Becoming Monsters Im Blue 25

Becoming Monsters is the creation of AiLovesToGrow, setting used with permission.

This idea comes from Amethyst Dragonfly. The song I reference is Rod Stewart's "Rhythm of my Heart."

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Chapter 25: Looking Ahead

It was a gorgeous morning on the beach. The sun was shining, a light breeze blowing, and Justin was not enjoying it in the slightest.

He punched the sand in frustration. The previous hour had not gone like he'd hoped, the magical capital-G Gold material of the Dungeon Coin resisted his power more than the Copper one he'd experimented with. Not a huge amount, no, but enough to be very noticeable. Although he'd gotten the glass shards properly shaped and purified, just trying to pull off an appropriate amount of Gold took nearly all the Mana he had to spare. In the end, his attempt to get it to hold the two shards wasn't quite enough. One of them had fallen off onto the dirt.

He caught himself as he was about to swear. Best not get into the habit. Being a good husband meant eventually being a good father, if Abbey wanted to have children. Given that he was thinking those thoughts, Justin suspected that she did. Just not yet, not until their living situation stabilized. He picked up the shard from the ground. Despite frustrations, it wasn't like he was doing nothing. It just wasn't as fast as he wanted. It wasn't quick enough to let him refocus on supporting them, to making a better life.

You know, besides the magical mansion and two incredibly driven parents, plus a Camp full of hideously powerful people willing to come to their defense.

Still. If anything, Justin had pushed things a bit too far. The nagging ache in the back of his head was probably echoed in Abbey's own. Which in turn meant that she'd know he pushed it too far. Justin sighed as he picked up the shards of his efforts. No time left, no spare mana left. The rest of the day had to start, so it was time for coffee and waffles. And some prayer, if he was being honest with himself, since he REALLY did not enjoy this particular book and didn't remember particularly much about the selections he'd been forced to read. Truth be told, it was impressive how the author had managed to make high society life with intensely dedicated color symbolism into something actively boring for the art student.

And speaking of color themes, I still need to figure out where to get cobalt glass dye. Can't let this project be half-done in any way, shape, or form... but by the same token, I do need to actually finish it. Kind of a catch-22... which reminds me, that's the next book in line. Blegh.

That could wait, at least for now. He started brewing, then pulled out the frozen waffles to toast. He could do that without magical help. Ish. There was definitely a moment where he realized he'd nudged the dial a few notches too far, but he fixed it before the toaster could spit out waffle-patterned bricks instead of breakfast. Abbey came out of the bedroom around that time, gave him a kiss by way of thanks, then got to helping him finish. Both were hungry, after all. It was odd. Nether really saw the need to talk all that much. It was just comfy to exist in the same space, doing the same thing together. Both appreciated the company, both appreciated the silence.

Until, of course, they heard a baby cry. Alex had apparently decided that sleep time was over, and in a bit of a scramble both Todd and May ran from the guest room they'd been sleeping in over to the nursery, bathrobes held tight to keep them on at that speed. Abbey and Justin just chuckled.

"I guess that's a sign that I need to drink the last bit of this

delicious

coffee." Abbey stood and stretched, then grabbed her mug in order to do exactly what she said. "What are you up to today?"

"Literature, mostly. Did my sword work this morning, didn't get too far, so this afternoon I need to get on a traditional media piece. I'm thinking that I'll do a pencil or charcoal for it, make a contrast with the rest of what I've been turning in." Justin grabbed the dishes on the table to clean up, glanced at his watch as he did so, and started moving much more quickly. "Guess I'll ask the professor soon. Gotta run!"

And run he did, straight out of the kitchen and towards the portals. Stopping by the sink along the way to drop off what was in his hands, thankfully, his professor might have wondered why he had dirty plates with him otherwise. Abbey chuckled, that focus he had, the ability to get lost in what he was doing. That was one of the things that she loved so much about him. Ever since she entered his life and he had a reason to do it, anyway. For her? There was time for her to take one or two moments in the sun and sea air, then a whisper of magic for herself to get ready and get to her own work.

She kicked off her slippers before walking outside. The sand felt best when it was between her bare toes, especially now that she knew the area was clean and safe. The view from the pier was a glorious one. She found herself humming as she gazed out at the horizon.

"Which song is that? Sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it." The petite Korean woman walking up behind her was remarkably quiet in the sand. Song seemed to be taking the moment slowly. It made sense, given how late she had worked the day before.

"It's an older one. 'Never will I roam, for I know my place is home, where the ocean meets the sky I'll be sailin'.' Looking at the horizon kind of made it hit." Abbey looked down at her mug, then turned to face her guest. "And how are you doing?"

Song yawned. "Honestly? Just a bit tired. Yesterday was a long one. Supposed to have part time crew assisting today, though, so we should be able to get ahead."

Abbey had a quizzical look on her face. "Part time crew?"

"Yeah. This hospital's weird, but it works for them. Basically, they bought a bunch of apartments right next to their admin building. Rent is super low for the location, but you have to be working either at the hospital or the nearby emergency services. Bunch of people are willing to work unbelievably hard for part-time hours at the hospital to be able to live there, including some Delvers from the Guild Hall. IT people, dream interpretation, physical therapists, you name it. Really helps out, so the docs and main crew can focus on the main problems."

"Huh. Never would have thought of it." Abbey really couldn't help herself as she tried to put together the business insight that led to it, but eventually just shrugged. "Guess it makes sense, and if it's working for them then more power to them."

Song took another deep breath. "Mind if I shift back to my own form? Been staying like this to be polite."

"I'm getting a job at the Guild Hall, Song, and we've dealt with a literal Dragon from the IRS recently. I think you'll be fine." Abbey had a slight smile on her face. Her guest was usually quiet and rather pleasant to be around. It was the least she could do.

"Thanks." The Korean woman closed her eyes and breathed deeply, then as she let go of the breath seemed to unclench something. And then she grew. Over two feet taller, white-gold fur sprouting all over her body. Her legs inverted to digitigrade, her face elongated and hands grew claws. Two triangular ears sprouted atop her head, and a fluffy tail from under her bathrobe. By the time she stopped shifting, the poor thing was barely covering her. The fur went the rest of the way, thankfully. "Ah, that's better. Still not done with my ritual, so I have to be careful about letting myself go, but the sea air feels amazing in my natural form."

Abbey looked up at her guest. "I... ah, can't say I expected this. Todd mentioned you were also a shapeshifter, but I can't say I recognize the Race on sight."

"Thanks for not assuming I'm a Kitsune just because I'm a magical fox. Kumiho is what it says on my Status screen."

"Can't say I'm familiar with the details either..." Abbey's watch beeped impatiently at her, "... and it looks like the full story will have to wait. Enjoy the sea air, Song!" Abbey stepped smartly towards the seaside manor, and from there towards the portals. She used one wisp of their precious mana reserves to make sure she was clean and her clothes were straight without bothering to stop her stride.

Miles away, sitting down for class, Justin felt the poke in the back of his head as their mana pool shrank a bit. With a sigh, he figured that it was fair play considering his own time this morning. He looked down at his notebook, pondering what he'd written down. The professor had told him that his idea for pencil or charcoal was sound to contrast with what he'd been working on, but had seemed a bit hesitant. It was a detail he might not have picked up on before, but now? Now, he knew enough to ask. Plain pencil or charcoal might not be striking enough to make the kind of impression he was going for or what he needed. If he wanted to do a black and white, he'd need to step it up a bit. Justin grinned suddenly. It was a good thing he was a fan of certain older cartoons. Black on white can be good, but white on black can be

striking

. The trick now was to figure out a subject and theme... and get the materials. Thankfully, they were going to be easier to acquire than the ones for his other ongoing project. Heck, he already had the colored pencil set, he'd just need some black paper.

Solving that problem was a matter of thirty seconds after class to just ask if any was available, and his professor approved of this idea MUCH more enthusiastically.

Abbey was having a similarly successful day. Her replacement was picking up the tricks of the trade for the Coinage Counter, although trying to get control of himself with a couple of the more terrifying customers. Didn't help that one semi-regular, a very large man with bright red hair who was hirsute to the point that you weren't sure if he was Human or if it was fur, seemed to smell the fear and took delight in screwing with the poor trainee. It was difficult to tell if this was instinctive or just his personality, but the point was that it didn't matter. You had to take all comers.

The admin folks in the back were similarly happy with her. Most who put in their two weeks notice mentally clocked out for good. Not Abbey. She was WAY ahead of where they expected her to be on the paperwork and the transition tasks. Frankly, if everyone was like her they'd only need to ask for one week of notice. Not that they'd tell her that.

She was far enough ahead, in fact, that after helping with the typical lunchtime rush, she found herself able to just... leave. There wasn't anything else she needed to do for that day, and in fact being present would probably hinder the learning process for her replacement. That was how she found herself making the walk down the street almost reflexively. The spring in her step, the hope in her heart, not quite realizing what she was doing until she got to her destination. The BuckStar, the one where Justin

used to

work. The one they'd spent so much time at in their memories, and for the last couple of months. It looked different in the daylight. Blander, more corporate. Longer lines, too, by a lot.

Then again, all of those could be caused by Justin not being here.

No sense wasting the visit. She got in line, intending to get something sweet to drink, but her ruminations over the menu were interrupted by a familiar voice. "Abbey!" Really, more exclamation marks were probably warranted, but one is more grammatically correct. The blue woman turned. Blonde, smiling, perky. Also unexpected.

"Haven't seen you in a bit, Brittany."

"And whose fault is that? Today's my day off, but I felt like getting a drink that's appropriate for daytime." The blonde woman shrugged. "Word is a bunch of people who keep their eye on the bigger magic expenditures say something big went down at Camp the other day. You wouldn't happen to know something about that?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny any such thing. Especially while in a crowded coffee shop." Abbey made it to the register. "Blueberry tea, please. Make it a big one, today's going to go for a while."

"Oh, so you DO know something. Maybe it's because your boyfriend said some special words to you, huh?"

"He's my fiancee now, thanks. You're behind on the news."

Brittany reflexively glanced down at Abbey's left hand, to the plain golden band she wore there. "That's a wedding band, Dee. Skipped a few steps?" She looked at the poor, unsuspecting barista at the register and rattled off an order that was long enough to conceal encoded state secrets.

"You could say we're serious. It's not an 'if,' it's a 'when' we decide to make it official." She picked up her bright blue cup, then decided that this conversation was no longer her cup of tea. "If you'll excuse me, I do have to go. Justin needs some supplies, and the best source for them is probably at the Guild Hall."

"Thought Justin was an artist. And one who works in non-magical mediums even if he uses magic to do some of it. Try to buy that kind of stuff from the Hall and it'll be twice as expensive. Look for some hippies in a commune for that."

Abbey's face didn't change, but she realized that she absolutely knew the location of at least one hippie art commune. "How do you know so much about art supplies?"

"I have my reasons."

"Alright then, keep your secrets. I have to run either way, so maybe we'll meet back up sometime." Abbey turned and got walking towards the bus stop. She had a few stops to go, but Brittany had a point. If she was going to help out, there were some artists she was going to need to talk to.

Back at the house, Justin was sitting on their bed and pondering. He looked upwards at the ceiling, the patterning there vaguely suggestive of a face as his eyes wandered. "I haven't really slowed down to look at things around here, have I? Just called you the 'Seaside Manor' and kept moving. Got a whole extra Wish in it now and everything. I have to figure things out, though."

He paused for a breath. It was easy to imagine the home was paying attention to him in some rudimentary way.

"It's hard, though. Got class, got all that I want to do for Abbey, and then you too. And, well, you didn't exactly come with instructions. I don't know how to ask you to leave us a bit more Mana for a bit, just so we can finish getting ready."

Justin's world suddenly shifted sideways, and in his mind's eye he saw it. A large tank of... some kind of flowing liquid, but the level of that liquid was very low. Attached to one side were two more tanks, of the same height but much narrower. The two narrow tubes seemed to have a slow drip of that liquid entering them from the top. The largest tank had a slow drip exiting from the bottom, but was drawing the fluid from the two smaller tanks. The entire system seemed complex, but the three were slowly filling overall.

His eyes opened, and Justin was back in the bedroom. "Uh, okay. So you at least come with schematics." He shook his head. "So the smaller tubes were, what, Abbey and I? Okay, so we slowly gain something, and you get it from us to use... oh, the Mana! Okay. That explains where it's going, though maybe not what you're using it for."

He thought he felt a bit of a rumble.

"Oh, right. Magic. Probably maintaining yourself. Those portals probably take a lot of juice. Hm. Is there a way for us to keep a little bit more of it for a while? I need to finish something, and we just don't have enough power to do it. Just for a couple of days. Maybe alternate them, so that we can make sure you have enough... whoah!"

His brain filled again with the image, but this time was different. The walls of the larger tank squeezed in, pushing that glowing fluid out and into the smaller tanks. The drip out slowed in response, but there was still enough in the tank to keep going. Maybe not for as long, though. Justin got the message immediately, jumped out of bed, and tried to run for the beach to get to work. His steps were unsteady as he suddenly found his balance to be off. It felt like all of the momentum was wrong, like he was both much lighter and much heavier than he expected to be at the same time. He bumped into the doorframe and the table on the way out, then had to turn around to grab the glass shards he was supposed to be working on. Much more slowly, he made his way out to the open sand and began to lay out his work. At least, until his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Justin, I suddenly got really dizzy and the university portal didn't open. Are you alright?" Abbey sounded worried. He couldn't blame her.

"I'm okay. The house has... uh, it's hard to explain, but if you look at your mana pool it should be way higher."

"It is! How does that work?"

"I was asking it for instructions and accidentally turned it to power save mode."

There was a silence so strong that Justin could almost hear the ellipsis coming from his phone. "Love, I'm about to get on the bus to the Guild Hall. Mom and Dad will take me the rest of the way. When I get home, I'm going to need you to say that again, but slower."

"I'll try to figure out how to put it into words better by then."

Abbey hung up as her bus pulled up, Justin laid out his materials on the sand. For the first time since he had a real plan in place, he had enough power in the tank to be able to execute on it. Nearly 50% Mana. This was going to be the best shot he was going to get for a long time.

I have to stay about 25% or higher. No clue whether there's going to be more backlash from what just happened, and I want to have some buffer just in case there is. Okay, call it either that or both Gold Coins used up?

This time around, he knew what he needed to do. This time around, the pieces he was working with were already much cleaner and fused better. He moved with purpose and called his power, not holding back out of fear, not scared he'd run out. Just on a clock. The first new fuse was the one from yesterday, and he merged them with a run of his fingers and a whisper of power. Then came the cleansed pommel stone, then more of the fluted handle, then the guard. Half of an inch into reconstructing the blade, though, Justin ran out of Gold. Around the same time, he realized his Mana was at 28%.

Suddenly, the world existed again. He was sweating, both with effort and with the afternoon sun. His mouth was dry, and he tasted some grit where sand had gotten in without him noticing. Justin managed to gather his materials up and walk himself inside, somewhat more steadily than earlier, and sit down with a glass of water to take a look at what he'd managed to get done. It was... actually, he was rather impressed with what he'd done. It was enough now that he could actually grab it, the weight of it was real. It was still clear glass shot through with gold, but it was there. Actually looking better than he thought it would, too. Coherent. A couple more Gold pieces and he might just be able to finish assembling it. He checked his phone. Abbey had sent a message that they were delayed a bit at the Guild Hall, but would be on their way soon. Justin shrugged. It would at least give him a chance to get himself rinsed off before she got home.

Over at the Camp, a certain blue woman was talking to a Unicorn. Over at Crafter's Row, one of the stalls specialized in supplies. They normally didn't concern themselves too terribly with people who were not themselves crafters, what they carried was not meant for lay tourists. What was behind that counter were tools, components, specialized glues and rivets... and dyes. Behind the counter was a large and muscular white humanoid Unicorn woman. She introduced herself as Dawn. "Can't say I've seen you around this piece of the Camp. What are you here for?"