[Return to Nature rank 2] [18k]
"How about this?" I said, showing Ellaine the description of the skill that I had found. It was one where the user develops a specific characteristic of an animal in one of their organs, in this case it would be the eye, meaning that I could designate the eye as the organ and develop it to gain clarity and details from a distance.
"It seems good but for which of us would we use it?" Ellaine asked, laying her head on the bed and lazily looking at me.
At some point during our conversation she had collapsed lazily on her bed. It was uncharacteristic of her, seeing as she usually kept up a prim and proper appearance but you wouldn't see me complaining.
"I say we could flip a coin or roll a dice, as long as one of us uses it then it would be worth it."
"Yes, that would work, except that…" She pauses as she springs up from the bed and looks me in the eye.
All the while she reached to the nightstand at her side, pulling the contract out.
"I've already worked on the contract and as long as you sign this then I would not mind you having it."
I nodded, thinking at the logic and took the contract into hand.
Slowly I read through it, however short it was. I still wanted to know all of the clauses and think of anything that I would want to add but there was nothing.
Really, there was no trap clauses and the only real thing of worry was breaking it. But seeing as it really only amounted to climbing the tower together and maintaining a certain level of loyalty and trust there wasn't much to really think about.
Of course the clause about the tower sort of worried me but it really was only a priority thing, meaning that if I was going to use a party to climb that I would think of her first.
And seeing how competent she was Ellaine would already be one of my first picks.
The same went for her too, she needed to be loyal to me and pick me first for when she climbed the tower with a party.
Really it was quite simple, really only being a formality and assurance that we don't betray each other.
And seeing that it was agreeable I found myself signing my name to it. Instantly it burst into two motes of light, one going into my chest and the other going to Ellaine's.
I could feel a burning sensation that told me that I was bound to it but other than that there was nothing else.
I could see that Ellaine was gaping a bit at my casualness of the contract but other than that there really was nothing else.
"Then can you transfer me some points to buy the skill?"
For a moment she remained silent before replying, "Ah- Yes…"
She reached out her hand and an appropriate amount of points flowed into me. And with those points I bought the skill.
[Designate an Organ]
'The eyes'
[Eye's has been designated, stand by while the skill Return to Nature is integrated]
At those words I felt myself fall to the ground, faintly I could hear some noise but it was drowned by the insistent burning sensation.
Soon enough my vision turned black and I passed out, the last thing I felt was a pair of hands holding onto my back, bringing me somewhere.
…
"Ah- Yes…" I said, reaching out my hand to grab onto Mihr's. With no less fanfare I transferred just enough points in order to allow for him to purchase the skill.
I was still a bit ruffled by the ease at which he had accepted the contract. Sure Mihr had read it over and carefully judging by the scrutiny he had read it with.
But he had not argued any of the points, I had expected at least that even if I did make them very favorable for him. Mihr… He… he just accepted it so easily.
As sudden as my thoughts had raced forward, toward some unknown conclusion, so did the effect of the skill. As I had not been paying Mihr much attention while I was thinking I hadn't noticed.
But in the corner of my eye and by a slight twitch of my ears. I both heard and saw it. The moment in which Mihr fell to the ground.
"MIHR!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet in order to catch him. But by the time that I had he was already unconscious.
His eyes were scrunched, his eyebrows constantly shifting in and out of phase only to settle on an unnatural gold color.
No longer were they their natural color, they now had this slit. Sort of like a cat yet not the same. It was honestly quite disturbing but I had heard of this happening before.
People evolving their skills only to find some of their features changed. Some, like the elves, found their skin darkening as they evolved backwards. There were even a few beastkin that gained extra features but those were always additions to their own features.
Nothing like this, where entirely new features were added.
And now that I was thinking of it was this even possible, this skill should be one available to the beastkin meaning that it was tailored towards people more in tune to their animalistic nature.
It would transform them closer to said animal they were alike. Giving them keener senses, better smell, hearing or what ever it may be.
But it had never appeared in a human from what I had known.
I was worried, worried that this may irrevocably change him for the worse, or even for the best. Would his personality change, would he be more bestial now.
What would happen? I truly was nervous. But for now I could not act on that nervousness, I needed to get him to bed, somewhere comfortable where I could attempt to care for him.