As the dust settled from the battle against the the Tawg, Jeff had cautiously approached the enormous multi-limbed creature, uncertain of its intentions. It, or rather ‘Fracta’ as he noted from her system stats, was around five feet high, and around eight feet in length, her roughly oval shape made up of a collection of long limbs jutting from a central body. Her physiognomy was similar in some ways to an Earthly cephalopod, but with rigid limbs like an arachnid. The multi-colored fur covering her body was more mammalian in nature than anything else.
Her collection of eyes examined Jeff, her mandibles clicking softly. Despite the fact that a giant fur covered ‘bug-eyed monster’, straight out of a 50’s sci-fi movie stood in front of him, rather than feeling revulsion, he noted that her form possessed an unearthly beauty. Intricate patterns on her carapace ceaselessly rippled; bursts of color passing constantly through the fur-like cilia on her limbs.
Jeff had been hesitant at first when he saw the two monsters battling on the barren desert hardpan. The scene had reminded him of some old Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation movie, something PBS would show on repeat on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
A giant multi-limbed alien battling some kind of cyborg scorpion.
What changed his mind was that the huge arachnid had not in any way antagonized the Tawg, but rather had been attempting to flee. That’s why he stepped in—he had always hated bullies.
After the fight ended, Jeff felt oddly moved when his symbolic gesture of extending a hand in a gesture of friendship had been immediately accepted by Fracta. He realized with a start that this was a historic moment—First Contact with an alien species.
Jeff sensed no malice from Fracta. The opposite in fact—he immediately felt comfortable in her presence, despite her alien appearance.
"Thank you for your help," Fracta said, her voice surprisingly melodic, each syllable resonating from within her body, though Jeff was unable to detect exactly which orifice the noise emitted from.
In fact, Jeff noticed that as she spoke, her limbs tapped a complex pattern on the ground. He guessed that the system was actually translating her alien language into audible speech for his benefit.
”I am Fracta of sub-clutch 12, tribe 7 grouping. I am here to compete in this Tournament."
Jeff processed that silently for a second then responded. ”I'm Jeff Nostro, from Earth…, er.. Georgetown, New York. You fought well back there. That asshole didn't stand a chance.”
Fracta tilted her head, considering him with her compound eyes. "I appreciate your assistance, Jeff. I have never been disconnected from my Hive_Gestalt before, and it is… disorienting. Your timely arrival was most fortuitous.”
Jeff stared down at the Tawg one last time.
“Why did it fight?” he wondered aloud. “How can an intelligent, sentient species act like this?”
“It chose the path of strife over cooperation.” Fracta replied.
“Unfortunately, it appears to be the norm rather than the exception,” she said gloomily. “Of course, it would be wonderful if everybody could just get along…”
She went on. “Your species and mine must share a comparable world-view, a similar moral and ethical code. We may find that we naturally partner up with others like ourselves. Those who differ from us will probably be our natural enemies.”
Jeff thought about this for a moment, and decided not to disabuse Fracta immediately about his benevolent nature, or humanity’s.
Although he wanted to keep his moral compass throughout the course of the tournament, he had decided to do everything in his power to ensure the survival of Earth. Whatever the cost.
He looked across at Fracta and hoped there wouldn’t come a time where he had to make a painful decision.
They took a moment to tend their wounds and divide up Ztiral’s loot from its storage ring, attached to one claw. As well as his stash of coins, they found a few other items of value in his inventory.
“Unfortunately, nothing to eat though, Jeff,” said Fracta in a disappointed tone, revealing that she too was suffering from the scarcity of food in the Tournament.
Jeff noted that the System had been generous with its reward for slaying the Tawg—he had gained a full five levels for his contribution in the fight. It seemed that PVP battles offered a much better way of leveling than simply battling NPCs.
The 230 Coin bounty for killing the Tawg had been divided equally between them by the System—a reward for dooming a species to genocide and slavery…
Fracta kept the spear, a beautifully wrought weapon, intricately inscribed with a long fractal like rune down its length.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
[Spear - AetherStrike] - +10 Offense, Grade I (Expandable)
Empowered with unerring accuracy, Aetherstrike never misses its intended target. Consumes 10 MP per use. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Jeff took possession of a wicked looking, eight pointed morning star.
[Shuriken - Shadar’s Tooth] + 5 Offense (Not Stackable), Grade J (Expandable). 10 MP per use.
When deployed, Shadar’s Tooth follows a unique trajectory that allows it to return to the thrower's hand after striking its target or reaching its maximum range. The shuriken's path can curve around obstacles and corners, making it a versatile and agile weapon.
Bonus Ricochet Strike: A 20% chance of ricocheting off solid surfaces or enemies, allowing it to hit multiple targets with a single throw. The shuriken can potentially bounce up to three times before returning to the thrower's hand.
Jeff was happy to add this item to his inventory—he had been lacking any ranged weaponry and the shuriken would work well with his Class.
They decided to use Ztiral’s ring as a secondary storage device for the remaining items they found, including three potions of healing. Jeff nominated himself as ring-bearer.
Jeff tore off a piece of the remaining goblin meat in his inventory and offered it to Fracta. She eagerly accepted and began consuming the flesh, her mandibles making quick work of it. A shiver passed down Jeff’s spine at the sight. No vegans here—she was indeed a carnivorous creature, something he had already suspected based on her formidable mandibles. Jeff finished the remaining piece of jerky, slowly savoring each bite.
Before continuing their journey towards the mountain, Jeff decided to take a moment to review his stats.
NAME: Jeff Nostro
RACE: Human
HIT POINTS (HP): 80/80 (+10*)
MANA POINTS (MP): 70/70
Path: Spellsword [Hidden]
* Path Rewrite: Awarded if 7 tribulations are completed.
* Tribulations passed: 1/7
GRADE: J, Level 870 (Approaching breakthrough at 1000 to evolve to Grade I)
CLASS: Arcane Duelist 1
SKILLS:
* Physical Fitness (Level 2)
* Identify (Level 1)
* High Pain Threshold (Level 4)
* Combat Proficiency (Level 2)
* Sub-Skill: [Unarmed Blade] Level 1
* First Aid (Level 1)
* Dodge (Level 2)
* Jump (Level 1)
* Poison Resistance (Level 1)
* Mana Essence (Level 1)
CLASS SKILLS:
* Infinite Sword (Level 1)
* Cutting Edge (Level 2)
ATTRIBUTES:
* Strength: 29
* Speed: 19 (+2*)
* Vitality: 21 (+2*)
* Endurance: 20 (+2*)
* Cognition: 17
* Offense: 39
* Defense: 20 (+5*)
* Total Attribute Points: 165
COINS: 489
As well as leveling up, after the battle with the Tawg his Strength had significantly increased. His Offense attribute was still the highest and the other attribute stats had seen some modest gains as well, but not to the same extent as his Strength had. His Physical Fitness Skill had also leveled, possibly from all the walking he’d been doing recently.
Remembering a conversation he’d had with Misty, Jeff decided to work on developing his other attributes more evenly, in the hope that they would all reach a uniform level by the time he evolved his class. According to the AI, it was always best to evenly balance the growth of attribute points.
The timer had been steadily ticking down, and now only 19 hours remained for them to reach the Tantalus Portal. They continued on.
As they trekked onwards towards the mountain, Jeff listened intently as Fracta recounted her story. Her voice carried a mix of pride and melancholy as she described her life within the Hive Mind and her selection as her people’s champion.
"In the Tesek star system, we live in a vast network of interconnected colonies, where each member of the Hive Mind contributes to the greater good," Fracta began. "We share thoughts and emotions through a psychic link, creating a sense of unity. But it also means that any threat to one is a threat to all.”
Fracta looked at Jeff, her antennae twitching thoughtfully. "And so, here I am, far from home and disconnected from the Hive Mind. I must rely on my own strength to survive this tournament.”
Reaching down with one of her grasping limbs to reveal a pouch built in to her abdomen, Fracta pulled out a crystalline green hexagonal prism, glowing with an inner light. “This is a Hive Seed. My only connection to the Hive_Gestalt. But the connection is weak… I feel.. alone…”
Jeff nodded, impressed by the device and by Fracta's bravery. As a natural loner he had already overcome his initial feelings of homesickness. He could not comprehend the anguish Fracta, such a communally minded entity, must be going through now.
He peered at the emerald prism, wondering what tech it employed to create such a link. His cell phone had no signal so he presumed it used something other than radio waves to connect.
Jeff peered up at the clear blue sky overhead.
“Misty, You there?”
No answer.
Fracta looked at him inquiringly as they walked. “Misty, is that the name of your AI?” she questioned.
“Yeah, I guess she’s off-line at the moment,” Jeff responded, briefly wondering where Misty went whenever she wasn’t around to answer his questions.
As they approached the base of the mountain, the landscape grew increasingly treacherous. The once-flat terrain transformed into a slope of sharp rocks and deep chasms. Jeff and Fracta made their way across the last two hundred meters of jagged rocks and rubble, cautiously jumping across ravines and sinkholes. Jeff clambered across a jagged rock near the staircase, pulling himself carefully over the obstacle.
Fracta, on the other hand, was better suited for this type of terrain. Her natural agility, coupled with her Scout class, helped her to find her way past the treacherous rocks. Her many legs provided stability, and her ability to adhere to surfaces enabled her to traverse even the most precarious of routes. Her carapace had already completely healed from the skirmish, showcasing her impressive healing capabilities. Even the leg that had been amputated by the Tawg had almost finished regenerating.
Occasionally, Jeff noticed the familiar yellow haze surrounding her, indicating that she was using her [Paper Weight] skill to ease her passage.
The other Contestants they had noticed earlier, heading towards the mountain, were getting closer too, as they all approached their destination simultaneously. Jeff and Fracta eyed them cautiously, wary of another potentially hostile species, but no one made a move to attack.
Eventually, they approached the base of the mountain and joined the back of the line.
Jeff studied the queue of aliens advancing ahead of them. The Contestants in the queue were all roughly the same age, as far as he could determine—early twenties. While the size, body structure and outer integument—whether skin, fur, or scales—varied wildly, he noticed a distinct pattern emerging. The crowd seemed to divide into two main types. One group, like himself and Fracta, was dressed in a relatively mundane fashion, outfitted with cheap low-Grade Store-bought weaponry. Jeff recognized their armor and clothing from the Store catalog.
The other half were distinctly different in appearance. These Contestants were adorned with potent talismans, intricately inscribed runic weaponry, and advanced armor. Their skin or scales bore glowing tattoos—potent runes that emanated powerful energy signatures, no doubt enhancing their Skills or attributes. Their appearance spoke of wealth, privilege and prior-preparation.
Jeff and Fracta exchanged nods with the other beings ahead of them, simultaneously eying up each other’s stats on their System displays. All the while, more Contestants arrived and lined up behind them.
The mood up and down the queue seemed generally sombre, no doubt all the World Champions were intensely aware of the fact that they were staking their lives for the survival of their species.
Jeff and Fracta, hoping to glean some valuable intel, attempted to engage their fellow Tournament Contestants in conversation.