The group had gone through a few doors on the first floor before finding a suitable room, the keys they had taken from the reception giving them what amounted to unrestricted access to the apartments. The first few they had tried had not been furnished, and at Dew’s insistence that they could do better, they had continued searching. The first fully-stocked apartment they had found had been discarded by Pithy since it faced outwards towards the street, and the lighting would announce their presence to any who bothered to look at the building. Eventually they had found one fully furnished apartment with windows facing towards an interior garden someone would only be able to see if they entered the building, earning the approval of the two squatters. The living space itself was spacious by Pithy’s standards, with an entry area immediately after the door that spread out to the side to make room for a seating area and a desk with yet another machine like those of the offices at the Justice Hub and Nero’s tower. Deeper in, there was the kitchen, stocked with appliances similar to those she had seen during her encounter with Kno One. A counter sectioned it off from the main living room, furnished with a low, rectangular table surrounded by thin, wooden chairs and a long couch wrapped in a black, comfortable fabric. All seemed to be arrayed before a large rectangular screen hanging from the side wall. The random paraphernalia littered around the room in haphazard decorations gave some clues as to the previous inhabitant’s interests. These ranged from pictures of white, sleek sailboats, to stacks of hats arrayed atop a long table situated under the windows (Dew had snickered at the sight of those and called them ‘Fedoor-ah’s’), to machines that looked like bulkier versions of the boards with buttons so common to the machinery she had been coming across, to a prop sword with the word “Lionheart” engraved on the blade. Dew had taken an interest on the decorations, eyes lighting up like those of a collector at a curio shop while Pithy continued to inspect their surroundings. Directly opposite to the screen was a sliding door that led to a bedroom occupied by a single, queen-sized bed, situated in such a manner that Pithy suspected the room had been arranged in such manner that someone could look at the rectangular screen while lying down. Dew gave suspiciously little resistance when she claimed it for herself, merely glancing to the couch and the nearby screen and giving her a shrug. Finally, a short corridor framed on both sides by wardrobes led from the bedroom to a large restroom. While Dew broke away from his fascination to continue his tour, Pithy returned to the kitchen, walking stiffly. She had left the cutlass she had taken from her previous opponent on the counter, and then begun rifling through the drawers, quickly locating the utensils, pots, and dishes that would be used in preparing a meal. Even if the materials were different from what she was used to, the practical, utilitarian aspect of the tools served to center her. She let out a long breath, bleeding the excess tension that had been accumulating since she had entered the apartment. [i]No matter the realm, some things stay the same where humans are concerned.[/i] She felt… anxious. The feeling was not related to their relative safety in the building, or to any threat she had perceived within the apartment, but she could not shake off a feeling of wrongness. As much as she hated to admit it, she suspected her unease was simply borne of the disconnect between what she expected of human dwellings in her realm, and what she saw in front of her eyes. The space itself was not terribly impressive. It could not match the estates and manors of the wealthier denizens of human settlements. It was the smaller details. Clean water circulating directly to each living area. Compact containers that refrigerated food without the need of stockpiles of ice. Light from lamps feeding from wires sinking into the walls instead of lantern oil and candles. Heating units that regulated the temperature of rooms. Complex machinery simply sitting where any could see it. Worst of all perhaps, was the sense of dull normalcy that permeated the whole of it. Magic as she knew it had no place within these walls, and that thought terrified her most of all. She had managed to take the strangeness of this realm in stride before, but this was not a mysterious place whose purpose she could only guess at, nor some long-abandoned ruins of a previous age, nor was her mind occupied by the presence of an immediate threat. These were someone’s dwellings, and felt recently lived in at that. She kept trying to picture what kind of position the one who lived here held to afford such luxuries. [i]Not just this one. There are many rooms in this building with the same amenities, and this is only the first floor. If there are any similarities between this realm and mine, the cost for purchasing the space must increase as one moves upwards. Are there that many people who could afford to live in such comfort?[/i] “We got hot water!” came a muffled shout from deeper inside the apartment. Pithy glanced up from her inspection of the kitchen area towards the sound of Dew’s voice, the motion mirrored by the coiled snake resting nearby. The snake and the woman shared a look, and Pithy wondered if the beast could sense her distress. [i]Enough. Unexpected luxuries are still luxuries. We should count ourselves lucky.[/i] Pithy turned, pushing the unease away, and walked to the living room. “Come here, Dew.” “What?” A moment later, Dew appeared at the bedroom entrance. “You didn’t like this one either?” “It will do.” She shook her head. “Show me your arm. The bandaged one,” she added as Dew began to move his left arm. His face scrunched as he presented the correct limb. “Fine, but don’t go poking into it.” [i]Have I the look of yon village cutter?[/i] she wondered as she took the offered limb, beginning to work on the knot holding the bandages in place. A damp line was visible along the side, proof of the wound that rested under the covers. After a moment of unwrapping the fabric, she broke the silence. “You are more familiar with the peculiarities of this realm than I am. Do you come from a similar place?” “No, mine is way better,” he answered flippantly. Then he added, “Though if you’re talking about the technology, I guess it’s the same for the most part.” “So living standards such as these are common in your where?” “Well… this is a [i]very[/i] nice apartment. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was on the costly side, even with the meh view. The apartments on the other side of the street probably have smaller, cheaper places.” “Would those also have clean water and power for these devices?” “You’re in the middle of the city, so sure. What kind of hovel would it be if you couldn’t get running water or electricity?” Pithy paused in her unwrapping, giving Dew a long look. Dew blinked. “Ah. Medieval Fantasy girl. Right. Well, as long as you pay your utility bill, you’d get those. Shouldn’t be a problem if you got a full-time job and you get an apartment that matches your pay. Why? You looking to move?” Pithy blew a gust of air through her nose, tickled by the thought. Staying in this realm? It was the first time the possibility crossed her mind. There was unfinished business for her back home, but a part of her had long begun to think that it would long remain unfinished. Beyond that, there was precious little to return to. [i]Alas, there is little point to thinking about the future when you have none. This train of thought may well only decide my final resting place.[/i] So easily did the thought lose its charm. Refocusing on her task, Pithy gently pulled at the now loose bandages, pulling the fabric away from Dew’s arm. The insides were coated in red, as was the arm they had been wrapped around. However, there was something immediately out of place. Pithy blinked her good eye and drew the arm closer to her face, eliciting a pained grunt from Dew in the process. While the forearm was indeed caked in blood, the wound itself was barely there. Brushing off some congealed red from the surface, Pithy realized that all that was left of the long slash she had inflicted was a thin, pinkish line, occasionally marred by tiny scabs—a cut days in the mending. “Dang, not all healed yet. It’s taking its time.” Pithy scowled at the words. “Humans do not normally heal this fast,” she observed tightly. Dew laughed. “It really depends, though. I thought for sure that with painkillers and bandages it would heal in a flash. I once had a zombie bite a chunk out of me, but after some pills and a cloth I was right as rain!” [i]A dubious story, did I not have evidence right before me. It is more likely to be an extension of Dew’s abilities, however. The painkillers did not advertise this side effect, nor do I believe these bandages are more than simple cloth.[/i] She shook her head, still glaring at the offending limb. “I find that difficult to believe, but then again, humans do not normally wield powers such as yours.” “Makes sense, since I’m so special. Perks of being Chosen,” he said smugly. “Looks like you’re starting to realize how lucky you were when we met—Ow, quit it!” the man yelped as Pithy pressed a sharp nail against the tender cut, drawing a droplet of blood. “Mind your tongue, Dew. I do not need to be gentle,” she said as she withdrew the finger. Blood pooled in the small divot for a moment before the flow ceased. [i]Healed well indeed.[/i] “Furthermore, had I been lucky, our encounter would not have been a battle at all. Luck had little to do with it.” The man grunted, his lips forming a thin line. “Sure, whatever.” “Granted,” she continued, as her hand went to her belt. “Your physical ability is exceptional. Were you to polish your offensive technique, few could match you in a swordfight. Your defense is exemplary in comparison, as if nothing could reach through its front.” As much as it pained her to admit it, some allowances had to be made if she intended to continue using the man. “O-Oh…” Dew blinked, as if shocked into a stupor by the sudden praise. “Well, yeah. I was holding back. To block, I mean. And honestly,” he said, recovering his usual boldness, “In the other sense too! I’m supposed to be much stronger, but I got nerfed when I got here. One of the College people told me it would, and I get the point of it, but man, screw balance patches. They always ruin my builds. Now I have a cooldown between teleports and shit.” Pithy merely frowned and nodded along with the rant, trying to decipher the strange language he was using. She thought she understood the general idea. It was likely that Dew had taken to exaggerating once again, but the annoyance in his voice was real enough. More than that, if he spoke the truth, it raised another concern. “This… seal, on your powers. Was it placed by the College?” “No. Maybe? I don’t know.” He snorted. “Honestly, it would be real convenient for them. They wouldn’t be able to get in my way if I had my usual strength.” [i]And so he touches on the heart of the matter.[/i] The thought was far from amusing for her. They would do well to dwell on it, for the implications were far from pleasant. Had other competitors also had their strength adjusted in such a way? Was the purpose of such a thing to make them manageable? “Did it also happen with you?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts. [i]No,[/i] she answered in her mind, before speaking. “It matters not. We do what we must with what is available to us. Straighten your arm.” As Dew complied, Pithy grabbed the watch she had taken from Bonesword and wrapped it around his wrist. The clasps grabbed onto each other, tightening around Dew’s wrist with a whirring sound. “Woah, what are you doing?” The man rapidly withdrew his arm, clutching at the straps with his other hand. The latch was released with little trouble, and much of the tension that had crept into Dew’s expression bled away as he held out the device. Pithy stepped back, smoothly sidling back to a position that conveniently placed the counter between the two of them. “Is it not obvious? I need you to test it. I suspect you will have an easier time of it, seeing as you claimed you were familiar with it.” “I said it [i]felt[/i] familiar. That’s a world of difference. What if it blows my hand out?” “We have pills and bandages.” Dew gave her a sober look and held out the wristband. “You aren’t nearly as funny as you think you are. You do it.” Pithy tilted her head. [i]Funny? Ah. He thought I spoke in jest.[/i] “Do you feel yourself incapable?” “Hell no I’m no—” “Then you must be a coward to shy away from this.” “Fuck off.” The man turned a baleful glare to the stoic woman. “I’m none of those things, and I’m not stupid either. I don’t have to take this shit.” Pithy was quick to douse the flicker of dread that rose up her spine. Dew’s words fed into suspicions she had nursed ever since Dew had failed to cut off his tongue after her impulsive command, and had only continued to grow with every exchange she had had with him so far. [i]Did I misunderstand the strength of my hold over him? Or has it weakened since this morning?[/i] Pithy hid her misgivings beyond an impassive expression. “Very well,” she said coolly. “Perhaps I am being unreasonable. I shall test it myself.” Relief evident in the smile that came to his features, Dew made to pass the item along. “Of course, since you refused to operate the device yourself, should its function happen to affect the wearer’s surroundings, I will not hesitate to use on you.” His hand froze, and he stared at her owlishly. Pithy continued to eye him steadily, voice level and calm. “Given that I expect to face other opponents, experiments on a living human would be the fastest way to determine its effects. How fortunate of me to have one in this very room.” Dew grimaced, then sighed. He grudgingly brought the device back to his left wrist and wrapped it around it. It whirred as it adjusted to fit him. “Right, on second thought, I guess I could try it out. Who knows? It might do something cool.” Pithy closed her eye, hoping her relief at his acquiescence was not immediately apparent. “If it will put your fears to rest, know that I would not suggest this if I believed you would come to harm. You are of no use to me crippled, Dew.” “Yeah, well. Might want to start with that next time,” he groused, but Pithy ignored the quip in favor of following the movement of his fingers over the small buttons surrounding the dial at the center of the apparatus. The motion set off the device, and with a small whirr, the centerpiece smoothly rose from its indent. From her position, Pithy could barely see the green and gray symbol atop it shift to make space for a black silhouette. Frowning, Dew grabbed the jutting piece and spun it, prompting the image to change. After a few turns, he held his hand over it for a moment, seemingly intent on pushing it down, but hesitated. Pithy frowned, fighting down her impatience. “Is something the matter?” “No. Just wishing we had a quicksave feature.” [i]More nonsense.[/i] “You are wasting time.” Dew shot her a disgruntled look before finally pressing down the button. The sudden flash of light all but blinded her. Pithy hissed out a curse, the tone all but mimicked by the plant snake sitting nearby, and she reflexively ducked behind the counter. She was about to prompt Dew to say something, when a voice reached her ears. “That… don’t… feel right.” The sound was high pitched and oddly laborious, as though the person had difficulty stringing the words together. “Pi…thy? What happened?” She furiously blinked her eyes to drive away the remnants of the flash before swinging her gaze over the counter to see what had become of her companion. She recoiled at the sight that met her. The creature standing before her was similar enough to a human at first glance. Its build was similar, and the clothing it wore no doubt belonged to Mountain Dew. His appearance, however, particularly his facial features, had changed drastically. The creature’s skin, had a deathly, ashen pallor, and the hair on its head had turned a vivid crimson. It grew only from the sides of his head into a bramble of curls, leaving the thing’s pate and forehead exposed. What she had first thought to be a red splotch of makeup surrounding the creature’s mouth was in fact the proper color of the flesh around the lips, and a red, rubbery globe had replaced the man’s nose. More subtly, she noted that the creature’s exposed skin along its neck seemed wiry and taut, hinting at powerful muscles. Looking into its eyes gave her an oddly reptilian impression—she half expected a membrane to fall over them whenever it blinked—but the confused cast of its gaze left little doubt as to the creature’s actual identity. Dew brought a hand to his nose, tentatively touching the red circumference, “What is… this? …ugh, I actually feel it… when I… touch it.” The sound, reedy and off pitch as it was, still carried some similarities to the man’s original voice. An angry hissing sound interrupted his examination. Pithy whirled to see the snake monster rise, sinuous body coiling and angling itself menacingly towards Dew. The man made an alarmed sound somewhere between a yelp and a burp as his eyes fell on the snake. Seeing its intent reflected on its stance, Pithy sucked in a breath. “Stop that!” she shouted. The creature’s hissing grew at that, almost turning into a growl. Realizing it would not simply listen to her commands, Pithy blanched. Dew’s hand was already fumbling inside his pocket, and she knew that in the next moment a fight would erupt. [i]I need him alive![/i] came the urgent thought, power rising within before she restrained herself. Casting a rushed spell in such confined quarters was foolish at best. There was no telling who would gain the advantage should she do it, and if the snake became hostile towards her, there would be no choice but to kill it. Her eye fell over the cutlass on top of the counter, and an image of her interposing herself between Dew and the snake crossed her mind. She balked at the thought. That hesitation costed her the initiative. The large snake lunged forward. Dew fell to the side, narrowly avoiding thorn-like fangs, but the fall was less than graceful, and it left him sprawled over the floor. His hands had left his pockets, and were instead clutching something close to his chest. The snake let out another hiss, turning from its missed attempt and slithering closer to the man, coils drawing closer as it prepared to lunge again. Letting out a curse, Pithy grasped the cutlass and raced forward, the weapon’s sheath falling away with the motion. “That is enough!” she commanded, a frigid light playing sinisterly over the fingers of her left hand. The snake let out another hiss, turning to look at the approaching threat. What passed for its eyes appeared to focus on the weapon she was holding in front of her. It hesitated. Pithy allowed some of her tension to bleed away. [i]Yes, that’s it. Stay calm…[/i] On the floor, Dew shifted ever-so-slightly. The creature tensed instantly at the motion, and Pithy knew she had lost its attention. The snake closed in on the prone man. A spell danced on her lips, moments from being unleashed. The snake froze. Pithy held her breath, rushing wind at her ears, the magic pressing against her rapidly erected mental barrier like a river against a dam. The creature had not reached Dew, instead pausing to stare transfixed at the object he held in his hands. Bonesword’s skull stared back at its former pet. After a dozen seconds held in utter silence, where neither party so much as twitched, Pithy released her breath. The wind in her mind ebbed and died as she slowly approached the frozen pair. Dew’s unsettling eyes quickly glanced her way before returning to watching the monster all but sitting over his lap. There was a pleading note to them, and his red lips twitched, as though he wished to speak, but thought the sound would only set the snake off again. Pithy bent down slowly, placing the cutlass on the ground, before approaching the creature. The elves of her realm, particularly those that made forests their homes, had a reputation in human lands for their closeness with nature. It was not unearned. There were many a tale that claimed they were born with the knowledge to speak the language of animals, and could speak to them as easily as they could to each other. Pithy knew this to be an exaggeration. Whatever affinity elves might have had with the creatures of their woodland home, the ability to communicate with beasts—at least without arcane means—was borne largely out of observation and dedication, perhaps even an obsession, to develop such talent. [i]Alas, I hardly had the time or interest for such a pursuit. Whether it would even matter when it comes to a creature created through magic that seems capable of understanding the common tongue is another matter entirely.[/i] Pithy knelt beside the pair and tentatively placed a hand near the base of the creature’s head. The snake tensed, but otherwise did not react, and Pithy was surprised to find the vines warm to the touch. She began to sedately rub her hand along its body, making soothing noises as she did. After a few moments of this, the tension seemed to bleed away from what passed for muscles, and was instead replaced by a light shivering along the tendrils that formed its mass. [i]Is it… afraid?[/i] she wondered, before bringing her head closer to its own. Off the corner of her eye she caught Dew’s impatient eyes flitting between her and the monster. She ignored him, instead murmuring softly at the creature. “Come. Get off him. You are safe.” The snake remained still, making Pithy wonder if it had not understood, but a moment later its coils began to shift. The man turned monster let out a long, wheezing breath as the creature clambered off him. Pithy watched cautiously as the snake slithered away into the kitchen and out of their sight. She looked down at Dew, noting that even with his bizarre features, his relief was palpable. Anger tinged his face a moment later. “Next time… I kill it.” Pithy looked in the direction the snake had gone. She could not muster an answer to Dew’s comment. “I must commend you for your quick thinking,” she said instead. However, before either of them could dwell on what she had said, she rose. “Now put that away and find yourself a mirror.” “Wait. Say… that again.” “You are hardly deaf, Dew. Go.” Dew grunted and clumsily clambered to his feet, the skull vanishing in the process. He hobbled towards the bedchamber, making for the restroom. From her position, Pithy glanced over the kitchen counter. The snake creature was resting near what she guessed was the oven, coiled into itself, its head turned downwards. Had it not tried to attack one of them moments ago, she would have found its exaggeratedly dejected posture almost comical. “HOLY, NO—NONE OF THAT!” A flash from the bedroom brought her gaze back just in time to see the man storm back into the room, his features returned to normal. Before she could so much as question him, he tossed the armband at her. Pithy caught it in the air and gave him a pointed look. “I did what you asked, it’s NOT my problem any longer, YOU deal with it!” with a huff, he stormed past her, and sat on the couch, eyes glaring down at the center table. A part of her saw some similarities between this and what the snake had been doing last time she had seen it. She quickly dismissed the thought. Rather than inquire as to his outburst, she asked, “How did you reverse the transformation?” Dew grunted and shrugged. “I dunno. I just saw myself, thought I was done seeing that, and it flashed. Almost fell on the freaking tub.” [i]It obeys one’s will, then?[/i] Pithy studied the device in her hand for a moment before wrapping it around her left wrist as Dew had done. As it had done for him, it adjusted to her size. The man looked up at the sound. “You’re gonna do it too? Fine. Up to you if you want to turn into a horrible freakazoid.” Pithy ignored him, instead repeating the motions she had observed him do to operate the device. When the dial rose, Pithy stared at the figure that formed over it. Humanoid in shape, with odd shadows along the side of its head that must have been the creature’s hair. As she had seen before, turning the dial changed the silhouette displayed. She saw another humanoid figure, this one with no outstanding features, another with a strangely shaped head and a tail, and another, much smaller than the rest with small wings that almost obscured the body itself. Another twist brought up the first inhuman figure, with its long body coiling along the display space. Pithy frowned and glanced over the counter at the snake creature. [i]Could it be…[/i] she wondered. It was already clear that the device possessed the ability to transform the user into a different creature, but what determined the options available? Seeing a snake-like creature on the display, and thinking on the snake’s reaction when she had seen Dew transform, she thought she knew the reason. [i]It records the creatures it comes near to, then? Perhaps Bonesword came across these creatures, and the snake remembered them.[/i] Giving the device another turn, a black splotch appeared on the display, as if someone had dropped ink over it. Pithy frowned. She could skip this figure and choose an aspect closer to her current self. However, Dew had already done that, and while he may not have been satisfied with the transformation itself, the device seemed to have performed perfectly. By that token, a more radical transformation would make for a more thorough test. Taking a deep breath, Pithy closed her eyes and pressed the dial down into place. The sensation was similar to what she had felt when forcibly transformed into an owl by Nero, except compacted into a single, dizzying instant. So quick was it that any specific sensation of stretching, shortening, or loosening that her nerves fed her could only be described as ‘uncomfortable’ and only mildly so, at that. Whoever had designed this mechanism had accounted for the toll the forceful restructuring of flesh took on its target. This much she had seen from the transformation Dew had endured. However, when it came time for her to open her eyes, only darkness greeted her. More than that, she felt… compacted. Restricted. She tried moving her limbs, but all she managed was a slight shiver. [i]What is this?[/i] she thought, ignoring the dreadful images of a soul displaced and her own, vacant body staring off into space in a room in an alien realm. Was this what it felt for a living soul to be affixed to a phylactery? “Pithy? Yo, Pithy? Uh… don’t tell me that thing just dissolved her…” [i]I can still hear him.[/i] Which meant she was still in the same room. However, the sound came from all around her, as if passing through a membrane, and she could swear the vibration of the sound was making her skin tremble. [i]My skin? Blast it, if I could only see my surroundings—[/i] Almost as if in response to that thought, light streamed into her vision. It was brilliant at first, as if seeing it for the first time, but she quickly acclimated to it. However, what she saw was anything but calming, overlapping images of numerous sides of the room reaching her at once, as if she had a dozen eyes but none of them could see straight. Remarkably, the disorientation she expected from the alien sensory input was not present. Another gift from the device’s maker, she suspected. Moreover, what she saw gave her an idea as to what she had become. She focused on the result she wished for, and with instincts that had not been there moments prior, her new body acted. The goo that comprised her form began to stretch out, rising from the ground. Tendrils separated from the slime, taking on the aspect of limbs. Her vision focused in one direction. Dew, which even then she could see peering down at her—it seemed he had risen from his seat when he had not seen her standing there after the flash—stepped away from her, his expression twisting into a disgusted grimace. “Oh no. Not another one of these. Dammit Pithy, you look like you came out of a… you look like…” As Pithy’s form resolved, Dew paused, frowning. “You look like a freaking Gumby.” The slime creature looked down once it reached its usual height. The material her body was made of was see-through, and had an off-white, blue-tinged coloration. Parts of her apparel remained, almost as if glued to her body, including the phylactery, the strap for the six-shooter and the belt with her rapier and knives. The face of the armband she had used to transform rested over her featureless, almost flat torso, within which swam a small sphere of jagged ice. The arms she had formed were similar in shape, bending where she expected them to bend when she sent the nonexistent muscles the familiar commands, but the hands had no fingers beyond a thumb and a slab of goo. Her legs followed the theme, except that rather than feet they sunk into a puddle of… [i]well, myself, I suppose. Perhaps I could use some practice.[/i] “Ehrm.” Pithy looked up to see Dew still staring at her. “Just out of curiosity, do you happen to have humanoid slimes where you’re from?” Pithy made to speak, but quickly realized she had nothing to serve as a mouth. Her brow scrunched with focus—or at least she thought it did—and she sent the mental command. A depression formed in what passed for her face, quickly taking on the shape of lips and a mouth, complete with a facsimile of teeth and a tongue. “No,” she said, and was surprised to hear no difference to her usual voice. It was as if her body remembered the shape of her normal vocal chords and had managed to recreate them. “No, there are not.” She reiterated, marveling at the way her constructed throat managed to recreate the sounds. “Slimes exist, though they are largely mindless and live only to feed and multiply. They are considered a pest most everywhere, but their ooze is a popular reagent for alchemists, and so slime farms are maintained in some laboratories. There have been some reported cases of slimes finding unused sets of full-plate and donning them as a protective shell, however.” There were some other shapes they could take on, but they were far from human-like in any case. Pithy focused on her hands, and the sheet of slime separated into four more fingers. Another command had them lengthening and losing their recreated joints, moving like an octopus’s tentacles. The degree of control she had over them surprised the former elf. Pithy looked up at the man, and found him staring at the appendages with a queasy grimace. “Why?” The man blinked after a moment, only then seeming to realize she had spoken. He looked away from her, oddly bashful. “You know.” He said, noncommittally. “Just wanted to know what kind of world you were from is all.” [i]And that is the question upon which you shall base your judgement?[/i] Pithy stared at the man for another moment before she gave up on making sense of his thoughts. Her attention returned to the tendrils sprouting from her hands, and she brought one close to her eyes—[i]Ah, what an odd time to recover depth perception[/i]—for inspection. With a mental command, the tendril straightened, its point becoming more defined and losing its transparency as it became denser. With such limbs, smaller slimes could kill faster pray that ventured too close, like mice and birds. [i]Of course, if they ventured farther than that, what such a creature could do might be far, far worse.[/i] With another thought, the tendrils reformed as the fingers of her hand. “You said ‘another of these’, Dew. Am I not the first slime you have encountered in this realm?” “Ugh. No. My first opponent was a slime girl.” He glanced away. “It wriggled and jiggled… everywhere.” Pithy tilted her head. “Have you a slime phobia?” “No! Of course not.” “Some do.” “Well, I don’t,” he retorted, stubbornly crossing his arms. The slime frowned at looked down at herself again. Dew’s first opponent had been a slime in the shape of a woman. Moreover, there had been a slime recorded into the armband. [i]Is there some significance there?[/i] “What happened to this slime?” Pithy asked. “I vaporized her. What else? Wasn’t going to let that thing have its way with me.” Ignoring the odd choice of words, Pithy’s hand brushed the armband’s insignia over her chest. [i]Perhaps some creatures had been recorded beforehand, then.[/i] Unless Bonesword had come across one since he had received the device, but then there must have been slimes other than this one. If that was the case, it mattered not. Her brand of magic was convenient against such opponents, if they were even large enough to warrant concerning herself with them. That did, however, bring up another point. Pithy brought her hands together a simple spell in her mind. A small magelight appeared in the space between them, and Pithy held it out for a few moments. [i]Good, my magic is not affected by—[/i] No sooner had she began that thought that she had an odd feeling of displacement. Then her right hand fell off from her arm. The spell died as she flinched at the dull thump congealed goo plopping onto the ground. Dew let out a chortle, but Pithy was too shocked to chastise him. She fell to her knees, holding the stump close to her chest for the few seconds it took her to realize there was no pain coming from the wound. “This is… ah.” Looking down, she saw the solidified slime slowly begin to regain its normal consistency. Bringing her left hand down on it, she saw the goo sink into her palm, quickly being sucked back into her body. With another effort of will, her right hand reformed as if nothing had happened. [i]What a convenient body,[/i] she found herself thinking. She would certainly find uses for it. However, the way her magic had interacted with it was hardly promising, if perhaps predictable. A thought prompted another flash, and Pithy looked down at her familiar body, finding her apparel where she had left it, and thankfully not coated in a layer of goo. She glanced at the armband, noting that it seemed to have returned to its deactivated state. “Such a frighteningly effective device,” she commented. “Some of the arcane scholars I’m acquainted with would have given their souls to study it.” “You just gave someone else's," Dew commented. "So? You’re going to keep it?” Pithy considered the object resting on her wrist, then nodded. She had collected a fair array of strange objects since she had arrived in this realm. What was one more, never mind one so potentially useful? “There are some things I must take care of,” she told him after a moment. “Will you handle preparing our meal in the meantime?” Dew smiled. “Actually, I saw a neat little food place outside and I’m really hankering for what they got.” Pithy nodded. “Very well. You take the key, in that case, and bring what you must back here. This may take me some time, so be sure to be back by the time I return.” “Aye aye, ma’am” he said, obnoxiously cheerfully from his place behind the couch. Pithy grimaced and turned to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the snake beast stirring, turning to follow her. She stopped to study it, debating whether she should instruct it to stay, and if it would even listen, she merely sighed and stepped out of the apartment, the creature slithering close behind her. She would have to keep an eye on it, but doubted she would see another incident like the one before on this outing.