I followed Rufi down the staircase to the next floor, but was suddenly blinded as I turned the corner by a harsh white light. I opened my eyes as my vision adjusted, and gasped at the sight in front of me. Beyond the door at the bottom of the staircase a wide open field of ice and snow lay spreading out to the edges of my vision. Above silver-blue crystals shone like the noon-day sky, lighting the field so brightly it felt like the outside world.
I knew this world had dungeons like this, but I didn't expect it to be so…impressive. I looked with awe upon the sheets and cliffs of ice, stone and snow, large ice crystals glittering from the light of the ceiling, casting strange dancing shadows across the fields. I stepped out into the field expecting to be instantly cold, but to my surprise I didn't feel anything of the sort. I could definitely tell that a slight breeze was blowing, and from the looks of the small crystals afloat on it, it looked cold, but I didn't feel anything that resembled the feeling of being cold from when I was alive. I guess these are the hidden benefits of being undead…
Speaking of which…I looked around at the ice crystals near me, trying to gauge them for reflective potential. Let's try that one. I rushed over. Rufi mewled in confusion and followed me.
Alright…I looked at the dim reflection of my current self. Black, shimmery bones. Skull…damn that's kind of creepy in person. The little lights in my eye sockets are kinda cool, though. Very spooky. Loose ragged tunic-like garment. As I thought nothing like what I was wearing when I died…I wonder when I can get new clothes? I turned, looking at my back. Ok. Time for the big moment. I had a suspicion sneaking in my gut that I might not look the same. After all my height had changed, and nothing else about me had exactly fit the old me. I wonder if I can choose what the person I turn into looks like…
I tried to imagine who I was before I died. Scruffy brown hair, grey-green eyes, kind of on the slim side…"Use Skill: Living Person." I kept my eyes closed as I suddenly felt a biting cold breeze on my exposed, fleshy arms. Now. I opened my eyes, and then fell to the ground in shock. "I'm a girl!!!??" I was then further shocked by the high, soft tones of my own voice, speaking English for the first time since I had arrived in this world.
"What the…" I said, touching my face and staring at myself in the ice-mirror. "I'm gorgeous…" Long silver hair, deep red eyes, flawless, chibi-like skin. And… I touched my ears. Elf ears? I continued staring at myself for a long time, entranced by the girl in the mirror. "She's…me?" I said softly after a while. It felt like a dream. Hell, I'd probably had this dream before. Rufi jumped on my shoulder chirping in excitement then nuzzled and licked my face. "Haha-hey, girl," I said laughing, "I know I'm pretty shocked too!" I pulled her down into my lap, the cold breeze gradually bringing me back to my senses. I looked down at her to continue petting her then saw two large mounds obstructing my vision. Oop. I froze, then looked up at my boobs in the ice-mirror, tight against the ragged skeleton's tunic that was my only clothing. Let's…not think about that right now. I closed my eyes and tried to shake my head, petting Rufi to redirect my attention.
So…girl, huh? I pondered for a moment before calling out. "Status."
[Name: Pick one! ;)]
[Race: Night Skeleton]
[Sex: F] [Age: 17 (Current form: 1)]
[Lvl. 6]
[HP: 525/525] [MP: 318/340] [SP: 465/470]
[Skills: Dark Slash lvl. 5, Dark Vision lvl. 9 Dark Magic lvl. 7, Improved Balance lvl. 5, Improved Reactions lvl. 8, Corrupting Touch lvl. 10, Corruption Magic lvl. 1, Evernight Touch lvl. 1, Evernight Well lvl. 1, Summon Weapon lvl. 2, Living Form lvl. 2]
[Titles: Undead, Blessed of Melphinoe, Dragon-Slayer, Contracted Familiar: Rufi]
"That freaking goddess!" I said, looking at my name and sex. "So my personal info wasn't bugged, she was just hiding it from me…" I shook my head with a sigh. "So this is the other surprise she had in store for me, huh?" I looked at my hands, so delicate and perfect it made me want to cry for some reason. This is so weird. I closed my eyes again. Everything about this feels so weird. My emotions feel different, my body feels totally different. Am I…really still Ray Gardner? I looked down at Rufi who had laid down her head on my lap and stretched out lazily.
I felt like I wanted to cry, to scream and punch something, to curl into a ball, and to shout at the top of my lungs in joy all at once. The sheer weight of it all made me kind of sick. "I'm gonna…" I murmured. "I'm turning back." I took a breath and then dismissed the skill, feeling the familiar neutral ambivalence of being a skeleton sweep over me in relief.
"Holy f*ck" I croaked, the language of Undeath suddenly somehow a great comfort. "That was way too intense. I better figure out how I feel about all this before I go into that form again…" Rufi looked up at me, turning her head in confusion. "Sorry," I chuckled, scritching her neck. "I guess I deprived you of your warm little lap-pillow, didn't I? I guess these bones aren't quite as comfortable, huh?"
Even though I'd only known her for about a day, Rufi suddenly felt like the only familiar port in the storm of emotions, that despite my skeleton form was still sweeping through me silently. I clutched her close to my chest.
"Mrow," she protested, wiggling to try to get out. But I held her all the tighter, looking up into the rest of the icy plain that made up this floor of the dungeon. I felt suddenly very lost, and very homesick.
"Don't you go changing on me too," I said, nuzzling her side with my face.