Workbench and Wands

Feels monumental when I designed my first wand. The effort was very taxing, because I felt like I needed to finish it with magic…

"Another point for me mom!" I cheered.

"Don't get such a big head, little boy. Mommy is still beating you by seven points." The smug on her face plain to see.

I wonder, was mom was always this competitive? It is weird seeing her like this, but she seemed to be having fun. And of course Jerry was jiggling happily in his bucket. Said bucket had stick pieces scattered around it.

The day after I brought my little slime home was fine. I would toss random things into Jerry and watch them dissolve. I probably did this a lot, because the healthy layer of trash on my floor soon disappeared.

I don't know when mom walked in, but at least she got my attention by mocking on the doorframe. I would have been really grumpy if I heard her from right beside my ear again.

"I see you've finally cleaned this junk heap." She had a infectious smile on her face. "About time, I've hoped you would do it a week ago. What have you got there?"

"A bucket." That technically wasn't a lie. Sweat felt like it was pouring down my face. In reality, it was probably only a few drops.

"Nice try on that LOO (lie of omission) Dave just like I taught you. Now, what is in the bucket?" Mom had a proud smile on her face. People in her line of business need to have good skills with telling the truth without telling the truth.

I sighed as I showed her Jerry. As soon as she caught sight of him, the squeal was heard a block away.

"Aww, I remember when I had a slime." The nostalgia on her face was palpable. "I used to play a game with my friends. We would keep score as we tossed stuff into it. Your grandfather accidentally stepped on him." A frown took place where the small smile was.

I didn't like seeing that frown, so I went outside and broke up a stick. I then proceeded to go back and throw a piece into the bucket. When I offered her some, she had that smile I loved to see. The game was brutal to me, and she won fifteen to six.

The next day was tiring. I resolved to fix the issue with my control over vis. That was the name I labeled the swirling colors. It was short, sweet, and I was too lazy to continue to think about it. Although, I haven't finalized the liquid's name yet.

Well, back to the problem, I needed to find a way to extend my control. That purpose started a whirlwind of experimentation. It was very exhausting. Basically I just put my vis into random objects. That yielded two materials, wood and metal. The type of energy, or aspects if you will, in wood seemed to conduct my power. The metal, however, seemed to not let energy through. That is what I assumed at first, but when directed vis seemed to move fine. My eyes lit with glee found themselves closed, as I had passed out.

I awoke with the sun setting and an empty stomach. I was practically starving. After a brief raid on the food stock, I figured out what I was going to do next.

It took a while to make a little workbench. That wasn't because I had to make a table or anything. That was simple, myself only needed to grab a spare one from dad's old stuff. The real problem was whittling a movable lens holder. I probably needed both my hands when making the wand. Of course I was making a wand, it seemed appropriate.

The wand was of simple design, basically a stick. What made it special was that I had decided to fill it with crystal dust, and cap it with thin iron fittings.

My money situation was starting to be a problem. I had given half of what I got in the mine to mom. In a way I was lucky she wouldn't take all of it, like I offered. Now with the purchase of thin bendable pieces of iron, I only had twenty seven coppers left.

"Don't tell me I need to learn to smith too" I lamented to the emptiness of my coin purse.

After a few mishaps, involving a perditio crystal and trying to use it to make holes in wood, I had my wand. It had six internal channels filled with crystal filling, it would have felt wrong not to use it. The crystals have been really helpful with everything else. The great iron capped wooden wand of greatness was made!

My first wand, the nemesis to my childhood enemy. That hungry node would soon get some well deserved payback…