Eleven minutes later, Connor was pleasantly surprised when a new skill became available.
Congratulations!
You have learned the Skill, Mana Composter.
Mana Composter
Rank: Rare
Skill Slots: 3
You have been granted a dimensional storage area that may hold up to 1,000 slots worth of organic matter. When organic material is placed within Mana Composter with inorganic matter attached to it, the inorganic materials are automatically transferred to your Inventory. If there is no room in your inventory, the organic material will be rejected.
Each slot of this specialized Inventory may hold up to 5 pounds of organic nonliving biomass, be it animal or plant. The number of slots required for any specific item is based on its weight.
Biomass is broken down at a rate of 10 pounds per Combat Turn. The process generates one point of mana for every eight pounds of biomass. The mana generated from this process is collected in a 1,000-point Reserve Mana Pool. When the Reserve Pool is full, the biomass is held until the Reserve Mana Pool is used, and then the process continues.
Unlike a normal Inventory, once biomass is placed within the Mana Composter, it cannot be removed. For all intents and purposes, the Skill Mana composter opens an extradimensional storage location outside of the influence of your Soul. Biomass can be placed within, but only mana can be drawn out.
NOTE: Being cut off from dimensional travel or extra-dimensional spaces will shut down your ability to draw mana from your Mana Reserve Pool. As soon as the interference is removed, the link is re-established automatically.
Additionally, nothing with a Soul may be placed within a Mana Composter. No, undead may not be tossed into the Inventory created by this skill.
Connor read over the new skill and then checked to see if Malleable Skills would allow him to increase the rank of the skill or if this was one of those skills that couldn’t be increased. When he received a reply to his inquiry, he smiled.
Would You like to Increase the Rank of your Skill Mana Composter from Rare to Advanced or Master Rank?
Connor considered the question for a minute. He had twelve dead bodies in his inventory, which is currently taking up 523 inventory slots. That was 2615 pounds, which would generate 326 mana. If the Rank determined how much mana he received as well as increased his Reserve Mana Pool and the number of slots that could hold biomass…damn.
Connor quickly checked to see how many Skill Slots he had left. He had 24 left out of 62 total slots. Connor pulled up his skill list.
Unique Title Skill: Uncanny Perception: Master – 0 Skill Slots
Class: Malleable Skills: Master – 0 Skill Slots
Class: Stealth: Master – 0 Skill Slots
Class: Backstab: Master – 0 Skill Slots
Inventory: Master – 5 Skill Slots
Flight: Master – 5 Skill Slots
Identify: Rare – 3 skill Slots
Eye of Eris: Advanced – 4 Skill Slots
Dodge: Master - 5 Skill Slots
Force Barrier: Rare – 3 Skill Slots
Environmental Adaption: Master – 5 Skill Slots
Malleable Spells: Master – 5 Skill Slots
Shadow Step, Racial: Master – 5 Skill Slots
Mana Composter: Rare – 3 Skill Slots
If he increased the skill Mana Composter to Master Rank, that would leave him with 22 skill slots. But, the one really cool thing about his skill, Malleable Skills, was that if he discovered another Skill that he really wanted, he could always reduce the Rank of one of the skills he had or drop it altogether. With that thought, he increased the skill to Master rank.
Connor quickly skimmed over the upgraded skill.
Mana Composter
Rank: Master
Skill Slots: 5
You have been granted a dimensional storage area that may hold up to 100,000 slots…
Each slot of this specialized Inventory may hold up to 5 pounds of organic…
Biomass is broken down at a rate of 10 pounds per Combat Turn. The process generates one point of mana for every six pounds of biomass that is broken down. The mana is collected in a 100,000-point Reserve Mana Pool…
…
…
Connor smiled. The changes to the skill couldn’t generate a lot more mana quickly, but he now had an appreciable Reserve Mana Pool, and he’d be able to…Connor thought about and tried to transfer one point of mana into the reserve; it worked! That wasn’t mentioned in the skill, but it made things a whole lot easier. He could move mana into his reserve when he was in areas of high mana saturation that filled his normal mana pool quickly. He could divert the excess and save it for later.
Connor hadn’t refilled his mana pool because he’d been maintaining Stealth and putting all of his mana into this Skill. With the ability to move mana into his reserve, he could put any excess mana regeneration into the Reserve Mana Pool with no issue. Granted, if he were cut off from that extra mana, that would suck, but unlike a Mana Battery, it wouldn’t explode and annihilate them.
Now, it was time to try out his new skill. He picked up one of the bodies in his inventory that only had clothes, a wallet, and a gun on it. He willed the body to transfer into the Mana Composter. Its clothes, the weapon, and the wallet appeared in his Inventory in their own slots. Then he checked his notifications.
Slots Filled 42 of 100,000
Converting Biomass to Mana.
Mana Reserve:1 of 100,000
Mana Reserve: 2 of 100,000
Mana Reserve: 3 of 100,000
Yep, this was going to work just fine. Connor transferred the other eleven corpses into the Mana Composter. He could have kept the leader's body so he’d have the biometrics to open his smartphone, but he decided against it. He had an idea about how to get around any security that the phone might have. Connor called the device from his Inventory. As he suspected, it was locked.
As he’d run north, he’d looked over his Inventory a couple of times and saw the two smartphones in it. One had been in each of the two groups abduction groups. Then he’d wondered if he could find out who those monsters were working for. Another thought intruded: if magic could shut down all technology, couldn’t it also be used to subvert or hack technological items? That thought had brought up memories of a discipline in another tabletop game he'd played, Technomancy.
Technomancy, the idea of taking control of computers and computer-like technology, would be a cool skill to create for sure, but he had another idea. His Skill Slots were getting a bit low, but he had 253 open Spell Slots. If there were spells to shut down a planet’s electronics, there had to be a spell to hack computers, tablets, and smartphones. He didn’t want anything fancy, just something that would unlock any electronic device that he came across that was locked when he touched it. Yeah, that would be great.
Connor stored the smartphone and meditated for a minute before he activated Malleable Spells. He then focused on a spell that would enable him to hack electronics.
Unfettered Status Noted
SYSTEM Link established.
Searching Spell Database
Only spells of Core Rank or lower will be noted.
Spell: Hack, Common Rank meets the criteria of the requested spell.
Requirements to learn Spell:
100 Mana
One free Spell Slot.
Congratulations! You have learned the Spell “Hack, Common Rank.”
Hack
Required Materials: None
With a touch, expend 10 mana and disable and unlock any electronic security features on a single device that is not magically shielded.
That worked. Okay, then maybe a spell that would let him control electronics at range should be his next spell. He considered his options, but The further away he was from the device he was trying to control, the more expensive the mana cost would be, so why not focus on a short-range spell to control electronic devices? If he wanted something long-range, he could always create it later. Also, it was a lot easier and quicker to create Common spells; they only cost 100 mana, which was less than his mana regeneration rate per turn. However, he wanted to have a little bit of range, so he decided to go with a range of 100 feet. That should make the spell cost 1,000 mana to create.
Connor meditated for one minute to settle himself and clear his mind before he focused and activated Malleable Spells.
Unfettered Status Noted
SYSTEM Link established.
Searching Spell Database
Only spells of Core Rank or lower will be noted.
Spell: Control Technological Device, Uncommon Rank meets the criteria of the requested spell.
Requirements to learn Spell:
1,000 Mana
Two free Spell Slots.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Congratulations! You have learned the Spell: Control Technological Device, Uncommon Rank.
Required Materials: None
Range: 100 feet
Mana Cost: 100 Mana per device.
This spell may target any Technological Nonmagical Device within 100 feet. Once cast, you gain mental control of any one Device and all of its components within 100 feet of your location for the next 10 Combat Turns (100 Seconds).
Line of Sight is normally required to establish control, but perception-based skills and spells can negate this requirement. Once control is established, a Line of Sight is not required as the device is controlled mentally.
During the duration of the Spell, you may issue new commands to the Device as long as you are within 100 feet of it. Should you exit the 100-foot range and return, you may continue to issue mental commands until the duration of the spell expires.
The duration may be extended if within 100 feet, and another 100 mana is dedicated to maintaining control of the device.
At Uncommon Rank, you can control up to two devices at one time. A separate casting of the spell is required for each device.
Connor looked over the spell and smiled. It was another spell that would come in quite handy, especially on ATMs and similar devices. He was literally turning ideas from the games he’d played into reality. This was going to be awesome.
It had only been about 15 minutes since he started creating spells. He had a little time before the other two arrived. He had a few more things he needed going forward. Food, water, and the ability to talk to his friends are at range. A form of telepathic skill would be really nice, as it probably wouldn’t need to be cast all the time. But he wanted some range on the skill, which meant that he needed to make that at the highest rank he could. That would cost a lot of mana, though. Maybe he could cheese the hell out of making that skill and then transfer Slots into it to raise it to Master Rank?
Two minutes later, he’d created a Common version of the Skill “Telepathy I.” It had a very limited range at 10 feet, but it only cost one mana to establish a connection. Additionally, he could establish a number of connections equal to his Intelligence divided by 10. Each connection would cost one mana while maintained, but that shouldn’t be a problem for him. Additionally, he could re-establish the connection to anyone he’d previously connected to as long as they were within range. The cost to establish a connection to someone out of his line of sight was 10 mana.
Then, as he hoped, his skill Malleable Skills allowed him to upgrade “Telepathy I” by just assigning Skill Slots to it. He did so and reviewed the changes.
Telepathy I
Rank: Master
Mana Cost: 1 Mana each Combat or 10 Mana each Combat turn if not within Line of Sight.
Maximum Range: 100,000 Feet or 18.9 Miles
With a thought and one mana, you can establish a mental connection with any sentient creature that you can see within range. Both you and the target must be willing. Once the connection is established, you can maintain the connection as long as your target stays within your line of sight for one mana per Combat Turn. If the Target moves out of your line of sight, the mana cost per Combat Turn increases to ten mana per Combat Turn to maintain.
A number of connections can be established and maintained equal to one-tenth of your Intelligence attribute, rounded down, provided you have the mana to maintain the connections.
Note: The Skill “Telepathy II” allows for mental connections over much larger distances at a higher Mana Cost. Unlock this skill to improve the range of your mental communications.
Connor finished looking over “Telepathy I” and smiled. Almost nineteen miles should be good enough for now. Now, all he needed to do was create a spell that could create basic food and another spell that could either generate water or create an object filled with water. Connor went to work.
***
While they were both invisible, Liza had to drop Stealth two minutes after Connor bolted off to the north when her Mana ran dry. She only had 120 Mana total. Ten Mana per Combat Turn made sure it didn’t last that long. Sam dropped Stealth and joined her as they continued walking north. Liza watched her regeneration rate, which her Status Screen showed as five every Combat Turn. It wasn’t that high. She only regenerated one point of mana every four Combat Turns or about one every 40 seconds. At that rate, it would take 80 minutes for her to 120 points of Mana.
On top of that, her top speed was about 64 miles per hour. Sam could travel a bit faster, and his mana pool was slightly higher, but he’d still run into the problem of running out of mana if he kept Stealth active.
“So what do we do?” Liza asked.
“Well, I don’t like the idea of running low on mana, especially when regeneration rates have been affected so much, so let's jog at about 30 miles an hour. If we see any cars, it’ll be a simple thing to slow down for a bit, and we can use Stealth if we need to bypass a lot of cars. When we do go into Stealth, we only keep it active for at most a minute; that way, you should never drop below half of your mana pool. I can keep up with that pace,” Sam said.
“Well, let’s get to it,” Liza said as he considered the problems they’d just run into. Instead of the almost three-hour trip Connor thought they’d take, it was going to take closer to five hours. Nothing for it, Liza began to jog with Sam beside her.
***
Ten minutes later, Connor had just finished creating Create Food and Create Water.
Create Food
Mana cost: 10
Requirements: One pound of Physical material.
Converts one pound of nonorganic material into one pound of food that you desire within 10 feet of the caster. As to what food can be created. Any typical food that the caster desires. Note: This spell can be utilized to return food to a pristine state if it has gone rotten or soured. This Spell can be used on liquids as well.
Create Water
Mana Cost: 10
Requirement: A container that can hold up to one gallon of liquid is recommended but not required. If desired, liquid can be created in midair.
Summons one gallon of water from the Elemental plane of air that will appear as desired within 10 feet of the caster. Only water may be summoned with this spell.
He was satisfied with both spells. He didn’t have a container that could hold a gallon of water. He’d need to stop by a store and pick up a gallon of water or milk, and then he could reuse the container. So that was forty-five minutes. Maybe he should allow his mana to regenerate and do something else.
Connor opened the Party Chat.
Connor: How’s the trip going?
Liza: Ran into a snag. I Can’t keep stealth active for more than two minutes without needing at least an hour to regenerate half that.
Connor: I do have some good news then. Mana Regeneration rates are normal here, by the Damn.
Sam: A mana Oasis, cool
Connor: Mana Oasis?
Sam: It’s what I call them. I’ve come across a couple of places between California and Arizona where the mana saturation is 100%, so I called them Oasis; Mana Oasis just seemed appropriate.
Connor: Makes sense. So how long before you two get to the Damn?
Liza: At this rate, about five hours.
Connor: Alright, I'll be down to get you two in a few. I’m going to go get us another vehicle.
Sam: You’ve only been here for a couple of hours. How will you get a vehicle, pray tell?
Connor: I’m kind of lucky, and there’s a Casino just west of the Damn.
Liza: So what you’re saying is that when we get there in five hours, just head to the Casino because you’ll be gambling.
Connor: @#%$@%$@ @#$!#%!%! Just pretend that’s me putting static in my voice as the connection drops….See you soon, seriously.
Connor closed the Party Chat and double-checked his mana and his Reserve Mana pool.
Mana: 3,352/3,352
Reserve Mana: 19,200/100,000
That should be plenty of mana for his purposes. Connor activated Flight. It was only two miles from where he was to the casino. He landed on a hill on the backside of the casino, out of sight of anyone. He picked a dirt path to land on because he had some blood splatter on his clothes. He picked up some dirt, rubbed it into his clothes and face to make it look like he’d been hiking for a while, and then summoned ten one hundred dollar bills from his Inventory and put them in his front pocket. That should be enough for him to get started.
Connor checked himself over with Eyes of Eris, which allowed him to see himself from all directions; it was better than a mirror. Yep, he looked dirty, and there may or may not be blood stains on his clothes. Also, his Mana Regeneration was still better than it had been at Nowhere. Currently, he was regenerating 40 mana per Turn, so two miles from the Damn, mana saturation was about 25%.
As Connor walked down to the Casino, another spell idea came to mind. A type of polymorph spell that would let him change his appearance. That would come in really handy. He thought about what he’d want such a spell to do as he walked up to the entrance of the casino. As he stepped through the sliding glass doors, he felt the attention of everyone nearby shift, look him over, and then shift away, except for the Receptionist, who looked at him with interest. He did a very good job of hiding his surprise at his state but kept a calm, professional demeanor as Connor walked up.
“Welcome to the Hoover Dam Lodge and Casino. May I help you?” The Receptionist asked.
Connor saw that his name was Michael from the nameplate on his chest and smiled as he answered, “It’s been a hell of a day, Michael. Do you have any rooms available?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll need a photo ID and your vehicle information.”
“Well, my vehicle is being towed, and my ID card was taken by some thugs that robbed me a couple hours south of here. You should hear about it in the news in a couple of days. Luckily, I had a stash of casts in a hidden pocket, and someone was nice enough to drop me off here while I waited for insurance to figure things out. If I pay cash up front, can I complete the paperwork tomorrow?”
Michael smiled, “Of course, sir. Also, if you have no other clothing, might I suggest that you visit our General Store? They carry an assortment of clothes and supplies you might need after we get you checked in, of course.”
“That sounds great. What do you need me to do next?” Connor asked.
“I will need to do a minimal check-in. I’ll need your name and verify that you are 21 so that you may enter the Casino. If you’re paying cash, There is a $100 security deposit plus the room rate, which is $80.” Michael said
Connor pulled out three one hundred dollar bills and handed them over. When Micheal looked up Connor spoke before he could, “I did hear you. My name is Conrad Baker, but my friends call me Connor.”
Michael picked up the money, made a couple of notes on the computer, and smiled, “Mr. Conrad Baker, thank you for showing me your identification. You’re all set in the system for now. You're in room 327,” Michael said as he passed a black credit card to Connor. “This is your room key. There is a stairway and an elevator behind you. Just head up to the third floor and follow the signs.”
“And the General Store?”
“It’s back and behind me on my left or just around the corner to your right,” Michael said.
Connor picked up the key card and headed to the General Store. He picked up a pair of jeans and a nice collared, open-button blue shirt. When he was done, he made his way to his room. Once there, he took a very quick shower, which gave him the idea of creating a spell to clean himself. That would come in really handy. He put on his new clothes and stored everything else in his Inventory except for the ten one hundred dollar bills; he summoned three more from his Inventory.
Once done, he went down to the Casino floor. He walked up to the teller and purchased one of their Players Club cards, which he put the full 1,000 dollars on. For the next five minutes, he played various slots around the room and kept an eye on everyone working the machines. He went through over 100 dollars before he decided to try out his spell Control Technological Devices. The mana cost was no joke, but he’d still get the 100 mana that he spent to activate the spell back before its duration expired.
Connor would like to say that it was difficult to control the machine, but it wasn’t. He willed the spell active, spent his mana, and intuitively knew exactly how to control the machine. He could control the spinning wheels and cause the wheels to spin faster, slower, or even stop where he wanted. He could also detect the Wi-Fi signal that it was transmitting and automatically understood the information it was sending, mostly a number of pulls and whether or not a card was inserted. He also knew that that information was being monitored by two different sources that were transmitting a request for information command. One was from Casino Security. The other was from a server dedicated to the Nevada Gaming Commission. He also understood that he could block incoming commands and alter the information being sent out with a thought. All good information to have, but not necessary for what he was going to do.
For the next minute, he guided the slot machine's every move. He learned how to stop specific reels on particular symbols. He even walked away from the machine he had control of and watched as someone else came up to take their chance on the machine he’d just left, which was precisely what he was doing. An elderly woman had just left and was heading to cash in her winnings.
As Connor placed his Casino Player’s Club Card in the slot machine, he willed the machine that he still had control over to pay a Jackpot. The Jackpot was sitting at 13 million dollars right now, so it should make the guy who had moved in really happy. As he did so, he placed the maximum bet, activated Control Technological Devices on the machine he now sat at, and willed it to give him a minor jackpot, which was a flat 1 million dollars.
As the Slot Machines lights went off, Connor smiled. Like most casinos, he had to wait for the jackpot to be confirmed by one of the attendees or floor managers. Connor had given the big win to the other gentlemen so his little win wouldn’t draw too much attention to himself. Because of the commotion of the big jackpot, Connor had to wait a couple of minutes for an attendant to come by and verify his win. As he suspected, once confirmed, a man in a suit came over.
“Hello, Mr. Baker, is it?” the man said, addressing Connor.
“Yes, and you are?” Connor asked.
“I’m Mr. Pinkerton, the Floor Manager. The Casino Manager is currently busy with the Jackpot winner.”
“I saw, and on the machine I was just on. What a lucky piece of work.”
“Indeed, as are you. You just won a million dollars.”
“I did,” Connor said with a smile.
“Well, Sir,” We’d like to offer you a complimentary suite, our treat.“
“That would be awesome!” Connor said with genuine happiness. Of course, he was overdoing it a bit because he’d hoped for something like this to happen, but a Suite was just awesome.
Mr. Pinkerton allowed Connor to regain his composure while he politely waited.
Connor visibly suppressed his excitement and continued, “I have a question: Do you have a shuttle service or someone who can pick up some of my friends who are making their way north on I 93? I was lucky enough to get a ride, but they were held by the police a bit longer, and no one else was heading this way.”
“We have someone that can fetch them. You don’t need to do so yourself, Sir,” Mr. Pinkerton offered.
“I’m willing to give a thousand dollar tip to the driver and pay for any gas that might be used, from my winnings, of course,” Connor offered.
“There are just two friends?”
“Yes.”
Connor watched as Mr. Pinkerton whispered into his throat mike. A minute later, a young, physically fit man came running over from the front of the Casino, “Yes, Mr. Pinkerton.”
“Jason, our guest needs two of his friends picked up who are making their way north up I-93 on foot. Do you think you can handle that?”
“One hundred miles?” Jason asked.
“Jason, May I call you Jason,” Connor asked.
“Of course, Sir.”
“This would be a huge favor to me, and as your boss can verify, I just won big on this slot machine. I’m willing to give you 1,000 dollars of that payout to you.”
Connor watched as Jason’s interest perked up. Connor reached into his pocket, pulled another hundred-dollar bill from his Inventory, and held it up: “Of course, I don’t want you to worry about not having enough gas to get there and back. I’ll give you this $100 upfront.
Jason nodded, “I can get them for you, Sir.”
“What kind of car are you going to be driving so I can let them know?” Connor asked.
“I have a Honda Accord, which is dark silver,” Jason said.
Connor nodded and handed over the money. Jason walked away with a smile on his face as Connor sent a quick message over Party Chat, to which Sam responded.
Sam: So we will find you gambling when we get there?
Connor didn’t dignify the question with a response.
“Mr. Connor, here is your new room key. You're on the 8th floor in the reserved portion of the hotel,” Mr. Pinkerton said as he pulled Connor’s thoughts back to the casino and handed him a platinum-colored room key.
“Thank you. I think I’m going to cash out the money for Jason and leave the rest of my winnings on the card for now. I want to go check out this suite you’re giving me and wait for my friends to arrive before we really start gambling. It’s been a crazy day,” Connor said.
Connor left the Casino and headed to his new room. When he walked in, he was pleasantly surprised to find a suite with a jacuzzi tub and a minibar and two rooms connected to it. The couch could also serve as a bed. It looked like a really expensive suite he’d find in a Holiday or Hampton Inn.
Connor walked over to the end table near the sofa with a remote on it and turned on the television. He checked the news to see what was going on locally. Now that he had money, and the other two would arrive in the next two hours, Connor pulled the smartphone he’d picked up from the individual he considered to be the boss who had been sitting near the call boxes in Nowhere.
As soon as he pulled it out of his Inventory, it began ringing. Connor cast Hack, which unlocked the phone and answered the call.
“Where are you?” a male voice asked in a heavily accented voice.
“I’m here, where are you?”
“You’re where…wait, who is this?”
“Your boy went the way of the dodo bird. I’ve got his phone. Have a nice day, dick head,” Connor said as he hung up.
He had a very good idea of who he’d just pissed off. Well, not who exactly, but the type of person that it would be. Now it was time to actually go shopping for a cash supply that wouldn’t run out and make connections to get some fake IDs. To make sure they’d have no trouble backtracking the phone, Connor put it on the kitchen counter after he changed all the passwords and biometrics to himself.
If they were close, this could get fun quickly. If they were down by Phoenix or Tucson, it might be a bit. Of course, they could send some of their bodies from Vegas. He was sure that if it were the cartel or mafia, they’d have people in the city for sure. Connor settled in to wait and allowed his mana reserve to fill. He had more than enough mana, which reminded him…
Connor spent 1,000 mana to cast Force Daggers of Throwing and replaced the mana he used with mana from his reserve. Then he settled in to wait for Liza and Sam to arrive. If he were lucky, the assholes who had ordered the abductions on I 93 would find him before they arrived. If he wasn’t so lucky, things could get a little dicey. It didn’t matter to him, though. He’d heard about abductions growing up as a sort of old wives’ tale. To find out they had actually happened… For him, it wasn’t about justice; it was about taking everything they had. Besides, he had all this power; why not have a little fun dishing out what he considered some much-deserved karmic payback?