The Eastern trail almost immediately turned to the north. A peaceful jaunt through the woods, the air was crisp, clean and a pleasant 62 degrees. I was once again almost subsumed into the processes of life around me. It was blissful.

Then I came upon a river. It wasn't a river of water, but Mana flowing, swirling and crashing within the earth. A hum, a chorus, surrounded it. Yet following it to the west, leaving the trail. 1000 yards along, I found a snag, a coil, the energy didn't flow as well after and it's song was off.

This seemed wrong, I had to fix it. How? I scratched my chin.

Hmm. What could I do? Knowledge, I needed knowledge. Guide Options.

[You have purchase Basic Overview of Ley Lines - cost 1 GC]

[Ley Lines are a World's Mana Cycling Pattern. Without them a World would quickly lose pure Mana altogether. As mana is used, the energy so released, accumulates into the flowing pattern of Ley Lines. Please note, that Living beings produce and release mana with the everyday processes of life. ]

Okay, but what caused the snag. Sigh.

As much as I hate to say it I need Subscribers. Ultimately, so I can get access to better information.

I have an idea, but no idea how to achieve it. Druids made Groves by moving Ley Lines. So if I made a grove...

I spent the next hour searching my Options, nothing, nada, zilch and zero. What now? Could I find a Druid to help. One of the Beings watching me flail around? Yeah, no.

[ Announcement Hub World integration has reached 75 percent. ]

Okay, but that didn't help me, or this problem. I couldn't help but worry about what precisely would happen as the World becomes part of the Guide.

[ Daily Random Encounter has been enhanced.

Presence of Ley Line. ]

Oh. That was probably bad.

A Silver Portal popped open.

GIPs don't fail me now.

[ Absorbing Slime x 10 Rating: Tier 0+

Stats: Physical 1/ Mental 1/ Social 1

Abilities: Gluttony I (Energy Absorb)

Traits: Resistant to Physical Damage I, No Mind I ]

"Huh?"

They hardly seemed to be a threat. They were the size of an orange. I should be able to step on...

Energy Absorb on a Ley Line of pure Mana Energy! Oh Fuck!

They had swollen up to 10 then 100 times their original size, and exploded. I didn't even have time to blink.

What the Hell!

The force of it was hardly a danger. It was the principle of it. I had just been slimed. Argh!!

The Portal vanished, leaving a foul memory.

[ Integration has accelerated, currently at 85 percent ]

I was in no mood to ponder what that might mean.

I had an image of the world drowning in exploding slime. No! Never again. I have to find a way to stop it!

I spent the next twenty minutes scrubbing slime out of everything. It smelled horrid, like rotting cabbage and dead rats.

The Woen though it was great fun, and that the slime tasted wonderful. Blerg!

What was the point of the existence such a creature. Sigh.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

A mile to the north of the Ley Line, I found a clearing by a small brook. It looked like a great place to set of camp. I checked it over, looking for any hidden problems. No tracks of anything bigger than a rabbit. No ants.

It had water, there was plenty of deadfall in the region to use.

[ You have completed Daily Quest 2

You get 1 GC, 2 MC and 500 credits ]

Currency Guide Coins: 12/19 Meta Coins: 10/35 Credits: 15800/17150

Almost, just short. Maybe tomorrow. It was a good thing just finding this place counted, a lean to would have to have been built. Time to head back get some food and rest in a nice bed.

The Trip back was uneventful, but I swear I could still smell that disgusting slime.

Oh the concierge, was right, it was busy when I got back. As the sun set the town the town came to life, lit but warn yellow orange sodium lights. The Woen caused a fright, but it passed quickly. They just had that much personality, after a few minutes people were far more wary of me.

I got then a bunch of bones with scrap meat on them, as well as nice hunks of various meats. I just grabbed a few bags of burgers, they were simple, easy and I would never tire of them.

I stay outside just watching people live their lives. In the past this was my favorite activity, as if I could passively gain some of their hopes and dreams by proximity.

Everything started slowing down about 11:00 pm, the Stores and Business closed.

Then I had a thought, wasn't everyone here suppose to be a Supe? Hiding out from the World. Maybe, I had ended up in the right place? At least for now.

We get back to the room at midnight. I'm wasn't really all that tired, so I started watching a movie about Pirates taking over an island from the British. It was a hoot. It ended and then there was a show about plants gaining a hive mind, and trying to wipe out humanity.

For some reason that had given me the inkling of an idea.

The next morning, I was ready to go. I loaded up all my gear, and we snapped up some breakfast on the way to Baren's. We chomped through it in record time. An excitement was in the air, and it bled between us. They hopped about more than eager to explore the territories surrounding the town. I watched their antics with an amused chuckle.

[ You have gain 2500 Character Exp. ]

[ You have new Daily Quests ]

[ Daily Quest 1

Please use Abilities 10 times.

You get 6 MC and 2000 credits. ]

Good that lined up well with my plan.

[ Daily Quest 2

Please Setup a Campsite.

You get 3 MC and 1000 credits. ]

[ Daily Quest 3

Please Accept Hub World Integration

You get 2 Loot Chest (Random), and 1 Authority Core. ]

Oh?! What's an Authority Core? Guess, I'll find out. Sounds Important.

The Barens were already waiting for us, delighted to play with the puppers.

How big would they get? If they were as young as they felt, they might get as much as 10 to 15 percent larger, and their weight might increase from 30 to 40 percent. Of course, that was based on canid logic, don't know how the corvid side of things would affect them?

The Vests were perfect, snug fit without any binding. They showed me the break away points, so they could escape any bad tangles or snags. The strike plates covered their critical organs, except the brain, but didn't interfere with their flexibility. Excellent work, and I also nabbed a bunch of rope and paracord, some basic tools like a hatchet, saw, hand drill and shovel.

Yes I could use the spear for some of it, but eh, I liked having then. I paid up and added a bonus.

They were genuinely sad to see us go. Well, mostly the Woen, but hey, can't win them all.

The trail that morning was quiet, but somehow my anticipation was reflected in the life around me.

When I got to the gnarly part of the Ley Line, I stopped on the more healthy side. The Woen ran off to explore the area, maybe hunt, maybe just scouting.

The Ley Line ran east-west, the trees and scrub just above the line seemed different, so the line affected them, but could they affected the line?

I was going to find out. 5 uses of Perfect Soil on the North edge of the line, 5 on the South. Making sure they overlapped the line and each previous use.

[ You have completed Daily Quest 1

You get 6 MC and 2000 credits ]

It was an hour before my mana reached full again but as I watched it a point ticked down, a few minutes later it ticked back up. As stated you burned mana just living. While it was nothing I had to worry about. It begged the question what happened if you had no mana left to burn. I resolved to always keep a point in the tank, so I didn't have to find out.

I sat down to let my mana renew. The trees were already looking better.

Ten pops of Plant Growth over the area.

As I once again sat there letting my mana fill up, I could see improvements in the flow of energy through the line. It wasn't much, but it worked as a proof of concept.

I supposed it was the Druid equivalent of using duct tape and bailing wire to fix your tractor, but if it works, it works.

It felt wonderful to accomplish something with my own ingenuity. Even if it wasn't much.

I Arrived at my chosen campsite, and laid out the tent box, it wouldn't be it's final spot but I needed to know the dimensions before I did much else.

I told it to deploy and it unfolded like a transformer. The base of it was 25 square feet, its wall height was 12ft, while the peak of the roof was 3ft higher. That was pretty big. For a tent.

Inside was roomy, with a bed sized to fit me, it felt like laying on a good foam mattress. Nope, get up work to do.

The camp stove was long, had a section for cooking and a section for drying, with room for two pans on the top. It started with mana, made obvious by the Mana Here label, but still needed fuel to burn. Chop that wood.

I dug a slanted 20ft pit, about 50 yards from the tent for doing my business, rare though it was. I'd improve that later.

I then dug a two foot deep, 10' by 5' pit about 10 yards from the tent entrance. I lined that with rocks from around the brook, and dug some side air holes. A Basic cooking pit.

I went out and collected some deadfall and chomped it into firewood and kindling. I started a small fire in my cooking pit, because it isn't a camp without a fire.

The Guide Agreed.

[ You have completed Daily Quest 2

You get 3 MC and 1000 credits. ]

[ Lifetime credits have reached threshold.

Limited Tier II options have been unlocked. ]

Oho! My greed was flaring up, wanting to see the new shinies. However, there was something I needed to do first, something I had been putting off, because outside of the H/H event I just didn't feel pressed for power.

I sighed and looked at my Character Sheet. 18900 Character Exp. Time to Level Up!