REINA
I paced around the trunk of Yggdrasil while my mind ran through everything I had yet to do.
I still wasn’t completely used to referring to the ten foot tall sapling of Yggdrasil as ‘me’. Actually, I was far- far more comfortable in my puppet body, even if I did look more like a strange doll than I was comfortable with.
I stopped pacing for a moment and looked down at myself: Two pairs of small wooden pyramids formed lines on both sides of my body. I willed them to raise, just like I would’ve back in my human body… The four pyramids responded to my will and lifted ‘my’ hands in front of me.
A pair of five-fingered hands came up in front of my face. Despite being made of wood - and not being connected to either pyramid in any visible way - I could still move each and every finger with just as much dexterity as if they were flesh and bone.
I took a breath and quickly ran through a pattern I’d long since turned to muscle memory: one by one, touch each finger to the thumb of that hand.
Right/left index, right/left middle, right/left ring, right/left pinky.
Repeat.
Right/left index, right/left middle, right/left ring, right/left pinky.
After the second pass, I lowered my hands and looked down at my feet. Similar to my arms, my legs were just pairs of nonconnected pyramids that allowed me to move my feet and toes.
I had a similar movement pattern for both feet that involved wiggling each toe in turn.
After two passes of toe wiggling and another round of finger touching, I felt my nerves finally beginning to settle.
The movements might seem pointless to most people, and I’d certainly gotten enough strange looks to lead me to think so. But they gave me something to focus on that wasn’t whatever was currently stressing me out.
And I didn’t have access to alcohol, so it was either do this or spend the day staring into the abyss while I slowly slipped in madness… So, yeah, the finger and toe thing worked well in a pinch.
I ran my fingers through my string-like hair and let out a sigh, before I once again started pacing around the tree. This time though, I tried to keep my mind as quiet as possible and just enjoy the serenity of the Lake of Origin.
For better or worse, this was my new home… It was a little funny, actually. As a kid, I used to long for the life of the rich and famous. Even wondered what it might be like to one day own my own private island.
Well, I don’t need to wonder anymore. The Lake of Origin was just that: a private island, one just for Torga and me.
I mean, sure there wasn’t much on it, but it was ours.
Last I checked, the island I was standing on was around two-hundred feet in diameter. But that didn’t mean it would stay that size. The island was just a container to hold Yggdrasil’s roots. The larger the tree - The larger I grow, the bigger the island becomes.
It might be too small to build a house on it now. But who knows how much room we’ll have in a month, a year, ten years? One day we’ll be able to build a home here.
As for the materials we’d need to build it - Well, we have entire worlds to harvest them from.
A quartet of portals hovered above the southernmost end of the island: One led to the ‘Neutral Zone’, where Torga and Bob had ventured to receive the winnings from that business with Gal’Rod. One led to the surface of the planet Torga and I created. And the other two led to the homes of our allies; Bob, that charmingly psychotic bird, and Evie… I sighed as I thought about Evie.
Not because there was anything wrong with her - certainly not! But Evie’s appearance reminded me of the past, before this madness became our everyday lives. Of a time when I went by the name Sarah Melrose, and Torga was just my husband Albert.
I miss those days more and more as time passes…
Anyway, Torga figured out how to bring food and other material items through the portals a while back. Why should would and stone be any different?
The sound of lapping water caught my attention, and I looked down to the coast.
Yggdrasil sprouted from the very center of the island, atop the highest point of the tallest hill. Surrounding it was a series of gentle slopes that formed the convex shape of the island.
At the bottom of the hill was an eight-foot tall barrier wall that wrapped around the island, and protected it from the crystal clear waters of the endless Lake of Origin.
From my walking path, I could easily see the water gently lapping against the impenetrable wall… I wasn’t sure why, but the sight of that water terrified me.
Clear as a cloudless day and black as a moonless night; That was the best way I could describe the Lake of Origin.
I’d often wondered about climbing on top of the wall and peering into the dark waters of the Lake, just to see if it was really as black as it appeared at a distance. But despite living here for a few months now, I still hadn’t done it.
There comes a point in everyone’s lives, where you must put aside your fears and do the thing that scares you the most. And if I was left alone for much longer, I might’ve gone through with it.
Luckily for me. Today was not the freaking time for that dumpster fire of an idea.
“Reina! I’m home!” Torga shouted as he slid through the portal, his body instantly transforming from a large green snake to a hulking basilisk who towered over the tree without even leaving the coastline.
The rapid increase in size was something I was still getting used to. He was already big before that mess with Gal’Rod, but afterwards he nearly tripled in length and in mass.
Torga reached the top of the hill in a few seconds and used his long tongue to place an odd-looking bag on the ground beside me - I flinched as he opened his mouth wide and let out a somewhat quiet yawn.
“Gods.” I groaned and quickly took three steps back. “When was the last time you brushed your teeth?” I asked him.
His breath smelled like over-cooked bacon and copper.
Torga’s body froze on the spot as his brain processed what I’d said.
The dumb snake grinned at me and tilted his head to the side. “If you’re volunteering to brush them for me, I won’t object.”
I folded my arms across my chest and leaned slightly to the side to show both my confusion and my irritation. “And just why in god’s name would I do that? You’re an adult, you can brush your teeth all by yourself. Trust me, I’ve seen you do it.”
His bright orange eyes danced with amusement for a second before he lifted the front half of his body high into the air. His massive size blocked out the light from the fake sun hanging overhead, and cast a shadow across the whole island.
“With what arms, my Dear?” He asked in a light tone of voice. He slowly swayed his body from side to side, emphasizing the empty spaces on both sides of his body.
I silently stared up at him without dropping my annoyed stance… After nearly half a minute of staring at each other, I slung my arms down in irritation and pointed up at him. “Fine. But the second you get your arms back, I’m never going anywhere near those towers you call ‘teeth’ again. Got it?”
Torga chuckled, a sound that was both impossibly low and incredibly loud due to his size. “I appreciate your sacrifice, Love.”
“I appreciate your sacrifice.” I repeated in a mocking voice before glaring up at him. “You’re lucky I like you.”
“Absolutely.” Torga smoothly replied.
“I’d kick your ass if I didn’t.”
“I’m sure you would.”
“Hey, I’m serious.” I told him. I was fighting to keep the grin off my face while I raised my fists in front of me and threw a few quick jabs. “See that? Deadly.”
“Oh, definitely. You’re easily the most terrifying five-inch tall warrior I’ve ever seen.”
I let out an annoyed huff and turned my back to him. “Of course. It takes a special kind of person to be a six-inch tall warrior. Six. Inches. Not five. Six.”
“Oh?” Torga asked and tilted his head out of curiosity. “Are you sure about that number?”
I was quiet for a few seconds while I thought it over… “5.8 and a half.” I muttered.
“Uh huh.” Torga laughed. “It’s good to be back.”
“I’m glad to have you back.” I replied without looking at him. I felt a *whoosh* of air blow through my hair, the result of Torga leaning down and ‘kissing’ the top of my head.
“I’m serious. It’s so good to be home.” He muttered before turning away from me and laying down next to Yggdrasil. I could hear the exhaustion in his voice, but even more than that, I could hear his sincerity.
I frowned at his comment, but couldn’t think of anything to say other than; “Sorry you had to deal with it alone.” I said while patting his scales.
Torga laughed and slightly leaned into the contact. “The actions of others are not for you to apologize for.” He said quietly, his words interrupted by another yawn. “You did nothing wrong. It’s Gal’Rod, and others like him, who are the reason I hate people. The world would be a much better place if they’d all disappear.”
“Careful, don’t want to give yourself any ideas.” I replied and softly laughed at the look he gave me. “There will always be idiots and assholes in every group. No matter how normal or ‘divine’ they may seem, at the end of the day, they’re just people. Besides, I’m pretty sure more than a few people would lump you into that category too.”
Torga rolled his eyes at me. He slightly opened his mouth and - “Whoa!” I yelled as I tumbled over from his breath hitting me in the face. “Ugh… My mouth was open and everything.” I said and wiped my face.
“I’m an asshole, yes. I’m also a monster. But an idiot? Come on, Reina. Be realistic. Who could possibly ever think that I was an idiot?” He asked sarcastically.
I raised my hand without hesitation and didn’t bother hiding the smile on my face. “Did you forget I went to high school with you? I don’t think you’re an idiot, I know you are.”
Torga opened his mouth to blow me over again and I quickly scurried away before he could and hurriedly hid behind Yggdrasil before he could do anything else… After a few seconds of waiting and nothing happening, I heard Torga laugh to himself before he laid his head back down.
I peeked out from behind the tree to see Torga laying with his head facing me, and his eyes closed. From the sound of his breathing, it seemed the exhaustion had caught up to him and he was already falling asleep.
I said nothing, just stood there, watching him until his breathing evened out and he truly fell asleep.
Despite knowing he’d tell me I was being dumb, I felt bad for him. He was always trying to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. No matter how much pain he was feeling, or how much stress he was under. He’d rather suffer through it alone, than worry anyone.
I hated that about him.
And no matter how much he tried to act like the loss of Ayla, Findral, and Fenris didn’t bother him. I knew it did, and in a big way.
Their deaths shook his confidence, made him more likely to ignore provocation just so we wouldn’t be attacked again.
That wasn’t the way Albert was, wasn’t the way his mind worked. And it definitely wasn’t the way Torga’s worked.
Albert was a kind man, yes, but he never tolerated threats aimed at me or our kids. I still remembered driving him to the hospital at four in the morning, after being awoken by the sound of our window being smashed in. A former patient had become slightly obsessed with me and thought it would be a good idea to visit me at home.
Albert wrestled him to the ground and subdued him long enough for the police to arrive… It wasn’t until after the police left, that he thought to tell me he’d been stabbed with a piece of the broken window.
Torga was not Albert, they weren’t even close in some ways. Torga was far more aggressive than Albert ever thought to be. He was harsher, colder, and far far older than the man I fell in love with.
But I saw the way he looked at Ayla and Findral. Heard the way he laughed with Fenris, Leon, and Donna. Felt the tenderness and love he held for me. That was 100% Albert.
Combine Torga’s aggression and power with Albert’s protective instincts, and what you get is someone who would’ve squashed Gal’Rod the second he threatened us.
He did it to the angels in the silver city.
He did it to the dragon who ate Ayla’s grandmother.
But he didn’t do it to Gal’Rod.
Why? What made the orc god so special?
Nothing. That’s what. But Torga had been suppressing himself ever since we got here. Torga was trying to become Albert again… And I let him do it, because I liked it. Liked the fact that he was slowly turning back into the human I loved.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
I shook my head to clear it. I needed to calm down, I could feel my anxiety clawing at my stomach. I felt sick. I needed to do something. I needed to - *Crack!* I grunted as my fist slammed into my jaw and threw my head to the side.
I felt a brief sensation of pain before my senses cut out and the puppet dissolved into light.
My perception warped for an instant before everything went back to normal.
Well, as normal as it could be when you’re a tree.
In this form, my senses and emotions were duller than they were in the puppet body. Which was probably the only reason I wasn’t currently in the midst of another panic attack.
As much as I disliked how ‘alien’ this form was, I had to admit, it had its uses.
My ‘vision’ was a 360 degree field of view around the tree that allowed me to see everything in a radius of about ten feet.
However, my vision only worked because, in this form, I could ‘see’ mana particles in the air.
The best way I could describe it was looking at a static filled television. That ‘snowy’ effect was all that I could see, only the ‘static’ was a pale blue color, not white.
Rather than actually seeing what was around me, since the only thing I could see was static, I had to look for the ‘gaps’ in the particles. Everything caused a gap as mana particles couldn’t pass through them.
Torga appeared as a gargantuan void that consumed any mana particle he touched. Yggdrasil; or rather, ‘I’ appeared as a mass of silver light in the shape of a small tree. And the bag Torga had brought with him… Well, it was actually too fuzzy to make out its shape. But I thought I could see a faint white light buried underneath the sea of blue particles.
My hearing was also different in this form than it was as a puppet.
For instance, I couldn’t hear Torga breathing; despite him laying only a few feet away.
Being in this form was a bit like being completely submerged in water. Loud sounds were muffled to a whisper, while quieter sounds were cut out entirely. However, just like being submerged under water, I could feel ‘ripples’ if I really focused.
While I couldn’t ‘hear’ him breathing, Torga’s breath pushed around mana particles and created ripples that I could ‘see’.
In this way, I could see the sounds he was making, even if I couldn’t understand them.
I watched his breathing patterns for a few seconds before sighing internally and turning my attention to the bag he’d brought with him. “So… What did we get?”
*Ding!*
Territory previously owned by Gal’Rod the Glutton Currently owned by Reina Yggdrasil and Torga Size by diameter 2,676,493,178,312 Miles Planet Slots 5 Humanoid Slots 10 Animal Slots 40 Plant Slots 25 Monster Slots 18 Would you like to absorb this territory into your own?
Warning! All planets within this territory have been labeled ‘destroyed’ by the system. As such, the host is unable to use the planet slots until they have been restored or re-created using an Amalgrym. Would you like to absorb the territory anyway?
I stared at the screen for a few seconds before wordlessly confirming that I wanted to absorb everything. I already knew we wouldn’t get to use Gal’Rod’s planets, Torga had made sure of that. Though I thought it was surprisingly lenient of the system to allow us to keep the slots, even if we had to rebuild the planets first.
I glanced over at Torga for a moment before I agreed to absorb the territory.
A faint white light emerged from the bag and began to spread throughout the mana particles in the air until the entire island was glowing white.
When the light finally died down, I was fascinated to see my field of view had greatly expanded. I could ‘see’ much more of Torga than I could previously, meaning my vision had expanded about twenty to thirty feet.
Even more surprising than my vision expanding, Yggdrasil - ‘I’ had likewise grown more in a few seconds, than I had over the last few months.
The mass of silver light was now somewhere around thirty feet tall, and the trunk had over doubled in size - “What in the world?” I muttered and focused my attention on the new ‘additions’ to the tree.
Yggdrasil had always been a trunk with a single branch growing out of one side. The branch was slender, barely a few inches around, and had an orb growing from it like an apple.
That orb was our first planet - Which Torga so ‘lovingly’ named Jackass, his nickname for my father.
But now, things are different.
The first change wasn’t immediately obvious unless you were paying close attention to the tree like I was.
The branch had doubled, no, tripled in thickness and grown several inches longer.
The second change was immediately noticeable for anyone with eyes: A second, smaller branch branch had spawned from the spot planet ‘Jackass’ had been hanging from.
The second branch was almost exactly the size of the original branch, just shorter. Planet Jackass hung from the end of the branch like it had always been there, and five additional sticks had appeared in different places around the branch.
It didn’t take long to figure out their purpose.
If the first branch was there to hold our first planet, then the five sticks were there to hold the five planets we’d stolen from Gal’Rod.
I vaguely felt something rubbing against the base of the tree and the feeling distracted me enough to pull me out of my thoughts.
It took several seconds before I realized Torga had coiled the tip of his tail around the trunk of my tree. “Are you okay in there?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m fine.” I tried to say, but I was immediately proven wrong.
A wave of weakness washed through me. I felt my body changing beyond my control. My mind felt like it was both ripping apart and crumpling beneath a massive weight.
I could vaguely hear Torga calling my name, but everything felt so distant that I couldn’t understand what he was saying.
I felt progressively worse as the seconds ticked by. Even my perception of time seemed to be failing me as Torga’s body would go from moving so slow it was barely perceivable to so fast he would periodically disappear and reappear at various spots around the island.
“Reina…” He said, his voice coming through over many seconds. “It’s okay… Just hang on… I’ll be here… I’ve got you.”
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TORGA
I awoke to the sound of wood groaning and shaking. Which was immediately followed by a series of quakes that shook the island so hard, I thought it was about to split in half.
How long had I been asleep? Were we under attack? Where was Reina?
I lifted my head and immediately sought out Reina’s puppet body.
But it was nowhere to be seen.
Had someone taken her? I doubted it, if they could sneak in and take her puppet body. Why wouldn’t they do something to the tree? The puppet was just an extension of Reina’s real body, the - Something clicked in my brain and I turned to the tree.
Reina’s tree was shuddering, almost like it was cold… Or in pain.
I moved closer to the tree to investigate, but stopped when I brushed against something.
I looked down at the bag I’d received from the DMV.
It was empty.
The book that contained Gal’Rod’s possessions was gone, vanished into thin air along with Reina’s puppet body.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why.
Whether it was on purpose or a freak accident, I didn’t know. What I did know was that Reina had started absorbing Gal’Rod’s universe, and it was taking a toll on her.
I felt like such an idiot.
I should’ve known, should’ve taken precautions before showing her the bag. Neither of us knew what could’ve happened if we touched it. But I should’ve at least been awake, should’ve been conscious of her pain.
Reina’s body suddenly exploded with silver light.
The light seared my eyes as completely as if I’d headbutted a bonfire.
My vision went dark and I had to immediately suppress the urge to move, to shout.
I didn’t know where Reina was. With my current size, if I blindly flailed around, I could seriously hurt her. And something told me that shouting was equally a bad idea. What if she was concentrating on something and I distracted her? What if that distraction caused her pain, or worse, caused her to lose control of the mana flowing into her?
Would it kill her? Would nothing happen?
I didn’t know.
Because I didn’t know, I didn’t move my head. And I’m not sure if I made a sound or not, but I tried not to.
Instead, I silently used my body as a guide and slowly moved my tail to find her.
The process was painfully slow and annoying.
I still hadn’t adjusted to my length again, so all I could do was inch my tail along the ground while periodically touching the side of my body to determine where it was in relation to my head.
I’m not sure how much time passed between losing my vision and finally finding her with the tip of my tail. But it was definitely more than a few minutes.
“Reina?” I said in what I hoped was a normal voice. A part of me was hoping for some kind of reaction; a twitch, her voice, something I could use to determine if she was okay.
I got none.
I struggled with the urge to panic. My instincts were screaming at me to do something - anything to fix whatever was happening.
Except I couldn’t; nothing I could think of, nothing I could do, could fix whatever this was.
I knew that just as I knew nothing could stop an evolution once it's begun… Wait, but, could it be?
Was that what this was?
Was Reina evolving right now?
I was wrapped in a cocoon whenever I evolved - but Reina was a tree, so that didn’t necessarily apply to her.
I was suddenly presented with two options.
Wait and see if anything changes or leave Reina alone and seek help from someone.
“Well, the answer is obvious. Isn’t it?” There was no way I was leaving Reina alone just to make myself feel better.
I forced my body to relax and slowly coiled my tail around her trunk to let her know I was still here.
There were several things that needed to be done while we were still under a cooldown.
I couldn’t make any planets or fill slots on my own. Creation was out of my wheelhouse, that power laid with Reina.
But I could take this time to settle my own evolutions and focus on the dungeon to help us out in the days ahead.
With that in mind, I called forth my screen - Since I was still blind from the silver light, I wondered if I’d actually be able to do anything with my screen.
Luckily, the system doesn’t care if you’re blind, deaf, or illiterate. It would work just the same.
The green screen appeared before my eyes just as clear as it ever had, and I focused my attention on the attributes portion of the screen.
Attributes
Physical Strength | 95 Endurance | 99 Dexterity | 45 Speed | 15
Mental Intelligence | 157 Wisdom | 86 Charisma | 34
Attribute points 100 (MAX)
I took a few minutes to think over what I wanted to do.
I got a bonus reward when my intelligence score passed one hundred points. Maybe I should try to get the rest of my attributes to that level as well?
“Might as well.” I started with the easiest and most obvious choices and pushed strength and endurance to one hundred points.
*Ding!*
Your strength attribute has reached 100 points! New Effects have been granted by your strength attribute! Ogre’s Strength The maximum amount of weight you can lift, push, or pull has tripled. Subdermal Armor Your muscle fibers have become as dense as iron. You are much more resistant to physical damage.
*Ding!*
Your endurance attribute has reached 100 points! New Effects have been granted by your endurance attribute! Juggernaut You are an unstoppable machine of war. Your mental and physical stamina has increased by 50%. Advanced Passive Regeneration Nonlethal damage will be regenerated 10% faster.
I felt a wave of newfound energy pass through my body the moment after the change took effect. It felt like submerging myself into an ice bath after baking under the sun for an hour; Not the most comfortable feeling in the world but refreshing in its own way.
Six points down, ninety-four to go.
I put five points into dexterity next, bringing it to fifty, and fourteen into wisdom so it would also reach one hundred points exactly.
*Ding!*
Your wisdom attribute has reached 100 points! New Effects have been granted by your wisdom attribute! Intermediate mana regeneration Mana regenerates 100% faster — 150% faster if you’re inside the lake of origin.
*Ding!*
Your dexterity attribute has reached 50 points! New Effects have been granted by your dexterity attribute! Serpent’s dexterity Your ability to bend, twist, jump, and move silently has doubled. Passive Recovery Your physical and mental stamina recover 10% faster.
I grinned at the abilities I’d gotten so far. An increase to my passive regeneration was very welcome, especially right now. And though I liked the ‘Serpent’s Dexterity’ skill, I was much more excited about ‘Passive Recovery’ since it worked even if I was sleeping. Which hopefully meant the amount of time I'd need to sleep had also been reduced.
That left me with seventy-five points to spend, forty-three of which I immediately dumped into intelligence, bringing it to two hundred and dropping the last thirty-two points into speed.
*Ding!*
Your intelligence attribute has reached 200 points! New Effects have been granted by your intelligence attribute! Master Mana Manipulator The ebb and flow of mana responds to your will. Spells that you create, and cast are four times stronger.
*Ding!*
Your mana pool has increased. MP 1570/1570 ---> 2,000/2,000
I nodded at the pop-ups and dismissed them with a thought.
Now it was time to move on to something a little more difficult.
Step one: Creating a ‘humane’ way to slaughter Reina’s creations and harvest the mana from their souls.
Step two: Waiting for Reina to wake up.