"Ughhh..." I groaned the following morning. I hadn't been hungover in several years, but the morning after finishing the requirements for Slurry Ichor left me feeling like all of that time had been compressed into one singular instance. When I finally was able to blink my eyes open they were crusty with tears and, somewhat surprisingly, some of the very Trait I'd upgraded. As a matter of fact, every move I made to adjust my body left me feeling grittier and grittier. "I didn't bleed out or something did I?"
There was no one in the room except for my Totems, and I'd lost contact with Fievil and Amelia at some point during the night. If it wasn't for the slight slit I'd left on the wall to allow for ventilation and light from Hec to trickle in I would have thought I'd just died in the darkness. With every bit of strength I had left in my body, I managed to play my hand against the stone wall. Vibrosense lit the world up as the Embassy came to life to my senses. Fievil and Amelia, beacons of ripples that they were, were no more than a foot away from my bed. Most everyone was in the common area while Daniela had Joe helping out in the kitchen.
As my hand slipped off the wall the world grew quiet once more. For whatever reason, my palms and the flat of my feet were the best conductors for Harmonic Sinews. Even with the boost that Diffracting Tissue had provided, the visual provided by my whole backside was one big blur. The area of activity was clearly below me, but the details were washed out by the time they flowed through the vine bed and frame. Nevertheless, it told me that nothing was tumbling down on our heads quite yet.
With the bit of leeway that gave, I turned my assessment inward. Slight shifts and adjustments to my body still told me I was injured bone-deep even if it had shifted to more constant throbs than sharp pains. I was glad the side effects of overdrawing my mana hadn't rebroken one of my bones or I wouldn't have heard the end of it from Samuel. What the side effects had done was leave my body feeling like both a wet and overcooked noodle. A solid twenty minutes later I finally managed to swing my legs over the side of the bed and lean heavily against the wall while taking short breaths to accommodate the discomfort that was every muscle in my torso.
"Ron? Breakfast is ready!" Jolene called out from beyond my door. It spoke to how muddled my brain and body were that I hadn't even noticed her approaching... or the five different pings on the comm-plant.
"Uh... you all go ahead. Just... going to need a minute."
Whether she read into my tone or the unsteady cadence of my voice, Jolene walked into the room. The wooden latch at the door barely stopped her Q6 body, but the sight of mine definitely did. Her mouth hung open for a second as she stared at my ruined clothes and generally pained expression. "What the hell happened to you!? Someone didn't try to come in and kill you while we were all asleep or something did they?"
"I don't think Hec would have let that go unannounced," I said, hissing instead of chuckling like I'd intended at her comment. When she leveled a glare in my direction, hands on her hips and everything, I let out a sigh. "I followed up on the mana overdrawing experiments."
"And they did this to you?" she asked, somewhat less angry but still just as concerned.
"If I had to guess the intensity had more to do with how long I held on rather than actually doing that. It seems that the number of people, or possibly Shards and Entities, affects how much free mana is available in the atmosphere. If you end up short, then you are sucking up nothing and still doing damage to yourself."
"And you held on with nothing to show for it because..."
"I just need to finish assimilating my Slurry Ichor Trait and I will hit Q7." The words had the intended impact on the woman, as the last of her anger was replaced with confusion and concern. I'll take it.
"Is all that... let's be courteous, abuse, worth it, Ronan?" Jolene said gently. She sat beside me slowly, moving her hand to rest against my limp arm despite the brown-grey sludge on it.
"Jolly... I've come to many revelations and accepted many realities since I've come to the surface. I've swallowed many bitter truths and pills just in the last few days even. One that I refuse to take is that I will not be strong enough to protect those I care about. I am not burning myself out; trust me, I know how ineffective that is in the long term. However, I will be pushing the envelope. Consider this the envelope thoroughly pushed and the glue starting to come undone."
The merwoman was quiet for a whole minute before answering. "The postal system collapsed like a year into the Fall, Ron. You'll have to thank Dai for the fact I even know what you just referenced."
The laugh that followed was the most relieving and pain inducing combination I'd had in a while. Jolene didn't join in, but I could practically feel her relief in her gaze. Once I was able to get my cough-laugh under control, Jolene helped me to the room we'd set up as the bathroom for the Embassy. It was fairly spartan, but with the Life Attuned in residence and both Water and Fire Attuned to provide tempered water nothing really went to waste.
Unfortunately, Jolene didn't give me the pleasure of warm water and instead proceeded to hose me down with frigid torrents of water that might as well have been a pressure-wash for how much they tore up my clothes. When I was finally left in nothing but my torn up pants, Jolene filled the bathtub I'd created with clean water before going in search of Samuel and a new set of clothes. I struggled out of my clothes and sunk into the water with a relieved sigh.
A strange side effect of my juiced up Traits was that sensation had been significantly dulled unless I was putting my mind into feeling something. That paired with my constant desire to not be aware of everything around me thanks to vibrosense for the sake of my own sanity actually left me muted in a way that was hard to describe. The only thing that still didn't seem to care about how sturdy I was was temperature. So, for all that I'd been yelling like a man being murdered at the hands of a vindictive merwoman, a chilled bath did wonders for my body.
"What am I going to do with you?" Oops. Forgot vibrosense also gets muted by water.
"Hey Sam," I said, cracking an eye to spot the man standing at the door with his arms crossed.
"I should be offended on your body's behalf for what you do to it," he said, shaking his head as he spoke. "I could heal you again today, but I think that would just encourage you to get hurt some more."
"It's all with a purpose," I said, unable to meet his eyes. He's not going to be happy when he finds out what masochistic alternative I am going to need to take to advance Slurry Ichor. "You know that already though. Jolene would have told you."
"Of course," the blonde huffed, tossing a change of clothes onto the stone vanity I'd created for the bathroom. "She felt like it would be more 'proper' for your lifelong friend to deliver your clothes, rather than your girlfriend."
I was distinctly aware of the fact that I was indeed naked and sunk deeper into the bath. I'm glad I sized this thing for giants... Sam just laughed, shaking his head as he turned and walked down the hallway. Just in case, I placed my hand against the outside of the tub and made sure the coast was clear. I toweled off and changed into the plain shirt and shorts my friend had brought. Really, they were likely pants, but with my increase in size things had to take on a more custom sizing to match my proportions. If things weren't as tense in Ocala, a shopping trip to the Clansmen would have been nice considering all my clothes tended to get shredded, burned or blasted one way or another.
Other than some poorly concealed snickers, no one commented on my morning hose down. Jolene focused intently on her food, unable to meet my eyes, so I was sure some comment or another had passed her way. If Daniela's shit eating grin had any source, I was sure that was it.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"So," I said, finally breaking the silence after shoveling three eggs and eight strips of bacon down my famished throat. "Plans for the day. Unfortunately, I am still a little short on the ol' mobility but I am more than willing to hold down the fort."
"Well," Tucker said. Both Tendril siblings looked hesitant to speak. "We were wondering if it would be okay to get checked out by the Nash. For, health wise. I know Mr. Samuel is fantastic but he said they might spot something he missed."
"That sounds like a great idea. See if they have any insight on how poison spreads through bodies of different Attunements," I said, nodding. "Didn't you say they had a repository of medical notes?"
"That's right," Jolene said. "We took a look a few days ago but it was general stuff."
"Great. I imagine they'll actually lend you a hand instead of just getting out of the way. Just drop my name. Plus, they are expecting Billy."
"Of course, Master Terrigan. That was going to be my task for today. With their cooperation I think I should have all of the Nash Family Territory wrapped up by sundown!"
"Good man. See if they let you sneak into the Huntington Faction area. It wasn't overt, but I think they are subordinate to the Nash. The more coverage we can give Hec the better!" The Entity in the middle of the room brightened, signaling their agreement, before the conversation continued.
"W-Wait," Amaya said, interrupting me as I turned back to Jolene. "You are just okay with letting us go?"
"I mean, I don't intend to hold you captive if that's what you mean. You haven't done anything wrong, the opposite in fact. And it's not like you are going to go blabbing about what we've discussed here." At that I leveled an even stare at the young Death Tendril and her brother. I wasn't glaring, or frowning, but my message was clear. Don't mess around unless you want to find out.
"O-Of c- course not, sir!" Amaya stammered.
"Good. Then like I said, you are more than free. For your safety, I think it would be smart for you to stick with some of our Squad but I won't stop you."
"I'll be going with Billy to the Nash. I'll stick with them while they get checked out," Jolene said. "I can always use some extra eyes to read through documents."
The two Tendrils didn't look particularly enthused by that prospect, but then again neither would I have been. They were smart not to comment on that, and instead shifted to stand closer to the elf and mermaid. When I glanced at the others at the table, their answers came quick.
"She told me I'm going to be the running furnace for a restaurant or something, and in exchange she'll give me magic tips," Joe said, pointing a finger at Daniela to throw her entirely under the metaphorical bus. Said brunette proceeded to elbow him in the side with little success until she applied a bit more elbow grease and Joe Kelly was left sputtering.
"I'll drop them off then go and check on the Outpost," Devon said, shaking his head. "We haven't gotten word of how they made it through the hurricane. I don't expect much after your showdown, but it would be best to check if they need another hand."
"Thanks, Devon. I was hoping someone could get an update from them. If you can, let me know how Marie and Madeline are doing," I said, nodding in the man's direction.
He seemed caught off guard by that, but he just straightened his back before facing towards the door as magnanimously as he could. Considering he was an elf, it didn't take a lot of effort for the hoity toity features to leak out. Daniela grinned like a shark and threw a wink in my direction before she started tugging her elven and draconian companions out the door. She called over her shoulder, "Don't wait up for us! I got to figure out how to get Anthony some more food. I don't think the Zebelos will be too happy about all the goodies I've been nabbing from their restaurant even if they've been covering for us."
I raised a finger to ask her just how many 'goodies' she'd been nabbing before I thought better of it. At least if I didn't know I'd have plausible deniability.
"That leaves me," Sam said, chuckling as the groups had clearly been formed. "I'll be working on the garden I've got set up a few buildings over. I'm really close to figuring out another way of applying my Trait-Magic blend and we could all use some more consumable Health boosts to carry. I've been working on something special for that, but we'll see if it shakes out."
"I'll... well, I'll be here. I'll probably work on strengthening my Totems and the Embassy as a whole as well," I said, giving the remainder of our group a sheepish grin.
"Don't pull a muscle there," Sam said, totally seriously. His eyes were narrowed, likely remembering the conversation from the bath.
"I'll be careful, doc."
"Good. In that case, I'll walk you all down the street if you want," Samuel said.
"Sounds good, Sam. We'll bring dinner from the Taste of Old, Ron. There is some jerky and cheese left," Jolene said, gesturing over my shoulder towards the kitchen.
I gave the merwoman a soft smile. "Thanks, Jolly. I can manage a cold cut sandwich even as invalid as I am."
"Oh, don't worry," she said, laughing as she started to close the door behind the group. Billy was waving over her shoulder, hovering enough to be clearly seen. "I just wanted to avoid the risk of Daniela killing you for messing with her kitchenware's organization."
When she shut the door, I couldn't help a shudder from passing all through me. The last time I'd messed with Daniela's cookware I'd been swatted with a plastic spoon for a week every time I was in range of the kitchen. Back then I hadn't been blessed with superhuman resilience either. Smiling at the memory of kid Danny, I watched then sensed as the Embassy emptied. I even spotted the muddled source of ripples slinking towards the door.
"And where do you think you are going, Mister Blob?" I said, quirking an eyebrow at Blobby's attempt to ooze out under the door. It had been doomed from the start, considering the Category 1 Metier Crystals in its body were larger than the gap, but it hadn't managed to shift enough of its bulk through the small opening to get to those before I called the slime out.
Having been caught red-handed, Blobby did what any sensible slime would do. It scurried away many more times more vigrously, tearing out the corner of the wall with a little of its earth forming abilities so its cores could flow out. I laughed at the visual of a chubby dog trying to escape through a too-small doggy door. Of course, I wasn't going to stop the slime. Its saddle was posted up in the corner of my room so I knew it would be back, and it had already been attached to my hip long enough that a little run around town would be good for it. Before I could forget, and the slime get out of ear shot, I shouted, "Just don't eat any of the city's other slimes!"
The last of Blobby's lime green bulk vanished from sight and vibro in seconds. I just hope the little glutton heard me. Fievil snickered in my head, flashing me an image of Blobby turning into a green version of Pacman that ravaged the slime population of the humble GelCrafters of Ocala. It was quite detailed, and I could see Amelia in the background providing sound effects with her multi toned screeches. Despite laughing, I sent both of them mental flicks that cut the visual short. You lot are just as bad. How many elementals and how much of my mana have you eaten already? I am fixing to start funneling some into Amelia just so she can float me around. What good are you but a grumpy mole trying to vacuum up someone else's hard earned food!
Fievil did not like that, the Totem manifesting and gesticulating in the direction of my body while swirls of mana flowed out of his body. Not one to be left out, Amelia manifested herself and they chattered in my ear while I rolled my eyes. The whole while we'd been eating breakfast I'd been diverting my mana regeneration into both Mana Shards and they still had the gall to complain. Well, Fievel does. Amelia is just along for the ride and seems to be a natural instigator.
I did my best to put the two arguing Totems out of my mind while I focused on the task I wasn't in the least looking forward to. Only Hec was there to witness as I used
It was only a bit painful, and my Health didn't even drop a percent from the injury. The result, however, dripped in a steadily decreasing drip until a line of dark brown Ichor had sealed the small wound. Without giving myself time to hesitate, I repeated the process but focused on Slurry Ichor to prevent it from sealing the wound. A whole minute passed before I got the notification I'd been looking for.
Slurry Ichor (8%) > (9 [91]%)
"This is going to suck," I sighed, letting myself slide to the ground to rest against Hec's tree. I side eyed the Entity. "You wouldn't happen to have another option for this, do you?"
The Entity dimmed its inner light for a second before evening out. It was a dismissal if I'd ever seen one. I released my hold on the
"This... this I need to explore," I whispered to myself. Samuel's talk of how his Traits were interfacing with his magic let things snap into place with surprising accuracy. It was yet another wholistic trinity. Trait, Skills, and Attributes. As Traits progress, they grow Attributes and that is because magic becomes more inherently tied to the physical body of whoever has the Trait. It wasn't a stretch to say that Traits were Skills that were entirely tied to the body, otherwise how would I essentially be able to 'armor' myself with Striated Dermis in a similar fashion to
A grin split my face as I materialized another mineral chunk. There was testing to be done!