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Syl: Chapter 200
🕑 Added 2024-11-13 06:15:00 +0000 UTCChapter 200: Explaining and Introducing
"All done?" Jasgra asked politely.
"I think so; thank you for letting us use this room for so long," I replied.
"Not an issue," Jasgra said with a dismissive wave and a chuckle. "Now, what class did you pick out for little Vee?"
She took a glance and must have used [Identify]. She must not have expected what she saw because the startlement on her face was on full display, but it almost immediately veered into what looked like amazement.
"M-mage? Vee qualified for a caster class? That's astounding!" Jasgra whispered but practically broke out into an excited shout at the end.
"Yes, I hope to teach Vee some magic," I answered honestly.
"Ahh, why wasn't I born an elf?" Jasgra sighed, shaking her head. "I heard how close you can be with your companions. To have a bond at this level already, I just can't help but be jealous!"
"Just to confirm, spellcaster classes aren't unheard of for a companion, right?" I questioned.
Jasgra shook her head. "Unheard of? No. Rare as hell? Absolutely!"
"Great. I didn't want to step on any toes in the guild," I replied.
"Not at all. I assume you changed her experience distribution to focus on her new class to speed up the teaching?" Jasgra asked, then slapped a hand to her mouth. "Ah... Sorry, that was rude of me. My curiosity got the better of me."
"No, it's fine," I waved off her apology. "I didn't change any distribution as I thought it required a different crystal."
Jasgra looked at me in disbelief. "You're gold-rank, right?"
I pulled out my guild tag and pointed to it.
Jasgra nodded. "Good, then my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Your gold-rank tag has that feature. Just hold the tag in your hands and think about distribution ratios. You should get a visual representation to interact with mentally."
I nodded and pulled out the tag. Sure enough, something appeared in front of me. It resembled a floating rectangle with the number 50 on both sides. Above the floating 50 number on the left was a stick figure of a person, and on the right was a symbol of a sword and staff crossing each other. In the center of the rectangle was a protruding circle that looked like it could be twisted one way or the other.
Mentally I reached out to the knob and tried to twist it towards the sword and staff. It wouldn't budge. I thought perhaps I was doing something wrong, so I tried turning it the other way. This time, it twisted, and I watched the number on the left grow while the number on the right shrunk.
Looks like Gramps still won't let me change it away from my race. I grumbled and changed it back to equal distribution.
I noticed that there was a similar rectangle floating above Vee's head.
"I can change your experience distribution between race and class. Do you want it changed at all? It's currently set to equal," I mentally asked Vee.
"Hmm... My next evolution is far away. Perhaps I should change it to class to catch up to you?" Vee asked.
Before answering her, I checked that I could change the distribution to favor her class. Surprisingly, there was no issue with adjusting it, and I could go all the way to a 90-10 split. I tried the opposite, and to my surprise, I could not lower Vee's class below 50.
Looks like Mother really wants Vee to learn magic.
I relayed the info to Vee.
"Sure, set it to 90-10. It might as well be for now if it's that easy to change later," Vee replied.
I did so and nodded, turning back to Jasgra. "Thank you for the assistance. I had no idea.'
"Ha!" Jasgra slapped her knee with a grin. "I bet they told you about the Interface feature and forgot to tell you anything else. I hate that blasted thing, bars and crap floating everywhere."
"Sounds about right..." I grumbled. The interface was the first and only thing Lisa told me about my new rank.
"I'll just mention it, but the norm is to set the distribution towards their class for [Bonded Companions]," Jasgra began explaining. "Especially if they are still rather feral, as it gives one time to develop the bond and stave off any evolution-craziness. Not that it looks like that applies to Vee..."
"Vee and I decided to focus on her class, but thanks for the information."
"A pleasure to help. Thanks for putting up with my nosey curiosity!"
Vee and I waved goodbye and left the guild.
"You seriously need to explain this evolution thing? What's the deal?" Vee asked with concern.
"Okay, it's not actually that big of a deal for us," I said right out of the gate. "Normally, the further a monster evolves, the more power-hungry and crazy it becomes. I had it described to me as they fester an endless desire to grow and evolve further by any means necessary. "
"Holy crap..." Vee replied. "So, are we going to become mindless beasts?"
"No, as I said, it doesn't affect us," I immediately dismissed that concern. "I asked Gramps about it when I first found out about it, and he said they disabled that function for us and all the other [Experiments]. But yeah... It's a little concerning to hear about; apparently, it can even happen to the monstrous humanoid races like goblins and orcs."
"That's quite the bombshell you dropped on me!" Vee said excitedly, her enthusiasm bubbling through our telepathic conversation. "So okay... We're safe... Huh... I guess that explains why you were willing to give me a chance? Cause other than us [Experiments], any other monster will eventually go mad?"
I sighed. "Yeah... I had some goblins I got along with, but the idea of them eventually losing their mind and trying to kill everything makes me hope I never run into them again, as sad as that sounds. And... I'm not exactly comfortable about revealing the truth to anyone else. Not yet anyway..."
"Considering how I was attacked on sight, I don't blame you," Vee agreed. "Like... Why even bother? Everyone thinks you're an elf; you seem to have a good thing going on here. Not to mention, it's a hell of a combat tactic; I mean, you expect to kill an elf, and then bam! Slime monster! Certainly had me fooled."
"It's funny; my other friend who knows the truth said I should abandon all this and not even bother with the humans, elves, or dwarves," I explained.
"Well? What do you want?" Vee asked.
"I'm... Not sure. I'd certainly prefer if I could be a slime. I mean, I'd probably still use this form or something based on it to converse with people, but not being held back would be great. I certainly don't want to abandon the friends I've made here, but I also don't think I could just come out and say, 'Hey, I'm actually a slime.'"
"I see... Well, hopefully, things work out eventually!" Vee said optimistically.
I certainly hope so...
Vee was still complaining about food, so I reached into my storage to pull her out a snack. What came out instead was my hat.
"I'm not really a fan of eating hats..." Vee replied deadpan.
"I completely forgot about my hat..." I confessed and began trying to think about what had happened. "I think I left it on my decoy when we were having our staring contest."
"Then why is it in your storage?" Vee questioned.
"Well... It's a magic hat," I pointed out the obvious.
"Okay..." Vee muttered.
"It's attached itself to me. I can't get rid of it, and it appears back in my storage or on my head unexpectedly," I explained as I put it back on my head.
"I did think something was missing from your appearance," Vee admitted. "It's a very fitting hat."
"So not even you are immune to its charms," I sighed.
"Charms? What?" Vee asked worriedly.
"No idea... But it seems to make people think that I've always had the hat,"
"That's a teensy bit creepy... I hope it's giving you some amazing effect in return?" Vee asked.
"That's probably the most frustrating part; I have no idea."
"So... The magically appearing and slightly creepy hat is not beneficial. Why exactly are you wearing it?"
"Obviously for the good looks," I teased.
"I guess that's reasonable... I'll admit it looks good on you," Vee retorted.
I couldn't help but laugh at that.
***
Vee's little guild crystal must have been doing something, as most dwarves barely gave her a second glance. It was certainly a relief that she would be accepted as my companion. Soon, we found ourselves outside Thern's family home, I checked the time, and thankfully, it looked like we weren't too late.
"Well, this is our home while staying here. Assuming they don't kick me out for bringing a monster home," I joked.
"I'd say it looks nice, but I don't think I'm a fan of the entirely square aesthetic. Still a lot better than living in an abandoned mine, I'll admit," Vee responded.
I knocked on the door and heard Darmod respond shortly after. "Coming!"
He opened the door and smiled when he saw me. "Syl! It's good to see you. I trust your mission for ol' Flintheart was a roaring success?" he asked cheerfully.
"Even better than a roaring success, I'd say," I said, gesturing to Vee sitting on my shoulder.
Darmod noticed the addition and flinched a little. "Did you tame the monster living in the mineshaft?" he questioned.
"Yeah, her name's Vee, she's pretty great," I said.
"I see..." Darmod muttered, stroking his beard. "Well... Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Welcome, Vee! Thern is going to lose his mind."
Darmod began walking inside with boisterous laughter.
"Why am I going to lose my mind?" Thern shouted from deeper into the house, clearly overhearing us.
"Our friend Syl here has a surprise for you!" Darmod shouted back.
"Did she bring back some more obsidianite or some other mythical artifact or something?" Thern questioned, sounding almost tired.
"Or something..." Darmod laughed.
We entered the dining room, where Thern sat alone. It looked like his mom was likely out doing some late-night forging again.
"Now, what did you do this time?" Thern asked before he noticed Vee.
It was a good thing he wasn't drinking, or he might have spat it out, to his shock and surprise.
"Bloody beards! You went and tamed the monster?" Thern shouted in question.
"Her name's Vee, approved by the guild and everything," I stated.
Vee waved one of her little front legs.
"Nice to meet you!" She said mentally, although I was the only recipient.
"Vee says hello," I relayed.
"I can bloody see that! Gods, how intelligent of a critter is she?" Thern asked.
"Very, one of the smartest I've come across," I answered. Other than Odark, it was true that I hadn't exactly met intelligence amongst them, although being an [Experiment] was possibly cheating.
Does Simon count? I wondered.
Thern sighed. "I see... I'm surprised you managed to get her to agree to the bond then, or you must have bribed the hell out of her! Then again, I don't know how you elves do all your taming; I've only read and heard that it's legendary."
"Well, I am giving her magic lessons," I admitted.
"Gods, a magic-wielding spider!" Darmod and Thern shouted.
"I didn't even know monsters could be taught magic unless they were a monstrous humanoid," Darmod said.
"The worst part is I completely believe Syl will be able to do it," Thern grumbled. "No matter what insane thing comes out of her mouth, she seems to do it with her full effort."
"So I take it Vee gets your approval?" I asked.
"If you're vouching for her, then sure! Although, I'm still going to be adding some warding around my room and bed!" Thern joked, although maybe with a hint of truth.
"Great, I promised Vee here some great dwarven cuisine, and she's been drooling ever since."
"I hope that's our food and not literally dwarves," Darmod teased.
"No way! I can't go back to non-cooked food anymore!" Vee protested mentally and shook her front legs frantically.
"Vee definitely wants real food. Not something that's all beard."
Both dwarves howled with laughter, and soon, Darmod began cooking up a storm.
"So, you mentioned something spicy to report?" Darmod asked.
I nodded and began explaining the whole mine plot, the bribes, the attack on me, and how they planted Vee. It was quite a long retelling, but thankfully, we had plenty of food to keep us all occupied.
Vee spent the time graciously devouring anything put in front of her while letting out mental squeals of pure joy.
Two dwarves, a spider, and a slime. What a strange gathering. I chuckled to myself.
Comments
Lunadea
Woops! Thanks for catching that!
STLCharles
Tyftc!
Alberto Sanchez
Of course! He's always had a hat?
Jeanean
Two dwarves, a spider, and a slime walk into a bar...
Roombot
The question is, does Sylvester wear the hat too?
Aclys
More like adorable. As long as it already has food to nom on.
Aclys
I mean, you have a point... I could see the orcs getting skipped over a bit to talk about the experiment dude who was more of a troll. But I do not see her skipping over the goblin adventures if she's giving at all a comprehensive recounting of her escapades. I guess it's like what Kasper said, she's not hearing about them for the first time in this chapter, just still having a hard time believing that they exist in this fantasy land.
NotableRonin
TFTC!
Daniel Mountain
"Nice web, Mr. Crack Spider."
TBONEMAN
fun fact caffeine makes spiders drunk. you can probably use that in a scene.
Jason Hardman
TYFTC! Congrats on reaching an arbitrary number that just so happens to be aesthetic in our base 10 counting system. π Minor typo: I trust your mission for ol Flintheart was a roaring success, " -> apostrophe for "ol' Flintheart" and there's an extraneous space before the quote mark.
Kasper Lynderup Jensen
I would guess that the bombshell she mentioned was just evolution madness, and the mention about orcs and goblins was something like "I am still surprised that they are real." Or at least that is a generous interpretation.
Jason Hardman
I feel this is relevant, although not sure the link will work: https://youtube.com/shorts/04fzJZIGyNs?si=Q7abIN7mAWZnXkKz Alternatively, search YouTube for "piratesoftware dwarf"
Jason Hardman
But it *does* look good on her. π§π©
dtape467
congratulations on 200 chapters
JAndy
Alternatively, it's something they wanted to be too late for (maybe dinner, in case they were afraid they'd accidentially ruin someone's appetite?), but in that case it would be nice to know what they wanted to be too late for and "late enough to avoid X" would be more fitting.
Engineer4God
Tank oo fur da chap!
TheLapisFox
At this point, I don't think Syl is even using Acting anymore. Also, the hat is affecting Syl too by making her think it looks good on her.
CataFlan
TFTC! Congratulations on 200! π Keep up with the good job π Loved the chapter, Thern and Darmod are good friends!
Ronny Cook
It's like spaghetti, but getting it al dente is a major pain.
Daniel Mountain
Well, not sure what to do with the beard myself, but it is about 90% of a dwarf's volume, so you have to come up with something when cooking one.
max grok
I feel like there is a logical inconsistency here in the chapter. Did they not talk for literal hours about what Syl did during the second-last chapter? And neither orcs nor goblins came up? I believe she specifically mentioned Odark, and not even off-screen!
NJ Reed
Woo made it to 200. Congrats. Can't wait for the next adventures.
Freya
Tyftc
Dominic French
A squealing spider sounds horrifying lol
RainbowCatTopHat
And the bartender says "My goodness, an elf!"
JAndy
> I checked the time, and thankfully, it looked like we were too late. I'm not sure if you meant to write "weren't" or "didn't look" or if you forgot to mention the event that being too late for is desirable?
Really_Big
TFTC! Love Vee and Syl. "thankfully, it looked like we were too late." I think you meant weren't too late.
Rizeres
Two dwarves, a spider, and a slime walk into a bar....
Nathan Sto
see, now vee thinks she's already had the hat too. Soon it will fool all her newest acquaintances.
crazybot
I love the introduction.
SSS
Thanks for the chapter.
Dust Russell
Thank you for the chapter!!!! It was an extremely satisfying read!!!
Wensber
Thanks for the chapter!
Abishek Kumar
200 chapter another milestone
GraveLurker
Tftc! And gratz on 200!
Hector Gregorio
200!!!
matt
nice
Shai182
TFTC! There is nothing like introducing a new friend to the old!
Elainaa
200!! Tftc! Congratulations !
