Tom's PoV
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I awake with a start, wondering what the hell just happened. Around me are objects that are oddly twisted, trying to remind me of something yet utterly failing in their shape and purpose. There's something blinking in the corner of my view and when I focus on it enlarges to take up a portion of my view.
New System update is here!
You have a message: "Say or think status, to access information about yourself, figure out what happened, and try to have fun. You've been given a few tools to start your journey."
"Okay so either someone knows me personally or everyone got this message," i say getting a little headache with the thought of other people. That didn't even seem like a concept just a few seconds ago. 'In fact even thinking about things didn't seem like a concept until i did so,' I thought, and then remembered the message. "Status" i said to figure out what the message meant. and This popped up
Name: "Tom" Level: 1 Attributes: base Endurance: 10 Strength: 10 Intelligence: 10 Magic: 10 Attribute Points: 0 Resources: current max Mana: 100 100 Health: 100 100 Stamina: 100 100
'Apparently my name is Tom,' I thought, 'i suppose it's as good a name as any other,' not that i was able to think of any other name.
Spells: level cost Conjure food Max 10 + variable Manipulate 1 variable Inspect 1 variable
'And apparently i have spells, though i wonder why one of them is is max level instead of just 1? is it because that spell can only ever be max level?' I thought, and then decided to try [Inspect]:ing the spell
Conjure food: A spell to conjure food. Variable cost depending on amount and complexity. Gives slight insight to what can be conjured.
'I guess that's marginally useful,' I thought, still having no clue as to why it was max level. I conjured a small Apple, then i moved on to inspect the other spells.
Manipulate: A spell to manipulate anything with mana. Gives slight insight on how something may be manipulated.
Which is more or less just as useful as the previous message, i could've figured this out with a slight bit of time, but i ought not to look a gift horse in the mouth. 'the fuck is a horse, and why not?' I thought after that saying.
Inspect: A spell to gather information from anything with mana.
'how un-insightful' I thought, probably committing crimes against language and humor. 'next up, anything around me, what are you?'
A rock: A Rocky rock, made of rock.
'a personal vendetta against rocks or a bad sense of humor,' I analyzed of the message, with the word rock losing coherence in my mind somehow. Next object: less rocky looking rock.
An eldritch petrified person: A person that was transformed by world events into an eldritch stone lump. Still contains a Soul.
And now I felt ill. 'Was i like that before, or am I just yet to turn rocky?' i pondered worriedly then remembered a part of the message, 'Why would it mention a Soul?' Then i tried to hit it with [Manipulate] and felt a small rush of information, I could turn it back into a living person for 100 mana, as long as the soul was available, which seemed cheap considering conjuring an apparently small amount of food cost 10 whole mana. I looked at the apple and tried to [Manipulate] and got felt that changing the color would be almost free. 'So manipulation is cheaper than conjuration,' I thought and looked at my mana amount which was sitting at 89/100. 'and [inspect] is almost free.'
"Ok, I'm not sure if you or your soul can hear me but don't leave yet, i think i can get you back to normal if you just wait a bit for me to figure stuff out," I said to the statue hoping the soul would stay for a little longer, and shot [inspect] at my mana.
Mana: A driving force of the universe, used to manipulate anything. You gain your mana back in a day by default.
"It will take one tenth of a day to get you back!" I was slightly excited at the prospect of other people, maybe they would know more about what happened, since i was given a quest by someone to figure out what happened it was probably possible. That or the quest giver was a sadist.
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"The correct term would be masochist," A God, with the name of Order, laughed to himself, and put a quest system in the works.
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I wasn't really sure how long i waited, or i suppose i knew it was tenth of a day, i just had no idea how long that was supposed to be, but my mana finally hit 100. The sun in the sky seemed to have moved a little and that could probably be used to keep track of time somehow.
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"Okay, i'm going to attempt soon. Sorry in advance if fuck this up somehow," i said and [Inspect]:ed the rock. The soul was still here, good. "Okay good you're still here, one last little pause since that inspect probably took a little mana," I said and waited for a while to be sure. "Here goes nothing" I said and started blasting [Manipulate].
After a relatively short time compared to the mana regeneration session a human was extricated from the grips of eldritch. I just hoped that it would be okay. While manipulating I regenerated a single mana which probably made the result better than if i didn't. Maybe i wouldn't even notice. I mean it was my first time de-petrifying a human, so i didn't really have a lot of data to go on. The person looked to be fine but i would only know if they began communicating, at least it felt like that's what should happen, probably insight from [Manipulate] or [Inspect]?
It took a while but the once stone, now flesh began moving a little, chest moving in a slow rhythm. Then it's eyes shot open and looked to be in anguish.
Manipulate Gained a level. Now level 2.
"AAAH! What the FUCK was that?" the person yelled loudly, in a slightly higher pitch voice than mine.
"I uh, freed you from being an 'Eldritch Petrified person' if that means anything to you" I Replied in earnest. Still a bit worried at how loud the person was. "I'm apparently Tom" i said as an afterthought introduction.
"Agh, shit. Hi Apparently Tom, I'm in pain" the person replied. Which slightly confused me, either a horrible name, or really accurate, or the person i released was in pain and was for some reason joking?
"Uh. Hi In Pain, also just Tom, or were both of those parts a joke? And why joke if you're in pain?" I asked in an attempt to clarify everything.
"Slow down. Humor is a cope. And help with the pain if you can?" it replied in apparently genuine pain.
"Allright I'll see what I can do" I replied i shot an [Inspect] at the person and in a moment of inspiration trying to [Manipulate] the spell itself to give more information.
Lilly Smith: A female human. Currently suffering from slight nerve damage and tiny mutations. Agitated. Not agressive. Peckish. Confused. Slightly scared.
Inspect gained a level. Now level 2.
Manipulate Gained a level. Now level 3.
"Ok it's apparently slight nerve damage," to which Lilly, apparently, nodded. "and tiny mutations," to which Lilly blanched and looked to be doing a lot worse. 'Maybe information can hurt people?' I thought after that reaction.
"Don't worry i can probably fix those," i tried to reassure the now paper white woman.
"Probably? I'd like to have 0 mutations, no matter how tiny, I don't mind the pain if you can just fix those," Lilly said while looking a bit.. strange? 'probably scared,' i thought
"Uh. Don't worry i'm the one who turned you back into a human from a rock. So I should be able to fix any problems your body conjures." I tried to sound reassuring not wanting the person i helped to panic.
"Shit. I mean i don't see anyone else around, or really anything else," Lilly said while turning a little more white, just after recovering a bit of color through my reassuring speech.
"Worry about it later, even i don't know about it. I'm gonna use manipulate to fix the mutations first," I said and didn't wait for an answer since if Lilly was so worried about them I probably should be too. It also seemed that [Manipulate] got cheaper after those levels. I first manipulated [Inspect] to give me accurate information of where the mutations are, which showed in my vision as red blobs under Lilly's skin. Then touched those spots with [Manipulate] slowly getting rid of them, 'luckily there aren't a lot of them or my mana would've ran out before i was finished,' i thought. This time it only took 2 mana for the whole procedure, probably because of the much smaller volume, or maybe the information from inspect?
"Are you done touching me?" Lilly asked, now annoyed more than anything. Which confused me slightly since i was helping the person angry with me wasn't I?
"Yes but why do you sound angry?" i asked in hopes of clarification.
"Because you should ask more for permissions before doing things to other people," Lilly huffed.
"Hmm. I will keep that in mind in hopes of not angering you again? I did say what i was doing, how should I be clearer next time?" i asked. Then Lilly looked at me, suspicious.
"Who are you?" Lilly asked, shifting to look a bit more stable on the ground.
"I introduced myself, I'm Tom?" i replied, slightly confused, what was Lilly suspicious of?
"Tom Who? I'm Lilly Smith, as generic as the second name is I still give it freely, what about you?"
"I'm just Tom. Or at least that's what the System says my name is, and i knew your name from inspect already" I Replied. 'Is the second name important?' I pondered.
"The System? Wait no that's not important, what do you mean it says it's your name, you should know your name not believe some 'system'," the agitated, and now slightly more confused human replied.
"Huh. I didn't really think of that, I just thought it was useful to have a name to call myself so i used what the system gave me. Ah though i could try to inspect myself, it will take a bit since i'm out of mana," i replied, a bit in thought.
"Mana? System? Are you sane? Were there really 'Mutations' in me or was that just a excuse to touch me?" Lilly asked.
"Why would i want to touch you?" I asked confused? The slight contact i did have did for some reason have a boost to my happiness, now that i thought about it, 'Could people be seeking it and just touch others without permission for their happiness?' Lilly clearly didn't seem happier because of the touch, or maybe that was clouded by anger? Before i could ponder any further I was interrupted by Lilly.
"Right," Lilly said and paused and decided "You're strange,"
"Compared to who?" i asked, since it seemed like a comparison.
"Compared to Normal people? You say strange things, you don't get angry when practically insulted. And you wonder about things that are just common knowledge." Looking to be thinking. Then her eyes went wide, which spooked me slightly for some reason, and demanded "What's your first memory?"
"Waking up today? Why?" which Lilly looked satisfied, which was strange, apparently Lilly had predicted that answer, or at least it was within reach of her prediction.
Which was confirmed when Lilly exclaimed: "Knew it! You lost your memory! Though that doesn't really help me, it does explain how you're clueless about social norms."
"Well i do suppose it is my first day being social, and why are there rules to talking?" I asked, confused by why someone would limit communication with rules? Perhaps some people didn't know how to efficiently share information and their inane chatter got in the way of actual communication sharing, or maybe it was to prevent the spread of bad information?
"Well it's not just talking, social norms also include things like how you act near other people, as for the why," Lilly paused for a moment, thinking of how to say things according to her rules perhaps? "Most rules in society are based on the need for safety of the masses. What a philosophical day in the apocalypse."
"I see. Since there are no masses to keep safe, can i just keep ignoring your societal norms?" I asked. Hoping or a convenient clausal escape.
Lilly looked at me with a stink eye and just replied: "no." and started explaining how society used to work.