Terror Thirty-Two - Butterbutt

Terror Thirty-Two - Butterbutt

Terror Thirty-Two - Butterbutt

This is it, I say as I walk up to the edge of the tar pit.

The pit isnt all that big, not like the huge ones back home where no ones ever tried to reduce their size. This ones maybe a pace across at the widest, and its shaped like a rough-edged teardrop.

The black ooze shifts slowly, like a slow-motion video of the surface of boiling water. Theres motion, but a lot of its hard to spot, especially since theres a layer of fallen leaves and branches over the top of the pit.

If someone were to dig a tunnel under the hole, theyd likely find that its only a few centimetres deep. But if they were to stick a pole into the pit, itd go far deeper than that. Theres a strange quality to these things. Theyre both there and not.

It just looks like the ground to me, Felix says.

I pout. Well, I guess. But trust me, theres a tar pit there.

My friend shrugs, obviously not impressed by the tar pit. I guess thats fair. I kneel down next to the black ooze, then realize that kneeling hurts, so I spin around so that Im sitting on my butt next to it.

What are we doing now? Felix asks.

Im going to make some friends. The problem is Im not entirely sure what sort of friend well need. I have a skillwell, its my only skill, reallythat lets me make monsters as long as there are souls in the pit Im using.

Like, people souls?

Animals too, and I guess insects and other living things. Usually you need a proportional soul though.

Whats that mean? Felix asks.

It means the soul of a person can make a bigger monster than, say, the soul of a bug. Unless its a really big and powerful bug, I guess. Its not an exact science. Or maybe it is. I dont know. Soul stuff is mostly the domain of the gods, and Mom said that if I touched her books on the subject, shed spank me... again.

She spanked you?

Anyway, I say, my face absolutely not flaming. I know well need some combat friends, at least one that can break locks, and... uh, well, some communication friends wouldnt go amiss.

Can you make just anything? Felix asks.

I nod. Yup, but its probably better not to experiment too much. Most of the time my experiments dont work at all. It can take days to figure out one new type of friend, and weeks to perfect the design. Most of those I use a lot of arent even as good as I wish they were.

Is it like that for every monster?

No no, most monsters are just... born. Theyre not in the most effective form they could be, not unless theyre lucky or something. I think theyre generally shaped like monsters that have come before, though theres definitely some sort of... pattern going on. I never really spent that much time thinking about it, actually.

What happened? Felix asks. Shes close, squatting next to me with a hand on my back. I didnt even notice her coming closer.

Just... its a lot of focus and a lot of magic.

She starts rubbing circles over my back. Can I do anything?

No, no, but... thanks, that feels good.

She chuckles. No problem. Do you have enough?

Monsters? Not even a third of the amount I want or need, I admit. This is going to take a bit more effort.

Are you sure you can do it?

I nod. Ill be fine, I say. Ive summoned more monsters before, and while it tuckered me out, Im a bigger, stronger girl now. I can do it.

Still, maybe a teeny tiny break wouldnt hurt. I lean back into Felixs rubs and close my eyes, letting myself enjoy them and the peaceful quiet of the forest.

Alright, I say a few minutes later. It was enough of a break that Im feeling better. We need a friend that can pick locks. Then the communication friends.

I plunge my hand back into the muck and focus once more. Its easier this time.

This one is called a squirter, I say as a new friend wiggles its way out of the muck. Its a spider-looking friend, with ten legs that each end in differently shaped spikes. It has a proboscis, like a mosquito, and one of its abdominal sections is basically a small sac filled with black goop.

Weird looking, Felix says.

Squirters are designed to pick locks, and they can squirt acid. Its not super strong acid, but it works really well on metals.

Why do you know how to make those? Dont they take a while to figure out?

Because Mom can be real mean sometimes, and she started hiding some books away in these rooms with locks on them.

Forbidden books?

I guess? Mostly theyre just yucky romance books about guys with big muscles and princess-y girls who are useless. I never get far in them. Theres nothing forbidden there, just a lot of boring romance stuff.

Why would she lock that away? Felix asks.

I shrug. I dont know. Im hardly going to ask her. I set my squirter next to me, then wiggle my shoulder blades. Okay, next!

***