“Going to transform now.”
His body rippled and shifted, gradually reshaping itself into a blocky form, with elongated arms, chunky hands, and supported by six stubby legs beneath him. From the lower portion of his front side, two slender, elongated necks emerged, one extended gracefully upwards, the other drooped towards the stony ground. His head formed at the end of the lower neck. Atop the higher neck, a small lump appeared, gradually molding into a rudimentary second head, complete with a newly formed ear and mouth on the mound. Then, from the top edge nearest to Rahmys, a sinuous, two-foot tendril unfurled, swaying gently as it extended outward.
“Anything else you all can think of?” Chuck asked.
Whyth pointed at the tendril. “Leash for Rahmys to hold on to?”
Chuck nodded. “Figured it would be easier than her having to keep giving me non-stop directions.”
“You sure that’s just a tendril?” Marl laughed.
Rahmys blushed. “That is just sick.”
Finally catching on, Chuck stammered. “I didn’t…no…wasn’t even thinking.”
“Makes me wonder, I mean…well, is that even a thing, Chuck?” Whyth asked.
“Uh, not thought about. Don’t plan on thinking about.” Chuck struggled for words.
Rahmys stomped her foot. “Let’s drop the subject, please.”
Holding his hands up, Marl continued to chuckle. “Only a joke, trying to lighten the mood for a moment. Consider the subject dropped. Everyone ready to go?”
They all began to make their way toward the blinding metallic shine that flickered from the cliffs ahead. Chuck slid his head back into the stone, watching for movement. Several minutes passed, and Chuck came up to the surface as needed. Rahmys gave directions and guided him with the leash when he was watching inside the stone. Right as he dove in for the fourth time, another flicker of movement caught his eye.
Come on, move again. I need to know if you’re real or I’m seeing things. Chuck laughed to himself when he realized what he was asking. His laughing stopped when a serpentine blob shot across his path.
“Okay, just confirmed. I’m not imagining things. A four-foot python-like shadow critter just swam in front of my face. He faded into the gray of the stones too far away for me to see details.” Chuck’s second mouth relayed to the group.
Whyth answered first. “Archive says python is like our gnoruph. Chuck, you said it swam?”
Chuck sighed. “Best I could think of describing it. This is a shadowy gray world in here and surrounds me like water. So, swimming seemed the best analogy. And I’m coming up for air.”
“Should we run to the gate?” Rahmys pointed as she asked.
“Wouldn’t hurt to go faster,” Marl answered. “Chuck, can you keep watch and run with Rahmys guiding you by the leash?”
“I can try. If I’m slowing us down, let me know, and I can abandon the watching and morph into something that runs faster. Have an idea, hold on.”
Chuck moved a part of his body to his legs, making each one a little longer. He moved the leash-tendril to the front side next to the base of his necks.
“I should be able to keep up now, and Rahmys can run in front, and I’ll follow.”
“Good.” Marl looked toward the gate. “We can’t sprint that far, but a nice jog should get us there quicker. Let’s go.”
Chuck waited a few seconds, acclimating to the pace before diving back into the stone.
The streaks and swirls of variegated grays were all Chuck saw. Some layers had feathered edges blending into different shades. At the same time, other edges were distinct, with hard lines between color changes. Chuck didn’t see any movement. Does it feel different, or am I paranoid?
Off to his right, one of the gray swirls shifted, two jagged streaks of a rusty red joined the rotating grays.
“Something is happening. Colors are moving, but no actual form.” Chuck called out to the group.
Marl replied. “And we have company from the skies, too far away for us to know what they are just yet.”
Suddenly, without any hint or warning, the very ground beneath Chuck's feet erupted into life. He jerked his head upwards in shock, his head now out of the stone. Dark, menacing shadows were coiling like serpents around his legs. His friends screamed, caught in the same terrifying trap. Chuck felt the cold grip of the shadows, but as he desperately clawed at them, his stubby fingers passed right through, grasping nothing but air.
He called out. “Anyone can grab at these things?”
All the responses were negative.
“I’m going back in,” Chuck called out.
Once back into the stone, Chuck saw shadows twisting and writhing within the rock. He brought more of his body into the stone and reached out to the slithering shadows. His fingers still passed through them. What to do, what to do? Spi? The silence didn’t surprise him.
He cast create fire. He felt the heat, but no flames appeared. Can I make lava? Will that hurt them? He kept casting fire, but added control fire to the mix. He pulled his fingers back into a ball at the end of his arm, focusing all his fire magic there.
He dissolved his secondary mouth right before his scream broke free. The newly created ball of flesh exploded in flame and started melting the surrounding rock. Shadows squealed and began pulling at his arm.
“Whatever you did, Lumpy, worked!” Shouted Marl. “We have incoming. Some Bythie creation coming after us, but they have some Vylkra attacking them. You keep doing what you’re doing.”
The lack of a mouth kept Chuck’s response from being heard.
The shadow creatures and the cyclone of gray started coalescing into a sinister form. Chuck's instincts shouted at him to move. He tried to withdraw from the stone but couldn’t.
A tendril of gray, snaking like a sinister wraith through the shadows, lunged at Chuck with terrifying velocity. The instant it made contact with his head, a blinding eruption of light and sound obliterated his senses, as though a thousand fireworks had exploded violently within his skull. He attempted to scream, but the sound was trapped within him. His body felt as if it were being viciously torn apart from the inside. Desperation clawed at him like a relentless beast, and he fiercely fought to hold himself together. His movements devolved into instinctual spasms, coherent thoughts drowned in an abyss of panic and searing agony. Every fiber of his existence was consumed by the primal, desperate urge to survive, as pain, sharp and merciless, electrified every nerve ending, unyielding in its torment.
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Another explosion shattered his world, violently yanking his awareness back to the chaos around him. This time, he felt as if he were hurled through the air with an oppressive weight dragging him down, which he realized was Rahmys still clutching his leash. Jagged stones clawed at his flesh as he slammed into the ground repeatedly, each impact jarring him to the core. Rahmys’ pained grunts echoed in unison with his own. He forced his eyes open and witnessed a maelstrom of black-winged insects, a savage swarm descending with vicious fury on Marl and Whyth just a few yards away, tearing into them with merciless abandon.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure burst forth from the stone, its eyes burning with an unnatural light. It let out a guttural growl, revealing jagged teeth as it lunged at Chuck and Rahmys. Rahmys reacted first, swinging her fire sword at the creature, but it evaded her attack with an unnerving fluidity.
Chuck, acting on instinct, reached for his magic, feeling an unexpected bond with the stone. He hesitated, unsure if he should trust this new power. Yet, he drew on the energy, focusing his intent despite his reservations. As the crackling surge of magic flooded his veins, he sent a torrent of sharp stones towards the shadowy adversary. The searing pain that accompanied this power threatened to drag him back into oblivion, each moment a battle to stay conscious. The stones struck the creature, causing its smoky figure to waver and distort, leaving Chuck torn between triumph and fear of what he had unleashed.
Seizing the opportunity, Rahmys delivered a powerful strike, her weapon cutting through the dark gray figure. Yet, instead of blood, a chilling wisp of darkness emanated from the wound, reassembling the creature before their eyes. It retaliated with renewed fury, launching itself at Rahmys.
Chuck's mind raced. How to kill this thing? Or at least send it back to where it came from. He called on his fire magic again. This time, the flames shot out bright enough to outshine the sun. The creature hissed and recoiled, its shadowy form shrinking away from the new light source. Flames splashed against the beast’s body; the hissing became shrieks.
Rahmys shifted her focus to the aerial threat now approaching Chuck and her. Glyrgaph circled the flying creatures, its tendrils pulling at wings and disrupting attempted attacks. Chuck took a sense of pride watching Glyrgaph prove itself faster and more agile than the attackers.
Chuck corrected his momentary lapse of attention and focused on the battle involving him. The creature had diminished in size and continued to writhe. Chuck blasted it with fire again, this time controlling it to keep it in contact with the monster as long as possible. It tried to jump at Chuck, but couldn’t coordinate its movements. A few seconds later, it disappeared. Dead or retreated? Doesn’t matter. I feel drained. Status Check!
<< STATUS
Health: 45/64
Magic: 12/108
Significant loss of body mass has lowered max health and severely depleted magic and health. Magic is keeping you alive. At the current rate of consumption, component will be dead within twenty minutes. If component acts from this point forward, the rate of magic recovery will not keep up with the magical needs for survival. Component should not exert any more magic or physical effort at this point. >>
Easy for you to say. You’re not being attacked, and your friends aren’t being attacked.
<<**ALERT**ALERT**ALERT - HAVE YOU NOT BEEN LISTENING TO ME? ALL OF US ARE UNDER ATTACK, INCLUDING THE STRUCTURE.
You must be protected. It is not an outcome that is desired, but if it comes down between you and one of your friends. YOU COME FIRST. They know and understand this. >>
Chuck thought about several replies but held back on all of them.
<
Understood.
“Hey everyone, according to my stats and the Structure. I’m done contributing at this point. Any interaction on my part may lead to my demise. I don’t enjoy doing this, but—”
“If you disobey the Structure on this. I’ll kill you myself.” Marl grunted as he threw a dagger at one of the flying threats.
Marl continued to throw daggers with expert precision. Chuck watched with wonder as Marl's sheaths seemed to magically replenish, replacing each drawn dagger with another waiting to strike. Meanwhile, Whyth's voice rose in a powerful incantation, weaving a shimmering, impenetrable barrier around the group, crackling with energy and promising safety against any threat.
“This barrier will only last about fifteen minutes.” Whyth waved at the shimmering air around them. “It’s buying us some time. Rahmys, can you do anything to heal or pass magic to Chuck?”
“Don’t know. Let me check him out.” Rahmys’ palms pressed against Chuck. “You’re still too squishy.”
“I lost a lot of mass, hit me for about half of my health, and lost a lot of max health. One spell that Stoney cast on me made me feel like I was back in the shredder. Then, when I cast that rock storm thing, it burned, and it felt like it did when I lost some mass back in the woods.” Chuck explained.
Marl tore his gaze away from the sky and down to Chuck. “It looks like the flying attack has returned to whatever is going on closer to the gate. So we may have a little time. We will need to get to that gate soon, though. We have to keep anyone from getting inside.”
Whyth nodded. “I agree. We have to figure out how to get us through that gate first. Chuck, can you use that absorb thing and pull something from one or all of us to help stabilize you?”
“Good question. It takes magic to do that, and using magic is what will kill me. But I have some reserve. If casting a portion of the reserve would solve or improve my condition, it’d be worth it…”
“But if it doesn’t, you just took another step toward dying.” Whyth finished, and Chuck grunted in agreement.
Spi, before trying something like this, can you offer advice or suggest anything other than rest? I need to get better to make it to that gate and beyond.
<
We have to get through the gate first. I’m going to draw some magic and absorb some muscular strength from Rahmys.
<
That is comfor…oh wait…nicely done.
“Grab some of the dead flying things, and let’s see if I can absorb some mass from them, but first, Rahmys—I need to see if I can absorb anything from you. Magic and muscular strength are what I’m going to try. It shouldn’t hurt or damage you in any way. Shout out if that is not the case.”
Rahmys nodded. “Let me cast a light healing spell. Not sure what this will do, but it couldn’t hurt.”
A trickle of warm energy flowed into Chuck. “I can sense the energy. It feels comforting.” As soon as the spell completed, Chuck called out to Spi…Status Check.
<< STATUS
Health: 64/64
Magic: 10/108
There is, now, a lesser drain on your magic to keep your physical being stable, but there is still a drain. You will recover magic faster than you spend it, building back up your reserve. Structure determines that 24-48 hours of rest after achieving maximum magic points would restore your system to normal function. >>
And we don’t have that kind of time—so I’m going to the next step.
“Confirmed that helped, but it will take several days to get me out of the woods. So let’s bring on the buggy things, and I’ll see if I can absorb them.”
Marl and Whyth brought over three bodies. None of the strange-looking bugs were over forty pounds of mass, but Chuck decided every bit might help.
“Here goes everything.” Chuck laughed nervously. “Put all three on me, please. I don’t think I should morph at this point.”
There’s an item off the bucket list—be covered with alien corpses. Chuck concentrated. At first there didn’t seem to be anything happening, but a few seconds later a flash of light consumed all three bugs. Chuck felt stronger. Status Check.
<< STATUS
Health: 74/80
Magic: 8/108
More mass increased max health.
Absorbing their chiton, muscles, and mass worked to stabilize you. You are now back to previous levels of magic to sustain you. You will recover your magic at your normal rate—which is faster than previous because of several factors. >>
Yay for loopholes. Previous levels?
<< INTERACTION — You didn’t think you kept your ground Chuck body together naturally, did you? You’ve been burning an amount of magic every day to keep your form. >>
I wondered about it but never thought it all through. Thanks.
“I believe I’m back to operational, but I still have to recover my magic and get back to usable levels,” Chuck announced to the group.
They all cheered.
Marl broke up the cheering. “Let’s get to running to the gate. Whatever air battle is going on won’t last forever. We can get inside the gate, then rest up to recover. Whyth grab one end of Chuck, we’re carrying him as far as we can. Hopefully, he can get some magic back quicker, in case we get attacked.”
Whyth and Marl groaned as they lifted Chuck.
“When this is done, you need to get back to losing more mass.” Whyth hissed between clenched teeth.