Chapter 11: Smarter Monsters!

Hearing the sounds, I stop in my tracks, listening closely I hear the general direction. Good not too far. Slowing to a steady crawl I keep an eye out I need to kill them smartly otherwise I am toast. The first somewhat magical vanilla mob I will be fighting.

I don’t have water or anything I can really use, I guess snow would work but for now, this is fine. Il try and if I fail il come back with snow. Walking around a corner I see them, spewing flames in random directions! Natures flamethrowers for sure. I have a pickaxe with my tied to my back I gather some Nether Rack and create a small tunnel to limit how many can fit in.

Next, I let them see me before ducking into my tunnel, hopefully, they will follow. Waiting and waiting, where are they? I poke my head around “Blast” well after losing some hair I can verify they are not stupid. Shrugging, worth a try. Alright, mining around they should be expecting me from that gap since mobs don’t have X-ray vision like they did in the game.

I poke my head around the corner I emerged from and I see 3 blazes watching the trap I created with fire ready to fire so to speak. Well that it is scary how intelligent they are, they identified a trap. I guess the higher tier a mob the smarter or more dangerous they are whichever comes first.

Now, what do I do? Running in guns blazing does not appear to be the best course of action? Actually, perhaps it is if I do it smartly. Alright, I have a plan. Running in I throw my axe at the first one that comes into a reasonable range, it strikes true right into the centre of it, its core is almost gelatinous even though it appears as if they have air gaps the centre is an energy bubble. With the axe, it deflated partly.

They quickly react, throwing fire at me and moving in my direction with the injured one a pace slower than the rest. Quickly darting back around the corner I unequip my leggings and chest plate for speed.

I run back through the short tunnel only to emerge out of my trap as they wander from where I just was using my sword I strike the blaze unaware right through, ripping it to shreds, reclaiming my axe I do a runner before they can react. One down my odds of success just skyrocketed, smart but not that smart.

They don’t know what to do but after a moment of hesitation back up and prepare the fire to throw, I see this as I disappear back into my track.

Now I think they wisened up to my tricks so reequipping my armour I run in guns blazing, taking a strike to my shoulder I feel the armour quickly heating up I can only tank a few more blows of that magnitude before it starts to seriously hurt me. I manage to dodge the next 2 as I close in but take another to the legs.

It hurts but not too much yet, thankfully but il be a roast turkey for Christmas at this rate! I am close now though I first strike my sword into the center of the first as the second flys away to dodge, pulling the same trick closer I throw my axe at the second. I miss the edge and hit it with the stick of the axe, not ideal.

Taking my sword I rip it out doing some serious damage to the blaze in the process but not enough, dodging the next wave of increasingly speedy flames I managed to avoid all but 2, I am at my limit I need to finish this or risk being badly hurt. Running forward I almost chucked the sword out of my hand striking the injured one, killing it but at a cost, the last one managed to hit my neck with fire.

I tumble hard in a great deal of pain, it hurts a lot! Getting a grip I manage to get to my feet long enough to dodge another fireball, my body is shaking in pain but it will be too late if I take any more vital injuries like that. I throw my pickaxe to buy time as I gather my wits after taking the fire. It strikes true but does little more than stun it as it tumbles to the ground. Just enough to back away around the corner to catch my breath, all I needed.

I refuse to lose after coming this far, unarmed I make the snap choice, il take speed for now. My armour is too hot right now so I remove it and steady my breath. Bolting around the corner like a drag racer I manage to dodge the fireballs but one scorched my left arm as I was short slightly. I grab my axe off the ground before jumping up at the blaze using my right leg I push off a window ledge into the blaze, bringing the weapon down, killing it instantly.

I positively fall over in exhaustion catching my breath. This was the hardest fight I have ever been in, it was fun but I was so scared I was gonna die, I am not sure I can do this too often. As a reward though I got 4 blaze rods and a blazing head, a trophy for my trouble.

Il accepts everything as I am done, shattered from this fight I need sleep. I had enough awareness to grab my gear before escaping the fortress and falling over in a small pile of snow near the portal. Sweet, sweet relief.

Managing to get out my armour I drop all my tools, simply walking home with my treasures in hand, safely moving them to the chest I positively fall into bed after a quick drink of my dry throat, the nether really is the Saharan desert.

Falling into quick slumber, I awaken who knows when still in pain but not so much. The burns have started to heal but slowly. I could eat the heart but I am saving it to make me stronger.

Getting up I take the pumpkin and cook it down in some water until soft, mixing a little sugar in I enjoy the slightly sweet and new breakfast. Getting back into a healthy mind I start by planting my nether wart, really easy just stick em down unlike having to manually plough normally.

Next, I reclaim my gear, now icy to the touch since I dropped them into the snow. Still good to use so I bring it home for safekeeping, as I do I recall the fight yesterday. It was scary I was reckless but it was fun, exciting I have never had so much adrenalin running through me. Am I becoming a battle maniac?

These monsters are far harder then they would have been in the game but that’s okay, I am in no rush. Taking a break I chew on some sugarcane while I flick through the wizard's handbook, little else to do but work right now so this is the best it gets.

It is very interesting has far more then it had in the original game, less hard gameplay mechanics and more like in-depth research into the theory of how to utilise mana with creativity, mana and a focus. The wand for is the foci in case it was not obvious.

It explains ways of visualizing spells, the different schools of magic, already knew that one. It explains how each differs and how the mana is imbued with an attunement through a specific route to produce spells of that attunement, but it does not have spells in it just the building blocks for spells, methods for researching and other tidbits to help out. It also has lose information on methods for finding elusive materials like astral diamonds. But its mostly “The end” I will have to talk with wizards to either buy them or get locations to find them. A far-future situation. But yes wizards exist but they are rare and this school of magic common in the basic form but rare in advanced or higher tiers. It does touch on the existence of other magic like thaumcraft, which means this really is an interconnected universe of mods.

It is interesting reading something that I feel was really made as a beginners guide made by a smart wizard. I found out that most people use it for the basic utility as advancing is slow but cheap. Since it really is just effort. Thaumcracft is common in the basics and advanced since artefacts can be used by most people. I will have to look for civilisation at some point I guess.

It didn’t mention, blood magic or evil craft or perhaps other esoteric schools of magic, maybe they are illegal? Unknown? Who knows. Also, you probably don’t want to explain blood magic in a basic book meant to educate people in “your” school of magic, would paint a bad light as well since I can image it’s a rather evil appearing magic. Even if it's very powerful. Call me crimson the blood mage, I am a good person trust me I just mess with blood magic and life force energy. “Where did I get the blood?” “Sorry, can't tell you”. Yeah, that will fly as well as a rock.

Since I've done the studying I think I will try and make a beginner spell, I have an advantage as I know many possible spells but weakness in the fundamentals. Well, you only get better with practice, I am not some shonen protagonist who just powers up. I think it will be good fun and a nice thing to spend time on that will both help me do better and be a change of pace. Since really all I have been doing is fighting, building and mining, Minecraft in a nutshell.

It's hard to find the funny things in life when your life is designed to entertain God, Felix are you entertained?

Keeping with the useful theme, and the fact that I will save mana attunement for when I am more skilled. I go with placing that temporary block. It is very useful for levelling up quickly, but that’s not a concern as I do not have enough crystal flowers to even get to the next stage.

Okay focusing on the name, place block. The mana 10, I think I have the mana down I prepare to encode the spell. Focusing on how the mana moves through the wand and materialises, it should now be in the wand but I didn’t get the correct feeling, it failed silently, I wonder if I fail with advanced spells will I become a firework?

Okay well back to the drawing board, the annoying part in this form of magic is it just fails its not a bar that moves and you can see where it fails. Thaumcraft when you are crafting stuff you know why it failed because it tries to do something, stutters then explodes, see you know where it went wrong.

Anyway, I am getting sidetracked since it’s minor magic I doubt any danger is present for playing around so, for now, il brute force it.

Spending the next hour with my eyes closed, messing with the amount of mana, I verify that’s not the problem. Now I think its either the speed the mana moves through the wand or the route it takes, I could be drawing the wrong path even by a slight problem. The latter is far harder to fix so I start messing with how fast I release the energy.

As eventually I just “get it” it works but very badly, the spell functions but is unstable. Well, I think that’s because my path is not perfectly smooth. I considered that as an issue and put it on my mental list but clearly mana control needs practise.

For clarification, moving mana through the wand is like guiding a toddler that likes shiny things. Possible but tedious and difficult, needs lots of micromanagement.

I spend a long period practising my drawing skills in the wand without actually trying to encode a spell, drawing shapes and writing, invisible to all but me. It is very mentally taxing but I get the spell to function adequately. Each level of the spell has farm more complex paths it must go through so I have my work cut out for me in the future.

At least I know have something new I can do when I am bored. Testing out my magic missile, which I somehow forgot to do, it is rather pitiful. I feel like the better my drawing skills the better the spell, maybe I can even strengthen spells with excellent drawing skills.

I wonder what would happen if you took a basic spell and drew it with an advanced or maybe even master spell network? At least its clearly explained how spells separate, rather then it being unclear its just stronger stuff. Each spell tier has a certain complex way the mana must move to produce the energy to materialise the phenomena. Before this process, another process must be completed to attune it to an element for certain spells. So I can see why wizards often specialise.

Sourcery and utility spells actually have an attunement path as well, but it is not needed for basic sorcery spells as they involve mana in pure forms far more. Excluding spells like creating fire, like a flint and steel that is very clearly elemental.

A fun learning experience I will practise in my free time, maybe I can fly one day! Is it a bird? is it a plane? Nah it is just the average everyday wizard.