Sapling Amongst the Cloud: Chapter 1

Tutorial 1

Grass, dirt, rocks, some seeds and a single sapling was all a had. It wasn't much, but for my purpose, it was more than good enough. Adjusting inside the hollow of my growing Sapling, I breathed in deep, feeling the air thrumming with magic.

It wasn't merely inside me, nor the rocks as the force held it aloft the sky, but everywhere. From Papi and her flock as they brought him various fruits and insects, to the very air itself. Drawing it in, I felt it fill the light I called myself.

It has only been a few days since I got here, but I've learned much in that time. From how this energy fueled me, and how I crave it. Almost as soon as I stopped drawing in this energy, I could feel the fire dimming inside me. I wasn't sure what would happen if it died, but I wasn't going to find out. So I kept drinking, letting my being absorb this energy.

"So, when is Ark making food?" Papi asked, derailing my train of thought. Turning my attention on her, I felt for one of the branches. Pumping magic through the branches, I moved. It was slow, mechanical and choppy movement, but I finally got a branch to pat my adorable minion.

"Patience Papi," I told her, petting her as she crowed happily at my attention. "I'm just experimenting a bit," I excused myself as I returned the branches back to its proper alignment, catching the wind better as I guided the island through the air.
"But Papi is hungry!" the blue crow whined, making me chuckle. Her appetite was only matched by her curiosity.

"You wouldn't want me to ruin the food, right?" I asked. I've experimented a fair few times, expanding the energy that I've accumulated. Turns out, pumping magic through stuff makes weird, but replicable things, happen. Amongst such phenomena was empowering a living creature and taking control.

While I wasn't willing to do so with Papi and the crows, plants were fair game. Already, the weeds and grass grew taller, spreading seeds in the air, while my tiny sapling grew to a magnificent and sturdy ok. Hearing a daisy pop and burst into ethereal flame, I had to remind myself not to push too much.

Still, my crow's patience was running short. Turning to the pile which the crows had accumulated, I nodded, "Ok, enough teasing. Time to make food!" I had more than enough spares. "Now Papi, before we start, I want you guys to eat the tomatoes, but leave the seeds," I instructed, making the crow perk up, "We're going to bury it afterwards."

While I could have started with another fruit, tomatoes seem like the safer option. Its short life cycle should mean it was easier for it to accept magic, right? There was only one way to find out.

Perking up, the crows cheered. "Yay!" They dug with gusto into the fruit, tearing at the juicy innards as they spilled its many seeds in the ground. Some would be eaten, but they'll come out the other end eventually.

Having finished their meal, Papi took charge as they started to claw on the ground before pushing the seeds deep in the soil. "Like this?" They asked, confusion clear in their eyes, but they obediently followed his commands.

"Good," I praised them before I started pulling on the current, pushing it along the ground and into the seeds. Like all things, they were quickly bound to me through this magic and with this connection, I forced them to grow. "Now let's see if I can do this," I whispered as I filled their
being, soaking them with power.

It started off slow, the ground merely glowing green, until the roots and stalk sprang out. Like a plant on timelapse, the plant grew, spreading its roots while its stalk reached for the sky. Fueled by magic, its leaves grew verdant, sporting flowers, bearing fruit, until I stopped, leaving me with a plant laden with tomatoes.

"There we go!" I laughed, celebrating my accomplishment. The tips of the leaves had darkened, burning, but the plant survived. I can fine tune my magic to make things grow, and a whole new chapter lay before me. "Heh, definitely testing this out on insects," I told myself. Darn things were too small to make a "contract" with as an insect popping like popcorn would remind me.

"Amazing!" Papi and the rest cheered as they approached the tomatoes, their eyes glinting with hunger. "Ark is like the two legs, but better!" Papi shouted, reaching out to grab one of the juicy fruit, before pausing as they turned back to me. "Can Papi eat now?" She asked politely.

"Knock yourself out," I said, rewarding the crows for their effort. So long as they run errands for me, I'll keep on feeding them. "Just leave some so we can grow more, ok?" I reminded them, wanting to replicate it. Given the faster harvest time… maybe I could start breeding them. I just need to fine tune the fertilization.
Letting out a happy crow, Papi and the rest dug in. "Delicious!" She moaned out happily white she gorged on the juicy fruit. They do look tasty, having a luster that almost made them shine. One could say they were glowing… given that it was just magic, maybe it wouldn't be that bad? Papi and the rest of the crows are native here.

As I observed them, my thoughts wandered off. "Two legs, huh?" I mused. "Say Papi, where did you say you found these?" I asked, curious about who my feathery minions encountered. I had a hunch, but I needed to make sure.

"Near the nest of the two legs," They replied, looking up while their beak dripped of juices, before asking, "Why?"

"They don't happen to just stand there on the field, acting all menacing, do they?" I prodded, dread filling my form.

"They do!" Papi nodded, eyes lighting up as she temporarily forgot her meal. "Has Ark seen them before?" She asked excitedly before they frowned, letting out a hungry puff as they hopped around. "They're nasty! Shooing us away, throwing fire and waving scary shiny sticks around from food that we found, fair and square!"

Staring at my feathery minion for a brief moment, I pointed out, "They might have grown those crops like what we're doing right now." It seemed that there were people in this magic land and my friends just stole from them.

The crow opened their beak before closing them with a clack. Giving it some thought, the crow answered unrepentantly, "Then it is food we stole fair and square." They were followed by nods of agreement from the rest of the flock.

"Fair enough," I said as I shook my non-existent head. Well, beggars can't be choosers. It's not like they stripped the farm of fruit. Crows were just a natural part of farming. Still, those fires sound concerning. I wasn't sure if it was magical fire or fire arms and I'm not sure which I liked better. "Just don't get caught. I don't want you getting hurt, ok?" I warned them.

Thankfully, Papi wouldn't question it as she nodded, "Ok!" It would be a shame to lose such a smart crow like her.

Thinking about the denizens of this world, I frowned. Meeting them would be inevitable. Despite my perch up high in the sky, that wouldn't be much of a deterrent for any determined creature. If rocks can fly, they would figure out how to abuse it and fly on their own. Perhaps it was time to make a proper dungeon of my own.

"Hmm, you know Papi, doesn't our island seem a bit small?" I mused out loud as I surveyed the island. Now that my tree was growing, it was feeling cramped. Even some of the roots were starting to hang and water was starting to grow scarce funnily enough. Clouds could only give me so much moisture. There was also the matter of how the island dipped, but that was something to worry about for another time.

"Ark is perfect the way he is," Papi replied playfully, making me laugh.

"That's not I meant you silly bird, but thanks anyways," I chuckled, before turning my attention to my small garden. Already, the tomato plants were bare and the other crows were looking for more. "What I meant was that we could make more space for food," I explained. Feeding them was harder than I first anticipated and I haven't even touched the matter of sheltering them from danger.

Papi paused as she stared up my shiny surface in wonder. "... We can make even more food?" She asked, all but drooling at the prospect. Truly, nothing motivated her more than the promise of food. How could I fault her when food is amazing!

"I just need to make our islands bigger," I told her as I turned my gaze to the various rocks around us, their form thumbling and floating aimlessly with my island, "And I think I know how."

-x-x-x-

"Brace for impact!" I shouted as my cows scattered. Pouring magic through the rocks that made the bedrock of my island, my island slammed hard into a smaller one. Reinforcing the roots, I held on tight, as I sent tendrils of magic to the newly acquired mass.

I could feel my fire flagging, but it was well worth it. Extending roots, I asked one of my crows, "Periwinkle, report!" While I could feel it sinking into my island, I couldn't see it. I needed my minions to see what's happening in places where I couldn't see.

"Success! Roots have taken hold!" The purple colored crow shouted as the rest of the crows cawed in agreement. "Peri is concerned however. Crashing small islands is scary!" They told them, shaking their heads as they flew back to their perch on the tree.

"Don't worry, we're just getting enough mass so we don't crack like an egg when we get the big one!" I told them, but it didn't inspire much confidence.

"Peri did not join the flock for this!" The crow complained before they were bodied by the much bigger Papi.

"Trust Ark!" My main girl scolded them, showing them why she's the boss of the bunch, "Ark knows what they're doing!" She shouted, puffing their chest as they turned back to him.

"If only I had as much faith in myself as you do, Papi," I chuckled. Admittedly, my method of gaining mass was crude. Slamming my island was a bit risky, as it could shatter the very stone that held us aloft, but my roots bound them all tightly.

"Did Ark say something?" Papi asked.

"Nothing," I replied. I wasn't really sure what I was doing, but it was better than nothing. I needed more rocks, I needed more soil. Already, the rock was starting to rise back up amongst the lighter islands. Wood could provide structure to my island, but it wasn't going to help me float… not yet at least. For now, taking islands is my only route.

"Now, help me find that last island, the big one," I told her. There was still one island around here, that very same island I saw on my first day. It was much bigger than my own… but the fact that it flew above my own meant that it had a lot of the stones that helped my island float. I needed it if I wanted to make a good and solid base for my dungeon.

"Papi will do her best!" The crow saluted before she flew off. With her as my eyes, I guided my island. To move about, I had to direct the flow of my magic and it served to direct my island. Where the magic flowed, my rocks floated towards.

"To your wing!" The crow shouted. Turning my attention to the sides, I quickly found my quarry. The island was just below, sporting more trees than my own. While My island had grown in size, the other island had a small grove. I needed those plants.

"Here goes nothing!" I said out loud, bracing myself as I dipped down the clouds. I felt my core lurch as I sped up, the island growing larger until a terrible crash echoed out as my island slammed into the side, sending the native birds scattering from their perch.

While I'd like to apologize for disturbing their sleep, I still had a problem on my hands. I could feel wood creaking, roots breaking, as my island sank to the side of the bigger island, but I held on. "Oh no you don't!" Gritting my teeth, I forced magic down my roots and my island started to slide off but I refused to let go.

Wood burnt and rocks crumbled, yet I held on, wrapping my roots to the island until I found myself tethered.It was shaky, the connection temporary, but I had a foothold on the island. It was now part of mine. "I… am never doing that again," I laughed nervously. That was scarier than I wanted to admit.

"We did it! We did it!" Papi cheered as they hopped around happily, "Island is the biggest island there is!" She shouted. Indeed, with my recent spree of island gobling, my island was now the only island. Now, it was time to consolidate my prize.

Letting my magic run through the island, I felt a sudden rush of energy. It hit me almost immediately, sending a rush through my body. With all the mass I now had access too, I had access to more current. "Power! Unlimited Power!" I laughed as I dug into these currents, feeding it, until a wave of vertigo slammed into my senses.

"Woah there, getting a bit woozy. Feel like taffy…" I slurred, my vision blurring. It felt like I was being stretched thin, spreading until I felt almost hollow. Was there a thing as too much magic? I think I might have chewed more than I could take.

"Hey Papi, Imma just take a nap," I yawned as darkness lulled me in, inviting me to sleep. "Watch over me, k?" I asked as the last thing I saw were a storm of feathers and the deep caws of Ravens filling my dreams.

A/N:

Still a bit stumped on how I'd approach Uchiha so did something else to clear my mind. Hopefully, you guys like this momentary distraction.