I think I know what I'm going to do with that squirrel's soul. But first I need more mana. I order Lychee, and Julia to go get me some food, as well as two flat, hard rocks, with nice sharp edges for digging. I do my best impression of an evil laugh. He he, slavery…

Julia, and Lychee both come back with food. Lychee seems to have ripped up some plants, including what appears to be a spiky blackberry bush, as well as the two big flat rocks I asked for and Julia has a big fat squirrel. I raise an eyebrow. Two slaves?

I order Julia to kill the Squirrel, which she quickly does, with a shudder of pleasure. I smile, and absorb the abundant mana coming from a living animal, even a small one. Ok. I'm full again. I quickly begin to use the mana to start forming a blueprint, for something between a mole, and, a squirrel. Instead of hands, it has two, big wide flat rocks that are perfect for digging, and scraping away layers of dirt, and mud. I smile at the amalgamation I've created, and begin to alter its mind. I use my mana to shape its mind to believe that it loves digging. It is an opportunistic omnivore, as well as leaving basic functions, like how to eat, learn, walk, and reproduce. I also add in a little bit of earth mana, to make it comfortable underground.

I smile, and clap my imaginary hands. Then I start the process, and once again marvel at the wonders of this process. The original body of the rock squirrel is dismantled into base components. Fur, skin, bones, meat, muscles, organs, and so on. This does leave quite the bloody mess laying around, but, oh well. Then the internal organs, and bits of the creature are laid in place, within the blueprint. Simply floating in mid air. I smile dreamily, next the bones slide in place, over organs. Finally things like nerves, and skin, and blood vessels, as well as the fur is placed, before last, but not least, the claws, and teeth, and such. That's not quite true; the very last thing is actually the creature's mind as well as any mana that would be needed. But this one does not need mana, as it doesn't have any magical functions. I smile.

Dig a tunnel south, until I tell you to stop.

I smile. Now I can expand faster, without using my own mana, I just have to feed this little fella. I smile, and then I turn my attention to Julia, and Heracles.

Go out, find me mice. As many as possible. Alive, male, and female. Go. Return before nightfall.

I smile fondly as Julia, and Heracles slither off to retrieve me more servants. Go little ones. I pretend evil cackle, AHA HA HA HA!! Oh… I scoff, no, I really need to work on my creepy laugh.

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While I wait for my snakes to return, I watch the Mole. I intend to make more of these so… I will call them… Miners. Because they are Miners… Smart right? I smile, and watch the Mole continue to dig, the tunnel is about a foot tall, and a foot wide. Which concerns me, I think I would prefer it taller, and wider, if just slightly.

Make it twice as tall, and twice as wide, but don't make it any longer.

While I wait for Julia, and Heracles to come back, I contemplate the black berry bush. It will make wonderful food for the cattle that my snakes are bringing back, but where do I put it? I can't put it outside the cave, and it can't grow in the dark…. I think…. Well…. I could just change them with mana…. Oh I can't resist, I've got to try. I smile, and begin working on the bush. Maybe I pump it full of dark mana, so it doesn't need photosynthesis. But I don't know how that would work. It still needs nutrients. So maybe dark mana, and earth mana, so it will draw more nutrients from the earth? I could probably just use light mana as a supplement for light, but I don't really want to… maybe…. I guess I’ll make it with the earth and dark mana, and if it fails, I can always supplement with light mana.

I turn to the bush that Lychee brought me, and I begin to twist it, and change it, by pumping it full of mana, flowing twisting burning mana, the mana burns through the plant leaving its brand on the side of this animal changing the plant. I smile. Beautiful. The mana changed it, it grew shorter, and thinner becoming more of a fruit bearing vine. The spikes grew more profound and I noticed that the spikes seemed to be pulling. I don’t know how to explain it other than that, but I believe if it penetrated flesh it would pull mana from the creature it penetrated. I smile. So… Beautiful…

I smile as I hear the rustles of my snakes returning. Julia only has one snake, but Heracles has two. I smile.

Kill them…

Julia, and Heracles eagerly begin to feed but I stop them.

No… Wait…

I begin to work on the blueprint for the mouse. I don’t change anything about it. Except I use mana to alter their minds and make them have a stronger desire to breed. Wonderful… I begin the process of filling in the blue print.

I laugh in wonder as the bodies fill the blueprint and their souls re-enter their bodies. Two females, one male. I smile and guide them toward their home in the back of the cave. Since Mice’s gestation period is so quick they will be perfect cattle for my other creatures to live off.

I check on my miner, and discover he has finished widening the hole, and is sneakily eating blackberries. I give him a mental smack on the head.

Get back to work! Dig a room at the end of the tunnel roughly the same size as this room.

I chuckle as the miner winces and runs off, like a dog that’s been scolded. Once the miner is done building the room I will build the mice a cozy burrow to live in, and breed.