I rested for a while in the thicket of brambles that Dendra had thrown up around me while I had been busy creating my first weapon. As I rested, I pondered the possibilities that such an ability opened up to me. Perhaps, with enough creativity and some samples to open the way, I might be able to create some sort of ranged weapon of my own.
Hmm, but could I not do that already? I delved through James’ memories, returning to some information I’d figuratively glanced over before. I could try creating a bow, though I might have to assume a different form to use it properly. Shoulders are weird, in how different ones have different limits. Or I could create some sort of crossbow. Then my search veered into some of the weirder memories of his, memories of the games he’d played and of a race not too dissimilar from my own in one of those games. This race generated weapons made from living flesh and bone and equipped their soldiers with these weapons. While the actual details of how said weapons worked on the inside were rather sparse, the descriptions of their capabilities were enough to inflame my imagination.
I continued to lie there, pleasantly daydreaming of fantastical weapons until the fatigue and strain wore off. A ranged weapon would be a very good thing to have, but I recognized that James’ memories were rather severely lacking in their method of manufacture. He only vaguely understood how they worked, but not how to reproduce it. After all, a bow was much more conceptually complicated than a stick with a pointy bit at the end. I could experiment, but it could potentially take days or weeks to come up with something that worked properly. Another reason to visit the humans, then. One member of my favorite group of humans had been using a bow. Perhaps I could force them to teach me how to make one or have them take me to the one who made it.
“Dendra, what’s the best way for me to make the humans teach me things?”
“Is that why you’ve been learning their language?”
“Yes. I saw a furry human using magic. Made a troll blind and deaf while they ran away. I wanted that.”
The tiny dryad’s face split in a dopey grin. “Oh, that is just. So. Cute!”
“I also saw beasts up at the top of a mountain, they used magic too. They made fire and frost and were very strong. I want to eat them, but I need more strength.”
“Well, that makes sense, coming from you. Mountains like these are often thick with natural magic as you get closer to their peaks. Not nearly as much as that dragon’s den, but enough that many strong beasts will congregate there to fuel their own growth.” She paused and rubbed her tiny chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, I suppose learning the magics used by the humanoids would be beneficial to you.”
I waited while she appeared deep in thought.
“Well, probably the best way for you to learn is to pretend to be one of them. Get them to accept you as one of them. Admittedly, that’s a bit of a tall order, so we’re going to have to come up with something of a back story and figure out what kind of behaviors you can reasonably get away with and what you can’t.”
“The only way?” I asked.
“The most reliable way. Unless you can get their memories by eating them, which I doubt. I don’t think a chimera has ever shown that capability before.”
“No memories, only natural abilities,” I said in confirmation.
“Well, then you’ll need to pass yourself off as one of them. Which is going to take us some work. I mean, I never did spend much time among them, I mostly treated with those who visited my tree. We should probably avoid you taking on the form of a human though, maybe one of the Kin? What kind of humanoids have you eaten?”
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I searched my memories. “One that killed a dire bear, the orc, and some that hunted other humans?”
Dendra buried her tiny face in her hands. “But what kind were they? Elves? Kin? Dwarves? Humans?”
“Don’t know.”
She sighed. “Well, you need to make a new form for this. Shape yourself like one of them. Make your body look like one of theirs. Ah, but we’re also going to need clothes and equipment for you… Well, I can handle some of that, I think. For now, just keep walking back home, I need to plan this out. We’ll find somewhere to practice before you try to work your way into their ranks.”
I continued walking, thinking on what Dendra wanted me to do. I really didn’t enjoy the idea of acting like one of the humans. I had no desire to turn out like James. Every memory I touched on related to his personal life filled me with the same revulsion I felt for goblins. However, I knew that power could not be acquired without a cost. For me, the cost was usually fresh meat and the effort to acquire it. But I knew that was not necessarily always going to be the case. I’d been seeing evidence that skill born of experience was a power unto itself, one I would need to master. Combined with my own strength, I would become formidable indeed.
“Fine,” I grumped. I still didn’t like the idea, but she had proven her usefulness to me already. It might be beneficial to listen to her more, even if she was something of a nuisance at times.
“Don’t be so grumpy, Shaper. I think I’ve got an idea that will be really helpful.”
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“Hmm, no, make your shoulders a bit narrower.”
“Perfect. Now the fur needs to be just a bit longer.”
“Excellent. You even got the color right. Though they are a bit thin…”
“No, I’ve told you already, get rid of the horns. I don’t care that they help you see. Ditch them.”
“Oh, wow. No. Just no. Not ever. Just undo that one.”
“Yes, you really need to make yourself smell. Otherwise it’ll be a dead giveaway to just about any Kin.”
“Your claws are still the wrong color. They need to look duller than that. Duller. Um… Less shiny.”
“Really? You’re going to risk being exposed just because you don’t want to have a ‘dangling weak-point’ on you? Blessed Earth Mother, then don’t put nerves in it. You only need it in case you’re seen without pants. It doesn’t need to be functional. Although…”
“Hmm, no, on second thought, go back to the shade you were using earlier. That eye color just doesn’t suit this visage. The first one was better.”
“Okay, now can you just shorten the forearms a tiny bit? They still look slightly out of proportion.”
After what felt like days, but was instead merely hours, Dendra finally pronounced my humanoid guise as complete. According to her, I was imitating a member of a rare and elusive race of beast kin, called a Ravager. While I had never eaten one, through her guidance and nagging I’d cobbled the appearance of one together out of a disparate assortment of features from beings I’d eaten. She seemed content with the outcome, though, and said that unless someone was inspecting me very closely, with an actual Ravager next to me for comparison, then I was pretty much indistinguishable from one.
After the form had been perfected to her specifications, she grew clothes for me from woven plant fibers. I did not like the sensation of wearing them, but she insisted that they were a necessity for passing as a normal humanoid, and I knew she was right. That didn’t make me like the odd rubbing sensation against my hide any, so I forced myself to ignore it as much as possible. I was just glad she allowed me to ditch the ‘shoes’ as they were the worst.
We continued our travel towards my forest, and I stayed in the new form, getting used to how it moved, its balance, and practicing at using my spear with it. Dendra took this time to try to educate me on how to behave in humanoid society. It actually wasn’t that difficult, since a lot of the knowledge echoed what resided in James’ memories, although with some rather significant differences. That part of the trip was rather uninteresting.
The part that was enjoyable? Killing goblins. I was still not accustomed enough to this form to be nearly as stealthy as I had grown used to being. This made it harder to dodge the goblins, who were now even thicker in the area than they had been before. So, much to my delight, I was ‘forced’ into confrontations with the foul-smelling creatures with astounding regularity.
Being bigger, faster and stronger than the goblins, killing them was astoundingly simple. I’m fairly certain I’m smarter than them, as well, which doesn’t hurt. While they grouped together readily enough, they barely cooperated. I could tear my way through thirty as easily as I could through five. It was also excellent practice for using my spear.
The only real downside was that I had to frequently find water to wash off the filthy smell of their blood from me.
During my fifth such bath, Dendra decided to ask, “So… You got a grudge against goblins or something?”