《Kain, the Caveman》 Arc 1.0 - Prologue Earth¡­ was often kind of awful, if one is a student of history on a galactic level. Humans had a very long, irritating habit of doing the most unexpected and most difficult to handle things. For example, once upon a time, a full-sized Grand War Fleet had been sent by The Horde to invade the planet of thirty billion. It was nearly a full five thousand years behind the development of the Horde. The result was that through a combination of earth¡¯s Psi Comp and the various talented individuals used to thinking non-laterally, not only was the The Horde, a force once believed to be an unstoppable juggernaut, halted, but they were then turned back. Most people on a galactic level REALLY hated The Horde. Most civilized races still tended to exterminate its ¡®Components¡¯ as it called its people wherever they were found. A single hordeling could eventually become an active invasion, which usually led to all life on the planet being wiped out. Feelings about humans were almost as dubious. They didn¡¯t tend to exterminate people, sure¡­ But they had a pretty large population for a spacefaring race, and their defeat of The Horde gifted them with the ability for easy interstellar travel and advanced gene manipulation far ahead of the time they would¡¯ve natural developed it. With their newfound technology, they spread to the stars. And they immediately started to immigrate. Everywhere. With a home planet low on resources and too cramped for even a third of their population to be comfortably situated, they spread to every available planet, populated or otherwise. And so curious! Many races greeted that curiosity with the same sort of distant fondness one offers to a precious child. Then the criminal elements began to rise up. Fast learners, but without the years of trial and error and sacrifice many other members of the galactic community, it meant they rarely had the emotional maturity or community spirit even some of the most cantankerous peoples possessed. Con games, bribery, extortion, outright violence and murder¡­ The initial lack of familiarity with modern technology and techniques meant such attempts were initially easily foiled. Humanity, however, was ever so clever at getting around impediments and limits on its progress. Those criminal elements worked hard to get around security and the relevant authorities. In time, anti-human sentiment reached a fever-pitch nearly as great as that which drove the urge to exterminate The Horde. A war erupted. There were of course plenty of kind human elements, ones eager to integrate into galactic society. Somehow, that only made things worse, as other jealous of their rapid advancement fought back. Bit by bit, they were pushed back towards their home planet, dying in ever greater numbers. Billions and billions of humans, fighting across the galaxy. What happened then is, in retrospect, surprising to almost no one. The Horde chose that moment to invade, spearing deep into the heart of occupied space. Hostilities with the humans were put on hold, and the leaders of the human race rallied their remaining forces to throw themselves against The Horde. They had managed to push the invaders back once long ago. In that respect, things had not changed. They fought, and many died, and in the end, the Humans pushed The Horde to the outer rim of the Galaxy. In the end though, the succession of wars and the diaspora that followed ensure that humans had died, made extinct. Which brings us to the current predicament.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. In gratitude, the people sought to make a monument to human kind. Restoring humankind was against their laws¡­ Going back in time to procure specimens that would be unmissed, though? Well within their laws. A science vessel procured an older member of the pre-human ancestors, one bound to expire soon anyway. It was brought on board the vessel. The goal was simple study, of course. Then again, they couldn¡¯t have reckoned on two separate disasters occurring. The first was completely impossible to predict: The specimen, Kain, was, though elderly and dying, a primitive shaman of its people. It had called out to the spirits to save it. The second was dumb luck. Grex, a rather lazy green Sylenxi scientist, who is likely to be fired in short order, had slept through the class on operation of the cargo controls continued his inattention by pressing ¡®Launch Cargo¡¯ instead of ¡®Cargo Stasis¡¯ on the viewscreen without paying much attention. This had the unintended effect of dropping the cargo-pod carrying the sickly specimen towards the planet below in a surprisingly safe supra-orbital automated cargo pod. Why does all this matter? Well, a spirit answered the caveman, Kain. And as each age is filled with spirits that represent the values of its people¡­ It was a spirit of ¡®Progress¡¯ that answered Kain. And so, the near-extinct hominid when it landed upon the planet was greeted by several things: local medical staff, a terrifying mixture of confusing sounds and smells, and a bunch of really weird looking blue boxes.
*Congratulations, you have gained skill Embattled Soul!*
*Congratulations, you have gained the skills Pitiful Sight, Pitiful Hearing, Pitiful Taste, Pitiful Smell, and Pitiful Touch!*
*Congratulations, you have gained the skill Balance (Wobbly)!*
*You have the status effects: Elderly, Starving, Dehydrated, Malnourished, and Dying!*
Arc 1.1 - Kain Awakens
*+10 LP!*
You are no longer dying!
¡°Aaargh!¡± *Crash!* Cavemen, throughout (human) academia had been renowned for their cleverness in solving problems and adapting to their environments. Of course, this estimation was relative in nature. When one is the only being on a planet capable of planning for the future in more than a vague, abstract manner, that comparison is fair. When placed out of context, say in a mostly benevolent and super-advanced society among a small number of medical and scientific personnel, they come off as downright single-minded. This was the exact situation Kain was in at this moment. A small inner city clinic, they had found an organism in obvious need of medical attention, and using the most advanced methods available to them, had applied themselves to helping the hairy sophont. Still terrified from nearly dying, starving, and painfully thirsty, the eons-old creature rose to a four-limbed crouch when the nano-infusion knit its wounds and bared its once-rotted teeth. Its last clear memories were of loping along an open plain, chased by a canine easily six feet long from haunch to nose. With no convenient trees, caves, or large rocks in which to hide, the outcome had not been in doubt. Still carrying that fear, remembering calling on the spirits to aid him, and seeing himself greeted by these strange humanoid creatures with four arms and soft green skin¡­ Kain flipped the hell out. He flipped a tray of silvery instruments towards the three beings closest to it, grabbed a stool, threw it at the nearest, and ran, hooting, out of the door. Suffice to say, the doctor and nurses were left with puzzled expressions as they hair ape left the confines of the clinic and hurried out into the much meaner streets outdoors. The tallest of the three said quite simply, ¡°Well. That was a thing.¡± The nurse to his right said, ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re not going to tell anyone about this, right?¡± The other nurse replied, ¡°Of course not. We¡¯d have our licenses pulled due to mental insufficiency.¡± Kain was just as bewildered. Outside, he dashed down what seemed to be a smaller, less heavily traveled alleyway and turned to fight his latest enemy. The floating blue box! Its fists swung wildly at the boxes, passing through them until he was left panting and unable to breathe. Seeing the box was NOT in fact attacking him, however, he forced his aching bones to climb into a boxy waste receptacle and lay back in the warm, pungent pile of trash. All this perhaps paints Kain in an unflattering light. Aggressive, stupid, and now hiding in a pile of trash. One must thus consider the fact that Kain possessed a poor sense of smell among other things. Add that to the fact that our unlikely hero did not grow up with the assumption that life is supposed to be pleasant, and we arrive at the current state of affairs. Specifically the one where Kain is shoveling discarded food-stuffs, nutrient paste, and fruit into its gullet. In other words, the picture does not grow markedly more flattering.
*You are no longer Starving! You are now Hungry!*
If he had much in the way of a sense of taste, soda would¡¯ve been a revelation. He did not.
*You are no longer Dehydrated! You are now Thirsty!*
*Due to your exertions, you are Tired!*
Feeling awash in exertion, Kain decided to rest his tired bones in this little haven he had found, the slow rot of the garbage surrounding him suffusing the box with a gentle, soothing warmth. *********** On an endless field, Kain saw the enemy ape tribe. Their pale white fur was striped by ritualistic burn scars. Yellowed fangs were bared in hungry snarls and they pounded worn bones, wrapped with leather at the base, against the ground. The caps of the femurs made for serviceable clubs while others had been splintered and appeared to have been rubbed against stones to make sharp edges. The palms of their hands were an angry red color, and every so often, one with a makeshift torch could be seen roaming the darkened, ruined structure in the distance. He knew they were trouble. They had killed his tribe. Made it so that he was alone. In his primitive mind, being alone, without tribe, was the same as death. It was as close to hate as he could experience. As a shaman, he was a less physically fit specimen. All of his food and water came from tribesmates as gifts for blessing their hunts and their fights with other tribes. Without them feeding him, he had been driven, exposed to the elements and predators, bereft of the comfort and protection they were supposed to provide him in his old age. He could not get that back, but he was not lazy, either, and though he didn¡¯t understand the plain he was upon, he understood fighting and sneaking as general concepts. He knew he couldn¡¯t tangle with the other tribe head to head. Still, as a shaman, he was intelligent. Moreso than most other apes by leaps and bounds. He was patient, and with death facing him, he was as close to fearless as he could get with his instincts. He was resolved to die. Just not soon, or easily. And not under this endless, darkened purple sky. No, he would die under the bright sun, in the cool breeze of the morning, licking the dew from the sweet leaves. Kain leaned low to the ground, on all fours, until his belly brushed the barren ground. Creeping forward ever so carefully, Kain moved towards the first of the white apes, one lurking behind a knee-length broken wall. Moving carefully to crouch on the little wall, Kain raised himself up and jumped on top of the white ape as it bent down to examine something. Fingers closed on its neck as his weight bore the creature to the ground, a meaty wet sound escaping as its face collided with the ground. The creature struggled beneath him, trying to get up, so Kain pulled the creature¡¯s face up, and slammed it back down on the ground, bashing it against the floor again¡­ and again¡­ and again¡­ Soon, the white ape¡¯s thrashing slowed, and then stilled. Still covered in the white ape¡¯s blood, Kain grabbed the club-like femur in one hand, and raised it to swing as another hooting and shouting ape ran around the corner. The club connected with the hooting ape¡¯s face, caving in its teeth and shattering its nose. It collapsed in a spray of blood from its ruined face, and Kain turned to meet the sound of footsteps as yet more of the apes came running. For a time, there was only blood, screaming, and death. ***********
*Embattled Soul Level +3! Embattled Soul is now Level 4!*
*Congratulations, you have gained the skill Pitiful Stealth!*
*Congratulations, you have gained the skill Pitiful Scrapping!*
*Congratulations, you have gained the skill Pitiful Pain Resistance!*
*Congratulations, you have gained the skill Pitiful Club Proficiency!*
*10% LP, PP, and SP restored for sleeping!*
*You are no longer Tired!*
*Congratulations, you have gained the skill Pitiful Asceticism!*
Kain wave his hand at the irritating blue boxes and finally, they moved off to the side. They were still sort of in the corner of his vision, but at least this way they weren¡¯t so irritating. He couldn¡¯t destroy them, it seemed, but they weren¡¯t threatening or attacking him. They were certainly less upsetting than that utterly terrifying nightmare he had just awoken from. Hundreds of Yellow Fang Tribe. A strange landscape. And they carried fire around WITH them. Their weapons had been a huge advantage. Kain¡¯s tribe had possessed no way to fight back facing those weapons and their superior numbers.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Still, Kain clearly could not stay put. The multi-limbed creatures that had menaced him the day before could not be trusted. They had stuck him with sharp things and what¡¯s more did not look even remotely like his tribe. Some sort of monsters or spirit beasts, obviously. As a shaman, he knew these things instinctively. Still, his belly was rumbling unhappily at the unaccustomedly rich diet he had just engaged in. With a nearby food source, even if it was primarily in bad condition, he was unwilling to move very far. The choice was, perhaps thankfully, taken from him relatively shortly. Voices from outside his hiding place had begun to pick up in pitch. Expecting to be ambushed, he scrambled to all fours despite his aching joints. Despite the intensity of the battle in his nightmares, some of the fear and desperation had cleared from his mind, and with it, a greater willingness to fight back. Teeth bared, he bunched his legs, ready to leap. The top of his hiding place opened, and he saw a face with four eyes and a maw filled with glistening teeth, and then¡­ a bright flash of light. *********** Kain looked up to see one of the white ape above him, showing his blood-covered yellowing fangs. A sharp pain in his abdomen revealed his enemy leaning on a bone with a sharpened tip, pinning him to the ground. Anger. Fury. Outrage. All emotions that flashed through his mind at this revelation. The emotion, outrage, was one of the many new overwhelming experiences that had assaulted him in this nightmare. It was something about the cruel pleasure on the other ape¡¯s face that did it. As if the beast thought it funny what was being done to him. Kain pushed up and through the pain, burying the sharpened bone deeper in his abdomen, and got his fingers around the throat of the ape before falling back. He pulled the ape down repeatedly as he squeezed, choking of its air and bashing its face into the base of the bone until it expired. Then, panting heavily, Kain pulled the bone out of his abdomen, roaring with pain. *********** Kain couldn¡¯t know, of course, that local law enforcement had been informed of a ¡®primitive¡¯ hanging out in a nearby dumpster and had responded with stun wands. There was a procedure for this sort of thing, after all. Every so often, creatures from less developed planets would find their ways to a more advanced planet. Usually as stowaways. The procedure was thus: Take them aside if possible, or stun and detain them if not. Give them a skill nano full of the local language, a cleansuit if they were from a ¡®clothing optional¡¯ planet, and explain the situation to them. If they got it, they were set up with a menial job and a place to stay until they could make more of themselves. If they couldn¡¯t gel with modern standards? Then it was off to a detainment facility. Kain woke up after the injection, while they were putting the bright orange cleansuit on him, and was immediately greeted by more of the irritating blue boxes.
*Embattled Soul Level +2! Embattled Soul is now Level 6!*
*Pitiful Pain Resistance Level +2! Pitiful Pain Resistance is now Level 3!*
*Pitiful Scrapping Level +2! Pitiful Scrapping is now Level 3!*
*Congratulations, through the use of a skill-nano, you have gained the skill Competent Verbal Standard!*
*Congratulations, through the use of a skill-nano you have gained the skill Competent Written Standard!*
The irritating blue boxes. He understood them now somehow. And the bored-looking humanoid with the maw full of teeth and the four eyes¡­ He could understand him. He realized he was laying on something very flat and hard while the man went on, reading off of something, ¡°¡­ due to assaulting an officer of the law, you will be remanded to a local detention center. While detained, you will have access to basic education to get you up to Gal-standard. You can take part in trade training and apprenticeships should you wish to if you complete basic education. Upon the completion of your period of incarceration, you will be released without prejudice, and your debt to society will have been paid.¡± None of what this strange creature with its gravelly voice was saying really made sense to Kain for the most part. As far as he could tell, he was being held prisoners by these beings. As a slave? Not as food? No. Kain was no person¡¯s slave. With his newfound bravery, he would have these beings know that he would rather die than live for another¡¯s convenience. Now if only this creature would stop droning on and get to the fight he knew was coming. With an internal sigh, Kain turned his attention back to the man in time to hear,¡±-f you understand these facts as I have explained them to you, indicate your understanding by stating your name.¡± His name. THAT Kain understood. ¡°My name is Kain. Learn it well. You shall be cursing it for the rest of your short existence.¡±
Name: Kain Race: Ardipithecus Level 12, 44%
Gender: Male Class: Primitive Shaman Level 15, 77%
LP: 5/5 PP: 5/5
SP: 5/5
Vigor: 1 Reflexes: 1 Fortitude 1 Charisma 1 Intellect 1 Cunning 1 Willpower 1 Perception 1 Luck 1
Status Effects: Elderly ¨C You are near the ultimate life span for your race. Even your mind is beginning to go. Your stats all decay by half for every further year of life. Malnourished ¨C Stat growth halved until malnourished is removed. You haven¡¯t been properly fed for a very long time. It takes more than one good meal to get rid of it. Hungry ¨C Your health and stamina regenerate at half the normal rate. Thirsty ¨C Your health and stamina regenerate at half the normal rate. Spirit-Ridden ¨C You have traded your shamanistic powers by allowing a powerful spirit to ride inside of you. In return you have gained new intrinsic abilities. Explore them to find out more!
Tier 0 Skills: Embattled Soul Level 6 Your soul is a battle ground for the angry spirits of the dead. Should you fail to fight them off, when you die, your soul will die with you, obliterating you from the cycle of reincarnation. Stat Cap of 5 for all stats. With your soul teetering on the edge of oblivion, its potential has been curtailed severely.
Tier 1 Skills: Wobbly Balance Level 1 You can barely hold yourself upright most of the time. The years and hardship have taken their toll. It will be a hard road getting back to normal. Pitiful Asceticism Level 1 While you could barely be called an ascetic, you can generally get by on three fourths the food and water most people need daily. You still feel hunger and thirst, but they have no practical effect on you other than discomfort. Still affected by dehydration, starvation, malnutrition, and any other advanced effects. Pitiful Club Proficiency Level 1 You know to hold one end of the stick and keep swinging it until your enemy is dead or unconscious. Pitiful Hearing Level 1 Your hearing is going in your old age. People right next to you who don¡¯t speak clearly are likely to be missed. Pitiful Pain Resistance Level 3 Every little physical inconvenience sends lances of pain through you. You keep going these days mostly by sheer stubbornness. Pitiful Scrapping Level 3 What you do couldn¡¯t even be called brawling. Still, when you get into a barehanded tussle, you flail around and don¡¯t stop until you¡¯re the only thing standing. There¡¯s a lot to be said for persistence. Pitiful Sight Level 1 You¡¯re incredibly near-sighted. Maybe eat more carrots? Pitiful Smell Level 1 Your brand of upright apes never did have very keen senses of smell, but yours is kind of pitiful. Pitiful Stealth Level 1 You know that making lots of noise is likely to get you noticed so you try not to. You succeed. Mostly. Pitiful Taste Level 1 You can barely taste anything. Then again, you eat garbage, so maybe this is a blessing? Pitiful Touch Level 1 You can feel pain, pressure, heat, and cold, and that¡¯s about it. Better textures escape you.
Tier 5 Skills: Competent Verbal Standard Level 1 You can communicate well in the standard spoken language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however. Competent Written Standard Level 1 You can read and write in the common written language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however.
Arc 1.2 - Kain Awakens As it turns out, vengeance was NOT immediate, or swift. This was perhaps due to the fact that the people who had detained him were not in fact trying to personally hurt or disadvantage Kain. It might also be due to the fact that Kain was now in a detention facility. The fact that Kain was also very elderly and very weak might have something to do with this. Regardless, Kain was now inside of a facility that worked and operated relatively similarly to a twenty-first century human prison, and suffice to say, he was not enjoying the experience. He was generously given a blanket, basic clothes, an ID to allow him to get rations, and set himself up with classes to learn a trade. The food was bland, his blanket was stolen in minutes on the first day, and most of his rations were stolen regularly. Larger detainees, during common area time, had taken to beating him or treating the elderly ape like a servant. At night, his dreams took him to that endless plain of battle where the white apes dwelled. Many people would¡¯ve broken. Unlike with other moments in his current situation, the time period Kain had been raised in prepared him well for these problems: he had no expectations that he would be happy, comfortable, or well-treated. These were relatively modern developments, and Kain was not a modern man. He knew that the others were stronger, tougher, and faster than him. A humanoid inmate, by the name of Kyxx ran this particular block. Seven feet tall and covered in tough purplish flesh, the six eyed Dranian man was effortlessly strong and controlled the inmates with a casual disregard and cruelty that kept his lackeys cringingly cooperative. His people were well-known for enjoying the flesh of sapient beings. It had been outlawed, of course, but some were known to still engage in the process. He was here for rehabilitation for just such a behavior. As of now, Kain was safe from being eaten by the man, as new detainees were watched closer for their safety. The drone force guarding the facility, however, would not intervene in any situation where Kain was not facing immediate danger. In other words, Kain was mostly on his own. Kain was not quite the weakest person here. A hexapedal Murinus, a mouse-like being, and a fellow primitive-worlder like Kain had that dubious honor. Kres, as he was named, was brown-furred, six-legged man with a chattery voice. He had taken to sticking close to Kain as Kain was the only person in the prison who seemed to tolerate him for more than thirty seconds at a time. In reality, of course, Kain mostly ignored the talkative man. Having allies was essential, even if the quality available to him were of little immediate value. Besides, it made him feel less lonely. Sometimes Kres even had some interesting or useful insights about his new time period. Kres¡¯ people were less advanced than even Kain¡¯s, but Kres had been dealing with this a lot longer than Kain. Not everything was negative, of course. Kain had found that these ¡®Skills¡¯ he kept gaining, while often very nebulous, could be very useful things. Like the ¡®Craft: Improvisation¡¯ skill he had gotten. He¡¯d managed to snatch a pin from one of the doors on his way to the mess hall. Then he¡¯d torn a strip from his jumpsuit, wrapped it around one end of the pin, and began to rub it against the scheecrete floor of the prison. The drones quickly repaired his jumpsuit the next day, but he had gained a skill from the action, as well as an improvised weapon. Knowledge had flooded his head about the types of things he was sure he could reliably make given time and materials. There wasn¡¯t much. Some ways to make fire. Basic weapons and clothing. A very basic wilderness shelter. Some more general knowledge of how to improvise various tools. Practicing hiding it, followed by practice drawing and using it had netted him the ¡®Conceal Weapons¡¯ and ¡®Improvised Weaponry¡¯ skills. Greater surprise was to follow, though, as the educator and health drones directed them through exercises and studies designed to bring the ¡®primitives¡¯ up to modern health standards. Gaining multiple education and fitness skills that seemed to allow him to increase his stats through mere effort. With every point raised, he could feel his capabilities rising. His mind expanding, his body growing more vigorous than it had been in many years. It would have been a wondrous thing, far outstripping his discomforts if not for the two other problems. The first being that the spirits in this place were quiet. All he could hear was the constant gnawing, gnashing of the totemic white apes who¡¯d buried themselves in his soul. The second was the damned dreams where he did battle every night. Kain¡¯s body was recovering from the malnourishment he¡¯d suffered from, but his soul remained a barren, blackened shell of its former self, and it cast shade on every aspect of his life. Still, he¡¯d made progress in his travails. And tonight, he was determined that it would end. One way or another. Ignoring Kres¡¯ babbling, Kain laid down in the corner of his cold cell, and closed his eyes. *********** With his ¡®Scrapping¡¯ and ¡®Club Proficiency¡¯ Skills having reached level nine respectively, fighting the mad white apes had begun to grow increasingly easy. They were now laid low by casual blows from Kain. Every single kill tore a snarl from his throat as he swung the stolen femur effortlessly. A sideswipe caved in the head of one in an explosion of gore and bone fragments. Another in his other hand plunged its sharpened end into the gut of a charging ape. Again and again, his hands raised up. Again and again, white apes fell before him. They streamed from every building, every hole in the ground. And they all died before Kain¡¯s snarling, untiring form. Like a machine fueled by unreasoning anger, he killed them as fast as they came for him, barreling through their numbers and heading towards the distant structure. Here in this darkened, barren plane, he could see far further than his myopic eyes could in the waking world. Even so, until a day ago, the structure in the distance had always come off as blurry indistinct figure. Now? It was clear. A massive jutting rock. Somewhere along the way, a driving rain had started, making the footing slippery and filling Kain¡¯s limbs with biting cold. That was okay, though. His rage kept him warm enough. Especially when he observed the spindly, unusually tall white ape leaning on some sort of long stick atop the rock. The enemy chieftain. His thoughts filled with static at seeing her. Memories bombarded him. When he¡¯d first met Valia, it had been while standing next to his own chieftain, Gar. She was tall. Taller than any of his fellow tribesmen. Painfully skinny. It was impossible for them to understand how she controlled her violent tribesmen, being so physically weak. Until one of them made a sound out of turn. Then it was revealed: She was fast. Impossibly so. She¡¯d taken her stick, whirled, and hit him four times with it before he could even clap hands over his mouth. Then her pale blue eyes had refocused on Gar as they continued their trade as if nothing had happened. This elicited no comment from Kain¡¯s tribe. She was chieftain. It was her right to enforce discipline however she wished. Her smile was so warm compared to her brethren, despite this. When Valia came to visit from time to time, and Gar was out, she and Kain would speak. Their conversations were limited, of course. The mixture of noises and gestures that served as their language was unable to convey exceptionally complicated concepts. Still, as a shaman, Kain was intelligent, and Valia, strange that she was seemed to possess an uncommon understanding. He was able to communicate to her the restlessness in his soul, his desire to reach beyond such things as survival and the power and safety of his tribe. How his thoughts often drifted to things such as the beauty of the rising sun, or the forking lightning in the night sky. The stirring inside of him for something beyond his ability to understand. Those eyes. They burned their image into his soul as surely as any flaming brand. Perhaps his stupidity had come from finally having someone to commiserate with. Someone who could even distantly grasp the dissatisfaction squirming inside of him. Maybe he was just captivated by the beauty only he could see in her. Whatever the case, he had been stupid. He had told the guards at their cave complex to sleep the night away. That the omens had told him that it was important they be rested. They didn¡¯t question him, why would they? And Valia did keep her appointment. Came to him in the night for a private assignation. It was bliss while it was happening. Until the screaming started from deep inside the caves. It turns out that beautiful eyes and a patient ear could easily hide a violent heart. And now, here, on top of that massive rock, those same blue eyes that had once made his knees weak now made them strong with a murderous desire. Coming to himself, he realized his rain-slicked hands had begun climbing at some point, leaving behind his weapons. Seeing them before him, he distantly realized they looked wrong. Indistinct. Pale and washed out. Still, hands and feet worked, one over the other, to clamber up the massive rock. Second by second, minute by minute, he ascended, his heartbeat a crash of lightning in his ears as he drew closer to the subject of his hate. As he finally crested the lip of the rock, he rolled over it and immediately grabbed a fist-sized stone. Valia laughed. Something he¡¯d never known her to do when they¡¯d both been alive. ¡°You¡¯ve come to finish it then. You cared for me once.¡± Leaning on her stick, she looked as old as he was. Tired. Sick. Her beauty faded, her fur falling out in patches. Her eyes were the same as ever though. Kain replied without thinking, ¡°I still do.¡± A smile, on her part, ¡°You¡¯re still going to try to kill me though.¡± Kain countered, ¡®You¡¯re already dead.¡± Valia was silent for a moment, before responding, ¡°But as long as my tribe occupies this space, I am not gone. You seek to end me totally.¡± Kain merely raised his rock in response and in a blur, Valia flew forward. The stick hit him nearly a dozen times, and he spat pale blood on the ground as he desperately tried to rise under the torrent of blows forcing him to the ground. He scrambled, trying to find some higher ground, some place to get shelter from the unending rain of attacks upon him. No matter where he turned, though, the stick was there, landing blows on his face, his body, his limbs, and his groin. Everything was pain. He stood no chance he now knew, and considered his options. If he just wanted the pain gone, he could throw himself to the ground. That should do it. Or he could spend what time he has left to end her. So he accepted the blows from her stick, turned, and barreled into her bodily. He grabbed her, and using his greater bulk, drove them both from the rock, plummeting to the ground below with him beneath her. The fall was surprisingly short despite their height. Pain lanced through his body again. His legs were probably shattered. Against all reason though, Valia was still alive, if barely able to move. So he fumbled for a rock, and brought it down against her skull, ¡°I love you.¡± She moved, and so he did it again, ¡°I love you!¡± And again. ¡°I LOVE YOU!¡± And again,¡±I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU!¡± Somewhere along the way, long after her skull had been pulped, and the rain had stopped, his voice fell silent, and he rolled over onto his back. Kain had been the first of his people to know love. And now, as he laid on his back, his strength fading, and the sun finally rising, he became the first of his people cry. Darkness claimed him¡­ ***********
*Congratulations, Embattled Soul has risen to level 10 and ranked up into Broken Soul Level 1! Stat Cap has risen to 10! By dealing with the demons haunting your soul, you no longer risk devolving into a soulless monster!*
Congratulations, Pitiful Club Proficiency has risen to level 10 and ranked up into Weak Club Proficiency Level 1! +10% speed, damage, and accuracy when wielding clubs!
Congratulations, you have gained the skill Pitiful Body Hardening!
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Congratulations, Pitiful Scrapping has risen to Level 10! You may rank up Pitiful Scrapping to Weak Scrapping Level 1, or evolve it to Pitiful Brawling Level 1! You have one week to choose!
*Willpower +1! By overriding survival instincts to pursue your goals, your Willpower has risen to 2!*
*Congratulations, you have gained four levels in Ardipithecus! Due to penalties gained from Elderly, your LP, PP, and SP have failed to rise. Find a way to get rid of Elderly or raise their related stats to see growth!*
¡­ And was replaced by cold, white, artificial light as he awoke. The rage that had been burning in him for so long was gone. Instead, there was a cooler melancholy and a certain sense of inevitability. He moved his foot and poked Kres with a single toe, ¡°Awaken. We must speak.¡± Kres, paranoid little rodent that he was looked up and tilted his head, ¡°Okayhiwhyareweawake?¡± Kain sighed in response and demanded with an unusual forcefulness, ¡°Speak. Slower. And louder.¡±
*Pitiful Hearing +1! Pitiful Hearing is now Level 2!*
*Perception +1! By stretching your senses, your Perception has risen to 2!*
He experienced the slightest sharpening of sounds around him, surprise apparent, as he strained to hear Kres better, ¡°Sorry. Okay. I was just wondering why we¡¯re awake.¡± For the first time since awakening, Kain smiled. It did not reassure Kres, ¡°I wish you to be my ally in this place. If it goes well, we will be tribe.¡± Kres was a flurry of excitement, and had to be told by Kain to calm himself and speak correctly once more to answer properly, ¡°Yes, yes, we will be friends! Please!¡±
*Congratulations! Kres has joined your party! Through his commitment to you, he will benefit from your experience and any efforts to train or teach him!*
*Gained Party Member: Kres, level 6 Murinus, Level 1 Scavenger!*
Kain frowned. Murinus was weak. Still, perhaps with this strange ability, that did not have to stay so. ¡°The¡­ creatures. The ones that teach us. The ones that have us run. We will make use of their instruction. To become strong. We will topple Kyxx from his place of power. When we leave this place, WE will be strong. We will build a tribe where others must be wary of us.¡± The Chihuahua-sized mouse creature grew more excited by the moment as Kain continued, ¡°For now, we must sleep. Tomorrow we learn more.¡± Tuning out the excited Kres, Kain again laid his head down, and for once, merely dreamed of haunting blue eyes.
Name: Kain Race: Ardipithecus Level 16, 61%
Gender: Male Class: Primitive Shaman Level 15, 77%
LP: 6/6 PP: 6/6
SP: 6/6
Vigor: 2 Reflexes: 1 Fortitude 2 Charisma 2 Intellect 2 Cunning 2 Willpower 2 Perception 2 Luck 1
Status Effects: Elderly ¨C You are near the ultimate life span for your race. Even your mind is beginning to go. Your stats all decay by half for every further year of life. Hungry ¨C Your health and stamina regenerate at half the normal rate. Thirsty ¨C Your health and stamina regenerate at half the normal rate. Spirit-Ridden ¨C You have traded your shamanistic powers by allowing a powerful spirit to ride inside of you. In return you have gained new intrinsic abilities. Explore them to find out more!
Tier 1 Skills: Asthmatic General Fitness Level 1 You can''t even break into a run without hurting your own body. Still, you''re making an effort to rehabilitate your broken body. LP and SP multiplied by 1.01. Broken Soul Level 1 You have fought the demons that haunted your soul, and found some measure of peace and acceptance in the betrayal that rocked your world. Still, your soul is a broken place, and only plenty of hard work and effort can rebuild it. At least you run no risk of becoming a soulless monster. Stat cap is now 10. Childish Education Level 1 You lack the education even the most isolated child tends to have access to these days. It has begun to expand your mind in ways you''d never imagined. +1 to Intellect! Churlish Deportment Level 1 Etiquette wasn''t really a thing in the time you came from. Learning to fit in isn''t easy. You''re trying, though. +1 Charisma. Pitiful Asceticism Level 4 While you could barely be called an ascetic, you can generally get by on three fourths the food and water most people need daily. You still feel hunger and thirst, but they have no practical effect on you other than discomfort. Still affected by dehydration, starvation, malnutrition, and any other advanced effects. Pitiful Conditioning Level 1 Your battered, aged body has withered with time. By making a concerted effort to raise your exercise tolerance, you''ve found you have more energy and feel healthier. +1 to Fortitude. Pitiful Craft: Improvisation Level 3 You can make all sorts of things out of what you find just laying around. Too bad most of it is destined to be crap. 97% durability and function penalty to improvised items. Pitiful Critical Thinking Level 1 You had always been one of the deepest thinkers in your own time that you''d ever met. These modern people take it to a new level. +1 Charisma. Pitiful Body Hardening Level 1 Ever wonder how someone can punch walls and faces without injuring their body? That''s body-hardening. In addition to making you more capable of hitting things without hurting yourself, it also makes you more inured to injury. 1% reduction to pain and injury from punching things with your bare hands. Your skin is currently equivalent in protection to regular skin. Pitiful Hearing Level 2 Your hearing is going in your old age. People right next to you who don¡¯t speak clearly are likely to be missed. Pitiful Improvised Weapons Level 1 Chair-fu! You''re pretty good at using things to hurt people that weren''t originally designed as a weapon. And by pretty good, we mean you no longer take a real penalty for it. Pitiful Pain Resistance Level 5 Every little physical inconvenience sends lances of pain through you. You keep going these days mostly by sheer stubbornness. Pitiful Sight Level 1 You¡¯re incredibly near-sighted. Maybe eat more carrots? Pitiful Smell Level 1 Your brand of upright apes never did have very keen senses of smell, but yours is kind of pitiful. Pitiful Stealth Level 1 You know that making lots of noise is likely to get you noticed so you try not to. You succeed. Mostly. Pitiful Strength Training Level 1 You''ve made a concerted effort to start increasing your strength. It''s begun to show some dividends! +1 to Vigor. Pitiful Taste Level 1 You can barely taste anything. Then again, you eat garbage, so maybe this is a blessing? Pitiful Touch Level 1 You can feel pain, pressure, heat, and cold, and that¡¯s about it. Better textures escape you. Wobbly Balance Level 6 You can barely hold yourself upright most of the time. The years and hardship have taken their toll. It will be a hard road getting back to normal.
Tier 2 Skills Weak Club Proficiency Level 1 You know to hold one end of the stick and keep swinging it until your enemy is dead or unconscious. Pitiful Scrapping Level 10 What you do couldn¡¯t even be called brawling. Still, when you get into a barehanded tussle, you flail around and don¡¯t stop until you¡¯re the only thing standing. There¡¯s a lot to be said for persistence. Evolve/Rank up?
Tier 5 Skills: Competent Verbal Standard Level 3 You can communicate well in the standard spoken language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however. Competent Written Standard Level 2 You can read and write in the common written language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however.
Equipment: Shiv: Damage: 1, Durability: 1/1 It''s a shiv formed from a hinge pin. It''ll probably break the first time you use it, but it''ll pierce the skin of most species with little effort, and cause a lot of internal damage if it breaks off inside.
Arc 1.3 - Kain Awakens Much was odd since Kain had come to this time. There were people that were not like him. The six-legged Murinus, for example. Kain¡¯s people were not much for questioning what obviously was, even when it did not make much sense. Kres was obedient. So when Kain told the Murinus to follow him and work hard, he expected to be obeyed, and he was. Following the instructors, the robots as he learned them to be, he found his stat growth to be magnificent, even if he was gaining no levels. He was, in fact, not even entirely certain of the reason for levels in the first place. They seemed to change nothing at all. Every time one of his stats went up, he felt magnificent. Stronger. Tougher. Faster. His mind was racing with concepts and thoughts he¡¯d never considered before. Every day was new deluge of information. Already, he was almost as hale as he¡¯d ever been in his life, which in truth had never been all that much. Being a Shaman required a connection with the spirits, not raw ability. It was a mark of favor. It had nothing to do with earning anything. It provided power, and security within the tribe. An exemption from the jockeying for status and resources among its members. He had always been valuable because he was the only member of the tribe that could do what he did. Without him blessing their endeavors, as far as they know, they would never have any successful hunts or battles. He could no longer bless anything with his Shaman class. The spirits here were thin, wan things. Beings that darted from machine to machine. Mechanical and uncaring in both attitude and comportment. Nothing like the wild, passionate things he grew up seeing. Indeed, they generally ignored him no matter how often he tried to entreat with them. He still had his patience, though, and it was making him stronger. Less of an easy target. His wardens, the robots took notice as well, and assigned him tasks befitting his increasing health. Cleaning, mostly. Once he showed the knack for it, a bit of repair here and there. It gave him time to think. To study. Once the educational ¡®bots had taught him enough to know where to go, he had approached the local library. A room full of grey cubicles and rounded seats. One had only to speak out the information one needed, and it would be displayed in detail there for one¡¯s perusal. Eventually, the subject of ¡®games¡¯ came up. The whole concept seemed very frivolous to him, but combined with that information and his own experiences with his stats rising, he came to understand that they were markers of his progress, and that they could be used as a concrete way to manage his own growing strength. And it was far more rapid than nature could¡¯ve ever accounted for. Not effortless, no. Still with more result than he should¡¯ve ever shown from such a short period of effort, though. He would not complain of a development that produced great results with relatively lessened effort. His days were numbered, he knew. So today, as he jogged, he spoke with Kres. He had to take frequent breaks. As the Murinus could not run very far either, this did not stall their progress overly much, ¡°So *huff* we have *puff* three options *coughcough*. We kill Kyxx¡¯s men until he is exposed and vulnerable. *Huff* We ambush and kill him and hope he does not kill us first. I do not think we will survive that plan, though. I think his tribe will kill us after someone new takes over. Or we do as he bids us until we are free, if we live that long.¡± Kres responds rather quickly to this, ¡°I don¡¯t like ANY of these options.¡± A pause. ¡°You are my friend. I do not want you to die.¡± Kain¡¯s response is quick enough, ¡°Time will take me from you eventually my friend, if violence does not. How lucky are you, then, to have a friend who is without any fear?¡± ¡°Your friendship does not warm me, Kain.¡± ¡°I have no warmth to give you. As long as we both live, however, we shall know the other¡¯s back is safe.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kind of a bastard.¡± ¡°Technically true, my brother.¡± ¡°I hate you a little.¡± ¡°Then we are halfway to being a true family already.¡± A moment of laughter, rare in this place, and rarer still for the pair, and then they¡¯re back to jogging until they both reach their limit. They stumble back to their cell, and after curling up in their corner, Kain looked at his status page again. He let his finger hover in the air over ¡®Evolve¡¯ uncertainly. After a moment, he sighed and pushed down. Yet another blue box appeared, and it garnered a smile from the elderly hominid.
*Congratulations! Pitiful Scrapping has evolved into ¡®Beginner Martial Arts¡¯. +1 damage per level to unarmed attacks. +1% to unarmed attack and defense speed per level.*
Kain looked at the notification and smiled widely. Ever so quietly, he moved to all fours, and crept out of his cell. Down the hallway he skittered, making admittedly little noise. The reddened eyes of the oblong security ¡®bots scanned the hallway, but made no effort to stop him, if they saw him at all. Perhaps they didn¡¯t care? After all, he merely headed to the bathrooms, where he clambered atop one of the cubicles and waited, his dark black fur and grey-black skin assuring he naturally blended into the darkness. His shiv, blackened from dirt in the yard did not shimmer in the dim lighting. He waited, for he had been watching. A man. He could be mistaken easily for one of Kain¡¯s descendants, a blue-skinned, human-looking man with fiery red hair and a tired, lined looking face. He was one of the older, weaker members of Kyxx¡¯s tribe. He had never personally harmed or taunted Kain, but he needed to experiment, and he was Kain¡¯s best hope at an easy victory. Still stronger than Kain, but taken by surprise, perhaps¡­ The man required urination frequently in the night. A reason he had a cell all his own. There was plenty of room and that way he wouldn¡¯t wake the other inmates. Kain watched the man open his jumpsuit, preparing to release¡­ And dropped atop him. Though his joints protested, he landed and plunged the tiny sharpened metal into the man¡¯s eye. A hand around his mouth assured the man didn¡¯t scream. There was only the awful squishing sound, the splashing of fluids over his hands, and then the thump as he rode the man to the ground.
*Sneak attack! Critical Hit! 5*5*6=150 damage! Grenne is dead! Primitive Shaman, Level up +2 LP, PP, and SP gains removed due to status effects. Rid yourself of Elderly to receive your gains.*
*You have taken 1 corrosive damage!*
*Congratulations, you have gained the skill Corrosive Resistance!*
¡°Hssss¡­¡± A sound escaped Kain¡¯s mouth, a hiss of pain as the green blood splashes over his hand, causing his hands to tighten reflexively. The shiv snaps in half, and he hurries over to the wash basin. The cleansing waves of energy crash over his hands, disintegrating and removing the burning fluid covering his hand. Then he hurries down the hall, hurrying back to his cell, where he curls up in his corner to sleep, untroubled by conscience. *********** ¡°You killed me.¡± Kain stares at the floating spirit. The very picture of the chieftain of the white apes,¡±I killed you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a shaman. Since when have otherworldly things bothered you.¡± ¡°But I killed you. Why are you here?¡± ¡°This is how things work. Each member of a tribe carries a piece of that tribe¡¯s spirit. When one tribe completely kills the other, that tribe gets the spirit and power of the other. I was the chieftain, so I bore my tribe¡¯s spirits for them. You killed me. Now I am with you forever.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you here.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Why did you kill my tribe?¡± ¡°Poor, stupid Kain. Beautiful, but still so stupid. The world was growing colder, my friend. The animals and plants died. One by one. So many people. Yours were competition for what little food remained left. And with your tribe¡¯s power, perhaps mine would be lucky enough to survive the coming coldness. Instead, we died. Sought shelter in your soul. If we had killed you here, perhaps we could¡¯ve survived a little longer in your body. It doesn¡¯t matter now, though, does it? We¡¯re dead. And here I am.¡± ¡°You infuriate me.¡± ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have killed me. This is where I stay.¡± Kain lets his gaze rove all over the barren plain. A pool of water rests far from the ruins. Everything is muddy and wet. The sun shines through clouds, the ground is bare dirt. And it is cold. Oh so cold. He suddenly fills with a shiver, and asks the spirit,¡±Is there nowhere to shelter?¡± ¡°No. Your anger tore it all to pieces. But you can rebuild it.¡± ¡°Rebuild it how?¡± ¡°My people, we built structures once. Only of furs and sticks, though. Here? There were structures of stone. Strong. Grand. Souls, those which aren¡¯t destroyed are reborn. You very nearly ended up there. As it is though, if you don¡¯t rebuild this place, when you die, that¡¯s it. You can¡¯t ever come back. The end. I think I could show you how to rebuild them, though, if you¡¯re of a mind.¡± ¡°It is as good as anything to do. It is cold and that will not change with me standing here.¡± ¡°First you must gather those things there, they¡¯re called bricks. You¡¯ll need mud, and gravel, and some other things. That water over there will help. We¡¯ll make something called mortar. Then, you¡¯ll need¡­¡± Kain followed directions as she walked him through the process of mixing mortar. It was a slow, tedious process. Gather the bricks. Mix the mortar. Spread the mortar. Stack the bricks. Repeat. He didn¡¯t know how long it¡¯d taken him, but soon he had a small room, set against the giant rock in the center of this barren plain. A scooped out bowl in the center of it had appeared at some point during his work. He didn¡¯t remember making it, but it was there, and of course, he knew exactly what it was for. It was a fire pit. ¡°You¡¯ll have to light it if you want to get warm, Kain.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. A sneer forms on the man¡¯s face, ¡°And what am I supposed to burn, then?¡± The laugh that erupted from her throat set his anger to burning inside of him all over again, ¡°It seems¡­ that there¡¯s only one thing here left to burn.¡± She gestured, and Kain reluctantly turned his gaze outward. Corpses. So many of them. Dry, despite the rain in this nonsensical place. ¡°Nature won¡¯t take them, Kain. They have to be dealt with before you can move on.¡± A bone weariness filled Kain as he grabbed the first of many corpses that he had made of his enemies. A sigh escaped him, and, throwing it over his back, he began to walk back to his little room with the firepit. He dumped the corpse in the firepit and moved for the next one. And the next. And the next. And the next¡­ Again time blurred on. One task bleeding into the other. Only the patience honed by years of harsh survival sustained him. He didn¡¯t even notice that the task was not so much a struggle any longer. His body had grown stronger, and so here in his soul, his perception of himself was stronger as well. It meant that soon, a pile lay in the fire pit, and he stared down at the bloody, stinking corpses. The smell was overwhelming. ¡°Take all that rage. All that anger. Feel it burn hot inside of you, Kain. Then take that hate, and will them to ignite.¡± The voice was soft, a caress, as he stared at them. That familiar anger welled up in him, a fountain of fire. Ready to burn him alive with it. It wasn¡¯t hard to direct it at the corpses of his shattered enemies. In mere moments, there was a fire roaring in the pit. It was like all the energy had gone out of him. Like some fuzzy static was overtaking his thoughts. All he could see, could hear was the fire, the faces of the dead¡­ ***********
*Flickering Pyrokinesis learned! Does Willpower+Intellect*Pyrokinesis damage! Possible Heat Generated: 450 Celsius! Area: 1 Meter*
*Congratulations! You have gained the skill, Craft: Construction!*
¡°Did you kill him? Did you really have to? He was no threat, even to you.¡± ¡°People are resources, too. And now he has one less. And I have one more.¡± ¡°Is that what I am? A resource?¡± ¡°No. You are not an enemy, and that is a very important thing. Also, I like you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You care about food, warmth, protection. And friends. But not for the purpose of gaining the other three. I have never seen that before.¡± ¡°You come from a really screwed up world.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your world. It¡¯s kind of awful. You know that?¡± ¡°Yes. It is very difficult to survive there. It is like many other places.¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± ¡°What did you get out of the man you killed, then?¡± ¡°Power.¡± Kain held up his hand and watched barely visible play of heat just over the tip of his fingers.
Name: Kain Race: Ardipithecus Level 16, 61%
Gender: Male Class: Primitive Shaman Level 17, 64%
LP: 10/10 PP: 6/6
SP: 10/10
Vigor: 6 Reflexes: 6 Fortitude 6 Charisma 2 Intellect 6 Cunning 2 Willpower 2 Perception 2 Luck 1
Status Effects: Elderly ¨C You are near the ultimate life span for your race. Even your mind is beginning to go. Your stats all decay by half for every further year of life. Hungry ¨C Your health and stamina regenerate at half the normal rate. Spirit-Ridden ¨C You have traded your shamanistic powers by allowing a powerful spirit to ride inside of you. In return you have gained new intrinsic abilities. Explore them to find out more!
Tier 1 Skills: Asthmatic General Fitness Level 6 You can''t even break into a run without hurting your own body. Still, you''re making an effort to rehabilitate your broken body. LP and SP multiplied by 1.06. Beginner Martial Arts Level 1 You have the inklings of how to turn your hands and feet into legitimate weapons. It''s tentative, but you''re now beginning to pay attention to how you punch, the way your body needs to move to bob and weave to dodge. Only practice can bring excellence. Takes longer to learn than scrapping, but is far more effective in the long run.+1 damage per level to unarmed attacks. +1% to unarmed attack and defense speed per level. Broken Soul Level 2 You have fought the demons that haunted your soul, and found some measure of peace and acceptance in the betrayal that rocked your world. Still, your soul is a broken place, and only plenty of hard work and effort can rebuild it. At least you run no risk of becoming a soulless monster. Stat cap is now 10. Childish Education Level 5 You lack the education even the most isolated child tends to have access to these days. It has begun to expand your mind in ways you''d never imagined. +5 to Intellect. Churlish Deportment Level 1 Etiquette wasn''t really a thing in the time you came from. Learning to fit in isn''t easy. You''re trying, though. +1 Charisma. Flickering Pyrokinesis Level 1 Use PP to create small fires. Can control or douse them with some effort. Does Willpower+Intellect*Pyrokinesis damage when used as an attack. Possible Heat Generated: 450 Celsius! Area: 1 Meter. Pitiful Asceticism Level 7 While you could barely be called an ascetic, you can generally get by on three fourths the food and water most people need daily. You still feel hunger and thirst, but they have no practical effect on you other than discomfort. Still affected by dehydration, starvation, malnutrition, and any other advanced effects. Pitiful Conditioning Level 5 Your battered, aged body has withered with time. By making a concerted effort to raise your exercise tolerance, you''ve found you have more energy and feel healthier. +5 to Fortitude. Pitiful Craft: Improvisation Level 3 You can make all sorts of things out of what you find just laying around. Too bad most of it is destined to be crap. 97% durability and function penalty to improvised items. Pitiful Craft: Construction Level 1 You know how to make lean-toes and fix buildings that have been broken. These fixes are generally little more than patches. Pitiful Critical Thinking Level 1 You had always been one of the deepest thinkers in your own time that you''d ever met. These modern people take it to a new level. +1 Cunning. Pitiful Body Hardening Level 1 Ever wonder how someone can punch walls and faces without injuring their body? That''s body-hardening. In addition to making you more capable of hitting things without hurting yourself, it also makes you more inured to injury. 1% reduction to pain and injury from punching things with your bare hands. Your skin is currently equivalent in protection to regular skin. Pitiful Hearing Level 2 Your hearing is going in your old age. People right next to you who don¡¯t speak clearly are likely to be missed. Pitiful Improvised Weapons Level 1 Chair-fu! You''re pretty good at using things to hurt people that weren''t originally designed as a weapon. And by pretty good, we mean you no longer take a real penalty for it. Pitiful Meditation Level 1 You have learned to calm your mind and consciously martial your will. Increases pool regeneration. Pitiful Pain Resistance Level 5 Every little physical inconvenience sends lances of pain through you. You keep going these days mostly by sheer stubbornness. Pitiful Sight Level 1 You¡¯re incredibly near-sighted. Maybe eat more carrots? Pitiful Smell Level 1 Your brand of upright apes never did have very keen senses of smell, but yours is kind of pitiful. Pitiful Stealth Level 1 You know that making lots of noise is likely to get you noticed so you try not to. You succeed. Mostly. Pitiful Strength Training Level 1 You''ve made a concerted effort to start increasing your strength. It''s begun to show some dividends! +1 to Vigor. Pitiful Taste Level 1 You can barely taste anything. Then again, you eat garbage, so maybe this is a blessing? Pitiful Touch Level 1 You can feel pain, pressure, heat, and cold, and that¡¯s about it. Better textures escape you. Wobbly Balance Level 9 You can barely hold yourself upright most of the time. The years and hardship have taken their toll. It will be a hard road getting back to normal.
Tier 2 Skills Weak Club Proficiency Level 1 You know to hold one end of the stick and keep swinging it until your enemy is dead or unconscious.
Tier 5 Skills: Competent Verbal Standard Level 3 You can communicate well in the standard spoken language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however. Competent Written Standard Level 2 You can read and write in the common written language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however.
Equipment: None
Arc 1.4 - Kain Awakens There was trouble, of course. Kain had killed an inmate. Beatings and brutalizations were common. The inmates with the longest stays acclimated the inmates to the consequences of killing their fellow inmates. In short: it sucked for everyone. The cleaning drones found the body, and eventually the place went into lockdown as the drones began to search for clues. What this meant was that while food and water were delivered to the inmates, no one was allowed out in the recreation areas. No one was allowed access to the exercise instructors, or the educational drones. No one could visit the library. In short, distraction was in short supply. And distraction was the tenuous thread that allowed the inmates to maintain their sanity. Indeed, anything new being introduced to the detention center was a novelty and heavily focused on. The most common new thing being fellow inmates. In that regard, Kain and Kres were both disappointments. Too old and too weak to really be threats. Even with Kain recovering from his malnutrition, his hunger, his thirst, he was still too small on the metaphorical totem pole to really be much of a threat to Kyxx or anyone. Still, with his recent exertions, a lot of the tremors that went through his body just from the effort of walking or staying upright had begun to fade. He still had that stooped posture. Kres had noticed, though. And if he thought it odd, well it was likely put down to whatever strange ability Kain seemed to have that had allowed Kres to grow in strength and toughness. Of course, Kres was worried he would lose his new friend. The ¡®bots ALWAYS found the culprits, after all. So one can imagine Kres¡¯ surprise when the ¡®bot showed up and questioned Kain in its monotone voice, ¡°Were you responsible for the death of the man in the bathroom? You were seen entering it and leaving shortly afterwards.¡± Kain¡¯s simple response was, ¡°No.¡± And of all things, the ¡®bot merely turned and left. Kres stared open-mouthed at Kain, but held his tongue until they were alone, ¡°You just lied to a warden¡­ and it believed you.¡± Kain shook his head, ¡°No. He asked if I was responsible. I answered him truthfully.¡± It was here that Kain¡¯s harsh world-view had saved him, of course. In Kain¡¯s head, the chief of a tribe was responsible for the lives and deaths of all of his people. Kain¡¯s answer had been no technicality or word-weaseling from his own standpoint. It was very firmly Kyxx¡¯s responsibility. Kyxx had decided to play dominance games with Kain, and Kain had seen much, much better players than Kyxx in his short life. ¡°Kyxx should be willing to pay the price for his decisions. It is his right to spend the lives of his tribe as he sees fit so that it may prosper. And it is my right to eliminate a threat to mine. To do that, I needed power. Now I have that power.¡± Kres¡¯ expression, as much as Kain could tell anyway, was rather sickly looking. ¡°Sleep. You will feel better when Kyxx¡¯s tribe no longer preys upon you.¡± As Kain closed his eyes to sleep, Kres could not help thinking to himself that his friend was an utter psychopath. Kres also found himself ashamed that he was happy that psychopath was his friend. *********** That barren plane again. Today it looked a little more inviting. The fire burned merrily in his firepit. No sign of the corpses stacked like cordwood inside of it. Add to that that there seemed to be NO visible fuel and that the flame was now blue, and one could correctly conclude that the evening¡¯s weirdness had ratcheted up another notch. Sitting with legs crossed, the see-through spirit of his one-time enemy was visible next to the fire. She opened her eyes as Kain approached her, a bittersweet expression on her face, ¡°Careful, Kain. The rules are different now, where you are. Your people no longer face extinction. Society at large no longer worries over that on most days. Emotions other than rage and the desire to survive now matter. Obligation is now the most powerful force. You got through on a technicality. This time.¡± Kain grunted in reply. Rolling her eyes, the white ape rose to her feet, her stick once more appearing in her hand as she leaned on it, "Fine. Fine. Today¡­ today you should make some mortar, the way I showed you. Gather bricks. I¡¯ll show you how and where to stack them until you get a feel for how to build things properly and then I¡¯ll let you get back to work. Then you¡¯ll use your new power to scour the walls of vines, moss, and other dead clinging things. Really, this stuff isn¡¯t very hard though. It¡¯s more about showing you have the patience to see it through. Our world, our time¡­ It only showed us how to break, how to destroy things. It was difficult. In this new one, it¡¯s all about building. Everything we build, it¡¯s kind of a bulwark against the chaos pressing in on us from the outer reaches of reality.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t win.¡± ¡°No, we won¡¯t. But before you ever came here, you knew one day it would all end in death. For you. For your tribe. For anyone and everyone you ever cared about. Even gods die, Kain. And neither one of us are gods.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t in me to stop. To give in.¡± ¡°Nor I. We¡¯re not creatures of grace, Kain.¡± ¡°Grace?¡± ¡°Grace. It means a lot of things. In this case, it means the wisdom to calmly accept what is and what must be.¡± ¡°Then no. I am not¡­ graceful.¡± ¡°No.¡± ***********
*Craft: Construction has leveled up +2! Pitiful Craft: Construction is now Level 3!*
*Flickering Pyrokinesis has leveled up +4! Flickering Pyrokinesis is now level 5!*
*Broken Soul has leveled up +2! Broken soul is now level 4!*
¡°Kres. What is grace?¡± ¡°A lot of things depending on who you ask. Among my people, grace is a trait that all know you possess. And when you possess, it shows people that you¡¯re something greater than the shell that holds your mind, your heart, your soul.¡± ¡°We are not graceful.¡± ¡°No, Kain, we¡¯re not.¡± ¡°But we could be.¡± Kres¡¯ head lifted at that, surprised. A small smile. A nod. With the night gone again, Kain had decided that today was the day he would join in the greater society of the detention center again. Unable to find a murderer, the center was on high alert, but despite this the wardens had released the prisoners out into the recreation yard. Kress passed through the soft blue, grassy yard with purpose in his steps. In one corner, a wide circle had been dug in the shallow earth, denoting a ring of sorts. In it happened the chief amusement of those with the credits to bet or talent to participate. The wardens ensured assiduously that those who entered it to fight were not coerced into doing so, and halted any and all fights before they could become deadly in nature. They were still quite blood, brutal, and painful. By the rules set by Kyxx himself, anyone who wished to fight could. Priority was given to those with the most talent and best records, of course. Kain stopped just before one of the men recording bets in his data tablet, and declared in a rasping voice,¡±I wish to fight.¡± This ignited a bark of laughter from the canid-faced organizer. Pale gold eyes crinkled as the corner as his wolfish muzzle cracked a smile. It was unusual to hear Kain speak up, and the request assured Reff that this strange primate had finally succumbed to dementia, ¡°Keep moving gramps. We may be prisoners, but no one here wants to see an old man get beat up.¡± A pause follows. ¡°Well. Maybe Kyxx, but probably not even him. Though only because it¡¯d be boring for him.¡± A round of nervous laughter follows Reff at the mention of Kyxx, and then the inmates turned back to their fights. Reff went back to his data tablet and continued to tap on it, only to realize that Kain had not in fact left, ¡°I wish to fight.¡± ¡°Look, monkey, I don¡¯t have anyone appropriate for you to fight. You¡¯d just get hurt.¡± Reff appeared plainly annoyed, clicking his black nails in an irritating staccato against the back of his tablet. ¡°And still, I wish to fight,¡± claimed Kain. Reff blew a sigh, and stepped aside, ¡°Fine. Whatever.¡± Kain forced himself to straighten up and walked proudly into the ring¡­ And was confronted by a six foot tall, octopedal insect with a golden carapace and four arms that ended in six stubby, club-like digits. Kain shuffled his feet and arms into a protective fighting stance and eyes his opponent, Krbkl. ********** ¡°You¡¯re being very stupid right now, you know.¡± Kain blinked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be helping me rebuild?¡± The spirt rolled its eyes,¡±You¡¯re not going to be here long enough for it to matter. ***********
*You have slept on a hard stone floor! 10% LP, PP, and SP restored!*
*Through sheer bloody-minded determination, you have managed to raise Body-Hardening! Pitiful Body-Hardening is now level 4!*
*You took a bad hit. To the face. +2 levels to Pain Resistance. Pitiful Pain resistance level 7!*
*You got a short but intense workout! +4 levels to Asthmatic General Fitness! Asthmatic General fitness 10! Rank up to Couch Potato Physical fitness!*
*You got into a real fight! Too bad it didn¡¯t last very long! Beginner Martial Arts level +2! Beginner Martial arts Level 3!*
Kain awakened in his cell and peeled the bandage off of his face, an annoyed expression on his face. ¡°What happened,¡± he demanded of Kres. ¡°You walked into the ring and got knocked out immediately.¡± ¡°That is less than ideal.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go see what they¡¯re serving from the food dispensers for lunch.¡± ¡°No. I must fight.¡± Kres stared again, once more slack-jawed as Kain rose to his feet and headed to the yard, with much the same results. *********** ¡°I¡¯d warn you against brain damage, Kain, but I think they can fix that now.¡± ¡°I do not need brains. I need muscle.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s good. Because that statement says you definitely lack at least one of these things.¡± ¡°So what will you teach me this ti-¡° ***********
*Yet again you have slept on solid stone. 10% LP, PP, and SP restored.*
¡°-me.¡± Kain looked around, irritated. Kres spoke up, ¡°That was impressive, dude. You actually went down even faster this time.¡± Kain growled, stood up, and marched back out to the yard. *********** ¡°¡­ This is getting irritating Kain.¡± ¡°Your face is irritating, harlot!¡± ¡°Mature.¡± *********** This became a sort of pattern over the next week or so. Kain would go sign up for a fight. He would get knocked out. Occasionally he would level a skill (combat made this happen surprisingly fast). He even ranked up a few. After a while, the residents of the detention center began to bet. Mostly on how long it would take until the foolish hominid would be laid out and carried away by the ever patient, ever attentive ¡®bots. While it did garner Kain some respect, most commented on how resilient he seemed to be, always returning after each bout seemingly healed and ready for another round. It was one more thing to break up the monotony of the day. Kain, however, noticed that as his skills leveled, his body, his mind, and how he felt grew more comfortable, more at ease than he¡¯d been in years. Indeed, his race had leveled more than once, and seemed stuck at twenty for some unknown reason. Yet every time he fought, and lost, he could feel an uneasy energy welling up in him. Growing more condensed and yet more frantic. As if his very self was vibrating inside of him. Finally, of course, one day it happened. He was fighting a humanoid creature. A Succhid, with its pebbly grey-green skin and its crocodile like teeth. It turned its head to gloat. It had been taking its time with Kain, drawing out the time it was spending on taking him out. Far longer than was required to finish the fight. Kain took the opportunity to try something his newly raised skill levels had told him should work. He turned, and while the Succhid was facing away, cocked his knee up, leg folded. Kick thus loaded, he launched it as hard as he could toward¡¯s the Succhid¡¯s cheek. Pain shot through Kain¡¯s leg as he heard a cracking sound. The Succhid, though, dropped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut, laying there in a heap, gurgling and twitching. The betting ring was completely silent. Kain took the moment to look at the prompt that had appeared, leg throbbing with pain.
*Conditions met for racial evolution. Proceed? Y/N*
Kain pressed the ¡®yes¡¯ button out of sheer curiosity and lack of caution brought on by the headiness of the whole ordeal and the energy that had been building in him SURGED, bubbling up out of him. Kain fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth as the ¡®bots descended. He lost consciousness, and he did not dream.
*Congratulations! You have become Australopithecus!*
*Congratulations! Elderly Status Effect Lost!*
*Skills granted!*
Name: Kain Race: Australopithecus, 0%
Gender: Male Class: Primitive Shaman Level 17, 64%
LP: 11/11 PP: 7/7
SP: 11/11
Vigor: 8 Reflexes: 8 Fortitude 8 Charisma 2 Intellect 6 Cunning 2 Willpower 2 Perception 2 Luck 1
Status Effects: Hungry ¨C Your health and stamina regenerate at half the normal rate. Spirit-Ridden ¨C You have traded your shamanistic powers by allowing a powerful spirit to ride inside of you. In return you have gained new intrinsic abilities. Explore them to find out more!
Tier 1 Skills: Beginner Martial Arts Level 8 You have the inklings of how to turn your hands and feet into legitimate weapons. It''s tentative, but you''re now beginning to pay attention to how you punch, the way your body needs to move to bob and weave to dodge. Only practice can bring excellence. Takes longer to learn than scrapping, but is far more effective in the long run. +1 damage per level to unarmed attacks. +1% to unarmed attack and defense speed per level. Broken Soul Level 4 You have fought the demons that haunted your soul, and found some measure of peace and acceptance in the betrayal that rocked your world. Still, your soul is a broken place, and only plenty of hard work and effort can rebuild it. At least you run no risk of becoming a soulless monster. Stat cap is now 10. Childish Education Level 5 You lack the education even the most isolated child tends to have access to these days. It has begun to expand your mind in ways you''d never imagined. +5 to Intellect. Churlish Deportment Level 1 Etiquette wasn''t really a thing in the time you came from. Learning to fit in isn''t easy. You''re trying, though. +1 Charisma. Flickering Pyrokinesis Level 5 Use PP to create small fires. Can control or douse them with some effort. Does Willpower+Intellect*Pyrokinesis damage when used as an attack. Possible Heat Generated: 490 Celsius! Area: 5 Meters. Pitiful Agility Training Level 7 You''ve been working on honing your reflexes. At least you''re no longer as slow as a turtle! Reflexes +7. Pitiful Asceticism Level 9 While you could barely be called an ascetic, you can generally get by on three fourths the food and water most people need daily. You still feel hunger and thirst, but they have no practical effect on you other than discomfort. Still affected by dehydration, starvation, malnutrition, and any other advanced effects. Pitiful Conditioning Level 7 Your battered, aged body has withered with time. By making a concerted effort to raise your exercise tolerance, you''ve found you have more energy and feel healthier. +7 to Fortitude. Pitiful Craft: Improvisation Level 3 You can make all sorts of things out of what you find just laying around. Too bad most of it is destined to be crap. 97% durability and function penalty to improvised items. Pitiful Craft: Construction Level 3 You know how to make lean-toes and fix buildings that have been broken. These fixes are generally little more than patches. Pitiful Critical Thinking Level 1 You had always been one of the deepest thinkers in your own time that you''d ever met. These modern people take it to a new level. +1 Cunning. Pitiful Body Hardening Level 4 Ever wonder how someone can punch walls and faces without injuring their body? That''s body-hardening. In addition to making you more capable of hitting things without hurting yourself, it also makes you more inured to injury. 4% reduction to pain and injury from punching things with your bare hands. Your skin is currently equivalent in protection to regular skin. Pitiful Improvised Weapons Level 1 Chair-fu! You''re pretty good at using things to hurt people that weren''t originally designed as a weapon. And by pretty good, we mean you no longer take a real penalty for it. Pitiful Meditation Level 1 You have learned to calm your mind and consciously martial your will. Increases pool regeneration. Pitiful Pain Resistance Level 7 Every little physical inconvenience sends lances of pain through you. You keep going these days mostly by sheer stubbornness. Pitiful Running Level 1 Prerequisite: Clumsy Balance and Couch Potato Fitness or better. You kind of totter along with more effort than real talent, or form. It''s a start. Current running speed: 6mph. Max distance without rest: 1km. Pitiful Stealth Level 1 You know that making lots of noise is likely to get you noticed so you try not to. You succeed. Mostly. Pitiful Strength Training Level 7 You''ve made a concerted effort to start increasing your strength. It''s begun to show some dividends! +7 to Vigor.
Tier 2 Skills Couch Potato Fitness Level 1 You are seriously out of shape. Some real effort and work out can definitely ameliorate this.. LP and SP multiplied by 1.10. Clumsy Balance Level 1 With your youth restored, you can stand straight without pain, though you''re still prone to tripping. Weak Club Proficiency Level 1 You know to hold one end of the stick and keep swinging it until your enemy is dead or unconscious. Weak Hearing Level 1 Your ears are pretty weak and miss a lot. Weak Sight Level 1 Your eyes are stronger and more apt to detail than most base animals, but it''s still pretty cruddy. Weak Smell Level 1 You suddenly realize you don''t smell very good. Increased sense of smell sucks. Weak Taste Level 1 OH GOD. GARBAGE IS AWFUL! AND SO ARE THESE RATIONS! Weak Touch Level 1 With your youth restored, sensations are suddenly more sharp. You understand textures with more depth than you did before.
Tier 5 Skills: Competent Verbal Standard Level 3 You can communicate well in the standard spoken language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however. Competent Written Standard Level 2 You can read and write in the common written language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however.
Equipment: None
Arc 1.5 - Kain Awakens Ironically, the pain of his head hitting the ground was NOT in fact the first thing Kain noticed. No. The first thing that Kain noticed was that the cumulative aches and pains he¡¯d picked up over the years from the act of just surviving, the constant background noise of his existence, was gone. Then he noticed the pale, frosty blue light that surrounded everything. THEN he noticed the pain in the back of his heads, ¡°BY THE TITS OF THE MOTHER!¡± He¡¯d never felt the urge to swear before. Really, the concept was unknown among his people. It had no utility, no benefit to survival. Australopithecus, though, was different. The time spent getting to adulthood, while shorter by quite a bit than its more modern descendants, was much longer than its predecessors. This meant that they tended to develop with more socialization than previously. This did not mean much to Kain, really. He didn¡¯t understand what it meant to literally ¡®evolve¡¯. That being said, there were a few major changes to his life. For example, walking upright constantly, as he was encouraged to, was no longer so painful. His thoughts were more and more prone to abstraction. He now found himself wondering about the oddest abstractions, like, what was the sky made of, and what the hell WERE the blue boxes anyway? Also, he now had the urge to utter swear words when he was irritated. It probably would¡¯ve been fun under a more normal situation. Nothing about Kain¡¯s life was normal, though. Like that damned blue light. ¡°Congratulations on your new evolution, Kain.¡± Evolution? ¡°Huh?¡± The voice seemed to sigh audibly. ¡°It means¡­ well, for your purposes it means that you are now something greater than you were before. It¡¯s still pretty primitive, but there are benefits for evolving or ranking up your class. Like gaining a perk.¡± He understood the word, but he got the distinct feeling that he didn¡¯t really understand the word in the manner it meant it. So he focused on the direction he¡¯d THOUGHT the voice was coming from, ¡°Who are you? What are you?¡± The voice, and it was feminine now he was sure, ¡°I am Pragati. The Spirit you called for. You¡¯re not ready yet to understand what¡¯s going on. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll make you ready, if you survive.¡± It was sultry and welcoming. It made his blood pound. And because of that¡­ he¡¯d instantly distrusted it. ¡°Then be done with me, spirit.¡± He got the distinct sensation of amusement on the spirit¡¯s part. Even so, a set of blue boxes popped up.
*Impatient Youth: Congratulations! You gain 25% bonus experience gain!
*Energy Resistance (Type): Whatever the reason, you now take 10% less damage from a given energy type!
*Well of Inner Strength: Double your Psi Points, making it even easier to use your abilities!
*Mirror Mind: Chance of reflecting Psi-based attacks when successfully defended against. Chance on successful defense is equal to your willpower score.
*Iron Stomach: You¡¯ve eaten garbage before. Now you don¡¯t have worry about picking up diseases or upset stomachs from food you find just laying around.
*No Future, No Past: You¡¯re a literal hole in the world when someone tries to view you through abilities that see the future or the past, such as Psychometry.
*I Was Never There: Provided you commit your crimes out of the view of cameras, and unobserved, you leave behind no evidence of your presence other than the body.
*Liar¡¯s Smile: You have no microexpressions. Some people and most animals find you creepy since your body language can even say things different from what you¡¯re verbally expressing.
Truth be told, Kain didn¡¯t even know one COULD leave behind evidence if no one saw you do it. Sure, there was scent, and tracks, but in this land¡­ And of course, it occurred to him, suddenly, that there was no reason the odd robots couldn¡¯t track his scent. Why, right this moment¡­ Impulsively, he picked ¡®I Was Never There¡¯. The blue light began to fade, the voice, laughing, chased him, ¡°A metaphor for your entire species, Kain. You don¡¯t get it. But you will¡­¡± *********** When Kain awoke, he felt an indescribable melancholy. He hadn¡¯t quite remembered everything, but there in his status screen, he saw the perk. Figuring it had something to do with his change of ¡®Race¡¯, he rolled over and saw his friend Kres, there. Unexpectedly, he felt a new spark of warmth. A sort of sense of¡­ relief at seeing the Murinus. ¡°You gave us all quite a start, Kain. The medi-bots didn¡¯t really seem to understand what was wrong with you. Then you started to change, and¡­ Well, you should¡¯ve told your intake officer your species had a larval form. That¡¯s kind of strange for a mammalian. They were going to do compassionate disintegration if you didn¡¯t start getting better. I know. It doesn¡¯t sound very compassionate, but¡­ if you¡¯d seen the way your flesh was melting and warping, you would¡¯ve thought so too.¡± Kain took a moment to pass the words through his head before nodding. ¡°I suppose it would¡¯ve been compassionate if such were true. However, compassion is not a thing I find overly needful, or useful. Without life, there is no hope. As long as there is some in me, there is a chance I may move forward. Tell me, Kres. Your people¡­ They are excellent scavengers, yes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true. We prefer worst-case-scenario survival experts, but yeah. Why? What do you need?¡± ¡°Cloth. Soft cloth. And padding.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°We are going to make this place a true home. If I cannot adorn it with the skins and furs of my kills, then I will certainly make it a place worthy of my tribe¡¯s comfort and station, at least.¡± ¡°We have station?¡± ¡°We do. And it will be the only tribe here, given time. I feel¡­ better. Renewed. Strong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because you are. You haven¡¯t seen yourself, have you?¡± ¡°I¡­ no. I have not.¡± ¡°Go to the toilets. Take a look.¡± Rising, Kain did exactly that, padding down the hall while a number of inmates watched him with a sort of distant and uneasy expression. Kain of course did not let it bother him. He would prefer such looks from potential foes, after all. It meant they feared him. Respected him. Still, he was in for a shock when he arrived in the bathrooms. It took a moment of fumbling to get one of the wall panels to show him a reflective surface. The sight that greeted him was unsettling. Gone were the deep-carved lines that time had dragged through his flesh. The milky whiteness that had begun to embed itself in his elderly eyes had receded, leaving them a clear, healthy dark brown. His fur was lacking the white and silver streaks that had become increasingly present, a dark black covering his entire body but for his face and ears. Even the amount had changed, as it had become patchy with time. Now it was full, silky, luxurious, even. The most startling changes were not his restored youth, however. It was in how his pain was completely gone. In how his back stayed upright, with a straightened posture he¡¯d never possessed in his previous life. His fingers were more slender and articulate. His face more expressive. The limbs were longer, and he was nearly a foot taller (which still placed him among the more diminutive members of this detention center). The shape was familiar, of course. Still like the chimpanzees that modern humans so commonly laughed and clapped about, but somehow more intelligent. Against his better judgement, Kain found himself smiling. If he were among his tribe, the tooth expression would¡¯ve been considered a threat. An invitation to fight and probably to die. No, in this case, the hominid was feeling genuinely¡­ happy, and he was expressing it. Which still made the Frekkid in the bathroom behind him, yet another of the blue-skinned, red-haired humanoid species which Grenne had belonged to, cringe from discomfort. The Frekkid turned and walked out, having decided that creepy smiling apes were best not to be alone in the bathrooms with. Kain ignored this, of course. He cared only for himself and Kres. And to this end, it was time to get back to business. He stomped out to the recreation yard, and with an imperious (and far less quavering voice than once before) demanded to be allowed to fight. Kain was determined that with his youth returned, he would make the best use of this that he could. ¡°You sure? We only got Frekkid signed up today- Oh, who am I kidding. You¡¯re crazy. Of course you¡¯re sure. Fine, fine.¡± Few people were willing to fight Frekkid. They weren¡¯t in and of themselves particularly difficult to best combatants. Still, fighting them bare-handed was an invitation to burning one¡¯s fingers to the bone. Only Frekkid tended to fight other Frekkid. Kain was of course happy to fight the Frekkid. He knew with sufficient sleep, he would of course heal, but now that he was in a place where he could begin to understand and think about his challenges properly, Kain had begun to understand what he needed to properly exploit his new abilities, ¡°We can use any ability that comes naturally to us, yes?¡± The organizer merely nodded, ¡°Provided it doesn¡¯t come from implants, tech, or gene-tampering, yeah. Just remember, no killing. No brain damage if you can avoid it. When someone surrenders, you stop. If you call the Wardens down on us, then we¡¯ll find ways to make you regret it.¡± It soon enough came time for Kain to fight, and he entered the ring. It seemed as of late that he was doing many new things, changing the way he had always done things. It was necessary to survive. That was why he was shaman, after all. Not just to know the traditions and ways of the spirits, but to show his tribe the way forward when their Chieftain could not see a path forward with their old knowledge. He had always fought the way his people had fought. With a flurry of strength and violence, with the hope to overwhelm his enemies. That would not work, he now realized. Not yet. He wasn¡¯t strong enough, and though the Frekkid were as close to his physique as any in this place were, he was still weak from years of hardship. So today, he would fight carefully. Martial his strength. Try new tricks. Kain changed his stance, though the significance was lost on his opponent. This Frekkid was muscular with plenty of time spent working out. Some experience fighting, but a hapless brawler to Kain¡¯s now practiced eye. Kain¡¯s stance was meant to be a closed, defensive posture. The Frekkid¡¯s was wide open, perhaps intending on relying entirely on his punishing blows and toughness to carry him through the fight. And why not? It had worked well enough for him in the past. Kain had been beaten to the ground many times before. Much like his tactics, however, Kain was new again.
*Pitiful Examination learned!*
¡°Jeeze, dude. You¡¯re puttin¡¯ me up against the monkey-man? He¡¯s practically ancient. Tell you what, Monkey-man. I¡¯ll make this quick so you can go back to eating apple sauce or whatever it is you do when you¡¯re not getting your teeth kicked in.¡± Kain smiled again and this one was about as reassuring as it had been back in the bathroom. ¡°I am Kain, young man. Shaman¡­ no, Chieftain of the Stone Halls Tribe. Kres is my second. Make a good accounting of yourself, and you are welcome to join as one of my warriors.¡± The Frekkid laughed, and said, ¡°I¡¯m Gresten, monkey-man. And I ain¡¯t nobody¡¯s bitch.¡± Kain grinned even wider, causing the Frekkid to involuntarily take a step back, ¡°That is untrue. You are Kyxx¡¯s. And soon, you will be mine.¡± Gresten rushed forward with a shout of anger, his fist winding far back in a vicious haymaker designed to lay Kain flat. Before, Kain would¡¯ve been hard-pressed to avoid the blow. Focusing now, though, Kain ignited fire around his hands, red flame flowing around his hands and fingers. He concentrated on defending himself as he lifted both hands up in a cross shape and turned to the side, taking Gresten¡¯s forearm on his crossed arms and shoving it away. Then with a certain efficient brutality, he pivoted around again and used the opening created to slam his burning palm against Gresten¡¯s face. The man howled and stumbled back, clutching at the singed, dark blue mark in the shape of a hand rising on his face.
*Novice Burning Palm Learned!*
*Damage 13*8=104! Due to the nature of the fight, your opponent¡¯s LP are reduced to 1 instead of 0!*
*Primitive Shaman, +1 Level! Australopithecus, +1 Level!*
For once, the betting ring was silent. One could¡¯ve heard a pin drop. And then, as Gresten began swearing and probing at his face, the whispering began. ¡°The fucking ape is a psion. A psion!¡± ¡°How¡¯d he get past the screeners?!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Pyroclast! Shit. It must¡¯ve been latent!¡± Kain tensed, expecting the wardens to intervene. To show up and take him away again, but they stirred not at all, their red eyes sweeping back and forth as if nothing at all had changed. Kain looked at Gresten who had collapsed now onto his side and then out at the crowd which edged back from him. Then he walked over towards the collapsed Gresten, crouched down, and murmured, ¡°You will join my tribe now?¡± Gresten spat and responded, ¡°Screw you. Nobody cross Kyxx. Not even a fucking psion. Everyone knows his people are immune to those tricks anyway.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I doubt that is true.¡± ¡°Fine. Have it your way.¡± Kain kicked Gresten in the face. Broken teeth and sizzling blood spattered the ground as the Frekkid lost consciousness. Then he turned and walked towards his cell, a distant expression on his face. *********** ¡°Are you aware of what transpires outside this place.¡± ¡°I am aware of everything you know, Kain.¡± ¡°Then you know it is only a matter of time before Kyxx decides to put down the growing threat to his Tribe.¡± ¡°They¡¯re called a gang, Kain. Not a tribe.¡± ¡°It is the same thing, really.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an important difference.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Gangs prey on each other as much as they do other tribes.¡± ¡°I think this gang is not a good thing.¡± ¡°Neither are you, Kain.¡± ¡°True. This gang is also a stupid thing.¡± ¡°Equally true, Kain.¡± ¡°I will break them.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°THEN WHY DO YOU INSIST ON ME DOING NOTHING BUT BUILDING THINGS!? HOW CAN THIS POSSIBLY HELP ME DO WHAT I NEED TO DO!?¡± ¡°Just do it, Kain.¡± Kain grumbled as he went back to mixing mortar and stacking bricks. Structures had begun to arise as Kain worked. First slowly, and then more quickly as time went by. None of them were graceful structures. Squat buildings. Made of brick and stone. Thick walled, utilitarian. Missing any windows, any doors. Open. Then again, with his soul clear of invaders, and him and the white ape as its only inhabitants, what need had he for doors. For a means to keep people out. Only Kain and the dead lived here. Perhaps their quality reflected Kain¡¯s skill. More likely, they reflected his character. Of greater interest was the way the structure he daily repaired grew up around the great stone, ever higher in the sky. Reaching ever further into the sky. No matter how long he worked on it, it seemed to grow ever taller. It took longer and longer, as well, as he had to drag the mortar and the bricks further up. By now, he had a village of the smaller structures, but the tower springing up had begun to grow truly massive in scope. In time, though, the spire was finished. The inside of it had many levels, each with a simple staircase. Each level a room on its own. Sitting there, atop the finished spire, he could not help but note how from up at the top, the barrenness of the land was striking in its own way. As ever, the white ape was next to him, ¡°So what next, woman?¡± The white ape laughed a little bit. ¡°Now? Now we dig.¡± ¡°What?¡± ***********
*Pitiful Craft: Construction has gained +2 Levels! Pitiful Craft: Construction is Level 5!
*Broken Soul has gained +2 Levels! Broken Soul is Level 6!*
*Pitiful Asceticism has gained a level! Pitificul Asceticism has ranked up and become Weak Asceticism!*
*You have unlocked Soul Dungeon Level 1!*
*You have received the quest: Stronger Than All!*
*You have received quest: Stop the Hordeling Incursion!*
¡°Kain, wake up! I found something!¡± ¡°Kres. This had better be good.¡± ¡°It¡¯s trouble, Kain. Big trouble.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Kain lifted to his feet. He hadn¡¯t received any notice. Hadn¡¯t slept long enough for it, it seems, to receive any healing from his rest. His PP were still depleted from that single use, but the knowledge of how to use the technique again simmered in the back of his mind like all his other skills did. Using it had felt a roaring fire inside of him. And unlike the anger he used to kindle his pyrokinesis, it was clean and direct. It was a fire that scoured his mind of distractions rather than one that urged him to destroy everything around him. Following the Murinus, he skittered down the hall, towards the commissary, Kain looked around. It was a room with more of the grey cubicles. Somewhat like the bathrooms. Except in each was a cylinder with a terminal. Using that terminal, one could see one¡¯s institutional resource credits and the admittedly small list of comforts one could use them to dispense. Kres led his way to one cubicle and pointed with one of his many limbs. Therein lay a hole. Barely big enough for the Murinus to squeeze through, ¡°Push it. The cubicle should move pretty easily with some effort. They¡¯re designed to be reconfigured as needed.¡± Kain put his back to the cubicle and found it did indeed move aside with some genuine effort. Kain looked in surprise at the gaping hole he found beneath it. ¡°Is this¡­ an escape? Or some sort of trap?¡± Kres fretted for a moment before answering, ¡°No. It¡¯s¡­ something worse. Something that shouldn''t be here. Something that makes no sense.¡± Kain merely looked at the prompt floating before him curiously.
*You have found dungeon: Hordeling Nest*
Name: Kain Race: Australopithecus Level 2, 35%
Gender: Male Class: Primitive Shaman Level 18, 71%
LP: 31/31 PP: 1/11
SP: 31/31
Vigor: 8 Reflexes: 8 Fortitude 8 Charisma 2 Intellect 6 Cunning 2 Willpower 2 Perception 2 Luck 1
Status Effects: Hungry ¨C Your health and stamina regenerate at half the normal rate. Spirit-Ridden ¨C You have traded your shamanistic powers by allowing a powerful spirit to ride inside of you. In return you have gained new intrinsic abilities. Explore them to find out more!
Tier 1 Skills: Beginner Martial Arts Level 8 You have the inklings of how to turn your hands and feet into legitimate weapons. It''s tentative, but you''re now beginning to pay attention to how you punch, the way your body needs to move to bob and weave to dodge. Only practice can bring excellence. Takes longer to learn than scrapping, but is far more effective in the long run. +1 damage per level to unarmed attacks. +1% to unarmed attack and defense speed per level. Broken Soul Level 6 You have fought the demons that haunted your soul, and found some measure of peace and acceptance in the betrayal that rocked your world. Still, your soul is a broken place, and only plenty of hard work and effort can rebuild it. At least you run no risk of becoming a soulless monster. Stat cap is now 10. Childish Education Level 5 You lack the education even the most isolated child tends to have access to these days. It has begun to expand your mind in ways you''d never imagined. +5 to Intellect. Churlish Deportment Level 1 Etiquette wasn''t really a thing in the time you came from. Learning to fit in isn''t easy. You''re trying, though. +1 Charisma. Flickering Pyrokinesis Level 5 Use PP to create small fires. Can control or douse them with some effort. Does Willpower+Intellect*Pyrokinesis damage when used as an attack. Possible Heat Generated: 490 Celsius! Area: 5 Meters. Novice Burning Palm Level 1 A martial arts technique combining your Pyrokinesis and your skill in fighting. Adds a five damage to your strength-based physical attack and changes damage type to Fire. Cost: 10 PP Pitiful Agility Training Level 7 You''ve been working on honing your reflexes. At least you''re no longer as slow as a turtle! Reflexes +7. Pitiful Conditioning Level 7 Your battered, aged body has withered with time. By making a concerted effort to raise your exercise tolerance, you''ve found you have more energy and feel healthier. +7 to Fortitude. Pitiful Craft: Improvisation Level 3 You can make all sorts of things out of what you find just laying around. Too bad most of it is destined to be crap. 97% durability and function penalty to improvised items. Pitiful Craft: Construction Level 5 You know how to make lean-toes and fix buildings that have been broken. These fixes are generally little more than patches. Pitiful Critical Thinking Level 1 You had always been one of the deepest thinkers in your own time that you''d ever met. These modern people take it to a new level. +1 Cunning. Pitiful Body Hardening Level 4 Ever wonder how someone can punch walls and faces without injuring their body? That''s body-hardening. In addition to making you more capable of hitting things without hurting yourself, it also makes you more inured to injury. 4% reduction to pain and injury from punching things with your bare hands. Your skin is currently equivalent in protection to regular skin. Pitiful Examination Level 1 By examining things carefully, you can gain some useful insights about them. Shows a short description. Pitiful Improvised Weapons Level 1 Chair-fu! You''re pretty good at using things to hurt people that weren''t originally designed as a weapon. And by pretty good, we mean you no longer take a real penalty for it. Pitiful Meditation Level 1 You have learned to calm your mind and consciously martial your will. Increases pool regeneration. Pitiful Pain Resistance Level 7 Every little physical inconvenience sends lances of pain through you. You keep going these days mostly by sheer stubbornness. Pitiful Running Level 1 Prerequisite: Clumsy Balance and Couch Potato Fitness or better. You kind of totter along with more effort than real talent, or form. It''s a start. Current running speed: 6mph. Max distance without rest: 1km. Pitiful Stealth Level 1 You know that making lots of noise is likely to get you noticed so you try not to. You succeed. Mostly. Pitiful Strength Training Level 7 You''ve made a concerted effort to start increasing your strength. It''s begun to show some dividends! +7 to Vigor.
Tier 2 Skills Couch Potato Fitness Level 1 You are seriously out of shape. Some real effort and work out can definitely ameliorate this.. LP and SP multiplied by 1.10. Clumsy Balance Level 1 With your youth restored, you can stand straight without pain, though you''re still prone to tripping. Weak Asceticism Level 1 While you could barely be called an ascetic, you''ve made greater strides in this area, whether by choice or necessity. You can survive on half the food and water most people need, and you feel no discomfort from hunger or thirst whatsoever as they''ve become background noise to your life. Higher level status effects still cause you issues. Weak Club Proficiency Level 1 You know to hold one end of the stick and keep swinging it until your enemy is dead or unconscious. Weak Hearing Level 1 Your ears are pretty weak and miss a lot. Weak Sight Level 1 Your eyes are stronger and more apt to detail than most base animals, but it''s still pretty cruddy. Weak Smell Level 1 You suddenly realize you don''t smell very good. Increased sense of smell sucks. Weak Taste Level 1 OH GOD. GARBAGE IS AWFUL! AND SO ARE THESE RATIONS! Weak Touch Level 1 With your youth restored, sensations are suddenly more sharp. You understand textures with more depth than you did before.
Tier 5 Skills: Competent Verbal Standard Level 3 You can communicate well in the standard spoken language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however. Competent Written Standard Level 2 You can read and write in the common written language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however.
Equipment: None
Perks: I Was Never There
Arc 1.6 - Kain Awakens Dungeons. Kain lacked the historical or cultural context to understand the word beyond is dictionary-specific meaning. As he understood it, a place where one interred prisoners to keep them from roaming free and not infrequently as a punitive measure. It didn¡¯t sound all that different from his present state of affairs in the detention facility. Through his education, he understood the concept of the Horde in a slightly more meaningful manner. A threat that had face all of society on an intergalactic level. Creatures so rapacious and violent that galactic society¡¯s only answer ended up being to exterminate them where they could and push them to the dark void between galaxies where they couldn¡¯t. To a modern person, their scale and scope would make for a terrifying thing to contemplate. Landing on planet after planet. Expanding quietly. Then rising up, and consuming all organic matter and any resources of value before taking to the stars and repeating it. Easy enough to fight in their own right. The problem was their method of expansion. Their breeders merely fired clouds of microscopic ¡®seeds¡¯ into space. Occasionally some would lodge on a ship and carry them down to the local planet. Of course, this wasn¡¯t an easy occurrence. In fact, it was downright rare. There were plenty of regulations that allowed for the scanning, sterilization, and if necessary, quarantine of ships. Few such ¡®seeds¡¯ actually ever made it through a local spaceport. It¡¯s why all incoming ships and travelers had to make it through the spaceport in the inhabited worlds. To make sure proper procedures were followed. So that no such ¡®swarm¡¯ infestation was ever allowed to gain a hold. This is only really effective though when you actually go through the spaceport. As Kain¡¯s arrival had bypassed the whole process, however, Kain had been examined for traces of parasitic Horde infestation and then passed through the system. The vessel for his arrival however, was not. The seeds landed upon rich soil, and as seeds ever do in such situations¡­ They grew. Budding, growing, digging. They buried themselves deeply in the soil until a breeder had spawned. Soon it had acquired enough space and Hordelings to begin constructing a full nest beneath the city at large. Normally, they would continue to build and expand as quietly as possible until they felt ready to begin an assault on the city. Instead, they were moving slower, more circumspect. And as with many odd happenings lately, Kain was the cause. Even if Galactic Society was unaware at large of Kain or his connections to the now-extinct humans, the Hordelings and their breeder could sense the DNA and energies of their hated foe. The ancestor of the humans was not strictly speaking human, of course, but he was certainly related to them and the psychic stench was unmistakable. It was imprinted on them at the deepest level: Be wary, observe, and if possible absorb. Unlike many sentient beings, Hordelings did not automatically hurl all their resources downwind to destroy a dangerous foe. First they would try to incorporate it into the Horde and partake of its strength. In this case, Kain, with his psychically active brain provided a tempting chance at something the Horde did not possess. Psionics. Of course, humans were not the only race to possess the ability to psionically manipulate the world around them. Humans were the least genetically complex creatures to possess that ability, though. Most races that possessed it were so advanced that their DNA and anatomical complexity defined the Horde¡¯s methods of reverse engineering. Of course, that didn¡¯t stop them from trying wherever possible. Which is why Kain, Kres, and the Hordeling were now all staring at each other with whatever approximated surprise for each of their peoples. For Kres, it involved skittering from side to side nervously. For Kain, it was a very rapid series of blinks. For the Hordeling? An overwhelmingly putrid stench filled the air. Kain felt a moment of fear. This wasn¡¯t unnatural, of course, even if he didn¡¯t know the cultural history and background of them in regards to society. The Hordeling was a black, shiny color on its armor plates. If it were able to move fully upright in the tunnel, it would easily reach seven feet tall with its legs at extension. It had twelve of the things, spindly creations with asymmetrical numbers of joints, as adept at moving close to the ground as it was upright. The hide beneath its armor plates was a greyish color, bristling with sharp spines and spikes. Each limb was tipped by a blade, a sharpened scoop, or a spike of some sort, and once again, here, the compliment was asymmetrical. Worst of all was the blister at the head of the beast, in which seemed to float some sort of viscous liquid. Its maw was only slightly less terrifying, like some kind of constantly grasping lamprey¡¯s mouth. This Hordeling was for the sole purpose of digging. To Kres and Kain, it looked like a nightmare covered in weapons for the sole purpose of murdering any and every thing it came across. The Hordeling¡¯s first instinct was to flee and alert its node of the intruder. Kain¡¯s internal reaction had a long history with human kind and its ancestors: Kill it with fire! There was no way Kain was going to touch the damned thing with his bare hands, so almost reflexively, he focused his will and poured his PP and rage into his pyrokinetic abilities, hand extended towards the Hordeling. The little blister atop its head, filled with fluid, began to tremble, and a moment later, the air around the creature ignited and exploded, sending bits and pieces of armor and hide raining down. Kain sat there, blinking for a moment before examining the prompts that shot his way.
*Primitive Shaman Level +1! Primitive Shaman is now Level 19!*
*Flickering Pyrokinesis Level +1! Flickering Pyrokinesis is Level 6!*
He didn¡¯t have much time to worry about that as the tide soon came. The Horde was unprepared for this incursion, but it was by very dint of its nature, quick to respond. Workers were pulled from their digging as the breeder deep in the nest sensed the death of one of its workers and directed to the tunnel where it had died. Kain rushed forward, finding a flat place on one of the enemy¡¯s armored pads and slapped it with the flat of his hand as his legs swept forward in circular motions, covering each inch of ground. ¡°Burning palm.¡± The creature¡¯s body lit up, its sensory blister popping and spraying fluids as bright lights flashed from inside it, and then collapses, smoking. Somewhere behind him, he was aware of a terrified, high-pitched shriek in a language he didn¡¯t understand. Aware of his friend, his tribemate, Kres running over one of the creatures and wildly tearing and scratching with all six of his limbs at the relatively soft head of the creature beneath him. Then he was moving, desperately trying to avoid flashing, scything limbs and stabbing spikes. A wave of desperate Hordeling workers rushed forward. They had many natural advantages, with their weapons, armor plates, and natural speed. Kain, however, had actual talent fighting, however small it might¡¯ve been. So he dodged, and slapped weapon after weapon aside. Punching, kicking, and throwing fire where he could to burn them to smoking, empty husks. Every so often, one would go down, and he would feel a surge of strength and a renewed sense of energy and health. As he fought, he could feel his steps growing more sure, his strikes growing stronger, and more precise. He somehow knew his brother was feeling the exact same thing. Perhaps even more rapidly than his own self. The little Murinus, though weak, seemed only to be getting stronger as the minutes ticked by like hours. Impossible strength, more than his small form should be able to hold. As the bodies piled up, the press began to grow difficult to move in. The hits came more and more frequently, and the kills less so. The appearance of the creatures began to change. More and more blades, more armor plates, less flammable. Finally, ever practical, Kain yelled to Kres, who was desperately flailing around in the ruins of a Hordeling¡¯s sensory blister, ¡°We must flee. The wardens will deal with this infestation. And if not¡­ there is safety in numbers.¡± Kres did not need to be told twice, and fled back towards the entrance to the ¡®Dungeon¡¯ with his friend, the Hordelings in close pursuit. He bolted up through the hole, pushing the grey cubicle back over it and waited to see it move. It never did. *********** He didn¡¯t know where the white ape had gotten a shovel, but he did NOT appreciate it. Oh, sure, when he was still living in a cave with his tribe, he would¡¯ve killed for one. Literally, he would¡¯ve murdered and then robbed someone for one of these tools. Now it was the source of his torment. Still, he didn¡¯t stop digging. He had been next to the glowing blue fire pit digging for what seemed like hours. He hadn¡¯t gotten very far down, but it gave him time to talk to her. ¡°I don¡¯t understand this ¡®dungeon¡¯ thing. Why did the creatures I fought fail to follow me out? Why did the wardens fail to hear our battle down there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ based on the concept of a ritual battle ground. The things you saw in there are real, but your spirit sponsor¡­ When you enter a dungeon, it¡¯s like you¡¯re invoking the spirits to witness your test of might and courage. And because they like these contests, and they depend on all these bizarre rules and regulations, when you¡¯re in an area declared as a dungeon, with allies, the spirits don¡¯t allow anyone to interfere. There¡¯s a grace period after you leave, to keep them from retaliating while you¡¯re weakened. If you keep going in until it¡¯s cleared? That grace period won¡¯t expire. And if you beat the leader in there, you¡¯ll get a¡­ sort of prize or trophy as a reward for your bravery.¡± ¡°A ritual. I understand this, the importance of rituals. Spirits, they are obsessed with their rules, their parameters. They embody concepts. And they follow them¡­ strictly. When I blessed my tribe on a hunt, I called upon spirits of the hunt. When I blessed them for war, I called upon spirits of strength and toughness. So often, I called upon the spirits of good luck. For nearly everything, in fact.¡± ¡°They always answer, you know. That¡¯s the funny thing. Or, they did. Until you became spirit-ridden. You¡¯ve been¡­ claimed. By a spirit of Progress. That¡¯s why the other spirits have stopped answering you by the way. This spirit is relatively new, though. So it gives you a method to prove yourself. And by proving yourself, it blesses you with increased¡­ well¡­ everything. The more you challenge yourself, the better you¡¯ll get.¡± His hands were actually beginning to get sore. It was a dream. Inside his soul. And his hands were beginning to get sore. How does that even work? ¡°You¡¯re wondering about why your hands hurt like that when nothing¡¯s attacking you? This is all metaphorical of course. A representation if you will. That pain in your hands represents the spiritual effort involved in rebuilding your soul. That ache is the ache of your self will as it stitches the broken and torn parts of you together.¡± ¡°Does it have to hurt, though?¡± ¡°Yes, Kain. It does. That¡¯s the point. Life hurts. Growth hurts. Healing hurts. It all hurts. That pain is important, though. You can either complain about it and focus on how awful things are or you can keep moving working and maybe be whole one day. Possibly, one day, you¡¯ll be strong enough.¡± ¡°Strong enough for what?¡± ¡°For anything, Kain.¡± *********** ¡°I have made an error, my brother.¡± Kres stirred from where he curled up in the corner, long, hairless tail rasping along the ground in pleasure over the appellation. He looked larger. The size of a large dog in fact. His talons had grown sharper on each of his legs, and his body, while still too lean by far, was sleek and more well-muscled. Even his teeth seemed sharper, straighter. His fur was now a uniform, silken black. All in all, he looked better, ¡°An error? And what kind of error did you make?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I have been treating Kyxx like he matters.¡± ¡°He¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°Yes. But we can be stronger.¡± ¡°Kain, you¡¯re obsessed with being strong.¡± ¡°Strength is power. Power is freedom.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not free, though. We¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re not strong. Yet.¡± ¡°Kyxx is still a problem.¡± ¡°He will be made to join us. Or he will die.¡± ¡°Okay. But what THEN, Kain? I still don¡¯t get why you need all this¡­ power.¡± ¡°Because there is a greater enemy here than Kyxx. It is the beasts down there in the dungeon.¡± Kres subsided at this, thankfully. Kain tried not to think of the white ape¡¯s words to him, once upon a time: ¡°Stop lying to yourself Kain.¡± He grunted, and stood up, striding out to the recreation area. He looked up at the sky. The strange grass. He closed his eyes, and held his arms out. Took a deep breath. He felt the stirring of the cool wind as it blew against his fur. The strange, now-scentless tang of ozone, courtesy of the atmospheric scrubbers. Nothing smelled for long in this place. Not like in the tunnels. None of the smells of old smoke, and meat. Of the bodies of his tribesmen. Of the familiar scent of rain-laden clouds. He opened his eyes. The sky burned a reddish shade. Or was it a hologram? It was hard to tell in this place. The reddish hue was not even the color of the sunset he¡¯d been fond of watching before his tribe was betrayed. There had certainly not been three stars. And one of them should certainly not have been that strange, burning blue color. No. None of this made sense. He couldn¡¯t begin to understand how he could be here, so far from his own planet, his own time. However, he knew that whether or not the universe deserved him an explanation, it was NOT going to offer it to him. He had asked the world¡­ the universe ¡®WHY¡¯ many times in his life, and it had never seen fit to answer. The only answers he¡¯d ever found where shaky ¡®maybe¡¯s and suppositions. He seemed to live his life lately reeling from one conclusion and plan of action to the next. He had also lied to his brother. Kyxx DIDN¡¯T matter. Not in the grand scheme of things. What mattered was his tribe. Of which Kres was the only member now. He was chief now. And that came with certain responsibilities. Namely, looking out for the well-being of his tribesmates. He had put Kres in a situation where he had nearly died and given no thought to protecting him. Yes, Kres had come out stronger for it, but he had been USING his brother. Not taking care of him. So today that would change. A chieftain¡¯s first duty was to make sure his people were nourished. Kain walked over to where one of the many Frekkid in the detention center sat, lounging away from the others. One of Kyxx¡¯s lackeys. Less popular than many. He was in the middle of eating¡­ something. Kain had never figured out what the strange grey blocks were, exactly, but he knew they were food. The water he received was easy enough to figure out. Kain leaned over from behind the blue-skinned man, and placed his hand upon his shoulder. In a mild voice, he said, ¡°You will give me your rations. I have need of them.¡± Hopefully, this ''Psion'' class would be of help.
Name: Kain Race: Australopithecus Level 4, 66%
Gender: Male Class: Psion Level 2, 47%
LP: 99/99 PP: 27/27
SP: 99/99
Vigor: 8 Reflexes: 8 Fortitude 8 Charisma 2 Intellect 6 Cunning 2 Willpower 2 Perception 2 Luck 1
Status Effects: Hungry ¨C Your health and stamina regenerate at half the normal rate. Spirit-Ridden ¨C You have traded your shamanistic powers by allowing a powerful spirit to ride inside of you. In return you have gained new intrinsic abilities. Explore them to find out more!
Tier 1 Skills: Beginner Martial Arts Level 10 You have the inklings of how to turn your hands and feet into legitimate weapons. It''s tentative, but you''re now beginning to pay attention to how you punch, the way your body needs to move to bob and weave to dodge. Only practice can bring excellence. Takes longer to learn than scrapping, but is far more effective in the long run. +1 damage per level to unarmed attacks. +1% to unarmed attack and defense speed per level. Broken Soul Level 7 You have fought the demons that haunted your soul, and found some measure of peace and acceptance in the betrayal that rocked your world. Still, your soul is a broken place, and only plenty of hard work and effort can rebuild it. At least you run no risk of becoming a soulless monster. Stat cap is now 10. Childish Education Level 5 You lack the education even the most isolated child tends to have access to these days. It has begun to expand your mind in ways you''d never imagined. +5 to Intellect. Churlish Deportment Level 1 Etiquette wasn''t really a thing in the time you came from. Learning to fit in isn''t easy. You''re trying, though. +1 Charisma. Flickering Pyrokinesis Level 8 Use PP to create small fires. Can control or douse them with some effort. Does Willpower+Intellect*Pyrokinesis damage when used as an attack. Possible Heat Generated: 520 Celsius! Area: 8 Meters. Novice Burning Palm Level 3 A martial arts technique combining your Pyrokinesis and your skill in fighting. Adds fifteen damage to your strength-based physical attack and changes damage type to Fire. Cost: 10 PP Pitiful Agility Training Level 7 You''ve been working on honing your reflexes. At least you''re no longer as slow as a turtle! Reflexes +7. Pitiful Conditioning Level 7 Your battered, aged body has withered with time. By making a concerted effort to raise your exercise tolerance, you''ve found you have more energy and feel healthier. +7 to Fortitude. Pitiful Craft: Improvisation Level 3 You can make all sorts of things out of what you find just laying around. Too bad most of it is destined to be crap. 97% durability and function penalty to improvised items. Pitiful Craft: Construction Level 5 You know how to make lean-toes and fix buildings that have been broken. These fixes are generally little more than patches. Pitiful Critical Thinking Level 1 You had always been one of the deepest thinkers in your own time that you''d ever met. These modern people take it to a new level. +1 Cunning. Pitiful Body Hardening Level 6 Ever wonder how someone can punch walls and faces without injuring their body? That''s body-hardening. In addition to making you more capable of hitting things without hurting yourself, it also makes you more inured to injury. 6% reduction to pain and injury from punching things with your bare hands. Your skin is currently equivalent in protection to regular skin. Pitiful Examination Level 1 By examining things carefully, you can gain some useful insights about them. Shows a short description. Pitiful Improvised Weapons Level 1 Chair-fu! You''re pretty good at using things to hurt people that weren''t originally designed as a weapon. And by pretty good, we mean you no longer take a real penalty for it. Pitiful Meditation Level 1 You have learned to calm your mind and consciously martial your will. Increases pool regeneration. Pitiful Pain Resistance Level 8 Every little physical inconvenience sends lances of pain through you. You keep going these days mostly by sheer stubbornness. Pitiful Running Level 1 Prerequisite: Clumsy Balance and Couch Potato Fitness or better. You kind of totter along with more effort than real talent, or form. It''s a start. Current running speed: 6mph. Max distance without rest: 1km. Pitiful Stealth Level 1 You know that making lots of noise is likely to get you noticed so you try not to. You succeed. Mostly. Pitiful Strength Training Level 7 You''ve made a concerted effort to start increasing your strength. It''s begun to show some dividends! +7 to Vigor.
Tier 2 Skills Couch Potato Fitness Level 3 You are seriously out of shape. Some real effort and work out can definitely ameliorate this.. LP and SP multiplied by 1.30. Clumsy Balance Level 1 With your youth restored, you can stand straight without pain, though you''re still prone to tripping. Weak Asceticism Level 3 While you could barely be called an ascetic, you''ve made greater strides in this area, whether by choice or necessity. You can survive on half the food and water most people need, and you feel no discomfort from hunger or thirst whatsoever as they''ve become background noise to your life. Higher level status effects still cause you issues. Weak Club Proficiency Level 1 You know to hold one end of the stick and keep swinging it until your enemy is dead or unconscious. Weak Hearing Level 1 Your ears are pretty weak and miss a lot. Weak Sight Level 1 Your eyes are stronger and more apt to detail than most base animals, but it''s still pretty cruddy. Weak Smell Level 1 You suddenly realize you don''t smell very good. Increased sense of smell sucks. Weak Taste Level 1 OH GOD. GARBAGE IS AWFUL! AND SO ARE THESE RATIONS! Weak Touch Level 1 With your youth restored, sensations are suddenly more sharp. You understand textures with more depth than you did before.
Tier 5 Skills: Competent Verbal Standard Level 3 You can communicate well in the standard spoken language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however. Competent Written Standard Level 2 You can read and write in the common written language of the galaxy at large. This doesn¡¯t convey understanding of all the concepts embedded in your vocabulary, however.
Equipment: None
Perks: I Was Never There