So now back to testing on living organisms.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand that the frantically running hunter spider from before would have probably been in pain. Similar to my very first experience, when those around me were trying to take my mana. And though I may not understand why the web spider just fell asleep and died, I know that it was no the natural way for it to go.

However, I also realize that the fly in the web isn’t happy about the fate that the spider has in store for it. I have seen the chemical distress signals displayed by plants when they are eaten alive by the very same animals that I am now going to kill. To me, I am just inserting myself in the food chain and altering it to my needs. Nature is unforgiving, and being a part of it means that so can I be.

So let us start with a blade of grass first. Grass, according to my expectations, should take much less mana than a spider would, so I don’t risk running low before finishing at least one test. Even for the tests with the stems, I used less than 0.0001 points of mana according to my new scale per blade of grass.

So first, I follow a rabbit around while it eats, I observe the chemical process of the grass’s distress call in detail. I notice that it releases certain enzymes during the cutting of the blade, which are then carried by air currents far outside of my zone. These enzymes are what I want to change to make them harmful, and preferably make them, so they don’t spread too far nor kill everything outright.

Of course, now that I want to actually perform the test, I run into a minor issue. I don’t know how to make these enzymes harmful. I know that they exist, and I know that beasts that eat my grass are consuming them. I also know how and where the grass creates them, but my only real options are to pump the enzyme full of mana and see what happens or pump the manufacturing process of the grass full of mana and then see what happens.

So the first tests in increasing the mana flow to the part of the blade which generates the enzymes. I spend about 0.0001 points of mana on it, which is the same amount I have spent on enhancing the stems and increases its mana total by 10%.

Next, the harder test is to wait for a blade of grass that is about to get eaten and see if I can add 0.0001 points of mana to the enzymes right at the point of creation.

A second rabbit which just left its hole should be an excellent target to follow, as they usually only go to eat.

As the rabbit leaves its hole, it hops towards the first patch of grass, and immediately I move the mana over ready to pounce the second the rabbit takes a bite.

Slowly I am becoming increasingly confident that the rabbit is mocking me, as it just sits there for a while not doing anything. Though my time might not be limited, waiting is still a fool’s game. Stupid rabbit with its passivity. If it weren’t for the risk of them leaving my zone, I should lower their grass allowance.

While rambling to myself, I miss the first bite the rabbit takes, and despite trying to bind the mana to the enzymes, nothing happens. It doesn’t seem to take. The mana moves and follows the wind as well, but nothing takes.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

As I prepare some more mana, I am ready for the second opportunity. The exact moment the rabbit takes a chomp, my mana is there immediately. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but only a fraction of the mana I had ready takes, and the only effect is a slight increase in the chemical reaction which I assume means that the enzymes are more potent. However, I have no idea what they were meant to do, so doing more of it still leaves me baffled.

I guess I should be happy that I haven’t poisoned my entire zone of influence into being unable to grow anything anymore. However, this blade of grass is not going to be killing prey any time soon.

I also see another issue with these latest tests. The first enhanced blade of grass is still sitting pretty, but as long as nothing eats it, there is no way to see its effectiveness. If only I could cut it myself or guide one of my animals to do it, then I would have an immediate result.

Annoyed at my personal inabilities to further the previous tests along I start practicing estimating mana unit sizes again. Wait, this may be a solution. If I were to use small bits of mana, I can make the water visible. If I were to create walls around a rabbit looking to feed, perhaps I can guide it towards the blade of grass and have it eat that one specifically.

I could, of course, also increase the number of blades enhanced and this way increase the chances of one of them being eaten. However, not knowing the effect of my enhancements nor wanting to have to pay attention to a whole bunch of grasses until one of the right ones are eaten just does not appeal to me.

Unfortunately, it has turned night again, and nothing is around and awake that eats grass anyway. Sigh. My life as an energy creature seems to be full of difficulties. Desponded I just keep practicing my mana unit estimation skills the rest of the night.

The next morning all the rabbits leave their hole. I choose the largest one of them and create the blue fog walls around it straight towards the blade of grass I want it to eat. Of course, a slightly visible wall of fog does not “force” anything to do anything. I am not sure if the rabbit is confused about the walls or just doesn’t want to get its hide wet, but it occasionally does take my guidance.

A whole bunch of mana walls later, most of which were just hopped through, and a bunch of other grass eaten, the rabbit is finally around my test subject grass. Excitedly I box in the rabbit and the grass, in essence locking them in a room together.

I have noticed that having to wait and work for something leads me to be excited about seeing the result — the rabbit and the grass, together at last.

Of course, the stupid animal eats some of the other blades first. I guess an immediate response to my gentle guidance would have been too much to hope for. But at long last, it finally moves towards the blade. I keep making the room smaller so that there is less of a chance of a sudden misdirection towards something else. Come on little rabbit, eat!

I see that on the patch where I had been doing my experiment, only three blades are left, so the chances are good that it is finally time!

It bites into the blade! Yes!!! Finally.

And nothing much happens.

The enzymes are indeed released, so that worked. In fact, more of them are released then usually would be. But that is it. I still don’t know what the enzymes do, so more of them is just more of a completely unknown effect.

This is disappointing, to say the least. After such a long build-up spanning two days, and all of these nifty innovations I have come up with, basically all that happens is more smell.

So I guess the grass upgrade tests are a bust. If only I could figure out what the effect had been, I could have decided if it would be worth it, but spending mana on stuff I don’t know just seems like a waste.

So I start sulking a bit and start practicing my mana estimation again. I may or may not have accidentally dropped all the water droplets I was creating on top of the rabbit, which has cost me much effort and time to guide towards its destiny only to be disappointed thoroughly.

The rabbit has run to its hole, probably having eaten enough and goes to sleep, and now I don’t even have a target for my little drops anymore. This has not been a happy day.