A Small Memory Fragment

“I don’t know Abel, I am not feeling hopeful about my odds,” I said to my yellow-eyed companion across the table from me.

“Yuclaus, you’ll be fine. I got my class at level twenty-nine, the unofficial limit. If I can do it, you can,” my friend took a sip of the tea we were enjoying. The faction had many enjoyable shops and restaurants to partake in. This particular one The C— was one such establishment. Run by a gentleman named A—, a —— fellow, they served a fine variety of teas.

Abel helped me appreciate the fine beverage. It was a pleasant alternative to the usual liquor we used to enjoy. It was necessary to keep one's head clear in our line of work. If only we could enjoy some fine whisky. I believe the Orthodox had different liquors, mainly made of air. Obviously, that was not appealing to us Reforms. I was never one for an “oxygen bar”. Why pay for something you do thousands upon thousands of times.

“Yes, but Abel, how did you get your class at twenty-nine? Just stop being vague and tell me.” Abel looked at his green tea for a moment. A pleasant blend with some dried strawberries. It had a wonderful aroma that we both wished was its actual flavor.

“If I told you how, the odds of you actually succeeding would only decrease. Everyone who gets a class has a… trial of sorts. Each one is unique to the individual, and if you get hung up on the how you will lose the why.”

“You’re lucky we are friends or I would kick your guru butt out of this faction.” Abel started laughing, and I soon followed along.

“Here, let's go get some levels tomorrow. Tonight, go write in your journal about your thoughts on the subject. Just remember, your class is your path for life. You keep thinking of something that will help you now, but you need something that will help you always.”

“You are literally, just repeating the same phrase but replacing the word with a different one. Fine. Let's do it. I'm going to really dive into my feelings on the subject, and we can go for a hunt.”

“Attaboy! That's the energy we need!” Yuclaus shook head and took a draw of his lukewarm tea. He always had a problem with waiting too long before drinking it. His mind wandered to another topic that had been brought up.

“Abel, you have a journal too right?”

“Yup! In case I forget where it is, it's in a secr— a—a undern— —e ———”

“——————get it.”

“—————”

“——”

Two silhouettes sat across from one another, a fire separating them. The sizzling of meat was the only accompaniment to their silence. No crickets sounded. Isencia killed those the first night. She found them quite vexing. For an Environ, she was quite the ecoterrorist. Sen had started cooking up meat at their return. As the warm scent of Meat from Beyond filled his nostrils, his mouth did not water. It could not water. His stomach did not grumble. It could not grumble. His eyes glistened. They could kind of do that.

It was interesting to see how Isencia had gone straight to cooking food. She had given Yuclaus no indication that she enjoyed the “fine dining experience” they had shared. There was no particular reason for their silence —more mental exhaustion and contemplation than anything deeper— so Cause decided to ask.

“I take it you enjoy eating Sen?” The nymph looked up from where she carefully watched the plant-meat. Would that make it like an artichoke heart?

“Hm. It's not so much that I like eating. Maybe I do, it is enjoyable but I don't particularly need to do it. It's more racial than that.”

“Sen you don’t have to bring race into it,” Yuclaus joked. He did it in honor of his best friend, whom as we all know, is quite hilarious.

“Well, I’m half-Environ half-Human right?” She continued, completely missing the humor, “So it is interesting how eating reacts to my body. It has a mild cultivating effect, but also makes me inexplicably feel… stronger. I am unsure why, but I feel that it would be beneficial to continue.”

“So it's not just because you enjoy the flavor?” The nymph looked up at the Figment. They locked eyes. There was a small staring contest. Yuclaus realized it would never end, as they both didn’t really need to blink. Did that mean he could do an eternal staring contest? How would one go about it? Could his mental faculties take the pressure? Eventually, he decided to break the stalemate. Ok, maybe it was me personifying my thoughts in Yuclaus, but I get bored ok? “Sen didn’t we talk about communication?” Had anyone else made such a comment, perhaps they would have been ignored. Isencia almost included Yuclaus in the “anyone else” category, but relented.

“Yes. I do enjoy it. Are you happy?”

“Very much so. Sen, how fun would it be to try out other foods from around the world? We could do a food quest! Travel the Pearl Necklace looking for the delicacies of the world! I could develop a fork and knife ability, and you can cook everything! We would be the perfect—ah copyright. Nevermind.” Yuclaus ended his banter with a whimper. He had been trying hard to make Isencia laugh as of late. It was a repayment of sorts. He had caused a lot of problems, stress, and tough situations for Sen. If he could make her laugh now, maybe someday she would be the one joking happily.

“Ah, yes, I remember that. I’m surprised you referenced it Yu.”

“Wait. How? Sen, when will your capabilities cease? Are you omniscient? All knowing?” Yuclause may have been overreacting a little, but he was a man on a mission. A mission that was soon successful. Isencia’s canopy rustled, and a visible grin adorned her face.

“No. I was just making it up. I figured since you just believe everything I say, that you would believe that I just got the memories somehow.” Yuclaus had to admit she had a point. He would probably have believed her if she pressed it, claiming “magic”. He soon shared in her mirth. After the two had returned to a comfortable silence, Yuclaus decided to proceed with their plan of debriefing.

“Hey Sen, I have an idea for our discussion on our plans, abilities, and all of that. Would it be okay if I ask you all the questions I can think of, then once I’m done, you can do the same? I feel like I'd be asking the most questions anyway, so we could get those out of the way.” Yuclaus was unaware, but Isencia had not been comfortable in their silence. She had been trying to bring up a conversation —a way to get them on the same page. Yet every time she had tried to say what her brain was thinking, she changed her mind. Cause’s suggestion made it easy for her. She had no doubt he would end up discussing things about himself while asking, so it saved her the stress. It also had the added benefit of allowing her to answer questions and to get used to talking with him.

“Sure. Do you already have some questions?”

“Yes! I have been making a mental list all day. First off, you originally mentioned there were racial abilities and systems right? Of these two, which is more important?” Isencia flipped the plant steak over, her makeshift vine-grate keeping it directly over the fire. She had made a barbeque with her Soul Spore, and had learned in minutes the best way to cook it. Medium-rare obviously.

“That is an interesting question. I won’t be able to answer it as thoroughly as you like, as I am only really aware of maybe three systems and racial abilities. I am sure if you were to travel to a Reform city, they would have a much better answer for you. I would say it really depends. As far as I know, every system works much better with its own racial ability. There are no real crossovers of racial abilities. For example: I can upgrade my body using a method very similar to the Greenhouse system. I can actually transfer some nutrients and abilities from my Soul Spore, to my body. You can see by my dress that I utilize the same attributes from my Spore. Th—”

“Sorry to interrupt Sen, I have a quick question before you continue. Is your vine dress physically attached to your body?”

“...The Environ racial ability works extremely well with the Greenhouse system. However, if a pure Environ were to get the Reform RPG system, it would be independent from their body cultivation. It would be more accurate to say the system would not be able to improve my body. I believe the Reform system would list out ‘attributes’ respectively, but it couldn’t improve my physique. So then tha—”

“Ok, one last time Sen. The first question was stupid, but this one is important. You say that a ‘pure Environ’ couldn’t improve their body with the RPG system. But Sen, you aren’t a pure Environ. You’re half. Does that mean you can also use the racial ability of the Reforms?” The conclusion Yuclaus had come to was one that made perfect sense in his line of reasoning. However, to Isencia it was like he dropped an atomic bomb on her world. Never before had she interacted with a Reform other than her father, and even then she was barely able to understand who he was when she was young. She had never thought she would have the Reform racial ability.

Isencia was shaken. Not because of any “implications” or “problems” but because something so obvious had never been questioned. Why had she never asked Mother? In the case she did have the Reform racial ability, how could she improve it? How would she prove she even had it in the first place?

“I...I don't know.” At her proclamation, a new scent made itself known in Yuclaus’ sinuses. It smelt… empty. Yuclaus may make a lot of mistakes, but he was no fool. Isencia felt confused and maybe a little lost. How would he cheer up his friend? He had an idea. It had to do with something she had just mentioned.

“Hey, how long do you think it will take to get to the elevator?” The nymph looked up at his words, momentarily distracted from her thoughts.

“It depends on our pace. A month, maybe two.”

“Are there any Reform cities along the way? Maybe we could go in and ask about the racial ability. We could figure out whether you have it, how it works, all the ins and outs.” Isencia had not expected that Yuclaus would suggest that. As far as she knew, he was completely unaware of the surroundings. How could he know, that right in between them and their destination, was a city named Fort Colon. This was one of the first moments, Isencia truly felt grateful that Yuclaus was around.

“I don't know if that would be smart but… I would like that.” The Environ said. Yuclaus beamed at her words, knowing he had been successful in cheering her up.

“It sounds like a plan! Let me know when we get close, and maybe we can figure something out. Of course, if we are in any kind of danger we can always look into it another time, but I would like to try.”

“So would I.” The two lapsed into a brief silence, until Yuclaus decided to keep talking. If he went silent for too long, his friend may lapse into her previous thoughts.

“Sen, would you mind explaining your abilities and your Soul Spore?”

“Mhm. So my Spore originally started as a type of jasmine vine. I say jasmine because that is the closest equivalent. This one had flowers with unique healing properties, flowers like the one I used after you initially got b—hurt. Since then, I have evolved it in a very unique path. That was why I sent the tumblew—”

“WHAT? Sen! What do you mean you ‘sent the tumbleweed’? Is that why a tumbleweed came out of nowhere and tainted my beautiful mangrove? Was that your fau—”

“Yu. Do you not like your Spore?”

“...I mean yes I do but it could have be—”

“You're right. It was my fault. I was trying to save you from that abomination. You still ended up with it, but luckily it is more balanced. Had you taken it on its own, you would have been unable to control it. More than likely, it would have controlled you. You are ri—”

“Wait what do you mean ‘control me’? How could a plant control me?”

“Yu, please let me finish. You were right, you are right that it was wrong of me to do without asking you. I made a promise to myself when I did it. I told myself I would find you the ingredients and materials to make your Spore into something you truly wanted. It may not be what you originally had in mind for yourself Yu, but take my Spore for example. It started as a type of jasmine, and now I can single handedly control a large swath of forest. It is not where you started that matters, but what you do after that counts. I will help you evolve your Spore. So just trust me ok?” Yuclaus was tempted to continue on his tirade, but she was right. He was quite happy with Gourami; he had useful capabilities, and the tumbleweed was just plain fun. Isencia had also been looking out for him. He was unsure how it was an “abomination” but Sen had never done anything to purposefully harm him. He would trust her.

“You’re right. I am not happy about it Sen, but you said you’ll make it up, and I believe you will. Can you continue telling me about your Soul Spore? It sounds like it is quite powerful if you can control a massive area.” Isencia did not smile, but she was relieved. Happy that Yuclaus didn’t push the subject.

“Gladly. So I chose the jasmine because it reminded me of my father. His favorite plant was jasmine, he loved how it smelled when it bloomed in the summer. The one I chose was a variant which gave off a much more intense scent. For this reason, they are quite difficult to find as animals would be drawn to the plant and eventually eat it. Since that point, I acquired many different plants, ambrosia, and rare materials that could upgrade it. I did have help from Mother and my siblings, but I did what I could on my own.

“I will tell you the stories of each individual plant should you desire, but I acquired a type of plant that was exceptionally rare. Rare to the point Mother had never seen it before, and it hasn't been seen since. It was a parasitic mushroom which could control the plant it was attached to. Enough so, that I had to fight a moving tree to get to it. When I fed it to my Spore, I realized there was a weakness. I could only control one single plant at a time. After years of searching, I found an interesting type of grass. It was unified. It would add nearby grass into a hive-mind, allowing all the grass to communicate and add to the network. I fed this to my Spore as well, and found I could add more vines to my network. The problem was I had only a few individual vines in the initial jasmine plant. It took far too long to grow additional ones.

Eventually, with the help of ambrosia, I isolated the “adding to the network” effect of the grass, and changed it. Ambrosia allows you to take an attribute of an item you fed to your Spore, or the original plant, and enhance a characteristic. I enhanced the characteristic of adding to the grass network, to include devouring other plants and transforming them into vines. So that is basically how my Soul Spore works.” Yuclaus was stunned speechless. Though Isencia only brushed over the topics, the information and attributes she acquired was astounding. He would hate her for her humble bragging, but he knew she never intended it.

“So basically, you have thousands of vines that can communicate forming a hive-mind, which each vine can take over a plant, allowing you to control a whole forest. On top of that, you can make healing flowers.”

“Mhm.”

“That is incredible. Isencia, teach me your ways.”