Motion-mana Infused into water created a bit of a circular current in his bowl, apparently. It was too weak to accomplish much work, but he did enjoy watching the leaf hed dropped in it spin around and around and around
It had been way harder than he had anticipated to actually get the tiny amount of pre-attuned magic through Mana Infusion. The Skill tended to overwrite any flavors of magic he tried to include, and in the end he had needed to Infuse the water first, and only then run the mana in the water through his pseudo-physical alchemical processes to turn it into motion mana.
The results were rather srizing, at least.
Oh hey, when did that start showing I was 2? Edwin wondered, blearily looking at his Status. It wasnt really his birthday, but it was close enough and ant hed had a birthday at so point. He vaguely wondered what must have been happening back on Earth, but quashed that thought before it could get any real foothold in his thoughts.
Edwin jumped off the wall, pushing off with all his might. He flew and flew 64 ters. He was improving.
Practice makes perfect. He pushed more mana into his alchemical equipnt, ignoring the phantom muscle pains. That wasnt real, he could push through it.
Just a bit more, then he could give Refining molai another go. He needed to test it, see if it would serve as a mana accumulator. He needed to
Sunrise.
Jump. Run. Climb. Fly. Step.
Throw. Shoot. Push. Pull.
Mix. Infuse. Brew.
Study. Trace.
Food.
Sunset.
Practice makes perfect.
Sunrise.
Jump. Run. Climb. Fly. Step.
Throw. Shoot. Push. Pull.
Mix. Infuse. Brew.
Study. Trace.
Food.
Sunset.
The days started to blur together.
Sunrise.
Jump. Run. Climb. Fly. Step.
Throw. Shoot. Push. Pull.
Mix. Infuse. Brew.
Study. Trace.
Food.
Sunset.
Sunrise, jump, shoot, mix, study, sunset. Practice makes perfect.
Sunrise. Run, push, Infuse, trace, sunset.
Sunrise. Fly-
Fly.
Fly.
Edwin, you look awful.
What? He blinked at the noise, Oh, hey Rillah. Whats up?
Your magic sounds just terrible.
Oh, thanks. That makes feel so good.
When was the last ti you took a break?
Umm he thought, What counts as a break? Ill take days off training with Lefi, spend a bit more ti in the lab instead.
A day off. No training with Lefi, no working on alchemy, nothing.
Ummm when I unlocked Unbound Tether and was figuring that out?
Edwin, this isnt good for you.
Im fine, he promised, Honestly, you should have seen during exams back ho.
Exams?
Oh right, you wouldnt never mind. I just have a lot on my plate is all. I need to do better.
Better at what?
I I still need to stay in shape, use my Skills with more fluidity. I need to get better at magic, and investigate alchemy. I still need to figure out how to synthesize ammonia but Im more trying to Refine molai to get so wind mana synthesis
Edwin you cant do that if youre working yourself to the bone all the ti. Ive barely seen you, do you know when was the last ti you went flying?
Im flying right now! Oh, you an outside? Well I dont know, when was it?
Nearly a month ago, Edwin. Which was also when you last took a day off.
Oh, well thats not too bad I guess? I need to keep working, its important.
Edwin, her voice stopped him in his tracks, No you dont. Youre ruining yourself, and its not important.
Of course its important! I have so much to do I couldnt possibly get it all done in my lifeti, I dont have days to waste!
A day spent doing things you enjoy is never wasted. Co down from there.
But
Down.
Edwins skill broke, and he suddenly found himself tumbling from the air, easily caught by Rillah, who set him on his feet.
What you can do that?
Youre magically exhausted, Edwin. Its like pushing over soone without Stamina. All it takes is a little tap, and poof.
You can get magically exhausted? But I never run out of mana.
Thats not she sighed, You have Stamina, right? Right. Can you get physically exhausted, if you spend too many days pushing yourself, even if you never collapse the day of?
Um, no actually. I think Sleeping prevents that. Is magic not the sa?
I think the results speak for themselves.
Fair, Edwin sighed, Fair enough. So then what?
Co on, she tugged his arm, You need a day off. Whats the point of working to survive so hard if you dont live a little?
Hes fine. Inion insisted, Hes worked harder for longer.
It is only by truly pushing ones self, going past ones own limits, that you can truly excel, truly level!
Hes wearing out his pinions! Rillah countered, Just look at his magic! His skills are haggard.
And? Did Edwin say that he needed ti off, or is that what youre pushing onto him?
Oh what, are you annoyed that your happy little human pet might not be in perfect agreent with you?
Hey, hey, theres no reason to argue. It was Rillahs idea, but I dont disagree. Shes got a point, my magic is really sore. Co on, I know that you must get that.
Do you want to take a day not doing anything, Edwin? Can you really do that? When did you last truly not do anything? Even when you worked with the Guild, your days off you still worked on all kinds of stuff!
I an, that its been actual months if not years since I had a proper day off kind of indicates that I should have one. Its like Rillah said, what am I doing all of this for if I dont just take so ti with my friends. He hazarded, hoping that nobody would contradict him.
Like co on, since I evolved Flight Ive barely even been outside because its no longer technically training-related. Just let have a day.
Hmm. Make it two, Rillah comnted.
Oh? Whys that?
Youll see tomorrow.
Two days off from training? You cant be serious.
Look, I dont know what you have against relaxing, but I know that you appreciate your days off. Why cant I get them too?
Can you genuinely go two days without so much as thinking about how youll make your whatever it is now? Without trying to figure out if you can direct the way that iron rusts with your magic?
Hm. Now that she ntioned that, wasnt iron oxide of so form a useful catalyst in the production of ammonia? He did have a fair bit of practice with molecular-level mana infusion, after all. Maybe if he Infused the iron and then exposed it to so hm. How could he Infuse air?
Maybe he could do his Packing trick again, thinking of it all as a cohesive whole and also sothing he was touching? If he were to do that, maybe it would make sense to just use Flight?
Oh! Or he could ask Rillah if she could provide so wind mana. Her abilities were distinctly chillier these days, but there was still a decent core of wind hidden in there sowhere. That was also without her using any Skills to further help the attunent.
Edwin opened his mouth to ask her, then rembered he was supposed to be taking ti off and closed it again soundlessly.
You actually cant turn it off, can you? Rillah sighed.
I dont think I can, no, he sighed. Did Lefi hit with so Skill again?
Lefi? she asked.
Twas not I, little snowbird!
Inion?
She shrugged, I think its her. Nothing more than usual from .
Edwin raised an eye at that, Inion.
What? Muses Token does a lot of stuff. Sparks creativity as well as helping your levels.
Ah, that would do it. Normally, Edwin was distracted by anything and everything and so making any kind of progress on anything basically amounted to waiting and hoping his brain decided to cooperate, but Inion had apparently managed to keep Edwins scatterbrained focus in accordance with their Deal, aning he just not that he couldnt do anything else, just that his focus would always land on sothing productive.
Edwin honestly couldnt say that he minded most of the ti, the effect was exactly what he had wanted for a long ti, after all. He probably hadnt even noticed its effects consciously, just had his attention gently nudged from ti to ti.
He still glared at the fey, Would it kill you to tell this sort of thing before I worked myself to death?
It didnt stop you from taking breaks in Panastalis, Inion pointed out, Youll be fine.
Maybe it had so strange interaction with one of Lefis skills, then? Edwin speculated, It wouldnt be the first ti.
I know not of any Skills I might have which would change the nature of the lady feys Skill.
Rillah glared at Lefi.
What? Tis true!
Technically.
Hm? Edwin asked, Im missing sothing here.
It is nothing you need concern yourself with!
I an, it clearly is. He shot back, What are you doing to ?
Edwin did his best to ignore the pointed looks he knew Inion must be giving him right now. It was it was different! He knew that Rillah wouldnt be doing anything untoward with her Skills, not when she was showing actual concern for his wellbeing! She was trustworthy, why did Inion have to be so insistent on pulling away the one person who actually seed interested in him as a person?
Nothing, nothing at all! Certainly nothing beyond the standard Skill-growth abilities I possess, and
And?
I do possess a Skill which aids others in the strength of their Skills, in a manner of speaking.
Edwin glared at the man, Well, that would do it. Have you been using that on ? Im going to have to redo so many tests. Ugh. Why couldnt you have told about this?
Oh, oh no! I have been certain to exclude you from the effects in all of your tests and experints.
And training? Edwin sighed.
Yes, and your training.
Could you I dont know, use that on when Im trying to make stuff with Alchemy or whatever?
Alas, It does not work in that manner I fear.
Well then how does it work?
You need not worry about such things! Lefi clapped Edwin on the shoulder in reassurance, but he just turned and looked at Rillah.
How true is it?
Excuse ! Lefi said in false offense.
Rillah smirked, Close enough as far as you need worry about. The old mans picky about his secrets. Co on, lets get you so ti to relax.
It had been a little while since Rillah had played her flute around him. Oh sure, he knew that she played it a lot, the music was audible from essentially everywhere in the tower, but it was always muffled and didnt benefit as strongly from whatever Skills she had, and what literal magic she wove into the notes.
It was transcendent. There was sothing about magic and music that just worked, apparently, because the last ti hed felt so engrossed had been nearly a year and a half prior, when Inion had sang Obairlann into existence. If only the two of them got along, Edwin was certain that their combined musical talents would be utterly divine.
Not, of course, that either of them were that far from that benchmark on their own. Edwin couldnt help but sit enraptured as Rillah played her flute. The notes alone told of far-off lands and marvelous sights to be seen, of thrilling adventures and magical locales. The low notes of deep caves, the delicate tunes of grassy hills and endless plains, the majestic and bustling trade cities along the coast all wove together.
He never returned to his room that night, instead drifting off in his chair, mind and spirit joyous at the relief slumber provided.
Edwin woke up to a gentle caress along the side of his face.
He sat straight up, Watchful Rest giving him slight forewarning to a presence, Good morning, there.
Oh, hey Rillah, he stretched, Good morning. Sothing wrong?
No, nothing at all. In fact, it snowed a lot last night, and Lefi and Yathal are already outside. What do you say we ambush them with so snowballs?
Ooh, a snow day. So things transcended dinsions, it seed. This... might be very fun.
Reviews
All reviews (0)