Manifest

by Cody Whitfill

  The two went back and forth. Sometimes Dwik would tag the spider with his axe, and other times the spider would tag him with one of those long legs. These were typically followed by screams of rage or frustration. Gitch didn’t like being tagged either, but he thought Dwik was being kind of a baby. Still, he would probably need to teach the spider how tag worked, because there appeared to be some confusion on the rules. For some reason, the spider was tagging Dwik several times in a row. Didn’t she know she only had to do it once? Silly spider!

  He sat up suddenly, which was kind of a strange sensation in mid-air. He was missing something. Something on the outer edges of consciousness. He pulled and pulled but to no avail. Another thought did come to him, however.

  He had mastered dodging webs, now he wanted to play tag. Dwik had probably been shouting for him to come play with them! What a good friend he was! He gave the gnome a smile and two big thumbs up in appreciation. The gnome was lying on his back and returned the gesture by lifting up just one finger. Gitch found that a bit rude, but it might mean something else in his culture. Plus, the gnome was obviously tired. He supposed he could forgive his friend for his lack of class.

  The spider was moving quickly toward the tired gnome, probably wanting to squeeze one more tag in before dinner. Understandable, but Gitch wanted to join in before she left.

  He flew down to the gnome, easily reaching him before the spider.

  “Don’t worry Dwik! I’m here to help!”

  “About bleating’ time, ya loon! Glad to see yer finally in yer right mind,” the gnome replied wearily.

  “Of course I am. Now, quick! Tag me!”

  Dwik looked at him for a full 3 seconds before closing his eyes. “I. am going. to die.”

  He sounded clearly disappointed for some reason. Gitch assumed he just really liked being ‘it’. Dude really needed to learn how to share. The gnome placed his maimed hand to his chest and started muttering to himself, not cooperating in the least. Gitch shook his head and flew over and touched Dwik’s fallen axe. He wasn’t sure why they were playing tag with weapons. Maybe it was for the added challenge? Oh, that gave him an idea.

  The fairy lifted his needle with one hand and screamed a battle cry. “FOR THE GLOOP!”

  He shot off like a bullet, pouring every point of mana into his wings as he magically could. The spider charged him as well. Stupid spider, you don’t run towards whoever was ‘it’. He would learn that lesson soon enough.

  Both arms extended, Gitch flew straight to, and then through the beastie’s largest eye. The spider started thrashing around in pain and confusion, which Gitch found mildly inconsiderate. He was starting to get sick!

  Gitch’s shoulders were lodged between two pieces of bone, and he could in no way free himself. Blood was pooling rather quickly below his head, and he really didn’t want any in his golden-hair. His current position was rather dark, and the incessant shaking of the spider’s head made seeing almost impossible, but something on the wall next to him caught his eye. It looked gooey, and maybe purple.

  “Gloop fruit!” he exclaimed. All was forgiven with the spider, who must have been offering the fairy some dinner before sending them on their way. How thoughtful!

  “Gotta get this Gitch some gloop,” he said hungrily. “Gitches love gloop!”

  He tried grabbing a handful, but it was stuck to the wall. He began punching, kicking, scratching, and tugging to pull the fruit loose. Strangely enough, the more he did so, the more the blood began to flow. Also, the spider’s movement became much more erratic, and he was fairly certain they were in a tree at this point. That was cool, but he hoped his new friend was being careful around the webs. They could get stuck up here! He was fully upside down now, and the blood had risen to just below his eyes.

  He noticed some numbers to the side of his vision that he hadn’t seen before. They seemed to be counting down from 20. Gitch thought it was probably a bomb, but he didn’t remember lighting anything. He watched them for several seconds, but soon gave up. Numbers were boring.

  Besides, he had finally gotten some of the food loose! He began shoveling it into his Pouch of Holding as quickly as he could. Luckily for him, there was so much! He thought he would celebrate by taking a victory bite of gloop. He had earned it after all. He was just able to raise a hand to his mouth and take a large bite. It definitely tasted funny, and not the good kind of funny, but he still took another bite. Maybe the first batch had expired or something? He was still chewing when the timer reached ‘0’.

  Gitch was confused. He was bare-chested and felt like he was hanging upside down as some black goop covered his nose and eyes. He found he couldn’t see or hear anything, and it was impossible not to breathe in some of the foul liquid. He was also chewing on something mushy. It was not at all appetizing and he spat it out. The spider jumped again, causing him to smack his head against something boney. The memories of the past 10 minutes came flooding back, and Gitch couldn’t puke fast enough, which only raised the ever-growing pool below him.

  The pool itself now covered his head, cutting off what little air supply he had left. A new blue timer appeared, and he had a pretty good idea what might happen once it reached ‘0’. He struggled against the bone, but couldn’t shake loose. He had been traveling at full speed when he entered and was most definitely stuck in place. He tried casting his wing blast and then poop spells, but these failed him as well. His ability to cast was gone since he had lost the ability to speak an incantation. He had ten seconds left when a new notification appeared.

  You have slain level 8 Giant-Spider Scout

  Experience points received: 77 (64)

  Congratulations! Improvised Weapon Proficiency has increased to level 2!

  +4% damage

  +4% chance to hit

  HARK! You have manifested to level 4! Continue on this journey to realize the furthest depths of your true self!

  You have gained 1 attribute point to distribute.

  Health increased from 62 to 82

  Mana increased from 261 to 348

  Stamina increased from 160 to 213

  That was some sweet experience! Now he just had to figure out how to get out of here. Surely there was something he was missing! If he could just-

  YOU HAVE DIED!

  Chapter 10

  “Craaaaap!”

  He was back in the glade. Alone. This wouldn’t have been be so bad, but he had no way of knowing if Dwik had made it out safely. He had managed to kill the spider they had been fighting, but were there others? He had no idea.

  Of course, he had not stopped to check their position on his map and knew only roughly where he had fought and died. ‘Roughly’ meaning somewhere out west. Gitch pulled the map up on his interface anyway. He didn’t see Dwik or the spider den marked, but there was a cross icon west of his current position. Puzzled, he consulted the map’s legend to see what the symbol meant.

  The legend was extensive, and the list stretched on for several pages. Apparently, new icons would appear once he discovered a new location. He finally found the cross icon and threw a fist in the air.

  Cross

  Indicates the location of last death. Will disappear within 24 hours.

  He knew where Dwik was! Gitch just hoped the gnome was still alive. If he lived, he was probably heading back his way. That meant…. Gitch did some quick math in his head, depending how fast Dwik could run and how fast he could fly. Taking the terrain, and any of Dwik’s injuries into account… he had no idea. He assumed he could fly faster than the injured gnome could run, especially since Gitch didn’t have to worry about terrain so much while in the air.

  He estimated a straight-ish line to the death marker and selected a point roughly 25% closer to him. That was hopefully where he would find Dwik.

  Would you like to set this point as a target location?

  Yes or no?

  Curious, Gitch selected yes. The map then closed and he was left facing the glade yet again. This time, however
, a series of white balls appeared on the ground below him. Were they leading him to the point he had selected? He pulled his map back up to check. Yep! He could just follow the trail, which would steer him on the right direction! He took off immediately. He wasn’t able to fly at full speed, the trees were spaced too close for that, but he still made good time.

  It was only after 10 minutes of flying that he realized something. The trees were looking… healthy? Their bark was turning silver, and leaves were beginning to grow. Looking down, he could see flowers shooting up from the soil. Life was again coming to this section of the woods! Could it be from the giant magical toadstool?

  He left the toadstool’s presumable range of influence five minutes later. The darkness resumed, and the fog made seeing further than 15 feet ahead nearly impossible. He had to slow his speed slightly, more so he could keep an eye out for Dwik through the fog than chance running into a tree.

  He was about a mile out from his target point when he heard the tell-tale sound of his friend.

  “Back off ya 8-legged jerk bags! I don’t taste anything like yer mum!”

  “Dwik! I’m coming bud, hold on!” Gitch shouted above the gnome’s litany of spider cursing. He soon saw Dwik sprinting right for him. Their eyes locked, and Gitch could see relief flood the gnome’s face.

  “Gitch! Their comin’! We have to get back to the glade, now!”

  As Dwik drew near, Gitch could see he was still cradling one arm and heavily favoring one leg. There was no way they would be able to out run the spiders.

  “Dwik, you’re hurt pretty bad. How about I fly towards them and lead them away? That should give you a chance to make it back, right?”

  “No. Most would follow ya, but not all. Even if just one of the adults caught up to me, I’d be a goner. I do have an idea though. Sprinkle some of that fairy dust on me, and let’s fly out of here together!”

  It was a good idea, but Gitch wasn’t sure how to sprinkle his mana dust. Whenever he had used it in the past, he had mentally pulled it into himself and directed the magic in a way he saw fit.

  What if instead of pulling, he pushed the dust towards Dwik? It sounded good, and it was the only thing he could think to try. He had burned through much of the excess dust in his haste to find Dwik, but there was still some left.

  He pushed and felt a slight resistance that hadn’t been there before. He supposed it was because his body was naturally designed to put to use excess mana, where other species had a harder time of it. This time, however, it seemed to work.

  The pink mana particles seeped into the gnome, and Gitch received a new notification appeared.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Mana Influx

  Directing a portion of your generated or excess mana into your target allows for certain enhancements or alterations. Warning, some races are more susceptible to an influx of mana than others, and the chance for spontaneous combustion is prevalent.

  Cast Time: Instant

  Cooldown: None

  Duration: Variable

  Cost: Variable

  Mana Influx Target: Dwik

  Mana Received: 230 points

  Chance of Spontaneous Combustion: 5%

  Options Available to Gnome Race:

  Flight (1 hour)-600 points

  Heal-100 points per wound

  Enlargement* (10 minutes)-550 points

  Spontaneous combustion? Well, that didn’t sound good, but if he didn’t try then Dwik would be dead anyway. Three options, but he could only afford one. That was not overly encouraging. At least he could heal Dwik before the spiders ate them. Already, he could hear their chittering and many legs against the hard soil. He didn’t know how many were pursuing, but it sounded like it could very well be the whole nest.

  Right before selecting to heal the gnome, he noticed a drop-down arrow under the last option. Curious, he selected it.

  Full body Enlargement-550 points

  Feet Enlargement-25 points

  Leg Enlargement-100 points

  Torso Enlargement-50 points

  Arm Enlargement-100 points

  Hand Enlargement-50 points

  Head Enlargement-25 points

  *Clothing magically enhanced to accommodate increased size

  He could wait around a few more minutes to increase the amount of infused mana, but the spiders could overtake them at any moment. He needed to act now with the points he had, and he had just enough. First, he healed the gnome’s leg. A complete health restore would have been nice, but Gitch could only afford to heal one of Dwik’s wounds.

  Dwik looked at him in astonishment as his leg stitched up on its own accord. A pink light quickly shone through the wound before disappearing. His leg was healed and not even a scar remained, but Gitch wasn’t done with him yet. He had a few other augmentations in mind.

  Gitch looked up in time to see Dwik’s feet extend out an additional five feet. If the gnome looked astonished before, he was downright speechless now. This was a novelty, even for him. Before he could baulk in protest, Gitch spent his remaining points.

  Congratulations! Mana Influx has increased to level 2!

  -1% chance for spontaneous combustion

  -1% mana cost

  The gnome shot up 20 feet in the air! Dwik had still been staring at his exceptionally large feet, likely wondering how he would lift such heavy tootsies. Well, there was his answer. It was not the quietest of changes.

  “What the-” The last bit was drowned out by the chittering that seemed to be coming from just behind him. Gitch glanced back, and found that indeed the spiders were just behind him! At least 13 adult spiders were breathing down their necks, and one actually jumped to take a bite out of him. Gitch dodged out of the way, but only just, and more were coming. Dwik stepped on its head, killing it instantly. He almost suggested staying to fight, but they were too severely outnumbered. Besides, just because the gnome was enlarged didn’t mean his maximum health had increased any.

  “Dwik, we have to get out of here!”

  Dwik looked like he was about to argue, but stopped. From his new vantage point, he could see just how many spiders were now following them with some even swinging around to flank them! Without further ado, Dwik stomped off east, with Gitch flying closely behind. The fairy’s mana regeneration was more than sufficient to keep up with the pace of the uber-large gnome.

  Dwik was astonishingly clumsy at first. He couldn’t take more than three steps before falling over, which took an agonizingly long time to pick himself back up. It didn’t help that from the hips up, Dwik was his normal size. What did help was the 12 feet in between each of his strides. It was touch-and-go at first, but Dwik was able to maintain a greater sense of balance the further they traveled. The distance between themselves and the horde of angry spider slowly grew until eventually they passed out of sight.

  Dwik returned to his normal height once they reached the light-side of the forest. The two were completely exhausted, but neither felt it prudent to rest so close to the border. They continued on until they came within sight of the magic glade.

  The sight of the giant toadstool and thousands of pink mana particles floating freely in the air stirred something within him. Maybe it was the power of the magic mushroom, or that he had spent so much time in a desolate wood, but the grass seemed greener. The flowers appeared fuller. Everything seemed… more. Better.

  He felt at peace, like he was whole again. Lily appeared to have cured his Cleansing-induced depression, but this place seemed to give meaning to life itself. It was hard to explain, and he was glad he didn’t have to. At least, not yet. This sacred place was known only to him and Dwik. No other soul had stepped foot here since its transformation.

  The pair made their way over to the healing pool, which now shown pink and gold. The colors did not mix but stayed separate from one another, like two oils weaving in and out. Dwik peered at the pool suspiciously, but then gingerly stepped into the water while letting out a sigh of relief. He allowed h
imself to submerge before removing his arm bandage. Gitch could visibly see Dwik’s arm knit itself back together. He loved magic.

  Dwik surfaced soon after with something in his hand. “Come here lad, ya earned this to be sure!” Dwik said.

  Not one to refuse a gift, Gitch flew over to his clenched hand to collect whatever it was he had earned. Dwik released a single, spherical object into the fairies outstretched hands. It was slimy, malleable, and just overall gross. He looked down at the strange object and saw it looking back at him! The friggin gnome had just ‘gifted’ him an eye of one of the spiders they had killed. Nice prank Dwik. Real mature ya douche, he thought privately. He didn’t want Dwik to know his little joke had affected him though, so all he said was, “Gee, thanks.”

  “Ahh, don’t ya mention it. What’s fair is fair, right?” he said sincerely.

  This confused Gitch even more, but he wasn’t going to dwell on it. He dropped the eye in his bag and examined the pool below. Gitch didn’t have any physical ailments but was curious if the pool might have any other effect on him. He lifted a toe and placed it gingerly in the water, fully expecting a cool sense of relief. He was not ready for the sensations that followed.

  A jolt of energy shot upward, coursing through his body. It was like nothing he had ever experienced. There was no pain in the shock, only raw, unabashed pleasure. Every part of him screamed with joy, and a low moan escape his lips. This was with only one toe in the water. He wasn’t sure what total submersion would feel like, but he wanted it. He needed it. He lifted his toe back out and before he could second guess his decision, flew to the center of the pool and allowed himself to drop from the air.

  The moment he hit the warm water; his body began shaking uncontrollably from pleasure. He laughed and pockets of air escaped from his lips. He felt pressure against every inch of his skin. Warm, electric pressure that comforted him more than any hug ever received.