[Finally found the bloody thing. I was so unbelievably lost, it was not even funny] Thinking back to my third time I found myself in the market while trying to find the library. [But I made it in the end] Doing a mini celebratory fist pump [The fuck is a fist pump and why is it celebratory. What is wrong with my mind?] I walked over to the entrance of the library in slight confusion and try to enter when suddenly a bald elderly lady blocks my way.

“20C to enter the library,” she says while sticking out her hand. [Yeah Nah I already spent too much money today] “But mummy only gave me 10C to spend for the week. Please, can I go in?” I ask innocently. “20C to enter the library,” she says while still sticking out her hand. [Bitch]

“But but I only have 10C. Can I just have a look?” I ask again while bringing tears to my eyes [didn't know I could control my tears, interesting]. “ I am sorry young man but it is 20C to enter the library if you don't have the money then you cant enter. Books are expensive you know and we must pay for the upkeep of the library. So once again it is 20C to enter the library”

[What a cold-hearted bitch, I am impressed. I will take a look around the building for another way in if I can't find one then I will come back tomorrow for the whole day. If I am going to spend 20C then I will make it worth it]. “Ok miss, sorry to trouble you,” I say dejectedly. “ Do not worry about it young man, but next time have the money,” she answers. Giving a quick nod I walk off into the crowded streets.

After walking for 2 minutes I circle back around to look at the library from different angles, hoping to find a way in. Sadly I could not find a suitable alternate entrance. The windows were too small and too high off the ground to be a feasible way to enter and the only other door was locked from the inside.

[Damn shame, looks like I need to do something else to occupy my time. what to do? what to do? oh, I know. I shall get used to the layout of the city so I can find places easier and run away if needed. While I am learning the layout of the city I should keep an eye out for ways to make money.]

Wandering around is a good idea as I am getting a better knowledge of the streets by the minute, but I am soooooo bored. After another minute I decide to take out the lock I brought earlier in the day. Hiding my hands in the sleeves of the shirt with the lock to hide my body manipulation from view, I try to pick it.

Continuing to walk around. I start to make 5 small and thin tentacles out of sludge that comes from the palm of my hand. Making the tentacles is fairly easy but I can only control one at a time and that one takes a fair bit of concentration. To fix this I grow very thin strands of nerves and muscles in the tentacles to give me better control and feeling in them. This makes the tentacles easier to control individually but I am still struggling to control multiple at once.

Deciding to try and improve my control I flex and move a single tentacle in increasingly complex movements. After about 10 minutes of practice, I can control one tentacle as well as a finger.

[That's an idea. Why don't I try to make my fingers and limbs from tentacles made from muscles? It would be a lot more flexible than a normal limb. But it would not have the support of a bone. Maybe a flexible bone? but that would defeat the whole purpose of it though. Ah lots of bones connected like the Human spine, it is flexible and strong. But to do this I will need a lot of food that I don’t have at the moment. But this is something to aim for in the future.] Adding internal body modification to a mental list in my mind I continue to walk

By the time I finished my inner monologue, I can make one tentacle dance easily even while not concentrating on it. With this happy new development, I try to make another tentacle move while the other dances to a silent tune I sing in my head. Training the second tentacle took longer than the first but eventually, it was dancing along.

Midway through the third, my head started hurting, while a strange itching sensation was slowly eroding at the area of pain. The more the pain area was eroded the more intense the pain. Noticing that my increase in control of the third tentacle is seemingly parallel with how much territory the itching sensation had I did not stop.

Soon pain felt like a hot needle slowly being pushed through my head, but I carried on. My face was crossed between a grimace of pain and a manic grin from the excitement from the idea that my brain was somehow evolving. The pain helps me break my mind from the numb sensation that’s its been in since the ordeal with Paul that I didn't even know it was in. [I must look so fucking weird to others though. hahaha but who gives a fuck.]

Once the pain and itching were gone the third tentacle was dancing along with the other two. Deciding that that was enough tentacles for the moment and not wanting to go through the pain without proper preparation I stop for the time being.

[But I should train this more, I will add controlling tentacles while doing my workouts into my routine, once I can get one to dance will exercising at the same time I will add another tentacle into the workout. This should help train my mind. I will also try to train my memory by listing as many street and store names as possible.]

With two more activities added to my daily routine, but this time to train the mind instead of the body, I begin to focus on how to pick the lock again. I make little tools at the head of the tentacles. I tried to make them out of bone but they were very brittle so I tried other materials that my body could produce. In the end, I decided to make it out of the same material my nails are made from (alpha-keratin protein). In the beginning, the nail martial was also brittle until I added more water to the structure. With water, the nail became more flexible so I made the tool out of the flexible nail material.

After multiple attempts and combinations of different tools. I decided that it was too crowded in the lock mechanism with all three tentacles. [I should have one tentacle try to unlock the mechanism; another try to turn the mechanism while the last will pull on the shackle (top part of the lock, I didn't know what it was)]. Coming to this decision, I make small bumps out of the flexible nail but focusing on strength rather than flexibility this time as they won't need to bend, on the top side of the tentacle. The idea is that once inside the bumps will grow up into the mechanism pushing the springs until they replicate the key needed for the lock.

With this method, it became easy to pick and with a few times of practice, I could pick the lock in a few seconds. Wanting to try out my new method on a new lock I debated if I should buy a new one but decided against and thought it would be best if I tried it on a lock that is actually in use. That way I can practice, get into exciting areas and find potential valuables. [But I won't rob the poor that's just a dick move and they won't have many interesting things or many valuables. unless they are assholes, then I will rob them blind, and then eat them.] With the idea of eating people, the sludge stirs within me again. [Haha well that's not foreboding at all.]

Without the distraction of the lock, I started to become bored again as I continued to wander around, so I decided to go over to something I noticed a while ago. At the end of almost every street, there is a group of people crowding around what seems to be a board made of wood covered by a slanted roof, which I assume to protect the paper from when it rains.

I walk over to the board and worm my way through the crowd to see what all the fuss is about. Once I am at the front I look at what I now understand to be a notice board. Hanging up are pieces of paper with news, potential jobs and a giant picture of my face on a wanted poster with a reward of 10S.

[Haha...well shit.]