NOVEL NEXT 19 - Evolution_3
The screen poofed out of existence and David braced himself mentally as he rocketed forward through the mist at nearly unimaginable speed. The dense grey fog that seemed to go on forever in every direction blew past so quickly that he was sure they were traveling a truly immense distance with every passing second. The massive rotating cube of icons loomed out of the fog so quickly that David almost yelped with surprise at its sudden appearance. It hovered over an endless grey infinity like the calm in the eye of a storm, endlessly rearranging itself at random. It was strangely beautiful without being any less ominous, lights twinkling over its surface in rippling patterns as the swarms of icons remained in constant motion.
Okay, I have 17 Points left. Mutagens first, build on what you have. I am so done being useless in a fight when fighting is all I need to do. I’ve got that Unnerving Mutagen that works like a control effect at random, seems like it boosted Glare too. I noticed it leveled up when Glare did, and I got that Combo notification, whatever the hell that was. I need to look that up when I get done, that’s probably important. Alright, let's get started.
Mutagens?
A dusting of icons began to slide through the air toward David where the System had locked him in place, and his eyes darted around at them. As his gaze landed on the strange symbols and wild colors of each icon his mind was filled with the information on what it did along with its cost in Points. Some of these he rejected out of hand, the Mutagen in question simply freezing in the air before returning to the cube only to be replaced by another icon. Others were very interesting, and he found to his delight that he could will them aside where they remained for later comparison and inspection.
|Atavistic Mutagen D(5pts): Your form becomes primordial, strengthening your body.|
Yep, I’ll take that one. If I'm gonna be small I'm gonna be dense.
The icon in question zipped over to slowly orbit around his general area and he watched it for a moment before returning to his browsing.
|Bioluminescent Mutagen E(4pts): Your flesh glows with eerie patterns, distracting or luring foes.|
|Swift Mutagen F(3pts): Augments musculature and neural pathways for increased speed/reactions.|
|Abhorrent Mutagen E(4pts): Excretes foul stenches or pheromones that induce revulsion.|
When the fuck would anyone ever want that one? Some sort of super skunk? Bleh. I feel sorry for that guy if he’s out there, seriously. Oh hey, look at that.
|Lithic Mutagen F: Horn-like deposits harden across the skin creating living armored plates.|
David considered it for a few moments, rolling over the idea of having some sort of armor but eventually decided against it. As paranoid as he was about finally losing a fight, he loved flying too much to potentially weigh himself down. David regretfully rejected the Mutagen but decided to remember the name of it for Claire, thinking that she would probably enjoy a bit of defense herself. He continued browsing for a long time, as the cube sent down a never ending stream of twinkling icons to him, and a stream of rejected lights returned.
|Catalytic Mutagen E(4pts): Bodily catalysts accelerate biological processes.|
|Symbiotic Mutagen D(5pts): Host symbiotic organisms that provide you with various benefits.|
|Agile Mutagen E(4pts): You become nimble and dexterous, increasing your balance and speed.|
David felt like he was there for an eternity as he sifted and sorted through an unending tide of options, refusing to simply take his chances with things that seemed ‘okay’. Gradually another icon joined the first in its slow orbit around him, and he kept searching. He even took a break to try and ask the System for definitions on his readout, but it failed to appear no matter how he tried to call it up. Frustrated, he resumed his search until finally, after what felt like several hours, he’d selected all of his Mutagens. He eyed them critically before he nudged the system with his mind and banished the cloud of Mutagen Icons to fly off into the distance and rejoin the massive construct.
|Atavistic Mutagen D(5pts): Form becomes more primal, strengthening your body.|
|Soporific Mutagen E(4pts): Your claws produce a natural soporific. May cause enemies to fall unconscious.|
|Secretive Mutagen E(4pts): You become more elusive, making you harder to track and detect.|
David slowly nodded and accepted the purchase mentally, the icons blurring out of focus before darting into his body below his line of sight with a warming sensation. He grimaced uncomfortably as he absorbed the icons, and did a little bit of mental math.
Okay, I’ve got 4 Points left. That should be enough for a D-rank ability hopefully. I need a solid attack I can use a lot and that’s about it. That should make this a little bit easier at least, and hopefully, this isn’t going to hurt like a bitch the second I’m done with it…who the hell am I kidding, it’s gonna hurt.
David sighed internally and turned back to the cube of lights one final time, focusing intently.
Offensive Abilities.
This time the icons came darting in directly at him, rifling out from the side of the enormous rotating cube aggressively. David cringed for a moment as they slammed to a halt before him in waves, neatly building themselves into a wall that took up most of his vision. He found he could quickly scan up and down the rows of abilities quite efficiently, and had a moment of intense irritation that the Mutagens had just arrived randomly in no particular order. David rejected the lower rank abilities immediately, wishing he could specify which rarity he wanted to see but lacking the option. There were several interesting choices, but everything so far had lacked that certain synergy with the rest of what he had. It took what felt like another hour or so before David finally found it, and he grinned hugely reading the name as it drifted closer.
|Nocturnal Strike D(4pts): A quick, lunging attack that steals a small percentage of the target's Stamina. Mild Stamina Use. Upgradable. |
Bingo! I think that’s as annoying as I can possibly get, now I just pray that ‘Predatory Physiology’ is as good as I think it’s going to be. Here goes nothing.
David accepted the ability and it darted into him as well, causing the same fleeting sensation of warmth. The world seemed to flicker for just a moment before the glowing blue screen manifested again, this time displaying an updated Status. His eyes drilled straight down the page, and he grinned happily at the results.
User: David Fisher
Species: Twilight Seeker Ω
Rank: E
Health 90/90
Stam 215/215 (++)
Level: 5
Exp: 036/125
Special: Echolocation E
Traits: 4/4
Nocturnal: +8% Damage, Stam Regen, Exp Gain at night.
Next Upgrade: D
Echolocation E: Manipulate high-frequency sound waves to see with more than just your eyes. Multi-stage ability: Repeated uses against the same enemy builds Combat Expertise.|
Next Upgrade: D
Flight: Allows for flight and gliding. Moderate Stamina drain. (stam+)
Next Upgrade: C
Small: Your form is small, weighing no more than 115bs. (stam+)
Next Upgrade: C
Abilities: 4/4
Screech F (2pts): You emit a loud screech, damaging enemies around you. Low Stam consumption.
Next Upgrade: E
Glare F (2pts): You fix your target with a baleful gaze, inflicting Fear. Moderate Stam consumption.
Next Upgrade: E
Gloom D: Your wingbeats spread Dusk powder with every flap. Enemies under the effect of Gloom are inflicted with visual hallucinations. Stacks up to 7 times.
Next Upgrade: C
Nocturnal Strike D (4pts): A quick, lunging attack that steals a small percentage of the target's Stamina. Mild Stam consumption.
Next Upgrade: C
Mutagens: 4/5
Unnerving Mutagen B: Your appearance is unnerving. May cause enemies to reconsider aggressing you.
Atavistic Mutagen D: Form becomes primal, strengthening your body.
Soporific Mutagen E: Your claws produce a natural soporific. May cause enemies to fall unconscious.
Secretive Mutagen E: You become more elusive, making you harder to track and detect.
Empty:
Accept and proceed with Evolution?
Yep, lets do this.
David gasped as the fog bloomed with colors that couldn’t exist anywhere else, swirling around him in a vortex that washed everything else away.