BOOK 1, CHAPTER 19 – Learning Curve

When the heat dissipated, he got up. Little Green rose above the tops of the grass, doing a ‘Hsu’ sound to mimic a long whistle. “You use enough mana?”

Before them, a large area of blackened earth smoked. Shriveled grass spread out in all directions. Bits of ash and dirt slowly fell.

“Oops.” He said sheepishly.

Little Green glared at him. “Next time use that water shield.” She shook her head. “I’m going to see if there’s a way out. You keep practicing. Don’t blow yourself up!” She said as she slithered into the grass.

A soft tickle of smoke hit his nose. Artien looked down to see the edge of his shirt on fire. “Ahh!” He jumped up, patting it to death. He made sure the rest of him was not on fire. “Phew.”

He looked at the destroyed area. “I’ll stick with water…”

He sat down, beginning the pondering process again. After getting nowhere, he tried casting water shield while splitting his focus between the symbol and watching the process. The mana rippled, becoming unstable. Instead of an explosion, Artien and the surround area became drenched. He sputtered, wiping the water out of his eyes.

“Still better then getting burned.” He sighed, then began anew.

The next several hours were spent this way, getting drenched again and again. Eventually the sky darkened. Tired, he returned to the inn. Little Green was there waiting for him. She took one look at his dirt-drenched appearance and laughed. With a dead face, Artien returned outside.

He cast a few water shields above his head, held his breath, and activated the spells. A strong shower of water poured over him, washing the dirt away. He then cast four fireballs, raising them to a strength to warm the surroundings. In ten minutes he was completely dry. He returned to the room, flopping down on the bed and falling asleep.

Little Green snickered. She curled up next to his head and slept. Across the street, Kor watched Artien ‘wash and dry’. His eyes held a strange glimmer. “That’s new.” He smiled, then continued sweeping.

Artien and Little Green woke the next morning. They ate a fully-cooked meal of magic beast. Little Green went exploring, heading towards the forest to the southeast. Artien returned to his practice place.

He chose to stick with water shield.

He tried over and over to split his focus two ways. Over and over he was drenched. As frustrating as it was, he persevered. His reasoning? What else could he do?

The area became like a small swamp. The blackened earth sucked in the water, turning into a mud pit. The water had no where to go, creating a small pool. Artien ignored the change in surroundings, determined to find an answer.

He practiced all day. He lost track of the time. They day went to night. He stopped returning to the inn. He stayed at the site, going so far as to sleep there.

Little Green grew worried, visiting him often. When she did, they ate and discussed what they found, if anything. For Artien, he made no improvements. For Little Green, she exhausted searching through the forest. She turned her attention to the town to see if it held any secrets.

Kor also visited. He watched the actions of the two with amusement.

Little Green avoided him out of suspicion. Kor went to Artien, curiosity driving to see if he created anything new. At times, he gave advice.

He watched Artien fail repeatedly. He shook his head. Disappointingly, Artien didn’t show him any new uses for magic, nor come up with anything new. He visited Artien, interrupting a spell. He laughed as it splashed down, collecting into a good-sized pond.

“Why do you persist in the same thing, although it gets you nothing?” He asked.

Artien blew out air forcefully. “You know why! What else am I to do?”

Kor shook his head. “This is not what I meant when I said go back to basics.”

“I can’t figure it out!” Artien said, raising his arms in the air. “Is it the timing? Is it the magic chant I’m leaving out? The mana fluctuations? No matter how I dissect and analyze, it all comes back to the same. Nothing.”

“I see.” Kor said, watching him expectantly.

“I tried watching the magic being used and cast at the same time. It’s-“

“Impossible.” Kor finished. “You’re trying something only masters of magic can do.”

Artien looked at him with an ‘oh’ face. A short while later he regained himself and argued, “How else am I to learn? I’ve no teacher.”

“You do have one.”

“What?”

“Here.” Kor pointed to himself. “I have been helping you this whole time. You are just too stupid.”

At being called stupid, Artien looked away from him. He reached out, creating another water shield. In no time it splashed down on him. Kor laughed off to the side, trying to hide it by covering his mouth. His eyes squinted, betraying him.

“If you’re just going to laugh, you can leave.”

“You really can’t take humor.” Kor smiled, his eyes clearing. “How about this. I will tell you one more thing. One last bit of advice. If you can’t understand from this, you should give magic up.”

“You just want me to stay.” Artien accused.

“I would be lying if I said I did not.” Kor smiled and shrugged.

Artien looked away grumpily, then nodded. “What’s your last piece of advice?”

Kor clapped, drawing closer. “Listen carefully.” After Artien looked at him, he continued. “Mana is in all things. It is the driving force to all things existing. It is in the birds in the sky, to the plants on the ground. It flows in the rivers and flies with the winds. What is the nature, then, of magic?”

At Artien’s scowl, Kor laughed, skipping away. Artien rubbed his face and took a deep breath. His face became determined, and he took his position of meditation. He closed his eyes, clearing everything away. This was his last chance. If this didn’t work, he could only blame himself.

A distance away, Kor perched atop a broken stone pile, watching avidly. His eyes were clearer than ever before. A small, secret smile curved his face. “Show me something new.” He muttered.

Unawares, Little Green reached the lake. “This is the last place. If there’s no exit here, we’re stuck for good.”

She dived into the lake, starting from the perimeter. She began to circle the entire lake, only rising to get fresh air. She searched the bottom of the lake, seeing only a muddy bottom. Through swimming, she confirmed the water source heard from a distance came from a waterfall from the cliff tops.

The bottom of the lake proved empty. She returned to the lake edge. “There’s not anything.”

Dejected, she swam out of the lake at it’s exit, the creek. She followed the creek across the small valley to the forest. She followed it all the way to the end, where the creek simply dried up before reaching the cave wall. She shook her head, returning to the inn.

She curled up on the bed, thinking back to her mother. She sniffed, wishing there was something she could do. She closed her eyes to try to sleep, murmuring, “Are we truly trapped?”