35 Progenitors (1/3)
Adam and Eve.. My Vorsàni followers and first of their kind, ran around our small fort enthusiastically. They picked up anything that was not heavy or nailed down, investigating and discovering all of it for the first time. They had my innate knowledge of the surrounding world but it was as if they had just woken up, after being asleep since forever and wanted to experience everything on their own. Seeing their happiness and will to simply be, put a smile on my face. I wiped some sweat from my brow as a chill began creeping into our makeshift hiding place. I sat down in order to rest and kept watching my two followers. They had abilities and stats of their own. I studied their individual Skills and was surprised to see that they varied from each other's. They both shared two Skills called "Burrower" and "Nightvision" that did exactly what their titles suggested, making the Vorsani ideal for surviving in cave-like environments.
That is where their similarities ended however. Adam had a Skill called "Appraisal" that allowed him at Rank 1, at the cost of some Mana, to ascertain the very basic properties of anything he came in contact with. His extra Passive Skill was called "Fortune's Favourite", an ability that seemed simply amazing. At Rank 1, it gave him a 5% chance of being guided by the system towards a more favourable outcome, everytime he made a decision or took an action. Even his stats were slightly differently arranged than his fellow kin's, having an extra point in Mental whereas Eve had an extra point in Physical. The female Vorsani's Passive Skill was called "Slasher". Instead of just having retractable claws, Eve's fingernails looked human. However, once she imbued them with just a hint of her Mana, they became luster black and grew out like small blades, giving her a wicked natural weapon. Her active Skill was something called "Scrapper", a rare martial arts skill, suitable for primal races. At Rank 1, by burning a Mana point, Eve's speed, reaction time, flexibility and maneuverability all increased by 1,5 times their maximum for 10 seconds.
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Adam
Race: Vorsani Lv.1
Sex: Male
Age: 17
HP: 5/5
MP: 3/3
XP: 0/30
Unassigned Attribute Points: 1
Physical - 3 (Average)
Mental - 4 (Average)
Social - 3 (Average)
Magic - 3 (Average)
Skills
1) Appraisal (Rank 1)
Passive Skills
1) Burrower (Rank 1)
2) Fortune's Favourite (Rank 1)
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&
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Eve
Race: Vorsani Lv.1
Sex: Female
Age: 17
HP: 6/6
MP: 3/3
XP: 0/30
Physical - 4 (Above Average)
Mental - 3 (Average)
Social - 3 (Average)
Magic - 3 (Average)
Skills
1) Scrapper (Rank 1)
Passive Skills
1) Burrower (Rank 1)
2) Slasher (Rank 1)
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Adam started digging a hole and then, unearthing all sorts of worms, beetles and other insects. He studied them carefully and used his appraisal to gleam more information before stuffing them into his mouth. He gave Eve a toothy smile, smeared with bug limbs and the female Vorsani simply rolled her eyes. I laughed quietly in my corner or the room. Watching them gave me such joy. I wasn't expecting this honestly. I never planned on having children as Peter.. Were these feelings I was having suppressed paternal, or maternal instincts? I shivered once more. I was cold and yet still sweating. I placed a hand on my forehead which was burning up. "Um.. Can I see my evolutionary options?" I managed to say as I lied down, feeling weaker by the moment.
[ Avatar: Arsan, evolutionary options available. 1) Arsani Blade-Dancer: These Arsan are specimens of athleticism and graceful combat. This evolved body leans heavily on the Physical Attribute and makes Martial Skills (Active and Passive) easier to attain.
2) Arsani Inamorata: Enchantresses of the heart, these Arsan lean on their charisma and sex appeal in order to thrive. This form augments your Social attribute and unlocks many unique Charm and Mind manipulation magics.
*Ping* Above Average Magic Statistic detected. Prerequisites met for Unique Evolution.
3) Arsani Fire-Breather: Arsan don't usually follow the arcane arts but those who do, sometimes combine their martial arts with Pyromancy. These Arsani are not the best Mages or Martial artists but their unique grasp on both fields of expertise makes them a sight to behold. This path leans both on Magic and Physical Attributes, unlocking fewer Skills but from both Spellcasting and Martial Arts categories. ]
If there was any advantage to deviating from the build I was working towards, I lacked the clarity of mind to see it. Taking the opportunity for advancement in the skills I already possessed, I chose the Fire-Breather evolution. I gave the mental command while working through a cough and felt myself weakening, similarly to how one struggles to stay awake after a very stressful day at work. There was something wrong with me. I surely couldn't be this tired? And the cold.. I was trembling now to the point it was even obvious to the young Vorsàni. "Lady Minõa?" asked Adam while keeping a distance, "Are you not well?". I barely had the strength to answer him. They both rushed to my side, patting my body with their small hands, probably trying to figure out what was wrong with me. "She.. she burns.." Adam said to the female with a frightened expression. "Master! Where are you hurt? How can we fix?" Continued Eve without knowing how to proceed.
[ You have chosen an Evolutionary path. Estimated time for first evolution: 1 Hour.... 8 Hours.. abnormality detected! Mana reserves are being eroded and jettisoned at an accelerated rate. Abnormality isolated.. Abyssal Mana detected.. Analyzing.. Disease detected, "Mage Rot", Undead disease contracted! Contact with an Undead has given you Mage Rot. This illness erodes a person's Mana and attacks the immune system. It fights against the person's Mana regeneration, overwhelming it. Once the victim is out of healthy Mana, it perishes. Thanks to host's "Blessed Body", great Mana reserves and high regeneration, they should survive the virus's course. The host must endure for 6-7 hours. ]
"That son of a bitch gave me Zombie Aids.." I thought, not even able to express my anger due to the fever and weakness. Next time I saw him I would pull his head off his shoulders.. if I survived that is.. I summoned my small followers closer. "Listen carefully.. I am going to have to rest for a bit, to regain my strength and evolve, ok? You will have to keep an eye out for any danger and keep me safe as well. Now.. If anything happens, if we are discovered and overwhelmed or if for some reason I.... I don't wake up.. I want you to run..". They both looked sad and afraid. I knew it wasn't fair. They had just been born and their creator was already leaving them on their own. "Dig up.. to the surface.. You will find our cave there.. Our Dungeon.. our home.. You have my Mana so you should be able to find it..".
"We have a home?" Eve asked. Adam was sobbing and about to be overwhelmed by his emotion. The female kept a straight face through our conversation but I could see the tears gathering at the edges of her eyes. "Yes we do.. Its like an island in the middle of a sea of gold. A cave that is cool at day and warm during cold nights. Inside, its filled with magical light, glowing bugs and mushrooms. It has tasty fruit and clean waters..". I was almost whispering at this point, feeling myself going under.
"But Master.. we will be alone without you there.." Adam said while crying. "Why did you bring us here just to leave?" the young creature continued, feeling confused and betrayed. "You won't be alone.." I reassured him, taking his hand into mine. "You will find kin there..". There eyes lit up a bit after I said that. "Yes its true.. you and they are not alike but they were created by me just like you were. There's Blu.. who looks like a giant drop of water.. There's Fiona who is basically a giant red puppy. She will want to play around with you all day.. There's Fisher, who looks big and scary but is the most loyal and protective creature I've ever met.". They both listened to me in wonder, their eyes betraying their willingness to see the world, see their supposed home and meet these strange kindred beings. "We also have two humans living with us there. Fatná and Sumiré. Fatná reminds me of my mother. Always strong no matter what. Sumiré.. Sumiré is just the sweetest... person..."
And that is where I left them.. As darkness overwhelmed my vision, I gave myself unwillingly to nothingness. My allies and creations, had just reminded me in this grim hour just how beautiful this world was, how much it had to offer besides constant danger. I wasn't ready to go yet. I didn't want to die.. Not like this again.. sick.. laying on a cold bed.. This was my second chance damn it.. I deserved more! In a last desperate attempt to increase my chances of survival, I invested my free Skill Point in my Minor Regeneration. After that... Nothing..
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Race: Superior Dungeon Core Lv.10
Avatar: Arsani (Hermaphrodite)
Age: 29
HP: 180/180
MP: 154/89
XP: ???/???
Aether: 32
Gold: 31
Physical - 12 (Beyond Peak Condition)
Mental - 3 (Average)
Social - 5 (Above Average)
Magic - 9 (Near Peak Condition)
Skills
1) Monster Summoning (Rank 2)
2) Dungeon Manipulation (Rank 2)
3) Aether Cultivation (Rank 4)
4) Bound (Rank 1)
Passive Skills
1) Fire Resistance (Rank 2)
2) Natural Allure (Rank 1)
3) Minor Regeneration (Rank 4)
4) Fire Manipulation Magic (Rank 3)
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"Its already been two hours.." Adam mumbled to a stoic Eve that sat protectively in front of their Lady Minõa. "As long as mother needs us, we will protect her.. she is strong.. she will make it!" The female Vorsàni stated firmly. Adam kicked a small rock, sending it tumbling a few meters in the other direction, before going back to pacing nervously. "She's not our mother you know.. The Lady is our creator, we are not brother and sister but two individual creatures born at the same time.." Adam said with a smile of admiration. Admiration for the awesome power that gave him life.
"Don't you have anything more useful to do than run your mouth?!" The female lashed back at Adam unexpectedly, clearly more distressed than she was letting on. The male Vorsàni lowered his head in shame. He quietly invested his free Attribute Point into Mental, hoping for presently unseen answers to become more obvious to him. After a while he snapped two clawed fingers together in a relieved manner. "Water.. The Master is burning.. so she needs water for cooling down.. I will find this.." he stated before taking off. Eve watched as her kin rocketed around the watchtower's interior with haste. Within the next hour he had managed to locate an old dress, which they used as a blanket for their shivering master, as well as a metal pot. Now that he had a container to fill up, Adam started digging downwards furiously, trusting his nose and sensitive touch to feel for any moisture in the dirt.
Eve remained by Minõa's side, ready to defend her against any threat. The small humanoid looked upon her master's large, strong body with envy and admiration. She took up her creator's blade. The one-handed scimitar wasn't a large sword but in her hands it seemed like a double handed greatsword. She was strong enough to swing it around, albeit uncomfortably. The small female wondered for a moment, why hadn't her Master made her in her exact image. Was it so that she would always be inferior? Or maybe she would also grow, given time? She danced around the open space, making large arcing swings with the blade, acting as if she were in the midst of an epic battle against insurmountable odds. Her eyes fell on her creator once more. Her form pale, burning with fever and her chest moving slowly with each shallow breath. Would she even get the opportunity to prove herself worthy to her?
