I was still keeping my distance from the Oread, with the Kindlesprite between us. I needed to ask her what she could do, but I didn't really want to talk to her... If I was honest with myself, I wanted to crawl into my bed(alone) and hide under the covers for a few days.
It occurred to me that I hadn't slept in a while. Maybe I was even running myself ragged. Metaphorically speaking, at least. My Body was perfectly fine, and I didn't actually feel any stress or whatever. With my Refinement, I wanted to believe such things were no longer an issue. But the way I'd been going the last few days wasn't normal for me. It was true that I tended to get tied up with something until it was done. In the past I often forgot to eat and sleep. I'd already acknowledged that was a problem for the new me. This was different.
A lot of what I'd focused on before was... trivial. Being the first to experience some book, game or video. Daily events, new uploads, whatever. I would focus on something until it was done, and then I would find something else to... distract myself. Because I didn't like doing nothing. I'd spent a lot of time doing nothing except thinking, and it was all wasted time. I'd thought I would be fine with dying eventually, if I didn't feel any pain. According to what I'd read in my Body's status in the Interface, I was fairly close to that ending.
But now, I was fighting for my life. It seemed so... Unreal? Why was I trying so hard to stop something I hadn't cared about just a week ago? Because it was something to do? Because it was fun? Was I having fun right now? No... I'd fallen back out of my comfort zone, and now I was having an existential crisis. How stupid. Better to throw myself back into the struggle.
But... That didn't seem wise. I'd spent so long just struggling to keep myself intact. Distracting myself, instead of looking for solutions. No, I'd looked for solutions. I'd simply dismissed them as unreasonable. I'd given up. Thus, the need for distraction. But now the whole world was being unreasonable. Maybe there was potential in that...
I needed a break. Some time to think. And maybe... I could try talking with someone else, instead of just letting my thoughts run in circles. Not like before, where it was just a way to get more mana, or to look for flaws in my thinking. I needed... a friendly chat? I had creatures who would be willing to fill that role. Some a little too willing, maybe. The only problem was trying to go through with it instead of just realizing it was the right path.
The first step was some alone time. But before that, the Oread. I needed to ask if she had a name, and what she could do. And then, I could rest for a while. Eight hours... Should be fine. Maybe I would go shopping back on Earth. See what had happened in three days without a single flesh-and-blood human on the planet.
I only flinched a little, when a sudden buzzing sound came from my pocket. There was another message on the Interface.
|
Congratulations on surviving '3' days! '0' Core breaches registered thus far. |
These messages were tiresome. Everything was starting to seem tiresome, now that I'd decided to take a break. I sighed aloud, and looked past the Kindlesprite. The Oread was patiently listening to the two Fairies talking. They'd opened up quite a bit since before. As far as I could tell, they were explaining some of the things they'd made together.
So get on with it then. "Oread. Do you have a name, yet?" All attention turned towards me, but I was too grumpy to be anxious.
The Oread gave me a troubled smile. "Not yet, cutie. Did you want to give me one?"
I closed my eyes and thought about it. She really was beautiful. Between copper, bronze, gold and emerald, the obvious choice is Emerald. But that's kinda dull. Emma? No, there's a word for Emeralds and Rubies... Corundum. Corina? Not bad... I opened my eyes. "What about Corina?"
Her expression brightened considerably. "Yes! That's a good name. Thank you very much." Then her expression turned serious again. "I'd like to apologize." The sudden change in subject threw me off completely. She continued, "I don't know the reason, but talking with these two has made it clear that I've upset you. That wasn't my intention. I want you to like me." She was creeping closer, but the Kindlesprite was still in the way.
I sighed. So she doesn't know why she's apologizing, and she's only doing it so I'll like her. Ah whatever. She's still smarter than I was when I was just born. I'll give her a chance. I explained, "I don't like to be touched. Actually, just don't touch anyone without their permission. I don't want you upsetting other people either."
She pouted a little. "What's wrong with being touched? It's pleasant, and I know a lot of ways to make it even better."
Why do you have that kind of knowledge... "Just... don't do it, please. Corina." I sighed again. Then I shook myself. "I wanted to ask what kind of things you could do. Power wise, with magic and stuff. Not about the touching." I cut her off when I realized exactly what she was about to say.
Her pout was stronger than ever. "Are you sure? If you don't like being touched, you can just touch me instead. I can teach you." I simply glared at her and waited. "Well, fine. But just ask if you change your mind." She looked around the room, her eyes slightly out of focus. "Near here, I can stretch my limits a little. But this place is quite strange. When I try to reach out to the earth, it feels as though I'm being ignored. The further I reach, the less power I can exert. It'll take time to bring everything into my domain."
She blinked and looked at me. "Inside my domain, I can mold the earth as I like. Having more Earth Spirits- like Mica here- will increase my power as well. Right now... All I can do is create dirt and sand, duplicate this-" She waved her hand contemptuously, "Artificial stone, that's everywhere... And start working on creating a proper flow of Earth mana. With a proper flow, Minor Earth Spirits will start to manifest, along with natural ores and minerals."
I could see she was already working on that last part. The Earth mana was flowing in odd patterns. Less like the runic shapes that the Fairies had been working with, and more like natural spirals or ocean currents. I could see the problem right away. "My Core is drawing some of the mana away from your patterns. Is that what's interfering with your abilities?"
Her eyes widened and she looked around again with a gasp. "That's... You? All of it? But... That shouldn't be possible. I thought it might be an ancient Oread, or something to do with that nasty crystal outside my reach." She turned to me again. I could tell from the way her fingers twitched that she wanted to touch me again... I hid well behind the Kindlesprite.
She continued on, "If that's really you, then it would help if you could relinquish some of your control to me. If you let me have some of your domain, I can expand faster. Or, I can- well. I can teach you how to alter the flow yourself. You don't actually need my help at all. This is your place of power. Everything is yours to shape as you will." She kept a brave face, but her aura gave away the truth. She really didn't like the idea of being redundant.
I wondered why. If it were me, I'd take it as an opportunity to pursue my own interests. But, she was less than an hour old. Despite having more personality than my other creatures(with the possible exception of Geni), maybe she didn't really have any interests of her own. Either way, my answer was the same.
I crossed my arms. "I'll leave it to you. Magic interests me, so I might have you teach me how to control the flow later, but even then, I want you to manage the Earth mana. You and Mica and any other Earth Spirits I make. How do I relinquish my 'domain' to you?"
She seemed deeply moved, for some reason. The Kindlesprite finally had to act to stop her from approaching me, tears in her eyes. I just watched in confusion, and waited for an answer. I really don't get it. It's just more work for her; me being lazy. Or maybe she's using it as an excuse to get close after all? No, I don't sense any deception in her aura.
She never actually cried or anything, though she snuffled a little. "Ah... Well, everything here is an extension of you. So... Think of it like moving your arm. But instead of trying to move it... Cut it off? It sounds a little violent, but it shouldn't be like that. Ah, don't cut all of it, either. I only need the Earth mana and the stone. I imagine the rest is yours too, though I can't perceive it. So don't let go of everything. Just... Lend me a piece of you."
No wait, is this something lewd as well that I didn't understand? Now I was very, very unsure. But this was my idea in the end. I closed my eyes and thought about what I'd learned from the magic menu. About what I saw as I walked through my dungeon. About the way mana was syphoned off from the creatures as they lived and worked. I thought about the stone and all the Earth mana getting dragged towards my Core. For a moment, I felt that sense of being disembodied again, just like when I was talking with Nyx. And then I felt a weird sticking feeling, like when something gets caught in the back of the throat.
My eyes snapped open, and I watched as the Earth mana in the area surged into a new pattern. One with the Oread- Corina, at the center. I watched as stone and dirt visibly grew around her, as the jet black crystal underneath reshaped itself into a glass-like throne. As white-gold marble spread outward, columns of it stretching up to the ceiling, before peeling dull grey stone out of the way and spreading there too. I couldn't see it, but I felt the entirety of the dungeon being affected. Oddly enough, I tasted something sweet and savory, and swallowed instinctively. But there was nothing, just the echo of an interesting flavor.
"Thank you, cutie. That really makes things easier. Where would you like me to begin?"
Ahhaaaa, yeah. I kinda don't like to be touched either. Mostly. Though if I do give someone permission, that'd be a situation where I'd like it.
I think that's how most people are. Being surprised is never fun, especially if you're used to bad surprises.
So the nymphy nymph has acquired the powers to do shenanigans with Selene's dungeon. This may or may not end up lasciviously.
Also, yes Selene you should totally sleep. Or at least do something that isn't spending all the time trying to prepare for the invasion. Just because you might no longer need it physically doesn't mean the psychological requirement was removed.