AN: Welcome to another installment of "The Clear-Sighted Gamer"! Sorry for the slow updates (real life caught up), but I am posting chapter 6 tomorrow and chapter 7 in a couple days. So please forgive me, OK?
It seems no one has figured out last time's riddle, so no one gets any victory cookies! All mine!
Otherwise, enjoy.
-(o)-
Chapter 5: The Seal
-(o)-
Disclaimer: I don't own Rick Riordan's Universe. If I did, many characters would have gotten a better Fate
-(Remedy Adams)-
We drew many eyes as we walked down the valley.
At first, I thought the reason might be the fact that I was mortal. With how Annabeth said that mortals normally aren't allowed in the camp, the other campers might be curious why I am here. At the same time, the stares might also be because of our unorthodox weapons; most of the campers that we passed used blades of varying shapes and sizes. But the real reason is actually something else.
Coral is still very wary of everything around her (People carrying sharp weapons would do that), but still mustered up the courage to ask Annabeth a question. "Why is everyone staring at us? And why is everyone so -"
"Young? Well, the older we get, the easier it is for monsters to find us. You are lucky to have survived outside until adulthood. While not unheard of, people like us surviving this long with no help is rare, thus the stares. But then again..." Annabeth turned to give me a glance, before continuing: "this situation is certainly already very out of the norm here."
We walked further down, towards a large house with a deck around the entire outside, painted baby blue with a white trim. As we neared, a card table came into sight, with four chairs surrounding the table.
Two "people" sat at the table, playing some sort of card game. One of them was the middle-aged man in the wheelchair. Chiron. The other one was more eccentric. The man has a chubby face, a red nose and curly hair so black, it looks purple. He also has watery, blue, bloodshot eyes, likely from excessive drinking, and is obviously not a stranger to alcohol. On his body are tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt and purple shorts, followed by purple running shoes. All in all, a very strange person. As soon as I got in range, about 20 meters away, I threw out an examination at him:
Dionysus: Dionysus, also known as Mr. D, is the Greek god of grape-harvest, wine, orchards, fertility, madness, parties, religious ecstasy, and theater. He also serves as the camp director of Camp Half-Blood, having been placed there by his father Zeus as punishment for chasing after an off-limits nymph. He likes playing Pac-Man, Pinochle, and indulging in alcohol (Even though he can't currently because of his restriction), and resents being sent to the camp.
Dionysus. From my studies into Greek Myths, he is one of the 12 Olympians, gaining his seat there after Hestia gave it up to keep the balance. And certainly not someone you want to provoke unless you wish to change into a dolphin. Being the helpful teammate I am, I pulled Coral back a bit, letting Annabeth go first, and warned Coral to be careful around the man in purple and tiger stripes.
"What? Is he dangerous?" Coral's grip on the shotgun tightened again.
"You will understand very soon. Just be careful around him."
Annabeth was already talking to Chiron, saying things about how a mortal managed to find Camp Half-Blood, bringing an old demigod to the camp. She gestured to the two of us behind her.
I took the initiative to introduce us to the two Staff Members of Camp Half-Blood. "Hello. I am Remedy Adams, clear sighted mortal. And this here beside me is Coral Gemseeker, extraordinary machinist, and demigod."
Several looks of confusion flitted across the faces of both parties. Chiron and Dionysus stared at me, likely wondering why a mortal knows about their existence. Coral beamed at the praise, certainly, but is also very confused at what I called her.
"Annabeth. Set up a bunk at Cabin 11, but tell the ones at Cabin 9 to be ready to accept a new camper." The disguised Centaur spoke up, before motioning to the both of us to sit down at the Card table.
I draped the hellhound pelts across the back of my chair, before holstering my gun. Coral did much the same, draping her cloak (Sealskin, maybe? Not sure) on her chair, and strapped her Shotgun on her back.
"Well. Now we have enough for a full table! Tell me, boy, do you know how to play Pinochle?" the God of Insanity leaned forward in his chair, staring at me.
"Regretfully, I do not know how to play, Lord Dionysus. But do know I would have bought a tribute of fine sacrifices had I known you resided here." As I spoke, I dipped my head in respect towards the Olympian.
The God's eyes widened a bit in shock, before saying in a huff: "I don't know how you know about the Greeks, but seeing you show respect towards me," he stared at me, bemused, "I like you, Avery."
"It's actually Adams, sir, Remedy Adams."
"Sure, sure, Allen. Now, are we playing or not? Heck, I will go easy on you for the first round even, Andrews!"
He dealt the cards as Chiron did the introductions. "The camper that just left is Annabeth. Not sure why she let you in here, but there is probably a good reason. You already seem to know who Mr. D is, even though I cannot fathom how you know about us. And my name is Chiron."
"It truly is an honor to meet the fabled trainer of Heroes." Chiron's eyebrows twitched at that, before telling us to recount our story.
I started with my part, recounting my old nightmares. I spoke about the terrors I would see in the streets. I spoke of how I recently decided to fight back, about how I killed the Empousa with nothing but a metal bat and a lot of guts. I spoke about how I figured out their location through clues they left during their field trip, saying I have an almost supernatural ability to deduct the truth from very little information. It wasn't true, I was just using my examinations and the Observe skill, but I can't say the truth until I really trusted who I was telling. I recounted the first meeting with Coral, how we forged our current weapons, and finally the car chase to the camp, showing off the pelts we got for our trouble. Coral piped up once in a while to fill in gaps I missed, but seemed to be really processing the information from the past couple days.
"How much do you know?" Chiron was concerned. After all, if a normal human could figure this much out, would the entire world soon know about the existence of the Gods?
"I know that all the campers here are children of the Greek Gods, here to train their skills so they don't die that easily from monster attacks. I know that such demigods can tracked by monsters, putting them in danger. I know that Olympus now floats above the Empire States Building, accessible from a nonexistent 600th floor. I know there is a magical veil covering the eyes and senses of normal mortals so they can't see the mythological, and I know about the monster slaying uses of Celestial Bronze. Heck, we even collected enough to make Celestial Bronze bullets and weapons!" I watched as Dionysus cackled about getting a trick of cards.
"The magical veil you mention is called the Mist, but yes. Everything you said is true." Chiron was about to say more, but Coral interrupted.
She looked up from her cards, staring at me. "You... told me that you know about my father's identity. Are you saying... that he is a Greek God?" She set down her cards, face up on the table.
I nodded on the side while Chiron went about confirming the signs. Coral had ADHD and Dyslexia, apparently a sure sign of being a demigod. Missing parent, a natural affinity for something- all signs of a Godly parent. The more Chiron said, the more shellshocked Coral looked.
"The Greek Gods are real?"
"Yes"
"They are here in the US?"
"Correct"
"I attract monsters, but you aren't sure how I survived until 19 without being attacked."
"Affirmative"
Coral took a deep breath as her entire worldview was shaken. Then she stood up, and grabbed her cloak off the chair. Even now, I am surprised by how much she can take; she is very emotionally stable, and accepting of the seemingly impossible. "I am assuming that if I leave the camp, I would be eaten by monsters, right?" a sad, affirmative nod from Chiron. "Fine. I will stay if he stays." Coral pointed towards me, likely wishing to have someone from outside the camp to talk to and be her emotional anchor.
She threw me the car keys, asking Chiron at the same time where they park the strawberry delivery vans. After Chiron gave me directions of where to park the car, we set off to park the car somewhere safer, while promising to Chiron we will come back to the large house (Called the Big House, very unoriginal) to start a camp tour.
We left, listening to Dionysus lamenting how the game ended early and how Chiron beat him at Pinochle once more.
-(o)-
We actually didn't try to escape the camp. Would not help our chances of survival, after all. Coral was rather silent as I taxied the car to the parking spaces. Today is a lot to process, after all. While I can accept this because I have no actual familial relation to the Gods, Coral was dealing with the fact that she was related to the Olympians. I decided to let her have her rumination.
After parking the car, we returned to the Big House, ready to start our tour. As we walked back to the where Chiron was waiting for us, I took the time to examine Coral's cloak:
[Redacted] Skin (Coral Gemseeker): the skin of a [Redacted], able to allow the owner to [Redacted]. Unique to each individual [Redacted], and indestructible as long as the owner is alive. Once in [Redacted], the owner is [Redacted] when one of the following conditions are met: [Redacted]. While a [Redacted] can at will take off the [Redacted] and [Redacted], it takes enormous willpower to [Redacted] and [Redacted]
Quality: Purple
Rarity: Rare, Unique
Durability: Equal to the percentage of health the owner has left, otherwise indestructible.
Equip effects: Damage received is reduced by a percentage equal to the owner's remaining percentage of HP, up to 80%. This only includes physical sources of damage, like an explosion, a weapon, or a fall. This effect only takes place if the cloak is between the source of damage and the wearer. Does nothing against mental effects, spells, and magic etc.
Extra property: [Many Fashions]: Can change into any fashion of apparel, as long as it covers most of the torso, or more.
Extra property: [Redacted]: Allows the owner to [Redacted]
Extra property: [Redacted]: The owner is [Redacted]
Extra property: [Unique Connection]: This cloak's [Redacted], [Redacted], and [Many Fashions] trait is only usable by the original owner, Coral Gemseeker.
And of course, even the description and abilities of her cloak are heavily redacted. I expected nothing less, but what is she hiding! And her cloak is actually purple level equipment? Just the unredacted equip effects show that the cloak is very powerful, even without all the redacted extra properties.
"How do you know about this place, about the ... Gods? From what is implied, normal humans are not supposed to know anything about all this." Coral asked me this question as we went back to the Big House along a forested trail.
"Partly because the demigods are really bad at keeping secrets, taking for granted that the Mist will cover it all up. I was also observant when they came into town a couple weeks ago, thus heard enough to make my own deductions. But as for the full truth on how I did it... I have my own secrets. Perhaps, in time, I will tell you. Not now, though." We are both keepers of our own secrets, and I will respect that.
"What if I figure out your secret? Or if... you figure out mine?" She grimaced at the thought of anyone figuring out her secret.
"If one of us figures out the other's secret, we can swap secrets. You tell me yours; I tell you mine. Then we promise to never tell another soul about each other's secret without permission. Deal?" I stuck out a hand as we round a corner past a massive oak.
"Guess that is the best I can ask for. Deal!" and we shook hands for it. While there was no thunder or boom to signify any divine contract, we knew that the other won't break this promise. Surviving a fight together does that to people.
Because of this, I got it in my head that figuring out Coral's secret is going to be a very interesting quest.
New Quest!
[Coral's Secret]
Description: Coral is hiding a massive secret about her family. Find out her secret before she finds out about your game system. And don't let anyone else find out!
Rewards: You know her secret, she knows your secret, trust between you two highly increased. +100 EXP, +5 Cha
Failure result (She figures out your secret): You know her secret, she knows your secret, trust between you two highly increased, she laughs at you for not figuring it out. -3 Cha
Failure result (Someone else knows about Coral's Secret): You know her secret, she knows your secret, trust between you two highly decreased, Coral hates you with a vengeance. -8 Cha
Accept/Decline?
I accepted, of course, but I hope dearly that the second failure result won't come to fruition. After all that has happened this week, I would consider Coral a friend of mine, and I wouldn't want to lose my new friend.
We neared the Big House, and got a big surprise out of it: Chiron was no longer in his wheelchair. Rather, he was in his Centaur Form: the top half, connected to the front of the horse part, is the middle-aged man we all know and love. The horse part is a large white stallion, currently trotting a lap around the Big House. While we knew that he was a Centaur, it is still a bit of a shock to see him in this form.
"Shall we start the tour?" Chiron trotted up to us, while the two of us tried to keep our shock from showing.
-(o)-
There is only one word to describe the camp.
Reckless.
When we first started, Chiron took our phones and put it in a Celestial bronze plated room inside the Big House. This is because technology, combined with a demigod's scent, is actually a very dangerous scent amplifier. Luckily, I convinced him to give me some leeway, and allow me to bring my phone with me should I ever leave camp, but I got the feeling that Coral is very annoyed by the Centaur's actions.
As we walked to the first location, Chiron explained about the demigod's alternative communication method: Iris Messages. Kept up by the rainbow Goddess Iris (Hence the name), Iris messages are the ubiquitous method of communication for mythological beings. All you need is a rainbow and a piece of offering (Generally a Greek Drachma, though other forms of payment are allowed) for the goddess to pass along your video message. Because of this, I gave myself a mental note to pick up a flashlight and a prism for making rainbows.
We continued onwards, going through the different Cabins, 1 to 12. Zeus and Hera, no one was within. Hera, I understand, but as for Zeus I am confused. Wasn't Zeus the most promiscuous of the gods during ancient times? The reason was simple, actually. According to Chiron, the "Big Three", consisting of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, made a pact after WW2. Their children caused and affected that war way too much, causing massive devastation to the mortal realm. Thus, they swore to never have children ever again. I really wonder if they kept that promise, though. Seeing the apparent promiscuity of pretty much all the other Gods, probably not, though I didn't voice my thoughts.
The cabins are modeled after their patron gods. Apollo's and Artemis' Cabins are gold and silver, respectively. The Ares cabin looks like a mini war fortress. The Demeter Cabin has a carpet of plants clinging to the walls and a roof made of grass. No Hades cabin though, and I am sure he is salty about that.
But the cabins are not the reckless part about the camp. That goes to the training facilities. Safest are the stables; the horses and Pegasi are pretty tame all things considered. The arts and craft area are mostly normal, of course. The archery targets are also safe enough that permanent damage won't occur. The forge is just barely up to code, but survivable, I suppose (Coral's eyes gleamed with excitement when she saw the forge). But the insane part is the climbing wall.
Two walls, filled with a multitude of traps, moving parts, and circular blades. If you don't get to the top quick enough, lava pours out from the top and the walls start to clash together. According to Chiron, injuries normally don't occur with the climbing wall. Normally.
Along with the crazy things in camp, there is a normal outside pavilion where the campers, satyr, and staff eat their meals. Yes, satyr. They help out the camp by inducing the strawberries to grow, which the camp uses as exports. Some of them are also Searchers, and they are responsible for bringing back demigods to camp so they are safe. Many, however, don't make it.
Most reckless of all, however, is this: they don't do periodic clearings of monsters. I am not sure whether it's because the average skill of the demigods is not high enough, or if there are not enough campers, but they don't even have guard patrols to protect the camp, relying entirely on the magic border. And with the massive concentration of demigods in this area, I suspect the monster density becomes higher the closer you get to NYC. This makes it so that demigods escaping towards Camp Half-Blood gets in more and more danger the closer they get to the only truly safe spot in the world.
Guess I just figured out what my job here is going to be.
As it turns out, because it was currently winter, most of the demigods are not in camp. Their scent is weak enough to let them leave. The ones still here are the really dangerous monster beacons that can't leave for fear of getting eaten.
Our tour ended at the Hermes Cabin. It was mostly empty, with the campers mostly gone. Normally, the cabin is filled to the brim with the children of Hermes, children of minor gods, and ... the Unclaimed. These I consider the worse off; not even knowing who your godly parent is, but always being hunted down by monsters craving your flesh. The Gods are not very good parents, are they?
Coral is going to stay here temporarily; when her godly parent claims her (likely during some big event) she will move to the corresponding cabin.
Oh, and did I mention? Luke is the Counselor for the Hermes Cabin, Cabin 11. And I did not confront him. As it turns out, Luke is the sword expert of the camp, and I do not wish to be skewered just yet. Anyway, he doesn't have anywhere to run. If he leaves camp with no reason, the gods would know of his deceit. Staying in camp and being behind enemy lines is ironically the safest place he could be right now.
After getting Coral settled in, Chiron pulled me back to the Big House, away from prying ears and eyes.
"Where, may I ask, did you find Coral? I haven't seen one of her kind since the start of the 20th century!" Chiron obviously knows about Coral's background. Maybe I can get some information out of him.
"I found her at her machine shop; believe it or not, I really don't know of her mother's side of the family, just that she is likely a child of Hephaestus. Can I ask you what you know?"
"May, not can. But no. She seems secretive about her past, and it won't do to spill her secrets without her permission. Rather, I need to ask you another question: did you tell any other mortal about this place? If the world finds out about us, even the Mist won't be able to hold us in secret. And the other p- And people are naturally fearful of what they don't understand. If this really get out, there could be a war." Chiron obviously is hiding something, switching words in the middle of talking. But I don't think I would get much out of him today.
"I did not tell any other mortal about any of this. Do I need to swear on it or something?"
"No need. I trust you for now, and to swear, especially on the Styx, is a very serious thing. Rather, I wonder: what will you be doing now that you know of us? You did bring Coral here, and I suppose that makes you a Searcher; a symbol of goodwill. You can be a Searcher, perhaps."
"As you know, I recently decided to hunt down monsters, both as revenge and for my own peace of mind. Main reason why I found Coral in the first place. This place would be a very good base camp for my operations. I can hunt down nearby monsters and make the area safer for the demigods. In return I want access to the facilities here, lodging, and funds."
"You want a job here?"
"Basically, yes. Can't really go back to my old life now that I know all this. I would feel guilty if I don't do something to help."
"Hmm. Preemptive killing of monsters has been tried before, but due to demigod scent, monster density goes up too quickly in their area and there tends to be heavy losses. There was even once when the camp was almost overrun, back before the creation of the barrier. But a mortal has no scent, and monsters won't gather towards you. You are hired!"
Thus, a round of bargaining ensued. Eventually, I got a salary of a minimum of 100 bucks and 10 Drachma per week, with bonuses should I kill a very powerful monster. While this might seem very little, there are included benefits. Lodging, three meals a day, and all the training facilities included in the package. Included in my duties: protecting Camp Half-Blood, defending quest goers and Searchers for as far as my operation range (basically as far as New Jersey) and clearing out all monsters withing that radius.
"I should warn you, taking up this life goal of killing monsters could cause many monsters that you killed to take revenge on you."
"You mean they come back?"
"Yes. You are delaying them, anywhere from a couple months to centuries, but many would come back within your lifetime and try to take revenge. They can be killed, but they don't truly die."
"Then it's a risk I will have to take. Pleasure to work with you."
-(o)-
I took one of the guest rooms in the Big House. A bit small, to be certain, and without any personal toilet or shower, but comfy enough for me.
During dinner, Chiron introduced me as a Clear-Sighted mortal with slight precognitive abilities, and let me tell my story. Different campers had different reactions: Most of them looked at me in a mixture of awe and pity, the Ares cabin looked like they want to test me, some others looked anywhere from bored to surprised. Coral smiled with pride when we showed off our weapons; Charles Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin nodded in approval, while some in the Ares cabin either snorted or looked in awe. Annabeth looked at the two of us like she was trying to deduce any ulterior motive either of us might have, but the truth is that we got none.
Eventually, after the camp sing-along, everyone returned to their lodgings. I, however, decided not to sleep, but to ruminate beside the Hearth. Specifically, ruminate about the true nature of Coral's Secret.
I know that she likely isn't human. Chiron said "Her kind", meaning a separate species from humans, maybe. She has partial Syndactyly, meaning her fingers and toes have webbing in between. Her name is "Coral", and she has a cloak that seems to be made of sealskin. I even saw very high levels of swimming and diving skills in her character sheet, even though I didn't think much of it back then. Her name, abilities, and personal items all make references to the sea. Interesting.
Her mother must have been very special, of course, to attract the God of Forges. Someone not entirely normal. Perhaps someone not entirely human.
But at this point, why would Coral hide the truth? She already saw Camp Half-Blood, and knows that all the campers here are half human, half god. Unless, of course, she isn't half human, but rather half something else. She might be hiding the truth from outsiders in order to protect her mother and her family from being discovered and losing their way of life. After all, her species seems to be rather rare if Chiron hasn't seen one of them in centuries. And I think I know what her actual mythological species is.
The other side of her family are likely Selkies.
Everything matches up. Webbing, Coral's Sealskin cloak, highly skilled in swimming and diving. Her being very quiet about her mother's side of the family when asked questions about it. Chiron's tip off, the biggest clue of them all.
"Is she a Selkie? But how would I prove it?" I thought aloud, staring into the flames, and not expecting a response. It was a rhetorical question, after all.
"Perhaps by catching her away from her skin. Or you could talk to her. She is at the beach right now, in fact. Passed by my Hearth just five minutes ago."
I was very startled when a voice sounded out from the flames of the Hearth. I stared in a bit closer, and saw a little girl outlined by the low yellow flames.
"Are you some type of fire dryad? Why didn't anyone else see you?"
"No, not a dryad. Much more powerful in fact. And to answer your question: normally people don't slow down enough to see me. Your rumination beside the Hearth helped you open your eyes." The little girl (Who I suspect is anything but) proceeded to walk out the flames, manifesting a more solid body. At first glance, just your average 8-year-old girl. Mousy brown hair, pale skin, wearing a simple brown dress and a scarf over her head, giving her the look of a pioneer child. But the way she walked, the way she held herself is that of an immortal, millennia old. And her eyes glowed with a homely flame, the type of flame you see in a roaring fireplace, the kind of fire people wish to come home to. Must be a Goddess. Fire. Hearth. Goddess. Ah ha, I know who.
"Lady Hestia, I was not expecting a visit from you." I bowed my head with the respect one should normally show an immortal.
"No need for the Honorifics. I never was one for them." The Goddess sat down on the log beside me, before making a skewer of s'mores appear in my hand. Judging that refusing the gift of a Goddess is a stupid idea (No matter how pacifist the Goddess was), I started roasting the marshmallows.
"So. Why are you here?" I turned the skewer, trying to brown the marshmallows on all sides, as I listened to Hestia's explanation.
"I am always here, at each and every Hearth. As for why I specifically appeared to you, well. You are an enigma."
"Me? Really? Did no other Clear-Sighted mortal try to hunt monsters themselves?" I was incredulous. Sure, I have the help of my game system, but killing Stymphalian Birds or even an Empousa isn't that hard given you know your mythology, and it gets easier the more you learn and the more Celestial Bronze you get.
"Well, there are some that try. Some succeed, others fail. Most get driven insane, or just ignore it all. You are the only mortal, however, to figure out the location and even purpose of Camp Half-Blood all by yourself. Most Clear-Sighted eventually are told by their Godly lover, if they are told at all." She continued as I started picking at the scalding s'mores with my fingers. "To put your life on the line to protect humanity is something most mortals won't do. Even most demigods won't do this. You are one of the most selfless people I have seen in a century. Why are you doing it?" Hestia tilted her head to face me, as I ate a roasted marshmallow.
"I am... not sure. I know I am not doing it for the honor or glory. I am not so shallow as to try and get the praise of the people by saving their lives. Yet I am not so pragmatic that I want to have heaping piles of money and gold given to me as monster bounties. Just enough to restock and upgrade my equipment, perhaps." I finished the last marshmallow as I continued my explanation. "When I first found out about monsters, I was terrified. Frozen with fear. I did not dare to do anything to them, and the nightmares nearly drove me mad. One day, however, it all cleared up. Got tired of living in fear, I suppose. And I somehow mustered up the courage to take up a wholly mortal weapon and fight back. It was at that point that I realized that I was severely outclassed. My first fight left me with these scars." I pulled down the collar of my new Camp Half-Blood hoodie, just barely showing the white scars on my upper chest. "It was through sheer luck that I managed to find my first clue of the Camp. If I didn't, I might have tried taking on bigger beasts while wielding half-assed, dented bronze sticks. And then I would've died."
"Once I realized what the camp was, I wanted to take advantage of it. Use the place as a home base and a training ground. And I did get that. I guess you can say that this is just a business transaction with Chiron to clear out monsters. But then I found out about the demigods, how they tend to die young in horrific ways. They are just children, forced to grow up too quickly. What kind of parent would let their child die young like that?"
The gods would. They leave their demigod children to fend for themselves, at most claiming them. Some of the children won't ever know their parent's identity. Abandoned by their godly parent, trapped within the confines of the barrier to avoid dying, and you don't even get your own cabin if your godly parent doesn't have a cabin in the camp. But I can't say any of that with an Olympian goddess beside me.
"If nobody is going to help them, then I will. No child should suffer like this. I would know." I got up, now intent on finding Coral. "And that's your answer. Thank you for the advice and the marshmallows, Lady Hestia, but I really need to go find Coral before it gets too late." After giving a respectful bow to the goddess, I turned and started off. The goddess's only response is to nod once, before disappearing back into the flames.
Now, which direction is the beach again?
-(o)-
I found Coral at the beach, sitting on a dead log, the wood gleaming white like craggy, jagged bones.
Around her shoulders is her Sealskin, rustling in the wind as she stared out into the moonlit sea. Now that I know the truth, my examinations of the skin are all clear to me:
Selkie Skin (Coral Gemseeker): the skin of a Selkie, able to allow the owner to change into their seal form. Unique to each individual Selkie, and indestructible as long as the owner is alive. Once in seal form, the owner is compelled to change into their human form when one of the following conditions are met: 7 years has passed with the owner as a seal, or 7 tears have been shed into the sea by a loved one missing the owner. While a Selkie in seal form can at will take off the skin and change into their human form, it takes enormous willpower to stay on dry land and ignore the call of the sea.
Quality: Purple
Rarity: Rare, Personalized
Durability: Equal to the percentage of health the owner has left, otherwise indestructible.
Equip effects: Damage received is reduced by a percentage equal to the owner's remaining percentage of HP, up to 80%. This only includes physical sources of damage, like an explosion, a weapon, or a fall. This effect only takes place if the cloak is between the source of damage and the wearer. Does nothing against mental effects, spells, and magic etc.
Extra property: [Many Fashions]: Can change into any fashion of apparel, as long as it covers most of the torso, or more.
Extra property: [Shapeshift (Seal)]: Allows the owner to morph into any species of seal. Morphing back and staying human takes massive willpower.
Extra property: [Humanity's Call]: The owner is compelled to change into their human form when 7 years has passed with the owner as a seal, or 7 tears have been shed into the sea by a loved one missing the owner.
Extra property: [Unique Connection]: This cloak's shapeshift ability is only usable by the original owner, Coral Gemseeker.
"Hello. What are you doing here, Coral?" I sat down beside her on the dead log.
"Thinking about everything that has happened this last week. The sound of waves and the smell of salt always helps me think. But back at you: what are you doing here?"
"Looking for you. Got to make sure you don't just swim away. I would hate to lose my mechanic and our resident Selkie." And I did not regret bringing up the truth so nonchalantly. Coral's face of shock was very good entertainment.
"You ass. How did you figure it out already?" Coral shrunk away from me, either frightened that I actually found out or embarrassed that she lost our little contest. Hopefully it's more embarrassment than fright.
"My secret helped me find out your secret."
"Wait, then what is your secret? I can't seem to figure it out..."
"I got some questions to ask you first. I won the contest, after all."
"Fine. Well, what do you want to know?"
We started first on her backstory, piecing it together from what we both know. Coral was born under the sea, about a day's swim off the coast of Long Island. The selkie pod she is part of lives in a collection of plant-based pods that creates dry, hollow spheres for the selkies to live in, taking only food in exchange. Her mother was (she said was, not is. I decided to not pry about that just yet) Anemone Gemseeker, while she never knew who her father was. Her mother and ancestors before her searched for gems on the seabed in exchange for food and favors from other selkies, thus the family name of Gemseeker.
"Your father likely is Hephaestus, Greek God of Forges and Blacksmiths. Makes sense, what with your affinity with machinery."
"Why do you think he hasn't claimed me then?"
I didn't tell her about the sad situation of the unclaimed, even though she will figure it out eventually. "He is probably waiting for an epic moment to reveal it. Won't be long, I am sure."
We then went on to her childhood. Coral had a rather nice childhood, all things considered. Loving mother, loving selkie pod. She first saw Celestial Bronze when she was just a tiny pup. The jewelry that Anemone wore was forged from Celestial Bronze, while the jewelry of the rest of the pod ranged anywhere from steel wire to gold lattices. Whenever little Coral would ask her mother why her jewelry is made of the shiny bronze, Anemone would always reply with some variation of "From your father, above the water line. Oh, he was such a romantic. I would bring him gems, and he would bend the bronze around them into such pretty shapes. And eventually that led to you, my little pufferfish".
"Can I call you 'little pufferfish'?" I asked with a teasing grin.
"Don't you dare." The glare Coral gave me shut me up rather quickly.
As a result of knowing that her father lives on the surface, Coral was very excited for the traditional Pelt-shedding that all Selkies go through at the age of 10. It is during this ceremony that selkies take off their seal pelt for the first time ever, letting the currents decide where they wash up. Wherever they eventually end up becomes almost a home away from home, their little bit of territory above the waves.
The ceremony was a private affair. Anemone bid Coral farewell, and Coral let the currents decide her direction. Eventually, she washed up, in human form for the first time, on a tiny wooded island floating in the middle of nowhere.
Hephaestus must have left her a present, as there was a forge on the island. A fully functioning modern forge, with all the parts and pieces and bells and whistles. Coral fell in love with it instantly.
From the next 7 years, she would regularly visit her forge, making things both practical and beautiful. Every birthday, a large motorized skiff would dock at the island, despite being unmanned, and bring with it more materials and new tools for Coral to work with.
Bringing her creations back to her pod, she singlehandedly bought about an industrial revolution to the pod forest, until it was a melding of machinery and plant life. Most of the selkies in the pod welcomed the changes, helping repurpose the pod plants to work with Coral's creations, not against. Sure, there were a couple dissenters, but the changes Coral wrought was a massive net positive.
Throughout all this time, Coral would constantly ask for the true origins of her father. She knew that the forge and metals came from him, but knew nothing other than what her mother told her. While her mother appreciated the creations she brought home from her forge, she warned her daughter about the surface dwellers, knowing just how dangerous and heartless they could be. But Coral, being a young naïve selkie, needed to find out about her lineage. It was on her 17th birthday that she decided to go look for her father. She snuck away from her pod and her mother, internally promising to come back once she found her dad.
The metal skiff was already there by the time she got to her island forge. Putting all the tools and parts and creations that she can fit into the boat, she sailed towards the nearest human harbor to begin her search. New York Harbor.
After landfall, she explored. Surprised and mystified by the strange things silly humans do, she kept to herself, not drawing attention. After all, she grew up on stories of unfortunate selkies being coerced into marrying humans that stole their sealskin. At all times, she kept her skin tightly around her, both as protection and to prevent theft, keeping to the dark alleyways. As she explored, she saw all the new sights: Tiny mechanical devices the humans were talking into, bigger ones that humans rode to get around, massive pillars of glass and metal reaching up to the sky. This was a land of machinery, and Coral was absolutely delighted by all the creations of man.
Alas, all good things must end. Eventually, her mother caught up with her, and heavily berated Coral for sneaking away without even a letter. Her mother told her (Demanded, more like) that she must go back home, the surface was too dangerous, and that she will tell Coral the entire truth about her father when she is ready.
Alas, all good things must end, and Coral relented. In truth, just her short foray into human territory showed her that the humans and their customs were utterly alien. Of course, she wanted to examine their machinery, but even she was unnerved by how little soul was in the machines of man. All so cold, pragmatic, efficient to a mathematical degree. And so, she decided to go back to the pod, content to wait for now.
Alas, all good things must end.
She will never hear the truth from her mother.
They were but a couple city blocks away from the harbor when the shadows nearby darkened. A hellhound, hungry for demigod flesh. Yes, the smell had a fishy tinge to it, but this particular hellhound was not a picky eater.
The monster lunged at them, but selkies are not defenseless prey, unlike their seal only counterparts. Anemone called on a bit of Selkie magic (primarily curses, illusions and enchantments, though more powerful ones can manifest transformation and water control), and created mirror doubles of themselves to distract the hellhound. In the couple of seconds the beast was distracted, Coral pulled out a makeshift gun from within her sealskin. She fired.
And the steel bullet bounced off the hide of the hell beast.
It was at that point that Coral ran. She tried to tear her eyes away, but not quickly enough. A flash of red. Screams. The crunch of bone.
It was hours later when Coral returned to the place the hellhound attacked them. There was no corpse. Course not, the beast was hungry.
But Coral did find the destroyed rags that used to be her mother's sealskin cloak.
-(o)-
Same as last chapter, many descriptions are adapted from the Wiki.
As always, Favorite, Follow, and Review this story, I would appreciate it. I like constructive feedback. Also, as our main character is going to pull loot from any fictional universe (or even from your own imagination) out there, you, the readers, can suggest something for him to get as a loot drop! Below is the suggested format:
Item name
Item description (What it looks like, powers, in game description etc.)
Suggested Item Stats (I reserve the right to change any part of this I want, got to keep my game balanced)
In addition, you can also leave an OC, using a similar format to above:
OC name
OC description (What they look like, powers, in game description etc.)
Suggested OC Stats (I still reserve the right to change any part of this I want, got to keep my game balanced)
