The rest of the day went by more or less uneventfully, and the morning after we touch down in a clearing in the part of the forest with purple and silvery foliage and dense mana. I should get a better name for that. Magic forest? It’s not a forest on it’s own, but a part of the significant woodlands in this area. Is there a word for ‘portion of a forest’? Whatever. The magical part of the forest.

I put down the bag, and just to make sure, store my phone in one of its pouches. While Tåke looks around the area, I take on the wolfkin form and sit down with crossed legs. “｢Tåke, c’mere. Sit down. Mana link.｣”

She’s a bit excited, but perhaps from seeing me, calms down. I send some of my own mana into her, using it to get a sense of her wolfkin body. Specifically, I try to get a sense of her mana core. About as expected, it’s a mana crystal not unlike the ones I’ve taken of the various monsters I’ve killed. Those, in turn, can be grown in size by supplying mana, and lately I’ve noticed there is some difference between the various crystals, though I’m not quite sure what.

So mana crystals are crystallized mana, a bit like what I make with [Conjuration]. Actually, conjured objects must be actively ‘held together’ whereas mana crystals are stable. Actually, I think conjured material is pretty light, not that I’ve held it much. Then there’s mana stones, which are literally stones infused with mana, so I can probably ignore those.

I can make things from only mana with conjuration, but so far I need a seed for mana crystals. Perhaps a place like this with denser mana would help? Actually… Yeah, Tåke’s mana core feels a lot more ‘organic’ than the ones I grow, being roughly spherical and having no sharp edges or points.

I turn my attention to her body again, and am again struck by how intimate something like this would be between two people. Oh, that implies I don’t see her as a person. Hm. No, she’s not quite there. Leda… Borderline? Ah, focus, let’s get back on track. Her core, mana flows through it. Huh, does my mana follow pathways? No, it just flows around, like a fluid in a container.

On the other hand, her mana mostly flows along the same paths to and from her core. One going up and splitting into her arms and neck, the other going down and to her legs. It flows very… smoothly, though. A path of less resistance, that could be useful when casting. Yesterday, when I was experimenting with making that fancy puppet- ahh, nope. Bad thought, shoo!

Think of something else! Uhh, the core! How are those formed? Actually, let’s try making one, without using a seed. I withdraw my mana, then gradually radiate it out into the surroundings, grasping control over as much etheric mana as possible. When the sphere of mana control reaches maybe ten meters, I feel my internal mana straining, not having enough to further expand my… domain? This is kinda like Domain type skills, isn’t it?

So I start drawing in the closest mana, using it to take control of further mana, drawing it all inwards. Once I do, I notice something I really should’ve expected, but the mana outside my control seems to quickly fill the ‘gap’ left behind as I pull in all the ether. Once I have drawn all the mana to my immediate vicinity, I open my eyes.

The entire clearing seem to shimmer, the mana just about visible to the naked eye, and at the same time not. Tåke, too, is looking around wide-eyed, and I feel the end of my mouth tug upwards. Well, this is it, I gotta decide to go through with it, or not. And of course the answer is yes.

I hold out my hands, forming a sphere between them, and start drawing the mana into the gap. The entire world seems to be slightly pulled inwards, as the mana collects in a density beyond anything but the inferno that is Leda. Between my hands, it no longer shimmers, instead forming a purplish haze. And then, the changes stop, as I find myself unable to condense it further.

What now? What would they do in movies or something? Friendship power up isn’t exactly a realistic option… Mana ball, mana sphere, spinning mana ball? Mana vortex! That’s it! I draw out just enough mana to regain control of the condensed part, then start spinning it, making small circular motions with my hands. True to my assumption, the spin makes it draw in more mana, but also makes it threaten to fall apart.

It’s all I can do to keep it spinning, but not too fast, and held together. And then, as if it hit some critical point, it starts ballooning, the condensed energy beyond my control. Shit. I manage to limit the rate at which it expands, but that only delays things. What to do, what to do.

First, strip away extra fuel. I absorb as much of the remaining mana as I can, gradually letting go of the rest. I then try to pull mana out of the sphere, to little effect as it’s still pretty dense. Ah, that’s it. Instead of fighting against it, I make it spin faster and balloon quicker, and the haze becomes a shimmer, and then fades. Okay, possible crisis averted. This is clearly not the way to form a mana core internally, though. I might have better direct control then, but the density would probably give me severe mana burns.

Oh, Tåke looks worried. “｢{Tired, pleased}I’m fine.｣” I lean over to pet her head, but instead she jumps onto me, rubbing her face into mine with a great hug. “Ey!” I almost stop her and push her away, but instead I meet her embrace with my own. “｢{Surprised, calm}It’s fine. It’s fine.

I keep her in my embrace, petting her and scratching the top of her head, for a bit longer. It’s pleasant, but- I stop her from grinding against me. A horny teenager in heat, and communication is one-way, at best. Damn though, she smells good. Probably just pheromones talking, but argh! Distracting! Like when I made the puppet yesterday in the angel form and clothes. The clothes-

Bad thoughts! Let’s study the pathways from her mana core. Like that kid studied me since the clothes were more revealing than I thought. Aaaagh! And then the helicopter mother tried to explain that with a cautious mix of reverence and a strict parent’s morals. Ugh. Bad thoughts, go away.

I turn to Tåke, “AND YOU’RE NOT HELPING!”

I immediately regret yelling. “Ahh, ｢{Apologetic, annoyed}Sorry! I- {Apologetic}Sorry! I shouldn’t have done that!｣” And now she’s crying. I reach out for her hand, but with a sniffle she turns around and bounds off, not utilizing the abilities she seems to have gotten used to. And the mana link and mind bonds snaps, stunning me or a moment.

Shit.

Crap. Fuck. Damnit! I shouldn’t be like this! It’s probably just the mixed feelings from her pheromones, but that’s an excuse. Ugh. Should I let her go for a while? Actually, I better follow her. Maybe keep my distance. And when we’ve both calmed down, face her at her own level. I equip the bag, and follow her, equipping the [Tracking] ability on a whim.

Using my abilities, I quickly catch up with her, the trail and smell hard to miss. She’s stopped running, and I slow down to match her walking pace, trying to stay hidden. Soon, she steps onto one of the many paths in the area, and turn to follow it, still sniffling every now and then.

Hmm, now could be a good time to call out-

“Woah, a real animal girl! Hey girl, what’s your name?”

She stops and looks at him, then looks around, before settling her view at him.

“Hey, I asked you a question. What is your name?”

At this point he’s only a few steps away, and I start moving towards them again.

“Wow, you smell! Are you a bitch in heat or something?”

She makes a small confused nod, in response to which he puts his hand under her muzzle. “Hahaha! That’s perfect. Hey, follow me and let’s fuck.”

Being close enough to easily connect with her, I initiate a mind bond, which she accepts. She’s about to look at me when I transmit the image of a wolf stalking its prey. She still looks slightly in my direction, but also takes a step backwards, pushing his hand away.

“Playing hard to get? Hahaha!” He steps up to her again, this time putting one hand behind her back and another reaching out into her pants. “C’mon baby-”

Deciding I have no extra time, I emerge onto the path, behind Tåke. “Dude, stop that.”

“Whaaat, animal men are gross, go back to whatever fantasy world you came from!”

｢Push him away.｣ I transmit, with the image of physically doing so and taking a step back. She tries to, but he uses his free hand to grab her arm. “Hey, this bitch is mine, fuck off.”

I let out a sigh. “No, she’s not. And in case you haven’t noticed, she doesn’t exactly like you.”

“Hah! Doesn’t matter!” He pulls her into a hostage-hold and hold out the free arm. “‘Cus I got magic. Fireball!”

I look unimpressed at the fiery tennis-ball hovering over his hand. “And that matters how exactly?”

“Fuck off or I’ll kill you!”

“A death threat? I’ll call the police, then.” I stick my hand into my bag, rummaging about, more to buy time than anything else, as I gather mass for a slime puppet.

In response, he throws the ball at me. It catches me by surprise, mostly because it moves terribly slowly, and I simply flare up my mage armor and mana shield, stretching out a tendril of mana to ‘catch’ the fireball. It comes about halfway towards me before the tendril connects, and I rip the mana sustaining it apart.

“What the fuck, how can a trash mob like you make my fireball vanish like that?”

I open my mouth to reply, but end up simply staring at him. Is this guy an idiot? Sending out another tendril of mana, I summon the quickly formed slime puppet just above his head.

Then multiple things happen at once. He yells “Dragon’s Breath!” and inhales deeply, pushing Tåke slightly out of the way. At the same time, the first part of the slime hits his head. Still breathing in, he lets out a weak “Huh?” which turns into a horrified, fire breathing, scream.

Tåke takes that as a signal, and simultaneously bites his hand while pushing him away, the sudden action being more of a punch in his gut. This makes him bend over as she gets some distance, the motion sending a blast of fire against me, though at a distance of ten or so meters and with protection, all I feel is heat comparable to standing next to a warm oven when you open it.

Ooh, that looked like it hurt. I meet Tåke, and pull her into an honest hug. ｢{Worried, apologetic}Are you okay?｣

｢{Relieved}Yes!｣

“You fucker! I’ll burn you to a crisp and fuck your bitch til she’s a moaning wreck!”

“Ehh, no. ｢Let’s leave.｣” I push Tåke towards the trees.

“Yuch! What is this shit?”

“It’s slime. By how you talk I assume you’ve seen enough hentai to know where that’s going?”

The look on his face… Completely pale, and with enough desperation to fuel at least two well-meaning, but ultimately useless online campaigns. “Nah, I’ll be taking that back.” I say, putting it back into the subspace. Well, most of it. And then I quickly follow Tåke, making sure to keep him in my sights as long as possible.

Levitating away to quickly gain some distance, I console Tåke, though she seems to be doing fine. Her wolf parts might deal with those kinda things differently than we do. I switch over to questioning her about why she didn’t fight back. If I understand her correctly, she didn’t want to hurt him because I had said she aren’t allowed to. When he attacked me and I retaliated (sort of) she figured it was okay.

I know intelligence is really many complex things, but she seems to be all over the scale… We land quite a distance away, and after sweeping the area, I return to trying to figure out those magic pathways she seems to have. This time I lie down for some rest, with her on top of me. She’s content with just being close after the recent event, and perhaps a bit shocked. Gently stroking her, both our breathing and heartbeats eventually synchronize, and she falls asleep where she is.

I smile, noting that the mana flow is similar to when she was awake, so it’s either subconscious, or as I’m starting to think it is - a physical difference. I take care to not wake her while I continue studying the phenomenon. Despite her falling asleep, the mana link is still active, and more or less to see if I could, I start circulating our mana through each other.

It isn’t some special way to guide the mana. It’s a physical pathway, a channel where mana flows better. It’s like comparing the magic wood to regular wood - More mana flows faster and with less resistance through one than the other. This internal mana channel seems to consist of the bones in the body, subtly changed to have better magic flow.

How is it formed? Maybe it’s a result of simply having mana for a long time? I don’t think it’s natural. Perhaps it’s like the mana core I made for my puppets? Heavily infused bone? But formed over a long time? I hope it’s possible to hasten the process. Well, of course it is. If you can understand how it works you can find alternatives. For now… I wonder…