《The Huntress and the Demon》Chapter 26: The mark
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Once they passed the treeline Arick choose a spot on a thick fallen branch and sat down. Jyl, on the other hand, kept standing, watching him inquisitively. He seemed hesitant to talk about this subject, for whatever reason. She didn't push him, instead keeping an eye on their surroundings.
"We should be arriving at Obsidian's borders within a few days", he commented, "And as you can likely imagine, humans are not exactly welcome. With the war going on and all."
"Even though I am travelling with you?"
He shook his head.
"But there is a solution, is there not?" she conjectured, "Otherwise there was no point to our deal."
Once again he hesitated. Was he worried she would back out despite everything? Or was it that that he preferred not having to resort to this measure?
"Out with it", she said, her voice low. The sun had already started painting the landscape orange and she would not allow this matter to be delayed, especially seeing his apprehension.
"There is an old practice, hardly ever used, but recognised by law, that allows a human to enter demon lands. It would require me to place a magic mark on you."
She narrowed her eyes.
"And what exactly would this 'magic mark' do? It cannot be as simple as a paint marking if this method still works during a war."
"Basically, it would create a connection between me and you that allows the transference of mana. This has a few other effects, such as being able to estimate each others location, and ..."
At this point Arick noticed Jyl was looking at him oddly, and a sudden thought struck him.
"You do not know what mana is, do you?"
The huntress nodded slowly. It obviously had something to do with magic, but no one had ever bothered explaining that peculiar ability of the demons to her. Despite the fact that humans knew about it, since they have learned to emulate the phenomenon to a certain extent.
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"Okay, let me give you a short introduction to magic", he said, signalling her to pay close attention, "In order to use magic, you need mana, and mana is created from eather, which is in the air all around us. The reason demons are able to use magic naturally and humans are not, is because we are able to convert eather to mana inside our bodies by absorbing it through our lungs. That mana is then stored inside us until we have need of it.
Magic, on the other hand, is when we actively push the mana out of our bodies, changing it to match our particular element, and in doing so become able to influence the world around us. Mana can also be released without giving it an element, but in that case it will just revert to aether.
There are six elemental affinities: fire, water, stone, wind, light and dark. A person's affinity is decided at birth. It is also possible that two people with the same affinity influence the world slightly differently, for example, one can be good at drawing moisture from the air, while another has the ability to freeze water at will."
A few moments of silence passed as Jyl digested this information.
"So, if this mark allows the transference of mana, I would be able to use magic...?" she asked doubtfully.
"Yes, I would convert mana for the both of us. Which is no problem at all honestly, considering my reserves are almost always full."
"That sounds extremely beneficial, why is it rarely done?"
"In case you've forgotten," Arick chuckled ruefully, "humans and demons are not exactly on good terms. A demon's mark would probably get you killed in most human cities, and it's not as if a demon would easily give their mark to a human."
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"Alright then, let us get this over with, the sun has almost set."
"Are... you sure you should accept so quickly? You seemed quite suspicious of my intentions earlier."
"What were you expecting when you acted so strangely. I honestly see no reason why not. In fact, I seem to be getting more benefits out of this mark than you." She tilted her head, one eyebrow raised.
"Alright then", said Arick, standing up from the branch. "Your hand please."
He took his sword from its sheath and made a small wound on his palm, then placed his hand atop hers.
"This might feel a bit weird", he warned, "your body is not used to holding mana."
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