I returned to my subspace right after the fight. That was dangerous. Not the fight, but rather, my mental state. I don’t think I’ve ever succumbed to the voice like that, except against Tishina. Then again, I was in monster form for hours, outside of a mana well, expecting combat, without Geistig around to temper the voice.

I’m going to need to change plans a little. I can’t risk staying in monster form for a day at a time. Not if I don’t want to lose myself. From here on, I’ll rest in my subspace between every fight.

But before that, I need to check on a few things. How are the new inhabitants doing?

I shifted my consciousness over to the Oleum Rubeta’s terrarium. The two Oil Toads were there, their oil production was working overdrive, slowly but surely filling up the floor of the terrarium. They seemed rather panicked, but of course they were. One was blown up in a fiery explosion, and the other had to deal with that monstrosity. Then, they were suddenly brought to a confined dome, without any marshy terrain to burrow into. Other than the panic, though, they were fine. I was half expecting one to be burnt crispy, and the other misshapen. Thankfully, whatever mechanism revived them also deemed fit to bring them back to their ideal state.

I casually portaled over some of the insects I’d gathered before heading out. I don’t know how many Oil Toads I’m going to want to keep, but I should at least keep them alive long enough to determine their value.

Afterwards, I went on over to Rhannu’s terrarium, and transformed into him. Ci immediately rolled over and bounced into my arms.

“Hey Ci! Who’s a good boy? Girl? Amorphous blob of cuddles?” Ci nestled harder into me after that last one.

“I prefer calling them a cuddle elemental.” Rhannu chimed in.

“Perfect.” I grinned.

“So, I can’t help but notice my shed is missing. Any chance I could get that back?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I had to convince some murderhobos that I was human, and it seemed like the only option at the time.”

“Murder… Hobos? Why do the homeless want to murder you?”

“It’s a term for adventurers who embody the idea that killing is the cause of, and solution to all of life’s problems.”

“I see. Well, so long as you’re safe, I can always build another one. And thanks for the ale the other day. It's been too long.”

“No problem. It’s not like I could enjoy it. I’ll work on getting you a steadier supply and some more books when I have some more funds.”

“About that… I think I’ll start crystalizing my own mana in my free time. That should help with some of the expenses.”

“What? No, I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“Then don’t think of it as a favor, think of it as a way for me to take care of my own expenses.”

“But I can…” I can take care of his expenses… Eventually. But how long will it take? Weeks? Months? I can’t tell him not to help himself if it will take that long. “Okay. Just let me know what you specifically want, and I’ll deal with the purchasing.”

---

We went over our purchasing plan for a few hours until nightfall. If he used all the mana he got each day making crystals, then he could make about 24 per day. Of course, he also had other tasks he needed to work on that required mana, such as rebuilding his shed, his exercise, and training the slimes to be friendly and do tricks. Mainly the last one, really. That left about 16 per day, which he expects to be spent on getting more slimes, books, booze, the pond and fish, and expanding his terrarium with space until it feels natural and spacious. Apparently, he was also interested in taking over the farming project, which I happily obliged. Or will oblige, once I head back to town to get enough slimes for it to feel safe.

When we finished the conversation, I left the subspace in Cloud Goat form. Now that the toads have left their burrows to go hunting, it’s a lot less likely that they’ll explode so violently when burned. I hope.

It was rather hard to see from so high up in the air, and nearly impossible to spot any Oil Toads. Their tar covers their skin, and blends in almost perfectly with the muddy marsh. Fortunately, there may be one way to locate them.

A fire broke out in the distance. How it started, I’m not sure, but it’s a safe bet that there’s an oil toad nearby. I flew over to it, and was met with the same adventuring party I had seen before, mid-combat with an Oil Toad. They didn’t seem to spot me high in the air, and I again chose not to engage with them. They can take this one, I’ll have the next.

A few minutes later, another fire broke out, and I was the first to arrive. Two oil toads were there, apparently battling over an alligator corpse. One lashed out with their tongue, smacking against the other’s forehead, but sliding off their slick skin. The second toad rubbed their claws together, and sent a spark out in the first one’s direction. The first toad hopped high into the air, barely avoiding the spark as it ignited the oil where it once stood.

I suppose that explains the fires. Now, how do I handle this? The smart move would be to wait until they’re done fighting to kill the victor, but then another adventuring party might arrive to claim the spoils. No, if I want to gain anything, I must strike soon.

Soon means I can’t use my space-bolt, though I shouldn’t be using it anyways, if I can help it. I’m only getting two mana crystals per toad, which means I’d be spending a quarter of what I get just fighting one. As Geistig says, it’s inefficient.

But I can’t go interrupting their fight with a random bolt. I still need to learn how to aim it, and they’ll run away if I miss. Trying a melee brawl would be stupid as well, as I’m outnumbered. What other tools do I have?

Hmm… They’re being awfully cautious not to stay in one oil pool too long. They’re rather afraid of each other’s sparks, considering they’re walking fire-hazards. How would they react if the whole area were a fire-hazard? They wouldn’t move away from the very quarry they were fighting over. Would they turn this ranged brawl into a melee one, or continue this fire-starting tactic and dig both their graves? Either way, I’ll be the one to win in the end.

I flew over to an empty burrow nearby, quickly phased some of the oil into my subspace, and flew back towards the fight. With most of my remaining mana, I phased the oil back out, pouring it over and around them. They paused their fight for a moment to look up at me. They backed off, but when I didn’t chase, they went at each other again, this time choosing not to employ their spark-claws. A pity. I thought they were dumber than this. Oh well, at least it means I get to be the one to finish the job.

My cloud-fur whurred again, and I aimed my next lightning shot at them. It missed again, but it didn’t have to hit. The oil they were standing on ignited, consuming them both in roaring flames. When the flames died out, their charred corpses were all that remained.

Two more down. It still cost me as much as a mana crystal, but my rewards were doubled for this. Much more efficient. This tactic also made me realize something I should really start abusing more often. I have flying forms, a subspace, and the assistance of gravity. Why don’t I start using this tactic more often? I don’t need wasteful spells, just a big rock or a lot of oil and a match. It won’t work inside an enclosed space, but in open ground? Perfect.

I used the mana sampler on the two toads, and phased them into their own new individual terrariums. Now that I know they’re territorial, unfriendly, and potentially pyromaniacs, it’s clear that they should be stored separately.

Before I could return to my subspace, I noticed the adventuring party flying through the air toward me. Or falling, since it seems to be the gravity aligned who’s doing the flying. They stopped as they saw me, and the humans sighed. The orc on the other hand…

“Kill?”

“No! You blithering buffoon, it’s the same person we saw earlier.” The rogue yelled at him.

“Aww…” The orc’s shoulders drooped.

The archer spoke up next. “I didn’t get the chance to ask before, but you didn’t cause that toad burrow to explode, did you?”

“Baa, b ba. Ba Baaa?” Yes, I am. So What?

“I have no idea what you’re saying, so I’ll just mention it anyway. Don’t cause any large fires in the daytime. Oleum Rubeta aren’t the only things around here.”

“Baa baaa ba baaaa?” What else is there?

“Good, so long as you get it.” Another fire lit in the distance, much smaller than the one I made, and they flew off towards it.

I really need a way to communicate in monster form. That’s definitely the first thing I need to figure out when I get back.