Izzy, Chapter 10: No, You Can’t Have It Back. I’m Using It! (Patreon)

Thief! Bodysnatcher! Ungrateful pig’s breath! Butt! Give it back!

Izzy scrambled to her feet and looked around, hoping against all reason that there might be someone, some mischievous fairy, messing with her. But there wasn’t. All the fairies had taken off and were watching from the trees, with some good distance between themselves and the crazy goblin that kept muttering to herself.

Izzy finally gave up, and whisper-hissed, “Are you in my head!?”

I’m not in your head! You’re in my head! Get out! Give me my body back!

“Your—? Your body? This is my body! At least now it is. Whoever was in here is supposed to be gone!”

Well, I’m not! I’ve been stuck here, floating around my own head, watching you bumble around in my body, eating my mana, and getting my favorite dress all torn up! What are you even doing in it? You were supposed to go in the bird! That was the deal! You liar! Dealbreaker! You… bad spirit!

“I didn’t make any deal at all!” Izzy was outraged! She had a voice in her head claiming ownership of her new body, and it was calling her all kinds of things, like “thief.” And “butt!” “Or if I did, I don’t remember it! As far as I know I was flying around, and then I woke up with people screaming all around me and giants trying to kill me! If you messed up the ritual, that’s your own fault!”

The ritual was perfect! The disembodied voice somehow managed to huff. Old Rankle painted all the runes just right, and the bird was in the middle, with the bindings on it! You’re the one who went into me instead of the bird. How did you even go into something outside of the circle, anyway? Sneak-thief spirit!

“Hey, no! No! Why were you inside the whatever? I woke right next to that bird! It tried to bite my nose off! And why are you only talking now, anyway? You had days to complain!”

I couldn’t, could I? All I could do was drift around your head while you fought cats and almost got eaten by a spider! The only reason you can hear me now is because you finally picked one of those Direction thingies, so I could pick one too. And the one called Helper — The voice spat the word — said it would let me talk to you, to give you advice and stupid things like that. Well here’s my advice: Get out of my body!

“No!” Izzy crossed her arms, looking around for something to glare at. “It’s mine now! You did some stupid ritual, and you bound me. And you did a really bad job, by the way! I’m not even properly bound.”

I know. The voice sounded bitter. I’ve heard you talking. I even understood those river sprits, somehow. You’re getting levels and Quests and things, and I don’t get it, but I get levels too when you do. Goblins aren’t supposed to get levels! I never did, anyway. I was a Goblin, level one, and then when Old Rankle taught me enough I became a Goblin Shaman, level three, and I got my new Skills and Spells and all. It’s really curious. I wonder— Wait, why am I telling you this!? Get out of my body!

“NO! And I don’t know how I’d do that, anyway! Do you? You don’t, do you? So shut up, and let me assign my levels!”

Probably gonna pick something stupid, anyway, the voice muttered. But it did go away after that, which was a huge relief.

Satisfied that she’d have some peace and quiet with both the voice and the fairies gone, Izzy brought up her Summary and went to assign her Class levels. The squiggles didn’t ask if she wanted to assign them to Goblin Shaman. Instead a new set of squiggles came up:

[Class slots:

First: Goblin Shaman (5)

Second: Available

Third: Reach second Direction to unlock

Available Classes:

Hunter

Goblin Scrapper

Goblin Crafter

Goblin Witch]

Being able to, presumably, pick a different Class made things both more interesting and more complicated. None of them really jumped out at her, though, so she went through the short list to see if one was better than it sounded.

[Hunter: Hunters provide both food and security, making them one of the most important roles in many societies. Hunters have access to all the Skills needed to stalk, trap, kill, and dress an animal, as well as several skills related to wilderness survival. These Skills also allow them to double as fighters in a pinch, though their lack of actual combat survival Skills means that they lack staying power.

Goblin Scrapper: The basic fighting Class of goblin society, the Goblin Scrapper focuses on general skills over specialization, allowing them to fight with whatever weapon is at hand, both in melee and at range. As goblins are natural ambushers, they’re also able to build simple but effective traps. Easily underestimated, Goblin Scrappers are able to survive and recover from fights against surprisingly powerful opponents, be that through victory or retreat.

Goblin Crafter: Almost everything a goblin owns of any quality was either stolen, looted, or made by a Goblin Crafter. Goblin Crafters have access to both general and specialized Skills for making almost anything a tribe needs, with whatever materials are available. Able to specialize in everything from making clothes to boats, Goblin Crafters are a highly versatile artisan Class.

Goblin Witch: Feared and respected in equal measure, the Goblin Witch is a combination mage, alchemist, and curse-smith. While they have a much more narrow Skill set than a Goblin Shaman, the Goblin Witch can cast magic focusing on death and destruction, create anything from poisons to cure-alls to healing draughts, and both lay and break curses.]

“Eh… Witch, maybe?” Izzy muttered. Hunter had the same problems as the Slayer Direction had, and Scrapper had similar ones in that it focused entirely on fighting. She didn’t want that. And Crafter just sounded boring. The Quests were giving her stuff; why would she want to waste levels on making them herself? At least the Witch had more magic!”

Don’t.

The voice was back, and it sounded… sincere? Not snappy or angry or bitter. More like it was resigned, and asking, not telling.

That made Izzy suspicious. “Why not?

You already have two magic Skills; one that can do a lot of things, and one that you can use for fighting. You don’t have the resources or really the need for any poisons or draughts or anything else the Witch can make, and curses won’t help you. They take a long time to do anything.

“Oh.” The voice really sounded like it was trying to give good advice. “How do you know?”

I… had to pick all new classes. The first one was Bound Spirit, and it does some things, but the second one was Advisor Spirit. It’s got a Skill that lets me know things, and one that lets me know what advice you need. And it told me that stopping you from wasting a slot on that Class would be good advice.

“Uh… Why?”

The voice was quiet for a long while, then said, The things I just told you. But I think you’ll get better options soon, too. Besides, getting more levels in Shaman will make all the Skills you already have from it stronger, and you’ll get more Skills and spells for it, and be able to evolve it sooner. 

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.” Izzy thought about it one more time, just in case the voice was trying to trick her, but she really didn’t think it was. It didn’t sound angry anymore, at all. It just sounded sad, and maybe a little curious. “All right,” she said, and focused on the squiggles. “Two levels in Shaman, please!”

[Your Class Goblin Shaman has reached level 7!

Summary for Mistral, Unbound Aura (Goblin vessel)

Classes:

Goblin Shaman (7)

Total Class levels: 7

Directions:

Goblin

Mana: 210/210 (+5)

Skills from Goblin Shaman:

Plant Magic

Ritual Magic

Contingency Casting

Wind Magic

Non-Class Skills:

Survival

Scrapping

Leadership

Dancing

Spells Known:

From Plant Magic:

Healing Roots

Create Vineling

Bramble Growth

Quests:

A Lone Goblin is a Dead Goblin]

Really? Just like that? the annoying spirit asked as Izzy looked at her Summary with satisfaction. You’ll trust me?

“Eh. For now. I can always just take Witch next time I get a level, anyway.”

Oh, right. The voice was silent again for a long time, then said, You really don’t know how to give me my body back?

“No idea. And I don’t think that I would even if I did. Well, maybe, but I like it.”

Yeah. It’s a good body. Another long pause. I’m Mash.

“What?”

My name. It’s Mash.

“Oh! Oh, okay! You’re Mash! That’s why the old guy — that makes sense! Hi, Mash! My name’s Izzy.”

I know. Hi, Izzy. Is there any way I can convince you?

“Eeeh… if you stop being a butt and help me out, and if we find a way, and maybe another body for me? Maybe.”

Okay. Are you really going to try to find the others who maybe survived?

“Yep. Of course, I am! I was going to even before I got the Quest, and now there’s even levels and stuff in it for me!”

All right. Good. I’ll do my best to help you until we’ve done that, and then, we’ll see. Most of the others were only level one or two, you know? ‘cause they’re pretty dumb. They’re going to need our help to survive, if they’re not dead already.

“I remember that!” Izzy paused, then asked, “Hey, all these goblin things I remember… do they come from you?”

Where else would they come from? Of course they come from me! It’s my body!

“Yeah, yeah. It's just… I remember as much about being a goblin as I do about being an aura. Maybe even more. It’s confusing. Sometimes it feels like I’m just you, with some extra memories.”

Oh. That does sound confusing.

“Yeah. But anyway, that means that I know how much you liked your tribe, and that old goblin. Rankle? I like them, too. And I want to try to find anyone who's left as much as you do. So don't worry about that.”

Okay. Thanks.

“Uh-huh. So, I'm going to sleep again now. I think I need to talk to Gram first, though, about how they're going to help us.”

Us?

“Well, yeah. You're not going anywhere, right? So we're in this together. And if any of our tribe are still alive, we’re going to find them.

Mash was silent for a long time after that. Izzy had a strange feeling that the spirit was circling her, looking at her intently from every angle. Evaluating her.

All right, Mash said finally. Together. For now, at least. If nothing else I want to keep my body alive until I can have it back.

They left to return to Izzy's tree shortly after that. Gram came down to talk after some cajoling, and didn't seem at all reassured by Izzy's explanation that she’d found a spirit living inside her. Or around her, probably.

“I don't care what kind of crazy you are,” the old fairy said. “A deal's a deal, and you delivered on your end. Come to Mother Oak tomorrow, and we'll work something out.”

“Good night, Mash,” Izzy said later, as she curled up in her nest. She'd cut a tunnel through the brambles with her new knife to make it easier to get in. “That's what you say before sleeping, right?”

Yeah, that's right. Good night, Izzy.

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Joke's on you, I've got another friggin' MC!