STR
20
AGI
18
+
CON
16
+
BODY
19
+
INT
22
WILL
21
AURA
19
+
LOOKS
10
+
PHYSDEF
6
+
MENTDEF
2
+
ENERDDEF
1
+
SPEED
5
RECOV
10
+
REGEN
2
+
PHYSTAM
70
+
MENSTAM
86
+
MANA
10
+
RUN
7
+
SWIM
2
+
LEAP
3
+
SP
20
Robin’s mind was racing with the possibilities in front of him. He decided to focus on the definite areas he wanted to spend his points on - namely, the areas he could get to the maximum amount. The Peak Human titles are too good to pass up as an early boost… I think I’ll hit those first. Which is closest… AURA. Robin added one point to his AURA score, immediately opening the notification that appeared.
Peak Human (IV) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human body in four of your attributes. You have a natural presence that others are capable of feeling. +2 AURA, +2 SP
Hah! I got the SP I spent right back, plus another! And it boosted my aura two points over the limit… Huh. If I had done AGI first, would the title have given me the same bonuses and boosted my AURA to twenty-one? It would have gotten me the title for free, but the total would be one point lower… Hm. Having all my stats so close to the limit might limit my potential a bit here. His mood slightly soured by the thought, he shrugged and mentally willed AGI to increase by two points. He scanned the notification that appeared, nodding slowly.
Peak Human (V) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human body in five of your attributes. Stronger than that of the average human, your mind is not easily swayed by malign outside influences. +2 MENTDEF, +2 WILL
Not bad. More WILL is always good, and MENTDEF… seems like something I will really, really want if it does become relevant. WILL is my highest attribute right now, he noted. Better add BODY next in case something increases that…
He added one to his BODY score, watching the “+” disappear. A box popped into his view, as he expected.
Peak Human (VI) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human body in six of your attributes. The function of your body begins to border on the preternatural, tapping into the ambient MANA of the planet. You may replace food and drink with your own MANA. +10 MANA per level
All of his sourness forgotten, Robin pumped his fists in the air excitedly, causing a feeling of confusion to come over opal from … somewhere above him in the darkness. He giggled slightly, focusing on joyful discovery. Her confusion swiftly changed to mild annoyance, then bemused patience. “Sorry, Opal!”, he called up the elevator shaft in a stage whisper.
That adds so much MANA to my total! My BODY score should go up with the Peak Human (II) perks, as well. So much MANA! Now I can … Shining Slash or make a lot of bullets. Hm. I need to learn more spells or sword art maneuvers… Robin added four points to CON, cringing at the slightly larger expenditure of SP. He read the box quickly.
Peak Human (VII) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human body in seven of your attributes. Your genetic code has begun to perfect itself to its own standard. Any offspring you have will carry on at least one of your increased attributes, having increased statistics at birth. +2 CON, +2 LOOKS
I guess the bonus to LOOKS is nice, and bonuses to CON are always going to be welcome, as a mage-type class… Although I’m not sure that’s exactly what a Blue Entomage is, to be fair. Robin was startled when another box appeared.
You have unlocked a previously earned title!
Peak Human (VIII) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human body in eight of your attributes. Your form has imprinted itself upon existence as a metaresonance frame. Any scars you receive will slowly fade. Magical/medical treatments to restore amputated limbs are more likely to succeed. Drastic changes to your mental self-image can cause changes to the metaresonance frame. +2 SP
Was that for WILL? I thought it was odd that I didn’t get a title for maxing that one out… I’m not about to complain, though. Okay, time to check where I’m at…
STR
20
AGI
20
CON
22
BODY
25
INT
22
WILL
23
AURA
22
LOOKS
12
+
PHYSDEF
6
+
MENTDEF
4
+
ENERDDEF
1
+
SPEED
5
RECOV
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10
+
REGEN
2
+
PHYSTAM
94
+
MENSTAM
90
+
MANA
60
+
RUN
7
+
SWIM
2
+
LEAP
3
+
SP
14
Robin had been keeping track of his SP, but it was still gratifying to see the “14” on his menu.
It seems like PHYSTAM goes up with BODY and CON, and MENSTAM goes up with INT and WILL. Probably shouldn’t focus on those yet. LOOKS is one of the base attributes, so … I’ll probably need to get it to the limit at some point. I bet that there is some kind of capstone title for the Peak Human series. RUN, SWIM, and LEAP are probably base attributes, too. Should I focus on them first…?
Robin abruptly had a thought and felt entirely... well, mildly conflicted on his recent choices.
Could I have been super-humanly good-looking if I had focused on LOOKS first and gotten the bonuses?
Robin stared into the darkness for a moment.
Nothing to do about it now, and to be fair, I doubt I would have increased it even if I had thought of becoming a super suave Mega Chad. What’s the point of a pretty corpse?
Feeling better, Robin reluctantly decided to increase RUN, adding five SP. He was pleasantly surprised when it only took three points before maxing out, triggering a title to appear. There can’t be many more of these, I have to be getting close!
Peak Human (IX) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human body in nine of your attributes. Your body has reached a pinnacle of self-maintenance unrivaled in the biological world. You are immune to non-magical diseases, illnesses, and cancers. +2 RECOV
Robin blinked. What?
...what?
He shook his head, rubbing his eyes.
Adding to RUN made me immune to cancer.
Feeling slightly dazed by the information he had just received, Robin slowly added points to SWIM, nodding in sardonic acknowledgement when the notification appeared after a single point.
Peak Human (X) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human body in ten of your attributes. Your mind and thoughts move in ways too quickly for normal human biology to maintain. +2 INT, +2 MENTDEF
Robin immediately added a point to LEAP, and immediately wished he had done so sooner when a box appeared. He read it wearily. Note to self, don’t hoard SP… although who knows what I can spend it on after this and LOOKS. Just keep adding to MANA and my defenses? Seems… off. There’s something missing, or something I haven’t unlocked yet… Either way, it makes my choices now pretty clear.
Peak Human (XI) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human body in eleven of your attributes. Your near-ascension is understood by the instincts of all that view you. +2 LOOKS, +2 AURA
Robin sighed. The bonus to LOOKS was helpful, and he knew he had to do it, at least if he wanted to complete the suspected Peak Human line of titles, but… Adding to LOOKS just felt like such a waste.
Ugh. Fine. Robin begrudgingly added six System Points to his LOOKS score, reading the box that appeared with a petulant grunt.
Peak Human (XII) You have reached the absolute limit of the human body. Your race has changed to “Peak Human.” Any inherited genetic abnormalities are removed. Mutations are less likely to occur from results that trigger mutations. You may disable/reactivate your ability to conceive or impregnate at will. You may regulate your body temperature, affecting positive or negative changes of up to five degrees Celsius (5°C). The base racial maximum for your attributes is raised by ten; the base racial limit on natural SPEED is raised by one.
Robin read it quickly, feeling his face flush at the line about conception. I guess that’s… helpful? To someone? ANYWAY MOVING ON.
This was a little underwhelming, I guess. I hoped it would give me more stats, but being able to spend them on STR and AGI again will be nice. Might as well test that out now… Robin willed his STR to increase, and, as expected, it went up by one, while his SP decreased by one, leaving him two remaining. He felt oddly relieved at being almost out of System Points, like finally setting down an expensive vase after carrying it up a flight of stairs. He called his menu up, checking his scores after finally spending the points he had hoarded and obsessed over.
STR
21
+
AGI
20
+
CON
22
+
BODY
25
+
INT
24
+
WILL
23
+
AURA
24
+
LOOKS
25
+
PHYSDEF
6
+
MENTDEF
6
+
ENERDDEF
1
+
SPEED
5
+
RECOV
12
+
REGEN
2
+
PHYSTAM
94
MENSTAM
94
MANA
60
+
RUN
12
+
SWIM
5
+
LEAP
6
+
SP
2
I impress even myself!, Robin cackled silently to himself, arching his fingers as he dismissed the menu. Might as well start saving for more SPEED.
Robin stood up fully, easily finding his balance on the shifting metal, stepping off a large piece even as it was sliding further into the rubble, disturbed by his movements.
*****
Opal stared down the elevator shaft at the human. He was making noise and making odd motions with his stunted foreclaws, looking to her keen eyes as if he was emulating a dying spider.
Well, that was fair, he had killed enough of them. He had earned the right to mock them.
The human, her human, was standing up. He was going to fall into the mass of metal and stone, likely losing a leg. He might be able to recover it with his next molt, but a lost leg was usually a death sentence. She watched him gravely.
The human started to slide on a piece of metal, but stepped onto a more firmly lodged piece of metal without seeming to think about it, the motion occurring at the same instant he started to slide. Opal cocked her head to better align with the human’s position. Something was different.
The human looked more like a predator and less like a frightened prey-fly, moving with confidence and surety. It felt more dangerous than before, the same kind of difference as when a bird is splashing in water, cleaning, or when a bird is looking at you with hungry eyes, pecking. It… He… was shining, almost radiating a statement of energy that said “I AM THE BEST HUMAN!” Opal drank it in, feeling the flush of energy flowing through the link.
“Opal, go up! Go to the elevator door!” He was shouting more victory words, the owl-hoot of dominance, the goose-honk of inviolability, surely. His words were mostly meaningless, after all, and he was often ashamed or embarrassed for having spoken. Understandable; sounds lead to suffering. She knew birds have far better hearing than he seemed to be aware of, but at least he had the good sense to be ashamed. He could learn.
She felt the mental star that served as the only way her human communicated with her brighten and intensify; he wanted her to do something. One of her top and rear ommatidium lit with a pink halo, and she focused there - near the top, by the elevator door. She stepped into the stark beam of light from the hallway door above, feeling the border between the light and shadow very thin. She walked through it, moving exactly as does a dead leaf to prevent any birds from snatching her up, and felt the border on the other side just as thin, creeping through without any noticeable patterns.
After all, walk without rhythm and you won’t attract the bird.
She stepped through the border of light and shadow, entirely skipping the light, taking a position on the far side of the elevator door. She showed the human how satisfied she was; how much faster she was than he; and a challenge to get up to the door faster than she had.
It was the single most complex thought that Opal had ever had.
She watched the human stretch his legs, each one done slowly, until all four had been stretched. The human looked at her and barked his happiness. “Ready!”
Opal stared at him amusedly. She stuck her claw into the light, just a touch, before withdrawing it. Even he should understand that she was impatient.
He showed her his teeth, shiny white flat things, crouched slightly, then jumped off of the piece of metal on which he was perched, directly at a wall.
He made it roughly the length of his own body before tumbling into the pile of rubble, scratching the hideous shell he had grown. The metal had bent under the force of his jump, stealing his momentum. Opal understood. Sometimes branches had rot on the inside.
Her human found a more stable perch and leapt again, this time sailing several times his own height to cling to the opposite wall. Opal wished he had not screamed while doing it. Joyful or not, it was likely to attract predators.
Opal turned her head to more fully examine him. Her human was doing something. He was reaching into the soft skin-sac he carried on his back, and taking out the new claw he had found. Opal was curious about this new claw, but pushed that aside. She would have time to examine it later.
The human yelled again as he leapt, aiming at the far wall. She studied the glowing silver line he leaft behind in the wake of his leap, trailing from the long, dark claw while waiting for him to cling to the wall and reorient himself.
The human did not cling to the wall, however. He kicked off of it and screamed the same thing again, then did the same thing on the opposite wall, kicking back and forth, screaming the same thing. The echoes were making it difficult to discern the true noise from the repeats, and were mildly nerve-wracking for the observing mantis.
“Shining Swipe!”
“Shining Swipe!”
“Shining Swipe!”
The human reached the open elevator door beside her, a zig-zagging web of glowing silver lines left behind him in the air. He paused for a moment in the way that meant he was observing the information that only he could see, and then clumped his stubby foreclaws together, thrusting them into the air in a threat display, making intimidating noises. Opal cleaned her claw.
Humans liked to show off; you were not required to humor them.
*****
Silver Sword Art: Shining Trail You may wield the power of your blade to leave shining forbiddance and silver death where you tread. You may leave a series of Shining Swipes. Cost: ten MANA per Swipe of the Trail
Shining Trail… I like the sound of that. That description though... I mean, I'm fourteen and I think it's a little overly purple. Robin closed his new sword art, smiling widely. He liked it (far more than he would admit to himself), even if Opal didn’t care. Besides, he was on the ground floor, he could see the front door, and he had just leapt up five stories. He felt like he had earned the right to be a little over-the-top, if he wanted to be. Robin started walking.
Robin kept the machete out as he walked, his nerves rising to replace his good mood more and more with every step.
There is no way it will be this easy. There is some kind of trap, some kind of entrance monster, something… There has to be.
... Right?
The hallway looked like the rest of the dungeon had. It had the same stone, the same doors, the same weirdly high ceiling...
There was a large glass double-door with pull handles at the end of it, exactly like the kind that expensive doctors had at their offices. It was wildly out of place nestled into the stone of the dungeon walls, and the intense yellow sunlight that shone through it seemed even more out of place in the gloom of the Laboratory. Robin felt tears begin to well up at the sight of the outside, but he suppressed them easily.
He could finally admit to himself that he had not been sure he would see the outside again.
Robin stepped forward towards the door, cautious, but optimistic, and Opal skittered after him, climbing quickly to the ceiling to follow. He was only ten or so meters from the door when he heard a click coming from the wall beside him, and a small trapdoor about half a meter wide and half a meter tall opened up, the stone sliding into the wall like a convenience-store door. Robin tensed, his blade held in front of him.
I knew it! I knew there was going to be something that would make this harder!
He readied his machete to cut the first spider that poked a hairy foot out, breath drawn.
Six grapeflies buzzed out, climbing over each other. Robin almost struck them with his blade, but then waited, puzzled. They seemed aggressive at first, bumbling towards him and Opal, but then seemed to think better of it, climbing the walls and moving away just as the grapeflies he had encountered before. As he was staring at them, the stone trapdoor rasped closed, sealing with a click.
Robin waited, unsure of how to feel. Was that a level one challenge? Would they have attacked if I had been weaker, or maybe if I wasn’t coming from below? ...is it the labcoat?
Robin kept moving down the hallway, moving slower as he approached the door, in order to give his time to adjust to the brilliance of the true sun. He blinked painfully as he approached the glass, barely able to keep his eyes open. As he caught glimpses of the outside world, Robin resorted to using his fingers to hold them open until they adjusted, unwilling to miss a moment of what he was seeing.
Outside the glass doors was a woman fighting a dragon.