I figure that even if I don’t manage to gain Fire-Shaping at any point, knowing more about fire should help me with Fire Taming.

To that end, I spend some time meditating next to the fire, sitting out of the way of the little smoke that escapes my hide bag. It’s interesting to compare what I see and feel this time to previous times: here, the fire is much cooler, and barely holding onto life. The connections are fewer and much shorter, but they are still there, sinking into the leaves over the glowing embers.

The determination and perseverance of fire is showcased here: true flames absent, but the fire eating at the wet fuel nonetheless. When at one point it starts flagging, the energy gained from consuming the leaves not quite keeping up with the energy expenditure at burning off the liquids, I offer it a little of my own mana.

Probably another benefit of my more-advanced Energy Manipulation, or perhaps Meditation – or even both – I can see more of what happens to the mana as I pass it over. The mana which leaves me and the energy which the fire consumes is different. The fire transforms my mana easily into something it is able to consume.

Perhaps that’s natural – fire is all about transformation, after all. I’m seeing it happen before my eyes as it transforms the leaves into usable fuel, and then ashes. It makes sense that it could do the same with the mana I feed it.

Pulling back a bit, I stare at the fire sightlessly with my physical eyes. Is this the key that I’ve been missing? Lay-on-hands was referred to on a number of occasions as ‘healing’ magic. When I use Flesh-Shaping, does my mana change? I’ve never noticed.

Deciding it’s worth a little investigation, I pick up the piece of hide I cut off from the rest of the nere hide which is currently being smoked. Touching the mana inside, I do notice some subtle differences to it now that I’m paying attention. Is this why I can’t get out as much of my mana as I put in? It’s being changed as I do it and the rate of conversion back to ‘normal’ mana isn’t very good? Or is there another reason?

Either way, it seems that I’ve confirmed that I’m using a different type of magic when I engage in Flesh-Shaping, and I know I used healing magic with Lay-on-hands. So that lends evidence to the idea that fire also has its own type of magic…and that Fire-Shaping might require me to find a way to transform my own mana into that of fire.

When engaging in Fire Taming, I don’t change my mana into a different form; I bargain with the fire over following my instructions if it wants access to the condensed energy I can offer it. So the fire still transforms the mana. But if I can work out how to transform the mana myself…?

I spend some time feeding the fire with magic, being careful not to give it too much at a time – I don’t want my experiments to accidentally make flames leap up inside my hide bag. Instead, I just offer it a unit at a time, trying my best to reduce even that down to fractions of units since a single unit still proves to be a lot for a fire this subdued.

While I do that, I observe carefully with as many senses as possible to try to work out exactly what’s changing about the mana to make it into ‘fire’ mana instead of my mana.

After a while, I start noticing a certain difference. It’s impossible to describe, a mixture of ‘sight’ and ‘feel’. Nonetheless, it’s enough for me to start trying to replicate it.

The rest of the world almost falls away and I have to consciously focus on pulling myself out of the state every so often to check on my hide’s progress. As my attempts to transform the mana fail again and again, I find myself getting frustrated.

Knowing that frustration isn’t going to help at all, I pull myself fully out of meditation, standing up and stretching a bit. A few squats and press-ups help remove the lingering irritation out of my system.

I then investigate the hide over the fire with both eyes and magic. A few moments later, I withdraw my hand, nodding in satisfaction. The inside of the hide seems to be fairly thoroughly coated in the tar carried on the smoke – it should be waterproof enough now.

Of course, that’s only half the job – I need to smoke both sides. Fortunately, reversing the bag doesn’t take too much effort. I undo the knots holding the four ends of the two pieces of cord connecting the hide with the cross-piece above it. Knowing that I was going to be doing this, I’d tied easy-release knots, so doing this is a matter of seconds.

Pulling the cord pieces through, I reverse the bag, dip the skirt of paranax hide into the water again – something I’ve done a few more times since starting this process – then string the hide back up over the fire.

Checking that the fire is doing fine – it is – I pile on a few more leaves. Spending a few more minutes just making sure that the process is going off without a hitch, I return to my attempts of converting my mana into fire magic.

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It has to be almost halfway through the smoking process of this second side by the time I make something of a breakthrough. Like something clicks in my mind, I suddenly manage to transform my mana into something approximating what I had seen with the fire.

The only problem: it was in my internal matrix at the time, and apparently fire magic and my Energy channels don’t go well together.

Actually, that’s an understatement.

I shout in pain as it feels like an explosion has gone off in my hand.

The Energy channel in which I’d been holding the mana ruptures completely, my finger quickly burning black. I grit my teeth against the agony, consciously using Sensation Management to dim the pain down to more manageable levels.

The fire magic – or was it ‘explosion’ magic? – has vanished, or been used up, leaving a mess behind it. Fortunately, thanks to Flesh-Shaping, I can deal with my damaged finger, and as a result of regrowing a good portion of my internal matrix, dealing with the rupture of my Energy channel only takes a few minutes to do.

I never thought I’d be grateful for the damage the Pure Energy did to me, but in healing myself, I have to admit that I’ve learned a great deal. I probably wouldn’t have been able to attempt to transform mana into fire magic without having had the experiences I did. Even if I had still managed it, I’d have been completely stuffed if I’d damaged my internal matrix like this without having had the experience of already rebuilding it.

As it is, I’ve learned a painful lesson, and once both aspects are healed, pause to work out what to do next. Clearly I can’t transform the mana within my channels, ergo, I need to do it outside my channels. The issue here is that so far, the only time I’ve managed to control magic outside my body is when I’ve fed it into another body or along a connection.

Maybe I need to extend a connection beyond my skin? I wonder. Or could I use one of those connections which are already out there, drawing in Energy? It’s worth a try.

I attempt to send a bead of mana down one of the channels leading out of my body. It works, but slips through my mental ‘fingers’ as it reaches the end of the channel. After trying a couple of times with the same result, despite my best efforts, I decide to attempt another approach.

There’s the channel which has started establishing itself in my left hand index finger, the same one that was so recently damaged. While not my dominant hand, it is the one I tend to lay on my Bound to heal them, probably because I’m usually carrying a weapon in my dominant hand. So it’s become the hand I tend to use for magic-related tasks, including when I’m not carrying a weapon.

I’d noticed a while ago that a thin connection was leading off my internal matrix to touch my skin, and by using a combination of looking at my Core space and scanning my body, I’ve been able to determine that it leads to the tip of my finger – and no further.

It’s only recently that I’ve been able to start seeing my internal matrix when scanning my body, and I still can’t see the internal matrix of any of my Bound – though Bastet at least must have one, or something similar. What I see is that the organisation of it has hints of the network of the internal matrix, but is different, the lines weaving their way through every inch of my flesh rather than being centred around my heart.

Though, my Core does appear to be vaguely situated under my sternum – most of the time, anyway. Oddly enough, it seems to change position – I remember once finding it in my stomach. I’m still trying to work out why it has different positions depending on how deeply into Meditation I sink, and the implications of that.

Either way, right now, I focus on the single connection running from my internal matrix to the tip of my finger. I’m hesitant to use it as is because the connection stops at my skin – the reason why I tried using one of the other connections first. Given what happened to my finger before, I have no desire to repeat the experience and blow my nail off.

So, before trying to transform mana into fire magic, I start trying to extend my connection past my skin. Ideally, I want fire to appear beyond my finger, not in it.

Due to having regrown a large chunk of my internal matrix, and having seen the Wisdom points affecting the connections leading outwards, I have a good idea of where to start. Pulling mana from my Core, I feed it to my finger strand and then start trying to push it outwards.

It’s exponentially harder to do this than it was to regrow my internal matrix. If I can compare, it’s the difference between a plant growing roots in a field which has already been ploughed compared to the same plant trying to grow in stone. When I was repairing my internal matrix, the strands ‘knew’ where to go next; I just had to provide the energy and intention.

This time, though, I’m pushing into new areas which have never been touched before. Not only that, but I’m trying to push past what I think is my domain. It’s just a guess, but given the relative ease with which I control magic within my skin compared to outside it, I have to imagine that it’s linked to what Kalanthia demonstrated a while ago.

It takes a lot of focus, and a lot of mana – I actually have to channel the mana from my Core through to the strand rather than taking a few units at a time – but eventually I succeed.

Like trying to go through a wall, the connection is blocked. Until suddenly it isn’t and surges forwards.

The quick progress rapidly grinds to a halt almost as soon as it starts. But I’ve got through my skin, and that’s what’s most important to me right now.

I release both intention and mana with a sigh of relief, reaching up to rub at my temples. A burgeoning headache blooms, but a quick pass with Flesh-Shaping to reduce the slight inflammation in my brain sees it ebb rapidly.

Excited to try to use my new strand with my new conversion process, I soon send a bead of mana to the end of my finger and then beyond. Wary of another explosion, I only send a single unit of mana to the end of the strand. I almost hold my breath as I once more convert the unit of mana into what I hope is fire magic.

Before my eyes, a tongue of flame appears at the tip of my finger and a wave of exhilaration runs through me.