As I slowly open my eyes I stretch out under the fluffy covers. I can’t get over how I can get such a good night’s sleep on what looks like a simple bed. I consider yesterday’s event and I got very lucky with that Jeweler’s quest and the rewards from it. Not to mention that Cal is my bestie for life, I think with a grin. Before getting out of bed I pull out the Lore books from yesterday and start reading them. They are a lot thicker than the Beginner’s Guide and it takes me two hours to speed read all five as they crumple to dust one by one. I look at my Lore now.

Lore, Basic 3 (33%)

This skill works with the Inspect skill to allow the user to identify people and items covered by the knowledge this skill imparts. Currently have access to Common Creatures and Items. Read more books to increase your chance to identify new creatures and items you encounter.

That should help my Inspect a bit. I head down to a late breakfast where John ribs me about sleeping in. I talk about the Lore books I had read, while I eat my sandwich. The food is simple with just eggs, bacon, and toast but tastes amazing. After I finish I ask for sandwiches to go for lunch and dinner. Then I go to the bathhouse to freshen up and get my clothes laundered.

Finally, I return to the barracks to grind some more. I greet the Captain on the way back. He nods to me without breaking the tongue lashing he is giving one of the guards. I stretch a bit, but I am just procrastinating. I guess for some reason I am not looking forward to more mana headaches. After casting Fire Dart so much yesterday I had a thought and want to try Fire Shaping again. I take a seat against the wall and hold my hands in front of my lap. I focus on trying to diffuse mana into the air between my hands. I see a faint cloud of mana form between my hands as I focus on the sensation of the Fire Dart flame within the cloud. After a few seconds of focusing it ignites with a boom cracking my head against the barrack wall and leaving me with a sharp burning pain on my hands and face. Looking at my combat log I see I took twenty points of damage. I cast Minor Heal, mostly for the pain. This time I try hold up one finger and try to diffuse a thin trail of mana from my finger and then ignite it. Thirty minutes and a few burnt fingers later I succeed in creating both a small steady flame and getting the notification I was hoping for.

Shape Fire, Basic Level 1 (0%)

This skill allows the user to diffuse mana outside the casters body and ignite it. 25 mana per 1 cubic foot of fire. Minimum cost 10 mana. Can change the diffused mana into any geometric shape. Mana cost reduced by one per every ten skill levels. As the skill progresses more options will become available. Cost increases for more complex object shapes.

Shaping Time: 1 minute per cubic foot minus 10% per skill Tier level past Basic.

Range: Self

Duration: Instantaneous You have learned the skill Shape Fire, 20 XP awarded. Basic 1.

I have finally gotten fire, now I settle in to continue grinding and start with casting Shield. Basically, the same pattern as yesterday, with five casts of Shield before I pass out and twenty minutes to wake up. I want to get it up to Novice rank before switching to another spell. I cast sixty-six times before I hit Novice one, but I keep going to seventy before switching. That was almost five hours, so I take a break and eat a sandwich. Next, I start casting Ice Dart for another seventy casts. It’s now a little after 7PM, so I eat my other sandwich as my latest mana headache begins to fade.