Much to Maeryn’s shock, Jacob arrived the very next day, looking for all the world like he’d just been in the area instead of on a pilgrimage more than a day away. “You called?” he asked with a teasing grin, standing just outside the door into Stonewing.

  “I did,” she agreed dumbly. “But I didn’t expect you to respond so quickly.”

  “Yeah, well, turns out my little journey through Geova’s taken on a life of its own.” Jacob reached to his chest and held up a necklace with a simple medallion on it, depicting an open palm. “Apparently I’m the founder of a new organization. The Hallowed. Made up entirely of necromancers and holy mages who dedicate their time and effort into improving their communities.”

  Maeryn raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure that’s not the kind of thing that happens by accident?”

  “Yeah, I thought so too. But after about a hundred people started following me around from city to city—”

  “A hundred?” she repeated incredulously.

  “I know, right?” Jacob agreed instantly. “I expected them to stay home, help their local communities or whatever, but no, for some reason they want to go where I go! I know I’m not that good of a teacher!”

  “Maybe it’s that you’ve made them feel like they’re helping?” Maeryn suggested. “Made them feel useful? Wasn’t that why you wanted them to volunteer their time to begin with? So they’d know how good it feels to help other people, so they’d attune to holy easier?”

  Jacob made a face, clearly hearing her point but not liking it at all. “I mean, yes, but still. I’m not even twenty yet. I shouldn’t have adults twice my age following me around like I’m some kind of miracle worker.”

  Maeryn paused to digest that, then nodded a few times. She understood that particular sentiment all too well. “Yeah, that’s fair. Anyway, how did you end up with an organization?”

  The ex-hunter sighed, visibly resigning himself to telling the story. “Well, I got nearly a dozen people to attune to holy magic. It helps that it’s not really a combat magic type. More utility than anything else. But turns out, the Elders have been keeping tabs on me.”

  “Can you blame them?” Maeryn interrupted. “Considering how you talked me down from literally resurrecting Donovan as an Undead in front of all of them a few weeks ago?”

  Jacob pursed his lips. “I guess. Anyway, Head Elder Alric personally assigned a new receptionist to me and congratulated me on creating an organization that gives a place for necromancers and holy mages outside of battle.” He shook his head, still looking vaguely out of his element. “So, yeah. That happened. And I have no idea what to do with it.”

  Maeryn could only shrug. “Keep doing what you’ve been doing? Apparently it’s working.”

  “Is that what you do?” the earth-slash-holy mage asked, half-accusing, half-curious.

  “Basically, yeah. If it works, it works.” Maeryn tried to smirk like she used to, but it came out as a grimace. Her face fell at the failure. “Anyway. Do you mind teaching me earth magic? I’ve had an accident, magic-wise, and, um… my fire affinity’s gone. It should be back eventually, but there’s no telling when. Agatha suggested I attune to earth and water in the meantime.”

  Jacob blinked, then recoiled in horror. “You lost your native affinity?” he breathed. “That’s… that’s horrible! Are you okay? No, stupid question, of course not.”

  “You’re right, I’m not,” she reluctantly admitted. “But wallowing in misery’s never been my style. Agatha thinks rounding myself out with the other elements will help bring my fire back, and she’s never let me down before.” Her brain instantly conjured the time that Agatha had told her to resurrect her fallen brethren as Undead soldiers in the worst case scenario against the Legion, and she grimaced at the memory of that particular fallout. “Well, almost, anyway. So…?”

  “Yes, absolutely. Anything to help.” Jacob gestured for Maeryn to follow him. “Come on, you know that attuning to an element is easier when you’re surrounded by it. Let’s find somewhere isolated.”

  The Mist surrounding Siltwind had been cleared for weeks, making the half-hour walk to Falan Ruins absolutely effortless. Even better, there was nobody even remotely nearby. Jacob found an area with some large stones, and nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, Maeryn. For this next part, I’m going to need you to trust me.”

  “With my life,” she agreed instantly. “What do you need from me?”

  “I need you to let me bury you.” She blinked in shock, and Jacob hurriedly continued. “I’ll keep your head above ground, so no trouble breathing. But I swear, this is what helps me the most with my earth affinity.”

  Maeryn nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay. Do it.”

  Jacob came close, within arm’s distance from her, and then knelt by her feet, touching the ground with both hands. “Just relax. I’ll do it slowly. And if you decide it’s too much, just say so and I’ll get you out. I promise.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to calm her racing heart. “Just do it already.”

  He didn’t say anything else, but she felt the earth shift beneath her feet, becoming softer. She sank slowly into the ground as though it were mud, dirt and stone pressing up against shins… her thighs… her waist… Maeryn took a deep breath as it passed her stomach, trying to calm her anxiety. She bit her lip as she sank up to her chest, the cool earth pressing against her in a way that was simultaneously comforting and scary.

  I can stop this at any time, she reminded herself. She didn’t even need Jacob’s help for it either. A quick application of Body Enhancement and she could tear herself loose. Switching to necro affinity would let her use acid to break down the dirt and stone around her, allowing her to wriggle out. She could get out. She was fine. She knew that. But it was still heart-rendingly terrifying to be buried up to the neck in dirt.

  Then it was done. The earth stopped moving. And Maeryn breathed.

  Jacob sat down cross-legged in front of her. “Doing okay there?”

  “I’m okay,” she told him, and surprisingly it was even mostly true. When the ground beneath and around her wasn’t moving, it was… oddly cradling, to be held still like this. It was nice. Not too cool, not too warm, just… pressure. Huh. It reminded her of a heavy blanket, actually. She knew some people—like Frankie—slept better with them, and Frankie had convinced her to give it a try once. The pressure had been kind of soothing, and this new experience felt comfortingly similar for some reason.

  She wondered for a crazy moment whether she could convince Frankie to try to sleep buried to the neck in the ground, just for comparison. Maeryn was pretty sure her friend would do it just for kicks and giggles. Banishing the stray thought for later, she swallowed and refocused. “Alright, I’m buried. What’s next?”

  Jacob cleared his throat. “Now you learn about earth’s concepts. First is Solidity. Earth, out of all the classic elements, is the only one that retains a set form. Water takes on the shape of whatever holds it. Air is similar, but even more free. And fire is chaotic, always trying to grow. But if you carve a statue out of stone, that statue will remain until something else breaks it. The core behind Solidity is Permanence. With me so far?”

  Maeryn would have nodded, but her current state didn’t really let her. “Yep. Perfect sense so far.”

  “Second is Density. There are different kinds of stone, obviously, but you know how a clump of sand weighs less than a rock the same size? They’re often the same material, just in different densities because it’s been eroded away. Earth is strongest at its most dense. That’s also when it’s heaviest, and most stubborn.”

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  Maeryn frowned. “What about metal?”

  Jacob shook his head. “Metal’s too stubborn in most cases, especially after it’s been forged. Molten metal is a bit easier, since the form hasn’t solidified, but in general it’s more trouble than it’s worth. There’s a reason why master smiths are so rare. They have to master both earth and fire magic to properly infuse steel with mana.” He chuckled wryly. “Though, who knows? With how strong you were in fire magic, you might manage it. Far be it from me to tell you what’s impossible.”

  Maeryn blushed, looking away. “Alright. Solidity, Density. What’s next?”

  “The next two are more or less the same thing, just different thoughts on the same idea. Support and Interdependence.” Jacob took a long breath. “Do you feel the way the earth is pressing against you? How the denser bits holding you firmly are at the bottom, and the dirt around your neck is loose and giving? It’s that way for a reason. The strongest earth is at the bottom, supporting the weight of everything above it. If you place a solid stone wall atop sand, it’ll fall over, or sink into the sand entirely.”

  Jacob continued on, staring straight into Maeryn’s eyes. “In the same way, the earth is interdependent with itself. Stone is only solid because each grain holds tight to the others. Wind and water erosion is just pulling particles away from its fellows, over and over, until the stone is completely dissolved.”

  Maeryn said nothing for a long moment, thinking on his words. “So, attuning to earth magic requires acknowledging that I am who and where I am… because of the support of those who came before, and the connections I’ve made with the people around me?”

  “Exactly.” Jacob smiled encouragingly. “Everyone, and everything, is connected. Even you and the dirt beneath your feet. How do you think you can run? You push the earth, and the earth pushes you forward. Your whole life, you’ve had the help of the earth. So if you can convince the ground that you are the same, that you want to support it for once, then the earth will let you shape it. You must be solid. Steadfast. As firm and unyielding as the mountains. And then the earth will follow you,” he finished.

  Maeryn closed her eyes, meditating on the sensation of the earth surrounding her and the concepts of its magic.

  Solidity. Density. The idea of being firmly defined, stubbornly sticking to her ideals and goals. Had she not spent her life singlemindedly focused on becoming strong enough to save the world? Was she not here, even without the passion of her fire magic, because she was too stubborn to quit?

  Support. Interdependence. The idea that she was only able to reach this far because she was connected to countless people and events that had helped propel her this far. That the people around her were stronger because of her support, and vice versa. She could understand that—she knew perfectly well that without any one of her core team, they never would have succeeded in creating holy magic. They truly were interconnected, and their mutual support had given their world time.

  And now, the final piece to the puzzle. She needed to consider a version of herself that would be attuned to earth magic. One who held the right kind of paradigm.

  She considered it. Fire-aligned Maeryn was all about passion and decisiveness. Ice-aligned Maeryn saw the world through cold logic and planning. Wind-aligned Maeryn embraced serenity and living in the moment. Necro-aligned Maeryn ruthlessly pursued her goals. So who was Earth-aligned Maeryn?

  A team player, for certain. A Maeryn who could support her team, or be supported by them in turn. A Maeryn who was firm in her beliefs. A Maeryn who accepted the weight of her responsibilities, and was at peace with them.

  Ah. There she was.

  Maeryn felt her mind, her paradigm, shift. And the warm light of holy mana within her faded, solidifying into something… slow. Heavy. Thick. Like a liquid stone, filling her and exerting a tiny but noticeable pressure from the inside out. Keeping her eyes closed, she slowly drew in mana—not from the air, but from the ground around her. And she impressed her thoughts and musings and nascent understanding of earth magic upon it.

  The hunter inhaled sharply as she felt the mana connect back into the ground like a tree might spread its roots. She felt… so aware of the earth beneath her, like she knew exactly how much pressure she was pushing against the ground… and how much pressure the earth was pushing back with. They were… the same, yet in opposite directions?

  Oh. Of course. Support went both ways. What she gave the earth, the earth would give back. Anything else would hurt one or the other. That was what Support and Interdependence meant.

  Maeryn opened her eyes with the steadfastness of an earth mage, and immediately set to work. She fed mana to the dirt surrounding her body, giving it what it needed to become firmer. Denser. More compact. And in exchange, she asked for it to support her, to push her upwards.

  The earth was almost too happy to comply, and Maeryn shortly found herself brushing dirt from her clothes. “Thank you,” she told Jacob sincerely.

  He just stared at her. After a long moment, he began speaking slowly, as if needing to pick his words with extreme care. “Maeryn. If I wasn’t completely certain that you hadn’t been attuned to earth before this moment, I would be accusing you of playing me for a fool. Most people don’t attune to a new element in fifteen minutes. It is supposed to take days, at least. Weeks on average.”

  Maeryn let the words glide over her. It was… oddly easy to remain unmoved by them. Like they only mattered if she let them. Was this why most earth-aligned were so stoic? “Most people haven’t already attuned to four elements before trying another,” she pointed out calmly. “Besides, earth suits me right now. Can you really say I’m not a stubborn woman who knows intimately how screwed we all would be if my team didn’t work together so well?”

  Jacob raised a finger to rebut, then lowered it with a shrug. “Fair point. So, what’s next?”

  “The basics,” Maeryn decided. “There’s no point in having the affinity if I can’t use it.”

  It didn’t take long. Her experience with adapting her fire magic spells to ice and holy meant that it took almost no time at all to figure out the earth variants. Flame Dart became Stone Dart. Fireball shifted naturally into Stone Bullet. The only spell that took extra time was Earth Wall, because she hadn’t learned any barrier-type spells yet.

  Jacob just shook his head when Maeryn finally conjured an Earth Wall an hour later. “It’s a good thing that I’m comfortable in my own skin, because otherwise you’d be making me feel very inadequate. I still can’t erect Earth Walls consistently.”

  “Oh, right. Your external magic issue.” Jacob, for whatever reason, had enormous difficulty with casting spells outside of his own body. The spells wouldn’t travel far, or they’d be weaker than they should be. On the other hand, internal spells came far easier to him, and his Body Enhancement spell was monstrous.

  Actually, that reminded Maeryn. “Have you considered using an earth magic variant of Body Enhancement?”

  “Sure. I even tried it after you showed me your fire magic variant.” Jacob flexed. “It makes me incredibly durable and strong, but it’s heavy. So it slows me down. Not so great in fast battles, but great for training during the day-to-day.”

  Maeryn pursed her lips in thought. “I’ll have to try that, someday. After I’ve gained enough earth magic resistance to not get crushed instantly. By the way, did you ever learn what earth magic inverts into?”

  Jacob shook his head. “Never seemed worth looking into. I mean, what would that even look like? We already know that earth and wind aren’t opposites, for all that they might sound like it. If earth’s concepts are Solidity, Density, Support and Interdependence, then their opposites would be, what? Fluidity? Impermanence? Separation?”

  He huffed an annoyed sigh. “And what would even be the use? Fire resistance makes sense, to resist fire damage. Water likewise, since water damage is a thing too. Necro resistance? Okay, great for countering necromancers, maybe good for preventing food from rotting. But earth resistance?” He rolled his eyes. “What, is it supposed to make sure the ground doesn’t swallow you whole? It won’t.”

  “I vaguely remember an alchemist saying it was useful for keeping dust out? But I guess you’re right.” Even as she said it, though, her brain seemed stuck on the proposed concepts for an inverted earth magic.

  Fluidity. Impermanence. Separation.

  There was something there. She was sure of it. But for now, Maeryn had what she needed. And being attuned to earth felt… nice. Less aimless. It was easier to focus. Huh. No wonder they called it “being grounded.” She should have done this weeks ago.

  Maeryn inhaled, breathing in the loamy scent of the earth around her. She’d never really put together that dirt could have its own scent. “In any case, I think we’re done here.”

  “Almost.”

  She turned, confused. “Hm?”

  Jacob rolled his neck before dropping into an unarmed combat stance. “You owe me another spar, remember?”

  Maeryn’s lips twitched upwards even as she mirrored him. This would be the second time they’d had a spar date. Who knew? Maybe it could become something more, someday. “I suppose I do. Same terms as before?”

  “Winner buys lunch,” he agreed easily. “No weapons, no external spells, no auras. Internal enhancements are okay, but no elemental Body Enhancement.”

  She nodded. Then, in a silently agreed-upon moment, they rushed each other.