The water droplet I'd spent the last 10 minutes forming finally hovered stably in front of me, dangling from my thin mana strings. My body remained swaying from side to side to maintain my Flow Meditation with my eyes winced shut, using only our connecting manas to detect the water droplet. Every moment the near weightless droplet remained in my control was agonizing, like I was holding up a semi-truck with only my stomach muscles.
Yet, my mana drained a rate slightly slower than it had when Phanthu's younger self began showing me how to manipulate mana. Something I clung to with clenched teeth as I held the small amount of water I'd culminated together with the ambient mana hovering through the air together. It's a strange medium between effort and passivity to maintain the balance required for holding this damned little drop together. On one hand, if my mana strings are too loose with my hold on its energy, it'll just disperse or collapse from my grasp. If I'm too rough and rigid with the energy however, it'd slip through my grasp almost immediately.
The only way I've ever known how to implement the use of water concepts was through allowing the many techniques and overall coordination to flow through me. So long as I'd spent a little time considering and walking through the steps prior, all I needed was a little repetition for it to click. It was part of the reason I'd grown so fond of the fighting form, I'd always found it so natural if I allowed myself to.
A smile crept across my face recalling the first time I'd met Steve while trying to absorb the copious amount of water mana the ocean holds. I spent multiple attempts sinking deep below the ocean surface, trying to physically force mana through my skin. It took recalling the nature of training water forms prior to the integration for me to allow the mana to come to me, before finally claiming the energy as my own with little physical effort. Which got me thinking…why would this be any different?
In the end, I resolved myself to focus only on my intent, rather than constantly trying to reel and slack my mana strings out for the passing energies like catching a large fish with a flimsy rod. I knew there'd be little chance it would be as seamless as absorbing mana had been, but I had a gut feeling I was on the right track. While I don't completely understand the result, focusing more so on my goal than the actual process did somehow lighten the inexplicable weight of this tiny water droplet. Not by a wide margin, but enough for me to keep this fucking thing eleva-
"Hey guys!" Korbin yelled from across the room, making me jump and drop my concentration as well as my water droplet. My eyes winced shut bracing for the immense pain that had followed after the last two times I'd abruptly lost focus, though the aching, which arrived swiftly and without hesitation. While the sharp stabbing sensation was enough to double me over for a few seconds, it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the first few times. My eyes fluttered open as I mentally rejoined the rest of our squad congratulating Korbin.
"Not going to lie, that guardian thing looked way tougher than it turned out." Lonni said while chuckling as I mentally checked back in.
"No, no it was definitely strong. I'm not entirely sure why it took so much damage, but I'm glad it did." Korbin replied, shaking his head.
"Didn't seem like anyone else's attacks did much of anything. Were the other competitors just abysmally underleveled?" Cassi asked, smiling under a curiously raised brow.
"Maybe. I have a feeling it has something to do with how that old woman created that monster, but I can't really put my finger on what." Korbin replied, rubbing his chin. I sighed as the last of my post mana training pain subsided, rising to my feet and heading toward the others.
"Who the hell sent an old lady in there?" I asked through a smile.
"I take it you weren't paying attention?" Korbin replied.
"No, no he wasn't. But I don't remember seeing any old ladies either." Cassi added, wearing a puzzled look. Korbin's head recoiled in surprise, turning his attention to her.
"Don't tell me Tom convinced you to practice mana manipulation. I can't expect his goldfish brain to focus for longer than 8 minutes, but I hoped that y-" Korbin's words trailed off glancing between our confused faces.
"…what?" Korbin asked.
"Nobody saw any elderly woman in there with you. Are sure you're feeling okay, boss?" Lonni said. Korbin's eyes fluttered in disbelief, his mouth hanging ajar for several seconds before answering.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I didn't realize we were getting exclusive knowledge in these things." Korbin said, narrowing his eyes. No one replied, instead sharing confused expressions between one another.
"I watched that monster be created, it was…brutal. But, I picked up a new trick along the way. Remind me to show you during the next Objective, Cass." Korbin said, before strutting towards the window wall overviewing the maze that now sat dormant.
"Attention! Two minutes remaining until 'King Of The Pillars' commences!" The system's unfitting soothing effeminate voice announced.
"Damn, I guess we won't be getting another 10 minute grace period." I said, looking around the room trying to find the source of the system's voice to no avail.
"Hey, Korbin what was that symbol you drew back th-"
"Oh, Lonni! You still got some ore from the Xernilian mines on you, right?" Korbin asked, interrupting Derrick's question with his head whipping back.
"Uh, of course I do, why?" Lonni asked, nervously glancing between Korbin and Derrick.
"Toss one my way." Korbin replied, spinning around to face Lonni and clapping his hands together. Lonni inquisitively summoned a hunk of silver-white stone covered in small chunks of bland, grainy stone. Lonni ripped off a small piece of the more typical, grey rock and threw it over to Korbin.
"Thanks, and to answer your question Derrick, I'm not entirely sure." Korbin said, looking at the chunk of rock sitting in the palm of his hand. His eyes suddenly spread wide as he looked back up at us.
"Lonni, you don't have long until you're blipped out of here. I advise you to take this time to prepare yourself, 'King Of The Pillars' doesn't sound any less demanding than the labyrinth." Korbin instructed through a more authoritative tone while straightening his posture. Lonni nodded, and hesitantly paced across the room brandishing his flail. As Korbin twisted back around glaring outside the window wall, Cassi started heading over to him when I grabbed her shoulder.
"Hold up Cass, I wouldn't." I warned, Cassi looked back at me with a mixture of confusion and frustration.
"He only gets this spacy when something's troubling him, or at the very least not digesting properly in his mind. Let him stew for a bit." I continued. Cassi glanced back at Korbin than to me through narrowed eyes.
"…fine." Cassi finally relented, strutting past me over to Lonni. Part of me wanted to jump right back into Mana Manipulation training, especially after having made decent enough progress in relatively short time. Still, Lonni's just too good of a friend of mine not to see off to his objective. As I made my ways across the room, Derrick's voice echoed from behind me.
"Korbin, hey did you set a trap back th-" Korbin's head shot up at Derrick wide eyed. The stone in his palm fumbled to the floor, causing Korbin to growl frustratedly to himself with clenched fists. Korbin drew in deep breath from his nose, holding it for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"Derrick…ask me later, okay?" Korbin said with closed eyes, his lip quivering as he knelt down and retrieved his hunk of rock and clutched it firmly in his palm. Derrick nodded, retreating a few steps before heading over to Lonni and Cass.
…oh he's actually upset.
"30 seconds remaining until 'King Of The Pillars' commences!" The system's comforting voice announced as I made my way back over to Korbin.
"Hey, Korbin." I hollered as I approached, being sure not to catch him by surprise. He turned back, sighing as his eyes locked onto mine. A glimpse of glowing orange line across the rock in his hand extinguished as he spoke.
"Tom, I'm a little busy at the moment, if you wouldn't min-"
"Why are you practicing mana manipulation with stone mana?" I asked outright.
"Plenty of reasons, the questions why I can't command it. The energies aren't all that incomprehensible, and yet nothing I've adjusted to fit my understanding of stone has made any progress for weeks." Korbin quietly rattled off, glaring angrily at the stone in his hand.
"It's…it's a rock. You're telling me you, the guy who laughed at me for discovering mana manipulation recently, can't just tell it to do what you want by now?" I asked, chuckling at the notion. I've seen the guy conjure fireballs the size of a closet in the palm of his hand, and while I'm sure affinities matter a fuck ton, mana manipulation just felt like a process that's less inclined to care so much.
"That's the dumbest shit I've ever h-…" Korbin began, before his face twisted from borderline offended at my words to a look of curiosity. Closing his eyes, a dim orange streak wrapped around the stone and lifted it slowly above his palm. Korbin's hand shook as his breathing strained, his body relaxing with a sigh as the rock fell back into his open hand. I grinned cheek to cheek as Korbin's posture straightened, his face completely relaxed with dissatisfaction.
"…shut up." He sneered, turning back toward the window wall. Thoroughly happy with leaving on a helpful note, I turned back to give Lonni my best wishes when I realized he was no longer in the room. In fact, neither was Derrick.
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A constant low whining subtly filled the air as my vision changed from the dimly lit waiting area to this glowing blue containment field. To my left, 9 others who represented their factions stood atop their metal platforms surrounded by the same blue bubble.
"Hold up, why are you here?" I asked Derrick, who stood beside me in another dome of clear blue energy. Derrick glanced around, wearing a bewildered look before replying.
"No idea." He said. Peering ahead, 8 towering smooth stone pillars surrounded a vast, hollow canyon. A series of differing complex symbols streaked along the sides of each pillar, with different colored flickering wisps of curving symbols hovering above them. At the center of these wildly spread pillars sat a dark, metallic tower far larger in height and circumference than the glowing pillars. At its base, several of the lightless portals we used to travel between Planetary Objectives, only much bigger than any I've used.
"Welcome to the King Of The Pillars! Each faction has selected two representatives tasked with claiming and protecting as many Interplanar Pillars as possible. Each pillar is claimed via touch, and will provide 1 Pillar Points per second. If contested, however, neither faction will be given any points. Pillars cannot be claimed until opposing faction members are outside of a 5 foot radius from your pillar." The system's soft voice explained, echoing off the towering canyon walls. The many colored glowing symbols above the pillars all flickered before flaring into beams of light firing into the lightless portals around the base of the dark tower. Each respective color bled into the portals, making the infinitely swirling nature of the portals far easier to notice.
Any competitor who loses their final life will relinquish 10% of all personal Event Points to the competitor responsible. There will only be one substitute per faction, so choose wisely!" The system continued. Several voices chirped to one another, as the competition surrounding the pillars began frantically discussing game plans. Which probably means we weren't the only ones expecting this to be a one-person objective either.
"Lonni, we're pushing that red Pillar as soon as these containment fields drop." Derrick instructed, pointing toward the nearest Pillar roughly 50 meters deeper into the canyon from us. Seeing no qualms in this, I nodded in agreement and brandished my flail.
"If your pillar is destroyed, you will have until the next Interplanar Pulse to claim a new one. The King Of The Pillars shall commence…now." The effeminate system voice finished, as everyone's transparent containment fields faded away. Immediately, all 20 of us sprinted off our platforms sprinting straight towards the center of the canyon. Stone shards and arrows volleyed across my vision, as fellow competitors aimed for one another along the way.
Derrick's violet void energy outlined his developing figure ahead of me for a brief second as he dashed ahead.
What kind of a tank build can move like this?
Shaking off how impressive Derrick's mobility was, I made sure to keep a sharp eye on our sides. As of now, no one else was heading for the pulsing red pillar we agreed to claim first. Tan dirt being kicked under foot quickly began creating a dust cloud behind each sprinting competitor that slowly wafted ahead of a few. Looking ahead, Derrick wasted little time cutting the distance with our pillar, placing his palm against the stone before I made it even halfway there.
The clanking of my heavy metal armor bouncing off my shoulders was completely drowned out by the chest rattling hum of the red beam of energy blasting into the portal within the tower at the center of the canyon. Immediately, several flying little one-eyed devils ripped out of the portal, spitting balls of flame at Derrick as they passed overhead. Behind them, several massive bipedal monsters with white, slickly skin charged toward the pillars. Their mouths bore thousands of razor sharp teeth with no lips that gnawed leaking what looked like dark crimson blood as they ran towards Derrick.
What's worse, the smaller flying devils began blasting balls of fire into our pillar, causing the lines of glowing red energy to dim temporarily with each impact. Derrick's halberd flashed with violet light as he teleported mid air, slashing into one of over a dozen one-eyed flying devils.
And, of course, my slow ass is barely halfway there.
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