“So my unique power appears to be transformation,” Jerome said while inhabiting a near-perfect replica of Krystyna’s body. “So it’s simple. Transform into whatever I want and then walk around town and buy what we need.”
“It can’t be that simple,” Krystyna countered. “The powers humans get assigned are strong, but they’re not that strong. Transform into anything you want at any time? Game-breakingly strong. You could impersonate the kings of all three empires. There have to be limits.”
“I think I’ve worked out the first few rules, just from what happened in the fight.”
“Go on…” She was clearly surprised to see him acting logically, but come on. This was the first time since he arrived in the world that he hadn’t been drunk or hungover or fighting fantastical creatures or getting used to the sight of humongous boobs. All of those things impair logic to an astounding degree.
“At the beginning of the fight, when I was running and thinking about how I could be faster, I received a helpful message asking me if wanted to transform into the gnoll. Then I fought the first ockdine. When the gnoll body was about dead I got a message asking me if I wanted to transform into the ockdine I was fighting. I did so, killed him, then came to save you.”
Krystyna raised her eyebrows skeptically. Jerome ignored it.
“So I killed the second ockdine, who was killing you, and that’s when you energy-punted me onto a bunch of spikes.”
“It’s called Recoil Burst.”
“Okay, you Recoil Bursted me onto a bunch of spikes. Then I got a message giving me a choice of who to transform into: you or the other ockdine.
“So it looks like when I touch a sentient being they’re added to the list of bodies I can transform into. When I transform it removes them from the list.”
“Okay, interesting so far… I’m assuming the next limitation will explain why you’re still wearing my body?”
“I don’t know if it’s a limitation or not, but I can’t figure out how to transform back into myself, and the only other option is the ockdine. We both know how well that went.”
She considered for a moment. “Stay as me for now. I like knowing what words you’re saying… usually.” She glanced quicky at his copy of her body and then away before twirling her hair.
“My transform status says ’24 hours remaining’, so I assume I’ll transform back to myself after that. Or…” He gulped in fear as a thought occurred to him. What if he died after the 24 hours were up? What if he was forced to keep cycling through bodies, always a vagrant in someone else’s skin? Would novelty wear away into doldrums? One thing was certain: he would be completely unable to lead whatever passed for a regular life around here.
“What are you thinking?”
No, he wouldn’t lead a life like that. “I’m just wondering what’s going to happen to me 24 hours from now.”
“Probably transform back. Nothing to worry about,” she said brightly. “I’ve found a second limitation. It appears that your stats are half of mine… but with the addition of the swordsmanship skill, level 1. Anyone who knew me would be able to tell that you were the fake.”
Half?
He checked both of their stat sheets:
Name: Krystyna Kowalska
Race: Human
Level 8, 17% progress
170/170 HP
100/100 MP
170/170 SP
Statuses: None
Strength: 29
Endurance: 19
Agility: 42
Focus: 10
Dexterity: 18
Connection: 17
Skills
Special Abilities
Recoil Burst Level 14, 9% (unique)
Burst, Blast Off
Dodge Level 10, 83%
Hear the Wind
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Herbalism Level 9, 21%
Identify Herb, Make Potion (see recipes)
Grappling Level 7, 10%
Mobility Awareness
Light Armor Level 5, 95%
Unarmed Strikes Level 5, 43%
Name: Krystyna Kowalska (Jerome Wallaby)
Race: Human (Human)
Level 4. (Level 1, 145% progress)
135/135 HP
100/100 MP
135/135 SP
Statuses: Transform (24 hours remaining)
Strength: 19
Endurance: 14
Agility: 26
Focus: 10
Dexterity: 14
Connection: 13
Skills
Special Abilities
Transform Level 1, 41% (unique)
Store, Transform
Recoil Burst Level 7 (Level 0, 0%) (unique)
Burst
Dodge Level 5 (Level 0, 0%)
Herbalism Level 5 (Level 0, 0%)
Identify Herb, Make Potion (see recipes)
Grappling Level 4 (Level 0, 0%)
Mobility Awareness
Light Armor Level 3 (Level 0, 0%)
Unarmed Strikes Level 3 (Level 0, 0%)
Swords Level 1, 15%
Sure enough. It was a little over half, but close enough for him to be uncomfortable with the disparity in their power levels.
“It looks like my stats are halfway between my regular stats and your regular stats. That’s why your skills are at half and my swordsmanship shows up there.”
“Makes sense. That’s way better than just being at half; it means we can level you up and have it improve each of your transformations.” She stared off into the distance and appeared to be calculating something. “At just plain half power your transformations wouldn’t be good for much besides disposable battle bodies and the occasional run into town to get supplies. And even then the battle bodies, at half power, might end up killing you sooner when you ran out or accidentally chose an especially weak body. Yes, this is much better.
“We’re going to start with something to improve your survivability. Improved attributes. Basic skills that, even at half power, can get you out of scrapes. Then we can work on stuff that’s synergistic with specific missions…”
He wasn’t quite sure what to make of her new tone. On the one hand it felt almost like she was a teacher planning out a torture session for him (he looked nervously around for chalkboards and was relieved to find none). On the other hand she was getting really excited, and that made him excited by proxy.
“Let’s test something,” she said with a gleam in her eye. “I’ve got an herbalism recipe here that requires level 5, a skill level you have for the next 24 hours. I want you to make it.”
She pulled ingredient from her bag, then set them in front of him along with a mortar and pestle. Just like with using the alien limbs of a gnoll or ockdine, it took him a while to make contact with the herbalism skill he now possesed, but when he did he ground up the herbs as naturally as if he had trained the skill himself.
You have learned Herbalism, Level 1. 23% Progress
He combined them, decanted some water into a bowl, and mixed them expertly.
You have reached Level 2 in Herbalism.
That was quick! He checked his stats sheets and saw that for Herbalism it said Level 6 (Level 2, 14%). The combined/average skill level for him and Krystyna had gone up.
“No fair,” Krystyna gasped. “I had to create a dozen level 1 potions to get to level 2, but it just took one level 5 potion for you to level up. Do you know what this means?”
“That I’m an herbalism prodigy?”
“It means you can just tap someone on the shoulder and power-level their most advanced skills. The effect levels off the closer you get to their skill level, but still… You get to skip the line on the early stages.”
That was pretty cool. See someone whose skill he wanted? Tap them on the shoulder and then practice it up. Preferably quite a distance away, so that the people who knew them wouldn’t get confused by the body double.
With this unique power he could become this world’s most accomplished jack-of-all-trades.
He wondered why he hadn’t leveled up in Claws or Tentacles while using them, then figured there must be some sort of lock that prevented the human-souled from leveling up skill in using appendages they didn’t have.
That left one question…
He walked away from the herbalism set, put both of his hands firmly against a thin tree, and willed it to move away from him.
The tree exploded outwards, snapping near the base so that the bulk of the trunk could fly away as fast as possible.
It felt amazing. He had just snapped a tree in half and then sent it flying, like a frikkin’ superhero… and it had only taken 4 SP! He could do a double-hand pulse like this over 30 times before running out.
Even better was the message he received.
You have learned Recoil Burst, Level 1. 4% Progress.
“Hey Krystyna,” he said cooly, savoring the implications of the message. What it would mean for his place in the world. “I thought you told me the powers were unique.”