Chapter 99 Experiments in mechanics (1/2)

My glittering prizes are spread across the tunnel floor, a collection of precious gems ready for my mental ministrations.

Pus.h.i.+ng away the fatigue I feel, I shake myself a little, slap my antennae on my face and begin to work.

My antennae stretch forward and touch the first core as I activate my Core Mechanic skill. My mind is immediately flooded with information regarding the creature from which this core came. All of their basic stats and skills are laid out before me in a dazzling mental map. Rather than a solid menu the values and ideas are communicated in pictures or colours.

It's pretty disorienting but I feel I'm gradually starting to get the hang of it.

I prepare myself mentally for a moment and then push with my mind, catching hold of one of the stats and s.h.i.+fting some of its value to another stat. Doing so requires an immense effort, my mandibles are tightly clenched as I feel a pounding headache coming on.

With that done I then wrap my thoughts around the change I made like concrete, holding the values down as it tries to slip away and change back, squirming like an eel in my mental hands.

Stay put dammit!

Eventually the change that I'd made settles and grows still, no longer fighting against me and I can slowly release my grip. My mind feels stiff and in pain, like hands that had been holding something down too tightly for too long.

That was just one small change!

It's insane how difficult this is!

I can only comfort myself with the idea that as I level up the Core Mechanic skill the burden might lessen, allowing me to progress more rapidly.

By the gnarled staff of Gandalf I'm so tired…

Bah! A worker knows no such weariness! Push through Anthony!

I slump forward and bring my antennae to the same core once again, throwing my mind into the strange swirl of information contained inside. Gathering my will I try again to exact the same change I made before, s.h.i.+fting a piece of toughness into might. This time it's even more difficult! The core resists my efforts to change it with even more vigour, stretching my mental resources to their limits!

This would simply be impossible if I weren't a mind ant!

I refuse to fail!

You will be conquered by me you stupid inanimate gemstone!

HHRRRNNNNGGG!!

By supreme effort of will I enforce the change I desire on the core and hold it in place as it writhes against my mental barriers. Eventually, finally, it stops resisting and I collapse to the floor in exhaustion.

[Core Mechanic has reached level 2]

…

Ah…. Ah ha!

t…..triumph!....

Ugh…

Slowly I pick myself up from the floor and collect the core in my mandibles before placing it to one side, next to Tiny.

I select another small sample from my collection of spherical gemstones and place it on the floor before me where it sparkles innocently, totally belying the pain and suffering this innocuous thing will soon inflict on me.

No whining Anthony! The colony needs your skills! Suffer like you love it dammit!

Stretching forward once more I activate the Core Mechanic skill and bring the strength of my will to bare.

…

AGRUPANUFFF!!!!

[Core Mechanic has reached level 4]

…..

…..

VICToryyyyy…..

*Snore*

BAH! I'm awake!

I snap out of torpor with a vigorous shake of my body, startled by my unexpected snooze. I managed to get through six more cores, making two adjustments to each before my Core Mechanic reached level four and I effectively pa.s.sed out from exhaustion.

… That could have been dangerous! How long was out of it?

Glancing around the tunnel I can see that Tiny is still sleeping soundly, a small pile of seven cores placed in the dirt next to him. Relieved to see my ape is still sleeping I turn to the tunnel walls and attempt to judge how much time I've missed based on the change in brightness from the mana veins that have even managed to push their way into this tunnel network.

The light radiating from those veins is probably half what it was before. Does that mean we are halfway to the start of the wave? Will the mana rush back immediately once the walls are completely dim or will there be some time spend in darkness before the wave breaks?