knowing the true name grants me power. that I thought it was the extent of it!! how naive I was. knowing can give me power over others why not power over me? if only I realized sooner I was greedy I looked too high low but I know now as soon as I read It's name I felt it even if my mind were wiped clean the name would be all that was left the eye It sees me now when I think of the name I draw Its attention but when I try not to think of it the name is in the corner of my mind watching me waiting just outside my vision like an itch It wants me to know

don't make the same mistake as I did

-Letter mailed to Northern College of Arcane Arts, Demonology Department, unknown author

When the Skill was purchased, foreign knowledge entered Mud's mind. To invoke magic was to force your will upon the world. The medium that allowed force of will to shape reality was mana. Before it could enact your will, however, mana needed to be tainted to match the task. For the magic of Psionics, the mana must be mixed with the Ideal of Control. Within Mud's mechanical mind, a vision of the Ideal of Control took shape. The true essence of the act of controlling, the state of being in control, and of the controller itself, unconstrained by the limitations of a specific embodiment. This was the Ideal which could be imbued into mana to create the Mind element.

In addition to the Ideal of Control, the skill fed what felt more like a suggestion than the raw information preceding it. Two methods in which the corrupted mana might be used; to control perception, and to control movement.

[Paracusia Spell obtained]

[Lesser Telekinesis Spell obtained]

Lying on her side hovering above the ground, Jabrax smiled. "So you went with Psionics? Interesting, I thought you would go with Earth seeing as how you're..." She gestured vaguely at the golem's body. "Made of the stuff. Bias and all that. Not that it's a bad choice. This should up your combat ability greatly."

Seeing a perfect opportunity to practice using the new tool, Mud began diligently converting mana into the Mind element. After enforcing the Ideal of Control onto all of the mana it could feel, it turned its focus towards Jabrax and attempted to enforce its will to control what she heard.

A monotone voice similar to that of a very young boy whispered in the demon's ear. "Can you hear my voice?"

Sitting up, Jabrax held two tightly clinched fists to her chest. "Oh that's too cute! You sound like a little kid pretending to be a construct in a game of pretend! Oh, just so you know, I'm letting you through my mental defenses on purpose. If I wanted to I could totally block your weak spell."

"Noted. The spells I learned have the expected utility value but do not seem useful in combat," replied the golem flatly.

Jabrax stood proud and took on a lecturing tone. "Oh, is that ingenuity stat of yours a joke? Imagine how distracting it would be for your targets to suddenly hear a monster roar behind it in the middle of battle. Or you could just send a massive amount of meaningless loud noise all at once to overwhelm their senses. With Mind mana you can make your enemies hear noises even louder than it's possible for them to actually hear with real ears."

Leaning down and putting a hand near her mouth, she continued with exaggerated covertness. "Plus, once you get better at using Mind mana, you could do a lot more brutal stuff."

At that moment, a heavy pounding noise resounded from the first floor. Mud began slithering towards the stairs to investigate, but was stopped by a dainty hand on its shoulder.

"Hold up, let me handle this. I'm great at dealing with humans." Jabrax's face split with a wide smile. Somehow, her teeth seemed sharper than the golem remembered.

"Open up, Cithlar! It's mayor Fallow!" The unhealthy-looking man's comfortable suit was drenched in sweat as he pounded on the door. "I know you're in there- oh!" His assault on the entrance was interrupted when the door actually opened.

Appearing in the gap of the partially opened door was a young woman in her late teens. Her face was average if somewhat plain, and her build slightly thick. She had a pale complexion as if she didn't spend much time outdoors. The only notable aspect of her appearance to Guy was her mass of fluffy, almost sheep-like hair. The locks were a shade of deep maroon; such an unusual hair color was often a sign of long-term exposure to tainted mana. This girl was likely a magic user of some kind, but as he wasn't an expert in such things Fallow had no idea what kind of mana she might have.

Backing up slightly to give the young lady space, he introduced himself. "Hello there miss, I'm looking for Cithlar, is he in?"

The girl looked him up and down before replying. "Are you a salesman? Uncle Cithlar isn't interested in buying anything, or joining a cult or signing up for a newspaper or whatever it is you're pushing."

Laughing at the misunderstanding, he waved his hands. "Oh no no, I'm actually an old friend of Cithlar's. I'm the mayor of the town here, my name is Guy Fallow." Guy extended a hand after wiping it clean with a handkerchief. "I didn't know Cithlar had a niece, what's your name?"

Looking at his extended hand for a moment, the teen finally relented and shook it. "I'm Jabrax. I came to stay with my uncle for a while since my mom is sick." Smiling sweetly, she continued. "Maybe you should come in for a while, we can-". The girl suddenly froze in her conversation. Her eyes flickered for a moment into the woods behind the mayor before returning to focus on Fallow. "Actually, I just remembered we're a bit busy right now. Sorry, but could you just tell me what you came here for? I'll pass it on to uncle."

Guy was momentarily confused by the sudden shift in conversation, but quickly regains his composure. The girl probably realized that it was a bad idea to invite a strange man into her home who she had just met, even if he claimed to know her uncle. Taking it in stride, the seasoned politician decided to just state his business and get back to his work. "I've been feeling a bit fatigued lately and was hoping Cithlar could mix me something to help with that. Either something to give me more energy or to help me sleep. I'll pay, of course. If you tell him it's for Mayor Fallow, I'm sure he'll be willing to do something. I'll come back some time tomorrow to pick it up." Nodding his head and with a slight wave, the middle-aged man turned back towards the town. "Have a nice day, miss Jabrax. And nice to meet you."

The thing that resembled a teenage girl smiled in return. "You too. Bye Mr. Fallow." Closing the door, the demon frowned. You're a lucky man, Mr. Fallow. Leaning stealthily towards the window, Jabrax peered into the woods and licked her lips. If it weren't for these morsels arriving at just the right moment, you might have been eaten.