22 Days AA.

After modifying the core, I spent that night feeding on the mana it purified, the pure mana was like morphine, and I wanted more.

I spent that night absorbing mana from the core directly, every one hour it would recharge fully, and I couldn't wait for it to fully charge, it just feels really good, not just physically, but mentally it made my mind feel clear.

That’s why today I wanted to do something interesting.

I decided to make something I read about in most of my books and only read about how to make it in a crafting book.

As I searched the crafting boxes, I was thinking about how useful this could become and I was getting really excited.

Finally in the supply boxes and mixed in with the crafting tools I found the components I wanted.

Three small magnets, connected to a copper plate with ball bearings fixated on a copper cylinder 3 times longer than the 3 magnets.

Rotate the magnets around one end of the cylinder, the magnets naturally collect more wild mana and the spinning adds to that process.

The wild mana collected will overflow and follow though the copper to the other end.

The copper will act like a sponge sucking the extra dense mana.

Now the important part, I need to have a core at that end of the cylinder.

That core will absorb and purify the mana faster than the natural way after that, the purified mana will overflow to a larger magnet connected to the core via a second copper cylinder.

And I added 4 wood polls to hold all the components together.

And that's how you make a mana condenser/purifier.

It was all put together, one meter long.

I looked at my new toy, and felt pride.

“I needed this, this feeling of self-respect and personal worth”.

Especially after shitting myself, twice.

Now I need a vertical turbine to spin the magnets around the copper cylinder.

When I noticed its morning I was back to my senses, the mana high went away leaving me feeling less amazed, I modified two more core’s, now I have 4 unused core’s and three pure mana cores.

I made a decision to keep one core with me at all times, the second I will use in the mana condenser, the third I will hide it, not sure why I just feel like concealing it. I do feel lost a bit, I have an incomplete plan and no big picture plan.

As I looked at the core in my hand, i used my aura to reinforce my eyes, and watched the core slowly absorb wild mana and turn it from a Milky color to a golden spark deep in the core.

Am not stupid, misinformed yes, idiot no.

From what I know so far this is a game changer in the world of Purified mana and power.

For now, I just wanted to enjoy this morning and this feeling, it has been so long since the last time I felt so good.

And the air, oh god that morning air, so clean.

“Oh to feel young again”.

Feeling more energy in me, my mood was good and getting better, happiness is a good alternative to all day depression.

Now I have a hope a chance.

If I keep absorbing the pure mana maybe I will be cured of this soul sickness shit, and the idea of getting-rid of it sounds kind of important,

This curse can get under one's skin, no wonder everyone fears this curse. I experienced it, drooping to the ground and shitting myself, as I electrify everything around me, Yeah important.

However If the pure mana doesn't work I need plan B, a better plan than the aura suppression using the choker. I don't believe a bedroom toy is going to save my life.

The more I think about it, the stupider it sounded, “a choker, what was I thinking”. I sighed and moved on.

I went outside and enjoyed the fresh air in this new day, it was good morning, the Tafuyt / ⵜⴰⴼⵓⵢⵜ / sun was clear, the air was fresh, and I was young again. Young and almost healthy. And I have a kukri blade, as well as a sword, just in case shit hits the fan.

I spent my morning contemplating what to do to make plan B possible, I need to learn more about aura and crafting or find someone to help me fill the gaps in my knowledge.

“Time to work”

I examined my surroundings, finding no bears just the Autumn Color Trees, soon winter will be here, and I need to get my shit together before that.

My newly made condenser needs a place to do its work, and I need to have it close for quick access and to keep my eye on it, if anyone finds it, it won’t be my condenser, Finders keepers.

I started to explore the forest, as I walked in the direction of one of the traps, I spotted a rabbit it was caught in it, and i smiled at it, ‘fresh meet’.

I didn't kill it, just grabbed it, tied it up, and searched for more, I found no more rabbits, and next I went to the river and no fish.

After spending two hours exploring my traps and searching for any sign of danger, I went back home with a rabbit and dry sticks.

Making a small wooden cage for the rabbit was a good mental relaxation exercise, i don't need to eat the rabbit so why kill it, keeping it as a pet/emergency food was a better option,

I gave it some dry fruits and water and went back to planning for my safety, I need a real shelter, the cave is not a bad hideout, but the wall is made of branches and dry mud mixed with clay.

Good enough to stop cold wind, and only cold wind, no more.

Time to change that, I went back to the wagon and searched for a shovel, I used it before, and I know it's here, I just didn't think I need it in the cave at all times, I was too occupied with the fear of death, so inventory management was not a priority.

I took it out and re-camouflaged the wagon.

The shovel was like any other shovel only this one was made fully from iron, it had magical wards on it, and I didn't use the wards before just used it as a normal shovel, still I have an idea on what it will do if I give it mana, and it's better to be safe than getting fucked with a mana surprise.

Back in the cave I used the book of wards to identify the symbols as the

Anything in contact with the shovel's end point would become brittle and week, use it on hard rock, and it would turn it into something resembling hard soil, hard yet less difficult to dig than solid rock. As for soil, it will become as soft as sand.

And the idea is to balance both physical and mental power, using mana to turn rock into sand directly will only make me get tired faster and lose the long game.

As for the area of effect, it is determined by the personal area of influence that can be projected through the shovel, and that is determined by how much power I have, both physically and mentally to push my aura out.

This would make my half cooked plan doable, first I will work on the mana condenser, I took it outside with the shovel and started to dig a small hole for the foundation the mana condenser will stand on, after I was done it looked like a small vertical turbine.

I left it to do its work and went to the cave to do my work.

I cleared the cave emptying it completely as a precaution for what am about to do, from the crafting tools, I took a light crystal ball the size of a grape attached to a necklace and charged it, and the crystal glowed.

I could not see it clearly glow because of the morning sun light only in the darkness of the cave will it show its true brightness.

I walked back into the cave with the natural light and the crystal ball I can see clearly now.

In the middle of the cave I made a magic circle from copper ink and added the wards around it, and because am not as stupid as I was yesterday.

I did my best copying the symbols correctly, and triple checked, yet I was not sure it won’t kill me, that’s why I added a line of copper from the circle to the outside of the cave and that’s where I will activate the magic.

By the time I was done making the circle, the mana purifier was charged or more accurately the big magnet was charged, the core was just purifying it and donating it to the magnet.

I took that brick sized magnet and stood outside of the cave.

As I stood holding the magnet in my left hand and a copper wire in the other. I wondered if am about to blow up this cave or me and the cave.

I looked at the magnet and absorbed its mana, and pushed it towards the cave using the copper wire as Link and that activated the circle,

I could feel the mana leaving my body and aura like air kicked out of my lungs, I ignored the feeling of electricity passing over my skin,

And felt my connection to my mana and the circle getting stronger and clearer in my mind.

As I concentrated more on my aura, I could feel the mana reading the circle and feel it gathering in the center and i pushed my intention on to it, the mana responded.

The mana spread, it moved and spread like a fog and was getting absorbed into the cave walls, slowly started to reshape it into a room, a room with a thick front wall.

A room of stone, hard stone, safe stone, the most difficult part for me was to keep the image of door in mind, yet it worked the mana faded and I drooped to my hands and knees and started puking my guts out.

Feeling nauseous and heavy, I looked at the door shaped hole on the hill and smiled, I could not see the smile on my face but I know it was a disgusting smile, because it tasted disgusting.

After I washed my mouth, I placed the magnet back in its place, I walked towards the cave,

From the outside it looked like a door, or should I say a hole shaped like a door 80 cm deep, it was a creepy looking door,

Maybe because it resembled an upright grave on a rocky hill, yeah that’s it a grave, and it was camouflaged perfectly.

I went into the cave or should I say the room, the door was now the only way for light to get in and with the crystal adding to that, the room was illuminated.

The room was 8 meters deep into the hill, and 6 meters wide and I think 3 meters in height.

Oh it feels good to see a room with right angles, finally I felt civilized.

I looked around me, mana is amazing and it works. It just does, drawing or carving symbols, and giving them mana as sacrifice will result in the wanted outcome.

That’s it magic shit just happens, I accepted that fact for now, I will not do a deep dive into the nature of mana or how to improve not yet, now is not the time. Now I will go native.

‘Stop pondering, work’, I told myself.

Now I need a stronger wall and more importantly a door. first the door, am not sure I can do all the work I want to do and not fall asleep during my work, I don't want to be without a door at night or day.

I took out what I believe to be aluminum ball the size of grape, it was in the crafting tools, intended to be used for crafting but I had a better use for it.

On the flat floor of my new room, I started to draw a circle of wards and runic inscription.

In its center I placed the aluminum ball. And waked back outside to get my beloved magnet.

The magnet it was fully recharged, I took it, and looked at the rabbit in its cage I gave it more water and food.

As I looked at it I gave it a name Mr. Snuggles, my pet/emergency food.

I left Mr. Snuggles and went back to my new project, a door.

Back inside the room I activated the circle and the small aluminum ball started to float in the air, I can feel an aura growing from the circle.

I took control of it and focused it down underground and I can feel it like a flashlight beam scanning and pulling something into the aluminum ball, and the ball was growing fast.

Logically the something must be aluminum.

I scanned all around me, avoiding the direction of the tools and supplies outside, I didn't want them to get damaged.

After few minutes the ball was the size of four or five basketballs, I don’t know am just eyeballing everything.

I stopped the process, and the ball remembered what gravity is and it should do what it says, and went down hard, after a loud impact the ball rolled and I jumped to grab it.

***

In the crafting tools, I searched for the metal reshaping tools, with some of the crafting notes I made after reading the books previously.

I made a drawing of a rectangle, it was 30/70-cm, and I made it next to the circle and away from the entrance.

In each corner I placed a small saucer the size of teacup, I found them in the tools, and they were carved with a mix of wards, magic circles, and runic inscriptions. A true master peace of art, crafting and magic.

Each saucer was injected with mana and I placed the aluminum ball in the center of the rectangle, the moment I activated the wards the mana shot to the center and hit the ball fusing with it and the ball vibrated for moment and stilled.

I poked it, it was soft, and so soft my finger left a dent on it.

Now I can reshape it however I want because the mana in it has made it as malleable as clay.

“This explains why there is a rolling pin in the crafting tools, yeah it’s not for a bakery. Time to make a door”.

To make a door from aluminum I need to shape it, the floor was flat and smooth enough, I picked it up the aluminum ball and placed it next to the wall on the left from the entrance, I wanted to work and be able to go in and out.

Using the rolling pin I gave the ball a beating and did my best to shape it like a door, it was surprisingly fun, am reshaping metal with my hands, a rolling pin, a knife, and a hammer.

I went fully native, yeah am definitely native now.

Finally, after 3 hours of beating cutting, beating again, eating, and conjuring more aluminum, and fixing mistakes, I have it an aluminum sheet the size of the entrance, 2 or 3 cm thick.

The aluminum sheet was not flat on both sides, only on one side, the side on the floor was flat, and the side facing me looked like someone beat up the sheet with a hammer living square markers, side by side.

I did this because I want it to have structural reinforcement.

It looked like a square iron gate on top of an aluminum sheet. On the left Door hinge, ugly door hinge.

And I added 4 big door latches, two on the right, and two on the left.

A door latch was 35 cm long and 3 cm in diameter.

Did I overdid it with the door latch, Yeah that horned bear scared me a bit, just a bit, still better safe than getting killed.

I made sure I was done before I took the final step, and remember the wards of protection.

Am seeking protection from fire, cold, big bears, etc., and so in each square I carved the proper ward symbols.

And a security chain on the right side of the door. Until I remembered the bear and added another one.

I looked at my work, after I was sure it’s completed, and I used my aura to push out the mana in the aluminum and it hardened back to normal.

The entrance resembled a hallway a very small hallway, 80 cm deep into the hill, 190 cm in height, and 70 cm wide. From the inside of the room I looked at the entrance and wanted the door to be placed 15 cm out. From the outside it would be 60 to 65 cm deep into the hill.

Before I set the door, I made some measurement with a string, and went to the entrance and measured the location the door latches and hinges should be on.

I took my tools and started digging four holes for the latches, using a mana powered chisel, I added a hole to affix the security chain and carefully measured the hinges and made six small holes for them.

After I completed the carving, I went outside and started bringing things back in, and piled it all up in the corners, Mr. snuggles cage was placed in the back wall between the corners.

I went to the magnet and took more mana into my aura, it should be enough for me to reinforce my body, and use superhuman power it gives to pick the door up and move it.

I entered the room and picked up the door, and moved it to the entrance, after I positioned it in place and lifted it up a bit and pushed the door latches into the holes and the door was affixed in position.

‘Now the hinges’, the door was holding its position and my

Hands were free, I used a hammer to affix the hinges into the holes with 10 cm long nails, and nailed the hinges onto the entrance wall.

After I was sure, everything is as it should be I used mana and a ward to harden and reinforce the hinges into the wall.

I tested opening it. I unlocked the latches and i opened it inward, with a loudly squeaky sound the door opened.

The door squeak was an advance alarm system not a bug, nope that was a feature.

Finally I have a door.

***

I love crafting, it’s the perfect way to stay in touch with my manly side, until this body grows up and I can be myself again.

Now my next project, I will make a crafting table. I need a horizontal surface for holding objects and crafting.

Quickly I conjured more aluminum and started the same process to shape it into a big table, six by one meters and 2 cm in thickens.

Using the mana powered chisel, I made six small holes one meter above the floor, two on the front wall and four on the adjacent wall on the left side to use for affixing the table onto the wall with nails.

The aluminum nails were 10 cm long I hammered them into the wall only 6 cm deep and 4 cm out and they will holed the aluminum sheet instead of four table legs, the table am making will only need one leg.

It looked just Like the Standard counter-top.

I went under the crafting table to mark the locations I want to divide into cabinet tomorrow. I can’t spend all my time on it.

***

Next shelves, to get a better space usage, I don't want my stuff on the ground blocking space.

The solution is to make wall shelves and a Rack system for the heavy stuff. I conjured more aluminum.

I made the shelves first and the shelf brackets and used the chisel to make the holes in the right, and back wall.

I placed the shelves and added the supplies I have on top, I could feel the room getting bigger and organized.

After more work involving hitting, rolling and repeated cutting, the result was a rack made from, two upright frames made from a diagonal bracing, horizontal beam, and column and base plate (post) and between them, I had a wire deck.

In total the Rack was 2 m in height and 3 m in length, and 60 cm width. I placed it at the right wall.

***

After I completed my work I looked around.

Now I have a crafting table & shelves, yeah a flat table to work on and shelves to hold everything in order.

Next project, a water barrel.

I made a bulging cylindrical shape, hollow with flat ends like a beer barrel, a badly made barrel.

I picked up my handmade barrel, and as I exited the room I noticed I couldn't closed the door behind me, ‘note to self, make a door with a lock’, I walked to the river, filed the barrel and came back, and made lunch.

Next, a kitchen space.

The kitchen, I made just like I did the crafting table, only it was an upside-down L shape, 1.60 m by 3 m and a width of 6 cm.

After I made the kitchen, I moved to the Next project, a crossbow.

On my crafting table, I was fallowing the same process to make metals malleable. Same rectangle with the same setup as before on top of the table.

I soaked the aluminum with mana to make it as pliable as clay, yet still with all the control I have over it that didn't make me a professional crafter.

I just need time to learn.

I made a crossbow, fully from aluminum, the curved piece of aluminum as the bow, with a taut cord of aluminum to propel the arrow.

Yeah nothing tells a bear to F-off like a crossbow to the face.

After i was sure it’s molded as I wanted it, I just pushed out the mana in it with my aura, and the aluminum was back to its original firm nature.

Now, the arrows.

75 years ago someone somewhere found out that a scroll can ROLL, and that kicked the arms race of the magical war machine into high gears, I took that idea.

what I will do is make a ruin scroll on the aluminum paper I found in the crafting tools, and roll it on an arrow like message of love, give it mana, and send it to the target with all my love, the arrow head will trigger the scroll on contact with the enemy aura.

As for the scroll, I opened-up books and started studding the scroll’s, and arrow head design, I chose the lightning scroll, it is compatible with my mana and causes the most damage to the enemy.

I made only one scroll and three arrow’s, I loaded the scroll arrow onto the crossbow and started aiming around me, I didn't use it that scroll is still untested I didn't even give it mana. Yeah I need to test it tomorrow.

As I finished, I looked around me and noticed the sun was setting down. Time to make dinner.

I made dinner for me and my pet, it was just like lunch dry meat and dry fruits, for my pet just fruits and water.

I was sitting on top of the table and eating, I looked at my pet.

My pet rabbit was strange, it didn't move much since I captured it and it’s really likes to sit as close to the door as it can, I noticed that as I moved the cage around the room.

“Mr. Snuggles are you planning to escape, I cant blame you I would make plans if I were you”

Snuggles just looked at me as if I was mentally unstable, me talking to him probably didn’t help ease its fears and trust me.

“You know I was joking when I called you the emergency food”. Snuggles wiggled his nose at me as if he was smelling my lie.

“You don't trust people very much do you, that's a wise policy”.

Snuggles ignored me and dug his face into the food.

I ignored him too, that arrogant bastard ignored me, I need human contact, am feeling really tired.

ignoring my loneliness, I focused on the bright side of things.

My housing development project was going smoothly, playing with aluminum as if its clay made my projects move fast, in one day I made all the basics.

I looked around me, and no bed.

‘Shit, I knew I forgot something’.

The crafting table, the shelves, a water tank, along with a kitchen and a door, the door still needs a frame to hold the cold wind in winter. I will do that tomorrow and make a bed.

I found the sheets of my old bed and dragged myself under the crafting table.

I was surprised at how much work I did all day. Yes mana helps, yet still the speed is surprising.

As I looked at the table above me, I considered what to do.

As I was planning it I started to get extremely fatigued the mana usage and the demand on my mind to concentrate, to focus and guide it.

I suddenly went from over-energetic to completely drained.

‘Maybe I should just take a short nap, and wake up do some final touches and go back to sleep’.

I absorbed the mana in the light crystal and the room darkened.

As I waited for sleep to get me. I made plans for tomorrow.

My aura was nearly empty, am too tired to do any more work.

Under the crafting table. i closed my eyes and dozed off.

***

I don't know what woke me, all I know is there is a danger, death is nearby. The fear in my aura was so real and deep I couldn't ignore it.

When I woke, I woken to that fear, undeniable fear. In my sleeping mind I remembered something and I asked myself a question, ‘just a moment ago was there a high-pitched squeaking, a door squeaking my door’.

Yes in my sleep I heard something it woke me, my blood went cold, something was with me in my room.

I was facing the wall, I rolled from my left-side onto my right to see what’s behind me, I looked, it was near snuggles cage.

From the moon light I could see the thing, it looked humanoid, with a skin as white as fresh snow, and the arms were longer and skinnier than a human, and a long skinny tail.

It had one arm on the cave floor and the other was above its egg shaped head.

with its long fingers it was holding Mr. Snuggles above its open mouth as its long worm like tongue tasted the air, I watched it in horror as it dropped Mr. Snuggles into that large mouth and I heard the bones of my pet break.