A Stone

Brittle. Swallowing it was a matter of choice, he wasn't sure how it would taste, but it rattled his when he swallowed.

He couldn't figure out why he had done such a thing, but all of his inner worries had passed over him, ignored. The Elder saw what had been done, he rushed to Errit's side but the change was already washing over him.

His skin turned to a marbled bronze tone, he felt lighter and began giving off light. Nearby plants seemed to enjoy the sensation as they outstretched their branches when he passed. A golden aura was seeping from every pore on his body. His eyes hurt.

The suns would begin to rise in only an hour, all four of them needed to return to the Village. The Elder and guards saw Errit swallowing the crystal. Their first thought was that the Goddess of the Waters would strike him down, when the tribulation didn't come, they reeled and approached from behind.

"Why did you do that?" The Elder wanted to know what had made someone swallow a rock. It was a strange sight, something that didn't make the slightest bit of logic within his mind.

Errit's eyes contained flecks of gold and motes of green. Blessed by the Goddess of the Waters, the Stone was much more powerful.

Stepping outside of the Cavern, He pulled the heavy spear out and struck a boulder laying on the ground to see what would happen. Luck seemed to smile on him, he had not struck the cavern wall inside with his new found power. The rock shattered, splintering into many pieces and scattering across the entrance.

'That is much, much stronger.' His arm pulsed, the blood in his body feeling the tidal forces of the moon. Errit felt strong, stronger than ever before. The Elder and guards were ready to return to the Village, Errit had other plans. Parting ways, he thanked the Elder for allowing him to come.

"The night is weakest before dawn, beware your strength, blessing or curse, actions choose such things." Disappearing into a thicket, the Elder and the Guards were gone like a gust of the wind.

'I better get some sleep.' Errit looked for the path that had brought them to the Cavern. Walking back, he started picking up anything that showed with an aura. Rocks, Herbs, treebark, branches, whatever caught his eye he would grab and store for later.

Sitting in his tree, he fumbled through some of the inventory from the ring. The Armor was made from leather, scales and bands of flesh. It was truly a gruesome thing, stained and disproportionate. One side of the epaulets held a series of fingers or claws, Errit couldn't tell the difference between species yet.

One of the pieces of the Armor had a rip in it, stabbed by something very sharp. The cut was clean, straight and wide. The weapon used was big. A set of bars on the backside looked like supports molded into the spinal column.

He thought about putting it on to see how it fit, but it was disgusting to look at. He needed rest, so he ate another fruit from the tree and closed his eyes, nestled in the branches he began to dream.

"You surprise me mortal. A clear and level head, such a rare thing." A voice came in his dreams, splendid and pure, like flowing water.

Errit smiled. "Life, You can't live without it." He looked around within the dreamscape, he could see scenes from his childhoods, both of them. One on Earth, the other on Shiyan. Memories unfamiliar to him played out like a theater in his mind.

"So that's why she was angry with me." Errit thought about the girl that had died when he woke up.

"Do not fear, that one did not have long for this world. Your current body retains these memories, soon they will be distant and unreachable. Learn what you can, they will not appear before you so easily again." The voice of the Goddess disappeared, trailing off into the distance.

Errit's expression changed to curiosity when she left the dream. He started to wonder what sort of things could be done in the new world. "Shiyan, the world of the Esper Emperor.. and now a Goddess" Errit fell mindless, allowing his dreams to pass more clearly. Swept away inside of them, he drifted through the memories and the tree began to grow.

The evening passed, turning to dawn. As the first sun rose a fog began to lift over the grasslands.

"KAW, KI-KAW" Birds surrounded Errit as he slept in the Great Tree. Flowers covered its branches, the villagers had noticed the change when the first sun had risen. Staring up into the tree, they could see him giving off power. The tree had widened, grown another twenty feet and another forty fruit had developed overnight. The birds couldn't help themselves, several of the fruits had been attacked by them.

A rock was thrown.

Errit stirred in the tree, rolling. He fell out. Falling, the villagers noticed that he didn't hit the ground very hard. The grass itself seemed to have been fuller than a moment before, softening the blow. Like a pillow, he tried fluffing it and fell back to sleep.

"New one sleeps his morning away, let us get to ours. He will rise soon." The Elder gave his opinion, turned and walked to the fields nearby. All of the plants in the area seemed healthier than the night before. 'Goddess, you bless us further'