Alexander:
After sending away my brave scouts, I begin expanding my lake room. Chipping away at stone is as therapeutic as always, and it gives me time to think.
Specifically, about the whole 'magic computer' thing. The memories of my aura dismantling foreign mana still held firm in my mind. You could get lost in just the colors alone. But it didn't just transform the magic. It also analyzed and recorded it too! Not just the portal, but the fire magic used as well. I'm also slightly ashamed to admit the fireball that cooked Smidt was delicious.
And there was also the split. Because of the spatial link from the teleportation spell, I existed in two areas, with two consciousness, at once. Both minds were active and in unison, linked together by the millions of tiny and different spellworks that made my aura. The loss of vision likely resulted from the gate being disrupted, and the aura connection being severed.
Perhaps that is why I was disconnected? It could be to repair my primary conscience. After all, my vision had already returned once I was inside myself.
The weirdest thing, however, was the subtle twitch in my 'phantom' brain that told me that I could do it again. It seems the experience unlocked a mental block of sorts. It seems my mental form is a lot more malleable than I initially believed. I can... separate parts of my consciousness while still maintaining general control. Currently, I can split about 10% of my consciousness from the whole. That alone is enough to form a separate semi-autonomous personality.
While independent, it's still me. I don't need to order it, it merely acts to the will of the 'whole'. Testing it out on the stone, I confirmed myself mining at two different locations in the same room. And, for science, mining in separate rooms. Despite only being run by 10% of my consciousness, it still dug at a decent rate. Albeit with far less effectiveness. Still, this allowed me to both up my digging speed and achieve true multitasking.
But the question is: Is this a natural dungeon ability? I can only assume it is, seeing as it was only my limited perception stopping me from splitting my will earlier.
But this creates a plethora of questions. What other abilities or traits do my human consciousness limit or prevent entirely? What benefits do I gain from it? And why was I created in this way?
Many such questions racked through my mind as I both mined and occasionally peeked towards my natural clock.
To say I was not worried about my lovely rabbit monsters would be a lie. Simply put, I want them to all return home safely.
Haul or no.
But, time always seems to crawl to a halt when you watch the clock.
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Grendigory:
Five minutes after drinking the potion and Grendigory was still wrestling with the after-taste. How does she drink these? After the experience, he felt a new respect for his sister.
"At least the coughing stopped," he grumbled. Looking down to his leg, he wiped away the sticky mass of waste that was squeezed out by the newly formed skin and muscle. This was done with his right hand, as his left felt as though it had a terrible sunburn.
The bed made a good crutch as he pulled himself up to a stand. His right leg quivered like a newborn fawn the whole way.
After a standing once-over, a grimace soon adorned his face.
I cant walk to the guild like this. Torn pantlegs and tattered, scorched leather armor; people will notice in an instant. If someone finds out befo-
Distracted in thought, his mind initially missed the door handle turning. It took the clicking of the lock for him to finally snap to attention.
???: "Coulda sworn-," a familiar voice spoke, muffled by wood.
"Rhia?" Gren softly called. The movement of the doorknob halted for a moment; followed by the sound of keys from behind the door.
Through muscle memory, Grendigory adjusted his view three quarters up the door. The door cracked open, carving a ray of lantern light into the dusty room.
And from behind it, a comely and tall brown-haired woman. Wearing a loose, knee-hight dress banded at the waist, with a puffy open-topped blouse capped at the elbows. The look was topped with hair in a low-tied bun.
Recognition was immediate, a wide smile adorning his sister's face. She rushed to kneel into a hug. Seemingly begrudgingly, he acquiesced, strawberry tinting his face.
"It's been so long, Gren! It's good to see you." Rhia spoke, relief punctuating her speech.
"You too," he stammered, ducking out from his capture. A decision that would prove poor, as it now gave ample view to both Grendigorys freshly healed limbs and the bloody worm carcass behind him. Rhia's smile was swiftly replaced with concern, her eye's also noting the open box. Then, a frown, and a sigh.
"Gren, what- what happened?" Rhia asked; her expectant green eyes piercing at him.
What happened, huh? The thought alone makes my heart beat out of my chest. Should I involve her? This is big. Probably bigger than any opportunity I will have in the future. But, if something went wrong...
I wonder what dad would do in this situation.
Fuck.
Could I even lie to her?
Grendigory paused for a moment, a pensive look adorning his face.
"A dungeon." he spoke calmly. "I found a dungeon."
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Alexander:
Expansion on the lake room has proven quite successful. With the addition of the split will and the assistance of Floppy (and to a slight degree, Veteran) I was able to expand the room to a twenty-five by forty-meter room. The roof stood at two meters, as any further and I would be reaching back into the dirt layers. I also expanded the depth of my pond and the amount and size of underwater caves.
I also was preparing to evolve more aquatic worms but then I discovered that Veteran is still... compatible with the average Grotworm. In addition, some of the proto-worms in his same line are born with the same rudimentary gills, eyes, and fins.
During my work, I noted four returning claw rabbits. The first arrived several hours after I had started. With a bloody milk-mustache, he retrieved from his pouch... somethings meat. The flesh was purple in color, with many shredded scales.
Its... something.
Luckily, that was not the only thing that Weir (named from the "weird thing") brought to me. Berries of different colors and shades, 6 different types in total. There was also a strange, tuber plant with spiked bulbs capping the end of several (well sampled) leafy appendages. Consumption and analysis revealed the spiky bulbs to be seeds.
After starting a mana trickle into Weir, I sent him back to the rabbit room. I'm sure he was disappointed that I didn't let him eat the plants, but I didn't want to risk a poisoning. Of course, hard work needs to be rewarded so I set about to do some analysis.
The species of berries were tested for poison via a mostly brainless rabbit flesh puppet. It's basically the same principle as when I summon just an arm or leg to check the movements of the muscles.
At least, that's what I tell myself. Though the alternative of testing live is much worse.
The result was that five out of six are seemingly safe, with the fourth recorded as causing very minor paralysis and severe throat irritation. The tuber plant which I have currently dubbed as "sad potato" was also clearly vetted. Thus Weir, Bitey, and the rest of the rabbits were treated to a fine platter of fruit platter garnished with fine grass and tiny potatoes.
Ah, to be cursed to lack a mouth. And real hands. Fate truly is cruel...
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Ahem.
The second rabbit returned several hours before daybreak. Like Weir, this rabbit's face was adorned with their kill. Matted blood out of tongue range with a tiny piece of a puffy feather stuck along. In the pouch, a crime scene. It looks as though this little monster raided a bird's nest. Luckily, or rather unluckily for the parents, there were many hatchlings. Despite many of the bodies not being full sets, there were enough complete parts to add up to a complete bird hatchling (of both genders).
Mana cost is about twenty-two, rounded up. I wonder how cheaper the eggs would be? Hmm. A question for later.
The real question pressing my curiosity at the moment is how this rabbit even raided a bird's nest. Tugging the link, I send my question. In response, I receive a blurry series of memories of his valiant attempts to eat the loud puffy things far above him. While tree climbing isn't in a rabbit's natural set of skills, the new body was quite fit for it. Using his claw almost like a black bear, he wrapped his limbs around the tree. It seems that this tree was too wide, however. His primitive wrists couldn't hold long enough to reach the first layer of branches. The second and third attempts were about the same, and just as futile. It took the fourth attempt, where he instead shimmied up a thinner nearby tree. Then, he crossed over at the point that seemed the most strong and most stable. Now halfway up the large tree, he could finally climb the now smaller trunk to his prize about four-fifths up.
I would call it an achievement, had he prepared a way down. Instead, to get out of the tree, he slowly tried to claw his way down before falling into a bush halfway down.
It does explain the broken bird bones and tiny sticks. I can't complain though, through that, I also acquired wood.
Well, for this massacre, I dubbed him Ream (massacre). Before sending him along, he also received a mana trickle.
The third and fourth rabbits arrive about tenish minutes apart as the sun was beginning to rise. It's hard to estimate time purely of the sun, but one makes due. Anyways, the first arrival presented many berries, mostly repeats. In addition, she produced three different flowers, a semi smashed arachnid, some sort of large seed, and finally 3 spiky sad potato bulbs
The bulbs offered, conveniently stored on the exterior of the pouch. Of course, of course. No tiny potatoes discovered here at all. Just as I was claiming the bulbs, preparing to send Dara away (arachnid), the fourth arrived.
The first sign I noticed of his arrival, was the blood I claimed hitting the ground. I moved my perspective immediately to be stunned by an all too familiar sight. Dragging itself with its claws alone, the entire lower half of his body was missing. Not going to comment on the entrails.
My work was swift; faster than I have healed before. It's easier with a blueprint, but there is also no doubt that my skills are improving. I've been noticing something similar with my digging, or rather, my claiming. It does make sense when you consider how much storage capacity for data this body has.
Anyways, about four minutes after and I was finished the restoration. Lugh was the name I decided, opting for more originality in recognition of the very feat of surviving. I didn't even need to direct his return as he dashed away as soon as his legs restored. The flashes of memory I was able to see through the connection showed the head of a large bird monster. Following after more flashes depicted a desperate attack on its eyes and being split in half by its mighty beak. Judging by Lugh's height in the memories, it was some sort of terror-bird type creature.
The last feeling he remembers was the distant link to me barely getting within range. After that- nothing. Or rather, I chose not to go further than that. After all, it's not just memories that can be passed through the links but feelings too.
I wasn't as initially concerned when I first sent them out. After all, the links all began to fade and disappear at approximately the same time. Now, I realize I have no way of knowing what happened to the other two. Lost? Dead? I may never find out.
In the end, though, I was prepared for loss with this operation. It doesn't mean I have to enjoy it, however. But if I don't make these sacrifices myself I fear in the future someone else will.
At least now, I have access to many new useful materials. In the list of perceived importance is:
The crushed arachnid, which despite not being recoverable still possessed many useful parts which I could rip. The legs were easy to fix and copy as I had several broken samples to combine into a whole. The external carapace was a bit more of a challenge but there were enough surviving eyes and carapace to reform a new structure. Were it not for the internal organs being crushed beyond repair I would likely have a working spider blueprint right now. What it did have, however, was the necessary glands to produce silk.
The abdomen was mostly uncrushed, unlike the spiders cephalothorax. Even if it wasn't, with a single strand, I can recreate it as much as I wish. The most important creation from it currently would be silk rope. This should allow me to further develop my trapmaking. It also had future uses for other potential crafts.
Next up are the tiny sticks. The wood itself is useful on the basis of being wood, but more potential lies within. First I copied, cloned, then combined the wood into a larger branch. Step two was dunking it in a plant pot filled with a mix of water and nutrients selectively ripped from animal and plant blueprints. Step three was the creation of several tiny skylights to allow in some sunlight. With luck, (and liberal mana) this should result in the development of a new tree. The skylights also served as a new way for any new small insects or creatures to enter beyond the main entrance.
Third, on the importance list is the new species of bird hatchling. Utilizing them when they are full-grown should allow me to do some long-range scouting. A mental map or even just a general understanding of the area would go a long way for retrieval operations.
Next, the tiny potatoes. I simply have no plans for them to remain that tiny. With proper selective breeding and modification, I should be able to produce a stable farming crop. A project for much later.
The berries and the bushes that can be grown from them are next. I can't complain about new ways to block line of sight in visually pleasing ways. Especially ones that serve as a new food source.
I can't complain about the flowers either, even if they are basically just a normal plant. Less useful though, aside from bringing pollination and color.
In fact, the only real disappointment was the seed. It seems some sort of insect beat me to the punch on eating the insides.
All in all, it seems I have gone from having too much time to too little. Even with a full pool of mana, there's only so much I can do with it.
First on the list would be summoning five bird hatchlings at the cost of about 110 mana points. The rest would be saved for my experimentation on the halfling's fire magic.
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Grendigory:
Grendigory watched during his retelling as his sister's eyes brightened, then dimmed. The realization was obvious on her face.
So she must have heard the stories too. Cartographers rarely have any reason to visit the guild unless they are joining, hiring, or selling a 'claim'. If I'm unlucky, It's entirely possible for me to be picked out of a crowd before I can even reach the guild and report my discovery.
There is no way, after all, that I could resist a high-level mana user. Not with the paltry resources and training that I could afford. Hells, the only reason I am still alive is a family heirloom.
What comes to mind is the one line from that textbook. "There are an infinite amount of ways to kill someone with magic."
When I first read that as a kid; I thought it was just referring to the vast amounts of different magical schools. It took me months of study before I realized the depth of the warning I received. After all, by adding one word, you could make the statement terrifying.
"There are an infinite amount of ways to not kill someone with magic."
Just knowing what I found puts her at risk. The right person would kill for the discovery bounty alone.
"I- see," she responds, her face adorned with a light smile. "Just let me know how to help!"
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Alexander:
Fire magic.
Fireballs.
I can 100% use them. I thought that there might be some difficulty when I first started my experiments but...
It's ridiculously easy.
To start, I'll dial it back to our first encounter; specifically, how his body interacted with my magic aura (also known as me).
We didn't. He utilized his own internal mana. My aura was stopped skin deep by his own.
But, once his magic was separated from his own aura, it very slowly began to return to a neutral state. It had hardly changed by the time it reached Smidt but there was enough to sample and claim both during and after the spell's launch. Thus, I had acquired my samples of fire magic.
Now, the fire magic itself:
Again, it's way too easy. You can break the fireball into three major components. The first is a ball of gas; primarily oxygen. Next, condense mana into a barrier, specifically a sphere around the gas. It shouldn't be too strong, nor too weak so that it both releases small amounts of gas and breaks on contact. Light the sphere (I agitate the oxygen), then throw. Boom: Portable gas explosion. Throw in the pure volatility of magically produced elements and you get one deadly matchstick.
And that spell... Well, it hardly costed half a mana point. With a little practice, I can probably make it even more efficient. Size variation doesn't seem too difficult either, aside from some barrier fiddling.
Barriers it seems, are also a natural skill. In fact, it is a step in my creation to- how should I say... solidify the barrier. At that point, it stops being just magic. Beyond that, though, it's still mostly a mystery.
Yes, It seems I was already using them without realizing it. In fact, thin barriers automatically form where I contact the surface. They don't really stop anything aside from partially sealing mana leakage. I guess a close analog to it would be skin?
Well anyways, now I have a surplus of mana to spend. While further modification proved tempting, I would much rather start to integrate the new material I have acquired. So, I used about 30 mana seeding various berries, potatoes, and flowers around the dungeon. The cost of seeds were remarkably low, so I decided to spend another 70 mana on tiny water stones and miscellaneous nutrients to mix into the soil. The remaining 75 mana of my current 275 cap was banked in the form of several larger Waterstones.
I hope to accrue a sizeable amount to potentially evolve a claw or horned rabbit in a similar way as Floppy or Veteran did. Go for some spicy new attack technique like / Water Horn Jet / or something.
The final experiment to address is the parallel will I've been utilizing. It's gotten better at digging, although it's still much slower than me. But, it has been independent for most of a day. So what happens when I absorb it?
Well, it's also pretty easy.
Strange too, as I basically just overlap myself. The two perceptions become one for a moment, and then I can suddenly recall myself digging from two perspectives. One clear, and one slightly foggy. The other intelligence even seems to be on the same level knowledge-wise, it's just quite literally slower.
I don't know if there's a long-term risk to using this ability. As it stands, it doesn't seem as if there is one.
So, I create another, shaving off 10% of my focus.
And with experimenting being over, for now, I guess it's time to get back to digging.