Chapter 49: 40: Mirror Mirror

‘Okay… just stay calm… I’m not panicking, you are… just don’t think about……… It’s really hard not to think about it when it’s all that your other self is thinking about!’

‘That’s some time till then I have to think of something on the way… Alice isn’t usually that assertive, I’d say she’s very tolerant for sharing a body and mind with what’s basically an Alien but… this is the one thing she will not concede on. I know having children is one of if not her biggest wish… I wonder if it is her own decision or some sort of natural instinct of hers. I thought I wouldn’t find a suitable male for her, especially since all the kindred I conjured always seemed to be female. I did not expect the possibility of her just not needing a mate for ‘offspring’. I’m just not ready for it I guess.’

Faenas’s voice brought her back from her thoughts.

Alicia only vaguely recalled some of the demonstrations and in truth she didn’t quite remember everything owing to the mental chaos she just had; bringing that up now after everything was done and over with would have been quite rude. So she just went along with what she was saying.

‘For now I need to get back and get ahold of myself.’

‘Let’s think about it… why am I so afraid of this? Is it responsibility? Not really. It’s more of… I’m just not mentally prepared for childbirth… I wish I just wasn’t a part of. What’s it going to be anyway? A human-spider hybrid like me? Hell I’m not sure if I have a human in me despite looking like one.’

Alicia was purposefully taking a roundabout path, to delay the inevitable for as long as she could.

‘Right, I personally, can just be somewhere else with ｢ Mirror Image ｣ but for how long…? They aren’t just going to hatch immediately, I need a more permanent solution…’

>Suggestion. Educement: Gemini, Enables user to create an indefinitely lasting copy. Further details available. Educement cost: 5.

‘Did you say indefinite? I’ll take it. Gimme! Gimme!’

When coming back to the great oak, Alicia was under immediate impulse to start digging down. Identifying it as Alice’s desires before she could be swept up along with it;

｢ Mirror Image ｣

↳ 〔Gemini〕

The instant she used a mirror image with Gemini educement, she was assaulted by extreme fatigue and wrenching pain as if something was twisting her guts out of her and then pulling it elsewhere. The sensation is nothing like creating an image out of water using mana which only felt like working with heavy wires. The feeling lasted for only few moments yet to her it felt like minutes of torture but it was done, infront of her a reflection of herself stood. There was no mirror here. Without prompt visible physical changes started to manifest on the double. Blue sapphire eyes shifted into electric violet2#240A40 or RGB: 26/10/64 then became dyed in maddening red,3#F81F12 or RGB: 248/31/18 lengthy hair shrivelling and retreating like withering vines of a plant. The most distinct and perhaps unique change, a missing leg. Alice’s preferred form.

When she realized the splitting process was complete, she immediately moved up to the tree.

>Displaying updated metrics…

‘I see that my stats are down… Is that the reason? Why is it down again?’

>Educement: Gemini. Imparts fragment of the administrator’s soul to create a perfect duplicate.

‘So I’m quite literally a halved person huh. Other half is in Alice I’m guessing?

>Affirmation.

Should’ve read the fine print first but this is fine too since I got what I asked for.’

The familiar hollowness in her chest returned. Meanwhile Alice was trying to dig a burrow underneath the tree act which immediately alerted Dryssia to come and investigate, only to be confused at the sight.

Still bewildered; eyes switching between Alicia who's standing in front her and Alice who’s invested into her excavation project.

Tree nymph seemed to be having a really bad case of headache as she clutched her head, eyebrows crumpled and quivering.

‘She was having trouble with just my name and now there’s two. Sorry can’t help you with that. Now if she was asking for a greenhouse or something like that…’

Approaching Alice she definitely noticed her yet without a social cue like turning around and maintaining eye contact or greeting it seemed as if she wasn’t known, maybe even ignored. So as it may be, having shared a body and to an extent a mind, Alicia was well accustomed to Alice’s thought process and her nature.

‘She’s still using Telepathy even with a mouth capable of speech… She might need some time to get used to a humanoid…ish body. Dryssia should be able to help her if she doesn’t get scared away… Speaking of which…’

Let me think since it’s under constant stress, something that has a high elastic limit and a fair bit of stiffness.”

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‘Right she doesn’t know anything about these terms.’

‘Why are you referring to yourself in third-person now…?’

Running off to the base of the tree she rummaged through her beloved basket, usually filled with her personal collection of tree nuts, herbs, ferns and seeds. From within she picked up an acorn and returned while seeming to whisper something to it. After finding a spot she liked, she crouched down and started to scoop out some soil before planting and covering it back up with the dirt. Covering it with her palm over it; then as she raised her hand beneath it fresh green vines had sprouted. And as her hovering palm lifted away from it, the sapling started to vigorously grow, following the movements of her hand. It looked as if she was pulling it up with some unseen wires, until it reached around her height.

The sapling she created was a strange one, for one it had not a single leaf or branching limbs. It was better suited to call it a branch than a sapling from appearance alone. A branch that somehow grew on its own from the ground. It's bark was unusually smooth. And most bizarre of all was that when Dryssia plucked it off from the ground, it was revealed that it had no roots to draw nutrients from the earth. This object was no natural tree.

‘Hope Faenas can process this… what was the other thing she asked again… bones? Right horns… doesn't the trolls collect those? I'll check up on them.’

Although she knew the path it was no less dangerous. Encounters with giant wasps, killer hornets, acidic oxypoda4Oxy = Acid. Pod = Leg. Think centipedes. among other things belligerent was much more taxing on Alicia.

‘These guys are getting tougher.’

She thought as she was trying to find a way to deal with the rockhide lizard that was blocking her path. The creature was a few heads taller than the average person. Normally they resided in the rocky hills near the mountains, this one seemed to be lost judging how far from their natural habitat it was. What gave Alicia the most trouble was it's armored hide covered in rocky outcroppings.5Ankylosaurus + Triceratops. Fantasy edition. Her weapon didn't have the greatest affinity against such defenses. After all she wanted to avoid chipping it's edge. The weak points of the lizard were the tiny gap between the scales, where the plates met. Thrusting towards those weaknesses and perforating it to bleed it out was the safer option, unfortunately…

‘I can't pierce it…’

Her method involved paralyzing venom and a single solid hit and waiting for it to succumb to the circulating toxins. However it all lynched on her being able to pierce its hide in the first place. With that option inapplicable she had to go for a riskier approach. The craggy plates didn't cover its underside or its joints that needed to be flexible. Granted the hide was more than a match for most first rate weapons… Getting underneath the lizard was extremely dangerous, after all a small mistake and the lizard's feet bearing the massive weight of the beast would all come down on her.

‘Not a lot of options here…’

Compared to its impressive defenses, its speed and offensive capabilities were lackluster save for its tail. Betting on outmaneuvering it she charged straight at it. Obviously threatened by her approach the lizard brandished its horns on its head and braced for her. Just before she came into striking distance she quickly changed her direction sideways. For most quadrupeds their flanks were the most vulnerable part of their body, this was no exception for the lizard thus instinctively it focused on trying to face her and not expose its side.

‘There ya go… stay on the script…’

As soon as it started to turn towards her she jumped on its rugged back,

« Sure-Footed »

Mineral arrayed bumpy surface and the violent swaying of the creature was not to prevent her from making it to the otherside. The stones on its back were not part of it truly, much like a grown nail or hair they had no nerves and were quite numb to most sensations. The creature didn’t feel a thing when Alicia jumped on and over it. When it turned to where it thought she was there was no sign of her it was momentarily confused not knowing what had happened or what to do. That brief window of opportunity was that she needed to slide underneath it and jam her blade coated in venom.

Quickly crawling out and letting out a sigh as the behemoth fell…

‘It’s not that they’re getting stronger… I’m just not at my 100%. It isn’t bad but it’s noticeably more difficult. These guys should be a walk in the park to deal with… not like this though.’

In the trolls’ tribe many were out and about assisting with preparation of the previous day’s catch. Sha’ko was no different though he was relegated to the role of overseeing and managing.

‘There… Now I need to pull him aside…’

Because of his work it was easy to spot him even in a crowd. Herself… She was skulking behind the cover of trees and teepees. As for why…

Caught off guard he almost responded with his voice…

Giving few more instructions before excusing himself he followed her directions.

Saying so she lobbed the head of the Rockhide lizard to him.

Few moments later Sha’ko returned with a bag carrying a familiar skull…

‘Ah so here you are again… the first thing to successfully horn me… Tons more tried to as well you know? None of them did a number on me like you did… Now I guess I’ll be using your horn to horn others… That should be all that Faenas wanted for my bow… Alright the return trip should be much better.’

Auratic

I found this guy on the wall against my bed. Had to deal with him, the only acceptable way, of the fly swatter. Only problem, when I swatted it I didn't find its body on the swatter or the floor or anywhere. Not sure if dead. If I go missing just know that this spider decided to exact vengeance on me and killed me in my sleep.

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