How to: Mana manipulation, Part 2.

When my view finishes shifting, I look around at my new surroundings, extremely confused. The last thing I knew, I was sitting in front of our campfire in some unknown forest on some far-off world, and that it had been the middle of the night. And yet? I scrunch my eyes closed, giving them a solid rub for good measure. It doesn’t help. When I open my eyes, I’m still standing in the middle of a gravel path in the light of day, sightlines of what lays off the path blocked from my view by tall hedgerows.

Calling the hedges ‘tall’ was a bit of a misnomer. These hedgerows were truly monstrous, dense thickets that climbed up at least 4 metres into the air. What I can see of the sky above is cloudy and grey, and looking down at the damp gravel, it’s easy to tell that it’s been raining recently. ‘Errrrrrrrrr, what the fuck?’ looking down the path, the terrain seems pretty flat, which means I can see a fair distance. The lane carries on for a ways, before splitting into a Y shaped junction.

I glance behind me, expecting to find more path, but my assumption is incorrect. Behind me, about five metres distant, is what can only be described as a hole in reality. The wall of nothingness stretches from one side of the lane to the other, completely blocking the path behind me. My mind tries to make sense of what it’s seeing but fails, drawing up a blank.

With me looking in horror at the at physics defying mind-fuck of a wall behind me, I should be forgiven for being a little distracted, what with my mind trying for the ‘relatively normal to existential crisis Any% speedrun’ world record. That’s totally the only reason I scream up a storm when I feel something soft nudge my thigh. I jump back, but in my panic, trip over my own feet. Arms flailing, I land on my ass with a solid “oof”. ****, I bring my arms up to protect my head from the attack I know is coming… any second now?

When a few seconds pass, and I have yet to be mauled by some void monstrosity, I slowly peek out from behind my upraised arms… and come face to face with a sheep. 'whaaaaaaaa?' I stare at the sheep. The sheep stares at me. ‘Maybe the ol’ rubbing the eyes trick will work this time?’ It doesn’t. Our impromptu staring contest carries on for a time as my mind spins. In the end, I just shake my head and shrug. ‘Theres such a thing as too much weird shit at once, you know?’ As if on cue, a notification opens.

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You have received a new Quest! This Quest has been automatically accepted.

Quest available: When there’s a wool, there’s a way!

Description: In pursuit of a Skill you believe will help cure your sister, you unknowingly replicated a method used by Apprentice magi to achieve greater magical control. Unfortunately for you, one this process begins; it cannot be stopped. Unlike Most magi, who have been practicing magic and casting spells practically all their lives, and have therefore primed their Mana channels for this process, you have been a magic user for all of four hours.

As so little Mana has passed through your Mana channels, your channels are filled with multiple blockages. Luckily (for you), there is a solution to this problem! Your subconscious has created the dream-space you find yourself in as a representation of your Mana system, so that you may clear out the blockages yourself. You simply need to guide the sheep (a representation of your Mana), around the lanes (a representation of your Mana channels), clearing any blockages along the way. Simplicity itself! Why country lanes? Why a sheep? That’s a question you’ll need to ask your subconscious, cus we sure as shit don’t know!

Objectives:

• Clear a channel throughout your torso, connecting all of your arms and legs. (0/1 Torso cleared).
• Clear a path through each arm, and each leg (0/4 Limbs cleared).

Rewards:

• Unlock the Mana manipulation Skill.
• +500 Exp.

Optional objectives:

• Clear out every single blockage in your Mana channels using the map provided. (0/100% Cleared).
• Reward: X1 Perk, +2 Wisdom and +3 Intelligence, +1000 Exp.

Penalty for failing this quest:

• You remain trapped in your own mind, indefinitely.

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I minimise the notification and stare at the sheep again. The sheep now has a folded piece of paper hanging out of its mouth. Presumably, the map? I clamber to my feet, grabbing the map before the beast can begin chewing, and slowly step back a few steps. The sheep follows me. ‘This is too fucking weird; I’m not even going to question it anymore.’ I sigh, turn on my heel, and begin strolling down the lane. The clop of the sheep’s hooves and the shifting of gravel behind me letting me know it was following me.

I stroll down the lane for a long while, following the map and clearing any blockages I came across. The lane twisted and turned several times and seemed endlessly interconnected. I knew for a fact that without the map, I would have been hopelessly lost. I decided early on to go for broke and do the optional objective, the reasoning was simple, I’d be a fool to turn down a whole level worth of Attribute points. Not only that, but all the Perks I’d received so far had been nothing but helpful, and I was excited at the prospect of getting another.

Despite the overcast sky, the temperature was comfortably mild, and I soon found the ball of tension in my gut I hadn’t realised I’d been carrying around beginning to relax. Everything had been all go, all the time ever since the first notification had appeared, it was surprisingly nice just to plod along the lane, clearing the occasional fallen branch out of the path. I’d just finished clearing the second to last obstacle, and had begun walking happily towards the next twist in the lane, round which the final obstacle lay, when I realised the ever-present “clomp-clomp-clomp” of the sheep’s hooves had stopped.

Turning around, I see the sheep standing back a little way. Up to this point, the sheep had simply followed along right behind me, staring at me the whole while, but now it was looking around furtively. The only time it stopped moving before was whilst it waited patiently for me to clear an obstacle, after which it would immediately catch up to me. So I raise an eyebrow at the thing, confused at its sudden change of behaviour.

The sheep, seemingly satisfied, looks back at me, and for the life of me I swear the thing sighs. “Baa, baa, baa.” I blink at the sheep, nonplussed. I had spent the last couple of years back on earth living in the countryside. I knew exactly what a sheep’s baa sounded like. This wasn’t it. The sheep hadn’t just baa’ed, it had said baa, in a tone of voice that could only be described as long-suffering annoyance.

I sigh again. ‘My days of being completely and utterly confused about whatever the fuck is happening is definitely coming to a middle.’ The sound of someone clearing their throat draws my attention back to the sheep, who is tapping a front hoof impatiently. “Did... did you just clear your throat?” “Yes. Now, are you quite finished gawping?”

“Errrrr, I’m sorry?” I say, very much out of my element. '....Talking sheep?!?' “You should be! You’ve spent literal hours plodding around in here. I shouldn’t be surprised, dangle something shiny in front of you that only requires you to fart about for a few hours doing very little, and you’ll happily piss your time against a wall.” My brow furrows as I frown at the apparently rather pissed off sheep. “I’m confused. Why are you acting like you know me? Pretty sure I’d remember meeting a talking sheep.”

The sheep sighs again, before replying, “I’m an avatar of your subconscious mind. I’m you, if you were less of an idiot.” I shake my head, my frown turning into a glare as I reply, “I don’t buy it. If you’re me, prove it. Anyway, if you are me, why are you being such a dick?” The sheep glares right back and said, “You accidentally walked in on your mum changing a year back. She didn’t notice you come into her room, so rather than leave quietly like most decent people would, you stayed and watched, only leaving when you thought you’d get noticed if you stayed any longer.”

I blush furiously, memories of the day in question flooding back to my mind. Her pale skin and voluptuous curves. Her bare breasts, so incredibly large, and capped with firm, pink nipples that stood proud in the slightly chilly room. The way she had bent over as she put on her panties, unwittingly giving me a good look at her ass, beautifully plump, as well as the briefest glimpse of her bare sex.

I shake my head, banishing memories of a time that I had never spoken of and pushing down the feelings of lust-tinged guilt. Blushing furiously, I say, “Ok, I believe you, you’re me. Why are you so mad at me, though? If I’ve done something wrong, surely I’d be aware of it? I still don’t get why you’ve been so antagonistic.”

“How about you try having multiple beings beyond your comprehension breathing down your neck demanding I pass on a message, whist at the same time hiding the fact you are passing on said message from a second group of beings, also beyond your comprehension.” My eyes widen in surprise. But he’s not done.

“Add to that the fact I had to make this whole dream-space as inane and boring as possible so certain groups would lose interest and stop watching, and they still watched you bumble about happy as Larry until the disruption from your Mana core round the corner cut them off, and you’ll see that I’m kinda under a lot of stress right now!” Hesitantly, I ask, “We’re being watched?”

My subconscious nods emphatically. “Oh yeah, at least we were. A new traveller thrown into the mix, let alone 5, especially on a world as stagnant as this one, is sure to bring a hell of a lot of attention.” My brow furrows in worry and confusion. “you seem to know a hell of a lot more than I do, but how?” “That’s part of being your subconscious mind. The system clues me in to a lot more, especially where outside observers are concerned.”

I open my mouth, ready to spout off one of many questions, but am cut off. “I’m not allowed to tell you much, but what I can tell you is this. Powerful beings can check in on you, but most of the time they won’t get a lot of information. As a general rule of thumb, beings who are neutral or hostile to you will receive very little in the way of information, whereas those who see you more favourably will have greater access to information, especially information related to any domains certain beings may or may not preside over.”

“The important bit you need to know is that there are protections in place. Without your express permission, they will never know where you are, what you look like, or the name you go by. The only exception to this is in dream spaces such as this one, but here they will only see your surroundings, unless your Mana core sits close enough to disrupt even that, of course. Why do you think I kept quiet until now? Before you entered this space, only one or two of these beings were aware of you. But now? If I were you, I’d keep your head down and accept any freely given help that you’re given. That being said, always, and I mean always, check for strings.”

Most of the tension leaves me in an explosive sigh as some of my most pressing worries were put to rest. Sheep me clearly is about to say more but he suddenly stops, wincing and sucking in air between his teeth. I watch him, more than a little concerned, as he speaks through gritted teeth. “I said too much, lesson to be learnt there, don’t piss off the System.” Soon enough the pain passes, and he lets out a little sigh of relief. I ask if he’s ok, and he briskly nods before saying, “Are you ready for the message?”

Curious, I ask, “Can I ask who sent this message?” The sheep nods, then says. “You can, although that is a bit of a two-way street. Invoking their names will let the beings see past the disruption and listen in to me passing along the message, and they will also be able to listen to your response. Don't ask how, cus I sure as hell don't get it either, but the system has assured me it's the case. Do you still wish to know?”

I silently consider my answer, fully aware that I am in well over my head. ‘Still, there’s a lot to take away from what I’ve been told already. By the sound of things, games are being played. As the new piece on the board, it’d probably be a good idea to not piss off those who have the power to mess up my life. If I find my ideals don’t align with whoever sent the message, there’s nothing stopping me from hitching my horse to another wagon. Fuck it.’ I nod at sheep me, then say, “let them listen.”

“Very well. Qetesh, Typhon, your message will be delivered.”