"Oh... man... my head is killing me..." Rodney groaned, skull pounding from that jack-ass Damian's right hook. Mother fucker had seriously managed to slip brass knuckles past security this time. Ooohh, when Rodney's folks got done babying him and his suspension from this fiasco ended, he was going to... do something to get back at him! No one fucked with Rodney Clew and got away with it!! Except for all the times they did. "Man... I suck at being tough."
"Indeed, you don't seem to have the right build for fighting, young man." A cultured voice mused. Rodney's eyes snapped open, his head turning to the source so fast he could almost feel his neck sprain. He couldn't quite stop the shudder of confusion at the sight of them; at first, they simply appeared androgynous, somewhere between masculine and feminine in a way that Rodney couldn't quite define, more than any Enby he'd met before, clad in a smooth black suit like something out of a spy film.
The first odd clue was when they brought a cup of tea to their lips, and Rodney got a look at the reptilian claws they had in place of hands... and then met their gaze. If anyone were to ever learn that Rodney screamed like a little kid and leapt into the air at the sight of a third, piercing reptile's eye peeking between the stranger's bangs, he would be forced to track them down to defend his honor. He absolutely did scream like a little kid, though, no doubt about that.
The stranger grinned, exposing a raw of carnivorous teeth. "My, you ARE a perceptive one; most prospective incarnates tend not to pick up on my true nature until near the end of the interview."
"Interview?" Rodney echoed, brow furrowing as his temper started to rise. Hands balling into fists, he subtly shifted his wrists so that his sleeves wouldn't get in the way when the fists started flying; he might not be what one would call 'traditionally athletic,' but he had been in enough scraps to figure out how to prep himself to brawl quickly. "What interview? What even is this? Last thing I knew, my mom is way too paranoid to let some weirdo alone with me after getting into a fight; you could be the President and she'd still haul your ass out rather than leave you alone with me, so spill!"
"Hmm... perceptive, but a bit lacking in situational awareness. That will have to be added to the record." The stranger mused, tapping a pen that Rodney KNEW hadn't been there before, beginning to write down on an equally new clipboard. At Rodney's growl, the stranger merely arched an unimpressed brow, gesturing around them. "Mr. Clew, I must ask that, before you attempt suicide via challenging me, that you take a quick look at your surroundings, if you please."
Their tone made it clear it wasn't a request; as brazen as he could be, Rodney was NOT stupid. Forcing his temper down with as much willpower as he could muster, he finally took the time to glance about their location... or rather, their lack of one. As opposed to the familiar sterile hospital room Rodney had grown acquainted with via repeated visits brought upon by his aggression, he instead found himself floating in a luminous void, adrift in an amorphous expanse of colors floating, distorting, and shifting like a planet-sized lava lamp. Rodney instantly hated it.
"Huh. I guess I'm dead, then?" He deadpanned, dull surprise coloring his tone. Rodney was not religious; he didn't believe or particularly care about any kind of afterlife or god or anything like that, as long as people didn't try and shove it down his throat, it was one of the few things he was perfectly fine being live and let live about. Finding himself in a post-death experience was... well, a surprise, but not an unpleasant one.
"Indeed. Hmm, I had expected you to react more violently to the revelation, or at least to try and deny it and write me off. I was looking forward to shattering that delusion, possibly your mind as well. Shame." They mused.
"What can I say, I'm a man of a million surprises." Rodney snarked. He crossed his arms, his temper fading into a tired weight, pressing down on whatever body his spirit was inhabiting. "Just... what is this even about? I'm dead, that's it, game over."
They grinned, and despite it not containing a speck of malice, it sent shivers down his spine for reasons more complicated than just the teeth. "Simple. You've been selected for Reincarnation. Congratulations!"
Rodney blinked. And blinked again. He tilted his head. "Come again?"
"Now now, no need to play coy. Don't your kind have countless stories regarding the phenomenon? I'm sure you've heard at least one of them." They taunted, their smile taking an unpleasant edge, and it was only Rodney's long familiarity with his own rage that kept his blood from boiling. Quick as it appeared, the grin faded, a look of professionalism taking its place. They continued, as if they nothing had occurred. "You have been selected from a list of individuals who, upon their deaths, would be reincarnated into my realm, Avelia, from the bottom-up, starting as a newborn with no knowledge of their prior life and allowed to start anew in a different world. However, due to current developments, a reconstruction in the World System has caused the deities of my realm to attempt a... test case, as it were. You have been selected to be part of said test; upon incarnating, you will awaken within Avelia in a new form, free of flaw or blemish, and any and all data you acquire throughout your life in Avelia will be submitted to the System to aid in reconstruction. What you do while upon Avelia is considered inconsequential, so long as you do everything in your power to pursue your desires. If this arrangement is acceptable, you will be guided through the door to your left-"
A doorway that hadn't been there before snapped into existence right next to Rodney. Once more, he screamed like a small child.
"-and be left to your own devices, minus a handler assigned to help you integrate and better understand the nature of Avelia but who will otherwise not interfere with your operations and actions." They paused, leveling a significant look Rodney's way that once more sent a jolt of nervousness down their spine. "Please note that any and all attempts to harm your handler will result in your immediate expulsion from the test and your subsequent termination. With your acknowledgement of this warning, we can begin at any time, but I am obligated to ask: do you have any questions?"
Rodney sat there, seemingly frozen... yet within, his mind was screaming in a mixture of confusion (understandable), rage (always), and also joy (a surprise). For as long as he could remember, Rodney had been weak, fragile. If he was lucky, he could manage an hour outside his house before he collapsed to the ground, unable to breathe and covered in bruises from MOVING too hard. It took nearly a decade of a dedicated medical regimen to get his body up to the point where he could reliably go out in public without having to be dragged back inside for his own safety. It was infuriating. It was humiliating. He could never escape the shadow of his weak body, no matter how boisterous he acted, no matter how many fights he got into... everyone looked at him like he was one stiff breeze away from crumbling, and he hated it. To be strong... durable... not having to deal with a weak body like his last one was... what else could he say besides "... Nah, I'm ready to jump into this."
Slowly, a wide, FAR too wide, grin began stretching across their face, pulling the edges of their lips up to the bottom of their ears. "Excellent." Theatrically, they reached out, pulled a switch... and space tilted for a second, with Rodney immediately plummeting into the glowing doorway they had summoned.
As Rodney fell through the void of chaos, energy, and colors on his way to Avelia, the one thought he had on his mind was this: "I never learned what their name was!"
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Glowloom Forest, Fifth of Avendair (June), Avelia
Glowloom Forest. A place that was often shortened to the "Gloom Forest" due to its excess abundance of Shadow Mana, giving it a perpetual shade that many often felt was depressing. A tragedy, considering the abundance of fertile soil, fruit-bearing trees, and plentiful game. Nonetheless, it had its own beauty, if one got past that shade. Or at least that's what Mimsidahlia Fineroot, Eighth Daughter of the Tenth Generation of House Fineroot, thought. She... was getting distracted again, wasn't she?
"Become a Companion, they said. It'll be easy, they said." She muttered to herself, smoothing out the edges of her burgundy dress as she once again wondered how in the world she was talked into training to become a Core Companion. Remembering the pressure of her family to FINALLY get a job instead of mooching off of their funds to buy dresses, as well as the subtle implication that they'd toss her out if she didn't honestly try, it came back to her. "Oh well... just got to find the Pedestal, and I can get this dreary job started. Who knows, maybe I'll get a sweet Core that wants to build a Dungeon of bunnies, flowers and butterflies? ...Probably not, but a girl can dream!"
Humming to herself, she could help but allow her gaze to be drawn to the shade-soaked forest around her, purple eyes flashing with delight as she witnessed rabbits leaping about the forest bed, hungry foxes slowly slinking towards them, all of which were unaware of the bear currently enjoying a nice meal of fish it had swatted out of the river. Ah... nature. So captivated was she that she didn't even notice that she was on a direct course for the Core Pedestal until she rammed into it, head first. "YEE-OWW!"
Her piercing shriek of pain split the forest, animals going still before moving away from whatever could unleash such a banshee-like screech of agony. Little did they know that it was but a simple Fairy, currently rubbing her now sore head with a pout, glaring upward at the Pedestal that would contain the Core that she was tasked with providing Companionship with. Nothing to do now but wait for them to appear! Just one quick check-in with the System first, though!
[Through Thick and Thin!
As a lesser Admin-Fae, you have been tasked to accompany a Variant Core through their development, from the moment of their arrival to the moment of their demise, upon which your observations shall be reviewed in consideration of the implementation of your Variant Core's build for future Core deployment! Thank you for your service, for the future and glory of Avelia!
Time until Core Manifestation: 0:00:45 (H:MM:SS)
Good Luck!]
She froze. She then began frantically tapping her System Pane with the frantic energy only the well and truly panicking could wield, frantically muttering "nononononononono!!" beneath her breath. This was not right, TELL HER she did not get drafted to guide a freaking Variant Core!? This was a disaster. This was a catastrophe! Everyone in Glyphheim had been contacted with the reveal of the Mass Update the Gods had decided to implement; the reveal that new types of Cores could be potentially created, dozens of her classmates had been ecstatic at the reveal, of the potential prestige it would bring to their Houses by being credited as the Companion to a Variant Core whose build had been accepted by the Gods. Not her. No way in the Seventy-Two Shattered Planes did she want anything to do with that level of insanity, something that would render all her long hours (well, two and a half hours every other day) of studying utterly POINTLESS due to the Core she'd be assigned not having to obey the normal rules. No way, nuh-uh, pick someone, ANYONE, else please!!
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Alas, as her countdown mercilessly tracked its way down to zero, she could do nothing but shudder, bracing herself for what was to come... only to arc an eyebrow in confusion as suddenly, with a slight puff of wind, almost like a fizzled-out cantrip, a deep, rich red sphere of a jewel, as tall and wide in all directions as her own height (about seven inches), appeared in the air. With an undignified thunk, it settled onto the central depression of the Core Pedestal without any trouble, quickly nestling into place. Taking a deep breath, she fixed her biggest, brightest "I have no clue who you are but I'm worried you'll ruin my family if I'm rude so please don't notice how scared I am" smile that she normally saved for the few balls she got invited too.
"Hello, My Core! I, Mimsidahlia Fineroot, have been called upon by the Gods to be your Companion. May our bond be long, our strength prosper, and the fruits of our labor reign eternal!" She recited the sacred oath, the pledge all Companions, from the most optimistic and eager to the argumentative and apathetic, memorized by heart, burning the strength of it into their very being with all that they had. A solemn pledge that none would disrespect, not even Renegades. It was heartfelt, profound, and was a matter of great culture importance to Fae-kind. So, of course, she screwed it up. It took her only a minute of no communication for her to realize she had forgotten the Bonding stage; the Core had heard nothing.
Face flushed a deep blue, she floated close and pressed a hand against the startlingly warm surface of the Core's crystal form, waiting for the appropriate prompt.
[Form Core Pact with Variant Core Rodney?
Y/N]
Not really registering the name of the Core, she mentally 'tapped' yes. Sighing with embarrassment, she waited a sec as the sensation of something reaching out from the Core attaching to her head; the bond seemed to have settled easily. Clearing her throat, she began again. "As I was saying... Hello, My Core! I, Mimsi-"
"WHEN I FUCKING GET MY HANDS ON YOU I AM GOING TO TEAR OUT YOUR EYES AND FEED THEM TO YOU!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!? I WILL FEED YOU YOUR OWN EYES!!" The Core, Rodney's mental voice roared, screaming out with such strength and clarity that had she heard it with her physical ears they would've ruptured from the force of the shout. As it was, she merely zipped away, panicked and confused as the Core raged and shouted, seemingly unaware of her presence.
"I-I'm sorry??" She stammered, not wanting to risk that she had done something to provoke the apparently very violent and scary Core she was now bonded with. Cores weren't supposed to hurt their Companions... but there WERE cases...
"YOU'LL BE SORRY WHEN I GRIND YOUR INTESTINES INTO POWDER YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF- Wait, what?" The Core broke off, screaming anger giving way to confusion, the light reflecting off its surface dancing about in a way that gave the impression of an eye looking around. "Who said that?"
"That would be myself, oh Mighty and Terrible Core." Mimsidahlia meekly replied, her reluctant eagerness dashed and replaced with a nervous fear for her life. "This humble one was s-sent by the Gods to aid in your mission upon this land." She hunched inwards. "Please don't eat me."
"E-Eat you!? Listen, lady, I'm a lot of things, but I ain't exactly in the business of killing things that aren't trying to kill me. Just what the heck are you, anyway??" The Core asked, tone far more relaxed and informal than she had been anticipating, the tone and cadence making her think this Core might've been male in their first life... but you could never be too sure, really. Cores could be fickle like that.
"T-This one is Mimsidahlia Fineroot, Eighth Daughter of the Tenth Generation of House Fineroot, Milord Core." She answered, subtly glancing about for a possible escape in the event the Core turned hostile. Bond or no Bond, she REFUSED to be made a meal!
"Oohh man, you must be that 'handler' I got told about, aren't you?" The Core groaned, a bone-deep exhaustion sinking into its words as it rocked back and forth on its Pedestal. "Listen, sorry you ended up hearing all that. I... kinda have a bit of a temper problem, and I kinda realized I got MASSIVELY PLAYED!!"
Again, the Core yelled, but this time Mimsidahlia noted that the 'direction' of the yell seemed upwards. She had a theory, but just to confirm... "Did you meet with one of the auditors?"
"If by 'auditor' you mean 'non-binary shady reptile person who makes me want to punch things more than usual' then yes. Yes I did." The Core griped. It sighed... well, as much as a sapient jewel CAN sigh, anyway. "Sorry, again, I'm just incredibly pissed off about this. I got promised that I would be reincarnated into a body without flaw or blemish, not-not a fricking ROCK of all things!"
"Hmm? Were the details of you becoming a Dun- sorry, Variant Core not explained? That is... quite unusual. Normally all Reincarnated Cores have made a note that the details of their new existence would be explained in full." She mused, more to herself than her Bonded Core, who was paying careful attention to everything she said. "And either way, your auditor did state that your form would be 'without flaw or blemish,' they didn't state that you would be the same species as before, did they?"
"...No. No they did not." The Core announced, tone dead and cold in a way that while definitely worrying, did not seem to be an immediate threat against her. "Fucking exact words BULLSHIT- no, no, stay calm Rodney. Figure out how body works now, revenge later. You started to say something before switching, what was it... 'Dun' something."
Growing more relaxed, she gave 'Rodney' a beaming grin as she flew to a mushroom growing out of the side of a tree, using it as a stool. "A Dungeon Core, sometimes known among certain religious groups as a 'Cleanser' are sacred jewels crafted by the Gods to maintain the balance of the planet. Able to perform incredible acts of mystical empowerment, the generation of monsters and wildlife, even reshape the biome to their leisure... virtually nothing is beyond the reach of a sufficiently determined and powerful Dungeon Core. The trade off to this, of course, is that they are living jewels and are largely entirely immobile under their own power."
"...No." The Co- Rodney whispered, form shuddering slightly.
"I'm sorry?"
"No. Fucking! WAY!!" He (and she was quite certain that this Core was male) roared, form violently rocking within the recess his body sat in. "I REFUSE!! TO SPEND MY LIFE STUCK AGAIN!!!"
"Rodney..." She whispered, feeling a bit of her heart ache in sympathy. She knew what it was like to be 'stuck.' "I-I'm sorry, but that's just the way things-"
*Clink*
She blinked. "Wha...?"
*Thunk*
"Are you seriously-!?"
*CLANK*
"VICTORY!!" He cheered, having managed to force his crystal body to essentially hop out of its cradle by rocking back and forth, now spinning wheels around the edge of the Pedestal.
Mimsi's reaction was... less than supportive. "HOW!? That- That is a complete violation of all known functions of Dungeon Core behavior!! Y-You should be stuck, immobile, within this Pedestal until you gain enough power to have a Minion or Unit move you, not just... just locomotivate on your own!!"
"Heh, you said it yourself, lady. I'm NOT a Dungeon Core. I'm a 'Variant Core,' whatever that means. My guess? The normal rules don't apply to me... at least not yet." He chuckled, currently wobbling against the lip of the pedestal... before leaping down, the tall grass cushioning his landing. "But yeah, no way am I just gonna turtle up and play defense. It isn't my style; hit first, hit fast, no regrets. That's been my motto ever since I was able to move around of my own will. So..." He trailed off, glancing about the nearby forest. "... you wanna come along? You don't have to if you don't want to, I'm not big on forcing people into things, and I get your supposed to be watching me... you seemed pretty scared earlier. I'm not the kind of gu- Core, I guess, who puts people in positions that'd hurt them."
Confused, Mimsi blinked, forcing the shock back as she giggled at his words. "N-No, don't worry. I won't mind." She allowed her smile to melt into something more genuine. "I was startled, I'll admit it, but I wouldn't mind being your Companion. Besides, you can't say it'll be boring, can you?"
"Boring!? Ugh, never gonna happen. In that case..." He spun in place for a second, before rolling forward towards the eastern edge. With a tentative nod, and an acknowledgement of the headache this would cause later, Mimsi took off after him, fluttering over head. "By the by... your name's kind of a mouthful. You mind if I just call you Mimsi?"
Mimsi blinked; she'd been going by her Formal Name for so long... she'd never really considered what it would be like to be referred to via a Companion Name. She smiled again. "Mimsi... yeah. I like it. I presume your name would be Rodney?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked.
"The System let me know while I was waiting on your arrival." She replied, reclining in the air, confident her wings would guide her along without issue (the benefits of Flight Magic being built into her species!). "Given you were so caught up raging about being misled, I take it you either didn't notice or automatically dismissed your first message. Why don't you give it a look."
"Uh huh... and how exactly do I do that?" Rodney pressed, a sharp edge to his tone.
She frowned for a second, before shrugged; he did say he had a temper problem. "It's fairly simple; merely mentally picture a rectangular pane opening up before you."
---
Rodney P.O.V.
Rodney groaned internally, doing his best not to let his frustration leak into the connection he had quickly pegged onto once he stopped raging earlier. She was just trying to help, she wasn't talking down to him... calm down, calm down CALM DOWN. The lack of lungs was really messing with his ability to force back his temper right now. At least he had a point to start with. Allowing his focus to slide away from the floating Burgundy-clad, blue-tinted person that he was pretty sure was meant to be a fairy above him, he did his best to follow her advice. "...I'm not sure it's-"
[Accessing System]
"-Working HOLY crap!!" He yelped, nearly pulling to a complete stop as a shimmering pane of blue opened up before him. It honestly reminded him of something out of a... video... game... he really hoped this world didn't run on Game Logic. He REALLY hoped it didn't, but he didn't think he was that lucky. Oh well, better to see what he's working with, right? It'll help him prepare for when he tracked down that fang-mouthed jackass and RIPPED-
[Core Designation: Rodney! Core Classification: (ERROR/Awaiting Further Input) Core.
Core Level: 0.
Territory: 0.
Greetings, Young Core! You have been selected by the Gods of Avelia to aid in the future development of the land. Throughout you journey and development, you will construct within you a unique Template as a Core that, if selected, will become the future model for a brand-new line of Cores, a permanent legacy engraved into the very fate of this world! Grow and develop at your own discretion, Young Core. The Eyes of the Gods are upon you.
WARNING! WARNING! You have abandoned your Core Pedestal! Without your Pedestal, all ability to gather Territory has been nullified. Storing Pedestal in Storage to prevent usurpation.
Calculating...
Trait: Wandering has been accepted. Accept "Wandering Core" Classification?
Y/N]
...Huh. Not as bad as he feared. Still, the idea of being the "Wandering Core" didn't sit with him. Granted, he HATED being stuck in one place... but that was more an extension of his other motivations, not his main one. If he was gonna be building some "new Template" for the beings running this world, he was gonna base it on HIMSELF, not some random quirk that it picked up on because of his actions. Beyond that, he had the sneaking sense that if he selected yes, his abilities would try and develop in a way that lined up with what the System decided was his "theme." Mentally tapping the [N] icon, he rolled along, already plotting his vengeance. Hey, it was his thing! Besides... he had a friend now, maybe? And friends were worth taking things a bit slower than normal.
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AN: And with that, my first Chapter for this story, and first story for this site, has been completed! I had originally intended to have what I like to call Rodney's "defining moment" that would make him the Raid Core in truth... I decided to make the first chapter a bit of a breather. Next time, though? Next time will be when things start ramping up! I intend for this to be updated roughly once every five days, within reason. I hope you all enjoy this, and are okay with the slower-paced start.