Chapter 10

Getting Good Practice

It took some time to get to the area surrounding the volcano. The sun was closing in on the horizon, exploring around an active volcano at night seemed like a very bad idea. I would have to hurry. Before I got moving though, I turned on mana sense. There was no sign of fire mana yet, but as I looked around, I quickly found what I was looking for.

I sent some energy to contact the light mana around me, and asked it to form an orb of light for me, following its cues I encased it in a layer of my own mana, and disconnected from it. I would need to connect back up with the orb to change its instructions, otherwise it would just keep hovering above and behind me. I felt like I may need to recharge the mana that was keeping it together in a few hours.

I theorized that light mana would probably still gather in some places at night, in spots lit well by the moonlight, and perhaps around the lava. Not that I would even consider getting close to that. I was no expert, but I was pretty sure I read about all sorts of fumes. Not to mention heat that could probably boil your eyeballs or something. My constitution put me in the supernaturally durable territory, but I didn't want to test it with that.

I rubbed my horns, and swished my tail, thinking about the fact that I really needed to avoid healing myself till I had a less potentially life altering way of doing it. I wondered why I couldn't just ask the life mana to heal me, but I figured there was a reason Dux didn't advise that. I really should have asked.

With my portable light floating over my shoulder, I started walking toward the volcano again. I kept an eye out for any new mana types as I went. I noticed a larger, and larger concentration of earth mana as I progressed. The life mana started to decrease exponentially the closer I got. Once I actually reached the point where I saw fire mana. It had almost disappeared entirely, except for the layer of green that clung to me constantly. I tried to avoid eating that since it was in short supply, and it was surprisingly easy. Life mana was particularly tasty, but when I thought about how I shouldn't eat it, it seemed to fall off the menu.

As I ventured forwards, it started to become uncomfortably hot. I found out some interesting details about my new body, like the fact that the palms of my hands and the pads of my feet were both absolutely dripping with sweat, but the rest of me was dry. Oh and I found myself uncontrollably panting like a dog.

With the heat bearing down on me, I looked at the local air mana. It seemed different here. The yellow glow was significantly less vibrant, and while it flowed and spun it did not seem to dance. When I reached out a tendril to contact it, it seemed as eager as ever to connect with me, but its joy was missing. It felt heavy, oppressive, instead of energizing, this air mana was enervating. The portion that I was touching seemed to sense my distress, and I felt it request a small amount of mana from me. Curious what would happen, but worried about what would happen when I empowered the element in this state, I gave it a very small amount.

The part of the air that received my mana brightened, and shifted. It changed itself to the type I knew well, it danced, and spun for a moment before darting into me. It made me feel slightly better, but it only lasted a moment. The remaining mana seemed to mourn the fact that it required energy to shift itself. It wanted to help, it as always offered a connection, telling me without words that I wouldn't feel its oppression if it was flowing through me.

I couldn't afford funding it so it could shift for me, and certainly wanted to avoid immersing myself with the feelings it was giving me. So I thanked it mentally, and pulled away.

I didn't have to endure the heat long before I started seeing tiny flickering motes of red mana. Like the water mana I had encountered away from the river, it was far too diffuse to connect with. I began to taste it though, unsurprisingly it tasted hot. My mind interpreted it like biting into a jalapeno. It was both horrible, and delightful at the same time.

When I located my first real clump of flickering red mana, I declared the spot perfect for my little project, and unceremoniously dumped my clay onto the ground. I sat down on the far too warm ground, and worked the clay into something resembling a plant pot. It was messy, and uneven, I'm pretty sure I managed to get way too much of my fur in it. But that was okay. I was going to ask for help anyway. I just thought that the help I was calling for would be happier if it didn't have to change the shape of the thing much.

I began by calling on the earth mana. I started by asking it to help me bring the pot more in line with what was in my head. The Earth mana demanded payment, and wasn't satisfied till I had given it nearly a quarter of the mana in my core. After I paid the price, I watched it shift into perfect order.

I then asked the earth mana to help keep the pot the way it was. I wanted it to work with the fire mana I was about to contact, and harden the clay without running the risk of it cracking. This request was perfectly in line with its desires, and it asked for next to nothing.

Then I tentatively reached out a tendril to touch the fire mana for the first time. Even without directly connecting with it, the desires of the fire mana were shockingly intense. It felt just as hungry as I had when the System was draining me. It wanted nothing more than to consume and grow. It wanted to spread its heat. It licked hungrily at my strand of mana, trying to take it from me. It was terrifying.

I put aside my fear as much as I could, and let the fire know that it could have some of my mana if it heated my clay pot with it. It responded fervently, it wanted all my mana, it also burned to connect with me. I felt it try to flow up my connection with it. I refused to allow it to have its way, I followed my instincts instructions on how to push it away as best I could, and offered it what I was willing to give. To my surprise, it agreed quickly. As soon as I paid it, I disconnected, and fearing what it would unleash, ran away from the area.

My fears were proven justified when I turned to look, and was almost blinded by the glow of my clay pot. I was very happy that I had asked the earth mana to keep it whole. It occurred to me that I may have been a little too giving with my mana. I waited for quite some time, watching the glow in the distance, and filling my core back up with the surrounding air mana.

As I waited, I decided to send even more earth mana to reinforce the thing, and hopefully the area around it. I had to pay a small amount to make it move away from its location, but it agreed quickly enough.

Eventually the pot cooled completely. The Earth mana did its job, keeping the clay from cracking as it cooled, and enforcing its solidity. I removed my pack, and put my silly little project inside. I didn't understand why I put so much effort into something that would only be a slight use in recharging my weapon. A silly part of my mind replied that it would make it happy. I scoffed, and rubbed my temples. At least it was good mana practice.

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I looked over the area, I had done what I set out to do. I tried to think of anything else I should make, but I had a strong overriding feeling that making things was a waste of my time. The more I thought about how to prepare, the more I felt like I was as ready as I was going to be.

I had worked with every type of mana but one. Death. I thought about making the journey to the swamp to see if I could find some, and I probably should have. But I felt my insides clench at the thought of letting something called death mana touch my mind, even at a distance. I resolved to find some later, out in the real world, after I learned more about safer mana types.

I thought about what I could do in this place that I wouldn't easily be able to practice outside, as I walked away from the oppressive heat. It hit me like a bolt of lightning. I had a form I'd only experienced briefly. It was, in fact, the true form of this body. I only had the slightly fading memories of the mana beast about how it felt to exist as that creature. I instinctively knew that it was much stronger, and better able to fight than my demihuman form. I decided, much to the joy of my instincts, that I would spend my remaining time getting acquainted with it.

I stopped walking and removed my pack. I had noticed that there was an alternate place to snap the straps. Straps that could be extended quite a lot. I made sure that the flap holding it shut was secure, and that my staff was firmly attached to it.

I played with it for a bit. Being very generous with the strap length. I pushed my clothing into whatever place the System stores it. I fumbled around as I did my best to put the pack into the right place in my humanoid form. I lowered myself onto all fours, closed my eyes, and tried to think of myself as the Mana Beast. It took some effort concentrating on my desire to change forms, to get to know the other half of my new life.

I felt the straps tighten, apparently fully extended, the straps were perfectly fitted to this form. The System had designed it that way, for sure. I followed my impulses, and stretched my body, flexing my claws into the dirt beneath my paws. I yawned wide, and let out a roar, instinctively proclaiming myself the master of this area. In this form I felt confident, my instincts seemed to meld with my mind more thoroughly than before. They no longer felt as much like a foreign entity trying to invade my mind. Perhaps it was because I accepted the need for them in such a different body.

I sniffed the air, the sulfur was overpowering so close to the volcano. My senses were good in the demi human form. As a Mana Beast they were so, so much stronger. I sneezed, my tail twitched as I picked out the direction of the river. I felt dehydrated from the intense heat, so it was a good direction to head.

At first I was pretty clumsy. The dream had shown me how to move, so it wasn't a complete disaster, but there was a difference between knowing how to do something in concept, and knowing how to do it in practice. With the help of my instincts though, it wasn't long before I was moving pretty quickly. The pack on my back was working perfectly, it was barely bouncing, it didn't slip around, and most importantly it didn't restrict my breathing or movement.

After a bit of time trotting I started to break into a run. My instincts had no complaints, my time in the biome had shown no threats. I was the owner of the entire area, there was nothing to contest me.

I made it to the river in no time at all. When I found a good spot to do so I practically buried my head in the water. Eventually my thirst was sated. I played around like an oversized kitten for a while before deciding that I could use a nap. There was supposed to be a test coming after this, and I had a rather eventful day.

After circling the area, and pushing some leaves around I ended up curled up in a ball, with my tail in front of my nose. Strangely I felt more right and comfortable after just a short while in my mana beast form, than I had after hours as a demihuman.

I dreamt of life as a Mana Beast again. This dream was a memory of a time long before his sapience. In the dream, another Mana Beast entered my territory, l could feel him through a connection with the area that I hadn't noticed in my last dream. It was close to what I felt when I lost myself in the life mana, but subtle and unobtrusive. My territory was bound to me, and his presence pushed on me with an intolerable weight. I felt how two Mana Beasts could not ever share space. His intrusion was somehow a danger to my very existence. I sprang to my feet, intent on running him off. I would kill him if necessary.

When I found the intruder I was surprised to see that he looked like a giant ape. Like me, his fur and skin were stark white and subtly glowing, he also had stripes, though his markings were glowing with a mixture of brown, blue, and white. I roared at him, and paced slowly in front of him, I drew on some of the energy that was flowing to me from deep in my territory. The mana infused my form making me glow intensely and causing my fur to float. My whole body started to exude an ephemeral white smoke with faint hints of the colors that usually ran through my stripes.

I swiped at him, my paw splayed, claws fully extended. He leaped back, dodging a blow that was never really meant to hit. I growled, and turned my side to him, pacing in front of him again with my tail held high, and flicking higher. He charged at me, I easily dodged to the side. I smacked him with my paw as I moved. My claws dug deep furrows into his pelt.

We went back and forth for some time. I received a constant supply of mana from the middle of my territory that kept my energy levels entirely topped off. The ape was larger than me, but it soon became obvious that he had no such advantage. I spent the whole time practically toying with him, with the mana flowing into me the large ape had no chance at all.

At one point he proved his immense strength to me by uprooting a tree, and swinging it ponderously at me. I managed to swiftly jump on the trunk and run along it to smack him in the head, leaving some superficial wounds on his scalp as I jumped past.

Eventually he was bloodied sufficiently that he ran off, my territory was not worth his life. Even with whatever had been fueling me at stake.

It seemed I would find out what that was as I found myself headed to the center of my territory where I was awed by the sight of a large crystal that glowed brightly with shimmering green, yellow, and blue mana. I felt a connection with it, this crystallized mana was very important to me. I knew then that I had been born from the giant crystal, and I knew it would continually supply me with the mana that sustained me until it became small enough for me to consume. The giant mana crystal would eventually become my core.

When I awoke, I saw the first light of dawn. I yawned almost lazily as I contemplated that my time in the sequestered area was almost over. I contemplated the swiftly approaching time when I would meet the people of the world I was reborn to. I followed my instincts, and groomed myself. I was thrown out of my vague worries when my paw encountered a lump on the top of my head. I realized that the tiny horns had become a feature of my beast form. It seemed that the changes that had occurred when I was lost in the web of life, had done so on a deep enough level to affect my entire being.

When Dux appeared, I was playing. I mean, I was seriously testing my Mana Beast form by leaping around the area where I had sensed the ram that had captured my interest while I was lost to the life mana, and resulted in my new little features. The herd was nowhere to be seen, I had taken no steps to hide my presence, and they had made an escape deeper into the mountains. I could still smell them, but I had fed well yesterday, and felt no need to seek them out.

Dux cleared his throat. "Looks like someone is having fun. I have to say, watching you this last day has really shown how much you have to learn. What the hell were you thinking? I understand that losing yourself to the water mana was an accident. But you intentionally threw yourself into the life mana. I told you that was for emergencies. A couple broken bones are not life threatening. I cannot tell you what you should have done. But I can tell you that was moronic, you didn't even try to ask the mana if it could heal your injuries without full immersion. Now, congratulations you have a new feature. Aren't they cute, don't they look just like what babies are born with before they grow?" I felt Dux's anger wasn’t entirely directed at me.

The little dragon sighed, deflating. "I've been a terrible teacher. I don't understand why… nevermind." My silver friend stood straight, and began speaking more loudly "Your exploration here is at an end. The test has begun."

As Dux disappeared again I heard him faintly say "Good luck Angel, I still can't help you."

The test was apparently taking place in the mixed biome. I didn't know exactly what the test was. But I felt exposed on the mountain side, and in Mana Beast form. I dashed for the woodline mentally cursing up a storm.