Chapter 11: Remnant

Saturday morning came and went by quickly, as if it didn't exist in the eyes of Barbados. He spent the entire time cooped in his room experimenting with the newly acquired mana. He learned how to stop it from leaving his body and containing it. Additionally, he was now able to extend his mana past the confinements of his body, although it was a short distance. He also discovered that the mana used would vanish after it fulfilled its purpose, and he didn't regenerate it like the other mana users, acting like a finite resource. He decided that it should be a last measure in case there ever arose a situation where his weapons alone wouldn't suffice. He decided he had spent long enough in the cramped room and left for the teacher's lounge. He stopped in front of a classroom as he saw Erven struggling searching through an assortment of items.

"Hi Erven." he said while sipping a cup of coffee. He still didn't understand the appeal of the beverage but drank it to fit in. Erven looked and smiled at him, pointing to a sign that said he was unable to currently speak. "What, but we spoke yesterday?" He wrote down to ask Grog about it as he could provide more information. "Ok. Do you need any help with your situation?" he asked while nudging the pile of boxes. He nodded in shame. "So what are we looking for?" Erven drew what seemed to resemble a box of pills. After searching for 30 minutes, they eventually found it stacked inside a forgotten box.

"Thank you Barbados!" he exclaimed after taking one of the plain white pills.

"I know you told me to ask Grog but I don't know where he is. Do those pills help you speak?"

"Yes they do. They are made from a specific plant oil that is rich in mana and minerals. I'm mute and use the mana to recreate my vocal glands, using the minerals to sustain them rather than use mana as it's more efficient. Did you need anything?"

"Ah yes. How does one use their mana to mimic a natural phenomena? I was just curious to see what the fundamentals, or rather the basics, were." Erven thought for a minute and snapped his fingers. He found a stray piece of paper and drew on it a flame.

"When choosing the natural occurrence you wish to mimic, you need to know every little detail about it. You need to know the smell, the feeling of it, the noises it produces and what you would see if it were in front of you? Take this flame for example. You would be able to smell something burning, probably wood; you would be able to feel the heat it gives off and hear the crackling of burning material. Lastly, you would see the usual orange and yellow as the colours would make long streaks, while a blue flame would be more compact and intense. Taking all these into consideration, you would visualise it all in your mind and assign a specific word to help you produce it. Although the more experienced you are, the less likely you would need to use these words, like this. "

A flame swirled from his hand into the air and danced around.

"After you mimic it, you are able to control it to your heart's content and turn your mana into it." Barbados was amazed by the simple yet admittedly hard procedure. He thanked Erven for his help and left to find Grog. He still had the cup of coffee that he was unable to finish and searched for a place to pour it away. A bush caught his sight and he sneakily got rid of it.

"Ouch!" Something in the bush screamed which made Barbados take a stance, slowly moving a branch using the tip of a spear. He saw the face of a dwarven girl and she saw his, the pristine smooth skin adorning a crimson red halo. "An angel." she said out loud as she examined his face. Barbados was taken back by the compliment.

"Excuse me?" replied Barbados as he put the spears away. "Actually nevermind. What is a student doing in a bush in the first place?"

"Uhhh. I am uhhh," the girl tried to come up with an answer, "Looking for berries?"

"In a berryless bush?" Barbados pointed to the empty leaves and gestured at the lack of berries.

"Yep." The girl doubled down on the lie.

"Well, good luck I guess. What year are you in so that I may judge you."

"Blossom's 5th year." she said while hiding away in shame in the bush.

"Huh. Are you manchild?" he asked with a disappointed tone.

"No! I'm just trying to connect with nature."

"Oh?" Barbados's attention had been captivated by the strange student. "Why would you need to connect to nature? Is it something to do with mana?" He pestered her with questions.

"No, I'm what many refer to as a 'Nature Fiends'. We are meant to be the closest race to nature and the elements but I just don't feel that connection," she looked at Barbados who looked like he was lost in thought, "Are you listening?"

"Yes. Where your parents a Dwarf and a Druid?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I have a good eye for identifying people. I'm also over 200 years old so I've just gotten good at it."

"Huh? 200? You are 200 years old? No way! You don't look a day over 20!" She jumped out and grabbed him by his shirt and got up really close. "Tell me your secrets." she whispered in an ominous tone.

"Sure if you give me my personal space back. Thank you. Moisturising cream. Lots of it. And ice-cold water, it's good for lightening and smoothing the skin." He may be a Sinborn but he knew an unusually large amount of skincare tips. He remembered a time when his wife used to yell and grow angry when he confused her routines.

"Noted." said the inspired student.

Barbados gave every bit of knowledge he knew and asked her to help him find Grog.

"Sir, are you a new teacher here?"

"Yes. I teach weapon mastery. Why do you ask?"

"Well," she said while pointing at his attire, "I didn't expect a teacher to walk around campus in half a battlesuit and a potato bag-textured shirt."

"Eh, personal preference." They walked for 10 minutes while searching around, discussing the smallest and unimportant matters, such as if bees could defeat a dragon. The two found Grog inside a large greenhouse that housed exotic floral life, and thanked the student for journeying with him, reminding them that if they had any questions about weapons he was free to help.

"Grog. Is there any way to extend the time for outputting mana? I have this half-orc half human student in one of my classes and he has basically mastered his weapons. What he needs to improve is his mana output."

"Unless he ingests mana pills and trains until fainting, no. And even if he does train like that, it would only improve by a fraction of a second. I'm sorry I could give any useful advice."

"No. It will suffice, thank you. What plants are you growi-" but before Barbados could finish speaking, a siren shrieked through the entire campus.

"Code 1. A Remnant has emerged. All certified personnel evacuate the students and prepare blockades at every exit." It repeated constantly and Grog grabbed Barbados's arm and dashed to the coordinates given.

"Uh. What's a Remnant?" asked the Sinborn as he glided like a kite as he was pulled along.

"You'll see." Grog responded in a restrained tone, while his face pulsated and grew red.

They arrived at one of the many dormitories on the academy campus, which was surrounded by many teachers and specialised professionals that upheld a solid barrier around the entire area.

"What's the situation? " asked Grog.

"It's grave. More than 10 students are trapped. We haven't been able to get in contact with Erven or Adam."

"Huh? I saw Erven not long ago and helped him find his pills." said Barbados to the officer.

"And who may you be?" they replied in a rude tone Barbados didn't appreciate.

"I'm the man who's going to have to do your dirty work. Grog let me go in."

"You don't even know what a Remnant is."

"Given the name, I'd guess it's something left over. Am I right?"

"Half. It's the disfigured and mangled body of a person that undergoes transformation after dying or suffering severe mental injuries."

"Oh. I'll be fine, I read about this in the library! I'm off." he said as he made his way to the barrier and was let through.

"No, you don't, you fool." Grog said as he fell to the ground and felt a heavy breath leaving his body. "Those books are outdated," he said as he turned to the officer in charge "Announce to everyone to get ready. Also," he began saying while looking at the barrier, "call for the help of a Recluse."

Unknown to Barbados, the body of a Remnant is fully formed from pure mana. Grog was told about the fight between Barbados and the Knight Council, and how mana had managed to wound his body. He was up against the worst imaginable match.

****

Grey and brown flakes were present in the dense air, and strange luminescent crystalline deposits had formed on the blades of grass. The entire building had been surrounded and Barbados was only just realising how luxurious the academy was; the marble brick still glowed in the dystopian setting. Visibility was poor at best and the area was large.

"I should have an item to help with this type of situation," he said while searching through his personal space, "Aha!" He pulled out a lantern attached to a perpetually flaming wooden branch. "Illuminate my path forwards and track my enemy." Little sparks of flames seemed to have gained consciousness and sprung to life from the bronze lamp casing, gliding gently in the still air and eating away at the impurities, as the warm blaze warmed the unusual cold environment. One spark of flame returned and whispered to Barbados the trail left by the enemy. He followed it slowly, feeling a sense of strange excitement inside of him. A sheet of silence seemed to have been layered on the world, as if time had ceased to function and all that was left was the comforting burning of fire.

Barbados was dragged behind the huge complex to where there was a relatively large communal washroom and what resembled a sauna. On the trail there were black oil-like marks left, a thick sludge leading toward the inside of the sauna, but when Barbados opened the sliding door, all that was inside was the remnants of a large transparent white membrane.

"Ew." he said as he touched a part using the flaming lantern. The same spark from before showed another trail leading into the building. "So much walking." he moaned as he walked through the doors to a destroyed interior. More of the crystal had sprouted on the walls and ceiling, forming stalactites. Intrigued, Barbados tried breaking a spike but burned his hand on the clear formation. Confused, he tried breaking it with a piece of cloth, which had no reaction or burn marks. It was formed from mana. Greedy thoughts surged through the Sinborn's head, but he focused on the mission ahead of him and put the spike in his spacial personal space.

He carried on moving from hallway to hallway, but soon grew annoyed at the endless rooms. He called the sparks back and exchanged the lantern for an instrument. It was a cymbal engraved with frequency amplification, and loudly smacked the incurved surface with a wooden smooth rod. A circle of white vibrations was sent through the entire building, and just like echolocation, he was able to view the entire structure and see that the enemy was at the top of the building. He prepared himself and slowly made his way up, floor by floor. The frightening part of this exploration was that he had not seen anybody, and not heard even a single sound of struggle; only a rumble that shook the floors. But as he arrived on the last floor, a stench of iron smacked his nostrils and the familiar purple haze of death had formed. He counted 5 lifeless vessels that had the same obsidian-like sludge on them and a large bloody trail that led out of the inside to the outside. He opened the doors and saw the Remnant: a black mass of solidified black rock and crystal, a right arm clung to a large battle hammer and its left arm split into a sharp curved blade and a limb it used to stabilise its heavy body.

Barbados prepared for battle. The creature cried as he pierced its rocky skin with a metal rod. He clenched the crossbow close and he hid behind the door, and shot it again. He no longer had the element of surprise, and as he ran towards the creature, the Remnant prepared to attack with the large war hammer. All it did was send him flying and slightly bend the weapon.

"No weapon shall injure my body unless I permit it!" he yelled while having a wide grin across his face. The being left the hammer to one side and prepared to attack with it's bladed appendage. Barbados had a broadsword to his side and was prepared to counter the blade, but the creature grabbed him and sliced him in half. "Shit." he said as he slid off the body. "The Remnants are made of mana, therefore any attached weapons would be formed from mana." Barbados laughed deliriously as he tried staring at the sun.

A pair clapping hands attracted both the Remnants and Barbados's attention.

"What marvellous performance that was," a thick British accent slipped through his mouth, "Jolly good show!"

"Hey there kind stranger, mind giving me a hand? Try pushing my still standing legs to this side. I'll be up and running soon after." The happy man looked at him and gave a thumbs up. Barbados recalled that being a sign of positivity. He pulled out a strange metallic device and inserted a capsule inside, lining it up with the malformed head that resembled a multitude of entries into a cave. He pulled the trigger and a fast moving projectile was propelled, heavily injuring the Remnant and sending a stream of brown blood out the rock flesh. It shrieked and tried crushing its face to cover the hole. The man ran past the distracted giant and did as he was asked.

"Ah. Better." Barbados replied as his spine reattached to the pelvis and his skin grew to house his organs. "Thanks."

"Do not worry about it. It was a gesture of kindness."

The man clenched the steel weapon by his side and Barbados chose to use a gamble. He pulled out an icicle, and muttered the words "Reveal the shape of a spear." The ice melted and reformed into a magnificent weapon.

"Won't that break?" asked the man.

"Depends if the gamble fails. I'd say the chances are 1 to 5. Cover me." Barbados ran again towards the Remnant, and before the creature could attack, Barbados stabbed into the chest and dove it deep into the flesh. "Purge!" Barbados yelled as he twisted and a barrage of ice spikes erupted from the rocky body. The creature, hanging onto its last fragments of life, resorted to barbarick rushes of attacks that lacked any reason. Barbados swiftly doged them and shot it again using a crossbow. The constant firing of the man's strange silver weapon made it easy to subdue the Remnant.

But it didn't die. Rather, it began to look more alive than ever. The calm man finally lost his calm presence and began to grow worried.

"Watch out! That's Rigormortis! We don't know what will happ-" but he was interrupted as the bloating rock skin turned into a puddle of water that simply spread away, leaving behind the naked body of a child that had wounds all around his body.

"No. Why?" Barbados said as he stared at the boy who once tried to pick a war hammer in his class, that he tried to help and give advice. "Answer me Junior!" he yelled as he tried to hide the tears as he cradled the body.

"I just couldn't do it." the weak boy said. "Everyone around me was better than me at everything. I felt useless and inferior. I gave in and accepted the calling." The boy coughed impure blood. "I hear bells Sir."

"Junior please. You-" but he couldn't finish the sentence, for the boy wasn't a Sinborn or any other race, but a human.

"I wanted to give you this Sir. Thank you for trying to help." The boy coughed more and gasped more frequently for air. He handed Barbados a little wooden figure that resembled the blacksmith hammer he had given him.

"Rest boy. You'll do good in the next life." Barbados closed the boy's eyes, covered the body with a lion's fur and made his way out.