[Chapter 10 - Alea Iacta Est : The Die Has Been Cast Pt.3]

As we reached the river we moved to cross at an area where it was only around ankle deep. It was the same spot the goblin had used. With that said as we reached the other side I couldn't help but stop and stare at the goblin I had slaughtered. Though it had been killed less than a day ago it was already rapidly decomposing. In the areas of impact the flesh had begun to sluff off of the bones and pool onto the surrounding ground. The odor was so foul it burned my nostrils but despite this I found something catching my eye. Buried in the muck of festering blood and organs was a small red stone around the size of a marble. Though jagged and rough it had the outline of a shard like shape.

"A soulstone." I heard my mothers voice. "Recall the crystallization process of mana we discussed? That is what it looks like. Leave it for when we return, I do not want the scent of that thing on us as we enter the mana zone.". She then continued walking forward to the treeline before stopping after a few steps.

Though I had begun to walk as well I had not broken my gaze from the corpse. As I started turning my head to do so I felt my nose crunch with a sharp pain and my face thud into something. As I stumbled back holding my nose I looked up to meet my mothers stern and cold glare.

"Focus"

I nodded silently as I slowly stopped holding my nose.

"Speaking of, before we move further I want you to take note of something whenever you fight. Right now your only skill in the water mage class is sphere. It is a very useful and adaptable offense but as it stands now it's almost worthless in your hands. You lacked both aim and recovery when you fought yesterday. Your sphere was solid but it could only move in small unidirectional bursts and had to stop in between each one. The type of magic a skill produces has a direct effect on the mana it involves. Fire based skills will result in the mana being very chaotic and erratic which is why they are often burst based effects, like fireball, that cannot be maintained. Water is the opposite in that the mana is flowing and consistent thus allowing it to maintain itself, like with sphere. Focus on the feeling of that mana. The way it reacts when you control and use it. When you find that feeling, embed it into yourself. Do you understand?"

I nodded and we began to walk. Though I didn't fully get what she was saying I think I understand the point she is getting at. When I used sphere yesterday I instinctively used my wand to control it. When I would make it move I felt almost as if there was a tether between my wand and the sphere. That must be the feeling, so next time that is what I will focus on.

Though easier said than done. After all, I've been subconsciously fixated on the fear and shock I felt yesterday along with the fact I will have to do it again. Seeing the goblin didn't make it any better but strangely it also didn't make it any worse. As I finished my thought we soon began to enter an endless sea of forest. As we pressed onward my mother drew her wand and I lifted my hand creating one to do the same.

We continued walking deeper and as we did a shift could be felt, as well as seen. Contrary to the trees everywhere else that were going through their fall cycle, everything here was still vibrant, green, and full of life. The trees all had roots that busted through the ground as well as the fact they were much thicker and often towered with some having branches as big as entire trees near the house. The ground was thick with greenery and there were even some fruit bearing trees and bushes along the way though we didn't stop. As a result the forest was often dense and heavily shaded though there would be places of exception to both where a patch of sky could be found raining rays of light through a small gaps where the branches hadn't yet interconnected, or a patch of ground uncovered by other plants where a beautiful carpet of moss and grass could be found, and sometimes an area had both.

We eventually stopped at a small area that had both. We had ventured around an hour deep and my mother declared we were now in a full fledged mana zone. She also explained that as a result of mana zones having unstable mana the natural flora and fauna are often affected. Since this zone essentially exists due to the magic of the black lotus causing an excess of mana the plant and animal life is able to thrive in hyper ideal conditions year round.

"But remember" my mother spoke "The Black Lotus' mana was forced into the earth through their corruption skill tainting the natural mana. Since the silver continents mana zones are simply the areas unpurified by the hero everything here is technically drawing from that tainted mana and as a result they have been altered by it. The fruits from the plants here often have negative effects, the creatures are mutated and hyper aggressive, as are the mana beasts. Grunt goblins like the ones we saw yesterday would normally flee the second they saw us only engaging if they absolutely had to but as you saw that was far from the case. It was rare for something like them to be that far since they typically dwell deep in the forest, so we shouldn't have to worry about anything more than altered natural fauna like boars we will be hunting today."

"Understood" I kept my composure but inside I couldn't be more ecstatic. As in ecstatic that I didn't have to worry about a repeat of yesterday.

"Very good. Let us begin then. Today we will be tracking and hunting boar. The basics are the same as back home. However this time you must be on constant alert and guard as you can shift from being the hunter to the hunted at any moment. You are fighting as a mage so make sure to maintain distance, in the event it is needed I will once again step in as your frontline.".

I nodded while gripping the obsidian wand in my hand. As we began setting out I thought to myself that I could train with ease knowing I had someone who could use both mana for magic and ki to fight on the frontline. As I did the familiar monotone voice appeared in my head

<"Be advised, Ventris Vinswain like many elves is unable to use ki.">

'What?' I said clearly in my head. 'When she cut the head off of that goblin I remember she was using some kind of sword. I thought you said skills for physical weapons required ki?'

<"This is correct. The skill [Sword of Light] your mother used previously creates a blade of solid light from the user's mana using the wand as a hilt thus being completely mana dependent. Ki based skills do not use mana as the Ki acts in place of mana. Because of this Ki skills are dubbed techniques instead of spells. As well as the fact that there are no such thing as Unique Ki based skills as they can all be taught. Rather there are Secret Skills known only by few that are near impossible to master as well as having extreme unlock requirements alongside their heavy toll.">

'Noted…' As this interaction went on in my head I was simultaneously following alongside my mother looking for animal signs. Soon I noticed a small cluster of berry bushes that had been flattened.

"There" I said quietly and pointed "The bushes are trampled and the dirt is loose, as well as the tree next right beside has its bark worn down." I spoke with confidence in my voice. It was the sure signs of a boar. Truth be told I had been looking for an opportunity to redeem myself after yesterday but I never thought I would get to this soon

"Good job." my mother said "What about the other 4?"

"The other 4?" I replied confused

"The other 4 obvious animal markings we walked right past before you noticed this one" she spoke in a deadpan voice looking at me blankly.

Hunting and tracking is supposed to be something I'm already proficient in since we do it year round. In my talking to Patron I wasn't paying attention and blindly assumed she was looking as well. I should have known better given this was the cold battle version or whatever of her that I've gotten to know since the start of this.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again" I spoke softly as she continued over to the markings.

So much for my redemption.