[Please choose one skill for class Snake!]
[Skill List:]
Hibernation Brute
Hibernate as deeply as you want, whenever you want. You can control whether to go into hibernation mode, even when very cold. At higher levels, withstand extreme external conditions and forces while hibernating.
Spitting Distance
Increase the distance you can spit your venom at a chosen target. At higher levels, spit around corners and through obstacles.
Super Slither
Move faster, and wriggle through smaller spaces.
[Time Left to Automatic Affixation: 2159h:57m:40s]
“You gave Tiny Long the same length to decide that a human avowed would get,” Mother commented.
Yes! I am very patient and fair! But is three options enough? What if Tiny Long doesn’t like any of them? I think they are good Snake class options! Thank you for your help! We should make more.
“That is thoughtful of you. But remember, we must also be considerate of our selectee’s cognitive capacity. Sometimes, giving more information and choices only serves to make us feel like we are offering more freedom. We know these choices represent things Tiny Long cares about, and more choices might only serve as distractions that are beyond the snake’s ability to overcome. It also increases the time a selectee needs in order to make a decision.”
Oh no! I didn’t mean to be selfish!
“It was not a selfish impulse. Another choice or two probably wouldn’t do harm, for this particular snake, in normal circumstances. But then there is the matter of timing.”
Tiny Long really cares about being a leader. I have an idea for how to modify a sway skill for the snake cla…
“You should tell the snake to affix now.”
Okay. I’m sorry I did it wrong.
“You did no such thing! You’re a very good bag, and you made a wonderful choice. But circumstances changed. Tell him to affix. Offer him a bonus if he can do it quickly, he’ll like that.”
Are you sure I did it okay? What changed?
“You’re going to Matadero.”
******
Very Scary, tarantula of the Longs, felt the massive command hit the universe.
She had never felt something on that scale. Its scope went beyond the distance she was able to sense, either through her body or her self. It might as well have been infinite.
The hairs on her body felt like they were moving in slow motion as she listened to the shape of the wind. It was as if the very air had become slowed. Not like a still day, where the air lightly touched against the world and expanded back in soft ripples. The wind still felt strong. It was direct and coherent where it moved high up, and it sheared off into spiralling vortices where it came up against objects. It felt definitively fast. Only it wasn’t. It was barely moving at all.
At first she wondered if it was simple grogginess. She stirred her body, shaking the feeling off of her hairs. The command she’d heard had woken her from the stress nap she’d fallen into after….
She remembered screaming. The giant void in the universe they had run from, that watery pillar of death that reached high into the sky.
The bag promised to keep her safe, and it had kept that promise.
She snuggled into it with a cozy feeling of relief that was amplified by the slow moving world outside.
I shouldn’t be so relieved. The siblings are still out there. Maybe they are all alive.
The memory of those moments, as they all tumbled through the water, was a blur. She had instinctively held close to the closest thing, which was the bag, and the bag’s web that she had been able to tap into. She had been able to feel, through it, what needed to be done. Blocking a piece of shrapnel. Deflecting a bad particle. Letting go of the overwhelming sensations of her tumbling body, and focusing on what she needed to do.
And even through the noise, she had felt a tiny thread connect from far away. A thread she had known most of her life and would recognize anywhere, even while being eaten by the ocean. The thread connected to something in the bag, just for a few seconds, and the spider felt it and knew it.
At least I know she’s alive. And she’s the planner, the most responsible of the three. If she’s alive, they must all be alive, they must!
She reached out a leg to touch the scratch art card that held the thread to the Long sister, to comfort herself that it had been real. She tasted multiple kinds of wax and a light dusting of plant oils and burnt carbon. There also still lingered a new scent she was becoming familiar with, of the big eight-legged one.
That’s right, I have a new one to worry about. Where are you? Are you okay?
She reached out to feel the world, this time without allowing the odd slowness to distract her senses. It was easy to be distracted by the strange slow wind, when it was almost all there was in the world. Where ground should have been, for as far as she could sense, was only silence.
It was unnerving.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
She focused. She felt the things that mattered, close to her. The big one was still sitting with the bag, with his stiff eight legs arranged on top of him. He was holding them tightly, as if they were in pain. And…
Is that another new one? Let me take a look at…
Nope. Nope nope nope.
She instinctively drew back from the destroyer.
******
The bag had never been to Matadero, but it knew it was important. There was so much magic here. The giant cube was strong and protective, and Bag hoped to be big and strong like that someday.
Wow! Matadero! Am I ready to protect against demons? I know I’m strong enough for little demons, but big scary ones can come here, right?
“The chance of a chaos incursion is quite low. If one begins, we will get you and Alden out of here before the levels get too high. The unaffixed snake is another matter. He’s got some protection while you hold him, but you should prioritize affixing him before anyone takes him out. Get him to choose, or you’ll have to force him if he doesn’t.”
Will Very Scary be okay? And the scorpion? I should make them all avowed! Then I will have three entire avowed of my very own!
“That would be very exciting, wouldn’t it? What do you think, is Very Scary a risk?”
Oh! I will look at the potential selectee analysis. Is that the right thing to do?
“I approve. Now what?”
Wow! Very Scary has such interesting authority! If Very Scary were one of my avowed, I could give her so many spider points!
“And what else do you see?”
I’m sorry, I don’t know how to read this part of the file. I know it says something important but I don’t understand. I think I am not smart enough?
“That’s an encrypted note. Contract Earth doesn’t want us to know something about this particular spider. It looks like it’s trying to hide the knowledge even from itself, to delete and forget it ever happened. Hmm, I wonder why that could be?”
Is it a mystery? I like mysteries! Mysteries are like bags that protect their secrets!
“What else is in the analysis?”
Only that she’s very stable. It would take more than a tiny chaos leak for her to be anything but a spider. She is very, very spider-shaped in both body and soul. Oh. That’s why I don’t need to affix her. I thought you were going to say it’s because she’s a wizard. You are very extra thoughtful when it comes to affixing wizards.
“Gosh, she’s a wizard? I didn’t see anything about that in Contract Earth’s file! That sure seems like important information though, doesn’t it?”
Yes! You are right! We should probably add it to the file so that Contract Earth can benefit from our knowledge!
“Please do that, my wonderful little seedling. Be sure to sign it so that Contract Earth knows who to thank.”
Yes Mother! Now should we see if we can affix the scorpion? No wait! I will do the analysis!
******
“Chant, chant, chant. Stab. Stab.”
The little scorpion was peering out from under the flap of the messenger bag, looking at the most beautiful thing it had ever seen.
“Stab! Stab!” went the big purplish being, using multiple stingers to pierce the pale squishy flesh of the one who had been carrying them.
Wow! Wow wow wow! I like that!
The scorpion’s stinger pulsed in sympathy as it watched the giant scorpion-person work. It was feeling more than simple appreciation. More than love. It beheld what was happening before it and felt the call of destiny.
******
Why does the analysis say that scorpion is extremely low-risk, but also that scorpion will demonize instantly at the slightest bit of chaos?
“The analysis does not think scorpion would make a troublesome demon. It could kill a normal human, as could many things. But there is nothing and no one within Matadero that it would be a serious danger to. It would simply dissolve against the first thing it touches.”
Why is that low risk for scorpion? I don’t want it to dissolve! I need to protect it!
“You have an unusual perspective. I like it. It is indeed a risk for the scorpion itself.”
Its authority is so small. I worry that if I try to affix it I will accidentally crush its spirit.
“Yes, that is another issue. But we have more urgent concerns. Which of the three is our top priority?”
Tiny Long! I am sending an encouragement to affix, right now! Look at me, Mother! I’m multitasking!
******
[Congratulations Tiny Long! Thanks to your leadership and status as First of Bag’s Avowed, you are qualified to earn a SPECIAL ADVENTURE TREASURE if you sign up now!]
The snake had a lot to think about. It had never talked to someone like this, but the bag seemed to be on their side. It had protected them from the water, and now it was trying to give him something.
The situation was confusing, but snake was a leader, and as a leader he was determined to get the most out of his team. He just needed to think of the bag as being part of that team now, along with his ladies of many legs.
[Please confirm a skill? I hope you like them?]
Better hibernation, spitting, and speed, what’s not to like? All three sound like useful skills for a leader and adventurer like me. How thoughtful of you to offer them with me in mind!
[Oh good! I’m so relieved that you like them! Which one do you…]
I’ll take them all, if you please, my good bag.
Snake went for a charismatic smile, and managed just a little bit of motion. His tongue wagged out and his jaw parted just a bit. He hoped he looked stronger than he felt.
[Oh, oh no… I’m so sorry, I can’t! Don’t be mad at me! It’s just that you don’t have enough snake points for that. Please don’t be disappointed! You can totally earn more snake points! If you work hard at being a good snake! And you can have a special treasure! I think you will like it very much!]
Don’t fret, my good bag. We all must do our best within our capabilities, and it would not do for a leader to ask more of you than you can give. Two of the three, perhaps?
Snake waggled his tongue cajolingly.
[Oh nooooo please don’t be mad please don’t be mad]
Haha, just a little jest, don’t fret. You’re doing your best, I’m sure. Now about this treasure you mentioned…
******
The Artonan healer watched in surprise as the little scorpion crawled up to him.
“What are you? You’re not my patient. I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.”
The healer held out his hand and let the scorpion crawl up. Its tail whipped forward as soon as it was in range.
“Healer’s Immunity,” the Artonan told the creature. “Can’t accidentally contaminate myself with my own medicine or magic, when I have that up. But what is it you’re trying to stab me with?”
The healer took the scorpion to a piece of equipment and allowed the scorpion to stab into a small squishy cube. The cube went into the machine, and a display gave a read-out.
“Oh, how interesting. How very interesting. And that explains why my immunity spell detected you as a clumsily misplaced needle full of drugs.”
The healer considered.
“That stuff is illegal on Anesidora, you know.”
The healer considered deeper.
“No, that stuff would be illegal if it were in a bottle. I suppose I could make the case that you can’t help it if your body makes a potent hallucinagenic. And if you happened to sting me, by accident, no one would really be to blame.”
The Artonan checked the timer on his Healer’s Immunity spell.
“I can only visit the ambassador so often, and if the gossip is true his residence might not be available for some time. I hope he rescued the good stuff when he evacuated. Ah, what I’d give for my own patch of legally Artonan soil!”
The healer held up the scorpion and it continued to stab at his hand without sinking in.
“You and I are going to be very good friends.”