-Eva-
Her morning had started out like every other in the boring little town of Brekin. She'd check on the chickens for a few eggs, make sure the house was tidy before taking the youngest children to their tutor for schooling. During the evening she would take Charlotte with her to the market. It had been on Eva to take care of her family ever since her mother had fallen ill five years ago, so she saw herself as strong role model for her younger sister. Charlotte had always been a quiet child, but whenever she went to the market with Eva the girl's face seemed to shine the brightest.
That bright face had quickly changed to horror once the two girls were kidnapped in the middle of the market kicking and screaming. Eva had expected anyone among the townsfolk to step up and help them but they turned away from the scene and acted as if the stifled cries didn't reach them. After the girls were gagged and had sacks placed over their heads they were thrown into some sort of caged carriage. The only sounds during their hour long ride were the muffled cries of fellow captives, and the carriage wheels moving along the dirt and pebble road.
When they finally stopped mumbled complaints could be heard before the cage door opened. Eva had a thought to throw herself towards the noise, but with Charlotte tightly clinging to her skirt she knew that would be pointless. Another one of the captives had the same thought as her though, and soon there were cries of shock and anger before the sound of tumbling bodies could be heard.
"This stupid cunt broke my nose!" A rough voice cried out before the sound of a boot hitting something sounded through the silence. "Do. You. Think. We. Need. You. Pretty?" Each word was punctuated by a kick, and soon the kicks came without words just grunts of exertion. "Oi, Cecil knock it off! Chief said we need as many alive as possible." Another voice reprimanded the man who was moments away from killing the captive. Eva felt a new tinge of fear as a pair of hands roughly grabbed her and dragged her out of the cage. She stood still despite Charlotte's fearful shaking next to her as the rest of the captives were corralled around them.
They walked for another hour or so before the air changed and their steps inclined downward; the sound of their marching resounded through what seemed to be a cave of some sort. The farther she walked Eva could begin to hear mumbled chanting from near by, and as she rounded the corner she could hear a man giving a speech.
"Brothers and Sisters for too long have we suffered under the boot of nobility, yearly they come by to bleed our towns of our coppers. They steal our children from us, and treat us as lessers; to them weren't little better than the elven slaves they bring back from their conquests. All because they have the backing of their sworn knights, and the royal chamber's ear remains deaf to our complaints." The man spoke with a fervor that almost had Eva siding with him. Her family weren't strangers to the ill treatment the nobility showed the common folk of Astoria. Why had she been captured though? How would she help the common folk with the abuse of the nobles.
"Of course no plan of action can come without sacrifices, but soon our Savior will come and take us beneath his wings! Our every care will be handled by him, no longer will we pray to the heavens longing for some sort of reply. Now we will have our god here among us!"
-The Exile-
[ Status ]
[ Titles: Betrayed Exile, Unchained Lord]
>Name:???<
>Age:??<
>Race:???<
[ Due to the mundane means of the summoning the player will be forced to select a new race upon their unsealing. All abilities and stats will be reconstructed to best assist the player in the world assimilation. ]
Truthfully, I'd almost forgotten what it felt like for my heart to beat in my chest while I stayed in The Abyss. After I spent years cycling through the same memories along with the same damned message I could feel bits and pieces of my soul fading into that pitch black nothingness. Reading this new notification though I couldn't help but smile. 'I can't remember how long it's been, I couldn't keep track after a few weeks.'
[ Race selections. ]
>Earth Dragon< A noble and peaceful tribe among the Dragon clan in the third realm. For hundreds of years the Earth dragons have lived isolated tending to themselves with little thought towards the kingdoms of man. They are also Masters of Earth magic, one of the few accounts mankind has of them is that a wounded Earth dragon roar was capable of shaking entire mountainsides.
>Chimera< The Chimera are a long believed extinct species in all three realms. Few remember the world spanning kingdom that first populated the third realm, the only remnants of them are told among the dragon tribes; of how the chimera were brought to near extinction by the united tribes beneath one great dragon. It is rumored that the Chimera were the shapers of the third realm, and the magic systems passed down between the races.
[ Upon race selection the player's stats and abilities will be unlocked and their realm assimilation will begin. ]
I read the options two or three times, the smile soon fell from my face at my luck again; my options were to come back as one of two obscure races that no one knew anything about. I had no clue were I'd been summoned to in this new 'realm' or what kind of people had found the means to free me from The Abyss. If I was going into the realm blind I felt cheated that my summoning only allowed the two options. 'There's no Destruction dragon option either huh?'
[ The Destruction dragon tribe was forced away from the third realm after the Chimera Purge. The last vestiges of the Destruction tribe lie with the remains of the old dragons inside the demon realm. ]
While helpful at the time, I wasn't exactly prepared for these notifications to respond so quickly to my thoughts. During my time in The Abyss it never sent me anything but the seal conditions, it never helped me once when my mind nearly snapped from the fading memories. Knowing that whatever this thing was, it had the ability to give me information yet it had deliberately not done so in The Abyss. It was a problem I could think on after I was freed though, and after letting out a nervous breath I made my selection.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
[ Race selected: >Chimera< New stats and abilities are now unlocked, along with the player's old abilities. ]
There had been an unexpected treasure in the obscure race and I only knew how great it was after taking a look at my stats.
[ Stats ]
HP: 350/350
MP: 700/700
STR: Lv. 80 (SS rank)
VIT: Lv. 68 (S rank)
AGI: Lv. 70 (S+ rank)
INT: Lv 50 (A+ rank)
SPD: Lv. 90 (SS+ rank)
PER: Lv. 64 (S rank)
Experience points: 0/300
[ Abilities. ]
>Chimera's Regeneration: Extraordinary healing factor. From minor to major wounds, poisons, spells as long as the player retains their will to live their flesh will mend itself. Only total annihilation will destroy a chimera, and even that was only a temporary measure. Legends say that the strongest among the chimera were able to bring themselves back from the realm of the dead through some unknown means.<
>Chimera body assimilation (partial transformation): Depending on the species the Chimera has 'interacted' with in their life they have been known to take on certain aspects. One of the chimera's best known forms of assimilation is via consuming the aforementioned species.<
>Devil dragon coat (partial transformation locked until assimilation of a being from the demon realm): Buff defensive capabilities by 50% + rank up two stats of the player's choice for 5-10 min.<
>Heir of Betrayal: Once a day when the heir is put in a situation where their odds of survival are less than 5% this transformation/buff will automatically activate at user's request. Once used this skill will enhance every stat by a rank at the price of the player's memories, it will also stack with the other buffs.<
>Dragon of Destruction Aura: An ancient,, and powerful aura no longer used throughout the three realms. The dark aura was known to rival the greatest battle auras produced by any of the realms, though the last master of the aura had passed away before they were able to teach another.<
>Exile's rage: All physical stats will be boosted by 5 levels while the player's mental state regresses. Along with the strength boost the player's pain receptors will be shut down, allowing them to fight despite any grevious wounds. While a boon in combat, the excessive use of this ability may cause permanent damage to the player's psyche.<
>Indomitable will: The player's time in The Abyss has given them an unnaturally strong will power. The effects of magics dealing with attacks on the soul will be lessened, also mental attacks/probes will be blocked through the player's superior will.<
The chimera race stats were a pleasant surprise, though I didn't enjoy thinking about how the new assimilation would work. 'Could I actually eat someone? It seems like too much, and even if I know I've killed before actually taking a bite out of someone else... I'm not an animal.' My train of thought was interrupted by a fiery pain shooting through my body as my body was forcibly changed. The pain was blinding, and I wasn't able to hold in a scream of pain as the light behind my eyes turned a bloody red. As the pain receded I heard the heavy thud of the chains around my body falling away to the stone floor.
As the weight of my prison fell from my shoulders I could hear mumbled chanting, along with the excited ramblings of some strange man. When my eyes opened I was greeted by a ragged group of barley clothed humans in a dimly lit cave. A few of them lay on the ground unmoving, and deathly pale with wounds around their wrists. Their faces held unnatural expressions of ecstasy that concerned me, as if they'd died under the influence of something strong. Standing to the left of the dead bodies were a group of shaking figures with burlap sacks over their heads. They varied from young women to a few smaller girls, and they each stood with bound arms behind a man. He had short cropped brown hair, and his eyes had a hazy glaze to them that only added the eerie feeling I'd got after seeing his smile.
"Oh Unchained Savior, please accept the offering of your most humble servants. With our very lives as the catalyst for your freedom I asked that you accept this." He approached me once he'd finished speaking while grasping a silver chalice filled with what could only be blood. A small bead spilled over the brim, and once I'd finally taken my first breath of freedom in the cave I finally noticed the lingering stench of old blood on my body. I looked from the man down to the chains at my feet and noticed that their once shining golden light was fading away as blood dripped silently from the chains and pooled beneath me.
[ A chance for the Chimera assimilation has been offered. Sub quest- Chained Lord's chalice has started. ]
I'd been thinking of turning down the chalice until the notification appeared in the air between the man and myself. A sub quest like this meant an easy means of experience that I probably wouldn't come across often in this new realm. Before I knew what I was doing my hand reached out and took hold on the chalice, the torch light caused the red liquid inside to almost shine. As I brought the chalice to my lips and drank deeply the memories from the lives of the now dead bodies laying on the cave floor flooded my mind.
Fathers forced to debase themselves as a young noble drunkenly forced himself on their wives and daughters only for them to later be taken away from him while knights in shining armor beat the men within an inch of their lives. Women who were taken from their homes to be used until the nobility lost interest in them returned to their homes with both physical and mental scars. The injustices these people had suffered over the years became my own as I tilted my head back and drank the rest of the chalice's contents. Their blood cried out to me as I dropped the chalice, these people had been treated worse than the noble house's most useless hounds. They called out to me as the last vestiges of their lives became mine, they wanted revenge against their oppressors and were desperate for any solution.
'They even went as far as offering their lives to free a demon locked away in The Abyss without any guarantee that I'd help them.'
As the thought passed through my mind I took a few steps forward and placed a cold hand on the man's shoulder. He shook with excitement at my touch, and I noticed tears falling from his eyes as he fell to his knees before me with hands clasped in a praying manner. "Please my Lord, only you can bring the justice my people have prayed for so often at night. The old gods turned a blind eye to our plight and so our every hope lies with you. If need be I too will give my life for you Lord, if only you will bring that house to ruin."
His jaw tensed in anger as he finished speaking, the anger pulled at something in me then; it felt so familiar to me that my empty hand clenched hard enough to draw blood from my palm. I placed my bloodied hand on the man's head gently and offered him a genuine smile. "You've done your work, now I'll carry out your people's vengeance." I released his head and shoulder before walking to the nearest woman with a sack placed over her head. She'd stopped shaking once the sounds of my steps reached her, and the only one who hadn't stepped away from her was a smaller girl holding onto her skirt with white knuckles.
I removed the sack from her head without much thought and fearful eyes of blue stared at me as her hands automatically moved to push the child behind her for protection. She had hair the coppery color of red autumn leaves, and her skin was a pale olive tone that complimented her eyes and hair almost perfectly. She had a proud face despite her circumstances and I felt a smirk cross my face as I turned back to address the man who had finally risen from his knees. 'If she didn't wear the clothes of a commoner I'd have thought she was noblewoman herself.'
"Take those off of the rest, I'd like to talk to you all about your villages and the noble house you're under." After giving my command I finally took notice on the peculiar way black scales covered my arm from wrist to shoulder; my legs were the same though I didn't know how far the scales went thanks in part to the torn linen pants I still wore. "And a mirror, I haven't seen how this new body looks." It was an admittedly vain request but I'd still rather know if my physical appearance would give me away once I traveled through the realm.
Once the last woman had the sack removed from her head I sat on a stool the cultist had brought me. I examined the women, the fear remained behind a few of their eyes but one dark haired woman among them glared at me with eyes full of murderous intent. If looks could kill I may have feared for my life, instead though I offered her a friendly smile before addressing them all. "I don't know what happened before we could meet, but I hope to offer you all as much assistance as I can. After you all have spoken with me I'll personally escort you back to your families, and any harm you've suffered will be repaid." A light of hope shined behind many of their eyes at my words, and even the dark haired woman looked at me with a curious expression on her face.
[ New Main quest >The common folk's wrath< has started. ]