Elevation of Mana Chapter 46 Retreat

Rindal lay on the ground writhing, constant screams pouring from his mouth.  Beside him was a small wet spot on the rocks, one that was quickly turning into pure magical energy.  Cala had gone down over him, her hands on his shoulders as she tried to help, but had no idea how to.

“What happened!?” I asked as I ran back over to where he was, Isha hot on my heels.

“I don't know, he just went to take a drink!  It's just water!” the distraught girl said over her disabled boyfriend.

From where I stood I could see several things happening to Rindal in quick succession.  The first was that his body seemed to be taking the infusion of magic poorly, very poorly.  Black and blue veins glowed across his skin, starting from around his mouth and spreading quickly.  He wasn't burning like I had back on Earth, but he might well still die, and all this from just the water here.

He was also gaining an aura about him, and in a hurry.  Little red and black bolts of energy started to manifest in my own magical sight.  While most auras I'd seen looked like part of the creature, natural, this one looked anything but, it gave off the very feeling of being wrong.  Something about the way it moved around him shouted to the world that it wasn't natural, wasn't right.

“We need to get him to mother, fast!” I yelled at the girls.  “Isha, can you heal him?”

My hands were already moving, helping me shape the magic to lift him up from the ground and keep him in place.  Isha began to sing, little bits of her magic flowing over the writhing young man.  I didn't like Rindal, not at all, but I also didn't want him to suffer like this or die.  I'd been through that, and I wouldn't wish it upon him.

Our group sped back the way we came.  The trip down had taken hours, but we'd gone at a sedate pace, now we all but ran.  All of us were is good shape, part of living like we did, and we could jog for hours if need be.

I didn't know how long it took, but Isha looked like she was flagging when we made it back to the underground sea.  Her constant use of magic here was more than she'd had to do normally.  I was still holding, as I used my own almost constantly, but it wouldn't last forever.  Even Cala looked like she was having problems keeping up, panting from the run back this way.

We could have taken the same route back as we did to get here, but it would take time, time I didn't think we had with how fast the veins were spreading all over our companion's body.  This was unexpected, and I didn't know how to deal with it, we needed aid.

Instead I froze some of the water.  Ice magic wasn't my forte, but I knew enough about how it worked for me to sort of force my way through it.  The boat was crude, and the girls looked scared as I led us all in, but it would shorten the trip drastically.  A bit of forward force was all we would need.

We were about halfway across when something slammed into the bottom of our boat, rocking it for a few moments before showing itself.  One of the largest eels I'd ever seen popped out of the water.  The beast was easily large enough to swallow one of the fish in this little lake it inhabited.

The poor monster had drastically misread the situation.  Without hesitation Isha turned and screamed, disorienting it enough that my blade of force smacked into its throat cleanly.  It sprayed blood as it fell back into the inky water.  Within seconds there was a churning in the depths as something, or many somethings felt the dying creature and descended upon it.  I didn't know if it was the fish which were now swarming around the area, or others like it, but I had no desire to learn.  Instead we sped our escape, heading towards the opening we'd entered by.

“What was that!?” Cala asked, looking back at the water, the splashes and movements unceasing.

“Monsters,” I answered dryly.

The crevice awaited us, and while most of us made it through with ease, one particular member of our party got stuck.  He couldn't move himself in any meaningful way, though he wasn't screaming and shaking nearly as much as he had been.

“Well I hate to say I told you so,” I grumbled as I carefully tried to slice away some of the floor to get him through, messing with the ceiling was a non-starter.  It took time, time I didn't want to use, and magic I could hardly spare, but we needed to move him fast if we wanted to save him.

By the time we were halfway through the last corridor Isha stopped singing.

“I can't,” she said, rubbing her temples and looking a bit pale.

“It's fine,” Cala and I said in stereo, and I turned to pick him up, dropping the makeshift magical stretcher I'd been using.

I was by no means the strongest of our people, but I had to start saving some of my own magic, or I'd run completely out too.  Using my physical strength for this would just have to do, so I wrapped him up in my arms and began to climb.

He was still groaning, and still trembling, and as he did I saw his eyes flicker open briefly.  They were glowing just like his aura, and now in the visible spectrum, small red lights flickering within the black irises.  I knew Cala had seen it too, but she'd said nothing, just staring at him.

Finally we reached the cave mouth and I raised my hand, sending out the distress signal our tribe used.  The bright light hovered over our location while we breathed for a moment, watching it fade before we continued on into the woods.

While Isha and I were flagging Rindal's aura grew and grew, spreading out from him.  His body was still looking horrid, the poison-like effects turning his blood vessels colors, bit by bit, but something was clearly happening to him.

I got two more emergency flares sent up before one of our hunting parties finally found us.  They came running out of the woods at speed, looking panicked.  Ninden's father was leading this particular group, the son not far behind, and both of their eyes went wide when they saw our injured companion.

“What happened!?”  We were asked as they began to make a proper stretcher, something I should have thought of.

“He drank something, looked like water, lots of power in it,” I wheezed, now quite tired.  Adrenaline had kept me going, but now that help was here I could feel its energy fading, leaving me spent.

Three of the hunting group ran off with him, heading for the village, while the others stayed with us, leading us back.  We were all drenched in sweat and tired, and the afternoon was late when we finally stumbled back into our home.

Cala wanted to go to Rindal's side, we all wanted to know how he was doing, but before we could do so, we were intercepted.  A furious looking Elaya met us before we could make it far, hands snapping out.  One latched onto my ear, while Isha was snatched with the other.  She turned to Cala and I could see the magic move as she too was grabbed by what had to be the adult's favorite place to punish us with, and we were all pulled behind her to her hut.

The others who lived with her scattered as we entered, seeming to sense that she wanted to talk to us alone.

“What have you children done?  That cave was sealed for a reason!” she began.

“You knew!?” I asked, surprised, standing back up as I was released.

“Of course I knew you stupid boy, that's why I closed it off!  We lived there for decades, how could I not know!?”

“Why didn't you tell us it was dangerous then?  Why didn't anyone tell us?” I questioned, angry that such things had been hidden.

“I do not have to explain myself to you!” the older elf shouted back, her magic flaring as she reached up to my ear once more.

“Yes, you do,” I replied with cold fury, slapping her hand away and letting my own power flow out of me.  I was tired, but I had no need to take this.  “If we'd known what was there we might not be here now.”

Elaya seemed taken aback that I would both push back and stand up to her like this.  In the past I'd let her do as she pleased, mostly because she tended to be right, but she wasn't this time.  We both knew she was stronger, older, more experienced, and we also both knew that if we fought it would still be an ugly fight.

She hesitated, staring me down as she gauged my conviction, and that of little Isha, who seemed to be also frowning at her from my side.  “Because, I don't want anyone going in there and dying, we'd lost enough.  Enough, and young curious boys tended to think they might make it, they might be stronger from drinking that water.  Other than us, maybe two others in the village know about it, older folks who saw some of the disasters that happened.”

“Is Rindal going to be okay?” Cala finally asked weakly.

Elaya looked saddened by that question.  “No, he's going to die, perhaps not today, or even this year, but soon enough.”

After everything that had happened, that was too much for her.  Cala fell down to her knees and wept, tears falling to make little stains on the dirt floor of Elaya's home.