《The Changeling》Chapter 3: The premier of skincare

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"Youth."

"What?" I turned.

"That's you're Origin; Youth."

"... Huh."

.

.

My eyes open. I was disoriented. My mind tried to match what I expected to what I saw.

I expected stone walls lit softly by orange crystals, the smell of lavender and a wooden beam ceiling.

Instead I saw cream plaster walls and ceiling, lit by the light streaming through glass windows and fine fabric drapes.

'... Curtains. They are called curtains in the modern day and they're not particularly 'fine'...'

The clashing memories, old, new, modern and medieval, disoriented me a while longer.

I sat up on my bed, observing, somewhat nonplussed, as the softest thing I had felt in decades catered my weight.

'Decades… This luxury was once commonplace to me...'

I rub my forehead. Then blink at the sight of my hands.

Smooth, unblemished, hairless.

'What?'

They weren't like that yesterda- oh.

'Oh yeah, I remember.'

Throwing off the covers and standing up, luxuriating at the all too soft carpet beneath my toes, I walk to the full sized mirror in my new room.

The room feels bright, the colors more vivid than I remember, the feel of air passing my skin far more noticable.

Standing before the mirror I take in my appearance.

Possessing clear brown skin, jaw-length silky black hair, princely features, haunting golden eyes and dressed in a baggy black shirt and shorts combo was a boy around the age of ten.

'Me.'

I clench my fist before me, feeling the strength flowing through my veins. It gave me some much needed reassurance.

Looking at the mirror once more, I... willed it.

I grew.

Or rather, I aged.

A few inches in height.

Eleven.

Slightly more broad.

Twelve.

Delicate features hardening.

Thirteen.

Baby fate gradually disappearing.

Fourteen.

Muscle definition more obvious.

Fifteen.

Filling in the clothes.

Sixteen.

Scars surfacing on the skin.

Seventeen.

I stopped.

I had aged seven years in seven seconds.

'An Origin of [Youth] in the Age of Fae and a mentor like Merlin…'

"... If I couldn't do at least this much I'd be a complete waste I suppose."

What "prettiness" and androgynous there was to my ten-year-old form had completely disappeared. I looked very masculine.

The original jaw-length hair had shortened considerably as my scalp grew, the hair length was spread over surface-area. Still, it was long enough to run my fingers through it, and felt just a silky as before.

My jaw was strong and defined, eyebrows thickened, skin tone a shade darker and brow more heavily set.

I was rather handsome, but not disgustingly so (you know what I'm talking about). My good looks are "simple", not so much beautiful, but without obvious flaw.

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Along with my new stature that strained in the, now too small, top and shorts, I would be the archetype ruggedly handsome man if not for my skin.

My skin, now slightly bronzed but still as soft and clear as it was in child form, gave a feel of someone well cared for. Unblemished, but not delicate, full of vitality and colour.

As a result you have a mixed appeal of a manly man and a cultured scholar.

'You could say the prince had become a king.'

"... Just kiddin'."

'No king is without wrinkles…unless you have Avalon...'

Magic: The premier of skincare.

I do faintly remember what I was like before, eh… "hopping". And I can still see it in my current face, but it's like someone took my old face and had their way with it using an "artistic licence".

'I.e: Photoshop.'

Magic: The premier in software editing.

I huff, feeling my jaw. My beardless jaw.

Save the hair on my head, all body hair falls off when I de-age, it wouldn't do to have a ten-year-old with a hairy chest after all.

After aging up to an age capable of body-hair I still have to wait till it grows if I want a beard.

Magic: The premier of shaving.

'Well… Merlin gave me potions to grow back hair rapidly for when I really wanted it.'

Magic: The premier of hair recovery.

'Whatever.'

My body is built far, far better than it was when I was actually seventeen. Almost two meters and broad, once again magic has airbrushed me, bringing out my very best.

I clench my fist, once more feeling the strength run through my veins, but this time, my arm bulges. Everything below the head is "thick".

My hands are thick, wrists are thick, forearms are thick, biceps are thick, shoulders are thick, chest is thick, neck is thick, trunk is, waist is thick, thighs are thick, calves are thick, ankles are thick, feet are thick… yet I am still streamline.

I give the impression of a tall tree. However... I know I am also as flexible as a cat, strong as an ox whilst retaining that steadiness of an ancient oak.

That is how I trained after all. Proportion, endurance, strength, stamina, flexibility and fortitude…

'Even if I don't remember that training right now…'

And I get even bigger the more I age.

After making a few more poses I de-age, my clothes are straining pretty bad right now.

Seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen.

Stop.

At fourteen-ish my build had only just begun to truly expand in width, I looked more like a well built swimmer. Less stocky then when I was actually fourteen.

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However my clothes now fit porpperly, this was the age I went to sleep in. Must have de-aged further whilst sleeping.

'That happened a lot I think.'

Smaller body = more body heat. Good for sleeping.

'Time to get the day started.'

I close my eyes for a second, focusing in on the connection with my dear Contractor.

'Asleep.' I grin. 'Gooood.'

Two doors down, Rin's eyes flew open. Completely awake.

'... Aww.'

.

.

Servant

Name: Artus

Class: Saber/Caster

Alignment: Neutral Good

Sex: Male

Height: 70cm - 250cm

Weight: 20kg - 120kg

Armament: Armour. Shield. Sword. Cape. ?

.

Parameters

Strength: B-

Endurance: A

Agility: C-

Mana: D++

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: None

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Class Skills

Magic Resistance: A

Artus was a knight and warrior renowned for slaying the magical in life. He had also befriended the Elements, and trained with Fae offering them his hand in friendship and gained an eternal ally. Artus' Magical Resistance is not only empowered by his legend but also supported by the spirits themselves.

Item Enchantment: D+

A third-rate magus in life has just barely become a second-rate in death. However his speciality is tied to his fighting style closely enough to warrant the skill. A knock-off of the Item Construction Skill.

Independent Action: E+

Empowered and supported by spirits and fairies, they are able to supply minimal assistance. Has received a downgrade due to being summoned in the modern world. Stronger in places of greater magical concentration and nature.

Eye of the Mind (True): C

Artus has the skill due to his experience challenging a variety of Magus and Phantasmal Beasts. The mindset of a "challenger" was predominant in him even after his rise to power. His ability to learn was not to be underestimated.

Clairvoyant (Demon): C+

Artus understood space. Due to his Demon eyes Artus was naturally able to track fast moving objects, "see" around corners and grasp the space around him. He is able to increase the rank by applying Reinforcement to his eyes.

Riding: C-

As a knight he was relatively skilled at horseback riding, but due to his weight and stature it was difficult to find a stead suitable. Skill receives a rank down due to Artus' inability to ride all but specially enhanced steads in life.

.

Personal Skills

Comradeship of the Fairies: B

Artus retains the close ties he had with all Fairies, Fae and Spirits of Gaia he had in life. This can be said to be a superior version of Protection of the Fairies. The Fairies actively help attack and defend, gifting resistance against elements, illusion and magecraft, whilst also capable of using illusion to confuse, empowering one's mana and adding minor elemental attributes to attacks. With this skill one is equal as partners with the Fae.

Demon eyes of Dimension: C

The Demon is foreign. The Demon is alien. The Demon has golden eyes. It is unknown if Artus was born with the eyes or came to possess them later in life, they are largely responsible for Artus' reputation as a Changeling. The title "Dimension" in this case refers to layer, space and distance.

Protection from projectiles: C

A slightly superior version of the skill Protection from Arrows. Although both skills provide protection from projectiles, Protection from Arrows is of course obtained fending off arrows, where as Protection from projectiles is gained via fending off a greater variety of projectiles. This skill provides a larger umbrella of concepts that fall under the term "projectile". On an unrelated note, it was said Artus was often plagued by nightmares of flaming rocks and dead cows flying at him.

Bravery: C

The ability to negate mental interference, pressure, confusion and charm. Artus is used to fighting against greater odds with lesser tools or simply empty-handed, his "fortitude" is able to not only empower himself but also his Fairy allies. However that is not all, Artus is famously known to be belligerent. Defying lords, nobles and knights as a commoner and later being one of the few to talk down his King. Artus does indeed possess great Bravery on and off the battlefield.

Charisma: D

Although he himself never considered he was particularly charming, Artus possessed an unspeakable dignity at times. Steady like a mountain, his presence and abnormal stature calmed and fortified allies whilst stifling enemies. Artus' Charisma is focused on the concept of "reliability". That is... at least when he is in adult form. As he takes a child like form, Charisma tends to show itself in a drastically different manner...

Dual Summon: C

Granted the Class Skills of both the Saber and Caster class, an exceedingly rare trait. However Artus' qualifications as a Saber class has sufficiently close ties to his ability to use magic, thus granting the Dual Summon skill.

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Noble Phantasm

Artus does not possess any Noble Phantasms, or perhaps one could say his Noble Phantasms is not having any Noble Phantasms? In place of a NP, Artus instead possessing drastically more skills than the regular Servant. The weight that should be a NP is replaced by more empowered qualities of his life, thus using up that "free weight".

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