Outside Influences

Bel inspected Orseis as she pinched her earring. She couldn’t help frowning as she digested the medical diagnosis from her brother.

“A concussion? How bad is that?” she asked.

Her brother sighed, the sound of his breath just barely carried over the earring. “Well, it was pretty common in some sports from my world, but I honestly don’t have a clue how it’ll affect a half squid–”

“Cuttlefish,” Bel corrected.

“Sure. Whatever. I don’t know how it’ll affect her, but she should avoid getting thrown head-first into things.”

Bel squinted at Orseis and tried imagine the girl being more careful.

“I don’t know if that’s possible,” she admitted. “Couldn’t she just wear a helmet? Or a really thick wig?”

“I’m right here you know,” Orseis complained. “What’s your brother saying? And why do I need something on my head?”

“He said to stop getting hit on your head so much,” Bel scolded.

“I’m not trying to get hit in the head,” Orseis snapped, “it just happens.”

“Is she making excuses?” James asked. “I’ll bet she’s making excuses. You two should practice more discretion; it’s the better part of valor, you know.”

Bel snorted with irritation. “Both of you need to stop speaking at the same time.”

“But I can’t hear what he’s saying,” Orseis complained. At the same time, James heckled her. “People from my world held two conversation at once all the time.”

Bel pointed at Orseis. “I’ll talk with you in minute, Ori.”

“I don’t like that nickname,” she complained.

“It’s too late. Just lie there quietly and don’t bump your head.”

Orseis’ eyes narrowed in annoyance, but Bel whipped around to the other side of the cave to avoid her pouting.

“Okay James, I have a complaint.”

“About what? You realize that there’s nothing I can do from up here, right?”

“Sure. This is just to make you feel bad. We found Nebamon and Rikja and some of the other survivors from the Dark Ravager’s cult.”

“Oh, that’s bad! No wait, that’s good! There must be a way to get through the Barrier around there.”

He continued before Bel would respond. “Wait, were they the ones who beat Orseis up?”

“No, not–well, kind of. Look, before that, they were wearing wings James! They were flying! All we have is a crappy oversized sheet that lets us fall slowly, but they built their own wings!”

James scoffed. “I don’t think you guys have the proper materials to make a real… no, wait, if gravity really is lower down there then I guess you could.”

He coughed with embarrassment. “Damn, this isn’t my fault Bel. I wasn’t given proper information. How could I know that gravity would go down, it doesn’t make any sense.”

Bel rolled her eyes. “Where’s gravity come from anyway?”

“That’s, like, really complicated.”

“So you don’t know?”

“Well, it has something to do with stuff being attracted to other stuff.”

“Great. So anyway, Nebamon’s people were there, but they were being hunted by Crystal. There was a scuffle between us and that birdguy, and Ori got knocked into a tree.”

“Wait, what do you mean that Crystal was hunting them?”

Bel grimaced, remembering the sight of the stitched-together woman. “One of Technis’ priests turned her into one of their patchwork people. She’s still got her wands, but they also attached Beth’s arm to her. She was using some of our sister’s abilities.”

“That’s messed up.” James paused for a moment before continuing. “Wait, does that mean that she can use those dowsing rods? Bel, if she can track you that’s super dangerous. You need to get out of there.”

Bel snorted. “Yeah, I know that. I’m not stupid. That’s why I jumped through a hole and dropped to the fifth layer.”

“I want to say that was reckless, but I guess you made it. It worked out this time, but I think you’re learning bad lessons down there. You don’t think the zombie will be able to follow you?”

Bel’s nose wrinkled. “Beth doesn’t like that word, James.”

“What, zombie? But that’s–”

“Nevermind, I can hear the connection fading. Can you ask Beth or anyone else for advice? Crystal came from the Golden Plains, someone must be able to find out what abilities she had.”

Bel paused for a second considering her worries, then added. “Nebamon and Rikja and the rest of their group too, if that’s possible.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Good luck, Bel. Love you.”

“Love you too. And Beth.”

Bel removed her hands from her earring and took a deep, steadying breath.

“Uh, why were you talking like you were saying goodbye forever?”

Bel glanced at her tentacled friend. “Well, things are a bit rough.”

She scowled. “I didn’t sound like I was saying goodbye forever though. Just for a bit, since we may get busy down here.”

Orseis glanced at the cave opening. “You want to tell me what’s going on then? Maybe starting with why it’s so cold?”

Bel squinted at Orseis. “Do you remember the parachute ride down from the fourth layer?”

Orseis’ eyes widened, her w-shaped pupils going round. “We jumped? When did that happen?”

Bel rubbed her face with her hand. “Okay, just lie back down on that fur pile. Maybe you can sleep it off.”

Orseis looked down at the fur pile that Bel had collected from the fox-worms. She seemed surprised at the sight, even though she’d been lying on it the entire time. “What’s this from?”

She sniffed it suspiciously. “It smells funny.”

Bel rubbed her face harder. “I’ve already told you five times. Maybe you’re interested in food instead of listening to me repeat myself?”

Orseis nodded, but then held her head with a tentacle after the sudden movement. “Maybe not,” she mumbled.

“Why don’t you rest then?”

Orseis looked like she would argue, but then she settled back into her bed. “Sure, I’m tired anyway,” she pronounced weakly.

Bel sighed with relief, although her brow creased with concern. She’d been relieved when Orseis had finally woken up, but even after a large meal of fox-worm meat the young girl hadn’t recovered to her normal self. When James called she’d practically screamed at him to give her something to do, although he hadn’t been able to offer more than a diagnosis.

Bel had been so distraught that it took her until the end of her call with James to remember about Crystal and Nebamon and the rest of the Dark Ravager’s cultists. She chewed on her lower lip, her mind racing as she started thinking about their existential problems.

If Crystal is tracking me, then I can’t stay in one place. I can’t move Orseis either. I also need to figure out what Nebamon is up to, or he and Rikja could show up out of nowhere.

Bel reached up and rubbed her snakes anxiously, receiving a few muted hisses in response. Something came loose in her hand and Bel quickly look at it, afraid something was wrong with her. She brought her hand in front of her face and saw a tiny, white flower with just a hint of pink at its edges.

“Oh no, did I hurt you, Flora?”

Flora, her new nature snake, uncoiled into Bel’s view. She flicked her tongue out, apparently unperturbed. As she moved, Bel realized that she was dropping several older flowers. Some new buds were already taking their place.

“I guess that’s normal then?” Bel asked, tentatively.

Flora flicked out her tongue again and slithered back up Bel’s scalp.

Bel glanced at the flower. “Are bees going to start landing on my head?” she murmured.

Maybe I should think more carefully about whatever spirit I take to replace my final snake, Bel thought. She didn’t say it out loud because she was afraid that Sparky and Flora would take offense.

“So, best case scenario is that Crystal gets into a fight with Nebamon and his people. The worst that could happen is one kills the other one, and I wouldn’t lose any sleep over that. But if Crystal finds me first…”

Bel twisted her fingers together as she thought. “Ah, I could lead Crystal to them if she finds me first. Good idea, Bel.”

She glanced at Orseis. “I should also spend as little time around here as possible, at least until Orseis is better. I’ll just go out and see where Nebamon and the rest of his deranged friends landed.”

Bel stepped to the mouth of the cave and hesitated. She reached up to her face and rubbed her fingers along the long scar that ran from her forehead, diagonally down through her left eye, and across her cheek. Her lips twitched into a frown as she remembered how quickly Nebamon had cut through the bridge with his sword.

“Maybe…” Bel looked at her snakes with concern. “Maybe I should think about getting an ability that would stop someone from slicing us a loaf of bread.”

Bel glanced out of the cave and looked over the barren expanse. A seemingly endless tundra that held, as far as she had seen, fox worms, some sabertoothed deer, and a few tiny birds. She could go feeling around their cores, but…

Bel turned her attention inwards instead, casting her gaze to the constellation of abilities that remained forever in orbit around her own core. Except for the path of the gorgon, the abilities were gifts from her family, if she counted a couple of goddesses and a crazy spirit a family.

I’ve looked at these a thousand times, but maybe inspiration will strike.

Her gorgon abilities could be good. I could strengthen my glare and send my enemies into seizures and convulsions. That would be nice.

The gorgon path also had some stuff about metallic nails, claws, and tusks, and another ability to coat her body in scales, but Bel didn’t seriously consider them. She was already using Lempo’s minor body modification ability to do similar things, and it was more versatile as well.

Lempo’s path offered some abilities that could be good, or could end up killing her. The best was an ability to shatter objects at her touch.

It would work on Nebamon’s sword, probably, but then I would have to be touching his sword, which sounds not smart…

At that point it would be better if I hit him with a shockwave, wouldn’t it?

Bel tapped her chin. “Actually, shockwave is really powerful,” she mused aloud. “Maybe I should be looking for something that would work with it. The best defense is a dagger through the other person’s face, as Beth would say.”

She didn’t have many free strokes in Dutcha’s path, and she wanted to leave them free anyway so she could use shockwave more frequently. That left her unbound path. A quick count turned up 41 free strokes.

Kjar’s path was supposed to be about corporal punishment, but it had weird abilities to feel hearts or taste people’s feelings. There were a couple that sounded kind of useful, like one that would form judgy claws on her hands and a silly ability that would improve her pouncing. Bel sighed.

She rubbed her head with frustration, jostling her snakes. “This is something James is good at, thanks to all his Oldworld games. No one’s ever told me how to pick abilities. I could use a little divine advice.”

Her parents didn’t see fit to answer, so Bel tried to remember if anyone else had shared words of wisdom. Bel scowled as she tried to remember any advice from Flann or Beth, but all she could recall from her older sister was wrestling moves the proper angles for stabbing. Flann had told her a bunch of random stuff, but nothing about her abilities.

“Did Ventas ever tell me anything? Maybe something about practicing weak abilities because they could be more versatile than they appeared?”

Bel thought about her current abilities. Most of them were straightforward, but something like liquify she kept finding new uses for. She’d used it to improve handholds on rocky cliffs with just the passive application, used it at full power to melt and reshape claws and teeth into weapons, she’d used it to remove ropes when someone tied her up, and had put it to good use softening the bones of her enemies. She nodded; the ability was more versatile than her initial impression of it.

So, she wondered, which of my potential abilities has more uses than I’m seeing?

Maybe the pouncing one? She bobbed her head as she thought. Pouncing is kind of important for hunting, isn’t it? Whether it’s knives or blasting something with shockwave, I need to get close.

Bel pictured herself pouncing upon Rikja, how the annoying fire mage’s eyes would open in shock just before she blasted her. The daydream felt good. But was the ability more versatile than that?

She didn’t have to use it to attack though; Bel remembered Kjar leaping from the top of the pyramid. If the ability gave her super-powered pounces then it should also give her better landing too. And in a world with low gravity, maybe it could also give her a way to outspeed something that was struggling through the snow.

“And it’s only fifteen strokes,” she rejoiced.

Bel felt out the ability, spent a few moments daydreaming about it to make sure she liked the idea, and then traced its patterns upon her core. Warmth spread down her legs and down to her feet before doubling back and resting in the small of her back as energy travelled through the newly engraved strokes. She hopped up and down a few times, getting used to the passive effects of the ability. With the weakened gravity of the fifth layer she was bouncing nearly high enough to smash her head into the cave ceiling.

Maybe I’d better go somewhere else to test this out.

Bel stepped out of the cave, turned around, and packed snow into the entrance. She kept at it for a few minutes until the narrow slit in the side of the rock was mostly filled with snow.

She clapped her hands together to knock off the loose snow as she admired her handiwork. “That should discourage most random scavengers, hopefully.”

Bel hopped a few more times and then looked at a small indentation in the cliff face above her. She crouched slightly, tensing her leg muscles, and then activated pounce with its full stroke capacity. Bel found herself careening through the air, horribly off-target. Her lips skimmed back as she prepared for a painful collision with the rock wall, but then her ability twitched and wobbled and suddenly she landed neatly right where she’d intended.

She grinned. “Awesome. Maybe I should have been more adventurous with these abilities.”

Bel turned and searched for another landing point, higher up the mountain.

I may as well go up high so I can get a good look around, right?

She zipped through the air, whooping with delight. With the low gravity and the strength of her ability, she though she could jump five or six times her own height. Bel pounced again–

–and something struck her like load of bricks. Bel tried to wriggle free of whatever had hit her, but found herself held tight by some kind of enormous, flying shrimp.

Why does this always happen to me? she thought angrily.