Library of Rain

The Skills of the Boneless

Rain spent the next few minutes explaining her class to Ms. River. She described what the library really was and why she was willing to let people risk its knowledge. She spoke of her goals and the problems she hoped to solve, all while ignoring the pain in her head. As she spoke, it felt like weights were falling off her shoulders, and the explanation soon turned into rambling.

Rain had never had anyone to confide in. She had never been able to just explain her challenges or how she felt to someone. Having the knowledge and trust of her past self dumped onto her shoulders only made it worse, adding to her feelings of isolation. Yet now, as she spoke with this woman she hardly knew, Rain realized how much she needed help.

Not only that, but as she explained the problems, she found walls in her mind shattering as obvious solutions made themselves known. By the time she finished rambling, she was talking about the kind cobbler in the Low Ring who had sold her her first pair of shoes.

That's when the realization hit with a heavy dose of embarrassment. She had been talking about completely unrelated things for a while, unburdening herself while someone in far worse condition was sitting right there, looking for answers to their problems.

Ears burning, Rain looked down.

“Sorry. You didn’t need to hear about most of that stuff.”

“It’s okay.”

Rain felt a hand take a nervous grip on Rain’s much smaller hand. 

“I don’t blame you for what happened to me. It’s my own fault.”

Rain looked back up but said nothing as Ms. River continued talking.

“I was so worried about holding everyone up because I was the only one who hadn't chosen a book that I read a book without giving it enough consideration - I never could do anything right.”

Rain wanted to cheer Ms. River up. So she did the only thing she could think of.

“What skill did you get?”

Rain had gotten a message about Ms. River’s skill, but she had ignored it at the time, and now Mr. Purple wouldn’t show it to her again. She must have really hurt his feelings when she ignored him, because no matter how much she apologized, he refused to show her the message again.

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“How do I know?”

“I just think about my name really hard, and Mr. Purple writes all my information out for me.”

Ms. River screwed up her face at that, looking like she was trying really hard to poop. Then her face relaxed, and her eyes widened as she saw something Rain didn’t. 

“I can read this! But I've never been able to read before! Did getting a class teach me how to read?”

“Did you get a class? What are your skills? Do you have anything good? What is Mr. Purple telling you?”

Rain realized she was standing on her chair and bouncing in excitement. Glad that Ms. River seemed too distracted to notice her behavior, Rain got down and almost fell over as the pain behind her eyes throbbed to new heights.

“Who is Mr. Purple?” Ms. River asked, still lost, reading something Rain couldn’t see.

“That's the name of the words that tell you about your skills and stuff. I named them that because they glow purple.”

“My words are silver.”

That stumped Rain for a bit.

“Maybe you have a different messenger?”

It was the best thing Rain could come up with. But it also gave Rain a way to check something she had been worried about.

“Does your, err, Ms. Silver? Say error a lot?”

“Yes, what's that about?”

Rain sighed in relief.

“No idea. I’m just glad Mr. Purple isn't sick. 

Anyway, what's your class!”

“It says my class is Plagiarist. I have no idea what that is. My only skill is echo. I don’t know what it does, though.”

“Try asking your Ms. Silver. She should be able to explain how it works!”

“Woah, it all changed. You're Right! Save a copy of any skill used on you. You can then use that skill as if it were your own. You may remember any two skills at one time; more skill slots will be unlocked at higher levels, error level system unavailable.”

Ms. River’s face fell a little at the description.

“That doesn't seem very useful. The only skills I’ll get are the ones other classers use on me, and I’ve never met another classer before. And if what you said is true and I’m now a boneless, skinned fish, then my chances of ever using this skill are almost nonexistent.”

Rain didn’t agree with that assessment. In fact, she was currently kicking herself for not remembering what book Ms. River had read. It would almost be worth the risk of reading to get that skill for herself. Regardless, this skill might give Ms. River a way to fix her problems to an extent. 

“Hey Ms. River. I’m using a skill on you right now. Can you copy it?”

Ms. River’s face scrunched up for a bit before her eyes once again widened.

“I did it! I copied the Enter Dream skill!”

 Rain watched as Ms. River read the skill description, her face changing from excitement to disgust as she processed the requirements to use this skill.

“Is this why you made us drink your blood?”

“Yeah. Good thing I did, too, or I wouldn’t have a way to talk with you now.”

“I guess it was a good thing, but what can I do with this? It's not like I have ways of convincing people to drink my blood.”

“No, but if I can get people to eat bits of you, then you can enter their dreams. It won’t be the same as having your body back, but at least you can interact with people again!”

Rain could already think of all kinds of ways she could put Ms. River to use. If she could slip an enemy a bit of Ms. River’s slime, then she could have Ms. River monitor them in their dreams. Or maybe she could have Ms. River act as a messenger to deliver messages to people for Rain. 

Rain realized where her mind was going. No, Ms. River wasn’t a tool Rain could use. She was a person Rain should help. Rain felt even worse when she saw the gratitude on Ms. River’s face.

“You would do that for me?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! If you ever need anything, I’ll help.”

Why was she making it so easy to use her like a tool? But if she was offering, Rain could use the help.

“Okay, I'm looking forward to working with you! Who do you want me to slip River juice to first?”

Ms. River grimaced at that.

“Don’t call it River juice.”

Rain didn’t understand why that was a problem but shrugged and went on, ignoring the twinges of pain her movements were causing. 

“Okay.”

Ms. River thought for a moment before speaking.

“Do you think you could get Less to do it?” She asked hesitantly before rushing on. “don’t slip it to him. Of course, tell him what it is and, why he should eat it, and what it does. I don’t want to trick him into it. Not that what you did was wrong. Or even tricking. I just don’t want… to… I'm going to stop talking now.”

Rain couldn’t hold back the grin at the deluge of words. 

“I’ll get it to him, don’t worry.”

Rain had so much more she wanted to talk with Ms. River about, but before she could, a wave of pain swept over her, pulling her from the dream. When Rain woke, she was lying on her couch, and she was covered in blood.