BornAndTorn 73 Expansion 2

The first move was to punch the spot once again in order to start the whole process. I threw several punches just to make sure that the rock was fine enough to actually fit into the coins. Grabbing a handful of the blood, I distributed it equally among those coins. There was no need to pay that much attention to them now because the critical limit is still very far away.

I repeated this kind of process several times until each coin had been covered by 2 hands full of blood. There was still one big question, that made this kind of demonstration so dangerous. Did the coin explode, because it tried to compress a liquid to its limit or did it explode because of the small debris that filled the coin?

As long as this question is not answered, I will have to treat those coins very carefully. From this point on I will only put a handful of blood on one coin and observe. I am uncertain, what actually will resp.a.w.n and what not. The surface might reform, but everything beneath it will be left empty, Or the surface does not reform but everything beneath it has.

There was no visible change on those coins even after I had inserted the next wave of blood. I decided to wait and see what is going to happen, once the initial time period of 5 minutes is up.

The time limit expired sooner than I thought and I could see the terrain reform visible to the naked eye. Which was contrary to my expectation, as such a scenario was dismantling the foundation, that this experiment is based on. Why has the area affected by the first explosion not returned to its previous state but this one does?

As of now those I had made the a.s.sumption, that the explosion was caught by the coin suppressing the resources and wounding up exploding once they surpa.s.sed the limit of their capacity. This hypothesis is based on the circ.u.mstances surrounding the first explosion.

The stones were seemingly launched with a high velocity following the explosion. The rock and ground used for this experiment did not return to their previous state and remained in their alternated shape.

As of now, it looks like my first theory was correct and that these coins indeed turn everything into energy. But if that is true, then what happened to the rocks? Even if it had been broken down on a molecular level by the explosion, normally it is supposed to revert to its original appearance.

There are not many likely explanations for this kind of procedure as I can exclude many theories from the observation I had just made. Drawing the material from the surroundings to even the concentration of mana particles does not seem that likely to me as there was no apparent change in the surroundings of the affected area.

A duplicating effect of the coin is also not that likely, as there have been no indications of such an effect happening and the hole left by the previous explosion disproves this theory even more.

Just to make sure that my eyes had not deceived me I punched the surface once again and the result did not change. The ground had been fully regenerated and there was no piece of soil or anything relevant missing.

Had I made a mistake? Was no blood and therefore no rocks actually absorbed by the coins? It would explain why the ground had reformed in the way it did. But what happened to my blood in that case? I seriously doubt the simple disappearance of my blood considering it is not part of the data set and therefore should not be influenced by it directly.

The only option left that would still explain all these circ.u.mstances would be the very unlucky event. that the blood had been absorbed by the coins but did not take any rocks with it while doing so. Of course, there are still other options, but I will demise those from the start. Why would those coins not share the same attributes as the first one I tested and why should those coins suddenly be defective?

This time I decided to observe the experiment up close to make sure. Whether I was up close or in the safe distance, the actual process was a bit uneventful. It felt a bit like watching paint dry or reading a book about the mating cycle of snails. The last one was that thrilling, I can attest to that. But this ordeal was worthwhile as I now know, that under optimal conditions the act of mating can occur once per month.

I used a limited amount of blood to see what would happen and to minimize the odds of the explosion starts, while I am still close to it. The blood hit the rocks and started pa.s.sing through the layer of pulverized rocks onwards to the coin.

There were no signs of abnormality as I could see the blood being absorbed by the coin, I could even spectate that some small pieces of the rock were absorbed by the coins as well as they were carried by the blood.

Either my understanding of this process was still limited and I fail to comprehend even the basics of this possible interaction or the Observer meddled in this matter and changed it. If Its the second option, then I stand no chance to actually change it, after all, I have not the authority in this matter.

It is quite annoying to never be sure, what exactly may be the case, as every cause and effect is evaluated by one source alone. That is until I can recognize how it does evaluate. What were to happen if I knew how it operates, wouldn't it be easy to guide it towards a path of my choosing?

This is just useless dreaming, I am not going to solve it in a matter of seconds by just thinking about it. What I do need is a variety of experiences to know, when and how it decided. The lacking knowledge regarding mana particles and the general process this world supposedly operates is also not helpful. Though it should be quite similar because those players are supposed to train in this environment. It would not serve as a training ground otherwise.

Despite not having any explanation for the change, it did not hinder my progress as I still could fill the coins with new blood steadily. As time pa.s.sed, I noticed a general trend, those coins were absolutely refusing to explode. Looking at the now empty pool of blood I started to wonder how much more was actually needed.

It was not a question of endurance or patience, it was just the lack of knowledge what were to happen if the can absorb much more. What extent will this explosion reach if the amount of blood and stones doubles in comparison to the first? What happens if its triples, quadruples? Will there be any mountain left after this explosion?

But in the name of every mad scientist I have to see this one through. After the pool had been filled with blood yet again I started the next round. I wanted to keep my distance as much as possible because of the increasing danger. The ant queen had been observing me all this time without any worry, but upon noticing my general tension she decided to sit on my shoulder and spectate from safety.

But I watched in sheer disbelief as the previous full puddle of blood was emptied yet again. I did not want to believe my eyes as I started into the hole. The course of action for any sane people would be to get away as far away as possible, but there was a deep feeling of defiance inside of me.

After filling the pool full of blood for the third time I started to take more precautions as I now moved right to the exit after each drop of blood had been placed. The feeling of doubt never left me, it always felt like I never truly could be out of harm's way. Who could blame me for that?

It is not like such an explosion is an everyday occurrence or can be found lying right beside the roadside.

Yet I watched in sheer terror as the third pool of blood was vanis.h.i.+ng ever so slowly. These coins have turned from a small grenade to a ticking time bomb. That had been the third pool full of blood and it still feels like those coins are unsatiable. a bottomless pit that swallows everything.

I would not back down despite my mind screaming at me to stop this nonsense. It was not about the demonstration anymore, it has become a showdown between those coins and me. I can feel the coins taunting me, I will not succ.u.mb to them.

The border between ego and sanity has disappeared a long time ago. But I could not care less about that because this had turned into a matter of principle. The pride of man was on the line and I would not bow down in shame in front of such a stupid coin.

Full of vigour I filled the pool of blood a fourth time.

With less vigour the fifth time.

With next to no vigour the sixth time.

With a slight feeling of numbness the seventh time.

With a strong feeling of numbness the eighth time.

With even stronger anger the ninth time.

And with a fury that lets the Heavens weep the tenth time.

Even after that rollercoaster of emotions, nothing happened. Those coins had absorbed way much more than the first coin and yet was an explosion nowhere to be seen. I had no doubts left, that the Observer must be the perpetrator behind this mess.

I am done playing nice and letting it study my emotional responses. You want to test me and my limits you got it. I put my left hand of fire to signal that I need a.s.sistance.

" How can I be of a.s.sistance? You better make it worthwhile."

Tell the ant queen on my shoulder to bring me water, lots and lots of it.

" Why would you need water? I do not understand your motivation."

You do not have to understand, you just have to deliver the news to her. Whatever compensation she demands, I will give it to her. Go ahead I will be waiting.

I did not bother waiting for the response of the queen, as she disappeared in my body again. I had to prepare for my upcoming plan. I Ignored the coins I had inserted into the ground and walked straight to the pile of coins. Grabbing a handful I walked right to the exit and began climb downwards with those coin in hand.

I climbed around the mountain and placed a coin deep inside of the rock after I had created a hole with my nails and enough force. I repeated this kind of process several times until I got rid of the coins in my hand.

After I returned to the entrance on close to the top of the mountain, I grabbed some coins out of the gigantic pile once more and continued the process I had just previously started.

I went lower and lower inserting more and more coins into the mountain until finally the gigantic pile of coins was no more. I had lost count of how many coins I used or where I had placed them. These things did not matter for my plan. All I need for it is a gigantic amount of water.

I had not paid any attention to what the queen had been doing, while I had been busy. But upon looking at my shoulder, I saw her standing there looking at what I was doing with great interest. As made eye contact, she nodded in my direction signalling that the process of gathering the necessary amount of water.

So Mr Observer at first I wanted to still leave a good impression and showcase what can be done with those coins on a close scale. But you just had to interfere, when it was not necessary, therefore this is the price you have to pay. Because the one misconception I had was that It was not an explosion, it was expansion. Therefore I am quite interested to see what will happen if I make it an explosion.

Let me raze this mountain to the ground.