Paradox Saga: Rising Sun

Girls Tutor Me In Magic Shooting

After being Nami’s shooting target, the others went to the spider’s direction. 

Thyme was the only one who remained and stood next to me. “Try to use Analysis on that Crawler, Shiro”, she said as she left and went to their direction.

The large spider would give me nightmares for weeks. The spider was half my size, had eight large eyes that seemed to stare at me, eight legs that could skewer you with its sharp pointed end, and a pincer-like mandible that was dripping green venom (or blood) and will probably cut your head away from your neck if you’re not careful enough. I tried not to look at the green liquid flowing down it’s mouth. It reminded me of wasabi and green-tea flavored Kit-Kat’s that I loved to eat when studying.

“Analysis”

The monster’s information flashed in front of my eyes. Underground Crawler flashed on the topmost part though I’m confused why it was named like that. From the looks of it, we were already underground. The data was below its image. It was somehow similar to the others’. The information was more of like those Did You Know? facts you find on books. 

“Underground Crawlers are mainly black in color but some can also be in green and red variations. Diet consists of Gigant Frogs?” I read aloud. 

Thyme looked at me. “What?” 

“Nothing,” I answered. Setting the thought of enormous green amphibians aside, I continued reading the info. It’s Rank was F, No Armor, Medium – High Movement Speed and a zero on its MP. 

“Guys, why is there a zero on its Mana Points?” I faced forward and asked them.  

I regretted asking them. Looking at them, they were like crosses between a caveman, a mad scientist and a psycho killer. The girls flocked the giant spider so they looked like those people on cannibal movies. Thyme pulled a mandible and was pouring the green liquid in a glass container, Aunt Saiko plucked the eyeballs one by one, Fritz was testing her axe’s sharpness by chopping the legs as little as she can while Midorima lit one of the spider’s appendages on fire, probably testing if it’s immune. Only Nami was not busy, though she was carrying one of the spider’s legs like a trophy on her shoulder, walked near me.

 “Spiders are monsters that don’t use any spells or skills. Just brute force…” 

“...with web spitballs that come out their butts and green venom that could kill you in a minute as their extra stuff?” I continued. "Yeah, I guessed so," I added, seeing her obvious expression.

She must’ve noticed me looking at the others. “Don’t worry, they’re just warming up.” 

That didn’t assure me. I just nodded as an answer. After minutes of experimenting and torturing the already dead body, they sat down and maintained a distance from the holes. The holes reminded me of trapdoor spider nests that I once saw on a Science book, only much bigger. As they rested, I tried to find a way on using the staff. I mimicked what Midorima did a while ago. I pointed my staff on the dead spider’s direction and shouted chants like “Thunderball” or “Fire Arrow” but nothing came out.

“You won’t do it like that,” Midorima said, her magical staff in her hand. I first saw it when we went inside the Anaphora but now that she’s near me, I noticed how her staff looked a lot different from mine. Her staff was like mine except that it had a more complex form. It was longer than mine with bumps twirling the pole like a snake. The twirls continued to the edge and formed four curved tips facing the inside of the edges in the shape of waves. Unlike mine, her staff had no glass orb on the edge and instead, a blue sphere was floating in the center of the wave-shaped coils, radiating cool immense aura like the sphere itself was made of pure energy. 

“Sorry,” I mumbled. 

“Don’t worry, you’re still a beginner so you’d naturally take days to learn,” she said and stood. “As what I told you earlier, you won’t do it by just chanting.” 

She stood behind me and held my hands, so she sort of hugged me. I bit back a curse. I could feel my face getting warmer and I bet it’s not because of the power. Her sweet smell made way to my nose. Damn, I thought. She smells like freshly plucked flowers. 

She leaned to my ears. “You are the source of the staff’s powers, Shiro. Try thinking about a fireball but focus on summoning it, not by shooting it.” It was very hard to focus with her hugging my back but I tried. I followed her advice. I imagined anything hot: red coals, spicy chili pepper, something that is warm or could burn. I imagined summoning a ball of fire in front of me. I felt the familiar tingle in my hands again and closed my eyes and concentrated on building a fire or even a spark. My body relaxed as Midorima removed her hands from mine and backed away. Seconds later, a gentle swish sound appeared.  

I opened my eyes. “Woah, I did it!” The ball of fire was now floating in the air, just inches from my staff. 

 “Good,” Midorima remarked.

 The others were looking at us, probably out of surprise or because I was sticking with Midorima again.  Nami cleared her throat. “The next step is controlling the fireball,” she said as she summoned a ball of wind on her palms. Supposedly, the ball of wind shouldn’t be visible. However, I could see it. White string-like mana swirled in a circular formation above Nami’s palm. Her windball floated up and down and went left and right her hands.                “Controlling an elemental ball requires focus and will of the mind, just like how you summoned it,” Nami said as the ball continued to circle her hand. “Just imagine that you are the fireball and you want to move.”

I imagined that I want to move the fireball away from my staff. It obeyed easily. “Good. Now force your mana into the ball and shoot it,” she encouraged and demonstrated it. The white streaks on her ball became clearer and clearer. I felt a surge of energy on it until she shot it on the ground. The windball made a miniature whirlwind that lasted for seconds along with a hole shaped like a crater on the ground.  

I scratched my head. “Just a question. How do you control your mana? I mean, when I play video games, the character’s skills use mana but I didn’t know that their spells were mana itself.” 

“Try to think that your mana inside your body is your blood. It surrounds your body, seeping every corner of it,” Nami said and sat down along with the others. 

Awful silence deafened my ears. I summoned another fireball again and tried controlling it. Left and right, up and down, push and pull – I managed to direct it in any angle I want. I closed my eyes and taught of Nami’s words. Mana is around my body. With the quiet environment, I felt I was alone in this caverns. Then, I felt my whole body tingle like a static wire was slowly being touched around my feet up to my head. I could sense the mana flowing through my body – an energy that circulated me as much as how my blood seeps in every part of me. My hands tingled and before I knew it, my fireball moved on its own. I opened my eyes and saw that a few feet from us, a smoking crater was on the ground. “You learn quickly,” Aunt Saiko praised. "Thanks, Auntie," I replied. 

"You don't have to call me Auntie anymore, Shiro"

I looked down. "O-Oh...yeah"

"Listen, Shiro - " 

"No, you're correct, I shouldn't call you Auntie anymore," I interrupted her. 

I looked at the spider. My thoughts were now focused and all that was now in my mind was to shoot the fireball on that damn spider. Perhaps it was because of my emotion that I easily summoned a fireball. The fireball's heat was more intense now though I didn't mind it. My hands tingled as I inserted  some more mana inside the fireball. I imagined that I was a gun and the fireball was my bullet. When I felt that the pressure of the mana inside the fireball is becoming tighter, I directed it to the spider. The fireball flared and sped its way to the monster's body. Seconds later, only ashes and the smell of roasted spiders remained on the ground. 

"Hey, Shiro..." 

"Please...not now," I said as I sat down and pretended to practice some more. 

"If you need us, we're just here, okay?" 

They seemed to sense that I needed to be alone so they just sat and huddled in a corner, whispering in hushed tones, probably forming a strategy. As they discussed, a message flashed in front of me. 

New Skill Learned; Elemental Shot

Rank: F

Skill Type: Mage-Class

Summons a sphere of element to the Figure's choice and lets them shoot it at will.

I stood and pointed my staff to the dark cavern's direction. I tried shooting another fireball again now but with a chant. I don't know, maybe just out of intuition, but I shouted "Pyroshot" and a fireball shot out of my staff and hit a wall, making it spill some crystals. 

"Was that Pyroshot?" asked Fritz. "Perhaps you're a Warrior, Shiro!" 

"No. Actually, it's called Elemental Shot," I explained. "It's a Rank-F Mage-Class Skill and lets you - "

"summon an elemental sphere of your choice and shoot it at will?" Midorima continued. 

"How'd you know that?" I asked in surprise. 

Thyme answered for her. "Sh'ed know, Shiro. You're probably a Mage-Class Figure as you have the same skill as hers." 

"But the question is how you have that skill. Only those Figures that have reached Rank-B and above can learn that and you're still a Rank-F Figure. Pyroshot is also a Warrior-Class skill, how'd you do that, I have no idea, but the prophecy must be true. You are a special Figure, Shiro," Nami said. 

I stood up. "What do you mean?" 

"We'll tell you after we clear this Anaphora. However, we should be going now," Nami said and all of them stood up. "Since you learned a skill now, you'd manage to kill a few monsters. We'll clear a path and kill the stronger Crawlers. You just stay in the back and let Midorima assist you."

Aunt Saiko nodded. "I approve what you're saying Nami. That way, Shiro will slowly gain experience and train himself."

"Then, it's decided," Nami said and held her bow. "Iku zo (Let's go)," she said as we trudged to the direction of the holes. I swallowed hard as the giant spiders started to crawl out at us, their mandibles bared and eyes gleaming at us. I just hope this ends well.