going well. The baby was due in a month, and Ele had gone to live on her own to free her room. They were all excited, but that wasn’t the main piece of news.

Kea had celebrated her fourteenth birthday, breaking the Second Seal and becoming an adult. To no one’s surprise, she had chosen a hunting profession. Moui beamed with pride, though his mom didn’t say anything about herself.

Hmm… Did she still hope Kea would choose a safer career?

While Kea was never going to settle for a crafting path, she seemed to have calmed down a little. With a relaxed sigh, Kai put the letter away and basked in the serene atmosphere of the House of Enlightenment. Things were going well.

Flynn emerged accompanied by a motherly woman in a staff uniform. He had a brilliant smile, his skin glowed and his eyes zipped around. Unused to his new Strength, his steps took him further, hopping instead of walking.

Ahhhhh… They grow up so fast.

A little pride swelled in his chest. Despite his dramatic complaints, Flynn had taken the training seriously, eager to leave behind the profession that had been imposed on him.

As Kai stood up to meet them, the staff member fired up a selling pitch. “The sudden increase in attributes can be a lot to take in. We can shorten the adjustment period by weeks. Trust us, the House has been doing it for millennia.”

Sure… Do you just charge gold, or do you take kidneys as well? With people on the high of their new grade, they must make a killing.

“I think I’m good, ma’am.” Flynn turned her down, his words noticeably faster than usual.

Maybe there’s hope for him.

“Are you sure we can’t interest you in any of our services?” The woman showed a little disappointment, like a mother who saw a stubborn son making the wrong decision. “We have the best gyms and instructors to get used to the change. We also hired a chef. Getting accustomed to your new Perception can be tricky without help.”

“You have snacks?”

“Thank you. We’re fine.” Kai stepped between them. He wasn’t about to buy whatever overpriced smoothie or magical cracker they sold. “We’d love to stay, but we have another appointment. I’m sure we’ll find plenty to eat along the way.” He said, seeing Flynn’s pleading look.

“It will just take a moment. We can package our best samples. We have a manual with useful exercises to practice at home. They’ve all been perfected through the millennia. You won’t find—”

They do love to say that.

“We’re already running late. Maybe next time.” Kai fended off the assault of products and dragged Flynn out.

His friend was still in his own world, gawking at every potted plant and tile as if he had never seen one before. The rush of stats could be inebriating, but Kai was starting to suspect it was more than the euphoria of a new grade.

Did they drug him? They must have given him something to help the pain. Or is it a profession skill?

The last months had been a painful reminder of how quickly he could burn through his savings. He had dipped his toe in the circle of private sellers of Higharbor and redefined his idea of wealth. There was a whole world of luxury goods if you had the right contacts. They needed to save money for what really mattered like the potions to boost Mana Sense.

“Come back from the moons.” Kai pulled Flynn out of the way of another pedestrian. The woman murmured something about drunken teenagers. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m great!” His wide smile was not reassuring. “I’ve never felt this good in my life. You need to try it! I didn’t feel a thing. Well, I felt plenty of things, but I can’t remember any pain. It was like floating on the sea on a sunny day. Like…” He stared transfixed at a seagull flying over them.

Kai grabbed him before he could chase after it. “Can’t wait for it. Just let me snap my fingers so I can reach Yellow. Uh… it didn’t work.”

“Uh? Right! We’re in the same grade now. I can’t believe I actually reached you,” he said with a stupid grin, trying to poke his face.

Kai slapped away his hand. He had gotten faster and nimbler on top of his longer arms. “Yes, we are, for now.”

Enjoy the moment while it lasts.

He didn’t point out that he was three years younger, with a higher profession level and almost halfway through Yellow. Everyone knew the last upgrade was the hardest since skills slowed down the closer they got to evolving.

Better skills trample stats. I’ll need to remind him.

* * *

Whatever concoction Flynn had taken wore off quickly. Reaching home, he had stopped gawking at every shiny object that took his fancy. He ate for three people and returned to his usual annoying self, plus the peacock pride for his achievement.

Kai didn’t have the millennial experience, but he knew one easy way to get used to a new grade. He didn’t need to argue to convince Flynn. They were both eager for some sparring, if for different reasons. Flynn wanted to test his new abilities, Kai wished to remind him who was the wise mentor and who the young trainee.

They walked to a secluded location in the greenery near the beach further west. Tall and stout palm trees grew from the sandy ground surrounded by leafy shrubbery. It made for more interesting terrain than a plain field.

While Kai could shell a target with spells and slashes, Flynn's abilities were more suited for surprise attacks and brief exchanges.

They changed into their training gear, stiff leather protections for the head, limbs and torso, and an arsenal of blunt weapons. That had been a wise purchase, they couldn’t always borrow from Lou and the twins. Half the year, his friends were at Hawkfield or working spirits knew where.

They should be back this week, or was it the next?

Flynn secured a wooden throwing knife to his bracers. “Want to change the rules now that we’re the same grade?”

“The usual will do fine. I pick Water.” Kai put down his sword, opting for spellcraft. They varied the restrictions to make the fight safe and challenging. The aim was to train and improve, not to win.

“Going with your best affinity? Afraid you’ll lose?” Flynn teased him.

“Envious cause you need half an hour to cast a cantrip?”

“I've evolved my Mana Sense for like a week. You yourself said that elemental mana is tricky.”

“Mhmm… It’s been nine days, almost ten.”

Flynn gave an annoyed grunt. “About a week. I've not trained all my life to become a mage. I bet you were not much better than me in the beginning.”

“I kinda was,” Kai said factually. “I was seven and had trained seriously for about a year, but I was quite a bit better.”

Mental warfare is part of fighting.

Instead of snapping back, Flynn got a mischievous glint, perhaps catching on to what he was doing. “Don’t cry when I kick your ass.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Kai taunted him forward. “C’mon, you can have the first move.”

“If you insist.” Instead of rushing forward or throwing a blade, Flynn disappeared into the underbrush.

Damn, I should have been more of a jerk.

Mana Sense swept around him in the agreed five-meter radius. Obviously, there was no one there. His repertoire was limited to Water Magic and Empower, adding the unfavorable terrain, a foolish mistake could cost him the fight.

He’ll be faster and stronger unless I overcharge Empower. Maybe we should have revised the restrictions, but it’ll be more fun this way.

Flynn wouldn’t be used to his improved attributes yet. Kai assumed a wide stance and focused on his surroundings. Not knowing what to expect, his blood pumped in excitement.

How long has it been since I—

A dagger whistled through the air from above, strengthened by Infused Throw. The sneaky punk must have climbed a tree. Taken aback by the odd angle, Kai was slower to dodge. Empower surged smoothly thanks to its second specialization, flowing into the right muscles to get him out of the way in the nick of time.

The wooden projectile brushed his cheek below the helmet and hit the ground. The impact sent a wave of splinters and dirt flying. Kai moved to avoid getting blinded. When the dust settled, he gaped at the small crater.

What the fuck!

The soil was crumbly in this area, but still. If he had been hit it would have been more than a scrape. The dagger had been reduced to a few chips of wood.

“Sorry,” Flynn yelled, then his voice lowered in embarrassment. “I'm still not used to my mana and Strength.”

Oh, you’ll be sorry soon!

Kai drew on his elemental reserves, condensing and freezing blobs of water with a gesture. The volley of ice shards shot in the voice’s direction. Each one was no bigger than his pinky, blunt and fragile. They couldn’t break a bone, but they’d hurt like Kahali’s wrath if they hit the gaps in the armor.

The underbrush was shredded by the horizontal hail. Leaves and bark rained down, and Kai heard a satisfying yelp of pain.

“I said I was sorry. It was an honest mistake!” Flynn sounded indignant, the echo of his voice moved rapidly.

Just making sure you’ll remember the lesson.

“I made a mistake too! I thought you’d dodge since we’re in the same grade and all.”

Flynn didn’t rise to the bait and remained silent. If he made any sound at all, the far waves and caws of seabirds covered him. They were both unwilling to lose and playing it cautiously. If either of them failed to estimate their strength difference incorrectly and committed to an attack, they’d lose.

Where did you run?

Usually, Kai would chase him after the initial strike, but this was uncharted territory. Could he catch up to him? With the bubble of Mana Sense around him, he might corner his opponent, which made it tempting. Though running on the uneven terrain would leave him open to ambushes too.

So damn annoying.

Kai stayed put, assuming Flynn would be impatient for a confrontation on the back of his enhancement. He was right. Wooden daggers shot out of the underbrush, aimed at his chest and back protections.

The projectiles were fast, but they didn’t have the same destructive power as the first one. Kai pushed aside his pride and used Hallowed Intuition to evade them. The volleys of projectiles he sent in response didn’t have any more luck in hitting, but he knew Flynn would run out of throwing knives before he ran out of mana.

Guess he had some sense in saying you can never have enough daggers.

He could think only of one way he could lose. That’s why when Flynn Dashed from a tree covered in Shadow, Kai was expecting him. The magic shroud was patchy and ineffective against his high-level Mana Sense.

It was more than the increase in Spirit and Mind could achieve, the sneaky punk must have trained in secret. Since he didn’t think Flynn would be capable of casting a spell in a fight, he gave him an extra instant to commend the effort, then he pelted him with water bullets.

Got him.

Defying common sense, Flynn twisted in midair and managed to dodge most of the grapeshot if not for a few hits on his armor. He kicked a palm trunk and redirected his momentum away with a somersault, hiding again in the shrubbery.

“Come play with me, you coward!” Kai yelled to little effect. Sometimes he regretted not having taken Acrobatics too. He’d give it some thought when he reached Yellow.

There are never enough skill slots.

What followed was a series of more desperate attempts to close the distance. Flynn was indecently fast, using Enhanced Dash and his Dexterity to move in unpredictable ways. But Kai had no blind spots with Mana Sense. He could conjure an attack or a shield from any angle. While Water wasn’t the most offensive element, it was flexible and could slow down his opponent.

“I’ve got a pillow if you need to cry.” Kai strolled around the trees. “Don’t be shy, if you come out now, I’ll buy you an ice cream.”

Is it wrong that I’m enjoying this so much?

Hallowed Intuition whispered, he avoided another dagger. The metal glinted past him and embedded in a tree, it was one of Flynn’s main weapons. The twin blade followed soon after, in a desperate throw with more Strength than finesse.

Kai relaxed slightly. He had been counting and was certain Flynn had no more knives to Throw. “Ready to give up? You gave it a good try.”

I’ve still won. Maybe I shouldn’t gloat, but—

A swirl of Shadows entered his range behind him. The shroud was far less patchy than the first one, losing Kai a moment before he noticed it. Surprise cost him another. He hastily cast a volley of bullets.

Flynn Dashed out of the way, faster than he had ever moved before. He zigzagged, using the trees to take sharp turns. Dodged the second volley and took the third head-on. It slowed him down, not enough for a fourth.

Shit—

Flynn tackled Kai on the ground. The impact punched the breath out of him. He flared Empower, flailing to push him off. He conjured a hasty Water spell, but they were too close to be effective. He needed a moment to focus and find leverage.

A hand grabbed his exposed wrist. “Got you,” Flynn grinned triumphantly.

A possibility made its way to his mind. Kai knew he had fucked up. Shadow cloaks must not have been the only thing he had practiced. The grasp was too strong to free himself in time. A second later, Lightning coursed through his body.