An Age of Mysterious Memories

B 3 C 10: Reggie DDM Shellcracker

Oh flippin’ ‘eck I fainted from embarrassment, that in itself is incredibly embarrassing. Lil? Are you riding my thoughts buddy? How long was I out? Oh, wow, we’re all really entangled right now. When did we get down on the floor? Where did all these pillows come from? Is this Blossom’s arm? I think this is Six Wind’s thigh that I’m laying on, he’s got a pretty muscular thigh. When did this happen? Oh, I’m staring Fawn in the eyes. Oh heavens, those vertical oblong pupils suspended in a green and hazel galaxy seem like tears in space that lead to entire other dimensions. She’s blinking so slowly, I can’t help but mirror the exact same speed of blink.

My throat and lips are so dry, I can’t help but lick my lips to try to wet them. Oh, oh that was probably something I should have waited to do until after I stopped staring a stunningly charismatic cougar lady in the eyes. I gulp and she extends her tongue to drag it up my cheek and forehead. Ow wow, that is rough. That is a heck of a rough tongue. I’m being groomed lovingly by a cat that’s two or three times my size.

I whisper, “Fawn? Um, when did we end up on the floor?”

Her reply is humorous, and can’t be real, “Spring attempted to ask if you’d like to trade cuddle partners for a bit, but you wrapped one arm around each of us. Since Six and Spring generally share everything, there simply wasn’t enough room for the five of us on the cot. Six brought in pillows and we moved you to the floor. Is your neck feeling any better dear?”

I carefully raise my right hand to my neck to check it out, the FFS patch is holding, and I can tell the flesh is knitting. I can only barely reach it with my fingertips for some reason. Oh, this is a lot of limbs that aren’t mine. Still, the arterial patch might even be no longer necessary, but it’s best to leave it in I suppose. Sometime after the full wound is closed, I’ll claim it to get it out of there. It would feel odd to have this foreign object in there forever. Lil snoring a snot bubble that they burst with a tiny poof of flame snaps me out of my reverie.

Fawn startles a bit at Lil’s flaming snores, but she places her hand near Lil’s mouth, and realizes there’s no heat. She raises an eyebrow at me, awaiting an answer.

I recall her question, “Oh, oh yes, definitely making progress. Thank you, um, for the um, comfortable resting experience. Gosh you’re so pretty, oh, wait, I’m still talking out loud, crap, I mean, uh. Normally I talk in my head, all the time. Hi, I’m Reggie Shellcracker.” I try to facepalm but I can’t reach with Blossom’s arm around my bicep, I could barely reach my neck with my fingertips.

Fawn titters, but then can’t suppress a laugh that becomes a snort. She replies, “I don’t think I’ve ever made a guest quite as nervous as you appear. Don’t worry, as rude as Linti’s statement was, she wasn’t lying. We’re simply affectionate, and me more than most. It’s actually why I am the matron. I have endless love to share.”

I exclaim in a rambling whisper, “That makes so much sense! Ah you’re lovely and a fantastic cuddler and just feel so wonderful. Oh wow, I feel so much better, I have no idea what was going through my head, thank you for explaining. I have some weird glitches about me, like the inability to speak or hear without being in a party, and some memories that are, um, more like human memories, but not even the humans of our world, like humans from some weird fake world. But yeah, anyway, oh your fur is luxurious, an amazing combination of bristly and silky, and your ability to snuggle in any position is a testament to your flexibility.”

My heart still palpitates a bit, fluttering as I ramble about Fawn to her own face. I try to keep myself from commenting on the interest I have in the way her features that, uh, anyway, no need to think about it either. Really wish I could delete these stupid broken memories.

Fawn stares at me with a mischievous grin and one eyebrow raised, seemingly waiting to see if I’m done praising her, or something. I’m not sure. Oh, oh, our chests are pressed tightly together, she can feel how fast my heart is fluttering again. Jeeze, Lil, come on buddy, wake up, we need to get back on the road. I need to apologize to Linti and beg her to lead us towards the chamelefolk settlement.

Oh, wait, no, I need to train my transformation powers and finish becoming scale-ified. I, well, I guess I could do that while in a cuddle pile. I don’t need to complete the transformation, in fact I need to stop in the midst before my physical form actually changes. It might actually be kind of nice to be held while I do it, since it’s pretty exhausting. Wow, my throat is so dry again. I apparate some water from my inventory into my mouth, just to wet its roof, and my throat.

I query to Fawn, “Fawn? I um, I need to make progress on a long-term goal, and it might seem kind of weird. I’ll be glowing a creamy gray, and I’ll stop glowing for several minutes, then I’ll do it again. Each time my tail will get a bit longer, and I’ll grow a few more scales. Are you, um, okay with that? With me trying to become scalekind to negotiate with them? Are you willing to keep snuggling while I do?”

Fawn squints for a moment while staring into my eyes, causing me to gulp. She then raises an eyebrow as if to say she’s curious. I think she actually waggled that eyebrow once, but that might have just been a side effect of raising it.

I tentatively partially commit to a tether around my own heart, initiating a creamy gray transformation. I picture myself being fully covered in scales, with a tail that’s about at least fifty percent as long as my body. As I drop the tether, I can feel a tiny fraction of progress. However, as I said, it’s exhausting, and I pant from the effort. Fawn gazes at me with sudden concern, and begins to groom me again, licking my forehead as she strokes my ribs.

I didn’t think what I did was that concerning, unless she didn’t believe me. Or maybe she’s just worried that I’m tired, and trying to take comforting me from my exhaustion seriously. Actually, her rough tongue is a little less noticeable near my forehead. Did I gain an entire encirclement of scales around the edges of my hairline, brow, and ears? Flexing my jaw, eyebrows, brow, and cheeks feels like there is an area of higher tension around the edges, as of an area of less pliable epidermis. Huh, neat, that’s a few transformations worth of progress. I wonder what kind of reptile form I should be aiming for. Maybe I should be aiming for draconic? Could I maybe gain the dragon subtype, and learn Lil’s breath skill? Could I teach Lil the space skill if I shared their type?

Oh, I’ve been absentmindedly stroking Fawn’s lower ribs in return, uh, yeah, moving my hand back to her back now. Like Linti said, Fawn really likes belly rubs and backrubs I guess. The transformation wore me out more than I thought. Maybe it’s because I made more progress with the self-actualization than I usually do? Regardless, my eyes droop and my face falls forward into Fawn’s chest. Fawn reaches away for an object, and it must be a hairbrush, or comb, as she begins brushing or combing my hair. I’m not quite sure on the difference, I suppose brushes are supposed to be more flexible, softer. I’d never even thought to create a comb or brush for our family. And other than playing with one another’s hair, sifting it, we’ve never officially groomed our hair that way.

I almost don’t want Fawn to do it, because of how much I’m used to my messy hair at this point in my life. It feels sort of nice though, and it seems to be a very cat oriented thing to do. It’s either this or her tongue I suppose, and her tongue is really rough. It’s also, uh, for humans it would imply far more intimacy than what we share. Thankfully neither of the two of us are human. Right now I’m about one eighth dragon, a quarter pixie or something, an eighth some kind of human offshoot, and half whatever my own unique species is. I wonder if changelings exist, or if shapeshifter is a species.

I almost think I should maybe lose my hair for scales entirely, but Lil has hair in their newest Lilagnewt form, and Dehlia had a head of incredibly long luxurious locks. So hair alone won’t spill the beans that I’m not naturally scalekind. It’ll also probably be the only way that Dehlia will recognize me. Alright, I’ve rested long enough to recover enough mana for another attempt, let’s breathe through this. It doesn’t really get easier.

As I perform the series of exercises again to further self-actualize my form, it hurts and exhausts me even more than the previous attempt, and I’m left gasping in Fawn’s chest. My gasping breaths slowly recover to just being panting. And then recovers to normal breathing after a few more moments. I’m surprised at how sound of sleepers Spring Blossom and Six Wind are. Or they’re just that respectful of the privacy of my process that they’re not saying anything.

Oh, ow, that’s a massive pain in my stomach. I’m actually going to have to shut my brain off between attempts for a while. I whisper to Fawn, “I’m, I’m in a lot of pain, don’t worry, it’s not my neck, or your grooming. But it’s intense enough that I’m going to shut my brain off for a while. Please forgive my absentmindedness during it? I won’t be intentionally ignoring you, I just won’t be experiencing the real world at all.”

She nestles her face into my hair so that I can feel her nod. Grateful for her understanding, I retreat into thinkspace, though I slow its acceleration down to as close to one to one time as possible. I while away the time picturing my own mental avatar meditating in lotus position, focusing on the ways I’ve learned to manipulate mana, energy, whatever one calls it.

For a hundred energy, or two hundred or two fifty, I can create various attacks with either umbral space skill manipulation, or thermokinesis that are fairly potent. Each of them somehow ignores certain things like damage thresholds and have capped amounts that resistances can be applied against them. My frost even has that resistance cap on otherwise thermal immune creatures. There’s something like a ten percent margin of error in its immunity piercing, so it’s only anywhere from ineffective to maybe ten percent effective. It might even be only one percent. I’m not certain how to parse the information I gleaned back in the cragbeast mound. I’m not going to start punching Lil with strong ice to find out more. My non-attack related thermal abilities range from cheaply setting everything around me aflame, to actually recovering energy, and gaining density, by drawing the atomic movement of everything in the vicinity of a point. If I’m careful, I can use the chilling effect in a myriad of ways. Pinpoint thermal absorption, full body ice encasement, area immobilization, walls of solid cold air created by compressing and drawing in the atomic movement of surrounding air in massive quantities. The walls actually require a bit of energy since I’m exciting and directing matter atoms from a ways away to a specific point before draining their kinetic energy.

For about five hundred fifty mana, I can provide a tether to an individual in combat. I’ve only ever tried it on myself, Lil, and Teuila. I haven’t really had combat opportunities around anyone else I trust other than Luni, and she doesn’t actually want to participate in the combats, so I don’t want to force that on her. For about eleven hundred mana, I can provide those same tethers out of combat. The reason I haven’t experimented with those is because of how much of a painful energy sink it is to create a tether like that, and the first time someone is tethered can lead to a pretty painful crash, even when in combat. I’m afraid of what eleven hundred energy might do to someone like Lao who has a miniscule energy pool. I’d be scared it could hurt her somehow. So yeah, evolutionary tethers just between a few of my inner circle.

I think I’ve regained enough energy for another attempt. Time to rejoin reality for at least a few seconds. Upon return I say, “Hi Fawn, I’m back for a moment, still in pain, but I have to keep going.”

Fawn strokes my ribs in acknowledgement. I place the tether back over my heart once more and perform the series of exercises yet again. I wonder if the reason my innards hurt so much is because I don’t have the capacity to fully engage a non combat tether. I’m not fully engaging it, so I hope it doesn’t matter too much. This is similar to the pain of energy debt though. I hope I don’t end up screwing up my max mana by doing this. It seems to be climbing though. Ugh, it’s even more excruciating than last time though. I’m feverishly sweating at this point.

My brain checks out from reality for a while, and I don’t even truly rejoin it for the few moments required to tether transform anymore. I just continue to meditate in my mind to regenerate mana. When there’s enough mana, I tell my body to go through the motions, so that I don’t have to experience the pain. I do this dozens, maybe hundreds, maybe thousands of times. For some reason, I imagine drawing tendons and muscle fibers, stretching them to new locations, copying them, and replacing their original locations with regeneration.

My mindscape is beginning to become unstable. I feel like I may have spent a few years in here. But if I did that, then full days would have been passing outside. I tentatively reconnect my mind to reality, and thankfully I don’t feel pain, just hunger. I don’t spy anyone else in the hut, so I toss my taloned feet off of the cot and hop to the floor. My balance is incredibly off of what I’m used to, so my wings flutter to compensate.

Wait, what? Wings? Talons? Lil are you there buddy? Can you come here so I can see what I look like?

Across our mental wavelength Lil exclaims, “Reggie buddy! You’ve been out for days! You didn’t tell me you were going to go full dragon!”

I telepathically respond, “Wait, full dragon? What? Days? I only meant to grow a few scales while cuddling with Fawn. Things started to hurt, so I started to check out. Oh wow, my max mana is back to about fourteen hundred. That’s pretty decent progress.”

Lil replies, “I’ll say, it got to be nonstop, you were glowing, resting a few seconds while freezing the room, glowing again, and repeating constantly. No one could stay in there with you safely except me.”

I pout, feeling crummy that I’ve displaced these lovely cats from one of their own homes. Lil bounds into the hut and takes a gander at me. I use Lil’s senses to follow along.

Wow, where I expect to find keratinized skin in the form of scales I see something that appears more like creamy emerald gemstones than scales. My form is sleek, it looks like I rearranged my organs to allow for an incredibly slender, taut abdomen. That could be what hurt so much. That, or the massive pair of wings and freakishly long serpentine tail. Or the talons, or the reptilian snout. Honestly pretty much any of it probably hurt to reconfigure my body into.

Huh, if I thought my middle name should be danger-magnet due to an earlier joke, then I should probably add draconic in front of that. Reggie Draconic Danger-Magnet Shellcracker.

Oh no, these kind cats are probably going to hate me now, I’ve gone full scalekind in their midst, and I didn’t even get to apologize to Linti first. Oh no.

I tentatively ask Lil, “Lil? Can you help me find Linti? I really want to apologize.”

Lil responds, “No need buddy!”

I furrow my brow, “Lil, I’m going to apologize, she’s an incredibly important person and I accidentally disrespected her. I never meant to offend her or insult her honor or integrity. She might have to live a certain way for the safety of her tribe, but I’d still like her to have any kind of happiness she desires. I hate that the world is so dangerous sometimes. Sure it can carry excitement, or thrill, but it keeps amazing people like Linti from being able to stop and enjoy anything else.”

Lil starts rolling around laughing. That’s unexpected, and a bit rude. I furrow my brow further and squint at Lil as Linti steps in from around the corner of the outside of the hut.

Oh, oh she probably heard all of that. She dropped from our party to rejoin her family, but then she was forced to rejoin the party when her entire family joined.

Lil telepathically responds, “Yup! Already got your apology across now buddy!”

I stand with my jaw hanging slightly slackened. My new taloned feet I find difficult to balance on, and so I try to pretend that I need to stare at them to get the hang of them, so that I don’t have to meet Linti’s gaze. This warrior woman’s stare could cut holes through sheet metal. Oh, oh no, she’s approaching, I’m staring at my feet and, wait is that her fist? Is that her fist sparking with lightning? Oof.

The lightning passes along the edges of my scales, not running into or through my body. The punch contained plenty of force aimed straight for my abdomen, and that knocked the wind out of me, but I’m otherwise unharmed. Lil looks a little stunned at Linti. I think Lil is trying to decide whether or not to attack our erstwhile ally. Well, perhaps still ally, maybe it’s just a misunderstanding, maybe I insulted her again.

I begin to speak, barely, due to having no wind, but Linti interrupts, “Impressive, you’ve done fairly well Shellcracker. I’ve never seen someone essentially change form to another subtype before. It’s exceedingly thorough, I think you’d fool anyone that didn’t already know you. The hair’s a bit of a dead giveaway with those white streaks, but only for someone who knows you. As far as the other thing, water off a duck’s back. Forget about it. Life has different things in store for everyone. I’m fine with my lot in life. If you can actually pull off what you’re trying to do, come back to us. You tell me that it’s safe for my family, and maybe I’ll try to find something else to enjoy. Maybe.”

I rub the back of my head, and it’s an entirely new sensation with a new dermal type, as well as different muscle distribution. The tactility, friction, pliability, suppleness, everything is different. I try to respond, “I, um, yeah. I hope I do. I hope you can. Thank you. For everything.”

Linti adds, “Your Teuila stopped by yesterday, Lil called to her the day before on that stone of yours. Interesting magic, that. She and I sparred. She’s pretty quick, but nowhere near as fast as me of course. Still, I feel like she was taking it easy on me, holding something back. You have some good friends, strong allies. Maybe one day I’ll count myself among them. For now though, would you mind getting on with your quest and leaving my home? I haven’t been able to sleep in my own bed for days. The twins are never going to let me live down sleeping with them that many nights in a row.”

I’m in Linti’s home! Of course! That’s why it’s so sparse. Since it’s her home, of course it just had a cot. Oh bollocks I’m an arse. I blush, or at least I think I’m blushing, but I might not even be warm-blooded anymore. Bowing apologetically I scamper waveringly out of Linti’s house.

My balance is terrible in this form. Oh wow, my reflexes dropped a lot. Hm, I can’t seem to reapply my tattoo due to the nature of these scales. They’re reflective and oleophobic it seems. Or something like that. I wonder if my danger wrap will try to get me to respond in the ways my body is used to, or if it will help by directing me to use my new limbs appropriately.

I really liked the tattoo tendrils. Maybe I should give the tattoo to Teuila next time we see her. Or maybe Luni? Just imagine Luni dashing around a room with her Seven Leagues Song with three outstretched tendrils equipped with swords. Yikes, scary thought. I think we should do it. If nothing else, she’ll be able to slap projectiles out of the air, so we never have another repeat of the Gae Buidhe incident.

I’m so grateful that the Valkyrie equipment magically adjusts to its wearer. It actually looks quite a bit different on this body. On top of having to accommodate new limbs, it also seems to be an entirely different style of armor. The danger wrap is the same though, thankfully. I miss having both of them. Especially since I have to kill Mataalii for the other one.

Sighing, I frown and gaze sadly at the ground. This sucks. I have to kill my brother at some point. Future me and Luni agreed on it, or something. I’m the one that decided to commit to the course of action, so I don’t hold it against either of them, but it’s still horrid. Ah crapsnacks, I didn’t get directions to the chamelefolk settlement.

Calling out to Lil, I ask, “Lil, uh, is Te okay? Everyone okay? Also, did you happen to get directions to the chamelefolk or naga settlement while I was out?”

Lil excitedly calls back, “Yep! To all four questions! We can go whenever you’re ready, partner. I’m so excited that my partner is a dragon too! Maybe I can teach you my breath skill finally. We joked a long time ago that you could use it to help with your breathing, maybe it can!”

I adopt a wry smile, as best I can with a scaled face and maw. This is going to take a lot of getting used to. Maybe we should just go hide in a dugout for a few days so that I can practice using this body, so that I don’t look like I’m completely drunk every time I move.

Lil telepathically sends, “Sounds like a good idea pard, you ‘n’ me in a dugout near the swamp, good old days here we come!”

I chuckle as I wave goodbye to the wonderful cat tribe. Though I’m saying goodbye, they remain a sub party alongside the Shellcracker party under their own matron, Fawns At Sunsets. My scaly cheeks literally steam as I recall the first eve with Fawn. Yeah, let’s get going Lil.