A good mapping skill was easy to find. Karsish told him that his skill gave him access to both a skill and a spell that would work well together. The skill provided mapping functionality to the system UI that gave both a minimap and a larger map that showed him everywhere he had been. The spell was a divination spell which mapped out a large part of the terrain in an area around the target. The mapping skill alone was useful, but failed to give a larger overview. But the divination spell shored up that weakness. The only issue was a slight one. Maps made by other people couldn’t be added directly to the map. If it was accurate enough, other people’s maps could be used as a focus for the divination spell, but most were not that accurate. Ander figured it would take something akin to what you could find back on earth to do it reliably.

Ander spent a few hours casting the spell to fill out his map in and around The Pit. He eventually had to stop due to mana exhaustion. The spell wasn’t that taxing, but it took a lot of castings to fill in an area as large as The Pit.

With that, Ander went to bed. He had a plan for the next day, and wanted to be well rested. He awoke, made breakfast for him and Karsish, who hadn’t slept at all and was falling asleep into his food, and then left. His leg had finally finished healing over the night, and he was ready to go. He wanted to go to town and see what his contribution points would get him. As always he wore his armour, and he decided to go with his white cloak for the occasion. Everyone would know him from a glance, but it shouldn’t cause any further offence. He had made enough trouble for himself. With that said, Ander told Karsish he was heading out.

“If you are going to town, I want to come too.” Karsish declared. “Your book collection is quite something, but I need the main library for proper reference texts. I am also running out of paper and ink, and I would rather have my own supply.”

“Do you have the contribution points for that?” Ander asked. “If not, I can loan you some. I feel bad for you having to be cooped up in here.”

“I have enough.” Karsish said. And that was the end of the conversation. Ander stored his friend in his inventory and set out toward the town. It was far easier with his upgraded skills and new class, and he got there in record time. However, he stopped as he neared the bottom of the main sinkhole. There were several hundred yards to cross between him and the town where he would be entirely visible and undefended. At least in town people couldn’t attack him without collateral damage.

Ander had a thought that might help him out. It had been something he had come up with while training his new skills, but he had not had time yet to try it out. Ander closed his eyes to concentrate and started to create water directly in the air. The air filled with the salty scent of the sea as mist formed around him and started to billow out in a large cloud. Ander thought that he could, with practice, fill the entire sinkhole with fog. However he lost control nearly as soon as the fog was produced. It was already shaping up to be a warm day, which meant that Ander had to constantly produce more fog to create a sufficient effect. It was taxing on his mana reserves. Who knew the air could hold so much water?

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Still, the fog did what he wanted, giving him a large cloak to hide within while he made his way across the no man's land between him and the town. Ander set off as he figured the edge of the cloud would be reaching the town. He made the distance without any problem to find that he had made an error. The walls were manned with people from all three factions brandishing weapons while looking fearfully into the thick mist. Moreover, the gates that Ander had been aiming for had been closed. Apparently the people in the town were far more paranoid than he realised. It was of no real concern to Ander, as a simple jump and cloudstep would get him over the wall without issue. The real problem was that he had made another scene. He had no doubt people would notice him showing up right after the fog disappeared. He had not wanted to make an entrance of that kind.

In the end, Ander jumped the wall. The damage was done, and if people connected the two, oh well. Ander found a convenient alleyway near the library and ducked inside. There, he stopped producing fog and let Karsish out. He was surprised to see Karsish was holding a writing board and was furiously taking notes. It took a full minute for him to realise he was standing with Ander in an alleyway.

“Umm, what are you doing?” Ander asked.

“I am taking notes on the single greatest creation artefact ever found.” Karsish declared. “It is a complete tragedy it is being used as a storage device and not studied properly.” Ander gave him an even look.

“Karsish, there is a reason I haven’t let you back in there before now. Don’t share your notes with anyone at all. For any reason.”

“But…”

“Any reason.” Ander said, His glare bored into Karsish who immediately wilted.

“Fine. But promise that if you change your mind that I get to study it first.” Karsish replied.

“Deal. The library is off that way. I have waiting to do.”

“Waiting?”

“Yeah. I made a bit of a spectacle getting in here. I hope that if I hide for a bit, people won’t connect me with the fog.”

“The fog? Wait, nevermind. I have work to do.” And he immediately turned around and left. Ander sat down and amused himself by pushing rocks and sticks around with his wind. It was harder than he had thought it would be. Not necessarily to move them, but to get them to go where he wanted, and not kick up huge plumes of dust with every gust. Eventually he had to generate a small cloud of mist to moisten the ground and keep the dust down so he wouldn’t give himself away.