image [https://cdn.midjourney.com/6deaf037-b85f-41d5-9688-68bc7d5203b3/0_1.png]
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New Reality: 21 March 2025, The Balkans
A gagging sensation woke Ardent. Mounting his chest, Ana was probing the inside of his throat with the knife, thrusting it around. He tried to say something and fight back, but he couldn't neither speak nor move. His throat was sour, and he was tied tightly with a thin, but solid rope. So were Francis and Myrtle, nearby, but they lay sound asleep.
"This is useless," Ana groaned, throwing the bent and dulled knife on the ground. "I need a stronger poison… Don't go anywhere, I'll be back soon."
The woman patted Ardent's cheek, grabbed a sickle and a bicker basket, and entered the forest behind the hut. The young man managed to exhale a groan, but he was still paralyzed, his vision blurred, and his head ached. A small pile of tiny rectangles waited for him in his peripheral vision, and he expanded them, hoping to find a solution there.
You have been inflicted with Paralysis. Ten unknown sedatives and atropine have been detected in your System.
Your Mana Pool is at 15%. Several channeled Minor Heals have been instinctively applied without success. Warning: Minor Heal cannot work as a Cure or Cleanse. Minor Healing has evolved into Healing, tier E. Channeled. Restores 5 HP/second in exchange for 5 MP/s. Maximum channeling duration: 10 seconds, CD: 20 seconds.
Yey! Ardent exclaimed in thought. It was sarcasm. He was about to die, and while he knew he could Rezz, he wasn't eager to experience the process.
Mimic, get out here. The thought offered no result. He repeated it, trying to vocalize it, using the back of his throat.
Tutorial Help ON. Mental Commands must be used with the brain's language center to function. Focus more.
After concentrating on the order, the Mimic jumped out of his storage slot.
"What the fuck?" the monster yelled after taking in the view. "Are you an imbecile? Boss, how do you get into these situations?"
Speaking was out of Ardent's options, so he resorted to the chat.
[Ardent]: What situations? This is the first time—
"Hellooo… Have you looked at your father-in-law?"
Ardent sulked, even if the mood didn't transmit into his paralyzed muscles. He didn't regret his decision anymore. For a while, he did and left. But now… being with Myrtle again felt like a balm on his heart.
"Are you daydreaming or what?" Meanwood snapped. He had used his tongue to cut their ropes, but Myrtle and Francis were still asleep and Ardent was immobilized.
[Ardent]: You're a spatial storage as well, right?
"I can't put living people inside me… Should I carry you to safety on my back? I can drag another after me, using my tongue."
[Ardent]: Salvatore told me he still has some things in you. Is there any Cleanse Poison potion in there?
"Moment… Nope… Only a couple of Mana potions."
[Ardent]: Give me one.
"What's the magic word?"
[Ardent]: Please? You seem upset, have I wronged you without knowing?
"Like choosing elemental resistance for me, without asking? I was looking forward to acquiring magical resistance."
[Ardent]: Sorry… Next time, I'll ask.
"Yeah, you do that." The mimic used his tongue to extract the potion, uncorked it, then opened Ardent's mouth and poured the liquid into it, all by dextrously using different portions of his appendice. The man's swallowing reflex was still working and his Mana Pool dashed up from 50 points to 200. The only bad thing was the Mimic's breath, an awful one.
[Ardent]: What have you eaten?
"Turk, I've eaten Turk, don't you remember?"
Transforming one of his Fate Points into an Ability Token, Ardent scrolled the list with available Healing Spells. Both Cure and Cleanse were there but grayed out. Whatever stats or knowledge were required to buy them, he didn't have it.
[Ardent]: Fuck… Bring Dragon, he's used to you by now. He's on the lower part of the meadow. Pull him by the reins up here, put Myrtle and Francis on his back, and you can carry me. Hurry!
"A demon?" a voice, Ana's, exclaimed. She had returned, her basket filled with herbs and poisonous mushrooms. "Sic'em!"
Loud howls arrived from the forest, and half of a dozen shepherd dogs, as big as wolves, entered the clearing running.
Of course, she has shepherd dogs, that's her main protection, not the gun. Ardent faulted himself for not thinking about something that was a common occurrence in the area. While the dogs were many and faster than the Mimic, Meanwood was next to indestructible and had a longer reach with his tongue. Bites didn't bother him, and he succeeded in landing a couple of hits, making two dogs run away, limping.
[Ardent]: Take her hostage. Make her dismiss the dogs.
Meanwood's tongue lashed toward the woman's neck, like a whip. Nevertheless, Ana let her basket fall on the grass, planted herself firmly on her feet, and grabbed the tongue with her left hand. The sickle in her right started to shine blue and the Mimic's tongue parted ways with the chest.
"Ahuuu…" the monster wailed.
Throwing aside the tongue like a snake, the woman picked a blanket left outside to dry and threw it on the monster, putting her weight on it. Wrapping Meanwood in it, she pulled the covering upward, swung it with a heave, and threw it in the nearby well.
"See? 'at's 'hy I 'anted 'agical 'esistenceeeee!…" the Mimic's voice complained, diminishing in loudness as he fell, before drowning in a loud slash and gurgle noises.
The woman tried to cut Ardent's neck with her sickle, but the attack failed, his magical resistance was too high. "You know what? Let's cut to the chase… you have to breathe, after all." Mounting Ardent's chest again, Ana pressed both her hands on him, over his nose and mouth.
A feeling of panic overwhelmed the young man, but he had no way out now, and he resigned to his fate. Yet, that relaxation brought lucidity to his mind. There was something else, strange, over Ana's hands.
I'm an idiot. Insight
A sphere of Mana exploded out. There were pings and flashes in his ears and sight, echoes, and information, that soon was translated into images and information. Blobs of magic, in more colors, but green predominating, were floating around Ana.
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Wild Magic User identified. Multiple skills detected, equivalent to the Alchemist, Poisoner, Animal Tamer, and Druid abilities, equivalent to a 30-40 level System user. The power level is over the host's capacity to process magic. Side effects: irascibility, aggressivity. New Objective Clarified: Pacify or Eliminate the Wild Magic user Tanti Ana. Reminder: awarding a Class through a Fate Point requires the target's consent.
Ardent's lungs burned for air and his time was running out. Nevertheless, he began to feel his members again, even if feeble. With his meager renewed force, he grabbed the woman's wrist with his right hand and sent a jolt of electricity into her body.
Minor Shock applied. 40 MPs spent.
It hurt him as well, but just a little; on her, the effect was notable, her body jerking in spasm, hands losing grip. Ardent inhaled, a breath more tasteful than breathing had ever felt before, and shouted, keeping his hand clenched on Ana's wrist:
"Create Monster!"
Warning: The person you are attempting to subjugate is too powerful. A Fate Point has been used to enhance your chances and transform this application of the spell from Channeled into Instant.
Spell check successful. Tanti Ana has become your minion. Checking on available iterations. Only one iteration is possible: Forest Dryad (Epic Rank). A Forest Dryad is a force to be reckoned with as long it has trees, a Storage, or a Dungeon, to hide in to replenish her energy.
Stats:
STR:15 / DEX: 20 / CON: 15
INT: 25 / WIL: 25 / CHA: 10
Important: This Monster is Sentient and starts at level 5. Like every sentient monster, it has considerable autonomy, albeit the range you can control or communicate with it is limited.
Skills and Abilities: Tarot Reading (Epic Grade), Alchemy (Rare Grade), Plant Identification and Manipulation (Rare Grade), Tree Refuge (Epic Grade)
The woman's body was trashing on the grass, changing, her screams so loud that all birds around flew, and her dogs too, their yelps losing themselves deeper into the woods.
"Pussy?" Myrtle said in a weak voice, her eyes opening, searching for Ardent.
"I'm OK…" he whispered, closing his eyes and letting himself doze off.
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Liquid poured into his mouth, and he regained his senses. Another Mana Potion, this time administered by Francis.
For finding a creative way to neutralize the threat, you have gained a level and 2 Fate Points.
Lose some, win some…
Your Monster Master ability has advanced to Tier C.
Attention: Pending Choices.
Today is the Spring Equinox. Equal in dark and light, this is a fortuitous day for a Jack of All Trades. Because you have reached Lvl. 21 on 21 March and are 21 years of age, Bespoke Choices otherwise hidden are revealed. Suggestion: Spend time increasing your stats and choose new skills or spells. Time limit: before dark.
Sure, I'll do it, just not around two yelling women… Later.
Meanwhile, Myrtle screamed at Ana: "He's my man!"
"I don't care about your man!" Ana yelled back. "Make him release me."
Ardent sighed. "What's up?" he asked Francis, a better choice than interrupting a women's quarrel.
"After she poisoned us, we were still aware of our surroundings, and Myrtle saw her mounting you. She thinks it's an elaborate plan to—"
"Find someone else to make babies with. I have my own ticking clock," Myrtle screamed. All of a sudden, her past jealousies hit Ardent's mind, memories better left forgotten. One of the reasons he had left.
"It's fine, sweetie, she just wanted to kill me," he tried to reassure his wife.
"Mounting you?" Myrtle continued in the same high-pitched voice.
"To strangle him better," Ana yelled. "He had his pants on, didn't he?"
"I won't allow him to carry you around in some slot. Slot, slut, see the rhyme?"
"Beautiful lady, why don't you tell us the reason you attempted to cut short our friend's life?" Francis asked. Taking Ana's hand anew, he started to kiss it, multiple times, aiming higher and higher, toward the elbow.
This time, Ardent could find some reason; the woman looked ten years younger, the hair more luscious, most wrinkles gone, or changed in something resembling the fine network of veins under a tree's bark. Not that she was his type, by any means. Normally. But in some extreme circumstances, like being stranded on a remote island, things could be reconsidered.
"He and the other idiot attacked the Turks," Ana sneered. "I saw the battle from the hill. You do realize what they will do next, right? Send a true army and kill everyone. The only way to stop it was to send them his head."
"We have magic on our side," Ardent pointed.
"And they have brains on theirs."
"Hm… I thought you were drunken by wild magic, but I see you intended to murder me of your own volition. I hereby nickname you Mean-Ana."
"Fuck your mother in the ass!" the woman screamed and jumped with her hands forward, either to strangle him or gouge his eyes out with her nails. Nevertheless, she collapsed on the ground, retching.
Important: A Monster is forbidden to attack its Master. You and your minions have a gauge measuring their relationship. Your relationship with Ana is currently -100 (on a -100 to + 100 scale). She hates your guts and you don't like her much either.
Now you tell me?
"Release me this instant!" she yelled, struggling to rise. "You abominable monster!"
"I don't even know if it's possible!" he screamed.
Important: Freeing a sentient minion is possible when your relationship is at least in a positive 20 (Non-hostile) to ensure a peaceful separation.
"Even if I'd want, I can't," he shouted. "Read for yourself!" He shared the notification, and then she started weeping.
"Please…" she begged, kneading her hands.
"Get a grip!" he snapped. "It's your fault, not mine."
"I swore to myself I'd never become any man's toy… and yet here I am, at this bandit's mercy… he could do anything to me…" Ana sobbed, speaking to herself. "He's the rapist type, I see it in his eyes," she added, looking toward Myrtle.
Aha! She's trying to make Myrtle jealous, so she'd oblige me to release her… Devious bitch!
Important: Intentionally harming a minion is prohibited. Any attempt will send the minion to storage and will randomly deduct a Fate Point, Attribute Point, Abilities Token, or stop you from gaining XP for a month if none of the previous are available. Penalties stack.
"Here, satisfied?" he growled, crossing his arms and sharing the new notification both with Myrtle and Ana. "Look, we're in the same boat now, right? Let's work together. We can beat the Turks, we have access to magic, but they don't. I'll release you as soon as possible, I swear, but if you don't help, there's nothing I can do…
"I'm confident Knight Ardent didn't act with malice," Francis said. "I don't see any reason why you couldn't stay here and enjoy your life as normal. Learn about your new abilities… I can visit and show you all the information you need on my magical tablet."
You dog! Ardent thought. "I agree," he said, more to make Myrtle calm down. "Stay here for now, Ana."
While still sad, the woman nodded, lowering her head.
Your relationship with Ana the Dryad has improved to -80.
"Good shob, mashter," a voice said. Laying on the grass, in the sun, to dry itself, Meanwood looked miserable. Nevertheless, his tongue was a bit longer now, beginning to grow back. His cut appendice was lying a few feet farther.
"Hm… That would be a waste…" Ardent frowned, picking the cut tongue from the grass, "Create Monster."
The blue light he was already accustomed to flew over the tongue. The channeled spell took much less time than it did when he had created Meanwood, in all not more than ten seconds. Then, the new creature began moving in Ardent's hand like a flat snake, only made of a sort of strong leather or textile rather than flesh.
You have created a Monster: Ribbon Mimic, Epic Rank, Level 1. Its Physical stats are inherited from its progenitor. This monster is non-sentient and has very poor Mental stats and resistance. Its autonomy is negligible, and permanent direct control is advisable.
STR: 50 DEX: 25 CON: 100 INT: 1 WIL: 1 CHA: 1
Ribbon Mimics were once a preferred weapon of Assassins. They can be programmed to look like a scarf and strangle the unsuspicious target. As the protection and detection wards have increased in complexity, this is no longer a reliable method of assassination.
Skills: Mimickry, Constriction, Ultrasonic Hit, Applying various Toxins, Poisons, Sedatives, and Venom.*
*Important: Before it was created, this monster had fallen over a basket full of poisonous mushrooms and plants, absorbing toxins, sedatives, and poisons that grant it a permanent mild toxic touch.
"Hm… You and I will be good friends," Ardent decided. "I hereby name you Meantongue."