...
"Ha... haha... hyeHAHAHAAHEEEE!"
Cackling and bubbling like a madslime, I abandon the fight to contain my glee. "Look at these Skills!" Squeeing my delight, I roll around the silty depression in the beach like a child hopped up on too much sugar. "This is better than I ever could have imagined!" I gush to {Mask}, who is currently following me around with a pleased shimmer as I carry on.
"Exciting! Exciting!" they gleam, happy to share in the celebrations.
Settling down from my antics after a lap or two, I look over the list once more, hungry to knuckle down and see what's on offer.
- Available Skills -
[Grip II - 2 SP: Assists with the technique and fine motor skills required to maintain the skill-holder's grasp on surfaces, objects and other entities.
Swimming - 1 SP: Imparts basic knowledge on techniques suited to the skill-holder's physique for the purposes of traversing liquid environments.
Division - 1 SP: Enables the skill-holder to split off a piece of their consciousness, which can then operate independently of the skill-holder. Maintaining the skill requires a degree of continuous concentration.
Chaos Weaving - 1 SP: Imparts knowledge on how to weave Chaos Aspected mana.
Growth Weaving - 1 SP: Imparts knowledge on how to weave Growth Aspected mana.
Matter Weaving - 1 SP: Imparts knowledge on how to weave Matter Aspected mana.
Null Weaving - 1 SP: Imparts knowledge on how to weave Null Aspected mana.
Tension - 1 SP: By expending mana, the skill-holder can increase the tension within their body. Effects vary dependent upon physiology.
Writ Initiate - 1 SP: Grants the skill-holder basic System Writ permissions.
Slime Shot - 1 SP: Assist with the techniques and bodily control required to eject projectiles from the skill-holder's body.]
Eeeeeee! This is so exciting! I want them all, they all look so interes-!
Snapping back, I shake myself, reeling from the intensity of that little episode. That overwhelming wave of excitement dunked me in the whitewash from out of nowhere! Where the hell did that come from?
Taking a moment to centre myself, I circulate my currents until they're once again flowing smoothly. Okay. I can't be certain where that came from, but considering the source of my still simmering, now tightly lidded, excitement; I think the slime in me got a little rowdy at the prospect of new stuff.
No need to stress, I tell myself calmly. Just gotta keep a handle on it. No biggie...
Moving on from my unexpected outburst, I go back to the difficult task of picking one of these new Skills. The old ones are still there, though Grip is now Grip II for whatever reason... and it costs two SP... weird. Slime Shot is down the bottom, I expected that one to pop up, but the real meat is sandwiched between the two, like a proper sandwich should be.
Reading the brief descriptions for each of the four Weaving Skills, I wonder if these appeared because of my advancement to Initiate Mana Weaving. Either way, picking one of these options would finally give me a use for my mana. I'd be able to cast spells! Or weave them, I guess. I would have thought I'd be given a choice between some basic elements like fire or water first, but I guess it makes sense that I'm starting with the literal Foundations.
Glancing down, I study the description below that tasty grouping. Speaking of having a use for my mana; Tension gives me that as well, though what would 'increasing the tension within my body' do for me as a slime? It explicitly states the effects vary between body types, much like {Mask}'s Mould skill, which is more effective thanks to their malleability. If this follows the same principle...
Pulling my body together tight by shrinking my membrane, I imagine what having a more effective way to do this could open up for me. Rolling around, I can tell I'm bouncier, more like a partially deflated beach ball than a waterballoon. Would it turn me into some kind of mana powered bouncy ball then?
Bouncy, springy... stretchy...
Oooo! Stretching a rubber band gives it a lot of zing, that's because of tension, right? Maybe I could use it to put some extra oomph into Slam? I bet that would hurt!
Snickering at the conjured mental image of me snapping a rubber band against a hyena's snout mid fight, I move on.
Now, Division. This lets me split off a piece of myself that can do its own thing? For multitasking, I guess?
It doesn't sound all that impressive... until I realise this is a solution to the headaches I give myself trying to look in more than one direction at once. Damn, if I had two of me in my head, we could keep an eye on the back and the front at the same time! No one but {See Through} would be able to sneak up on me!
Continuing that thought experiment, I wince. In saying that, the description says the split would be independent of me; I'd end up with yet another me in my head. I don't hate my own company or anything, but wrangling my conflicting natures is more than enough of a struggle for me right now. Splitting them up when they fight over this or that is a serious chore.
Last, but not least, let's figure out Writ Initiate.
Hm. I'm getting the feeling this could be a diamond in the rough. The description is brief and uninformative, but the Skill gives me System permissions, which can't be anything but good. They're basic, sure, but permission I have is better than permission I don't. What even is a System Writ though? It probably has to do with writing, that's what it sounds like anyway, but there's just not enough information here for me to do anything but guess.
Disappointing as it is, I think I'll have to give it a miss for the moment. As much as I want to understand- possibly even interact with -the System leading me along by the metaphorical nose, I can't use my only available Skill Point on a lucky dip. Right now, I need something that improves my strengths or shores up a weakness, preferably both. It won't be going anywhere, so I'll get it later on when I've had time to save up more Skill Points.
I can also happily pass on stuff like Grip, Swimming and Slime Shot; I want the slimes at the fort to teach me that stuff so I can figure out how learning Skills without the System works. Division is interesting, but a pass for personal reasons.
All off which leaves me choosing between the weaving Skills and Tension.
"Alrighty! I've got my shortlist, now it's time to adapt!"
Perking up from where they've been playing around with a ball of silt, {Mask} gives me a quick pulse of encouragement before going back to moulding the ball into different shapes within their mass.
Humming pleasantly, I focus on the Mutations displayed on my status.
[Mutate Digestive Molecules to +5, consuming 5 Impurities?]
In-diggity!
[Upon mutating Digestive Molecules to +5, you must choose an adaptation. This will modify the Mutation's traits.]
A new screen appears, the options before me just as numerous as those offered for the Mana Receptors. Scrolling down, I skim past options that improve the speed of my digestion, make me better at digesting specific types of matter, give me more control over what get's eaten and what doesn't; the list goes on. I spend nearly ten solid minutes reading, expanding descriptions to get a better picture of what's being offered, but I think I've narrowed down my top contenders.
[...]
[Satisfying - Reduces disparity penalty applied to Impurities consumed from sources weaker than yourself.]
[...]
[Aggressive - Increases the damage your digestion deals to matter. Increases rate of digestion to a lesser degree.]
[Indifferent - Improves the digestive capabilities of your molecules, allowing you to digest a wider and more durable array of matter.]
[...]
I nearly included an adaptation that allows me to excrete small, detachable sacks full of digestive molecules, but in the end I decided I didn't want an adaptation that consumes mass without some method to recover the lost health.
Honestly, I'd be happy with any of the options here. The Satisfying adaptation is mostly in the running because it's informed me of a limiting factor I haven't encountered yet. Getting my Impurities from sources weaker than me hasn't been a problem so far, in fact I've been operating way over on the other side of the spectrum, but that will change in the future.
At least, I sincerely hope it does.
It would make grinding against easier opponents more effective, but realistically, I wasn't a fan of games that made me do that in my previous life, and it feels almost antithetical to my new nature.
"Nah, crossing that one off," I mumble, something I started doing midway through my deliberations. {Mask} hasn't made any mention of it, engrossed in their attempts to stack balls of silt in such a way that the structure doesn't immediately fall to pieces, so I feel no pressing need to stop. "I'm still stuck, though."
Do I want to do more damage, and faster? Or do I want to make sure I can get through most monster's defences?
For all I know, making my molecules Indifferent- which is an amusing concept that gave me a chuckle when I first read it, thank you Mr Attenborough -could enable me to eat through solid rock, or simply expand my diet to include chewy seafood. I've got no scale by which to gauge what constitutes an 'improvement', or a 'lesser degree'.
Although, I guess I could compare it to the difference adapting my Mana Receptors made. It's common sense that some options will lend themselves to my purposes more than others, but I find it unlikely there would be many, if any, adaptations that are out and out *better* than the others on every level. And if that's the case, I should treat both options as a serious improvement.
...
"Good on you, Luke. You've successfully reasoned your way around a circle. Well done."
Hey, this is no time to be snarky, ActualLuke. It's not that big a deal, if they're both good options we can just pick the one that feels right and we're set. Yeah?
'Of course you'd say that. This is important, we can't half-ass this! We need to carefully consider the de-'
"Okay, this is getting way too weird!"
My sudden flash startles {Mask}, their flinch causing the slime to accidentally nudge their squat pyramid mid adjustment, resulting in a mini silt-slide that decimates the right side of their structure. Silently staring at the aborted attempt at a pyramid, they flatten it down wordlessly, trying a different method.
"Doesn't this go well beyond arguing with myself?! This can't be healthy!"
I need!
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Some damn!
Space!
Straining to sequester away my rogue states of mind far off in the outer fringes of my psyche, a headache builds inside my head, like I'm the taut centre of a rope being yanked in opposite directions. Am I going insane? Hearing voices that aren't there is supposed to be one of the signs, right? I don't wanna be insane!
"Just..."
A bubbling growl works its way up to the surface, coming from a place both deeper and higher than instinct, a full body compulsion to find equilibrium taking over my world.
"Jus'..."
Trembling, my mind stretched and pulled like taffy, I'm consumed by the effort required to keep my internal conflict under control.
"Give me... I ne- need... some space..." I whisper, my plea tinged with desperation, my headache rising to whistling teakettle levels of painful sharpness-
~ SNAP ~
----------------------------------------
Woah. That was weird.
My surroundings are abruptly thrust back into focus, my mind clearer than it's been in what feels like days.
I thought I heard something a moment ago, what was...?
Trying to remember what just happened, all I get is a staticky haze, accompanied by the dizzying impression of being flung out of an airplane without a parachute.
"What the hell...?"
1} You think you've been thrown for a loop? How do you think I feel?!
"...Excuse the fuck me?"
2} Yeah. I mean, I'm mostly doing okay over here, but still, that wasn't a particularly pleasant experience for me either.
Dialogue from what appear to be a pair of soundless voices, more akin to thought than actual speech, drifts upon my thoughts like a pair of rowboats lost at sea. I don't bother looking around for something else hiding in the cave, the voices are recognisable as the sounds of my own thoughts from inside my own head, but that doesn't answer the question of how they bloody well got there.
"Oookay. I can handle weird, but this is pushing me well outside my comfort zone."
2} I don't know, I think it's kinda nice to have some room to stretch.
Locking onto the second voice before I lose track of it, I follow the thought to... a bubble? Why is there a bubble in my brain?
2} Metaphorical brain.
"I GET IT! The bit is a funny coping mechanism! But NOT RIGHT NOW it isn't!" I ripple explosively, containing the lightshow to the far side of my body so I don't disturb {Mask} again.
Experiencing a strangely detached sense of apologetic chagrin, wafting off the bubble like steam, I ignore the sensation, concentrating. I scour my mindfort, looking for anything else unexpected, locating a second bubble. Is this where that first voice/thought came from?
1} Got it in one. Look. We're all obviously still adjusting, let's just go slow and feel this out, yeah?
Silent, I sit with my current predicament for a moment, trying to calm down. "I may have voices in my head," I sigh, closing my various prompts and lists so I can focus, "but at least they're relatively reasonable."
Ignoring my surroundings, I focus inward in an effort to determine what these vocal little tagalongs are and where they might have come from. Feeling them out, I come to my first realisation; they're just me. Bubbles of Luke, floating in nothing. Well, not quite nothing. I can always sort of 'sense' and adjust where my consciousness resides within my body, and the bubbles feel just like that.
I'm on the cusp of understanding something, I can feel it in my currents. Talking to myself... warring with myself... that staticky memory of something snapping under strain... bubbles of thought... consciousness...
Pieces of consciousness...
"That's it!" I crow.
1} Of course!
2} Hey, we figured it out! Good for us!
"I must have accidentally figured out that Division Skill! I was so excited by all the shiny new Skill options that I never wondered what I did that made it appear in the first place." It probably had something to do with how I was coping with SlimeLuke and HumanLuke fighting all the time.
But there's something about that explanation that doesn't add up.
Division is supposed to let me split off a piece of my consciousness. So why does it feel like I've got three full sized consciousness' floating around inside my body? "Maybe I'm misremembering," I hedge, pulling up my list of available skills again to check the wording. "Now let's see..."
- Available Skills -
[Grip II - 2 SP: Assists with technique and fine motor skills required to maintain the skill-holder's grasp on surfaces, objects and other entities.
Swimming - 1 SP: Imparts basic knowledge on techniques suited to the skill-holder's physique for the purposes of traversing liquid environments.
Tandem Consciousness II - 2 SP: Improves the skill-holder's Tandem Consciousness' capability to collaborate. Minor improvement to the ratio which determines how many consciousness' the skill-holder can maintain relative to Thought.
Chaos Weaving - 1 SP: Imparts knowledge on how to weave Chaos Aspected mana.
[...]
...Huh? What happened to Division? Where did this 'Tandem Consciousness' thing come from?!
1} Well, that's unexpected...
2} Oooo! A mystery!
I thought Skills only refreshed at level up! After a quick check of my status, I can confirm that I haven't levelled up out of the blue. Swiftly stifling the accompanying minor surge of disappointment, I read the newly appeared 'mystery' Skill.
"So this is supposed to improve something I already have?" The way it's worded sounds like Slam, which appeared once I levelled Pound up to max.
1} But we don't have anything like Tandem Consciousness, one of the bubbles points out. Why would we get an advancement for a Skill we don't have?
Well, you've got a point there.
2} Are you guys for real? What do you think we're doing right now? I don't know if what's going on is a different thing to Division, or if we skipped the 101 class and went straight to the good stuff, but obviously we figured out this Tandem Consciousness thing. And now, for some reason, we're being given the option to advance it.
Bubble 1} and I stew quietly in the wake of 2}'s enlightenment, but we shortly get over our embarrassment in favour of brainstorming.
1} What you're saying makes sense, but we still don't know why it happened.
"Does that really matter though?" I consider, eliciting another strangely detached waft of emotion from both bubbles of consciousness; curiosity this time. "Looks, here's what we- I know. It's possible to learn Skills without the help of Mr. Attenborough. Agreed?"
1} Agreed.
2} Yeppers.
Glowing my appreciation for thei- my co-operation, I continue. "I was planning to figure out how that all worked back at the fort; ask around, try it myself, that kind of thing. So, instead of stressing over what we can't figure out right now, let's just pat ourselves on the back for being awesome, work with what we've got, and figure out the details of how this wacky System works once we're home and safe."
Giving my selves some time to mull it over, I soon receive tandem answers of agreement to my suggestion.
2} I think it's a good idea. The 'whys' and 'hows' aren't important right now, fascinating as they are. We've got important choices to make, so let's make 'em!
Though still a little hesitant, I can feel bubble 1}'s pleasure at us figuring out a Skill all by ourselves, not to mention their contribution to the joint excitement we all feel at the prospect of adapting and eventually evolving soon.
1} We are pretty awesome, huh?
"You got that right!" I laugh, happy to have found some equilibrium in the mad old word that is my mind.
"Luke. Say something?" {Mask} asks, startling me with their sudden presence on this side of the divot.
"Oh! Uh, don't worry about it {Mask}, I'll tell you later." Glancing across at the site of their project, I'm curious to see their progress. "Hey, I apologise for startling you earlier, my bad. How's your pyramid goi-?"
My membrane cutting to blank, I stare up at the teetering tower of packed silt at least quadruple the height of both myself and this edifice's architect. Said architect seems to have come over this side in order to scrounge up some more silt; a goodly portion of theirs looks like it's had a bite taken out of it to feed the growth of this concerningly bent tower.
"Oh. Is fine. No apology. Thing. Not strong. Then. Strong now," they pulse proudly, wobbling in the direction of a pool of water I missed at first glance, dug a meter away from the divot we're set up in. "'Beach' stuff. Play with. Fun. Water inside. Make weak. Take out." Demonstrating, they gather up a ball of silt within their mass, crawl over to the pool of water on the beach, twist around a bit, and dribble some water into it. Once they can't squeeze any more water out of the ball of silt, they crawl back to their questionably stable architectural design, taking the partially dried substance and packing it around the base.
"See. Fun!"
2} Damn, that does look fun.
1} Agreed. Industrious little fella, aren't they?
They're like a kid at a proper beach, with an added dash of hyperfocused commitment for flavour! "I'm glad you're having fun mate, keep it up!" Coupling my words with a pulse of encouragement, I once again pull up the System prompts still waiting in the wings for me to pick an adaptation. "I'm almost done here, be with you in a bit."
Flicking back and forth between the Aggressive and Indifferent options, I get an idea.
Okay guys, think fast; I'm gonna count to three and then we're gonna blurt out the option that comes to mind first. Ready? Good;
One...
1} Woah, woah! No, not ready!
2} Okay! Hehehe, what to pick, what to pick...?
Two!
1} Do we really want to make our decision like thi-?
Three!
Indifferent! / 1} Indifferent?! / 2} Indifferent!
The unanimous agreement catches us all off guard at first, but the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that follows is much more rewarding.
Huh, I'm honestly surprised it was that easy.
2} I mean, we're the same person. Why wouldn't we end up at the same conclusion?
You know what 2}, fair enough. I can't fault your logic. Sorry to spring that on us 1}, but they were both good options and I doubt the decision would have been any easier with more input.
1} 'Sigh'. It's fine. Like the other one says, we're the same person. I'm in here with the both of you, it was the best method we could have used to come to a decision.
[You have chosen an adaptation: Indifferent]
[Please note, you are unable to raise Mutation bonuses beyond your maximum level.]
"Yeeah. I'm not the most decisive slime in pile," I mumble, waiting for the changes to kick i-
There it is. Hoo boy, that tickles! Like, a lot!
It feels like I have a nest of ants crawling around inside me setting up shop. All three of me wince, doing our best to ignore the fact that our body is literally fizzing like soda. It's a questionably pleasant experience I'm glad to see completed.
One of the bubbles groans.
1} Urgh, I'm not looking forward to the next time we do that. I don't enjoy feeling like a glass of roughly poured Sprite.
2} I dunno, it was kinda nice. Feels all zingy and tingly.
"Look. This obviously wasn't planned, and you're me, so I'm not gonna tell you two to stop talking or anything. But we need to come up with a better way of addressing each other, or communicating, or something," I stress, my split selves drifting close, gathering in a triangle surrounding my Heart. "You know what home was like growing up, and renting wasn't much better. I've been enjoying the privacy this new life has given me. I'm sorry, but I don't want to lose that."
1} You and me both. It's been nice, not having someone constantly looking over my shoulder, telling me what, when, and how to do everything. In saying that, we're all equal parts of the same mind. No one's in charge as such, but that means it wouldn't be fair for one of us to take charge. You feel me?
Wait, really? I thought I was in charge?
2} Uhhh, no? Look at yourself, you're the same as us. You've been controlling our body, but that's mostly because we've been drifting around with nothing much to do but think.
Oh.
Partaking in some targeted introspection, I discover that 2} is right. Rather than some kind of central mind, I'm simply one more bubble of consciousness, tethered to the spot where I imagine my mind naturally resides within my body, just above my Heart. I... I'm not sure how to feel about that? I don't feel lesser or like I'm missing parts of myself, so I guess it's not a problem. I can't deny that it raises some existential questions I simply don't have the emotional bandwidth to deal with right now, but what's one more pot on the backburner at this point?
2} Welcome to the club!
Feeling their conciliatory smile, we're pulled from the moment by a context-less brainwave from 1}, who's muttering to themselves, deep in thought.
Hey what was that?
1} What was what?
2} That idea. We just got the vibes, but it seemed interesting.
1} Oh. I was just thinking about how to improve our current predicament and had a thought. It doesn't make much sense though.
Hey, don't knock it till you try it, we all know that. What's your idea?
Needling the other bubble with our insatiable curiosity, they relent.
Reluctantly.
1} Alright, fine. I can't figure it out, but maybe one of you can find what I'm missing. We're one person split into three, but I don't think I'm any less intelligent, or creative or whatever than I was before, and I assume it's the same for you two. Sound about right?
2} I feel the same, yeah.
Ditto.
1} Okay. The issue we're having right now is that we want a bit of room to breathe. It's a hassle trying to differentiate and address each other because we're all the same person.
Yeah, that about covers it.
1} Well, that got me thinking. What's actually separating us? We're in the same body, we can obviously still communicate, I can feel what you're thinking and feeling. Obviously there's something, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what...
Speaking into the silence between us following 1}'s frustration, 2} raises a hand like we're back in our childhood home, waiting to ask if we can go to the toilet.
2} Um. It sounds simple to me, but maybe I don't get it... if we're all the same person, then maybe what's separating us doesn't matter? We're not in the same place, but we're still connected, so why not try just...
~ ...being separate, together? ~
My world lurches like I just rode a highspeed elevator to the thousandth floor of a skyscraper in three seconds flat, only to be dangled over the edge of the roof the second I arrive.
My perspective swims; three {Mask}'s, each viewed from slightly different angles, patting down the walls of their tower, which has taken on a truly Tim Burton-esque aesthetic. Having spent so long focusing on the minutia of my mental state, I feel like the mirror smooth surface atop a still pond; I can see and interact with currents of thought moving beneath the surface, but they're an extension of me, the depths beneath the face I present to the world.
"...Uuuhhhhh..."
Nice. My eloquence in the face of the unexpected continues to be a thing of beauty.
Attempting to communicate with my other bubbles like before reveals the depth of change I just experienced. Damn, who'd have thought the answer to my problems would be a simple shift in perspective!
I was wrong. I wasn't splitting myself into three separate minds. I was only ever one mind operating in three parts. Now that I've realised that, those distinct parts are operating on the same wavelength again. I'm still three minds in one body, but the entirety of my consciousness isn't trying to shove itself into one of them anymore; I'm simply the result of my pieces working together, like how a human's toes are a distinct part of their body but not a separate part.
"Wow, this is so much smoother. It's not loud or hard to manage what's going on in my head anymore!"
While getting used to this new state of mind, I simultaneously take a look at my Skill selections, excited to get back to figuring out what's cooler, Tension or Weaving. One of me is taking the opportunity to admire the subtle physics hacks {Mask} is employing to prevent their tower from collapsing. It's the only explanation I can think of that explains how they've managed to make silt bend like that without collapsing in on itself.
[Spend 1 Skill Point to purchase Skill: Growth Weaving?]
[You have successfully purchased Skill: Growth Weaving]
My decision made, I spend my sole Skill Point. There's loads of Growth Aspected mana around here and down in the forest surrounding the fort, maybe I can learn something from watching it. There's also the fact that the idea of growing things- like plants, and getting bigger and stuff -speaks to me. Mostly, though, it sounds cool and I've waited long enough.
I'm impatient, sue me.
"I'm finally gonna learn magic!" all three of me giggle, rolling around my little hole in the beach with glee.