-√F-
The Dummy tries to take a strike at Kass, but she moves under its arm, and strikes it multiple times, causing its body to shake. It makes a little distance, and tries to go for a kick, but she vaults over its leg, and kicks it with her foot multiple times instead. The shaking intensifies until I can hear its body rattling. It won’t slow down though, it continues to try and hit her. After a while, she powers through its attacks, stopping them short by counter striking at the hands and feet of the Dummy.
She relaxes, and pokes the Dummy’s chest. The dummy explodes into pieces. “And that is what Rippling Topple Style looks like. It takes advantage of the idea that your opponent isn’t causing you any harm with their strikes until it’s too late. Of course, this at worst knocks people out, but the Dummy’s not built like normal creatures, so I guess it must have been a little more lethal.” She says, as the Dummy repairs itself and bows. She bows back with a smile.
“That’s amazing. And it’s done with Water Magic?” I ask, as I approach her. “Yep, that’s why I love it so much. Let me show you Tidal Counter Style now. Yo, Dummy, more aggressive this time!” The Dummy nods, and moves into position, dashing at her. It tries for a strike at her, but she ducks under it again and uses the same motion to send her leg straight up to split the dummy clean in half. “Tidal Counter Style is one of the most lethal styles among Water Magic’s Martial Arts. Usually you would use compressed water magic to make blades of ice, but I’ve got my own blades.” She shows off the blade on her heel fully extended. It’s massive and powerful looking.
“Alright, I think that’s enough showcasing for now. Would you like to try one?” She says, as I think about it. “I guess I can, but I’m not as flexible as you are, so I’ll need an easy one.” I say, as I look around for Dart. He’s pretty much disappeared. “Don’t worry, Rippling Topple Style is a beginner style, and doesn’t require much flexibility.” She says, as she shows me the stance. She’s got her left leg in front of her, and her right behind her, while her left arm is stretched out, with her palm ready to deflect attacks, while her right Fist is held next to her torso.
I mimic it, and she adjusts me into the proper position. “There you go. Dummy, let her strike you.” She says, causing the dummy to comply and stand stock still in front of me. “Are you sure? I can’t exactly use Water Magic like you.” I say, uncertain about what I’m doing. But that doesn’t seem to stop her, she places her hands on mine, and some sort of Mana flows inside of them. It’s weird though, I can’t absorb it, but it’s in my hands- “That’s Mythical Water Magic that’s in your hands, just strike him, and it’ll do the rest. Usually you would have to do it yourself, but I’ve already given it the proper commands for you.” I nod and strike the dummy, I feel the water leave my body and burst into the dummy, its body vibrating. “I-I did it!” I shout excitedly at Kass, causing her to clap. “Yep! You’re a Martial Artist now! I mean, you’re a beginner, but you’re a Martial Artist as long as you remember this. Dummy, fakeouts only, no actual strikes. Go.” The Dummy nods, then takes a few steps back, and sets itself into position. It dashes at me, and tries for an uppercut, but misses my chin. He’s too quick! “Stallatia, strike him!” Kass shouts, standing back. I regain my senses, and wait for another attack, before striking him again. We trade fakeouts and strikes for multiple minutes until I run out of Water Magic, and he explodes.
“Good job, you can try against me now!” She says, as she grabs my hands, loading them with Water Magic again. “Alright, I’m ready!” I shout, as I lightly jump away. “Go!” She shouts, and I dash at her. She throws a strike at me, but I slide past it and- She quickly pulls her fist back, and flips her stance, using the momentum, she pushes my strike out of the way. “What-” I blurt out, as she trips up my leg, making me fall over. “Don’t forget your legs, this stance is easy to knock over if you don’t keep yourself sturdy and grounded!.” She says, as I get up and move back into position. I try for a fake out to her head, and she ducks, but I use the momentum to try and trip her up back- She flips her stance again, and uses the momentum once again to almost strike my stomach with her leg. “Don’t worry about getting struck, I wouldn’t dare hurt a princess.” She says, as she pulls her foot away, giving me a moment to calm down. “And don’t think you can trip me up that easily, I’m not the only martial artist in my family.” She says, waiting for me to strike.. So she DID know I was trying to get back at her.. That would have been an easy strike for her on me, she really IS a martial artist. “You know what? I think that’s enough for now. We should really go look for Dart, he can tend to get himself into trouble when he’s like that.” She says, as she relaxes her stance, and looks away. I relax from my stance, and almost fall down- She catches me. “Careful there Princess, you might have the knowledge now, but your body isn’t quite ready for actual Martial Arts.” She’s right, I didn’t even realize until now how exhausted I was.. “How come you-” She quickly interrupts me- “I’ve rigorously trained my body to do this. I wasn’t as flexible as you when I started. Aside from that, I’m stronger, faster, and I have way more stamina to keep going.” I nod.. So this is what it’s like to use it for combat. She lets me go, and I stand on my own again. “That’s just a taste of what Martial Arts is like, if you find that you’re interested in REALLY learning it, you can come to me for the Elemental Styles, or you can find teachers in case you’re interested in other Martial Arts Styles.” She continues to tell me about Martial Arts, as we exit the room, to start looking for Glant.
-√A-
Demi - “So we’re certain it’s this one?”
“Yep. There’s a problem though, we can’t seem to locate Sirius.” Steriya says, staring at the building with me. The Scouts are infiltrating, I’ve got a Mana Line extending under the ground to them, and connecting to Steriya. So she’s getting all the information. “Wait, Aldor is relaying a conversation, okay so turns out Sirius has left, him and some of his goons went looking for an.. Uncle? Wait- Pollux had a Brother? Oh- He’s been gone for a while though, they’re saying he’s been getting training from this uncle of his-” Before Steriya can continue, we hear the musical sound of a trombone from behind us.
There’s an old guy standing behind us, well, he looks like he might be in his Sixties, or would be. How does that convert to this world? That doesn’t matter, he’s wearing a sort of golfing outfit, but with full length pants. He’s even got a Golf Kit. “So what did you kids think of my trumpet playing?” He says, as he walks up to his.
“That’s a Trombone.” Steriya says, taking him by surprise. He looks at it for a moment, then slaps himself. “Ah- How silly of me, I forgot again. Anyways, what do you think you’re doing here?” He asks us, taking us by surprise this time. “You better answer quickly too, the Young Lord doesn’t like intruders on his land.” Steriya looks at me for a moment, I of course look back, but she can’t really tell I am. “So you work for Sirius?” She asks, and it’s surprises all around.
“Damn- Is it already out?” He says, trading information with us. “Yeah. And we’re here to take your little organization down. You gonna’ stop us?” Steriya says, as bright green lightning bursts from her joints. He simply laughs at us, then speaks up. “Nah, I’m too old for this. Here, Sirius is training with his Uncle Castor about thirty klicks west from this point. Good luck.” And with that, he walks off, not at any point was he about to put up a fight..
Demi - “He can’t be serious..”
Steriya teleports away for a few seconds then returns. “He wasn’t lying, I spotted a building, and three people. Two of them are sparring, and the other one is just watching.” She says..
Demi - “Guys, get out of there, the information we need just kind of landed face first into us.”
Everyone is confused, but complies. After a few hours of explaining to everyone, Me, Steriya, and Aldorisk travel to where we were told Sirius is.. Aldor is a Mantaray Demihuman, a Giant Mantaray Demihuman to be exact, he only has three fins, but they’re absolutely massive. Two that extend from his back, and his head fins can completely cover his body. This has obviously made his shoulder to head muscles massive. Aside from that, he has long whip like stingers that extend from his wrists, and his ankles. He likes to use them to grapple and swing from trees and buildings.
“So.. Is this the place?” He asks, as he rubs his chin, with a inquisitive look on his face. “Yep, and that’s him right there, Sirius. The older man must be Castor.
-√F2-
“Haha, looks like yer’ father passed on a few skills afta’ all!” Castor shouts, as I whip my tentacles at his own. The Tentacles tear each other apart, as he speaks up again. “Ya’ know, the first Puddle Kid Huntahs were actually Mantis Shrimp Demihumans, ya’ should’a seen’em! They were damn heroes I tell ya’! They could dash right through Pond Kings, all while pullin’ ‘a civilian right from the damn thing’s dirty clutches!” He continues to prattle on about his favorite heroes.
“That’s about everything I could teach ya’ while in human form, if ya’ want real trainin’, you’ll have ta’ go into yer’ true form!” Done already huh? I wonder how Morhall is doing, I hope he didn’t get caught..
I transform, growing hundreds- no thousands of times my size, not soon after, my Uncle transforms too. He’s multiple times bigger than me, but I’m still growing. We stare at each other for a moment, and activate our Telepathy Skills. “Man, I nevah’ get ta’ use my Full Form, maybe comin’ere was worth it after all!” I say to him through telepathy, as he moves into position. “Ya’ got that right kiddo! I almost don’t regret you smashin’ mah’ door!” Me and him really have a lot more in common than I thought.. Maybe we would have gotten along better if he was around when I was younger…
“Now for yer’ next lesson!” He announces to me, as he pulls himself into a stance. “The Puddle Kid weakness… Is Speed!” Wait- What? “That’s right Kiddo’! Ya’ gotta’ be fast! Ya’ gotta’ blitz’em! That’s how ya’ win!” Of course, such a massive body! How did I not think of this?! “Thing is, they focus on ambushin’ their prey, and completely overwhelming it with their impossible strength. All ya’ need is ta’ be faster and outlast’em.”
He whips a tentacle through the water at blinding speed, it’s so fast a sharp current rips through the water and cuts a mountain in half. Strong, just like my dad, this is the power he wields, and my father wielded. It’s hard to imagine I might some day wield this power too.. “Just like that Kiddo’. Alright, all I really have left is ta’ train ya’ in yer’ true form. ” He says, causing me to mimic his stance.
“Then let’s begin.”
-√A-
Demi - “Well that’s not happening.”
The other two just look at me confused. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?” Steriya says, giving me a concerned look.
Demi - “The larger one is strong, he’s REALLY strong. If we attacked him, at best, we’d escape with your teleport, Steriya. At worst, we all die. Just get us out of here before they spot us.”
Steriya simply nods, and grabs us both, teleporting us back to Ryleth. “I guess we’ll just have to lure him away from that Castor guy somehow..” She sits on the ground, crossing her legs, and rubbing her finger against her chin again. “Can’t imagine how we would do that though.”
Demi - “You’re right.. But I can’t fight Castor, our entire family combined wouldn’t be enough to challenge that guy. I just.. I don’t know…”
“How come? Like, what makes you so certain? We’ve barely seen him do anything.” Aldor asks me, taking me and Steriya by surprise.
Demi - “I’m not actually sure.. I’ve always had the ability to gauge the power of everyone I see. I guess I was just born with it.”
Steriya stands up, and looks at me. “You don’t think it’s something like what Celest has, do you?”
Demi - “Do you think Mother would have altered me to some extent when I was born?”
“How would she? You’re made of water.. Your species went extinct over two thousand years ago… How did she even make you?! What she would do was imbue the bones of extinct creatures with Life Magic, and extract the DNA. It doesn’t make sense.. How did she even create you?! Not to mention the weird circumstances OF your Birth! Your Species doesn’t have Cells. When a Puddle Kid dies, there’s nothing to recover… They tried everything to create a Puddle Kid, but nothing worked, it would just make altered water… What the hell did she do?!” She continues to rack her brain for answers, until I finally interrupt her.
Demi - “There’s no point, we don’t have enough information. All I know is I have this weird ability in me. We need to focus on the larger threat.”
She calms down, and nods. “You’re right.. It’s just.. You’re so confusing, Demi. You were BORN with so much basic information! Do even YOU have any idea how it happened?” She asks me.. I do, but I have to lie..
Demi - “Sorry, I don’t..”
She gives up on it. For now… The question just won’t go away, they really want to know… “I think I got a plan to bring Sirius here alone.. It’s a little underhanded though.” Steriya and I look at Aldor, as he walks up. “What if we kidnap his buddies? They seem really loyal, like; ‘Boss will come lookin’ for me, if you were to kidnap me’ loyal. We could take a bunch of the weaker ones, and tell him to come alone. I’m not a fan of playing it this way, but I don’t think we got many options..” He says, that last bit making him slightly nervous. “That might just work!” She says, as she connects to the network. “I’ll gather everyone together, and we’ll storm their base!” She says, as she walks away.
Demi - “Thanks Aldor..”
He looks at me for a moment-
Aldo - “You do know why.. Don’t you?”
Demi - “Know what?”
Aldo - “Oh, about how you were born. I know you know why you were born that way.”
Demi - “Wh-What, I haven’t told anyone! How did- Dammit all…”
Aldo - “Huh.. That was easier than I thought.”
.Demi - “Damnit, I fell for my own trick!”
Aldo - “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone, and I won’t prod you with questions, it obviously makes you uncomfortable. The others kinda’ lack understanding in that area. Don’t be angry with them though, they were raised in an environment that doesn’t naturally foster awareness in that subject.”
Demi - “Right.. Th-Thanks Aldor…”
He simply nods, then starts walking away. “I’m gonna’ keep an eye on Steriya!” He shouts, as he walks over to her.
What the hell just happened?
Oh good lord we’re not good at this!
We never focused on learning how to lie! We’re gonna’ have to learn more about this.. Maybe a Book?
Maybe?
We’ll deal with this later.
-√F-
Hey~Hey~! Stallatia! Stally! Let’s break away from Kass, and try to find Dart on our own!
I don’t know.. She might get lost!
Hey~Hey~! It’ll be great! If we find him first, we can kill him, and say we didn’t do it!
Don’t be silly, Joker!
“Stallatia, you okay there?” Kass asks me, as I snap back into reality. “Huh?” I look around confused. “You blanked out there for a moment.. You okay?” She asks me with a concerned look on her face, as I rub my head. “Sorry, it’s my Second Consciousness, they’re talking to me again..” I say, as I rub my head.. “Oh, do you..” She continues trying to figure out what’s wrong- “I’m just suffering from uh- Aggressing-Duelconscious-Disorder. My secondary consciousness is mostly just really aggressive, I call her Joker.” I finish, as I rub my temple. She continues to look at me with concern. “You poor thing.. A few of my sisters and brothers suffer from it too, so I’ve seen what it can be like.” She continues to console and sympathize with me.
We find Dart in the Castle Library, looking around. “Hey Dart! You wandered off!” He looks over at us surprised. “Oh.. Yeah. I was looking for History and Geography Books.” He says, as he continues to look around. “Oh, you should ask my butler if he can help you!” I say, as I walk over with a bright smile. He nods, and tells me to call him over. I do just that, and after a few minutes, my personal butler arrives. “Did you need me, your Highness?” He says, as he bows to me. “We’re looking for books on Geography, and History!” I say, as I point at one of the many bookshelves. He nods, and starts looking. “This may take me a few hours, so feel free to go play. I’ll come find you later.” He says, as he continues to walk past books.
“So, while we wait for that.. What’s next?” Kass asks, as she looks over at Glant, who shrugs. “I dunno’.. I just want the books. I guess we might want to call over Sari, so we can get some copies..” Dart loses himself in thought again, and Kass turns to look at me. “Wanna’ go practice some more Martial Arts?” She asks me.. “N-No, I think I’ve had enough Martial Arts for today.. How about we go get something to eat instead?” She seems surprised, but nods and smiles anyways. “Alright then. Come on Dart!” And like that, he’s snapped out of his trance again. “What time is it?” He asks, as he walks over. “Oh, I completely forgot.. Yeah, I think it’s about time to leave…” She says, looking a little sad. “W-Well, you don’t have to leave RIGHT AWAY.. Do you? I’m sure I can treat you to some food, before you leave. Besides, you’re still waiting for that book, Dart!” I say, trying my best to sound happy. “That isn’t untrue..” Dart says, looking back at the Butler, who has only now gotten started on the eighth row, out of fifty.
“Alright, we can call up Steriya and Sari later then.” Dart simply nods, but I’m still confused. “Who are they?” I ask, surprising them. “Oh, they’re two of our sisters. Steriya knows Space Magic-” -Dart quickly cuts in- “Is *LEARNING* Space Magic. Remember?” He says, as he folds his arms. Kass nods her head with little care and continues. “Sari can duplicate items, while Steriya can teleport just about anywhere.” OH… Now I get it! I smile and clap lightly. “That’s really cool, I wish I could do that!” I say happily, as we walk to the kitchen. “Hey Dart.” I say, grabbing his attention. “Yes, Stella?” He asks, confused. “What’s it like having twenty thousand siblings? I’m an only child, so it’s hard to imagine having even ONE sibling.” He thinks to himself for a moment..
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Hey~Hey~!..
Not now Joker, I wanna’ hear what he has to say-
“Extremely stuffy, I know every single one of them, and they come to check up on me often. What’s it like being an only child?” He asks, surprising me.. I guess it’s only fair. “Lonely. Everyone’s usually busy, so I have a lot of time to myself.” This surprises them. “It’s almost surreal now that I think about it.. I’ve never known a life where I wasn’t alone… I’ll have to ask Calvin what it was like, I think he’s the oldest of everyone.” Kass joins in, having thought about it too. “Yeah, that would be weird. I guess I would have been born here as royalty, or not at all. Since I’m a Megalodon Demihuman.” Oh. Weird.
We arrive at the Kitchen, and find the Chef. “O-Oh, the Princess- And what’s this? Have you brought some friends, Your Majesty?” He asks, causing me to nod. “Yes, I was hoping you could make us something to eat.” He looks at me, then at the other two. “Right, I know what you like, but how about you tw-” He stops dead short- “Oh my- Are- Are you two-” They simply nod, and Dart cuts in. “We are indeed Megalodon Demihumans. We’re from Genesis Haven.” Dart explains it quickly, and precisely. “I heard the place was attacked, it must have been horrible.” He says, they give him a nod of acknowledgement, but don’t seem to want to speak further on this. “Kass likes meat, and try to make sure there’s no blood.. We’re Shark Demihumans, and what not.. Oh, and you can give me anything, just no blood once again, thank you.” Dart says.. The Chef looks at me, and I nod.
He’s the Castle’s one and only Head Chef. Also the ONLY Chef in the Castle! He’s the World Famous Alpionis-Voracious-Pollustick! He’s a Giant-Spider-Crab Demihuman! He’s well known for traveling the world and hunting millions of different creatures, and tasting their Meat.
-√A-
Where ARE they? Kass and Dart should have returned a while ago, everything has finished being moved... The floating-eye-robot-things finish placing everything. There’s all kinds of stuff here, but I guess that’s not really important. Meta’s here! Currently, she’s around 10 years old. She’s a Fire-Ant Demi-Human. Turns out Ant Demihumans can start spawning at an early age, since it takes them longer to grow up than normal ants. “So this is the place, huh?” She asks, looking around a little disappointedly.
Demi - “Yes. What do you think?”
“It’s fine.. I guess… It better have enough room for my new nest.” She looks at open spots of dirt. “You know, when you all left, I was originally surprised. I thought everyone was leaving me behind. Then I found out you were all captured. I WAS going to dig you guys a tunnel out, but you were all already gone, so I decided to go home, and finally, Steriya returned with Sari and Steinbelle. For a moment I thought the worst had happened, but she of course explained what was going on, and I started preparing my Brood. So yeah, thanks for that.” Right…
Demi - “Sorry.. I had no idea you were there. I guess the others didn’t want to bother you, because it would risk you being found by Arigold.”
She gives me a simple nod of understanding. “Fine, whatever. Is there enough food for my brood? I guess I could have them siphon from their Mana Storage if I have to.. I’m gonna’ need a good look at the size of the island, take me to the highest point.” I flow overtop of her, and submerge her in my mass. I teleport home, and push her to the top, keeping my water from sticking to her. “Wh-What the- Don’t do that again!” She shouts, as she punches my surface.
Demi - “Sorry, it was the fastest way up. This is one of the largest islands we could find. How big is your brood, by the way?”
She stops punching me for a moment, then thinks to herself. “About one hundred thousand strong. That’s just rounding though.” She walks over to the side of my room, and looks over. It’s the largest area, so it’s the best option. She quickly dashes back, and starts hyperventilating. “Too high!” She shouts, and looks at me.
Demi - “Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“What if I fell and hurt myself?! What do you think would happen to my Subjects?! Why haven’t you installed rail-” Before Meta can finish, we hear the elevator. “Hey, I heard Meta’s up here! How’ve you been?!” It’s Aldor, he brought snacks. “Hey, I brought snacks, Meta!” Meta darts over to the Elevator, and looks down it. “Food!” She shouts before backing away, to make way for the lift. “Here you go.” He says, handing her a bag of.. Something? Chips? Not sure what it is. She rips the bag open, and poors the contents into her maw. Well they ARE Crunchy it seems..
“More!” She shouts, taking more food from his arm.
Demi - “How about me?”
He tosses some food at me, and I submerge it. It disappears in my dark abyss, never to be seen again… “Alright, your hooks, I need you to use your hooks so I won’t risk falling off the edge. I need to look over the side of this tower, so I can see how big the island is!” Meta says, grabbing an arm cord, and tying herself to it. “Oh, yeah sure.” He says, shooting a hook right into one of my Pillars. You’re lucky those things auto-repair… Meta approaches the edge, she’s extremely nervous, and~ Nope, she runs back over. “Nope, not happening! Try making some sort of railing for me!” She unties herself, and Aldor disconnects his hook from the pillar.
After a minute, Aldor has connected both of his hooks to two pillars, and tightens them. “Alright your Majesty, I think it’s safe.” He says with a smile. She giggles at this, and approaches. “I should make you a.. Kn-Knight..” She starts getting nervous again.. Oh no… “Y-You’re sure it won’t break?..” She asks, looking over at him. “It’s a part of my body, I think I’d know if it was going to snap.” He laughs out. She continues to the edge, nervous as ever. She stares over at the entire island. Once satisfied, she quickly moves away. “Alright, alright, I’m good, let’s go to the other side now.” Aldor simply nods again, and accommodates for her needs.
Once Meta is finally done, she walks back over to me. “Alright, I’m ready to go back down.” She says..
Demi - “Thanks again, Aldor.”
He simply nods again, but this time in acknowledgement. “Come on, chop-chop.” She’s beginning to annoy me.. I submerge her again, taking her once more by surprise, and I move slowly over to the edge- “W-Wait- D-Demi- I-I think I would rather take the elevator after all!” She shouts, as I jump down, landing on the ground below us.. She has a look of death in her eyes. “You and me are never going to get along..” She walks over to the teleporter. “I’m just gonna’ gather my colony now..” She finishes, exiting through the teleporter. She’s paranoid, I shouldn’t have acted that way with her..
Well, she WAS kinda’ bossy.
Yes, I very much dislike that.
It’s how she was born, even if it was unpleasant.
Yes, I know. Either way, we should avoid acting this way with the others anymore.
Yep.
Mhm..
“So.. How was she?” Tenztore asks, stepping forward.
Demi - “Bossy, and rude.”
He crosses his arms, and leans on one foot. “You got off easy then.. You can usually pacify her with Food-” I quickly interrupt him, taking him by surprise.
Demi - “Yeah, Aldor showed me that. What’s up with that anyways?”
He looks directly at me, the surprise draining completely. “Oh, it's her Job to build up her brood. She said her record was two thousand in a day. That must be horrible for someone like her.” He says, looking back at the teleporter.
Demi - “Oh.. Yeah, I guess that WOULD take a lot of food…”
“So how about your plan?” He asks, taking ME by surprise this time.
Demi - “Oh, uh- Alright- Get this; Sirius has an UNCLE named Castor, and he’s like, a hundred times stronger. So we resorted to the more underhanded tactic of kidnapping the people in his gang. So yeh, it’s going well.”
“Well, I don’t really agree with it, but good luck anyways.” And with that, he walks off.. Before I leave, I notices some workers exit the teleporter, followed by Meta. “Alright, we’re going to gather islands, and make this one much larger, for my colony. It’ll work for now though..” She says to me- I think? “Are you listening to me, Demitallis?” She walks over to me, and starts patting my surface.
Demi - “Yes, I’m-”
“Demi- Shut up! Your telepathy skill or whatever is adding too much noise to my personal network.” She says, completely interrupting me… After a few minutes, she speaks up again. “Alright- What were you saying?” She looks at me, expectantly.
Demi - “I was going to tell you that I am indeed listening.”
She’s surprised for a moment, but instantly loses interest. “Oh. Whatever. Try to keep your Telepathy off of my Hivemind, I’m trying to command my workers.” …
Fear.
You’re kidding-
“How the hell am I supposed to talk to you then?”
Everyone in the area stops then turns to look at Meta and I, completely surprised by this. “D-Demi, did you-” Meta says, completely taken aback. “Yeah, I’m capable of vocal speech. Problem is.. I have to activate my IDM, or as you call it; ‘HDR’.. Which drains my mana reserves. So yes, I have to use telepathy.” I finish, and deactivate IDM. It’s already consumed a third of my Mana, and I barely even used it...
Everyone continues to stare at me, not realizing I was capable of physical speech.. “R-Right.. Well, what do you want ME to do about it? I was BORN with my Hivemind-” I quickly interrupt her-
Demi - “Learn my Telepathy, and create work arounds so it can no longer interfere with your Hivemind.”
She's in disbelief.. “ME? You ask ME to exert myself to learn something? I am a MONARCH, I shouldn’t be asked to actually try at something-” Even the others are starting to get noticeably frustrated with her.. Fine.. She falls to her knees, and grasps her head for a moment. Her workers rush to her side- They’re shaking too, they’re probably getting some sort of whiplash from what I just did.
“Demi..” She says, as she begins to stand. “What is this?” She looks at me, with an angry expression. Her guards surround me.
Demi - “It’s the roadmap for my telepathy skill. I don’t have access to your Hivemind, but you now have access to my Telepathy, I know it’s unfair to ask you to accommodate for how you were born. But me and everyone else aren’t capable of accommodating for you, so it would be easier on everyone if you accommodated for US.”
Her guards back away from me and return to her. She stares at me for a moment, then finally gives in. “FINE. I’ll develop this stupid skill.. It’s pretty primitive anyways, shouldn’t be- Do you seriously use a Mana Line to share thoughts?” She asks, taking me by surprise.
Demi - “Yes, I couldn’t find a better way to do it. Alright don’t you start with me, it was the best I could do with the limited resources I had.”
She just responds with a simple face palm, then absorbs the Mana Line. “Even Relay Magic would be better- This thing can’t possibly have a greater range than thirty meters at best, it’d be cut off by some sort of interference- Alright, fine, I’m gonna’ fix your Telepathy Skill. You can thank me later.” She finishes, walking away.. Yeesh.. It’s finally over.
-√F-
Mother and I wave off Dart and Kass as they leave. “Momma.” I say to get her attention. “Yes, honey?” She asks, picking me up, and looking at me. “I like him.” I say, surprising her. “Oh, how sweet. Maybe you can invite him over another time.” She’s not getting it.. “N-No, I-I really like him!” I quickly say, making sure Kass and Dart aren’t there… “O-Oh, w-well..” She puts me back down on the floor, and looks away with a nervous expression on her face. “M-Mommy has stuff to do! You should go play outside!” She says with a bright smile, trying to hide a hint of nervousness.. “Alright, bye-bye!” I shout, and she waves me off..
Well, I guess I’m playing outside now…
Hey~Hey~!
No.
Hey~Hey~! No-no, I promise you’ll LOVE this one!
Fine..
Hey~Hey~! We should kill Momma-
...
My Butler and I find ourselves outside of the castle, looking for something to do. “Are you sure you want to venture so far outside of the palace, your highness?” He asks me, looking around for any possible danger. “Of course I do, Momma told me to!” He simply nods, accepting that it’s orders straight from the Queen.. “What do you know of Martial Arts?” I ask my Butler, surprising him. “O-Oh, a little here and there, I wanted to get into it when I was younger, but nobody would teach me. And after that I kind of lost interest. Why do you ask?” He asks, intrigued with what seems to be sudden interest. “Kass told me about it, she even showed me how to use one of the Water Element’s styles.” I say, taking him further by surprise. “Oh, I see.. That’s very intriguing. How many Elements have she mastered?” He asks, as we continue to walk down the sidewalk, still looking for something to do. “She can use Mythical Water Magic and Mythical Air Magic. She said she’s already finished all of the Styles in Water and Air too. She’s also already gotten started on Fire Magic.” He’s super surprised by this, of course. “Really?” He says, confirming what he just heard. “Yes, even I couldn’t believe it either, but it’s true!” I say, finally finding the excitement I lost earlier. “Incredible.. I once tried to start turning my elements into mythical elements, but I gave up halfway through because it just wasn’t in my heart. Still, to learn even ONE at such a young age.. I can’t imagine she’s very good at anything else. Aside from swimming of course.” He continues, still considering how smart someone with Kass’s circumstances would have to be. “Ah- But that’s a little rude, I should probably stop..” He finally remembers his manners, and quits trying to determine how smart she is.
“Anyways.. What do you think if I decided to learn Martial Arts?” I finally ask, surprising him. “O-Oh, of course your highness- I’d support you in any venture!” He proudly says, making me smile. “I can hire some Masters to teach you alongside the Trident Master-” I interrupt him before he can really get started- “Kass actually showed me how to perform one of the styles, she’s a lot better than me at it though. I think it was called.. Rippling Topple Style?” I leave in the air, to be answered. “Oh, how interesting. How does it work?” He asks, surprising me.. I never even thought about explaining it myself… “W-Well, where do I begin.. What you do is you use Water Magic to charge water in your hands and feet, then strike at your opponent’s surface and charge them with rushing water magic that shakes them up until it knocks them out.” I move into the stance, and show him. He just stares at me for a moment. “Kass said I’m a Martial Artist now, since I learned this. What do you think?” I look at him again, still showing off the stance. “Well, she’s a master of a Water and Wind’s Styles already, right? I think she’d know more than me, so I guess that WOULD make you a Martial Artist your highness.” I finally relax from the stance, it’s still a little uncomfortable. “Martial Arts are super exhausting though..” I say, leaning against a lamppost. “Ah, of course, I heard it takes years to-”
Before he can finish that thought, a tall Demi-Human wearing a dark jumpsuit limps out of the darkened alley next to me, holding his hand against a wound on his arm. Me and my Butler backs away, while the Alley-Man takes something out- It’s his wallet? He opens it, and it’s a symbol for the Royal Army- He’s a high ranking member! “W-Wait a minute, is that- You’re a member of the Sci-Ops! What happened, Soldier?!” My Butler offers to help him to his feet, but he refuses, and just hands him an object. “No- It’s too late for me, just get this back to command. Stay safe!” And with that, he backs away, and disappears into the darkness..
-√A-
Hurray!
Kass and Dart are home! Dart is walking around with a few books under his arm, while inspecting all of his money. “It seems to all be here..” He says, despite him still inspecting everything. “Yes.. Can I have the workers store it already or not?” Meta says, folding her arms. “Yeah, fine.. I’m just worried, ya’ know.. This money is for everyone, so we can actually pay for stuff.” He says, as he turns to look at her. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Meta says, not a care to give.
Demi - “Hey Meta, how’s that improved Telepathy going?”
She walks over to me, sparking Dart’s interest, so he accompanies her. “It’s going fine, I’m synthesizing a copy skill for my Hivemind, it’s something I’m born with, so I’m still figuring out the logistics of how it works. I think it might use a Mythical Element…” She finishes, mostly thinking to herself.
Demi - “The hell is a Mythical Element?
She just looks at me with disbelief. “Are you serious?” Dart looks at her, even more confused. “She doesn’t even know what Mythical Elements are, Dart!” Even DART is surprised now.. “Doesn’t that sister of yours have a couple Mythical Elements?” She says, looking for the shark girl. “Yeah, I have Mythical Water Magic, and Mythical Air Magic!” She says, sliding down my side. She was sitting on top of me with some of my siblings.. Yeah, they’ve been doing it again. “Kass, Demi doesn’t know what a Mythical Element is!” Dart shouts, surprising her. “Seriously?” She says, as she lands on the ground, approaching them. “Yeah, I’m as surprised as you are.” He says, lightly shrugging. Kass just looks at me, and I get an inkling of hope that my question will finally be answered.
“Well.. I guess another term for it would be Ascended Element, it enhances the utility of the Skill by magnitudes.. With Mythical Water Magic, there’s all kinds of things I can do- Here, let me demonstrate-” She says, facing her palm towards me- I feel some sort of force wash over my body, and I begin to float off of the ground…
Demi - “AH- UH- KASS!”
She speaks up, as I begin to move around in the air. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you, Demi- Mythical Water Magic allows me to manipulate and control water freely.” She moves me around, waking up the others. They’re not particularly bothered though, so they just fall back asleep. “Aside from that, it allows me to create it freely. No cost whatsoever, but it will disappear after a short period of time.” Dart and Meta are surprised, so even they didn’t know this.. “Moving on, I can change it to mimic other elements, such as fire, and air.” From her hand a stream of water flows through the air, like a floating river. While watery flames burst from her other hand. After a minute she finally rests me on the floor, and continues- “One of the more complicated things it can do actually is let you turn YOURSELF or other things into the Element-” Wait a minute-
Demi - “Wait like- You literally TURN INTO water?”
“Yes, I’m glad you get it.” And there she goes, she turns into literal water, no features, she looks like ME now- Wait a minute-
Guys, you don’t think MY body is stuck in Water Form- Do you?
Highly implausible, we wouldn’t take damage otherwise.
Yeah, you can’t hurt water.
Wait, that’s a good point- Isn’t that extremely powerful?
Demi - “Are you able to take damage in your water form, Kass?”
Kass transforms back, and replies quickly. “Oh yeah, of course. If another wielder appears, they can just turn me back. Otherwise I guess I am technically invincible. I’m pretty sure Steriya probably has a few Mythical Elements on her, Space Magic is one of the most complicated skills in the world, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was stock full of Mythical Elements.” She says, surprising everyone further. “As for learning it, it’s a bit complicated.. I guess the first thing you’ve gotta’ learn is that Water Magic is really just a Skill, it’s conceptual. This skill is an easier way of telling your Mana to turn into the substance known as water, and said water is pretty much no different from normal water once perfected. So all you need to do is just make some changes. That’s the first part though, it won’t let you change how your body works, or produce it freely. But it’s a place to start.” She finishes, completely shattering what I thought I knew of the system.. I hadn’t even thought of that, I just kept thinking of it like it’s some game.
Demi - “I couldn’t have come up with that in a hundred years, it’s like messing with the laws of physics-”
Kass perks up, and quickly cuts in- “Yes! Good Job, Demi! I think you might have a talent for Abstract Skills, you should try your uh- whatever you call a hand at creating something. Like your Telepathy Skill, it’s really useful and easy to learn!” She says, surprising me once more.
Demi - “Really, you think so? Meta here’s been learning and improving it, and I myself have been coming up with additions to it.. What do you think of Monetizing it?”
Meta simply nods, while Kass looks confused for a moment, until Dart runs up next to Kass with more excitement than ever. “I love it! What were you thinking?!” He just stands there, staring intently at me, excited at the idea of more Money.
Demi - “W-Well, I was thinking of turning it into something everyone would want to use. Something that would be really helpful in all kinds of situations. The idea is a Communication Spell, that could connect to replicas of itself, and allow people to share information. Since Magic is applicable in almost any situation, provided you have the knowhow. The idea is that this spell will provide the knowhow, by connecting to millions of other users. SOMEBODY has to have the answer. Right?”
Meta and Kass grow more surprised by the second at the prospect of what you could do with it, while Dart starts thinking more deeply about it. “You’re right, we also wouldn’t have to worry about a worldwide network since everyone across the world would be the network.. I bet everyone would love the idea of keeping in contact with their friends. You could really make a business out of this Demi! We could sell billions of these Spells, and it would cost us nothing! This is genius- Are you some sort of prodigy?!” Everyone just backs away, as Dart continues to consider all of the facets of what this could do. Yeah it’s basically a Smartphone, but in a different form. At first I figured they would have something like this, but when I got to Neotopia, I noticed nobody uses them there either, so that’s when I started coming up with this thing.
Demi - “What do you think, Meta? You’re the one making the new Telepathy, and that Skill is the Foundation for the new one. I was thinking of calling it: ‘Lodestone’ Like what is used in Compasses.”
She looks over at Dart, then back at me. “Yeah, it sounds like a good idea, but I’m only making the Hivemind-Friendly-Part, you’ll have to ask someone else for the weird Lodestone-Telepathy.” And with that, she walks away. I guess I can’t ask her to do everything.. “Good luck with that, you two. I’m gonna’ go practice Martial Arts!” Kass says, leaving me and Dart to plan.
“Well, you heard her. Where do we start?”
End of Chapter: 25√AF “So on and so forth, creating a future.”
Thank you for reading.
“I am a MONARCH, I don’t have to thank ANYONE!”
“Sorry about her everyone, she really is thankful.”