Chapter 11: Overcooked

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Overcooked

The warmth spread through his chest, climbed into his arms, and settled behind his eyes like a second pulse.

[Mana: 100,049]

Jared stared at the number.

"A hundred thousand," he whispered. "And forty nine."

[I’m very impressed by your reading comprehension.]

[That’s the vial. Plus the 49 you had left over from the dragon.]

He flexed his hands. They didn’t feel any different on the outside, but something under his skin had changed. His fingertips hummed. His legs were steady. He felt rested, sharp, ready to run a marathon.

’This is what some beast masters feel like,every day.’

Then a different thought surfaced.

"System," he said slowly. "The original owner. When he used one of these, how long did it take for his mana cap to come back down? Or did he keep some of it? Like, residuals?"

[Ah. A smart question. Possibly your second or was it third. I quite forget.]

"Just answer."

[Fine. One time he took one. He went from 690 to 100,000, and then back to 690.]

"Back to 690?"

[In the end. After the boost wore off. No lingering effect whatsoever. He was at 690 back then. He’s grown since. Clearly, it didn’t stick.]

Jared’s shoulders sagged slightly.

"So it’s just a rental."

[A very expensive rental.]

"So I get one shot. And when it’s over, I’m back to 100."

[Yes. Unless you’re lucky. Unless the effect lasts across multiple refills. Which, in your case, I wouldn’t hold my breath for.]

Jared stood quietly for a moment. The disappointment was real, but it wasn’t heavy. It didn’t sink him the way the 760 had. He had 100,049 mana , and he wasn’t going to waste time moping.

"That’s not enough to discourage me," he said.

[Oh, please try harder.]

"I mean it."

[Of course you do.]

He took a step back, pulled the Ground Dragon’s gem out of the pouch, and held it at arm’s length. The red stone pulsed warmly against his palm, like it recognized him. He didn’t say a word. He just opened his fingers.

The gem struck the dirt with a crack, and red light flooded the yard.

The dragon rose out of it in a rush, heavy and dark, her claws sinking into the earth. She shook her head once, like a dog shaking off water, and turned her eyes on him. A low rumble rolled up from her chest.

"Good to see you again," Jared said. "Sorry about the wait."

She huffed, and a puff of heat ruffled his hair.

He raised one hand and pointed at the sky. "Same as before. Head up. Fire a blast."

The dragon tilted her head back. Her throat glowed orange. A column of fire thundered into the air, thick and roaring.

This time, Jared didn’t want wind.

’Ice. Make it ice.’

He pushed the thought out through the bond, sharper than before, and the flames responded. The orange turned white, then a pale, cold blue. Frost crackled across the base of the fire. And then the whole column froze solid in the air, a towering spike of ice rising into the sky, sparkling in the sun.

Jared grinned.

’Yes. That’s it. That’s incredible.’

For one perfect second it hung there, a glittering monument, huge and still.

Then it cracked.

A sharp, bright sound split the air. The column splintered at the base, and giant icicles, each as long as an arm of his, broke away and began to fall.

"Oh no," Jared said.

The dragon moved first. She threw herself sideways with surprising speed, her massive body rolling clear of the shards. Jared stood frozen, watching the first one plunge straight toward him.

[Rex. Move.]

He threw himself backward. An icicle tore past his shoulder and slammed into the dirt, shattering into a thousand bright pieces. A second one hit behind him. A third one clipped his arm, tearing through his sleeve and cutting a thin red line along his skin. It wasn’t much.

He hit the ground hard and rolled, ears ringing, ice raining around him.

Then it stopped.

The yard went quiet. Chunks of ice lay scattered across the dirt, steaming slightly, melting in the warm afternoon air. Jared lay on his back, breathing hard, staring at the sky.

He lifted his arm. A neat, shallow cut ran across it, bleeding a little. A few inches to the left, and the icicle would have taken his head.

[You’re an idiot.]

"."

[You’re a stupid, stupid boy.]

"That’s enough!"

[You summoned a dragon, turned its fire into ice, and then stood directly under the ice. In what universe was that a plan?]

"I wasn’t trying to be stupid," Jared protested, sitting up. His voice came out sharp. "I thought the ice would form with so much strength it would launch itself above the atmosphere. Or something."

[Above the atmosphere? Are you actually stupid?]

[Why?]

"Because it was an SSS Rank attack. I thought it’d be, I don’t know. Dramatic. Epic. Like it would punch a hole in the sky."

[It punched a hole in your sleeve.]

"I’m disappointed," he muttered. He brushed dirt off his shirt. "It looked so powerful. It was just a big stick of ice. I thought it’d do more."

For a moment, the system said nothing.

Then, almost gently, it spoke.

[It wasn’t impossible, you know.]

Jared looked up.

"What?"

[What you imagined. A blast that launches itself beyond the atmosphere. It’s not impossible. It’s well within the dragon’s range.]

"Then why didn’t it work?"

[Let me show you something.]

A panel unfolded beside his shoulder.

[Mana: 100,000]

Jared blinked.

"That’s it?"

[That’s it. 100,000, flat. You started at 100,049. That means you only spent 49.]

"49?"

[Yes. The same as last time, more or less.]

His mouth fell open slightly. He stared at the number.

"But I have a hundred thousand."

[You do.]

"And I only used 49 of it."

[Somehow.]

"That doesn’t make sense. I should have been able to do something huge."

[Exactly.]

The truth landed slowly. He had the mana. He had more than enough. Yet the Ground Dragon’s attack had cost the same pitiful amount as before. It hadn’t used the extra. It hadn’t even touched it.

’I’m not doing something right.’

[You aren’t bringing out her full potential. Not even close. You’re driving a sports car at walking speed. The power’s there. You just haven’t learned how to ask for it.]

"How do I do that?"

[Practice makes perfect.]

"That’s not a real answer."

[It’s the only one that’s true.]

Jared exhaled through his teeth. He stood, wiped his palms on his pants, and turned to the dragon. She was watching him from across the yard, head cocked. She looked, if he wasn’t mistaken, faintly judgmental.

"Again," he said.

She huffed.

"Again. Please. "He was much louder this time.

She lifted her head.

The next 15 minutes were a blur. He shouted commands. The dragon fired. Flames roared into the sky, transformed into streams of water, then walls of mist, then thick curtains of mud that splattered across the yard. He tried harder, bigger, longer. He shouted "Harder!" and she fired harder. He shouted "More!" and she fired more.

Each time, he checked the panel.

[Mana: 99,951]

[Mana: 99,905]

[Mana: 99,852]

[Mana: 99,801]

It never dropped more than a hundred. Not once. No matter how intense the blast, no matter how huge the column or how violent he wished the transmutation, the cost stayed stubbornly small, as if something in the process was holding the whole thing back.

"I don’t get it," he panted. "I’m doing everything. I’m giving her everything I’ve got."

[Evidently not.]

"Whats that supposed to mean?"

[It means you’re missing something.]

"Could you at least tell me what?"

[I’m not going to tell you.]

"System!"

[It’s character building.]

Jared stopped pressing. It obviously wasn’t just going to tell him so he wasn’t going to bother.

He kept going. Fire. Water. Ice. Wind. Mud. Steam. Each blast was a little bigger than the last, a little hotter, a little louder, yet each cost almost nothing. The yard was a wreck of scorched grass and melting frost. The wall was cracked. A tree had lost half its branches. His throat was hoarse from shouting.

Finally he stopped in the middle of the ring, hands on his knees, dripping sweat, staring at the number.

[Mana: 99,744]

"What am I doing wrong?" he whispered.

The dragon looked at him. The wind rustled the broken tree.

Then something inside him cracked.

"WHAT AM I NOT DOING RIGHT?!" he screamed.

The shout echoed off the stone wall and rolled into the sky. A few startled birds burst out of the trees. The dragon flinched, then looked away, almost embarrassed on his behalf.

’I’m shouting at nothing but a wild beast. I’ve lost it. I’ve completely lost it.’

He straightened, breathing hard. His fists were clenched. His eyes were stinging. He had 99,744 mana and a headache, and he had no idea what he was missing.

"Fine," he said through his teeth. "Fire."

He didn’t give the order for any transmutation. He didn’t think about ice or wind or mud. He didn’t think at all. He just pointed at the sky and shouted.

"FIRE!"

The dragon opened her jaws.

The flames that came out weren’t like the ones before. They were thick, white hot, and terrifyingly bright. The roar shook the ground. The heat hit Jared like a wall, driving him back, and for a second he couldn’t see anything but light.

The column surged up, curved in the air, and came back down.

It hit the roof of the house.

Shingles burst into flame. A sheet of orange swept across the eaves, crackling and spitting sparks. Smoke boiled upward in thick black ropes. A window shattered. Somewhere inside, something fell with a crash.

Jared stared.

His mouth opened, but nothing came out for a long moment. The dragon sat down heavily behind him, looking at the house, then at him, then at the house again.

"What have I done?" he said.