Change- Chapter 36 (Patreon)

Chapter 36- Just When He Got Comfortable

Well, that had been messy but for his first dungeon it was good. Tim was actually glad that Cal-Dakota had given them the quest he had. Rather than taking their time and working slowly through the dungeon, they had been compelled to race the myemar. He had never felt as alive as he did while they were racing down those halls.

 He could still feel all the places that he had been cut. The jagged bony blades that had pierced his skin and dug into his flesh. That was a definite reminder that being a tank might not be all it was cracked up to be. No one would want to run a dungeon in that way, day after day. Certainly not like during a gaming session where you fought again and again for hours.

 In the end they had cleared the dungeon in record time and gotten a prize for it. Even forty-seven minutes of being cut and slashed left Tim with shivers about the pain. But the passion for life was still there. He didn’t know for sure if it was the beastial class that was doing it to him or if he had always been like this. Rather than being more careful, he seemed to be acting more rashly.

 If it was the class, then he wondered how quickly it would shift after he changed. He was resigned to the fact that he was going to change again. He just needed to find a place to do that. Now though he was back in Kayla’s sitting room. She had been kind enough to offer him a room to stay at in the inn when Simon carried a collapsed Tressa back into the guild. It was only midafternoon but going without sleep the night before and starting to come down from the adrenaline rush of the dungeon had left him feeling tired.

 Still, he had a lot to think about. The dungeon, the changes in his personality, the connections both good and bad that he was making with people. Even the interaction with the shadows. Their words had made him uneasy though. So, he did the irresponsible thing and pushed it to the back of his mind. Tim knew he was missing something, or worse that he was a pawn in a larger game, but he was still basking in the afterglow of his first dungeon run. He didn’t want that to be ruined.

For now, he was thinking through the tactics of the dungeon run. Talking about their abilities beforehand helped, but the plans went to crap within two minutes inside the dungeon. As he dwelled on it, he didn’t mind the frantic pace. Even the wounds had been healed and he found that he was liking the Leroy Jenkins style, but there was a cost to it. Tim doubted that Tressa would agree to join a party with him again. She was careful and methodical. The more time lived in Iocusinte the more he realized how much he liked to jump in with both feet, or was that just the beastial affecting him.

They now sat there eating quietly, undoubtedly, she was unpacking the dungeon run the same as he was. A huge mug of ale sat empty next to him while he worked on another. This was the way to live life. He needed to check out his gear, the prize he had won, and plan what to do next. He wanted to feel the rush again but knew that he needed at least a nap before he went to see Charles to debrief.

 “I heard a saying once that supposedly is an old Earth saying, but I’ve never had a reason to use it,” Kayla said. Her voice broke into his thoughts, but it was welcome. The display she had put on ending monsters, had saved him a great deal of pain, not to mention time. There was no way they would have beaten the shadows, but for her abilities.

“Oh, what’s that? Not sure that I’m an expert on all things Earth, but I guess I know more than most people you are going to talk to.”

 She looked at him intently. It was pleasant to see her eyes staring at him. Tim took her in again. She had a certain sultry intensity about her that made so much more sense after seeing her in action. He wondered if it was okay to find a woman more attractive after watching her fight in a dungeon.

 “Copper bit for your thoughts,” she said.

 Tim smiled. “I think the Earth expression goes, penny for your thoughts, but I suppose you don’t have pennies here.”

 “Oh, what's a penny?”

 “Just a small copper coin.”

 “So the same as a copper bit,” Kayla said with a smug smile upon her face. Some things stayed the same no matter what world you were on. A woman liked to be right when she was flirting.

 Tim didn’t know where that thought had come from. Was that what they were doing? Were they flirting? Did he want that? He certainly wanted companionship. Enough that he didn’t even argue about the relative value of a penny versus a copper bit.

 “I guess it’s close enough to not matter. It is just a way to ask a person to share what they are thinking. So, is that what you want?”

 “I want lots of things, but right now, I will settle for knowing how you feel about that dungeon run,” Kayla answered.

 Tim smiled, definitely flirting. He could do that. He wasn’t exactly a Don Juan, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t had his share of girlfriends. So, he scooted his chair just a bit closer to hers. “Truthfully, I liked it. I felt so alive.”

 “You were pretty reckless. Is that how you always are? I think you scared Tressa to death.”

 “I wouldn’t say that was how I lived in the past. But, you know, new world, new me.” As he spoke the words, Tim realized how true that was. This was an opportunity for him to redefine Timothy Stein.

 “Not an opportunity most people get, but I sorta reinvented myself from a monster killing adventurer into a barkeep and owner of an inn.”

 “Don’t forget to add, friend and encourager of Patronites, but after seeing you in action today, I think you are still pretty bad ass,” Tim smiled back.

 She responded with an expression of feigned anger. “Oh great, just want every woman wants to hear that she has a bad ass.”

 Tim smirked back. This teasing banter was something fun and playful, and he was enjoying it just as much as he had enjoyed getting to talk about Earth and all his experiences since coming to Iocusinte. But then he yawned and stretched. He really was pretty tired.

“So, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble could you show me to that room you have where I can grab a nap.” Even as he asked there was a sliver of fear in the back of his mind. He was adapting to being a beastial. He didn’t really want to change. Hopefully, a nap wouldn’t count like a full night of sleep and he wouldn’t have to make a roll to see if he changed classes.

 She gave him a smile back and then stood up. “Sure, follow me.”

 Just like that, Tim felt the moment of flirting was over. He followed her up the stairs to the third floor of the inn. It was one of the few buildings in this part of town that he had seen with three stories. When they got to the top spiral staircase, he realized it was just one door rather than the hallway that he had expected.

 She paused for a minute and said, “So there isn’t anything between you and Cecelia?”

 The question seemed to come out of the blue, at least to Tim. He shook his head and said, “I can’t say never, but right now she is too young for me to think about.”

  She smiled and nodded.

 When she opened the door, he was in for an even bigger surprise. It was a small room, but he could see at the far end that there was a private bath. The thing that surprised him though wasn’t the size or the bath but the appearance of the room. This was clearly a space that someone lived in permanently. Clothing was strewn about the floor, and books were stacked up next to a small chair. A number of dirty glasses and plates were sitting on a nightstand next to the bed.

 Then it dawned on him. This was Kayla’s room. He didn’t know what to think at first. Maybe she had been more serious with her flirting than he realized. An instant later all doubt was gone as her much smaller hand was grabbing his. “Come on, don’t make me regret this.” Then she pulled him into the room. Apparently, his nap would have to wait.

 A few hours later, Tim woke feeling more rested and content than he had in a long time. Today had been a good day so far. He stretched his legs and even felt lighter. There were notifications flashing in his sight but the first thing he wanted to do was look at his quest rewards. He had paused those notifications before but now pulled them up.

 The first was an update to the Enemies of Humanity III questline. Two of the three goals were met. The shadow had said something about a hellshard. That didn’t sound good, but at least Tim knew what they were looking for and it obviously hadn’t been inside the Grinder. He would have to consult with Charles to see what a hellshard was.

 He had also learned who they were reporting to, Bal'drock. Of course, truthfully, he didn’t know if it was a person or a place, all he had now was a name. Strangely, that seemed to be enough to satisfy the quest requirements, not like he was gonna argue with that.

 Now all he had to do was keep them from getting the hellshard. The wording of that requirement was interesting. It didn’t say that he had to obtain the hellshard himself. He just had to keep them from getting it to succeed at the quest.

 The next of his stored notifications was about completing the Race to the Core quest.

Race to the Core Complete. Congrats. It was even mildly amusing. Take 400 XP and while I wouldn’t call it epic entertainment like this is all too rare. Inside your soul pouch you will find a Ring of Enhanced Health. Seems like you could use it.

 Finally, he got to the notification about getting the fastest time in the dungeon. He was anxious to see what the reward was for that.

 Congratulations! The Grinder has a new champion. Each of you will be awarded the appropriate title. With said title comes a 10% XP bonus for all quests and kills completed inside the dungeon. Additionally, loot drops will be increased by 20%. The title will be lost if any party beats your record.

 Additional Rewards:
   1) 500 XP

2) Runed Belt of Speed

That was a fairly impressive reward just for being the fastest at clearing that dungeon. He might not be able to gain XP in the Grinder but extra loot was always welcome.

 As much as he would have liked to take a look at his new items, he couldn’t keep ignoring the notification that were flashing in the corner of his eye. It was starting to flash in an angry red like it insisted that he pay attention to it. The problem was that he already knew what it was about.

 He was acting like a willful child, pretending that if he stayed under the covers, he could imagine that life hadn’t just changed. But he knew better. He felt too different. He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet to look. He didn’t need to though. He was certain. It happened again.

Trait: Ephemeral activated. Change is life. Consistency is a lie. Control is an illusion.

Unconscious roll for new class: 4/16    - result: 16- Naturalist

You now have 19 level gain stat points to assign

He just started to get comfortable with being a beastial. The powers were making sense and he had found a real rhythm to his fighting inside of the dungeon. Now he was a naturalist. If he remembered correctly that was one of the four healer classes.

 No sooner had he thought that than a vision, perhaps a memory filled his mind. He was running through the woods. All around him there was life. He could sense it, feel it’s ebb and flow. He was one with the forest.

 Above was the moon, its light beamed down in rare shafts through the canopy of trees.  Flowing not far from him was a stream. Without even knowing how, Tim realized the water was swift and cold. Thunder sounded in the distance and he heard rain starting to pelt down upon the leaves.

 All of it was part of what he felt. The moon, the trees, the stream, and even the storm were all parts of the forest's life. It was more alive at night. The creatures moved, hunted, or were hunted, and lived their lives. The stream was a channel of life for all growing things. Its water fed the plants as much as the beasts.

 The storm was powerful and bright but couldn’t move the forest. Sure, branches might be blown away or a tree might be struck by lightning. All those things simply served to feed the forest. The forest was enduring, it was greater than anyone tree, rock, or animal, but at its core the forest was made up of the trees.

 He felt pulled to the tree and found himself standing next to an ancient oak. His palms were pressed against the rough oak and through it he could sense the cycles of life it had endured. He could count the very rings that made up its trunk. His senses followed the roots down into the earth below. They spread out even further than the tree was tall.

Tim felt its unyielding strength which at the same time made way for the seasons. Its strength was in bending without breaking. Its power was enduring. Many creatures had made their home in its branches but now equally the corpses of those creatures served as fertilizer for its own growth.

 Without words, he chose the circle of the tree. The moon, stream, and storm were all a part of him two. He was too strong to be tied to just one circle, but first and foremost was the circle of the tree.

 Tim glanced at his character sheet. Two of his skills had been swapped out for new skills consistent with the circle of the tree. He didn’t stop yet to look at what they did but instead started to spend his 19 stat points. In vision it had become clear to him that a naturalist was more akin to what knew from games back home as a druid.

 What was different was that he had no affinity for animals. Naturalists apparently were to plants what a beastial was to beasts. He knew that he was both the gardener who pruned the forest to keep it healthy and the guardian that protected it from abuse by humans and monsters alike. So, he would need both spell casting ability and physical combat abilities. His stats needed to reflect that.

 Then a big question hit him. He didn’t know if naturalist spells would be based on Acuity like bloodmage spells seemed to be or on Sagacity like his Night’s Eye ability was. He could make guesses but it seemed foolish to do so. So, he caught himself and kept from spending any stat points until he gained more information. He did at least take one look at his stat sheet as it existed before spending the 19 points.

Name: Timothy Stein

Age: 28        Ht: 6’0” Wt: 184 lbs.

Class: Naturalist- Circle of the Oak

Level: 19th

XP: 151,340/192,000

Hardiness: 16

Flexibility: 14

Acuity: 16

Sagacity: 18

Hit Points: 278

Mana: 228

Offense: 20

Defense: 5

Faction: Terran: +45 (+5), Roshya/Asmar/Ogria: -10, Humanity: 27 (+2)
      Terran Border Guards: 60 (+15)

Traits: Ephemeral

Titles:
 Humanity’s Avenger I

Champion: Grinder

Equipped Class Skills/Spells:

1) Barkskin

2) Extreme Plant Growth and Control

3) Life Tap

4) Soul’s Beast Familiar

5) Grand Master Swordsmanship

6) Bow Mastery

7) Greater Stat Hex
 
 After looking at his character sheet, he figured he should open his eyes and take stock. Kayla had a mirror on the wall of her bathroom, so he climbed out of bed as quickly as he could. The only gear that he was wearing were his Bracer’s of Handy Power and his Anklets of Speed. Well, those and his boxers.

 Before he even reached the mirror, he could feel just how different this body was. It actually felt far more like his earth body. He looked down at his arms and they were muscular but lean. He had a flat stomach but no super defined abs. Oddly, when he looked at his hands and didn’t see the claws, he had become accustomed to he felt almost like he was deformed.

 The mirror confirmed that he was just what the character sheet said, 28, and fit without being crazy muscular. It was different though to not see fur and feathers protruding from his body. He felt tiny being almost two feet shorter. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that he felt like he had been shrunk or the world around him had suddenly grown larger. The one thing that hadn’t changed was his cool blue eyes that stared back at him. They told the truth. He was still Tim.

 But he didn’t get to speculate anymore because as he tried to walk quietly back to the bed to collect the rest of his things before heading to Charles, he heard a scream. Kayla had sat up and was using the sheet to cover herself. Tim never would have expected her to be capable of such a girlish scream. Maybe it was the shock of seeing his new form.

 “Whoa, it’s me, Kayla.”

 “Me, me who?” She demanded even as her free hand moved to grab a dagger off her belt where it hung over the bedpost.

 Tim held his hands up to show he wasn’t armed. “It’s Tim.”

 Her eyebrows scrunched and she snorted like he had just told a funny joke.

 “No really, remember how I told you about changing forms. It happened again. I’m a naturalist now.”

 She had the dagger in her hand now but set it across her lap. Tim knew she was still ready but at least she wasn’t threatening him with the weapon. The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Tim was scared to move, since he didn’t want to upset her further. All he could do was hold his hands up.

 Finally, she said, “Maybe it is you. You did tell me about it but hearing and seeing it are two different things. This is just too weird. You should leave. Grab your stuff and go.”

 “This doesn’t have to be weird. It is just the life I’m stuck with.”

 “But I’m not stuck with it. Look, this was fun and all. I slept like a baby for my nap. But I’m gonna need some time to wrap my head around this.”

 Tim started to protest again but then felt like it just wasn’t worth it. He didn’t feel any of the hostility or sense of betrayal that he might have before this nap. Now he just felt a sense of resignation. He would endure this as he had everything else that Iocusinte had thrown at him.

 He’d had to pull some gear out of his soul pouch because the clothing that fitted his beastial self wouldn’t fit this new body. Even his armor vest would have to be set up a bit differently to fit his new size. For now, though he had taken up a spot on a bench outside of Charles’s office. The man wasn’t there and rather than wander around waiting for him, Tim decided to just wait.

 There was probably a lot he needed to think about but he just didn’t have it in him right now. Tim was tired of being rejected. It seemed like the only people or whatever they were that wanted him were the patrons, or at least Cal-Dakota and Semona. But both of them didn’t want him, they just wanted to use him.

 He shook his head. There was no point in this. Atticus and Cecelia liked him and were friends. He hoped Kayla would come around after she had time to process. Maybe even Reggie and the other Silver Eagles would be willing to work with him once people got used to him. Or perhaps if he didn’t fit in within the guild proper, he could work with the border guards. Marcus’ crew had been glad to have him, or at least to have his help.

 The more he thought about that though, the more he felt like he was whining. This was not the way of the oak. He would work until his roots had burrowed deep. Then he would be able to stand alone. For now, he looked at the new gear from the quest.

 Runed Belt of Speed                        Wt: 1.5

Flexibility +4     Requirement: Flexibility 16, Level: 14

Attack Speed: +40%

 The stat boost was nice but to be able to equip the belt he would need to put two points into Flexibility. It was kind of a no brainer though as it was already an increase over the +2 Flexibility that his current belt gave him. Even better though he the attack speed seemed like an insane boost. He would be a terror with the sword now.

 His mind drifted for a second to Kayla. She had been blazingly fast already. He wondered if she got the same belt or if it would be an upgrade for her. Heck even Simon was faster than he had been. It would be good to see those two boosted.

 Ring of Enhanced Health         Wt: 0.1

Hit Points: +50         Requirement: Sojourner

Hit Point Regen: 10 per minute

It wasn’t exactly a ring of regeneration but it was a couple hundred times what his current recovery rate was. Even better it would allow him to solo far better once his class changed to a non-healing class.

 He stopped worrying about this though when Charles showed up. The guild master glanced down at him and then moved to open the door. Before he had done more than swing it open, he glanced back at Tim and asked, “Do I know you son? I can’t say that I’ve seen your face before.”

Tim grinned.

 “Oh, don’t tell me. It happened again. Tim, right?”

 “In the flesh, although there is less to me than before,” Tim replied.

 “I have to admit. This is not really a bad turn of events. I have been hesitating to present you to Caesar, as a beastial. It can take a lifetime to learn to control the power and instinct of a beastial. Now, I feel like you can make a better impression.”

 “I thought it was just a formality.”

Charles paused for just an instant. It wasn’t much, but enough to confirm for Tim that he wasn’t being entirely straight with him. “It is basically a formality. There is more to it, but I can’t go into specifics.”

Tim figured that was about as good as he was gonna get from Charles. At least he had given him the courtesy of admitting there were things he wasn’t sharing. “Okay, so when do I go to meet Caesar?”

 “No time like the present. We can arrange it for this evening, after they finish whatever banquet they are likely having tonight. We just need to get you some fancy clothes. They get all kinds of upset if we show up for formal events in armor,” Charles said.

 “Whatever, but I need access to the skill rod first. I need to get some naturalist skills.”

 “We don’t really have time for that. Can’t you make do with what you have? From what I hear it takes you several hours to get skills each time you change.”

 “Just give me an hour.”

 “Fine, I will find someone to take you there. I can’t raise you from probationary status until you are approved by Caesar. It is one of their laws intended to make sure that 1st gens are controlled. Your kind have brought a lot of chaos to Iocusinte. Some of it has been good and some of it bad,” Charles explained.

 “As long as I get a couple spells to go along with the physical skills I have, I’m all good with that. I guess I should ask you. Do naturalist spells rely on Sagacity or Acuity more?” Tim asked.

“Sagacity more but you don’t want to neglect your other stats. Monks are the most physical of all the healers. Spiritualists and alchemists are mostly like pure casters, although some of the things that alchemists do with compounds can change that. Naturalists are a balance between them. Decent with both magic and physical attacks,” Charles answered.

 After that he insisted on no more questions. He had a young guild member escort Tim to the skill rod, where Burke was just getting ready to leave for the day. Needless to say, he wasn’t thrilled, but Tim didn’t really care. After all the inconvenience he experienced, he wasn’t gone shy away from causing some of it himself.

 Tim had to fight his curiosity and ended up only having time to get two new skills or spells. He wasn’t really sure which to call them. They all acted the same. Mostly the other sojourners seemed to refer to skills as things that affected them or their movement and spells as things that affected other targets, but even that wasn’t universal. Tim decided he would just use the terms interchangeably.

 His two new spells were solid but not amazing. One was just a common and the other upgraded to uncommon.

Nature’s Lesser Heal  Rarity: Common

Pre-requisites: Sojourner, Sagacity: 14, Level 2

Mana: 10

Description: Heals target for 4 health per second for 1 second per Sagacity.
Can be stacked on target up to 1 time per 4 Acuity of caster. Range: 10’/4 Sagacity. Cast Time: 1 second. Cool Down: 3 seconds.

Ice Blast     Rarity: Uncommon

Pre-requisites: Sojourner, Sagacity: 16, Level 6

Mana: 20

Description: Shoots a globe of compressed ice at any target within range. Target subject to blunt damage equal to 2 x Acuity. Then the globe explodes causing ice damage to everything within 8’ of the target equal to 1 x Sagacity.
Cast Time: 1 second. Cool Down: 15 seconds.

Tim didn’t get any time to test out the spells though as no sooner had he finished getting the spells than he was grabbed by another young guild member and shown to where formal clothing had been prepared for him. Tim was impressed by how quickly they could whip out. The tailors must have some significant levels.

 The entire time that he was being fitted and modifications were made on the fly, Tim got a running lecture from Charles. The guild master walked him through the basics of etiquette in Caesar’s court. He just hoped he didn’t put his foot in his mouth at the wrong time.

Tim was confident that he was one of the strongest people in any room he walked into, but that didn’t mean he could escape against far superior numbers. Especially without his wings. For something that had been so weird in the beginning he was sure missing them. Maybe the weirdest thing though was that Charles hadn’t asked him about the adaptations in the dungeon.