Becoming Monsters is the creation and property of Ai Loves, setting used with permission.

 

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Chapter 4: Progression

 

It didn’t take too long for Song to get off of Todd and return to her Human form. Jem and Ghata were waiting in the common area when they emerged, apparently nervous at the sounds of a struggle they caught. Their relief when they came out with afterglow instead of bleeding wounds was palpable. Todd… was slightly less amused, but ultimately it did work out well. All of them showered (and, surprise surprise, actually focused on getting clean first and foremost) before they headed to dinner as a group.

 

It was an odd thing. Todd had not been within arm’s reach of a friendly woman, especially not one in the league of these particular ones, in well over a year. Yet, now? Here he was. Not one, but three of them, all seeming to be not just friendly, but friends. The fact that all three had shared his bed in the last 36 hours was still so strange as to feel unreal to him, so he focused on the more immediate tangibles. They did wonder why he was bringing a notebook to dinner, but didn’t question things too much until they were there and everyone got their food. Another oddity for Todd. Voluntarily sitting with other people at a meal who weren’t related to him. 

 

Oh, shoot, I never called Dad to say I was settled in. Better do that tonight, I can just tell him I was distracted… and pray he doesn’t ask too much detail on that.

 

They began to eat, the chatter light. Just introductions, really. The whole sequence of events was a bit out of order, all things considered, but he’d take it. 

 

Todd, of course, found himself as the center of this group’s attention. He, pragmatically, started off by talking about tutoring and school arrangements. The others facepalmed as one. How? How could someone in his seat be focused on THAT? Still, he was offering to make sure none of them failed a math, chemistry, or general class, ever, and that was nearly as sexy as his Class Abilities. Especially since all of them would need to hit those sections. All three were going into some kind of medicine, and medical majors were heavy on the math and chemistry Todd was strong at.

 

Jem wanted to go into sports medicine. Body motion, diets, the works. It was a field that had changed dramatically in the last couple of years and was looking to change more in the next few. Song was looking to be a veterinarian in an era where the line between people and animal often blurred. Ghata was entering Racial medicine studies head-on. All of them were staring at difficult climbs, but rewarding at the end. All three, in turn, were willing to do most anything to support him. 

 

None were interested in relationships per se, but having a close friend with benefits was perfectly fine by them. Especially given how many benefits they were talking about.

 

Eventually, the conversation turned to Todd’s new level. Jem was the one who went out of her way to bring it up. “How much did you get to research? You need any help from us?”

 

Todd nodded. “Got about an hour in there, but there’s a lot to look through. If you three could look stuff up while we’re here, brute force it a bit, I can select my new ability once we get back to our rooms. Just have to make sure I’m not force-leveling my class before then. Heck, not sure if I could right now, I’m on fumes for my mana pool. That Inspiration is a big bonus, but it takes a heck of a bite out of my MP to deliver.”

 

Song nodded back at him. “Okay, so it serves your Class well to get abilities that either enhance your mana regeneration, grant efficiency, or expand your max mana. I think I have heard about a few things that qualify.” 

 

Todd facepalmed. She would, of course, want to make sure his buff was on tap, so to speak, to deal with her bad days. Jem seemed interested in the same thing, since it would let him level faster. Ghata seemed interested in the same thing, because both the sex and the buff were awesome and helpful. It could be worse, really. “Either way, I need to get as much of this noted as possible, fast. I SHOULD have time before I hit level six, but I don’t want to put off this choice for more than a couple of hours. I’m not the only one who might need the help, either. I know Jem’s a Witch, how about you two?”

 

Both Song and Ghata immediately responded “Combat Shifter,” then looked at each other in shock.

 

Todd was getting a headache. “Well. That simplifies things. I’m willing to bet your builds and goals aren’t the same, but since this school wants us to develop those abilities we can research how to build out and how to apply things. I’m assuming you two need to be transforming as much as you can spare to push your Progress? No dungeons around here to do the combat thing, and I am not interested in Delver licensing anyway.”

 

“You think it’s going to be like that, Todd?” Ghata looked concerned. Like this wasn’t what she signed up for.

 

“It’s the only thing that fits what we’ve seen.”

 

Jem had the last suggestion. “Either way? All of us need to be out making friends and networking. See if you can find any Enchanters, Alchemists, or other crafters? Heck, one solution to Todd’s mana issues would be a potion supply.”

 

Todd looked back. “You think I’m made of money? I can’t afford that.” He left alone that he had to study and sleep on occasion, not just have sex 24/7 for the entire school year. 

 

“You’re not the only person who can put two and two together, Todd. Others are going to be putting effort into their skill sets, and I know if Yellowstone wants them to… and it does… they will be feeding the crafters any materials they can get away with. We have a lot to trade. You have your crazy Inspiration, plus any spellcasting you pick up. I have Balance magics. I know Ghata and Song can get into some serious shenanigans with their Race and Class abilities. Now come on. Let’s get to the research so that we can get back to the rooms.”

 

All four had phones out, and branched out to separate corners of the Internet to gather information. It didn’t take as long as they thought, given that Todd was level THREE. There just weren’t a lot of things he could get up to. His Inspiration method did pose some challenges, but half of that was due to the school’s WiFi auto-filtering out sites that had the info. Todd eventually looked over his shoulder to the info tables that were once again set up. “Girls. A thought occurs to me. Jem said we need to network, right?” They nodded. “Well, there’s one place neither Jem nor I have access to. Ghata, Song, what do you think of picking up Sorority info? Both Alpha-Omega and Theta-Delta would be interested in you two.”

 

The two reacted with near-identical shock, looking at the tables. Their info gathering took all of thirty seconds before they were back in their seats with pamphlets in tow. Song was the one who spoke up. “Both of them are interested in both of us. I’m… not sure how to go about this.”

 

Jem had no such hesitation. “The local Orders don’t make you take residence with them. One of you go to each, we help you beat the Rush, and when you both succeed we have access to all of them. I know they have to have some of what we’re looking for. You two are the ones going in, so you decide who goes where?”

 

Both seemed agreeable to the plan. It was something, anyway. Ghata’s eyes furrowed. “Both have socials tonight. Same place, it’s the only event they hold together when they aren’t directly competing.”

 

“That’s the thing, I think they are,” Song interjected. “People like us. People who could go into either group. They want to convince us to rush for them.” The table was silent for a moment. This was not a small thing they were talking about. Was having that kind of access worth getting in the middle of that kind of fight?

 

As one, they shook their heads and continued with other trivialities. The future would solve itself.

 

The immediate need was up next. The cookies on the desert line. After that, the return to Room 222 for the process of picking a new Class Ability. Well, two, as it turned out.

 

***

Gain: Bardic Spellcasting (Lesser)

Choose one:

Extended Inspiration

Insights

Secondary Method

Bonus Spells

***

 

Todd started. “Bardic Spellcasting is a really odd and fluid thing. It’s something I’m going to have to get used to on my own, and what I have access to will solidify over the next couple of weeks. Bonus Spells would feed into that, letting me ensure I have a few more things codified at the end of the day.”

 

Jem looked at her phone. “Secondary Method would let you get another way of delivering your Inspiration, but it doesn’t come with an Improved Inspiration bonus. Most Inspiration features will also only affect one or the other, according to what I saw.”

 

“I think your notes had Extended Inspiration as a variable, but with a lot of good unlocks.” Song’s words were accompanied by the rustle of papers. “Insights, too. It’s a Knowledge ability that lets you occasionally make connections you wouldn’t have otherwise.”

 

“So it’s what I was afraid of. I can either push the Inspiration path for my class, directly, or push the Knowledge path for college and my future job.”

 

“I know what I’m hoping you do,” Song immediately responded. “The others want the same thing, but for other reasons. I hope you take Extended Inspiration. It will… help me. A lot. Being around Humans can be really hard, and the extra willpower let me get through dinner tonight without even a craving to get chicken.”

 

Ghata finished the thought. “Also, it will help all of us, big time. That score boost is going to make life here way easier. Imagine if the tasks for Rush last more than two hours? We’d deflate before the hardest parts.”

 

Todd thought for a second. The Status headache was only starting to hit, he had some time left able to make good decisions. “Can you all look around for a moment? Look for what Extended Duration is a prerequisite for? If there’s anything good there, I’ll go ahead and pick it up.”

 

Jem’s voice. “Way ahead of you. Looks like a lot branches off of it. Improved Extended Duration and a few after that one, Reflected Glow is another entire thing, Concentrated Burst, and it can combine with a couple others to unlock True Inspiration much later.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds really good actually. Reflected Glow is one I’d personally love to have, and True Inspiration is supposed to be the gold standard for my subclass. Supposed to take until level 12 minimum if you get lucky, though. I think I’ll go ahead and pick up Extended Duration, doing it now. My baseline is already pretty darned long, I wonder how far it will go.” Todd’s vision cleared, all three were looking at him intently.

 

Ghata seemed most intense. “How’s your mana doing? If you think you have enough for it, I’d love to have one of those buffs heading into the social. It’ll let us see how long it lasts, too.” She looked at the door briefly.

 

“Um. 21%. Not sure if it will go off, it’s close and I wasn’t paying too close attention.”

 

“Good. Then two experiments at once. This will be fast, don’t hold back.” She concentrated for a moment, her body shifting only slightly, then walked over to him and abruptly pulled off his pants, diving face first onto his rising hardness. Jem and Song watched appreciatively.

 

Todd’s new instincts were the only reason he didn’t panic, because a moment later it became clear she wasn’t coming up for air. She took him all the way to the base despite his size and simply stayed at full depth, swallowing and humming in pleasure. The sensation was intense, and she kept up the maximum pressure she possibly could without pause until he fired off down her throat, the rush of power flowing out of him and into her with his seed. 

 

This time, she knew what was coming and managed to hold her outwardly-Human form. It was close, though. Finally, she leaned back and let him fall from her mouth, licking her lips. “I will say that you definitely taste better than anyone else I’ve done this to. Shapeshifting is fun, I figured out a while ago how to separate my airway from my esophagus. Helped when I was choking one time, but really helped now.”

 

Todd’s breathing and heart rate were settling, but he had enough presence of mind to check his Status. 2% mana. 4% Class Progress. Considering a similar action yesterday had given him 10, it meant he certainly had some new data for how much effort would have to go into his fourth level. By far the bigger shock was the new timer he had for her. It read 24 hours remaining.

 

The others noticed him checking and waited with bated breath. They saw his eyes widen and the choking sound he made when he realized what he was reading. Their reactions were essentially identical.

 

“This changes everything!” Jem exclaimed. “If we find a way to get your regeneration over 60% a day, you can keep all three of us going at all times!”

 

Song had tears in her eyes. “Todd… Todd, with this I can definitely complete my ritual! I can be free of this!” She was actually choked up. “I would do almost literally anything for you if you promise to keep me going!”

 

Ghata was smiling. After all, she just got the first dose of the good stuff. “The first step is tonight, Song. Look, the pamphlets say that Theta Delta is all about dealing with identity and instinct issues in this world, I think that will be more your speed than mine. Alpha Omega does cultural and religious studies.”

 

“I think you’re right. Thing is, we both need to get going there. I have a bit over an hour left on my Inspiration, and though there should be no Humans there I’d rather not get tested while surrounded by people I’m trying to impress.” Both Song and Ghata went to put on nicer clothes and head out.

 

Jem took a breath once Todd saw them off and went to his own room. Though sex with him was awesome, he needed to recover mana before he could deliver another Inspiration, so letting him rest would be better for his Progression. She needed to do research of her own. Look at her class schedule, look for potential spells to use for both this quad and her studies.

 

Todd was very, very carefully not thinking about the twists his life had taken. He had reading to do, about the school and about how his new Bardic Magic worked. The former, despite the sheer number of pamphlets he got his mitts on, didn’t take long. After all, he listened at Orientation when he wasn’t taking a Faun for a ride. He marked several critical locations on his map, though. Like his class locations, with a bit of a worried look at a couple of his transitions on Tuesdays and Thursdays that would require some hustle to get there. He started dropping 24-hour warnings for major events onto his phone, as well. He’d remember them, sure, if he remembered to recall. No sense taking chances.

 

And then there was magic research. The one, fundamental thing he could find, of course, was that Bardic magic always stemmed from their Inspiration method. It seemed, of course, that this new life was going to be inescapable. He set out to research things that would last a long time, because he did not anticipate getting conjugal visits in the middle of exams. No matter how much the University wanted him to use his Abilities.

 

On the other side of campus was a sports field. No fancy stadium, just a clearing and some bleachers. Lines could be drawn and redrawn at need, after all. Appropriate goals, posts, targets, and cones could be brought out. In this case? That meant tables, a DJ station, some speakers, and a selection of responsible drinks along with irresponsible snacks. Ghata and Song were there, enjoying both, trying to find who they were there for. They had the edges of going in with a plan plus a juicy buff courtesy of Todd.

 

The entire point of events like this was to network. Period. Whether it was making outright deals, showing off your crew, being fun to be around, or impressing the right person, that’s what it all came down to. At this party? At this time and place? Everyone was trying to evaluate everyone else. Especially people like Ghata and Song. People who needed to be impressed, so that they’d make the decision you wanted them to.

 

Song found herself conversing with Beastfolk of every stripe. Including one striped one, a Skunk, who tried to impress her with some jokes… and skunked. Still, the others were fun, especially when she relaxed a bit and let her furry face show. It was an odd feeling, that. Being among folks who preferred to see her as she was. Her gold-white coloration helped her stand apart, the stature and beauty granted her by Race and magic sealed the deal. Within the 45 minutes she mentally allotted to these things, she had three different people agreeing to sponsor her and a growing list of contacts for advice and crafting.

 

Just had to get out before she turned into a pumpkin. Ghata might have all night and tomorrow besides, but Song had to play the mystery card. She felt the Inspiration run out halfway back to the dorms, and got to bed without further incident… and a grin on her Human-masked face.

 

Ghata, for her part, was just getting started by the time she saw Song leave. It was obvious why, as well, but Ghata shook her Human head. The girl had been charming everyone here, and by a wide enough margin that the Inspiration would not have mattered. Heck, Ghata had been getting questions about her, since the two arrived together. Now, though, it was her turn. Being in the middle of a bunch of folks carrying the blood of Angels and Demons was a very different experience, even for a girl who grew up in a brahmin family like she did. The student head of Alpha Omega was a Nephilim, one of the rare Legendary Races far ahead of the powers of her own. Nearly ten feet of power, looking like he had been carved from obsidian and alabaster by a particularly inspired Greek sculptor. 

 

If she hadn’t been very thoroughly satiated an hour before, she might have been trying to impress him more. As it stood, she managed to catch the attention of his hangers-on with her lifelong religious studies and outside POV. Just being able to discuss Apsaras and Asuras from the old lore without needing to pull out her phone to look things up made her valuable, and her identity as a Rakshasi meant the gamers there were falling over themselves to hear what it was like to be her.

 

Ghata’s little list of contacts ended up going three pages, including proposed trades and favors already started. Her mission was well started. Todd would forgive her for signing some of those promissory notes with his dick, once he found out. In the morning, since it was well past midnight by the time she got back to bed.

 

Gambhira Subedi, Rakshasi, underestimated her prospective brethren. Significantly. 

 

Todd found himself woken from a deep sleep by a sudden chill. A mist came in through his cracked-open window, having drifted there from the sports field following having more of a good time than one could easily account for some fog having. It settled in a dense layer over his bed, and descended upon him. His eyes snapped open as his blanket seemingly yanked itself downward and his pajama pants followed. Though he could see nothing but air, the feelings were physical. Light, but present and pleasurable.

 

To be fair to Todd, despite the sudden awakening and unique situation, he kept his head. The Ghost obviously wanted one thing, his cum. The sensations were taking him that way, if slowly. His senses didn’t have much to go on, his instincts showing only vague outlines that he could not touch. All he could do was sit back and enjoy.

 

And cast. That was on the menu, too. His mana was still far too low to be pushing Inspiration, but there was enough there for a bit of thaumic investiture. Bardic Magic on others required effort towards them. Bardic Magic on himself? Well, he had to be a lazy or selfish lover to activate those, and this seemed to be perfect for it. There wasn’t anything for him to do for his visitor. Instead, as the sensation escalated, he focused on a pattern of flowing energies within himself.

 

When finally he came, the spell went off. He suddenly had a major headache, one that was very slow to fade, but he could see that what he had shot into the seemingly-empty air had vanished without coming back down. The mist gave a satisfied sigh and drifted back out the window. Todd hastily pulled his pants up and covered himself with the blanket in the cool evening air, walked over to the window, and made sure it was closed and locked. Tomorrow might be Saturday, but he really did want to sleep. Couple of aspirin, and he was back to blessed unconsciousness. 

 

It was well past one in the morning before Jennifer Lyons, a Witch in mid-revelation, could get herself to bed. At first, it was excitement. She was getting to orchestrate a real power network, with real outcomes and real benefits for potentially the rest of her life. Then it was nerves. With all she had been doing the last couple of days, she had not gotten herself prepared for the semester to come. Incense lit, crystals arranged in the light of her favorite candles, she set forth a few auguries as she tried to do other tasks to keep her mind off of… well, off of Todd.

 

She knew good and well she had hexed herself, and this was the source of a lot of this drive… but it wasn’t all of it. This was the kind of evening she would normally have gone to get into some trouble, or grabbed one of her existing network of lovers to get her nerves in order. Now, though, it felt different. She knew that the task alone wasn’t forcing her to act this way, not wholly. Especially when she was already letting him rest. She felt like she had a fire lit in her, a purpose. A way to go forward. 

 

Resolutely, she pulled out her schedule and map as she allowed the auguries to mature. What questions they were on would be settled by them. The rest, though, she had to get ready so that she could use those hints. Her routes and plans. How to ensure that her own levels kept up with Todd, possibly along with the other girls. 

 

She felt the moment her magic found what it was looking for. Her eyes were drawn to her three candles, refracting through her three favorite crystals onto a divination spread entreating the Earth for advice. She had intended for the auguries to indicate three different tokens, to interpret them. Instead, the light bent and shone, all three falling upon the same card. Number Eight of the Major Arcana. Strength. Not representing personal power, but of the need to exercise choice. To work one’s will, and bend one’s efforts to a task. No matter the subject, the message was clear. To sit back and let things happen would invite disaster, but to set forth to make things happen would court amazing success.

 

Never, not in all her years of casting Tarot, had she ever seen results like this. Not before the Change, not after it. Whatever was to happen this year, it would not come to those who wait.