Walking out the gate, Owen headed back to the large wooded area where he first encountered the Gobbo Warriors. According to his Map, there was a small stream near that location; it would be the best place to set up camp, at least for now. Slaying a pack of Gobbo’s on his way, it didn't take Owen long to reach his destination. The small clearing was similar to what he remembered, but he wanted to come here mainly because of the space. It was a rather large open area, and he needed space to test out his new F.O.B skill. Bringing up his Skill to double-check,
Deployable F.O.B ( I ): Using Primordial magic, create a simple, defensible structure. Contains amenities and provisions for four individuals. Cost 200 Mana.
“No mention of how big it is, but its big enough for four people.” Double-checking he had full mana, Owen focused on the Skill. Like with his Summon Weapon, he focused on what he could remember. The sand-pillar berm protects from incoming fire, a birthing area for tents, and the hygiene area. Then, a small mess area and the C2 tent. Opening his eyes, Owen was shocked by what stood before him. “Well, the skill is only Level 1; I shouldn’t have expected too much.” Instead of a tall, thick wall, a three-foot earth slab surrounded the area. The birthing area simply had four beds made of dirt and a stone set into the short wall. The mess area was by far the funniest, with MRE boxes arranged to form a table and chairs, with a nearby fire pit. The C2 area was a roughly drawn map in the dirt. Laughing as he made his way through his dirt base, Owen wasn't deterred at all. “Well, it’s something, and it has a level, so hopefully, next time I get a Skill point, I can level it up. Maybe if i just keep using it, it will level on its own? Maybe not; I’ve used Summon Weapon so much, and it only leveled when I used a point?” Pulling out his notepad, Owen jotted down his thoughts about leveling his Unique skills while crossing through his old notes about supplies. While he stored away his notebook, a notification appeared in his vision.
Summon Weapon has finished its upgrade. Elemental Ammunition is now available to the User. Fire: The User’s next projectile will be wreathed in Fire mana, causing additional damage and may ignite the target. Cost 25 Mana Water: The User’s next projectile will be composed of Water mana; this projectile will cause blunt damage and is considered non-lethal. Cost 25 Mana Earth: The User’s next projectile will be composed of Earth mana, allowing the projectile to pierce armored targets. Cost 30 Mana Air: The User’s next projectile will be wreathed in Air mana, causing it to fly further and eliminating the mana emission. Cost 30 Mana Life: The User’s next projectile will composed of Life mana, causing it to heal damage instead of inflicting it. Cost 50 Mana Death: The User’s next projectile will be wreathed in Death mana, causing the wound created to bleed profusely and be more challenging to heal. Cost 50 Mana Null: The User’s next projectile will be composed of Null mana, allowing the projectile to strike its intended target instantaneously. Cost 300 Mana
“Okay, that took way longer than before. Is it because I have so many affinities?” Looking over at his mana, Owen summoned his Pistol, “Alright, 75 mana left; according to my Mana Circuits Skill, I should be resistant to the backlash now. Might as well try to train it; I got the Skill from using too much mana, so it makes sense to train it the same way.” Taking aim at a nearby Tree, Owen thought about shooting it with Water. When nothing happened, he tried to imagine the Water as he pulled the trigger. With little to no recoil, a loud splash sounded as part of the bark peeled off.
“Alright. So, I think all my Skills work off me actively thinking about the effects. If I just do this,” Aiming back at the tree, Owen squeezed the trigger, and with a crack, the bark exploded. “Yup, thought-controlled.” Checking his mana, he was down to 30 mana, “Okay, so the cost isn’t additive. A Water bullet is just 25 mana, not an extra 25 mana. I should be safe, so I might as well.” Taking aim at the tree again, Owen imagined an earth spike and pulled the trigger. Feeling a sudden heaviness in his chest, Owen took a deep breath to calm his heart as a notification appeared.
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WARNING: The User has exhausted their mana. Mana backlash will now occur.
System Notice: Mana Circuits have prevented mana backlash. Only attempt an excessive deficit of mana with the appropriate Skill level. Mistakes will be fatal.
Skill increase: Mana Circuits
“Alright, usage of a Skill does increase it, but I need to be careful. I have exactly 1 mana left. Is that what the notice was talking about. Drain my mana; just don’t overdo it.” Smacking his forehead, Owen exclaimed, “It’s like a muscle, dumbass, I need to exercise it. Push it to failure, then let it rest. Just gotta be careful not to push to hard. Alright, so rest time then,” Owen said as his eyes drifted over to the table of MREs, “Might as well.” Plopping down on one of the boxes, Owen opened the box and grabbed a random meal. Looking down at his prize this time, he had picked Spaghetti with Beef and Sauce. “Well, anything that’s not the vegetarian meals, I guess.” Ripping open the package, he dumped it out onto the makeshift table. Looking through it, he had a chocolate chip pastry, what the military would call ‘breadsticks,’ and even a chocolate protein shake mix. While he started to heat up his meal, he kept an eye on his mana. After a few minutes, it finally ticked up again.
“Dam, my mana Regen is super slow. Wasn’t there something in my shop for that?” Bringing up his shop again, he zeroed in on what he remembered.
Instant Coffee: A powder to mix into hot Water to create an energizing elixir.
Owen bought the coffee for 25 copper, then shrugged as he bought ten random items. Owen was surprised as he got another notification.
Achievement gained: Totally Not Gambling. Achievement: Totally Not Gambling – Purchase a bulk order of random items. Once per day, the User may re-purchase any previously obtained Random Item.
Staring at the screen, Owen was dumbstruck. “Did. Did Kebechet add fucking loot boxes to ARMS? I don’t know weather that’s evil or genius.” Owen said as he couldn't contain his laughter. “That’s the best name for that kinda thing. I was just kinda bored, but this is great.” As Owen finished his meal and stored his leftovers, he withdrew his beverage bag. Walking over to the fire pit, Owen looked down into it. There seemed to be a small magical fire burning at the bottom. Sitting on the dip, Owen placed his canteen near it to heat up. While he waited, he summoned his Instant Coffee; just like he expected, it was a generic brand in a thin package. Tearing the top off, he poured the contents into his beverage bag, then scooped up the canteen and added the warm water. Giving a few shakes to mix it up, he walked over to the rough map in the dirt. Taking a sip of his drink, he chuckled to himself.
“Drinking shitty coffee while waiting around in C2. Why does that track so well.” Looking down at the dirt map, Owen froze. There were tiny dots on it, and they were moving around. He immediately opened his Map to its full view to compare the two. “They are the same; they even have the same amount of space shown. Holy shit, this is broken then; I mean, it makes sense for the command tent, but it's basically a live UAV feed.” Finishing his shitty coffee, he glanced back up and noticed his mana was now ticking up every other minute. Wanting to wait for it to get at least half full, Owen sat back on his MRE stool before willing out his random items onto the table. Ten pure white cubes clattered down onto it, like before Owen reached out and touched one. As soon as his finger brushed it, it began to transform; curious, he brushed his hand over all of them. He watched as all ten began to contort and change shape. It didn't take long for all ten of them to have completed their transformation.