NOVEL NEXT Chapter 182 Evolution!
The control room was feeling a little cramped.
Geo scratched the scraggly hair on his head as he lazily stared at the group of important people. His eyes flooding his mind with information on them.
Some might consider his vision a boon, always knowing an opponent's every ability. But Geo hated it. It had sucked so much of the pleasure out of life. The bothersome trait had come to be several thousand years ago, evidently staring at the exact same wall for centuries, while being flooded with mana did things to a person.
No matter, it would at least be useful. As the group argued about ethics, he pushed and prodded at the trait, trying to turn it off to no avail. During his imprisonment, he hadn't bothered, reading was at least something to do in the endless boredom, now it was annoying.
Hope pinged his mind, ever vigilant in making sure others were paying attention.
The lazy troll yawned before he spoke. "You are free to think our ways are cruel or brutal. How many of you have sealed a [Primordial] without a deity's help? How many of you have fought the eldritch before?"
The conversation that had been happening died down as all eyes turned to him.
The human queen seemed most on board with the plan, that didn't surprise Geo. Not only was she also a pact-bound to their Lordship, but she knew the weight of ruling a kingdom. It was the deities that were struggling.
"Lord Geo...I understand."
Geo raised a hand to silence the objection. This one's name was Riten. Looking at his status and portfolios, Geo could see why he had such a problem with the plan.
"Lord Riten, I appreciate that your portfolios push your mind to the perseverance of life. But you must understand that you and your siblings may not be strong enough. Gifted as you are with our Lordship's bloodline, you are still young."
Ash spoke up to help reaffirm the point. "Had we another decade, I'd have no fear of our success. The three of you will truly grow to be the prodigies that are whispered about. But until then, you must rely on the strength of mortals."
Geo glanced over at the abomination. Stas? Ash called him the butcher; his title said he was the butcher. He was the most worrying person in attendance, given that not only was he pact-bound to Lord Darktone, but had also formed pacts with several lesser eldritch creatures.
A traitor, perhaps?
-=====-
Trillia rubbed her eyes; they had been arguing in circles for an hour. The short version was that the Eternal Fortress wanted to begin recruiting and training able-bodied combatants immediately in preparation for the [Primordials].
It was odd, none of them were the least bit worried about the eldritch. It was such a bizarre flip to their own group, who were far more worried about the eldritch than the [Primordials].
During a lull in conversation, Trillia spoke about her concerns. "Why aren't you all worried about the eldritch? You say we only have roughly four years."
The young woman that everyone just called Hope, offered a smile as she spoke. "Everyone in the Eteral Council is a capable Aetherian traveller. The Guardian deities near cradle worlds are always some of the most dangerous, while they may not be able to extend their blessings to us, that doesn't mean they won't still attack the host."
"I don't mean to second-guess you...but I've seen what they are capable of...I watched a friend and thousands of her people die to one."
"We've lost some of our own members to them before. But the eldritch are...lesser. Think of them like a mana beast."
That drew curious looks. Ash shot her a glance.
"Sorry. Think of them like monsters, like the large bug creatures of your homelands. They are almost entirely unthinking. They are given a directive from the host and follow it, if that connection is disrupted, they turn into ravenous beasts and consume everything around them."
Seeing the worried looks, Ash groaned. "She means to say that fighting them is easier, because you can use summoning spells, and golems to trick them into attacking non-vital targets. Disrupt their controlling creature and watch them tear each other apart."
"Why isn't this common knowledge?" Trillia couldn't help the anger in her voice.
"It is. At least, it was. From what our scouts have gathered, we've been locked up and sleeping for thousands of years. The land itself is different than when we were put to slumber."
"That isn't what she means, though, is it? You want to know why the gods didn't tell your friend and her homeland?" Hope spoke up as she stared at Trillia, who nodded.
"It's all a test. You must know at least some of this by now. All mortal life is just a test. The strong will pass this test and ascend; the weak die. The faithful are given a few thousand years of peace before they are sent back to the great forge and turned into new life. The gods give us some tools to fight...but rules are rules."
"The rules are stupid." Alliyah said sarcastically as she glanced at Trillia, who had opened her mouth to speak.
"If ever you get the chance, ask to see into his Lordship's early days." The large troll spoke up again. Trillia couldn't quite figure him out. He seemed smart enough, just...bored. Of everything, all the time.
His statement, however, had piqued Alliyah's interest. "You've seen it?"
Geo nodded. "Of course. It was Lord Darktone's steady hand that carved me from Alirast, my host knows everything about his early life, they speak all the time."
Ash clapped his hands as more mouths opened to speak. "Enough. If you do not wish us to actively recruit people, so be it. Just stay out of our way and let us handle things. We will...urge the dragons and leviathans into the fight. They are hot-headed enough in their youth to fall for the bait. If there is nothing else, we have work to do. You're all free to hang around and learn, or you can leave. I care little."
That hadn't been the resolution any of them wanted. Trillia glanced over to the three deities who had been dancing around word play for most of the conversation, it was all so tiring. "I have an evolution available. If it's ok with all of you, can I rest in a room while I undergo it? The system says it could be a few weeks."
Hope clapped excitedly. "What are you evolving into?!"
"Uhhh a Primordial Infernal? I have to admit, I'm a little scared."
"Why? Anything that is prefaced with Primordial is considered top-tier for mortals. The Infernal part is a bit odd, though. Would you like me to summon Sonya? She has a similar species." Ash was happy to latch onto the distraction.
The deities, Stas, and Alliyah had all taken the hint and wandered off. As much as they wanted to press the issue, they were quickly realizing they were simply not intimidating or dangerous enough to force the Eternal Fortress to do anything.
"She's the lady that keeps calling me little sister, right?"
Hope nodded as Geo got up, gave a little wave, and left the control room. "You do look a lot like the people who live in the Infernus bands. Dark crimson skin, crystalline horns."
Trillia shrugged. "Sure."
A few minutes went by before Sonya stepped into the room, she had plain cloth pants and a tight cloth wrapped around her chest, the woman was covered in sweat and grim. "General?"
"Sorry to pull you away from work, the young lady that woke us is evolving soon. The species name is Primordial Infernal, do you have any information?" Ash motioned to Trillia before turning back to reading a book.
"Hmm. I'm an Infernal Ogre. What questions do you have?"
"I don't know, honestly. I guess I'm just scared of not being myself anymore? Somewhat recently I had a lot of issues controlling my magical power in combat, part of me fears losing myself to that rage again."
"Yeah...I am more scatterbrained since I evolved. It's odd, it's like my brain moves so much faster than the rest of me that I just can't keep up sometimes. From what his Lordship has told me, it's because the Infernus bands are controlled by chaos, while the Celestia bands are controlled by Order."
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"So...I'll become more chaotic?"
"I guess? Think of it more like...you don't plan as much. You will almost always trust your gut instinct and jump into the fray. To be fair, my gut instinct is rarely wrong. But some of the classes and traits I've gotten have been seemingly random, you'll also level more slowly."
"What? Why?"
"Infernals and Celestials are stronger, so they level more slowly. Why do you think dragons on Alirast aren't level fifty thousand or something? They live for thousands of years, right? Not only does it get harder for them to find things to give them experience, but their levels are just worth more. It's not like you can just not evolve, right? No point in worrying about it now. I can help you spar when you wake up, make sure you are tip-top shape."
Trillia frowned but nodded her thanks. She let Arlyss and Alliyah know she was going to evolve and went to lay down in a room that Sonya led her to. Taking a deep breath, she accepted the evolution.
-=====-
"How are you holding up?" Dawn's voice broke through the darkness that Trillia found herself floating in.
"Does it matter?"
"I suppose not. You weren't supposed to get this evolution. So many things were supposed to be different." Trillia tried to find the physical representation that Dawn usually manifested. Something in her voice sounded different. Distant somehow.
"Are you here to help me with the evolution?"
"No. The system is already handling that as it is meant to do. I just...wanted to check in while you were incapacitated. Sorry to have bothered."
Trillia felt the link starting to dissolve. "Wait. Why do you care? Why me? Why Alirast?"
"It's Kain's fault. I never used to take any interest in mortals. For the first few billion years of existing, I never spoke to them or showed myself to them. Then a mortal ascended power so rapidly that he displaced an axle. The more I've taken interest and the more I watch, the more I am intrigued."
Entertainment?
"No. More like...learning. Or perhaps lamenting? There are times I wish I knew that my end was coming, that I could find peace and respite at last. But that is not my reality. The more time I spend watching mortals, the more I envy them, the more I understand Kain's obsession with keeping them safe."
"Was it really that bad? Because, from my view, our realm is facing total devastation, millions might die. I am constantly told about the rules." Trillia tried to hold back her anger, but it was difficult to do as of late.
"Worse than you could possibly imagine. Immortals and deities would wage wars and slaughter each other in droves. Sometimes wiping out entire realms' worth of mortals. That unchecked aggression is what caused the eldritch. Too few mortals in some quiet places of the universe, too many deities."
Trillia went quiet.
"I suppose I should be grateful, had Kain been malignant instead of beneficial, I wonder how different my universe would look? I wonder if the All-Father would have dashed me across the stones and just made a replacement."
"I shouldn't say that, it's not fair. I suppose I am just feeling sorry for myself, and guilty for the limitations I've imposed on Alirast."
"To punish the Darktone clan, right?" Dawn still hadn't shown up as she usually did, so Trillia just stared ahead into nothingness.
"In a sense...yes. But how many must suffer to punish him? Does he even see it as a punishment? By all that is, I know no one in his family will die or suffer." As Dawn's voice grew increasingly frustrated, the thread connecting them vanished. Trillia found herself alone in the darkness.
-=====-
Evolution Complete!
Species: Primordial Orc has been forcibly evolved into Primordial Infernal.
Primordial Infernal gain 5 to every stat at every level.
For the purposes of skills. You are now considered a Humanoid.
For the purposes of skills. You are now considered a Magical Beast.
For the purposes of skills. You are now considered a Mana-Warped Creature.
For the purposes of skills. You are now considered a Primordial Creature.
For the purposes of skills. You are now considered an Infernal
For the purposes of skills. You are considered a [Least] Divine Entity.
Racial Skill Obtained: Infernal Constitution
Infernal Constitution- Infernals are connected to the rampant chaotic nature of the universe and pull on it. Any targeted debuff has a flat 20% chance to fail against Infernals.
All buffs not originating from the Infernal are 50% less effective.
Infernal creatures take 20% lower damage from any creature that is considered an Infernal or a Celestial.
Trillia lay in bed waiting for more notifications, but none came. That felt...underwhelming. Part of her wished she hadn't been offered the evolution so soon. She would have liked some extra levels in her previous species. No matter.
She sat up in bed with a pounding headache.
"You haven't had much to drink in the past month. I brought you some water and food, figured you might be hungry." She glanced at the voice and saw Sonya sitting there with a smile.
Seeing the glass of water on the table at her side, she reached over to grab it.
She paused.
She had two right hands. On instinct, she raised her hands up in front of her to inspect them to see four fully working arms.
"You'll get used to operating them independently. Right now each side will just mimic, it will be a difficult adjusting period."
Trillia could barely believe the words that the woman was speaking. Her skin was still the same dark crimson.
Sonya stood up and walked over, extending two hands. After a moment, two more arms appeared and extended. "Here, I will mimic your movements for now."
"You have multiple arms?"
"I do, I keep one set hidden. I have a bad habit of smacking my second set of hands into stuff as I walk around."
Taking a deep breath, she extended her hands and grabbed Sonya's. As the giant woman pulled her up, Trillia was surprised to see the woman didn't seem quite so tall.
Sonya hadn't shrunk...
"I got taller?! I'm taller!"
Sonya gave her a good laugh as Trillia began to put her hands up to the top of her head and tried to measure herself.
"You're a little over two meters now. Your tail looks like a combat variant; that's good. I find prehensile tails to be mostly useless if you have multiple arms. But I've seen a few creatures use them for wands and potions."
A tail?! Trillia immediately tried to turn around to look at it. Sonya burst out laughing and wound up letting go of Trillia's hands. "You look like a puppy! Go ahead, chase it girl! You can catch it!"
Trillia shot her a half-hearted glare, but couldn't keep the smile from her face. Sonya placed a hand on Trillia's shoulder and motioned. "May I?"
After a confirming nod, Sonya reached out and grabbed Trillia's tail. It was an utterly shocking experience to feel something that...her brain was telling her wasn't there. "Much like your new set of arms, be very careful. When big evolutions like this happen, in your first few days, you don't have any feeling in them. You'll slowly regain feeling, but that means they are vulnerable to bleeding."
Trillia grabbed onto the end of her tail with her two left hands. It was a long and thick tail that wanted to lift slightly so as to not drag on the ground. The end of the tail had what looked like a hooked blade on it. "It's sharp...."
"Yeah. If it's anything like mine, it will use the better of your Dexterity or Brawn for both damage and mobility. We have a couple of smiths who specialize in tail weaponry! They can probably make you a sheath or attachment for it that can be enchanted."
Part of her was happy that her armor was torn to shreds; she'd need a new set after this.
"Come here." Sonya grabbed her free hands and dragged Trillia over to a mirror.
The horns on her head had grown considerably and were joined by a smaller pair closer to the center of her forehead. "Channel some mana for me."
Trillia didn't question the order and started to pull mana into charge a chain lightning. Blinking in surprise as a small bead of visible mana formed in the center of the four horns.
"Do you have a trait for these yet?"
"No."
"That will come with time as well. I can enchant my horns to act as wands, so I can use them for spells even when I have no mana available. I'm not sure what these are good for. I haven't seen this type before. Sorry, I'm not very helpful."
Immediately she shook her head. "That's not true. If you weren't here I'd be so overwhelmed." She couldn't pull her eyes off of the mirror, she gently ran her hands over her stomach. "It feels so different."
Sonya smiled and gently patted her shoulder. "Not only are you growing into a woman, but you are also going to be naturally more muscled. If you haven't gained many traits, just give the system time. These first few months are going to be vital."
Trillia turned and gave the woman a hug, glad someone was with her during this. "Thank you for everything."
"It's quite alright, little sister. Let's get you some food. I'll go ask one of our craftsmen to make you something to wear. It will be very simple and not defensive at all, but it can preserve your modesty."
She nodded and moved over to the plate of fruits and vegetables. She couldn't wait to see her friends and mother again.
Excitement bubbled inside at the thought of leveling and making more progress again.
Species: [Least Divinity]; [Primordial Infernal] Level 0
Subspecies: [Mana-Infused Orc] Level 97
Class: [Aetherian Mage] Level 0
Class: [Mana-Conduit] Level 97
Stats:
[Brawn: 3958] + 50%
\\Strength: (191+1792) + Vitality: 287/
[Dexterity: 3154] + 50%
\\Agility: (230+1523) + Wisdom: 1401/
[Charisma: 528] + 50%
\\Intuition: 260 Presence: 268/
Status:
Name: {Trillia Demonsbane "Fairtrade"}
Health: 5,550
Stamina: 20,400
Mana: 168,800
Health Per Minute: 1,110
Stamina Per Minute: 4,080
Mana Per Minute: 33,760
Life Cycle- Teen; Runt
Alive; Scorned Divinity (Least)
Pact-Bound Creatures:
Ialu (Desert Whisper Skoll) Level 273: Realm- Alirast: Granting- Agility
Traits:
Aether Sight
Alchemical Blood
Battle Hardened
Core Destroyer
Dungeon Addict
Dungeon Predator
Hero's Spark
Lightning Conduit
Mana Attunment (Lightning)
Mana-Rage
Mana-Warped
Omni-Mana Resistance
Pact Bound (Arlyss)
Perceptual Communication
Relentless Training
Remain Standing
Runt
Thirst For Knowledge
Racial Skills:
[Infernal Constitution - Passive] Level Null
[Primordial Constitution - Passive]: - Level 10 (Vit & Wis)
[Primordial Savagery - Passive]: - Level 4 [Limited Runt]
[Mana-Warped Vision - Hybrid]: Level - 2
Divine Skills:
[Minor Divine Skill: Divine Mana-Sight - Hybrid]: Level - Null
Divine Trait: Of The Aether
Divine Trait: Primordial Hunter
Divine Trait: Unwavering Determination
General Skills:
- Defensive:
[Mana Obfuscastion - Hybrid]: Level 10 (Max)
[Stitch - Active]: Level 10 (Max)
[Stalwart Mana - Reactive]: Level MAX
[Greater Heal - Active]: Level 4
[Phase Step - Active]: Level 5
- Secondary:
[Alchemy - Hybrid]: Level 17
[Cooking - Hybrid]: Level 11
[Enchanting - Active]: Level 1
[Herbalism - Passive]: Level 17
[Monster Taming - Active]: Level 10(MAX)
[Runic Knowledge - Hybrid]: Level 2
[Scavenging - Passive]: Level 14
[Telepathy - Hybrid]: Level 3
[Translator - Passive]: Level MAX
-Offensive:
[Chain Lightning - Active]: Level MAX
[Lightning Slash - Active]: Level 4
[Monkey Grip- Passive]: Level 5
[Universal Mana Manipulation - Hybrid]: Level MAX
Mastery:
Minstrel- Restorative Chant - MAX
Minstrel- Astra's Amazing Agility - MAX
Fencer- Fleet Foot - MAX
Fencer - Weapon's Path - MAX
Swashbuckler - Disarming Charisma - MAX
Mage - Magic Dynamo - MAX
Mage - Augment: Extended Range - MAX
Mage- Augment: Blast Radius - MAX
Monster Slayer - Mental Bestiary - MAX
Monster Slayer - Slayer's Aura - Level 3
Alchemist - Alchemical Encyclopedia - Level 4
Acolyte of Retribution - Mend - Level 3
Bound Artifacts:
[The Shattered Bolt[
[Sliver of Fate]
[Reservoir Ring of the Red River Ruffians (Minor)]
[Red River Resonance]
[Shield of Faith]
[Leaf of Yggdrasil(Content)]
Mentor: Null
Mentor: Null
Mentor: Null