I start walking back over towards the Chupi bush I was making into a bird earlier. Time to get to work and earn so more EXP. Speaking of work, what is my mana at?
Mana: 1049/1558
Good to know, plenty of fuel to spare. I could have sworn it would have taken more mana to make the skirt. Maybe I’m getting better at this. I get to the Chupi bush and start work, pushing and pulling on the plant both physically and magically to get it into the shape I want. I get the neck lengthened out and am starting to craft the head when I’m interrupted by a set of howls from the forest.
“GROOOOOOO” ”GROOOOOO”
Oh come on! I just finished recovering from the last one. Now there are two! Two grey figures burst out into my perception, but something is different about them. They have no black patches and are a lot smaller than the last one.
Grey Timber Pup (Level: 6)
Grey Timber Pup (Level: 7)
OK, That explains why. These are just babies. These guys are only about half my size. They would be kind of cute if they weren’t trying to rip my throat out. Oh well, easy pickings.
“Hey little puppies, why don’t you come play?” I say
Wearing the most sinister smile I can muster I take a step forward. The wolfs take the hint and take a step back each. Right where I wanted them to be, under the pointy branches of the trees. I just wanted to get some EXP, but it seems the EXP has come to me. The branches thrust downward, impaling the unsuspecting wolf pups and pinning them in place. Unlike their adult counterpart they don’t have the strength or mass to break away from so many branches. The first one dies instantly, probably a small mercy. While the other struggles and whines attempting to break free.
Defeated: Grey Timber Pup (Level:6)
+20 EXP
Not bad for a quick kill, now for the other one. The other Level seven wolf is still struggling against the branches holding it down as another one pierces into the back of its neck. With a final sad whimper it ceases to move, falling limp within the branches.
Defeated: Grey Timber Pup (Level:7)
+22 EXP
*Ding* You have leveled up!
So EXP is dependent on both type and level, interesting. Sweet new level, I’ll deal with it later. Not like I got much to spend the points on right now anyway. Now, what was I doing again? Oh right, going to work with the plants for EXP. How much mana do I have left anyways?
Mana: 631/1558
Well, never mind then. This sucks, damn wolves ruined my afternoon plans. I learned my lesson with the big wolf. Always keep some spare mana for emergencies. Now I have to find something else to do today. As I think to myself on what I can do with my spare time while walking laps around the glade. Wait, I’m doing laps, why isn’t my tail thing getting stuck on the bushes. I turn around and trace the path of my tail from myself to my pod. It’s a straight line, why isn’t this thing wrapped around any bushes? I have an idea that might end badly. I pick up my tail and walk to the nearest bush. Once I’m there I wrap the tail around the bush. Now this could end poorly if I’m not very careful. I begin to back away slowly keeping my eye on the tension in the tail all the while. As it began to become tight around the bush something weird happened. The tail melded around the plant, like the terminator through the prison bars in the movie. It just melted around and re solidified on the other side. I didn’t even feel a thing, and it never fully broke either.
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This thing is going to be the end of me with its weirdness I can already tell. I don’t even know what it's for. I need to get rid of it. But what if getting rid of it kills me? I hurt like hell when I tried to pull it out. Normally doing things that hurt are bad, and for good reason. But if this continues as this tail is going to end up hindering me enough to get me killed. Speaking of hindering, how far out will this thing let me walk? It can’t be unlimited. I turn around and start walking to the edge of my glade. Only one way to find out. I get to the edge and stare into the dark forest, complete with all its spooky noises. My perception extends just past the first row of trees, but I can’t see any further in. It will be fine; I’ll only be in there for a minute at most. I take my first step into the woods, past the line of trees that has been working as my primary defense.
As I get to the edge of my perception I feel the tail starting to build tension behind me. I extra slowly take the final step to the edge of my perception; the tail is now so taught that it hangs in the air some. I guess it won’t go any further than my perception. That’s a problem, how the hell am I going to explore the world? With the rate that my flora network expands it will take decades just to reach any other part of the forest. There must be a way. Everything else came naturally when I tried it. Why not try disconnecting the tail? OK, I did try that, and it ended poorly. So how about I try to do it a little more gently this time. I walk out of the tree line and back to my pod. Tail automatically reeling itself in all the while. I take a seat in the middle of my flower and concentrate. I’m trying to will it to disconnect but it's not working. I can feel something, but it’s just not happening. Maybe it needs a little push? I reach back and start to lightly pull the tail away from my body.
Then I feel it start to happen, the connection starts to weaken. It’s subtle at first but building in speed. As the tail starts to loosen away from my body the connection to my network starts to decrease. Finally with a final, hot pinprick of pain it disconnects. Reeling itself back into the center of the flower it disappears into its connecting point. And now I’m finally free.
It’s funny, I don’t feel as free. I can tell my perception has been cut by a lot in both clarity and area. I can still view the whole area but only a little bit at a time. It’s like being on Wi-Fi vs Ethernet. This will probably have its ups and downs, for one thing I don’t need to worry about accidentally stepping on my tail while backing up anymore. I don’t have to worry about the tail at all. Time to test my newfound freedom.
I merrily jog over to the edge of my perception, back in front of the spooky woods. Yea that’s a good name, this is called the spooky woods now. I take the first step out, and immediately lose my remaining connection. I’m a little spooked at first, but after a moment I calm myself down. I was without a 3rd eye all my life before, I’m fine without it. But I do feel a little, blind in a way. A loud screech further in the forest puts my reminiscing on hold. OK, back to the perception field. Just because we can leave does not mean we should and like hell am I going out just to get eaten. I run back to my pod, immediately getting connected again once I’m within my home field.
As I sit in the center of my flower pod, I work out all the things I can do. I can still do pretty much everything, it’s just slower and requires more effort. Those race traits did mention that being connected provided bonuses. Now for the second part of my experiment, getting reconnected.
This part is a lot simpler than getting disconnected. I simply tell the pod I want to reconnect, and the connector grows out of the center. It extends its way to me, slithering across the ground until it reaches my feet. Once at my feet it starts to rise between my legs. Hold up there! This isn’t tentacle hentai, go the other way! It immediately diverts is course around the outside of my legs and up to my lower back. Once at my lower back it jams itself in hard, sending a shock throughout my body.
“Ack!”
Thankfully the shock passes instantly and I’m able to see throughout my network again with perfect clarity. Well that was a fun little experiment, good to know I can disconnect and jump ship if anything ever goes very poorly. The extra peace of mind of being able to run is a reassurance I didn’t know I was missing. Now what to do with the rest of my day?
“GROOOOOO”
Well, I think the answer to that just proposed itself. Another Grey Wolf Pup bursts into my perception field.