Injecting energy into the stone for the tenth time since discovering it I realize just how long this will take. The stone is not only larger but has a larger capacity to store energy. I have only filled about one fiftieth of the stone, I can't be sure how long it will take but i have the feeling it will be too close for comfort to when the serpent will thaw out. During my mana regeneration time I have read different books of rather low difficulty. The topic of the books range from alchemy to enchantment to different languages of this world. While I have yet to encounter another language there seems to be a large variety, when beginning the game that region's language is automatically understood, yet it appears that other languages need to be studied or they just seem like gibberish. While I am studying alchemy i can't do much without ingredients, so I requested a large variety of plants and such from Maddy and her small crow army.

'Ughhh this is so tiring. All I am doing is expending then restoring my energy. Then again this is like exercise isn't it? Maybe there will be some form of benefit, this game is rather realistic in a sense as well.'

While the game is realistic in one sense it is also very different in another, it feels like an altered reality if anything, and while I've been playing for a while I haven't really experimented with much. In the time between my opening the stone I will attempt to experiment with magic a bit. According to what I have read so far 99% of magic users learn to cast spells from tomes with specific effects, where as I learned to manipulate the environment. Malek may not be the best teacher, but he has given me a skill that would have been incredibly difficult to obtain otherwise. I'm not entirely sure how difficult it would be to learn to manipulate energy normally, but it is most likely something learned at a much higher mastery of magic.

I stand up and begin stretching, sitting for too long is not good for the muscles and in a world where danger is a few steps away being limber is extremely important. Focusing all my attention on my breathing I activate an extremely short range [Nature Observation] to sense the magic quality of the air. Breathing in and out the air I begin siphoning magical energy from the air. Breathing in the energy rich air I expel it depleted of energy. I sit down and focus my whole attention on breathing.

*Ding* New Skill

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*Active*[Meditation]

Activating meditation puts the user into a state of concentration allowing them to siphon magical energy from the environment. Mana regeneration dependent on the area, some areas possess much more magical energy than others and thus more energy can be siphoned. Skill does not require mana to activate.

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'Hooo, so as I thought, experimenting allows different skills to be acquired. This meditation is incredibly convenient for my current goal, it should speed up the unlocking of this door by a fair amount. Though what it said about different areas interests me, I should be careful and observe an areas energy before I attempt to absorb it, I wouldn't want to absorb corrupted energy.'

After gaining the new skill I restore my mana to full before pouring it all into the crystal embedded into the wall. After which I decide to take a look upstairs, being stuck down here for so long has made me stir crazy.

After a few minutes I enter into the laboratory, but no one seems to be there. 'Hmmm, they must all be on the surface then.' I quickly climb up the stairs and gaze upon the brightly lit fields.

"It's nice to be outside again, it wasn't cramped down there, but it's not nearly as open as the outdoors." I tell this to no one but myself and begin looking around for Maddy. 'Ah! There she is.'

Standing on a hill the beautiful rogue gives off an oppressive aura towards the group of shadowbirds. With her shoulder length brown hair waving in the wind she calls out commands to the now uniformed crow demi-humans. With the six smaller shadowbirds and Cooth standing behind her the seen is like a small army. Eight rows with ten large shadowbirds each move at the command of Maddy, each one wearing the same dark leather clothing with holes cut in the back for their wings.

"Hooo, this is quite an operation you've got going while I've been underground." I express my amazement at the organization that Maddy has managed to put in place, probably not without the help of the six shadowbirds who previously ran things. The smaller shadowbirds are not only wearing the same leather as the other birds, but also wearing crimson colored sashes to show their higher status.

"Do you like them? I worked hard to gather up as many of the sane shadowbirds as I could, they are so adorable!" Maddy introduces me to the huge number of shadowbirds, nine out of ten remaining unnamed, the ones that are named are the squad leaders.

"Yeah, they are definitely impressive, have they been trained in combat?"

"Of course, though they aren't much stronger than before their team work is much better, we might even stand a chance against that snake this time." Maddy proudly declares the strength of her shadowbirds.

"Hmmm, that would definitely be good if we could hold out against the snake in case it wakes up. Also, have you procured the ingredients I requested? From what I've seen the majority of what the scientists did was alchemy, so maybe I can find the cure for the shadowbirds with alchemy."

"Oh yeah I forgot to give them to you. Bird man (please not that I didn't pick this name I had someone else do so) hand Jordan those materials."

Bird man walks up to me and hands me a wooden box full of different herbs pulled with the root. I take the materials and head back down after thanking Maddy and Bird man. Time to get started with some alchemy.