20. Hope (Patreon)

It spoke at great lengths how terrifying the charm stance could be if even the sultanzade were cowered by it. Perhaps it was because she had experienced to much, but Aloe wasn’t as intimidated as Fatima made the problem out to be. I can’t deny it’s dangerous.

“Let’s stop talking about charm, one stance remains.” Fatima clapped to gain her attention.

Aloe nodded at her.

Acuity, or the sense stance as the imperials called it, was an impressive stance. Whilst not as detectable and visual stance as the speed or strength stance, it more than compensated by being versatile. It boosted all senses a human could have, more than she even knew. The peace of mind achieved by the internal infusion was something that monks would give their life for.

Her flow of vitality turned sharp.

Unlike speed or strength, Aloe felt comfortable with acuity. Attuned even, as some may say. Violence wasn’t on the core of her being, even if they pushed her in that direction. An attentive eye and a serpentine snake. The scribe found her late father’s words comforting. That are traits a banker should have. She was a banker no more, she hadn’t gotten even close, but that didn’t mean her father’s advice were useless.

A couple of minutes was more than enough to shift into acuity. She had trained a lot with that infusion in these last days, more than any other stance. Even if she didn’t have mastery over it, the muscle memory was there.

“May I inquire how are you going to test this stance?” Aloe inquired Fatima after she opened her eyes.

“No, you may not.” The princess responded derisively, but the commoner showed no expression. More traps and tricks. Some where obvious, some were so unseen the own makers didn’t know they existed.

Then Fatima punched Aloe in the face.

The movement was swift and violent, clearly the product of the speed stance. Externally, Aloe didn’t even blink as the executioner’s axe fell upon her. No matter what she did, she couldn’t respond to the attack. She was bedridden, weak, and her arms were slower thanks to the stance. Internally, though, the scribe furiously shifted to toughness. If she made it time, then she could survive instant death.

She didn’t make it in time.

She didn’t need to in the first place.

Fatima’s fist stopped barely a hair’s width before Aloe’s temples. The scribe skipped a heartbeat, a breath, and almost wet herself – partially perhaps – but she didn’t allow the sultanzade to notice that.

“I am quite disappointed that you did not react to such…” The princess frowned, realizing that her trail of thought had been tread wrongly. “No.” Yes. “Oh, great heavens, you did not react because you saw the attack coming.”

Words wouldn’t help her in this situation, so Aloe opted for a non-verbal demonstration.

And gifted Fatima a shit-eating grin.

“Good reflexes.” That was the only thing the princess said, the contents of her mind unknown to Aloe. There was a limit to how much information she could get out of a person – even with acuity – when they were actively hiding it.

A mixed feeling bloomed inside of her. On the one hand, satisfaction. Not only had she detected the attack and surprised the sultanzade but managed to contain her reactions without the woman being none-the-wiser. On the other hand… she was scared. She hadn’t switched to toughness in time. If it had been Aaliyah, or Naila, maybe even the twins… she would have been dead.

Aloe had no doubt of it.

Vitality will not be of any use if I can’t activate infusions fast enough. And staying with toughness all the time wasn’t the answer, in the imperial court, attentive eyes and fast reflexes gave her information. Information that could be wielded as poisoned daggers.

“Those were all your stances, right?” The sense stance was obvious in the visage of the sultanzade.

“That is right, princess.” Aloe nodded to her words.

“Hmm…” But of course, Fatima didn’t outright believe her. Nor she should. This is a battlefield of intrigue, if she was that easy to manipulate, she would be a useless ally. “You may not know more stances, but do you know about others?”

Whilst the wording was odd, most likely in purpose to catch possible slips, the answer to both questions was the same. “No, I do not.”

“I see.” Fatima caressed her long strands of hair. “Do you know how many stances are there?”

“That information is also beyond me.” The scribe admitted. “Would you enlighten me, teacher?” Appeal to her superiority, make her trust you, depend on you.

“Gladly,” The imperial smiled brightly, almost making Aloe think she had shifted to charm. “There are nine stances in Nurture.”

“Nine?” Aloe’s eyes shot wide open. No, that’s not possible…

“What is the problem, student?” Fatima added with venom on the last word.

“I… those feel like not many stances.”

“Ah, I get where you are coming from, after all, you already know more than half of them. But yes, those are the ones that exist.” Her smile turned predatorial. “Or rather, the ones we know of.”

That makes more sense. There can’t be only nine internal infusions. I almost know as many of external ones. “So you are entailing that more may exist?”

“Who knows?” The sultanzade shrugged. “Mother discovered a few of them in her reign, so it is wholly possible some undiscovered stances remain out there. But besides the few ones discovered on the first generations of sultans, Mother has been the only one to find new ones. Maybe the well has already run dry. Only the heavens know.”

More have to exist. I refuse to believe otherwise. Aloe’s mind couldn’t accept it. Not because logic told her so with all her knowledge in Infusion and the limitless potential of Evolution, but because she refused to accept it. There’s no way magic is that limited. That my magic can only do nine different things. Her grandfather’s legacy couldn’t be limited to nine useful yet, nonetheless, limited tools. Aloe’s outburst would have been worst if this had been about Evolution, the real magic that both her and Karaim favored. The one that could be called unique to the Ayads.

“May I inquire about there remaining four?” Aloe turned to look Fatima straight in the eyes. She was confident doing so if the woman wasn’t hoisting the charm stance.

“You may.” Fatima’s smile was as sweet as honey. Yet infinitely more deadly.

Aloe contained a groan once she realized what the woman wanted out of her. “Please teacher, enlighten me on the four remaining stances.” Pride – whilst something that she valued a lot – was nothing but a tool now; a cheap, devalued coin. Especially after Aaliyah had desecrated it.

The princess slumped forward, the women’s faces standing close to one another. “But of course, my dear pupil.”

The scribe nearly skipped a heartbeat, but her presence of mind alerted that doing so would be catastrophic as the snake in front of her wielded the sense stance. How can she be more beautiful without charm? The woman’s paradoxical abilities confused the life out of Aloe.

“Let us go one for one and explain which ones does.” A polite way to say Don’t you dare interrupt me. “First one is the agility stance. Do not confused yourself with speed. Unlike that stance, this one focuses on the freedom of movement, rather than its alacrity.”

Considering how she stopped to take a breath, Aloe considered this her window to ask questions. “How much of a degree of freedom? Is it just ligaments or does it affect bones too?”

“As for the first question, the answer is always the same: depends on one’s Nurture.” So my vitality deposit size. “And for the second, good question. I can give a definitive answer, but I would be inclined to a ‘yes’. I do believe agility makes bones ever-so-slightly more ductile, but I cannot fully confirm that. The main attractiveness is not for women, either way. But men. Slow burly men who have no hope of learning a single acrobatic in their life. This stance allows them to split their legs as if they were women.”

Aloe nodded in understanding. Whilst it wasn’t attractive to her – even if her body was far from flexible – she saw the utilities of such a stance.

“Continuing where we were, we have the stealth stance.” Instantly, Aloe new something was off. Fatima was right in front of her, and whilst the lighting was dim, she had to focus her eyes to be natural. “You caught on fast.”

“You are using the stealth stance.” Aloe affirmed.

“Mmm~” The sultanzade mumbled noncommittally. “What do you think it does?”

Her eyes were boosted with acuity, and still she found difficulties to focus on the woman. A woman who already drew everyone’s eyes naturally. Aloe thought her words very carefully.

“It camouflages you.”

“A good guess.” In the darkness of the room, Fatima’s eyes shone with the glance of a predator. “The stealth stance, for lack of a better explanation, makes it harder to focus on the enemy. It achieves so in many ways, but yes, camouflage is one of them.”

Whilst invaluable, this stance wasn’t what Aloe needed. Not yet.

“Next one is regeneration.” The scribe’s eyes flashed in eagerness at the word. Fatima giggled with joy then hit her with a sledgehammer. “Do not get your hopes up, it will not heal you, despite its name.”

There were many ways to deliver the message, and the wench chose the most painful one.

“Hmm, that was perhaps the wrong usage of words.” Fatima caressed her neck as she took back her words. If it was because she had detected Aloe’s hidden scowl or because she had honestly mistaken, it was beyond the scribe. “Regeneration accelerates the body’s regeneration to a degree equivalent to the maximum vitality deposit compared to its original size. So in a way, yes, it accelerates healing, but only the natural of your body. At best you will cut into a quarter the time you need to heal.”

“That is a significant amount of time, princess.” Aloe added with such neutrality that could only be taken as an attack.

Fatima smiled. “Perhaps for you.”

There were hidden meanings in those three words, Aloe knew it, but she couldn’t decipher them. If my current deposit takes down my healing time to a quarter, it means it’s accelerating my natural regeneration by a three hundred percent. And considering I have three times my original vitality, it’s basically a one-to-one boost.

“By the way,” the sultanzade’s voice snapped the scribe’s attention, “the regeneration stance does not only affect the body’s healing, but also its recovery in every aspect. Breath, stamina, even vitality. Anything that the body may lack and needs to recover, regeneration will provide it.”

If the regeneration stance wasn’t already of vital importance and interest for Aloe, that had increased manyfold. If I could regenerate my vitality faster without needing to use Cure Grass pills – which are already becoming obsolete – this means I will gain maximum vitality faster once I can get back to evolving and infusing. For once, Aloe saw a shine of hope.

“I see you are dying to practice this stance, yet still one remains.” The princess slanted forward. “And it is the most especial one of all.”

Aloe swallowed a hearty gulp of saliva at the sultanzade’s charming voice.