Chapter 13: The Cleansing (2/2)
//This usually creates a pocket of foreign black mana that slowly poisons the host.
//If untreated, the victim will eventually die and join the ranks of the undead.
“Hold on, people killed by the undead become undead?”
//If there is enough of the body left, any dead body tainted by black mana will be reanimated as an undead.
“You told me that black mana was not evil!”
//Any excess is dangerous.
//Bodies saturated with blue mana will liquefy.
//Black mana is simply… significantly more virulent… than the others.
“Is there any way to help him?”
Solfis remained silent for a spell. Arthur yawned and jumped on the partition separating their bed from the entrance, flapped her wings, and crashed somewhere on the other side. Viv heard claws scraping on stone and a frustrated ‘squee’.
“Hey, since I’m a sort of black mana specialist, any way for me to help with that?”
//Yes, in fact, you may.
//You merely need to pass your hand over the wound and call black mana to you.
//It would be a low intensity exercise that could favor mana perception.
//Mana perception is vital for a mage.
“If it is, how come we have never practiced it yet?”
//Because the world so far has been saturated with black mana and black mana only.
//It would be easier to teach depth perception in a dark cave.
“Oh.”
//Do not worry, Your Grace, we are on schedule with your training.
//Now, kindly recharge me before you leave.
Viv stood up and realized that she felt sort of okay now. Her head hurt as if she had spent eight hours on an essay and coffee had run out. She was still physically fit, but her thoughts moved through cotton paddings. It was not too bad.
She approached the table and realized that Solfis had managed to extract two bone cylinders from the head of the dragon’s humerus, and they were now circling the dragon’s stone. His long arm was mechanically cutting patterns on the surface with inhuman precision. He appeared almost done.
She grabbed the plug and charged the golem as he kept working.
“It’s taking shape.”
//We are indeed on schedule.
//This unit will require your assistance with charging the main core.
//It can wait, however.
She nodded and kept working in silence. Arthur crashed against the ground again.
“She’s learning how to fly.”
//An astute observation, Your Grace.
//If you wish, you may leave now
//I will be able to operate for a few more hours.
“Alright.”
//You may want to wash your face before you leave.
//You have blood around your eyes and lips.
//A normal consequence of minor overcast.
“Oh.”
Viv made use of the basin, drank the last of the pure water.
You are no longer suffering from mana poisoning.
“Until next time.”
Viv left Arthur and Solfis to their devices. She caught the attention of a nearby soldier and said ‘hi’ in Varran. He looked a bit scared.
“Jor?” she asked.
The man pointed to a small house attached to the barracks. She aimed there and winced when she realized that the door was reinforced and the windows had bars on them. She knocked and entered.
The typical tang of blood greeted her as she took in her surroundings. There were two beds and room for one more in the tiny space. Jor was lying in the closest one, expression placid. The muscular man laid on his back in a shirt that revealed an imposing body. Coarse black hair covered him almost entirely. He had gashes on his deltoid, abdominals and quadriceps. Not bleeding, and he did not appear to be in much pain. Benetti was by his side, holding a sort of medal and praying in a soft voice. Three soldiers held their hands over his wounds. They were tainted with black, she saw, and the invasive color was pushed back by the concerted efforts of his attendant, whose hands glowed softly white.
All eyes turned to her when she entered. She met every gaze and nodded politely. Her steps led her to the side of the man who had risked his life to protect her without a sliver of hesitation. She held a hand over one of the wounds and closed her eyes.
Another kind of mana.
The Cassian sources had felt like magic too, but it had been different. Transformed. It was more complex than the fundamental truth pulsing under her limb. There was a purity there, made more flagrant by the foreign source assaulting it.
It was barely holding on.
Black mana was extraordinarily deleterious. It was destruction and change while the other was preservation and control. Change fed itself on change, while life was struggling to maintain the status quo. She could not detect will or malice in the wound. It was no more evil than a tsunami. Destructive, yes, but directionless. Blind.
She would guide it out.
Viv settled her breath and plunged into meditation. She could see without eyes. It took some getting used to.
You have gained: mana sense at Beginner 1
Black Hedge Witch (6)
The black was familiar to her, while the life one was foreign. She understood it and felt a kinship with life as a breathing individual herself, but she could simply not latch on it in any way. There was none in her conduits either. Only the endless tides of the black.
She called on them now.
The black below her was directionless. It was not hers yet. She slowly, slowly delimited it and started to push her own into the swampy mix. There were some noises outside. They were unimportant.
Piece by piece, she made the black hers and pulled it. She soon hit a snag. She could still feel a bit of black, but it was too diffuse. The light had replaced it.
She opened her eyes.
Mana sense: Beginner 2
Intimidation: Beginner 6
Mana manipulation: Beginner 7
Why was there intimidation? Gah.
She inspected the wound. Small pockets of black mana still clung to the edge of a gash in the knight’s shoulder, but the worst of the contagion was over and the rest would fade, she knew.
Jor nodded to her and Benetti smiled. The soldiers were more cautious, and would not meet her gaze. She smiled too, and moved to his torso. As she progressed on, the soldiers alternated, fresh men coming every ten minutes or so. Benetti also cast that strange healing thing and Jor’s cleaner wounds closed in record time.
The abs laceration turned out to be slightly harder to handle and she left more spots. The one on his leg, she managed to clean almost entirely. She took her time working. Her head still felt tender, but this was not something where power would matter. She had to coax the energy out, not pull it.
Acuity +1
You have reached a milestone! Your ability to cast and maintain several spells at once is significantly increased. Your thought process speed is increased. You will find casting complex spells to be easier.
Wow, several spells at once? More complex spells? Yes, please. She would need to have Solfis guide her.
Viv lifted her gaze from the last gash to find Cernit smiling at her. He gave her another glass of water and a pill which she gulped down greedily. Jor was asleep and the soldiers were gone.
“Thank you,” the officer said in Old Imperial.
“You are welcome.”
The officer smiled, but soon his expression turned sour.
“Mine soldier. Errr. My great fault. House of you.”
He must be talking about the burglar.
“Soldier Hern tortured.”
Errrr tortured?
Benetti laughed when he saw her alarmed expression, and corrected his boss
“Punished.”
“Oh.”
“My great fault,” Cernit continued as he gave her a stiff bow. This was a perfect opportunity to create a favorable working relationship with the man. She turned to Benetti.
“Your soldiers. Your punishment. I am satisfied.”
Benetti found the message simple enough and relayed her words. They all nodded in a very manly way, all formal and honorable and respectful of due process and the chain of command. Viv decided to leave before hair started to grow on her tits. Outside, the day was getting darker.
Hard to believe that she had been dragging her sled this very morning. So much had happened. By all rights, she should be collapsed in her bed right now. Magic was making her body a little bit stronger. Perhaps the stronger warriors could fight for days before collapsing for a few hours and doing it again.
The longer days also messed with her. Even after weeks, she was not used to how stupidly long they were. At least two or three more hours of daylight compared to earth.
Her mind was in shambles. She had to find a relaxing way to spend the early evening. Then, she would read the bestiary or something.