The First Cultivator

Azura cultivated the rest of the day and several hours into the night. When she was done, she was rewarded with a thick mana cloud. Not bad. She resisted the urge to keep going. This was going to be a long-term project. Not just weeks or months but years. She would cultivate it until it no longer worked. Then, find a new way to improve. Nothing would stop her… except perhaps breakfast, which, from the smell in the air, was already beckoning to her.

Patience, my precious, for I am coming.

"Sausage!" Azura screamed in a primal war cry as she dashed to the table and inhaled the pork product. Usually, it was porridge or something else equally bland. Perhaps her mother was trying to cheer her up after what happened with the mage. Azura felt no desire to correct that assumption, provided she could keep eating like this.

"By the gods of below Azura, chew your food!"

Azura tried to respond but found her tongue thoroughly pinned down by an excessive amount of partially chewed food. Unable to fully close her mouth, Azura approximated a chewing action as her mother watched, hypnotized by the action. Coralline briefly wondered if Azura was using some space magic to make extra room.

"I've raised a pig-kin," Coralline declared, shaking her head sadly.

Azura approximated an oink once her mouth was sufficiently clear. Only a bit of sausage was sprayed out. Her mother playfully knocked Azura on the head.

"Don't forget your lessons today. I expect you to attend. No skipping again."

Azura frowned. It couldn't be that time of the week already.

"That's impossible! I just went last week."

"You have classes three days each week," her mother replied flatly.

"Perhaps your memory is flawed. I heard that happens when you get older."

The look Azura got sent a chill down her spine. "Hehe, fortunately, that is certainly not the case, as you are extremely youthful," Azura said in a rush, her hands out before her acting as an improvised shield. "No doubt I'm just a forgetful innocent child and shall be on my way post haste."

The intensity of the glare continued. Azura quickly gathered her things and bolted for the door. She often forgot how scary her mother could be.

***

The prisoners lined up in three symmetrical rows, each ten long, before being directed to a tiny isolation cell. The cells were cruelly crafted by adults who were experienced at mental torture. Each cell had the illusion of freedom, yet that was the farthest thing from the truth. The inmates were forced to lie on the floor and construct runic diagrams in the cells they'd been assigned to. Then, they were instructed to read mind-altering text that warped reality itself. These activities were meant to break their spirits. Why else inflict such torture? Azura looked around in a panic. There must be some way to escape this hellish prison. She saw one of the tormentors walk down the rows, sneering at their captive's plight. She looked up and summoned her most wide-eyed, innocent expression. It was the kind of expression that could melt adamantium. No doubt this would sway the guard to free them from this nightmare.

***

Zanron looked down at Azura before gesturing to her text and moving on. He sighed, his dog-kin ears flapping as he did. The locals had arranged a community learning center for the children, and he was one of the volunteers. The goal was simple. Teach the child to read, write, and perform basic sums. The place they chose for the activity wasn't very nice, but it had a roof and plenty of space for each child, even if they had to rest on the floor. They had just finished doing mathematical sums, and now it was basic or advanced reading, depending on the student. There were bright children here and others whose attention span was challenged by sitting for more than a minute. Azura, he noticed, was a combination of both. He knew the children didn't understand the benefit of a basic education. He was one of the few in the community who could read and write. Zanron and the others like him spent a few hours three days a week teaching the children the basics. At least his shift was almost over. Another volunteer would feed the children with contributions from their parents and continue the lessons in the afternoon.

A child raised her hand. He went over to help with a few words as the rest of the group read on. Perhaps in a few generations, they would have an educated population sufficient enough to start demanding equal rights alongside the mages. He doubted anything would change. Others insisted that educating the population was the first step in achieving equality. Fools. The difference in power was far more critical as far as he was concerned. But, lacking any better option, he gave it his all to teach them. After helping the child, he stood up and looked around. The sea of brown and black hair and fur emphasized the difference between them and mages. His passive gaze stopped lingering on Azura. Her blue coloring stood out among her peers. He wasn't sure what to think.

Gossip spread fast in their non-magical community. Even quicker when it came to mages. Zanron had personally heard two such conflicting rumors regarding the blue half cat-kin. He heard that she was examined thoroughly by no less than two mages, who confirmed that Azura had an awakened mana pool. Unfortunately, it was too small to accomplish anything. The latest rumor came just yesterday from the crow-kin librarian who had seen Azura perform magic with no ill effect. Were the mages lying to prevent a kin from being accepted as a mage? That seemed likely. Or was there something else going on? Perhaps she was some kind of genius who had tricked the mages… He dismissed that thought when he saw her pick her nose. She glanced around before wiping it on Toren's back while the boy was focused on his book. Perhaps not…

***

Freedom! Azura roared in a mental cheer. She dared not scream that out loud again. The instructor had her stay late the last time to help with the cleanup. Such cruel adults. Azura quickly packed up her belongings and joined Toren, who was already with their other friends.

There was Gerald, a rather large brown bear-kin. He was nearly as big as some adults, yet they were the same age. Then there was Hamal. A gray-furred rat-kin. Azura rather liked Hamal. He was sneaky. One had to respect that.

"Azura, are you still in trouble?" Hamal asked, his long tail twitching.

Azura shrugged. "A bit, but I have time before I go home."

"Let's go fishing then," Gerald suggested. Both he and Azura started drooling at the thought of fresh fish. If she could catch a few and bring them home, perhaps her mother would reduce her prison sentence.

"LAST ONE THERE IS A SLOTH-KIN!" Toren shouted as he dashed away. Immediately, the entire group rushed after him, knowing they couldn't catch him. No one ever did.

Not until today, Azura thought as she inverted her mana pool. The sensation was odd, like tiny shocks radiating outwards along her body. It wasn't painful, just slightly jolting as her muscles, skin, and bones accepted the extra energy. Azura missed a step as her body adjusted, and all her friends rushed past. Finding her flow, Azura was surprised that she felt no different… that was until she pushed herself and felt the mana activate. Power surged in her, eliciting a gasp as the world slowed slightly, as her mind sped up. Her movements became fluid and more effortless with each step. She grinned and moved. It felt like she was taking two steps for every normal one. She quickly passed by Gerald. Hamal was farther ahead, but she soon overtook him. Then Toren came into sight.

Toren ducked and weaved through the crowded plaza with the darting speed only his kind could achieve. None of his friends had ever bested him. Azura and Hamal came close a few times, but he could always outpace them. He took a glance back. He expected to see Hamal and perhaps Azura panting to catch up. What he did not expect was Azura within touching distance, her tongue stretched out toward him as if he were a sweet, cold treat. Then, impossibly, she went even faster, pulling ahead.

How!? Toren pulled deep within himself as he went even faster. His body was low, darting forward like an arrow, his hands occasionally touching the ground to help pull him along. His vision narrowed. The only thing that existed was the path before him. That was right until a fluffy tail smacked him in the face. His concentration broken, he tumbled as Azura pulled beyond his range. Several painful rolls later, he lay gasping as Hamal jumped over him, a surprised look on his face.

What in the shit spawn was that?

She did it! Azura gave a mental cheer as she made one final leap onto the path toward the river. She lowered her speed, halting the draw on her mana. A quick internal check showed that the physical activity had only used a tiny portion of her cultivated mana. She looked deeper, searching for the exhausted mana. There it was. Strange, the mana felt… sticky, like cold honey. While her normal mana was moldable and easy to use. The exhausted mana was slow and unresponsive… like most boys. Azura wasn't concerned. The text did say that mana used in this fashion would recover naturally within her body. After another minute of running, the river came into view.

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The river was a public resource that many poorer families used to supplement their diets. The fish from that river had saved many during tough times. It also served as a natural barrier, being significantly wide with a swift current. Fortunately, several large boulders broke the surface near the shore, reducing the flow. The river was also very busy with kin of all types filling buckets. A few cast fishing lines safely from shore.

Newbies, Azura scoffed. Without hesitation, she leaped from boulder to boulder. Out as far as she could, Azura crouched, her eyes darting, searching for prey. There. A large trout was exploring the rocks. As it swam by Azura prepared herself, her hips swaying slightly back and forth like a cat before the pounce. Grabbing fish was difficult, and she failed more often than she succeeded. But that was before. Now, a trickle of mana empowered her as her hands swept downward, a geyser of water erupting from their entry. Her hands, while human-shaped, did have longer fingernails that were slightly pointed and significantly stronger than a human's. The fish never knew what had happened as small hands seized it, tearing it from the water.

Azura held the mighty water behemoth above her head, shouting a wordless battle cry. The fish, no doubt a small shark, struggled in her grip. Perhaps it was a magical fish whose powers are to taste great with butter and salt. Azura got many strange looks as she hopped back toward shore, where her friends stood watching her.

"Hey Sloth-kins," Azura shouted cheerily as she landed on the shore. She dropped the fish in a woven basket that Gerald had brought.

"How did you do that?" Toren asked, his face red.

"Well, first you have to grab a fish. Then put it in the basket without dropping it," Azura said sagely.

"Not that!" Toren growled. Azura paused, seeing genuine anger in her friend. Perhaps she shouldn't have won with magic. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Mages always used their power to beat and rule them. How was she any different? Her ears dropped, and her good mood vanished.

"How about we go fish and let those two talk?" Hamal suggested. He gave Azura a nod as he and Gerald waded into the water.

Once they were out of hearing, Azura turned back to Toren.

"Sorry," Azura muttered, looking down at her paws. The white and blue fur around them was soaked with water. "I tried out the magic you helped me find. I shouldn't have used it in our race. It wasn't fair. I was just so excited and wanted to try it out."

Toren didn't say anything for a second, then he sighed. "I'm sorry too. I suppose I can be a bit arrogant when it comes to racing. I shouldn't have gotten angry." He shoved his hand out toward her. "Friends?"

"Of course," Azura said as she grasped his hand. That was when he gave her a slight push toppling her into the water…

The friends laughed, splashed, and, much to the annoyance of everyone else in the area, scared off most of the fish. Despite this, after several hours, the children were rewarded with twelve good-sized fish, most of which were caught by Gerald. They were packing when three mages with vibrant red hair and matching robes arrived, blocking the path. The mages began shouting at everyone in the area.

"What's that all about?" Toren asked. His clothes were rather muddy from Azura's earlier retaliation tackle.

"Whatever it is, it isn't good," Gerald said, concerned. Gerald secured the lid on the basket with the fish as Toren whispered something to Hamal. Azura couldn't hear what was said, but wasn't surprised as Hamal scurried off. Rat-kin were often treated even worse than other kin. They had a reputation for being thieves. Which she had to admit was well deserved.

"What should we do?" Azura asked, joining the others.

"Nothing," Gerald said. "Probably just looking for criminals or something."

Azura supposed the bear-kin was right. What else could it be? Azura relaxed, although Toren kept a serious expression as the mages headed down toward them.

The mage's fine clothes contrasted greatly with Azura's group, and indeed most commoners who had plain brown trousers in various states of disrepair and simple tunics that were either white or some other nondescript color. The robes the mages wore were an aggressive shade of crimson, like fresh blood, with bright yellow sashes that drew the eye. There were no official color scheme rules in the kingdom. Anyone could wear any color they like. However, mages reserved the color of the rainbow for themselves as a symbol of their magical power. When non-magical folk were found wearing a color typically worn by a mage, they were unofficially punished. Cruelly so. It was petty, but most mages were from Azura's experience. As a result, the non-magical folk were restricted to brown, gray, white, and black.

A large dog-kin with inky fur eyed the mages cautiously as he neared. A large fish hung from a chain behind his back. The mages pointed at the kin. The nervous kin stopped as they exchanged words, his face growing stormy. Azura couldn't hear what was said over the river's constant noise, but she saw the closest mage use a force blast, knocking the kin back, his prize flying from his grasp.

"Hurry! While they are distracted!" Toren said. Azura had no idea what was going on. Perhaps he insulted them.

Nevertheless, Azura trusted Toren's instincts. The group rushed on as more kin, and a few magic-less humans started yelling. Azura and Toren rushed by. The closest mage, a man with a neatly trimmed red beard, gave them a dismissive look. A breath she didn't know she was holding escaped her. She thought they were safe, that was until the mage saw Gerald.

"Stop!" The mage shouted, blue, white electricity dancing in his hand. Gerald paled at the barked command, which was hard to tell under his brown fur. He looked around, trying to see if the mage was referring to someone else, before pointing to himself.

"Yes, you! What do you have there?"

"J, Just fish master mage," Gerald said, his ordinarily brazen tone submissive.

"Leave it and go," the mage said, stepping closer. Azura and Toren stopped behind the mages, watching.

"We caught them ourselves. We didn't steal them." Gerald protested, clutching the basket protectively. His family didn't have much money and relied on fish from the river to supplement their food. They all did, except for Azura's mother, but even they had to be careful.

"You did," growled the mage. Then, in a loud voice for all to hear said. "Effective today, all fish in the waterways of Deepmere belong to the magic born. Removing any animal from the water or the forest beyond is considered a theft against the city and shall be punished accordingly."

Shouts of outrage came from other fishermen and even those collecting water at this pronouncement. Azura was shocked. She and her friends counted on the river for a free food source. It had always been so.

"No!" Gerald said protectively, holding the basket as he ran for it. He took ten steps before

"LIGHTNING BOLT!"

The blue lightning the mage held out previously lashed out at Gerald. The lightning traveled all over his body, causing him to spasm. It was a credit to his bear-kin heritage that Gerald managed to take several more steps after the blast. His resistance did him no good.

"LIGHTNING BOLT!" The mage cried again. Gerald faltered as the second wave of lightning hit his body.

"AAAAAARGH!" Gerald cried, the basket flung from his hands as he collapsed, convulsing on the ground. The mage who attacked had a cruel smile as the other two held the crowd back. He readied another bluish bolt. Azura's eyes widened as the bystanders watched, too shocked to act. They were going to make an example out of him. They were going to kill him.

Azura didn't think. She acted. With a flex of will, Azura inverted her mana pool. The mana rushed through her, augmenting her body and bolstering her speed and strength. With her increased speed and the mages facing away from her, they failed to react in time. Before the third lightning attack was launched, Azura was directly behind the attacking mage, her paw blurring upward toward the man's crotch. As the blow landed, Azura felt something deform under her paw. Time seemed to stop as the mage was lifted slightly off his feet. It was hard to tell if the crushing of his family jewels or the spell backlash caused him to scream like a ten-year-old girl faced with a dog-sized spider. But scream he did. The man collapsed, curling into a ball, cradling what was left of his genitals.

The other mages turned and, seeing Azura standing over their fallen comrade, unleashed the spells they had prepared against the crowd on her.

"FORCE BOLT!"

"ICE LANCE!"

Azura's eyes widen. Instinctively, she raised her arms protectively as the force bolt stuck. The magical attack flung her backwards with the speed of an arrow, her body tumbling uncontrollably through the air. Ironically, this throw saved her from the ice lance that would have impaled her. Instead, the icicle shot barely missed her, burying itself deep into a nearby merchant stall. People screamed and fled in all directions as pandemonium erupted. In the resulting confusion, the mages didn't notice the bear-kin boy get up and start running. They did see the blue cat-kin girl get up, but were immediately distracted as several well-aimed stones, courtesy of Hamal's sling, struck them. The mages dove for cover, never seeing what had attacked them or where it came from. Every time they tried to get up, a stone encouraged them to stay down. By the time they got to their feet, the area was clear except for their comrade, who had no intention of leaving his fetal position.

"That could have gone better," the elder of the two mages said.

The other mage shrugged. "Our job was to inform the citizens that fishing wasn't allowed anymore and make an example of anyone who resisted. It was mostly a success."

"Mostly," the elder mage snorted. "Cliff had his balls crushed, that nasty bear-kin boy got away, and you took it easy on some weird cat-kin girl."

The other man hesitated. "I didn't take it easier on her."

"Bullshit. If you used a full-power Forced Bolt, the girl would be a splattered mess."

"Didn't you see her go flying? I didn't hold back."

The elder started to sneer, then stopped, his face thoughtful. "But, she got up. I saw it." The man gestured toward the spot where Azura was flung.

"Yeah…" the mage agreed. The pair were silent for a second.

"Let's not say anything," the elder mage said. "We don't want to look like we couldn't handle a few nulls. Besides, we got the job done."

"Sure, Cliff wasn't careful, and some big guy kicked him hard enough that his children would feel it. Other than that, mission success." The other mage agreed. Cliff, who was oblivious to everything around him, whimpered as the pair dragged him off. They were sure to plant the sign before they left.

'All fish in the waterways of Deepmere are the property of the magi. Thefts are considered a punishable offense.'

***

Azura whimpered, tears streaming from her eyes. Pain, unlike anything she had ever experienced, burned in her. Her arms were bloody ruins and looked like raw steak. The skin was almost wholly flayed with bits of stone and debris deeply embedded in the wounds. The world spun around her with each step. Azura barely noticed when a big set of arms picked her up.

"I'll carry her Gerald," a voice argued. Azura knew the voice but couldn't place it. Everything was fuzzy. The agony muffled her thoughts.

"I'm okay," said a gruff voice.

"You were attacked too!" Came another protest.

"They were just trying to hurt me to scare everyone. They tried to kill her."

"It doesn't matter!" A commanding voice said. "We have to get out of here. Hamal, you there?"

"I'm here!" A voice said, followed by some panting. "They didn't follow me. I tried to brain the fuckers. I can't believe they did that to Azura! What are we going to do?"

"We're taking her home." The commanding voice said.

"Why is this happening?" The gruff voice asked as Azura felt the world move beneath her.

"I don't know, but whatever the reason, it isn't good…" The voice might have gone on, but Azura blacked out shortly after.