《Divine Quest》Chapter 3
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“There is a limit to what I can tell you,” Morty began. It paused for a breath. David figured if it had eyes it would be looking expectantly at him, so he decided to play his part.
“Why do you look like a human-shaped outline?” David asked. He did not want to properly play his part.
Morty moved as if looking at itself before becoming something more.
“Is this lesser form more preferable?” It asked. It now looked like an ancient golem. Morty still had the outline of a human, only flesh was replaced with stone and moss. Grass tufted out where hair would lie and two gaps where the eyes would be. The mouth remained the same, a cut in reality.
“Makes it more normal for conversations.” David responded before they continued their silence. As David did not say his expected part, Morty tried on different forms. Different elementals and creatures, all with the same lack of eyes and straight line of a mouth.
Morty eventually continued. “There is magic in this world. The primary way that the chosen interact with the magic is through these.” A mark appeared floating above Morty's hand, which was really a paw at this time. It was circular with what looked to be two bottles in the center. “What has been labeled as classes allows for smooth absorption of the power surrounding you without the negative side effects.”
David moved as if to swipe at the simplistic picture before it locked onto him. It shot forward, striking him in the chest. He felt at where it hit before realizing he felt...good. A frown grew as he realized it wasn't that he felt good, it was he felt less bad.
“Even in the short time you've been here, it had begun to change you.” Morty began to weave other signs in the air. “The general malaise you felt was from the inequitable method your body was applying the power. Eventually you would have turned into what you would think of as a monster, but really it would be power without the restraint of a mind.”
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Two more of what David realized must be the marks that Morty talked of shot into him. He realized that magic was creating a general soreness across his body and with these final two marks they went away.
“You are now at the same place as a newborn.” Morty created the three figures in air again, only these felt less real. “Your class,” indicating the circle with the bottles, “your bloodline,” indicating a stick figure, “and your origin.” The final was a circle made of circle.
“Isn't that supposed to be blue or orange?” David asked, pointing to the final symbol. “And why is my bloodline so...simplistic?”
“Color doesn't matter and bloodlines grow as you do.” Morty explained. “There are a few more things I must do and one thing I must explain before I leave you. The first is how to grow your class and bloodline.”
“But not my origin?”
“Where you come from never changes.” Morty clarified. “The way to grow your class and bloodline requires a connected one, what you would know of as a cleric. They channel the power of the divine to help guide the power through your body in non-destructive or madness inducing ways. Right now a quarter of the population are connected ones.”
David nodded before interrupting. “What are the remaining three-fourths?”
“They are split evenly between magic users, skill users, and weapon users. What you would know of as wizards, rogues, and fighters.”
“Why only those four? There were twelve gods, er thirteen gods.” David caught himself as he talked to another god. His day was so weird.
“I do not have a class and the remaining eight were sealed for an excellent reason. That reason has lost most of its meaning, and the others wish to return to their former purpose. Now, we must decide where you go from here.”
“I go to the webbed box with the chest disc in the favorite's favorite.” David answered with as much gravitas as he could in that ridiculous phrase.
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Morty stared at him with an actual face. It was pretty, though the nose was a bit more hooked than perky to be called perfectly cute. “I meant with your class. Alchie is not connected to anyone anymore except for you.”
“That...” David paused as the meaning really made itself known to him. “That's not good. I can't grow my class.”
“Which is why I suggest you choose a familiar to begin with. They will be part of your class and can help you grow it. You will just have to find the means yourself.”
“Can't you just do it?”
“I cannot.”
David swore under his breath before nodding. With his permission, Morty touched David, changing the sigil that David realized was embedded in him. It wasn't something that could be removed like a limb but rather something essentially him, like his personality. And he felt that thing shift. In his mind's eye he saw the circle with the two basic bottles change, growing in complexity. Now instead of a drawing that took ten seconds, it was a drawing that took thirty seconds to make with the addition of a blob in one of the bottles. That blob moved as he watched before escaping and popping into existence before him.
As he watched, it began to change. It grew limbs that began blood red before darkening into, David figured it was still blood red. Only the blood had dried some. Dried blood colored the rest of the naked body. David frowned at the familiar sight before it finally clicked. His familiar was a goblin that looked like Alchie.
“Oh please tell me this one can actually communicate.” David held the small creature at arms length. It was small enough that he could hold it in his outstretched hand without feeling any strain. “Because I do not want to spend my time trying to understand what its saying.”
“That's just Alchie” Morty answered. “To grow your bloodline, find a connected one with the connection you desire. Your familiar can finish your progression of your class. I wish you luck.” And with those final words, Morty shrunk, keeping its outline stable until David could no longer tell if it remained.
David stood there, looking between the blood goblin and Morty's last location before bringing his familiar closer to his face. Inspecting his new companion, he found it didn't have the sharpness that Alchie had. Instead its limbs, teeth, nose, and ears had a more human roundness at the end. Instead of looking like it could eviscerate him with a poke, now it just looks like it would hurt.
“You need a name.”
“Already got one.” Its reedy voice wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't the worst thing he heard. “I searched your memory and decided on Nami.”
It took David's immense will to not immediately chuck the monster away from him. Instead, he breathed out long and hard in Nami's face.
“Pick something different.”
Nami wiped down its face before pouting. It tried to look pitiful, willing David to change his mind. With a growl of frustration he kicked at the hand before taking a thinking pose.
“Buffalo Bill Cody.” The familiar finally decided.
That name caused a cascade of memories to fly though David's head. A smile grew on his face as he remembered the hero worship he had for the guy when he was younger. That smile soon was matched on Bill's face.
“Perfect, only you get the Buffalo portion when you look like one. Or kill a bunch. Otherwise you are Bill Cody. And you'll learn to write before you enter your teens.”
With that decided, David set Bill on his shoulder before looking at the road he was placed on.
“Which way should we go?” He asked his new friend.
“That way.” Bill pointed to the left. With a shrug that nearly knocked Bill off, David went left. It was as good of choice as any.
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