Five Nights In Tensura?

Chapter 6: The Mangle

Heyo, at 55k words on Vivian Prologue.

Da mangle

Word count is like 2000+

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Charlie's pov: 

I pulled down the hood of the cloak. 

Sammy gasped. "Woah.. You don't even have skin.. It is like.. metal? Then those things I thought were clothes, that is actually part of you? Is it like fused to the metal?" She examined around the mask. "Hm.. Seems the mask is part of the outer layer." 

I sighed internally, having sorta seen this coming. 

"Ok, and you got that hair, it seems to be real. Your eyes too. But without skin, and being made of metal, do you even have organs?" Sammy looked into the mask. "Oh. Yeah, you literally don't got a mouth." 

"Sammy, you are being a bit excessive.." Sarah shook her head and sighed. 

'I.. Huh. I actually don't know if I have organs.. Definitely don't need to breath, and can't eat or drink..' I cringed away from Sammy's grabbers. 

"So you aren't a human majin at the very least." Fuze was rubbing his chin, seemingly now curious himself. "You said you simply, manifested?" 

'Y-yes.. In a cave.. It had a ton of magic inside, especially metal and plants.. Uh.. Oh! The Storm Dragon was inside! Veldora!' I hoped they'd be able to tell me more about the world.

Fuze paled, "You manifested within the sealed cave?.. A spawn of the Storm Dragon.. That certainly explains your.. strength." He stayed unsettled. 

'I mean.. He really didn't seem that scary, but he was trapped. He was just a lonely old man, honestly.' I felt a surge of annoyance through my Find Familiar skill at the thought. 

"You met him?!!" Sarah's eyes went wide. 

'I mean.. He named me, or at least he said he did.. I am pretty sure that is what happened too, since I can feel the name he gave me is the right one.' 

"Can you tell me how well the seal was holding?! What is his current condition?!" Fuze stood up. 

'Hm.. He isn't breaking out of that seal. He didn't seem weak by any means though, I couldn't really feel any limits to his magicules.' I tapped my mask. 'I felt sorta different when he named me.. Sorta out of character.. I felt indebted to him, but also really angry at him for some reason, like I didn't like the idea of any of my new freedom going away.. That isn't really like me.' 

Fuze leaned back and closed his eyes. "That makes sense. It is theorized a named monster takes on the nature and intentions of their namer, to some extent. It can be guessed that any intention to control you the dragon may have had, was canceled out by his own chaotic nature." He pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"Would that have any lasting effects?" Sarah turned to Fuze with a frown. 

"Possibly, monitor her closely." Fuze sighed. "She doesn't seem like the type to rampage, but knowing the stories of that thing.. It is still possible." 

I would have scowled if I could. 'I wouldn't hurt anyone innocent, that is wrong..' 

Sammy patted my head. "That is a bit of a righteous streak, Charlie." 

Fuze turned back to me with a serious expression. "I will document you as an otherworlder, don't leave Blumund without my direct permission. I'll let you meet Emy in several days, indirectly." 

I nodded a few times, feeling a bit lowered under the gaze. 

Sammy gasped a little. "Hey, Charlie. Can you seal up your magic again? I just noticed something.." 

I turned to her and tilted my head. 

"That is still an unnatural angle.." Sammy shivered. 

I felt embarrassed and reset my head. Then did as she said and sealed all my magicules inside my 'skin.'

Sammy grabbed onto the hood of the coat and just stared at it for a little while, before turning to Sarah. "Mom.. This fabric has had the magic infused into it! It'd be worth way more!" 

Sarah took the hood herself and examined it closely. "Huh. You are right. It definitely wasn't like this before. I guess I just didn't notice the change through Charlie's aura." 

"What do we do with them?"

"Let Charlie keep them, she is the one who made them this way, even if it wasn't intentional." 

'Huh? It is kinda fuzzy.. But I guess I can see them.' The little magicules buzzing around in the fabric, flowing neatly through the threads. 

"You can release a bit of your aura again, Charlie." Sarah pat my shoulder. 

"Are you three going to leave? I do have more meetings today.." Fuze looked very exhausted, so I think he might have been lying. 

I realized the tiniest bit of my aura, and pulled my hood back up. Then I engaged Thought Communication again. 'Sorry sir, we can get out of here. Thank you for all your help.' 

"You haven't been that polite the last two days, Charlie!" Sammy snorted and rolled over a bit. 

Sarah lifted both her baskets again. "I think now is a good time to leave, Sammy, Charlie. Let's get out of here. Fuze has had enough headaches this week."

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William's pov: 

"Well aren't you a curiosity." The bearded man's eyes pierced me quite thoroughly, as if he was examining every part of me. "Where are my manners?" He raised his hand and did a curt. "My name is Gadra, court wizard of the Nasca Namrium Ulmeria United Empire, under Emperor Rudra Nam Ul Nasca."

'Did I hear that right? Court wizard?' I flexed my new joints, to see how able I might be to get away, never can be too sure of your own safety.

"You heard that right, monster? No.. Maijin? No. Neither of those fit, and you certainly aren't human or demihuman." The man started messaging his beard carefully, his composure seeming eternal. "No demon, no spirit. I've seen angels, you don't resemble one of those." 

'I am no man, not any longer at least. Not after what I've done. Can't truly say what I am.' I could feel the agony around me, it was dense. 'I don't  think you can be called wholly a man yourself.'

"Observant, you are." The old wizard chuckled. "I think, the thing I could compare you best to.. Would be a slime. Or, a group of them. They will clump together into giant beasts that will go on the offensive, clearing out entire regions. All their souls will coalesce, and malform, like yours." 

I felt disgusted, but didn't trust my luck against the old man. 

"You clearly are no slime, though. You show restraint." He smiled broadly. "Even through that disgust. Curious indeed." 

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Charlie's pov: 

The next several days were sort of a blur, Sarah discretely told Henry about me. Then they told the kids about me together. 

After that things went by sorta slowly, but uneventfully. They tried to show me a good time, inviting me to do any activity they thought was fun. The younger kids were cute. 

Meanwhile Sammy would pester me about holding objects for a long time and releasing my aura into it, to try to replicate the trick with my clothes. It took several tries to actually get something that would be worth the effort though. 

I guess it felt sort of nice, to just spend time doing.. Family things. It had been a long time, that was for sure. 

I couldn't really focus on that though, I had my mind elsewhere. Emy, I wanted to see her again. 

So, it was convenient Sarah was taking me and Sammy out into the fields, early in the morning, to practice using our skills. She even gave Sammy a rusty old sword. 

So I focused on the one skill I could use to see Emy, from a distance. Find Familiar, as it turned out was a lot better than I had thought. 

"You have been sitting there for an hour." Sammy was patting my head. "You really interested in something?" 

I could feel the pull from Emy in the distance, in Blumund.

There was another pull, which I guessed was Veldora. It came from the Jura forest, and it was strong despite the distance. 'Must be cause he named me.. Ugh..' 

As I focused more on the skill, I could feel pulls from further away. Maybe.. two, from beyond Blumund, to the west.

One, in the far north, the strongest after Veldora and Emy. 

One to the far east, further than Veldora. 

One to the south, but it was.. fuzzy. 

Sammy started shaking me. "Come on, say something." 

I engaged Though Communication. 'I am just.. Taking a headcount. I can't really tell who they are, except Veldora and Emy.. But I have found the rest, I think.'

"Huh, you two really are serious about this.. Is what happened to you really that bad?" Sammy took a few steps back. 

I floated to my feet. 'Yes, it was bad. Terrible. I won't show you till you are older.' I stretched, and felt the urge to smile at the sunrise, even if I couldn't. 

"That bad, huh? Also you sound way too motherly when ya talk like that you know?" Sammy giggled. 

I wanted to laugh at that myself. Instead I just wanted over and patted her shoulder.

"You come up with really creative ways to express yourself. Anyway, just gotta wait a few more hours to see that little kobold girl, alright?" 

I sighed internally. 'It has felt like forever..' 

...

The small adventuring academy outside the city of Blumund to the west, it was big enough to house a few hundred children, and even took in orphans. 

We had a plan to approach Emy while all the children were on a break to play, she'd be allowed out today. 

'I only approach her if she approaches me... I hope she remembers me..' I had the conversation still playing out in my head. 

Sammy was gonna talk to Emy for me, while I stood in the distance with Sarah. Fuze was watching from somewhere nearby. 

For now though, Emy was outside, trying to play with the other kids. 

They were trying to play tag, but she couldn't really keep up. She still had a smile on her face. White, rosy cheeks spread in a wide smile. 

I smiled a bit internally at that. 'I remember.. heh. Maybe she'd have gotten to do this all sooner.. If I'd been just a little bit stronger..' 

Still, the physical activity was strained for her, and she sat on the grass quickly. She fell back and just played with her tail, seeming happy to just be outside. 

Eventually after the other kids left her alone, Sammy sat on the grass next to her. 

They had a conversation, and Emy started laughing. Then Emy frowned and looked around. 

Finally, she looked in my direction. Directly into my eyes. Even in the distance, I could see her mouth go completely agape and her eyes go wide. She mouthed, "Charlie.." 

If I had a heart, I'm sure it'd be racing. 'Emy.' 

The little fox girl struggled to her feet and started running in my direction. She almost tripped and struggled for breath. 

I shook my head and started approaching her myself. 'Kinda expected this.. I'll need to restrain my aura.' 

"Charlie! Charlie! Is that really you?.. Your mask.. It has to be, right? No one here would have seen the puppet!" She started waving her arms around and pointing up at me. 

I nodded, then engaged Thought Communication. 'Y-yea.. Didn't think I'd see you again.' 

"I didn't think I'd see.. tomorrow.. The people here are really nice!.. But they are talking all the time about how.." She shuddered. 

'I know..'

"If you're really here that means the others are too, right?! You really did save us all! Give us a new life, just like you promised!" Emy jumped a bit before falling back and huffing,  then breathed heavily for a few moments. 

'Don't push yourself.' I kneeled down to her, and reached out my hand to help her up. 

Emy held up her hand to grab onto mine, and the moment she did. 

Find Familiar activated, a subskill it had. 

{Notice: Soul Corridor Established with individual}

Emy's eyes went wide, and she thought to me immediately. 'Was that the voice of the world?.. It.. Spoke to me.' 

There was a surge of magicules coming to me from Emy, and it felt as if I'd become a good deal stronger. 'Y-yeah.. I guess it was. I don't know what that was about.. But I hope it helped.' 

Emy stopped and tilted her heard. 'You heard that?' 

'You didn't want me to?.. Wait, did you just get the skill?' 

'T-Thought Communication... Or something like that.' 

I helped Emy to her feet, and floated around her a few times. I wanted to make sure she was completely ok.

The state of her soul was, to be put in simple words, terrible. It was frayed all over the place, and tiny bits were constantly being lost as they tore off and floated away. 

'Maybe I can.. A barrier might help keep it together..' 

'What?' There was even a large crack down the center of her soul, the two halves holding together on a small connection. 

'Emy.. You are in a lot.. of..' I didn't know if it was a good idea to explain it to her, not after how excited she was just to be in this new life. So instead, I just activated Ranged Barrier and put one around her. 

'Huh?!' Emy looked around, then put her hand to her chest. She stretched. "I feel a lot better all of the sudden." Then she looked around. "Hey, where is that Sammy girl?!" 

"Right here, squirt. You ran off without even telling me if you recognized her or not." Sammy set a hand on Emy's head. 

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