Day 9 (1)

"Veronica it's yours and Cain's shift now." Victoria walked into her and Veronica's tent, gently shaking her awake. "Mmmh? Alright, I'll go wake him up then." Veronica left her tent yawning and stretching her arms. She grabbed her unstrung bow that was placed outside her tent and walked over to the root cave made by Dresil.

"Cain, it's our shift now." She poked her head in to see Sinclair and Cain sleeping soundly next to each other. [Master, it's time for your shift.] Dresil transmitted to Cain while removing the leaf over his eyes. The dim light from the fire instantly woke Cain up. He yawned quietly and shuffled his way out of the tent, making sure not to disturb Sinclair's sleep.

Cain joined Veronica near the campfire; she was stringing her bow in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances. "So what do we do when we're on night watch?" Cain asked her while he sat down on the log next to hers. "We just need to make sure no monsters, bandits, or suspicious people walk up." Veronica explained as she leaned her strung bow against the log.

"What happens if they do?" "We ring this bell to wake everyone up then go from there." Veronica answered Cain's question while holding up a metal bell. A piece of cloth was wrapped around the clapper to prevent it from accidentally going off. A loose string was attached to this piece of cloth and wrapped around Veronica's right wrist.

She socketed the bell into one of the leather satchels on her right and then got up to get more firewood. Cain used SRI to teleport dry twigs and branches to the surroundings of the campfire so she wouldn't have to walk too far away. "What's in the rest of those pockets?" Cain asked as she walked back with her arms loaded up with firewood.

"Some of it is some extra string for my bow, the rest are essentials like the cleaning supplies for my bow or some extra fletchlings if I need to make arrows on the spot." Veronica answered Cain as she put some twigs in the fire then set the rest to the side. "Is there a way to repair your bow?" Cain asked her when she was taking her seat.

"If it's a small crack we normally just use some sticky substance then bind it together. If it's a big enough crack, then the bow needs to be scrapped. Some elven craftsmen who are good at using the plant element will either deepen the crack so it becomes a hole or leave it as is.

"Then they make a groove on one of the edges along the crack and either indent or cut out a piece of wood on the inside of the opposite side. The craftsmen then use the plant element to grow some wood from the inside of the crack, along the side that has the groove on the edge.

"Then they put some sticky substance in it or leave it as is depending on how big it is before taking the strand of wood that they grew and wrapping it around the bow. The indent and groove serve to smoothly meld the pieces without creating extra strain." Veronica used her hands to demonstrate the movement of the piece that was grown by the craftsmen as she talked.

She holds her left hand vertically, with her index finger behind the rest, symbolizing the groove. Then she takes her right hand, puts it against her left, then uses her fingers to push her hand out some. She then wraps her right hand behind her left, running along her index finger. Veronica attempts to complete a full circle, but awkwardly stops after almost getting her hand twisted into a knot.

"I see… can all elven craftsmen do that?" 'It seems like a very advanced technique, growing wood from a dead branch basically.' Cain pondered, trying not to laugh at Veronica's clumsiness. "Nope, only the best of the best." She replied confidently. 'Makes sense… but how would she know that…?' Cain thought to himself as he used SRI to open a portal to the Bow Storage.

Cain used his mana to delicately extract Athena from her storage dimension and place her onto a platform magic circle. "How would I repair her then? I haven't unstrung her since I'm worried I might do something wrong and make it worse." Cain asked Veronica while sending the platform magic circle to her.

The platform magic circle stopped in front of Veronica, allowing her to inspect the crack riddled Athena. "Is this your spirit weapon you got? Have you guys formed a contract yet?" Veronica asked while delicately unstringing Athena. "Yep and nope." Cain replied, watching Veronica intensely.

Veronica put slight pressure on both ends of Athena's limbs, right above the string nock. She used her fingers to softly unhook Athena's bow string. Then Veronica slowly reduced the pressure she was putting on both ends until the bow sat on the platform relaxed. Veronica wrapped the bowstring loosely around its limbs.

"As far as I know, the physical state of the weapon depends on the state of the state of the spirit." Veronica offered her advice then leaned back slightly, showing she was done with her inspection. "I see… Thanks for your help." Cain thanked her to which Veronica timidly nodded.

'It seems like she's somewhat assertive when she's distracted by talking about things she's familiar with or distracted, but immediately shy when we cross eyes or when we're alone… Is her admiration starting to turn into crush-like feelings?' Cain thought to himself while calling back the platform magic circle.

[Hello? Anyone home? Anyways... I'll just be showing some diagrams of what you could transform into with my knowledge around your physical body. Also let me know what you think about the name "Athena."] Cain transmitted to the bow then laid down on the log. A few more magic circles appear on the platform Athena rested on.

One magic circle, the one closest to Cain's feet, cycled through the mana models of various guns. From an AK47 to a Desert Eagle to a Barrett M107 to a M1895 Colt-Browning to an M16. It didn't matter if Cain knew about the inner mechanisms or not since he was only showcasing the rifle. This allowed Cain to showcase a variety of guns that he saw from a passing magazine, in a video game, or on the walls of a gun shop.

The gun models spun slowly in a clockwise direction, occasionally firing a few shots to demonstrate what they could do (only on the models Cain saw being fired). The rest of the magic circles, grouped on the other side of the bow, close to Cain's head, portrayed various tanks, fighter jets, and bombers. Although there were only a few types of tanks since he had not seen many to begin with.

Veronica occasionally looked at the models with interest, but shortly after she focused her senses to her surroundings. She thought about asking Cain to be more serious, but recalled back to when Victoria stopped her from interrupting Cain's nap yesterday during lunch. Thus Veronica and Cain sat in this silence for the next few hours.

Towards the latter half, Cain got bored of just showcasing and created a few models of tanks fighting with a dog fight between jets above them. He refrained from demonstrating the prowess of the bombers since it might startle Veronica a little too much. She was already eying the mock wars with wonder; if she saw the bombers blow up cities then the true firepower of the weapons Cain showcased would sink in.

The rising sun slowly peaked above the dense forest. Cain looked to his side, then slowly got up from the log. "I'm going to go fertilize some trees." Cain said to Veronica before walking away from the campsite. "...huh?" Veronica absentmindedly replied, seemingly entranced by the mana models that were still being displayed.

"It means I'm going to take a dump." Cain replied while turning around and walking backwards. "Oh… oh. Y-yeah, you do that. I-I'll just be here… sitting…" Veronica awkwardly spoke and averted her gaze to the ground. The tips of her ears turned a slight red, one that was almost unnoticeable due to the dim lighting. Cain laughed lightly then turned around and exited the campsite.

Cain found a few trees to deposit the payload nearby then used his mana net as a shovel to make a hole. He created four rectangular magic circles on either side of him and a square one above him. These five obscured the area within to give Cain some privacy. He then created two platform magic circles in a ring formation, with a hole in the center and deposited the payload into the ground.

After the package was deposited, he covered up the ground and created some toilet paper using mana. The scraps were thrown in the mana trash dimension per usual. He dispersed all of the magic circles and went back to the campsite. '...I'm pretty sure I just lost a few kilos. Dang.' He thought to himself while walking up to the fire.

—Dms: Cain and Dresil— (8ms)

Cain: Can you get 18 eggs? I'm going to make breakfast.

Dresil: You sure that's enough?

Cain: …make it 36 then.

Dresil: …that might be too much.

Cain: Meh, Sinclair and I will just eat the rest.

Dresil: Ok give me a moment.

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Cain kneeled down around the fire, using SRI to open a portal to the Mana Storage. Cain created a stainless steel grate and two big frying pans. He latched the grate onto the posts Dresil made last night to cook the skewers as Dresil unmerged from his clothes and made a giant bowl and a bucket.

Cain created some dish soap and filled the bucket with water so Dresil could wash the bowls and pans. Dresil washed the bowl and a frying pan as Cain added some more firewood to the fire that was nearby. He set the frying pan on top of the grate, ensuring its sturdiness. Then he fanned the fire with his hand, causing it to flare up. Veronica watched in awe from the sidelines.

Cain waited until the flames constantly licked the bottom of the pan then used the mana within Mana Storage to create some butter. At this moment, Dresil handed him a spatula that she made from her vines and washed afterwards. Cain spread the butter on the frying pan using it, making sure that no area was left on covered.

Dresil then set the clean bowl in between both of them. On Cain's right, Dresil had Bob open a portal to the Snack Storage; from it, emerged an egg. On Cain's left, he used SRI to open a portal to the Mana Trash dimension to toss the scraps in. Cain and Dresil each took an egg, cracked it into the bowl, then tossed the shells into the Mana Trash. Dresil kept feeding new eggs out the portal using her vines that were within it.

They constantly cracked, deposited, and tossed the eggs until 12 were inside the bowl. Dresil made a big fork from her vines, washed it, then handed it to Cain. He began to whisk the eggs while Dresil deposited meat inside. The meat was cooked rare to medium rare and was thus expected to be medium rare to medium when the eggs were finished.

Dresil added roughly half a kilogram of meat then stopped, allowing Cain to whisk for a few more seconds. Once that was done, he deposited the eggs onto the pan. Roughly a half a minute had passed from when Cain melted the butter to he deposited the eggs. The speed at which the duo worked astonished Veronica and the smell made her drool a bit.

She decided to go wake up everyone else since the sun was rising and to keep her mind off the food. Veronica roused everyone awake then took her spot on the log again. "Dang that smells good." Jared commented while walking out of his tent. His eyes immediately spotted the mana models Cain was displaying to Athena.

"Woah! What are those?!" Jared asked while zooming towards the models. "Careful. The bow there is fragile." Cain warned Jared as he approached the models. Jared nodded and slowed his approach. "Those are some weapons that are from where I lived. The one on the far end can be used by anyone regardless of magic circle with little training. Of course, a lot of training is recommended though.

"The ones on the other side are vehicles that can fly in the air or ride on the ground, regardless of the terrain. Each one has the potential to destroy a small castle, while most can single handedly wipe out a large city. Either of these can be piloted by someone with enough training, regardless of their magic circle." Cain continued his explanation.

"Damn…" Jared muttered in awe. Everyone but Victoria thought Cain was overexaggerating. It was their first time seeing these contraptions; and their size could barely cover their palm. Only the guns were somewhat realistic in size. The idea of these small things having such destructive power sounded absurd to everyone but Victoria. And this was only because she saw how confident Cain was while talking about them; aligned with what he was capable of.

"Who wants the first batch?" Cain asked while depositing the cooked eggs and meat into three bowls Dresil washed while he cooked. "We usually go by whoever was on the nightwatch last. So Veronica and you, then either Jared or myself would get a bowl." Victoria explained while taking her seat next to Veronica.

"You or Jared can have my bowl then. I'll need at least two before I can get full so I'll just have the last pan." Cain said as Dresil distributed a bowl and a fork to Veronica, Victoria, and Jared. "Damn, this is good… it's been so long since we've had a decent breakfast." Jared mumbled in between gorging on his bowl.

"Really? How come?" Cain asked while setting the second pan onto the grate. He dissolved a half stick of butter onto the pan and began the cracking cycle with Dresil. "We usually just don't have the time or money to eat a good breakfast." Victoria answered while tasting the food. "Wow, your cooking tastes amazing." Victoria complimented Cain while nudging Veronica. Veronica engulfed herself into the food to keep her mind off what Victoria was suggesting.

"Ah, I feel that. And thanks. 'Tis a necessary skill when living alone." Cain replied while depositing the next batch of eggs and meat. Dresil washed the first pan, three sets of freshly created bowls and forks, and the bowl they just used to whisk the eggs while Cain cooked.

"We should head out after we're done eating, so if you're not then pack up your tents." Jacob commented when he noticed the rising sun. He and Catherine got up to pack up their tents; Sinclair walked out of the root cave, stretching and yawning near the entrance. Dresil submerged the cave as Sinclair walked over to Cain. He laid down behind Cain, near the fire.

Cain scratched the pup's head then flipped the eggs within the pan. "How long is the drive this time?" Cain asked while mixing the eggs around. He shook the pan lightly to get that fresh sizzling sound. "We should arrive at the shelter close to dinner. We'll rent an inn, eat quickly, then turn in early so we have enough energy for the ruins tomorrow." Jacob glanced at his notepad occasionally as he spoke.

"Sweet." Cain commented as he deposited the next batch of eggs into three bowls. Dresil handed them to Jacob, Catherine, and Veronica; who asked for seconds. Cain placed the second frying pan into the Mana Trash dimension as Dresil placed the first one on the grate. Cain melted a half stick of freshly created butter on it once again and began the egg cracking routine.

"Damn, this does taste good. What seasoning did you use?" Catherine asked when she took a bite. The food wasn't comparable to the imperial chefs, but was leagues better compared to the common food a noble would usually get. "None." Cain replied while dumping the last batch of eggs and meat into the pan. This time, Dresil created and washed a big bowl, a fork, and a plate.

"Huh? How's that possible?" Catherine asked, somewhat determined to discover how food could taste this good. "I'm just that good." Cain replied while shrugging. The party snickered in response; Catherine smiled wryly. Jared got up and collected Victoria and Jacob's dishes then handed them to Dresil. She tossed them into the Mana Trash dimension shortly afterwards.

Cain flipped the eggs as Veronica came up to hand Dresil her dishes. "You want more?" Cain turned his head some and asked Veronica. "N-no, I'm full right now. T-thanks." Veronica stuttered slightly, caught off guard by Cain's sudden question and the direct eye contact he gave her. She retreated back to her seat shortly afterwards.

Cain deposited the last batch of scrambled eggs and meat into the big bowl and the reft onto a rimmed plate. It was a normal plate, except the edges curved upwards by a few centimeters to prevent food from falling out; a plaowl. Cain grabbed the plaowl and brought his elbow outwards with his lower arm still hovering over his legs.

He extended his left upper arm outwards, to the side, as far as possible then rotated his hand so that the plate nearly brushed his left side. Cain then brought his upper arm back to his side while lowering his hand. Thus depositing the plate in front of Sinclair's head, who was laying down behind Cain.

"What the fuck… Is your arm supposed to bend that way?" Jared asked while occasionally staring at the models that were still being displayed. "Yours doesn't?" Cain asked in between bites. Dresil tossed the grate, pan, and other utensils they used into the Mana Trash dimension in the meantime.

Jared tried to mimic the movement Cain did, but he was unable to turn his wrist so his fingers would point behind him. This was what allowed Cain to move his arm outwards some and put some distance between the plate and his back. Although Jared could his arm out and back in, thus successfully moving his hand from in front of him to his back, it'd be very difficult to avoid his body while holding a plate and doing the same.

Jared shook his head after he tried the movements and failed. Cain shrugged and said in between bites, "Guess I'm more flexible?" "Seems like it." Jared disheartedly agreed. After Cain and Sinclair were done eating, the party began to pack up whatever they had left, although it wasn't much, and boarded the carriage.

[You want to walk besides us or go back to your dimension?] Cain transmitted to Sinclair as Dresil tossed the bucket of soapy water over the fire pit to douse it. [I'll go back to the dimension. I prefer not to be attacked by passing adventurers or guards.] Sinclair dejectedly replied and walked into a portal Cain created using SRI milliseconds after Sinclair's response.

'Guess I'll need some way to prove Sinclair won't attack people… I don't think he'll agree to having my symbol hovering over his pelt. Hmmm…' Cain began to think of various methods while boarding the carriage. "You taking another nap?" Victoria asked when she saw Cain lay down. "Yep, just wake me up if something happens though." Cain replied as a leaf covered his eyes.

And thus the party set off to their next destination.