"What is mana?" Norman continued his line of questioning knowing that he had the upper hand in the current situation.
"What do you mean? It's mana… or magical energy." Clay stated with a monotone voice like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ok, Clay-"started Clay only to be interrupted by clay
"Sir Clay, we are not that close" Clay quickly clarified as his lessons in god class had said — Don't lower yourself to a mortals level — not even realizing he had already failed.
"As I was saying sir Clay, you may not be from around here but mana doesn't exist on earth well not until we found this temple. Now I'd lik- hold I need to take this" being interrupted a second time, this time by his boss, Norman was starting to get annoyed.
Clay watched as Norman took out a obsidian tablet and held it too his ear.
"Yes… No… we have encountered some individuals… yes… they call it mana… no Sir… yes sir." Getting off the phone, back to Clay Norman continued."Now I'd like you to help us run some tests, Clay. Would you be willing?"
"Depends…". Clay said with apprehension in his voice
"Dont worry, just some standard stuff." Norman said in a casual tone
"I think that you forgetting I'm not from here." Clay reminded Norman before thinking back too all the tests he had done on different plants.
Norman scratched the back of his neck as he explained to Clay, "the tests will mostly be us trying to detect strange energy from you, checking how different your physique is, and asking questions."
Clay made an immediate decision upon hearing this, "I will do it but under 2 conditions"
"Let's hear em"
"One, you guys can't touch my privates, and number two you guys have to help me with one request." Clay listed his 2 demands, a plan brewing in his head.
"Let me check with someone." Norman said before walking off out of earshot.
Looking at the temple more closely, Clay saw that it was dedicated too Apsu, who according to his teacher is a god of their opposing academy.
Apsu is a god of underground aquifers and water sources. Seeing as there was no water left in the area, it was understandable that the temple had been abandoned.
Standing up and walking around, Clay decided to modify his plans for his future temples. Instead of making temples of him and Nirin seperate but next to each other, he was now planning to make them a black stone darker then this temple to represent death while having plants growing along the sides of the stone to show how life can be created from death… Maybe have some cool carvings too!
"Hey, let's go" Norman shouted at Clay from another part of the teams camp.
After jogging over to Norman, The two talked about differences between their worlds while exiting the cast cave system, the walls getting claustrophobicly close at times.
It didn't take long to leave the cave, only an hour, and by the time Clay had left he knew what a car, smartphone, and tacos where.
"So this is a car," Clay observed the figure of the all black, tinted windows,Ford feista. "Not as impressive as you described"
"Well it's like horses, there are different kinds." Norman explained with a depressing look in his face before immediately catching himself and looking serious. "Anyways get in the back."
Back in Erebus, Nirin had been alone for a full day now, and her room was starting to get lonely. Most of her time was spent talking to a really crappy skeleton who had a dent in its skull and half it ribs missing.
"What should I do next," she rolled over to bring the skeleton into view. "There's nobody here to talk too."
Getting off her bed Nirin passed Greg, the skeleton, and went out of the dorm. Walking around the school grounds until she found her way to a garden with a large oak tree, one of the few trees that wasn't a Sakura tree.
Finding some footing on the tree, Nirin scaled the tree and started to read a decrepit book with silver edging.
Clay soon arrived at a government office in southern New Jersey of the United States.
Walking through the doors Norman told Clay too sit down while he got some paper work ready.
Sitting in a hard wooden seat Clay realized that the apearence of the seat was deceiving as it was uncomfortable too sit on. Ignoring the hard wooden seat, Clay took a moment to try and listen too the wind.
It was dead, no noises, no thoughts, nothing to talk too. The voice of the wind didn't seem to exist. This was scary. Where where the spirits of nature? What happened to kill them?
Walking back out the front door, Clay sat on a grassy patch infront on the building in a seiza.
Reaching out too the wind again, Clay waited with growing anxiety until he heard small whispers.
"Hel… us… he…lp…us" was all the wind could say before Clay felt the connection vanish. The words where fleeting and weak. Nothing like what the wind should sounds like.
What can I do? What could be the problem with this place! No mana, weak spirits, and a vastly limited range of colors, it's like a wasteland.
"What are you doing out here! I told you too wait." Norman came bursting through the doors of the office. "Whatever let's just get you down temporary ID."
Going inside Clay wrote down his name, height, and scribbled down his own box for race before having to restart. Second time he had learned and only filled out what was asked.
"Let me just get this into the system and print you a card."
"Wait… why do I have too do that when I can just do this." Clay said before using his own mana to display his status screen before Norman.
(Status in author notes)
What is a Olympic?
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Yippe! We getting to the good part now!