by Des Pensable
‘Aunt Tina, if Rob’s father was a shape changer how do you know he was really a newman like us?’
Rob’s mother was silent for a short period as if deciding whether to answer this question. No one else had dared ask her any questions at all about her relationship with Rob’s father, and she could see them growing tense.
‘No, he was truly a newman, Melanie. He only decided to tell me about his ability after I became pregnant. He was very sensitive about it, and afraid that I would be scared and stop loving him.’
‘How did you feel?’ asked Melanie.
‘At first I felt betrayed. Then after I thought about it more clearly, I realised that I was like him. I had been living with the secret that I was a mind wizard all my life. If he hadn’t been already a mind wizard, I would have been afraid to tell him. After that I found that I could accept it, and I was excited about our child. You’ve known Rob all your life. What do you think?’
‘I think your decision must have taken great courage, Aunt Tina, and, knowing Rob, I do think it was the right one! You must miss Rob’s dad a lot?’
‘Thank you, Melanie. Yes I do miss him!’ replied Tina, and everyone else relaxed a little.
‘Have you any books on shape changers Granddad? I think I’d like to learn more about them.’
‘As a matter of fact I’ve got quite a collection in my room. You’re welcome to all of them Rob.' He rose from his chair. 'Come with me and I’ll get them for you now.’
‘I’ll come too Granddad, I want to find out more about them as well,’ said Melanie, following them from the room.
After they had left Grandma said, ‘Why didn’t you tell him the real story Tina?’
‘I couldn’t mother. Even now it’s just too strange. He wouldn’t understand at the moment. He’ll find out eventually, and I hope he’ll forgive me for the lies I’ve told him.’
Chapter 3 Facit Dodecoid
Rob and Melanie spent several days reading all the available books about the shape changers and discussing them at length. Most of the works related anecdotes about fights between newmans and the evil, diseased and bestial types of shape changer, but to their surprise there were other types that were neither evil nor diseased. The most common were the druids, who stated that they were priests or priestesses of the Goddess of Nature. They recalled that Rob’s mother had said that his father was a part of a druid delegation, but she never actually said he was a druid.
They discovered that the Unity of Wisdom didn’t recognise the druid beliefs as a true religion, or the druids as priests; instead they were considered a bestial cult and termed dangerous nature fanatics. This was probably due to the fact that their beliefs were not restricted to one type of sentient creature as with most of the faiths in Panmagica, but were available to sentient creatures of all types, even the Yith.
An alternative possibility was that the druids claimed that the Goddess of Nature gave them the ability to shape change to animal forms so they could mix, relate, communicate with and care for the animals they protected. The religious fundamentalists of Unity of Wisdom didn’t believe they could communicate with animals, but held the view that they had been given the ability so they could revel in bestial acts.
‘You won’t do any bestial acts when you can shape change will you?’ asked Melanie.
Rob wasn’t quite sure whether she was serious or jesting.
‘Of course not! I don’t even get a chance to revel in any newman acts,’ he replied, but the question did suggest a serious problem to being a shape changer that he hadn’t previously considered. Many people might well have dirty minds.
At that moment his left arm lost its rigidity. He found that every few hours some part of his body became unstable, losing its shape and becoming pliable like putty; at the same time, the anger rose. Rob discovered that he could restore himself to normal with relative speed by blocking the anger and using positive thoughts; but he couldn’t cause it to change just now, no matter how much he tried.
There must be a secret means to effect the change. He needed the help of a genuine shape shifter, but such beings would obviously be reluctant to come here owing to the danger of being captured and killed by the Unity of Wisdom.
He had just come to the conclusion that he might have to travel to another world when one of the people that Granddad had sent for arrived. Rob and Melanie were called to the general entertaining area.
They hurried, excitedly speculating on whether or not the visitor would be in newman form. When they arrived they were not disappointed. Standing chatting to Granddad was a grey metal cube about an arm span wide, high and deep with two thin metal legs and two skeletal metal arms attached to its body.
The creature had two large eyes a hand width wide and a horizontal flattened oval slit, two hand spans across, slightly curved upward for a mouth that appeared to be smiling. The overall impression was that it was nothing more than a harmless walking box. Both Rob and Melanie recognised it immediately as a Logicon, since there were quite a number of these creatures around the city. But was it some other person or creature imitating a Logicon? That was the question.
‘Facit Dodecoid, I’d like you to meet my two grandchildren, Rob and Melanie,’ said Granddad with a smile.
The Logicon gave a stiff bow and said in a very cultured newman voice, ‘I’m very pleased to meet you both. My good friend, your grandfather, has explained that you have a problem, Rob. I’m honoured to be able to help in any small way that I can.’
‘You’re not a Logicon are you?’ said Rob. ‘I’ve talked to others before. You certainly look like one but you don’t talk anything like one.’
‘That is a poor use of logic and an unsound deduction. You’re sure of what I am before you even know me. You have a lot to learn, young man. Your grandfather assures me that you are the best wizard artificer in Panmagica. That is excellent, as you can make me an item that will be my fee for helping you, and I always expect to get paid in advance. So it’s up to you. When do you wish to start on it?’
Rob stood there at a loss for words. This is not quite what he had expected. Granddad chuckled and said ‘I’ll leave you three together to get acquainted. I’ve some other business to attend to,’ and then, after sending a short mindspeak message to Rob wishing him good luck, he left. Melanie also found an excuse to go, leaving Rob and Facit alone.
‘Err ... well let’s get on with it,’ said Rob. ‘What do you want me to make?’
‘A sensitive item where you may need some artistic corruption,’ replied Facit.
These words triggered a strange response in Rob. His facial expression became cold and detached and his eyes turned black momentarily before returning to their usual brown colour.
‘If you will follow me to the workshop, we’ll discuss the specifications.’
They proceeded to the workshop and Facit, being a Logicon and therefore well known for giving great attention to detail, took in the room as if listing an inventory. The room was five paces long, seven wide and four high. Eight glowing balls of white light hung from the ceiling on slender wires, illuminating the room. The floor was of polished dark hardwood planks, and the walls covered in small grey ceramic tiles.
At one end were three different types of furnace and along one wall and at the centre of the room were long wooden benches topped with metal sheets and crammed with various items of equipment and components under repair. There were several small glass-sided cabinets containing an assortment of crystals and glass bottles filled with coloured powders and liquids.
Along the other wall were bins and racks containing pieces of wood, metal, bone, and other exotic materials of all shapes and sizes. At the far end of the room near the furnaces was a table and chairs, the surface covered in parchment, scrolls, writing and drawing instruments. The room had the strong aroma associated with magical ingredients and the acrid smell of magic essence. Near the table was a metal door with no visible handle.
‘Welcome to my world,’ said Rob.
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‘The retail shop down town is mainly devoted to sales and small repair jobs. Most of the serious work is done here. I’ve spent half of my life in this room.’
‘I would have thought that you had several tradesmen and apprentices working just to keep up your stock,’ said Facit.
‘No, most of our stock in the shop is mundane, imported and taxed heavily by the state. Here we build unusual items for special customers who are interested in the quality not the price.’
‘Very good,’ said Facit. ‘I suspect that they’re also interested in anonymity as I am. Perhaps we could be a little less formal. I’ve thought of your grandfather as a friend for quite some time. I’d like to think you are a friend as well. Please just call me Facit. How secure is this workshop?’
Rob whispered an arcane word and the door closed, a thin fog appearing in the room. He checked his security system to ensure that no one was hiding in the room, and then said:
‘The workshop is now heavily warded against all magical intrusion, and is now as secure from eavesdropping as any within the city. However we have an extra security system for occasions when the utmost discretion is required. I have been trained to erase information from my memory. It’s safer for both of us. I can forget that we ever did this job if you wish. However, you will also forget that I was involved.’
Facit chuckled a little. ‘Very well then, I’ll forget.’
‘Let me make this quite clear,’ said Rob. ‘You will not remember that I made whatever you are interested in me making, because your memory will be wiped.’
‘By the Powers, your grandfather didn’t say anything about that!’
‘My grandfather’s not making this item for you,’ said Rob. ‘I am. If you don’t like the terms then there will be no deal!’
The Logicon chuckled, and said ‘I knew that I liked you from the first moment I saw you. Let’s proceed. It seems that we both need each other’s knowledge and expertise.’
‘Good,’ said Rob ‘My grandfather gave you a job number. What was it?’
‘It is 337.’
‘Excellent. Now you do understand the prime reason you are here is to teach me how to control this new shape change ability that I have inherited. In turn, I will make this item of yours as payment.’
‘Agreed,’ said Facit.
‘Good. From now until the conclusion of the contract you may talk feely, but after both contracts are fulfilled neither of us will remember what transpired.’
Rob sent a mindspeak message to Alpha.
‘Unlock my discreet job memory please Alpha,’ and closing his eyes he silently chanted a mantra to induce in himself a state of autohypnosis. Alpha complied, unlocking hidden memories within Rob, and when he reopened his eyes a different, darker Rob looked out, one that knew many secrets.
‘Now tell me, what do you want me to make?’ asked Rob.
‘A new body shell,’ said Facit.
‘Good. This should be interesting.’ replied Rob. “Tell me about your current body shell and what you need in the new one.’
Rob and Facit spent ten days in the workshop, stopping only to eat and sleep or when some part of Rob’s body impeded the work. Several times his hands were unusable, and once his eyes disappeared, leaving him blind.
He had a tail twice; once like a horse which he managed to step on and nearly trip over, and another more like that of a dog which wagged as he walked around, and got in the way when he sat down. Each time, the anger appeared with the change in his body, and when he blocked it, it subsided.
He learnt many secrets about the Logicons. First and foremost, they were intelligent slime moulds that used their external metal body shells as a mobile home, much like a snail. The polyhedral shape of the body shell was a mark of status within their society.
Rob had only ever seen cubic Logicons. These were the worker class gatherers that walked on skeletal metal legs. The higher status professionals had eight or ten sided body shells and the older ones with even greater status, twelve and fourteen-sided body shells that used magical levitation and flight to get around, rather than metal legs. Their supreme leader had a twenty-sided polyhedral shell.
Facit was actually a wizard Logicon whose status rated a twelve-sided body shell, but he had been hiding in a worker’s cubic shell as a disguise. He had Rob build him a new twelve-sided shell with all the latest innovations so that he could attend a meeting on his home world with suitable dignity. When the job was done, Facit vacated his old body shell for his new home, and thanked Rob, profusely praising his workmanship, agreeing that it was now his turn to fulfil his side of the contract.
‘Firstly, I am not a true shape changer as you seem to be. I employ polymorphic magic to shape change. I am an ambassador and agent for a particular faction of the Logicon government. I use this magic to change my shape when outside my body shell; otherwise I would be very restricted in how I could get around.
‘The magic allows a wizard to temporarily mimic the look of another creature. It is often used by wizards to allow them to adopt a body shape that improves their ability to fight, move or spy. While they resemble the new body shape, they still think as if in their own bodies.
‘Hence, a newman wizard fighting as a bear might use his arms to claw an opponent but forget to use his teeth, as wizards don’t usually bite in a fight. A newman wizard wishing to fly as an eagle might be scared of heights and afraid to leave the ground. Few wizards use polymorphic magic to spy, as they are poor actors and they don’t pay attention to details.
‘A true shape changer is an actor and the world is his stage, and like an actor he must practice to perfect a character and make it believable. Unlike an actor, if a shape changer performs poorly it can be fatal. The art of the shape changer is deception. When you can perfectly fool members of the species that you are imitating, then you have perfected that shape. Consequently, it is wise to develop one shape at a time.
‘Polymorphic magic only changes you to look like an average member of the species. To seem more real, you must consciously make small changes so that you appear uniquely different from the average, but in a manner expected by those whom you wish to deceive. The magic does not change the way you think or behave or give you any special knowledge of their habits.
‘I have developed many body forms over the years, several of which are newman. Each one took a considerable time and effort to perfect. Each one has specific details that remain the same each time I use them, such as hair colour and style, minor adjustments to the face or body, clothes they wear, postures, the way they walk and talk, and personalities and demeanour. It is very important to behave according to your social group and status, or you will draw unwanted attention to yourself. You must blend in with the crowd.’
‘If you are considering mimicking another creature for any length of time, you should also gain local knowledge as to territories, social groups, clans, tribes, gangs, friendships and the like in the area that you are in, as these may be relevant in maintaining your deception.
‘We are going to change places. You will become the Logicon and I the newman. Our job will be to fool your family members. My job will be somewhat harder, as your family know your mannerisms, but I have been studying them over the past ten days and will see if I can duplicate them. You will help me by acting and talking like one of my species, which means you will have to try and think like me.
‘I believe that you can create mindlinks like your grandfather. If you could link us together then we will have continual communication.’
Rob agreed that this was a good idea and created a mindlink between himself and Facit. When Rob did this, if he closed his eyes he could see a spirit aura, which looked a little like a candle flame that represented Facit in his mind. The shape, colouration, intensity and fine structure of the spirit aura gave an indication as to the species, temperament, magical ability and even identity of the individual.
Facit appeared as moderately magically powerful, with a strange looking spirit
aura that Rob memorised for his collection. This gave him an image that was as accurate as a fingerprint of Facit.
‘Good, let’s start,’ said Facit through their mindlink. ‘What we going to do first is study shapes; simple ones at first and then later, more complex ones. You will need to have a clear metal image of what you wish to change into, including the detail. To help you along I brought with me a supply of modelling clay and a set of shapes ranging from the simple, such as a ball and cube, to the more complex. You will reproduce them using the modelling clay and in so doing, practice getting a mental image of them. We can also use items found in your workshop for both shape and texture.’
Finally, Facit felt Rob was ready for the next stage in his training.
‘There are two ways to shape shift and we’ll try both. One will teach you about appearances, and the other will hopefully give you an insight into behaviour. The first is to use the polymorphic shape change magic. Curiously, it is outlawed here in Panmagica but still used widely, I suspect.
‘The other way is to use a magic ritual allowing us to swap the spirits between your body and another. This is outlawed almost everywhere, as the religious groups oppose it. However, it allows you to truly feel the body of another creature, thinking as it thinks and feeling as it truly feels. I’m hopeful that by trying both ways you will get the feeling of how to initiate a shape change. It will then be up to you to mentally control when to change.’
Rob couldn’t fault the logic, and so agreed to the experiments. They first used the polymorph shape change method. Facit came out of his new home and Rob used the magic from a scroll, concentrating on imitating Facit’s form, which wasn’t too hard. He looked like a two pace wide pink puddle of goo, or a super large egg out of its shell. As the magic took hold for a brief moment, Rob noticed that his mind became flooded with a mental template of a Logicon; a perfect metal image was created which faded as he transformed into goo.
He pondered on this for a few moments. There must be a template for the shape of creatures. The shape change magic somehow copied it and applied it to him. He decided he would have to think about that in detail sometime, but for now he had more practical problems.
