Aarav groaned as he woke and stretched. Except there was nothing to move. “What’s going on? Where are my arms and legs!” After a moment of panic, the memories started filtering back.
Wow, that dream of that first meeting with Mrs Carva had been so vivid. He had felt like he was there at that destined moment. Aarav shuddered; she had seemed so lovely that meeting except for the single look, and Ami had felt safe for the first time in so long.
Stop thinking about her! The tears once again started flowing from his eyes, and he couldn’t help it. Every time he thought about what he had lost, it was like a new knife stabbed into his non-existent heart. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, and the walls were closing on him.
He dived deeper into Zen Meditation; it was almost always active these days since it worked while sleeping and moving. The one thing that he had discovered about it was that there seemed to be an active and passive version. The passive effect was the actual skill that boosted his regenerations, pitiful though they were.
The active part was more interesting. Since Aarav seemed annoyingly prone to panic attacks recently, this functional part of the skill had been like a balm. In the same way, regular meditation in the old world was. It was a way to calm his raging mind when he needed it and approach the world with a cool head. Indeed, it was so effective that he had been combining it with The Way Forward is...Forward to try to overcome some of his phobias and fears that had transferred over from the other world. It had only been moderately successful thus far, but he had hoped for the future!
“Right time to get up! And also, where am I?” He had only now realised he was not in the lab, the only part of the palace where he had spent much time. Was he going to have to find his way? The first cursory glance told him he was in a bedroom on the out edge of the building. He was able to see out into the wilderness, the forest he had grown so familiar with, in the distance.
Even with the improved capacity of 1kg of Weight, his wings were still holding him back. With his weight over 2.4kg, his legs were the only practical movement method to crawl off the bed and up the wall to the window ledge. He looked out, taking a moment just to enjoy the view and take an unneeded breathe of fresh air through his nose and mouth.
Just because the air was unnecessary didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the little things. Yesterday his entire existence had changed, and then he had just jumped at the change for human limbs. Now he finally had a moment to appreciate everything that had happened. It was as yet unclear what it would mean for his future. But a small part of him had started feeling that it might not be quite as bad as he feared. After all, subjugated as he had been with the Blood-Oath, he had also gained most of a human skeleton and likely would gain the rest today. It would not end with him stuck in a slime’s form.
He had always intended to move from Slime to other creatures before assuming a humanoid form, but maybe he could skip those steps and go straight to a human? Well, Pseudo-Human, he could never be fully human again.
Because breathing was for suckers. Then there was all the bathroom stuff Aarav didn’t have to worry about anymore, both excellent reasons never to want to be human again.
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Continuing to take in more fresh air, the Slime looked to the forest's edge and the river that ran parallel. That must be the same river I was in as a Water Slime. He could recall those times and even biting that Farmer man, Marteen’s father. The motivations for doing so were unclear, but he had to assume a good reason. When he was just a ball of instincts, everything had been for the sake of survival. Though the more Aarav thought about it, the more he thought it was a stupid thing to do, that singular event had led to his eventual capture. It was also due to many stupid decisions that he couldn’t understand. Eventually, it all led him here.
You have just received +4 Luck!
That was another thing that he didn’t understand. If his Luck was good, as indicated, and right now it was almost fifty-two, then why did he get captured in the first place? Undoubtedly, a high Luck value would mean that he would avoid capture and situations like this? Unless his luck was paltry and amounted to effectively nothing in the grand scheme of things.
I need to ask Haemish was typical stat values are. I have no idea if I am strong or a weakling deluging myself. For all he knew, values of 1000 in states were the average, and if that were the standard, he didn’t stack up even remotely.
Also, had it only been a day since the last Luck notification? It seemed like a lifetime.
Refocusing his attention outside his window, Aarav realised the treeline contoured too perfectly to the wall of the palace to be naturally occurring. Either they had built the castle in line with the trees, which he doubted, or someone had trimmed the trees back, so they started roughly half a kilometre from the walls in all directions.
I guess medieval tactics to keep the area around a castle are still in play here, even with magic and other things in this world. Unless there is another reason, he couldn’t think what it could be if there were another reason.
Unbidden, another thought occurred to him, what would it be like to have modern technology in a world like this? He had often thought of that new twist on an old tale. A traveller goes to the past and introduces new technologies and then ushers in a whole new age single-handedly. “Yeah, that would be a hoot! But no one can do that alone. Not even an Engineer like me!”
“It seems you too are talking to yourself, though I don’t understand most of what you say, I understood even less of that! Did you know that talking to yourself can be considered the first sign of madness? In some parts, so I hear anyway?”
Aarav whirled at the sound, “Would you stop doing that! If I didn’t know better, I would say that you enjoyed spooking me half out of my skin every time I saw you! Ever heard of knocking?”
Haemish stepped into the room under Aarav barrage, and his words broke on the rotund man like a wave over rocks, not leaving a mark. “Hmm? I thought you might be sleeping and didn’t want to disturb you. Also, you haven’t earned my trust yet! It has barely been a day since we...met. Come on, lots to get done today!”
“I can’t move as fast as you. Do you plan to carry me everywhere? And don’t think I am letting you barging into my room go!” Aarav let the annoyance dissipate, and it wasn’t getting him anywhere with his man. “I assume this is my room? Where are we anyway?”
“In the West Wing of the palace, overlooking the river which I see you were getting acquainted with, this is the third floor. Or are you contemplating your escape? You know you are no longer a prisoner here, and you may leave whenever you feel like.” That was precisely the opposite of what the King had said yesterday, though. Aarav quirked an eyebrow and said as much.
“You will see if I tell you it takes all the fun out of it!” Haemish chortled, and a sinking feeling hit Aarav. Something was not quite right with this situation. If he was so free to leave, why had the King said he should stay in the castle? He didn’t see the type to say things unnecessarily.
“Well, give it a go then!” Haemish repeated.
Aarav turned back to the grinning man. Was there something a little evil about his smile, or was that just Aarav’s thinking?
“No, I think I’m alright, thanks. I think I will come with you instead.” He needed the rest of the skeleton, and then he would plan to escape if he felt like it.
Haemish’s smile just diminished a little but remained fixed on his face. “Very well, would you like to fly or rather I carry you back down to the lab?”
The man’s words felt like another test to Aarav. Was Haemish still trying to gauge his abilities? Or was it a coincidence? “It would be great if you could care for me, and I am feeling a little worn out from yesterday’s activities still.” Aarav lied.
“Very well. Off we go then!” Haemish came over to Aarav in a couple of steps and scooped him up. Even though he had been expecting it, this was more undignified than he had expected. He remained silent, though, preferring to let sleeping dogs lie.