by Ian Rodgers
“Who’s a good boy,” she mumbled to herself, petting me gently.
Still, I didn’t say anything. She was half-asleep, practically sleep walking!
Carefully, I pried myself out of her clutches and led her by the hand back to her bed. She followed me, saying silly things. About Kine and how things were going with her studies. About her friends. About how she missed me.
I listened to everything she rambled about, yet continued to remain silent. We reached the bed soon enough, and I sensed the last remnants of her sleep-addled consciousness drift off.
As she toppled onto the bed I carefully tucked her back in, pushing her back onto the mattress and pulling the sheets snugly up around her. Once I was done, I gazed down at her sleeping face, and felt a tiny bit of silliness. I reached out and patted her on the head before making my way back to the desk.
I didn’t have the energy left in me to continue working. The tender moment I’d shared with Liliana had drained what little motivation I’d had left, and I climbed sluggishly back into my glass home. I settled down and shunted my mind back into my original body.
Finally, I let the God of Dreams overwhelm me, and I was out like a light.
.
I was woken by a muffled thump. Well, muffled was probably the wrong word for it. ‘Loud, heavy thump followed by swearing that would make a sailor nod in approval’ was a more fitting description.
Yawning, I rose from the nest I’d made from my sleeping bag and some cheap, straw stuffed pillows and looked around. I was in Haven’s town hall. More specifically I was in the room they’d offered. It was completely bare and little more than a closet with a tiny, slit-shaped window. I didn’t mind, I could adjust my own size to sleep practically anywhere. I once shrunk myself down so much I was able to take a nap in a drawer one time!
I cast a quick Time Keeper cantrip, and was amazed that it was already ten in the morning. I’d really slept in!
At my side Rosa was already up, and was running through a few sword drills using a thin, personally made rapier perfectly sized for her. To some, this might be odd, compared to her playful, carefree nature. But there was steel in Rosa’s spine. Ever since the incident with the Urdrai, her hobby of fencing with toy blades and sewing needles became much more than a way to goof off.
Every day, in complete contrast to her normal self, Rosa practiced with her rapier. After she was done she immediately turned back to her cheerful self. But I knew she remembered how helpless she had felt when faced with the overwhelming might of the Beast of Vengeance. And like me, she had refused to be weak ever since.
I left Rosa to her work out and got up, and headed to the door, but not before morphing into my bipedal form again. Opening it, I saw a group of Soul Oozes struggling to carry a pair of wooden bed frames up the stairs. No doubt these were the beds Sistia had promised us yesterday. One of the frames had fallen out of their hands and was the reason for the colorful oaths of vengeance against the tree that had spawned the cursed bed.
With a slight chuckle I went over. “Need some help?” As I got closer I realized that when the bed had been dropped, a portion of it had collapsed and stabbed through one of the Soul Oozes carrying it. Hence the swears.
“No, no, it’s quite alright, sir,” the Soul Ooze at the head of the group said hurriedly. The others looked to the side, embarrassed, while the foul-mouthed one continued to grumble as he stared at the wooden post that had fallen and pieced the lower half of his body.
“Are you sure?” I asked, seeing part of the bed impaled in the humanoid Ooze.
“It doesn’t really hurt,” he said, looking up at me. I simply goggled at him.
Sensing my incredulousness, the Soul Ooze currently hurt shrugged. “It’s true. Physical damage doesn’t really hurt. Magical stuff, or heat and cold? That hurts.”
“If you say so,” I said, putting the matter behind me. “Still, let me help. It’s the least I can do.” I strode up to them and pressed ‘hands’ onto the beds. I sucked them into my Dimensional Pocket, and basked in the shock the Soul Oozes displayed.
“How did you do that? Where did the beds go?” a younger Soul Ooze asked with awe.
“I once ate a Bag of Holding. I assimilated the storage magic within and now have my own portable realm I can store items in,” I explained.
“Can we do that too?”
“I don’t think so,” I said slowly. “Have you ever eaten magical artifacts before?”
They shook their heads, and I scratched my own. “Hmm. I’m not a professional Enchanter, or know much about your unique biology, so I can’t say if doing the same things I can do is possible.”
The youngster seemed disappointed, but rallied quickly. “By the way, sir, Pello and Sistia were wondering if you would care to join them for lunch?”
“What about Valen?”
“I think he’s already made plans with Miss Katherine,” another delivery-ooze said. I nodded and thanked them for the offer, and assured them I would see the two village heads at noon.
Until then, I decided, I would help out around the village. Of course, I dropped off the beds at the rooms Katherine and I were staying in. After delivering them, Rosa finished up her sword practice and settled down onto my shoulder.
(What’s the plan for today?) she asked and I smiled.
“Today we’re going to do what we can, and help out around town. Haven could use some touching up, and it lacks any magical defenses. I’ll erect a few barriers and wards, and see if the village heads need anything else done. Of course, I’ll only do any spellwork after asking Pello’s and Sistia’s permission.”
~Good idea. I’ll look up a few simple but effective barriers you can layer on the town’s palisade wall. I should have a few ideas by lunch so you can help,~ Tara suggested. I nodded in thanks, and began a personal tour of Haven.
By the time lunch rolled around, I had helped move some soil around for preparing building foundations, assisted in moving the construction materials for said soon-to-be building with the aid of my Dimensional Pocket, and, although this was more Rosa than me, played with the children.
I’d been surprised to see young humanoid Oozes, and was curious as to how reproduction even worked. Foolishly, I asked. And I learned.
“Are you feeling alright, Sir Jellik?” Sistia asked as I staggered into the town hall for the luncheon. The pair of leaders were seated at the table from yesterday and watched me with concern.
“I just learned where baby Soul Oozes come from,” I said, wobbling back and forth before I finally slumped into a chair across from them. “And then I learned where normal babies come from.”
Rosa settled down onto the tabletop looking a mite queasy herself. (That’s just sick! Sick I say! What is wrong with you mortals?! You willingly do that to each other?! Eeewww!)
“You didn’t know?” Pallo asked, incredulous at my lack of knowledge.
“Give me a break! I’ve only been self-aware for about four, going on five, years! I have not had the time to learn about the birds and the Dire Bees!” I retorted.
Sistia stifled giggles while Pallo shook his head in amusement. I simmered silently in annoyance and gut churning astonishment. Humans were gross. No, scratch that, all organic beings were gross! Why do their methods of reproduction have to be so messy and complicated?
I shuddered and pleaded for Tara to remove those memories from my mind.
~No can do, Jelly. I’ll take away or dull some memories every so often, but there are those that are vital to developing as a person. I’m sorry to say that learning about the miracle of childbirth falls under that category.~
‘Monster!’ I cried pitifully in my mind, and the Spirit of Knowledge laughed, sounding more like a villain from a stage play then the kind voice in my head I was used to.
~Yes. Yes, I am. Now enjoy your lunch.~
I groaned and lay my ‘head’ on the table, before gaining control of myself and glancing at the two Soul Oozes across the table from me.
“What’d you make?”
“I hope you like squirrel stew. Because that’s what we’re serving!” Sistia said cheerfully, getting up and carrying several bowls over that contained piping hot stew that had little chunks of meat and diced vegetables inside.
“Can’t say I’ve ever tried it before,” I admitted as I picked up a spoon. “But I’m sure your skills in the culinary arts are as excellent as everything else you do.”
Sistia’s face twisted a bit into an embarrassed expression, and her core glowed pink. “Oh, stop! You flatter me!”
Pallo merely chuckled at our antics before digging in. Rosa mimicked him and enjoyed her own serving of soup, considerately placed in a teacup for her smaller size.
(Yummy!) she cheered, her disgust at mortal mating practices put to the back of her mind for the moment as she ate.
I slurped up some of the stew and hummed happily. It was basic fare, and a tad bland, but filling. I simply enjoyed the emotions and efforts put into it. This was food made for survival, yet Sistia still found the time and thought to but her own little touches. A sprig of rosemary floating in each bowl was not necessary, but it gave the food a feeling of personal care.
After sipping at the soup in companionable silence for a while I spoke up. “I noticed that there aren’t any wards or magical defenses around the village.”
“Yes, it’s been slow going, trying to set them up,” Pallo complained bitterly. “The magic we have has to be used for other things as well. Not to mention that if we use too much of it, our bodies weaken. Instead of blood, we have mana coursing through us.”
“It’s like if when casting a spell, a mage had to sacrifice some of their own blood instead of mana to fuel it,” Sistia continued, taking over the explanation of magic. “Magic is so deeply entwined and entrenched within us, that most of the mana we produce ends up being used to keep us alive. We just don’t have that much to spare.”
I nodded, their situation starting to make sense. I’d been confused about why none of the Soul Oozes seemed to be using magic more often. I’d sensed active spells only around the well and the Ooze Patch. I could tell the Soul Oozes had mana within them. Far, far more than an average human. But then I remember: they were still Oozes. They were partly made of raw magic, so using spells would be akin to shaving off pieces of their own body. Too much and they could die!
“I’d like to volunteer my services, then,” I said. “Unlike you, I am a Royal Ooze. I possess a great deal more magical power than anyone here, and can use it far more freely. I can easy erect a few basic wards and barriers around Haven to keep your settlement safe.”
Eagerness and excitement filled them, and I felt glad to be of service. “I can start setting up after lunch, and be done by dinner.”
“Please do!” Pello cried happily. “We’ll provide whatever it is you need.”
“In that case, I need a hundred pounds of ash, fifty pounds of rotten meat, fifteen gallons of lye, forty gallons of water, a container large enough to hold it all, and a paintbrush.”
The two village heads looked confused by the items I was requesting, but complied, and claimed it would be delivered to the townhall soon.
After that, we returned to the stew and finished it off before it got cold. After all, squirrel meat isn’t that tasty when it’s not hot.
.
“What exactly are you going to use all this stuff for?”
I looked up and waved as Katherine appeared, arm in arm with Valen. They’d seen the other townsfolk gathering up the requested materials and bringing them to the townhall, and gotten curious.
As for me, I was outside, checking everything that was being brought over. Some of the meat wasn’t spoiled enough, but I could make do. “Oh, this is just some ingredients for a special anti-animal ward I’m making.”
“What exactly do you need the rotten food for?” the dwarf inquired, pinching her nose as the stench wafted over.
“You’ll just have to see,” I stated. “Oh, and you might want to stand back. The fumes can be rather strong.”
Once everything was rounded up I started off by dumping the lye and water into a massive wooden tub. Actually, it was more like a hollowed-out tree trunk.
Using the butt of my staff, I stirred the cloudy substance. Once it was all dissolved together, I began to let a trickle of mana out into my staff, and watched (using magic vision) as the ripple of my mana suffused into the water-lye mixture.
Satisfied the preliminary set-up was done, I scooped up the ash and channeled some Fire Element mana into it. As the ashes started to heat up I dumped them in to the mix, and watched as the liquified lye began to bubble and steam. I quickly stirred it all together, adding in some Earth Element magic to stabilize the reactions, and to keep the magically charged ashes from becoming too hot.
Lastly, I gathered up all the rotten meat and added it to the mixture. I filled the whole tub with as much raw mana as it could take. The meat quickly dissolved into a slurry, mixing with the lye and ash and mana. The whole substance turned dark brown, then grey, then black, then into a paler brown. I gave it one last stir before nodding in approval.
“What is this stuff? Some sort of alchemical potion?” Valen asked, staring at the foul concoction with clear revulsion in his expression.
“Of sorts,” I said, explaining as I let it cool and settle. “This is indeed an alchemical substance, one used as an animal repellant on ranches and farms back in Orria. It’s known as Feral’s Bane. It’s coated over fences to keep outside predators away, and the animals within from wandering off.”
“There’s not nearly enough of the stuff to cover all of the palisade, though,” Sistia noted, looking at the amount inside the wooden tub.
“It’s not supposed to cover all of the palisade,” I claimed. “I’m going to use the mixture to paint a few magical arrays onto the walls, which will then be used to anchor some simple wards of durability and resistance. This way, the wards I set up will not only have their original effect of resisting the weather, but also have the additional effect of warding off wild animals.”
“Ingenious!” Sistia cried. “Can you teach us this?”
“Of course,” I said happily. “You’ll need to refresh the wards and the magical arrays every five years or so. I’ll write down the directions for the ritual and its preparation.”
The female Soul Ooze’s face lit up with joy, and I felt a tingle of pride at being able to teach someone else. It was obvious Sistia had a love for magic that was very similar to my own. Perhaps the souls that had been used to create her had been scholars and mages before Baloron got his filthy hands on them.
‘Good work, Tara. This was an excellent idea for setting up the wards,’ I mentioned to the female voice in my head.
~Glad to help, Jelly.~ Tara’s voice sounded distracted, which made me curious.
‘What’s wrong?’
~I’ve been looking over Edelhart’s Grimoire. And I think I know what I need to make my own body.~
‘That’s great! What sort of things do you require?’
Tara hesitated before revealing a few of the items necessary for the ritual. I blanched.
‘Oh. That’s… that’s a lot of rare ingredients.’
~I know. It’s fine, though. If we take our time, we can gather what we need. There’s no rush.~
‘Alright, then. Still, while some of the stuff will only be hard to find in terms of quantity, I have no idea where we’re going to find Ichor of Insanity, or thirteen pounds of Dream Element processed corpse starch that won’t arrest us on sight.’
~I’ll take a look around the Academy’s library to see if there are any records of where we can find the materials needed,~ Tara suggested. I bobbed my ‘head’ in agreement, both to acknowledge the Spirit of Knowledge’s words, but also to signal that the Feral’s Bane coating was finally cooled down enough.
As Tara retreated into the depths of our shared mental space, I picked up the brush and turned to the Soul Oozes wh
o were watching.
“Who wants to help me do some painting?”
Chapter 10: Adventures in a new land
It was a fine, warm, spring day. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the grass was growing. Of course, I could only assume it was a nice day outside and that everything I’d mentioned was happening because I was stuck underground, hunting monsters.
(Dodge to left!) Obeying Rosa’s instruction, I hopped to the side just in time to avoid my ‘legs’ being swallowed up by the gaping, toothless maw of a giant worm. Instead, I sent an arrow formed of acid through its mouth, watching in satisfaction as its head melted.
It was a Grand Earthworm, a monster whose most annoying trait was being able to burrow through the earth at speeds more suited to fish in water than a lumbering five foot long log of fleshy death in solid rock.
They had no teeth, just a constantly open hole on each end of their body that not only doubled as both mouth and cloaca, but constantly drooled acid. They detected prey via vibrations and shot up through the earth beneath the poor, unsuspecting creature to either swallow it whole, or melt its legs off so it couldn’t run.
Thank Cynthia that their individual strength was quite weak, as besides its burrowing ability and acidic maw it was not too dangerous. A mere D-rank monster, Grand Earthworms were easy enough to handle if you knew how they lived and hunted. Or if you had a Carbuncle that could sense and control the earth as if it was a part of their own body.
Just as I finished melting its head, Rosa clapped her hands together and sealed the hole the Grand Earthworm had burst out of, crushing a good portion of the rest of its hidden body.
“How many does that make now?” I asked, shaking a bit of melted worm flesh off of the hem of my robe, before bending down and scooping some of the acidic spit from the monster into a glass vial I summoned into my ‘hand.’
~Forty-nine,~ Tara helpfully supplied, and I sighed.
