Shapeless Hero

8 - Curious

The pillar of light consumed me. What did she say? The gods can defeat me? I sure hope so!

I had a good deal on my hand. Five minutes of my time for Karl and I get to die. Easy as that, but the world really wants to keep me here. Maybe... someone divine can hear me in this teleportation-thing? "Gods, just let me die already!", I shout into the light.

Who I assume to be a holy knight reappears with a sigh. "Believe me, I wish I could end you." The blinding light vanishes and reveals her standing in front of me in completely charred armor—and behind her a beach, gray from the overcast sky. A gentle wind accompanies the low ocean waves wetting the sand. We are at the bottom of an overgrown cliff side, which reaches the horizon in both directions of the shore.

The commander scans the area, before eventually looking at me again. "The west coast of Tyllat, huh? Either leaving you alive with your death-wish is truly a punishment—or you're quite innocent, as unlikely that should be." She squats down in front of me, putting us on the same eye level. "You said, you want to die?"

I nod.

"Why do you wish to perish? You're an S-rank shapeshifter. Sounds like an easy life to me."

I scoff and let my shoulders slump. "I'm a defect. I can only control my torso a little bit and... who would help a shapeshifter get a wheelchair, right?"

"So the melted lower bottom of yours was not on purpose. Makes sense."

"Why can't you end me? I mean, we both want it, right?" I fear that the holy knight might plan to torture me for the sin of existing. This as a new goal of hers would at least explain, why she's so calm after her prior zeal.

The knight straightens her back. "I wish I knew, believe me. Chances are, your vitality has been significantly improved by whatever the crow has done to you. And regarding your vitality..." Her gaze moves down my body before rising back to my eyes.

I look down and there they are: Thighs, knees, shin, feet and all. The wave of relief is only cut short by my circumstances. I try to move my toes anyway.

"Not so fast." The knight taps the pummel of the sword still sticking in me. My body does not register her tapping. "I don't know why your legs work again, but it shouldn't matter. You're paralyzed from the neck down. Consider yourself lucky, that you don't have to feel the pain."

The armor-clad woman stands up again, seemingly looking for something in the sand. "Ah, there you are, you little shit." She walks over to a spot in the sand several yards away and picks up a heavily injured Karl with one hand. From a hidden compartment of her armor, she pulls out a vial filled with red liquid, of which she lets some droplets fall into the crows beak. Few heartbeats later, a soft, green glow surrounds Karl, whose bones are restored to their original shape with a bit of cracking and squelching. The holy knight keeps a firm, but harmless grip on the bird.

Karl gasps as he regains consciousness. "August! I had a bad drea-"

"It wasn't a dream." she interrupts, her voice cold.

Karl stares at her. "Commander..."

"I have questions. Answer them quickly and truthfully. Otherwise, it might be to late to save the bleeding bird's life over there with my health potion." She moves her hand holding Karl, so he could see a certain spot at the beach.

"August..."

"As I said, answer my questions and your friend will live... unless I deem you both to be enemies of the Imperium, of course."

Karl gulps. "A-alright."

"First question: Have you summoned the shapeshifter?"

"No, I could not create such teleportation circles, even if I wanted to!"

"Why were you with the shapeshifter then?"

"We were flying away after we realized who you are and didn't think to negotiate, after August already battled you. On our escape, we sensed the odd teleportation and my curiosity has gotten the better of me!"

She narrows her eyes. "So you sensed the divine teleportation circle and did not consider what danger it might bring? Are you a child?"

"I'm a scholar! It is my duty to unravel the mysteries of this world, even if it means risking my life!"

"Ah. And I assume you happen to have the proof of your scholar title with you too?"

"Yes, in fact! It's in my pocket dimension!"

"...I see." The holy knight chants a spell. A magic circle appears on top of Karl. Once she finishes chanting, a scroll emerges from the circle. She takes the scroll with the hand and lets gravity unroll it. "This scroll is proof, that Karl of the corvidae..." Her eyes continue wander down the text until she reaches a handful of signatures at the end. She chants another spell and the content of the scroll starts to emit a golden light. "Your scholar title is real. Good. That signature though... is that really...?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's indeed signed by an old imperial archmage! I swear, we are not against you!"

"So you created those purple magic circles that were on the shapeshifter?"

"Yes. I repurposed the circles that are used as enhancements on the imperial defense system."

"Hold on! Who gave you that intel about our arcane defenses?" Her grip tightens slightly around Karl.

"Nobody! I conceived them, for I myself was commissioned by the imperium!"

A short silence follows. "...now I know, where I heard your name before. I do not understand why you tried to ascend that shapeshifter, but I will not ignore what you have done for the Imperium either. You are not completely cleared of your guilt, but I can lift your status as an enemy. For now."

Karl exhales in relief. The holy knight returns the scroll to the crows' pocket dimension and puts him down on the ground after giving him another few droplets of the health potion. She walks the couple of yards to August and administers the same liquid to the still unconscious bird. Carefully, she pulls out the arrows stuck in his body, while the healing procedes.

With nothing to do, I use the moment of relative calm to take in the scenery. The cliffs are beautiful in their own way: A seemingly unending row of unwavering stone giants that stood against the endless waves of the sea, ever present to anyone living here. Are there maybe villages on the cliffs? Are some of them at the beach? What kind of culture has developed here in... Tyllat, was it?

My mind continues to wander, imagining how different such a realm could be to my old world, especially the magic part. And now I have my legs back to walk the lands... or even the moons, perha—

A message box in a half-transparent blue appears in front of me and stops my stream of consciousness:

[ Lifeform registered: Ascended Shapeshifter ]

[ Welcome! ]