UghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHhhHGBWAUTFHBWAUFGh GOD!
Given I haven’t felt a crushing impact flatten my spine in the past few minutes, I’ll just have to assume none of those damned birds aggroed onto me. Not sure if that’s because of the way they’re designed, in that they’re basically just sentries in a living body, or if it’s because of a sense of self preservation.
I mean, I sent half of them careening down to hell, and Jasper snapped another three’s spines… God I love that cat, but that’s besides the point. I mean to say, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not attacking me because they think it’ll go poorly. Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised. Both options make sense.
Now, I have me a brand new part of this cave to explore. Just gotta…
MMM, HHHup, c’mon. Upsy daisy…
My arms wobble a bit as I push myself off the ground, slowly straightening out as I climb to my feet.
“Oh! You’re up!”
“Was never out, just… severely impaired, one could say!”
“The mana in your body was barely fluctuating I’m pretty sure you were asleep for a moment.”
“Nah, you must be imagining things.”
…The what now was barely fluctuating? You know what, I might regret it, but I’m gonna ask…
“The mana in my body was, ‘fluctuating’?”
I figure mana is just MP for me? Like, it’s a natural resource and you naturally absorb it or something, and then it becomes MP that fuels your innate abilities? Something along those lines I’d guess.
“Yeah everybody’s does. Well as long as they’re alive anyways. I was worried about you for a moment there since I couldn’t detect yours for a bit but I found it when I looked a little closer.”
“Okay, but what does fluctuating entail?”
“Oh. Well if you want to know-”
“As a matter of fact, Screech, I would like to know. But, spark notes please.”
“Spark notes?”
“I’m asking you to, instead of telling me everything you know, just tell me what you think is important about it.”
“That’s just about everything I know though?”
“...Then only what you think is really, REALLY, important.”
“Well that’s not much at all.”
“That’ll do then! Speak all you like-regarding what’s super duper important.”
Dusting myself off as I rise fully to my feet, I begin making my way forward one step at a time. Left, right, left, right. One step at a time… good lord what is my stamina at right now?
45/140
Still not great! We’ll take it slow.
“Jasper? Where are you and Jerry?”
It’s pretty dark in here, contrary to the ascent up here. There was a massive opening in the cave that the sun was streaming in through, but now the only source of light is the aforementioned light bleeding into here. Otherwise, it just stretches on and on… And on… goodness me that's a dark tunnel. Sure hope there aren’t any pitfalls or anything, haha…
“Mm.”
“Alright!”
“M-”
“I’m gonna start giving you ‘spark notes’ now is that alright?”
“Yeah, sure,” I smile weakly, “just don’t shout the entire thing? I mean, unless you want Jasper to rip you off of me.”
“Oopsies.”
“Now, Jasper, what were you saying?”
“Mmm.”
“Further ahead? Got it.”
“So the mana that comes off of every individual creature-”
“One last thing before you start?”
“...Yes?”
“Mind cancelling [Morrigala Metamorphose] and giving me a light? I kind of can’t see.”
“Oh. Sure! Now where was I…”
Tis like having Youtube on in the background whilst you eat your lunch. God I hate Youtube.
—
“The mana reverberates around you drawing in mana from the surroundings in order to energize your own-”
—
“How far did you go, Jasper?”
“MmmMm…”
“Why?”
“Mm.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“In addition to-”
—
Been walking for a good minute here now…
“Lastly, an individual's mana tends to lose its vitality as they get closer to death, drawing in less from their surroundings, resulting in the slower recovery of MP.”
“Okay, that was actually very succinct, thank you Screech.”
“Thank you! You’re welcome.”
“If you’d like, I’ll also listen to you talking about the slightly less important facts.”
“Ooo!”
—
“Everybody seems to fluctuate a slightly different wavelength, some people draw in more mana and others barely any at all-”
Okay, I’ve been going for a solid actual minute now.
…Was I really down for that long?
Crck-
Hm?
Like a broken floorboard, the ground beneath my feet nearly gives way as it caves in from the impact my right boot creates. Instead, only a small portion of it does, and immediately my perception speed increases to its maximum.
Without so much as a peep, I [Recall] Jerry and instantly [Summon] him into the hole, using him as a platform to jump off of as he lets out a shriek of surprise.
…Lightly, of course, don’t want to deal damage… That’d be bad.
[Recall]!
“Wh-what the-”
“Sorry about that, floor gave out! Hey JASPER, why no warning for that one?”
“Huh?”
“Mm?”
“Whaddya MEAN the floor gave out? You didn’t notice the floor collapsing beneath your paws?”
“Mmm??”
“NO? Okay, okay, maybe you just… weren’t heavy enough! Good lord, where ARE you?”
“-And that’s the end of my notes! Hm are you alright?”
“By the good graces of my reaction speed yes. Barely! Screech, Screech… question, can you like, comb through the nearby ground to check for potholes or the like? Can earth magic do that?”
“...Maybe! I haven’t tried that. Now that I think about it using earth magic does give me a sense of the land that I’m manipulating so it’s reasonable to think that it might be able to, let me give it a shot…”
“You do that,” I mumble, taking another step forward, tentatively, this time.
Tap… tap… tapping… my boot against the ground in front of me, I raise my eyebrow up high as I take another step forward, slowly setting the toes of my boot down, and ever so gently putting my weight into it.
…Crc-
“AH!”
I immediately jump back with my other leg on the ground, to already treaded, SAFE, ground thank you very much, watching as the ground in front of me slowly crumbles.
“Good lord…”
Well, at least I can’t see the bottoms of these pits…
Yes, that does make it better.
“Done!”
“So it worked?” I raise the other brow this time, glancing at Screech as she beams on my shoulder.
“Yup! There are approximately fifty three drops if I count right. Each of them are a real big fall so it’s a good thing you didn’t fall in. Although what’s weird is that I didn’t see Jasper anywhere despite going through all of the nearby vicinity…”
…
I flick open my menu within the moment, zooming to my map a moment later.
WWWWWWWWWWHERE THE HELL ARE WE?
We’re in a completely separated black box! There is no other landmass connected to this! Jasper is HALF WAY ACROSS THE MAP???
[Recall], IMMEDIATELY. H-h-h-hell NAW!
“Something’s wrong with this place, Screech, I won’t ask you to uphold earth and fire magic at the same time, you’ll obviously run out of stamina, but if you feel any… odd sources of mana, let me know, alright? And also tell me where the holes are.”
“That’s a lot to keep track of…”
“Can you do it?”
“Yeah.”
“...Then what are you worried about?” I sigh quietly, stretching slowly as I take another step forward, this time to the side of one of the freshly opened holes.
“Lead the way.”