Chương 14: Mana Theft and Moral Decay

Recap: Squee the Shaman fell asleep. Chief Grumble is returning with reinforcements. You voted to STEAL THE CRYSTAL. Greed has a flavor. Usually, it tastes like copper blood. Today, it tasted like green ozone. That crystal wasn't just a shiny rock. It was concentrated mana. In my old life, mana was a mechanic in a video game. Now? It was high-octane fuel. And I was running on empty reserves. Camouflage active, I thought. If I move, I break it. But if I don't move, I get burned by Grumble. I weighed the risk.

Squee was asleep. Grumble was two minutes out. My tongue range was three feet. The staff was leaning exactly… two feet away. Let's do this. I opened my lid a crack. Just enough to let the tongue out. The false bottom remained sealed, hiding my teeth. To anyone looking, I was just a slightly open chest. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Adhesive Tongue Cost: 2 Stamina Current SP: 18/20 My purple tongue slid out. Silent. Sticky. It moved like a snake made of flypaper.

I wrapped the tip around the green crystal set in the staff's head. It felt warm. Humming against my taste buds. It tasted like… electricity. Like licking a battery, but richer. I pulled. The crystal was set in a claw mount. Old. Loose. Click. It popped free. Squee stirred. His head jerked up. His one blind eye opened wide.

"Wha—?" I didn't hesitate. I retracted the tongue. Slurp. The crystal vanished into my mouth. I swallowed it whole. It didn't go to the acid bath. It went… elsewhere. Into my mana pool. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Item Consumed: Mana Crystal (Minor) Effect: MP Restored +10 (Overcap) If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Status: Mana Infused (Temporary) Effect: Next Magic Skill costs 0 MP for 1 hour. Squee was fully awake now. He grabbed his staff.

He looked at the empty mount. Then he looked at me.

"My crystal!" he shrieked. His voice wasn't croaky anymore. It was sharp. Angry.

"Thief! Box thief!" He raised his hand. Green energy sparked around his fingers. Oh crap. I slammed my lid shut. Click. Camouflage re-engaged. I stopped moving. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Activated: Camouflage Condition: Motionless Status: Active Squee blasted the spot where I had been with a bolt of green energy. ZZZT. It hit the stone floor inches from my base. The heat singed my wood. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 2 HP (Magic Burn) Current HP: 11/15"Where did it go?" Squee hissed.

He was scanning the room with his magic. But then, heavy boots pounded in the corridor.

"Shaman!" Chief Grumble's voice boomed.

"We smell magic! Did you find it?" Grumble burst into the alcove. Three goblin warriors behind him. Torches blazing. Squee spun around, clutching his staff.

"The box! It stole my crystal! It was right here!" Grumble looked at the empty space. Then at me (the harmless-looking chest behind the crates). Then back at Squee.

"You fell asleep," Grumble accused.

"And you blame a box?"

"No! It moved! It has teeth!" Squee insisted. Grumble kicked my lid. Thud. I stayed still. Camouflage held. To him, I was just wood.

"Stop wasting time," Grumble growled.

"The rat scent leads deeper. The chest is probably back in the Side Chamber. Burn this place if you must, but find the mimic." They turned. They were leaving. Squee glanced back at me one last time. His eye narrowed. He knew. But he couldn't prove it without looking stupid in front of the Chief. They marched past me. Into the deeper tunnel. I waited ten seconds. Then twenty. I was alone. Again. But now I had a belly full of iron and a veins full of magic.

Current Stats: HP: 11/15 (Magic burn) Mana: 10/10 (Full + Buff Active) Stamina: 18/20 (Tongue cost) Inventory: 3 Pebbles, Rusted Iron Dagger (Undigested). Mana Crystal (Consumed/Buff). Status: Mana Infused (0 MP Cost for 1 hour), Hunted, Squee Hostile. What do you do? A) FOLLOW THEM (SCAVENGE) Wait for them to engage something deeper in the tunnel. Follow at a distance. Loot whatever they leave behind. (Cost: 3 SP. Movement. Reward: Loot/XP. Risk: Getting caught in crossfire.) B) USE THE MANA BUFF (SKILL UP) You have 1 hour of free magic. Test your limits. Try to use Tremorsense continuously or unlock a hidden skill without cost. (Cost: 0 MP. Experiment. Reward: Knowledge/XP. Risk: Attracting attention with magic spikes.) C) RETREAT TO FLOOR 2 Go back the way you came. The adventurers and goblins are going deeper (Floor 4). Floor 2 is safer for now. (Cost: 5 SP. Sprint. Reward: Safety. Risk: Leaving potential loot behind.) D) AMBUSH SQUEE (LATER) Wait for them to set up camp deeper.

Sneak up on Squee while he sleeps again. Finish the job. (Cost: 2 SP. Stealth. Reward: Staff/XP. Risk: High Level Enemy.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 13! Option B (Steal Crystal) was high risk, high reward! You got a massive mana buff but burned some HP and made Squee your enemy.