A letter between two Maesters of the College of Zandeim

Jatorag, my friend, we both know that your most recent book on the limits of Mana is false. I am troubled by your … participation in this conspiracy. The lower waves deserve to know about Mana’s infinite potential, not be lied to and hobbled in their attempts to gain power. If they are not trained properly then their minds will never be able to remove their internal biases. Who are we to limit them to the basic elements? Do they not deserve to see and feel the Higher Energies?

The fragrance of summer grass. The biting cold of a winter’s breeze. The destructive winds of the tornado. Whimsical flight of leaves. Freshness of spring’s first awakening. Oppressive heaviness of strong humidity.

I hold these images in my mind, and countless others, balancing them together perfectly, the process becoming easier the further that I continue down this path. Whether it is due to the increased Skill levels or increased attributes is unknown but I find myself able to build this image in record time, only taking me two weeks to perfect my image of Air.

You have discovered the Skill Air Mana Lvl 1! Ever present and – Scanning Skills. Companion Skills (Ice Mana, Earth Mana, and Fire Mana) found.

Initiating Merge.

You have created all the Mana of all four Basic Elements! Ice, Air, Fire, and Earth Mana have merged to form Skill Elemental Mana Lvl 1! A foundational skill of Mana users, Elemental Mana embodies the speed of air, the ruthlessness of fire, the stillness of ice, and the patience of earth. Increased skill level allows for more abstract combinations. Intelligence + 3, Wisdom + 3

A grin breaks out on my face as I let myself celebrate my accomplishment, dancing around for a few seconds before letting myself begin to think about the potential of this new Mana. Previously, it was impossible to create offensive elemental Mana skills as even the most simple ideas required trace amounts of other elements. A standard Fireball is the perfect example of this. While I’d assumed I’d be able to create a Fireball with only Fire Mana, A Combat Understanding had corrected that belief by informing me that it also needed trace amounts of Air in order to contain the explosion until contact.

Now that I’m able to create these Skills though, I need to focus on the weak aspects of my combat ability. My biggest weakness is my atrocious physical attributes. Mana Infusion allows me to temporarily increase my Dexterity, thus increasing my speed, but I can only really use it in short bursts. I need a Skill that can be slow down my enemies and be used at a distance. Ice and Air then …

The beginnings of an idea forming, I begin to quickly create the framework in my mind as I wait for Faul to return.

Faul leads the pack of four Hunters to his young trainee, keeping them just close enough that they will not lose his trail. The boy may not know it but this is an important test in his training. If he is able to take out the pack without dying then he will finally be ready to exit the novice section of the Dungeon World and begin to explore the second zone. It will be a relief to finally get away from these weakling Hunters and enter into the more diverse and dangerous zones.

A smile filled with primal excitement breaks out on Faul’s face as he remembers his first expeditions into the second zone, a child with nothing more than the sword on his back and his love of battle. Helldarvin had been the impetus to his meteoric rise in both level and rank. If the boy could not follow a similar path … well better to die in battle than to live as a slave.

His thoughts are interrupted as he comes to the clearing, the boy waiting with his quarterstaff, stretching about six feet long, and body in the first Jurus. His hand holds the staff in a downward position, the rest stretching under his arm and into the air behind him, while the other is curved into that strange position that he claims is necessary for his Mana Bullet Skill. Faul has tried to beat this habit out of him but the boy remains adamant on its use. Mana users all have their mental crutches, he thinks to himself, the boy needs to purge his weakness and be stronger than them.

Staring into the boy’s eyes, Faul finally spots the ruthlessness that is necessary for survival. It has been months in the making, forcing King to kill countless beasts and subject his body and mind to torturous training, but it has finally appeared. Faul feels the beginnings of a strange new feeling in his chest. It isn’t pride in another being, as he destroyed his weaker emotions to make room for his bloodlust, but … excitement. He grins as he realizes this boy has the potential to one day, far off in the future, provide him with an excellent battle.

“Begin”

The boy explodes into motion, jumping backwards as the pack of Hunters enter into the clearing. The beasts look confused for a second before focusing in on the boy, recognizing him as the weaker prey. This second buys him enough time to finish his casting, extending his flat palm forward with a yell. A piercingly cold gale rushes out from him and reaches the Hunters just as they begin to spread out, a light layer of frost forming over their bodies.

Promising start. His immediate retreat allows him to take advantage of long range strength and the use of ice will slow down his opponents to compensate for the lack of speed.

The boy’s hand then falls into the familiar position and Faul feel frustration beginning to build within him. No one who trains under him will be allowed to go into the universe while showing weakness. Either the boy will learn to cast his Skill without it or he will kill the boy before they accomplish his goals.

These thoughts are placed to the side as two Mana Bullets shoot forward and hit the leading beast directly in the head, causing it to collapse to the ground and die. The boy’s aim has improved dramatically over these past few months. Unfortunately, this quick use of his most powerful Skill makes the other Hunters realize that their prey has fangs. They spread out further and begin to move in an individual manner, motions not following any easily predictable pattern. This continues for a few minutes as they slowly creep forward, getting closer and more bold as the boy refrains from firing.

He must take out at least one more before they are all upon him or he will be ripped apart.

The closest of the Hunters grins in excitement and lunges forward, obviously believing his prey to be out of Mana. With barely enough speed and control, the boy moves from the first Jurus into the fourth, the quarterstaff spinning and striking the beast in the side so that its own momentum carries it too far. He then jumps forward quickly, having activated his strange Mana Infusion Skill, and lands on top of the Hunter, his hand pointed down towards its head. A Bullet rips out of his finger and into the beast, causing it to die and fall to the ground while he rides on top of it. He then turns to the other two and bares his teeth, excitement visible in his eyes.

The child finally develops his taste for battle. It has taken long enough.

The two Hunters, roaring in rage at the death of their pack mate, both bound forward, still slightly slowed from the effects of the frost. The boy hops off of the dead beast and conjures up a Mana Bullet, firing it at the leg of the closer beast and causing it to stumble onto the ground. Sensing the possibility of losing the entire pack, the other beast runs over to its companion and jumps to its defense, standing in front of it baring its teeth.

That will be your last mistake. Never group together against a Mana user.

The boy drops his staff and raises his other hand, shooting simultaneous Bullets at the defending Hunter that takes the damage in defense of its kin. It falls to the ground in death and exposes the beast behind it, fear and anger evident in its eyes as it realizes their prey was far more powerful than they ever imagined.

I stride towards the last Hunter and try to understand the conflicting emotions within me. The primal side of me that this planet has awoken is elated, the battle displaying the warrior that I am becoming. My calmer side, the side that elates in the study of Mana and understanding the interactions within Genesis, is completely shocked at the beast’s behavior.

Hunters had always struck me as bloodthirsty creatures, focused entirely on the kill and ripping apart their foes. Conquering and killing a terrible beast like that is a good thing. I’m ridding the world of hate. Or am I? The Hunter that jumped in front of his pack mate showed me that while they do possess the rage that I’ve seen in them, they also defend their pack even in the face of death. There is something admirable about that. The beasts are not as simple as I once thought. I stare into the eyes of the final Hunter and, along with the rage, bloodlust, and absolute hatred, I see a visceral fear that I must have been ignoring until this moment.

The beast manages to stand with a massive roar and begins to limp towards me with exposed fangs. It knows that it walks towards its death but it continues to walk anyways, not wanting to disrespect the sacrifice of its pack mate.

My thoughts, unbound by feelings in my Meditative state, think about my own family and loved ones back on Earth. Just as this beast will fight for its pack, so too will I fight for mine. But my resolve hardens in that moment and I swear to myself that I will never let myself be overtaken by the primal instinct that seems to control Faul. I will fight only to get stronger and do whatever it takes protect my pack, using the primal instinct as a tool.

Raising my hand and conjuring a Mana Bullet, I fire at the Hunter and watch as it falls to the ground.