Frost 72nd
Much like the last week, Nuraku had been in a stupor of corruption. Though her symptoms were mild, they made it hard to focus in a place where the pace was slow. She could thank her small, demure stature and strangeness for the fact that few sought her attentions. She was not such a social creature save for the select few she chose to connect with, such as Aeraku.
That first day, her skin moved beneath the surface, her Animus roiling out of control as she slept in a painful, nauseating discomfort. Endless amounts of toxic bile seemed to well up inside her, and her appetite was just as voracious. Aeraku brought her food when she felt too weak to walk at that time. Though she knew she could have forced the matter, being tended to for a change was a more than welcome experience.
By the second day, the Threshold Sickness had become tolerable, and the symptoms of Strain ceased. All that remained was a constant ache, a sense of nausea. The following day, Frost 72nd, she felt much more lively. The more advanced abilities she weighted down her soul with, the worse these symptoms got. She was beginning to understand why Vesta had not pushed herself to the degree she was pushing now, her emotions dull and blunted, uncaring for all around. Aeraku could have told her he’d murdered someone in cold blood, and she would barely have registered the morals in the numb haze.
“...” Nuraku was silent as she joined Aeraku, her fur unkempt and frazzled.
“...How are you feeling today?” Aeraku asked, unfolding the spectacles from his pocket and opening the Linguistics book they were both studying. “Are you feeling well enough to study?”
“I am,” said Nuraku. “I need to.” Straight and to the point, it was obvious what she was feeling by the way she kept perfectly still, her words lifeless and cold. “Hopefully we can test out of the academy, get our certificates, and move on soon--to serve our Veir,” she said. “I’m not enjoying how hard the professor is pushing us. At all. It’s rather brutal. It feels so stifling to work in this manner.”
“Well,” began Aeraku. “Just keep going. If you can survive a few more weeks of this, we’ll be better off for it. I bet when you recover, you’ll be far more proficient at Animus than when you started.”
Nuraku nodded. “I know I am. He has taught me so many techniques in these recent weeks. I think I just need a long rest.”
Aeraku smiled. “Well, your class ends on the eighty-seventh, and then we’ll have at least a week to rest and recuperate before our new syllabus is presented. Fourteen more days, Aeraku. Two weeks, and you should return to an easier, less draining manner of training.”
“I know... I know...” shrugged Nuraku. “I suspect I’ll be learning another difficult ability today.”
“...Well, as usual, we should keep up with Gentevarese. Today we’ll be covering a few popular Daravin idioms. Most of these contain La liaisons. Linking sounds,” said Aeraku, writing them down as usual and passing her a sheet. “Is this something you can focus on?”
“Mhm,” said Nuraku. “How goes your Etherforging studies, by the way?” asked Nuraku.
“Really well,” said Aeraku. “I’ve caught up to the rest of the class, and I should at least pass,” he said. “But let’s stay focused on what we have yet to do. I’m feeling rather weary as well.”
Nuraku nodded. “So what’s this... how do I pronounce it?” she moved her paw over the phrase, just beneath.
“D’abord,” said Aeraku. “This first word is a linking word. There is no pause, though there may be a comma. D’abord, dernier de aucun. First of all, last of none. D’abord-dernier.”
“D’abord, dernier de aucun,” repeated Nuraku. “First of all, last of none. This is an idiom, so a phrase people say to be haughty and arrogant, et cetera lah-dee-dah?”
Aeraku chuckled. “Yes--yes, Nuraku. That’s a good way to put it. It’s an idiom for Daravinic superiority. Daravin, or at least the person saying it, comes first, and never comes last.”
“That’s enough for me,” said Nuraku. “It’s already time go get going,” she added. “We could both use that rest.”
“Very well,” said Aeraku with a look of concern. “If you’re feeling too ill, tell your professor. They might know more than I.”
“I think I’m fine,” she said solemnly. “I’ll see you at dinner.” Aeraku then nodded, and they shared a short stare before breaking away, Nuraku meandering back towards the halls.
---
The professor’s booming voice seemed loud and cheery. More so than usual. “My wonderful class, I am so happy to see so many hungry eyes here, ready to learn!” he laughed. “Nuraku, Estevan, Amille. You have exceeded my expectations this semester. Ulen smiles upon you, and each of your classmates this day.”
Nuraku seemed phased, the others in the class even more so. Especially Estevan and Amille, who looked pale and sullen. Beyond this, Nuraku could tell the other class members had been attempting, and failing, to succeed at Vectoring as she and these two others had the other day. Daravin students did not like to be outdone.
However, to her, they were faceless and uncaring. Though their remarks to her were often neutral, she did not feel a welcoming vibe from them. They were competing, inherently.
“What are we learning today?” asked Nuraku, hoping to get the conversation back on topic. She was hear to learn, not to listen to patronizing compliments.
“Catabolism,” said the professor with a wide grin upon his lips. “It is what separates the Animus mage from wildlife. By using Aether, a mage of Animus can exceed the natural capabilities of any beast. Spewn acid may corrode much faster than is naturally possible. Chitin and bone may be enhanced to the point of durability beyond steel if enough aether is channeled into this ability. Even Emissions, as we will learn today, may be supercharged with an influx of aether, allowing the animus mage to create powerful combinations of spells other mages could only hope for. Without Catabolism, a mage is only as strong as their templates. With this, they are as strong as Ulen wills it.”
The professor’s eyes seemed to glimmer as he widened his stance, his hair starting to stand on end as static pooled through his body. Catabolizing the shock of an electric eel, a bright flash lit up the room as electricity bolted between the man’s hands, followed by the crackle of thunder that caused many students to shout with horrified surprise, their hands lifting up to defend themselves.
Nuraku barely batted an eye, but shivered with the possibilities. “I had no idea Animus could enhance, rather than merely draw from,” she remarked. The other students made similar observations.
Wiping his brow, the man winced and offered a smile to his students. “Catabolism can be demanding. The more powerful the effect you desire, the easier it is to overstep. As a general rule, weaker animals are cheaper to modify in terms of aether expenditure, fraying the soul with far less intensity.” As he spoke, blood bubbled up from his gums, coating his teeth. His expressions was wild, crazed.
“Are you okay?” Nuraku asked with a tilt of her head, a hint of worry in her voice.
Another student leaned in behind her, whispering. “It’s normal for professors to overstep... this is not the only class they teach,” he clarified quietly.
“I am fine,” breathed the professor. “We will see if you three can manage this,” he said with a gravely voice, wiping the crimson from his lips. “Mnnh, I might have overdone it today on the field expedition.” He looked to Nuraku and the two students standing by her side. “Draw from Vectoring as you had done the day before--this should be easier, as there is added Strain to solving the puzzle of aether and drawing a new ability for the first time. Then, we will solve for Catabolism.”
Extending his hand, he pointed to her. “Once you feel your Emission rise, modulate the aether granted to that aspect of your form, similar to Embodying. This will send the aspect into overdrive--the cost is not gradual, so do not try this with a more complex ability unless you have rested,” he warned. “Overstepping can be rather easy with a very complex magical beast, but I will leave it to the Halamire to arm you with such beasts of war.”
Nuraku noddle-nodded along. “Very well,” she said, the weariness obvious in her voice. She could feel the eyes of the students upon her and the duo by her side. They wanted to see if these three would be halted in their tracks by their own limitations, or if they would succeed. The professor seemed confident, however.
Pressing her paws together, Nuraku drew upon the vision in her mind of an electric eel, its shocking organs being drawn up into her little paws. As her tiny mittens tingled, she began to pull upon the instructor’s advice, focusing on adding to the effect. After a minute of concentration, she felt Strain begin to pool along the fringes of her mind, causing her pulse to race.
All at once, the power broke through like a floodgate, the aether coursing into her paws. She pulled them apart, her Vectored shocking organs hot to the touch. At the merest flex, all of that built-up, supercharged electricity crackled between them, moving from one paw into the other before fizzling out with a loud bang. Immediately after the spell, Nuraku’s nose erupted with hot red, her face contorting with pain.
Similarly, the other two students next to her fell into a crumpled heap, writhing. “Augh!” they called out, a growl escaping Nuraku’s lips all the same as she balled up, her skin roiling and ripping beneath the fur.
“Rrrrgh... why?” howled the ermine. “I had three days to rest!”
“Pushing your soul to the limit gets harder and harder. The Strain is more intense, and three days rest is not enough to avoid the corruption entirely,” explained the instructor coolly. “Do you need assistance to return to your dorms, or shall I summon the infirmary representative?”
“I’m ...fine,” grunted Nuraku, crawling to her feet and forcing herself up upon aching limbs. She shook her body of the tingling feeling roiling down her spine, and limped forward, glancing back at the pair of students who were still picking themselves up. One clutched his forehead, his face utterly bloodied, skin splintering with the fur of animals.
“Come back in four days this time,” called the professor. “You’ll need the extra day,” he said. Nuraku went straight to her dormitory and collapsed, fading in and out to the vision of Aeraku feeding her, and nurses taking measurements of her body in the coming days.
