Cipiteca396

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The next two shards were just as simple to find. The one after that was behind me, and I lost a lot of time doubling back to find it. There were a few cases were I found a person, but they either ignored me or just couldn't see me through the darkness.

It was on my way to the fifth shard that I finally ran into an obstacle. The shard was located outside of the main city, and following it led me to a newly established barricade around the district. It was mostly just chain link fence, but the roads were blocked with cars and guards. A few ramshackle towers were spaced regularly alongside the fence, each one with an avatar inside.

That seemed like a huge waste of time and resources. What are they even hoping to achieve? I considered the possibility that the avatars were just following a program, but I wasn't sure they could pull off something like guard duty. Either way, setting all this up had to be cutting into their time managing their dungeons.

With the Shadow Armor, I actually felt I had a good chance of sneaking through. However, the sun was already starting to brighten the sky despite dawn being a while off. By the time I found the shard and returned, sneaking back in might have become impossible. This would be the perfect place for a Teleport...

I clenched my fists for a moment, then huffed out a quiet breath. Taking out the Divining Tool, I modified the search to show every shard inside my little cage. This time it created two needles pointing in different directions. I still had an hour or so before my CP maxed out, so if I moved quickly I could find both before I needed to return. I started moving immediately, the feeling of near-flight driving away my frustrations. I'll come back for the other shards once I can use Teleport properly. Tonight.

As the night faded away, I began to feel noticeably weaker. It was strange, considering I hadn't noticed being any stronger. Either way, I was able to find both remaining shards and make my way to my apartment just as the sky caught fire with the coming dawn. I hadn't run into any direct problems, but someone would probably notice the random holes I left behind. It might be possible to figure out I was the one who made them. I wasn't sure why anyone would bother though...

After a quick cast of Gentle Clean to remove any mud, I set myself down against the wall and abandoned my Avatar.

I opened my eyes. I wasn't drowsy or tired, but somehow I just wanted to lie still for a while. The bed was warm and soft. Having my body back was nice, even if it was burning with excess energy. The only problem was my CP. I was really cutting it close, so I couldn't afford to just lay down like this...

A voice called out to me softly. "Welcome back, Selene."

I turned my head a little to see the Kindlesprite seated next to me on the bed. Cross-legged and with her arms folded in her lap, she looked just like an ordinary girl. Even her neutral expression and wax-like skin couldn't quite ruin the impression.

"Hey." I sighed a little as I finally sat up and mirrored her. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

The Kindlesprite shook her head slightly. "Nothing unexpected. The lake and river have reached their banks and seem unlikely to overflow. The expansion of the rooms is going well. Mara and Mica scribed all the spells they could into a Spellbook, and Corina is currently adding the spells she knows. Everybody is working hard."

I nodded. I'd probably have to look through that Spellbook at some point. For now though... "Right now, I'm close to my limit for CP. Mara suggested I Create an Air Fairy, but that will most likely leave enough for another Nymph as well, unless I need more Fairies. Let's get everyone together to decide what to make."

She nodded in response, and the two of us got up and moved out towards the lake again. Because of the work Corina did to increase the flow of air mana, I felt it was best to Create the new Fairy there. Just wanting the others to go there was enough due to the Orders function of the Interface. 

As we walked, I Withdrew the six shards I'd collected. They were so small I could hold them all in one hand. However, now that I had my Aura Perception enhanced eyes, I could see them for what they really were. The sight was honestly confusing. Each of them was a tightly circulating packet of mana and energy, rather than a material object. It was... Hard light, if I had to borrow a sci-fi trope. It was also an absurd amount. Not as much as I'd used to make the Fairies, but not far off either, and all compacted into a tiny little crystal. 

I was wondering how to absorb them, when they suddenly vanished in a flow of space mana. I was familiar with the occurrence, but I still futilely tried to capture them back with my hands. It was the same sort of thing that happened when a creature repopped, and the teleport was directed towards my Crystal Core. It briefly occurred to me that I'd be in trouble if an invader was able to Teleport, before I raised the Interface.

Sixty-four of eighty-four. That's not right, even if three of the shards said they only gave plus four capacity, the total should have reached ninety-two. What happened to the rest?! For a moment, I stewed in anger and anxiety. Did I do something wrong?

"Selene, is something wrong?" The Kindlesprite jolted me out of my thoughts. She had turned to look at me with a slight furrow in her brow.

For a moment, I wasn't sure how to respond. Then I poured my anger into a bitter complaint. "The shards were absorbed, but I didn't get as much extra capacity as I was supposed to. I lost almost two shards worth, and I have no idea why!" I started to pace around, trying to stop myself from venting at her.

She seemed to think about it, and I went back to my thoughts as well. However, I was too frustrated to come up with anything. Eventually, the Kindlesprite offered a possibility instead. "Perhaps the shards provide diminishing returns?"

Diminishing returns... Meaning each individual shard would provide less and less to me the more I used them. Or maybe I'd used too many at once, and my Core couldn't absorb them properly. Either way, I'd have discovered the issue if I'd absorbed them one at a time instead. Foolish mistake.

I'd been hoping to get a ton of Capacity from these shards and the ones I would collect tonight, but with this I'd be lucky to get my maximum to one hundred. It was frustrating. And although it seemed reasonable, there was a chance the problem was something else entirely.

I sighed aloud. No matter how it ended up, I couldn't really do anything about it right now. I had a lot to do, and the others were waiting for us. The Kindlesprite was also waiting for me to respond. "That makes sense. I'll try to test it later. Let's continue on for now?"

She nodded shallowly, and we continued on to the lake. The others were already gathered there. The Fairies were chatting happily while sitting on or fluttering near Corina. She was sitting on a chair just on the edge of her place of power, fingers slowly pecking at the keyboard of her laptop.

Mica noticed us first, and flew towards me with the bell-like chime of metallic wings. "Selene and Friend! Did everything go well with your quest?" They had added some metal and stone accessories to complement their grey clothing. The impression given was rather exotic with the shining gold and white trinkets. 

"More or less. I'll have to retur-" I stopped abruptly and took out the Interface. I set an alarm for dusk so I wouldn't forget and waste the darkness. "I'm going back when the sun sets. I need to study the Teleport spell so I can escape a blockade around the city. I also wanted to spend my CP on an Air Fairy and most likely another Nymph, as well as start figuring out the Market's Trade functions." I snorted softly. "Another busy day ahead."

The Earth Fairy smiled at me sweetly. "Good! As long as there's something that needs done, we'll all be happy to have the chance to help you."

I blushed in secondhand embarrassment. What a cheesy line! "Ah... Thank you. Tell me if there's anything you need in return." I found I was smiling softly despite myself. This type of interaction was... kind of pleasant. Hopefully the Air Fairy wouldn't break the pattern of likable Creatures.

Cipiteca396

I already feel a million times better inside the dungeon, lol. I'm really tired now but the next chapter should write itself.