by Chris Vines
I jogged back to my room and retrieved it then ran back. Losing the five minutes to get the powder was worth the twenty percent gain in gathering speed I got from the Simple Gathering Powder. Not quite as good as the Complete Powder, but still good, I thought as I went through the forms again. After an hour of working through the forms, my skin was starting to feel tight and it felt like I had heartburn. Nearly there, I thought excitedly. I took a break to drink some water and started again. After ten minutes, I sat down and focused on my center, watching as the Aether in it pushed against my meridians.
The pressure in my center continued to grow until, with a grunt, I finally managed to shove more Aether into it than it could hold. A pulse of Aether flowed throughout my body. I watched as, everywhere the pulse went, my meridians became larger and the edges became thicker. The Aether in them was now noticeably thicker, though not as much as I had expected. With a shiver, every muscle seemed to spasm for a second, and I watched as more impurities came out on my skin. Gross, was the thought that propelled me from the seat towards my dorm.
Suddenly I noticed the first change. I started using the running technique again, and ran face first into a tree. The speed I had achieved had been a good twenty percent higher than I expected. That is normally not much, unless you are suddenly accelerating by twenty percent more on a small trail with trees all around. Well, I’m glad no one saw that, I thought until I heard laughter. Looking around, I didn’t see anyone. Until I looked up that is.
I saw the Crimson Zarorzel in a branch on the tree and it was cawing with laughter that sounded way too human to be coming from a bird. I shook my head and playfully glared at it, which only increased the laughter. I pulled a fruit out of my pocket and waved it towards it. The laughter stopped and it attempted a contrite look. I laughed and tossed the fruit to it while shaking my head. As soon as it snatched the fruit, it chirped happily at me before cawing in laughter again and flying off. Stupid bird, I grumbled light-heartedly at the bird’s antics.
I walked slowly out of the Grotto, still blushing from the bird and rubbing my face where I smacked it. I went and rinsed off the grime before heading out to the PT fields. There I saw a number of people practicing various techniques, including someone using the agility course set up today. Their technique must have been Fire based, as small puffs of flame exploded out each time they stepped.
I watched the person with the Fire technique for a little bit because they were able to make it all the way down the course. After that, I decided I needed to work through my new strength for a bit before trying anything else. I took off on a jog around the fields, using the running technique and getting used to the new-found power it had. After a couple of laps, I felt comfortable with it but I continued to jog. This time around I focused on creating an Aether Shield, getting used to doing so while moving and at my new level.
I was amazed at the changes. The Aether Shield I created at this level felt thicker, while also being easier to manipulate. By focusing, I could direct extra Aether from my center to a location to make it thicker for a second, though that grew expensive fairly quickly. I finished my jog when I was mostly out of Aether in front of the target dummies. Three were being used by some students I didn’t recognize. After taking some time to refresh my Aether pool, I practiced sending out the Aether attacks I had learned from my trisula.
After a few attempts, I was able to project out an Aether blast that was able to penetrate into the dummy. Hah, I’m Link! I thought, watching as I sent what looked like a sword blast from the Zelda games. I continued to send out blasts, working still on making them smaller. I was able to send out twice as many blasts as before I had leveled up, which helped me get the hang of the technique. A couple more levels and I’ll be able to almost continuously fire off blasts like this. I wonder what I’ll be able to do at higher levels.
After half an hour or so of weapons practice, I headed over to the agility course. The Fire Gatherer had left at some point, so the course was free. I climbed onto the first step and centered. I called up the memory, and was surprised at how clear it had gotten. My memory got better again! I’m slowly becoming a superhero. Woot! I started jumping back and forth between the steps, working on the Dancing Northern Wind technique.
Over the next hour, I got closer and closer to mastering the first level of the technique. The feeling of being buoyed by the air as I did so was interesting. As I finally made it to the halfway point on the course and fell, a voice called out “You’re trying too hard.” I looked over and saw someone sitting next to one of the steps near the end of the course. They got up and walked over to me.
“What do you mean?” I asked as they reached me.
“Air wants to move freely, moving from one place to another with no restrictions. You have to emulate that feeling with your runes and thoughts as you perform the technique. Every Element behaves differently and the Elemental specific techniques have to mirror that. Think on that,” he said. I saw that he was a fourth year student when he got close, thanks to his uniform.
“Thank you Mentor. I will,” I responded to him. He gestured towards the start of the course. I nodded, jogged back to the start and hopped up to the first step. Air wants to move freely? But wind is caused by a change in pressure between two locations, where the high pressure air flows to the low pressure. As I thought about what I knew about wind and air pressure, I realized what the runes were trying to do. There were runes for increasing pressure, decreasing pressure, and directing the air around me.
I realized that, based on what I thought the runes were doing, I had their placement wrong. The student in the memory stone had a different body shape than I did, and I had to adapt the runes to myself. I needed to move the increasing pressure Rune a couple of inches down and back, and a couple directing Runes needed small repositioning. I concentrated and took the first leap. I could immediately feel the difference, and each step seemed easier. I pushed as hard as I could and nearly floated at times.
I made it two thirds of the way down before I didn’t quite reach the step. This meant I had made a sideways leap of nearly five meters! That little change took me from the first level to the second. Understanding the runes and reasons behind their placement is what will get me farther. Don’t just blindly trust the memory stone is exactly right, everything will have to be adapted to me. “Good job!” came a call from the senior student who had been watching me. “Keep working on it and you will master this in no time.” I watched as he went down the course, Fire bursting from his feet every step. It looks like he’s getting a push from the Fire Aether like a rocket, and using heat to make the air around him less dense. I wonder if there are ways of combining them.
The Mentor said goodbye after he finished one last run. I did a couple more run-throughs, though I only made it one step farther by the end. By this point, it was getting late. I’m up later than I have been in a while, but I don’t feel very tired. Is this a consequence of leveling up? If so, do Core Seed or higher level Gatherers even need to sleep?
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
The next morning I woke up refreshed, eager to talk to Counselor Sila about what the new level meant and how to continue advancing. I quickly dressed and left for breakfast. As I passed into the stairway, I nearly ran into Bridget. Or at least I thought I did. I jumped back from her, but she was still a couple of feet away. “Are you okay?” She asked me, looking at me with concern.
“Yeah, I just thought I ran into you. Hold on,” I said, stepping closer to her. “It feels like there is a little bit of pressure emanating from you. I’ve never felt that before.” I told her, confused.
“You talk funny, you know that? I have no idea what pressure would be coming from me. Other than my beauty, but that didn’t change last night, did it?” She asked, grinning at me.
“Uh, um, uh, no, you are just as beautiful as ever,” I said hurriedly, sensing the trap in her question. Maybe. Even in another world, I still don’t understand women. Of course, I doubt she u
nderstands me either. “Shall we head to breakfast?” I say, and lead the way down the stairs. We talked a little bit about the upcoming tournament, speculation still rife among the first tiers about what it would be like. I could feel that little bit of pressure coming from her, and from the others we passed. This is weird.
We walked in and grabbed food. I saw Ming, Jon, Xiao, and Bet sitting at a table. As we got close, Ming said “Congratulations on advancing! That makes you the first one to advance in the class. Everyone else at Mist or above was already there when we started.”
“Uh, thanks. How did you know?” I asked.
“The Aether pressure you put out changed. Did you notice that gatherers now feel like they are pushing you away slightly?” He asked back.
“Is that what this is? I was wondering about that.” I told him.
“Yes, everyone at the Mist level and beyond can feel the Aether pressure of others, though it usually has no effect on you other than feeling. Though if the Counselors didn’t restrain their aura some it would make it harder to focus and work in the classes. The pressure is light for those at lower levels, and grows much heavier for those at stages above you. When we are able to leave, I will treat you to a great meal as a reward!” He explained and exclaimed.
There was a round of congrats around the table, along with questions as to where everyone was and how long to advance. Both Ming and Bet were high Mist already, while Xiao was low Mist and Jon and Bridget both high Vapor. Bet then said, “It is really hard to tell how long it will take to advance, but you could talk to your Counselors about it. They might be able to tell you tomorrow or the day after. There is a way of observing the total Aether in you and how much is needed to level. They then compare the amount changed over a day or two to get an estimate.”
Ah, good old linear interpolation. I thought, amused. The discussion fell off as everyone ate. Gathering class didn’t change. We were still working on the Eight by Eight Gathering Form. I moved into the third set this time, and spent the entire meditation time gathering. I was able to gather twice as much Aether into me before I had to start actively converting it through my Runes. As you advanced in levels, the rate of gathering increased, but the amount of Aether required to advance again increased even more.
“Aiden, come over here.” Counselor Sila called as the class was dismissed. “Congratulations on advancing to the low Mist level. Your talent is noteworthy. If you put in the effort, you will be able to make it beyond Core formation, I’m sure. The Kingdom needs as many people with Perfect Cores or beyond as they can get, and will generously reward any who have the potential to make it there.”
“Thank you, Counselor. Should I do anything different with gathering now that I have advanced?” I asked.
“Not yet. Finish mastering the Eight by Eight Gathering Forms, which will sustain you through the rest of the Aether Gathering stage. Once you move into Aether Compression you’ll be sent to the library to find a more individualized Gathering Form. Since the head librarian took a liking to you, you should be able to find something interesting. Any other questions for me?” When I shook my head no, he dismissed me.
Lunch progressed as breakfast did, this time with Vaya congratulating me and a glare from Nicky which I winked at. The class we had today was geography. I was excited by this, as I was really curious about this world. The map I saw at my new parent’s house didn’t have much detail beyond the area around the city and coast. What is past the sea? Or beyond the Mountains? What lies east of us? As I walked to the class with Vaya and Lucas, I couldn’t hold in my enthusiasm. I was just so curious, and I hadn’t had the ability to fulfill this curiosity before now.
“You know, if you want a map I can probably get you a fairly accurate one of the entire country.” Vaya told me.
“That’d be awesome!” I exclaimed. “I want to explore the whole world if I can!” As we got to the classroom building, I realized that I was acting really out of character. I know I’m excited, but I usually can control myself better than this. My emotions seem stronger now. Is this also a consequence of leveling? Or is it just being back in a teenage body? I need to get a hold of myself! We split up and headed to our classrooms.
The Counselor for this class was Headmaster Glav. “Good afternoon Headmaster.” I said as I bowed to her, deeper than I did to the other Counselors.
“Good afternoon Aiden. Welcome all to a look at the world around us. I like to teach one group a week in this or history, and you get to be the lucky group. Today we will be covering our beloved Kingdom and the large terrain groups within it and bordering it. Can anyone tell me where we are?” She asked the group.
“The Azyl Academy is located in Azyl City, ma’am. Azyl City is located along the Craesti River, which reaches from the Central Mountains to the Inner Sea. The area we are in is also called the Central Region or Central Plain.” Anberlin said, answering the Headmaster. Headmaster Glav waved at the board, and a map started appearing as Anberlin was talking. A dot was placed and labeled Azyl City, then a river drawn traveling North and South. The Central Mountains were drawn a good ways south of the city, and the Dividing Sea coastline was traced for a portion of the board.
“Excellent. That is entirely correct. Now to the east of us, we have the rest of the Central Plain, followed by the Zaboj Swamp which stretches the majority of the rest of the peninsula that is the Kingdom. Near the coast, the swamp fades into coastal plains, and the major river, also named Zaboj, exits at the tip of the peninsula at the city of Oddali.
“Oddali is the main point of trade with the Weltreich, one of the major powers across the Inner Sea. It also contains the Oddali Academy, one of the five major Gathering Academies in the Kingdom. Continuing along the peninsula, the entire southern portion consists of the Central Mountains. The Central Mountains are the Kingdom’s main source of Iron, Copper, Silver, and Mithril. There are a number of small mining towns along the borders. The Polud river runs south through the Central Mountains, and the city of Poludnie lays on the coast,” the Headmaster explained. Wait, is mithril a thing here. In books it was a super metal, better than steel. That’s awesome!
Unaware of my distraction, or uncaring, she continued, “West of the mountains and filling the majority of the west of the Kingdom is the Great Western Forest. The majority of our high Affinity meat comes from hunting expeditions into the interior of the Forest. There are only villages around the edge because the central regions of the Forest are largely unexplored. Most expeditions into the deep interior have resulted in the death of all involved, and the few survivors speak of Primordial Beasts that rule sections of the Forest.
“The Kneija River flows out of the Forest and the headwaters are rumored to be an area of extremely concentrated Aether. Kneija City is located where the Kneija River exits the Forest, and has a very high natural Aether concentration. Kneija Academy is another of the five Academies. Beyond the Forest are the Skraj Mountains, which form the border between the Kingdom and the Toprak Empire. A single pass, Zelec’s Cut, is traversable through the Skrajs. Zelec’s City is located at the mouth of the pass and is the main point of trade, and defense against, Toprak. They also have an Academy. The last Academy is naturally in the Capital.”
The map being drawn behind the headmaster filled in even more details while she discussed different towns and villages around the Kingdom, from mining villages in either mountain range, farming villages throughout the plains, or the few towns that raised alchemical crops along the edges of the Zaboj swamp. I quickly copied the map, at least in broad strokes, onto a piece of paper.
While the Kingdom was very large, it was able to use less than half the space within its borders. The interiors of the Skraj and Central Mountains, the Great Western Forest, and the Zaboj Swamp were all zones where people could not live. Much of the interiors has not been mapped or explored. Class ended with the Headmaster saying she would be back next week.
Physical training was running, agility course, Aether blasts, running. With
the boost in my Aether Gathering level, I was able to run much faster. This resulted in Counselor Might telling me to take two more laps. Apparently, we were going to have to run for half an hour every class, no matter how fast we got. I wasn’t able to improve much in the agility course, with thirty steps still left to the end. When practicing the Aether blasts, I was able to extend my range to nearly the ten foot limit. This was the extent of the capability, though, as everything in the memory stone suggested that the Aether blast technique was limited to a short range.
After we finished running the second set of laps around the PT fields, Counselor Might called the entire first tier class over to him. ”Tomorrow will be your first tactics lesson. I am the tactics Counselor for your class. The class will be held in the Training Pavilion. It is behind the faculty housing. Be respectful when passing the housing area. I will see you there. Dismissed.”