ACT V
THE GLORY WARS
"Time to get our hands dirty," Hans declared, producing his trusty hunter's knife. He began the meticulous process of skinning the creature and carefully harvesting its valuable parts. With astonishing precision, his hands moved like a well-oiled sewing machine, deftly dissecting the beast until he reached the prized mana heart. Vanir observed Hans's every move closely, continually surprised by the depth of his skills. Each time he thought he had seen it all, Hans proved him wrong.
"Here, take it," Hans said, passing the dissected mana heart to Vanir, who looked at it with a mix of curiosity and concern. "What do you want me to do with this?" he inquired, half-expecting Hans to admit he was joking. However, Hans had something else in mind.
"Eat it," he replied matter-of-factly.
"I thought you were just kidding earlier," Vanir protested, hoping for a different response, but Hans's determination took his concern to another level. "I'd probably choke on my own vomit, senior."
"Don't be such a coward. Well, actually, you might genuinely risk your life if you consume it as it is," Hans conceded, offering a hint of concern amid his characteristic bravado.
Observing a glimmer of concern in his otherwise ruthless senior's eyes, Vanir couldn't help but exhale a sigh of relief. However, Hans once again surprised him by retrieving the leather leaves, a one-star plant he had brought from the midlands He wanted to find one in the BeastZone but the situation did not entail the wait. “If more time passes, the mana heart will lose its effect.” Hans was in deep thought but he was not alone in thought lands, Vanir was pressuring his brain to full swing, he really didn’t want to eat the blood-oozing heart.
The mere notion of eating it triggered a nauseating sensation, and he struggled to contain it.
"Senior," he implored with earnest eyes, "you're not conducting an experiment on me, are you?" His words hung in the air, met with silence from Hans. Vanir pressed on, his voice tinged with desperation, "I might not appear highly knowledgeable, but I've studied methods for enhancing mana, and growth potions were the only solutions I ever encountered. I've never come across methods like these—"
“This is the old method, probably lost in time.” Hans finally spoke, interrupting Vanir's protests. But Vanir persisted, "And how do you know it?" Hans sighed, the prospect of explaining everything to his not-so-quick-witted subordinate felt like a daunting task "Oh, how I miss Deli; she grasps things without a word," he mused. Taking another deep breath, he continued, “Listen, Junior, these kinds of things are passed down in my family, that's all you need to know, got it? Now open your flapping mouth.” Hans pulled him closer and shoved the mana heart wrapped with leather leaves, into his mouth. "Don't you dare let any of it spill."
Vanir couldn't help but break into tears. "Yuck, it's still warm. Ugh..."
"That's the point, you fool. This is the proud method of my family for enhancing mana capacity—"
"But I thought you were from a knight family, and I'm a mage," Vanir protested between mouthfuls.
"Shit!, I forgot about that. Well, Mana and Aura are basically the same, right? It should work..." Hans couldn't have been more mistaken. According to the method, the body needed to absorb a mana heart of the same type, along with a counter-attribute element, to prevent it from exploding inside since one already possessed that attribute. In Vanir's case, he already had the thunder attribute, and the ThunderCat had provided an excessive amount of it. To counter these effects, leatherleaf, a plant known for suppressing the thunder attribute, was ingested. This approach would have been effective if Vanir were a knight, but as a mage, he required pure mana compatible with his heart, unlike aura, which was distributed throughout the entire body.
Hans's oversight exacted a heavy toll on Vanir; he suffered from a surge of uncontrollable mana that threatened his very life. "Damn it, he'll die at this rate. Think, think," Hans muttered frantically. Vanir's condition deteriorated with each passing second, demanding swift action. Activating his ManaVision, he tried to take control of the rampaging mana and barely got it under control. “Now what? There is no precedent in my memory. Should I expel it, or perhaps transfer it to his mana circle?"
Calming down somewhat, Vanir gazed upward at Hans, who was panting heavily, mirroring his own uncertain expression. Wondering what their next steps should be, they shared a wordless question. Shaking off the tension, Hans took a breather, "This is going to hurt," he warned him, his voice filled with resolve. He took a deep breath and synchronized with the pure mana circulating within Vanir's single circle, allowing the controlled thunder mana to trickle in, drop by drop. However, contrary to their expectations, Vanir felt no pain. Instead, he experienced an uncomfortable tickling sensation. Controlling mana from outside the body was one thing, as it belonged to no one, but within Vanir's body, Hans's control felt foreign, and his body resisted, giving a severe strain to Hans's mind.
His nose began to bleed, and he couldn't help but mutter, "Damn it, how much longer?" However, despite his wishes, the entire process took over an hour, fortunately without any unexpected interruptions. "F...k this..." Hans slumped to the ground, utterly drained. His legs gave out first, followed by his consciousness fading into oblivion. Some time passed, and he gradually regained awareness, gasping as he awoke. "How long was I out?" he asked in a rush, to which Vanir responded with a wide grin, "We did it, senior. You've really done it. My mana circle has doubled in size."
As he listened to the news, Hans reclined once more, the dew-drenched grass providing a soothing respite for his weary body. "I'm never doing that again," he mumbled, "it's better to buy those growth potions. This stuff is dangerous." However, contrary to his sentiments, Vanir inquired, "So when are we going to hunt another beast, sir? I'd gladly go through it again."
"Look at this fool," Hans thought, "it's not as if you're the one suffering. I'm the one with this irritating headache. But let's not dampen his spirits; a Lord has to keep his subordinate content, after all." He began to speak, his gaze fixed on his expanded mana circle, "We'll consider it when you've created your second circle." With a sigh, he thought, "Although that might take months." But once again, Hans underestimated Vanir. Aside from a single shortcoming of low mana capacity, the rest was all the strength, he displayed exceptional mana management and that's how he managed to out till now. Hans had no inkling that he would soon find himself back in the BeastZone, hunting once more.
Determined to reach his second mana circle, Vanir nodded, misconstruing Hans's intentions. They both returned to their shelter. It was still night when the Thundercat had attacked, and being a third-class beast, it explained why there were no other creatures around. Consequently, they slept soundly until the afternoon. This marked their second day in the BeastZone, and they had plans to return after the third day. Failing that, a search party would be dispatched, and they would accrue a debt.
Vanir had awoken earlier, eager to test his newfound mana capacity. However, he was even more curious about something else. "How in the world do such methods exist?" he wondered, unaware that their success was primarily due to Hans's unique abilities. No one else possessed such precise control over ownerless mana. When Hans eventually woke up, Vanir bombarded him with a barrage of questions.
Hans, gagging Vanir's mouth again, shouted, "Will you please be quiet for a moment?" Lingering aftereffects clouded his thoughts; he hadn't fully recovered, and now Vanir was buzzing around him like an overly excited bee. Eventually, Hans surrendered and began to explain, beginning with an obvious question. "Didn't I tell you who I was?"
"I tried to learn about your family, but there was practically nothing on Parv. Even the archives were void of information," Vanir explained, recollecting his limited knowledge of the Elven War. His family belonged to the commoner class and had no involvement in the conflict, leaving him with little to uncover. Initially, he had been mildly curious about Hans's lineage, but now his interest was piqued, and he continued, "The Parvian king is often portrayed as nothing more than a villain," he paused, trying not to ruffle Hans's feathers, whispering, "Who got what he deserved."
Hans nodded in agreement, surprising Vanir, "They are not completely off, ” Hans added, "He was undeniably powerful and a brilliant strategist. Even villains have something you can learn from, dear Junior." Hans decided to refrain from unleashing his inner encyclopedia, but Vanir hadn't satisfied his curiosity yet. "How powerful was he?" he asked once more, and Hans suddenly realized how he must have irritated others when he was similarly inquisitive, as Vanir was now mirroring his earlier persistence. “Haa..." he sighed and answered, " He was once ranked first knight and was the very member of our house Prophets —”
“Then why is your last name Richardson?”
"That's enough," Hans grumbled, "it's more information than your head can handle. If you're interested, you can find out on your own." Rising to his feet, Hans declared, "Let's locate the Great Mamba and get out of here."
“You really wanna capture it intact, that screaming thing could deal with its instant.” Vanir inquired, still harbouring curiosity about the Parvian king despite Hans's avoidance of the topic. However, sensing Hans's reluctance to discuss it, he decided to drop the matter.
Giving Hans some room to breathe. “Well, at least he's not asking about Father. But the Crying Seed is becoming increasingly unpredictable, and I can't solely rely on it for the task at hand. Answering all these questions is quite bothersome." He nodded to himself, making a mental note not to pester others when curiosity got the better of him. But there was no helping it since a man can hide his nature but not change it completely and Hans, by nature, was someone who has to have the answers when curious so his mighty resolve was as thick as a paper sheet. He answered Vanir’s earlier question, "Yes, we'll keep the corpse intact. There's something new I wanna try, and I need to make a spectacle out of it for our backdoor entry." With that decided, they both departed from the Thundercat's territory.
***
AnnouncementNEXT : EARNING CREDITS (4)
ACT V
THE GLORY WARS
"Time to get our hands dirty," Hans declared, producing his trusty hunter's knife. He began the meticulous process of skinning the creature and carefully harvesting its valuable parts. With astonishing precision, his hands moved like a well-oiled sewing machine, deftly dissecting the beast until he reached the prized mana heart. Vanir observed Hans's every move closely, continually surprised by the depth of his skills. Each time he thought he had seen it all, Hans proved him wrong.
"Here, take it," Hans said, passing the dissected mana heart to Vanir, who looked at it with a mix of curiosity and concern. "What do you want me to do with this?" he inquired, half-expecting Hans to admit he was joking. However, Hans had something else in mind.
"Eat it," he replied matter-of-factly.
"I thought you were just kidding earlier," Vanir protested, hoping for a different response, but Hans's determination took his concern to another level. "I'd probably choke on my own vomit, senior."
"Don't be such a coward. Well, actually, you might genuinely risk your life if you consume it as it is," Hans conceded, offering a hint of concern amid his characteristic bravado.
Observing a glimmer of concern in his otherwise ruthless senior's eyes, Vanir couldn't help but exhale a sigh of relief. However, Hans once again surprised him by retrieving the leather leaves, a one-star plant he had brought from the midlands He wanted to find one in the BeastZone but the situation did not entail the wait. “If more time passes, the mana heart will lose its effect.” Hans was in deep thought but he was not alone in thought lands, Vanir was pressuring his brain to full swing, he really didn’t want to eat the blood-oozing heart.
The mere notion of eating it triggered a nauseating sensation, and he struggled to contain it.
"Senior," he implored with earnest eyes, "you're not conducting an experiment on me, are you?" His words hung in the air, met with silence from Hans. Vanir pressed on, his voice tinged with desperation, "I might not appear highly knowledgeable, but I've studied methods for enhancing mana, and growth potions were the only solutions I ever encountered. I've never come across methods like these—"
“This is the old method, probably lost in time.” Hans finally spoke, interrupting Vanir's protests. But Vanir persisted, "And how do you know it?" Hans sighed, the prospect of explaining everything to his not-so-quick-witted subordinate felt like a daunting task "Oh, how I miss Deli; she grasps things without a word," he mused. Taking another deep breath, he continued, “Listen, Junior, these kinds of things are passed down in my family, that's all you need to know, got it? Now open your flapping mouth.” Hans pulled him closer and shoved the mana heart wrapped with leather leaves, into his mouth. "Don't you dare let any of it spill."
Vanir couldn't help but break into tears. "Yuck, it's still warm. Ugh..."
"That's the point, you fool. This is the proud method of my family for enhancing mana capacity—"
"But I thought you were from a knight family, and I'm a mage," Vanir protested between mouthfuls.
"Shit!, I forgot about that. Well, Mana and Aura are basically the same, right? It should work..." Hans couldn't have been more mistaken. According to the method, the body needed to absorb a mana heart of the same type, along with a counter-attribute element, to prevent it from exploding inside since one already possessed that attribute. In Vanir's case, he already had the thunder attribute, and the ThunderCat had provided an excessive amount of it. To counter these effects, leatherleaf, a plant known for suppressing the thunder attribute, was ingested. This approach would have been effective if Vanir were a knight, but as a mage, he required pure mana compatible with his heart, unlike aura, which was distributed throughout the entire body.
Hans's oversight exacted a heavy toll on Vanir; he suffered from a surge of uncontrollable mana that threatened his very life. "Damn it, he'll die at this rate. Think, think," Hans muttered frantically. Vanir's condition deteriorated with each passing second, demanding swift action. Activating his ManaVision, he tried to take control of the rampaging mana and barely got it under control. “Now what? There is no precedent in my memory. Should I expel it, or perhaps transfer it to his mana circle?"
Calming down somewhat, Vanir gazed upward at Hans, who was panting heavily, mirroring his own uncertain expression. Wondering what their next steps should be, they shared a wordless question. Shaking off the tension, Hans took a breather, "This is going to hurt," he warned him, his voice filled with resolve. He took a deep breath and synchronized with the pure mana circulating within Vanir's single circle, allowing the controlled thunder mana to trickle in, drop by drop. However, contrary to their expectations, Vanir felt no pain. Instead, he experienced an uncomfortable tickling sensation. Controlling mana from outside the body was one thing, as it belonged to no one, but within Vanir's body, Hans's control felt foreign, and his body resisted, giving a severe strain to Hans's mind.
His nose began to bleed, and he couldn't help but mutter, "Damn it, how much longer?" However, despite his wishes, the entire process took over an hour, fortunately without any unexpected interruptions. "F...k this..." Hans slumped to the ground, utterly drained. His legs gave out first, followed by his consciousness fading into oblivion. Some time passed, and he gradually regained awareness, gasping as he awoke. "How long was I out?" he asked in a rush, to which Vanir responded with a wide grin, "We did it, senior. You've really done it. My mana circle has doubled in size."
As he listened to the news, Hans reclined once more, the dew-drenched grass providing a soothing respite for his weary body. "I'm never doing that again," he mumbled, "it's better to buy those growth potions. This stuff is dangerous." However, contrary to his sentiments, Vanir inquired, "So when are we going to hunt another beast, sir? I'd gladly go through it again."
"Look at this fool," Hans thought, "it's not as if you're the one suffering. I'm the one with this irritating headache. But let's not dampen his spirits; a Lord has to keep his subordinate content, after all." He began to speak, his gaze fixed on his expanded mana circle, "We'll consider it when you've created your second circle." With a sigh, he thought, "Although that might take months." But once again, Hans underestimated Vanir. Aside from a single shortcoming of low mana capacity, the rest was all the strength, he displayed exceptional mana management and that's how he managed to out till now. Hans had no inkling that he would soon find himself back in the BeastZone, hunting once more.
Determined to reach his second mana circle, Vanir nodded, misconstruing Hans's intentions. They both returned to their shelter. It was still night when the Thundercat had attacked, and being a third-class beast, it explained why there were no other creatures around. Consequently, they slept soundly until the afternoon. This marked their second day in the BeastZone, and they had plans to return after the third day. Failing that, a search party would be dispatched, and they would accrue a debt.
Vanir had awoken earlier, eager to test his newfound mana capacity. However, he was even more curious about something else. "How in the world do such methods exist?" he wondered, unaware that their success was primarily due to Hans's unique abilities. No one else possessed such precise control over ownerless mana. When Hans eventually woke up, Vanir bombarded him with a barrage of questions.
Hans, gagging Vanir's mouth again, shouted, "Will you please be quiet for a moment?" Lingering aftereffects clouded his thoughts; he hadn't fully recovered, and now Vanir was buzzing around him like an overly excited bee. Eventually, Hans surrendered and began to explain, beginning with an obvious question. "Didn't I tell you who I was?"
"I tried to learn about your family, but there was practically nothing on Parv. Even the archives were void of information," Vanir explained, recollecting his limited knowledge of the Elven War. His family belonged to the commoner class and had no involvement in the conflict, leaving him with little to uncover. Initially, he had been mildly curious about Hans's lineage, but now his interest was piqued, and he continued, "The Parvian king is often portrayed as nothing more than a villain," he paused, trying not to ruffle Hans's feathers, whispering, "Who got what he deserved."
Hans nodded in agreement, surprising Vanir, "They are not completely off, ” Hans added, "He was undeniably powerful and a brilliant strategist. Even villains have something you can learn from, dear Junior." Hans decided to refrain from unleashing his inner encyclopedia, but Vanir hadn't satisfied his curiosity yet. "How powerful was he?" he asked once more, and Hans suddenly realized how he must have irritated others when he was similarly inquisitive, as Vanir was now mirroring his earlier persistence. “Haa..." he sighed and answered, " He was once ranked first knight and was the very member of our house Prophets —”
“Then why is your last name Richardson?”
"That's enough," Hans grumbled, "it's more information than your head can handle. If you're interested, you can find out on your own." Rising to his feet, Hans declared, "Let's locate the Great Mamba and get out of here."
“You really wanna capture it intact, that screaming thing could deal with its instant.” Vanir inquired, still harbouring curiosity about the Parvian king despite Hans's avoidance of the topic. However, sensing Hans's reluctance to discuss it, he decided to drop the matter.
Giving Hans some room to breathe. “Well, at least he's not asking about Father. But the Crying Seed is becoming increasingly unpredictable, and I can't solely rely on it for the task at hand. Answering all these questions is quite bothersome." He nodded to himself, making a mental note not to pester others when curiosity got the better of him. But there was no helping it since a man can hide his nature but not change it completely and Hans, by nature, was someone who has to have the answers when curious so his mighty resolve was as thick as a paper sheet. He answered Vanir’s earlier question, "Yes, we'll keep the corpse intact. There's something new I wanna try, and I need to make a spectacle out of it for our backdoor entry." With that decided, they both departed from the Thundercat's territory.
***
AnnouncementNEXT : EARNING CREDITS (4)
