Zero Potential: Chapter 30 (Patreon)

Chapter 30

Terra found that she could still feel the faint trace of her tracking spell, the one leading her to Mariana Montague. While faint, the energy left behind from her own sympathetic magic spell felt like it was one of the clearest strands of magic to follow, especially while being devoured by her Magical Aura.

Given that she felt she could still find her way to the Montagues, to fulfill her promise, Terra decided to keep her Magical Aura active.

Running quickly, she found herself focusing and devouring the faint trail of magic left behind. Following this trail, and this intense concentration on a minor aspect of her aura, Terra almost missed the moment when her command over her aura improved.

Magical Aura: Rank V: You have unlocked your Magical Aura. All actions of your Magic user are 50% easier, while all actions of enemy Magic users are 50% more costly when in your presence. Aura Evolution acquired, your aura has evolved to devour ambient magic in the area, where it will be condensed and converted into a useable form for the aura wielder.

This was odd, as the words provided by her aura had changed slightly. First, the aura no longer supported friendly casters, there was just her, then everyone else. Second the aura now noted the very aspects that she had been noticing and giving it tangible form.

Looking at the description, Terra wondered if she had forced the change, or if her mind finally provided words to match the change that had been around her all this time. Honestly, she didn’t know that auras could evolve, though it did make sense that such feats were only possible at the later levels of aura uses. As many of the grand masters she saw often had weird quirks to their magic and effects that were hard to explain otherwise, unless the powers themselves had undergone some form of evolution. Now it seemed to all make sense.

Now that Terra had a moment to sit back and relax, she could begin to understand a few more of the nuance methods and experiences in life that had eluded her. Not that she was dumb, but that she never had time to sit back and think for herself. Everything was aways frenetic, running full speed ahead as soon as she arrived. Now things had changed, and she being an Immortal realized that there were things that she could experience on her own, if she so desired.

Terra was so lost in her own thoughts, that she almost missed the point when she stumbled upon the small town of Erudition. Erudition was the town that was established to help the faculty and staff of the Belaton Academy relax, unwind, and most importantly raise a family.

Pausing at the rise of a hill that gave a scenic view of both Erudition and the Belaton Academy, Terra paused, taking in everything. By now there were just a few hours before morning, yet Terra felt assured that this would be enough time for Terra to sneak in find Lady Montague and her daughter, then return the pendant and leave, all under the cover of darkness. That was the plan at least.

Nodding to herself, that she was following the magic in a straight line to its source, Terra deactivated her Magical Aura and began moving slowly and silently through the streets of the small town.

For a second, she debated whether she should put on her Obfuscation Aura, but then thought better of it, first she still had no inclination whatsoever to run her core dry of mana. Second, she thought that such an aura would make it so others would be less likely to accept her presence if she was found with it activated, and she would need to be found, as that the whole point of returning the pendant. Thus, she strode forward confidently.

Woof, woof.

Bahh, bah.

Of course, as she approached, she was easily spotted by the local animals that could all but feel her eerie presence as she strode closer. The odd part was that after the one distressed alert from the animals, they all went quiet. Almost like they had either been conditioned to deal with such a presence or were somehow immune to such mental pressures.

Honestly, the effect of her natural aura that had been scaring away the predators of the forest for so long didn’t even cross her mind as she made her way into the town of Erudition. Yet, now she knew that it would likely be something she would have to be wary of in the future.

Even now, if she focused, she could feel the minds of animals held in pens wrestling with the idea of a predator being so close, and then something happened. It took a moment for Terra to realize what exactly was happening, but slowly over time Terra realized that there was a slow resignation that befell the animals.

Almost as if the animals had given up on the idea of resisting the mental stresses that come from being near a monster like the one Terra herself had turned into.

For her own part, Terra made her way forward, and found that while her aura did seem to have an alarming effect on all domesticated animals. The same could not be said for the humans that lined the small village. While she could feel the minds of many of the citizens of Erudition sleeping away, none seemed to register her presence as a threat. Instead, she found herself being mostly ignored. Almost as if the minds of humans were conditioned to flat out ignore Terra’s new aura.

It was odd in a way, as Terra could feel the minds of every human being around her to such an extent, that she almost got a mental map of where everyone was. She could feel the hidden dangers posed by humans seeming to lurk around every corner. The city watch, if the shack at the left of center could be called that, were the only minds that were awake.

At least that is what Terra thought, until she felt a much more powerful presence that felt and interacted with her aura.

There was a moment, of passive nature, where her aura met the aura of another. There was a seemingly brief exchange of impulses. One where Terra felt more curious than anything as to what was happening. Then she felt it, there was first a moment of recognition, and then the next she felt rage from the other end of the aura.

Rage, followed by the sudden movement of the second individual, an individual who had a mind and aura that were more defined than the regular humans that surrounded her on all sides.

Fear.

There was a brief moment of panic, as Terra realized she had been caught. Only for her training and instincts to take over the next second, as she pulled out her twin obsidian blade daggers and moved right, forcing her assailant to shift their approach angle.

Just as Terra expected, the pursuer could track her in real time, just as she could apparently track him. And it was a him, somehow she knew that the person at the other end of her mental connection was a male.

Jumping.

The assailant was jumping to deliver a strike.

Bad move, never lose your footing in a fight, something that had been hammered home to her over many lifetimes of fighting.

Wind Tunnel.

With a speed and grace of attack patterns that had been practiced countless times and came just as easy as breathing to her, Terra created a miniature tornado that grabbed the assailant in the air, and held them captive.

Her opponent was dangling defenselessly in midair, when Terra reacted on trained impulse.

Slink, slink.

Her blades  sliced through the assailant easily, bisecting the body into multiple parts, her right arm took the head, while her left arm sliced through the shoulder, spine and heart with ruthless proficiency. The moment Terra was done with her unblocked attack, she cancelled her Wind Tunnel, letting the sliced body crash to the ground.

Thud, thud, thud.

With that Terra nodded to herself, thinking that the threat had been dealt with, only to pause the next second as she felt the now all too familiar resonance of power calling the different body parts together, as they began to quickly call out and try to once again melt together in the form of a human.

Realizing that her opponent was none other than another one just like her, another Immortal, Terra wondered why one was in the town of Erudition.

Then before Terra had too much time to contemplate what was happening, the body, apparently healed enough to talk, but not enough to move, began to speak.

“You think you can come here to my land and…”

There was anger and vitriol in the words, as such Terra lashed out with her blades, cutting the jaw and skull in half.

Plop.

Once again, the body parts dropped to the ground in solid chunks. Only to melt into a semi-liquid state and slowly ooze back together.

By now the blob, or what Terra was mentally considering a blob was quivering with anger. If Terra had wanted to, she could call forth flames to both burn this Immortal monster to death and end this battle once and for all. Only the fact that she was still, even now, trying to enter and exit this small town as quickly and quietly as possible did she stay her hand.

Instead, she watched the effects of this Immortality curse at work. Seeing the blob get sliced apart, only to then melt and reform into one solid mass, that then took on a solidified form. Only after seeing all of those processes in action, one after the other, that was when Terra realized why her Immortality was truly considered a curse.

Even now, this creature before her was forced to fight through the pain of death, only to be reformed and sliced open again.

“You witch…” The blob of an Immortal hissed out, as it finally regained enough solidity to speak again.

Slink, splash.

This time Terra sliced the head clean off, along with both defenseless hands that had been raised to protect the face of the individual. Then with a practiced combo, Terra spun around on her heel, generating torque and power as she kicked the head of the would be Immortal off into the distance.

The moment the head was sent flying, the body once again collapsed into a gooey heap on the ground. The decapitated head also instantly began melting and forming into a pool of water that began slowly slithering its way towards the rest of its body.

The parts of the body moved slowly.

Terra almost felt that she could go deliver her pendant and be gone by the time this monster was done reforming. Yet, Terra didn’t move. Instead, she decided to wait and see what this monster was doing here. Had this monster always been here all along?

Terra wanted to instantly refute that idea, but she couldn’t be so sure anymore, particularly with the way people seemed to easily overlook her. Did that mean that the same was true for other Immortals? If so, then why?

There were so many questions rolling around in her head that a part of her hoped that this monster could help explain a few things.

Also, she wasn’t sure how this monster would react to her visiting people in a place that this monster clearly considered his own. Would he attack the Montagues out of spite?

There were just so many questions that Terra wanted to have answered that she stood there and watched the two masses slowly slither and squirm their way closer together.

Panting.

This time when the monster came to, it kept quiet, truly a sign that it could in fact learn. The monster just stared at Terra, with a slight sense of betrayal. Seeing that look cross the monster’s human face, Terra tilted her head to the side as if trying to understand why this monster would have such a visceral reaction to her. Then just before she could ask her question, well the first of many questions to be honest, the monster spoke first.

“Lady Rose, you realize this is treason to the accords right?”

Hearing her last name spoke so openly, Terra paused as she tried to make sense of the statement. Then with a shock she realized that this monster had clearly confused her for someone else.

There was a moment of confusion that crossed her features, before dawning realization set in, as she knew who this creature was referring to.

“You mean my mother, Berrina Rose?”