NOVEL NEXT 127 - Last Chance
"I will not fail."
Div's words echoed in his mind as he examined the salted fish barrel Terebus had opened.
He was determined, but it didn't mean he knew what he was doing. His preservation spell wouldn't work here. All it did was channel the rot-attuned mana away from a given area, driving rotlife away. Here, the fungus brought by the curse was already growing on the fish, disregarding even the heavy salt content of the barrel.
Perhaps it would have worked on insects. Div had the audacity to believe his magic could mislead a fly into leaving a deliciously rotten meal behind. Fungi, however, didn't have legs or wings. It was here to stay.
His other spell, Turn, was even less adapted to the situation. Despite the concentration of salt, there were still a few traces of symbiotic rotlife in each of the fish. Turning them aggressive would only make things worse.
Still, the presence of this rotlife was interesting.
Div scratched his chin. The room was silent, the two elders and Lugsellos not making a sound so as not to disturb him.
The presence of symbiotic rotlife in food reminded him of his time spent making cheese. Since his first introduction to the subject in Bavacium, he had never stopped practicing. Assisting Camboaci's own dairy farmers.
He hadn't been able to detect rotlife before his separation from En. But even then, he could see that there was good rot. Since then, his understanding had made a leap forward, but he'd been too busy with the war to revisit his old beliefs.
There was good rotlife in these fishes. It was sluggish, but if they were still alive, it meant they were resistant to salt. To some degree, at least.
He could use this.
Div turned to Terebus and Panos, who were standing close to him. "Is it alright if I experiment on this barrel? If I fail, I might ruin it."
Terebus chuckled. "It's as good as ruined, anyway. Do whatever you want."
Div nodded and focused back on the sliver of symbiotic rotlife. Carefully, he extracted rot-attuned mana from his Rot Heart and started feeding it to the rotlife.
He had to be mindful not to attract the fungus. To make sure it stayed separate from the rotlife he was trying to empower, he used Preserve to create a rot-attuned mana vacuum in between the two colonies.
Then, there was the matter of the fish. Long dead, half-rotten, it wasn't exactly in a shape to handle high concentrations of mana. Div had to slow down, working only with minute amounts.
Yet, even with those limitations, the symbiotic rotlife benefited from his mana. Slowly, it grew stronger, faster, and started to spread through the fish.
At this point, Div didn't think he could preserve the fish in its original state. However, it was never the goal. His objective was to keep the salted fish edible. It didn't matter if it took another form.
In the same manner cheese was made from milk, he would transform the fish into some sort of fish-cheese.
He would have to find a better name when he was done.
The process was long, tedious, and required painful precision.
Div worked with the focus of a surgeon. Every pulse of rot-attuned mana had to be measured and limited. The fish reacted; it twitched under the influence of the growing rotlife. The lifeforms he was feeding squirmed deeper with each breath, threading through fibers as needles through clothes.
It was more than just injecting mana into the fish. He had to maintain the natural pattern of rot-attuned mana to prevent the symbiotic rotlife from going wild and joining the fungus in its destructive decay.
After a long time weaving his mana, and yet way too soon, the symbiotic rotlife couldn't be contained by Preserve. It crossed his mana vacuum, making the fungus stir.
It was like a predator sniffing for prey. At least, as much as fungi could be. Everything was slow, but it was happening.
The fungus started spreading toward the symbiotic rotlife. The latter didn't back down. They were in competition for the fish, and neither would yield to the other.
Finally, they met, their respective colonies coming into contact with the other.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Then, the fungus devoured the symbiotic rotlife.
There was no match. In moments, Div's hard work evaporated. Worse, the fungus had taken hold of the entire fish.
Div sighed and took a step back.
It was a complete failure.
"I don't know what more I could have done."
Lugsellos moved closer and patted his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up, I know you did your best."
But doing his best wasn't enough. Div wanted to succeed.
"There has to be a solution. What good is rot magic if I can't stop a simple fish from rotting?"
"You're still young, Div," Terebus said, no trace of disappointment showing on his face. "When it comes to magic, you lack both in practice and theory. When did you acquire Rot Magic?"
"A few months ago."
"There you have it." The elder smiled. "Failing here is neither surprising nor shameful. This is true for all schools of magic, but stopping rot is a lot harder than starting it. Putting out a fire is easier done by a water mage than by a fire mage, while drying a wet cloth would be a fire mage's job."
Div frowned. Terebus' words didn't resonate with him. Not that the elder was wrong or that he couldn't see what he was talking about, he just didn't think it applied to this situation.
He wasn't trying to stop rot; he was trying to control it.
He snapped his fingers as another idea popped into his mind. If he couldn't fight the fungus, why not work with it? If he could turn symbiotic rotlife against their host, why couldn't he do the opposite and turn hostile rotlife to his side?
It was worth a try.
Div stepped toward the barrel once again and wiped the sweat from his brow. Jaw clenched, he watched as the mana moved faintly in the fish. A low hum of rot-attuned mana swirled inside, guiding the fungus as it crept all over the carcass.
He turned inward. He knew the shape of Turn. He had cast it countless times, practiced it to the point he didn't need to see what he was doing. A spiral of rot-attuned mana, swirling like a whirlpool. It was the language of decay. It mimicked the death of the host, and the symbiotic rotlife responded instinctively, devouring what they believed had run its course.
It was a little different here. The fish was dead, but salt had disturbed the mana pattern, making the symbiotic rotlife slow and sluggish.
Instead, it was the fungus that had taken the upper hand.
He had to convince it to slow down. He had to make it believe there was more to gain by transforming the fish instead of devouring it.
The fungus was alive, but it wasn't intelligent. Not even to the level of a beast. It wasn't even a being of instincts, even less than that.
If he could break the natural swirling pattern…
Div blocked the mana flow. It was still, unmoving, yet the fungus didn't slow down as he had hoped. Instead, it accelerated. The rot mage immediately let the mana go.
He shook his head, his hands nearly trembling. So, stopping the mana completely wasn't the answer. It seemed the fungus interpreted that as a sign that its host was almost fully consumed, bringing forth a final effort to devour as much as it could.
He needed something to stabilize the decay. Something reliable.
A heartbeat.
Could it work? Div had no idea. This theory didn't emerge from deliberate research and careful study. It was a whim. Yet, it felt right.
He inhaled and centered himself.
Then, slowly, with utmost care, he reshaped the rot-attuned mana flowing inside the fish. Not into a spiral, not into motion, but into a pulse.
A low, dull thump of energy rippled through the fish. The fungus twitched.
Div kept his breathing steady. Absolute control and focus were unachievable, but he had to strive for them nonetheless.
He synced the flow of mana with the rhythm in his chest.
The mana thumped once again, with intent this time.
This is not waste. This is not to be consumed. This is yours. Tend it.
The fungus paused before stirring again, but in a new way. Softer, deeper, it dug into the flesh and settled there.
Then, it broke down. Flesh and fungus blended with salt to form a liquid paste.
Finally, the reaction subsided. There was still activity, but it wasn't decay.
It was fermented.
Div let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Did you do it?" Lugsellos asked, sensing his relief.
"It should be edible now. But I suggest waiting a few more weeks for the water to resorb."
Panos stepped closer to the barrel and dipped a finger inside. Then, he brought the brown, fishy paste to his mouth.
His lips twitched. "Try it. You three."
Div, Lugsellos, and Terebus all tried.
Terebus coughed dryly. "Not bad—but definitely not meant to be eaten plain. I can see it tasting good on bread or as a condiment."
Panos nodded. "Not quite the same as a whole fish, but it should retain most of the nutrients."
Lugsellos didn't comment; he was looking at Div, smiling.
As for Div, he was too busy contemplating his next steps to care about his newest creation.
Skill leveled up: Rot Magic Lv4 -> Lv5
Skill leveled up: Mana Manipulation Lv4 -> Lv5
Facet of the Rot Mage completed. You can select a new facet.
Completing a mage facet in less than a year was considered fast. It hadn't even been half a year for him. Still, the impact of his magic couldn't be denied, and the world was known to reward precisely that.
"Well, Div," Terebus said, not blind to the young rot mage's situation. "I suggest you pick a facet that benefits from doing the same experiment a few thousand times."
He gestured toward the cellar and its rows of stacked barrels full of rotting fish, and offered a sly smile.
"You've got your work cut out for the next few days."