Master Of None

Chapter 3037: 3037. Nature Without Intent

”So the potion is made to interrupt your intentional flow of mana. Passive skills and physical aspects of your body still apply. But you should already feel that you are not able to easily move mana.” Remey was also holding back a lot of the details.

Normally she would go in to detail about the ingredients used to make the potion. The formula that was used should be hidden though. So the mana halting mushrooms, the ferns that caused people to struggle to breathe when they used mana based breathing skills, and even worse, the fungus that was harvested from an isolated underground cave that could entirely repel mana because it hated mana that halted its nutrient growth was all ignored.

She also didn’t go in to details that would tell them about the process. No one needed to hear about the fact that the alchemy labs used to make these potions also banned mana. That only flames using wood as fuel and not magic were allowed. The water and waste from the potion were destroyed since they could poison the land around them.

Everything about these potions were a poison and they were not even given to the most basic of guards for safety. Only those trained specifically for them and the captains had access. It was that much more restricted than some of the other poisons that a guard alchemist might use.

Paralyzing poisons, sleeping poisons, and even poisons that confused someone were all more accessible and used by the average guard depending on what they guarded and where they guarded. They even received some training with those that would not even be considered as odd even amongst adventurers and explorers.

”I feel it pretty well. I am trying to draw mana mentally and it feels like my mind is tugging at boulders instead of what I am used to. I could probably power through it with my resistances though. Is this because of the training we did?”

Remey gave a short nod. She also did not explain how people became resistant to these potions. The others in their presence did not need to know.

Gila and Walker understood this was potentially a direct connection to the fact that they had all gained resistance to chaotic manas. That they were also influenced by denser life mana and also natural manas. Their bodies had adapted to be better attuned to every mana, even the more unique ones. Being able to resist all forms of poisons or venoms was just natural to them now.

Whether or not those forms of resistances were put to the test was not something that they wished to focus on. They would prefer to keep that close to their hearts in case they faced certain dangers.

Whether that was a monster or another intelligent being. It did not matter.

”I can see the change in manas around you too. When you pull at manas they are slow instead of instant. But your body is still naturally interacting with mana. If you went through the high elf dagger style it would move.”

With the confirmation from Walker, Gil picked up a blunt tipped arrow and training bow. ”I will now move through the earth stance for the earth elf historical records of archery using stone arrows and lightweight mountain arrows.”

His stance spread out, his feet firmly planted. It appeared that this low center of gravity stance could be adjusted to different rocky and broken terrains. It could even be clear to the other archers present how someone could hang on what could be an unstable mountain side and fire a solid and controlled arrow.

The elf archers who came were instructors, they saw the perfection in Gil’s stance instantly. It was experience and care in learning that they saw. While the adventurers who had come because they saw heroes trying to train and wished to watch were surprised.

This was something beyond their skill level and those who were not archers were jealous of those who were learning new methods of archery now.

”You have the same stance as the book you gave me.”

”It looks like the earth mana is reacting too.”

Remey and Walker spoke up, the training ground was quiet as everyone watched as Gil began firing arrows and adjusting the stance in the ways that he had seen earth elven archers do.

The more he moved the more that his mind raced. Not because he was feeling the flow of earth mana already, but because it felt natural. It felt like it was smoother than when he had exerted his will to bring earth mana to him and influence an arrow actively.

That singular feeling was all the more telling to his errors and what he needed to do so that he might keep improving. Not simply trying to push his agenda and theories, but proving that they were accurate.

”He’s absorbed a lot more earth mana for the first arrow to the tenth he is firing now. Watch it hit the armored dummy.” Walker’s whisper was heard by the group standing behind him. He didn’t hide his words, just made sure that Gil was not the one to hear them so it would not break concentration.

As the arrow released, Gil stopped and watched, the signs of him realizing he succeeded so quickly were right there. But the training blunt arrow itself, that was even more interesting.

If he were to mic his mana and pull earth mana toward that arrow as it formed, he would have caused it to be coated in earth or rock. The same happened but smaller and slimmer.

Tiny pieces of shale that were around the training ground since it was used to make some training dummies and targets moved to collect on the flying arrow. Making that slim and blunt arrow sharper and more needle like.

A stunning event that made it all that much more to him.

Without waiting, he shifted stances to a leaping and fast moving shifting style used by the wind elves in scrolls recorded as the cloud moving style. Something they made when they watched the winds change the movements of the clouds.

The idea was that their movements would mimic the ways the wind moved the clouds, themselves being the cloud and therefore always being in movement to shoot an arrow that would take on the wind they used. While it was later considered a form of archery for defensive dodging and confusing opponents that could target them, now it made sense that had dulled the true intention.

”He’s perfectly copied it! He is basically dancing using the wind and the wind is with him.” One of the elven archers laughed and looked at their calloused and trained hands. Then looked at the wrapped legs and the bow on their back.

It was perfectly clear to them that they had misunderstood the style they had used and what they could do with it. They had thought it was a dodge, not a gathering of wind to be able to use it and wrap an arrow. That they were not building a wind storm to push an arrow, although blunt, to pierce through a target like Gil’s did just this second.

”Remey, another potion. It is wearing off and I need to feel the proper flow of mana as I move, not my accidental pull on it because I might fall in to bad habits.” Gilc called and Remey moved to give him another small vial.

The adventurers took the pause to let the archers in their groups move ahead and speak with the elven archer teachers. They were in a flurry of conversation about the ways they held bows. About their affinities. About the ways that arrows were more than just an arrow and could be better seen as part of nature if given the right guidance.

Walker’s interpretation was just as stunned as everyone else.

He was watching the mana through this golem body and being amazed by it.

He hadn’t expected to see the mana of nature itself reaching out to the arrow because of the movements and the styles. He hadn’t thought that he would be tracking those manas so perfectly that he wondered if the ancient elves had formed all of this because of their environment or because they had decided that they would dedicate their entire survival as a race to being able to use the one core skill of their people.

The elves had made this a base of their survival, but they expanded and lost pieces of it after becoming intelligent.

Yes, intelligence made them grow stronger and safer. Yet, it might have also made them lose a little something because they had not given it the time necessary.

”Time to test the ice and water styles. Walker, can you make the area rain slightly so I can see it better?”

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