Chapter 47 The Limit

A sudden thought popped into Evernya’s mind. “How many shifter types are there?”

Meira answered, used to her kitten’s random questions. “Tons, most mammals have a shifter breed associated with them. No one knows why only mammals have a shifter breed. Some myths say all animals once had a humanoid form but were punished by a god. Fortunately, this only applies to animals, not mana beasts.”

“Aren’t animals the same as mana beasts?” Asked Evernya.

This question caused Elizabeth to glance at her funny, but Meira, knowing the truth, answered without pause. “The difference between mana beasts and regular animals is mana beasts have a mana core like we do, while animals do not. A mana beast and a regular animal could look identical at first glance, such as both appearing as a bear. However, the mana beast will be significantly stronger, with quirks attributed to having access to mana. The buck I hunted last month wasn’t a mana beast, but since it was born and raised in the wilds, it had a much higher mana content In its body than a regular deer. Before you ask, yes, Deerkin exist, antlers and all. You may even see a Deerkin in Druth since they are common in this area.”

Evernya queued up her next question, immediately refusing to let up on her question barrage. “If animals are much weaker than mana beast, then how did they survive? Wouldn’t evolution weed them out in favor of their much stronger cousins?”

“Similar to you, mana beasts are extra sensitive to the mana density in the air. Mana beasts instinctively avoid areas thin in mana, such as the border between settlements and the wilds. Animals take advantage of this open stretch of land safe from Mana beasts and devoid of sentient races.” Explained Meira.

Before her kitten could ask another question, Meira stopped her. “I know you have more questions, but please save them for later. In a few weeks, I plan to take you into the wilds, which should answer most of your questions on this subject.”

Evernya’s expression alternated between a pout and excitement for several seconds at the amusement of her observers. “Fine, but prepare yourself for a million questions.” Evernya conceded.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Smiled Meira.

With her kitten’s question barrage paused, Meira and Elizabeth poured over their notes and data from the tests, leaving Evernya bored. She wandered around the gym, inspecting everything, even poking her head out the back door to check out the expansive backyard she traversed during her catnip episode.

After several minutes, her observers called her back as they finished up their nerding over her results. “From your results, we think you have a racial trait for your off the charts speed. While your squat was impressive, the strength needed to achieve the speeds I clocked you at would be astronomical. On top of this, we think your Warrior class isn’t functioning the way it should, as at the very least you should be capable of one hundred fifty kilograms bench with full access to your mana. Without your warrior class functioning properly, we don’t think it could output enough reinforcement to handle the strain of a hundred kilometers per hour, let alone the two hundred plus I clocked you at.”

Meira paused to let her kitten process their theory before continuing, “to prove our theory we want to test your speed outside with the suit.”

“Sure, I’m curious too because from what I know about a body and physics, my body should tear apart running at those speeds,” Evernya stated.

With their next plan of action decided, Meira directed her kitten out the back door into the yard. Once in the yard, Meira pointed toward the tree line to the right before speaking. “I want you to run from the treeline past the house as fast as you can. Don’t worry about injuries, we have our pocket healer at the ready.”

Meira’s comment earned her another jet of water, this time aimed up her nose. Evernya giggled at the hacking elf and proudly smiling human as she trotted to her designated start point.

After arriving at the spot fifty meters away, Evernya turned toward the women, waiting for a signal to start. The now recovered elf used her air magic to project her voice towards her kitten, “Start when you feel ready.”

Given the green light, Evernya took off. At first, she ran at a human capable twenty-five kilometers per hour, but after a second she shifted gears, causing her legs to blur. As if unaffected by air resistance and ground friction, Evernya shot off like a rocket, eclipsing a hundred kilometers per hour in less than a second. Despite already reaching highway speeds, she continued to increase her speed, blowing past two hundred after another second.

Evernya’s eyes widened as she shot toward the opposite treeline like a runaway train. Acting on instinct, she flipped into the air, then used a blast of force to propel herself backward. Evernya tried to right herself as she flew backward, but the rock-hard embrace of the ground beckoned her before she could react. With a sickening crunch, Evernya impacted the ground like a meteor, leaving a small crater.

Evernya next found herself on the living room couch. Did I kill myself and end up at a previous save point? Evernya attempted to move, only for sharp pains throughout her body to greet her. Well, scratch the save point theory, I feel like I got ran over by a train.

“Don’t move, you’re not healed yet.” A stern female voice ordered as a comforting warmth radiated through her body.

While basking in the warmth, Evernya lost track of time, only returning to the real world after the warmth dissipated. She whimpered in loss, opening her eyes to search for the warmth, only to find Elizabeth and Meira standing over her.

Upon regaining her senses, Evernya inquired, “I take it I crashed?”

Meira’s face softened upon hearing her kitten’s voice. “Yes, you did thankfully Lizzie was with us. Otherwise, I’m not sure how long you would’ve taken to heal.”

Evernya sat up, happy to find her body pain-free before inquiring, “so did my sprint prove anything?”

“Oh yes, it proved my theory, and then some. We aren’t sure how, but your body seems to ignore most laws of physics and resistances as it sprints. Even during your rather impressive backflip centimeters from the treeline, the suit measured minimal G forces acting on your body as if you were walking. In fact, if you hadn’t blasted yourself into the ground, you probably would’ve landed light as a feather on the ground.” Meira explained, causing her kitten’s eyes to widen.

“How is that possible? I know magic can do a lot of crazy things, but this seems impossible.” Evernya questioned in disbelief.

“It isn’t unheard of for bloodline abilities to grant similar super speed. For example, the Flashstride family has the capability of bursting forward at extreme speeds almost to the point of teleporting.” Elizabeth inputted.

Evernya’s curious side peeked through as she asked, “what are bloodline abilities?”

Elizabeth stared at her in disbelief as Meira answered, “I’m sure you’ve heard us mention bloodlines several times. As the name suggests, bloodline abilities are special traits those of the same bloodline inherit. Bloodline abilities are the primary reason most commoners wish to inherit a bloodline. However, what you have is not a bloodline ability, as your bloodline isn’t active. The only other possibility is a racial trait, but as far as we know, none of the readable races within your genetics grant super speed, unlike Omnilingualism, which is a common trait among draconic beings.”

Evernya sighed. “wonderful, yet another mystery added to the pile.”

“Well, on the bright side, we now know you’re capable of at least three hundred kilometers per hour for a few seconds, though the mana cost is astronomical. If you had the average mana pool and mana grade for your age instead of your frankly ridiculous mana pool, you would run out within a second.” Meira added, trying to cheer up her kitten.

“So it isn’t practical for long distances?” Evernya questioned.

“We don’t know for sure since we only have a few seconds of data, but with your current pool, I think you could sustain three hundred kilometers per hour for a few minutes before needing to refuel,” Meira replied, handing her kitten a two-liter jug of MEL.

Evernya’s fangs descended the moment her eyes landed on the MEL. Fast as lightning, she twisted the cap off and chugged the mana-rich liquid.

After finishing her snack, Evernya returned her attention to her observers sitting on the recliners at the sides of the couch. “So what’s next?” Evernya asked.

Meira scrolled through her tablet before answering. “We think we have enough of your physical capabilities. I would love to get more data on your super speed. I think we should hold off until another day. We could go further in-depth on the physical tests, but all we needed was a general idea. Bench press, for example, isn’t the best way to measure overall upper body strength.”

“So, no more tests?” Evernya asked with a hint of hope.

“With the physical tests, yes. Now it’s time to move on to magical tests.” Responded Meira to the confusion of her kitten.

“I thought I already had everything magical tested,” Evernya questioned.

“We tested your mana system but not your classes, as that needs a practical test.” Elizabeth clarified.

“Practical test?” Evernya asked, tilting her head in confusion.

More in tune with testing, Elizabeth explained, “A scan can read your raw numbers, but the practical use of those numbers is another story. To truly know what your classes are capable of, we need to do some practical tests. For example, how many objects you can control at once.”

“Cool. When can we start?” Evernya asked, vibrating with excitement.

“As soon as you are ready,” Meira replied.

Taking her kitten’s bobblehead impression as a ready, Meira led the women through the kitchen out the back sliding door. Once out on the stone patio, Meira materialized dozens of gray balls marked with five kilograms. She gently floated them to the edge of the patio before dropping them onto the grass.

“Why do you have so many balls in your storage ring? Isn’t that a waste of space?” Evernya inquired, while staring at the balls with curiosity.

“I put these in there this morning, figuring you may use them today. As these weighted balls are perfect for testing how many objects you can control at once. In fact, they will work for all the telekinetic tests I planned. With a few basic tests, I’ll know where to start with my training plan.” Responded Meira, waving Evernya toward the cluster of gray balls lying in the grass a few meters away.

Once Evernya was standing over the cluster of balls, Meira instructed her what to do next. “Try to levitate as many balls as you can. If you have questions, feel free to ask.”

Evernya focused on the balls lying on the surrounding ground. Her eyes glowed brighter as three balls simultaneously levitated, then orbited her like she was a planet. A hint of strain appeared on Evernya’s face as she maintained the smooth shoulder-level orbit.

“She’s clever, it’s much easier to have them set on a loop than trying to keep them still from what I have heard,” Elizabeth whispered to Meira, so she didn’t disturb the concentrating girl.

“It is because you have to focus harder to keep them still, but putting them into orbit allows momentum to take over, reducing the strain,” Meira whispered back.

A fourth ball levitated, floating toward the others in orbit. While trying to fit the fourth ball into orbit, the ball nearly hit another ball, forcing her to halt the orbit. Her momentary lapse of concentration caused two of the balls to wave erratically.

Meira frowned at the sudden change in speed. “I told her she wasn’t ready to alter her magic, yet she did it again.”

“She should be fine that rule is for newly awakened humans. Her unusual passive mana concealment makes it difficult, but from what I can tell, her alterations instantly override the previous commands.” Elizabeth whispered while watching Evernya’s display of telekinesis intently.

Meira focused closer, looking for any signs of backlash, but found none. “You’re right. Her mana seems to go out of its way to avoid harming her. Her control is amateur at best, but I think she is safe from accidental backlash from basic magic alteration.” Meira observed.

Under the watchful gazes of the women, Evernya spent several seconds smoothing out her orbit before trying to fit the fourth ball in again. This time she floated the fourth ball into her orbit extra slow, missing one ball by mere centimeters. Her eyes shined even brighter as her magic strained to keep the objects in orbit. Sweat dripped from her brow as she exerted her will over the objects.

A minute later, a fifth ball lifted off the ground to join the other four. She tried to squeeze the ball into orbit but found it impossible without impacting the other balls in orbit. Out of frustration, she stopped her orbit dead, causing a throbbing headache to pound in her skull. With a slight sway, she used all her concentration to keep all five balls under her control. Once the fifth ball was within the floating circle, she attempted to restart the orbit. Her eyes shined as bright as a flashlight, and a pounding migraine resonated through her skull, but she returned them to orbit.

Unfortunately, a few seconds later, her fatigue caught up to her. Her concentration lapsed a split second, causing the balls to collide with each other, forcing her to cut off her magic. The balls shot off a few meters in random directions before falling to the ground with a thud. Evernya dropped to her knees, panting heavily with sweat dripping down her face. Unable to hold herself up, she fell to the ground on her back, staring vacantly at the sky, mentally fried.

After giving her kitten a few minutes to recover, Meira jumped in to congratulate her. “Excellent job, Evernya! Five objects at once is fantastic for your first try.”

Meira’s enthusiasm dampened upon catching her kitten’s frustrated expression. “What did I do wrong? Four balls wasn’t too hard, but five was nearly impossible.” Evernya panted.

Understanding her kitten’s frustration, Meira explained, “Your orbiting method was smart, but it has a few major downsides. One, as you noticed, is the difficulty of adding more items to the orbit. Another is the difficulty of starting and stopping the orbit. Your abrupt speed changes put too much strain on your mind, causing you to fizzle out. With orbits, it is best to adjust the speeds gradually to reduce strain. A sixth ball may have been possible if you hadn’t burned yourself out, but even five is impressive for your first try.”

While Meira explained her kitten’s mistakes, Elizabeth walked over to hand the lying girl a bottle of MEL. The moment Evernya had the bottle in her hand, she guzzled it without even taking a breath. A content sigh escaped her lips as her headache diminished, aided by the bottle of MEL.

“Could you add a mini-fridge with that stuff in my bedroom?” Asked the recharged girl, staring up at Meira with an almost pleading expression.

Meira thought for a moment before replying. “It might be a good idea, at least until you have a storage device. I consulted a nutritionist, and she agrees having you drink MEL mixed with other nutrients, such as fruits, multiple times a day will be good for you. As an added benefit, the smoothies should cut down your meal sizes to more manageable levels.”

Evernya perked up at the chance of more delicious drinks. “I’m all for more MEL.”

“Ironically, most people think MEL tastes disgusting. They only tolerate it because it replenishes their mana,” Elizabeth commented while standing over the girl lying in the grass.

Evernya shot upright to glare daggers at Elizabeth. “How dare people call my new favorite drink disgusting!” yelled the girl in outrage.

Her observers chuckled at her enthusiastic reaction, knowing firsthand how disgusting MEL truly was. “Anything high in mana tastes good to you. If I put Dragon poop in front of you, I bet you would eat it immediately and say it was amazing until I told you what it was.” Meira teased.

Evernya scrunched her nose in disgust. “I want to argue you’re wrong, but I think I would enjoy the taste of it,” Evernya replied, looking to be on the verge of puking at the thought.

Meira, feeling a little green herself, moved things along. “Anyway, onto the next test, no more poop talk until after lunch. Are you ready to try the next test?”

Evernya jumped to her feet, testing how her body felt. “I think so. The MEL helped. I have a slight headache, but otherwise, I’m fine,” Evernya reported after doing a few stretches and hops.

Meira and Elizabeth read through the data on the tablet at the mention of a headache. “From the readings, your headache is from minor inflammation of the mana veins in your head, which is common for those with mental-based magic. As long as it doesn’t get worse, minor inflammation is good because once they heal, your mana veins will be slightly stronger. We are keeping a close watch on your body, so don’t worry about hurting yourself. We will stop you before anything serious happens.” Elizabeth explained.

“The next test is to find your current max range by moving a ball as far as you can.” Instructed Meira.

With a glance, Evernya levitated a ball to her front at chest level. Wow, moving one ball feels almost effortless. Maybe after these tests I can experiment with it a bit. Evernya thought as she commanded the ball northward toward the lake fifty meters away. The ball slowly inched forward at about one meter every few seconds.

At four and a half meters, warning bells went off in her head, but she ignored them in favor of her curiosity. These warning bells continued to grow louder until, at precisely five meters, her magic snapped. Like an over tensioned rubber band, her mana slammed violently back into her body. Evernya dropped to her knees, clutching her head while screaming in agony. After a few seconds, her pain-filled glowing eyes rolled back into her head as she fell unconscious, dropping onto the grass on her right side.