253. Not Breathing: Wiremu

The well was deep, and I climbed down, forming handholds from the stone walls. The water was cold, and I could feel a flow. I reached out with my Granite Senses and mapped the underground river as far as possible. The lake around which Almaeadin was built was fed from underground rivers getting near the surface, and this well had tapped into one of them.

Why did Umreti go this way? Was it his survival skill leading him? I hope so. I felt for the slave bond, and he was still alive and moving west as I had instructed, so that was good. My Mapping skill updated from my Granite Sense, and the river downstream opened into the wider cave at the edge of my sensing range. I got the impression from Tāoke that it was the right direction, but I had a problem. It was entirely underwater to that point. Umreti could swim, and with his enhanced Physical Attributes, he would have no problem. I would sink. The higher my Granite Bones levelled, the denser they got and the heavier I got. I would have to walk and crawl along the bottom. I couldn’t hold my breath for that long.

I lowered myself so I was chest-deep in the cool water and thought about what I could do. Turning my lungs into lava slowed my need for oxygen, but I still needed oxygen. Oxygen seemed to be a basic need to stay alive.

But not all forms of life need oxygen. Puia didn’t need oxygen to live. He lived on Spiritual Energy. If I could make my lungs into lava, what about my whole body? Then I wouldn’t need oxygen, but I would die if I ran out of Spiritual Energy. Let's see if it is possible. I concentrated on my bond with Puia and changed my lungs to lava. He seemed to get what I wanted to do, and energy and direction flooded back down the bond. From my lungs, the lava spread down my arteries and through my whole body. Muscles turned to feel like jelly. Searing heat spread, devouring everything in its path. My brain was suddenly on fire, and then my heart stopped beating.

I was still aware, and I could think and perceive, although my eyes were orbs of lava. I was shining bright in my Thermal Senses. I was still in the shape of a man because my Granite Bones provided the structure on which the lava was formed. My clothes had burned off. Again. I could sense heat rising and realised there would be billows of steam rising from the well as the water was literally boiling off my lava body.

Keeping a lava body from hardening in the water would eat through my Spiritual Energy fast. The thought from Puia was to let an outer layer harden as a buffer, but that would mean I would not really be able to move, and I had to walk and crawl through the river cave. I tried another approach. My Snakeskin was in the high Journeyman levels, so I layered that over the lava. Snakeskin was not a good insulator. In fact, it was weak to temperature changes. This had improved as it levelled, and using it now slowed the water boiling off me but didn’t stop it. The Snakeskin glowed with heat, and I could tell it was putting pressure on the skill. I tried to empower the skill with my Physical Attributes, and it worked a small amount. Then, it was like it went over a bump, and it was easier. Then, there was a bigger bump, and it worked a lot more effectively. The water was no longer boiling off the snakeskin, and it was no longer glowing.

With things settling down, I checked my status. Snakeskin had levelled twice and was now Master Level. I had a new Skill called Lava Body. I am sure it was due to Puia’s influence and guidance that the Skill was already Apprentice level. I could sense the energy usage for it was reducing as it levelled, but the water was still making it higher than it would be. This meant I needed to move as my energy levels were still low.

I let go of the wall of the well and let myself sink. I sunk two body lengths before I landed on the stone bottom. Moving in this laval body would take some getting used to as my muscles weren’t actually muscles any more. I took Spiritual Energy to use them rather than the Physical energy it normally would. While I was low on energy, Puia had plenty. Tāoke had a moderate amount, and we all shared through our bond. As I was crawling along the riverbed, it occurred to me that this might have been similar to how the blood bond worked for Krov’ and his Blood Bitches. Maybe, maybe not. Then I realised Tāoke had also learned Lava Body, and when all three of us had the same lava form, the Spiritual Energy flowed more easily.

It did take me a while to crawl through to the cave. I could have smoothed the way with Granite Manipulation or Stone Shaper, but I didn’t want to waste the energy. I eventually crawled up out of the river onto a stone shelf and released the Lava Body Skill. I took my first breath in over twenty minutes. The air was stale, but I was fortunate there was breathable air. I decided I was safe enough for a while, and I would rest there. I dragged my water-logged pack up, which had my bow tied to it and found my last pair of trousers. I smoother the stone shelf a bit while I ate some soggy beef jerky, and then I lay down and slept.

I couldn’t tell how long I slept. The cave was pitch black, and I had no other way to judge the time. I reached out to the slave bond with Umreti, but he had also stopped moving. I pondered the difference between the slave bond and my bonds with Tāoke and Puia. Mutual two-way bonds were superior in every way. I could reach out to Umreti and have a sense of his well-being, but there was no communication, no energy flow, no sense sharing and no skill sharing. The slave bond was one way where the master imposed their will on the slave. I rechecked my status, and I had the Slave Master Bond Skill in the Novice levels. I got the impression that as it levelled, I would be stronger at enforcing my will as well as being able to work with more slaves. Enforcing my will was a function of Mental Strength, and the number of slaves was a function of Mental Agility. That made sense, as my other bonds were also based on Mental Attributes. I really didn’t like having that in my Status. It felt unclean, but it would always be there now.

I checked myself out physically. My leg was fully healed, and my energy reserves were full. I was very lucky to survive that ordeal. The only reason they kept me alive was to enslave me. Otherwise, I would not be breathing. It didn’t even take someone with an affinity to defeat me, just a smart commander and coordination. They had seen my abilities and thought how to counter them. I must be more careful about displaying my abilities and ensuring those who see them cannot report back. Usually, that would mean they are permanently no longer breathing.

I investigated my Lava Body Skills. I would need to test things, but I suspected that the wounds I might have when I turned to lava would still be there when I turned back. It would stop the bleeding, though. Could I change shape like Puia? My Lava Body was formed around my Granite Bones, which were me shaped and turning back would require me to be in that shape. I removed my trousers and tested them. The lava was in the shape of muscles and organs. I could tell the shape of my heart even if it didn’t beat. Being able to pour myself through narrow gaps sounded very useful but not workable yet. Maybe as the Skill leveled, it would become more flexible.

The Skill was based on the Spiritual Attributes, which was predictable. Spiritual Strength governed how long I could stay in that form, but it was also affected by the environment I was in. Spiritual Agility governed the changes I could make to the form, but my Granite Bones limited this. My Granite Bones was very nearly at the Master Level, so that might open opportunities.

While I was physically fine, I was very hungry. My pack had mostly dried out, but the jerky, nuts and dates I had were edible, but not as they were. I also didn’t have much. I expended my senses to see what lived down here. There were some moss and fungi and some small insects that ate them. Then I sensed something swimming in the river. It wasn’t a fish, more like an eel. I made a slim spear from the rock and tracked it as it swam upstream. I struck true and lifted it from the river. It was smallish, but I skinned it and cooked it over heated rocks. It could do with some salt and herbs, but it filled a spot. I had more spots that needed filling, but I did need to start moving.

I repacked my pack, knowing it would get soaked again. After a moment of consideration, I packed my pants, and I would travel naked in case I needed to use my Lava Body. Tāoke rejoined me. He had found some food somewhere. I was not going to ask where. Downstream was the direction, and I lowered myself into the river, keeping a grip on the edge, and we set out.

Wiremu Hunter Level Physical Mental Spiritual Totals Free Strength Agility Perception Strength Agility Perception Strength Agility Perception Base Attributes 9 12 11 9 12 11 10 8 10 92 Earned Attributes 11 5 2 12 3 1 3 2 5 44 Hunter B 12 2 14 24 5 2 2 6 5 60 0 Monster Hunter S 5 5 5 5 5 5 25 0 Scout S 6 6 3 6 1 6 8 30 0 Assassin S 4 1 4 5 5 1 16 0 Bond Master S 3 2 3 3 3 1 12 0 Stone Shaper B 10 20 10 10 40 0 Prospecting S 5 5 1 2 3 3 6 20 0 Spy B 11 1 4 3 11 15 10 11 55 0 Forger S 3 3 3 3 3 12 0 Warrior B 7 14 8 11 2 35 0 Metal Shaper B 5 5 2 5 3 5 20 0 Totals 70 44 51 58 49 44 60 43 42 461 Constitution 165 151 145

Resistances: Poison +25, Crushing +22, Cold +29, Pain +35, Heat +34, Fire +13, Disease 1, Acid 1, Mental 2

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Skills:

Novice:

General

Lock Pick 4, Disarm Spiritual Trap3, Copier 4

Spiritual Trapping 4, Stone Shaping 4, Slave Master Bond 3

Fighting

Heavy Armour 4.

Senses

Lore

Metal Alloy Lore 4, Gem Lore 3, Spiritual Metals Lore 3

Apprentice:

General

Sewing 9, Cooking 8, Animal Care 8, Sprint 5,

Butchering 7, Weapon Repair 7, Repair Leather Armour 8

Dwarvish 9, Slight of Hand 5, Granite Mind Armour 5,

Elemental Bond 7, Hunters Mark 7,

Disarm Traps 5, Detect Traps 5, Detect Spiritual Trap 6

Metal Shaping 5, Bond Care 8, Interrogate Status 6, Lava body 5

Fighting

Granite Quake 8, Granite Wall 7, Petrification 7,

Triple Shot 8, Marksman 6, Granite Sand 9

Sudden Strike 8, Lava Dart 6, Granite Armour 8

Venom Vapour 7,

Senses

Thermal Sensing 7, Telescopic Sight 7

Lore

Plant Lore 9, Mineral Lore 8, Monster Lore 9,

Sapient Lore 8, Elemental Lore 7, Metal Lore 8,

Journeyman:

General

Mapping 14, Tutor 13, Identify 14, Map Making 10

Manipulate Status 12, Analyse Bonds 10,

Trapping 14, Tracking 11, Skinning 11,

Hide Armourer 12, Riding 11,

Veneer 12, Roleplay 11, Thermal Manipulation (Mineral) 10

Molten Rock 10

Orcish 13, Camouflage 12, Fishing 10

Fighting

Hammer 14, Granite Spike 14, Granite Bones 14,

Granite Shield 13, Granite Manipulation 13

Bow 12, Small Blades 14, Unarmed Combat 12, Throw Weapons 12, Spear 13,

Quick Strike 12, Power Strike 12, Imbue Venom 12, Venom Arrow 10

Senses

Darksight 14, Sense Treasure 10,

Bond Senses 12, Truth Sensing 10, Sense Spiritual 12

Lore

Animal Lore 12

Master:

General

Stealth 17, Animal Bond 17, Far Sight 16, Hearing Aid 16, Deceive 15, Regeneration 15, Snakeskin 15

Senses

Granite Sense 15

Affinity: Granite, Lava

Monster Kills: 9

Bond: Tāoke, Venom Serpent.

Resistances: Crushing +22, Cold +30, Heat +34, Fire +13, Pain +22, Acid 1

Skills:

Novice: Granite Sand 4, Venom Vapour 4, Granite Quake 4

Apprentice: Granite Shield 7, Granite Sense 7, Granite Manipulation 9, Molten Rock 6, Sudden Strike 8, Hunters Mark 6, Lava Spit 5, Thermal Manipulation (Mineral) 5, Thermal Senses 5, Lava Body 5

Journeyman: Strength Boost 12, Power Strike 12, Venom Spit 11,

Regeneration 14, Granite Bone 14, Granite Spike 10, Grow 12

Master: Venom Bite 16, Quick Strike 17, Camouflage 15

Affinity: Granite, Lava

Bond: Puia, Lava Elemental

Resistances: Cold +30,

Skills:

Novice: Granite Spike 3, Regeneration 1

Apprentice: Thermal Manipulation (Mineral) 9, Thermal Senses 5, Granite Manipulation 5,

Journeyman:

Master: Molten Rock 11

Affinity: Lava, Granite