The griffins and sphinxes we were traveling with spoke to the group on guard and let us through the wall. Ale had to ride on the back of an arachne. When we arrived, a human woman with several sphinxes behind her was waiting for us.
"Good afternoon, I believe you wanted to speak with me. My name is Esmeralda and you could say I'm in charge here."
Dani responded kindly, "Hello, you've created a great settlement."
"Thank you, we took advantage of this area by the sea that had trees to form the buildings and walls. Right now, we are in the process of clearing the nearby buildings. So, have you come to join us, to deliver the arachnes, or do you have other dealings with our faction? Although most of us are monsters, we don't harm those who don't harm us."
"Yes, we've come because we want to join your faction. In fact, as you can see, most of us are not humans," Dani said, pointing to us as we remained in our bird forms.
"What kind of monster are you? Can you transform into humans?"
Dani smiled, and his car salesman persona emerged. "Yes, they can. They are legendary monsters called phoenixes. They are immortal and incorruptible, can fly at high speeds, shoot fireballs, and cover themselves in two types of flames: red ones that are destructive and white ones that are effective against the undead and for healing.
Moreover, the white flame can stop zombification."
"That sounds perfect! In fact, would you like to lead the coalition?"
"Huh? Why are you offering it to us?"
"The truth is, I don't want to be the leader; it's a lot of problems. Both the sphinxes and griffins are epic races, and if one of them governs, the other causes issues. On the other hand, you have to deal with the problems between the harpies and the sirens or if the arachnes leave webs in the dryads' trees."
"Are there more races?"
"Yes, the fauns. They do nothing but sing and flee. At least the others contribute something. The sirens, naiads, oceanids, and nereids are dedicated to fishing, as the latter three are immortal and unaffected by corruption as long as they are near a water source. Although the poor oceanids are weaker than the rest. On the other hand, the arachnes make clothes and traps, while the harpies, sphinxes, and griffins stand guard."
"It doesn't seem like a bad idea. Could we have a meeting with all the races today? But first, I would like us to gather more people under our protection. There are nymphs, but also women, the elderly, and children."
"Children are always welcome. Women too, because we suspect the meteorites can recharge. The elderly are more problematic; they don't contribute much to the village, but we will take them in. How many sphinxes and griffins will you need?"
"Many, as many as you can spare without compromising the village's functioning. And as soon as possible, I wouldn't want night to fall on us."
"Agreed. And we will discuss the leadership change. It may seem strange to you, but I've only been here a day and I can't take another complaint."
They quickly gathered a group of griffins and sphinxes, and we set out. After six high-speed trips, we managed to bring everyone who wanted to move. Some elders thought they might get infected if they touched a griffin or sphinx. Although we tried to convince them to come, we weren't going to stay with them just to protect them. The first rule of survival: an ally without the will to survive or help is the worst enemy.
When we finished the trips, many griffins and sphinxes approached us.
"You are impressive, with that speed and maneuverability, and those white balls that kill them quickly."
"Yes, thank you for saving me earlier. I thought I was going to turn into a zombie."
"It was nothing. Your speed and fierceness also surprised me."
"The truth is, we have been more active today knowing you could protect us from zombification and heal us. You will stay, right?"
"Yes, we would like to."
Esmeralda approached us. "And you will be welcome. The other leaders, Dani, and the twins are already gathered."
"Perfect, let's go."
We headed towards a large, sturdy-looking wooden cabin. When we entered, we saw an older woman with gray hair, nymphs of all subspecies, a faun, a harpy, and a siren. The harpy had long black hair and a very beautiful appearance, but the siren was dazzling with her blonde hair and blue eyes. The faun looked like an overly cheerful teenager until you saw his goat legs. They were all dressed in white tunics made of arachne silk.
Power: Sirens
Level: 1
Exp: 0/30
Energy: 30/30
Rarity: Rare
Race
Epic races can switch from their original form to the epic one, taking 5 minutes and spending 40 energy points.
A being can only have one race. Offspring will inherit this race.
Being feminine with a beautiful woman's top and fishtail bottom.
For each level in this race, you will gain 6 stat points in Charisma.
Race abilities:
* Melodic song
* Suggestion
Power: Faun
Level: 1
Exp: 0/30
Energy: 30/30
Rarity: Rare
Race
Epic races can switch from their original form to the epic one, taking 5 minutes and spending 40 energy points.
A being can only have one race. Offspring will inherit this race.
They have the torso and head of a human but the lower part and horns of a goat.
For each level in this race, you will receive 2 stat points in 3 stats: wisdom, dexterity, and agility.
Race abilities:
* Melodic song
* Light Feet
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The faun said mockingly: "These are the legendary phoenixes? They look like unthreatening red eagles."
Ale quickly responded: "Our specialty is killing undead and healing. For example, I can peck the eyes out of smiling goats and see how long it takes for them to heal. Though I might forget to finish the healing."
However, we will help as much as we can with our flames."
The siren spoke in a soft and melodious voice: "Don't mind Fai's jokes. My name is Sybella and I am the representative of the sirens. This is Ocun, Nayun, and Nerún,
representatives of the oceanids (dark blue skin), naiads (pale blue skin), and nereids (blue skin). Together we are in charge of fishing and coastal security. By the way Fai, remember this is an official meeting, so we must have respect for the rest and not disclose anything said here. I promise you if not, you will spend more time in the sea than on land."
The older lady intervened: "And I am Griselda, representative of the griffins, but you can call me Gris. You already know Esmeralda, the representative of the sphinxes. Ari is in charge of the harpies. Together we are in charge of protecting the settlement."
The dryad continued: "And lastly, Arete is in charge of the arachnes, Orun of the oreads, and I of the dryads. Together we form the production sector, covering food, housing, and clothing."
The older lady intervened again: "Although it is true that you emit an air of nobility and we could be better organized, I think it is a terrible mistake to give leadership to the first to come. As you can understand, besides being implausible, it's stupid."
"I agree with you, which is why we should have a trial period. Also, while we coordinate the different species, you still have full control of your faction."
I could see the faun, the siren, and the arachne breathe a sigh of relief. Wait, do sirens breathe?
"That's fair. And what will you do?"
"There will always be two phoenixes here to defend the base, the twins. Ale, Juan, and Bea will escort the griffins on rescue missions. The harpies and sphinxes' shrill songs are not very effective against the undead. Additionally, the sphinxes are very good guardians."
"I agree. By the way, do you know how to activate the meteorites?" Gris showed us two meteorites, one with a yellow tint and the other green.
Carlota intervened: "All the greens take 80 hours while the yellows take 160. All of the same color take the same time, but each one grants a different race. There are a maximum of 5 charges."
"The phoenixes are impressive. But let's get to the day's matters. The second session of the city is open... Fai, have you thought of a name?"
"No, we have too many. And they are all very good."
"Fai, you and the fauns do nothing but laugh and sing. We gave you a task, which was a trivial one, and you couldn't even do that?"
Ale looked at him condescendingly. It seems the earlier comment had hurt him. Fai realized this and said mockingly: "What's the matter, oh, mighty burned bird. Does the legendary creature have a name for this humble village?"
"Yes, inferior goat. The city of Fen."
"Huh? That's a horrible name! It's just an abbreviation of phoenix! Just because you have a higher rank, are stronger, and probably our leader doesn't give you the right to boss us around or propose such unimaginative names."
The nymphs seemed delighted with the name.
"We love it."
"Of course, because you have no sense for naming. You literally change your names so that the first syllable is your subspecies and the second is the number in which you registered in the Archive."
"The archive?"
"Yes, we are making a document where new people put their name, date of birth, race, class, and former occupation."
"A document, online?"
"What do you want, old man, for us to use a book? The document can be quickly modified, can be used by everyone, and has no end. Boomer, learn to use the Internet."
"And if the Internet goes down?"
"The apocalypse will have arrived, and it won't be worth living."
"Fai, seriousness."
"Arachne, don't talk to me, you leave your webs everywhere, and my brothers keep getting caught in them."
Driun intervened: "I think it's the first time I agree with the donkey."
"Huh? Tree, you want a fight?"
"Enough! Please, it hasn't even been 24 hours since this situation started, we have to get used to our powers gradually, but let's try to do it quickly and without incidents.
Remember we have a common enemy, the undead. Skeletons have been seen in the western part of the city."
"And we can't forget the orcs. They have made a settlement along with the ratmen and goblins to the north of the city. They've called it the city of Goh, as initials of their names, others without imagination. And how can there be so many cities in one city?"
"Fai, that's not the point. And how do you know that?"
"Old woman, there's something called the Internet again. I follow a ratman who makes videos where they hit each other. They are very dumb."
"And you are worse for being entertained watching them instead of working. But can you tell me more?"
"Sure, the humans are in the center along with the beastmen. We also have a couple of them, humans with some beast characteristic, but it seems that in the center they are very common."
"In conclusion, we are in the south, the orcs in the east, the humans in the west, and the undead in the north."
"Well, the undead are a plague, they are everywhere, but basically yes."
"Fai, can you contact the humans?"
"Yes, of course."
"We can trade with them. We give them food and meteorites that provide the human race in exchange for meteorites of our races."
"Even weapons. Fauns with machine guns, the nightmares of the undead."
"They are not as effective as you think against the undead. They don't do as much damage as to a living being and make a lot of noise. And they have limited ammunition."
"But, what about against the orcs?"
"They are effective, but there are many. Keep in mind that orcs are a common race, while goblins and ratlings are inferior. The lower the rarity, the more meteorites of that type have fallen."
"And zombies can infect anyone, so they are the most numerous."
"Yes, but they are not that strong. They can't have classes, for example."
"They can. Have you seen the red or blue zombies? There are warriors, protectors, and thieves."
"There are thieves? I want that! What other classes are there?"
At that moment, a red message appeared to us, like the one that came out when the meteorites fell.
Gods' Deadly Games (Stage 1) (Races and Classes)
"Insignificant inferior mortals, I will inform you about the races and classes:
Depending on the rarity of the race, they will have a number of abilities and associated stats:
* Violet-Inferior: 1 ability
* Indigo-Common: 1 ability and 2 stat points
* Blue-Uncommon: 2 abilities and 2 stat points
* Green-Rare: 2 abilities and 6 stat points
* Yellow-Epic: 2 abilities and 12 stat points
* Orange-Legendary: 3 abilities and 24 stat points
Depending on the rarity of the class, they will have associated stat increases:
* Violet-Inferior: 2
* Indigo-Common: 2
* Blue-Uncommon: 4
* Green-Rare: 8
* Yellow-Epic: 12
* Orange-Legendary: 16
Keep in mind that the race can never be changed (except for the non-awakened), but the class can. If you change the class, you will lose all the abilities and stats it had given you. One can pass the class to another being, but it will start from level one. Also, if two beings of different races procreate, the child will have the mother's race. Additionally, the rarity of the father's race must be higher than the mother's.
There are many different classes:
* Inferior: such as slaves and servants.
* Common: associated with each of the physical attributes and commoners.
* Uncommon: called apprentices. If they improve, they will no longer be apprentices, with rare rarity. To improve, they must reach level 25 or level 24 and absorb a meteorite of the same type.
* Pure martial: warrior, berserker, protector, and knight.
* Mixed martial: thief, assassin, archer, and bard.
* Craft: blacksmith, tailor, alchemist, and runist.
* Producers: livestock farmer, farmer, academic, and archaeologist.
* Magic: mage, druid, warlock, and priest.
* They can be apprentices of the following classes:
* Rare: can be associated with the same classes. If they improve, they will become elite. To improve, they must reach level 50 or level 49 and absorb two meteorites of the same type.
* Epic: called elite. They can be associated with the same classes.
Many classes can be associated with a different element. There are 20 different elements, although not all can be associated with classes:
* Pure elements: air, water, fire, and earth.
* Mixed elements: lightning, ice, plant, and steel.
* Light and darkness.
* Life and death.
* Time and space.
* Body and mind.
* Beasts and poison.
* Identification and protection (also called energy).
Races are more varied as they depend on the world's legends. However, there are always 10 legendary races.
Good luck in the games, try to reach the next stage."
A shiver ran through my whole body. Were these messages a kind of self-help where we had to ask questions and the answer would appear? No, we had already discussed the classes before. There had been cries of surprise outside and many murmurs, it hadn't just appeared to us. Thinking about it, it had been a little less than 24 hours since they fell. Maybe they were automated. I hope so.