Ch 22 Jan 2-3
So many dowels. So many wands. At some point I had Raven start turning them into pristine wands.
“Attention, it has been six hours since user has last eaten.”
Wait really? It feels like I just ate. “Maybe I should reset it to ten hours, I'm not hungry yet.”
“Confirmed. Will notify at ten hours without consuming.”
I nod and going for a drink. I've done less than half of my dowels. Need to keep going. Gods bless dungeons mana. “Raven notify me if I go more than 20 hours without sleep, please.”
“Confirmed.”
It's just about after noon then. I look longingly at my fabrics. Need to finish sawing though. I get back to work.
**
What feels like minutes later.
“Attention, user has not eaten in ten hours.”
I blink back to myself. I had gotten so into the sawing I had zoned out completely. Yeah, I was starving now. “Thanks Raven I'm starving.”
Going to sit down at my dining table I pull the milk to me. And start chugging. Strawberry, yum. Then I pull a random plate. “Uh Raven, what is this?”
“Korma, a dish with mild, rich tasting creamy sauce made with yogurt, nuts and cream.”
Ok, so not just American food, got it. I try a bit of it. Not bad. I eat some more. Savory yogurt is a little odd for me. But its good. “Raven, you purchased food from around the world?”
“Confirmed. All dishes are human-consumable made from Earth.”
“Please don't tell me I have dishes made form bugs.”
“Confirmed. I will not tell user there are dishes made from insects.”
Shit. “Raven please discard all insects from my inventory onto the floor of the third room next time I go in there.”
“Confirmed.”
I shudder. I know it's a thing in some cultures but not mine.
“Please discard all meat from cats dogs or rodents as well.”
“Confirmed.”
Another shudder, things I don't want to eat. Those are high on my list.
“Please discard anything with made from brains, tongue, hooves, offal, or testicles as well.”
“Confirmed.”
I should have been way more specific when I said buy random food. I try not to gag. Finishing the korma. I drink some more milk. Banana this time. Very sweet. I drink some plain water now. Then I go back to sawing.
**
I finally grab the last dowel from my inventory. Its only fix feet long so it shouldn't take too long. Getting started I line it up on the table just as I have the rest. Sawing about six inches off I let it drop to the pile on the floor. Scooting the dowel along the table I keep sawing. Until I finally get to the last bit which was about eight inches, I decided someone could deal with a long wand. I stretch and look at Raven who is just floating there.
“Raven did you run out of material for the wands?”
“Attention, once 100 of product completed by hand, can craft product with mana.”
I was stunned and furious. “You couldn't have told me that sooner?”
“Attention. User can now craft various other wands using material on hand.”
Shaking with anger and trying not to show it. The apathy of the four inch figure nearly set me off. I bit bac my reply. “Please bring such things to my attention sooner raven.”
“Confirmed. Crafting pristine wands still in progress. Please set quantity.”
Well since I'm in the dungeon and I don't have to waste material. I think about it a moment. “Please craft sealant wands until you reach 100.”
“Confirmed.”
Shaking my arms out. I feel like I could use a shower. Instead, I pull my pristine wand and point at myself. “riposte” a fair bit of dust falls off. Going into the next room I strip down and step into the kiddie pool, it's a little cool. But I felt warm. Laying down I bend my knees to the side. Since its so much wider than a tub I have room for my legs. I just lay there for a while. And take a breath. It's not Ravens fault that she's like that. She only listens to the commands I gave her. It just hasn't come up yet. Thats all.
Taking a deep breath I dunk my head under water. Rubbing my hair out I pull back up. I feel better just for being in water. How long had it been since I was? Less than a week? I've been clean, but a shower just makes you feel better.
Stepping out, I pull a towel out of my inventory. I point my pristine wand at it too and dust falls off. Then I dry myself off. Instead of redressing completely I only pull my boxers and sandals back on. There's no one here to see me. I'm only wearing the sandals because I don't like the floor.
Going to my tailoring tables I pull out the pattern for shorts. Seems simple enough, and I don't need pockets. I pull some green cotton from the fabric stack. The shorts pattern is knee length so that's what I'll get. I cut a rectangle and double it over. Laying the pattern on top I start cutting along. I chose men's large, so I'd be able to add a waistband and drawstring. Just nice simple everyday shorts.
Cutting along the lines was harder than I thought. There were more sharp corners and swoopy lines. I did it in the end though. Instead of a front and back you do side panels. I go to pin it on the doll. Evening it out util it looks better. I realize once again I forgot to iron it first. Turning it inside out, I start to sew it together. It take longer as there are longer lines to do. And not just going in circles. I slow down my zeal. And take a breath. In and out. Ok, continue on. I pull out a couple of stitches that were bad. And redo them. I didn't check the inside of the shirt. I'll have to do that too. I keep going until I reach the band. I'm going to put an inside band on the hold of the drawstring. I'll use yarn for the drawstring, I think. I don't have anything else. Looking through my supplies I do actually have drawstrings. About three dozen of varying greys. Clever woman. Pulling the same green fabric to me I measure out how much I’ll need for the band. Then cut it off.
With the shorts inside out, it should be easy to sew on. The strip of cloth is unruly. And curls. I let it and just sew it on that way. Once finished I get scissors and cut two holes in the front. And sew them secure. Then I get a safety ping a drawstring and start pulling it through. It doesn't take more than a few minutes. Once it's out the other side I realize how long the drawstring is. I pull it a bit more and cut it down. So, there is about six inches coming out both sides. I tie a knot in the ends. Time to try them on, I guess. I pull out an auto size before pulling the shorts on. I squeak as they are a bit snug on my ass. I tie them off and place the auto size. They become much more comfortable. Just above my knees. Nice light green and light grey drawstring. No pockets, though. I might add some later. Make them into cargo shorts.
I'm all giddy. Second project complete. It's going well so far. Still need to put auto size and pristine on them. But I want to continue making them. Thinking about it. I call out for skills
Skill
Lvl
Exp Gain
Tailoring
3
42.1%
Well ,no wonder I'm doing well. I've level up twice already. Maybe a pair of silk boxers to finish me off? I wonder how nice that would feel.
I go to pull the boxers pattern and it doesn't look much different from the shorts. The legs are different as there is a hammock space in between now. I pull some dark grey silk out and get started. It feels much easier now for some reason. I wonder if it's because of confidence. It's going well until I realize I need an elastic waist band. And that I can't pin it on the doll. Sighing. I go to grab some white elastic. And pin it in place. The pieces I cut seem all over the place. I try to arrange them according to the pattern, but it doesn't make as much sense as it does on the doll.
“Attention. Raven can hold objects and resize self.”
What? “Raven, are you saying you can be a mannequin for me?”
“Confirmed.”
I wave her over. She sizes up midair her legs are stubby. Only her torso and head have sized up to personhood as well as her arms. “Thanks Raven this helps a lot.”
“Confirmed. Designate Raven is here to help user.”
I clamp the pieces of fabric together while Raven holds them still. So many tiny clamps. It feels awkward for a second, but Raven has no genitals to be awkard about. Just little stubby legs. I quickly finish pining it together and making sure it was even on all sides.
“Thank you, Raven, that was a big help.” I say as I go back to the table, flipping the boxers inside out to sew them.
“Confirmed.”
I go carefully. Knowing that silk can tear easily. Using a dark grey thread that almost matches seems neat. The waist band going on the inside with the fabric rolled over it seems odd. But comfy. Steady smooth progress til I'm nearly done. Tying the thread off. Its finished I made silk boxers.
“Attention. Congratulations user on creating a complete outfit.”
I laugh a bit. I did in fact make a complete outfit. The boxers look huge right now but I know they’ll be a perfect fit in a minute. I strip down and grab an auto size. Delicately pulling them on and wiggle a moment, then apply the auto size.
It was completely uncomfortable. I had to readjust myself several times. And get a new autosize. With everything hanging to the left it was a bad fit. With a renewed autosize and perfect placement. It worked much better. I hopped about a bit. Was nice and snug. No movement whatsoever. There was one problem though now. I had to pee and still didn't have a working bathroom. Time to hit the third room up.
**
after reliving myself and Raven dumping all the unwanted foodstuffs. I wander back to my living space. I think about how much I've accomplished and suddenly realise I'm exhausted. Not psychically tired but mentally. Today was taxing in ways I haven't dealt with in ages. I sit at my dining table and pull the mocktail bottle to me. Maybe I should have brought alcohol with me. Too late now. I sip it. Not quite sure I like it I close and open it again, much better. I pull a plate of food out. Not sure what it is, I just start eating. Chicken something. Not bad.
After my meal I hit myself and my clothes with pristine and go to lay down. Sitting on my cot. I pull out the sheets I bought and forgot to put on. For now I just throw the top sheet on. I un-pile the blankets and pull out the lightest one.
“Raven change the music to rainstorm please.”
“Confirmed.”
And with that I drift off.
**
Waking up feeling perfectly rested is a wonderful feeling. I feel like I can take on the world. It's like I've been in a fugue state, fighting depression for years. But now I don’t have that near constant fatigue. Giving myself a little hop in joy. I go sit at my dining table and pull the coffee bottle to me. “Raven, do I have any breakfast foods?”
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“Confirmed.”
“Pull it please.”
Sitting on the table in front of me was a full plate. With fried egg, tomatoes mushrooms, sausages and beans. I think this is a proper English fry-up. I dig in, trading my coffee for tea. Might as well make it proper. Finishing up, I put a bit of mana into the camping silverware. They clean themselves just as they are meant to.
Trying to decide what to do now. I go to the second room and grab a camping chair. Back to the tailoring tables I set it down. One nice thing is I don’t have to worry about bad lighting anywhere in the dungeon.
Pulling out an embroidery hoop and some thread, I figure out how to set it up. I cut a square of purple cloth to put in the hoop and grab a needle. Its time to try stitching a pristine. Thinking a moment. I pull a sharpie and sketch it onto the cloth, sane size as I would the tags. Not quite two inches square. Should give me plenty of practice. My tailoring expertise given to me taught me to sew and stitch. Including how to add embellishments. Starting from the bottom I put the need at the back and push through. Not sure how many stitches I need, I make a single line for one stitch. Only making another stitch at a turn or curve. It takes a few tries to make it look neat, but I get it eventually. The back of the cloth looks like a child's scribbled mess, but the front looks nice. Taking it off the hoop it's time to test it.
Going to my dining table I pick the coffee bottle and pour some onto the cloth. No matter what comes out it'll stain. The purple cloth darkens as the liquid splashes over it. Making sure all the excess hits the dungeon floor. Stopping, I set the coffee bottle back down then feed a string of mana into the cloth. Nothing happens. I feed a little more and I can feel it fizzle out. Apparently, I'm not as good as I thought I was. Time to try again.
After pulling all the thread from my practice cloth and hitting it with my pristine wand, the cloth is back to good condition. Without my drawn pattern. Drawing it again, this time I draw the pattern on both sides. I start from the front and do one line stitch, but this time, instead of continuing the stitch I go to the back and go to where the first line started. Then I tie the thread off there. So that one line is only one thread, back to front. Maybe this will work better. I go to each line and do this. This time the back looks like an exact copy of the front. It is a doubled up in some areas but that can only help, I think.
Taking the cloth of the hoop, I once again pour coffee onto it. Feeding it mana once more this time it works. Not only does it clean the cloth, but the thread neatens up and the cloth tightens my somewhat loose stitching. It looks much more professional now. I quite proud of it. I successfully stitched an enchantment. Now to add it to my outfit.
The shirt was quite easy, I just did the left lower side. I had a middling sized hoop that it worked well with. The shorts were the same, just used a smaller hoop. The problem came to the boxers. No matter where I stitched the pristine id feel it. Thinking a moment, I went back to my practice cloth. Very carefully I cut the pristine off. then stitched it to the outside leg of the boxers. after taking them off. I double stitched them together, then fed a little mana into the purple. I couldn’t tell if it worked, as the boxers were still mostly clean. So, I went to pour some tea on them. Then fed mana into the pristine. It didn’t work. The boxers were still wet. I take the practice cloth off and pristine the boxers with my wand. Having an idea, I get my smallest hoop and stitch the pristine onto the boxers. Then I get a square of silk matching to the boxers and stitch on the inside over the pristine. Pouring tea on the boxers once again, I feed it mana. This time it works. I might feel the inside stitches from the patch, but I won't feel the pristine stitch itself. Putting them back on I grab my shorts. Time to try to put an autosize on as well. Getting a hoop onto the shorts I draw the autosize patter, onto the other leg. Doing the same as before so the back matches the front, I feed a little mana into and suddenly the shorts shrink. Because no one is wearing them. I stop feeding mana into them, and wince. I feed mana into the pristine on the other leg, and nothing happens. It doesn’t connect at all. Like the enchantment wasn’t even there.
This is a problem. It seems only the most recent enchantment can be used when stitched. Is it because of my level?
Skill
Lvl
Exp Gain
Enchant
19
35.3%
Oh, nice. All the wands I've been making actually do quite a bit.
“Hey Raven, has it been 24 hours for me since I entered the dungeon?”
“Confirmed it has been 40 hours for user since entering dungeon.”
Oh wow, almost two days. So that makes this the night on Jan 2 for me.
“Tell me when 8 hours have passed ok?”
“Confirmed.”
Undoing the stitched of autosize on the shorts. I retry pristine. Still doesn’t work. So, I undo the stitches. Then put the shorts on with an autosize tag.
Taking them back off I restitch the pristine on the bottom of the left leg in light grey thread. Pouring coffee on them again I feed mana into the pristine, again it works. I redress, and then go to pull new fabric out. If I can't put auto size and pristine on, then they’ll just have to buy autosize tags too. Oh well.
Now to begin. I want one of each tshirt, button up, pants, knee length shorts, knee length skirt, plain boxers, plain under wear, and the most basic sports bra. Of nearly every color. Of just about each fabric. I'm going to be busy for awhile. I’ll start with tshirts of each fabric. I'll make a shirt then add pristine each time.
“Raven, can you keep track, so I don’t make doubles? And make sure that I don’t miss any fabric types or colors?”
“Confirmed. Fabrics logged. Colors logged. Products of choice logged.”
Wait a sec. “What do you products of choice?”
“Tshirt, button up, pants, shorts, skirt, boxers, under wear, sports bra to be made.”
“Raven do you know what I'm thinking?”
“Negative, user has stated intentions with chosen patterns.”
Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense. I did make the choices obvious.
“Ok, yeah keep track of what I make, I want to make one of each item in each fabric. Then stitch pristine on them.”
“Confirmed.”
I, of course, start with the blues. Pulling out five different ones. I start cutting one at a time. Setting the pieces aside into piles. Once done I pull blue thread out. Then start stitching them together, one at a time. Once I neatened the first up, I did the rest. once all five were done, I start the pristine on them. I had so much focus I missed the notification from Raven until she appeared in front of my face.
“Attention 8 hours have passed. It is suggested user perform human upkeep.”
Huh? Human upkeep? Then I realized how thirsty I was. Putting everything down I went for the nutrient water. Rifling through the flavors until I got one liked, I started chugging it. like a wave through me, I then realized how badly I had been taking care of myself the last few days. Eating once or twice a day, drinking randomly. Barely showering, not using the restroom. Too focused on my shiny new toy to pay attention to what my body was telling me. Only thing I had been doing was sleeping well.
“Raven can humans subsist on mana?”
“Possibly exists for competent humans to exist based on mana lvl within user. Can be gained early based on circulation within user.”
So higher the lvl? Neat.
“Do aliens live off mana?”
“Confirmed. Portions of species exist off mana, also based on competence lvl.”
Neat. Tons of species out there live completely off of mana, some humans will be able to do it too. Maybe I can enchant something to help? What else do humans need? Texas heat is killer. Maybe temp control? Could I put that on humans? Tattoos? I look at the ring on my finger. Twisting it around so that the pristine is pressed to my skin I feel mana to it. My skin tingles and dust peels off. So, rings work as long as its pressed against skin. Still thinking about tattoos.
“Raven can I enchant tattoos onto people?”
“Confirmed if user enchants tattoos on others they would need to be able to use mana to activate tattoo.”
Cool, so dungeoneers, only? Or anyone over 15? Doesn’t it have to be 18 to get a tattoo anyway? Can I give myself a tattoo?
“Raven if I have a skill, you can do it too, correct?”
“Confirmed. User must have skill to functional degree.”
Well then, I have to practice on other people first. Then Raven can do it to me. And practice tattooing in general. Can I sell that to the system?
“Raven, can I sell tattoo to the system?”
“Negative. Can not sell services through system, user allowed to make local advertisements for services through system.”
Well, there's that. I can use the guild too. Have it set as a side service. Should make leather or metal bracelets. Or should rings be better? They're smaller certainly, but on hands it would be easier to feed mana through your hands.
Finishing my break by relieving myself in the emptied third room. I go to the secondary project tables. Pulling out several sheets of paper, I draw color tags for fun. I never really used it, but I'm wondering if I can change the dungeon.
“Attention. 100 sealant wands completed. 100 gravity wands completed. 100 force wands completed.”
Oh wow. No wonder Raven hasn’t been saying anything. Did I really have that many dowels?
“Thanks Raven. Do I have many dowels left?”
“Confirmed. 243 dowels over six inches left.”
Nice. So, I can keep making wands. What to make though? My big four are done. So, I can just make as many as I want now.
“For now, just produce sealant and pristine wands. I'll sell them to the hospital, if I have enough ill sell them to other hospitals.”
Maybe I can start working on the bag of holding.
“Raven, do I have the capability of creating a bag of holding? With just enchanting?”
“Negative, it is not within users current capability to create item known as bag of holding. It is within users current capability to multiply the carrying capacity of any constructed bag.”
Well, good and bad news. Bag of holding is a stretch of increased carrying? So just more space within a bag.
“Multiply carrying space by how much?”
“Depending on amount of mana fed into item during construction will increase the carrying capacity.”
So, more mana bigger bag. Which is no problem in a dungeon. Great. Backpack, fanny pack or messenger bag first though? I think fanny pack will be the easiest. So, I'll start there.
Pulling a pile of denim to me I cut out a rectangle to start with. Setting the pattern on the denim, I pause. This time remembering the iron. Pulling it out, I turn it on. A small cloud of steam hits my face. I set the pattern aside and lay the denim flat. I slowly start moving the iron across the denim, being careful to never let it rest in one place. The denim becomes smooth and flattens as I go. Once finished I reset the pattern and start cutting along the edges. I cut the band separately.
I set the pieces together as I would sew them, inside out. Pulling a much thinker thread and larger needle I get to work. It's quite a bit harder with the much thicker fabric and takes me longer to get through. This one will have a flap that folds over the top. Once finished I set it aside.
Taking the bands that will be the strap, I pick out which clasp I’ll use. I look though what I have and find a belt buckle, so I'll use that. Setting to hoping the band will be long enough to use I layer it a little to help. I take the grommet puncher to make holes for the metal tip to go through. The belt buckle will go just a bit to the right of the pack itself. Then I stitch the band to the pack. It’s a little lopsided, but that’s taken care of when I hit it with pristine. Much more professional looking.
Now to figure out a space enchantment. Holding open the flap I draw a two inch square just below the fold. Trying to decide what to focus on, I think attics for some reason. The unexplored open spaces of some, the mysterious depths of others. The cleaned and decorated places some people use for a guest room. So much space to be used on anyway they can imagine. Putting the sharpie to the square I slowly draw an upside down V, while feeding mana into the fabric. The roofline of a normal attic. Drawing line to connect the lines to the edges of the square like you would have beams holding it in place. Inside the V I draw sideways lines, like open beams from the ceiling below. The imagery seems like depths of space to me. I keep feeding it mana without picking up the sharpie. And keep going. Without looking at the bag inside.
Focusing on the mana draw, I get a little bored.
“Attention. Item cannot hold more mana before destabilizing.”
I blink back to focus and stop feeding mana. Looking at raven. “Was it a success?”
“Confirmed, user has created item with expanded carrying capacity. 50 times original bag.”
Wow that was quite a bit. Looking at the bag, thinking if I should sell it or not.
“Raven, can I make a bigger capacity than this?”
“Negative, user would need a greater initial capacity.”
So, 50 times the space was all I could do for the moment. I think that was pretty good though. Shit I forgot something. “Raven this doesn’t have stasis, does it?”
“Negative, user focused on space, not stasis.”
Should I sell this? Or make a new enchantment? Or sell both for different prices? Maybe both. Setting the bag into my inventory. I go to pull out more denim. The iron it and cut more pieces.
Making another bag doesn’t take as long as the first. This time I use green canvas with a side release buckle. Just to the left, again with a flap.
Drawing a square, this time I focus on basements. Time forgotten, time untouched, space expounded, into the depths of the building. Never knowing what you can find, always having what you need here. Being able to find treasure forgot, being able to find old memories. Being able to recall anything from the depths of the basement upon seeing it. Drawing a set of stairs into my square feeding mana into it, I draw more square going down into each of the corners. Making more and more squares in the first one. I keep feeding mana into it.
“Raven tell me when to stop, please.”
“Confirmed.”
I sit there for awhile. Just feeding mana into the bag and enchantment.
“Attention, item will become unstable with continued mana.”
I stop feeding mana into it. Wiping my brows, which had become sweaty at some point. “Raven how long has it been foe me since you told me eight hours have passed?”
“Attention, six hours have passed since.”
So, it's about six am Jan 3 for me. Three days since I entered the dungeon. It doesn’t feel like it. I've been busy the entire time though. Checking my inventory to see if I have a bowl. There's one from my own kitchen. Pulling it out I set it on my dining table, then fil it with plain water. I pull out a handcloth and hit it with pristine. Then I proceed to wash my face. No better way to feel refreshed. I leave the bowl there, it can be my practice bowl for now. And it's nice to wash my face.
Rubbing my head, I get up and get back to making tshirts. This time five greens. I think I'll do five of each color for each item. Should give plenty of options to sell. By the time I get to the third shirt Raven calls to me.
“Attention. It has been 10 hours since user has consumed food.”
Has it? Guess it has. Oops. Heading to my dining table I pull out something random to eat and grabbing the nutrient water, the food looks like rice something. As I eat, I drink my flavored water. Still tasty. Finishing up, I set everything back. Then I go back to the tshirts. Which I once again forgot to iron.
**
Getting finished with the greens I go through with purples, yellow, red, and orange. All different types of fabric for each color. I take a break, and head to the third room to relieve myself. It feels like it's been hours.
“Raven, how long has it been for me since I asked?”
“Attention, it has been 12 hours since last check.”
Well damn it was midnight. So, its 2pm? “Raven how much longer until the notice to sleep?”
“Attention. The notification to sleep would happen in two hours.”
I don’t really feel tired though. Maybe I could lay down for a nap anyway? “Raven how many wands have you made?”
“Attention, designate has made 252 Pristine wands and 251 Sealant wands.”
Nice. Only take a few minutes each, I guess. Ok time to nap. I set everything down, and head to my cot. The speaker is still playing rainstorm, its good background music. I've just been tuning it out though. Maybe I'll turn it up later.
“Raven mark the time, then tell me how much passes for me when I wake up, please.” I say as I lay down. Then I close my eyes.