Well, I've been on this ride before. Spinning like I'm going down a drain, only to sink so far and deep I can only imagine I've landed right in the middle of Pangera, right at the core.
Of course, I have no way to confirm that, I'm just a disembodied consciousness along for the ride. How does that even work, by the way? Who is Gandalf, that he can just snap my mind out of my body whenever I evolve? Not that I mind, really. Our conversations are sowhat enlightening. Well, that's not true, but I do like eting new people, even if they don't answer any of my questions.
I have to say, this ti around, I'm pretty happy to be out of my body. Holding back Theorazzn's damned curse isn't a good ti, and after my horrifically sha-inducing itch explosion, the spread had gotten bad.
I've worked so hard to hide my secret from the Colony, and now it's been exposed for all to see! I'm so annoyed!!
In fact, if I get an answer to anything, I need to know why I'm the only one who suffers from this damned itch! It isn't fair, dammit! Gandalf must reveal this secret to if it's the last thing I do!
[I must reveal… what, exactly?]
Gandalf! You can't sneak up on like that! I'm just a disembodied mind, I have no way to know you're coming!
[You persist in calling this na.]
You aren't going to tell your real na, are you?
[No, I am not.]
There you are, then. Gandalf.
[Fine. Now what are you complaining about?]
The itch! The damned itch! Every ti I mutate, it itches like crazy! I figured it made sense, since my cells were changing or whatever, but nobody else goes through it! Not even other reincarnated people! How is that fair?
[Well… the Dungeon isn't exactly designed to be fair.]
Wait. You designed it? The whole Dungeon?
[No. I did not.]
Co on, I might be dead in a minute, you should give at least one answer!
[Oh, I don't believe you are going to die, otherwise I would not have summoned you here. I have no interest in talking to those who have no imdiate future.]
Well, you might not know this, but I've got Theorazzn's toxic goop infecting . It's not looking good. It certainly wasn't when I left, anyway, and I can't imagine it's gotten better.
[You will be surprised, I think, when you wake. So grudges, it seems, are genetic. Even I had not imagined that sothing like this was possible. I can well imagine the fury of that irritating starfish when they learn of what has happened. How delightful.]
Gandalf chuckles to themself, but I'm left confused.
Starfish?
[Theorazzn. If I were to describe the creature to you, they would be sothing of a cross between a crab and a starfish.]
Oh… weird. I thought for sure they would be a slug.
[Well… they are sothing of a slug as well.]
That… that isn't making much sense to . How in the heck am I supposed to picture that?! Anyways, all of this is beside the point. Your cryptic talk of grudges and such is aningless to . The itch! I demand answers!
[You are being particularly irritating this ti.]
I've had a bad day.
[Considering the life you've lived, that must be so day.]
Honestly… yes. Even for , this one has been poor.
[Only poor? That sounds more like you. Very well. I will take a look. Give a mont.]
I can't really describe what it's like to have your mind/soul picked up, turned upside down and shaken, but that's exactly what happens to in that mont. It's a profoundly strange experience. Honestly, I recomnd it. If anyone else from the Colony cos down here, I'll get them to ask for it.
[They don't co here. Very few do.]
I thought you spoke to everyone like , at least? All of the reborn people?
[I do, but only once for most of them. Before they reach another evolution, they either go completely insane or beco uninteresting. You, on the other hand, continue to surprise .]
Well… that's good, I suppose.
[As for your… issue. I truly have never seen this before. You aren't supposed to be able to feel the changes taking place at the cellular level. Nobody is. An organism doesn't feel it when new cells are created, so how are you able to experience these changes?]
I don't know! Weren't you going to tell ? You're the wise wizard with the eyebrows of incredible expressiveness! Between the two of us, it's obvious who has the answers.
[I don't… never mind. This is… interesting. I can only imagine that your soul is sohow embedded more deeply within your new body than is normally possible. Are you… sure you weren't an ant in your previous life?]
You know very well I was a human! I had hands! I had two legs! Which is an inferior number of legs, of that I'm fully aware, but two nonetheless!
[I do know that,] Gandalf muses. [Fascinating. Even regular monsters aren't so fully integrated with their bodies. I wonder how this could possibly have happened?]
So… can you fix it?
[Do you want to?]
Well, I won't lose any sort of competitive advantage, will I? I an, this isn't the only reason I'm still alive or anything, is it?
[If anything, I believe it's a disadvantage, as your most recent mutation period has proven.]
Great! Well, fix away! I'll be glad to be rid of it.
…
…
…
You aren't going to fix it, are you?
[No.]
WHY?!
[Because it's interesting.]
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