Chapter 40
(Prrr)
"Mediv?" All three of them spoke the name simultaneously.
"In the flesh," the Cathan grinned, his large yellow eyes appearing almost almond-shaped now, with dark vertical pupils.
"You've changed," Jarow remarked before realizing what she had said.
"You're one to talk," Mediv retorted. "You do smell the same though, sort of."
Isilandra waved her hand, creating a doorway in the mesh. Mediv flicked his rear paws backwards before stepping in, flecks of debris flying out from between his clawed toes as he did so.
Jarow peered closely at Mediv’s changed appearance. She could sense more than just aging had caused him to change, and she wondered if his multiple deaths were at least partially to blame for his altered visage.
Once fully inside, Mediv first approached Isilandra, who offered him a large hug as a greeting. Next came Suhry, who exchanged fist bumps with the dark tiger-man, though with a quick move Mediv pulled her in for a quick hug despite her protestation.
Then Mediv stood before Jarow. "I think you and Grolluk would have gotten along very well, with you looking like this."
Jarow noticed a slight hiss to Mediv's voice now. She smiled down at him and spread her arms wide for a hug, but Mediv backed off, leaving her hanging with her arms still outstretched.
“Uhh…” Jarow began to speak, but Mediv cut her off.
“You think you can just disappear for so long, then waltz right back into my life like nothing happened?” Mediv scolded.
“I… I didn’t mean to,” Jarow stammered.
“You had the audacity to make me believe I could be happy… Made me believe I could be loved; even in this body. Then you just left.” Mediv growled as he spoke, “I don’t want to hear any of your excuses,”
“I… I’m sorry,” Jarow said. “And you’re absolutely right, but I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“What's more,” Mediv gestured up and down at Jarow. “You come back as a woman, but a smelly Orc?”
Jarow couldn’t offer any excuses about her current body. She had chosen this form, hoping it would be the most suitable for the challenges ahead. She knew the final part of the quest would be difficult, and this Orc body offered strength and agility unlike any others she had been offered. Also, Mediv should understand that she didn't have much choice in how she returned; he had witnessed her metempsychosis multiple times and understood she had no say in how she returned.
Before Jarow could continue her apology, Mediv and the other two women took on a vacant stare, as if seeing something only they could perceive. Jarow watched in an attempt to figure out what was happening.
Then, Xinpo's voice echoed in Jarow’s mind. "I've informed them of everything, suzerain. They understand the revelations given to you, the choices you were forced to make, and to a degree, why you were absent for so long."
Their expressions shifted as the telepathic connection ended. Isilandra appeared surprised yet saddened, Mediv's anger waned, but his expression took on a conflicted look. Suhry remained stoic, though she too looked as confused and amazed as the other two did.
Jarow hadn't instructed Xinpo to take such action, and she felt a pang of annoyance at his doing so. "I was merely trying to expedite the process and spare you any further reprimanding," Xinpo explained. "This was the most efficient way to convey the information to all of them at once."
Jarow couldn't argue with his logic, and her irritation subsided. She turned back to Mediv, who still appeared upset, but his expression softened. He looked up at her, and his face softened even more. Then, he moved in close and joined in the offered embrace. He wrapped his arms around her large body and squeezed her tight, his claws pressing hard into her back, slightly penetrating her tough skin and leaving small pinpricks of blood behind.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It just hurt so much. But… I should have considered how much you have been through as well."
Jarow did her best to empathize with him, to understand the depth of his feelings toward her, or at least the halfling body she had occupied when they drew close. She hadn’t realized then that he had grown so fond of her, or that he struggled with body issues toward the werecat body he had been cursed with. He had seemed so overconfident, almost cocky to her when they interacted, but now she could sense there were deeper underlying anxieties. She could understand that his flirtations were a mixture of his feelings he had held toward her as well as him trying to deal with his new fur-covered body.
Now fully grasping the depth of his emotions for her, envisioning herself enduring twenty years of loneliness without knowing the fate of someone she deeply cared for felt like an insurmountable challenge. She realized she would likely harbor the same anger if their roles were reversed.
"If there were a way to undo what happened, I would," she whispered gently as she rested her chin atop his head, feeling his ears twitch against her cheeks in response to their intimate embrace.
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The three former party members, now friends, spent the next while filling Jarow in more fully on the events that transpired during her twenty-year absence. They learned that Mediv had faced death once more since their last encounter, reducing his count from nine to five remaining lives. Moreover, each subsequent death left a mark on him, subtly altering not just his physical appearance but also his mentality.
Mediv explained that with each loss of life, his mind and body adopted a progressively more feline aspect. While they had all observed the changes in his voice and physique upon his return, as he continued recounting his experiences, they began to discern the mental shifts as well.
Jarow had especially wondered why Mediv had sounded and acted more like a scorned and cheated on woman than the macho guy he had known before, but with the added feline characteristics he spoke of, it began to make a little more sense.
The entire recollection of their past felt surreal to Jarow. It seemed like only yesterday they were battling through hordes of Naga-zombies, yet to her companions, the entire quest was a distant memory. While they had continued with their lives, she had only the passing of hours to contend with. She not only felt regret that she couldn't have shared those experiences with them, but also remorse that they had waited for her for so long and had endured so much in her absence, knowing that her presence could have at least lightened their burdens.
Mediv recounted the numerous adventures he had embarked on, some with Isilandra and Suhry, and others more recently on his own. He had never found other party members he felt he could trust, so he had been working solo since Grolluk's death and the women's retirement.
Jarow learned from them that there was an organization spanning the universe that supplied adventurers like themselves with opportunities and quests. They referred to it as a guild, specializing in assisting adventurers with classes, as well as individuals like Grolluk, who were born with exceptional innate powers.
This reminded Jarow of an anime she had watched when she was a teenage human. She couldn't recall the name offhand, but she remembered it involved fairies and tails, as well as a character who ate fire and another who was a strong female type who often swapped into skimpy outfits.
As the sun set, they all moved inside. Within half an hour, Suhry had whipped up a feast for them all, showcasing her culinary skills, which Jarow was surprised to find out she had. They all ate as though it were their first time tasting food, scarfing down the soup, bread, and grilled meat the Tiefling had produced. All of them except for Jarow, of course. She could smell the food, and its aroma made her mouth water. However, she remembered the consequences of when she had tried the mead before and feared what would happen if she tried to digest actual solids. Thus, she refrained from indulging in the delicious-smelling dinner, instead living vicariously through the expressions of her companions as they tasted the apparent culinary masterpiece.
Later in the evening, after dinner was finished, the couple retired, bidding Mediv and Jarow a "Good night" from Isilandra and a "Don't go making a lot of noise if you two decide to get freaky again" from Suhry.
This left Mediv and Jarow alone. Mediv still seemed somewhat apprehensive about seeing Jarow again, his looks and touches brief and followed by what Jarow thought of as embarrassed glances to objects across the room. He had assured her earlier that he didn't mind her in this Orc body, but Jarow could sense that he wasn't particularly attracted to her now.
She could understand and tried her best not to be disappointed. While when he had arrived so unexpectedly, she had secretly wished for their reunion to include another intimate experience, as the night progressed she found that she genuinely enjoyed his company and was more relieved they could reconnect as friends more than lovers.
Amidst the fighting of hordes of monsters during their previous insane quests together, they hadn't had many opportunities to simply relax in each other's presence. So, it was refreshing to unwind and enjoy each other's company without the pressures of intimate desire or looming threats.
"You know, I don't really need to sleep, I mean, unless I’ve had something to drink," Jarow said with a small chuckle. They both smiled at the memory. “So if you need to go to sleep, I will understand," Jarow told the Cathan.
“Actually, I don't sleep much anymore either,” Mediv replied. There was a twitch in his eye as he spoke of sleep, which Jarow noticed and wondered about. “I take short naps sometimes, but that seems to be all I need now: cat naps you know." His statement seemed more to reassure himself than her though.
So instead of sleeping, they spent the night talking and getting to know each other better. Jarow finally learned about the life Mediv had led before joining the party. His life had been a whirlwind of thievery and adventuring upon the seas of his world. He couldn’t recall much from his life before entering the Liminal Divide, but the stories he told her of sailing on his planet’s oceans sounded a lot like the tales of piracy from Earth, although apparently, the magic on his world was real.
By early morning, Mediv had fallen asleep anyway in a curled up position alongside the couch next to Jarow, his head using her thigh as a pillow. She slowly and lovingly stroked his fur as he lightly purred in her lap. Before finally falling asleep, in his half-awake state, he had confessed to her that this was the first time he had felt truly safe in a long time. The thought of him always feeling paranoid now made Jarow feel even more sad at the lost time between them.
Mediv had definitely become more cat-like since she had last seen him, but as she stroked his fur, Jarow didn’t mind at all. He was, in a way, even more adorable now than before. She briefly imagined how life may have been between them, and the entire team, had she been able to stay beside them, having adventures and getting to know Mediv more, perhaps even falling in love with him.
This was certainly much different than she had imagined a reunion between her and Mediv to go, but all in all, she was happy with how the night had turned out.
Now that Jarow had her memories back, as well as having lived within this body once before, she couldn’t help but wonder if the feelings she was experiencing were still being influenced by this body in some way. She had known before she had her memories restored, that each of her bodies had brought with them subtle changes in her emotions, moods, and perception. Now, though, she didn’t feel those external influences, and she had to wonder if this was who she truly was inside.
It felt strange; she still had the memories of her male human life, but upon introspection, she decided that although she had always perceived herself as being a straight male in that life, the possibility, or the need for love and acceptance, had always been present. It wasn’t so much that she had been completely heterosexual; it was that in that life, she had no experience with anything relating to sex, affection, or romantic entanglement. His parents were her only example, and while she had known what it meant to be gay, or bi, or pan, or whatever other sexual preference people had, without the need to explore her own sexual nature, she had simply assumed the norm and followed her first attraction, which was to females.
In the pre-dawn light, Jarow sat and watched the horizon begin to lighten through the gauzy window coverings in the living room where she and Mediv sat. Without warning, a message floated into her vision. It was in her usual Cyber-techno style, the one she had chosen only weeks ago; yet it felt as though years had passed since she had been trapped in the Liminal Divide and made that choice.
Your next quest is scheduled to begin in: 1:59:59
As she read the message, the timer began counting down. She now knew she had just under two hours before she had to leave once again. This time, she would be on her own, with absolutely no idea what was expected of her.
Jarow couldn't help but think back to waking up in the Liminal Divide, where she struggled to comprehend the passage of time. The intervals seemed odd to her, based on increments of one hundred rather than the sixty seconds, minutes, and so forth, which she still internally felt from her human life.
With the regaining of her memories, it seemed like her sense of time had either reverted or shifted due to her newfound awareness. She wasn't entirely sure why. Additionally, she noticed the display on the clock in her UI had changed, now showing a small globe of yellow rising up from the side to symbolize the start of the day.
All this passed through her mind as she watched the seconds tick further down, nonsense to occupy her time since she was the only one yet awake. Mediv remained curled in her lap, and she mindlessly continued to stroke his dark fur. She was amazed at how soft it was. It felt like it had grown somewhat longer since their last encounter, and she wondered if that was part of the physical changes he had spoken about.
Jarow wasn't looking forward to having to leave again. She had enjoyed spending time and reuniting with her friends here, and if she had had more time, she would have definitely joined Mediv on one of his adventures. But unfortunately, she knew her time was short, as evidenced by the countdown by the timer which now hovered just under her normal clock in the corner of her field of vision.
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Only moments later, she heard a rustling coming from down the hall. It was Isilandra walking past the doorway on her way to the kitchen. She wore an ephemeral sheer robe that billowed out from behind her as she walked. It flowed from her shoulders, covering a pure white slip that fell barely long enough to reach her thighs.
Isilandra looked in at Jarow and the sleeping Mediv on the couch they occupied and smiled. Jarow returned the smile, both in acknowledgment and because the Elven woman looked even more beautiful now in her nightclothes than she had at any other time. The translucence of her robe gave her the appearance of walking through gentle mist that parted before her, as though the fabled Elven queen from Tir Na Nog had come to life before her eyes.
After checking in to see that Jarow and Mediv were ok, she continued on to the kitchen, and within a few minutes, the smells wafting out caught Jarow's nose, and apparently Mediv's as well. The Cathan stirred and wearily opened his eyes, looking up at Jarow and forming a contented smile.
"That was a nice nap," Mediv remarked as he stretched out. His legs extended in one direction, extending over the side of the couch, while his arms reached across Jarow’s body to reach past her side of the couch.
She watched as his claws extended out, looking sharp and dangerous, but then retracted as he finished his stretch. She noted the distinctly cat-like movement with amusement. Mediv then flicked his tongue out to lick the outside of his lips and brought a paw up to brush his whiskers.
"I'm glad you slept well," Jarow replied with a smile as she watched him quickly groom himself.
"Best sleep I've had in years, I think. I thank you," Mediv thanked her sincerely.
Jarow sensed there were stories there behind Mediv's words, but she didn't pry. He had shared many tales the night before, and she could only imagine the psychological scars he carried. She was just grateful she could provide him with some relief, even if it were only temporary.
The countdown timer from the message continued its reminder of how little time she had left to spend with her friends.
"You should tell them, suzerain," Xinpo whispered in Jarow's mind.
"I will, but let them enjoy their morning first," Jarow mentally replied, avoiding the difficult subject.
A short time later, Suhry walked down the hall with an extra surly scowl. She passed by without acknowledgment, heading straight for the kitchen. Jarow could hear the clinking of a spoon in a mug shortly after.
Isilandra returned to the doorway a few moments later and invited them to come and eat. Jarow knew she wouldn't be partaking of breakfast, but she appreciated the invitation nonetheless. Mediv stood and offered Jarow a hand up. With that they followed the Elf into the dining room.
The next hour or so passed with the three of them enjoying a breakfast of ham (or whatever substituted as ham on this planet), eggs from some unknown bird, toast (which was generally universal), and coffee.
Jarow wasn't certain if this coffee was exactly the same as the Earth variety, but its nutty aroma immediately told her it was very similar. Suhry, for her part, seemed to come to life after filling her mug for the second time.
Though she wasn't looking forward to interrupting their reunion, the quest timer had counted down to under an hour, signaling that it was time for her to start saying her goodbyes. She felt an ache of reluctance because she desperately wanted to stay, even if it were only for another day or two.
"I..." she began, and they all turned their heads to look at her and their now attentive gazes caused her brain to falter. She knew she needed to tell them that she was leaving, but Jarow couldn't shake the feeling of reluctance welling up inside of her. "I received a message earlier. I have to leave soon. In under an hour, actually," Jarow whispered, her head drooping low. "I really don't want to, though."
There was a pregnant pause after Jarow spoke, the only noise coming from the tea kettle as it began to lightly whistle from the stove.
"So you have to leave that soon, huh?" Suhry broke the silence. The other two seemed more astonished and perhaps saddened by the news. Jarow nodded her head. "Yeah, in forty-seven minutes."
"That's all? I wanted to show you Galimat, the city nearby, today. They have so many shops, and those... clothes you're wearing aren't going to serve you well in a fight," Isilandra said in a defeated tone, her voice dropping off towards the end as she understood the fruitlessness of her argument. Mediv stayed quiet but placed his hand on Jarow's knee below the table.
"That would have been nice. I haven't been to a city like that before. The cities on my world are huge metropolitan places with way too many people and so much pollution," Jarow said, but could tell they didn't quite understand what she meant.
"Sorry, it's just a lot different there. I can recall more now, but a lot of it is still kind of locked up. But maybe if I come back..." she trailed off. She hadn't meant to go there, but it seemed like her mouth was saying words before her mind gave it the okay.
"You will come back," Mediv stated matter-of-factly. "You will return and we can go adventuring once again, like you said you wanted to last night."
Mediv's words were encouraging, and Jarow really hoped they were true. She enjoyed being around these guys, and she even missed Grolluk's occasional input as well—maybe not his odors so much, though. The thought of the missing friend brought a small smile to her lips.
The other three took her smile as accepting Mediv's statement. "Yes, maybe Suhry and I can even come out of retirement for a time as well," Isilandra chimed in, backing up the positivity she believed she saw in Jarow's smile.
"Thanks, everyone. I would really like that," Jarow said as Isilandra grabbed her hand and clasped it in her own.
"Do you have anything in that weird inventory of yours that might be better suited for a fight?" Suhry asked pragmatically. Jarow hadn't actually thought about that before. She had given away most of the magical items she had had, and had disregarded everything else in there as useless for her. However, since all she had at the moment were a couple of flimsy pieces of leather barely covering her body, even mundane armor pieces would be somewhat useful.
Jarow mentally opened her inventory and looked through her remaining items. As far as armor, she had a decorative breastplate, several bejeweled gauntlets, and some armored greaves. She even had a pair of decent-looking metal-plated boots and a couple of ornate shields, one a kite style and the others round. But she wasn't interested in anything like that.
She didn’t really have any light armor that would keep her agility high. With her better than usual strength and mobility in this body, Jarow wanted to remain quick and on the move. Her Willow in the Wind combat style would be extra powerful when used in this body.
She was about to close her inventory and tell her friends that she had a few pieces she could work with when she noticed a new tab next to the one for her inventory at the top of the screen.
The tab read:
Frank’s Apology
Jarow felt her eyebrow reflexively raise as she read the name. She mentally clicked on the tab and an entire new inventory page opened up before her.
A message appeared in front of the screen just as its contents began to populate in the available spaces.
Items in the -Frank’s Apology- tab cannot be traded, sold, or used by anyone other than the intended recipient. Just to be perfectly clear, you are the intended recipient.
Jarow felt herself half chuckle at the redundant humor at the end of the message. She knew now that it was indeed Frank who added the subtext to her messages, and while his humor was usually pretty lame, it was nice to know she had him in her corner.
She dismissed the message and began to look over the items on the page. It was filled with armor arranged in sets. The first set she looked at was called:
Heavy Armor of the Cosmic Warrior
It gleamed with patterns of silver and gold that seemed to move and undulate, even while still in the inventory screen.
Jarow was all but enchanted by the beauty of the armor and seriously thought of moving it out and trying it on right then and there, but realized this was only the beginning of what was in her inventory now. Also, she had just told herself she wanted something light and dexterous, not heavy and cumbersome.
She moved on to the next set in the new tab and read its name:
Karmic Breastplate
This set, all prefixed with the word ‘Karmic,’ had five pieces in total: the breastplate, greaves, gauntlets, helmet, and boots. She glanced at the stats even though she knew this was not the one she would want to use.
Karmic armor set: When all pieces are worn the set grants a [ +10 ] To all attributes as well as an additional [ +5 ] to Power, Durability, and Willpower. This set is specifically designed for “Warrior” type classes.
Jarow marveled at the additional stat boosts the armor set granted. It didn’t bestow any other skills or powers, but having the stat boosts alone would be an amazing power-up.
She moved back to the first set and looked at its stats. They populated before her and gave the exact stat boost as the Karmic armor, with the exception that the [ +5 ] went to Power, Durability, and Judgment rather than Willpower. It also said it was meant for "Paladin" type classes. Jarow didn't know what "type" of class her Cosmic Converger was, but she definitely knew what a Paladin was and for sure knew that wasn't her.
She continued to move through the multiple sets of armor now available to her. There was a chainmail type armor that she really liked, but its class was "Ranger," and she didn't think her class fit that description either. There was also a strong leather type armor that boosted Mobility, Perception, and Luck.
Now this was something she could really get into. Luck and Charisma were the two stats that couldn't be raised by levels, so a boost to those was always a plus, especially Luck. Unfortunately, the class stated it was for a Rogue, which she knew her class wasn't that either.
Finally, she came to a piece which was much different than the others. It wasn’t a part of a set, but a single piece for starters.
Aether Skin: This armor is unique because it is worn not as a set, but instead as a one-piece bodysuit. It grants a [+10] boost to all attributes, as well as a [+5] to Mobility, Judgment, and Luck.
She mentally clicked on the additional information provided about this armor, her curiosity peaked. The window which popped up gave the following information:
The Aether Skin is a unique item that provides armor not through the use of physical items to block incoming damage, but instead allows the wearer to slip through the barrier between dimensions, thus leaving a microscopic barrier of interdimensional material surrounding the Aether Skin. Anything that comes into contact with the barrier is immediately disintegrated or dissipated. This includes both physical objects and technological effects, as well as most magic.
Caution: While this armor prevents most types of damage before it contacts the skin, it does not eliminate the force behind those attacks. When hit, damage will be negated, but the force or consequences of being struck will still occur.
Examples:
1. - When hit by a physical attack, if the attack has enough force to push you back, you will still be pushed back by the force behind it.
2. - If a beam hits you with the effect of freezing you with ice, you will still feel the cold from the area hit. If strong enough, the effect can still cause damage below the Aether Skin, but the ray itself will not cause freezing damage.
Jarow couldn't believe what she was reading. This seemed like the perfect armor for her, and it didn't mention any class requirements either. The image showed a swirling, multicolored, vaguely body-shaped figure. The colors shifted and moved, creating an ethereal, if not somewhat tiny, display.
Initially, the armor appeared to be a light blue hue with alternating colors moving through it, but as seconds passed, it transformed into a mesmerizing emerald green with the blues from before now joining the myriad of colors moving over the body shaped item.
As she contemplated whether to reveal the armor to her friends now or wait until she departed, Jarow paused. If the description was correct, anything that touched her while wearing the Aether Skin would simply disappear. That thought raised concerns about her potentially harming her friends if she donned the armor too soon.
Then Jarow felt a tap on the hand that Isilandra held, drawing her attention away from the inventory screen. She promptly closed the window and refocused on her friends.
"Are you okay, Jarow?" Isilandra asked gently.
Jarow blinked a few times, realizing that her eyes had become dry as she had been staring off into space while looking through her inventory.
"Yeah, sorry. I just found a new tab in my inventory, and it has some really interesting armor sets in there. It seems like the patron who brought us together has given me a boon, or at least a way to hopefully survive this next part on my own," Jarow explained to the three companions.
"That's convenient," Suhry said sarcastically. "All we got were some ludacris quests."
Isilandra shot her wife a dirty look before turning back to Jarow. "I think that's great, and now you serve him... it? I don't really know how to address this being... maybe her?"
Jarow chuckled. "I'm not totally sure either, but when I met him, he was an old man named Frank. Also, that pendant you wear, that’s his symbol, so it’s probably good that you know his name as well."
That got their attention. "You mean you met a god?" Mediv asked.
Isilandra’s hand lightly touched the pendant Jarow mentioned, and she took on a speculative look as she pondered what Jarow had just told her.
Jarow's smile went crooked as she replied, "I'm not sure the term 'god' applies. I'm really not sure what he was, but I think he's like the watcher or maybe the spirit of the universe. There's another one too, but he felt different—similar but not the same. I think that one might be the other side of the universe. It was really confusing, and I can't really remember it all well, like I said last night."
“I always called her Phin’iana’tili,” Isilandra whispered. The others didn’t seem to catch the Elf woman’s contemplations, but Jarow realized she had just changed her entire faith and wondered what that would mean for Isilandra moving forward.
A silence fell over them as they pondered what Jarow had told them. They had never even dreamed of interacting with anyone or anything so powerful, and yet here they were talking to someone who had, and she called him something as ordinary as Frank.
Xinpo had briefly told them all before about what had transpired and why Jarow was gone for so long but he hadn't supplied any of the details, elaborating mostly about her meeting her mother and having to choose to leave her old life behind.
Jarow had also tried to tell them, but the experience didn’t seem like it wanted to be told. However, seeing the message and the new tab unlocked some of those memories from her time away, allowing Jarow to explain a little more of what she had been through.
In the silence that followed, the countdown timer in Jarow's UI continued until it began flashing red. She then realized that she had somehow spent over thirty minutes looking through her inventory. "No wonder my eyes were dry, and they were all getting worried," she thought to herself.
"I agree, and I should have noticed, suzerain. I am sorry, but I was fascinated by the armor as well," Xinpo replied.
"It looks like I wasted my remaining time looking through my inventory. The timer is under ten minutes now, I’m sorry." Jarow told the others.
"It felt like a long time, but it was that long?" Mediv asked.
Jarow nodded her head. “Yeah, I guess so.”
The four of them spent the last of Jarow’s remaining time hugging and saying their goodbyes.
“You will return,” Mediv told her again. “This is not goodbye, only a brief disconnect. I will see you again soon.”
Jarow smiled and nodded. “Yes, I will see you again soon,” she replied in turn. Her belief in the truth of that statement was less than what Mediv seemed to believe, but she felt better returning the sentiment than trying to explain her doubts.
Suhry was of a similar position, but not as tender. “I want to hear more about your world when you get back. Don’t go and get yourself killed,” she said before Jarow wrapped her in a light hug that Suhry slowly gave in to.
Isilandra had tears rolling down her cheeks. “Jarow, be careful. No matter how difficult this last part is, remember that you’ll always have a place here when you want it.”
Jarow smiled and hugged her tight. The press of their bodies together felt enjoyable in many ways.
“Oh, but there is one more thing,” Jarow said before parting. “Keep this for me for now, would you? Sell what you can and keep a fee for your time and effort.” With that, Jarow opened up the black void in space, which was her inventory, and literally dumped out all the treasure, coins, weapons, armor, everything she had left in her inventory.
“I really wanted to have some time to sell this stuff myself, but I think it might be better if I just get the help,” she said as the pile grew larger and larger, much like the widening eyes of her friends.
“It is time, suzerain,” Xinpo whispered again in the back of Jarow’s mind.
She held back the tears as best she could, but a few slipped out as she moved to the wall in the study where she had arrived and mentally pushed the Passe-partout button in her UI.
Unexpectedly, the air in the house began to exit rapidly through the pinhole of a portal that Passe-partout had created. Wind whipped through the rooms and brought with it all sorts of papers and debris, which began swirling around the slowly expanding portal.
“What’s going on?” Suhry called out over the ruckus.
“I don’t know!” Jarow responded. She was just as confused as the others.
Mediv grabbed onto Isilandra and anchored himself to the door jamb. With his tail, he reached out and pulled Suhry to them so that she could grab on as well.
The portal continued to expand, but at a slower rate than Jarow had previously experienced with portals. Its interior displayed an ever-changing, mercurial scene of dark blues, reds, and blacks, slowly pushing the dark black border of the portal open at its sluggish pace.
“You should put on your armor, suzerain. I have a bad feeling about this,” Xinpo said worriedly to Jarow’s mind.
Jarow opened her inventory screen and tabbed over to Frank’s Apology. She selected the armor as if to remove it, but a new option appeared as she selected it.
Do you wish to equip Aether Skin? - [ Yes / No] -
She had never encountered options like these before, but realizing it was exactly what she needed, she swiftly selected yes. In an instant, her leather top and skirt vanished, replaced by a fluid-like skin that enveloped her entire body. She could feel the new skin rapidly cover her body, wrapping itself over her face, hands, and feet as well. The amazing quality was that she could still see perfectly through the strange material. She found that breathing and her sense of touch were unimpeded as well. It was as though she were wearing something as thin as the sheer robe Isialandra still wore.
Looking down, she saw the myriad of colors that now swirled around her body. The shades shifted constantly, replacing each other with new and more vibrant hues until darker ones took over. The cycle then repeated, but with a new spectrum becoming visible as it continued to morph.
Objects that came into contact with her new overlay of skin quickly disappeared, vaporizing into nothing without a reflection or bounce. Jarow realized just how many things were spinning around her in this chaotic frenzy, and knew she could become a danger to her friends if she stayed tethered to this place for much longer. The wind howled, pulling her forward towards the portal, which was finally beginning to take shape and become a proper aperture.
Jarow realized that this portal must only allow the passage of living creatures, as the papers and detritus disintegrated upon coming near it, just like when they came into contact with her Aether Skin. The wind it generated due to the suction it created was like a vortex, swirling around it like a tornado, attempting to pull everything into the still-forming gateway.
By the time she had realized this, the hole had grown to the size of a large pizza, just large enough for her to pass through. She had been told a long time ago by her dear friend Noruff never to enter a portal until it's completely open. However, in this case, she feared the consequences of not entering the portal were less than the possibility of what might happen if she decided to wait until it fully formed. She was afraid there would be nothing left behind her, including her friends, if she allowed it to complete its formation.
With that frightening thought, Jarow took one last glance at her friends and mouthed an "I’m sorry" to them, knowing her voice would likely be drowned out by the whistling wind in the room. Then she leaped towards the circular opening, extending her hands forward like a superhero taking flight, allowing the suction to pull her directly through the center.