22nd of Searing, 4622
It was well and truly into Searing now. The sun was beating down on the Socorro household, and the staff was facing an uphill struggle against the heat. It was oppressive and prevented most outdoor work, but the plants still needed to be watered. Vivian had to go out every few hours to make sure that Bara was doing alright in the heat, and to offer him a little extra nutrients in the form of watered down hay. The rose garden was suffering, and water needed to be pumped every few hours to help the demanding little darlings. The staff, likewise, was given unlimited access to water. Searing had always been a hell of a season for Vivian when he was living on the streets. He had to sleep in shady areas in little fits and starts throughout the day, especially during the hottest part of the day. He drank out of fountains and took flasks of water as tips, and spent what little pocket money he had on fruit. Now they got fruit delivered daily, and was permitted two pieces a day. He was able to drink out of the spigot whenever he wanted, and it was always cool and fresh.
He was certainly grateful to have somewhere to curl up with a pitcher of cold water, and read his book. During the hottest part of the day the staff was allowed to rest a bit before their evening chores, with the handoff being they would do laundry in the later part of the evening into the night. So he had time to grab his books out from under his bed, and crack open the second book on Malformity.
The second tome in Vivian's arsenal was less about the history and the god of the Malformists. While it was very fascinating to read about the history, the second tome was more about practical applications. There were names to the abilities, and he had been taught by Degare, but it was likely Degare was pulling from the very same tome that Vivian was now reading. This book was far more detailed, and put words to the feelings that Vivian expressed when using his magic. The author reiterated what he had spoken about in the first tome; that the basis of Malformity was understanding, and all of the abilities notated in the book sprang from that understanding.
The primary among them being Imprint. Vivian was well acquainted with Imprint. It was when he took an animal in his hands, and sank into them. His first imprint had been the flea, that armored juggernaut of blood and motherhood. He could still recall her; sleek, the color of mahogany, with strong legs, claws, and an intimidating set of jaws. It took time, and patience, to imprint on an animal. The actual ritual could take as long as half a minute, but Vivian liked to take at least half an hour. He liked to study how the animal moved and breathed, his mind coming up with romantic depictions of nature's humblest creatures. He found it helped with his ability to turn into them later. Forms took practice to increase Synchronicity. While Vivian always interpreted Imprinting as the initial foray of understanding, Synchronicity was the mage's own brain trying to keep up with the changes. One was active, the other was more muscle memory.
The more one transformed into a creature, the more one knew it as one's own. It was one thing to run his hands over Bara's sides and flanks to get to know the strength there. It was one thing feeling fur, long ears, and seeing those watery eyes. It was another to see behind one's own head, see the world with very few blind spots, having to move four limbs at once, and weighing several thousand pounds. When he had first changed into Bara he had been weak, stumbling a bit, and half-blind from the strange way the vertical pupils affected his vision. Then he had calmed, accepted the form, and learned to use it to his strengths.
Understanding went so much deeper than accepting the unloved and studying an animal.
It meant looking through another's eyes, and accepting their experiences as your own. That led directly to the second tenet, Immersion. Immersion was learning to live as the animal did. Vivian had been surprised at how calm Bara had been, and how vivacious the worm had been. He expected Bara to be full of energy, but the mule preferred to let life approach him. He was intelligent, but calm and slow moving like a river at high summer. The worm had been an explosion of energy despite its slow movement. It had hungrily licked up the mucus of the other worm across the lawn, hunted it, and demanded to impregnate it. Vivian had been swept up in the power of that animal, of twining his tail around the other worm in an attempt to mate. When he was spurned, he gripped that tail in his mouth and sucked the squirming, protesting, desperate worm down his throat. He'd lain on the lawn, sleepily feeling the panicked squirming of the other worm, his own species, die down to frantic twitching....then stillness. The worm had been happy, full, restful then.
Immersion meant throwing oneself into the life of the other animal. It meant chewing hay, and napping for hours, pissing wherever one pleased and hunting down the weak to make your belly full. Like everything else, the book cautioned, Immersion could be dangerous for a young mage and was best done through guidance of an elder. Sadly, Vivian had only had Degare, and the man often left him to his own devices. A mage could lose himself in the form if he wasn't self aware enough or experienced enough in the process, leading to depersonalization. He pursed his lips a bit at the words on the page.
"I could have killed myself and he couldn't have given half a damn. He just wanted the mark. So much for empathy." Vivian mumbled.
The more he was reading, the more he was realizing Degare couldn't have been a poorer fit for Malformity. He would have to be so much more careful in the future. When he Initiated someone next, it would be someone who could feel as deeply as Vivian did. It would be someone who empathized with the lowest creature Vivian could find, and he would test them accordingly. He wouldn't want to give this power to a monster who squashed spiders for the crime of living.
