Dragonknight315
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“Well Archer, I suppose it’s you and me now.” Those were the words Alastasia were waiting for. She broke her performance, peeking at Teras to see if the coast was clear. He was a few steps to her side, the bug facing her former opponent with a calm assurance. It worked! Her body relaxed as to give a mental sigh. With those two distracted, she could finally have a moment to rest, albeit a brief one. If the bug’s handywork was anything to go by, the fight wouldn’t last long, and it was only a matter of time before they engaged. She knew that she had to recompose herself if she were to stand a chance. She felt lightheaded having lost half of her fluids on just surviving; she couldn’t afford any other mistakes. “What is it like?” She glanced over to the elven huntress, her hood down. Alastasia was sitting atop her bed in her tunic and leggings, the two having returned from another day of hunting. She had grown quite fond of the activity, something new to keep her mind sharp and body fit. Furthermore, it was food on the table, and even if Alastasia could survive on nothing but water, her friends couldn’t. Besides, a warm meal just felt right. Lunara was standing across the room in her usual garb, a solid black cloak over leather armor. She was seldom found in anything else, preferring to even sleep in it as to always be ready. Old habits die hard, Alastasia figured. What else could she expect of a former assassin? “What is what like, Lunara?” The elf held a vast amount of knowledge for her age, though she was only a couple years older than Alastasia. It was strange; She couldn’t remember the last time Lunara asked a question. “You. What is it like being. . . you? Your body?” Alastasia thought for a moment before extending her hand, beckoning Lunara over. When Lunara drew close, Alastasia stood up. “Don’t move.” She reached for the elf’s short and pointy ear, giving it a swift tug. Lunara winced and stepped back, swatting Alastasia’s hand. “What was that for?!” “ A demonstration.” She reached for her own earlobe and pulled, the skin stretching with pink slime filling the gap. “Imagine if it just kept going.” Lunara watched as she tugged a little further, and the slime kept growing until it was a foot long. “There is no pain, no tightness, just a warmth that keeps on and on until it’s so far away you can’t feel it anymore.” As Alastasia let go, the slime receded, twisting as her ear returned to normal. “Put your arm out as far as you can.” Lunara gave a shy nod and complied. Her arm forward, Alastasia reached out and turned over her hand, touching her wrist and bicep. “Feel the tension along bones, how it all locks up? What if. . . it disappeared?” At that moment, the hand on her wrist transformed. From the fingertips to the middle of her forearm, the flesh melted, rippling until it gave way to a solid pink slime. It looked[i/] like a hand, imitating the shape and structure, but it stirred and throbbed like waves in a puddle. Lunara quivered from the sensation as the warm slime slid against her skin. Alastasia let go of Lunara and held up her transformed hand. “At first, it feels small. Tiny, insignificant, the basic part that makes me. . . me. Whatever that is, I notice it, and I can change it. From there, the feeling grows, from one bit to another and another, until I can feel every inch of my body moving, changing, listening.” “Listening?” Lunara glared at her with a puzzled look. “There is only so much that a solid body can do. Rigid, fixed. . . But this, there’s so much more. It’s like I can do anything.[i/]” As she spoke, she balled her fist, her fingers combining into a single mass. The slime worked its way down until her entire limb was one large tentacle, twisting as she spun it in place. “But it’s not so much what I feel–” Alastasia raised her normal hand and and placed her fingertips against the viscous slime. “– but what I don’t.” As she pushed her fingertips in, the slime seemed to bend around them, conforming to the insertion. “I can’t feel my fingers here, only a void where they should be.” Lunara looked on with awe as the process unfolded before her. Alastasia smirked, satisfied with her performance. “It’s powerful, almost addictive, having that control. . . but really, it all happens so fast.” Without a word, the slime snapped back into its original shape, her digits reforming as patches of skin started to resurface. “I barely notice it anymore. It’s just part of me if that makes sense.” “I think so. . .” Lunara nodded. “Thank you.” For the first time in months, Alastasia could make out a smile on the elf’s face. Years ago, she would have felt sickened by her ‘abnormality,’ a blight on her family. But she was grown now. Her friends didn’t see her that way, and to Alastasia, that was all that mattered. Alastasia focused on the slime oozing from her shoulder and temple. She could feel part of her will slipping away with every second, the heat of the Forge slowly evaporating it. She tugged on what was left, willing it back under her control. Its flow stopped and reversed, slowly crawling to her wounds. It would take a moment to fully recover, but she felt her strength return, and with it, her will to fight.
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