For the third time in short succession, I awaken from unconsciousness and sit up in the grass of the Dungeon’s Safe Room. As I stretch out my arms above my head, I temporarily dismiss the notifications filling my view to address two things that immediately attract my attention. Firstly, how I stretched out my arms, plural. Letting the pair of limbs drop in front of my face, I see that my missing arm has regrown completely, with no visible changes except how the supple flesh of the arm has become more muscular, as has the rest of my body. Looking all over myself I can see that my body has gained lean muscles all over, and the reason I can see this at all is due to the second thing I noticed immediately. The already tattered clothing I had been wearing until now has become nothing more than scraps, as my new body not only became more muscular, it has also increased in size overall.
As accurately as I can, I use my surroundings to estimate how much my body grew during the Evolution process, and I am able to determine that I grew a couple of feet taller, with the rest of my body increasing in mass proportionally to my new height. While I was already quite tall for a woman, being a respectable six foot even, being eight foot tall, at the minimum, brings a whole new definition to the meaning of being tall. Granted, I won't complain about the growth, especially due to how it will help me in combat, which I expect will be something that will continue to be something I get involved in on Dharta, no matter what I do in the future.
While I could definitely spend a couple more minutes inspecting my naked form further, the cool air on my skin urges me to address my situation, and so I pick up some of the scraps that must have torn during my impromptu growth spurt, and tie some of them together to make a makeshift skirt and chest band to cover me until I can retrieve some more permanent attire that will fit my now prodigious stature. Luckily, my leather belt only unbuckled during the process, so I am able to still use it to hold my new skirt up and my cloth pouch, although using more of its length this time to keep everything snug.
With the more indecent parts of myself now covered, even if I suspect there aren't any people around that would care in the first place, I head over to the pool of water to check out my reflection so I can get a better look at myself. Once there, I look down to see a crimson-skinned woman with the same appearance as my old body, just more toned, taller, having eyes a purple color instead of the bronze hue they shared with my metallic looking hair, a new spiral looking pattern on my tail, and a pair of black, stubby, curved horns on my forehead peeking through my bangs. Now that I list it all out though, there are too many changes to say that I have the same appearance, aren't there?
Poking the tip of one of my new head ornaments, I find it to be firm, with a texture similar to smooth bone, and even if the tip of the horn is somewhat rounded, I doubt anyone would appreciate receiving a headbutt from me now. With these two new additions, I'm now only missing a pair of bat-like wings to complete the image of a Demon I picture when hearing the word, or at least used to picture, as becoming one has swiftly begun to change how I view Demons, especially when compared to the stories I heard back on Earth.
Though the change in eye color to an eerie, violet hue is interesting, I choose to check out my tail’s changes next as it has proven to be one of, if not the most useful change I have received once coming to Dharta. Bringing it in front of me, the most obvious changes I can spot at first glance are the spiraling pattern it now has and its increased girth, now being about twice as thick as before. The length itself seems to have retained its proportional relation to my height, with it now being about eight feet long compared to its previous six, with it also retaining the heart shaped, spade tip, though the tip’s coloration is split in half between black and a shade of crimson darker than my skin. The spiral pattern shares that palette, with one half being the same black, the other the dark crimson.
But as I pay more attention to the tail, that doesn't seem quite right, and I soon notice the error in my observation. With a thought, my two tails unravel from one another, splitting into a pair of tails over double the length they had when braided together, one black and one dark crimson, their tips being either half of the spade shape they made when combined together. Twisting around, I can see that the two tails emerge from the spot near my tailbone that my old tail emerged from, splitting into the twin limbs only an inch from my skin. The best part though, is that I find controlling the extra appendage to be as easy as it had been to learn to maneuver my tail for the first time, effectively doubling my deadliest appendage.
Now that I have completed my inspection of the physical changes I received, it's now time to move to the even more exciting part, the changes I received via the System.
[Evolution From Subspecies {Temiskyr Imp} To {Countess Of Broken Chains} Is Now Complete!]
[You Will Receive 1 Level’s Worth Of Stats For Evolving Into The Second Tier (+4 Endurance +4 Recovery +2 Strength +2 Dexterity +3 Magic Power +3 Mana Control +4 Stat Points)]
[For Evolving Your Subspecies Into The Second Tier, You Have Unlocked Your Sixth Skill Slots For Your Active And Passive Subspecies Skills, As Well As Received Six Tier 2 General Points.]
[Due To Evolving Into A {Countess Of Broken Chains}, You Have Been Granted The Title: Lesser Demonic Noble!]
[Due To Evolving Into A {Countess Of Broken Chains}, Your Active Subspecies Skill [Break Enchantment] Level 9 Has Evolved Into The Active Subspecies Skill [Alter Runes] Level 9!]
[Due To Evolving Into A {Countess Of Broken Chains}, Your Active Subspecies Skill [Eyes Of Aspirations] Level 20 Has Evolved Into The Active Subspecies Skill [Runic Vision] Level 21!]
[Due To Evolving Into A {Countess Of Broken Chains}, You Have Been Granted The Passive {Countess Of Broken Chains} Skill [Free Spirit] Level 1!]
[Evolution Process Completed, Excess Experience Shall Now Be Distributed!]
With that last message, and before I can further inspect the changes to my Subspecies’ Skill list, I am bombarded with the series of windows relating to Level ups that, in all honesty, have become a bit overwhelming as of late. Skimming through the literal facefull of text is only becoming more and more tedious, as I Level up more and more, which leads me to the desire of a more simplified process. I mean, if I can organize my Status, why can't I do the same to the way I receive notifications? With that hopeful thought, the System reads my will as it usually does, and alters the windows, compressing the information into a much more manageable amount.
[{Countess Of Broken Chains} Has Risen From Level 25 To Level 28! (+12 Endurance +12 Recovery +6 Strength +6 Dexterity +9 Magic Power +9 Mana Control +12 Stat Points)]
[Skill [Restful Touch] Has Gone From Level 20 To Level 21!]
[Skill [Tail Whip] Has Gone From Level 20 To Level 24!]
[Skill [Enchantment Affinity] Has Gone From Level 20 To Level 22!]
[Skill [Versatile Tail] Has Gone From Level 20 To Level 21!]
The nearly dozen windows neatly compacted down to just five, which will be extremely helpful in the future. Also, I wasn't expecting to get any Skill Level ups as it stated that it would only store Subspecies experience, but I guess Subspecies Skills counted towards that. Even the Levels themselves gave me a surprise solely based on how many I received, as I basically received the equivalent of around twelve {Temiskyr Imp} Levels’ worth of Stats right after Evolution. I even almost raised my Endurance to the point where it surpasses my Magic Power, and if I include the increase my magical bracelet provides, I actually do pass it by a couple points. I can now see why the Moss Wolves’ Alpha was so much more powerful compared to his brethren, even the one that was only four levels apart from him. Even if the Alpha’s Subspecies was only a mediocre one, it still had a healthy lead Stat-wise compared to the rest of his pack.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Now that I have finished going through the notifications themselves though, I should go ahead and inspect the new additions I received due to my Evolution, starting with the new Title, as it is the first one I have received since first arriving on Dharta.
Lesser Demonic Noble:
For Demons who rule via power, you have shown yourself to be capable of joining the ranks of Demonic Nobility with the acquiring of an unique Subspecies. Your presence itself has become intimidating, with an increased effect based on how much higher your Level is compared to the affected party. Any Domain Skills, as well as Skills related to leading and commanding others, have improved effectiveness and growth rates. Lastly, while the unique beings known as the Demonic Nobles may share many traits with the usual Demon Subspecies Evolutions, they stand apart from their fellows, having variations that set them apart from the average Demon, allowing for more options during further Evolutions.
When I finished reading the lengthy Title description, I received a prompt asking if I wanted to use it as my Displayed Title, which I went ahead and accepted. Whilst Banebreaker sounds much cooler than Lesser Demonic Noble, I feel that I actually earned this one somewhat, as all my other three were given to me based off of what happened to me instead of something I did myself. This new one also has a lot more outright effects that I can make sense of, for the most part. Seeing as I don't have any leadership Skills, or any clue as to what a Domain Skill even is, the only effect immediately useful for me would be the intimidating presence I apparently now have, though I don't know to what extent this actually affects others. The last effect seems really good as well, most likely letting me get better Subspecies options when I am able to Evolve again. But enough of that, I've got some new Skills to check out!
[Alter Runes]:
Allows the user to manipulate the Runes Inscribed on items with but a touch, allowing for the alteration of magical effects placed upon them. This Skill increases in effectiveness with Runes the user has become familiar with, or with Runes related to a Category of magic the user is capable with. As this Skill alters Runes one at a time, using it on more complex Inscriptions may result in undesired results, disrupting the magic Inscribed in unforeseeable ways.
The new Skill is quite different from [Break Enchantment], which may or may not be a good thing. If I am understanding it correctly, it will let me change the effects of magic items, like my Thorn Of Minor Paralysis, but the last line of [Alter Runes] description makes me wary of testing it out. For all I know, I could screw up in a way that breaks the item completely, or even worse, causes some sort of magical explosion. Thankfully, the Skill that came from [Eyes Of Aspirations] sounds like it might help me with using [Alter Runes].
[Runic Vision]:
An inspection-type skill, this skill allows the user to gain basic information on something when they focus on it, with the additional effect of passively being able to see magical Runes that are usually invisible to those unable to sense them. Based on the user’s knowledge of its Runes, the user may also gain information on any magical effects an item may have based on its Inscription.
2nd Tier Effect:
Improves the effectiveness of active analysis, as well as giving a bonus to information gained on Runes of which you have an Affinity based Skill of a magical Category related to the Rune.
Losing the ability to see the desires of others isn't too big of a loss when I gain something, in my opinion, much cooler instead. Maybe now I can get information on magic items in as much detail as I have been getting with the Dungeon’s green System windows. Although, the only item I have actually seen that has mentioned inscriptions at all was the slave collar back in town. Hopefully fantastical weapons and armor will become more commonplace instead of accursed items like that, that way I can put my new Skill to great use. This Skill is also the first time I have seen what the System called a “2nd Tier Effect,” which must be because [Runic Vision] is past Level 20, which is the limit for first Tier Skills. I guess that means I should also recheck the descriptions of the Skills that passed into the second Tier, but I can do that after checking out my last new Skill, [Free Spirit].
[Free Spirit]:
The user’s body has acquired a taste for freedom, and shall not be restricted easily. Any magical effect meant to inhibit the user’s freedom of movement, such as Paralysis, Stun, or Binding Skills, will have more difficulty affecting the user. Any such debilitating effect that does get inflicted upon the user is also more draining for the caster to maintain, and has a shortened effectiveness on the user.
Now this skill is fucking awesome. While in theory the Skills related to Runes sound more interesting overall, the ability to shrug off Skills like the Moss Wolves’ grass binding Skill has an application I can immediately recognize, whilst meddling with Inscriptions will take who knows how long to become useful to me. Since this Skill is Passive as well, that means I don't have to worry about timing its activation, as it will always be on. Now that I know Skills get additional effects once they reach the second Tier, I'm also curious as to what [Free Spirit] will get once it reaches past Level 20. On that note, I hop from one foot to the other in excitement as I bring up descriptions of the four Skills that immediately increased to the second Tier with the reserved experience.
[Restful Touch]:
Implants a sense of relaxation on whoever the user makes physical contact with, reducing their concentration. The user may enhance the effect via prolonged contact. This is a Skill under the (Enchantment) Category.
2nd Tier Effect:
The user also drains a portion of the target's overall stamina as they apply the Skill, using it to recover the user’s reserves.
While the addition seems simple enough to me at first, I soon realize the implications not outright stated moments later. From my experience, the sleepiness induced by [Restful Touch] stops as soon as I cease using the Skill, as when I use it on myself I immediately return to full wakefulness just moments after ending the Skill. But, if it now drains the target's stamina itself, so even if they break free from the magically induced drowsiness, they should still be somewhat tired anyways from the lost stamina. I'm unsure how that will affect me when I use it on myself if the drained stamina will just come back to me, as that is how I mainly trained with it, but with the loss of [Break Enchantment], I might need to come up with a new training regimen anyways.
[Tail Whip]:
Allows the user to swiftly strike out with their tail in a whip-like manner, potentially inflicting lacerations onto your target.
2nd Tier Effect:
When [Tail Whip] is activated, the tip of the user’s tail will inflict an (Unholy) hex upon any spot it strikes, which will make the struck spot slowly decay over time, causing metal to rust, leather to rot, and widen wounds on flesh. This hex is cumulative, increasing in speed of decay if the same spot is struck repeatedly, or may be active in multiple spots on the same target for a tiny increase in Mana cost to the user per affected region.
Now this is what I'm talking about! Even if the new effect requires some precision, only applying towards the tips of my tails that are about the size of my hand instead of the rest of the 20 or so feet length of tail, the hex it will give has the capability of letting me bypass the defenses of my enemies, or speed up the rate they bleed out from several lacerations if I wish. The bleeding out effect isn't as exciting as the improved penetrative power to me, but that might be because all my fights have been swift and decisive instead of drawn out struggles where any small amount of damage matters. Either way though, having more options will never hurt, and maybe I can get an [Unholy Affinity] Skill from using [Tail Whip] now, as [Unholy Resistance] has been at Level 1 since I've been in Dharta and being able to finally improve upon it will be nice. Speaking of Affinities, time to see what one of those Skills gets once it reaches the second Tier.
[Enchantment Affinity]:
Gives the user increased resistance to and ability with (Enchantment) Skills and Spells.
2nd Tier Effect:
When the user is struck by an (Enchantment) Skill/Spell, the resisted portion will be converted to Mana that will supplement the user’s supply. Additionally, every (Enchantment) Skill/Spell the user uses on a target will wear away at the resistance of that target, temporarily making them more susceptible to all (Enchantment) Skills/Spells.
An overall improvement I can get behind. While I haven't had any trouble with conserving Mana yet due to my high Recovery, except for maybe my last fight where I passed out after reaching the Safe Room, I won't dismiss something to help me stay in a fight longer. The resistance reduction is also really nice, and I might even be able to reduce defenses by just talking to my enemies due to [Temptation’s Tongue] being an Enchantment Skill. But on to my last second Tier Subspecies Skill!
[Versatile Tail]:
Improves how precisely the user can control their tail, as well as increasing its overall durability and flexibility.
2nd Tier Effect:
The user may make small alterations to the length, shape, and texture of their tail, such as sharpening the tip into a blade or hardening sections to deflect strikes.
This one will definitely need some testing on its capabilities, but even if the two examples were all that got added, the new functionality would be greatly appreciated. Since those most likely aren't the only things I can change, my tail has now become even more deadly and versatile, as the Skill’s name suggests.
That is the last of my Skills that reached the second Tier, and now I only have a couple things left to do before I can finally leave this Safe Room once more. Figure out how I want to spend my Stat points, now that all of them receive at least some each Level, as well as decide if I want to use two of my six Tier 2 General Points on both [Light Of Justice] and [Brawling], as I don't know if I should save them or spend them, not knowing when, or if, I will receive more in the future.