EG Monster Island Chapter 12

I didn’t sleep for a week. I only got about four more hours of sleep. Jon shook me awake just after midday. “Aiden, Knight Kaminski told me to wake you. She does not want to ruin your sleep cycle. Plus, there is food.”

“Thanks,” I yawned up at him. “Let me shower and change real quick. I’ll join you all downstairs in ten minutes?”

Jon nodded, turning to walk out. I quickly grabbed a new set of training clothes, then frowned at the sheets. Probably should have changed before laying down, instead of after, I thought, shaking my head. Scrubbing off in the shower was an ordeal. I was covered in a white film, some type of impurity or castoff from the tempering process. I ended up scraping off my skin with my fingernails to get clean. After getting dressed, I rushed downstairs to find nearly everyone waiting.

Well, they were all sitting around various tables with desserts and tea while chatting, not really waiting for me. A spot was open next to Vaya and Jon, and it had a bowl of stew sitting in front of it. A small loaf of bread and platter of butter were complemented by a piece of cake topped with a blue strawberry. I slid into the chair, putting my hand on Vaya’s shoulder for a quick squeeze as she laughed at something Jamila had said.

“Aiden!” Jamila exclaimed, getting out of her chair to hug me from behind. I leaned back and kissed her cheek. “I am glad you are okay.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.

“I managed to strain my center, and now cannot train for the rest of the day,” Lea grumbled from the other side of the large table.

“Ooh, sorry,” I said, wincing. I dug into the food, listening to the others talk about their morning.

“So, the park outside is really nice,” Jon said, talking to Vaya and I. “There were a couple of places all of us could train at, as long as we kept it non-destructive. One spot even had an Aether shield we could charge up ourselves to spar in. Librarian Narwan told us we would be going back there this afternoon, as he had reserved it. You will have to show me what cool new benefits you got from the Tower.”

I swallowed the potato I was chewing on while nodding. “Bring it, my friend.”

A glass dinged, and I saw Knight Kaminski standing in the center of the room. “Attention everyone,” she said, smiling wide. “I have the results for yesterday’s competition among the Condensation level teams. The first place team, unsurprisingly, was the lead Ashkha team, who had two members reach the top and two members who fell on steps one hundred ninety seven and five respectively. In a surprise to everyone but those in this room, Aiden, your team placed second with you and Vaya cresting the Tower and Jon and Bridget reaching the one hundred ninetieth step. Third place was from the Weltreich. Princess Aleksandra, your team finished ninth, and Ming, yours was in fifth. Overall, Craesti Kingdom placed second, behind only the Ashkha Oligarchy, who took first, fourth, and seventh for their teams individually. Excellent work, everyone.”

We all cheered, though mine was more clapping my left hand on my leg as I ate a piece of bread. I was starving for some reason, even though I’d eaten at least two kilograms of meat and bread on the Tower’s roof. I noticed that Vaya was also eating like a starved animal, so maybe it was something to do with our experience.

Librarian Narwan stepped up next to Knight Kaminski. “Core teams, you have four days until your next event, and Councilor Rolnik has asked me to assist in your training. It seems you are not living up to the reputation the Condensation teams are establishing. I will help fix that,” his grin made me shiver. Glad I’m not the target of that.

“Of course, I will still be around to assist my charges. Your rewards are on their way. All of the top ten teams will get a chance to absorb the energy of the Tower, called Geist, that you felt on the climb. The Ashkha have a small exterior chamber that allows an amount equivalent to the fiftieth step. You may trade your time to another,” he looked at Vaya, myself, and then Lea, “for those who climbed to the top. The top five will all be given Geist Condensing Pills to use during their time. Again, feel free to pass them on if you believe it will be better. I will be scheduling your times over the next few days. Vaya, Lea, Aiden, come speak to me in a few minutes about who you would like to trade your time to. You may want to ask for something in return.”

“Condensation teams, we will be training in one hour, so use this time to socialize and then be ready. Core teams, Librarian Narwan will be meeting with you in half an hour to discuss potential steps forward. Be prepared for his questions, or you will not like the consequences,” Knight Kaminski said, then they both turned and walked over to their table.

Just before they sat, thought, Librarian Narwan looked over at us and said, “Please do not speak of what occurs on the Tower at the higher steps. It is not known outside of those of us who have walked it, and risks diluting the effect of the Staircase if spread widely. This room is safe, as all here have climbed, but do not speak outside here.”

“Yes, sir,” we all yelled out, and he just smiled and shook his head.

I turned to Vaya. “Was your last vision absolutely horrible?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I was older, married to a noble from Zelec City who held me prisoner in my own home. I had no power, no agency at all. It was everything I have ever dreaded, all begging me to lay down and die.”

I grimaced, then reached over and hugged her. I looked at Jamila, who shook her head. “I would rather not speak on it,” she said, nausea and disgust evident in her tone. I loosened my grip on Vaya’s shoulder to grab her hand, giving it a quick squeeze.

Jon started to talk about the park more, describing various people he’d seen. The change of subject wasn’t very subtle, but no one seemed to care. I quickly ate the rest, laughing at accounts of young Topraki and Ashkha children playing. The lighthearted banter helped everyone relax. After finishing my plate, I walked over to Librarian Narwan, who just looked at me and said, “Jamila,” before turning back to his cake. I laughed softly, bowed to his side, and then walked back to join the conversation until we only had ten minutes left before training. Everyone in my group headed up to change before hurrying down to meet Knight Kaminski in the lobby.

“Good, you are all on time. The next round will be a team versus team fight, where your potential opponents will be pulled out of a bag. This is another chance to earn time, and the loser’s nation will be providing a gift to the winning team. So do not lose,” she said as she jogged out into the park. “Today we will be doing single sparring to get everyone used to the changes wrought by the Tower. Pick a partner from your own team, and move to a circle. I will empower the field to stop stray attacks. Fight well.”

We ran into a large clearing within the semi-forest of the park. Two dozen circles, each five meters in diameter, dotted the area. I grabbed Jon’s shirt and pulled him into one of the closest.

“Fine, if you want me to beat you up. You could have just said something,” he laughed, shaking his head at me while unslinging his shield. I drew my training trisula, having set my more dangerous Core-level weapons on the ground outside the circle. I’d debated taking them for only long enough to remember the Illyrians were in town. I was resolved to not be unprepared for a fight ever again.

“Well,” I said. “Are you going to bring it?”

He just looked confused for a second, before rolling his eyes at me. A flick of his wrist sent an Aether Slash diagonally across the field, which I easily sidestepped. I charged, rushing towards him to negate his longer weapon, when he shoved his shield at me and sent a wall of Aether into my face. I braced, throwing Aether into my right hand weapon and punching forward.

The Aether flowed quicker than I expected, throwing off my timing and letting my hand smack into the wall with less reinforcement than I wanted. My fingers creaked, but the extra Aether in the handle of my trisula broke the wall in half. I still stumbled, the kinetic energy transferring into me even with my counter.

Jon used the stumble to give him time, and a sheet of Ice formed around his feet. I went with the stumble, rolling over the ice and dodging a slash from his sword. Coming to my feet was difficult, until I used Dancing Northern Wind to make an Air platform under one foot. I pushed off, vaulting over his stabbing blade. With a kick, I knocked his shield out of the way, and my other foot took him in the back of the head. The amulet he wore replicated my circlet, though, and the force was dissipated by an Aether shield surrounding his skull.

He staggered forward, his Ice not affecting his balance in the slightest, and slashed around. His attack caught me as I landed, but I was able to make a second platform to slow my descent and flip over the shining purple crescent of Ice Aether. I stepped back, then thrust both hands forward to send double Fire Aether Blasts at him, scorching his Ice technique from the ground.

I followed the Blasts in, attempting to shoulder check him to the ground with my superior strength. I bounced off his shield, though he swayed as well. A quick glance down showed he’d formed a pillar of Ice that rose to his lower back, supporting and bracing him for my charge. The grunt he let out, though, told me it wasn’t without consequence, though.

I stepped back, trying to regain my balance, only to slip on a patch of ice he’d put down right as I charged past. I fell, landing on my back. He charged, slicing down at me. I caught his sword in my trisula, then flipped it away from him with a snap of my wrist. He grinned, slamming the edge of his shield into my forearms and disarming me as well.

I grunted, letting my hands fly to my right. Rotating with the motion, I swept his legs from under him, then grabbed the edge of his shield as he fell. With a gasp, I wrenched him over, flipping him onto his stomach. I quickly got on his back and wrapped my arms over his neck in a chokehold. He tapped out, and I let go. “Ow,” I grinned at him, rubbing my forearms.

“Almost had you,” he said.

“Yeah, in a real fight that would’ve been bad. You could’ve slammed my forehead instead of my arms. That probably would have taken me right out of the fight,” I laughed, then walked over to pick up my weapons.

Jon nodded, wiping the sand off his sword. “Again?” He asked. I nodded, and we went at it again. The next few hours was a lesson in frustration for me, as I had to focus more on my techniques than I’d had to in a while. My Aether flowed faster, and techniques sprang into effect quicker than I expected. That first fight was the only one I won, as Jon kept knocking me down as a technique misfired or missed due to timing issues.

After two hours, though, I discovered that the range at which I could project and control Aether had doubled. I had just knocked him back, then hopped even farther away to give myself time to use the Wrath of the Lightning Herald Technique. This was the first time I’d tried it, and I nearly fumbled the motions at the end, my hand not moving fast enough to track the runes forming. Fortunately, the next rune still formed, almost thirty centimeters from where my finger was. Of course, that meant the lightning bolt generated shot into the sky over his right shoulder, rather than impacting his center mass like I was planning.

He still dove to the ground, trying to dodge something that moved many times the speed of sound. I missed, and then he slashed at my ankles and knocked me sprawling as I was distracted by the runes I’d just made. Light! I need to I started to think, followed by “Oof,” as I fell on my face. “Hold on! I gotta try something.” I reached up, then projected the first rune for my technique, this time as far away as I could. I pushed, and could write a rune almost half a meter away, significantly farther than the last time I’d tried. I drew the rest of the runes, the extra space allowing me to double up on the collection and empowering runes before I blasted the shield surrounding the clearing.

“Ice freeze it!” Jon exclaimed at the crack of thunder that followed my test. “What was that!”

“Uh, apparently my ability to project Aether has almost doubled. So I could add a couple more runes empowering the attack,” I said sheepishly, realizing that almost everyone was looking at me. Vaya and Lea both got big eyes, then tried something to test their abilities. “Uh, when you go temper some more, focus on your projection meridians. It should help you get extra range too.”

“Hmm,” he nodded, then gestured. A series of Air runes formed forty centimeters from his finger. “Already increased by a good amount.” His smile was blinding, then mischievous. “I can so use this to,” he paused, “uh, have some fun.”

“Just don’t piss off Bridget too much, got it?” I said rolling my eyes.

“Sure thing,” he promised insincerely.

I laughed, then we got into sparring again. We both moved slower, trying to get used to the extra range and capability we’d earned in the climb. Even though he hadn’t gotten the extra time at the top of the Tower, making it almost there had significant benefits that he had to get used to as well.

Finally, the sun was starting to set, so Knight Kaminski called us together. “Good work today. I observed all of you learning and adapting to your new ability. We will work more tomorrow. For now, let us go get dinner, then the evening is yours.”

“Uh, ma’am,” I said. “Is there a workshop we can rent? I have a few ideas I’d like to work on before the next match.”

“I will ask,” she answered, then turned and jogged off. The rest of us hurried after her. At the inn, we found dinner already set out for us. The Core teams were nowhere to be found, though. Librarian Narwan had apparently taken them on a trip somewhere. The rest of us just shuddered at the thought of being alone with him on a training expedition.

After dinner, Knight Kaminski stood to say, “The night is yours. Training will begin one hour after dawn. Breakfast will be available whenever you wish it. Those who would like to use a workshop, I have engaged a local facility for our usage.”

I hurried over to her, as did Vaya, Hanna, Ming, and Lea. We were given directions, and then (servant name) guided us as well. It was almost a full kilometer away, letting us leave the Governement District and enter the Merchant one. I found out Jamila and (healer of Princess group) had volunteered at a local hospital to train their healing ability more, and Jon and Bridget were going on a date.

I hurried into a workroom, one of only six available. I had collected up one of my last two sulfur crystals, a tube of metal I’d gotten Xiao to create for me, and all of my Inscription supplies. Pulling out some paper, I quickly drew out a sketch of what I was trying to make. With some measurements, I started to do the math that I only vaguely remembered. Okay, so the angle of the lense needs to be I drew and wrote, using up seven sheets before finally getting to a place where I thought I could actually produce my project.

“Three chances,” I said to myself, setting the crystal into a vice. I found a small jeweler’s saw, measuring five times before slowly cutting the crystal into slices. There was enough to make six lenses, hence my limit to three tries. I slipped the first time, cracking the lense I’d been trying to make in half. The second I misjudged the curve, and it wouldn’t work. The third was just about perfect, and I set it aside, thinking I could grind away the last little bit to make it perfect. I got the fourth even closer, and decided to store the last bit of crystal rather than make a backup.

I split the tube lengthwise, then pulled out an Inscription pen. Okay, I don’t really have a lasing medium, so I’ll need to kinda recreate one with Inscriptions instead. Enhance, enhance, store, enhance. Small, incremental increases each time the Aether passes by. Use the storage rune to fuel the enhancement, so I’ll add a gather and collect on the outside. Now, do I use Lightning so I can inject a bunch myself, or stay true to a laser and use Light. That’ll limit me to only what the runes pull in, but very few people will have a defense against it. Argh, choices, I grumbled to myself, then decided, Laser’s are light, so Light it is! Well, first off, let’s test the Sulfur crystal.

I pulled out the first failure, carefully rounded the edges, then drew up a gather and a collect rune for Light Aether on it. After rechecking it twice, I pulled out powdered Sunflower Leaf and mixed it into some neutral water, then scraped the slurry into the runes. I scraped off the excess, then sealed it with Fire Aether, which started the Inscription. Focused hard with my Aether Sight on and senses enhanced, I saw a few motes of Light Aether drift towards the crystal. Not a lot in here, duh, I thought, then hurried out the door and out of the workshop to stand in the evening sunshine. A few passing people noticed me, but no one seemed to care.

After five minutes, I went back inside. The crystal still glowed with the Light Aether, storing it almost perfectly. “Well,” I said to myself, “I guess I should use the other failure crystal as a battery source. Let’s get cracking.” I bent back over the metal and started to draw. First with ink, then with a carving pen, being ever so careful. I only had one tube left, and I wanted to use that for something else if I could.

Dozens of runes covered the device when I was done, along with six chips of crystal embedded in the sides. I’d carved a slot for the two lenses, then put the reflection Inscription on the rear lense. The front lense took a bit more work. I had to put reflection Inscription runes in such a way that only most of the Light Aether would be reflected, not all of it. At least, before a certain level. I searched my memory, and then remembered how you could use a mirror with a hole in it, so I made the reflection everywhere but the tiniest circle I could. I tried to figure out a conditional turn off in case the amount of Aether became too much for the system, but that was beyond me.

I quickly looked out the doorway to see if I could find Librarian Narwan or Knight Kaminski, only to find Hanna looking over an amulet she’d Inscribed. “Hey, um, are you free for a minute?” I asked her.

“I can assist you, Knight Aiden,” she said with a smile. “What do you need?” I bounced my idea off her, and she thought for a bit. “Um,” she bit her lip cutely in concentration, “you might be able to put a small Inscription that will break when the Aether level gets too high, but that would take away from your reflection area. Maybe place it next to the reflector. Here.” She walked into my workroom and quickly drew a small Inscription that would break at high Aether levels.

“Thanks!” I said.

“You will show us what you made later, right?” she asked.

“Of course. Well, once I prove it works and won’t blow up,” I grinned.

“Do not blow yourself up,” she glared at me. I just laughed. She waved as she left, softly saying, “Light shine a path to where he succeeds, and Darkness hide the others.” I don't think I was meant to hear that.

I smiled after her, then looked for a spot I could fit her gift to me. A quick Inscription, followed by a rune that would negate half the reflection runes when the first one broke, took up the last of the available space inside the metal tube. I then carefully welded the two pieces back together, softly heating them through with Fire Aether while shielding the Inscriptions with Ice. That last part took almost thirty minutes, making it nearly two hours after dark now. I’ll have to charge it tomorrow, though there is a small amount of Light Aether in the air all the time.

I checked the crystals only to find that one was almost full, glowing brightly at me. I picked up the laser and was about to activate it when I stopped. Yeah, that could be bad. First, shield the eyes with Aether. Second, put out a target. I rummaged through my bag to find a copper plate that could be made into an Inscription, then set it on the table. I put a layer of Earth and Metal Aether over my eyes, then slowly adjusted them until I could still see, though very dimly. I’ll have to figure out how to block the Light Aether more efficiently than this. With the press of a finger, the laser activated.

Nothing happened for a second. “Pooey,” I said, about to put it down, when the room got very bright, and the thin copper plate was sliced in half as my hand jerked in surprise. “Light! Wait, awesome!” I shouted, then yawned. “More testing tomorrow. Bed time now.”