Takeo had a lot to unpack. Well, not really as he only had a few clothes and true belongings. And he even had a new bag, a besace as it was called. He could slung it over his shoulder and it would be quite out of the way. He couldn't fight with it of course, but he could run with it, and that was the most important thing. Besides, he didn't plan to go on any expedition anytime soon.
The previous day, the Seventh, after their lengthy discussion he just went back to sleep. Sleep, he had long time realized, was the best way to stow away your troubles. Of course, it would only work for a while, but it helped. The best about sleep was the waking up part. You would wake up, and then for a few seconds, nothing made sense, but nothing HAD to make sense. You could just lay there, and enjoy the feeling of being alive. On the Eighth, he had had breakfast with his friends, Connor and Xander traded their adventures of the previous day, interspersed with a few banter and jokes. Takeo had listened and laughed, but he had been mostly silent. He only had one wish, and that was to walk. Walk and run. So that was what he did. According to the Guards up at the entry of the village, the road looped across the valley, bordering the three cliffs that made the gorge. It was a long walk, but it was often used both by the residents and patrolled by the Guards, so it was well maintained. And even if he were to meet a monster, he was confident he could outrun or beat it. He hadn't yet tried any of his new Abilities, and he was of two minds about them. He wondered if he hadn't been a bit hasty.
No use thinking about spilled milk, he thought. I'll just have to make the best of it.
With his staff on hand, he walked. Reveling in the feeling of the sun on his skin, the wind in his hair. Feelings he had almost forgotten. Bitter memories rose from the depths of his mind, but he pushed them away. He was here, now. He listened to the birds and hummed with them, chasing his melancholia further away.
All around him, on this stretch of the road were fields. The plants' names he didn't know, but they were growing fast. Some farmer, most probably, was right in the middle of the field palms up, and a wide geyser of greenish energy sprouted from his hands got caught in the wind and spread across the field. And just like that, the plants grew, and grew, and grew. Takeo was amazed. Things you can do with magic...
He didn't stop, these people were busy after all. It was their job to keep the Village running, and he didn't want to hinder them. There were only a few fields though, ten maybe. And not all of them were being worked on. And he was pretty sure that the previous evening he hadn't eaten just grains like vegetables. There had been some sorts of potatoes, beans, and fruits. He went on his road, pondering the mystery of the food.
Besides the road and field, there were bridges. Large, sturdy wooden bridges. They were of course a necessity. If he remembered well, there were at least sixteen waterfalls in the gorge, which meant sixteen rivers, and sixteen bridges if the road went all the way around, which it did. And then, the rivers themselves weren't to be scoffed at. He'd stopped walking a bit to admire the first one he came across. Three or four meters wide, it was a torrent of water. How deep, he couldn't guess, but it was alive. He spotted many fishes, algae, and even a few crab-like creatures. A few memories came to his mind, where his parents had tried to make him eat cooked whelks and other seafood. He had hated it. And now he wondered if he would like to eat them. It would be a way to connect with his parents, however far away from him they were.
Fields soon enough disappeared and Takeo decided to attempt summoning a Slime. Just in case. The Reader had explained to him how most Summoning worked. The mind trigger should be simple enough. He needed to WANT a SLIME, and the Jade would do the rest. With training of course he could probably alter a few things. Like pushing to have a slimmer Slime, or a fatter one. But as he had been told before, Jades were a bit strict on what they could do. Well, for now, he would just try.
Staff in hand, he took his best wizard pose, and shouted: "I summon thee, SLIME!" Very dramatic and appropriate, he thought. I should have a cape and a pointy hat!
A chime answered his call, and a luminous series of concentric circles crisscrossed with lines and scrips appeared in front of him and disappeared less than a second afterward. He felt the drain on his whatever that was. And a fat Slime appeared in its place, dropping on the ground like a wet potato sack. It was crystal clear and held absolutely no features. Just a vague delimitation between itself and the rest of the world. But he felt it. It was there, in his mind, with him. He felt its attention, its curiosity. It tentatively rolled around, unsure of why he had been summoned into this world, it looked around its attention shifting to its surroundings.
"Hello," Takeo said. "I'm Takeo. What's your name?"
The Slime stopped rolling around and looked at him. It didn't answer, but Takeo felt its attention shift back to him. It rippled, which Takeo took for a shrug.
"Okay, I'll call you... Jello. How about that?" he inquired.
The Slime rippled again, but again, it felt more like an indifferent shrug. Takeo was a bit disappointed. He had hoped for a more... communicative Slime. But he had to admit, it was his first try. Dame Tanagi had told him that each time he used the Jade, he would get another, different Slime, so he should attach himself to them.
He looked around, but still, no one was on the road. He shrugged and decided to continue walking. "Come on Jello, let's go."
The Slime just rolled along. It could follow his pace without problem. Funny enough, it quickly got covered in dirt. It seemed to seep into its crystal body. Once again he remembered what he had been told. They were masters at adaptation. They would change their body in adequation to their environment. So that was probably normal. He walked on, his eyes riveted on his Slime. It didn't take that long for its crystal body to turn to a dull brown. It was still a bit transparent but not as much as before. There were even a few specks of green within, grasses that had been somehow caught in its body. Takeo was amazed. He had never seen a Slime before, and he had never thought they could be so... interesting.
His curiosity piqued, he grabbed bits of everything that he could find and added them to his rolling Slime. The more he added the less transparent it was. And it seemed to go slower as well. It could still follow him, but the mental feedback he had from it told him another story. It felt like it was fed. It was full, and it was content.
"Well, aren't you the odd one now," he muttered. It looked like an oddball of dirt, gravel, and cuttings. It was like a ball taken out of a compost site. He stopped feeding it and continued on his way. In a way, he was impatient to cross the path of whatever monsters that were living on this Plateau. He wanted to see how his Slime would react.
But he didn't mind the wait, he was enjoying himself. When he wasn't talking to the Slime, he was humming, or singing. His voice wasn't as good as his mother's and he lacked practice. He would have to find out if there were people around who could teach him new ones. Half of his, he could only hum or whistle, because singing them only got him headaches from the curse.
He crossed a few other bridges and was bypassed by a group of Pather that went wherever running. He found it funny that the one with fiery hair had such an explosive hairstyle. He wondered if it was natural or if he had done it on purpose. Furthermore, he had one of those mini slimes, a Blurb on his shoulder that had somehow mimicked his hair and had in its stubby hands a small spear that it was brandishing around. Takeo had to admit, it was a bit cute.
They came and left without a word. And Takeo continued on his way. He found their speed quite impressive. He wondered if he could do the same. According to both his friends and the Reader, his Seal hadn't been generous with him in terms of slots for Orbs. And so each one would have to count. He had been given a few tips on how to use them, but he had to admit, he was a bit lost. For now, he had abstained from changing anything. If anything he would have added more to the Constitution as it was directly related to his survival, but he had been told that his Efficacity was abysmal in that regard.
It was such a strange world. "Back Home," he wondered aloud, "I would have had to work my ass off to get bigger muscle, faster reflexes, and who-knows-what to increase my constitution. Here... It's just a marble away..."
For physical things, he somehow could still get his head around it, But Charisma? Wisdom? And let's not talk about Luck... Dame Tanagi had advised him to play his advantages and fill himself with Intelligence, Wisdom, and Dexterity. Xander and Connor seemed to agree, but honestly, he didn't see the point. It wouldn't make him any smarter because Orbs didn't integrate any knowledge. How the hell did one get wiser, anyway?
They had tried to explain their bullshit with this and that. Well, he had to admit the effectiveness of Strength, at the very least. And his companions had said that he was kilometers away from what such Strength could do. Which had ditched Takeo once more. Thankfully, some noise dragged him away from that rabbit hole.
He should have been warier, he had been approaching another bridge, and where bridges were, was also a river and potentially Frogs. And the croaking he heard, wasn't coming from their smaller cousin. He stopped, and so did his Slime. "What do you think, Jello?" he whispered.
So far, Takeo hadn't witnessed a fight with Frogs, he always had been in Stasis when such had occurred during their travels. But he had seen the aftermaths, and Connor had liked to describe them in detail. So he kind of knew what to expect. He had to admit, he was a bit scared. But at the same time, it was a bit exciting. He had been explained that the Frogs liked to nest in clumps of reeds. They might even attack from within.
He looked toward the upcoming river and spotted a few such devil abodes. His trusty Jello seemed to agree with him about one in peculiar. Takeo wondered if he should let his Slime work alone, or if he should join in. His only other venues of attack were his staff, of course, and the Stellar Crown Jade. It should be potent enough to see him through, but he was curious how his Slime would fare. "Jello, it's time to earn your keep. Go and attack that Frog over there!"
The Slime rippled and rolled toward the reed clump. Takeo didn't leave his eyes from the bulge in the reeds. He was sure that the Frog was there. Sure enough, the croaking stopped. Tension rose another notch in the young man. A few minutes before he was feeling like some adventurous hero of a random game. Level 1, of course, with his mighty minion rolling around. But now, not so much. As the Slime rolled closer, something happened blazingly fast. A white lightning blot shot out of the reeds and struck the Slime with a loud crack. Takeo was so surprised that he didn't even react. But neither did his Slime. It just rolled on. Angry croaking ensued and a Frog jumped out of the reeds.
All those Takeo had seen had been... quartered. But this one was whole. It bore a vibrant green hue, presaging the poison it could spit, interlaced with somber shades of dark green and black. It was imposing, and once again, quick as lightning, another bolt exploded from its gaping mouth. This time he spotted the barbed hook at the end of the tongue. But his Slime was partly made of stone, and the bolt just bounced off. With renewed vigor, the Slime rolled toward the Frog. It jumped away and glared at the Slime, a glow of green emanating from its throat. Its next croak was something else. It was a deep, guttural sound that reverberated in Takeo's chest. He felt his heart skip a beat, and a thick smoke shot out from the Frog's mouth. It was a cloud of poison, and it was heading straight for his Slime.
Stolen story; please report.
Takeo was far enough not to be affected, but he moved anyway if only to keep the Frog in sight. If the poison had any effect on his Slime he couldn't know. All he felt was a slight anticipation coming from it. Suddenly, Takeo could see Jello again, above the cloud of poison. It had somehow jumped over it, and as it fell, its shape morphed, and three tentacles sprouted from its body underside. Quickly they extended themselves into pikes and seemed to solidify, gathering most of the absorbed stones and dirt. The Slime was now a three-pronged spear, and it was falling straight toward the Frog. The poor beast, still in the middle of its tired croak, didn't have time to react. The Slime pierced it through and through, and the Frog exploded in a shower of blood and guts.
Faint elation came from the Slime, and Takeo felt it as well. It was, of course, a bit disgusting. But they had won, their foe vanquished. If he was honest, it was all on the shoulder of Jello. He had just been a spectator. But he had to admit, it had been a good show.
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The poisonous mist it seemed was more than some simple poison, because otherwise how could it have affected his Slime? It doesn't have any organs, or even a brain for that matter, so what could it have done? And yet... It had been affected. Jello had slowed down, and lost some of his mass, letting half-corroded stone, dirt, and grass fall to the ground. It was only slightly disturbed by the loss, a vague surprise at most. Besides it was happily trying to absorb the Frog's remains, but as it was already full, it had only truly scrapped the gross stuff, the limbs themselves were left, clean, and otherwise untouched.
If only I had a pair of latex gloves... he thought, I could have taken the Frog's corpse for the Book.
He quickly took a look around, checking whether he was alone or not. And decided it was safe enough. He summoned his book and checked his Frogs-related Tasks. As he was expecting, he had a bunch of new ones. Generalist Frog Kills, Poisonous Frog Kills, and two body-gathering ones. He had hoped that the book would have been able to count those his friends had killed, but it seemed that it wasn't the case. Interestingly enough, since he had discussed it with the Reader, he hadn't spent much time exploring the book. And honestly, he hadn't done so in a quite long time.
But now, as he hit the road again, his albeit a bit reduced, and maybe still reducing, Slime rolling along with him, he took the time to explore his new Tasks. Once again, the book had been working on reordering them. There were those focusing on just "Killing" monsters, or "Collecting" bodies, and then there were two that he hadn't expected to see. "Experiencing" had appeared with a few tasks under the label.
Task: Experience 50 Magical Poisonous Clouds (1/50)
Task: Experience 50 Mind Scouring Magic (1/50)
Task: Experience 50 Blinks (23/50)
Task: Experience 50 Slime Summoning (1/50)
Task: Experience 50 Falls (1/50)
He was a bit surprised. If anything, he would have expected to see something like "Experience 50 Magical Poisonous Clouds from Frogs." But no, it was just "Experience 50 Magical Poisonous Clouds." He guessed, all things considered, that it mattered not where the poison came from. Is there really only one type of magical poison? he wondered. Or is it just that the book doesn't care? And then, there was the "Mind Scouring Magic." He guessed that it came from the Mind Seeker. But he didn't remember having seen this Task when they had killed it. But then again, he hadn't been in top shape at that time, he might have missed it. He would gladly never complete this one. He didn't want to experience that again.
In between all these, Blink had appeared out of nowhere. Why? He had no idea. He had used his teleport ability like from day one. And he had used it a lot. Probably 23 times. But why was it a Task only now? He could only haphazard a guess. The Book somehow reacted to his own... curiosity? want? knowledge altogether? Most certainly, it had appeared since meeting the Reader. She had been the one to explain to him the hows of his Book, and the potential of his Book. Or maybe it had happened after learning he was a Natural? Thus with the potential to do anything with all this Insight?
And then, there was the "Falls" one. He was a bit confused about this one. He had fallen a few times, but why did one such fall actually matter? He guessed that it was because he had fallen from a greater height, like when he had escaped from the fish's mouth. Would he get Insight on falling? or on Gravity? Wouldn't that be cool? He could already imagine himself flying around, having mastered gravity itself just by jumping down cliffs.
A clattering sound brought him back to reality. Jello hadn't been as air-headed, thankfully, and was already on the charge. Another frog had come looking for its death. They had just crossed the bridge, once again reminding him that this wasn't his "Home." He couldn't afford to get distracted like this, it could get him killed. He moved himself away from the fight to come, just in case another poisonous cloud was to be unleashed, and got a peek at their new foe. It wasn't any smaller than the previous one, but instead of a vibrant green, it was a flashy yellow. "Would that be, a lightning Frog?" he wondered aloud. And he got his answer quickly enough. The Frog disappeared in a flash, bashing into Jello headfirst, in a shower of sparks. The Slime was currently road-attuned and weathered the attack with the grace of a brick and charred grass. A few tentacles extended from the Slime, and it tried to pierce the Frog, but it was too fast. It seemed that its element gave him some speeding effect, and trice again, it hammered into the Slime. It was a bit more effective each time, but the Slime wasn't done yet. By the third strike, it was covered in a layer of spiky gravel.
Takeo was getting a bit worried, his Jello was getting smaller, and distress was coming from it. While he knew he should care too much about losing it, it was still currently his only bulwark against death. He decided that it might be time to try his other new Ability, the Stellar Crown. Dame Tanagi had vaguely explained what he was required to do to get it working, and with his currently equipped Jades, just strongly thinking at wanting something dead should do the trick. But she had also surmised that with training he could get it to work in more convoluted ways, but these would require more time and a tamer setting.
Thrusting his trusty battle staff forward, he shouted, as the battle-worn wizard he was: "I smite thee, FROG!" I really need to work on my battle cries, he thought. They're a bit lacking.
His Jade didn't care for wording though. He felt a drain once again. He was getting used to it, and five little blobs of energy shone in his mind, their attention riveted to the darting Frog. With almost regal dedication, they shot, one after the other, toward their slimy foe. Zapping at high speed, leaving a ray of whitish light behind them, with a most appropriate *pew* sound. Takeo hadn't been the most strategic when he had summoned his Ability and caught the Frog as it was moving. The first bolt missed, the second grazed it, and the third hit it squarely in the back. Fourth and Fifth curved slightly and hit it again, sending the Frog sprawling on the ground. Three little black craters had appeared on its body, smoking slightly. It stopped moving. Of course, his Slime hadn't been idle either, its spines had done their job and the Frog sported many lacerations, especially on its head, the dumb thing had kept trying to headbutt a Slime.
Jello was happy from a hard-won victory, but Takeo wasn't. His Slime was now a quarter of its original size. It was still happily rolling around, of course. Quicker if anything. It had even gained a slight yellowish tingling. Takeo wondered if, given enough time it would have been able to become totally resistant to lightning... Food for thought.
His Stellar Crown had worked as advertised, but it would require him to be more careful, and mindful of when to use it. It was quick, it had appeared in an instant, especially if he got it started without his theatrics. He had felt each bolt of destruction, and truly they felt like a slightly intelligent thing. Or was it him imagining it? Well, he had all the time in the world to get acquainted he guessed.
With a sigh, he put another Frog corpse in his book. He used the same trick he had used for the fish's head and simply touched the corpse. It was a bit disgusting, while still being better than carrying it toward the book. He chuckled as he saw that a new Electric Dash Task had appeared and was already filled to seven out of fifty. He was a bit intrigued that this "Experiencing" Task worked when it was his Slime that experienced it. Another thing to ponder.
He would have to summon another Slime, Jello was too small now to be an effective guard anymore. It was almost the size of the Blurbs in town, so he took it and deposited it on his shoulder. It was a bit weird, as it weighed its amount of gravel, but he could still move around without any trouble. He didn't know whether these summons had a time limit, but he guessed that he would find out soon enough. Dame Tanagi hadn't specified anything on that subject, nor had she said anything about the number of concurrent summons he could have. In games, "back home," that would have been a subject of much debate. No better time than now to find out, he thought.
He took a deep breath, projecting the solemnity required for the moment, and shouted: "Oh, Slimy Guardian, Arise!"
Takeo despaired at his lack of imagination. He would have to work on that. But he was rewarded with a new Slime. It looked just like the Jello in its prime. Both Slimes seemed to recognize each other. He felt mildly curious ping exchanges across his Soul. He wondered if they were talking to each other. Wouldn't that be nice and an interesting new development... Another thing added to his Book of experiments. He summoned a third one, for the kick of it and walked on. Quickly enough, he was followed by two dirty guardians, the third one bubbled cozily on his shoulder, like a peacock. He added to his to-do list to try to have one looking like a parrot. How cool would it be to have a miniature dragon... he thought. Or a miniature unicorn...
He had been working his way steadily toward the east from the southern road. The "Fields," as Connor had been told this Plateau's biome was called, were slowly transitioning to a more arid mountain highland. The tall grasses were slowly transitioning to small gnarled tree thickets and determined shrubs, while massive boulders and outcroppings of gray and blueish stone punctuated the otherwise gravely ground. The road itself was still well-marked, flattened, and even. It curved lazily to reach the northern side of the ellipsis that was the Valley's bottom.
He could now easily spot several animals and birds moving about their own business. He wondered his the blacker spots high above on the mountainside were bears or some more terrible beasts. They stayed thankfully away. Further, toward the eastmost part of the valley, he could see the eastern mountain cleaved in two, leaving a massive chasm. It stood like a dark scar on the otherwise green and blue landscape.
He was about to reach the eastern bend of his current journey when a rhythmical clattering came from behind. Looking back, he saw a team of Guardsmen running toward him. They were all wearing their traditional black chitinous armor, weapons secured, but within easy reach. They were all running in a loose formation. They didn't seem to be exerting themselves, but they were fast. Takeo definitely wouldn't be able to keep up with them. Or couldn't I? he wondered. I'm back to human standards...
He removed himself from the road to let the Guardsmen pass by. He nodded toward them, and the leader acknowledged him, but they otherwise didn't stop. He watched them go, and then he had an idea. So far, his expedition had been a nice leisurely walk. He would now run! He had legs, now, and hadn't used them in a long while, his recent experience excepted. It was time to get himself back into shape. Hadn't the Reader written as much on her paper? All of his physical stats were at rock bottom, that was why he looked so skinny.
In all honesty, he was a bit ashamed of his own body. Not that much either, skinny, but some muscles showed. But they showed because there wasn't much to show anyway. There was nothing like the present. Besides it was another good test of his Slimes, could they keep up with him while being in their rock form?
And thus, he ran. He didn't try to push himself, because he wanted to be able to run for a while. Until he reached the Village again if he could.
The landscape slowly shifted again toward the too-high grass fields. But unlike the southern Fields, the northern one seemed to suffer more from the mountains' influence and shadow. The grasses were greener, but also a lot more rocky, from landslides. The southern side he could distinctly see from where he was, was a bit more arid at the base but also had a very slower slope to the peak. A slope that was cut in large god-sized steps, the Plateaus. There were six or seven such Plateau that he could see, but things were harder to distinguish with the Jungle's canopy.
On his current side, there were none, except for the crack in the ground that was the gorge hosting the village. The northern ridge was a lot more abrupt and jagged. Mighty peaks stood proud, lone islands of life among a sea of rocks. Reaching those would prove a challenge to even the most hardened adventurer, even with the help of their Jades and Orbs. Tall and majestic waterfalls cascaded down the escarpment, following the accidented landscape like veins of liquid silver, giving the whole landscape a sense of being alive, and the lingering fog a sense of mystery. Just beyond the gorge, meager fields were tended to, noticeably smaller than those he had seen before. As he took in the vista, the towering ridge formed a stark contrast to the puny human endeavors below. The grandeur of nature dwarfed the modest human cultivation, leaving him in awe. He wasn't one to consider himself an artist, yet this extraordinary sight would be etched in his memory.