3rd of February, 2011, Earth Bet
Taylor's Room, Hebert Residence, Brockton Bay
I blinked in shock at the girl standing before me. She was young, maybe about the size and age of a ten-year-old, with blond hair in a close-cropped cut. And she was wearing the oddest clothes; a white robe that was definitely a toga of some description, a cuirass of some sort that had a very…um…mature female figure on it, a hairband that had golden spikes jutting out of it and a blindfold around her eyes.
Just a minute ago, I had entered my room to deal with the itching on the back of my left hand. I had received a ragged circle-shaped scar on the back of my hand during the locker incident last month and it had been itching like crazy for the last day and I was starting to get really worried.
Had I contracted an infection that had inexplicably lain dormant until today?
Then, as soon as I threw my backpack to the floor and closed my door, the scar had started glowing a brilliant white before flaring so bright I'd be surprised if half the Bay hadn't seen it. When my eyes had cleared a few seconds later this girl dressed like Greco-Roman play actor was standing opposite of me.
Needless to say I was currently taking the moment of silence to reboot my brain from 'Blue Screen of WTF?!' mode.
"Greetings, Taylor." The girl spoke. Her voice was soft, caring and kind. It also carried a ring of maturity of something far older than her appearance would dictate.
"Wh-who are you?" I managed to stammer out, my brain still trying to process what had happened.
"I am Iustitia." The girl introduced herself calmly. "I am your power made manifest."
"Isn't…isn't that the Ancient Roman Goddess of Justice?" I said in stupefaction. My mother had an interest in mythology, and it was one of the things I'd taken in an interest in as I'd grown up.
"It is also my name." Iustitia inclined her head slightly. "I am what is known as an Embryo. When you Triggered in that locker, I was born within you in my Zeroth Form. Over the past month, I have grown, studying your personality, your morals and your actions. As of today, I was ready to emerge as a Stage 1 Embryo, a Type-Maiden with Arms."
"O…kay?" I moved to the bed and sat down heavily. This was a bit much to take in. "I have no idea what most of that means." I admitted aloud.
"I know. I am a part of you, so your knowledge of this world was downloaded into me when I was born." The Embryo informed me. "You can also speak with me telepathically if you wish, but with the biases against mind powers here, I doubt you will."
Yeah, the Simurgh had soured people to any kind of mind-to-mind communication, and evil Masters like Heartbreaker hadn't exactly improved their perceptions either.
"To give you a brief summation, an Embryo is a being, a power born from their Master's actions, personality and decisions; forming into a manifestation of the core concepts by which they base their life. In my case, I was born from you and I was shaped and grown in reaction to your actions, words and personality over the month I slept within you." Iustitia started. "There are many types of Embryo, but I am what is known as a Type-Maiden. We are relatively rare existences, born to those who care for something or someone greatly. We take the form of a girl and grow until we are teenagers in step with the strength of our Masters. Type-Maidens are hybrid Embryos, possessing another Embryo Type in addition to our maiden Type. In my case, I am a Type-Maiden with Arms, meaning that I transform into a weapon and/or armour."
My mind swirled with information. OK, it was official; either this was real or I was in a coma in real life. Or maybe some Merchant banger had slipped me something during school or something?
"OK…OK…" I muttered, trying to reaffirm my grip on reality. "So…anything else?" I asked.
"Walk over to the mirror over there." Iustitia nodded towards my open wardrobe door, with the mirror on the inside of it. Shrugging, I did so.
"Touch it with the index finger from your left and run it down about a foot." Iustitia instructed me.
Feeling a bit silly, I did so. Then my eyes almost popped out of their sockets as words scrolled down in the actual glass itself.
Name: Taylor Hebert
Gender: Female
Level: 0
Title: None
Job (s): None
EXP: 79/100
Embryo: Maiden of Justice Iustitia
Embryo Type: Maiden with Arms
Embryo Forms Achieved: 1/7
Stats
HP: 150
STA: 1000
MP: 155
Strength: 10
Toughness: 10
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 15
Luck: ?
"Th-this is…!" I breathed.
"This is an ability all Embryos give their Masters; the ability to quantify and display your physical and mental attributes." Iustitia stated proudly. "Any questions about your stats?"
Did I ever. I was interested in my HP or Health Points and MP or Magic Points. Apparently 150 is the base number all Embryo Masters received when their Embryo first emerges. They increased by five points each for ever ten points in certain stats once they got above ten. HP was dictated by Strength and Toughness, while MP was dictated by Intelligence and Wisdom. Stamina, as it turned out, was used for non-magical (oh god, I was turning into Myrddin!) attacks, such as sword techniques, as well as being drained as I ran or engaged in combat. It gained a hundred points for every ten points in Endurance and Toughness.
As a bonus, by unlocking Iustitia's First Form, all of my stats had been raised to at least ten across the board. Lucky me.
Luck was a puzzle for us both. It was usually a number that represented your ability to encounter enemies, the quality of the loot drops from defeated enemies and even how frequently quests were issued. That it was represented by a solitary question mark merely confirmed for me that someone up there was screwing with my life, and likely not in a good way.
Iustitia then showed me how to shift it to the next page, the Skills page, by swiping my left index finger to the left for a foot. It should have been blank, but I had apparently generated three skills during the month of Iustitia's growth in her Zeroth Form.
Taylor Hebert's Skills
- Pain Resistance (LV2)
- Danger Sense (LV1)
- Acting (LV2)
[Pain Resistance] came from all of the hits I'd endured, [Danger Sense] had been the feeling of wrongess that had started to come whenever I was about to be pranked by the Bitch Trio and [Acting] came from me feigning that nothing was wrong to Dad. All of them would be useful if I became a hero, but the way I had earned them sucked.
The next page, accessed the exact same way, was Iustitia's skills, which I found interesting.
Maiden of Justice Iustitia's Skills and Abilities
- [Justice is Blind] (Form One)
- [Balance the Scales] (Form One)
- [Justice over Earthly Authority] (Maiden Form)
- [The People's Welfare is Supreme] (Maiden Form)
They were all very impressive. [Justice is Blind] levelled the playing field between me and an opposing enemy, power wise. By activating it, I could choose any enemy within ten meters and inflict any powers or effects that were negatively affecting my senses or perception onto them.