The forest was thick, lush, and wet from the constant downpour "we should think of looking for shelter. It's impossible to tell how much longer the rain will last master."
looking up through the canopy of trees letting droplets of rain fall on my face i replied, "yeah that's a good thought. You think you can sense around and find a cave Thorn?"
The tiny wyvern sunk its clawed wing into the earth sending out strong vibrations. I wandered about as I waited for him to finish, a yellow snake then jumped out to attack me however I was able to grab it and snap its neck "Alright I found a place. It should be a quick sprint, just follow me Cayde." I tossed the black dragon the dead snake's body as a reward and he quickly ate it "ugh banana flavor. Why couldn't it be yellow pepper flavor?" The wyvern then flew off into an unknown direction and I followed suit.
As I ran through the forest the wet leaves around me would give off hot steam from the fiery crimson aura keeping me warm "nearly there. Just a few more minutes!" I looked forward watching Thorn maneuver about the leaves and branches, several snakes attacked him, he ate a red one whole and clasped the other two blue ones in his talons digging into them making them bleed out as they tried to wriggle free but failed.
He stayed holding the two now-dead snakes as we arrived at a cliff face "over here!" He flew up heading to a ledge where a cave entrance was, I jumped up landing with ease, and headed inside taking off my black hood. "Should've brought a poncho. This coat is not very water-resistant." I took off my white coat making the two chains jingle as I rested it on an earth spike. No longer with glowing markings across my body disabling the ashreaver technique.
"Alright you two, you can come out. It's not raining in here." Lupra and Ronik both jumped out of my back and looked about cautiously. "Thank goodness. I wouldn't want my parts to get wood rot due to the rain. You have my thanks, master."
I turned around undoing my side ponytail letting my hair flow freely and saw Thorn eating the two dead blue snakes he had caught earlier slowly atop a ledge. Lupra was looking up at him on the ledge longing for one of the snakes "it's the blueberry flavor just so you know." Lupra nodded and Thorn sighed throwing down the uneaten snake which she quickly began to eat.
I made a small campfire and laid several mats down for each of us to rest on as we waited for the rain to stop.
I looked out the cave lit up by the fire warming my hands watching the rainfall annoyed at my ineptitude to control water mana, if I could control water mana this rain wouldn't be a problem and I wouldn't have to prolong my journey to Tyres.
"Papa... you alright?" I looked down realizing that Lupra was resting against my leg "just fine. I was just thinking it would be great if I could actually use water magic is all."
"Then practice now. What's the problem? We've basically got the perfect environment for it considering how hard it's pouring out there." Thorn looked down from his ledge still eating his blue snake.
"Unfortunately it's not that easy. Water mana's nature is the one I'm least compatible with along with wind." Thorn looked at me confused not understanding what I meant thinking I was speaking nonsense "okay... now say that in words that I can understand."
"Simply put, the four elements I can control are naturally resistant and stubborn but my dominance over them makes them do as I say. Darkness keeps trying to hide away, ice keeps stopping itself, thunder keeps trying to run away and connect with other lightning manas and fire is trying to create a backlash for me. They all have hardy personalities while water is basically slipping through my fingers. It's like trying to catch wind in a jar."
"Three of them except fire sound like cowards." Well, you're not wrong there, Thorn.
"It's not that they're cowards, it's that they don't want to be used. That's a reason for mana poisoning, it's them fighting you from the inside of your circuits trying to free themselves." Thorn nodded with understanding as Lupra began falling asleep "that's why I create multiple layers atop my circuits stopping that from happening."
"But you're using mana to stop the mana? How does that make sense?"
Starting to remember my lessons with Dendra I smiled "Yeah that confused me in the beginning as well. It makes sense because we're using mana that hasn't gained an elemental attribute, making it a blank slate with no personality. That's why forming circuit layers takes so long and why I only have two hundred. It's because of how hard it is to refine nature-less mana that it takes so long, whereas if I could use elemental mana I could have over a thousand by now and be completely immune to poisoning."
Thorn then glided down resting atop a mat on the other side of the campfire "then explain attrium to me. Why is it that your able infuse that into your circuits? That's the most dangerous of the ones you can use after all."
"The only reason I can use attrium like that despite its nature being a combination of those four is because my body has a strange natural immunity to it. Why? I don't know, I just do, I'm built differently for some reason." Thorn nodded then looked outside where the rain had gotten harder.
"Alright then, since it doesn't look like the rains going to let up any time soon I may as well ask you more during this school lecture." I leaned back resting against the cave walls waiting for him to ask his questions.
"You know about your four natures.. explain the other six's to me. Perhaps I'll gain some sort of enlightenment if I hear you talk about earth mana, professor." I looked over at Ronik before I responded seeing him wander the back of the cave exploring.
"Alright, then the other six... I'll leave water and wind for last since they're the oddballs. Earth, light, poison, and nature, they're the complete opposite of my manas which want to be menaces and instead, want to be cared for like a pet. Earth mana wants you to play with it as much as possible, nature mana wants you to lead it along, poison wants to play when it feels like it and holy magic wants to be used respectfully. If you don't give it what it wants it'll lash out and try to give you mana poisoning."
Thorn looked at me confused "you drew the short end of the stick, didn't you? They all sound easy to appease compared to what you can manipulate."
I chuckled slightly "you're wrong and right at the same time. While mana's nature suggests that what they want they're just like a cat, they say they want this but regardless of how you give it, it's always going to be wrong."
"Why do I get the feeling you were targeting me there?"
Happy he caught on I explained what I meant in further detail "Well it's true. You said that you want to eat the snakes here right? But regardless of if I get you the one you asked for your going to say that you either don't want it anymore or I got a foul one."
Thorn said nothing but a smile crossed his lips, I can tell he's thinking of me as his servant right now.
"Okay, okay I get it but-professor! Now explain wind and water to me."
He was going to call me butler, wasn't he?
"Wind and water are rather free-spirited..,i-its hard to explain their natures but the best way I can describe it, is if I tried using water or wind like a blade. It would want to become a hammer instead. I've tried letting it do as it pleases which resulted in some mild success but it's too random and not practical for me to use."
Thorn then rested his head down stopping his questions. I then sensed a pair of eyes looking at me and shot a bolt of purple thunder where I thought I was being watched. I immediately stood up readying for a counterattack but there was no response, was it my imagination? "Cayde, buddy you finally going senile?"
I looked back at Thorn who seemed to of noticed nothing and Lupra who was annoyed that I had moved "I guess my senses are just playing tricks on me. I thought I felt someone staring at us."
"To think the great demon who escaped death can have his off days."
Shrugging of Thorn's remark I created a wall of ice blocking the cave entrance and I laid down on a mat readying to sleep, Lupra crawled atop me sluggishly still mad at me for waking her "get some sleep. Well, move fast when the rain stops to make up for the lost time."
Andrew Weaver POV:
That lightning bolt was rather close.
I was running through the forest to collect some specimens for the academy tests but when i spotted a silver light in the distance i followed it. To my surprise it was a hooded boy with strange markings glowing through his coat.
It was unfortunate that i never had the chance to see his face but if I'm ever able to see that bat and pure white wolf again i should be fine.
"-the man nature is like a cats-" my recording artefact was buzzing wildly as it replayed what i was able to capture of the boy. It got grazed by his lightning he shot at me but fortunately its memory looks to be fully intact.
Manoeuvring myself out of the bush i picked up the silver slate and turned it off. It was now drenched in water so i could only hope it doesn't get short-circuited. The amount of money this takes to be repaired is unimaginable but would be well worth it considering what i just learned.
I climbed up the rock edge to try and act like a lost wanderer and get close with him to unearth more secret but was disheartened once i finally got to the high up ledge.
A thick wall of ice that was at least half a metre thick had sealed up the cave. Looking through it i saw the young boy fast asleep with the white dog laid across his face. I tried knocking on the ice wall but there was not even a quiver from him.
I tried punching the ice to knock louder and shouted "excuse me! Can you let me in? Its pouring out here!" Still no reaction.
The dog shook its tail to now cover its ears ignoring me.
I didn't want to do this but it looks like I'm left with no choice. Gathering a sharp gale around my fist i thrusted a heavy punch into the ice wall shaking the tall tree's behind me. I expected it to shatter the ice wall but there wasn't even a dent of where I previously punched "what? Preposterous!" I tried again now making a slight crack but i was already running low on mana.
"Does the boy have a defence enhancing aspect? No wonder he can sleep so care free in there."
If i continued punching I wouldn't be able to make it back to the checkpoint before heading to the institute for the tests tomorrow.
If I'm lucky that boy might be on his way to them. But why would he sleeping in a cave then? Surely he knows about the safe area right? Its pointless for me to worry about him now though as he's most definitely safer in there though.
Feeling defeated my face dropped down "ah well. I guess i wont be able to discuss any topics with that boy then. My faith will prove right when he shows up at the institute tomorrow!"
Turning my back on the ice wall i jumped to the top of the cliff with its pouring rain and headed west.