Rega and Chloe talked like they were about to go mute. Cutlery listened and played with her boobs. She wasn't sure what the use of them being so large was, but Mome had assured her men did. They did feel nice. As long as men liked them though she could work with that. But if boys, instead of men, liked them, that could be an issue. Chloe went on and on about how crazy the boys were during the first few years of her time here.
"They settle down once their minds catch up to their bodies." She said. "I highly suggest not touching anyone who oggles you until then, they're a bit wild. Most of the girls are too though. Don't touch anyone for two years." Chloe said. Rega laughed at that. Cutlery tuned out. Eventually, even her new body got boring.
"Let's go out." Cutlery broke her silence. The other women, girls, and women stopped their conversation. Whatever they were. They looked at her, then at each other.
"Did you just suggest something social?" Rega asked. Cutlery smirked.
"Vaguely. Let's go. I wanna try out some new shit." Cutlery said. Cussing felt better as an adult. Chloe was happy to tour them around. Cutlery swung off the bed and they all walked out into the hall. Chloe and Rega teased Cutlery for letting the fight go to her head.
"What they didn't tell you is that they've unlocked several more rooms on this floor. The tower is so huge every floor has way too much space. Especially down on these lower levels. I've heard some of the scholarly folk say the Firsts floor is over ten thousand square feet." Chloe said in a mock nerd voice. "So you guys have space for fun things." Chloe finished.
Rega bombarded her with questions quickly after. Something about other floors and space and who was where. So boring. These new bodies were about the only interesting thing going on right now. Cutlery wanted to see if she could test out how much of this whole natural movement thing her body had in store for her. Chloe stopped them at a door near the dining hall that faced toward the center of the tower. She smiled at Cutlery and dramatically flung it open.
She showed them an armory. The weapons were weighted and padded to mimic real ones. Even things that hung on chains and shot arrows were padded and present. Rega zoned out and Cutlery was only interested in the things she could fit in her clothes. Chloe pouted that they weren't into it "I can name all of them!" She said and did.
Chloe tried again by showing them a second kitchen. Attached to that was a space filled with comfortable padded seats and couches. They weren't allowed in other bedrooms so Chloe pointed out that this was a good hangout spot. Cutlery had already heard others saying that the rule wasn't enforced. So the hangout space seemed useless. Chloe again deflated at their disinterest.
Trying again Chloe showed a range. Targets of different materials sat a variable distance along a long open space. At first, Chloe thought she had done it as her two hoodlums started bucking weapons and spells down the range. But most of their attempts couldn't go very far. The few that did hit, fizzled out with no real impact.
"The targets are similar to human bodies in terms of strength so you can tell if you would have done any damage to a normal person. People in the tower tend to be tougher than a normal person though." Chloe explained. Rega liked it and vowed to train more. Cutlery lost hope that their floor would keep her from going mad.
Until Chloe showed them the next room. It was simply a room of rooms. One room was a living room that led into a kitchen. Then another room contained a huge grassy field and icy pond. Chloe explained it was a gym of sorts. Doorways and open spaces dominated everything Cutlery could see. Chloe said it took up a third of their floor. It would help them train in all sorts of environments. Cutlery began exploring. Rega lagged behind.
"The rest of the rooms we didn't look at on this floor are bedrooms, hallways, and basic functions like a med bay. We'll be back at the room Cutlery, lunch isn't till noon. Have fun!" Chloe said. Rega looked about the space a few more times then left looking confused.
Cutlery looked about. Time to test the new meat out.
-
Cutlery's ankles were bruised. Her elbows had cuts running up to her biceps. She was happy. Starting in the alleys, buildings, and open windows had been a good choice for her. It was almost like home. The indoor city felt real.
Back in the real city, she had run day and night. She had been a child then. This body could fling her farther than ever. If she just ran at things her body acted like water.
She kept hitting herself on things despite the liquid-like movement. Her arms and legs length didn't quite sit well with her. The towers' fake city extended up three normal building floors. She would climb up and through an empty window frame. Then she would toss herself through. Her ankle would clip the window frame on the way in. The pain never came to her though. Rolling on the floor into a standing position was easy. Her body was full of energy. The impacts didn't seem to damage her in any real way like they used to. Small things just washed right over her. Adjusting to lanky limbs and a swinging chest was going to take the most effort for her.
Her hand-eye coordination was insane. This new body could throw and catch things more precisely than she thought possible. Juggling and other party tricks came to her with only a few minutes of practice. She scaled house walls easily and hung from small ledges for minutes at a time. Flips, kicks, and rolls seemed to work well. Mistakes that would have left a small bruise simply didn't. All the actions she had tried seemed fast, but were they? Was this new body just adult and not superhuman? She wondered what a month or a year of training would reveal.
After dropping down from a roof near the ceiling of the gym, which was confusing to think about, she slowed down her experiments. She was breathing hard after nearly five straight minutes of hurling herself around. Kicking her legs out, her flexibility seemed to be decent as well.
She tried the splits. Her already small pants stretched dangerously taunt and became shorts that hiked up to her mid-thigh. The door to the gym opened. A whistle came through. She looked back and didn't recognize the angular thin face that looked back. The face that looked back had an angular masculine line. They opened their mouth to speak.
"Welllll a newbie found her way in her quite quickly, and it looks like she got stuck with a fresh new limber body. Here let me help you stretch." They said. Their voice oozed self-satisfaction and desire.
"Dude she's probably like eight in the head." Another detached voice said. It was two young men who appeared in their prime. Both had bendy light bodies. The sleazy one had a mop of hair that was brushed back in a tall wave. The detached-sounding figure had long hair up in a ponytail, as well as a more feminine body to go with his male face. Cutlery shifted to a crisscross position to sit in and watched them approach.
"I and you miss, both look like we're quite the young adults, don't we? And I'm twelve in the head. Lives odd ain't it, here in the tower." The ooze said to Cutlery.
"I'm six." She said shortly. He stopped.
"Hmm. Well cut me up and call me a crib thief." He said and continued towards her. He cracked his knuckles. Cutlery couldn't help but let her jaw drop at that.
"Dude, you're grotesque." The detached voice said. His eyes wandered the room. Oozer reached Cutlery and moved to place his hands on her shoulders. She grabbed at his wrists and pushed. He didn't budge an inch. He laughed.
"You probably don't know how this works but even just a few years here means infinite power. Lesson one. If anyone says they're more than one number above you, you're fucked in a one-on-one." He said. He leaned in while pushing her hands back. His breath rolled across her. His words were poison but his breath was minty.
"What about two-on-one?" A voice from the door said. Ooze and Cutlery looked to see Roddy.
"That would be fair if you could count how many there are in here," Ooze said to Roddy while standing with a smile.
"You're friend here looks like he could care less." Roddy pointed out. Ooze looked at his pal. His pal smiled for the first time.
"Got me." Ooz'es long-haired buddy said. Roddy smiled widely. He yanked his hands easily out of Cutlery's grip. Walking over to Roddy he puffed out his chest.
"You look new around here you mammoth of hair," Ooze said. Ooze had a tall but small frame. He towered over Roddy. Roddy stared back. Ooze's hand snapped forward and smashed Roddy in the stomach. Then the flash of a dagger came out. A splash of red went up the wall. Roddy fell instantly.
"That is if you fight, you have a chance. Back to the one-on-one time." Ooze said. He turned back. Cutlery looked at Roddy slumping to the floor clutching his stomach. A metal clink came from the doorway. A shadow fell over Roddy. Then a gleaming set of armor caught the room's crystalline lights.
"Hey beanstalk tower. I know you got a pair of slivers, but do you have a real pair?" Chloe said from the doorway. Ooze looked back, his smile faltering. Chloe looked at him, she still wore her soldier armor. A thunk echoed from the suit as she jumped forward. Her face flushed with anger. There was no time for other observations before Chloe arrived at Ooze.
"I..." Ooze said. Boom a fist collided with his jaw and he launched past Cutlery and crashed into the floor. Detached guy backed into one of the fake room doorways and bowed to Chloe.
"Your highness." Detached said as Chloe clomped by him.
"Stop hanging with this trash shitball Jim," Chloe said. She then grabbed Oozer by the collar and dragged him out.
"They won't be back. They'll stay on their floor from now on. Maybe not Jim." Chloe said and slammed the door shut after grabbing Roddy as well. Cutlery stood up. Jim looked at her.
"Sorry bout that. Should have stopped him." Jim said.
"You would have. If he had done anything. Wait, I don't know you. Fuck off asshole." Cutlery said.
"Right," Jim said with a smile and exited.
Cutlery shivered. Oozer was twelve years old. Roddy was maybe ten. She was six. What would happen to the world if a bunch of children with heroic bodies was released? Cutlery for her part intended to get out of here when she could. Too many creeps in the making.
-
Cutlery's excitement had fallen off a cliff. She just couldn't vibe with pedal files, or whatever Mome had said to stab with a rusty spoon. She left quickly. Roddy had stood up for her, and perhaps could be dying. Finding him would be nice of her. She followed a trail of blood to a glass door. A praying hand symbol was stained onto the center. She pushed it open and stepped in.
Kopei the healer girl was inside watching a small man with glowing white hands touch Roddy. Roddy lamented but his face relaxed. The glowing subsided. Chloe was seated by the door watching the whole thing. She glanced at the door and saw Cutlery.
"Hey there! Are you alright? Ooze didn't touch you right?" Chloe asked with concern.
"Naw," Cutlery responded and walked over to Roddy. Roddy's eyes fluttered and he blinked in the bright light of the temple-like room. The small man didn't step aside for Cutlery as she approached. He scoffed as the cut finished closing up.
"Nasty cut that was a boy. Don't mess with slivers higher than you. Best you can do is talk your way out of it." The small man said. He glanced at Cutlery and sauntered away through an ephemeral gateway in the far wall. It pulsed and then darkened. So many things to understand here.
Roddy sat up quickly and spun his arms. Color had been restored to his face. His shirt was still cut along the ribs but his wound was just faint scar tissue from the instant healing magic looked at her.
"You alright winner?" Roddy said to her. Cutlery nodded and kept staring at where the dagger has flashed through him. Such a grievous and sudden wound. Now just as sudden, it was gone. A regular person would have died or been bedridden for months. The \cut was like a path through a jungle on his hairy chest. Roddy cleared his throat. Cooly looking up, Cutlery spoke.
"I was a barely touched loser." Cutlery said. "Thanks though. Since you are my minion now and all, I came to check on you." Cutlery said. Chloe snorted from by the door. Kopei giggled.
"Your minion? Just cause I lost? " He asked with a small smile.
"Yes, and you don't get beatdown anymore. People gotta beat you to get to me now, just like at the gym a minute ago." Cutlery explained.
"Ah, I'm doing a bang-up job then. This minion thing sucks." He said with a sigh.
"Get a minion for yourself then, it'll be a whole chain of command fighting thing." Cutlery suggested.
"Good idea. Kopei your up." He said to the small girl.
"Me! I can just heal!" She said with a nervous tone.
"Great! So you can get beat up twice before they get to me!" Roddy said. Kopei went pale but the rest of the room laughed.
"Alright, dorks. Now that you are all friends, Haze says he wants you all at lunch early for your first quests." Chloe said and stood. That got the trio's attention.
"Quest?" Kopei asked.
"Mission, adventure, whatever. It'll be boring since you're first slivers. Keeping you inside the castle in all, but it'll be good to stretch out of this floor." Chloe explained. She stood from her seat and swung open the door. Roddy slipped off the long cushy table and touched his cut shirt. Kopie darted ahead. The four of them walked down the hall.
Chloe led the group back to the dining hall where kids were gathering along with all the babysitters. It seemed each room had a soldier assigned to it. Many kids were joking with the soldiers now.
The space had been filled with mats and cushioned weapons, along with paper and maps.
"Welcome all! Who's ready to be rat-killing heroes!" Haze announced ceremoniously. The kids groaned.
