Time-Smith - Chapter 11: The Limits of Flesh - Part 2 (Patreon)

Evan sank to his knees, his body wracked with exhaustion, awe, and confusion. He knew he had gone too far, pushing his magic to the limit and beyond.

"KIN?”… that's what it had asked. The words still rang through his thoughts, even more than the pulsing and alien sensations of his twisted limb.

The voice had been overwhelming. It had grown louder and louder in his head as his arm had continued to grotesquely distort, growing more eyes that peered at him with varying emotions. It had been curious and urgent, demanding answers. It had felt as if he had awakened some slumbering beast, and it had immediately been ravenous for knowledge. In a panic, he’d cut off his connection to his skill, but the presence had still remained, growing each second until he felt the weight of it all around him. In that moment, the sand had rippled in some places while being pressed flat in others around him.

What was that thing? He wondered. It didn't feel completely malevolent nor completely benign. It had simply felt profound, as if he had caught the attention of a celestial body.

Evan shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He had to focus on getting himself back together. He tried to will his arm back to its original state, but it wouldn't budge.

"What the hells did I do?" he muttered to himself.

In the distance, the sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the barren landscape. Light peeked through the dunes. The wind whistled through the sand and crevices, carrying with it the faint scent of smoke and ash.

He tried again; healing was one of the very first things he had learned. He may not understand how to change his body into something new, but he had years and years of healing from the safety and danger of the forest, returning his body to its natural state. Evan began focusing all his willpower on reversing the transformation. This time, he felt a slither of success; the pulsing in his arm subsided, and it began to return to its original shape.

“Oh wow, that's really freaky,” a voice called from behind.

Evan nearly jumped out of his skin.

Evan spun around, startled, and faced the stranger. He stood up and took a step towards them, assessing the new arrival warily.

"Can I help you with something?" Evan asked cautiously.

The man stood alone in the vast, empty landscape, his dark skin glistening, inhumanly dark, like the darkest obsidian. He radiated a pulsing heat that made the air around him shimmer with waves of distortion. Small red veins glowed beneath his skin, visible at places, and steam rose from his body with every movement, as if the intense heat within him was too much for the world around him to contain. His ears tapered to points, an almost elvish feature, and his eyes glowed with a bright yellow, liquid gold. What is he? Elves are not supposed to look like that.

He didn't know what to make of him, or why he had appeared out of nowhere.

The stranger chuckled, seemingly unperturbed by Evan's cautious demeanour. “You can call me R'hazul,” he said, his voice smooth and calm.

Evan relaxed slightly at the sound of the stranger's voice. There was something reassuring about it, and he felt his shoulders drop a little.

“Nice to meet you, R'hazul. I'm Evan,” he said, extending his hand.

R'hazul smiled and glanced from his smouldering hand, which was still billowing heat, to Evan's freshly healed one. “Likewise,” he said.

Evan looked down, retracting his arm, feeling foolish. Why had he done that? “So, what brings you here?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

R'hazul shrugged. “Just passing through. I saw your little… display, and thought I'd come say hi.”

Evan frowned. “What do you mean, 'display'?”

R'hazul gestured towards Evan's arm. His pointed ears twitched with every sound. “That thing,” he said, grinning. “It's quite a sight.”

Evan nodded. “Yeah, I know. It's not exactly what I was going for.”

R'hazul chuckled. “I can imagine. What's your deal, anyway? Are you some kind of healing-mage, or was that a transformation skill?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Evan looked at the stranger with a cautious eye, still not quite sure what to make of him. His baggy leggings were made of a deep dark fabric, embellished with intricate designs in gold thread, and hung loosely around his legs. The armour on his arms, his hands, and legs, were crafted from a metal he didn't recognise, and seemed to ripple and shift as he moved, as if it were alive. Although the stranger wore armour on his limbs, he had nothing on his torso, not even a shirt, as if his vital organs were made of mithril. Yeah, good luck with that. Evan scoffed internally, I'm sure your abs will protect you. Evan continued studying the intricate patterns etched into his impractical armour. They, however, were clearly magical.

The leggings seemed to be made of the same material as his skin. It clung to his body loosely like a second skin, and yet still managed to billow dramatically in the wind. It shimmered from black to gold, as if it too was alive and responding to his every movement. Okay, that is definitely not natural. Could that be a part of his skill? [Living Clothes]? [Living Armor]? Evan wondered, as he mentally raised the threat level of the man in front of him.

"What are you?" Evan asks, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

R'hazul chuckled. "That's a loaded question"

An awkward silence followed, as they comfortably stood there, the breeze blowing sand around them. His voice is so smooth and relaxing. Evan thought, It's strange how-

"Ah, skills," R'hazul said, nodding and interrupting evans thoughts. "What kind of skills are you working on? if you don't mind me asking?"

Evan hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should reveal too much about himself to a stranger. But something about R'hazul put him at ease; whenever he spoke with that smooth, warm voice, Evan felt safer. He found himself saying, "[Fle-Transformation], [Teleportation], and- …and they’re both a pain." He had almost revealed the true nature of his skills; some part of Evan's mind was screaming at him not to stumble, though his body felt relaxed and safe.

R'hazul chuckled. “You mean you didn't intend to turn your arm into a writhing mass of eyes and tentacles?”

Evan relaxed even more. He still had the feeling R'hazul didn't seem to mean him any harm, but his mind just wouldn't allow him to let his guard down. “Yeah, well, it didn't go exactly as planned,” he said, rubbing his newly healed arm.

As he spoke, Evan saw that the inside of this thing-…of R'hazul’s mouth was akin to the inside of a volcano, glowing with molten heat. It felt like he was talking to a living furnace.

Evan shook his head, still feeling disoriented from his recent transformation experience. “Tell me about it. I still can’t control it properly.”

The stranger raised an eyebrow. “Control what? Is it the mana? Your skills?”

As Evans' wary gaze drifted across the… Elf’s? armoured arms, he caught sight of a weapon on his side. The weapon was long and slender, with a black, glossy blade that seemed to almost drink in the purple light staining the sky. The hilt of the weapon was intricately detailed, with swirling patterns etched into the dark metal. A swipe with that, would meet no resistance. At the base of the hilt, a gleaming jewel caught the light, reflecting it back in a dazzling array of colours. It seemed to pulse with a strange energy, turning unnaturally against the wind towards Evan as he regarded it, as if it too was alive. Definitely a [Living Armaments] skill he concluded does it apply to a specific set, or any armour or gear he wears?

Evan nodded, hesitating to reveal too much. “Yeah, it’s been a struggle. I can’t seem to get a handle on it.”

R'hazul seemed curious, "Having trouble with control, eh?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with interest. “Well, listen here, Evan. you might be lucky”

As he stood there, R'hazul spread his arms wide, and a strange roiling mass of mana seemed to emanate from his body. Suddenly, he burst into flames, and the air around him became warped with waves of heat. The flames flickered and danced, yellow at first, then orange, then blue. As the heat increased, his armour began to glow, shifting to face Evan in almost cat-like movements. The sand beneath his feet began to transform, melting and turning into molten glass. Small pieces of the hot glass began to rise up in the air around him.

Evan had to step back, unable to bear the intense heat that seemed to continue to rise.

The heat was now becoming unbearable. Evan could feel his skin starting to blister. But then, R’hazul paused and lowered his arms; all flames around him suddenly winking out, leaving only the sound of clinks of glass as the molten liquid fell back to earth.

The heat in the area dissipated abruptly, replaced by a frigid cold that seemed to suck the very air out of Evan's lungs. Lightning sparkled in the air around the man. R'hazul’s eyes, once bright as molten gold, had turned to a dull yellow, and his armour and clothes now glowed with heat. He looked back at Evan.

R'hazul laughed, beckoning Evan to follow. "Well, I know a thing or two about control."