Slate noticed that this was just the surface-level traits. Looking away from her supernatural beauty, he saw that on each hand, her fingertips held nails that extended just past the fingertips. They were wickedly sharp. Her bare feet had the same trait. As if she noticed his staring and Slate supposed she probably did. She allowed a golden tail to extend from her back. It looked precisely like Slate's own. Slate looked at her in shock, eyes meeting hers again.
At his glance, she smiled, and he could see that her teeth were wickedly pointed. Showing off, she bit a lip and drop of gold blood welled on her lip. She teasingly licked her lips, and a prehensile tongue similar to his own quickly cleaned away the blood. The wound itself healed as he watched.
He was finally jarred into speaking. "What...are you?"
She smiled coyly. "You don't recognize me, Slate?" She floated in the air and rotated slowly until she was facing him again. "I'm the Lord of Light."
He was suddenly struck by his own rudeness. This was a power he didn't want to piss off. "My apologies, my Lord. How may I be of service to you?"
She smiled, knowing that his respect was simply out of their relative positions and not out of true faith. But that was fine, she knew that he would come to believe in the path that she was setting him upon. It was only a matter of time as his faith would be tested time and time again.
"Actually, Slate. It's I who am going to be of service to you this time. You have done well in your first trial. You successfully won the Reaping and brought my influence back to this world. It isn't much, but it will allow me to expend a small measure of my power to augment you. When you unlock more places of power in my name, the more power I will have, and the more power you will be able to draw on, in your journey."
Slate was reasonably caught off guard by the fact that the deity was so talkative. Their initial meeting was simply to throw him to the wolves and see how he got along. The Lord of Light sensed his thoughts effortlessly. "I didn't know if you would be successful or not. Why would I spend time on someone who could end up a complete failure?"
Slate considered that fact. Her answer told him much about her personality. She wasn't an unknowable, all-seeing deity. If that was true, she wouldn't have admitted she imperfect knowledge. It also told him that she was a practical and logical master. That was fine by him. She would keep him around for as long as he was useful. He didn't waste her time with pleasantries. "I understand," He said simply. "I'm ready when you are."
Lucidus laughed in response. "I like you already. Let's begin. You have a village to protect." The Lord of Light waved her hand, and a series of system messages entered Slate's vision.
Congratulations! You have completed a secret holy quest: The Son of Lucidus. The Lord of Light brought you to compete in the annual Reaping. After defeating every other contestant and placing your blood in the Chalice of Cleansing Flame, you have changed this world irrevocably. The following effects have been put into effect:
-The village of Woodhaven and been renamed to Lighthaven
-Lighthaven has joined the faction the Scourge
-All wood elves belonging to the territory of Lighthaven have had their races change to Scourge Guardian.-All architecture in Lighthaven has been transformed into Scourge architecture.
-You have been named the Heritor of Lighthaven
-The village of Lighthaven has become the capital of the Scourge Empire.
You have been awarded 640 biomass from Lucidus, the Lord of Light. Your level cap has been removed. You have met all of the faction requirements for a major evolution. Please choose from the following list of evolutions:
Slate sifted quickly through the messages. There was a goldmine of information in the words. Still, he was caught off guard by how much was happening at once. He had assumed that something similar to this would have to happen once he took over the wood elve's village, but this was too much. It implied that there was more going on than Slate suspected initially.
He probably wouldn't understand the full ramifications of this quest until he left this realm and actually got feet on the ground. Since he couldn't worry about it at this moment, he discarded it. Instead, he focused on his choices for his evolution. It looked like he had two paths to consider. He could stay within his host body and evolve the host body to suit him, or he could separate from the host and go his own path.
For him, this was a natural choice. Merus had been loyal to him even when it was difficult to do so trapped in his own body. Slate wouldn't betray him now. With a thought, he selected the second path. As he did so, a series of choices were presented to him:
-Heritor
-Consort
-Mystic
-Enticer
-Lurker
-Raider
The options seemed confusing to Slate. They had odd names, but they were definitely classes. Pouring over each one presented a system description of what they were and what they were proficient at. Outside of the first two choices, they looked like standard classes for a fantasy game. The Mystic was a mage, the enticer a priest, the lurker a rogue, and the raider a warrior. While that was relatively simple, what didn't make sense to Slate was that he was supposed to be doing a race change. This didn't make sense unless the Scourge were like insects from the point of view that each insect has its own specialized role within the hive. There were warriors and scouts and builders and all sorts of specialized functions.
If he followed that same logic, then he needed to pick correctly because this would likely guide his evolution from now on. He would probably be able to shore up the weaknesses of his major mutation with his minor mutations, but there would always be a trade-off somewhere.
He went to focus on each of the roles to get a description before he heard an angry feminine voice mutter. "Damn, there's only one class there I'm allowing you to have. I don't know why I'm even giving you the illusion of choice!"
As he heard the voice, all of the choices disappeared except for one: Heritor. Slate selected it to read a description.
The Heritor is a race only available to the first member of the Scourge and is singularly blessed by the Lord of Light, Lucidus. The Heritor is the ultimate commander of the Scourge and as such the Heritor evolution path has a mix of magical, ranged, and melee might. It is designed to be able to combine the evolutionary adaptability of the Scourge with holy powers to exceptional effect.
Since Slate didn't have much choice, he selected it mentally. He wouldn't admit it to Lucidus, but he was actually excited by the description. This was his first evolution, and it already sounded like a game-changer.
The familiar warmth of mutation suffused his body. He felt himself being pulled from Merus's spine, and it was startling to be without normal vision once again. He didn't turn on his mana vision and remained in the dark for fear of blinding himself with the amount of magic happening around him. Soon he felt changes overtake his body and sight once again returned to him.
Looking at his body, he wasn't sure how he felt about the transformation. He had a reptilian humanoid body the color of burnished gold. Using his new hands, he was able to discern that his head was shaped like that of a prehistoric raptor. His mouth was filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and he retained his prehensile tongue. He could feel a tingling sensation in his mouth that hinted that his saliva was still extremely acidic. He surmised that his tongue still had a paralytic poison within it as well. His teeth and powerful jaws were clearly designed for ripping large chunks of flesh from his enemies body. He wondered if his stomach was as adept at digesting biomass as his acid was. If not, it would slow his acquisition of biomass considerably.
Slate's head sat on a thickly muscled neck that made his head look smaller in comparison. Large, thick scales protected his throat like a coat of armor that extended to his chest. His chest was broad and barrel-shaped, and two heavily muscled arms extended from them. Experimenting with them, he felt muscles and bones shift to allow him a freedom of movement that was superior to a human. His larger scal
es extended down the entirety of his limbs, ending at finely jointed claws with savage tips. Instead of one set of thumbs, he had two on either side of his hand, making a total of six appendages on each hand.
His abdomen and waist were thin compared to the rest of his body. He looked sleek and deadly like a jungle cat. Armor extended all the way down to cover his groin area. Slate was relieved to find that he still had a sex organ made of soft flesh, it was simply tucked into an armored-pouch-like part of his body. He didn't seem to have anything that could hang out and become a liability in combat. His legs were unlike a human as well. They were digitigrade with the same number of talons as his upper claws. As he moved, he felt like he could transition between two and four limbs easily. His hips shifted and stretched to accommodate either movement. While he was on two legs, his feet were springy and powerful. He could run in large loping movements that provided bursts of speed. For long-distance or for maneuvering, he could transition to four legs. Feeling along his flesh, he noticed that the same ridged papillae protected it just as much as his previous form. It wouldn't be practical to use his limbs the same way, but his tail was still agile enough to rend through opponents. Anything trying to grab him would incur a painful surprise.
Next, he flexed his toes experimentally. His feet were structured so that he would have to walk on the front part of his feet. His toes were direct copies of the appendages on his hands, and he found that they were just as nimble as his fingers.
Finally, his familiar tail extended out behind him. It was a bit longer than in his previous form, but he was also significantly more massive than his last frame. Before, as a wood elf, he was just under six feet tall, and now he measured seven feet tall from the tip of his head to the bottom of his feet. He wasn't sure if this was the average size for this level of evolution, seeing as he was the only one of his kind, or if he was granted extra mass for being the Heritor. Slate supposed it didn't matter.
He began to experiment with his body as Lucidus looked on with a motherly smile. He found that his body was acrobatic and nimble despite its size. The only thing he didn't approve of was the weakness of his scales and the lightness of his frame. He didn't feel very dense or durable. He was fast and deadly, but he felt like a strong blow would shatter his bodies natural defenses and damage the bones underneath. However, he was overall, extremely pleased with his new form. It was a murdering machine. He wished he was a bit more...human, but he realized he just wasn't a human anymore.
After experimenting with his new figure, he walked over to the waiting Lord of Light. "What's next, my Lord?" His voice didn't come out sibilant and hissing as he expected. Instead, it was a deep baritone similar to his voice as a human. Although his body would inspire fear, his voice would inspire trust.
Perfect, Slate thought. As Roosevelt used to say, speak softly and carry a big stick.
Lucidus smiled at the phrase in Slate's mind. She agreed with the sentiment wholeheartedly. "I have granted you a significant amount of biomass. You'll find that you have a series of undeveloped minor mutations that you should attempt to level. Usually, my creatures level their minor mutations before they reach their level cap." Lucidus arched an eyebrow at him, and he felt like he had failed her in some way.
"Next time, level your minor mutations before you hit your level cap. As levels become harder to earn because of the significant amount of experience required, it will be easier to reach your minor mutation goals. I designed the way you eat, myself. So that you and the Scourge can consume more biomass than any other creature in the multiverse. It's essential to your success."
Slate frowned and went to bring up his status screen, but he was stopped by Lucidus raising a hand. "No, don't look at it now, you can look at it in your own realm. I'm going to return you shortly. I have one last warning for you." She paused and looked him in the eye. "My power being used here will be a beacon to the other Lords in this realm. They will be coming to investigate at the very least and destroy you if they can. It is now up to you to protect the Scourge. I won't be able to assist until the next time you claim a place of power."
Slate nodded his head that he understood and then clenched a fist closed. He could feel an extreme amount of power in his body. "I will take care of your Scourge, Lucidus."
She smiled sadly. "I know you will, here, a parting gift." She placed a palm on his chest, and a burning smell assaulted Slate's senses. He was as surprised about having a sense of smell as he was about her burning him. Looking down, he saw that she had burned her symbol into his flesh. It was small and just underneath his armored collarbone. He had barely felt it.
Congratulations! You have been awarded the spell: Cleansing Flame by the Lord of Light, Lucidus.
Slate dismissed the message and then looked up. He found that Lucidus was gone. Looking around, he saw that Merus had left also. Slowly his vision faded to black.
Chapter 10: Imperfect Vengeance
Vindicia clutched her stomach as she watched Slate rush towards the village to claim his victory over her people. No, she mentally corrected herself. They aren't my people anymore. The realization was sobering. She had always known since a child that this day would come. Merus and whatever force was animating him wasn't something she imagined, but she had been plotting her vengeance since her parents had died.
The Guardians had always been a corrupt institution at the behest of the council. The chieftain was always their figurehead to blame when something went wrong. That's why it changed so frequently leaving the council in constant power. If the people grew out of the line, then the Guardians would kill them. If a Guardian grew out of line, then the others would kill them during the next Reaping. It was efficient.
Her parents had been among those that wanted to escape the forest. They had been curious and intelligent elves with a tremendous affinity for magic. It was that same affinity that they had passed on to their daughter. They spent much of their early years, testing the magic of the forest. Neither had been selected as Guardians despite their capabilities. They discovered that the power of the Wyldwood was waning. They identified a way to poison the perimeter trees and then destroy the last vestige of Silvys' power located within the central tree of the village.
When they had brought their plans to the elder's council, the leadership in the village had smiled and been enthusiastic. That night, Guardians invaded Vindicia's home and slaughtered her parents. Nefas Silverhorn had stepped over the cooling bodies of her parents and knelt to where the young girl sat in a pool of her parents spreading blood.
He offered his hand, and not knowing any better, Vindicia had taken it. Had she known what the elders would do to her to "cleanse the taint from her blood." She would've slit her own throat and joined her parents in the Beyond before leaving with him that night.
Nefas sought to forge her into the perfect warrior, the ultimate Guardian. He took her to the best tutors in the village and taught her to use every manner of weapon. Her trainers were exceptionally cruel. They used the philosophy of Silvys to justify their torture of the young girl. If the strong killed the weak, then Vindicia could not be allowed to be weak. Nefas took every opportunity to "strengthen" her. Beatings, starvation, exposure to the elements, and more were all techniques he used. The other villagers of Woodhaven merely watched as the girl was treated and trained like a beast. Every day she watched them turn their eyes from her, a silent hatred began to grow in her heart.
The one thing he refused to do was show her magic. He feared that she would become like her parents. Vindicia never forgot the sight of her slain parents. She trained her magic in secret until she knew that she had surpassed even the prodigy Merus. When she came of age, she went back to the home of her childhood. It remained empty in the intervening years; since the villagers were superstitious about the premature end to its previous occupants.
Vindicia moved into the domicile as a small show of rebellion. Nefas thought of it as the final act to erase his disciple's history and was pleased by her apparent de
sire to put her past behind her. Instead, Vindicia found her parent's research notes. They advanced her magic considerably, and she was chosen in her first applicable year to be a Guardian.
It was a bittersweet moment as she became the thing she most hated. Soon after, she found her parents idea to poison the Wyldwood, and her plans were set. She resolved to kill every other Guardian and murder every council member. To her, they were responsible for taking her parents, her childhood, and her only chance at happiness. She increased her training to a feverish intensity. Soon, she had defeated every other Guardian in the village.
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