Chapter 10: Learning and fighting

Waking up just a little sore, I must have slept a long time as I am falling halfway off the bed. At least I slept well. I shall not be defeated twice by this oversized bit of burnt wood you hear me!

But for now, no need to stress. I shall start the day with something very fun, guess what I am doing magic. Really easy and basic magic but you need to start somewhere. I craft a wand from Electroblobs Wizardry, a very easy to use mod. It was very much centered on exploration but I am hoping with some experimentation I can progress where the wizards must have done to get the spells, they sell you.

Real simple first I make the wand, a crystal a stick, and a gold nugget. I now have a very cool wand. These wands are special. As you use them, they slowly grow, as the lore says, and become more powerful and attuned to you. I am sure this no longer needs a book to break bottlenecks as I believe that was to artificially slow the player down.

Next with a book made from string and paper, I prepare my first spell and most likely what my foundation will be for this entire mod since I don’t have anything to explore. “Magic missile” your first spell normally. Alone useless but with a wand and arcane workbench that I pushed my self to craft. I just had to source some purple dye which I found on a purple flower near the dense forest which I should explore further.

Combining all 3 I encode the spell onto my wand. Or at least try to I place the wand onto the arcane workbench and then place the book next to it, nothing, “sigh; never easy, are you?”

Guess I have my work cut out for me. After trying to hit the book with the wand hold them together, I eventually just read the book. It is actually rather interesting. It apparently explains how it converts mana into a hard-shelled long object that is then propelled with more mana. It explains how the mana moves through the wand and from the crystal at the end.

And then I have it I focused on that principle and the wand did it, I actually did it I encoded the wand. I guess I just need to understand the principles of the spell, not the actual spellbook, that both opens up a lot of ways for me to advance in this mod. But it also means more advanced spells will need me to work on them for bloody ages.

At least after it's encoded I have a functional idea of its name and general use while holding the wand. The thing is though, I have no way of knowing if it’s a spell too powerful for the wand. I don’t like the idea of testing that. For example, what if it overloads the wand destroying it. You may think but the wands are cheap, but they gain experience and grow with the wizard so that is a massive blow. If it does nothing then you could both mistake it for the spell failing or think a spell could work but the power of the wand is too low.

I have a rough recollection of some spells that are beginner tier. First, I sit down and meditate. The magic missile spell gave me fundamentals on how mana works within the wand. It does not mean I magically know how to create a spell. The spell I will try is place block. A simple mana-based spell, no attunement. It simply creates a block made out of mana that is hard for a time before disappearing. What I need to visualize I hypothesize to produce a spell is the name, the effect in the best clarity I can achieve, and the amount of mana to use, this also has the requirement of how fast the mana needs to leave the wand. The name is more so for me rather than the success rate.

I know this because all of these were spelled out for me in the spell for a magic missile. So for a magical block, yeah that name is fine. I know what it should do that’s easy as I’ve seen the spell before and it is similar to magic missile. It needs to crystalize mana in a 1x1 meter square, I imagine it's hollow. The easy part over now it needs to figure out how much mana to use and how fast to release it. It’s a beginner spell so it's likely to be 10-20 units of mana. If I recall correctly a beginner wand stores 700 mana. It had somewhat of a delay but I don’t know the time.

For now, I play with expelling mana trying to get a feel for a unit of mana so I understand how much I’m using. It is really hard like playing with slime, slips through your fingers so to speak easily. Rather mentally taxing.

I feel after a while I have gotten a rough understanding of how much mana 1 unit is. I used the magic missile spell which is 10 mana then tried to break the amount into 10.

I love what Felix has done with this magic system really fleshed it out. I can’t wait to dabble in all the other magic systems like witchery, Ars Magica, and maybe even blood magic if I can find an ethical source of blood. While I am here, I craft the wizard’s handbook which is crystals around a book, I will read it later. It's weird how guide books exist but I won’t complain.

I will stop for now I have the unit of mana down for now and its messing with my head trying to do any more, Rome wasn’t built in a day as they say.

I start farming pumpkins again I don’t spend too long but if I do a little every day, I will collect enough to overrun the nether. Storing them inside a chest at the portal which is now a near-freezing temperature, should maintain them until a make a bulk group of golems again.

While I am out and about, I craft some more armour, my last set got a little corroded. While I let myself regenerate, I continue to farm some more, before going for a short mining trip. I should make a smeltery soon, maybe I should wait until I have a permanent home, eh il just make a small one later.

Continuing mining I see that same docile spider again, I’ve grown used to its company, I don’t mess with it and it doesn’t hurt me. With all the killing I have had to do it makes a nice change. Sometimes it’s nearby other times it wanders around. I wonder what cave spiders eat? hmmm, an interesting question.

I collect a little bit more of everything and start clearing out some of the walls to clean up the mining area.

I grab the Glowstone dust that I piled near the portal the other day crafting it into Glowstone. I immediately follow by replacing every single torch with Glowstone blocks. On top of fences on the grassy floor inside my house, in the cave system, on my ship. Everywhere no maintenance lighting that will free up a good few hours a week. And it's cleaner, the air is already feeling better without the smoke realized by the torches.

I craft a few drying racks with some spare wood and hang some of my zombie flesh to make zombie jerky, I guess il try it but I haven’t got high hopes. Is it cannibalism? I think this will remain emergency food.

Making myself a new axe and a sword. I also make an iron buckler for my wrist. I have gotten much better and can craft far more complex items and far more items but I still feel very tired after a few consecutive crafting. Something for me to keep in mind. It’s a muscle-like phenomenon I guess, the more you use it.

Anyway, with the new gear, I head to the portal, taking the chance to produce some more golems while I am here, every little bit helps. I have started doing this every time I go to the nether. Heading through I quickly spot a very white skeleton, the wither skeleton is still trying to chase me but is now a snow popsicle unable to move as its constantly pelted with snow golems. It feels cheap to kill it so instead I tie it with string and then drag it through the portal. I can’t move at all as it's frozen, but it must be alive since it has not despawned.

I create a small wooden arena you enter with a ladder; it has a 2-meter wide and 3-meter-deep gap in the ground so I can jump to safety. I now have a sparring partner, for now, I leave it to defrost. I would feel guilty if undead clearly had no minds.

Heading back to the nether I go to the fortress which is notably colder if not by much, ah that’s why a few snow golems wandered inside with my stairs and the fact many came to deal with the skeleton. So, they were in the area. Good for me, I guess. Grabbing the nether wart and soul sand I left behind I bring it back to the portal. Better safe than sorry, il plant it when I get home.

Just as I was getting itchy for a fight another wither skeleton, with confidence that came from nowhere I smile as I run at this beasty. I run-in with an axe strike, it blocks my overhead strike with the side of its sword, I use my momentum to kick it back. It doesn’t fall over but staggers slightly I run-in with my sword in my left-hand sweep for its side. I went too wide it pushes forward and I miss. Taking a heavy strike to my chest, I am winded and feel short of breath.

Using the force to back away the best I can I get ready for the next clash but the skeleton is already on me, I’ve lost momentum time to get it again. I try something I have never done before I faint a sword strike before pushing in and striking with my axe, it bites into the shoulder of the skeleton but does little else. Dislodging my axe as best I can I realize it's harder to pull out than anticipated as I pull harder the skeleton topples forward as I smash its skull with the pommel of my sword before it falls on top of me.

Must have done something because it didn’t immediately attack me as I back away an axe down. Taking the initiative, I barge the skeleton back down as it struggles to get to its feet before I kick its skull over and over, it is not getting up but it's also not dying. I strike it with my pommel over and over until its skull shatters.

I fall back, basking in the victory of a tough but rewarding fight. I guess I am starting to enjoy fighting stead of fearing it. It's still scary but this feeling is to die for. Well, I can’t sit here forever I am after blazes, as the skeleton disintegrates, I collect my reward. No skull but a necrotic bone, along with a few normal bones and a stone sword. I take both types of bone I really appreciate this; it will be very useful.

Back to my adventure, after depositing my loot first I continue on. As I wander through the halls, I see something I never expected, a chest. Inside you might ask? Diamond horse armour. Taking it none the less I also find a saddle, 'flint and steel' some gold and iron. I clean out the chest before leaving an X cut with my axe to mark it as looted.

I guess the loot and exploring Gods haven’t completely abandoned me. I am grateful as it means more chests will be on the way.

Finding my way through I hear the fiery sound of blazes. Time for another battle.