For the Record

After waking up literally every person in my lair, Izahne is apparently dead set on us having a party meeting. What’s the topic, you ask?

(Nobody asked.)

Shut it. Anyway, apparently me being a monster is enough cause for alarm that they all need to talk about it. Because they didn’t already have however many meetings about me being a literal monster. So, I’m probably just going to sit here and watch Philip again – or at least I would, but he wasn’t interested in the party meeting, preferring to stay nestled on Omorth’s bed. I’ll admit I envy him at least a little right now, at least it’s quieter in there.

“-Should still kill it,” I catch Elobahn whispering to Abaris, while the obounis’ face is barely concealing his glee, probably at the prospect of further studying whatever the hells I am.

Huh. Last time this happened, blades were drawn, but my paladin seems content to sigh.

“Anyway, I’m not actually anything different, I thought I had a red identify before, I’m a literal monster and so forth. Nothing actually changed,” I cut in.

Izahne gives me a hard look. “Identify results are race, name, level, always those three in that order. Always. And red indicates that the gods themselves have marked you as a threat to all life!”

“Well. I mean? They’re not entirely wrong, that I’m a threat to life, but it’s not like I’m just draining every living thing I see. We’ve already been over that, and the b-b-uhhh m-master has already made it clear that is not an option. And hey, no fair saying I’m the one with a broken identify, his is just as broken! It was… uhhhh.”

(Eternal overlord of rabbits, demigod of destruction, usurper of the harvest. It looked a lot like yours does now,) Nyx helpfully offers.

I repeat the title verbatim. I may as well, the headmaster seems to be mostly harmless toward students, so maybe that will transfer to me by association?

(Doubt it.)

I sigh. “Anyway my point is, I’m not the only one with a broken status. My race levels and experience are all messed up!”

That gets Abaris’ attention. “Hm? ‘Messed up’ how?”

“It’s just question marks and the word ‘error’, like literally the word error, and then a question mark and a zero somewhere they don’t go. You know what, I don’t even care. Here.”

I pull up my Status and read it to them. All of it.

Ah, my old friend, stunned silence.

“I’m pretty sure you’re going to spend your whole lives staring at me like that if things keep surprising you.”

“I’d say it’s deserved!” my paladin snaps. “Godslayer!? Stigma of the End!? No wonder your identify result is red! And that’s not even mentioning that you don’t just have a Domain, you have four!”

“Uhhh. What’s a Domain?” I ask. My Assistant sighs, because of course she does.

“It’s like magic affinities for gods,” Pearl says. Her eyelids are heavy enough that I was pretty sure she’d just fallen back asleep sitting up, but I guess not.

I give her a smile I’ve been practicing. “You know, I’m going to ask you for explanations in the future. That made sense the first time!”

“I don’t get it. You’re all just talking to it like it’s normal. Like it’s human. Like it’s anything we can trust! It’s mimicking us, that’s what they do!” Elobahn snarls and starts backing away, toward the exit. “I’m out. I’m done. I’m not doing this. Have your monster check for traps! Maybe we’ll all get lucky and it’ll die to one!”

I’m not entirely sure why, but that triggers some kind of emotion in me. And before I realize it, I’ve already activated my Aura, Consume, The Ravages of Time, and Will Surge – not to fatal levels, but definitely enough to apply pressure. I absentmindedly wave my hand and four wraiths spawn between the rogue and the elevator door.

Are you a threat? I rasp through the minds of all nearby. YOU DO NOT THREATEN ME. YOU DO NOT THREATEN HER. SHE IS MINE.

I blink. What just happened? Everyone looks terrified.

I drop all of them.

“Just… go. Leave. I will not impede you,” I say with resignation. “You may collect your belongings if you so desire. If you lack the means to transport them, you may request the aid of another currently present.” I wave my hand again and the four wraiths shoot off through the walls – probably to their deaths, since this is an interstitial.

(You just puffed up like an angry cat,) my Assistant says.

I know. Just… don’t. Not right now. Okay?

…

I guess he’s not getting his things, since he just keeps backing away. He finally reaches the elevator and fumbles for the panel before managing to open it. And just like that, the party is down to five.

I choose to break the silence, since I’m willing to admit this time at least that it’s definitely because of me. “So, ha. That was a thing. I’m pretty sure I can handle traps though. Unless they’re magic? I can phase through things. Oh, I can do this again too,” I say as I dematerialize my hand and reform the cloud of fine ash into a half dozen feelers, which I curl and extend a few times. “Gods, I missed this. Oh, apparently I can spawn wraiths too? So I could probably just send them to trip stuff.”

Huh. That wasn’t enough to break the silence I guess.

“I’m still not exactly planning to eat any of you. Unless you’re a-al-… c-… can’t even say that? Pacts suck,” I stutter. “You’re safe, master wouldn’t let me.”

“Then why did he let you threaten Elobahn?” the barbarian quietly asks.

“Do you want the answer?” I ask in an equally quiet tone, but I don’t wait for his response. “My master approved, for some reason. Since then, our bond has been flooding me with feelings of satisfaction at defending the colony against an external threat. It’s almost like he didn’t think Elobahn was part of the party to begin with. Maybe it’s a r-r-rabbit thing. Ha, I got it out that time! But I’m pretty sure he didn’t make me do that. I’m not sure what that was.”

Abaris gives me a thoughtful look. “Your Domains. They are Control, Envy, Hunger, and Night, yes?”

I nod.

“Unlike magic affinities, which seem to be something close to random, Domains have a tendency to influence their bearer. Control and Envy, hmm, I could see those being a factor in a personality change. But then, Night is rather enigmatic in comparison… it is of illusion and dreams, yes, as well as lunar magic. But it is also a Domain of comfort, and of family. It wouldn’t be too far a stretch to consider ‘defending the colony’, as the headmaster seems to have described, to fit that as well,” he says. “The academic community occasionally debates whether the individual chooses the Domain or if the Domain chooses the individual, but regardless of order, you should be aware of this.”

(So what he’s saying is you’re going to be even more unpredictable. Wonderful.)

“That’s all heavy and terrifying, and I’m pretty sure you humans and not-humans should probably sleep unless you’re planning on skipping your lectures,” I say. I just, kind of want to end this conversation. I’m not really sure why. “I had a red identify thingy before, you couldn’t see it for some reason, and now it’s red again. And my everything is spooky like it was before, but more. And if I mess up, master will find a way to grind my ash into paste. And my personality is probably going to change, or did change or something, but no amount of words now will change that.”

The others take a moment to look between themselves, some sharing a few quiet words, before apparently agreeing with me and scattering in their own directions. I stop my paladin for a moment though.

“You’re probably scared of me now. And I know, everybody’s already explained why. And I get it. If you want, I can stay out here until morning. I don’t have to sleep anyway. I’ll just, I don’t know, count my ash or something. Or spawn some wraiths and make them dance.”

“You… don’t have to do that,” she says with some amount of hesitation in her voice. And then she steps closer and takes my hand, and leads me toward our shared room. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Her voice drops to a whisper.

“After all, I’m yours.”