Manifest Read online

  Once he was finally able to pull his hand away from the glass, he saw that the small gem had disappeared. He checked the ground, thinking it may have slipped out, but it was nowhere to be found.

  "The hell!?" Gitch starred daggers at Dwik. Was this jerk asking to be turned into a magical turd?

  "Ha, I know, I know, but I promise it be worth it! Do you notice anything different about yerself?"

  Gitch took a minute to cooldown. He looked down at his hands, body, feet, and even glanced back at his wings. Nothing looked physically different. He was about to call Dwik out on it, when he saw something blink into existence in the corner of his vision. He mentally focused on it and a notification popped up!

  Congratulations! The liquified soul glass has mixed with your very blood. You no longer require a looking glass to view the manifestations of your true self!

  Red, blue, and green bars appeared before his eyes, representing his health, mana, and stamina respectively. There was even a small icon that, when selected, would bring up his manifestation page! He felt much more at ease. Simply knowing his stats and abilities without referencing the looking glass constantly was a huge relief.

  "Ok, Dwik, you were right. That’s awesome! Why didn’t you tell me about the pain though? I could have prepared myself!"

  "Eh, pain? Should have been just a tiny pinprick. Not sure what ya mean. Did it hurt much?" Dwik asked innocently. He coughed to suppress a laugh, but Gitch still saw the smirk the surely gnome was failing to hide. He let it go, supposing it was kind of funny. Besides, the gnome went through something far worse by the sound of it. Yes, Gitch would much rather go through 30 seconds of intense pain than an hour of crap.

  "Alright! Alright, but you’re still a douchenozzle, though.” Gitch raised his fist. Dwik instantly fell to his knees in fear. Ha, yeah, who’s the boss now? Gitch thought with a smile.

  “Dwik, get up. I am trying to give you a fist bump man, not turn you into anything! Hold your fist out like this.” Gitch demonstrated, but as he did so, he made a mental note to himself. That would have been really funny to see! Maybe when he unlocked his next transmorph O/A...

  The gnome cautiously extended his arm and gave Gitch a bump. It was weak, but still knocked Gitch back down due to the size difference. He stood back up, ears ringing but otherwise unhurt.

  “Yeah, nice one dude!” Gitch gave him a thumbs up.

  Dwik chuckled back, “Anytime, dude. So, as I was sayin’, ya can now pull up yer stats at will, but you can also sync to that old map as well. Go ahead and take a look.”

  Gitch brought the map out and laid it on the ground. It looked the same, but there was a tiny ‘plus‘ that had appeared in the center of the parchment. He mentally selected it and another system message appeared.

  You have discovered a new map: Dufflin Forest

  A new icon appeared on his near invisible toolbar to the right. If he selected it, a giant map would appear in front of him, with a small pin noting his current location. Awesome!

  “My turn for a question?” Dwik asked politely.

  “Yeah, what‘s up?” He was definitely grinning now. Maybe there was hope for Dwik yet? These gifts were gold! Gitch was definitely warming up to the gnome.

  Dwik cocked his head and asked with all sincerity, “What‘s a tampon?”

  Gitch face palmed. He thought about trying to explain, but he just gave up. He was honestly just so tired of all the piss, poo, and now menstrual talk. Manifest was starting to look like an online discussion board that was hijacked by a bunch of nerdy teenage boys.

  “Dwik, take my word for it. You don‘t want to know. Is there anything else, or was that it?”

  “Well, I told ya already ‘bout the map, a gift from me by the way, and of course ya no longer need the glass. I do, however, have a couple more surprises for ya! These were sent to me from Lily herself!" He pulled out a tiny bag and handed it to Gitch. It looked quite a bit like a miniature fanny pack.

  "This here is a Pouch of Holding. Lily told me you might be a bit smaller than most players and may have some trouble bringing around yer gear on adventures. This here bag will greatly reduce the total weight of all items stored within. Simply touch the item you want stored, and it will magically shrink to fit inside the pouch!"

  Gitch threw a fist into the air. Yes! He had been worried about how he would carry anything of real weight along with him. This would solve many of his traveling concerns. The fact that he could still put large items into the bag was huge! He was still fawning over the pouch when Dwik revealed another item from his bag.

  "This be yer starting weapon. Behold! A mighty rapier to slay yer enemies dead!” Dwik proclaimed as he handed Gitch a long, but thin metallic object. There was a simple handhold to keep from slipping on one end. He tested the other, and found the tip was indeed quite sharp. It seemed familiar to him somehow, but it wasn’t until he raised the ‘rapier’ up by the eye that he realized what he was holding. The notification he received confirmed it.

  Needle

  Durability: 15/45

  Base damage: 3 points

  "Dwik, is this a sewing needle? What do you think I’ll be fighting in the forest, a sweater?!”

  "No! No, it’s a mighty rapier! Sleek and...” He saw the unconvinced look on Gitch’s face.

  "Alright, fine! Yes, it be me sewing needle. I um... misplaced the weapon Lily sent ya," Dwik said as he clasped his hands and looked down at his feet. Looking everywhere but at the tiny fairy.

  "You WHAT!?"

  "Well, it just looked so fancy, so I took it out into the forest fer a test run. Ya know, to give ya some pointers when ya finally got here. Anyway, I ran into this wolf, I think he was a scout. The mongrel was about to call for his pack and I had to make a split-second decision, so I...” Dwik hesitated.

  "Yes, Dwik, what did you do?" Gitch asked heatedly.

  "Well, I never liked dogs. We had one when I was just a wee lad like yerself. The fleabag would always try and poke his nose where he shouldn’t, if ya know what I mean. I hated the mutt, but there was always one surefire way to get him to leave me alone. That dog loved fetch...” Dwik trailed off.

  "Are you telling me that you used my fancy weapon that was sent to me by Lily herself TO PLAY FETCH WITH A FRIGGIN WOLF?!"

  "Eh... Yeah. It worked though! The beast went flying after it, and I skedaddled back home. Just made it too, when you finally decided to make your entrance. Real timely, that was."

  Gitch really needed to figure out how to increase his luck stat. This was just getting ridiculous. He sighed, “Ok Dwik, I get it, quite innovative, but is there any way to get my weapon back, or is it lost for good?”

  “Oh, nothing be lost for good in the Dufflin Forest, long as you got me with ya! The tracks should still be fresh, and I know we could make our way back to the wolf den easily enough. Problem is, yer a level 1 noob, and though your poop magic be truly terrifying, I’m not so sure it would be that useful in combat. Might I suggest ya do some minor tasks for me to build yerself up a bit? Then, once yer a respectable level, we can both go hunt us some wolves!”

  Dwik made some good points, but he could tell the gnome was looking hopeful about something. Gitch stood dejected, trying and failing to figure a way around the issue, but Dwik was right. Gitch was a total noob at his current level of 1. Even with Dwik’s help, there was probably no way they could take on a pack of wolves.

  “I guess the weapon will have to wait,” Gitch answered sorrowfully. “What tasks do you have for me, Dwik?”

  It was with a fiendish smile that Dwik replied. "Oh, I have a few in mind. Come with me."

  Gitch slogged along behind him, putting the needle back in his pouch that was tied to his belt. Dwik told him of his first task as they walked, causing Gitch’s mood to sour even more. When he was finished, a translucent notification appeared in front of Gitch.

  Quest Received: Rock Hauler

  Dwik the gnome would like to change up the scenery around the glade. Trans
port 20 glowing rocks to the tree line.

  Reward:

  Variable experience

  Increased reputation with Dwik

  Dwik went inside his hut, leaving Gitch alone to complete his new task. He walked over to one of the smaller rocks, bent with his knees, and nearly gave himself a hernia. The stone was going nowhere fast. He didn’t even think it budged! He kicked, pulled, pushed, and begged, but still the stone remained in the same exact location.

  “Either Dwik is a jerk, or I’m missing something here,” Gitch grumbled.

  He pulled up the manifest screen again and poured over his list of abilities. He smiled when his eyes fell on wing blast . He stood a foot away from the stone and cast the spell.

  The mana drain from wing blast was minimal, but the effect was not what he had been expecting. His wings stretched to four times their normal size and gave one large magical flap. He felt the enchanted wind blow past his body, striking hard against the face of the stone. Unfortunately, rather than blast the stone towards the forest proper, the spell rebounded and struck him full force.

  YOU HAVE SUFFERED 11 AIR DAMAGE!

  Gitch was sent tumbling back, landing hard on his pink keister. He lay there for several moments before sitting up and looking around in confusion. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. Where was Tommy? What was with all these trees? It wasn’t until he heard the cackling laughter of a certain gnome that it all came rushing back to him. Awesome spell, sucky execution. The rock remained firmly in place.

  “Yer over complicatin’ it. Think back to what I told ya!” Dwik yelled from just inside the doorway of his hut. Gitch was still having trouble focusing, but thought back to everything Dwik had said, minus the insults. Obviously, his abilities were of no real use here, so he looked down at his starting gear. He felt his cheeks redden, well redden deeper, as he finally figured it out. “Stupid Gitch!” he said softly. He walked back over to the stone, and placed a hand on its surface. In doing so, he received a new notification.

  Would you like to place Stone (S) in Pouch of Holding?

  Yes or no?

  He selected yes, and the immovable stone shimmered before disappearing from view. He felt the pouch on his belt grow a tad heavier, but the change was small enough. If he wasn’t so embarrassed, he would have jumped for joy. Not only did he know how to complete the quest, but he now had a better understanding of just how this little miracle bag worked!

  The moment was ruined by Dwik’s slow clapping and sarcastic shouting. “Aye, well done. Bags can be tricky to the unlearned. Now hurry it along ‘fore it gets dark!”

  Gitch grumbled some more, but set to work while Dwik cackled on. The fairy was beginning to think that greeters were just old hermits who needed help around the homestead. If he had to guess, there was probably a waiting list for the use of player labor. He sighed as he approached his second stone and repeated the process of adding it to his pouch. After the fifth stone, his pouch began weighing him down. At his tenth, he was done. There was no way he could carry any more, so he made his way over to the southern border and emptied his load before going back out for more. By the time he was done, he had worked up a pretty nasty sweat. The notification he received, however, made it all worth it.

  Quest Completed: Rock Hauler

  You may not be the strongest, quickest, or brightest, but you can sure haul a rock! You will go on to do great things, so long as they involve carrying stones.

  Reward:

  75 (75) experience points

  250 reputation points with Dwik

  Gitch had a strong suspicion Lily was behind the snarky remark, but he still swelled with pride. He had finished his first quest! He was nearly level 2 already, and had even gained some points with Dwik. Who knows, maybe that was enough to turn them into besties.

  “Oi, ‘bout time! I’ve got another quest for ya!” Dwik shouted. Gitch looked over to the hut and saw the gnome waving him over. Gitch was hoping for something a bit more interesting this time around, but experience was experience. He wouldn’t scoff at an opportunity to grow in power, especially when he received the details of his next quest.

  Quest Received: Dinner for Two

  Dwik the gnome would like to add a little something extra for tonight’s meal. Collect a combination of 10 fruits and nuts from the tops of nearby trees.

  Reward:

  Variable experience

  Increased reputation with Dwik

  New skill

  He was going to fly! If he was being completely honest with himself, he was more than a little disappointed to be assigned a fairy, but if there was one thing he was looking forward to, it was flying. Gitch thought he could live with being a wimp, if he at least was able to get a good view from time to time.

  His eagerness soon turned into frustration. It took much longer than Gitch expected to learn how to fly. He began by flapping his wings as fast as he physically could, but nothing happened. He also tried a combination of jumping and flapping, but he ended up falling on his face. Gitch then had the bright idea to try jumping off one of the large stones. He thought maybe with the fear and exhilaration of falling that his body would naturally know what to do in order to save itself. Yeah, that definitely didn’t work.

  He regained consciousness with the sound of Dwik’s raucous laughter filling his ears. “That was friggin hilarious! Ya sure yer a fairy? Maybe yer just a semi-intelligent rock? Ya fly like one! Haven’t ya heard of fairy or even pixie dust before? Ya can’t just flap yer tiny wings and expect to fly. Ya need magic!”

  “Now he tells me...” Gitch replied through gritted teeth.

  “You can think of yer mana pool as the limit of which can be safely stored within yerself. Fer most creatures, mana is only generated up to a set limit-the individual’s mana pool. The mana generated is meant to replenish this pool only. As ya gain in power, this limit will increase. Fer fairies, mana generation never really stops. What is generated in excess of the pool is released and manifests physically into what ya might call fairy dust.

  The manifestation of mana, or dust, exudes off fairies naturally and is the reason why fairies tend to alter the environment wherever they go. The mana generation rate is so high among fairies, ya should be able to tap into the ‘dust’ around you in order to apply yer flight magic. Others may also be able to apply yer fairy dust in order to fly, or maybe even fer other purposes. Eventually, this mana will heal any physical wounds ya might obtain, but this does take time, especially while in combat. Obviously, some races will make better use of yer mana than others.

  It is rumored that the extent of a fairy’s glow is a fair indication of their remaining mana. It is worth noting that a fairy who depletes their entire mana pool will die, probably in a lot of pain." Dwik cocked his head to the side and frowned as if just realizing something. With deep concern, he turned and looked at Gitch, slowly backing away.

  “Speakin’ of fairy dust," Dwik said again, attempting to sound like everything was totally fine. "I don’t actually see any comin’ out of ya. Why might that be?” Dwik inquired, still backing away, but trying not to be too obvious about it.

  “Oh, that‘s what that is? Yeah, I turned it off when I was trying to hide from… Dwik? Hey! is everything okay”?!"

  Dwik took off running towards the tree line, just as fast as his gnomey legs could carry him. He made no effort to turn around or even acknowledge Gitch had spoken.

  "Hey Dwik! What’s wrong?" Gitch shouted, now trying to run after him. He was failing miserably, given his 3-inch legs and current inability to fly.

  "Come on man! Are we in dang-"

  A psychedelic rainbow of light suddenly blanketed his entire field of vision. Gitch couldn’t see anything, but he felt AWESOME! Every nerve in his body was doing the happy dance. He gave out a loud giggle of pleasure. He was alive! He was-OWW! His giggling turned instantly to shrieks of pain. Everything was on fire, as if every individual cell was being pulled apart and then mutated slightly to fit back
into place. He screamed and screamed for what felt like ages, but was actually only a quarter of second. Soon, everything went mercifully black.

  YOU HAVE DIED!

  Chapter 7

  He stood at the edge of a grassy glade, facing row after row of towering silver trees. He-wait this was where Gitch had first appeared in Mentira. He had just died! He checked himself to make sure everything was still in the correct place, remembering the horrifying feeling of being mutilated after (or maybe during?) the explosion.

  Gitch was happy to find each of his body parts right where he left them. He started to turn around and see what damage he had wrought, but then hesitated. What if this was some sick version of Groundhog Day? Was he now stuck forever in some mana-induced time loop? Last time he was in this position, he turned around to see a gnome with his pants down, whizzing away. "Please be no nudity, please be no nudity, please be no nudity…" he repeated over and over as he finished turning. He didn’t really think he was in a time loop, but it could have happened.

  Truthfully, he expected a large crater. Maybe even a blazing inferno ravaging the trees on the opposite side of the glade. There would be a (small) puddle of blood where his body once stood and likely an army of forest creatures ready to murder the stupid fairy that was destroying their land. What he saw instead was something else entirely.

  A GIANT toadstool stood at the epicenter of the explosion. This was not a giant toadstool just in relation to Gitch, or even Dwik. No, this toadstool stood 20 feet tall and at least 5 feet wide. Strangely enough, the stalk was a light pink with hundreds of deep gold lines branching out like veins in a body. The giant cap covered a good portion of the glade and blocked much of the sun’s light. They would have been cast in complete shadow if not for the thousands of pink fairy dust particles that littered the air.