Ch: 116.2 (Patreon)

The ambient mana felt like it was crushing me and trying to push me back the way I came as I forced my way into the magic bubble.

"Take your time," Tabitha instructs me after I'm entirely in. However, it's not like I could do anything else at the moment. The mana pressure was so bad it was compressing Mana Skins' layers against one another.

The gap between layers was so minuscule you'd need a magnifying glass to see them, but they were important in keeping my skill running optimally. Unfortunately, with the layers rubbing up against one another like they were now, they were slowly eating away at each other, requiring more mana to sustain them. The extra cost was acceptable for the moment, but I would need to find a solution if I wanted to stay down here longer.

For a few agonizing minutes, I'm forced to stand perfectly still as I adjust to a new level of ambient mana I've never experienced before. While doing so, I learned Tabitha was right regarding Sense Mana's range needing to be reduced further. From the already reduced range of 270 feet, my skills range has to be limited even further to a pitiful 84 feet, less I want to fry my brain.

Usually, Sense Mana helped me find the invisible currents flowing throughout the world, but now that it was so thick anybody could see it, it was too much to take in. I could still use my skill to examine things close to me, but the farther away I got, the more interference I faced.

It was too bad; this would be the perfect place to train Sense Mana if I wasn't slowly poisoning myself just standing here.

In my head, I was keeping count of how long we'd been here, and we had just passed the fifty-minute mark. We had, at most, a few hours to explore deeper into the crater before we had to turn back, so I needed to hurry and get used to the mana.

As if mocking my inability to move, a school of small silvery fish swims through the air not ten feet away from us. Nervously, I try to reach for my hammer, but it's like I'm moving through wet cement. Each fish was only around level 20, but considering there were hundreds of them in the group, there was a real possibility that they could be dangerous.

The school swims back and forth, slowly inching towards Tabitha and I. Tabitha was already able to move and was ready to draw her sword; thankfully, it never comes to that.

For a few tense seconds, a handful of the fish broke off from the school and swam around our feet, but they were only interested in the algae we kicked up from walking. The school takes turns sending groups of fish to eat around us, but other than that, they do nothing else and leave soon after.

At least that means not everything is aggressive here, but I needed to be able to move. Gritting my teeth, I channel an extra fifty points of mana into Mana Skin and direct it to the outermost layer. Doing so pushes back against the brunt of the ambient mana, and it becomes slightly easier to move. Fifty mana points were nothing compared to what was pushing against me, but my structured mana was stronger than the loose ambient mana.

I still didn't have my full range of movement, but at least I could react to a school of fish.

"Can you move?" Tabitha asks me.

"Getting there," I grunt, taking a few test swings with my hammer.

Tabitha nods, "We'll move slowly then."

Together, we walk deeper into the crater, and I'm amazed by how much life we come across. There are bright flowers with petals that move like anemone tendrils, multiple different types of grasses that have changed to resemble seaweed, and all of it was growing out from underneath a thick layer of grey bricks.

"See anything you want to check out?" Tabitha asks, casting a glance back at me.

"I would appreciate it if you guided us to the willow tree we saw, but aren't you leading us?" I'm confused because I don't understand what role I'm supposed to play here.

Tabitha scans our surroundings before turning around and facing me. "You're the crafter," she reminds me. "I'm content walking forward, avoiding anything too strong for us to handle. I'm interested to see what lives at the bottom of the crater, but not much else; we're mainly here for you. If you want to get closer to something, you only need to tell me, and I'll take us in that direction."

Tabitha's words touch me. Since she had to take over, I thought she would prioritize fighting over exploring, but that apparently wasn't the case. She must know how much I wanted to collect samples, and despite our limited time, she was going out of her way to ensure I collected everything I wanted. "Thank you," I emotionally choke out.

"Stop," Tabitha waved off my thanks like it was no big deal, all while not attempting to hide her smile. "Let's go check out your weird tree," she says, turning around and leading us toward the plant in the distance.

The tree in question wasn't that far away from us, maybe only a little deeper into the crater and a quarter mile off to the side. Tabitha and I could cover that distance in mere seconds if we were outside the crater, but with the grey stone underneath us, and the crushing weight of the mana around us, it takes three whole minutes for us to make it to the willow tree.

The overall size of the crater was no joke. It looked huge while we were standing on the rim, but now that we were inside it, I'd wager the crater was at least 89 miles wide, and that was being conservative. You could easily fit multiple cities the size of Drey here and still have room to expand.

When we finally reach the tree, we stop and take in the sight of the magical plant. The tree's long thin branches stretched out in every direction and swayed in the mana, giving the impression that they were alive. Countless small fish of all shapes and colors were weaving in and out of the moving tree limbs.

"Beautiful," I can't help but mutter.

"It is quite the sight," Tabitha adds without much fanfare. "Well, should we move on to our next destination?" She asks, seemingly already over the glorious scene in front of us.

I can't help but giggle even though Tabitha wasn't trying to be funny, but that's what was hilarious about her. "If it's alright with you, can we take a minute and check out its trunk?" I ask in between laughing and trying to catch my breath.

"I don't see what's funny, but if that's what you want," Tabitha lazily shrugs before leading us into the tangled mess of tree branches.

As we're walking, I grab one of the tree branches that brush against my arm. I wish I could remove one of my gloves and feel its surface, but that would require me to lower Mana Skin around my hand. Sighing, I resign myself to just taking a sample. Of course, it won't be the same once it's severed, but at least I can examine the branch after we leave the crater.

I yank on the thin tree limb, expecting it to break, but nothing happens. I try again, this time with both hands and all my strength, but yet again, the branch merely bends and doesn't snap. For my third attempt, I drew my knife and tried to cut the tip of the branch as it was the thinnest part, only to have my knife unable to even leave a mark on the pencil-thick branch.

Okay, I wasn't expecting it to be so sturdy. The willow tree was a thousand times smaller than the ones outside the crater, but it appeared it was just as strong, maybe even stronger. Maybe that shouldn't be surprising; after all, it was living in the harshest environment I've ever seen. If a regular tree had even a fraction of a percent of the mana coursing through the tree in front of me, it would've disintegrated instantly.

Now I really wanted a piece to study, but how could I get it?

"Need some help?" Tabitha notices my struggle and slowly draws her sword. Only….

"Are you sure?" I ask. "It may damage your sword," I point out to her. My knife was noticeably duller now, and while that was a problem, it wasn't my primary weapon like Tabitha's sword was to her.

"Just hold it taut for me," she instructs, rolling her eyes.

I do as instructed and hold the vine-like tree limb out in front of me. Tabitha raises her blade, and I watch as she adjusts her stance. This would be an excellent opportunity to see one of her full power swings up close.

I ready myself for her swing, but I think Tabitha sees what I'm trying to do because she smirks at me like she does when we're sparring. A flash of light passes dangerously close to my right hand, but I don't have time to react before Tabitha is already re-sheathing her sword.

"Really, was that necessary?" I shake out my right hand as if I touched something hot while the cut piece of willow branch dangles in my left.

"I don't know what you mean?" Tabitha looks away coyly.

"Well, thanks anyways," I stash the two-foot-long tree piece in my bag.

"Don't mention it," Tabitha looks back at me and grins.

After procuring my sample, we quickly reach the tree's trunk. Around the base of the tree was a mound of grey bricks; you could see where the tree had slowly grown up from and pushed them aside. The trunk's diameter was only a few feet wide, but despite the mana pulling its many limbs in every direction, the tree's trunk never moved a centimeter.

Imagine what I could do with wood like this. With its superior mana conductivity and strength, it would make for an excellent spear shaft or the perfect handle for any weapon. Too bad, there's no way Tabitha's sword could cut through it. Or maybe.... I look at Tabitha longingly.

"No," she flatly tells me.

"But I haven't asked anything yet," I whine.

"You want me to try and get me to cut you a thicker piece," her eyes narrow knowingly.

I shrug, "It was worth a shot."

I'm about to tell Tabitha we can move on now when a bright yellow shape catches my eye. It was close enough that Sense Mana could tell me what type of creature it was, but until it caught my eye, I was content to ignore it until now.

A seahorse-looking magic beast was anchored to one of the many branches several feet from us. It was over two feet from head to tail, had a long bulbous snout, and had an eye-catching blue and yellow coloration. The magic beast was also level 54, but it seemed content to mind it's business until I focused on it.

The seahorse's long snout expands as it sucks in large quantities of water mana, and my eyes widen as Sense Mana picks up exactly what the magic beast is doing. It was using its mana to line the inside of its mouth to contain and compress the ambient mana it drew in. And as soon as that mana is compressed enough, it launches it out of its mouth at me. I had time to bring my hammer's head up and block the attack, but everything happened so quickly.

I am forced to choose whether or not to kill the beast as it starts fleeing. The attack it launched at me also served to rocket it backward at great speed, so if I were going to attack, I would need to do it now. I take one step toward the fleeing creature, but I pause before I follow through, and in that time, the seahorse vanishes amongst the willow branches. Sense Mana tells me it's hiding in a cluster of leaves nearby, but it wasn't preparing for another attack; it was trying to erase its presence.

"Not going to kill it?" Tabitha isn't surprised that I let it go.

"No, it was just frightened," I lower my hammer.

"Still a decent attack," Tabitha notes, glancing in the direction the seahorse was hiding.

"I've never seen ambient mana used like that," I note.

"Neither have I," Tabitha tells me. "But then again, an attack like that could only be done in a place like this."

Yet another unique way to use mana. Not very useful to me, but….

Wait, just a minute! Maybe I can use the ambient mana in much the same way the seahorse did.

"We should get moving," Tabitha suggests, unaware I had a crazy idea I wanted to try.

"Can I get just a moment, please?" I ask, moving over to the mound of bricks around the tree's base.

"Need something from the tree?" She asks.

"No, but I think I have a way to bolster my mana defenses further," I tell her.

Tabitha nods, "Alright, but don't take too long."

"I only need a minute," I inform her before sitting on the mound of bricks and closing my eyes.

The seahorse formed a physical attack by compressing the ambient mana. So I thought, what would happen if I let a bit of ambient mana into Mana Skin and compressed it between my three layers? The ambient mana would insulate the layers from each other and keep them from rubbing up against one another. The ambient mana would strengthen my defenses without using any more of my personal mana, though I could only do it while inside the bubble.

Manipulating my skill, I let a steady stream of outside mana breach past my initial two barriers. Of course, I don't want it to touch me, so I don't let it past my last barrier, but it doesn't take long before a sizable amount of mana accumulates against it. I then cut off the supply and plugged the small hole I was letting the mana pass through.

I do the same thing between my second and third barriers, and when I'm done, I feel much less pressure than I once was.

"Aaliyah, are you okay?" Tabitha's concerned voice draws my attention.

I open my eyes and grin at Tabitha. "I'm better than okay. Unfortunately, my skill didn't level, but I've shielded myself from 99% of the ambient mana."

Tabitha nods in understanding, but she still looks concerned. "And you're sure you're okay?" She asks again.

"Yeah, why?" I'm confused by her reaction.

"Because if you haven't noticed, you've turned blue," she waves her hand up and down, gesturing to my entire body.

Looking down at my arms, everything from my exposed skin to my armor now had a bluish tint. I had indeed turned blue.

"Are you going to tell me what you did, or do I have to guess?" Tabitha asks me, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice when I don't immediately explain myself.

I briefly consider replying to Tabitha with a smart-ass remark, but we don't have time for that. I may be able to stay down here longer now, but she can't. "I'm pulling a page from the seahorses' book and using the ambient mana to my advantage by shielding myself better. That's why I turned blue; you're seeing two layers of condensed water mana protecting me."

Tabitha clicks her teeth. "You and your ridiculous magic talent. Of course, you would improve from encountering some random magic beast."

I try to grin at Tabitha snarkily, but she was already turning around and walking away from me.

So, our adventures continued; time elapsed one hour and twenty-three minutes.

**********

2,600 words.

For some reason, this chapter gave me a lot of trouble. I know where I want the story to go, but I can't rush it after all the buildup. I hope the next chapter is easier, but tell me what you think. Should I pick up the pace?

Oh, and I'm going to go back and re-rewrite chapter 8. Not all the way, but I will touch up the parts people suggested I do. I'll post version 2.0 later for anyone who wants to see a slightly different version that hopefully addresses all the issues people pointed out to me.

Thank you for reading, and as always, stay safe.