River

As the wind kept blowing I maintained my position behind the sand dune.

Sitting cross-legged I go over what I have experienced.

For one I cannot delve into a mages memory unless I go from the mana core.

In the case of the young Olim I went through his diaphragm but didn't send my energy to his brain, only getting glances and sensations.

Mislin on the other hand felt like she was planting suggestions I couldn't ignore, I heard her voice so clearly it felt like mine.

I could only imagine what would happen if the suggestions she was planting took root.

And what was with the array made of blood, how was that possible and how did she do it?

He blood was infused with mana outside of her body and she manipulated it, at least that's what I saw.

As usual I have more questions than answers.

I was one third back to full capacity, I would have been nearly full if it wasn't for Ava.

But the benefits are a smoother mana flow and it gave my inner core time to refine the energy fully.

It felt like I only had one mana core.

The mana stones had run dry, making me realize this is the most vulnerable I have been in a long time.

'Sorry' Ava said for the hundredth time.

'Don't worry about it, what's done is done'.

I got up stretching as the wind and sand abruptly stopped.

I was still hungry and thinner than a bamboo stalk but I wasn't an empty husk.

I sent my sense out and found as many lizards and insects I could find roasting them as I found them.

I lucked out and found the den of long poisenous snakes which I remember as an Akshama in the beast scroll.

"Oof"! I breathed as I stuffed another tender piece of meat in my mouth.

Ava chose to go to sleep rather than partake in my feast.

I inspected the silver orb in my hand rolling it around while looking at the intricate patterns on it.

As the sun rose on a new day the light seemed to make the spiderweb pattern glow and pop out of the orb.

Placing it in my bag I continue north, out of this whole mess I got one thing out of it and that was direction.

I stopped hearing Mislins voice in my head after I woke up, but I am pretty sure she could have chased me down and killed me while I slept.

I escaped only because she wanted me to find the western mages and place this object near their headquarters.

I sigh, 'What kind of conspiracy did I get involved in' I was upset about everything that happened but I chose to take it as a learning experience and I sure as hell learned a lot.

Not being shy about water I drink my fill before leaving the underground wells range.

'How was she able to do what she did to your head' Ava asked trying to practice it on me but I brushed her energy off.

'I think it's all about mana control, the tendril she used was very thin and she sent pulses instead of the whole tendril into my brain' I began to think back on what actually happened and how it happened.

'Sounds like having a brain is too much hassle' she replied wiggling around in the air.

I could feel her exhaustion creeping back up.

She slept like a baby taking naps often, and when she slept it could be for hours or a whole day.

'I still wonder how your able to function without one' I replied the same old questions popping up in my head.

She nestled in the bottle not bothering to care about the questions I had as her form rippled and became liquid.

Knowing that it would be a long while before I found water again I conserved as much as I could between both water skins, mine and the one Mislin 'gifted' me.

'I really don't believe in that fate crap but this last encounter has got me suspicious' but my rational mind, the one that made it through endless years of cosmic torture couldn't help but scoff at the idea of fate.

The distance white speck that was the western mountains to my left winked at me as I moved north.

I wasn't following Mislins attempted brainwashing but my own reasoning.

I needed directions and getting them before I hit the western coast would only help.

If they are willing to ferry me even better, but I doubt it.

Ava thrived off of my thoughts her language becoming more versatile.

I even taught her how to play chess, something she picks up quickly and we play on the way.

"It's called blindfold chess because we are supposed to remember the moves made not imagine them to be something else" was my response when she said 'Queen to cream puff'.

I shared with her memories of earth and she was addicted to the sweets I ate particularly anything frosted, which wasn't often.

As for food in the here and now she couldn't bare it when I killed anything, let alone feasting on it.

'I don't understand how you can do that' she said after I wiped my greasy mouth.

'Tastes like chicken' I lied to her and myself.

My mana core had recovered and along with it the energy had become thicker and slightly easier to control.

It twinkled less and my body felt like it had more of that red energy, I could see it dancing underneath my skin.

I found the sand river at night and it wasn't a name for it more so then a description.

I almost ran right into it, if it hadn't been for the pulses of mana I sent out every so often I would be gurgling sand.

Backing away I wait for morning to come before following it down stream going west.

I was afraid of any creatures lurking, and I was right to be weary.

On the ninth day I came upon a sight that stumped me.

Even after rubbing my eyes I couldn't make sense of it.

It was a large sail ship currently harpooning the mother of all Ums.