6K words.
Enjoy!
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Two Elven girls made their way across the lit streets under the dark skies and the stars… They were similar, almost like sisters, though if their facial features weren't enough to help you differentiate them, then by looking at the tiaras on their foreheads, then it is easy to do so.
One had a glaring red gem, while the other had a dark purple gem… They seemed to reflect their moods, one bright and the other cold…
They held a few things in their hands, multiple bags full of items... the "spoils" of their venture across this city's many shops, of a successfull conquest across its malls.
As they walked, the cheerful one raised her head to look at the moon, its splendor reflecting in her bright eyes.
"He truly vanished, huh?"
'It's already deep in the night, and it's time to find a place to sleep at... and if he doesn't come back soon, how are we supposed to tell him about it?'
'Most shops have already closed, so it's time to take it easy... tomorrow will be quite hectic.'
"Heh, he'll come back eventually." Her friend replied in a carefree manner as she checked herself in a newly bought mirror
"Why are you so sure?"
/Cling cling…/
"Heh."
Smirking, the moody elf raised her right hand, displaying a pouch full of gold coins.
"We have the money, so unless he finds some lying around or begs a little, he won't have a roof over his head tonight."
"But maybe that's better for him."
"..."
'You're making this difficult too… you could've given some to him before…'
The brighter girl had the urge to facepalm... one of her companions was an impulsive idiot, and the other was more than happy in pushing him along his antics…
Unfortunately, the cold girl couldn't read minds, so instead, she started rambling her own:
"That's what he gets for leaving in such a hurry, we weren't even able to give him some pocket change, I wonder how he fed himself throughout the day?" She asked with a slightly cruel smile, pleased with how things were going
"Sigh, as long as he doesn't cause any trouble…" The cheerful one said as she looked around
She exhaled, the air condensed into a faint white mist..., 'Phew... It's rather cold. They say the South, especially near the mountains, can be rather chilly compared to the forest.'
While she played with the mist, the moody elf shrugged, looking around her for directions.
"Now then, should we move to the meeting point? If we arrive after him, it's going to be such an embarrassment."
Her friend nodded, "Yes, its way past the time in fact… I do need a bath and a warm bed."
She pointed toward the north.
"Shall we?"
"Fufu… ladies first."
"You..."
The two smiled at each other before going on their way… But the cold elf halted midway…
/Gasp!/
Her face snapped back, gazing at a park at the edge of the street, way on the horizon…
"Is something wrong?"
'This expression...'
The moody elf did not reply, her blue eyes flashed purple and her pupils turned into slits, like those of a reptile...
Her gaze became focused as if she were looking at something else...
"I… are you sure?" She asked, not to her companion, but someone else
She started talking to herself, confused, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief.
Her friend remained silent, she knew what was happening, and she knew it was better to leave her be. As such, she raised her guard, making sure there weren't any peepers lying around...
While there were some creepy dudes following them, they weren't threatening in the slightest, though it's not like they would leave them be either.
Dealing with them could wait.
...
The minutes passed, and the girl kept talking to the air when suddenly...
[Skill, Ancient Dragon Lord ??? Lv??? has awakened from its slumber]
{... Behind, another...}
A dark and raspy voice echoed in their ears, it was old and it carried a lot of wisdom...
Both of them shuddered. Normally, only the purple gem elf could hear it, but today, it spoke for the two of them.
""...""
They looked at each other in silence, wondering what they should do.
The cheerful elf turned to face the other, "Should we…?"
'We are not in a position to explore any potentially dangerous endeavors...'
While the cheerful girl let herself loose in her own thoughts, her friend let out a sigh.
"Sigh, I don't think we have a choice… Besides, we're late anyway."
"Let's go, the quicker we do it, the faster we'll go back to the meeting point…"
'Worse comes to worst, something bad will happen and we'll hear him complain about it.'
'Well... that's actually quite terrible.'
Although the cold elf seemed tired and fed up with this situation, she was actually sweating, "Another…" she mumbled out loud as she looked worried.
/Gulp…/
And if that was the case, the last thing she wanted to do was approach it.
/Shine…/
The purple gem on her forehead flared. Whatever had spoken before was pushing her forward… It wanted her to meet it.
So she complied, moving towards the park… and right behind her was the cheerful elf.
Two girls with equally strange powers...
…
They were almost there, the park was already in sight…
At this time, there was almost no one in the park. This is the time of night most mothers would tell their children to avoid and stay at home...
"Do we need to go any further?" The icy elf asked, eyeing some of the people walking around
'We are a bit far from the main streets, it's getting quite dark...'
"..."
{No}
The voice proclaimed, it wouldn't accept a refusal.
This was the first time she had seen it act this way.
So she raised her slender hand, pointing it at the park, as her other rested at her waist, "Are you going to explain, or are you going to keep quiet?"
"Is there a priest in there?"
/Silence.../
{Of course not} It replied after a few seconds, {I should be the only one} it added, albeit its tone carried uncertainty, another unfamiliar aspect given its personality
"Then why…?"
{Exactly because}
"Huh?"
This situation confused her. Sometimes, out of all possible choices, she regretted this was the one that fell onto her lap... Having to deal with one unhelpful brat outside, and an uncooperative entity within.
/Growl…/
As if knowing what she was thinking, the creature from beyond growled. Its deep voice shook her body even from beyond sight.
{Let me do the talking}
"Please, elaborate..."
{... It has already noticed our presence}
{Do not entice it, I cannot guarantee your safety in my current condition}
"Who…?"
'Then why are we here?!'
{It's here}
""?!""
/Silence.../
The two Elven girls felt something heavy behind them… The wind had changed, the breeze shifted, an unusual smell… there was something blocking it, or stranger… the wind itself seemed to bend to its will.
The lights on the street dimmed a little… and even the city ambience muffled down, as if everything were so far away…
The world grew distance, leaving behind only the two of them, and something else.
The cheerful girl felt something entangled around her body, and she tensed. She was one step away from getting into a defensive position...
/Whispers.../
But something stirred in her ears, and she calmed down. She too had something keeping her going, even if not as pronounced.
...
/Exhale…/
As they calmed down and focused, as the sounds grew quieter, it only left behind the raspy tints of breathing.
Theirs… and one more creature...
""…""
They stood like that in a deadlock, not having the courage to turn back. After everything… why wasn't it speaking anything either?!
"Elves?"
Finally, the newcomer spoke. Its masculine voice likely indicated that it was a man, and it sounded pretty normal as well, so they found it weird…
They expected it to be… creepy at the least? The atmosphere did not grow lighter, the dichotomy between it and the carefree voice tugged at their heartstrings.
Just what were they supposed to believe?
The voice continued, "You know… don't you think its rude to spy on someone at night? I might have some misunderstandings… it's quite late too."
""...""
They remained silent... and the man grew impatient.
"You two… how long are you going to stare at the fountain? Is something interesting over there?"
"… are we doing this?" The cheerful one asked as she whispered to her friend
The cool-eyed elf took a deep breath, "Haaa…"
Finally, after gathering enough courage, one after the other, the two girls slowly turned back, but one had her eyes closed...
While the other one… was left completely agape!
"Well… that is by far the greatest expression I've ever received from a girl…" Philip joked as he stared at them
'Or perhaps she's seeing something else? This might be partially from my Titles if I were to try and blame something…'
Just like them, he did the same, sizing her up and down, his mind racing at incredible speed…
'Why are they like this?... She has that spooked expression as if she was looking at a monster… While the other one is straight out covering her eyes...'
'Do I look that bad?' He thought before he shook those thoughts away, 'Enough jokes.'
'Hum… something's wrong. I felt something weird and came back to check on it, but they look pretty average… No... their appearance is above average, even for elves.'
He inspected them up and down, trying to draw connections even where there weren't, 'Their clothing is quite unusual, and so is their emotions. Are they tourists from afar?'
His gaze drifted quickly between them, 'The one on the right seems shy, and she gives me a strange impression... like clean laundry? Hm… she's... fresh? It's hard to explain.'
But the answer soon came to him, 'She reminds me of Fabrin somewhat… yes… and that strange spider I saw back at the party. Is she some sort of spiritualist, or something that deals with such?'
'Very elfish if I may say so myself…'
He turned to the other one, 'This one looks lazy... cold, like a block of ice.'
'But what are these emotions? How come she's expressing two distinct sets of emotions at the same time? And so incredibly unique… almost as if there's someone else beside her.'
He stood on guard either way, 'Alone, each of them would stand out in a crowd. Together, they are like a beacon, especially so late at night.'
'They say beautiful women can end nations… I can't deny some would go crazy for them. They tug at me in a strange way, though this might just be my… preferences.'
His eyes blanked as his senses spread outward, 'There are a few sketchy people looking at them from afar… although it doesn't look like they'll do anything for now.'
'Even if they did, I don't think they'd do much… after all…'
He activated his Skill, gazing at the unseen:
[Latry Fyrlake...
Level 37
]
[Xima Lalta...
Level 41
]
'Their names are unusually weird… it's not within what I know of elvish customs and their language.'
'Their levels can be explained by their nature. Elves tend to grow at a slower rate than humans, especially nobler, higher-ranked Elves.'
'But I can't really tell where I got that strange feeling from… I can't just brush it off either.'
The silence was heavy. Within the slowed down world of his thoughts, Philip continued his observations, 'I felt something, and I want to know why… although it won't matter much if I can't make sense of it.'
'This world is weird, with a full repertoire of strange abilities, either born in this generation or passed on from older times...'
'But if I were to guess... the icy Elf?'
Philip crossed his arms. Having finished his thoughts, he let his mind relax as he awaited their reply…
"... ?... Oh…"
The cheerful elf, Latry, finally opened her eyes, seeing the creature in front of her!... And her first reaction was...
'A handsome... Human male?' She thought as she tilted her head
What appeared in front of her was a black-haired man with blue eyes that shone in a pale white light, although she likened that to the moonlight shining above them.
He was a bit taller than her, staring at her with a deep gaze… Strangely enough, he left a deep impression on her...
'Wait a minute...'
She could see a faint green glow around his body… 'His "attunance" is so high... for a Human... extremely so...;
'Its higher than most talented Elves Ive met so far...'
She paused, her gaze unfocusing... "Hm!"
'A-Are you sure?!'
Philip noticed her strange behavior, and his eyes darted to the space behind her.
It was faint, but he saw something gazing at him from beyond, and the more he focused, the more he tried to see it, the more unstable its figure seemed to become.
At the same time, he saw another faint figure stick its head out from behind her. He stared at its eyes for a few seconds, and once the strange creature realized he was looking at it, it shyly hid behind her neck, only looking at him from time to time.
At that moment, the other entity realized it was being observed, and it raised its hand, gently swaying it in his direction…
/Shaa!/
Wind brushed past his eyes, and he blinked. When he did so, the entity had vanished, leaving only the pretty girl behind.
'What was that?' He thought as he tried to keep his expression steady
He wasn't the only one questioning this situation, 'Wait... is he not Human per chance?!' Latry thought as she reached for her mouth.
'But if not Human, then what?'
The surrounding voices weren't sure either.
"Ah… H-hi…"
Latry raised her head, brushing her hair aside as she spoke meekly.
'After thinking so long, this is the best I came up with?!' She thought as her face grew hot with embarrassment
The cheerful elf shook her head as she stared at the ground, Philip only raised an eyebrow at her gestures.
'What a strange girl.' He thought as a smirk formed on his face
Finally, her friend said something, "My… you're better than I thought."
The cold elf, Lalta, smiled, looking at Philip with a deep gaze… but he felt she wasn't looking solely at his appearance.
"Hm?..."
'What did she just say?...'
{Enough, you're embarrassing me}
The voice once again came from the void, shaking them awake.
"What the…"
Philip also heard it, and he immediately looked around in confusion. Though at end, he failed to pinpoint it, staring instead at the two elves.
'For a moment I thought that girl had woken up, but thankfully her voice isn't as deep.'
'What just spoke? And this feeling I got when I heard it… that's what's been bugging me.'
All of this was so strange, yet so far, Philip felt no danger. Otherwise, he wouldn't have approached them in the first place, at least not like this.
/Sha…/
"Hm?"
'Mist?'
Dark-gray mist formed behind Lalta, and a pair of purple eyes took form within it…
A figure materialized around her... but it was faint and almost indiscernible, its form hidden within the smoke, leaving behind only a fraction of its immense outline.
If Philip tried hard enough, he could see a fragment of the whole, of the massive horns peeking through the darkness…
And as he did so, he felt the creature smile...
{As I thought, you can see me}
Philip thought this to be strange, but he noticed that as the smoke spread, the two Elven girls failed to react to it. They also didn't react to its words, unlike before.
In fact, they were oddly still... or was he too fast?
Raising his head to stare at the creature's face, or what he thought was its face, he blurted:
"The strange feeling I was having… its you."
[???
Level ???
]
'Well, this guy does look cooler than the other two… But this... I really hate it when this happens.'
{Hm… playful and carefree… though that is to be expected of one such as your age} The entity said as its eyes came in and out of the fog
Sometimes, large scales glistened from beyond, followed by teeth and claw…
{Albeit, you should be more discreet when sizing someone up, look at how embarrassed those two are}
"Huh...?"
'To think it can detect Great Scholar. Should I be thankful its not hostile?'
'But what was that about my age?... Child? I'm twenty-two!… About halfway to twenty-three mind you… Though if I add the times I… forget it.'
As if hearing him, the being replied, {Indeed a child, barely over a hatchling}
{By this world's standards, I'd be well over a millennium old, young one. How are you anything, if not a child?}
"What?…"
'He read my mind?... When?'
Philip took a step back, the more he heard, the more cautious he became. A bit after he thought those words, the voice added:
{Hm... Confusion, mystery, suspicion... anger}
{Are you, mayhaps, imagining that I can read thy thoughts? I do not possess such abilities; instead, I'm replying to your emotions}
{Something you too should possess}
Philip was slightly stunned.
"Emotions?"
{They are very apparent... Calm, like the surface of a river... yet, this stillness makes them that simpler to decipher, for you put no effort in masking them}
{That is the reflection of honesty, but also of confidence, or naivety}
"..."
Philip scratched his head, thinking... Though he was still skeptical, regardless of what he's doing, he remained apprehensive until proven wrong.
'I've always been the one reading others' emotions, perhaps even influencing them… I never thought I'd one day be at the receiving end of that.'
'This confirms it, I'm now certain of what gave me that strange feeling... this feeling of familiarity.'
{Doubt...} The creature mumbled in a low tone
While the conversion was by far one of the weirdest he had in a while, he wanted to see it to an end, "... Even if I'm a child to you... Isn't that only under your race's standards?"
'This world sure is wild. Just how many things occurred in the span of a week until now? How did I come face to face with… this?'
{Race's standard? Child, aren't thou of Dragonic blood as well?}
The being then corrected its own statement, {I am now reminded of this world's condition. Dragons are not a species but a denomination… Perhaps the exact term for what you are eludes me}
{What blood do you carry, child? I mean no harm, but I can understand if you wish not to share}
Philip smiled helplessly. It seemed his suspicions were proving to be correct.
'I think I'm starting to understand what this about.'
His eyes narrowed, 'What these two women are.'
Philip also knew that there were no dragons in this world. The term, "Dragon" was merely a classification for creatures of extreme might and danger, the kind that has mostly disappeared from this world, resurfacing every few centuries to spread mayhem in the lands.
'This… Dragon, speaks as if it does not belong here, and as ridiculous as that may sound, I feel no shred of malice or falsehood coming from its lips.'
'This entity… was summoned to Eden just like I was!'
He arrived at the truth, 'These two women, or at least one of them… is a Hero!'
...
{Your caution does not subside but grows... Hmm… It is also my first time seeing one such as yourself}
Its eyes moved, sizing Philip up and down, {A Human body, but the essence of our kind… a strong, heavy essence, yet distant enough to make me reconsider my own assumptions}
{Not a mere transformation. Your shell is truly Human, albeit even that carries the odor of my kin, but from what I know, other Humans would distance themselves from you, as calling it "Human" would be quite unfitting}
{I believe Humans have a name for this emotion… the uncanny valley. The feeling of subtly knowing that something isn't right yet unable to prove or comprehend what one observes}
{A fascinating emotion. I am now finally able to comprehend it also}
Its eyes narrowed, {Do thy keep it hidden in order to blend in?... Or...}
{Child, there is no need to hold thyself like that...}
A small batch of mist crawled towards him, it morphed in the air, taking the shape of what he saw before… a massive claw.
"What are you..."
Philip felt something was very wrong... but before he had the time to move, a beam of light hit his chest!
[DING!]
"ARG!"
In the slowed down world, Philip trembled, 'My body... Is fucking burning!'
[Your Dragon Soul is resonating with another Draconic existence]
[Your essence is laid bare to the world!]
[Title, One of a Kind has been forcibly equipped]
[Apex Evolver has activated]
[The Titles are resonating]
[Resonation has been successful!]
[The temporary effect Progenitor has been activated]
[Progenitor
Effects:
Increases all bodily attributes considerably.
All inherent abilities are enhanced to various degrees.
Massive increase in appeal to the opposite gender of the same species.
Slight increase in appeal to the opposite gender of different species.
Greatly increases virility.
]
"!"
A flurry of emotions came crashing down, threatening to overwhelm him... threatening to unbalance his emotions. A desire for conquest, battle, destruction... an endless strife for domination that slumbered within the depths of his Soul.
[Castle Town ***** maintains your composure]
[Your Incorruptible mind strives forward]
After the beam of light hit his chest, Philip felt something flare within his body. He couldn't stop it, and he felt that if he were to do so, it would cause great harm to him.
It was as if his Soul was about to sneeze and release something he had unconsciously kept at bay.
Ignoring all notifications, he let it all out!
/Shoosh!/
Bluish flames gathered around his body as Armament was pushed from within his heart, covering his entire self like a mantle slithering through his skin.
However, instead of armor, they gathered around his body, thinning out, transforming into strange, half-translucent shapes such as scales, horns... and a pair of wings.
"Huff... huff..."
Philip felt visibly tired, yet, strength kept overflowing onto his body. More and more power kept pouring in, as if he were under the constant effect of the greatest restorative forces.
The ground burned beneath his feet, the air scorched, and a wave of energy washed before him.
It clashed against an invisible barrier of fog, preventing the outburst from damaging the surroundings further.
Philip raised his head, still trying to come to terms with what was going on. He looked at the mist creature, still feeling no sign of malice or ill intent.
And as he did so, he noticed its movement… it seemed to be nodding.
{That's how it's supposed to be, albeit odd. Something's missing… did I fail to bring forth all of your potential? Or could be it that you have yet to reach maturity?}
It continued to mumble to itself, but its voice was lighter now, more relaxed.
Philip, however, seemed upset.
{Don't misunderstand, I shan't judge. One's true form is highly individualistic. Besides, this isn't my first time seeing one take a form such as yours, neither before nor in the present}
{The Human form is alluring, many of my direct kin have once taken such forms as well. Many even took fancy to your kind, building more than just friendly ties…}
Philip, however, ignored its words.
He looked at his own body, questioning himself... 'How did this… Scales... horns... and even wings?'
He knew what this was… Somehow, a strange power had been brought forth.
'Dragon... Aspect? I'm going to lose it…'
He had the desire to scratch his head, and before he could move his hands to do so, his wings did it for him, almost giving him a scare.
Two long claws stood at their ends, acting like a second pair of hands. One reached for his head and the other for his chin, and as he became aware of them, they froze as he "gained control" over them.
Trying to think this through, he closed his eyes, focusing on his body.
'This makes no sense… though since when did my powers follow any logical structure?'
'I haven't had the chance to rest Shouts around and how they interact with… well, everything.'
This version of Armament was oddly unfamiliar to him. Could this be, even if partially, the correct path he believed the Complex had disregarded? It couldn't be.
Even it were, whatever this form was, it was a step beyond even that.
'It seems that through some weird invocation, Armament has fused with the Dragon Aspect Shout. Now, what this means… I have no idea.'
'In the first place, what form of Armament even is this? It's not what I used before, but if that's the case, how come there are no notifications?'
'The System is oddly quiet again… I don't like it.'
'Anyhow… I feel weird, but whatever this is... it's not tiring me in the slightest. Apex Evolver activated, but that's it. Shouldn't it display a greater reaction to something like this?'
An unusual idea came to his mind, one he quickly pushed aside for later.
'Hopefully, nothing is wrong with my body… nothing long-lasting...'
As he thought of that, the flames slowly vanished, and the strange energy dissipated into sparks…
{Though it leaves me perplexed, how did you come to such a foreign place, child? This is certainly no place for one such as...}
"Uh… Wait wait wait… let's slow down a little…"
'It feels like I'm talking with my grandfather. At least I think this entity bears no malice to me… but its interest in me is concerning in its own right.'
'That said, I think he misunderstood something, and although it wouldn't be exactly wise to fix that, considering I have no idea how it might react, it wouldn't be wise to leave things like this…'
He decided to come clean with this creature, at least as clean as he thought proper.
This conversation, which sprouted from curiosity, had suddenly spiraled out of control somewhere even he couldn't see the end of.
"First of all…"
{Humn...}
But he was interrupted, {My apologies this time, youngling} The Dragon said, {Despite my great interest in your circumstances, including my desire to hear your story, I'm afraid this is my limit}
The mist trembled, and the dragon's outline vanished, leaving only a pair of purple eyes in the sky.
"What? Dont leave me hanging like this…"
'There's so much I need to ask.'
{Hanging?... That is an expression I am unfamiliar with… though one I shall adopt} The Dragon replied in amusement as its eyes narrowed
Yet its next words were pronounced with great sadness, {Allow me to extend my late greetings, the one you speak with is referred to as !@$^*!}
The words it pronounced... Philip didn't understand them. Though somehow, he felt he did...
If he were to translate it... its name sounded the closest to: "Xor of the $%#", or something along those lines.
Seeing that Xor was waiting for him to speak, Philip continued, "I'm uh... Philip... The Human... Dragonborn?"
Xor looked at him and nodded, happy to hear his name.
{I am unsure how one such as you has made your way onto this distant land... But I admire and envy your tenacity, to walk upon the earth without the need of one… and it seems you are unaffected by it as well}
Its eyes darted down towards the Elven lady, still "frozen" in time, {As of now, I'm restricted to my priestess… I'm afraid I can't keep this for long else I might tax her body too much}
The mist slowly vanished, gathering back onto Lalta, {Today, I infringed upon your personal space. For that, you may yet again have my apologies, but I hope you can understand, meeting you like this was something I could've never imagined}
{And as such, it seems I failed in holding my curiosity... Still}
Philip clenched his teeth, "I think you are misunderstanding something…"
But Xor did not reply.
"Hm?..."
The world went back to its normal speed, the proof of that was a small green leaf that gently fell onto the lake's surface…
Their entire conversation was only enough for the leaf to fall a few millimeters, only a few fractions of a second. And as soon as it ended, Philip felt a mild headache strike his skull, as if someone had thrown a ball at the back of his head.
/Silence…/
The two Elven girls looked unfazed by what had just happened. They knew who he was talking with, and for now, it was best to let them talk.
They waited for their conversation to end, unaware it had already concluded.
In the darkness, they even failed to notice the charred ground…
"Curiosity…" Philip mumbled as he reached for his nose
'Was this truly all due to that? Its emotions, even if genuine, were covered in a thick layer of fog. If it can tell that I can read its emotions, even saying I'm unable to control my own, what stops it from hiding its own?'
'A Dragon of fantasy… and its priestess.'
Finally, he turned to face them, 'Elven Heroes… or their descendants.'
As a Human Hero, it wouldn't be wrong if he were to strike them down right then and there, but Philip had no allegiance to the Human Empire, and even if he had, his decision would remain as such.
He would not repay formality with such brutality, and neither would he preemptively strike someone who showed him no malice.
So he chose to remain formal, even though it felt weird to do so by now… "I… I think I have yet to introduce myself, all things considered."
'If we just stare at each other, we'll stay here all night.'
"The name's Philip." He said as he raised his right hand
Lalta smiled. She grabbed Philip's hand with a relieved smile, "I'mLalta, and this on my side is Fyr."
"Hi!"
She was very stiff, almost like a log…
/Thud!/
Lalta elbowed her friend, and she straightened up with a jolt.
It was strange to see that the cheerful-looking girl was the most awkward, while the cold one was the most talkative.
"Honestly… This isn't how I pictured things to flow…" Lalta said as she fondled her hair
"I imagine you… talked with the big guy."
"You mean... Xor?"
'That's how you pronounce it in this language? It's the closest pronunciation I can think of. It still feels wrong though… maybe its more like Xe-or? Xu-ruor?'
""!""
They did not expect those words to come out of his mouth. All of a sudden, her impression of him completely changed.
"He told you his name?... That's unexpected."
"Is such a thing special by any means?"
'From what I understood, it seems Xor misunderstood something. Perhaps because of my Trait, it saw me as a member of its kind, and even if it didn't, perhaps noticing its misconception, it kept its favor to me.'
'This meeting wasn't purely by chance, considering how he came here straight for me. There is a possibility he felt something... just like me.'
'This leaves behind a significant problem. If this or any of my other Traits can produce some sort of leftover signal, I wonder what sorts of creatures would be attracted to it?'
Just thinking about it left him speechless. Was there no rest for his poor mind?
"Special? Not exactly, but he's quite prideful… he barely speaks throughout the day, if at all."
'Took me a while to have him even speak with me or recognize my existence.'
Just as he was about to speak further, she was reminded of something of great importance, "I… although I would like to continue our talk…"
"Would you mind if we met some other time? I'm sure you have your questions as well."
Philip's mind scrambled, but after a second, he replied, "It is indeed a bit late. If you two ever have the time, I do have a Manor a few blocks from here."
'It doesn't matter if I tell them or not. If this creature can sense me, it can do so again.'
Philip pointed at the mountains, it was far, but it was possible to see the street leading to his home.
"If you don't have the time to visit, you can always send a letter."
"Marvelous." Lalta said with a genuine smile, her first today
Tough she quickly became a bit finicky… "I would like to share our address as well, but we just arrived…"
"Once tomorrow arrives, we'll contact you… if that's fine by you, of course."
Philip smirked, "I'll be waiting."
…
They exchanged a few more awkward words, yet it seemed they came smoother than before. It wasn't apparent, but the ice was slowly being broken.
Philip wanted to keep in touch with them because he found them interesting, and there was no point in shoving them away. If he were right about what they possibly were, monitoring them might prove useful.
Despite the sudden meeting, things somehow progressed smoothly, and at the end of it all, he built a connection with two rather significant characters.
With complex emotions, Philip turned around, vanishing into the woods of the park, leaving the two elves behind.
…
/Later…/
/SHAAA…/
/Splash!/
Philip got out of his steaming hot bathtub, wiping his chest with a very fluffy towel.
"Finally, a damn bath devoid of complications. I feel like I haven't had one in ages."
'My time in this city has been a fucking mess.'
"Ever since I arrived, a string of unusual things happened one after the other, much to my displeasure..."
'I met with the eldest son of the Pyke Family, followed by the eldest daughter of the Azul Family.'
'Then I opened the inventory item the Principal of the Academy gave me, meeting Laplabe, the strange Mimic, and drinking the Attribute potions in the process, greatly increasing my Stats and also changing my race.'
'Then the Shards of Ithas… I don't even want to think about that.'
'Then there was the party, I met one of the Princesses of the Emerald Sun Empire and clashed with her guard for some reason…'
"That guard didn't seem keen on injuring me at all, and its with great distress to say that had she counterattacked, I would've lost at least one arm."
He put his towel away, 'After dealing with Rafiel and borrowing a lot of money, I came back home to check some pending rewards…'
'I fused my Skills and used the rewards, and the result was Armament and a few other things. Then I went to find one Dae's hidden pieces, only to end up being tangled in a God's last struggle for survival and climbing the Trial Spire in another alien world…'
'Following my hasty retreat from that place, I was punished by Gamerverse and thrown into Space Hell before finally receiving a new Class.'
'Then I went to explore the city, using Roy's preserved Skill to glimpse into the future, somehow acquiring a new Skill in the process, one that led me down the right path.'
'Despite my feelings for this unusual Skill, had it not awakened then, there's a possible future where his wife wouldn't have survived this ordeal, or even if she had, then the life she carries with her wouldn't.'
'Even now I realize how much of a miracle it is that she came out of that intact. A Dwarven's constitution is not to be trifled with.'
He brushed his hair back as he looked at himself in the mirror, "In the end, everything went well, and I finally got some time to rest and treat myself with a drink…"
'But just when I stopped to relax, an actual Dragon, something that shouldn't exist in this world, came to meet me?'
'What kind of darned coincidence…'
Philip stopped in front of the mirror, looking at his wet hair falling down his shoulders.
"… The training room is still being repaired, and it'll probably take a while for them to finish."
'After they're done, I'll have them work on that workshop I requested. My equipment is in some dire need for improvement.'
'And until I figure out what my Class' Fate is, all I can do is grind Skill Points by raising all of the Skills to their maximum values over and over again…'
/SHAA!!/
He put his hand before his face, and an intense wave of heat blew his hair down, drying him up.
'Is anything left?' He thought as he closed his eyes
/Crunk…/
A mechanical echo reverberated from outside the bathroom…
"Right… I should clear up my mess before moving on."
He exhaled… and stepped outside.
Before him, a machine finished its "evolution"… a new creation, meant to decode reality, was about to awaken.
Something unforeseen to the river of destiny was about to be born!
…
.
.
.
Notes
Now we'll start addressing all that mess I left behind. I'm talking about the System's reaction to Philip's accomplishments in the Complex!
It's still in a raw form, but this will hopefully lead to some interesting occurrences later down the line...
So? What do you think will happen to MT? Given its software was improved with the Chip, followed by a Skill that evolved it?
And what about after?
Peace!
PS: I'm planning on returning with the images, maybe give it a try now that there are so many interesting AI models out there.
Sorry, but I'm not an artist...