04. Immense Gain and Trouble is Brewing

when he got out the gap, cripple stretched his back a little, while relaxing his mind, in that moment his eye suddenly became wide-open as he looked back at pocket,

"pocket!!! what's on your waist? you got something didn't you?" this time his tone wasn't gentle like usual at all, he stared at pocket tinged with worry.

"wha? something what?" blinked her eyes several times pocket was confused.

yet with urgent voice cripple exclaimed, "did you got something before? you stole something didn't you? quick!!! take it out, or we'll be in danger!!!"

just right when he cleared his mind and relaxed, he felt there was a sudden mana influx coming out from pocket's waist! his gaze was now focused on her waist, there he could saw golden mana spheres acting chaotically as if they were agitated by something

judging by its size with his mana sense it felt like a palm sized pouch.

however what perturbed his mind was, that mana influx felt so dangerous! and the movement of the usually gentle golden mana spheres grew more and more agitated around the pouch! it feels like it could destroys anything closes by just in a few moments!

aware of what was going on. flustered, pocket took out a small pouch from the back of her waist, she holds it by her two tiny hands, clearly she was hesitated, after all the pouch was adorned by prety small golden tassel with blue sea colored pearl hanging on it's edge, the tassel wrapped around the pouches neck nicely, it has black colored body seemingly made by satin with several red line criss-crossing on the cover and it looks majestic.

"um, um, brother. i got this from the weird man at the square just now, i think we got pretty good haul this time?...look here, isn't it beautiful pouch?" she said hesitantly.

"okay, calm down, that pouch, we shouldn't carelessly touch it, okay? now throw it far away..." ordered cripple carefuly.

"huh?" exclaimed pocket, she didn't understand what was going on with her dear buddy, wasn't the pouch looks nice? there should be some golden coins in it right? pocket keeps looking back and forth between cripple and the pouch,

as pocket seems increasingly unsure, cripple tried to coax her once again,

"pocket, there's saying 'second mouse got the bread', listen to me my dear friend, throw it away okay." he acted as if the pouch was some sort of bomb on pocket's hand. it couldn't be helped, after all as he watched, the more they wasted times, the more agitated the mana movement around the pouch's were.

'd*mn it pocket, listen to me!' screamed cripple inside his mind, nonetheless he tried to keep his composed expression.

"well, well then brother, at least let's take a look what's inside this pouch okay?" she plead.

pocket didn't act as cripple thought, she suddenly opened the tassel ties recklessly, at the same time seeing the mana on the verge of errupting, cripple put all of his strength on his left feet and lunge forward reaching the unawared pocket.

at the same time he didn't witness how amazingly agile his buddys hand was, after opening the tassel, pocket reached to grab any item that appeared on her vision in an instant from within the pouch.

BAM!!!

cripple rammed his body towards pocket! he left his walking stick in order to embrace pocket, covering her head with his two hands from the violent impact! both of them lies on the uneven ground splashing some water away.

and at the same time,

BLAST!!!

mana blasted out violently from the pouch! seemingly enraged by their action, triggering the air arounds it. the surrounding area feels like it was being blown up by sudden gush of tornado, even so it came and goes quickly, it was only an instant yet pocket could also feels her feet which didn't get covered by cripple's body prickled by violent wind just now.

laying on the ground cripple embraced pocket head, his body was now right on top of her trying his best to cover every part of her body, when he feels the surrounding mana began to settle down, he finally move aside from pocket, he lied down besides her while poking her head several times expressing his annoyance.

pocket who hadn't registered anything yet as of now, could only staring the skies with shocked look while still being poked by her buddy.

"you, how could i have such a foolish friend like you? really, you would be the reason how i died in the future..." cripple sigh in resignation manner,

"br...bro, brother? what was happened just now? what's with that pouch? and also...please stop poking my head!" pocket sat back straight swiftly,

cripple followed, as he sat he watched speechlessly at pocket, without saying anything, he flicked her head several times.

"ah! aw! ah, okay, im sorry! please stop! what if i becomes a fool if you keep hitting my head?" she plead while pouting, she covered her head in agrieved manner, then she continued with small voice "...ever since 2 weeks ago you always hitting my head, seems like your head has something loose brother..."

raising his left eyebrow he scowled at her, "what'd you say?"

"ah, oah...nothing nothing, i said nothing...." she stuttered waving her hand.

clearing his throat he said, "uhum, listen pocket, nextim...." he stunned and frowned, he suddenly looked at the skies direction, his face was getting grimmer by a second, then as quick as possible he reached toward his walking stick which fell not far from him, with one swift motion he got it, without saying anything else he grabed pocket's hand urging her to move.

she was bewildered at first yet this time she immediately comply due to his action before, something important must be happening right now.

cripple pushed her toward the gap before, he urged her to move in hurry. inside the gap, he covered it with the closest wooden box he could get in hope no one would notice them inside.

then he sat down peering out from several gaps, he pulled pocket to sat besides him. then with his left hand he encircled pocket's shoulder and embraced her tightly, she was stunned at first but this wasn't time to enjoy it as she could also felt the urgency of cripple's action just now.

in fact a moment ago, cripple felt the storming mana coming closer from skies direction, he grew nervous as he identified the mana's owner was someone he couldn't offend, it felt dangerous and threatening, clearly it was coming from the pouch owner,

he thought, the pouch's explosions before wasn't only to punish some thieves, the mana sudden surge was also some sort of beacon that serves as to provide its owner's its location.

his brain was working at full speed seeking solution for both of their safety, the gap they stayed in was a dead end, he couldn't move anywhere, he could only stays hidden and hope the owner would give them some leniency in case they got caught.

his tattered cloth was now damp by how much cold sweat pouring out, he couldn't careless about it, as of now he just witnessed someone flew down from the sky! it was the dead-pan middle-aged man from the square!

the man reached out the pouch on the ground, picked it up, checking it several times, then walk closer to where the gap was! watching how the man drew closer and closer, cripple tightened his embrace on pocket, he also closed her mouth so both of their breathing couldn't be heard from outside.

just as the middle-aged magician seems to be walked pass by, the man suddenly stopped! just right in front of the gap where cripple and pocket hid. for a few sec he stood still, with wide-eye cripple saw both of him and the man outside exchanged glance right in their eyes.

time seems stopped for a while, cripple watched as the man's eyes outside looks like an abyss at the moment, he stopped his breathing while cold sweat gushing out.

it was such a quick exchange, yet it felt like an eternity for cripple,

fortunately only short moment later, the middle-aged man began to walk away from there, leaving both of them.

breaking out the cold sweat, cripple didn't realize someone else was also struggling beside him, pocket's eyes and face were red as she tried to pried his hand away, she couldn't breathe! helpless, she just knocked his left knee several times forcefully.

"unnng....! uummmmm!" hearing pocket's groaning beside him, he startled as he quickly let go of his grip.

"phuaaaah....! you! bad! brother!!!"

pak! pak! pak! with both of her tiny hands, pocket knocked cripple's arm and shoulder repeatedly, her eyes were tearful and looked so wronged.

clasping both of his hand while bowing, cripple apologized profusely, letting his buddy vented her anger to him.

after a while she stopped, her mouth was still pouting in annoyance, she folds her hand while turning her head away seemingly ignoring cripple.

"im sorry, it was an emergency before...it won't happen again, i promise..." said cripple with bitter smile.

she harrumphed, "huummmpf! very bad brother!!!" but soon her face turn into embarrassment as her tummy growl loudly.

"you, must be hungry right? let's eat..." said cripple once more.

"i am, but where can we get food?" she replied while rubbing her flat tummy.

cripple pointed towards the end of the gap and said, "go to the back, look for box with red paint, open it and we can eat."

without a word, pocket get on her feet with a swoosh! she reached the end of the gap, there lies small wooden box with scrapped red paint on it, then she opened it, her eyes lit up when she saw what was inside.

"it's bread! and some fruit! amazing...how could you get these brother?" exclaimed her, soon she brought the box back towards her sitting buddy.

"it's my stashed food, it shouldn't be bad though, i got these just a few days ago..."

"humpf, you are really bad brother, how dare you keeping it secret from me." although she said that she still couldn't help but swallow her saliva's back.

he chuckled, "okay, just eat...we need to go back to the street asap."

"you need to be more careful brother, if anyone knows about this, it'll be bad for you..." she paused for a moment, next she started to distribute some moldy bread inside then carefully, she separate unedible part of fruits, soon she ate her pieces and giving the other to her buddy.

"....it'll be bad for both of us, hehe.."

she ate with great relish, while cripple seems contemplating about something.

"why stoffing brother? wuick! wuick! eat some." she reminded with stuffed mouth.

"nah, i just thought of what happened before."

hearing that, pocket understood and with low voice she said, "im sorry brother it was because i got careless...i couldn't helped it."

she closed her eyes as soon as she saw cripple finger were ready to deliver it's glorious flicks,

seeing her, cripple couldn't help but knitted his eyebrows, soon he changed his intention and just stroked her head gently.

"it wasn't your fault, we do anything in order to survive, just...be more prudent in the future." adviced him gently.

pocket nodded then as if she remembers something she reached her hand toward her back, with misterious smile she giggled glancing at her buddy. "uhm, uhm, brother, as my good brother, uhhm, fou fed me so i must give you something good in return...."

amused by her antics he said, "fed? you little....you think you're a pet?"

"well, if you become great magician in the future, i don't mind becoming your pet, i'm easy to care, not troublesome, you see i don't need much as long as i can eat meat in the future everyday for the rest of my life..." she paused for a moment giggling, "...how is it brother?"

cripple stunned as he saw pocket suddenly took out something swiftly, and presenting it to him with a smug face.

"jajang! look look, brother you know what's this?" there was a scroll on her hand, still warry of what happened before, cripple launched his mana sense at once, probing the scroll.

a moment later, he relaxed as he scrutinized the scroll and he found it was quite safe and there wasn't any enchantment like the pouch before,

"how's it brother? aren't i amazing? tehehhee..." said pocket smuggly.

"where did you get that? i thought it was only a pouch you got?" questioned cripple, he took the scroll slowly and began to scrutinized it further.

she grinned silly, "well, when the pouch was opened slightly i took anything i could get from the inside..."

astonished by her reply, cripple stroke her head gently, next his attention wss back toward the scroll, while pocket continued to eat.

the more he observed the scroll the more he found it incredible, the scroll itself has nice feeling when touched, it felt like it was made by velvet, it has violet colored cloud pattern like texture on it, the bottom rod was made by gold with both of its edges was in shape of dragon head, it has sparkly white tassel wrapped around the body.

after confirming nothing unusual, with care cripple opened its white tassel, he unfurled the scroll soon, he couldn't help but gasped as he read the scroll's title,

(Nine Revolutions Mana Absorptions Technique)

the scroll was actually an instructions on how magician could absorbs the mana better and make it purer, once he read the first sentence he couldn't stop as he continued reading the scroll swiftly until it's end.

once he finished, he put the unfurled scroll on his lap, his head was looking up closing his eyes seemingly immersed on his discovery.

soon he opened his eye, he looks solemn at the moment, his left eye looks like it was flickered with lightning, yet he didn't realized that the dragon's eyes that attached to the both scroll's edge was also glowed with indescribable light simultaneously, yet it was gone in instant.

after a while, his clarity returned, "you still haven't finished?" cripple looked at his buddy feeling amazed whom still gnawing on some bread.

"it's bad to washe footh brother...nom, nom, nom..." she didn't care and continue.

shaking his head cripple started his thought, he tried to integrates his newfound knowledge regarding mana technique, thanks to his second to none brain activity, he put together the knowledges and experiences one by one like puzzle.

in no time he finally succeeded,

'...what a wonderful technique, i thought i can only absorbs mana by my mouth, but this technique has opening a new world! it said i can absorb it by my whole body, it also teaches how to do it by tinkering the mana movement i just absorbs so it can attract more of it..." he thought.

'...nine revolutions was pointing at how the natural mana was actually quite impure and it must be refined before storing it inside my vessel, seems like the more it revolves the purer it would become. then, i bet nine revolutions isn't the limit. i need to study this more in the future...'

all this time ever since cripple could aborbs mana, he directly stored it inside the ethereal vessel inside his body. then let it flow through the various channels which he could feels circling his body.

but the scroll taught him otherwise, it teaches him how the mana he absorbs should be refined first, by letting it flowed in the channels before storing it inside the vessel.

it was written that the channels nature, actually removes the mana impurities by sending it to his excretion system, be it his digestive body waste, exhaling or even his pore secretion. so it was imperative to let the mana circling his channels as much as possible before storing it, hence the term nine revolutions came about.

it also stated that whatever he was doing, the channels could only be used as one way and not both ways, so if he absorbs the mana he couldn't release it at the same time and vice versa.

later on, cripple finally break out from his reverie, he didnt realize how much time had passed, as he noticed that pocket besides him unknowingly fell asleep already, he looked up determining the times then he wakes up pocket.

still groggy pocket wiped out her mouth, "uh? brother? are you done?"

stroking her head, cripple joked, "it was all your fault you know, go out first wait for me"

"hmppf...my fault? stinky brother." she pouted while crawling out of the gap.

next, cripple stood up holding his walking stick, he limped towards the dead end, he knocked the stone walls seemingly searching for something, soon he pried open one of the stone, pulled out two pouches, then he walked out the gap following pocket.

"here take this, it's afternoon already we should go back.." cripple gave a pouch toward cripple then he limped away from the alley followed by pocket.

"where'd you get this?" asked pocket.

"my secret stash..." answered him simply.

"i dont want to go back brother, i had enough."

"don't worry pocket, i promise you, at least next week we'll be gone..."

pocket saw him incredulously "really? how?"

cripple stopped for a while glancing at her, "it was all thanks to you actually, the scroll was of benefit to me..."

"hehehe, just don't forget me brother..."

the two walked out the alley in rather carefree manner without noticing that there was a pair of spying eyes from the alley corner.

'cripple no.1 and pocket no.6 ??? hehehe, i knew both of you were suspicious pair, just wait until i got more evidence, then i'll tell master Q about it, then master Q will recognize me more, and in the future i could stop being a beggar... hahahahaha.' thought the owner of the eyes with vicious glint on it.

...…

on the skies far away from maron city, there was a big bird flying in the direction of the city, but if ones looked closely, they'll notice that the big bird didn't even flapping its wings! it also looks like being made by some sort of wood, yet it flew away with high speed.

on top of the bird there was an old man closing his eyes while sitting cross-legged acompanied by teenage girl reading some book besides him.

all of sudden the old man opens his eyes, there was some kind of glittering light flashed in his eyes just now, then he chuckled softly while stroking his long white beard.

noticing the old man motions, the girl stopped reading her book,

"master? is there something?" asked the girl.

"nothing, i just felt something happened with my scroll just now." said the old man.

the old man looks was quite amiable, he has long white hair with long white beard, the long beard style was quite famous if person from earth hapens to see it, it looks like the beard of legendary great general from one of the east nation.

he wore grey wizard robe with inverted triangle-shaped crest on his right chest, what's make him different from the executioner from before, that there were 7 red colored stars attached on top of the crest.

"your scroll? which one of it master?" the girl scots closer to the old man.

"the one i gave to your senior brother.." he smile while stroking the girl's head gently.

"it's normal for him to read it right? after all you gave it to him..."

the old man stroking his beard while looking at the horizon afar, brimming with profound countenance. he let out a sigh,

"the problem is, your senior brother couldn't comprehends it, thus i never got any reaction from it, but..." he paused.

"maybe he finally comprehended it?" said the girl innocently.

"its...forget it, we'll meet him at the city anyway..." the old man closed his eyes once more.

"how long we get to maron city master? i'm bored..." the girl pouted picked up her book then continued her reading.

"around 3 days, just bear with it, magician should learn how to be patient, edna..." then the old man became completely silent seems deep in maditation.

'....three days, i hope vivi's already there...' thought the girl, she soon immersed back on her book.

~~~