Welcome back!
Is pseudo-incest a thing? Where it looks and acts like a relative but actually isn't?
(Sis got bodysnatched by aliens! Now me and her doppelganger fuck like rabbits!
Yeah... someone's probably Rule 34'd that already)
For those of you reading TRC for the first time I recommend starting with the first book, The Runesmith Chronicles (it was supposed to be TRC - Oni and the Farmer but it's too late to change it now :P ). Mostly so you have a better understanding of how things like the magic system works and what's going on as I often reference earlier chapters/books.
I post News and Chapter Updates on my profile each time I submit a new Chapter.
As always votes and feedback are greatly appreciated! (especially the feedback :D)
Enjoy!
Blu
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Edited/Proofread by: oldfart and 2muchdiggity
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Just a sip
A week had passed since her run-in with Kal and his friends and Rowan was feeling hungry.
She had spent a significant amount of time thinking about that night and how she had ended up saved from the same fate as the will-o'-wisp. Her guess was that the portion of her consciousness that remained inside the creature saw what was about to happen and managed to take control of the wisp for a few seconds. It used the opportunity to rip her out of Kal's head, which was none too comfortable, and toss her away from the dangerous sprite, who had already absorbed a portion of the will-o'-wisp's body and, with the help of the snake woman, was trying to do so again.
During her time with the creature, Rowan had never been in charge. She was only able to affect anything while the wisp was focused on hunting or feeding. Now she had to get used to her new body's odd way of seeing and hearing the world around her. The will-o'-wisps senses were strange, but luckily, not difficult to figure out.
Sight appeared to be based on light and life of things, with living creatures being brightest and stone barely visible, plants fell somewhere in between. The rocks weren't a big deal for her anymore, it wasn't like she had toes she could stub. Living creatures were so bright she could even detect them through a bush that obscured them from normal sight. Shadows, however, seemed like voids in the world, as if whatever lay outside the touch of her light no longer existed. Her first night in the swamp had been mildly terrifying as it felt like anything beyond what her meager glow could illuminate was empty space.
Everything around her came across as varying shades of gray, but she could still determine colors by the light's "flavor." The idea that she could taste a color felt strange, but it was the best way she could think of to describe it.
The other thing that she had a difficult time dealing with was being able to see and hear in all directions now. She had no 'front' or 'back' anymore. Looking behind her was merely a shift in where she focused and not an actual movement.
Having her entire body act like an ear also took a little bit of time to get used to. Within a day she figured out that she could determine a sound's direction by finding the middle point of everywhere she "heard" it.
After a week she had mostly mastered her new body and her mind was beginning to construct a more familiar image of the world around her. She could even "see" that the grass was green and the leaves on the trees were various hues of red, orange, and yellow as they readied themselves for winter.
Rowan quickly understood why the wisp had waited for humans and sentient races. It didn't take long to notice that there was a difference between "alive" and "living" when it came to being a will-o'-wisp. Feeding on animals that were "alive," like rabbits or deer would have been like a drop of water in the mouth of a man dying of thirst. Worse yet, it would come at the cost of the creature's life. By comparison, Kal and his snake friend, who she considered "living," had shone like the sun to her senses, as did the sprite after she had absorbed the will-o'-wisp. Not just a few drops of water, but a chalice filled with the finest ambrosia.
She didn't need to drain the chalice, just a sip would do.
Finding that sip proved to be much easier than she expected. The wisp had some kind of tie to the swamp. Rowan had a feeling that something tragic had happened there which led to the will-o'-wisp's creation.
She, on the other hand, had no such ties.
Kal's memories told her that the land hadn't changed much since her days as a living, breathing woman and that there was still a road directly east of here. Leaving the marsh behind, she made her way into the forest.
The road was empty when she reached it but that was hardly a surprise. The sun had been setting when she left the swamp and while she could increase her speed in short bursts, for the most part, her little orb floated along at a walking pace. With no potential meals in sight, she decided to see what lay to the south.
It didn't take long before a bright spot appeared in front of her just off in the woods. As she got closer it resolved into three different sources. She would have licked her lips if she had them; they were all male.
As much as she wanted to race in and get a taste right away, she approached slowly. That was odd, all three of them were asleep. The wisp was immediately curious why at least one of them wasn't up to keep watch. Her answer came as she felt a little bump in her path toward them. A ward... one of them was a mage. She briefly considered moving on to find easier prey but something in her new body told her that she might not have another night left to search with as small as her little ball of light was.
Floating down to the first tent, a quick peek inside revealed the wizard. Nope, moving on.