Becoming Monsters: Tidbits 05

Becoming Monsters is the creation and property of Ai Loves, setting used with permission.

Appearing this chapter in cameo is Dursley Thurgood, character by CrayolaPup.

—

Chapter 5: A Moment of Peace

"Okay. Which one of you told a Ghost that they could invade my room for free samples?"

Todd was sitting around the breakfast table with his suitemates. The morning had been an awkward one, not necessarily because of anything he'd done overnight, but rather because he'd forgotten to call his Dad again due to the admittedly-numerous distractions he'd had. Thus, at six in the morning he answered a phone call from a frantic father figure, and tried to reassure him that he was fine and just absent-minded. To be fair, true enough.

Investiture was working fine, given that he was already back up to 6% on his mana pool. An additional 0.4% mana regained per hour for a day might not seem like much, but it added up fast and would theoretically be able to recursively feed itself. Basically, if he could keep it in his pants today, then recast it before bed, Sunday would have enough overage to be able to keep all three of the others topped off with room to spare to maintain it. Theoretically. If he didn't buff them tomorrow, then he'd be able to have enough overcharge to keep them topped off later alongside experimenting with spells. The others weren't fans of this so much, especially Song, but acknowledged the necessity. Which brought them all back to the question at hand.

"I mean, not that I mind, but I do need to sleep and would rather not have to have Jem warding my windows all semester against surprises. I need to know when I'm going to be called on to do that. Schedule things right." Todd's voice was bone-dry. It was not exactly a boundary he'd ever had to consider setting.

"Um. That was probably my fault," replied Ghata, a bit sheepishly. "I definitely bragged about you and promised to try to hook up a couple of AO co-eds with you. I didn't tell anyone to come into your window at midnight, and I don't remember any Ghosts, but it was a busy evening."

Todd's headache had nothing to do with mana drain this time. "Alright, glad that's sorted." The others giggled. "It's letting me practice, in any case. Song, if you can do without the Inspiration until tomorrow evening, I think I can make this work mathematically. Let's go ahead and share what we got."

They laid it out alright. Two Enchanters. Three Alchemists. Two Clerics who needed to cast to practice. Bunch of information mongers. Four different folks claiming to be able to supply Dungeon materials. That was a bit harder to believe. Some folks who might be able to get an in with administration. Couple of others trying to get leadership positions with the Orders. And finally...

"Erin was at the party to try to join Alpha Omega, but she was hanging out with a Succubus... I think her name was May... and bragging you up. I mentioned I might be able to trade favors to get her some time with you, but either way you come out ahead."

"Besides getting to bed a Succubus, you mean?"

Ghata grinned ferally. "That part hadn't even crossed my mind. Your powers work from Carnal Arts, and you have a Class-boosted ability to learn new things besides. How much better at what you do will you get when you're being taught by her?"

Todd had to shift in his seat a bit on that consideration. His erection was trying to break containment and loudly announce how much it agreed with that statement. Sleeping with a Succubus was a freaking meme. Something that people paid almost any price for. No matter how much they needed to do it, most Succubi were also more than happy to spread the wealth. Supernaturally talented and highly practiced, the experience was likely to be one for the record books.

Especially if his instincts did their job and kept her coming back for more.

He shook his head. There were goals to accomplish before he could start trading favors, and the first of these still required celibacy for the next twelve hours at least. "Okay, looks like a good plan. All three of you? I need you to see if you can get me a mana potion. The strongest you can get your hands on. The more this gets kick started, the more we have in trade. Jem, are you willing to trade on your blessings as well?"

She grimaced a bit. "That's a hard one. Most of what I do requires balance. For every boon, a bane has to go somewhere. Like, I can't just give you extra Endurance. Someone else has to give some of theirs up for me to do it, and if I'm doing favors that's usually me."

"That thing you did when we met up. Can you cast that between two other people, or does it always have to include you?"

"Anyone who agrees... oh, I like the way you think, but it cannot be gamed. If people go into it with the intent to cheat the system, both get punished and it gets taken out of me."

Todd shook his head. "That wasn't even what I was thinking. Ghata, Song, you're shapeshifters. People know what that means. Jem, you can mediate. You can predict. You can broker favors between people who can't pay in cash or Coin. That by itself goes way beyond my Class Abilities for this kind of market, horny coeds notwithstanding."

Song tilted her head. "I thought you said you were a pure mathematics major, not going into economics."

A wry grin. "Kind of can't help it. That's a third of what statistical models are used for these days, and how I managed to hold my place in High School before the Change. If it's alright by you all, I need to write some stuff down and actually chill today. Catch up on my sleep." Giggles around the table again. "Jem, I think I'm going to buff you with Inspiration tonight for my cast. No offense, Song, but it's safer in case there's an interaction I don't know about. I'll get you tomorrow night so that you have it going into classes. Sound good to everyone?"

Nods around the table. Before long, they split up to go take care of what they needed to. Todd? He stayed seated as the others scattered. The need to rest was absolutely not a joke. Being at a mere six... okay, now seven... percent of his max Mana was absolutely uncomfy for him. So was the 50% showing on his Stamina. It was, therefore, quite predictable that he felt some degree of irritation and dread when someone came to sit at the table beside him less than two minutes later.

Beastfolk were not precisely rare. Half of all the Changed became one of some kind, which meant one out of every six people alive. Otters were not an uncommon result, either, being present and admired in almost every culture with a river or ocean border on Earth, which is to say nearly all of them. The lab coat and glasses were a new one, though. The man sat down with a tray of fish, closed his eyes for a moment, then addressed Todd. When he spoke, his voice was a surprising baritone.

"Hello, there. I noticed a few things the past couple of days, and I figured it would be best to talk to you directly about them."

"If Ghata or Song made a promise to you, I'm currently running dry on mana."

"No, no, none of that, though from what I hear you are going to have quite the busy semester. Not interested in that kind of thing, it would not be proper. I am Professor Otterly Ruddertail, and you will be in my classes for most of your time at Yellowstone University, Todd." He took a bite of the fish in front of him. "Ah, not quite the equal of the coastal catch, but I remain impressed with the seasoning."

"Uh, apologies, sir. I didn't recognize you."

"Few new students do, which is how I get away with coming to the cafeteria to track them down. Now. You present me with an... interesting case. I am fortunate that my Class of Teacher matches my chosen profession so well, but I feel like you are going to need more direct assistance than most to reach who and what you are capable of being. How would you like a mentor?"

***

Meanwhile, three women were walking quite rapidly in three different directions. Unlike Todd, they knew how to network, and immediately started up a group chat. Without him. He didn't need to hear all of that.

Ghata, in her form as a pretty Indian woman, wanted first to secure supplies. Whatever else the four would do, that would be needed. Well, less supplies than suppliers. Practical, direct, she knew that any future planning they did would need to revolve around what they could get. Same as anything else on the campus, really, but more direct when they all needed to pick up, commission, or beg for actual enchantments and potions. No Dungeon nearby meant she couldn't just go hunting, and monster escapes themselves wouldn't get out near Yellowstone University.

Solution? Sorority House. Er, Order House. Hard to remember sometimes this place merged things oddly. It was a good thing she could become a bird, that was a ways away from the cafeteria. A flap, a flutter, and a seagull was soon landing on the roof of her target building.

Why a seagull? None were around the area normally, and she did NOT want to get caught by a hungry student.

Roof access doors were very common in this place. Might have something to do with the fact that the entire campus was built to accommodate people who might be able to jump, float, fly, or teleport. She shook her head. Three years since these powers showed up, even living with them every day, and it was still hard to remember. The door was locked, of course, but the sound drew an answer. It opened smoothly, on the other side a thin humanoid man with dark blue skin and limbs drifting off to wisps of mist. Djinn? No way to know. "Hello! I'm, ah, rushing for Alpha Omega, and wanted to drop by the Order House. See if anyone needed anything."

The man laughed, his deep voice booming wildly at odds with his narrow build. "No need for secrets, there. We do a lot of dealmaking here. If you need a favor, I'm sure someone will want to trade."

Direct. Refreshing, really, especially compared to dealing with her family full of priests. "Alright then. My name is Ghata, I was at the mixer last night though I don't remember you from it. I was looking for..." she pulled out her notebook for the names of the potential material suppliers, "James, Ryan, Kim, or Jan?"

"You would find those names at a social event. They're still passed out, but you don't want them, anyway."

"Pardon?"

"You want Dungeon materials. Only thing they have in common."

"You're right." Ghata was quickly jotting down more notes. "Any particular reason why I don't want them?"

"Yeah, because they suck. Overcharging for secondary markets and crud quality. You want information? I got your information. Let's talk favors and trades."

"Can I have your name first?"

"No."

Okay, maybe not going to be the easiest negotiation ever. "Fine, then. Here's the deal on my side. You give me your name and the information I need, and you can have your pick between three rewards."

He smirked. "You're not even asking for a Wish? Color me interested. What possible rewards could you be offering?"

Ghata smiled right back, one that rapidly grew fanged as she allowed herself to revert to full Rakshasi form. "You are not the only one with secrets here. I know better than to ask for Wishes, if you could grant good ones you wouldn't be here. Offer number one is tutoring. I can take animal forms, and am an expert in most Asian regional religions, especially India."

"Cute trick, but not worth what I got." He shook his head. "Neither does anything for me, and if you are annoying it can hurt my reputation with my guys."

"Okay, then. Two. I can offer the services of the strongest Status bonus power on campus, to any female friend you have."

"Fun, but that ain't many." Given his attitude, she could see why he might not have many female friends, but she chose to not comment on that bit of knowledge.

"You can use that knowledge yourself to trade, you know."

"Fair. You said three things, though. What's the third?"

"You don't get to know unless you choose it. Call it my ace in the hole. Around here, though? It's more valuable than gold."

"Very interesting. Let's talk some more, shall we?" The man smiled, his teeth bright white against his blue skin, as he stepped to the side to let her come in.

***

The petite Korean had taken off in the other direction. Song's self-control was not doing well. Vegetarian living sounded all well and good, but that was for people who didn't have major life consequences for failure. Especially given how many Humans had been there. She had not been kidding about how hard her Kumiho hunger was pushing her, how much harder it was for her to ignore the urges without Todd's help.

And her favorite food was hot dogs. That didn't help.

Her need was urgent. She had to find an Alchemist who could get a mana potion for Todd to use. He just wasn't able to do all she needed right now, but a kickstart would help. His solution was multiplicative. Recursive problem. That could be defined. The specifics didn't matter so much, but in general it meant that the better the starting point, the faster his recovery. Every point would double itself daily. Coming back to the original point, that meant that a 10-point Minor Mana Potion today would end up giving him a full extra tank in a matter of days. The faster he got past the initial hump, the faster Song could be guaranteed of never missing a buff again. Solution? Follow her nose.

Alchemist labs always had a certain smell to them. A mix of flame and earth, as the essences of what they did combined. You might ask, what about people who didn't set up their labs in their room? Song was not interested in such rank amateurs. She wanted the kind of person who considered it to be more important than being able to walk four paces safely. That's how you knew they were serious, and that you'd get what you needed.

The Theta Delta House wouldn't be the place to look. Sure, they probably had one somewhere, but being hard to locate by nose in the middle of a bunch of scent glands didn't make it worth it. No, the dormitory buildings would be it. It took thirty minutes, but the nose knows. Not in the main building, either, but one of the annexes. A smaller building meant for Small Folk, a window on its fourth floor (which Song could reach on tip-toe in Human form), with tiny puffs of smoke coming out and a soft white light seemingly moving around. When she tapped, a Pixie no more than six inches tall came, looking irritated. He said something, the sound coming out like the chiming of bells.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I could not help but smell that you are an Alchemist. A good one. Is this true?"

He nodded, again giving off the sound of bells, seemingly much happier about the interruption.

"I know the school is giving you accommodations for classes. Maybe for more. Thing is, I need a mana potion. The strongest you have or can make by the end of the day. I don't have Coin, but I can repay in favors. Support for anything you need. I believe three is the traditional number?"

The Pixie smiled even more broadly. This could work.

***

Had Song stayed in the regular dormitories, she might have noticed Jem. The others might have had to search. Jem? Jem knew where she was going already. Room 432A, the suite common room loaded with nigh-incomprehensible tools. Two knocks led to an older gentleman, dark of skin with flaming red hair, answering. "Jem? What brings you up this way?"

"Dursley, I need some assistance I know you can give me. You've got, what, a dozen of those minor friendship bracelets premade?"

"Direct as always, but yes. About that. Why?"

"One more question before I answer that. Can one person benefit from more than one of them?"

His eyes narrowed. "I have not had occasion to test that. Certainly, nobody can be on the giving side of more than one, but receiving? I do not know. Please don't tell me that you plan to use my creations to extract payment from one of your victims. I will not permit it."

Jem shook her head. "I'm on the giving side of this. Three of us are trying to help someone we have placed a few too many demands on. He needs it, both for us and for himself."

"Curious. Very curious. Tell you what. I have some conditions for you, but if they work out then perhaps the information you give me will combine with seeing you try to be humble to make this worth my while."

Jem took a deep breath. Dursley Thurgood was not a traditional student and not interested in the vast majority of the things she could possibly offer to him. There were still a minimum of twelve days left on her self-imposed sentence. This was the best way forward. "Okay. What are those details, sir?"

Dursley smiled. Respect for her elders was a good start. "Come in, pick the bands, and we will talk."

***

Across from the cafeteria building was the administrative hall. Normally closed on a Saturday, but of course the professor had a key card in his lab coat pocket. This building, unlike the dorms, had an elevator. One that showed the signs of a green slime trail in the textured bottom, where a lazy mop could not reach. Todd followed the Otter closely, unfamiliar with this particular place.

Easy enough. He wasn't going particularly quickly, having neither long legs nor any apparent rush.

They got off on the third floor, took a left, and ducked into an office. One with a whiteboard. The professor turned to face him, gesturing at Todd to close the door, then getting started as soon as it clicked shut. "Let's start your career at Yellowstone University with a practical. Something anchored to reality. Your Survey said you came here at Level one, with 0% Class Progress. This indicates that your Mana must have been full, since any use of it would have boosted that number otherwise. Is this correct?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good. You seem exhausted, and since you are tapped out I'm going to make a bit of a logical leap and say this is not the case any longer. No need to answer that, but let's proceed. Do you have any ability which may speed your regeneration rate?"

"Yes, an Investiture spell that lets me sink my remaining pool in order to regain twice that over the next 24 hours."

"Wonderful." Professor Ruddertail tossed Todd a whiteboard marker. Todd, naturally, missed his catch, but picked it up quickly. "Best for you to start noting these things down. We are defining a problem for you to solve. What, currently, is the largest tax on your pool other than casting this Investiture, and how much is it costing you?"

"Uh..." Todd was a bit put out, this detail was slightly personal. "Casting my Inspiration. Right now it's 19% of my maximum pool." At the instructor's raised eyebrow, Todd hastily wrote it on the board.

"Next detail. How much do you regain a day? Estimate if you must." The Otter made a clicking sound, thinking hard as he asked his questions.

"I've never counted specifically. But... okay. I'm at 7% right now, regaining 0.4% per hour from Investiture since blanking at Midnight, which puts me at about 12% standing mana regeneration per day?"

"That will do. Last thing. An oddity of your class. I do not know your Inspiration method, and please do not tell me. I have a hunch what it is and would rather not have it confirmed. However. Most Bards are able to spellcast without granting Inspiration at the same time. Others can't. Which are you?"

Todd blushed. Opened his mouth. Closed it.

"I think I understand all of the answers to what I wish I didn't." The professor pinched the bridge of his nose before looking back up. "Now, given the above, you have the components to find your break-even line. You seem to be using your Inspiration just as often as you can, so we will find your rate out to... let's call it five times daily. I'd not want you dying of Stamina loss pushing it past that."