Un2talented (Book 3 of the Un2 Series)

The majestic koi surfaced as if it were a submarine, its eyes floating at water level. Its dorsal fin stood upright like a sail on a Chinese junk. He shook it, flicking water droplets in all directions. He was just inches from Dorian’s arm.

“Bowoo,” uttered the fish.

“Uh, Bowoo?” responded Dorian. He slowly began to remove his arm from the tank, but as he did Bowoo jolted forward, pinning Dorian’s arm against the wall of the tank.

Lanky shrieked.

Dorian panicked momentarily, but immediately relaxed as the fish made contact. Their gaze connected and Dorian knew that he was not in danger. He reached over with his other hand and Bowoo rose to meet it.

“You are magnificent!” Dorian exclaimed.

Bowoo fluttered his eyes. His barbels curled up from the water wrapped around the body parts that were thought to be lost. He aligned them with the incision and pushed them gently against Dorian’s arm. One by one the digits meshed with the existing tissue, becoming a fringelike extension of the forearm. Bowoo brushed up against Dorian’s new mega-hand like an affectionate kitten. He circled to the middle of the tank and then disappeared beneath the surface.

“Thank you!” Dorian called out over the water.

A muffled “BOWOO” came from deep in the tank.

Dorian pulled his mega-hand from the tank and shook off the excess water. His arm grew larger and his veins more defined as Leslie’s attributes merged with his existing musculature. The effect of Leslie’s finger on Dorian diminished across the length of his body causing him to look like he only worked out one side of his torso. The mass of bulging muscles washed to the opposite side and then back again. The effect was heightened by the quick pop and lock dance moves contributed by the street dancer’s finger. This repeated a few times leaving Dorian considerably more buff as the mass distributed itself equally across his body.

“How do you feel?” asked Lenny.

“I feel pretty good!”

“Try something for me. Look closely at Gary. Do you see anything unusual?”

Dorian focused on his friend poised on the arm of the sofa.

“Should I see something?”

“Try to look at him as a whole, not at any one feature.”

Dorian adjusted his gaze from Gary’s face, allowing more of him into view. A bright outline traced his form.

“A pinkish-reddish glow surrounds him.”

“Yes, one does,” Lenny agreed. “That is a result of his loyal, loving nature.”

Gary barked and wagged his tail.

“Hopefully the ability to see creatures’ auras will help you navigate your way once you are on the other side of the portal. Color is not of key importance. Whether it is a pure color or a murky color is what will matter. Be wary of those with a dark, muddy aura. They may not be worthy of your trust.”

Dorian did a quick scan of the room. “Just as I thought,” he winked.

“Leslie, please assist Dorian with the bracer,” Lenny asked.

Dorian raised his arm and curled his newly acquired fingers around his forearm. Leslie positioned the bracer over them and cinched it closed.

“Now you cannot drop them, and they are well protected.”

“And he looks pretty freakin’ stylish!” Leslie added. “I think I’m going to bring those back!”

Lenny looked around the room analyzing the artifacts within the alcoves that lined the walls.

“This should do.” He retrieved a wineskin from an alcove dedicated to Bacchus. “This will carry the waters of Hope.”

Lenny uncapped the end of the bag and submerged it in the tank.

“The fish water is the water of Hope?” Dorian asked.

Lenny nodded.

“I guess that makes as much sense as everything else. I’ll find a vase or something to help carry some more.”

“That won’t be necessary. This will be plenty.”

“But there were five huge vessels of the other waters.”

“You would be surprised at how far a little Hope will get you.”

Lenny capped the bota and slung it over his shoulder.

“Hope, and a bunch of extra fingers!” Shorty added.

“And a sword!” Leslie held the scabbard in the center of Dorian’s back. “Arms up,” he directed.

Dorian raised his arms. Leslie and Lanky worked the straps from the sheath around Dorian’s torso and lashed them tight.

“Maybe the kid should have a gun,” Shorty suggested. “You don’t need to get close to someone to kill them with a gun.”

“Kill someone? I didn’t even think about killing anything, much less someone!” Dorian began to pale. “I don’t know if I’m the right guy to do this.”

Lenny took Dorian by the shoulders.

“You have been given an abundance of skills that should allow you to find Cadence and bring her back with as little confrontation as possible. We have the tools to assist you as best we can. I cannot promise that there won’t be conflict. How you deal with it will be your choice. I have faith in you. We all do.”

Everyone agreed although Shorty was a bit slower with his encouragement. Dorian calmed himself and took a breath.

“Okay, what’s next?”

“We head over to the kitchen.”

“What do we need from there?”

“A sandwich. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving!” Lenny laughed.

The team headed back down the hallway towards the aviary. Lanky sidled up to Dorian and whispered,” I’m not murky, am I?”

“Don’t worry, Lanky, you’re a very nice golden yellow.”

“Whew! That’s a relief. Uh, what about Shorty?”

“He’s . . .” Dorian hesitated,” . . . okay, but his edges could use a scrubbing if you catch my drift.”

“He’s had a rough life,” Lanky said apologetically. “But he’s been a good friend. I’m sure you can trust him. I promise to keep an eye on him.”