All of this mana is coming from a fist sized crystal. It looks just like a perfect example of smokey quartz with no flaws or inclusions, the kind of quartz crystal you never actually see.

"It must be." I answer. "But all I'm getting is question marks when I try to identify it. Whoah, easy there Blackthorne." My staff bucks like it wants to jump over to the crystal. "Be good and maybe I'll give you a piece later." It settles down as I pet it.

Devlen tries walking closer to it, but his steps slow and it looks like he's being pushed back by the Mana that's pouring off of it. "Damn, I can't get close." He spits out before returning to us. "My Identify is at level three and I got the same result."

"I think I see a way through." My eyes glow as I push power into my magical sight. "Back me up Apricot. Everyone else stay here, or better yet, head back a bit. I'm not going to be able to shield you while I try this."

Amelia gives me a worried look, but soon follows after the others as they retreat to the cavern. Meanwhile, Apricot shrinks down to sit on my shoulder.

"Are you sure you can do this? I'm not affected by it at all, just let me go pop it in my inventory." She offers, but I just shake my head.

"I thought about that too, but I want to get a better look at this thing personally. I think it's just the excess mana that's throwing off Identify."

"I can buy the stupid spell." She huffs.

"No, you're saving for the Polyglot skill." I counter and start pushing through the mana stream. "Besides, I can do this." There is resistance, but I'm able to cut through it much easier than Devlen could.

"Just be careful."

It takes me couple minutes just to travel ten meters, but it's finally within reach. Identify is still giving me question marks, so I say fuck it and just grab the damned thing.

"Sorrel!" Apricot screams. "Store it! Just store it away."

"No!" I snarl. "I've got this. Identify!"

*Ding*

-??? ??? ??? Shard.

"Temmie! Don't fuck with me here, just spend however many points I need on it." The skill shoots up to level five and nearly empties my pool of skill points. "Identify!" I cast once again and immediately toss the shard into a free spot in my inventory.

The lack of pressure nearly makes me faint, and does make me collapse to the ground.

"Sorrel!"

"Mm okhay." I mumble. "Fhuck mhe! Was lhike trying to grab lightning." I just lay there and breathe for a bit while Apricot soothes me.

"Sorrel, baby." Amelia runs up to us. "Are you okay?"

"Dumbass just had to try identifying it first." Apricot slaps my chest, venting her worry now that I'm doing better.

"Yeah, I'm alright." I smile up at her worried face.

"So, what was it?" Devlen asks, his eyes alight.

"Official story." I get to my feet with Amelia and Apricot's help. "A mutated beast core that got clipped by one of the bolts, that's why it was leaking mana until it turned to dust." I stare the gathered mages in the eye, one by one, until they nod. "Unofficially, it's something the high magic countries would burn our entire continent to the ground just for the chance to get their hands on." They all gulp as one.

"That bad?" Amelia says.

"Worse." I say flatly and share the notification with everyone.

-Divine Earth Crystal Shard. Once a microscopic shard of divinity that was swallowed by a common earthworm. It has grown over the aeons and developed a distinctive Earth characteristic thanks to the worm's diet.

"Well, fuck!" Deluca spits. "What a shame the beast core was shattered. If you extract the magic properly, they can be quite useful for enchanting."

"True, but we did get some rare crafting materials." Devlen continues the play.

"Spoken like an earth mage." Nev snorts. "I'm more impressed with the level I got, you should know how hard it is to get solid gains at our level."

"Oh, yeah. I haven't checked my status yet" I say and start laughing a second later. "Hahaha. You just had to do it, didn't you Temmie?"

"What is it?" Apricot asks, her head quirked to one side. I just shake my head and display my new title.

-Wormslayer: Nightcrawlers everywhere tremble in fear of you. Bwahahaha! Temmie.-

The girls crack up laughing, while everyone else just looks confused.

"Is that real?" Sylas looks to his teammates for clarification.

"You guys really need to talk to the book of knowledge more often." I use their name for System-chan. "Then maybe she'll have better things to do than pick on me."

*Ding*(You wish)

I start laughing again as the younger team member's eyes go wide at the sound.

***

With the interference gone, it didn't take me that much longer to decompose the rest of the worm. I was hoping for some more magic materials, but they were all concentrated on and in the hearts. I did recollect the spent projectiles though, and Devlen even let me keep the iron he supplied.

He promised me a sizable share of the essences, but we want to get back to the city before dividing the loot. Speaking of loot; the scouts didn't really get anything but levels and a good story from this. So, I gave each of them a not-so-small crate of chocolate, and a dozen phone relays. If they place them smartly, they should have coverage wherever they go in the mountains.

They've still got a job to do, by the way. And, we've got a party to throw, so we separate again after lunch. I let Amelia take the wheel, because after today, I decided to scrap Angry Birds and re-create the Worms game instead.

I have to change a few of the weapons into magic spells, and I made the mines and hand-grenades into unstable and exploding runes in honor of our first meeting with Deluca. The game is a lot more complex than anything I've made so far, so I only get the basic framework down before it's my turn at the wheel.

I was so lost in my own world that they stuck me with the midnight shift, but I don't mind. There's nobody else on the road, so I can really pour on the speed.

'Hey, Temmie.' I think to the System. 'What should I do with my free points? With the Well and Blackthorne, I don't really need to worry about mana. So, I'm wondering if increasing my physical stats would help the drawbacks from prolonged casting.'

*Ding* A hushed bell, so as not to wake the others.

'Yeah, I get that you can't really give me pointers. But who else can I ask about this?' I shrug and think it over for a bit before continuing. 'Only one way to find out I suppose. Go ahead and raise the physical stats, might as well start evening everything out again.'

*Ding*

'So, what do you think we should do next? Provided that Larendath doesn't go to war, I think I'd like to travel and get to see more of the world. Maybe head over-seas to where I'm not so much of a freak, magically speaking.'

*Ding**Ding*

'Gee, thanks.' I snort at her comment. 'Okay, I'll still be a freak even where people know what they're doing with magic. But, at least I could try to keep a low profile there. No, don't say anything, I already know that I won't. I like showing off too much.'

*Ding* One of her laugh-like bells rings out gently.

'Should I go the other route and show off enough to draw all the other freaks to me? It's just that aside from you and the girls, I don't have any friends. Hells, Oliver is probably the closest thing to a friend that I have. I tried getting along with Marc, but we're worlds apart and it just made me depressed.'

*Ding**Ding**Ding*

'No thank you. I will not try being a god-like construct. I'm too over-powered as it is.' I chuckle softly. 'That, and I like having a body too much. The whole floating void nonsense sucks.'

*Ding*

'Yeah, I know it's not like that for you, but still. You've said yourself that you mostly experience the world through the eyes of the Awakened. Wouldn't you like to have your own body to move around and explore with.' I conjure an image of Cortana from Halo. 'Want me to try building you one? I'm sure I could figure something out.'

*Ding*

'Well, you know where to find me if you ever change your mind.' I shrug and turn the hologram into one of those hula girls that sits on the dash.

*Ding**Ding**Ding* She laughs again.

'What? Blue skin and grass skirts go together perfectly fine.' I laugh along. 'Hey, should I make an energy sword or a lightsaber? Oh man, I gotta introduce the girls to Starwars.'

*Ding**Ding*

'What do you mean power swords? Don't tell me you're a Warhammer nerd.'

*Ding*

'I am not a heretic! Take it back.' I pout. 'Fine, I guess you don't want any more heretical chocolate.'

*Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding*

'A loyal son of the Emperor? Well, I don't know if I would go that far. I'm sure not everything I do is completely codex approved.'

"Are you chatting with Temmie?" Apricot opens her eyes and looks over at me. She's shrunk down to her normal size and was sleeping on Amelia's chest.

"Yeah. Sorry to wake you." I set up a soundproofing to keep from waking the others. "I offered to make her a body, but I think she's afraid that you'll want to fuck her."

"Snerk." - *Ding*(Hey!)

"Sorry, make love to." I giggle.

"She's probably more afraid of you, if that's the kind of body you want to give her." Apricot gestures to the hula Cortana.

"Don't tell me you're actually a man." Cortana is replaced by Doctor Manhattan, still in a grass skirt of course. "No? Maybe the body was just a bit off." Cortana comes back, but she's kept part of Doctor Manhattan.

Apricot has to fly off of Amelia for fear of waking her with her giggles. But Temmie's just giving me the feeling of a disapproving pout.

"Not big enough for you?" The leftover part stretches down to Cortana's knees.

*...*

"Oh, fine." The doll goes back to normal... Well, as normal as Cortana in a hula skirt can be. "Better?"

*Ding*

"Aww." Apricot whines. "I kinda liked it."

"Of course you did." I snort at my perverted little pixie. "And, before you ask. No, I'm not going to let you fuck me with one that big."

"Aww, come on. You've got the stats, you can take it."

*Ding**Ding**Ding* Temmie starts laughing at me.

"It'd be like that time you tried to ta- Oh, shit! Hold on." The bridge we're racing towards just collapsed. There's not enough time to stop, so I just take us up into the air.

We land safely on the other side, with barely a bump. I bring us to a stop and stretch out my senses to see what happened.

"What's going on? Why'd we stop?" Amelia snaps awake.

"It's alright." I take her hand. "Looks like a water vole that was strengthened by the Mana Well decided to make its new burrow in the stone under the bridge."

"It's not a kilometer long is it?" She lets out a relieved sigh.

"No, it's not anything anymore. Poor bugger got squished when the bridge came down." I bury its body, and rebuild the bridge. "Remind me to let the castle know to check nearby bridges. Stuff like this will probably start happening more often."

"I'll take care of it." Devlen says from the backseat, Deluca snoring on his shoulder. "My office is responsible for maintaining the roadways."

***