Oh shit, you can hear my thoughts? Shara felt a surge of panic waft over her as she tried to remember if she thought anything that would be problematic. Did she insult Arthur at some point?
"Oh, yes indeed I can, and you certainly did. I don't remember you being so… vocal. Well, no matter, I can always reforge you and try again, I suppose." Arthur said as he rested his chin on his hand, leaning against the arms of his rocking chair. He tossed a couple logs into the fireplace with a wave of his hand when they suddenly ignited, smoke billowing up the chimney.
Reforge me? Try again? What?
"Well, whatever happened while you were gone seems to have messed with your essence. I'm not sure exactly what, but frankly you're not useful to me now. Tomorrow we'll take a trip to the forge and work out these kinks." Arthur said, closing his eyes as the light from the fire washed over him, pulsing with orange and yellow. Warmth emanating through the room.
Isn't that going to kill me? Do I get no choice in the matter? You just pick me up after years and suddenly say you're going to reforge me because I'm not useful? How is this fair?
"Oh shush, it's fair because you are a sword. An inanimate object that I imprinted something of an artifical intelligence onto, all you're supposed to do is provide measurements and data to me. I'm not sure why you suddenly seem to act like you're anything more than that but you are a tool. And right now, you're not fulfilling that need. Frankly, I don't care why, it was a pain in the ass to make you the first time and it'll probably be a pain in the ass to do it again. Now shut up, I'm going to sleep. We'll deal with you tomorrow." He said, finally rising from the chair and tossing a thick cover over me, my vision disappearing.
The night was filled with panic, my heart racing - figuratively of course, at the thought that this could be the last time I exist, at all. Would I have memories of these peaceful years but without the means to act on them? Or would I be erased, forgotten as though I never existed? I had no idea what was going to happen when I got reforged, but it terrified me, more than anything ever has. I'd never experience a panic attack before, but I'm sure what happened that night was about as bad as it gets. Surrounded by darkness, not knowing how long had passed since I was left stranded alone with my thoughts. Not sure how long until I would see light again, or if I even wanted to. The unease creeping in steadily with each passing minute until after what felt like an eternity, the cover was lifted and my vision was restored.
Arthur picked me up without speaking a word and stuck me in a different hilt this time, a solid one without a gap in the center. My vision disappearing again, the panic rising as I felt whatever innards I had inside me trying to rush out of my throat, even though I had none of that.. probably. I focused on the light swaying with each step Arthur took, trying to do anything I could to keep my mind off the inevitable dread if I let my mind wander even a little. Some time passed, and I was removed from the sheath. Heat spread through me as soon as I was free, enveloping my body as I saw a raging fire contained within a stone structure in the small room we were in. Barrels littered around the room, and a yellow anvil resting next to the forge.
"Well, here we go. Time for round 2 I suppose." Arthur said, as he tossed my body into the fire. It wasn't painful, but it was hot. Extremely hot, I could feel my perception warping and felt as though I were sinking into the ground beneath me. A few moments later, I heard a noise in my head.
*Ding* You have died. Please find a new host within the next 90 seconds or have your existence purged. 89.. 88.. 87
What? I thought to myself, suddenly free of the heat and able to move around. I couldn't walk, nor could I move any specific part of my body. But I could float, I could float as I wished, the heat irrelevant to whatever form I took on. I saw Arthur's eyes widen as he stared at me, looking even more surprised than I was at whatever happened.
*Ding* Please find a new host within the next 80 seconds or have your existence purged. 79.. 78.. 77..
Again, what? A new host? How do I find a new host? Hello? System?
*Ding* Enter a host's body and claim it for your own. 76.. 75..
So I just.. Fly into something, and then I don't get my existence purged? I thought, with no response. What happens to the host? Do they die? There was still no answer. I looked around the room for anything inanimate that I could claim, something that would let me move. There were swords, but I wasn't sure if I could claim a sword, nor did I trust Arthur to not do something to me while I was left in the sword. His eyes darting around the room watching me with a palpable fear.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
*Ding* Please find a new host within the next 70 seconds or have your existence purged. 69.. 68.. 67..
Fuck fuck fuck. Do I have to kill Arthur? Fuck. I don't want to do that, he was awful but still. Ahhh but if I don't then I'm going to die. Not even die, I'll be purged. How much worse is being purged to dying. Fuck.
*Ding* Please find a new host within the next 60 seconds or have your existence purged. 59.. 58.. 57..
Ok ok, I get it. I'll possess Arthur. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I really don't wanna do this. Oh god. I'm sorry. I thought to myself as I flew towards Arthur, he tried to jump out of the way but he was frozen for a little too long as I floated into him.
*Ding* Would you like to claim Arthur Strom, Lord of Dragons as your new host?
Fuck fuck. Ok, yes. I will claim Arthur as my new host thank you oh my god.
*Ding* Arthur Strom acquired as new host. Initiating possession process.
I don't remember anything other than an intense pain that felt like the very essence of my being was ripped apart and reassembled. It lasted for a few minutes before I passed out. I have no idea how long I was out for, but when I woke I was in Arthur's body, covered in sweat, grime and possibly other unmentionables. Messages flooded my mind as I ignored them, crawling to sit next to a wall as I cried, thinking about what I'd done. Arthur had been a person - not a person I liked, mind you, but a person. A real live person who had dragons he cared about, and who the dragons cared about. And maybe people, I don't know. But he was gone. I killed him, I think? I don't know how this works, but I'm here and Arthur isn't, and I did that. I cried, sitting on the warm stone floor in the corner of the forge for what seemed like hours.
I had no choice, the time was quite literally ticking down. It was me or him, and I didn't want my existence purged. Anything but that. I tried looking through the messages in my mind, hoping to keep myself distracted from the brutal reality of what's happened.
*Ding* You have acquired Soul Resistance as a result of taking damage to your soul. With a little effort, you will be able to perceive your soul.
*Ding* You have acquired Arthur Strom's body, please view status window for more information.
Status window? I thought to myself before another message entered my mind.
Shara - LV 214
Spirit
Stats:
- INT (101)
- DEX (370)
- STR (300)
- END (250)
- WIS (100)
Class Skills:
- Possession (2)
(2nd possession) Lord of Dragon Skills:
- Dragonriding (2)
- Fire Manipulation (4)
- Speak with Dragons (7)
- Domination (1)
- Dragon Taming (4)
General Skills:
- Weapon Creation (5)
- Swordfighting (3)
- Speak with beasts (4)
- Create Water (1)
Resistances:
- Fire (4)
- Heat (3)
- Poison (1)
- Cold (2)
- Soul (1)
I have no idea what any of this means… I'll have to go through it later, for now I just want to write. Vent my frustrations and pain into a book and disappear. I thought to myself as I got up and wandered through the vast cave. I couldn't see on our way over here so I had no idea how to get back, but I don't think it was a very long walk. It took some time but I could find the patio set up outside Arthur's hole in the wall, and inside I found some papers and a pencil.
And so I started writing, unleashing all of my life into these papers for some stranger to one day find and read. Which brings us to now. What I'll do from now I don't know, but I want to explore this world. Arthur seems to be pretty high level so with his skills maybe I'll be able to see some sights without having to take part in much violence. One person is already enough for my conscience. Maybe I'll see if I can find some leather and bind these papers together, make a book out of it. Something to keep me going and motivated, maybe. To whoever finds this in the future, just know that I didn't feel I had a choice. I didn't want to do it, I really didn't. I'm so sorry.
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"The origin story? June will like this." A lady with long blue hair wearing a tight fitting leather tunic said, gripping a book with what looked like a crying woman on the front cover. She looked around the room covered in ice, shivering in the cold. "A volcano, really?" she wondered aloud. "Guess I've got enough to head home then." The lady walked out of what used to be Arthur's room into the vast cavern, icicles dangling from the ceiling, snow covered ground expanding in every direction. She walked back towards the entrance to the cave a few hundred meters away, exiting onto the peak of a frigid mountain. Her vision blurred by the snowfall that coated the landscape in a pristine white. She took a deep breath, the cold air stinging her as she did, and set off down the mountain.