BabaVader
patreon
Chapter 287 Gregarious Animals
🕑 Added 2022-11-02 17:42:54 +0000 UTCAuthor's note:
Hey all!
It's earlier today than usual. That's not because I wrote this chapter on Monday. In fact, I experienced real writer's block for the first time when I tried. I sat in front of a blank page for at least an hour and spent a lot more time thinking about where to take this one. I figured it out when I went to sleep on Monday evening.
Most of this was written yesterday, but I still had to finish it up today. I think it's worth it, though. I figured out a general idea of how to proceed with the next big part of travel and combat through the forest without ruining the pacing. The solution: Catori chapters! Or Fio using one of their other bodies. We'll see how things play out.
For now, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Cheers!
Edit:
Sorry for the missed chapter on Wednesday. If you're on Discord, you might have seen my message. I was just not feeling well. I'm blaming my medication, or rather, getting off my medication. It was kinda expected my body would need to figure out how to deal with that but I didn't expect to feel so down.
-----
There was a cloud of dust covering the plains. Hooves hammered the grass and dirt, throwing up pieces all around her. War cries and thundering drums drove them forward. Okay, that last one was a lie. But the movement felt great. Just running. Real, non-stop, running. The four legs had taken some time to get used to but by now, Catori was simply enjoying the moment.
The herd of wild horses was not running away from anything. Or galloping, she supposed. They were not even going at full speed. They were simply travelling the plains in search of the juiciest grass.
She had expected to take breaks much more commonly but something about the herd was… different. Catori wondered if one of the horses here was some kind of ‘alpha’ with vis enrichment. Or maybe even sapient. It definitely felt like there was some kind of Skill influencing her. But she did not care all that much. It was fun.
Yes, flying with Fio’s body was still better but not by much. Her other self was just so fast with those edgy wings, it was difficult to enjoy the scenery. And the starling had been so weak, she constantly had to hide. Now, there was a large group all around her and they were the biggest animals around, most likely.
Granted, they still took breaks. Mostly they ran from river to river to sate their thirst, occasionally stopping to nibble on some greens. There had been a road at one point which they followed for a few hundred metres to cross a bridge. That was the main reason Catori believed there to be a sapient leading the herd. She definitely was not the cause. She always stayed near the centre of the horses. One smaller animal was keeping close to her. Maybe that was this body’s foal? There was some instinct making her want to protect the little one. Though he was not too much smaller, anymore.
The best part about being a horse, though, was the leg strength. She could not just run without end, she could also jump. While they had crossed one particularly wide river using a bridge, there were many smaller bodies of water they simply jumped over. The first time, she had not even noticed it and almost missed the timing but it was easy to follow the lead of the others. The second time, she was more alert. Getting a much better grip, she soared across the water.
No human would have ever managed to clear that much distance. At least in the old world. Then again, humans were masters at taming animals. They could easily ride on her back and ‘make’ the jump that way. And only having limbs to stand and walk was… a little annoying at times. The tail was the most dextrous part of her body. Okay, maybe it was the mouth. But picking things up with the mouth was… disgusting. She would have to bite carefully or somehow hold it with her lips. Saliva would get all over it… No. Just no.
Her mind returned to the herd as she noticed the first horses taking a slight left. The herd followed quickly, smoothly turning together. Obviously, they were not running flank on flank. There was at least a metre between most horses. That gave more than enough room for everyone to catch on and follow the lead.
Soon after the turn, the herd started to slow down. She could make out the splashing of water in the distance but more importantly… there was grass. Soft, high, and juicy grass. It almost scratched her belly as she walked through, nibbling only the best stalks. There were a few scuffles as two horses found the same juicy green and wanted to have it for themselves but they quickly settled. There was way too much food here, after all.
Suddenly, Catori’s head perked up. They should have identified this body beforehand to see if it levelled up while she was using it!
She looked around sheepishly. The other horses had stopped eating and were watching her carefully. They were likely thinking she had heard something dangerous. Just to keep up appearances, I swivelled my ears and turned my head for a bit before turning back to the grass. The others relaxed moments later and the chewing resumed.
The day had been going like that for several hours, now. The herd ran and when they found a spot with juicy grass, they ate. When everyone was sated, they returned to running. It was an hour or two after noon, judging by the sun, when Fio contacted her.
“Hey, Catori, want to talk to Mira?”
The horse perked up. She made sure not to move too suddenly, as to not scare the others.
“Hmm?”, she asked.
“We’re having tea right now. I haven’t told her about you but if you want…”
Catori blinked. Her tail swished. The herd was sated and they would soon move again.
“Wait, no!”
“Sorry?”, Fio was confused.
“That’s not about you. Fuck. What is this?”
Catori shook her head. The leading horses started running. Her body was already moving to follow. Their steps were not in perfect sync but their speed was. And their direction was as well.
“What’s going on?”, Fio asked.
“I think… I’m being influenced mentally.”
“What?”
“By the herd. My body is just moving. I kinda forgot…”, she tapered off.
“That sounds scary.”
“It is. But it might be just what we need.”
“What do you mean?”
Catori sent the mental equivalent of pushing up her glasses. Light reflected on them and her mouth was pulled into a smirk.
“Do you remember how magical the herd was?”, she asked.
“Basically… not the slightest bit?”
“Exactly! If being in this body can influence me that much, even though I want to be a human, there has to be a Skill in play.”
“That… makes sense. We can’t fully confirm it but…”
“It looks like I can control the body all the way down to the Skills.”
The conversation stalled as they both considered the meaning of that.
Catori quickly found herself lost in the herd once again. This time, she noticed quickly. She bounced back and forth, trying to get a better feel for the Skill. Then, something shifted.
~ding~ Congratulations! You have mastered a Skill belonging to a different body. You can now call up more information on it using [Identify]! Your current body gains +1 Wis.
“The fuck?”, Catori thought.
“You can say that again…”, Fio sent.
“Wait, you saw that, too?”
“Yes, I did. I’m trying to [Identify] but I can’t seem to do it. Maybe you need to be in that body?”
“Let me see…”
The herd turned to run along a river. A few hundred metres later, there was a flat bank and they took a break to drink. Catori greedily guzzled down the water, filling her body. Then she remembered what she was trying to do.
She activated the Skill the same way Fio would for looking at her personal Status.
Nothing happened.
“Fio, I can’t use it. Maybe you need to use [Identify] with your body on the one I’m using right now.”
“Try thinking ‘Status’ at the system?”
Catori mentally slapped her face. ‘Status!’, she thought.
And it worked.
Species: Prairie Horse (mature)
Age: 9
Name: -
Gender: female
Status: healthy
Level: 46
Class: -
Strength: §/
Constitution: )$
Dexterity: =?
Perception: !”
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 5
AP: %
Skills: [Herd Unity lvl 7], [UNKNOWN SKILLS §%&/$]
“I got something. Can you see this?”
“Nope”, Fio answered.
Catori sent a mental image of her current body’s Status to her other self.
“It’s… a little confusing. Looks like I can’t see everything. But hey… at least I know I can figure out more things about a controlled body.”
“It’s weird, yeah. Maybe you need to figure out more Skills to see the rest of the Attributes?”
“That seems likely. Let me check what [Herd Unity] does.”
Catori identified the Skill to pull up its description.
[Herd Unity]: Wild horses rely on social structures to protect themselves and their young. This works best if everyone is on the same page. Share your mental state with the rest of your herd. The path you take, how fast you go, and if there is danger. All will know.
1st Breakthrough: You have gone above and beyond. Share your stamina with those who need it. Take stamina from your herd, if you need it.
That explained why she had gotten lost in the herd. They were sharing a mental state. The Skill was a little scary for sapient beings but it seemed to be a racial Skill for horses. It was quite unlikely for them to be sapient. Well… in the human plains, at least. And as she had just found out, it was possible to control the Skill.
“Did you get that one?”, Catori asked. She sent the image along immediately.
“Nope. Thanks. That seems like an interesting Skill. Imagine we could use it in any body, now.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works. I haven’t even been able to activate our Skills in any other body than yours.”
“That’s… Okay. Makes sense. Still, it’s weird Skills are bound to the body and not the soul.”
“How is that weird?”
“Well, it would mean we lose our Skills when we’re in the Empty, right? So how do we use [Telepathy] to communicate, if that’s a thing?”
“Maybe we don’t. Use [Telepathy], I mean. Maybe we just use telepathy. The not-Skill version.”
Fio went silent for a moment.
“Just like thaumaturgy…”, she sent.
“Yup.”
“So… Skills does that mean Skills are useless?”
“Definitely not. Do you think we could have figured out how to do [Eldritch Shift] in like half a year after being born? All on our own?”
“Right. But they’re not… necessary. The system just makes things easier.”
“That’s what I think.”
The herd had sated its thirst and they were starting to move again. Catori took a moment to calibrate [Herd Unity] to work at a partial level, synchronizing her movements with the other horses but keeping her mind free.
“I kinda like this Skill”, she sent.
“You do?”
“It lets me perfectly blend in. Almost like a better [Mingling] just for horses only.”
“Huh. So, I take it you don’t want to talk to Mira?”
Catori sighed.
“To be honest? No. I don’t want to. Yet. I kind of want to settle on a body to use for myself and have it evolve into a humanoid.”
“Okay. What about a centaur?”
Catori spluttered.
“Peck off, owl!”
“Wha…?”
Their thoughts froze for a moment before laughter broke out. The enjoyment resonated between the two parts of one soul as they enjoyed each other’s company. In the meantime, an owl was drinking tea with a [Witch] and a horse was running with her herd.
Comments
Fabio Murtas
Thanks for the chapter!
