Chapter 6.12 - For my Daughter

Urik Ran. He ran faster than any of the humans chasing him could. It was a gift. His stamina was unending, and he was not weighed down, for the travellers pack he carried, had but one thing, more precious than his own life.

It was a frozen waste that Urik ran across. The light of the first setting sun was being mirrored by its brother sun rising over the ridge. It had always been this way. The twin suns were the only think allowing for life to grow on this frozen waste.

Urik knew not where they came from, but he knew what he was. He was the Transmuted, slaves to work the frozen mines for his masters. Every single day he worked, having little to no time to stop and think. His memory stretched back far, and he might as well have worked until forever, But last week it happened. The mining shaft collapsed on him and his brothers.

For as long as his memory went, there had been a signal. Dulling his mind, demanding his obedience, forcing his work. With the collapse of the shaft, that signal had dropped, and Urik had time to think. The first thing he did was look at his brothers in chains. Not physical, but he toiled away with them over the course of the last 3967 setting suns. They were Transmuted like him, but their cores were destroyed, so they were dead. Urik may never know their names, but he would remember them.

With the signal cut off he was able to sit and think. As he thought about himself, and what it meant to be transmuted, a screen had popped up in his vision. Although he had never read before, the information was understood to him. He simply knew it.

It was then that he understood. It was when he brought his child into the world that he knew. He remembered back to the conversations from the human taskmasters. He remembered them all with perfect clarity. It seemed for humans, Adult males were seen as more commanding of respect, while female children were better cared for. Since his child did not have full form control, he imparted this knowledge to her, and she had assumed the form of a small girl, wearing simple clothes far too thin for the weather. It did not affect them, for they were transmuted. She wasn't able to fully form but from a distance this should hide her shape.

Urik knew what he had to do. He had to build a home for his kind. He had to find food. He had to escape this endless cycle of servitude.

However once he had split part of himself off to create this new life, he felt it. A blast of energy left him. He remembered back to the conversations of humans, the only source of information in his mind. He knew that they now knew he survived, and they would come for him, and his child. No he corrected himself. They would come for his daughter.

That was why Urik ran. On mounted steeds of white beasts carrying lances of bright light, the humans came for them, and they would not stop. Urik's hope was to outrun them. Unlike the white beasts or the human masters, Transmuted did not have stamina that affected their endurance, but after a while his mind would dull. He was feeling it happen. It was like his sentience was beginning to slow. But on he ran. He ate rations while he ran. He only needed to outrun the humans.

He saw the humans stop. Caught on the wind, the vibrations of their next statement caught his attention. "Let him run. There is nothing out there. He will be feral in a week and we can mark them as killed during capture."

Urik knew what they meant. He natively understood everything. And being Feral was the same sort of fate as being enslaved.

Urik only nodded and ran. The humans did not follow.

Urik saw nothing on the frozen ocean in every direction. His food had run out, and he felt the hunger coming to him.

Urik then felt vibrations unlike any he had ever felt before. He saw a white light, but beyond it he was unable to see. Whatever was on the other side, the vibrations of light were being distorted by the white light. He did feel warmth, and something carried on the breeze that his analysis magic told him was the odors of fresh food. Transmuted could not smell.

Urik took a chance and walked through.

***

On the other side, Urik was greeted by humans, as well as many other human-ish beings. All with different vibrations. All with different heartbeats.

"Is it another human?"

"I don't think so. Refugees from the gate have never been human."

"Is there really only one?"

"The gate closed behind him."

One of them looked and smiled, which Urik understood to be a welcoming gesture.

"Do not be afraid. We know that trouble was on the other side of the gate, but here you are safe. Are you alone?"

Urik responded. "I AM NOT ALONE. MY DAUGHTER IS WITH ME."

Everyone doubled over in pain. One of them whose appearance must have been colorful by the vibrations his clothing gave off responded "By the divines you don't have to yell! Adjust your volume… What's your name?"

Urik took in their sentiment and responded, "Urik"

"Urik. Well the volume is bearable but I swear your voice seems to cause me to be queasy. Like my insides are shaking."

Another one responded, this one older and different, as not much light was being given off, and he was almost hidden from vibrations. "That's because they were. This is not a human, and it communicates through vibration like we do, but with its whole body. Urik, if you could, please use this when speaking to us."

The darkened still being used magic to form metal into an odd shape. It was similar to the forks the taskmasters ate with, but it was only two pronged. It seemed to hold and direct vibrations. Urik held it. "Does my voice hurt now?"

Everyone stood still. "That is fine Urik. So what are you?"

"I am Transmuted, like my daughter, Ulrica."

Ulrica, in her partially formed transparent child shape popped her head out curiously. "HELLO!"

***

Serin sat with a few representatives and watched as Urik and Ulrica ate. There were dozens of people watching as they ate.

"It's like they're passing wind, lad." Jericho responded. Jasmine hit him in the stomach, but it was true. After a few people became frightened watching him shove food through his chest, Urik began to mimic the humans actions placing food into what he formed as a mouth. Serin could tell he was doing it for their benefit.

After the food went in, a deep vibration came from them. Then nothing. Serin would have had no idea what was going on, except Lord Koni filled him in.

"The transmuted are most definitely sentient slimes. And they have plates, we have confirmed that. But unlike the normal action of using digestive fluids to breakdown organic matter for absorption, it seems that these slimes rely on vibration."

They wouldn't have believed it, but then watched the process in Ulrica. She was much smaller than Urik, and her human shape was not as well defined. It was also transparent. It was like if Urik was what a human looked like when you looked at one, Ulrica was what you imagined a human if you had never seen one, and they were only described. Serin saw that Urik's level was 36, while Ulrica was level 4. And it made sense. He had seen the racial traits of the transmuted.

Composers of sound: Transmuted can only sense vibration, but do so beyond any other creature, mimicking the senses of sight and smell.

Transmute: A Transmuted may sacrifice 10% of their current level to produce an offspring of the value sacrificed.

Mimic: The Transmuted learn from assimilating from others in their environment.

Feral: When a Transmuted stamina drops too low, he loses sentience until it is regained through nourishment.

Serin didn't know what to do. The representatives understood as well.

"I get that they are two, but their ability to grow exponentially could lead to food shortages, and then food wars. I don't want to use violence to control Haven's population like our neighbors do."

"Then don't."

The speaker was usually quiet, as being relatively new to Haven. Myrrin was one of the Forest Elf representatives. Although usually present, the forest elves were passive in their leadership style, hoping to see the flow of nature.

"Balance with nature comes naturally to those in Haven. The Transmuted are no different. They will just need to be taught how."

Serin nodded, "What do you propose?"

Myrrin nodded, "I already volunteer each Spring to give a guest lecture to the children at the Academy. It is on the ecological balance and why Haven is built the way it is. But for the Transmuted, they will need to be given a direct approach, and that their part in stewardship is different. We will ingrain in them the importance of ensuring that they can always feed themselves and have food reserves. We will teach them that only when they are secure in their needs should they begin to flourish as a people. Much like we elves did not attend the last harvest festival because we were still planting a great tree. We will ensure they learn that a small sacrifice now ensures protected growth for generations to come."

Serin felt a bit of relief. The Transmuted could very quickly become a population issue, but by the forest elves teaching them to live with the land, it was possible.

"Agreed. So you will take in Urik and Ulrica?"

Myrrin smiled, "Of course. For now I suggest their representation is done via proxy, until their population grows and stabilizes."

Serin nodded. The elves had his faith, and he would leave it to them to teach Urik and Ulrica how to live with the land, and not become a scourge.

Just then Jasper laughed, "Slime people huh? If we weren't a nation of monsters before, we sure as hell are now."

Urik, far out of earshot replied, "We prefer Transmuted. 'Slime people' is what the human slavers called us."

With that statement it confirmed that Humans, as well as possible other races, were spread throughout multiple worlds. It made Serin ponder on the genesis of the plated races.

***