NOVEL NEXT Chapter 247: Abstruse of Aura
Well, knights, whether they were swordsmen, warriors, spearmen, and so on, were not magi. They didn’t have that much control over their mana, let alone the ability to perceive the world through it. So what was their trick for finding the location of the beast’s core? Their keen observation. They engaged in battle, watching the beast, its movements, and what it was careful of. The core, along with the heart, was the beast’s most vital spot.
For someone like the three knights, Stella’s mentors, it took only a few probing strikes, and they knew. The majority of the knights needed more time than that, but some could tell the location of the core at first glance.
“The key is experience,” Stella emphasized. “It really makes a difference.”
“So you’re telling me that they - you - I mean, warriors like you, don’t have some magical sight that allows them to see the core?” I wasn’t planning on facing any knights, but I wanted to be damn sure what to prepare for if it came to that. “One of your mentors is an aura warrior like you, right? You know, wielding mana.”
“Aura,” she corrected me.
“Isn’t that the same thing?” At least that’s what I thought until now; just a different way for the warriors to call mana.
“Are you serious?” Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she gazed at me in disbelief. “We’ve been together for so long, and you - you . . .”
“Sorry, Stella. I really thought you were using mana.”
“I am.”
“All right, now I’m confused. Are you messing with me or am I missing something?”
“She’s telling the truth,” Rairok spoke, not really helping.
“Aura warriors like me, but pretty much all warriors, fighters, use mana, the same mana as everyone else, just differently than mages.”
That raised the obvious question. “Well, are you going to tell me how differently?”
Annoyingly, she chuckled at my ignorance and took her time to answer. Sitting on a straw and leaning against one of the stones of Rairok’s lair like I was, she stretched, her body crunching loudly. “Ah,” the bitch moaned. “I needed that.”
“Stella!”
“Sorry, you can’t blame me for not enjoying this a bit.”
That was her thing? That tickled her pride? “I didn’t take you for someone who wallowed in other people’s cluelessness.”
“Now you’re just being butthurt, Korra,” she said, enjoying my annoyance with her, and chuckled again. “But all right, I’ll stop before you start growling at me. In all seriousness, though, this is the first time in the whole fucking time we’ve been here that you’ve turned to me about anything. It just feels - nice, for a change.”
“Hey, if this is about you riding on my back every time a cycle starts, I told you not to sweat it.”
“It’s not just that.” As Stella spoke, her eyes shimmered with a mixture of appreciation and sorrow, revealing the depth of emotion she felt. “All this time, I feel like I’ve been walking in your shadow. You’re the one who gets all the attention. No, don’t say anything, let me finish . . . You’re the one who can talk to beasts, turn into one, have to watch out for Eleaden’s whispers and other things. I have to admit, it hurts a little bit at times. I grew up with all the attention around me. I was the prodigy of the family, and I naively thought I could handle anything that was thrown at me. The very first time we met, you showed me how deep I had my head stuck in my panties. Since then, I’ve learned that the world doesn’t lie at my feet; that I’m not some big shot who’s going to change it. I know, I know, if we ever get out of here, what we know will certainly rock the world. But I have a feeling it’s going to be all about you there, too. So don’t blame me for enjoying this rare moment.”
Her words were filled with the weight of her pain. Each one tugged at my heartstrings and left me feeling overwhelmed. I never expected to hear such a raw and emotional tirade from her. “I - it’s not something I do on purpose, I . . . you didn’t say anything.”
“And that makes it even harder to swallow. The attention, none of it is your intention; it’s just the way you are. Look, as they would say here, don’t get your tits in a twist. I’m over it, sort of. If anything, it motivates me to keep up with you.”
To our surprise, Rairok hummed in approval. “That’s the right spirit. Not to be overwhelmed by the shadow of thine own doubts and inferiority, but to find the light that will help thee grow in it.”
My mind was blank, so I uttered the first thought that came to mind: “You’re still my squad leader, Stella.”
The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. “Do you think we’ll still be Squad Four when we get back?”
So, in light of what we’ve been through and the time we’ve already spent here, she had her doubts, too, huh? “I hope so.” Though they were far from perfect, I yearned for the simplicity and ease of those days, when everything felt within reach and without too much worry, at least compared to here and now.
“Yeah, me too,” Stella breathed, then shook herself, her spirits returning. “Aura and mana, right?”
“Yes, enlighten me.”
“Well, for starters, it would be better to talk about aura and magic. They are both ways of using mana. While mages use it to shape spells outside their bodies, warriors use it to strengthen their bodies. The more experienced can also strengthen their armor and weapons, and the best can send an aura through weapons outside their bodies.”
“So it can’t be considered magic.” I really did not see the difference.
“No, Korra. Magic gives mana a form, an element, while the warrior’s is pure will. Mages control mana with their minds. Warriors like me control mana through effort. When we train, we force our bodies to push harder, to go beyond the limits of the common man. And that’s where mana comes in. With the effort we put on our bodies, we force them to use mana the way we want them to. It gives us greater strength, agility, speed, and so on.”
My mind drifted to the Idleaf’s speed rune, the one I unfortunately didn’t get to use here. At first thought, its use of mana struck me as similar to that of warriors. Through mana, it increased my speed. However, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a mage’s method. “Alright, I think I get it, but how do you go from using mana to strengthen your body to using it for weapons and armor? Damn, your boosting auras are definitely more than that.”
“Skills, that’s the easy answer I would have given you in the past. The system really does make everything a lot easier. Did you know that you likely won’t find an aura warrior as young and weak as I am? It takes decades to get to where I am without its guidance, and you need much more experience, much more strength - much more willpower, the driving force behind the effort and aura.”
“Willpower?”
“Without will, I would not have been able to make the effort and force myself to go on. Through my will, I force my body to use mana as I wish. That is how warriors can strengthen their armor and weapons - they will it. That is how I can support my teammates - I will it. What you feel when I buff you is the result of my will,” she said, smirking to herself. “Willpower that my mentors say I am severely lacking in, considering what I can do.”
“I’d say it’s amazing how far the system has taken thee, Stella Palemoon,” Rairok chimed in, calmly listening to our conversation the whole time. “I would even go so far as to say that it has taught thee to do more with less willpower.”
“Then it’s something on which you agree with my mentors here, Rairok. Of course, they are unaware of the system, but they are amazed at how much aura I can oust given my limited will.”
“Is willpower something that can be measured?” It was the first time I had heard that.
“Not really,” Stella shook her head, only to hold up a finger. “You can pit one warrior’s will against another’s, though. The skilled ones can tell how much you have compared to them and others.”
“That sounds awfully close to a presence to me,” I pointed out.
“That’s because it is,” Stella paused, furrowing her brow as she carefully considered how to convey her thoughts. “You could say that will is something warriors build their presence on. It’s not presence yet, you can’t pressure someone with it . . . that’s why warriors are better with presence than mages. Those can pressure you with mana, though. Look, it’s complicated . . .”
Like everything, I guess.
“Humans, elves, beasts, animals, no matter what kind, each with mana in their bodies and their own way of using it,” Rairok spoke. “In my opinion, one way is not better than the other. After all, each kin has found the way that works best for them. The human warriors and magi are good examples. Warriors need to be fast when facing an enemy face to face. They don’t have the room to shape the mana outside their bodies into complex spells, so they force their bodies to memorize simple spells.”
“Um-hmm,” Stella nodded, grateful that Rairok had helped her with that one. “Also, weaving spells inside your body is much more mana-efficient than outside, which comes in handy for warriors, who generally have less mana than mages.”
The hell? “Then why did Aspen and Idleaf try to teach me mana control outside my body?”
“Because doing magic inside your body the mage way is akin to suicide.” Stella’s voice carried a stern warning, discouraging me from any attempts. “Magic weaving is not that precise, and just a wobble in your focus can cause a spell to unravel. Can you imagine what that would do to your insides?”
“I guess the mana won’t dissipate back without causing damage, right?” To be honest, it wasn’t hard for me to imagine what a botched fireball could do to you. The mages would soon run out of novices willing to take on such a risky career.
“No, Korra. It won’t.”
“Maybe I’m stupid, but why don’t the mages use the warrior way if it’s more efficient - and faster?”
“It’s faster and more efficient because it’s ingrained in our bodies. We do it by instinct. The spells that mages weave would take years to imprint on their bodies. Not to mention the limited variety of spells they could use that way. No, given their large mana pool, it’s much safer and more advantageous for them to weave spells outside of their bodies.”
Who was I to argue? However, a question came back to my mind. “What about the runes? Look,” I pointed to the one on my side that I used to call Idleaf, and then to the speed rune on my shoulder. “Wouldn’t it be safe to use them?”
“World Trees have an incredible understanding of mana,” Rairok noted.
“Humans know how to use runes too,” Stela dared to argue that it wasn’t a valid point. “But not all materials can hold the runes. I think you know that yourself.”
I did. The first magic tool I got was a spatial ring of such poor quality that it could only last a few months. Hell, even Idleaf kept telling me I couldn’t hold any more runes than I already had because of how weak I was. I just didn’t know why at the time. Simply put, my body was not of sufficient quality.
“So,” I said and paused, thinking again. “The best way for me to use mana depends pretty much on how much of it I have.”
“It’s never that simple, Korra’leigh Grey,” Rairok spoke up. “Thy race, thy gender, the way thou grewest up, the way thou hast trained, even thy heart has an impact on the way thou usest mana.”
“My heart? Oh, right, I’m a magical creature.” Although I was basically a warrior, fighting my enemies up close, magic was my way, not the aura.
Rairok made this strange eye roll and chuckled. “Not what I had in mind - but not a wrong way to look at it. Still, thou should not forget thine own yearnings and what thou feelest is the right path for thee. Remember, both of ye, the system is meant to be a guide, and so should be thy mentors, not some rune-written rule that can’t be broken.”
Not the first time he’d said something like that, yet Stella’s head bobbed up and down in understanding, a small smile creeping across her face. “I will.”
“You did enjoy it, huh?”
“I didn’t think I’d ever relish telling anyone the crap the teachers tried to put in my head, but yeah, I did.” Her shoulders rose and fell in a subtle motion, her eyes sparkling with a gleam of happiness. If she had a tail, it would surely be wagging from side to side with unbridled glee. Mine certainly was, for I was happy for her.
“Rairok?” After a brief moment of blissful silence, she broke it by asking.
“Yes, Stella Palemoon?”
“How much do you know of the system? I ask because as I train with my mentors, I find myself thinking more and more about the skills I don’t use, the ones I’ve swapped for others. Shouldn’t I be able to use them even if they’re not in my skill set?”
“That’s what’s been bugging me for a while, too. We should be able to use them, right?”
“Certainly.” Rairok paused at the oddity of our question. “Why wouldst thou not?”
Stella’s shoulders lifted slightly. “Because they’re not in my skill set.”
“Is that how people of thy time think about skills? Surely there is a sense of reason to it. Why bother with skills that are difficult to hone when thou can focusest on the ones the system will help thee with,” he spoke, lost in his own thoughts for a moment. “I can’t say for sure how the system was eventually formulated, but I’m sure thou wouldst not have lost thine ability to swim just because thou chosest the running skill.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” I squeaked, all too excited when he confirmed my assumptions. “Ever since we found ourselves here, we’ve lost access to the system, yet we can still use our skill-set skills.”
“It wouldst be more appropriate to think of it in terms of being able to use what thou hast learned,” Rairok pointed out.
“Sure, just because I swap out my spear-related skills doesn’t mean I won’t be able to use it,” Stella said, lost in her own thoughts. “But all the bonuses the system offers will be gone - wait . . . I’m so stupid. It’s the crutch, the help of the system, that I’m losing, isn’t it?”
“I believe so,” Rairok nodded. “After all, the bonuses thou art talking about should just be a representation of the synergy of thy body and what thou hast learned. The result of thy hard work.”
“Wait, does that mean the skill bonuses aren’t really bonuses?”
“I’m not one of the creators of the system, but as far as I know, it was just supposed to be a guide. Not something to increase thy strength. Canst thou imagine how much power something like that would require?”
I wanted to argue that in this era they created labyrinths, this place, this space-time reactor or whatever they called it, a system that basically shackled the entire planet, but I guess even people of this age had their limits. Supplying extra energy to a growing population over the centuries seemed like a daunting task, not to mention the consequences should it fail.
“I guess the system’s creators overestimated how much people would become dependent on it, huh?”
“Perhaps, or they were aware of it, and the benefits they saw in it outweighed the drawbacks. After all, ye two art proof of how far and how fast one can get under the guidance of the system.”
“And also proof of its shortcomings. We grew too fast with flimsy foundations,” Stella remarked. “It makes so much sense, though.”
Wishing it was as easy for me to read her thoughts as it is for most people to read mine, I had to ask: “What makes sense?”
“Differences in skills, Korra. I imagine you haven’t had the chance to meet another Deviant of Humanity, but believe me, even if someone has the same class, the same skills, you can hardly find one like the other. There’s always some different wording in the description, a different bonus value, or a different bonus itself.”
“Because each of us is unique.”
“Yes, and the system is just a reflection of who we are, what we know, and what we can be.
“It’s just a guide.” As we both realized the truth, our laughter filled the air, while Rairok observed us with a sense of pride akin to that of a doting grandfather witnessing his beloved grandchildren come to a long-overdue understanding.