When Narrick appeared next to the Great Bear, the woman gave a small start of surprise and tensed before being immoblized by Narrick's overwhelming mana.
"No need to get testy woman, I am here to see what was happening to my pupil. But I am of the same mind that I assume you were, this is a test for the boy. If he survives he will grow and if he doesn't then it was never meant to be."
The bear gestured with her eyes towards the two cubs, and Narrick released her from his control.
She called the two cubs over from where they had retreated when the grunts of pain began from Gunnar. They constantly used mana due to their innate potential, so they did not know that mana could bring harm to anyone. They simply wanted to help supply energy so Gunnar could heal himself.
As young as they were, probably only a few months old, they were alread mid-rank tin beasts, Narrick realized. They would grow to be rank aluminum level 6-7 by the time they left their mother if he guessed correctly. And as they were bear type beasts, he probably would be.
He chuckled at the thought then turned his focus back to the boy who was stiff as a board on the ground. His red shone faintly as he watched the wild mana clashing in Gunnar's body, he could see the firey mana from the bigger cub that he realized was a male, and an earthy metallic energy from the slimmer female cub. Narrick widened his eyes slightly and stuck out his bottom lip with a bit of surprise.
The metallic earth mana was being heated up by the firey mana and was giving the boy an early refinement. Such a refinement would normally be carried out when he was around fifteen when his mind would be sharp enough to begin to feel the mana in his environment.
The first refinement take would set you on the path as a tin level 1, and was radially carried out by a teacher or trainer if not a parent or guardian. That way it could be guided and made sure to not cause any undue pain.
All refinement was painful, that could not be avoided. But in the natural way that Gunnar was expirencing, where one would consume a mana rich consumable item or use mana crystals to flood the body, there was less chance to get help. And in Gunnar's particular case, as his blood energy was awakening at the same time, Narrick was forbidden by his family law to interfere. It was a life or death trial for Gunnar alone. He would live or die by his own tenacity and will.
Gunnar had his eyes tightly shut as he focused on the deep pain and rush of energy in his body. He could feel that his heart was being ripped apart and pieced back together slowly in bits and pieces as directed by the energy in that glass-like cracked core.
It slowly leaked energy and rebuilt Gunnar's heart, bone marrow, and then his arteries and veins before slowing down and running out of the flush of mana supplied by the young cubs. The last bit of refinement of his veins and arteries had to be supplied by the atmospheric mana pulled from the dragon vein nearby as the earth and fire mana was nearly used up.
Just as the last of his veins and arteries were finishing their refinement, Gunnar felt a sensation like breaking out of a shell of thick dried mud or like what he assumed it would feel like breaking out of an egg. The pain faded as he felt his heart beat seem to grow stronger and just a bit slower, as it pumped the new blood cells supplied by his bone marrow. He initially felt weak all over and felt his bruised body and broken bones acutely, but as each second passed he felt a little stronger and a little less pain.
When he came to himself, some 30 minutes later, he slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up. He used the rock as a brace to actually get himself to sit upright, and as he did he felt and saw layers of dried blood falling off his skin in a thick layer. He still felt the wounds on his body and the broken ribs on his sides, but he did not feel the pain as sharply as before.
That was when he noticed Narrick standing next to the bearkin woman, watching as Gunnar straightened himslef up.
Narrick only stepped forward when he saw Gunnar begin to try to stand. He stepped over and left the boy to his feet with a surprising gentlness for his broad and tall frame. With a pulse of mana, he knocked the rest of the dried blood and dirt from Gunnar's body and at the same time scanned the boy for injuries.
"We got the call for demons here, boy. When I got here you were already in this state." He then turned to the great bear. " I assume you killed the demon then."
She nodded. "I was sleeping and recovering in the pit, when I felt a flash of ice mana from above and then felt the demons mana as I woke. Due to a personal grudge against the demons, I lost it a bit aganst the vampire and only came back to myself when I felt the boys blood stir. It woke me from my rage, then as I was speaking to the boy my cubs came to him and intended to lead him mana to heal himself as they would for each other."
Narrick nodded and went to speak again when a flash went through Gunnar's mind and he interrupted. "Cassie! She made it to the beacon, but is she okay?"
A voice came from the same direction that Gunnar had come from in his flight from the vampire. "The girl is just fine, we arrived before the Crystoids could get ahold of her. She had already led a couple into traps and dealt with them. We only had to kill the last few and then had her take us to the volcano's cave where you first came across the demon."
When he heard the voice Gunnar's head snapped in that direction but he calmed down as he realized it must be from the school as neither the woman or Narrick showed any surprise. The voice finally came into the clearing and was shown to be Jarsa Windstealer.