Master Of None

”Oh, so the changes in your skills are all related to expanding the uses of your abilities overall. They didn’t make the skills inherently stronger, but it gave you the chance to make them stronger though.” Su was listening to Remey speak about the changes that came with absorbing the gem cluster’s mana.

From the way that Su had interpreted it, Remey had gotten a chance to look at how to strengthen the uses of flames rather than just a flat growth in her strength as a whole. That was putting aside the fact that Remey could more easily make potions and use her current flames in multiple ways.

”I think I have a multi casting skill for just fire. That’s the same equivalent that a mage could call the ways I can use the skills I have now. I can make a few potions at once. I can make a few different flames at once. I can also use them more easily while in a fight. I basically learned how to mix flames and also how to use all my skills at the same time and unify them.”

The way that Walker heard this, was that Remey had strengthened the very essence of what she was. She was better able to use innate skills and abilities while mixing them with her understanding of the world around her, alchemy, battle, and even fire itself. All of which when combined make up her strength and her overall presence.

There was sure to be more as Remey pushed on her own growth, but it was clear that there were opportunities to better establish oneself in many forms through the elemental plane. Whether it was an item, herb, monsters, or whatever. Just a thing here or two that would allow for better understanding of what someone was or even open their eyes to parts of themselves they had been blinded to.

”What are we going to do when we get to the boundary? Shouldn’t it be close since we already noticed the fire mana thinning?” Since it was Gil looking at how he might be able to use the wind mana within the wind elemental plane, Walker didn’t ignore the question.

”I assume that we will explore it a little bit. It is a unique place, but we should focus more on the fact that we need to explore the wind elemental plane. I also feel like the true wind sage will be waiting. I would bet that they already know we want to meet the wind king as well.” He had a feeling that the elemental kings and true sages had their ways to communicate without needing to actually meet. Or maybe, they had a place where they could meet at times. It was hard to know.

”Then I won’t wake Zephyr up for that. She has been resting in my bow since we got here waiting to come out when we are only in the wind elemental plane. She wants to see if she will be able to understand something more about herself.” Gil didn’t say it out loud, but he was worried.

Since Zephyr had been trapped in a bow for many years, she had struggled at first to properly reattach to the world so to speak. But as she regained strength as the wind spirit known to the world as the embodiment of wind before the spirit race, race became a thing and Zephyr was freed from the will of the world, she began to wonder if she too could advance in a more unique way.

It wasn’t that she was freed in terms that she was trapped in to following the will of the world. She was freed in the sense that as a recognized sentient race and one of the major title holders and leaders of it, Zephyr now wanted to ensure she was still in touch with what wind mana was. That she was not losing herself in the pursuit to become someone of Genesis, the world, and keeping her deep bonds with Gil along with the rest of the party.

The idea that a being made of wind mana and even understanding in ways that no one else in the world could feel that they did not know themselves was hard to grasp, but it was something that came with being an individual. Wishing to know more of oneself and of the world itself was a step that needed to be taken to find a path to Walker. If Zephyr needed the time to understand something about who she was now, Gil would do whatever he had to to assist her.

”I am still following the wisps of wind that were let through to the fire elemental plane. There is a little extra fire mana around making sure that we don’t mix that wind with the fire elemental pane and I have been pulling that wind mana with us so it doesn’t cause issues. I think we are- that’s the boundary ahead.”

Walker wasn’t surprised that they had already made it to the boundary of the fire and wind elemental planes. He knew that there had to be some more than subtle manipulation of the fire elemental plane to allow them a slightly speedier travel. He was grateful for that assistance and would make sure he said it when he met a piece of the fire king again.

In the distance was not some simple clash of mana. Instead, they were all witnessing what could only be called a wall of swirling flames.

”Those are fire tornadoes, brother, will we be able to cross them?” The insecurity in Onyx’s words told everyone’s doubts to their surroundings. He didn’t worry because they were too weak to do so, but because they all had to resist the violent clashing of the two manas to be able to move through it. Therefore, that would weaken their whole group despite Alice being ready to sing a song of resistance for them or Remey giving everyone more potions she had made.

”We can pass through easily. Those are naturally there. All of you should be able to feel that they are there and moving because of how the mana clash, but that they are meant to be there and not something unordinary. Meaning that there will be paths to move that other monsters or races might use. We just need to sniff those out.” Midnight glanced at Walker with that being said and looked ready to run ahead and start the scouting efforts.

”We will do it together.” Alice didn’t like the idea of Midnight running away from her range of buffs. If she couldn’t keep everyone protected then she would be the one who came with them as the weakest link in all of this.

”Actually, Alice, I think you shouldn’t sing while we move through that boundary. The manas might clash violently but moving between them will be a good way to really push out wind and fire resistances.” Now it was Alice’s turn to look at Su completely shocked that Su was the one telling everyone not to look for additional protection from the fire and the wind manas here.

”Mine has been growing a lot with the help of potions and the buffs from Walker.” She seemed open to the idea after a moment which was exactly what she needed. Everyone ended it. The length at which they had improved couldn’t be easily measured with the fact that they had been more focused on resisting the fire mana naturally than using the full effects of the buffs.

Approaching this area would be the same, however, it would also be easier for them than others of each opposing elemental plane. Those beings didn’t have the benefit of growing up in the world where they would have naturally developed even the slightest wind and fire affinity at the same time.

All of this meant that the only beings that they would indeed to worry about were those that were within the boundary born and raised. Those would be unique beings that could survive the appearing and moving tornadoes of flame and wind that clashed here and there in a near wall of chaos. Yet, the chaos was natural and balanced, meaning that even plants, monsters, and maybe a race or two could safely live there. A very interesting idea to say the least.

Approaching the border between the two elemental planes just enhanced their focus. Even without the sense to feel wind and fire manas, there were instincts that warned them of all of the risks. Told them that they weren’t simply walking in a light rain.

This was a storm of sharp wind and burning flames.

They all needed to focus on their mental and physical strengths to push through this. Whether a safe path was found or they would break through would be up to them.

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