After a few more hours, you were discharged from the hospital tents. They remarked that your exemplary service more than pays for the medical fee, which you're grateful for, at least. They also mentioned to expect some mail, later, once they finished most of the paperwork surrounding the incident. You can be proud, they said.
You sure don't feel it.
You feel awful on the way back, your new hand not helping matters. It doesn't feel that unusual, even, apart from the size. Like you had it for years. The instant muscle memory will likely prevent a lot of broken objects (and people). But that's not what feels so bad. You, yourself, feel really sweaty and hot, as if you're covered in too many blankets rather than feverish. Your robes are soaked and your back is itchy when you finally arrive at Meandra's house. She says she already got the information on it, considering that she is your legal employer. She seems to be taking the demon hand fairly well, all things considered. She was more worried about just how much you're sweating and panting, though. Eventually, she just tells you to take a bath, and decides to burn the robes you're wearing.
Better that way.
Now, taking a bath isn't really physically possible, all things considered, but you can shower. Not without making the bathroom a bit of a mess, but its nothing you couldn't clean in a few minutes.
After about two minutes, you start sweating again. And then it starts hurting. You clutch your stomach as you buckle a little and start dry-heaving. Then, with a very cold and uncomfortable feeling, you feel the skin on your back
split.
You're too breathless to actually scream as you feel yourself splitting in the middle Your carapace cracks apart, and you feel your muscles clenching and unclenching as you instinctually move around to move out of your more unnatural molt. After a very uncomfortable ten minutes (far too fast for a proper molt), you are left feeling... bigger.
In all respects.
Your husk turns white and brittle, turning to dust on touch. You are left profoundly uncomfortable, and start moving back to your companions with just a towel around yourself. You claim a collection of pillows, and sit down there to stare at a wall. When Meandra eventually comes in to ask what's wrong you say you really, honestly, do not know. You eventually decide to call it a sudden molt and that you'll clean it up a little later when you can see straight. Today has not been a good day. You get a stiff drink, after Meandra checked on the bathroom. Shortly thereafter, she decides to follow you in your decision to stare a wall for a while and rethink everything.
Being a drider SUCKS.I'm starting to think that you might be right, all things considered. ...Wait a minute. Take off that towel for a moment?This isn't a visual medium, we aren't doing fanservice. Nono, I think... if your whole body "molted", are your scars gone!?You blink twice for a second, and then drop the towel without another word. Meandra is quick to start inspecting, and, sure enough:
Smooth as a friggin' baby! Sydney! You're scar-free! I can't even see that mark anymore!SERIOUSLY!? You say, suddenly elated. Clear from that mark!? The scars? You're back to being beautiful again! You twist your body around, trying to get a better look at your back.
Wow... Meandra whispers as she goes over your new skin.
Hm. Say, were you always this big?Uh...Nono, I mean, in general. You were always large, I know, but...You stand up from the pillows, and instantly have to shake off a little vertigo. Things DO seem a little lower than before... When you reach a doorpost, on a hunch, you find that you now have to duck. That's... actually a pretty big change. You also notice Hal coming through the hallway, who stops when he sees you measuring yourself using a doorpost. And also still stark naked.
I'm gonna have sexual thoughts about that! he says, while making fingerguns and leaving the premises. You keep standing there with a blank expression, before asking for a shirt from Meandra. She gave you the one she has the fastest access to, an old one of hers that was laying on the floor. It's... well, you manage to put it on, yes, but there is very little left to the imagination. Your midriff is entirely exposed, and the shirt is so tight that your lack of a bra is blindingly obvious. Your personal clothes are unlikely to fare much better, come to think of it.
You just lost all your practical clothing. And those loose-ass robes were just burned.
As Meandra goes out to buy some clothing, you notice something else. Your new hand is tingling oddly at the palm. when you take a closer look at the red flesh, the smooth palm suddenly bursts open, revealing a... mouth. Just a weird, small mouth sticking out of the hand. In a semi-panicked daze, you try pulling at it, and to your horror you pull out an entire leech! A large, wriggling worm gives a little wet screech before expiring almost on the spot and disintegrating in red and black ashes. Those ashes themselves disappear after only a few more moments, pulled into completely nothingness.
With a scream, you feel new information appear in your mind, burning itself in there like a brand. You clutch your head, and after a few moments your vision stops being blurry.
Mind control leeches.
Oh gods that's terrifying.
A new "mouth" has already appeared on the palm of your hand.
Basic Stats
Level: 12
HP: 55/55
Poison stings: 0/1
Restraint 1/3
Mana: 00/60
Corruption: 6/10
Thirst: Sated
Children
Adam 5/5
Alice 6/6
Cactus: 8/8
Items and equipment
Equipment:
Far too tight T-shirt
Items:
First Tome of Eternal Darkness
.44 Revolver (empty)
.44 bullets(x56)
Holster
Longsword (in scabbard)
225 dollars (lvl3)
Magic Cookbook
The Cure (cures vampirism)
Blood Vials (X5)
Skills and spells
Magic:
Resurrect vermin: Allows you to resurrect very small creatures such as rats(invests 2 of your max mana) (no mana cost)
Resurrect average beast: Allows you to resurrect creatures such as dogs, cats and other similar-sized creatures.(invests 7 mana) (no mana cost)
Resurrect Humanoid: Allows you to resurrect humanoid creatures. (Invests 10 mana) (Costs 14 mana)
Reshape minion plus!: Allows you to majorly change the appearance of your resurrected minions.
Control Undead: Allows you to attempt to control an undead that doesn't belong to you. (mana cost of 2 per second, unmastered)
Minion Vision: Allows you to see what a minion sees. The minion must have eyes.
Disintegrate undead: Delete a corpse you currently control.
Animate Piece: Allows you to animate just a piece of dead tissue. It requires your constant attention, and cannot act independently. (Drains 0 mana)
Graft: Allows you to use dead tissue as a replacement limb. Requires a lot of mana. (1 per second) (average limb takes around 20 seconds to properly graft)
Gather Soul: Allows you to make a soul visible. You could try putting it in a flame of some sort to keep it around. (9 mana)
Soul battery: Allows you to use a soul-infused flame as a small mana-boost. This snuffs it out, however
Undead flashbang: Allows you to blow up a minion for a flash-bang effect. (9 mana)
Stitch: allows you to close a wound and stop bleeding as fast as you can stitch. Costs zero mana, but requires something to stitch with.
Siphoning Cloud: Breathe out a cloud that drains the life from victims and gives it to you. Adds a LOT to intimidation (4 mana)
Smoke Cloud: Breathe out harmless but thick smoke. (1 mana)
Deathbolt: A bolt that hurts the body's connection with it's soul. Causes minor wounds to appear over the body as it attempts to compensate (1 mana)
Doombolt: A more powerful version of the above (4 Mana)
Companions
Tom (cat)
Skills:
Claws: Your arm has been replaced with a powerful claw. This is BOUND to you, and cannot be removed.
Pride: You have a mind-controlling leech in your arm. This is so mindblowingly unethical/illegal it would put you in "kill on sight" status with a lot of organisations/people.
Broodmother: Once per day, you can sting something to create spiderlings, which are large, clever spiders that adore you by default. Your instincts cause you to be VERY protective of them.
Crossbow usage: Novice
Gun usage: Novice
Oral Fixation: Can cast spells spells from the mouth.
Draining: Can drain blood using fangs.
Major experience in blocking and swordplay.
Climber
Crafty: Bolas
Cooking skill: Excellent
Corpse Cutting: Quite Decent.
Animal handling: inexperienced.
Necromantic knowledge
Soul Sniffer
Author
Topic: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure (Ended) (Read 190243 times)