Explaining why I needed another tub of clean, hot water was awkward, and it made me feel more bedraggled than I was. What pissed me off was the attitude of the bathhouse owner. My little incident with the dagger in my gut meant more coin in his pocket, and the fucker didn’t even try to hide his glee. Worse, he had the audacity to tell me I got what I paid for, nothing more.

Not having the strength to argue with him that the crazy bitch with the knife wasn’t what I bought, I decided to let his strange remark pass, paid off another 30 coppers, and this time enjoyed my bath.

After all, this bloody mess and unexpected expense had one upside. I was no longer in a hurry. 

Of course, Aspen expected me to be there at the appointed time, which made me feel a little guilty, but now I had an excellent excuse to take my time. And I did.

 

***

 

“You’re late, Korra!” These were Aspen’s first words when I walked into the training room in the barracks. Nothing surprising. I was. And I had a good excuse for my tardiness.

“Well, you see...”

“You were attacked. Yeah, I heard,” she said, not letting me finish my well-rehearsed justification for my delay.

She knew? I didn’t find it strange that no guard escorted me out of the bathhouse when I knew Sah was doing his job. Although, honestly, he could have been a bit quicker. Yeah, they told me at the gate that he wanted to talk to me after my lesson, but I didn’t expect them to tell Aspen. 

She was no longer a city guard, just a slave like I used to be.

On the other hand, she  was under a strong Geas and was my teacher of magic. From that angle, it made sense that she was briefed. 

“Did that little wound hinder you so much that I had to wait here for half an hour?!”

I really took my sweet time in that hot water, didn’t I? “Aspen, that bitch stabbed me in the guts. I couldn’t walk around the city bleeding.”

“Oh, come on. I know how good your regeneration is. You must have stopped bleeding within minutes.”

Damn it! She knew me too well. “Okay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept you waiting, and I know that. I-I just...I needed it. I mean, to get my head straight, relax a bit. Seriously, who attacks a woman when she’s taking a bath?”

Stupid question, isn’t it? How many movies have I seen where the shadow of a murderer with a knife in his hand appeared behind the shower curtain of a victim taking her sweat time? Way too many times. What can I say? I simply didn’t think this kind of stuff would ever happen to me.

Adjusting the collar around her neck, Aspen clicked her tongue and frowned. “It has nothing to do with whether you have tits on your chest or a cock between your legs. If someone wants to attack you, that is the best time besides when you’re sleeping…No. Sorry, I take it back. An even better time to catch you off guard than a bath is when your pants are down.” 

“You mean...?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, smirking and making it look like it was obvious. “When you’re squatting down with your panties at your ankles doing your business. Few people focus on anything else at that moment. Surely, you shouldn’t have to worry about something like that in an ideal world, and most of the common folk don’t have to. That is if they have nothing that others might be interested in. Or unless they pissed somebody off.”

“That bitch was talking about a message for Deckard, though.”

“Or that. Your mentor vexed a lot of people in Castiana. Both as a lieutenant in the City Guard and as a seeker. To their annoyance, he was too strong for them to get at him. Now he has a weakness.”

“Shit! Me. You mean me, don’t you?”

“Yes, you.”

Okay, this called for a more serious conversation with Deckard. However, putting all the blame on him would be foolish of me. I didn’t just have people he pissed off on my tail. 

“So you’re saying I should never let my guard down? Never to relax again?”

Aspen nodded, giving me a sympathetic look, as her annoyance at my tardiness was slowly fading away. “Or you could take a bath in the finer bathhouses that offer security to their guests. Likewise, you can sleep in inns whose walls and doors are not just plain wood.”

“I’m guessing it’ll cost more than 30 coppers?”

This time, she laughed. “What kind of shithole were you in?”

“Never mind,” I mumbled, not wanting to go deeper into my financial plight. Instead, I thought about her advice.

“I know I’m not officially a guard, but do you think I could...sleep and bathe here in the barracks?”

“You’re asking the wrong lass, Korra. This is for the Captain to decide.”

Yeah, I was thinking more like, what are the chances of getting permission to stay? Never mind that. I’ll ask Rayden and see.

Putting that aside for future Korra to deal with, I took a deep breath and moved on to why I was here in the first place. “All right, Aspen. Are you going to teach me anything other than that I can’t piss without fear of someone stabbing me in the back?”

“Oh, don’t get all bitchy on me. You were the one making excuses. If you’d come on time, you’d have been sitting on your ass learning to control your mana long ago.”

“True,” I said, admitting she had a point. “Actually, before we begin, I have a question.”

“I hope this time about magic?” she asked with a warning in her voice and gestured for me to continue when I nodded. “Shoot.”

“How does one learn magic? I mean, like controlling fire like you. Is there a skill for that? For individual spells?” I didn’t ask about incantations because the mages didn’t use them so far as I could see.

“You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Good question, nevertheless. Magic is like everything else. You learn to control the mana, and you get access to skills like [Mana Control]. You learn to shape it into flame, and you get access to [Magic of Fire]. Let’s say your go-to attack is fireball, very basic, but master it enough, and you’ll be able to choose the skill [Fireball]. I know of a mage who has the skill [Candle Flame]. Don’t laugh, quite a useful one, dangerous when he wants it to be. Anyway, it all comes under one common name: forms of magic. In this case, the Magic of Fire. Is that enough of an answer to your question?”

Kind of, so I shrugged my wings. “It’s kind of like I thought it is. Well, it’s just that I’ve heard another term, school of magic. Is it the same thing?”

“No, it isn’t. What it is, is a more complex subject that I don’t want to go into right now.”

“Not a bit? For me, please. To give me an idea of the difference.”

“Stop. You’re a bloody adult, so act like one and don’t beg like a little brat.”

“So...?”

She let out a resigned sigh. “Schools of magic are all about how you are using the forms of magic. Abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, and so on. And yes, before you ask, there are skills for that too. Seriously, did you grow up under a rock? There are skills for everything, even for sleeping soundly, for not snoring. Heck, even for pissing.”

The hell?! Did I want to know more about that? Definitely not!

“Okay, that’s good enough for me. Thank you for your answer, teacher.”

“Hmm, that’s a better attitude. I hope it lasts. Anyway, what you should know is that magic is no different from martial arts or crafts. Or classes, for that matter. What you learn is reflected in both. Come to think of it, what made you ask?”

“Well,” I said, hesitating, having no idea how to go about it. “You know about my heart and [Heart of Magic] skill.”

“Sure. There’s more?”

“Um-hmm,” I hummed and twitched my ears in a nod. “I have access to several skills...or forms of magic, if you will, thanks to my heart.”

“Traiana’s tits! And you’re only telling me this now?” Her raised voice pricked my ears, though I understood her surprised reaction and kind of expected it. After her initial shock, she paused. “Wait? Why wasn’t I told that?”

To that, I could only shrug. “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I mentioned it to Lord Wigram along with my heart. Even Raiden was there. Janina and Deckard, too.”

She chuckled wanly and adjusted her collar. “Yeah, I can imagine they missed this little detail after you mentioned that little miracle beating in your chest. So, what forms of magic do you have access to?”

Giving my Status Screen a quick glance, I listed it to her.

 

[Magic of Fire]

[Magic of Water]

[Magic of Earth]

[Magic of Wind]

[Magic of Light]

[Magic of Dark]

 

Aspen was visibly impressed. “Shit! All the basic elements. If I didn’t know better, I might think you were a sage. Hmm...on the other hand, given the nature of your heart, it’s not so surprising. Any other magic? Every beast or monster is drawn to a certain form, even dragons, and I’d imagine it wouldn’t be one of the basic ones.”

She was right. “[Magic of Nature],” I said and paused, unsure of how she’s going to react to the last one. “...and [Magic of Arcane].”

“Arcane?” she asked to be sure, not quite certain she’d heard me correctly.

“Yeah, is it a rare magic?” From her reaction, it seemed that way.

“If it’s rare?” Aspen let out a sarcastic chuckle. “It’s just the purest magic there can be.”

“So, everyone can use it?” After all, if I assumed correctly, it was just about controlling mana and using it in its pure form, and I was already learning that.

“No, no, no...” Aspen objected fiercely, flicking her index finger from right to left. “I know what you’re getting at, but arcane is a form of magic like any other. I mean, it has form. Look, if you manipulate mana into the shape of a shield, it’s nothing but mana manipulation. Magic is when you give that mana a form, like fire. The older mages call it an attribute. Just so you know. Arcane is the same in this sense. Just another form of magic. Only more powerful. Pure magic. Pure...power.”

“I-I don’t follow. I mean, I do. The part about why it’s more powerful than the others doesn’t make a ton of sense to me,” I said, scratching the itch behind my ears. Damn, that was good. “You said it was a form of magic, an attribute like the others, so what makes it so different?”

“It’s pure,” Aspen says dryly, running her hand through her hair, looking for the right way to explain it to me. “I use fire, so I’ll relate to that. When I use my magic, I give mana a form of fire. It’s not fire per se. It doesn’t need wood, coal, or air to burn, but it’s not so far from the real thing and far from perfect. Like real fire, the magic one gives off light, heat and devours everything it touches. However, the magical flame is fed by mana. The greater the fire I want, the greater the heat I require, the longer I want to keep it up, the more mana I need. So far, so good?”

After I gave her the nod, she continued. 

“Fire has its own nuances that you have to adjust to, advantages and disadvantages. It sucks to use it in the rain, but it can get me a nice boost in the summer heat. Against earth magic, my flame can’t do shit. I’d rather run away if I had to face a water mage. Yet air will nourish my magic. Sure, there’s more to it. You can focus more on certain properties of fire, such as heat, thus [Magic of Heat], or combine it with other magic. [Magic of Steam]; [Magic of Lava]; [Magic of Shadow Flame]; [Magic of Solar Flame]; and this is just off the top of my head. There’s so much more. I’m sure you have the idea.”

“Yeah, I do. So, where does [Magic of Arcane] fit in?”

She gave me a grin. “Nowhere. You can’t have an arcane fire because that would still be fire. Arcane is pure magic.”

“You’ve said that before, but what does it mean?”

“That it is not affected by other forms of magic. The water will not quench it, the wind will not blow it away, the earth will not roll over it, the fire will not burn it, the light will not dazzle it, and the shadows will not swallow it up. Hold your horses, Korra. I know what you’re about to say. When I first heard about this, I thought the same thing. It has no weaknesses.”

“It does?”

“Of course, it’s not that simple. Other forms of magic may not affect it like each other, but it also means it can’t produce the same results. It can’t be hot, and so on. There are times when these things come in handy. You can’t light a fire with arcane magic, blind your opponent, or heal yourself.”

Okay, when I asked my question, I wasn’t expecting a lesson like this, just a simple answer. However, Aspen’s extensive explanation drew me in and I wanted to know more. So far, it all made sense to me, except for one little thing. “You made it sound like arcane magic was a big deal before? Now it’s sounding like it’s a pretty useless one, so what is it?”

Aspen chuckled. “To master arcane magic is a great thing. It means that the mage has mastered the six basic forms of magic. That is a feat in itself, but not only that, they managed to remove flaws each form has and combine them all into one. That requires a great understanding of magic, years and years of hard study and practice. So yes, it caught me off guard that you have the skill, and I feel bitter about it. Sorry, but it’s...I have no words for it. You got [Magic of Arcane] without any effort or understanding.”

“I paid my price,” I growled. I may have been ignorant when it came to magic, but I wasn’t about to listen to bullshit like I didn’t deserve it.

“A price any mage would be willing to pay,” Aspen barked back. 

“You sure talk big when you don’t know shit about what I’ve been through!”

“And you don’t know shit about mages!

“Look, Korra. Many mages seek greater power beyond the possibilities of their bodies. Curses twisting their flesh, transmutations, mutations - do you think no one has tried what happened to you before? I bet you’ve heard of liches, just necromancers gone too far. There can be a lot of greed for more power in mages, so don’t underestimate what they’re willing to do. If I had to guess, the bastard who did this to you is a mage too or is working for them.”

Well, that was one big mystery to me. Since getting the Eleaden system, I’ve seen the levels of people and their class, whatever it was. However, with Dungreen, it was nothing, absolutely nothing, no level or class, as if he didn’t exist for the system. At first, as an Earthling, I didn’t see the issue with it. The longer I spent in the cell and got used to the existence of the system in my mind, the more I questioned this anomaly called Dungreen. Sadly, I couldn’t voice my doubts out loud. The son of a bitch told me not to. If his name wasn’t listed under the master in my Status Screen, I wouldn’t have even known that.

For all I knew, he could have been a mage like Aspen said, or just a carriage driver gone nuts. He certainly enjoyed his experiments, trampling on the weak, his power over us in the cells. These were dark days, and I vowed to myself never to end up like that again.

“Don’t you think there are enough greedy bastards among the others, too?” I asked, remembering the slavers.

“You’re dead right about that. Look at me. If it wasn’t for those sons of bitches, I wouldn’t have ended up like this,” Aspen said, tugging on the collar. “However, as beautiful as magic can be, it can also be seductive. I’m sure your mentor warned you about blood lust, and if not, I say be careful. Don’t start enjoying the killing. Mana, or rather magic, carries similar risks. The strength and power that magic gives you can be intoxicating, and you can easily start to crave more.”

“Got it,” I said, remembering my fight with Squad Four and the effects magic had on my brain when I used my mane. “Can mana be used as a drug?”

“Dope?”

“Uh-hmm. When I...discovered the possibilities of my mane, it blew a lot of mana through my brain. Made me more focused but also worried. Back then, I feared I’d burn down my wits. Now, I'm more concerned about getting addicted to it.”

That made Aspen laugh. “That would be ridiculous, Korra. You can’t be hooked on your own blood, and mana is the same. Everyone has it to some extent, nourishing their bodies. Mages in such quantity that the absence of it could kill us. Then there are the beasts, someone like you, with their heart stirring the mana into their blood, making it flow through their veins.”

“Then what about that weird feeling I had?”

“Isn’t it a kick when you get upside down and the blood rushes to your head? Think about it the same way.”

So a little mana in my noggin might have been helpful, but too much then... “If I overdo it, then what?”

“You’ll feel tired, dizzy, and find it hard to concentrate. The brain is like a muscle; if you overdo it, you pull it.”

“No burning of my noggin?”

Aspen sighed. “Yeah, there are cases like that. But those were mages who have let the equivalent of half a dozen mages’ worth of mana pass through their brains. Don’t ask how or why. I’m telling you, in your case, if you really fuck up, you’ll be dizzy at most. If I was dumb, and I know, what I did in those woods was fucking stupid, I could throw myself into a coma, but I wouldn’t burn my brain.”

That was a relief to know. Not the fact that Aspen wouldn’t die, though that was also good to hear. What brought me peace of mind was knowing that even excessive use of my mane and careless handling of mana shouldn’t get me into too much trouble.

“Okay, that took one weight off my mind.”

“You have strange worries,” Aspen chuckled.

“Whatever. Let’s put me and my quirks aside. You told me what arcane magic can’t do, so is it any good then?”

“You bet! If I throw a fireball at you, your best call is a water shield. Not only does it have blocking properties, but it’s also magic in direct conflict with fire. It weakens it. If I shot a ball of arcane at you, you wouldn’t have that choice. There is simply no element that would weaken it.”

“Something tells me it’s not the ultimate magic of destruction against which there is no defense?”

“W-what?” She shook her head, unsure of what I had just said. “You’re really weird, Korra. You know that, right?”

I just shrugged, knowing that I can’t always avoid showing my origins. “Does that bother you?”

“You don’t deny it, huh?”

“What can I say? I know I’m a freak.” Better to blame it on my mutations than risk revealing I’m from another realm.

“That you are. Well, me? I don’t give a shit about your looks till you turn out to be a bitch. And if you do, even then, I don’t think there would be much I could do about it,” she said, tugging again at the magic tool around her neck. I sympathized with her. I really did. She was paying for her mistakes, though. That’s where we differed. 

“Now, arcane. It’s not some sort of unstoppable magic like you suggested. Think of it as a fire mage facing a fire mage. How does one stop a fireball?”

“Eh...bigger fireball?”

“Exactly, you can counter most magic this way. How effective it will be is another matter. It depends on the form of magic and the school of magic you and your opponent are using. Arcane magic is very effective in this regard. You get the power you put into it, no loss over time. Whereas with fire magic, it’s broken down into light, heat, and so on. I have to maintain the flame itself.”

Well, considering that those who could use arcane had to master the six basic elements, it made sense that they were very proficient in their magic.

“Your only option to overwhelm arcane magic is by brute power,” Aspen said, holding up a finger to suggest there was a ‘but’. “Or you can be smart about it and not confront them directly. That’s what I would do. I’d try to avoid their attacks instead of trying to fend them off. Then I would try to hit hard with everything I have.”

“Sound like you’ve given it a lot of thought?

Aspen smirked. “Sure I did. Not that there’s much chance I’ll run into such a mage, but I have to be prepared for the possibility. It’s part of being a mage, knowing the forms of magic in and out.” Then she gave me a stern look. “Don’t worry, Korra. When I’m done with you, you’ll know it all, too.”

Shit! And I thought my college years were long behind me, that I was well past the endless hours of grinding knowledge from the pages of books under the glow of my desk lamp. But remembering that stuff brought back some good memories. Grinning, I raised my hand.

“Yes, Korra?”

“Am I wrong to say that standing against an arcane mage puts you at a disadvantage no matter what? They should be proficient in all the basic elements and at a master level. So they can use the other six elements, save arcane, or am I mistaken?”

“Sure, and many others...”

“But?”

“Pros and cons, Korra. Besides, suppose such a mage wants to control all six basic forms of magic and arcane with the same precision and system support. In that case, they’ll fill seven skillslots with just the forms of magic. That’s a lot when you consider that we have to deal with eight class skills and ten general ones up to level three hundred. And if you want to be a decent mage, you need more than forms of magic skills.”

“Like how I have skills other than the ones that increase my strength,” I said, understanding what she was trying to tell me. No one could be an all-rounder. It would make him a jack of all trades and master of none.

“Exactly like that,” Aspen said with a nod. “Despite your weirdness, you seem to have some wits in that fluffy head of yours.”

“Do you take me for a stupid beast?”

“If it comes to magic, yeah. I was a fool for my teacher too, before I learned the basics.”

“Speaking of learning, can these skills help me master magic? More easily, I mean?” I added, hope seeping into my voice.

What I got from her was a smirk. “Sure, they can, to a point, once you know what you’re actually doing. The forms of magic are a reflection of what you’ve accomplished. They take you further, but they’re not specific spells. You have to learn how to give mana a form of flame yourself. Skills might make it easier, but they won’t do the job for you.”

“That sucks!”

“You thought you could take the easy way around, didn’t you?”

All I gave her was a disappointed grunt.

“Anyway, before you rush into giving any form to mana, you must first learn to control it, Korra. So you know the drill, sit your ass down, relax your mind and...”

“Sorry, Aspen. I have one more skill. Don’t look at me like that. It has nothing to do with my heart. I got it thanks to my new class. [Mantle of Magic]”

She shifted the collar on her neck. “Go on...”

So I told her about my skill, which allowed me to cover my body with a layer of mana.

“Well, this one may be useful to your learning, actually. Sit down and show me,” she said, gesturing to the floor of the training room. As I found out yesterday, not a really comfortable thing to sit on. Cold, hard, making my butt sore and giving me the chills. I did so anyway, thus finally beginning my magic training for the day.