Devouring the Neverglades: (Beta Version) Chapter 3 (Patreon)

It was a long drive out of the city and back home.

The whole time I had the pamphlet open and was reading through it.

I did actually know how to read… Mostly. The writing wasn’t English, so it had taken some work over the years, but between what I had picked up before my memories kicked in and what I remembered from my last life. Well I had worked hard to figure it all out. Getting as much practice as a girl without access to a school could, to figure it out.

Luckily both Papa and Uncle Charles could read, so as I looked through the booklet that was only twenty or so pages, when I ran into trouble I could ask them to tell me what a word said.

Thankfully the book was useful.

It was exactly what I needed, because magic wasn’t just a feelings thing. I couldn’t cast a spell just because I wanted it really hard.

No, it required more than that.

“Papa… What’s a magic core?”

“Huh? It’s a source of magic that monsters have. They are like mana crystals, but they grow around a monster's heart.” Papa said, waving a hand against his chest. “They usually end up destroyed when killing the crocs around home, but sometimes we manage to collect them. They sell well, and the damaged, or weak ones that don’t sell we use for power.” He patted the steering wheel on his truck and it took me a moment to realize I had never considered how we fueled our trucks and boats.

It wasn’t like we had a gas tank anywhere.

“Huh.”

“Does it mention them in your book?”

“Yeah… it says that since humans don’t have magic cores, our magical strength is entirely dependent on the strength of our wavelength… Our magical purity?” The book put it in almost flowery words. Talking about how the purity of our spirit affects the purity of our magic, but it wasn’t backed up by anything and it sounded almost like…

Well like blood purity kind of stuff. Only the magic and spiritually pure will rule the earth! That sort of garbage.

So I had to… Increase the purity of my magical wavelength?

I shrugged, and kept reading. Honestly learning about magic systems had always been something I enjoyed, so it wasn’t too bad reading this rather purple prose filled booklet.

I was itching to get home because in the middle of the book was a magical circle. Magic circles were needed for humans to make use of their Magical wavelength and cast spells.

I was gonna magic!

—---

“Uuuugh!” I moaned long and loud as I stepped out of the truck. Walking a bit bowlegged as I stretched out. My butt was sore, and I was glad to finally be home.

“Dirt roads aren’t fun.” I told Papa and he patted me on the head. 

“It isn’t, but we are home. Why don’t you find your mother, let her know we are home. And don’t take that book outside the compound. I don’t want you losing it.”

“Yes Papa.” I answered instantly. You didn’t argue with adults here after all. That was a quick trip to a tanned butt and still doing as you were told.

Besides, it was good advice. This book was my only source of knowledge, if I lost it, or it got damaged that would be bad.

I clutched it to my chest as I ran towards our home. Ignoring the few calls from people wanting to talk to me, I had a mission!

I rushed inside. 

“Mama! We’re home!” I called out and hurried into the small room in the back of the blocky home. My room was cozy, it might get a little small in a dozen years, but as a six year old it was plenty large.

I quickly hurried over to the small bedside dresser I had all my clothes in, and placed the book atop it.

I had read through most of it on the way over, but it was both dense, and sort of shallow. I would need to investigate more soon.

I rushed out of the room ignoring Mama’s pointed call, “Vicky! You stop running in the house!” I laughed as I continued to do just that only to be caught by a massive arm around my waist that lifted my body right off my feet.

I laughed in delight as the arm lifted me like I was a toy and carried me into the kitchen where Mama was glaring at me.

“Papa!”

“Running in the house means you lose leg privileges!” He teased back as I kicked weakly in his grip.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with that girl. She gets this from you.” Mama answered as she moved in to give Papa a kiss on the cheek, and resisted getting a hug from both of us. Papa and I were kinda dusty and dirty after all.

“Go on, get cleaned up, both of you, before you track dirt all over my clean kitchen!” She ordered but couldn’t resist Papa as he leaned in and stole another kiss regardless.

Well you couldn’t steal something given willingly. 

My parents were totally fluffy in love, and I was totally with it, despite the hardship of our life, my parents were so in love it was teeth rotting.

“Now!” She demanded after smacking his shoulder lightly that had him grinning as he dragged me out of the kitchen towards our bathroom.

Luckily it was an indoor bathroom, with an actual shower and everything. We had water pumps, and a water heater even.

It was now that I understood magic was a very important thing that made me realize that it wasn’t electricity that ran all of our stuff, but probably some sort of magic.

“Papa. Do we use magic cores or mana stones to run the lights, and the water heater?”

“Oh? Big questions from a little girl!” Papa said laughing as he pulled me into the bathroom. “There is a tank of mana fuel that we all put any mana cores that can’t sell in. They break down in water in the tank, that runs everything.”

“I didn’t know that. How come I didn’t know that?”

“It’s not something you kids can really help with Monster. You caught a couple of Rock Crabs today right?”

“Two!”

“Well they have a mana core too, but it’s hard to get them. They usually use up all their mana as they are dying. So by the time you get them out of their shell, there is no core. You have to hunt bigger stuff and do it fast enough that they can’t use up all their mana before they die to get a core.”

“Huh.” I muttered as we took off our dirty clothes and threw them in a hamper. I would help Mama clean them later. I didn’t ask any more magic questions while we cleaned up. My mind busily buzzed with what I had already learned.

Magic cores. Mana Crystals. Magical Wavelength…

So much to figure out!

—--

The lights turned out about an hour after the sun went down, and everyone went to sleep.

That was just how things worked. We rose with the sun, and dropped with the sun, unless something crazy had happened. And the adults needed to stay up late.

It meant I didn’t have much time to read my magic book after cleaning up and dinner.

So I went to sleep with the thoughts bouncing around.

The next morning of course was chores.

I rushed around helping Mama with laundry and breakfast. Helping Papa prepare for another day of heading out on the boats.

Then after Papa left, Mama and I waving him goodbye from the docks with all the families, I was let off the leash.

Usually I would meet up with the boys around my age and we would go on an adventure, gathering food, or something.

This time I went up to my room and grabbed my book. Then I started reading.

I wanted to try using magic. That would be my number one goal for the moment.

So I read through the booklet until I got to the actual practical section.

To my surprise it wasn’t too hard. The magical circle in the book was actually usable for learning how to access and control my wavelength, it was also something I needed to do to align my magical ID card with my wavelength for inspection.

Or so the pamphlet said.

I read what I needed and flopped onto the wood floor, placing the book down using a few random bits and bobs to hold it open and making sure nothing was covering even a part of the circle.

Then I grabbed my magical ID card.

Apparently there was a reason it had a mana crystal embedded in it.

The crystal was part of the identification element. Proof to even anyone that I was a mage. 

I held the card in my left hand, and then following the instructions I pressed my right thumb against the crystal. Instantly I felt that same vibrational tingling running up my arm, but I didn’t jerk away and pressed my index finger into the center of the magical circle.

I was supposed to push the vibration into the circle, which was made with a magical reactive ink.

But as I kept working on that, nothing was really happening.

“Hnnng?” I grunted once more, going for the anime knowledge. Dragon Ball Z once more failed me.

Slowly though I closed my eyes and just decided to stop trying to force it. I breathed in, and out. Letting my hand remain in position as I just felt the weirdness flowing up my arm. I could feel my heart? Or something around my heart, it seemed to vibrate in response to the feeling shooting up my arm.

It wasn’t growing stronger, but it was a faint feeling that made my heart feel like it was beating off time even if I could tell it wasn’t. So that off timing was my wavelength?

I breathed in and out. Feeling it continue to sort of pulse on its own and do nothing else.

I took my hand away from the circle and tried again. Lining up my thumb and index finger pushing into the spot in the center of the circle like I was supposed to.

But this time I kept my eyes closed. Didn’t look to distract myself, and exhaled. Focusing on that feeling around my heart. Felt the vibration as it echoed out, traveling so weakly through my body. It wasn’t a strong feeling. Like a faint buzz in my chest that wasn’t even strong enough to reach my fingers.

But I focused on it. It was reacting to the pulse from my fingers, activated in a way that I had never felt before. No wonder I had no luck working magic yesterday. The feeling of it was so weak. So small.

But I breathed in time with the pulses trying to feed it just a bit more strength when something changed.

I smelled death.

My eyes blinked open and it took me a second to realize I had sunlight touching my skin and not endless darkness.

That my eyes worked. That I could see more than just the endless nothing, and that which lay within.

That my heart was pounding and not still and silent.

I looked down and to my surprise. The circle of magic was glowing. Faintly, weakly. But it worked. This was meant to align my ID card with my Wavelength, and also practice to get used to magic.

Only…

The Chip of Mana Crystal, that had once been a glowing blue, was now dark as death. It… It was supposed to change color. It would take on a color that was closest to a mage's elemental alignment.

I grabbed the book and looked, but there wasn’t any mention of what the colors actually meant though. Just that it would happen. 

It was weird, that it didn’t actually mention that. Did I need another magic book for more than just this? Was there a Novice tier book? 

Who would I even ask these questions to? I looked around at the small room and in the end just shrugged. 

It was, what it was. There was no point in getting upset with what I didn’t have. So I focused on what I did. On the card.

The more I looked at that ever dark crystal the more I felt like I was seeing that place between, again. Where I had floated in death for an unknowable amount of time.

I took a deep breath and blew it out and flopped on the floor. It left me feeling cold, but not really in a bad way?

Unable to tell if this was a good, or bad thing. But at least I had done it. I had done my first bit of magic.

I felt tired though. Not physically, but mentally. The book had mentioned there would be a strain. I quickly put my book away. The magic circle inside was already starting to fade from its glowing array and I placed my ID card inside it. So I wouldn’t lose it.

I stretched and headed outside.

Time to find the boys and make ourselves useful.

—---

“So you can do magic!? Show me! Show me!”

“Sorry Sammy. I can’t really do anything yet.” I informed the boy who looked so eager to see actual magic. Seeing his face shift to a crestfallen frown and I knew a tantrum would come if it wasn’t headed off.

“Bu-”

“But that doesn’t mean I won’t show you. I promise Sammy, the first time I can do something magical you will be one of the first to know.” I told the young boy offering him a happy smile showing my confidence in that so that hopefully he wouldn’t start crying.

Finally the boy nodded a little and his tantrum face went away.

“So you did all that and can’t do anything?” Willis asked a little snarkily, but I shrugged. 

“I managed to feel my Wavelength today. And I registered my ID card to myself. Which the book says does make me an official mage. I just don’t know any spells or anything yet.”

He huffed, but it was Erik the eldest that did the unexpected and walked over and wrapped his arms around me before lifting me off my feet and spinning.

“A mage! Vicky is our mage!” He cheered and after a moment Sam, always quick to join in on games cheered along with him. As Erik continued to spin me around despite me yelling to put me down, eventually even Willis joined cheering me on as well.

Jerks! Making me blush like this! Rude!

Finally Erik grew tired and put me down which let me slap his arm a bit. “Dummy!”

“You shouldn’t use mean words Vicky!” Willis called out, making me spin on him. 

“Don’t use my own words against me!” I snapped, the older boys could be quite cruel to the younger boys as all teens often were, and Willis had started copying them calling Sammy dummy and slow and things, which he wasn't. He was just a year younger than Willis.

He just laughed at me though and I scoffed and couldn’t help but shift into a smile. 

“So, more Rock Crabs today?” I asked and all the boys' faces lit up at the thought. So we headed to our spot from yesterday, to see if any of the crabs had made landfall along the shore to forage in the tide pools that formed.

It was another good day for all of us splashing around and catching crabs.

—--

Time flowed by pretty fast when every day was busy. I would spend a bit of time every day going through the routine, feeling the wavelength of my magic near my heart and becoming a practiced hand at feeling it even without the Mana Crystal prompting the response.

Sure it took me a few months of daily practice, but I could now feel the vibration in my chest without being anywhere near a mana crystal.

Honestly I still couldn’t really do anything with it. I couldn’t shoot it out, or form it into a spell, because I just didn’t have any.

I had examined the magical circle that was in the book for ideas, but it was just… There. No explanations for how it worked, or how to make a new one was anywhere in my little book.

The book only taught me enough to feel my Wavelength and no further. Which was super irritating! I wanted spells! 

But there was a single side benefit to it that I was enjoying.

I had developed a sensitivity to magic.

“There’s something under this.” I called out to the boys. If I closed my eyes for a minute or two, I could get a sense of similar vibrations to my own. Well… I could as long as they were very close by.

To my surprise I didn’t get anything from any of the people I lived with. Which made me realize why mages called them flats.

They didn’t feel like they had a vibration to my magical sense, more like just a blank space.

But it meant that it was easier to notice when something magic was around because I had started feeling the faint buzzing on my skin.

The boys rushed over looking eager and we all gathered around.

We had started using my sense to hunt some of the minor monsters that lived everywhere around our compound. Rock Crabs. Sneaky Crawfish, which could go invisible in the water literally just disappear! Snakes, although most snake monsters were just much bigger than any normal snake of the species instead of having some crazy ability.

Monsters adapted to mana differently sometimes. We had found a Rock Crab that was easily three hundred pounds once. 

We had gone to go get some adults because he was a scary bastard. Tasted like victory though. The whole compound had a party after eating him up.

The breeding cycle of monsters was as weird as it was barely understood by even the adults.

Sometimes a Rock Crab would have a bunch of eggs and stuff, but it wasn’t like anyone had tried raising them to see if they would be rock crabs, or just normal crabs and even if they were rock crabs, maybe they were just altered by mana as well.

We were in a high mana zone thanks to the Neverglades after all.

St. Coleson City was a blue zone. The only blue zone in the region, meaning humanity had complete control over the mana in that area.

But The Neverglades was a black zone. Where humanity had zero control. Full of random monster evolutions, and powerful creatures.

Our life was peaceful in a way. But not safe.

Which was why we were very very careful as we started pushing some rocks out of the way along with pushing at the old rotted stump.

I wasn’t the first to react, it was Erik who leapt out of the way as we managed to open a hole wide enough. A big old head snapped out in a strike, and Erik yelped barely managing to dodge the maw that snapped closed just missing him.

“Whoa. That’s a big snake!” Erik whooted in happiness as he pulled out his knife.

All of us did the same. My own knife strapped to my hip was pulled free and I could feel the communal desire to kill something rising up in all of us.

I couldn’t help but think of us like a group of Goblins out for a hunt, monstrous little creatures filling out bellies with whatever we could find.

“Willis. Check the other side, see if we can’t find another entrance.” I called out, we needed that snake's tail to pull it out of the hole it was in. “Erik, keep it distracted. Sammy get a branch or something, Erik don’t get bit!” 

“Yeah yeah.” Erik called back as he waved his hands back and forth teasing the snake within the hole.

I leapt up onto the stump and kept myself ready. Knife raised in case something happened to Erik or Willis.

Sammy returned with a branch, toddling over and Erik grabbed it with a sinister grin before using it, and that caused a reaction. Erik pushed the branch into the hole and the snake was pissed.

It snapped out, and Erik got it to latch onto the branch, for just long enough that he was able to get both hands around its neck, and start pulling. Willis quickly ran over and grabbed the snake as well pulling on it as well, the two boys weren’t really strong enough to move the snake, but what it did was absolutely piss off the massive creature.

The stump I was on tilted, nearly tripping me as the snake's coils came ripping out of the ground to try and kill everyone messing with it.

“Hold on!” I called out, as Sammy and I split off, knives at the ready. We jumped atop it. Sammy jumped on near its head and tried to stab down. His knife practically bounced off the skull of the snake Erik and Willis both doing their best to fight the coils now that Sammy was on its head.

Sammy was grabbing behind its head keeping it from biting, but that wasn’t its only weapon. It started rolling, constricting. More and more length pulling out of the den to try and grab us.

I started sawing. Desperate to do something to keep it from crushing us to death, but I heard the shout and Erik and Willis pulled both Sammy and I free. Sammy had gotten a blow through its eye, straight into its skull. We fought free of its death throes with a lot of difficulty and gasped for air as the four of us stood away as it died.

“That’s a really really big snake.” I gasped for air. While it was hard to tell as it was curled in on itself a bunch, it had to be at least twenty feet long, probably more, and it was big, way thicker than it should be.

“Yep. Definitely a monster, too large to be normal. Think Pops will know what kind it is?” Erik asked and I shrugged. Uncle Charles was pretty knowledgeable. But if he didn’t then Papa or old man William would.

I looked over the boys, all of us gasping for air as the adrenaline faded and I instantly burst into laughter.

“Don’t start.” Erik snapped, as he already knew what I was laughing at.

Turns out snakes will piss and shit when they are attacked. Biological warfare.

Willis had a big streak of yellow greenish fluid down the side of his face.

“Pfft!” I only laughed louder and the other boys joined in, three of us fell into the grass and mud and laughed. While the fourth grumbled and headed over to the water to wash it off his face and shirt.

When he came stomping back we had mostly fought off the giggles and were instead at the poking dead things with a stick level.

Mostly to make sure it was actually dead. After confirming it Sam pulled his knife free ensuring that yes, the snake was very dead at this point, and we all looked over the massive corpse, that was literally larger than all of us combined.

“Okay… I think we are all going to need to help with this one, or call in some bigger backup.... Everyone try to grab a coil, let's see if we can get it moving..” Hopefully before the smell of blood attracted anything more dangerous.

The boys hurried to do so without complaint, With a bit of dragging, and some breaks we were able to make our way on our own. The snake was heavy, dead weight as it were. Yet as it hung between us it would still twitch as well. Which nearly pulled us off our feet at times. But with the four of us, we managed to keep it mostly out of the mud as we dragged it as best we could towards home.

Only something was itching at me as we kept moving like I was forgetting something.

Oh well! To Victory!