‘Gods, I missed sending out clones so damn much!’
By now, Percy’s bloodline was more than just a fancy ability or a means of growing stronger. It was a way of life. A source of endless adventures. A window into the wider cosmos. Part of who he was. Sadly, his circumstances had robbed him of this joy over the past few months.
Atlantis had been a wakeup call. His intention at the time had been to keep the trips short and infrequent, to leave the connection available in case House Tantalus attacked. After all, he’d needed to have an ethereal cord ready to possess the enemy Green. Suffice to say, things hadn’t gone to plan. While there was no denying his time in the underwater world had been among his most fruitful adventures yet, it had also lasted several weeks, making the whole thing quite risky.
Had his clone not returned by the time Rambert arrived in Bogside town, Percy would have forever missed his chance to infiltrate the enemy House. Not only would he have failed to procure the elixirs, he would have lost his only shot at a petal too. And that’s without even considering that Jason might have captured him. Consequently, Percy had chosen to put his trips on hold until after the mission was over.
‘Oh well. Maybe I’ll be able to have more clones at Yellow.’
The greatest improvement to his ability to maintain multiple connections had occurred once his second core reached Orange. Strengthening his presence, the promotion had allowed him to keep a familiar and a clone at the same time without losing himself in the process. Before then, he’d had to deal with all sorts of problems whenever his soul was splintered. Alas, it would be a while before he could test out that theory.
‘In any case… I’d better focus on the here and now. Hello? Anybody there?’
Turning his attention back to his latest host, Percy reached out, hoping to interact with them. They were at Orange this time. A sapient too. And a rather healthy one at that. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait very long for a response.
‘Thank the shimmering crystals beneath! Please help me!’ a distraught voice rang within Percy’s mind.
‘The situation? Well… what’s there to tell? I was too busy enjoying my meal to notice the tunnel behind me had collapsed. By the time I realized, I was already gasping for air…’
Percy would have frowned if he could.
‘Were you exploring in a mine or something?’
A wave of confusion soon seeped through their connection, however. It wasn’t like his host hadn’t understood the question. They just found it a little strange Percy would ask that.
‘How else am I supposed to be spending my days?’
‘Gotcha.’ Percy spat back, already harbouring some guesses about his host.
Without wasting a moment, he allowed his instincts to take over, using his stashed mana to patch the guy’s soul up.
‘I’m Percy, by the way.’ he said a few minutes later, once he was nearly done.
‘Noland.’ his host replied.
Tying the final batch of strings into a preservation rune, Percy allowed his soul to slip into the remaining gaps, tapping into Noland’s senses. An overwhelming amount of pressure surrounded him from every direction, reminding him a little of his time in Enki’s body. Though the pressure was even higher here, somehow, than it had been at the bottom of the ocean! It was dark too. Also, hot. Really hot. And moving even an inch was almost impossible. As if Noland had been buried alive.
‘Ok. I’m out of moves here. Do you have any idea what’s going on?’ he asked.
Luckily, his host didn’t appear particularly worried. He merely shrugged, before moving in a certain way. He brushed his arms against his torso, pushing the tips of his hands towards his head. Percy felt their clawed fingers stab through soil, as the dirt pressed against their nails. Once Noland had fully stretched his arms, he moved them aside, pushing the dirt away while propelling his body forward. With the ease befitting of a native, Nolan practically swam through the ground itself, making it a point to hold his breath throughout the process.
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‘I’m 90% sure this is the way I came from…’ he said, completely oblivious to Percy’s sheer awe. ‘Hopefully…’
He didn’t even get to the end of the sentence, when the ground in front of him collapsed, letting him spill out into a different tunnel. This one was wider, and already dug, allowing Noland to stand up without much effort. More importantly, it was filled with air. Opening his lips, Percy’s host inhaled one mouthful after another, greedily filling his lungs as if his life depended on it.
‘Do your people spend all their time underground?’ Percy asked.
At the same time, he scanned Noland’s body as best as he could. Unfortunately, the guy’s eyesight wasn’t the best. Luckily, a few glowing crystals illuminated the tunnel to an extent, allowing him to barely make out his host’s features. Noland’s body was humanoid – for the most part. However, it was covered in dense fur from head to toe.
This was one of those times Percy would have loved to have his Sorcerer’s Eye at hand. Sadly, he had discovered soon after his return from Atlantis that his clones didn’t inherit the mutation. He wasn’t sure why – perhaps it was because the Decree could only grant the mutation once, or because the part responsible for granting it had broken when it got modified. Either way, it meant he wouldn’t be able to access his fancy eyes during his adventures, nor would he be able to pass them along to his companions. Then again, it wasn’t all bad. At least, he wouldn’t have to spend a few days in pain each time. And he wouldn’t have to worry about giving Metatron more freebies either…
‘Of course!’ Noland replied, breaking him out of his thoughts. ‘Why would anybody wander close to the surface? It’s freezing cold out there. Not to mention how thin the air is.’
Percy shrugged. He had a lot more questions. He would like to know how there was even breathable air down here, for one. But he figured he’d consult with his Status first.
Noland (Percival’s clone)
‘No new Decree… But this is my first time running into a gravity affinity.’ Percy noted.
If nothing else, he definitely wanted to see the rare mana type at work.
‘Whoa! What the hell is that?!’ Nolan exclaimed upon seeing the Status.
‘Tell you what. I’ll answer your questions, as long as you answer some of mine.’ Percy offered, getting a nod back.
Over the next few minutes, host and guest chatted, bringing each other up to speed. Percy explained how his bloodline allowed him to possess dying bodies, and the kinds of things he hoped to get out of his travels. As for Noland, he shared a little more about his life and this world.
Apparently, this place was called Subterra. Contrary to most places Percy had been to, the surface itself wasn’t liveable, but the situation was better for a few dozen miles below that. The temperature was more bearable, so the natives had only had to adapt to the pressure so they could survive. A fairly widespread type of blue moss was singlehandedly responsible for pumping the underground tunnels full of breathable air, allowing the local wildlife to flourish.
In terms of their magical progress, Noland’s people had drawn the short end of the stick. Once again, Percy had found himself on a world lacking a means of advancement, limiting the indigenous population to the lower grades.
‘Noland… How would you rate your life here, on a scale of one to ten?’ Percy suddenly asked.
Noland raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question.
‘Weird thing to ask, but I’d have to go with a low two. On a good day.’ he said, pretty much in line with Percy’s expectations.
Based on what his host had shared, Percy had seen this coming. After all, Noland was – by his own admission – a bit of a loner. He’d run away from his family from a young age, preferring to wander Subterra by himself. Life here wasn’t particularly easy either. Even moving around was tough and rife with dangers. Accidents like the one that had nearly claimed the man’s life happened nearly every day.
‘How about this… I can offer you a one-way trip to a different hell, if you want it.’ Percy suggested. ‘It’s not necessarily better, mind you. Just… different.’