The Mana Seed

Kai's mind buzzed with thoughts as he walked around the mining camp.

The encampment had many wooden houses lining the side of the mountain, they were for anyone who lived far from the mine or for people who preferred staying at the mine full time. Kai had ignored them the day before but took in their shabby appearance now.

They were only at ground level, seeming like a large wooden centipede. The structure was segmented and each one contained a single room with a bed and desk inside. The room was extremely small, only about 20 foot across each way.

The structure wasn't decrepit, but it did lack simple repairs in some areas, giving it a less than appealing appearance overall. Kai approached one of the buildings the Godon man from the night before had indicated was his.

As the door opened, the pink hued miner appeared in the tall doorway, silver hair tied back in a small ponytail. His beard was slightly marred by dried up drool.

"Oh, hello! Wasn't expecting a visitor this morning, haha, how can I help you?" the miner said as his hand fought with the dried saliva.

"I realized last night that my current weapons aren't the best for the job, so I planned to get a little more information on mana to see if I can come up with something that would help me take out the scorpions. Do you know anything about mana?" Kai questioned awkwardly, as he didn't know the proper etiquette for such a request.

He had soon realized after arriving on the First Floor that he should have asked that hellbound Goddess about mana before he left her. He'd stupidly assumed it would all come naturally and he'd be shooting fireballs left and right in no time!

The reality was he could barely get a shadow to softly latch onto something no matter how hard he tried. So he came up with the idea of just asking someone to help him with mana.

The Godon man stroked his newly cleaned beard as he pondered, "Well, I am not personally too strong in the mana arts, but back at First Village, there is a school that teaches such things to young ones and those who wish to train for floor ascension."

Kai almost visibly recoiled. School? No way was he about to go listen to some boring lectures and have to take tests just to learn about mana. No way!

"Umm... Do you think there's any other way? Possibly you could just teach me what you know?" Kai tried.

"I'm sorry, but my skills are truly too poor with the mana arts, I haven't even formed a core yet, nor finished cleansing my mana veins." The miner countered with a distraught look upon his face.

'Mana veins? A core? What the hell is this shit?!' Kai's thoughts began spinning as he tried to understand the terms in relation to how he used mana.

'Maybe I will have to visit this school after all...' Kai sighed in defeat and bid the miner farewell. The mine was going to resume operation today since a few more guards had arrived from a place called River Town.

Kai still planned to clear out the mine but from his display yesterday, he knew he wasn't yet strong enough or equipped well enough to continue on down there just yet. As Kai ran towards First Village, he saw many fields plowed in rows with crops growing just beyond the tall grass he was running through.

The fields were set up with rows of produce evenly spaced and they seemed to go on endlessly. Godon workers walked along the rows watering and adding fertilizer to the plants, or standing with their arms spread, mouths moving, as mana sprang from their hands and blanketed the budding crops.

Kai hadn't ran in this exact path on his way to the mine so he'd failed to see the field before. He was interested in this use of mana, as he'd never expected it could be used in this way. 'Okay, I've definitely gotta go to that school now, I have no idea how many works or even what its uses are!'

Some time later he entered the clearing that led to the village walls. Outside the walls, many people stood in the clearing swinging swords to the instruction of an older Godon. The older Godon stood slightly shorter than many of the Godon people Kai had met so far and as he inspected this person, he saw flowing silver hair and a lithe toned frame under bronze armor etched with the same type of carvings that adorned many buildings in the village. As he approached, he noticed a distinct lack of facial hair and the subtle beauty of the Godon's face.

Kai was told the school taught people about swords, so he assumed this must be the place they were practicing at this time.

All the movement in the clearing stopped as the masked and cloaked figure approached the leader. There was an air of palpable tension.

"What do you need, traveler?" the leader spoke tersely with a commanding tone that warped the sweet and melodic voice.

"Hello, honored teacher, I am Kai. I was invited into the village by Elder Coron and tasked with helping clear our the mine," Kai explained as he stopped in front of the imposing woman.

Her eyebrows lifted as she heard this and many of the Godon began murmuring to each other.

"So you're the esteemed adventurer everyone has been gossiping about," the teacher replied with a tone of surprise as she continued, "How might I be of service today?"

"Is there a time that you'd be free later to possibly instruct me in a few topics? I understand you're busy currently and I don't want to interrupt anything important..." Kai asked awkwardly, not sure how to proceed. Kai was devious and greedy, tricky and quick, but one thing he was abysmal at was asking for help.

The teacher turned away from Kai and instructed the students to continue practice and to break up into pairs for sparring.

"Come with me to the school and I'll try to assist with any questions you have," the teacher stated as she walked away towards the entrance of the village.

First Village was quite lively during the day. Kids ran in the streets between playing, as mothers watched while completing various chores. Conversation and laughter rang out from the citizens. Pink faces and silver hair lined the streets as they continued down the path.

Jolly merchants and greedy shopkeepers touted their wares along the road, manning carts that sold various food and goods.

People held hands as they enjoyed treats, sat on benches chatting, browsed the goods on display, and haggled ferociously to lower prices.

Kai found the atmosphere of First Village completely alien compared to the streets of Summerville where he'd spent his entire life. There was a distinct lack of urchins hustling people, or cutting purse strings. The air smelled refreshing and slightly sweet instead of stale and slightly putrid.

The pair arrived at a large wooden building Kai hadn't seen before. It stood two stories high with the same intricate patterns carved along it's outside that adorned most buildings in the village. The building wore a board with an intricate depiction of a sword as its crown. In the daylight, Kai was able to notice that the carvings were strange symbols or letters. It looked like some mystical language of sorts.

"What are those strange symbols that glow at night?" Kai asked as they entered the building.

The teacher gave Kai a queer expression and offhandedly replied, "They're mainly protection and restoration runes carved into the buildings to create a formation that can protect the buildings from damage and keep them from naturally falling apart."

He wasn't sure what runes were or how they made a "formation", but he was pleased to have the answer to the question that'd been bugging him since he came to the village. Normally he'd just file the bit of information away and continue on, but he'd come here to learn about mana and those symbols seemed magical so he planned to inquire further once they arrived at their destination.

They arrived in a small office that was furnished in the exact opposite manner as Elder Coron's office. Nothing lined the walls and in the middle of the room sat a plain wooden desk with a couple chairs in front of it for guests and one plush chair behind for the teacher.

Kai was seated at a gesture from the teacher and waited patiently as she also sat down.

"Okay, Master Kai, please let me know what is troubling you and how I can help. You may call me Teacher Lorel or just Teacher, whichever you prefer."

A kind smile had replaced Lorel's brusque nature from earlier. She seemed like a nice lady who would help you in any way she could.

"I was curious about those runes and formations you mentioned earlier, what exactly are those?"

The queer expression returned as if she'd just been asked how to become a Godon instead of a human.

"Ahem, Master Kai... From what we know, runes are the language of the gods, essentially. If you learn this language, you're able to use it as a focus for mana, and when placed in certain patterns it can form a formation. Different formations have different effects, along with various strengths and weaknesses. They're influenced by the precision of the carving, the quality of mana used, even the environment they're used in. Many things can affect a formation and prevent it from working, or help it to flourish." Teacher Lorel explained to Kai.

"Okay, that makes some sort of sense, thank you, Teacher," Kai removed his mask to scratch his chin as he continued, "What could you tell me about this mana core I've heard so much about?"

Teacher Lorel's eyes began to glow slightly as she peered intently at Kai. He felt as if the Goddess was looking directly into his soul once more and he squirmed slightly under her gaze.

"Kai, I can see that you haven't formed your core, but you must already have information on cultivating a Mana Core since you've almost completely cleansed your mana veins, no?" the teacher asked with the same queer expression on her face.

Kai stared blankly at the teacher.

"Honored teacher, please, assume that I have completely no knowledge of any cultivation this that or the other. I can't even cultivate a crop, much less a Mana Core." Kai replied truthfully, storing away his usual guise of deceit.

"If that is how you wish to proceed, allow me to begin," The teacher stood from her desk and began pacing back and forth across the small office.

"I don't know how you humans cultivate nor use mana, but we Godon are born with a decent affinity for the mana arts and begin to train young," the teacher stopped and stared at one of the walls as if remembering something from long ago as she continued, "even before we were in the tower, it is said that we practiced mana arts on our home world long ago..."

Kai's eyes shot open hearing this, 'Before they entered the tower? I thought they were a race that the Goddess created inside the tower, no?' Kai held off any questions for now as his curiosity grew.

"I digress, we are born with an affinity for using mana and so we train our young to begin cleansing their mana veins once they turn 8 years old. We give them a rudimentary technique to begin absorbing mana and pushing through their blockages. This process usually takes until they are about 15 years of age, there are some that are faster and some that are slower, of course." The teacher paused to think before continuing, "Once they are 15 years of age, they can begin to form their mana seed, which I see you have already completed as well. The seed usually takes another few years to form, by compressing their mana slowly over time, it becomes a small hardened shell of sorts."

Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. Around 10 years of "cultivating" to get to where he was? How did this happen? Did the Goddess have something to do with this? He sat forward, eager for more information.

"Once they have their seed, they will need to nourish it to grow into their core. This seed can store mana for you and will give you a firmer control on mana. When the seed has fully grown, it will appear in your mind's eye as an empty ball with various holes around it's outside to take in more mana. By nourishing our body with mana and filling the core, it will slowly continue to expand. Once you have completely grown your core, you'll work towards hardening it's outer shell and eventually it will become completely closed off and your Mana Core will be complete."

As she finished her speech, she sat back down at her desk with a small smile on her face, an eyebrow raised towards Kai as if seeking confirmation that what she'd said was true for humans as well.

"That's a lot of information to think about, thank you, Teacher. This information has definitely cleared up a bit of confusion I've had, but also generated many more questions!" Kai exclaimed truthfully.

School was Kai's worst enemy, but this type of information seemed relevant to his advancement in the tower and he was actually feeling eager to find out more. This change in attitude surprised Kai and he thought, 'Maybe I need a new attitude for this new life of mine. There are many dangers in the tower and this is only the First Floor. If I'm going to not only survive, but also thrive, I'll need to be diligent and learn as much as I can, when I can.'

Kai resolved himself to learning as much as he could in the tower. He mulled over the information he'd heard and set his elbows on the desk, resting his chin in his hands as he thought of what to ask next.

"Teacher, it's a bit embarrassing to say, but I've never cultivated before. On Earth, we do not have such teachings, nor do I think we even have as much mana as the tower does. If it exists at all on our planet it is so sparse that we haven't even detected it before." Kai explained, laying all his cards on the table in a bid for assistance.

"How could you have such an advanced foundation, Master Kai, if you've never even cultivated before? From what I can see, it looks like you'd have to at least have spent 10 years to get to where you currently are." Teacher Lorel was completely gobsmacked. She had never heard of anyone saying they'd never cultivated before when their foundation was so robust.

Kai sighed as he decided to give the teacher his best guess, "When I entered the Tower of Life, I was given a few tests from the Goddess. After I finished, she stated I was the first out of millions humans to complete them and bestowed me with a "Blessing"," Kai explained, indicating the blessing with air quotes, "I felt fried from the inside out and a fetid black smoke rose from my entire being. If I had to guess, the Goddess used what she called "Deified Mana" to roast my impurities right out of me, and I guess form a Mana Seed."

A fly could have made a nice home in Teacher Lorel's mouth as her jaw hung on the floor. She looked like she'd just heard the craziest thing ever, and perhaps she had.

"Y-Y-You were B-Blessed by the G-God G-Goddess of the tower?!" She said with a shaking voice.

"Uh..." Kai said with much grace, "Yes."

Kai was shocked by her reaction thought, 'This is why I lie to people! The truth is nothing but bad luck!'

The teacher came out from behind her desk as Kai prepared to defend himself. She fell to the floor in front of him, kowtowing three times, her head smacking the floor solidly with a thud each time before saying, "Oh great and blessed Master Kai, please forgive this one for her insolence and foolishness in not addressing you properly, not giving you a warm welcome, and for acting far above my station! I apologize and accept any punishment you wish to bestow upon me!"

'What the fuck?' Kai stared at the tall Godon woman with wide eyes. 'Didn't see that one coming.'

"Please, Teacher, get off the ground as there is no need for such formalities between friends. I am but a lowly one who was blessed by our great Goddess! That does not put me above you, I assure you. I am far too ignorant of cultivation for my own good, and would ask you to continue assist me in banishing this ignorance before I get myself hurt." Kai said, prim and proper to the end.

The teacher rose, but looked unsure of what she should do. She wrung her hands together like she was emptying a sopping wet towel. Kai waved his hand toward her seat indicating she should sit back down.

Once she was seated again she exclaimed, "Blessed Master Kai, please allow this lowly one to assist in any way she can, please tell me what you need to know!"

"Just Kai will be fine, please..." Kai sighed as he felt a headache coming on, "I need to know what this cultivation thing is about, and how I can form this core from the seed... I may be blessed, but I am truly just an ignorant child when it comes to these matters. Let's start with a technique if possible."

The teacher smiled brightly as she said, "Of course, Kai, allow me one moment." She reached into a drawer on her desk and fiddled around before handing Kai some type of scroll. The scroll was an ancient slab of leather with diagrams and words written upon it. Kai's excitement waned as he noticed he couldn't read a single word.

The language was one he'd never encountered. He could barely read human languages, and the language upon the scroll looked quite exotic.

Seeing his expression the teacher caught onto the issue and explained, "This scroll is very simple, do not worry that you cannot understand the words, for they are basic in nature and only explain simple concepts. Allow me to explain the scroll to you and I assure you the only thing that you'll need is the picture for your actual practice."

The teacher went on to explain the process for cultivating your Mana Seed. She explained that he would need to enter a meditative state and visualize his seed. From there he would need to slowly guide the mana in a specific course through his mana veins and towards his seed. The seed would absorb the mana it was presented and slowly grow, forming into the mana core. He would only need to meditate one or two times a day to get a decent growth rate.

"Why don't you try entering the meditative state now, and see if you can follow the diagram with your mana flow?" The teacher asked as she finished explaining.

"I already know how to cycle mana, I've been doing it for days." Kai responded with a cheeky grin, looking like the cat that got the cream.

"Please demonstrate for me and I'll see if there's any advice I can provide."

Hearing this, Kai stood up and began cycling his mana as he would when running or trying to heal a wound.

"Oh! Goodness!" The teacher shouted as she viewed his cycling technique.

"What?!" Kai exclaimed, searching around the office for any threat after hearing her outburst.

"Kai, dear... You are wielding your mana like a sledge hammer when a needle is required." The teacher explained softly. Kai's face reddened when he heard her response.