((bruh.: SirAlphonso: bruh.))

((bruh.))

((Sorry for using so many timeskips, there's just really nothing of interest to note. Unless you want a few thousand "I dig"s as an extra-long chapter.))

{Timeskip three: Three hours later.}

I stand up straight, looking at the scene before me. Dust— specifically fire Dust, broken down into a few basic forms. Shattered, pulverized, and just straight. I've been tinkering for the past three hours, trying to understand exactly what makes Dust tick. And judging by this passive skill I got, and the new counter in my HUD…

Insight Unlocked.

[Magic Understanding]
Observation has led to understanding. Current level is Fundamental.
[LVL 1.3]

…I feel like it's working. While my knowledge right now is… well, basic as basic can be, I'm starting to feel something. Something in the back of my head, like that gross and foggy feeling after studying all night. Vaguely like a headache.

I can safely assume that this is due to whatever Insight is. Maybe it works like Thaumcraft's knowledge system or something…

'Hmph.' I pick up a big crystal, looking into it again. With a little focus, a little bit of effort… I can see little "branches", for lack of a better word, inside of it. Little nodes, faintly flickering in a white light. They're faint, but they're there.

I turn it in my hand, staring at it with deep focus. 'What are you?' I question, tapping at the crystal. It lets out little sparks, the nodes flickering again. 'These things… they remind me of block coding. Linked up with inputs and outputs…'

[Major Breakthrough Achieved]

[100 Insight Points awarded]

[Knowledge Expanded]

With a start, I drop the crystal. 'Augh…' And there it is again. That muddy feeling, like I haven't slept right…

I run my hand on top my head, sighing. 'Damn. Useful… but annoying.' I quickly glance at the Insight counter on my HUD. It looks like the limit's been pushed. Took two hundred, and it looks like it'll take four hundred now.

'Doubles every time, does it? That won't get impossible to fill later…' I grumble, looking back down at the workshop.

With a sigh, I the Dust back up. 'Okay. So it's code… of a sort. Block coding has to do something with it.' I look deep into the foggy crystal, noting how the nodes are more prominent. I can almost make out symbols on them.

'All well and good, but how am I going to manipulate the magic in these things?' I ask to no one in particular, before getting startled by a pop-up again.

[Tutorial Mission Started]
[Dustology 101]
Follow Tutorial Instructions: []

Rewards: Basic Dust Manipulator Blueprints
200 Insight
Basic Dust Manipulation Skill

Mission Automatically Accepted.

'Oh. Well, saves me the trouble. Right!' I clap my hands, opening my crafting inventory. 'Let's see what you take…' Skipping past the prompts and following the blinking icons, I scroll down to the structure in question.

The description says: "Allows for basic Dust manipulation. Does not consume electricity. Consumes mana.", so that's definitely a plus for this thing.

My mana reserves, as they stand, really aren't anything impressive. Just 100, basically the go-to number for… really any counter in any game. Guess that carries to stuff like this.

'Alright! That's good, that's good…' Picking it, its blueprint is set down in front of me, just below the turret. It's… pretty small, actually. Somewhat built like a desktop from the 80s.

'Uh. Huh. Um, alright, not there. How do I cancel…?'

It takes a few minutes for me to find out, but I eventually do. Just had to build the same structure over it. With proper knowledge of how big the thing actually is, I instead put the print down on the workbench.

'Yeah, alright, that looks better.' I plunge my hand into the ghostly apparition of the machine, feeling how it builds. It's done in like 5 seconds. However, the mission isn't complete. Instead, a light yellow outline shines from the Manipulator.

[Open your Inventory to interact.]

I look at the pop-up. 'Could've told me that with the Forge, asshole.' Though a little bitter, I do comply, opening it. It seems to mean the inventory proper, where items are stored. There's an extra little add-on at the side. It's obviously the Manipulator, though it looks like it's been crudely tacked on with nuts and bolts.

[Place a Dust crystal in the Basic Dust Manipulator to begin.]

I do. I put in a nice little wind crystal. It makes a satisfying 'click' as it settles in, a drop-down menu quickly overtaking the entire inventory screen. It still looks very ramshackle, but it's got a nice vibe to it. 'Neat, neat.'

[You will be able to manipulate Dust through careful experimentation and tuning. Basic abilities unlocked.]

[Acquisition: Active Skill]
[Basic Dust Manipulation]
[LVL 1]
Create simple coding blocks from your mana.
(Cost: 20 MP)

I give everything a quick once-over before wincing at the steep cost of the skill. I mean, it makes sense, I guess, and… I do have that one meditation ability, so it might not be that bad. But still… 'Only… two-four-six-eight… five. Five blocks. Maybe I could do something cool with that… maybe not.'

I tap my chin, looking over the menu. I can't really tell what's what.

[You can create code blocks here.]

A little section of the menu highlights itself. I tap on it, and yet another menu pops up, showing me a few buttons. 'Create', 'Modify', 'Assign', and 'Delete'. 'Mhm. I think I already kind of get it.'

I give the Create button a testing tap. Just then, the machine in front of me lights up, buzzing and humming, wires occasionally sparking. 'That is wildly unsafe.' I complain, backing up a little. With a glance back to the menu, I see yet more options, noting the fact that the machine apparently drained five mana when it turned on. The menu has a few blank blocks, it also showcases the node system that apparently exists within Dust crystals.

Though I'm new to this whole magic coding thing, I think I already know what to do. It's a fairly intuitive process, though I still listen to the tutorial.

I swipe a blank block to the base node, my MP draining by twenty points. 'Mhm… okay… that's cool.' I sit myself down on my workbench, the mish-mash table slightly flexing when I do, though it goes unnoticed. 'But it's still blank.'

I'm prompted to back out of the menu, instead going into 'Assign'. The block on the node system highlights itself, a keyboard coming up. 'Ooh. That's new.'

[Type 'Start' to begin.]

I nod, glancing at the environment around me. 'Okay, it looks like this might be a minigame.' There's nothing in the forest. At least I think. The lack of growling or glaring red eyes is definitely a good sign, but you can never be sure. 'I just hope I'm not interrupted.'

With that, I type 'Start'.

The Dust Manipulator starts buzzing harder, fans kicking in as it starts throwing out sparks. It's very worrying, but it looks intended… I hope. Besides that, the menu's changed slightly. The other buttons have gone away, replaced with two words on it. It says "No Templates." I feel kinda relieved I can just make templates, makes manufacturing easier… if I ever did start making robots on a big scale, I mean.

In any case, another prompt's shown up, this one bearing more text.

[This is the Create menu. You are able to create functional blocks of code inside this screen.]

'… Yeah. No shit.'

I dismiss the redundant tip, wanting to roll my eyes so hard I feel like I almost do. 'Whatever, it's just a tip.' I rest my elbows on the workbench, idly toying with the menu. 'Well… I guess it's back to tinkering.'

My hands hover above the keyboard as I ponder just what to write. 'Hm... hehe…' I chuckle inwardly, typing up a single word: "Regenerate." I hadn't really expected anything to happen, I was just dicking about, but… I was clearly wrong.

[Small Breakthrough Achieved.]

[50 Insight Points Awarded]

Though the Insight is nice, the sudden mana-drain isn't. The crystal is currently draining mana at an impressive rate. 'Shit shit shit!' I hurriedly delete the word from the block, causing the crystal to deactivate. Sadly, my mana is now firmly at forty-three. 'Damnit! Agh.'

I cross my arms, sighing. 'Well, there goes my mana…' I rub the back of my head with my palm, looking down at the crystal. 'So it drains mana when regenerating... I wish I had some way of recording stuff.'

I drum my fingers on the workbench, looking down at the crystal in annoyance. 'I need to be more careful. This feels a little like a flow chart.' I perk up, taking out my scrap spear. 'Maybe I should work out what I want to write before I actually put anything down. Heh, who knew my informatics classes would come in handy?'

I walk away from the workbench and the crystal, heading to a small patch of dirt.

'In lieu… lieu? Hmph. Since I don't have a pencil, I'll just use the dirt.'

I jab the butt of my spear into the dirt, making a little circle, writing "start" in it. 'Okay, let's see here. For the sake of… "Research"… I'll just assume that it's entirely open. So, I don't want it to drain my mana. But it does drain my mana whenever it's regenerating.'

I stare down at the circle in the dirt, before drawing a line and a rectangle. 'I need a way to stop it from draining mana. My mana, at least; I really don't want to find out what happens if my mana keeps draining when it's empty.' I pause for a second, tapping my chin.

'Hrm… is there ambient mana? I mean… Dust has to form somehow… it can't just be magic crystals.' I raise my gaze, activating my Mana Vision. I stare at random things. Now that I'm paying attention, I can see… like, "gusts" of mana, occasionally blowing through the normal wind. Some of it breaks off, leaving a thin layer on the ground.

[Minor Breakthrough Achieved]

[50 Insight Points Awarded]

'Interesting…' I tap my chin, coming up to the small sheen of mana. It looks somewhat like a tarantula's nest, or a layer of lightly-colored cotton candy. It's like it's evaporating, but I can clearly see it going down, guided to a little pool of wind Dust. 'So Dust attracts Dust, does it?'

[Minor Breakthrough Achieved]

[50 Insight Points Awarded]

'That's getting annoying.' I quickly dismiss the pop-up, afterwards kneeling on the ground to run my hand on the small bits of mana left. My hand is momentarily coated in the stuff, though it's only a scant few threads left. However, it seems that taking them from the ground is enough to preserve them.

'Raw mana… if Dust attracts Dust, maybe I could make some form of trap. Wait- I'm getting sidetracked, I need to finish the mission first.' I stand back up, letting the MV off. 'I can look into this later.'

I resume my dirt doodling, trying to work out a flowchart for some new version of regenerating Dust. Failing that, really any other kind of Dust.

It's going to be a long day, but I'm sure it will be rewarding.

So it's been… not that long, really, maybe half an hour. Most of that has been remembering how flowcharts work to properly make one.

'Okay,' I step back mid-thought, looking down at the whole flowchart before continuing, 'So. Start here.' I tap the symbol for start, though it's most likely just for the flowchart. I mean, it just automatically starts, so I doubt I'll have to tell it to start.

I tap my spear on a process box. 'Put in a command that'll hopefully make it grow and absorb energy without limit… assuming all of this works flawlessly.' Which it probably won't.

Anyways. 'Then it'll check for me in the area.' I follow the arrow down, going to a decision box. It's kind of weird, making this whole thing just for myself. 'If it finds me…' I trace the line to the side. 'It'll shut off. Hopefully.'

I go back to the main flow. 'If it doesn't, it'll work, and absorb all the mana in the area. Though I don't know if it'll harm the plant life… hope it doesn't.'

Following the line down some more, I tap the final block. 'And then, when it reaches a certain size, it'll turn off.' With a nod, I come back up, drawing the stop for the chart. 'Alright, I think this'll work. Just gotta put it in practice.'

Turning to the machine, I open my inventory again. 'Okay, sixty-two mana. Regenned a nice bit, enough for three blocks. Tsk,' I lean on the table, a little frustrated. 'There's already one block in there… um…' I take a second, figuring out just how many blocks I'd actually need. '… hm. I think I can squeeze the whole thing in there… might be missing the automatic shut-off, though. Crap.'

I shrug, starting to create the blocks I'm going to need. 'Whatever, I'm sure I'll remember to come shut it off.'

Though a little muddier than I'm comfortable with, I feel a nice bit of excitement— almost giddiness, at the prospect of being able to recharge the Dust crystals.

'Here's hoping it goes right.'

[Effect Applied: Mana Sickness.]

With a drained sigh and a lazy wave of my hand, I dismiss the notification. My head is buried in my arms on the table, feeling intensely tired.

I had feared mana drain's effects, mostly because I was scared of my health draining or something, and I was right to be scared of… "Mana Sickness", though not for my life draining instead of my mana. It's worse than that.

'Now you make me feel. You… asshole, asshole system.'

As it turns out, being drained of mana makes one feel unbelievably sleepy. Imagine taking a melatonin, and then another two, but you washed it down with a cocktail of coffee and drugs. My movements are unprecise and sluggish, though it's not just from me being drowsy, no: it would seem that my body is genuinely affected by this effect.

Whatever mechanisms inside me sound like they're working overdrive to keep me upright and moving, my fingers kind of seize up a little bit, or make worrying clicks whenever I try to fully stretch my hand… it's scary, honestly.

It's not the nice kind of sleepiness, either! It's not the one that slowly fades in to envelop you into a peaceful sleep, no, it feels like I've been working non-stop for two weeks on a massive project. And it's only been a few minutes.

I stand up with considerable effort, running a tired hand down my nape. '… This will be worth it.' I assure myself, opening my inventory. I left the base block blank on purpose, because I know it'll start immediately.

With an unsteady hand, I type in the starting command in the blank block. 'Let's begin…'

I back out of the expected area-of-effect, promptly leaning against a tree to lessen the effort on my moving bits. I know I'm a robot, but I probably shouldn't push maintenance closer just by standing around.

A few seconds pass by with nothing happening, and while it's probably nothing, I can't help but be worried. There's a little bit of a… gnawing expectancy; tension growing with every second it does nothing, just a little 'What if it isn't, though?' kind of feeling. Familiar, unwelcome, but ultimately harmless.

'Now…' I lazily raise my hand, a finger up. 'You. Should. Start… Now.' I tiredly point at the crystal expectantly. With perfect timing, the crystal starts glowing, sparks crackling and flying from the machine. I'm not worried about that, though.

'Heh. Okay… promising.' I slump a little against the tree I'm leaning on, whatever lingering tension immediately disappearing. I straighten myself out, looking at the crystal with a hawk's eye. 'Hoping my sample doesn't explode…'

As the seconds start ticking again, I sigh. 'Mh… this Dust Manipulator is slow. Perhaps the "basic" adjective should have made it clear for me.' I pause, a little confused at the suddenly eloquent inner monologue, though it's mostly just annoyance. With a shake of my head, I just brush it off. 'Damn eloquent robot side, messing with my mind…'

Even still, it looks like there's really nothing happening. Just when I start fearing that my little flowchart planning method has failed me, I realize something. 'Wait… mana is invisible. Why would I see any effect like this?'

My Mana Vision promptly comes alive, allowing me to peek behind the curtains, so to say. While it looks like there's nothing happening here, and it's just a failure, there is actually something there.

The crystal is draining mana from the environment, like a drain in a tub, there's a big swirling vortex of mana being filtered into the crystal. It looks big and impressive, like a laser lightshow, but it's all threads, thin little strands whipping up into the shape of a vortex.

'Whoah… that's cool.' I tiredly think, crossing my arms… 'That looks so much like cotton candy. Ugh… I want something sweet…'

I tilt my head upward, thinking back on all the snacks and food I've eaten in my life, wishing for nothing more than a nice cup of coffee… even cheap instant coffee would be good at this point. Especially now with this horrid Mana Sickness doing absolute numbers on my mind.

'Mgh..' I grumble, 'god…' I sigh, slowly coming down to sit down against the tree. 'Screw it. Might as well try that meditation thing out. What's the worst that could happen?'

I settle down, legs crisscrossed, my hands on my knees.

'Okay… last time it just kind of happened… please let it be more like sleeping.' I take a deep proverbial breath, and try to relax…

((A/N: I wanted to do something a bit more original when it comes to Dust manipulation. I mean… he's a bot, right? There's gonna be a shit ton of scientist themes and whatever so let's make it all code!))

((A/N2: Okay, kings, two of you have told me to put Paul in Penny in some way, and I find that interesting. Which would you like best, post-Amity chassis, or pre-Penny chassis? I'm always open to other suggestions, in any case!))