"I'm sorry, Ob. I just can't do this anymore. For once, be angry, for once be sad, be something besides optimistic and happy all the time!!" a young woman was yelling at Ob. She was pretty and had fair skin, with blond hair falling to her shoulders. She had blue eyes and a soft, raspy voice. She was several inches shorter than Ob, her eyes were puffy, and her nose was red and running.
"What are you even saying right now, Charlotte?" Ob responded evenly.
"I can't do this anymore. You're always happy; it's exhausting. I feel like I can't say anything negative or down around you. You'll instantly look for the good side of things."
"I am sorry if I have made you feel like you couldn't be real. That's not me; I've been tryna help you feel better 'cause you have been in this funk for so long. I am far from happy all the time. You make me feel happy, you make me forget the pain, I feel everyday."
"Well, it didn't work. Mission failed. I have found someone else, someone who actually treats me how I should be treated. I'm sorry, Ob, but we're done. How about next girlfriend, you act like this, not after years of being one way, just some advice. I'll see you later." She turned away from him and left him standing there holding roses.
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Ob woke up to someone knocking on his door, "Ob food is here, come on!" Vincent was saying from outside the door.
Ob got out of the tub; he realized he didn't have a fresh pair of clothes. He only had the ones he had been wearing for the last 4 days, straight without a bath or cleaning. He found something next to the bath that looked like underwear and put it on. To his surprise, they were full pants. He walked out to the dining room table to see Abigail with her hair down and wet. It was long, almost touching her butt. Ob remembered Charlotte, the girl from his dream. That was his ex; she always had her hair up towards the end of their relationship. She knew Ob preferred hair to be down.
Ob shook that thought out of his mind. Approached the massive table of food. He had no idea what was in front of him. Ob hadn't told the whole team that he was not from this dimension yet. So he wanted to avoid asking what foods were what. Ob learned that they are equivalent to cows in this world.
"What is troubling you, Ob?" Abigail asked, staring at him, just staring at the food.
"I uh," he glanced at Eclipse. She just looked back as if to say this is a decision he must make on his own. He took a deep breath, "I would like to join your party... now wait before you get too excited. You all should know…"
"That you're not from this world," Vincent said, cutting him off. "But we're super honored you were going to tell us."
Ob stared at the two in disbelief. He even heard Eclipse chuckling in her corner. How did they know? Am I that obvious?
"Ob, you are like a reindeer in the street. You look so lost all the time. Yes, I could have believed that you came from a very desolate place, but magic still exists in this world. That is not going to change no matter where you grew up. You are, what, 29 years old? That's far too old not to know about anything magical," Abigail said, laughing and looking at her new friend with amusement.
"You're strong as hell," Vincent said in between bites. "So that's something you got going for you."
"Well, I guess the cats are out of the bag," Ob said. "Wait, y'all have cats, right? You two seem not blown away with another being from out of your world…" he eyed the couple suspiciously.
Abigail laughed some more, "Yes, we have cats! I imagine we have the same animals as your realm with some more. The magical ones would be here and not where you come from. What is your home called? How did you get here? Are you going back? There have been tales of people who “skip dimensions”, no one knows why exactly but you are not the first one."
"Oh, so this is actually steak? Thank goodness!!" Ob replied, diving into the meat. "I'm from Earth; I am going to be honest: I don't know where it is in relation to here; some things in our myths and legends exist here. I assume that someone came before me and brought the myths as stories. When I got here, I woke up just as a spirit, which is how I killed a wraith; Eclipse or Flaxy killed more wraiths surrounding my physical body. Which was when I met Eclipse for the first time. I would like to go back, at least to say goodbye. Not just die randomly."
"You died?" Abigail asked skeptically.
"That's what VON said. Many times, actually. I truly don't know much else, but I do keep having dreams of my past."
"You've been here for four days, almost five… you have a lot to learn." Abigail said, excited to have a pupil to impart all her knowledge to. "I think we should get you to a big city. Although going with Eclipse could be tricky."
"I can go into the soul home. I will need a long rest as I advance to the next levels. After that battle, I can feel the power increase. A soul home will decrease the length of rest." Eclipse said sleepily like she was ready for a long nap.
"Why do you need to rest, but I don't?" Ob asked.
"You do." Both Abigail and Eclipse said, Abigail smiling at her other new friend. Was she becoming a friend of dragons, too? She couldn't deny how badass Eclipse was and how loyal and friendly too. If all dragons were like her, perhaps she would really like it. "As I mentioned, the fundamental differences between dragons and normags?"
"I do," Ob said.
"Well, when all magical beings or beings with magic potential level up, their magic has to grow in order that we can add the depths of your manna pool, strength, and additional magic. Being a primarily magical being requires a lot of growing because my capacity is already so high. This is why the more levels I gain in one sitting and the higher level I get, the longer I'll need rest. Meaning it would be wise to spend those days training and not adventuring without me.
You Ob are different. You are both 100% physical and magical; you are in part Celestine. Your resting time will be cut dramatically less. Your body naturally adapts to the surroundings." Eclipse finished.
"Not yet," Ob said. “I am not fully a celestine, last time I checked I was slowly progressing. What is a Celestine?”
"A celestine. It is a being from other dimensions; they are magical and physical in nature. Their magic comes from the cosmic realm." Abigail explained, "Celestines have the largest magical potential, barring full magical beings like dragons. Either you were reborn as a Celestine, or you always had the magical potential, but being born in a place, as you say, magically desolate would force your magic inert; your death had to be an…" She paused, searching for the right word "awakening, of your magical potential, began. Honestly you being a celestine is rarer than being from another dimension, the two go hand in hand. Not every dimension skipper is a Celestine but every celestine is a dimension skipper."
"That doesn’t help me though because I am progressing to it. I wasn’t born fully as one, I came here human, I am still human, somewhat. But let me get this straight, had I just woken up. I wouldn't be a Celestine, but the fact that I had to search for my body makes me stronger?" Ob questioned.
"Well, no. Not exactly. Your potential came from when you were born." Eclipse stated.
"What do you mean… search for your body?" Abigail and Vincent asked together
Ob told the group how he went to bed like every other night in his home world. He told them about his adventures in the place where he was attacked by wraiths and how a dragon killed all the wraiths swarming his body. He went into as much detail as possible, mainly for Abigail's benefit. The couple looked at Ob with amazement; they had heard stories of people from other dimensions coming to their world but never met one in person, nor did they expect to. Now a real-life Celestine was in front of Abigail, was her friend, and had fought alongside her. She could not believe her luck.
Breaking from awe, Abigail asked, "Do you still want to join our party?"
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"If y'all wouldn't mind having me." Ob responded, "We fought well together. I don't know if our powers work well together, but I am sure we can find some cohesion."
"We did, didn't we!" Vincent said, beaming with pride.
Ob chuckled, "I did think I was going to die in that purple smoke cloud." Suddenly, he remembered getting loot from the succubus they killed, "I almost forgot about these. Hmm, I wonder if there is a way that I can share my UI ability with y'all?" Ob wondered aloud.
Help?
Any member of your party may have limited access to VON. As VON levels up, your party members may have more access. You have the ability to restrict a party member's access at your own will.
"Got it," Ob said, "Okay, so once I join your party, you'll have some access to VON, and you can see what these item descriptions are, and we can decide what to do with them."
"Oh, perfect," Vincent said, remembering that he wanted them to view his item from his grandma. "How are you going to give us access? To register a party, we have to go to the Crusader Federation, and we are not close to a big city?" A voice started speaking loudly in Vincent and Abigail's heads.
You have been invited to join Ob Jones' party. Would you like to join? Yes/No?
"What the hell is that?" Vincent asked, shaking his head clear of the loud noise.
"That was VON; he's my narrator and tells me stuff," Ob responded. Ob pulled out the items, and the team listened to VON's identification.
Item: Tentacle of the Dark
Weapon
Rare
A whip from a hell-bound kraken. The tentacle possesses magical potential along with long toxic spikes. It can be used as a conduit or as a weapon.
Item: Dark Stone
Keystone Item
Uncommon
Use this item to unlock a skill related to the darkness. Use? Yes/No?
Ob declined.
Item: Succubus Wings
Craftable
Uncommon
Wings of a vanquished succubus use their wings to craft into usable items.
Item: Succubus Horns
Craftable
Uncommon
Horns of a vanquished succubus use their horns to craft into usable items.
"That tentacle is interesting," Abigail said after listening to the last item, "I don't think any of us can really have any benefit from it, but it is useful for some money, I bet."
"Or it could be traded for something more useful for us," Vincent added.
"Just so. Why did you decline the dark stone? You still have some skills to unlock?" Abigail asked Ob.
"I don't like the thought of having dark magical powers." Ob said thoughtfully, "I have this other item from the first succubus. It is a dark heart, similar to the dark stone but much rarer. It offered the same and asked to be used during the battle."
Abigail's face fell dark and serious, "You did not use it, did you?" She asked, none of her usual joy for education in her voice.
"No," Ob responded, "I just said I don't like the thought of anything dark in my powersets."
"Good, very good." She responded, now pacing and muttering to herself. "That is a legendary item. That is a curse, Ob. It turns the consumer into a practitioner of the dark arts 10/10 times. If you have a good and pure heart, that is how you taint it."
"The hydra…" Ob began to realize, "The hydra from your story, Abigail, was it given the dark heart?"
"I do not know," She said, shaking her head, "I am unaware of beings giving their soul-link items to use at all; that must be unusual. If the demi-god did, though, then it is very plausible that is what caused the Hydra to lose their entire control."
"It can be done; I have already given an item to Eclipse. You said dragons have a bad rep, right?" Ob asked.
"Rep? I do not know this word; I lost the translation. You have already given something to Eclipse?? What did you give her?" Abigail said, concerned in her voice.
"Er, reputation; what if there is someone who is giving the powerful dragons these items to turn them evil and not good? I gave her an ice stone; it gave her ice breath." Ob stated calmly as if it were no big deal.
"That is a thought Ob. You must remember this conflict with dragons did not appear overnight in thin air. It has been nearly three millennia of fighting and conflict. The example I gave you was ONE of the countless terrors some dragons have been a part of." Ob noticed how confidently she said something. Was Abigail becoming okay with dragons? "Although," she said, interrupting his thoughts, "your heart is in the right place; you are a newborn. You have yet to learn what you are talking about.
An ice stone is a rare item. You gave your ice stone, a rare item, to your soul-link partner, less than how many days knowing each other?"
"You're right, I'm sorry. I come from a place where dragons don't exist, and in places they do, they are hated; I get lost in the one I know and have as a friend, which is incredible." Ob reluctantly said, "Yes, I did; she had skills to unlock, too. It's a give-and-take relationship; this was day 1. I'm not going to like the answer to this question... Are succubus considered monsters or a race?"
"Both," Vincent chimed in, "A Succubus is a demon classified as a monster. They are also classified as their own race, as demons can take on many forms. The hell realm or dimension or world, whatever you want to call, is large and vast, full of many species, creatures, races, you name it."
"Can they join any federation?" Ob asked, starting to feel guilty.
"Well, that is complicated. The short is not really. Due to their dual classifications, monster/race demons have a hard time getting into any federation; they do not want evil taintin their names after all. Except for Maverick, they truly only care about power; well, at least, that is how it is now. I digress. The Crusaders won't care because it's corrupt, as most large-standing government bodies are. This is why they were able to have a team.
What makes it even more complicated is that they are beings of magic, much like dragons, so they cannot have that third powerset unlocked; they don't even have powers; their skills are limited to their race, in their case species. Why.. what's the matter?"
While Vincent was explaining, Ob had put his hand on his head on the dining room table where they were all sitting. "I killed someone. Another living being, I killed it. What is wrong with me?" Ob said into his hands.
"Ob. Did you just eat meat?" Vincent asked, annoyance in his tone, "Yeah, you did." Not allowing him to respond, "You sit here eating a dead animal that someone went out and killed, brought back, butchered and cooked it, and you ate it with glee. No remorse. Yet you sit here sulking over killing something that was out to kill you first?"
"That's different, Vincent, and you know it."
"Oh, do I now? I know that it is different?" Volume raising, "There are many things in this world that will kill you without batting an eye. Magical things, much worse than what you have experienced! If you are going to hesitate for a millisecond because you want to spare their lives, then you should not join our party. That makes you weak, and we cannot afford weakness!"
"I may not show remorse for the food that I eat, but I am grateful and say grace every time I eat," Ob responded coldly. The aura in the room shifted; it became heavy and hostile. Abigail looked up at Ob. She saw black, orange, and red start to radiate out of him; it was as if she physically saw the aura around him manifest, which should not be possible. Aura is a very spiritual expression that should not be visible in this physical reality. "Weakness, you call it weakness. Then why did you not kill the twins and the Minotaur? Why did you let them go? You had a shot to kill one of them, but you pinned his shoulder instead? You sit here and talk to me about weakness when I did the killing. Twice, two times, I have had succubus eyes staring at me right before I ended them. Right before their existence is no more. If wanting to spare the life of someone or something makes me weak and killing without remorse makes you strong, then I'll gladly be weak." The aura grew more volatile, pressing down on everything around it. Eclipse watched in awe; this aura felt like a being with immense power who remained neutral and was trapped behind a cage, always on a balance beam. It felt like it could go from chaos to purity instantly or vice versa. It was an immense power but delicate, like an egg. She supposed this is how Ob felt back in his home world but without the power. She felt justice and balance prevailing.
Ob never seemed like a guy who would go too far when things went wrong. She was right. Ob constantly kept things in. When his birth parents gave him away, Ob never expressed how much that hurt, and when none of his blood relatives accepted him to take care of him, Ob pushed that down. When he was finally adopted, all of that came out in the form of hard work and a lot of tears. He always felt like the world was full of people who were slighting him, wanting to piss him off any moment they could. Then when Charlotte, his first love, left him for not feeling, for not feeling the pain, hardships, and emotions he had been feeling his entire life. Only for her to leave him completely alone. Cold break, no remorse gone. Ob hadn't lost it then. It was when he turned 18, and his parents asked him to start paying rent when they hadn't asked his older siblings with children too. With them saying, "How could we possibly make our kids pay?" Even then, he did not lose it. He simply backed his bags and left.
Ob was excited to have a fresh start. He was excited that he had all this power and all this potential. A brand new canvas was there for him to start painting his own life. Yet here he was, constantly fighting people who were still treating him not much different than Earth. Yes, the succubus sucked, and they deserved to die; it didn't mean he had to like killing them. It doesn't mean he must always be okay with killing things; it's a balance. It is always a balance. In Ob's mind, balancing is hard; it takes strength and courage. Weakness is when you go all one way or all the other, refusing to put in the effort to be wrong, to know that you are not always on the right side.
Ob realized his aura was out of control with a controlling breath. He walked back into his room. Leaving the trio to sit in what just happened.