About an hour before nightfall the group of nine found a quiet place to camp near the main road. The ground was flat and carpeted in soft moss. A well-used fire pit was already set up, as this seemed to be a frequent rest stop for travelers. Large oak-like trees with silver leaves were littered about the area. Beyond them the forest grew thick and dense.

Everyone, with the exception of Tim, got the ‘Camping’ skill. They hung hammocks between the trees and large oiled cloth served as a curtain to a changing area. Katuski tired himself out by repeatedly using magic to fill wash buckets with water.

After everyone cleaned up and went about their tasks. Emi and McKenzie had hunted two small fat birds roosting in the trees. They argued about which one was bigger. Hayata remembered how to properly bleed and prepare poultry and got the ‘Cooking’ skill. Genzo had recovered enough eat and drink a little.

Tim had unlocked the ‘Mana Manipulation’ skill while trying to chop kindling with a sword. A sword is a very bad choice for cutting wood and had made his task extra difficult. Finally, Tim’s frustration peaked and he put a more than just strength into a swing. That energy, known as mana, traveled from his core down through his hands and filled the blade with a faint blue glow. The sword swung down through the branches. It continued on into the dirt below, through two earthworms and into a large rock.

Tim was ecstatic. The earthworms were disconsolate. The rock was grumpy, and as soon as the blue light flickered out it held onto the sword tightly. Tim, in his moment of victory, tried to pull out the sword only to meet with unexpected resistance which caused him to fall again. The bruise he bore from his hard landing earlier was only exasperated. It would be some time before he could sit comfortably. This would not be the only time that Tim felt as if fate enjoyed shamelessly defecating on any moment of happiness he had.

After Katsuki started the fire Tim found himself sitting around with Randal and Ikko preparing skewers for the meat. Tim’s knife faintly glowed blue as it effortlessly cut the stick to size. He was able to get a few slices in before the light went back out. Then he recharged the knife again. Despite his large reserves of mana, Tim felt himself starting to get fatigued.

Tim recharged the knife again. This time he closed his eyes. He felt his mind’s eye riding the wave of mana through his arm and into the knife. It met a little resistance at the leather-wrapped handle before passing through the blade. The mana erupted like a water fountain through the blade and splashed out almost immediately. Little eddies and currents of mana were trapped inside by hidden obstructions. But, that too eventually fell from the blade leaving it empty.

On his next try, Tim tried to guide the mana a little better. He felt the energy flow inside the knife again, but this time he wove it into the obstructions. He bent the energy around and formed a loop within a loop. A Mobius strip of energy was bound inside the blade, where the leaks were caught up and pulled back into the current. “‘Precise Mana Manipulation’ Unlocked’ appeared in his mind, it was listed as a sub-skill of ‘Mana Manipulation’.

“Um, Tim, can y’all tell me whats goin’ on with the illuminated pig sticker?” Randal asked cautiously.

Tim opened his eyes to find everyone looking at him. The group was all seated around the campfire now in anticipation of eating skewers. The setting sun cast a deep orange across the horizon and splashed down over the group. But there, in high contrast, was a softly glowing blue knife.

“Assessment: Iron Knife +2” The words filled Tim’s mind.

“I think I created a magic weapon,” Tim replied hesitantly. He then slid the knife through one of the large stones that bordered the fire pit, slicing it cleanly in half.

Everyone’s jaws hit the floor. But Randal picked his up quickly. “Sir, I’d be in your debt iffin you can do that to my sword!”

“Mine too!”

“No, do my spear next!”

“Mr. Nelson, my bow!”

The group erupted the group in a chorus of requests.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been practicing all evening, and I think I only have enough in me for one more tonight.” Tim scratched his cheek. “And since Randal asked first… But I’ll try to get everyone else’s when my MP recovers.”

Overjoyed, Randal drew out his short sword from the scabbard and handed it to Tim. Tim closed his eyes and repeated the process. This time he tightened the stream of mana and wove it together more complexly. He twisted it in loops within loops to recirculate and trap mana that would escape otherwise. He drew the free-flowing energy around the blade. Tim imagined it as a river with a very narrow, tight and swift stream along the edge of the blade. In the middle were the rapids where mana would escape, but he built pools to catch it and let waterfall back out into the main current.

“Assessment: Keen Iron Short Sword +3.”

Bags of exhaustion formed under Tim’s eyes as he drained out almost all of his remaining MP. He weakly handed the glowing sword back to Randal, whose eyes had gone wide.

“Yeah, that wiped me out, but it should be even better than the knife,” Tim mumbled.

“I thank you sir,” Randal said humbly, as he took the blade with reverence.

Now all eyes were on the sword. Randal, who couldn’t contain himself anymore jumped up and briskly walked away. He went about three hundred feet out, near the edge of the clearing. Randal took a stance in front of a large tree and swung. The sword passed through the tree effortlessly. For a moment everyone watching thought he missed. Then the tree began to slide from the stump and fell with a thump.

“You know, after the grass, you’d think he’d do better than to agitate the vegetation,” said Tim.

“Who cares, that was awesome!” replied McKenzie.

The oversized moon had crested the horizon before dinner was finished. They ate fresh skewers and hard tack that night. They had a lively conversation about skills and magic swords, then more serious talks about the watch rotation. Tim retired to his hammock before the moon was high, he wasn’t on watch tonight. He lay back and fought for a position to get comfortable. He covered himself with a thin blanket. It must have been early (or late) summer as the nights were still warm and pleasant.

Unable to sleep Tim opened his eyes and gazed out at the strange moon. He fumbled around in his pocket and found the ring Emi gave him earlier. After turning it over a few times he tried putting mana into it the same way he did the sword.

Tim found that working with the ring was much easier. Mana filled an internal channel almost free from defect. Adjacent to the channel was a complex circuit filled with equations and symbols he’d never seen before. But, Tim noticed the mana wasn’t flowing in, it was stuck in the channel unable to escape. Gently, he opened the path to the circuit. Mana gushed in from the channel and cascaded through the circuit. Symbols changed and rotated then switched back. Mana flowed back from the circuit into the channel and repeated endlessly.

“Assessment: Ring of Protection +3. ‘Enchant’ Skill Unlocked.”