They'd rarely split apart since they met. Now, Jurik and Hadley would likely not be there for some time. Neska almost slithered right into Serkin as he stopped ahead of her, lost in her thoughts.
The abrupt halt sent her wobbling forward, and her arms splayed out to balance herself. “You alright?” Serkin asked politely. They’d stopped at a humanoid-sized door, made of well-varnished wood and with a silver latch for a handle.
“Still…learning,” Neska admitted.
“It’s rare that we get tier twos into the dorms right from the start. Most of the time? As soon as the Awakened’s soul fully recombines, they are escorted here. There are laws regarding it, and safety measures in place.”
Wonderful. This death-induced lapse in memories was proving to be ever more painful, and she’d need to catch up on common knowledge every chance she could get. At least she remembered some of the monsters from Risha’s books, along with her alchemy and ritual details. But, nothing explicit to the Interface.
Guidance is available for those starting.
Vivi hadn’t spoken up since they’d exchanged words during the meeting with Resalio. I’ve been ignoring messages all day, I know. I need to sort through it when I catch a breather. Vivi, are there details on alchemy and rituals?
There are basic instructions for them. They, too, can be upgraded, or new functionality may be added with essence points.
Risha used a ritual to Awaken Neska. However, the cost of it had been what was probably an exceedingly rare component, and her life. Even in those last days, the witch was convinced a solution to the invasion lay in the Interface of the monsters.
Why had her own Interface been locked? Neska hoped that the crystal contained on the collar held the answer. Or at least, a hint.
Serkin opened the door, and Neska noted the space was simple but inviting. The rectangular room had two beds at opposing corners at the far end, with the sheets already placed and tucked tightly. Each side had a small dresser filled with various items, including uniforms for the academy stacked on top. The walls were rosy brick, and a small tubular fixture was anchored into the wall; Neska could see a temperature rise when she allowed her vision to slide into her thermal sensing. A heating system, most likely.
“This will serve as temporary quarters for now. We do create specialized dorms for those with larger or smaller forms, or unusual sustainability requirements,” Serkin said, walking them through the room. “We have heating and cooling, and there is a communal washroom down the hall. There are also different dietary needs for each, so the mess hall has a wide offering.”
Juni glanced at Neska, raising a brow. “I never saw someone swallow eggs before like that, when Nevin brought in food. What else do you eat?”
“No comment.” Neska shied her head, embarrassed to mention she used to routinely clear out the mice from Risha’s home and shop. “What do I eat?” she asked the professor.
“Oh, goodness, I forgot, you evolved to this form less than a day ago. You’re a sight steadier than most; some need days to recover from it,” Serkin explained. He then pulled out a notebook and a pair of low-profile glasses, which he held with one hand, peering at the small but dense text.
After a moment, he closed the notebook. “According to this, your diet will be mostly protein. But you lack teeth to chew, so you’ll have to swallow as you normally do. Note your food intake will also have increased, with the change of size.”
She was going to need a whole basket of eggs every day. She’d caught and eaten fish before, along with lizards and amphibians. The appeal of anything mammalian or rodentlike had dropped like a rock in her mind. “Fish and eggs are…fine,” she answered.
“There are also regular meals like slabs of beef, chicken, and other domesticated sources. Some monsters come very close to a humanoid resemblance, and have a diet interchangeable with ours. I can have something brought up, so you’re not…overwhelmed,” he added hesitantly.
“Thank you.” Neska glanced at Juni and nudged her with her tail. “What’ll you have?”
“Grains. A-and fruit, too,” Juni added hastily. The professor noted it in his notes. “Are there books here?” Neska cast her a curious glance, with the mouse wringing her hands gently. “I like to read, too. When we weren’t being chased by monsters or travelling, Jurik had a few books I could sink into."
"Such as?" Neska asked.
"Oh, there was this one story about adolescents who could turn into dragons, unlike ours, who are...well, possessive is a polite term. They battled to save the world from a villainous demon and rescue a goddess. It was my favorite," she added, clasping her hands and looking starstruck.
“There is a significant library and archives on the campus. It has mostly research and various academic topics, but I think there are a few fictions somewhere,” Serkin affirmed, swelling with pride. “It might be one of the largest collections of knowledge in the world. Great care is taken to preserve and protect it. Melissa Harvine can orient you tomorrow morning.”
He tapped a small circular device, affixed to his collar, and took two more out of his pocket. “These are runic relays. They’ll transmit vocalized sounds to anyone you tap them against.” He tapped the two of them to his, and then handed them to Neska and Juni. “If you need anything, tap it twice, and speak the name of the person you wish to connect to. More sophisticated ones can also use the Interface to transmit visuals, too.”
“Why human beds?” Juni asked, pointing to the cots. Neska glanced at her lengthy body and realized she wouldn't fit her full body length. Not even close. Well...maybe if I coil up, I could.
Serkin bowed apologetically. “This was a campus for humans for hundreds of years. We made adjustments from what was already here. I can have a cot brought here for Neska of a suitable size."
But she had already sprawled out, her tail hanging off the bed, and her upper torso lying on the soft, clean sheets. It felt remarkably soft. “This is fine.” She ran her fingers over the soft material, feeling the linen between her fingers, and carefully avoiding ripping it with her claw tips. “This is an upgrade from before.”
“I'll still put in a request for a longer bedframe; it's the least we can do for those who have done so much already. At any rate, I’ll have a meal sent up by another student, and we’ll reconvene in the morning, myself or Harvine.” He turned to leave, but Neska sat up in the bed. A thought occurred to her.
“Wait.” He turned to face her, puzzled. “Professor Serkin? Two questions. Did Risha have a plan? To end the war, or get the monsters to stop attacking?”
He let out a soft sigh. “She talked of a plan. But she was paranoid about details. I don’t doubt she had one. And still does.” his downward gaze and clenched teeth suggested as much, before his resting youthful face returned. “What was your other question?”
“Who was Risha? To me, personally?”
That bright expression dimmed considerably. “She didn’t tell you?”
“No. But, I have my theories.”
His posture slumped slightly. “I do, too. Risha never confided those details to me. She brought a young woman named Neska to the campus, but…I don’t think she told anyone. I was off campus on a research venture at the time, so I only heard of it afterward.”
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“When?”
“About three years ago. She came back briefly about a year ago, before relocating to keep her research away from prying eyes. She wouldn't say anything more than ask about rituals, more about the Divine Beasts." He let out a frustrated sigh. "She could have trusted us. We've known her for so long."
Right before I died. She wanted to ask more, but knew she couldn’t. She had a feeling there was more to it than he was willing to divulge. It was in the way he carefully chose his words and spoke slowly. Not lying, but maybe omitting portions. “Thank you, professor.”
“Melissa will see you early tomorrow. I hope your stay at the academy will be far less intense than your arrival.” He clicked the door closed behind him. Once she no longer heard footsteps, Neska flopped back on the bed, letting the tension out from her newfound limbs.
“Yep. My thoughts, too,” Juni muttered. “Are you sure we can trust him?”
Neska glanced over at Juni, and she didn’t have an answer that sounded right. Not yet. “Risha trusted him.”
The mouse girl shook her head. “I didn’t ask if Risha trusted him. I asked if you did.”
“I do.” The pain on his face when she talked about how Risha’s life ended was real. There was no mistaking that. “But…I think he knows more than he’s willing to say right now. Let’s give it time.”
“Yeah. Given the circumstances…I think that man is hurting.” Juni followed suit and flopped onto the bed on the other end. The frame was oversized for her, and she pushed her mouselike body under the covers, letting out a squeal of contentment. “Okay, this bed is nice. I like nice cozy spots like this. All snug and tight.”
“Is that a terramouse thing, or a you thing?” Neska asked. She wasn’t sure how to inflect tone just yet…but she understood it, based on all her observations. Juni giggled, all the same.
“You know, the closer we get to something more human–or, I guess, back to something more human? I’d say it’s more of a me thing rather than a mouse thing.” She sat up, glancing around the room. “I might need you to reach some things for a while, for the record. I’m short.”
“And weigh as much as a rock,” Neska commented. Juni scowled at her and threw a harmless pillow her way. Neska’s slow reaction left her getting a face full of white fluffy cotton, while Juni wore a toothy smile.
"I do not. You have low Vitality,” she teased.
Neska didn’t have a retort to that; Vitality was still one of her lower attributes, compared to the others. Though given her class and current abilities, it wasn’t a priority. “Part of your body is rock, though, yes?”
“Minerals. But technically true,” she shrugged. “Okay, I might have a freak-out moment in a little while, fair warning. We haven’t been able to rest properly since…Gods, I don’t know when. There was a lot of stuff along the way.”
Chased by hounds, assailed by dozens of wolves, Seekers looking to make us another mark on their shoulder patches? And she was almost eaten by a giant serpent. Yeah, that's a lot.
It still didn’t compare to the ache in her chest as she pictured Risha with a dagger in her heart. Juni must have picked up on it, because she moved to the edge of her bed, paws dangling off. “What’s up, Neska? It’s just us for the moment.”
She didn’t know how to bring it up. “A lot did happen.” Her tail curled up on the bed, so she wasn’t half-lying on the ground, and she moved the pillow to support her back. “I just wonder what tomorrow will bring.”
“Hopefully, less fighting for our lives. Though I envision that it is still a guarantee in the future, somewhere down the road.” She balled up her small mouse claws, then relaxed them. “I would ask how your day normally goes? But I don’t think I want to dredge up bad memories.”
“We should make good ones, then.” Neska sat upright, and slithered her body over to the other end of the room, and examined the closet, and a partitioned changing area.
There were various regular supplies. Soap, brushes, and toiletries that she remembered from Risha’s home. Much of it was accessible by hand, though she also noted that there were some handles for those lower to the ground to gain entry. She found extra blankets and towels neatly lined up in the closet, and when she looked at the dresser filled with uniforms, she noted a mirror tucked away.
She reached for it, then hesitated, fingers flexing in anticipation. Did she dare to look at the face in the mirror? She had a vague outline of her face, just by sliding her hands across her snout. She hadn’t gotten any adverse looks from others. Though maybe a few looks of awe.
She’d seen herself in the mirror at Risha’s home. She at least had an image of herself. She drew a slow, calming breath as she picked up the mirror to examine her face.
She was still very much a snake on a conceptual level, with scales of a light teal color, almost bordering on cyan. But the texture was smoother due to the finer, closely layered scales. Her snout was much the same, with a triangular taper protruding from a more humanoid facial structure.
Hinging open her mouth revealed her prominent fangs, though tucked away so they protruded less, and she practiced flexing them out. That hadn't changed at least.
She could still open her mouth quite wide, but not as wide as before. Smaller teeth were arranged in rows behind that, but looked too small for chewing. Biting down seemed to extend her fangs through subtle muscles in her cheeks.
Her eyes had changed, however. They were closer together and resembled a human eye. But, not quite. There was a triangular-shaped pupil awash in a sea of bright green iris instead of a circular one.
She also noted her vision seemed clearer, the fidelity sharper. Far objects were easily visible. She wondered if it was the change in form, the increase in her Perception, or a combination of both. She also had a neck that seemed slightly longer than a human’s, allowing her to see behind her more easily. More than ninety degrees, but not fully all the way around.
Her head was not barren, either. There was a layer of long, featherlike strands on her scalp--a whole mane of it. She’d felt it earlier, but had no idea what it looked like. It looked like hair, almost. And it came in bands of both white and green and teal feathers, reaching down almost to her snout.
A hand went to her snout. “I look ridiculous-s-s…” she let out a hissing laugh at the absurdity of it, unable to hold it in.
Juni padded over, hiding a soft chuckle. “It’s not that bad.”
“How am I going to hunt? With this bright coloring?”
Juni pointed a claw at her. “You shoot magical witch bolts. I am pretty sure that isn’t an issue anymore.”
Neska narrowed her eyes. “Not the point. I’m going to need to find bigger chickens for eggs. Or fish.”
“Why? Are small forest animals no longer appealing?” Juni asked slyly. Neska found herself leaning away from the bold mouse.
“N-no. For reas-sonss…sstupid tongue,” Neska sputtered, hearing that hissing accent return at the worst time, clamping one hand over her mouth. Juni apparently had a bit of twisted humor now that they weren’t in mortal peril, and the mouse girl tried not to laugh in turn.
“Okay, okay, maybe that was too much,” Juni said with sincerity. “So…what should we do? I want to check out the library tomorrow, when we have time. Meet people, you know?”
Neska snapped her claws as she had seen Risha do on occasion. It was harder than it looked, and took her a few tries to produce that sharp snapping sound. “I like that. I also want a second opinion on powers. Tonight, if possible.”
"Not wasting any time, huh? I don't blame you. Next thing you know, the Varadur will throw some other high-tier monster at you, like a dragon. I'd say your powers might make it an even match."
Juni reached into a drawer and grabbed what appeared to be a metal-encased pen, which seemed to have an internal reserve of ink, since there was no ink pot nearby. “Oh goodness, have you even looked at what's available?”
“No. I wanted to keep focused on everything else.” Neska slithered over to a spot on the floor and set down pillows to get comfortable, while Juni hopped onto the bed, scribbling away. “Was there other notebook paper in there?”
“Sure!” She went back and grabbed a second pad of rough paper and a pen for Neska. She took the device in hand and noted…it felt clumsy to hold. Her fingers were all wrong, even as she watched Juni.
She tried testing it with her hands, but it wasn’t legible. She’d need to learn all over again how to make use of her hands. With her high Agility and Intelligence, along with Perception, she should be able to learn decent penmanship quickly.
But her tail still had muscle memory. Juni let out a surprised sound as Neska wrapped her tail around the pen and delicately began practicing. She had a good place to start: her Interface. “Juni, take notes with me. There’s…some interesting things here.”
"You mean, more than before?"
"A lot more."
Are you ready to examine your new secondary powers, Neska? You also have an unlocked pool of evolution options and witch abilities, expanding your choices considerably.
Neska relayed this to Juni. She herself practiced with her tail, using her hand to keep the parchment steady on the smooth wooden floor.
The mouse girl had questions, however. “Neska, does this Interface seem different when you look at it?”
“In what way?”
“Boxes with text. Sometimes simple schematics.”
“I see that, too. It also seems to respond to my queries.” Neska hesitated, then added, “ I call her Vivi.”
Juni glanced up. “That’s not unusual. The Interface guides and lets us focus and shape both our powers and evolutions; it’s not the source of the power itself. But you named it?”
“She…didn’t seem to mind.”
Juni frowned at that. "Okay, little secret? I named mine Sael. I guess it's a common thing among most people. But, people also don't converse with them out loud, either."
"Does he have...a personality?" she asked cautiously.
"He's kinda...flat. But yes, a little. Most people don't read into it too much and view the Interface as a tool, like a rake or a plow. Well, shall we get started?"
"Yep." Neska gave Vivi the heads up to begin.
Witch Class secondary powers are unlocked and available: Alchemy, Rituals. Each of these has basic powers that allow you to understand the fundamentals of alchemical components and manipulate their composition using your mana at a low level, or perform rituals to shape and direct mana energy.
This knowledge is not language-limited; however, the discovery of new information remains a likely possibility. Only the fundamentals will be covered. In addition, you may select one specialization at Tier two between the two. An additional specialization will be available upon your Evolution to Tier three.
Would you like to know more?
Absolutely, Vivi. Let’s see what I’ve got to work with.
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What kinds of powers do you think Neska will/should get? Pick three!