Chapter 14
(I’ll show you mine if you show me yours)
It took quite a while, but Jarow was patient, or at least, while in this body, he felt like he was patient; he wasn’t entirely sure which statement was more accurate. It could be that this body had that as one of its lingering personality traits; these traits are what he had noticed came with each new body; certain small changes in personality and mood. He wondered about this as he sat patiently and rolled the chips around in his hands but didn’t delve too deeply into himself right now. The traits had been beneficial if not a little unusual, just like the unique abilities he acquired. So, he continued to roll the shards over and over in his hands, periodically taking the dust created from the breaking down of the rock and wiping it on his still-naked body.
His dwarven body was dense and had a lot of mass, but luckily it was also compact. He doubted he could gather enough dust to cover himself if he were still in his female Orc body. Hours passed, and nothing happened within this new hallway except for the rhythmic rolling of rocks in Jarow’s palms and his own thoughts.
The repetitive motion of his hands as they rolled the pieces of rock and the emptiness of the place were cathartic, and Jarow’s mind drifted into a deep meditative state. It wasn’t sleep, but relaxation where he could let go of some of his worries, fears, and anxiety. This alone time allowed him to set his mind at ease and restore his spirit after the desperate fight and subsequent death at the hands of Boklojif.
His hands, thick, small, and gnarled as they were, never tired. The skin on the palms was much more like old, stiffly weathered leather than actual skin. The motion of the shards rolling against each other, combined with his tough, non-porous skin, made quick work of polishing the rock, at least compared to the days he imagined it would normally take to polish stones like these.
He briefly wondered how he knew about polishing stones and why he knew so much about stones, rocks, and things associated with earth at all. Then, he remembered the knowledge was a racial inheritance. It felt unusual to gain the bonuses from a species when he had only become a member of said species less than a day ago. It was just another unusual trait in this strange place.
Jarow’s plan was simple; he knew what he needed to do. He would coat his entire body in the dust of these chips. Then, with some luck and patience, he should be able to walk through the stone of this hallway to where he could faintly sense the other hall in the distance. The issue was where he should start and also where he would end up. He felt that this hallway was somewhat like a mirror of the one he previously occupied, and while he didn’t quite understand why he thought that, it was the theory he was going forward with.
"If that is truly the case, then it shouldn’t matter where I begin to go through," he thought to himself while in the meditative trance. He settled into a comfortable rhythm while rolling the shards in his hands and used the stillness to think things through.
He looked back at his memories thus far, focusing not on the physical deeds but on the thoughts and feelings that had guided him to this point. He especially concentrated on the strange compulsions of curiosity he had in his first body.
When he first woke here, rather than being frightened and confused, as he should have been, there was a sense of curiosity pushing him forward. He still wasn’t sure what that force was or why it was so strong, but it was able to overpower his natural emotions and instincts. He was glad it had been instilled in him though. If not for that compulsion guiding him forward, he would have most certainly succumbed to the hallway and given up hope while staring at his own corpse, passing away from depression and sorrow — something the hallway had the ability to cause others to do.
This place, Jarow corrected himself, is actually named the Fading Divide. He had learned the name from Norruf as they talked during one of his breaks from training. It was a simple yet effective description of this location, at least the fading part. But now that he was in a separate yet different hallway, the ‘divide’ part of the name became more evident.
The thought of Norruf and his cute little dark eyes and furry wagging tails made Jarow smile. He had liked the small man from the start and was extremely glad they had been able to see past their differences and become friends. His thoughts of their friendship and once again meeting up with his companions gave him hope, and not for the first time, he sent out his thoughts to the universe, wishing that Noruff and Xinpo were safe.
Thinking about it, though, Jarow actually hadn’t known the Quigza long. He really had no reason to trust the little guy. He had even been the one who walked him to Boklojif where he met his eventual death, but even then there was something more to him, something Jarow could feel about the man. Once he had opened up about his past, after meeting Jarow again in a new body, and to hear about his lost soulmate, and then to be even more honored to have been allowed to wield her in her sword form, that had set Noruff in the spot of a rusted friend for Jarow. He knew all he needed to about the small dog-like man.
Jarow continued to think of his journey thus far while he worked rolling the pieces of rock in his hands and making the dust, occasionally wiping the gray substance over his body until finally, he felt like he was finished. He was covered as well as he could be. There wasn’t much of the original shards left, but the small amount he had could possibly be used to touch up any areas that might lose their covering if needed, though he wouldn't know if that would be necessary until he began.
He visually looked over himself as well as felt along his body again, double-checking the coating of gray dust, ensuring he hadn't missed any important areas. He had made sure all the cracks and crevices were covered in the dust: around his neck, under his beard, his armpits, toes, and of course, the bits between the legs. He didn’t have a mirror to truly see how well he was covered, but he felt he was as good as he was going to get. With a deep breath and fingers crossed, he readied himself.
As he pressed his hands to the wall and felt the elasticity of the stone begin, he also felt a small vibration start. Curious, Jarow paused and felt both through his fingers and the soles of his feet as the small vibration repeated.
The cadence of the vibration was even and rhythmical, yet it was also steadily growing more rapid. Jarow couldn’t think of what might be causing this to happen; the strange new sensation had his curiosity piqued. He paused his movement into the stone and felt the walls and floor shiver for several moments, taking in the strange vibrations and attempting to deduce their cause.
His mind first went to ground shakes, but the uniformity of the staccato vibrations was too consistent. Then, a strange image came to his mind: a large tool like a drill or a heavy plate mounted to the bottom of some piece of machinery, which pounded upon the ground. He wasn’t quite sure what these machines were, but they did seem to fit the cause of the vibrations; still, they didn’t account for their increasing strength and rhythm. It was almost as if whatever was making the walls shake was moving closer.
Jarow’s mind then envisioned Boklo and how, when the mighty creature landed from its leap, it had shaken the entire ground of the great hall. The pieces then came together. At the same time as Jarow’s mind solved the puzzle, a low roar could be felt more than heard deep within Jarow’s eardrums.
“Oh, shit!” he thought to himself. Just as Noruff had told him about Boklo being able to leave the great hall when he wanted, Jarow realized the monster of this hall was on the prowl. He was unsure whether it was another Cycloptic gorilla-type monster like Boklo or if the boss monster varied by hallway, but the sense of it moving rapidly towards him was now extremely evident in the vibrations he felt under his feet.
Jarow quickly moved his body closer to the wall and began pushing in earnest. He was nowhere near capable of dealing with the boss monster of this hallway, not in this form and without any weapons. He didn’t even have blankets to cover himself with in this hallway.
He pressed forward with his hands; they were by far covered in the most dust, and they easily sunk into the wall with little resistance. His arms followed suit, moving smoothly into the stone of the wall.
From behind, he could hear a familiar buzzing sound coming from the fog, as well as a strange, haunting laughter from what sounded like a great distance away. His mind registered the sound as being very similar to the buzzing Jif’s wings had made, yet the laughter was different, lower pitched, and more hollow-sounding, as if created by laughter from the opposite end of a tube.
Nonetheless, Jarow now felt he had his answer to what this hallway’s boss would be and knew he needed to hurry.
He pressed on, moving closer to the wall; when his stomach and chest encountered the stone he began feeling some resistance. He could feel the stone give way, but whereas his hands felt like pushing through a soft mud, the bulk of his body felt more like pushing through thick clay.
Jarow dug in and pressed onward, his need to escape giving his muscles the added strength required to move his body into the stone. His face was strangely the most difficult to push through. Not because the stone felt more solid there, but because it took a conscious effort to manually slide his face into a solid wall. Even though his mind told him it would be safe, it took a lot of willpower to walk into a place where there was no oxygen, light, or room to move.
He was pretty sure he could simply backtrack a few inches and be able to breathe, but there was always the possibility the wall would seal up airtight behind him. It was with this fear that he finally became fully submerged within the stone. Almost immediately, he panicked and backed up; his brain was unwilling to move further forward even though he feared what lay behind him. Luckily, the backward movement was easy, and air flooded into the space created by his body, demonstrating and relieving his mind as to how he would breathe.
Even though he now knew he would be able to breathe while inside the stone, he still hyperventilated. As he stood and tried to breathe deeply and calm his nerves, mentally fighting the fear of suffocation, Jarow heard the fluttering of wings behind him grow stronger and glanced to the end of the hall, where the fog always loomed. He could now see a bright yellow glow streaking in his direction.
Seconds later, the glowing yellow streak passed through the veil of the fog, and Jarow saw the source of the light: a fiery fairy floated in the air before him. She stopped as soon as he came into view, staring at him with dark glimmering eyes.
This fairy was the size and stature of Jif, but that was where the similarity stopped. Rather than having pink skin with accents of orange, resembling makeup, this fairy was covered in flames. The fire danced along her blackened skin. The flames were mostly yellow but held highlights of blue, orange, and red; the colors all dancing together, covering her form. Her eyes glowed like hot embers peering through darkened skin, giving Jarow the impression of hot coals peering out from a piece of burnt wood vaguely shaped like a human.
In the brief moments in which Jarow froze and stared at the fairy, he saw her spread her lips in a smile and show her sharpened teeth, then release the strange, hollow laugh he had heard moments ago. It was otherworldly, as though the sound was piped in from another dimension, a dimension filled with fire and pain. The sound, now clear, hurt Jarow’s ears and evoked a strange sense of inordinate fear within Jarow’s mind.
This was exactly the motivation Jarow needed to forget about his fear of being surrounded by rock and suffocating. Without any further hesitation, Jarow plunged deep within the wall and surged forward with all the strength he could muster.
He encountered the rock where he had stopped before and pressed himself against it with renewed vigor. In only seconds, Jarow could feel the air behind him grow hot as he pushed his muscles to move forward. He felt the wind change and could smell the acrid odor of burnt hair as the clawed hand of the fairy swiped at his back, missing his skin by mere centimeters.
He felt the skin where the fairy’s hand had come closest to his back; the skin burned hot and instantly blistered. Jarow knew he was far from safe. He was lucky enough to be out of reach for a first swipe, but that didn’t mean this creature was going to stop.
The fairy could easily fit within the hole his body was creating, and Jarow braced for the impact from the hot claws of the fairy, but they didn’t fall. Instead, he heard a new sound coming from just behind him. As soon as the sound escaped the fairy’s mouth, Jarow sensed the vibrations he had felt earlier intensify. She had summoned her counterpart.
Jarow continued to press forward, moving his body into the stone as swiftly as he could. It was more difficult than he had anticipated though, his body only inching forward. He pushed hard, straining his muscles, but he felt as though the wall were fighting against his leaving, attempting to push back and keep him from escaping.
He could feel all around him through the stone as the larger monster ran forward. The walls surrounding Jarow practically shook with the intensity of the quickly moving monster. He would have fallen down had the stone which surrounded him not held him in place. Still, he pressed on.
He couldn’t exactly tell how far he had been able to move, but knew it wasn’t going to be far enough. As if summoned by the thought, Jarow felt once again as the air behind him changed. This time, rather than an intense heat, an icy chill accompanied the movement of the air behind him.
Then Jarow felt the icy touch of the larger monster’s enormous fingers. The ice bit into him as it tried, unsuccessfully, to wrap its hand around his body. The cold accompanying the hand seeped deep into his bones and sapped his strength. Once again, he gasped for air as his body went limp. The stone around him, which conformed to his body's shape, was the only reason he didn’t end up falling to the floor, it was holding him upright. Panicking, Jarow's mind froze; in shock, he couldn't think of anything to do to save himself.
Luckily, the icy fingers retracted, and the air lost its frigid edge, becoming relatively warm; perhaps even slightly hotter than usual. Jarow's brain thawed in the warmth, and reason began to return. In his mind’s eye, he saw the fire fairy staring down the hole at his back, her presence being the source of the warmth buffeting his spine.
During the momentary reprieve, Jarow wondered why the little fairy hung back at the hole's entrance instead of diving in. he didn’t know the answer, but the still looming danger urged him to gather what strength he had left for another push forward, using the fairy's warmth, Jarow was able to inch ahead once again.
The respite was indeed brief, and Jarow swiftly felt the heat the fairy produced dissipate from the small cave’s entrance. Soon after, he heard a brief conversation between the two monsters behind him. He couldn't comprehend the words, but somehow deduced their meanings.
Fairy: “Yes, he’s still in there. If you can’t get your fingers around him, just squish him! Ugh.. if I could leave this damn hallway, I would go drag him out of there myself!”
Larger Icy monster: “But if I squish him, how can we eat him?”
Fairy: “We’ll figure that out once he’s dead. If he gets much farther away, you won’t be able to reach him at all. Now, stick your arm in there and kill him!”
Jarow wasn’t entirely certain if the large icy monster could indeed kill him by smashing him into the stone due to the dust covering him, but he wasn’t very eager to find out either. Sensing the air chilling behind him, he knew he had to act quickly if he were to do anything at all. Only partially recovered from the frozen feeling caused by the monster’s hand earlier, he struggled to think of any way to avoid being crushed.
Just before feeling the cold of the fingers begin to sap his strength once again, Jarow crouched down and covered his face with his arms. His hands and arms had passed through the stone much earlier than the rest of him, so he hoped that by allowing them to lead, the crushing wouldn’t occur. Instead, he anticipated the hand would push him forward through the stone.
It wasn’t a perfect plan, but in his rapidly numbing state, it was the best he could come up with. Dropping his hands, he created a space in front of him where he crouched. With his short legs and thick body, he resembled a large boulder more than anything else. Holding his head down and his arms out in front of his head, he balled himself like a potato bug and braced for impact.
Then, the bone crushing pounding happened. Unlike the slow fondling of his backside that the large monster had tried earlier, this time the fingers practically launched into Jarow’s back. The impact was swift, painful, and instantly knocked the remaining air from Jarow’s lungs.
However, as Jarow had hoped, instead of being squashed against the wall, the impact propelled him further on, sending him even deeper into the stone. He moved forward several feet until the length of the finger finally stopped. The tip of the finger wiggled, feeling around to try and discern what exactly had happened.
Jarow’s body collapsed under the brute force of the fingers pressing him forward, causing serious damage. In fact he could no longer feel his lower half. Swiftly, he cast his Minor Heal spell, and liquid-light spread from his fingers, briefly illuminating the stone around him before sinking into his body.
Checking the HP bar in his UI, he found he had lost over half of his HP. He was seriously injured, but wasn’t in mortal danger. Turning his attention to his body icon, he noticed the bright red flashing area covering his midsection. A red window appeared before him, displaying the debuff affecting him: [ Crippled ]:
Crippled: This debuff is caused when major trauma is taken to a person’s spinal column. Normal healing can remove this debuff, but without proper alignment, the healing can cause permanent disfigurement or chronic pain. Condition lasts until healed by magic or regeneration.
What a bummer, right?
Jarow was in no mood to laugh or even think about the poor attempt at humor accompanying this debuff message. His UI sometimes chose the most inappropriate times to try and insert things like that.
He waited for the thirty seconds required before casting his Minor Heal spell again. During the time in between, Jarow could hear the two monsters arguing in the hall, but this time their voices blurred, and he could only pick out certain sounds, unable to figure out what they were saying.
He lay there, unable to move, and continued to cast his Minor Heal spell over and over for several minutes. His HP bar slowly rose. During that time he felt the icy fingers search for him twice more, but they could not reach any further in. For the moment, it seemed, he was safe where he was.
Jarow still didn’t understand why the smaller fairy creature couldn’t simply enter the tunnel and give chase, but he imagined it must have something to do with her being attached to the hallway she was in or something like that. Perhaps the magic of this place wouldn’t allow her to leave the area.
Finally, after feeling the sensation of his Minor Heal spell enter his skin for the fifth time, he felt something new, a tickling sensation in his toes. The ability to feel again was amazing, even though he was uncertain whether the sensation was from the healing spell or whether he had been attacked by some type of worm-like creature attempting to devour his toes. Either way, he was happy just to be able to feel again.
After the next casting, Jarow regained control over his lower half. He attempted to flatten his body out as best he could, aligning his spine in the hope that the next heal would set it in a usable fashion and not leave him crippled. The fear of remaining in a state where he was unable to move properly frightened him in a way he couldn’t quite explain. It felt like some kind of inordinate fear dwelling deep within him.
He recalled his original body’s corpse and how he had assumed it had some type of disabling malady, and things clicked into place. He could better understand where his fear of paralysis came from. He gained new abilities and insight from each new body, so it would only make sense if he carried things from his original life with him as well; in this case, it was a fear of being immobile.
With a large, stabilizing inhalation, he cast Minor heal one last time, both bringing his HP bar to full and finalizing the healing of his spine. The ticklish sensation passed throughout his entire body, finally stopping in the middle of his back. It lingered there for several seconds before finally dissipating.
Slowly, Jarow shifted, bringing his hands forward to guide him as he maneuvered within the confines of the rock around him until he was once again able to maneuver. Although it was an awkward process, after several moments, he managed to rise to his feet. There was a tenderness in his back as he made some unconventional moves, but his spine seemed adequately aligned. A huge sigh escaped him as he finally stood fully erect. It was a wonderful feeling when he could feel the ground beneath his feet.
From behind, the muffled voices of the monsters continued their bickering, the fiery fairy expressing her displeasure at the larger monster. While Jarow hadn't gotten a good look at the larger creature, he assumed, given the similarity between the fiery fairy and Jif, that the other monster must bear some resemblance to Boklo, perhaps adorned with ice or some kind of frost magic.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Jarow was still cramped and barely able to move, but was done dithering here, especially since the large monster’s fingertips could possibly reach him still, so instead of contemplating what had happened or waiting for something else to happen, he quickly used his senses to look into the rock surrounding him and gathered his bearings once again, then began his arduous task of moving through the stone.
He pressed his body into the stone, feeling the thick, hard substance slowly mold around his body as he slowly moved through it. He could press forward several feet, but would then have to retreat, creating a space before him to catch his breath. Though he couldn't see through the pitch darkness surrounding him, he could sense the stone remaining open in his wake.
Jarow continued this routine, pressing forward and pausing to catch his breath. It felt like hours had passed, and he eventually lost track of the distance covered through the stone. His rough estimate suggested he had traversed several hundred yards. He had lost the ability to hear the voices of the monsters behind him, for which he was grateful.
Still he moved forward, he pressed his body through the solid rock, using his muscles to navigate the thickness like moving through dense clay. Finally, in the midst of the seemingly endless cycle, his hands pushed ahead, and he felt the end of the resistance. It was as if the mud that had clung to them for so long had suddenly vanished, leaving his hands hovering in mid-air.
Jarow was on the verge of stopping for another breath, but upon feeling his hands break free, a new surge of vigor overtook him. In moments, his body burst through, leaving a small, dwarf-shaped tunnel in his wake.
As his face emerged, he inhaled deeply, and upon opening his eyes, he was momentarily blinded by the light. Squinting, he waited for his eyes to adjust, and when they finally did, he found himself in a very familiar place; a large hall with a painted ceiling, tiled floors, and towering brass columns on each side.
The realization hit him. He had pushed his way right into the great hall. His mind spun for a moment; the mirror image he had perceived between the two hallways had just been shattered. Although this exit location exceeded his expectations, it also meant that the instincts he had trusted, the senses propelling him forward, had been wrong, sort of.
He blinked some more, giving his eyes the time they needed to adjust, and looked around. His arrival had seemingly gone unnoticed. Jarow took a moment to survey the area and reacquaint himself with the surroundings.
The first thing he noticed was movement towards the center of the hall where his friend Noruff was apparently having a splendid time searching through a massive pile of treasure. The pile sat next to a denim-blue covered area of the floor.
Next to the material, what Jarow realized were Boklo’s overalls, lay two small bodies: that of Jif and also one he didn’t recognize: although the closer he looked, the more similar to Jif the other body was; the size, the colorings, everything was the same other than the singular eye, the lack of wings, and the small male genitals.
The sight had Jarow baffled, but as his eyes continued around the strangely clean scene, he saw Xinpo lying on the floor with a small piece of something golden lying near him. But this was also strange because the item, whatever it had been in the past, was slowly disintegrating and being absorbed by his companion.
While Jarow understood he had been absent for a while, apparently a lot had happened here while he was walking his way back. He looked forward to hearing about the changes that had occurred, so he stepped forward to greet Noruff.
Before he raised his voice in greeting, though, he looked back to where he had exited the stone to see if the space left in his wake still remained. Instead of the small tunnel he had assumed would be there, a blank rectangle of wall stood. It was roughly the size of a door, and its stone was the color of the hallway he had come from.
The stone area didn’t stay that way for long, though. As he watched, it grew and transformed into a large ornate wooden set of doors. Intricate strands of silvery vines climbed up the door as it morphed from stone to wood and formed hinges to each side as well as a set of large pull handles. Beside the right half of the double door, a keyhole formed looking to be the perfect size for Xinpo.
Jarow’s jaw dropped wide open as he watched the transformation. From behind, he heard a high-pitched yelp, then an “Awoo!” The cheerful sound caught his attention, and he turned around just in time to see his friend Norruf running up to him.
Jarow spread his arms wide, thinking, or actually hoping, the Quigza would jump into them; he did not. Instead, he ran up quickly on all four paws and began barking at him. “Who are you? Are you Jarow? You don’t smell like Jarow!”
The rapid and fierce questioning from his friend couldn’t derail Jarow’s smile, though. He answered with a chuckle, “Norruf, it’s me, Jarow. How do you like the new body?” Jarow spun around, acutely aware he was wearing no clothing.
Norruf quieted down but still looked at Jarow skeptically. “Who were you the first time we met?” he asked in his barkish voice.
Jarow looked at the Quigza, only now noticing he no longer wore the armor he had worn before. His key was in the form of a key rather than the polearm he usually held. It was now dangling on a golden chain around his neck alongside a strange amulet.
Jarow understood the question; the technical answer would be that he was himself, just in a different body. He once again questioned the absurdity of his new life.
“I was an elven youth the first time we met. You brought me here, and Boklojif made quick work of me.” Jarow responded to answer Noruff’s question.
As he mentioned the big boss of the room, he looked around for the massive corpse. He spotted the two smaller corpses again. One was definitely Jif, but he had no clue as to who the other one was.
Also lying close to where Boklo’s overalls covered the tiles, was the body of a large woman with green skin. He paused for a moment. There was a strange sensation of déjà vu as the previous fight replayed in his mind.
Seeing his last body brought with it good memories but also a feeling of loss. He had enjoyed his time in that body. It had been his first time being female, and he hadn’t minded it at all. A small sense of missing an opportunity to explore the female anatomy up close passed through Jarow as well. He felt wary of even thinking such thoughts, but who else could truly have had the opportunity to explore themselves in such an extraordinary way, and he had not taken the chance.
“You really are friend Jarow?” Norruf asked once again, his voice bringing Jarow back from his reverie.
It’s really me. Good to see you, Noruff. That is Xinpo over there, right?” he asked, pointing to the key on the floor.
Norruf quickly glanced to where Jarow pointed and nodded. Then he moved closer, scrutinizing Jarow's new form more closely. He sniffed for several moments, then sneezed, getting some of the dust in his nose.
After checking Jarow over for a few moments, Noruff's nose getting uncomfortably close to some places Jarow was a little sensitive about, he answered, “Yes, that is your key. I prefer you this height, but why are you so dirty? And naked?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain. Let’s walk and talk, shall we? And who are you to care about me being naked? I don’t see any clothes on you,” Jarow said and chuckled.
The fluffy white Quigza looked down at himself then said with a smile, “Because my tails are in back, not in front, wrinkly, and dangling between my knees."
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Over the next few minutes, they exchanged stories and laughs as they walked over to Xinpo and the treasure pile. Upon arriving, Xinpo broke down and absorbed the last bit of the golden piece of metal. Jarow reached down and picked up his key.
“Thank you, suzerain. It is good to be in your service once again,” Xinpo said into Jarow’s mind, with a sense of relief evident in his tone.
“It’s good to have you back as well. I leveled twice; we have a lot of things to discuss,” Jarow told his friend mentally.
“Yes, suzerain, I have numerous changes I need to discuss with you as well.”
Norruf’s tails hadn’t stopped wagging since he arrived, so Jarow didn’t want to go into lengthy mental discussions and leave his physical friend alone again. “Let’s save our discussions until Norruf is occupied, ok?”
“Certainly, suzerain,” Xinpo replied. “He was a great help to me by fetching the golden key for me. Please offer him my thanks.”
“Xinpo says, ‘Thank you,’ Norruf,” Jarow told his friend. He was still taller than the Quigza, but only by about a foot now instead of the six feet or more he towered over the small Quigza in his last body. “Bringing him that key was a big help.” Jarow wasn’t sure what this Key was they were referring to yet, but assumed it was what he had seen Xinpo absorbing the last of before picking the key up.
The Quigza smiled. “Has he told you why he wanted the key?”
“Not yet. We are going to have a long discussion about our level gains and other things in a while. I didn’t want to zone out and speak with Xinpo right after we reunited, though,” Jarow said and returned the Quigza’s smile. “Have you found anything useful in this pile of stuff, and where did it come from?”
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After relaying to each other, as well as Xinpo, what had transpired during their time away from each other, Noruff and Jarow began to rummage through the treasure. Norruf showed Jarow the weapons and armor he thought were useful. Jarow picked through a few things but couldn’t really see much need for such shiny objects, at least not here.
These things were more decorative than useful; his dwarven eyes could discern a piece's relative value, at least in terms of strength and style. Jarow was proud of what Noruff had accomplished and his hard work thus far. He asked, “How long have you been digging through this treasure?”
“Maybe two hours?” came Noruff’s reply.
Jarow could see that there was still a lot left to pick through and properly catalog, so he decided this would be a good diversion for Noruff and a time that he and Xinpo could speak, so he decided to leave Noruff to his sorting.
“Great job here. Would you mind separating things a little more? Make some piles: jewelry, armor, weapons, and stuff like that. Get rid of the bones and trash. I’ll talk to Xinpo and see if there is a new skill or something that I can get that would be useful to help us figure out what is worth keeping,” Jarow told the still-wagging Noruff.
Three tails wagged excitedly behind Noruff. “Sure, Jarow. I’m glad you’re back,” the fluffy white schnauzer-ish Quigza said and licked Jarow’s hand.
While Jarow was excited to see the change in his small friend’s attitude, he did question why the Quigza was now so willing to be friendly. A look of confusion and embarrassment quickly passed by Noruff’s face. He looked up at Jarow, whose already large smile broadened further. He then quickly turned and began burrowing into the pile.
Jarow couldn’t help but feel he and Noruff had just made some real progress. He knew the Quigza had been here a long time, so it was good he still had enough emotion to be able to make a friend.
Jarow turned away from the embarrassed Quigza and spoke to Xinpo.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” Jarow mentally said in a playfully sarcastic tone as he opened up his character sheet for Xinpo to see.
“Very humorous, suzerain,” Xinpo said dryly. “I should explain something to you though. I did gain an additional two levels from the fluids released during your battle, but I also gained an additional level and ability from absorbing Boklojif’s key.”
Jarow gathered from Xinpo’s tone that it wasn't the right time to joke around, so he took on a serious demeanor as well. “Ok. Show me what you got.”
Name: Xinpo
Level: [- 5 -]
Age: ???
Race: Dimensional Being
Gender: ???
Attributes: [- NA -]
Skills:
Absorption 17 of 300
Dagger
_____ (additional form)
Damage multiplication (1-6)
Abilities:
Passe-partout (Upgraded)
Complete Cleanse
Ability amplification (1-6)
_____
Jarow looked over the new skills and abilities Xinpo had acquired and whistled. The sound made Norruf look at him in curiously. He just smiled, and Norruf went back to digging through the treasure. Jarow focused again on the character sheet. “So I understand the additional form, that’s great. The damage multiplication, how does that work?”
“When activated, a random number between one and six will manifest. Whatever the number is, the damage will be multiplied by that amount. It also has a five-minute cooldown, so it can only be used once every five minutes.”
Jarow nodded his head in understanding. As Xinpo explained the manifestation of the number, a vision of a cube being rolled with six numbers came into his head. A D6, he thought to himself.
“I assume the ability amplification works in the same way?” He asked.
“Yes, suzerain. For example: If you used your Minor Heal with the ability amplification, whichever number manifests would multiply the total healing of the ability. There is always the chance of a one being manifested, when that happens the ability stays normal.”
That made sense to Jarow; anything times one is still the same. Jarow could tell his companion still had a skill and ability left to choose, and assumed that is what Xinpo wanted to talk to him about, but he wanted to know about all the new abilities before moving on to suggestions.
“The Complete Cleanse, what is that?” Jarow asked next.
“Complete Cleanse is the ability to render everything completely clean, as the name suggests. This encompasses both external and internal. If you were poisoned by the Shlazak again, I would be able to cleanse the area and remove the poison as well.”
Jarow could definitely see the usefulness of that skill. In fact, he remembered that he was covered in dust and nothing else. In this dwarven body, since all he could see when looking down was beard, it was easy to forget that his naughty bits were still swinging freely.
He looked at Norruf, who had removed his armor and was now in the same state. He hadn’t cared about the Quigza being naked though; he wondered if Norruf really cared one way or another whether he wore clothing or not.
Regardless of the way Noruff felt, Jarow felt exposed and moved towards the large denim overalls still on the floor where Boklo had died. He wasn’t a seamstress, but he thought he could probably fashion something manageable by cutting the material into a pattern.
“A kilt, that should be easy to make, right?” He thought to himself.
“What I wanted to discuss with you is the remaining skill and ability. Have you chosen a path? I would like them to complement your own abilities,” Xinpo continued as Jarow flattened out the material.
“I haven’t decided yet. I kept myself from changing anything until I spoke to you. I would like your input as to what I have available. Also, do you know what happened to the giant guy?”
“Yes, suzerain. Boklo returned to his original form, that of a similarly small fairy-type creature as Jif. He is there beside her now,” Xinpo said matter-of-factly.
Jarow glanced at the two small bodies. He knew there was something familiar about the male there. He began pacing and marking the cloth with Xinpo in dagger form. He opened up the options tab of available skills so Xinpo could see his options.
[ Please choose from these available skills ]
Weapon (general) - Shield - Parry - Dash - Leap - Hide - Aim - Concentration - Equilibrium - Stability - Ambidexterity - Sleight of Hand - Herbology - Geology - Chemistry - Harvesting - Skinning - Animal Handling - Arcana - Medicine - Hacking - Mining - Lumbercraft - Cooking - Pottery - Welding - Juggling - Dancing - Evasion - Meditation - Programming - Multi-tasking
"It seems there are some skills that can be used in combination to greater effect, like Juggling and Sleight of hand, or Chemistry and Arcana," Jarow explained. "The ones that seem the most beneficial to me are Concentration and Multi-tasking."
There was a pause, and Jarow felt the familiar itching in the back of his skull. Finally, Xinpo spoke, “So are you thinking about gaining the ability to focus on multiple things at once, suzerain?”
“Yeah, whether it is casting spells or fighting in melee, it seems like being able to focus on more than one thing would come in handy.”
Xinpo took on a contemplative tone. “While I do see the benefit of this, it still leaves you very generic and open. Would it not be best to begin focusing on a path, suzerain?”
Jarow mentally nodded. “You are probably right. Maybe I should pick my abilities first and choose the skills to complement them?”
He mentally closed the open skills tab and opened the available abilities.
[Please choose from one of the available abilities]
Shield Bash - Power Swing - Combat Reflexes - Resist - Taunt - Backstab - Control - Prestidigitation - Minor Illusion - Mage Hand - Ignite - Throw - Tame - Elemental Resistance - Heal - Identify - Darkvision - Add Elemental Property (simple) - Elementary Specialization - Conjuration (simple) - Psionic (simple) - Necromancy (simple) - Rend - Shield Wall - Multishot - Coup De Gras - Sense Weakness - Quickdraw - Berserk - Pound - Unlock (simple) - Flank - Sense Danger - Extra Perception - Shadowwalk - Acrobatic Strike - Rupture - Stand your Ground
“This is where you choose what you will become, suzerain. You have many options available. There is definitely a path for a fighter, mage, rogue, or a combination here,” Xinpo said as he studied the list.
The back of Jarow’s neck began to itch again. He ignored it and waited for Xinpo to think through the data. He was using the dagger to cut through the denim, so the pause didn’t really bother him. The lines weren’t as straight as he would have liked, but he was pretty sure he had a workable pattern.
“I believe you should go the way of the mage as you had previously considered, suzerain,” Xinpo finally answered. “Pick an area of expertise, whether it be elemental, psionic, necromancy, or conjuration. Once you have done so, I think you will have the option to choose spells.”
Jarow hadn’t even thought of that. He had kind of assumed the spells would just be other abilities that would come later. He looked over the options again. He objected to Necromancy. He didn’t want to deal with zombies and undead. He could only imagine the smell. So Necromancy held no appeal for him.
Elemental spells were interesting. The image of him shooting spells from his staff at the dragon seemed most likely to be elemental spells. He didn’t rush to choose it though. He wanted to be sure before rushing in, and was going to do his research.
He looked deeper into Conjuration first.
Conjuration: The ability to bring temporary objects into being. Spells range from elemental weapons to spirit manifestation. Simple items can also be conjured, but their existence is temporary.
Jarow looked at the explanation and got a general feel of what the spells would be. He would have liked a list of options to populate as well, but inherently knew he had to choose before that would happen.
He opened up the Psionic description next.
Psionics is the spell amalgamation dealing with the mind. Spells range from telekinesis to mind destruction. Turning the minds of others has never been so fun.
Jarow chuckled at the end of the description. It had been a while since the system had injected some humor into the text at an appropriate time. He kind of missed it. The funny way the text had been in the beginning of this adventure had helped him get through.
While Psionics sounded fascinating, he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to start mind-raping people. There really weren't any people around to use the power on either, so he removed that option from his choices.
“Xinpo, why are the healing spells on their own? Isn’t there a healing spell group or something?” Jarow asked.
“It appears as though the ability to heal is considered a general-purpose spell. I am uncertain if there will be any other spells or abilities in that category in the future.”
The answer wasn’t very satisfying, but he had no better explanation. He focused on the Heal ability, and a small window populated with the formula. [ Heal 10 HP + CHR ] It was easy to interpret. He would heal himself for fifteen hitpoints with each casting with his Charisma bonus of five. The number of HP times his charisma was higher than the Minor Heal spell, which he assumed was why it was offered, as an upgrade.
He remembered he had attribute points to distribute as well. He could choose his spells and then boost whichever attribute was used for bonuses. He was even more glad he hadn’t distributed them now.
He narrowed the options down to elemental or conjuration. He flip-flopped between the two. Throwing fireballs and summoning large walls of ice was incredibly appealing. He didn’t totally understand what conjuration encompassed, but the surprise of it was actually part of its appeal.
He asked one more question, hoping Xinpo knew the answer. “What happens if I choose elemental, then specialize in a particular element?”
“I believe spells and abilities of that particular element would be stronger, but I don’t think it limits your choices, if that is what you are asking, suzerain.”
So, he could specialize in ice or some other element, and all of those spells would be stronger. Conjuration said it had elements too. He really felt pulled towards elemental magic, but there was a nagging sensation which told him to choose conjuration.
While he believed he might regret his quick decision, he went with the suspicious feeling at the back of his mind and chose Conjuration. He realized, as he did so, that nothing said he couldn’t choose both, so he would see what options were available with conjuration and add elemental spells if he didn’t like what was available.
He made the choice, and the ability appeared on his character sheet. It became its own subcategory, though. Jarow inquired about the available options in the subcategory and found a list of spells. This is what he had wanted to see for quite a while now.
Conjuration Specialization- Available spells: Weapon Whirlpool - Oil Slick - Spontaneous Combustion - Acidic Regurgitation - Earthenware - Shadow Clone - Kiddie Pool - Gust - Boost
He looked over the spells and realized he didn’t have to choose any one specifically. He had access to all of them. It wasn’t a matter of only having so many he could choose from, but rather having enough MP to cast what he needed.
“This is perfect, Xinpo!” Jarow cheered in his mind. “I can use all of the spells; I just have to manage my MP. So I can put my attributes into Wisdom.”
Xinpo mentally nodded but asked, “Do you plan on placing them all in Wisdom? I believe a more balanced approach may be more advisable.”
Jarow thought for a moment before agreeing with Xinpo. He needed to be more moderate, keeping his ability to fight physically as well, but he was just so excited. “No, probably not. I’ll figure that out later. I need to choose a second ability and both skills still,” he told Xinpo, tamping down his eagerness. He looked over the list again. He kept the elemental specialization in the back of his mind but couldn't decide which one he’d choose.
He was torn between Extra Perception and Heal. He definitely liked the idea of being able to heal himself better, but he could also tell there was something more to Extra Perception. He focused on it, hoping to get some more insight.
No window populated over the ability, but the sense that there was something more became stronger. He glanced over the remaining abilities but finally decided, and chose Extra Perception. Once he did, the additional meanings became evident.
The ability engaged as soon as he chose it. The world around him became clearer. It wasn’t just the visual world either. There was a sense of another layer just beyond the one he was in. He couldn’t quite understand the usefulness of being able to sense this other dimension just yet, but had a feeling it would become useful sooner rather than later. He nodded his head in appreciation. He had made the right choice; he could feel it.
The addition of a new sense which accompanied, yet was also different than, his sense of eyesight was at first overwhelming, but rather than pull away or try to turn it off somehow, Jarow leaned into it, and his new sense quickly came into focus, leaving Jarow with the ability to use the Extra Perception without additional strain.
The next part would be to choose his skills. Jarow brought the list back up and read through them again. Concentration and Multi-tasking still jumped out at him, but as he read through, Arcana seemed to stand out a little more to his intuition. It made sense if he were going to go a magical route to take Arcana. He wondered what if any other skills it would synergize with. Concentration made the most sense, but he wouldn’t get the multitasking ability with that choice.
A thought occurred to him. “Xinpo, your additional form. What are the options there?” He asked.
Xinpo’s character sheet rose to the top of Jarow’s field of view, and a menu window opened. He had seen this menu before. It was the same one he had when choosing his general weapon skill. He scrolled down, and near the end was the weapon he was hoping to see.
Jarow switched his view back to his skills list and double-checked before proceeding. It was an odd choice, especially for someone wanting to go on a more magical path, but it could prove very useful until he got a grasp on what his magic could do.
He chose ambidexterity and general weapon (quarterstaff) as his new skills. Xinpo was surprised but happy, and to complement Jarow’s choice, chose his other form to be a quarterstaff. Now, Jarow had the basis to fully achieve his vision. He had begun the journey of a mage and could wield his staff as a weapon as well.
Jarow smiled and watched as Xinpo’s form transformed and elongated into a lightweight metal staff. The metal was cool to the touch, yet felt correct in his hands. He spun the staff around a little, took a few swings, and the smile parting his face kept extending. He wondered if maybe doing a combination fighter/mage would be best after all. He had no idea what he would be facing in the future, so having options did make sense.
He quickly distributed his attribute points. He placed four each into Intelligence and Wisdom, and the remaining two into Dexterity. His new stats looked much more balanced.
Name: Jarow
Age: 187 (current)
Race: Dwarf (current)
Gender: Male (current)
Attributes: (current)
Strength [-7-] (+1 racial bonus)
Dexterity [-6-] (-1 racial disadvantage)
Constitution [-9-] (+4 racial bonus)
Intelligence [-7-]
Wisdom [-8-] (+1 racial bonus)
Charisma [-5-]
Skills:
Sneak Intermediate (racial skill * )
Pick Beginner (racial skill * )
Hammer Beginner (racial skill * )
Dagger Beginner
Sword Intermediate
Quarterstaff Beginner
Ambidexterity
Abilities:
Berserk Buff - [-2-] Increase to Strength - [-2-] Increase to Constitution - +20 HP per level added to max HP **
Minor Heal 7 HP 2+5 (Charisma bonus)
Power Blow Increase to hit chance 20% - Increase damage 20% - Increase critical hit chance 20%
Extra Perception
Conjuration Specialization:
Available spells: Weapon Whirlpool - Oil Slick - Spontaneous Combustion - Acidic Regurgitation - Shadow Clone - Earthenware - Kiddie Pool - Gust - Boost