“Alright System! Let me see what I have available…”
Reading through her options, Bug grimaces as she reads the very first one.
‘Annoying Little Prick. Your small stature, high Dexterity, and a tendency for stabbing people has made you quite the Annoying Little Prick. Lean into this path and embrace a future as someone who is destined to piss off everyone that is taller than you. + 10 to Dexterity. Gain one level of Knife Fighting, Stealth, and Assassination. Stat growth per level of + 1 to Endurance and + 3 to Dexterity, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level.’
“Oi! That is just rude! Damn System…”
Moving on, she keeps reading.
‘Apprentice Assassin. A blade in the dark, a slit throat right when your enemies think themselves safe. You have begun the path of an Assassin. Embrace the darkness, be molded by the darkness and become someone that those living in the light will only hear about in whispers. + 2 to Endurance, + 6 to Dexterity. Gain one level of Knife Fighting, Stealth, and Assassination. Stat growth per level of + 1 to Endurance and + 2 to Dexterity, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level.’
What the heck? It is just like Annoying Little Prick, but weaker…
‘Apprentice Fighter. Knives, swords, spears, if it has a blade, you can use it to kill. Embrace a future as one who wields the blade to cut down their foes. Live by the blade, die by the blade. + 2 to Endurance, + 3 to Strength, + 3 to Dexterity. Gain one level of Knife Fighting, Sword Fighting, Spear Fighting, and Weapon Throwing. Stat growth per level of + 1 to Endurance and + 1 to Strength and + 1 to Dexterity, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level.’
Mmm, not really what I am looking for.
‘Aspiring Magical Girl Villain. You have firmly cemented yourself as a villain. Having forcefully broken friendships, stolen the lives of loved ones, tormented those you have beaten, and made petite young women hate you for your shapely body. You are now well on your way to becoming a Villain to all Magical Girls. You even have minions. Use your new power and might to crush the will of, and even rob the purity of, every would-be Magical Girl that would face you. But beware, for the powers of friendship and love are not to underestimated. + 2 to Vitality, + 2 to Endurance, + 2 to Strength, + 3 to Dexterity, + 3 to Magic. Gain one level of Whip Fighting and one level of Pain to Pleasure. Gain the Knowledge Introduction to BDSM. Gain the spell Grow Tentacles. Stat Growth per level of + 1 Vitality, + 1 to Endurance, + 1 to Dexterity, + 1 to Magic, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level.’
“… What the actual fuck is this? Magical Girls? Villains? What is BDSM? Why would I want to grow tentacles? Although, I guess they could be useful in a fight, I guess?”
Bug stares at the weird offering, a dangerous feeling filling her that tells her that she will probably regret it if she picks this class. The stats and a free spell are tempting, but… something about this Class just feels dirty…
Bug moves on, skipping over some of the less impressive ones, like, Little Trash Collector and Kin Slayer.
There are others offered that cover very mundane things, and even Classes that would start her down whole new paths that she hasn’t even touched yet, like becomes a Seamstress, a Cook, or even an Actor. But, Bug ignores everything that isn’t combat oriented.
Finally, she comes across the Classes that cover the use of her magic and is treated to three offerings.
‘Little Bodily Horror. A user of Death Magic you may be, but it is through your own body that you inflict Death upon others. Wield your body, mold your body, change your body, and start your path towards becoming the Horror of Man. Your very body shall become an embodiment of Death, your every motion, the swipe of a scythe reaping the lives of thousands of mortals. Become Death. + 3 to Vitality, + 2 to Endurance, + 2 to Strength, + 4 to Dexterity, + 3 to Magic. Gain one level of Fist Fighting and one level of Claw Fighting. Gain the spells Sharpen Claws and Grow Limbs. Stat Growth per level of + 2 Vitality, + 1 to Endurance, + 1 to Dexterity, + 1 to Magic, + 1 to Intelligence with + 4 Free Stat Points per level. Discount on all Body Magic.’
‘The Little Necromancer that Could. Necromancy! Raise armies of the Undead that shall loyally serve you until their un-lives end. There is no problem that can’t be solved by simply throwing enough bodies at it, and if that doesn’t work? Throw more bodies at it! Start down your path as a Necromancer and lead the armies of the Undead as their rotting corpses drown the world of the living. All shall know Death! All shall become Death! And the world shall remember why it is that they should fear the Queen of the Dead Lands!
Remind them little one. Mother will be pleased.
+ 3 to Endurance, + 3 to Dexterity, + 4 to Magic, + 4 to Intelligence. Gain one level of Mana Control and one level of Soul Sight. Gain the spells Death’s Aura and Enhance Undead. Become marked as a Child of the Queen of the Dead Lands. Stat Growth per level of + 1 to Endurance, + 1 to Dexterity, + 2 to Magic, + 2 to Intelligence, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level. Discount on all Death Magic.
Warning: Those marked by the Queen of the Dead Lands will most likely draw the ire of Higher Authorities and be hunted down. Proceed at own risk.’
‘Daddy’s Little Soul Flayer. The souls of your enemies are yours to pull apart and play with as you please. You have already experienced the joys of filling your enemies with pain, but now it is time to learn how to destroy your enemies very soul. As they kneel before you, begging, you shall pull their soul apart like you would the petals from a flower. And once they have been stripped bare of everything they are, reduced to nothing but a ruined thing in the palm of your hands, you shall crush them and laugh as they leave this life, never to enter the next. Start down this path and make your enemies feel true pain. + 1 to Vitality, + 1 to Endurance, + 5 to Magic, + 5 to Intelligence. Gain one level of Mana Control and one level of Soul Sight. Gain the spells Harm Soul and Blind Target. Stat Growth per level of + 1 to Vitality, + 1 to Endurance, + 2 to Magic, + 2 to Intelligence, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level. Discount on all Soul Magic.’
…
“Wow… Ok, these three are definitely the ones I am picking from. I was worried that I was going to have to pick the Annoying Little Prick or Aspiring Magical Girl Villain, thank goodness… But still, why do so many of these Classes keep having little in the name? Is my size really that big of deal or is someone making a joke?”
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Ahh… Let’s forget about that for now. I’ll make sure to complain to the Devs when I get the chance… For now, we have Little Bodily Horror, The Little Necromancer that Could, and Daddy’s Little Soul Flayer…
Seriously, what the hell is wrong with these names!?
“Haaaaah…. Focus, focus… Strangle the Devs later…”
Ok, the first one is obviously for Body Magic and will make me stronger as a fighter. It will also get me an expensive spell early which would be nice. All in all, this one seems more aimed toward personal power and survival.
The second one is… very tempting but also very worrisome… I don’t like the idea of getting marked by some Queen of the Dead or whatever and I especially don’t like the idea of pissing off any Higher Authorities. Whoever that might be… I mean, out of all the Classes, it was the only one with a warning put on it. Which is sad, because it is also the only Necromancy Class I have available…
And then the third. This one seems to be pushing me to become more of a spell Caster. Unlike Inflict Pain, Harm Soul actually does damage to your enemies. The only problem with it though, is that it is slow to kill. Hitting someone with a sword or shooting them with a fireball would kill them much faster. Honestly, from what I understand, most of the Death infused Soul Magics are mostly intended for torturing and de-buffing your enemies up until the higher levels of magic.
“Hmm… the Soul Magic is a tempting option because of the stats, but what I need isn’t more ways of hurting people, but more ways of killing and surviving… And being able to regrow my arms and legs definitely sounds like something that is good for survival…”
If I had Grow Limbs, I wouldn’t have had to spend 50 Points on that potion…
Bug gives one last look of all the options, her eyes lingering on The Little Necromancer that Could, and then finally selects Little Bodily Horror.
Well, even if I can’t have the Necromancy Class, it doesn’t change the fact that I can still use Necromancy. I’ll just have to keep grabbing the stuff I want without getting myself marked by that Queen or whoever else.
With her selection made, a loading bar pops up and fills slowly as Bug’s body starts to heat up. The pain coursing through her is nowhere near as bad as some of what she has endured so far, but such a big jump in all of her stats and learning two new spells is quite taxing.
As she lays on her bed, sweating and gritting her teeth, the loading bar finishes, and the headache really starts to set in.
It takes some time, but eventually, the pain and discomfort fades away and she is finally able to pull herself up and lean against the wall of her hiding place. The cold wall feels great against her aching head, and Bug relaxes there until she is feeling better.
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Stats
Name – Bug
Age – 0
Race – Gremlin
Class – Little Bodily Horror
Level – 10
EXP – 100/300
Free Stat Points - 0
Heath – 96/96
Stamina – 39/39
Mana – 171/171 [Total = 200] [-29 From Control Upkeep]
Vitality – 16
Endurance – 13
Strength - 13
Dexterity - 22
Magic - 20
Intelligence - 18
*Luck – N/A
*Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.
----------------------------------------
After a short break, Bug finally decides that it is time to try some stuff out. She has two new spells, and she might as well figure them out now rather than later when she is in the middle of a fight.
Starting small, she brings her left hand up to look at, and activates Sharpen Claws. Immediately, the end of her fingers start to bleed as her little claws elongate and grow from her fingertips.
“Ouch! Ahhh… that doesn’t feel great…”
Stopping their growth after they become dangerous looking things, like hooked knives growing from her fingers. Bug looks over her hand and licks up the blood. Thankfully, the spell has a bit of built in healing that seals up her fingers after growing the claws, so the bleeding is quickly stopped.
Hmm, didn’t take any damage from doing that, so that is good at least. From what the spell taught me, my claws get further enhanced by my Vitality, Strength, and Intelligence stats when I use this spell. So, as long as those stats are high enough, I shouldn’t have to worry about breaking my claws… I wonder how strong I need to be to use them against a sword and be able to win?
Looking her clawed hand over from a bunch of different angles, Bug tries to make a fist, but quickly gives up on that as the claws are already far too big.
“Ok, need to be smaller. Maybe find a good middle ground where they don’t get in the way, but I can still use them in a hurry…”
Messing around with the spell, Bug forces her claws to shrink and grow until they are at a good length and size. Not too big where she can’t use her hands, but also not too small to where she can’t use them as weapons.
Looking over her new claws on her left hand and comparing them to the tiny little things on her right, Bug can’t help but think to herself. Gremlin claws were never meant for fighting, were they…?
“Tch… Doesn’t matter. I can worry about it later…”
A final push on the spell makes her right match her left. Sucking the blood off of her hands, Bug waits for the tingling in her fingers to go away before getting to the next part…
Unlike with Sharpen Claws, Grow Limbs isn’t reversible. It has some quality of life to it, which is nice. For instance, if Bug were to lose or break an arm or a leg, the spell will happily heal them, no questions asked and be as good as new. Not even cancer can beat this healing. Not that Bug knows what cancer is, but that certainly makes the spell very tempting on its own.
Even further, Bug doesn’t even need to know any anatomy to make this work. If she wanted to, she could grow a brand-new arm or leg anywhere she wants on her body. It just works.
The problem comes in that it is not reversible. Not until she unlocks a much higher tiered spell called Shape Self. But that requires several other unlocks to get, on top of a pile of points. Not something that she will be able to access until later.
So, if I were to grow a new arm and decide that I hate having it… I am either stuck with it, or will have to cut it off and be left with a nub…
“Haa… Why is it that the limbs from this spell are permanent, but the tentacles from Grow Tentacles are not… Crap, maybe I should have gone with that other Class instead? No, no… That one felt just a bit too dangerous in some weird ways…”
Sitting on her bed roll and chewing on her new claws, Bug rolls some thoughts around in her head as she considers using the new spell now or not.
I mean… When it comes down to it. It’s not like I really care about my appearance. And having more arms could be useful… Definitely not going with more legs though. I don’t even know how that would be useful. The only question is where to grow the new arm…
…
“Alright, I’ve decided. I’ll start with making a new left arm under my old one. Shouldn’t get in the way too much, I think? Depending on how it goes, I will make an extra right arm as well…”
Collecting her breath, and calming herself, Bug gets ready to use the Spell but then remembers something and quickly stops.
“Ahh! My clothes and my bed. I don’t want to get blood everywhere and ruin them… uh, there we go. Ok… Haaaaah…… Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuh…… Grow Limbs.”
Sitting on some bare moss, and naked as the day she was born, Bug immediately doubles over as the pain hits her. One hundred mana is immediately ripped out of her Death core as the System guides it to do its work.
Falling over and grasping at her side, Bug feels as her skin is split open and her bones, muscle, and flesh are all forcefully broken, regrown, and shifted around. Growing from the new opening in her side and connecting to freshly modified ribs. A new shoulder grows out first, just below her original left arm.
More follows as Bug kicks and screams on the ground. The new limb growing from her body like a sapling made of bone and flesh and blood.
A notification pops up, and the pain slightly dulls, but for Bug it is hardly enough to detract from the pain that is currently tearing her apart. As she lays there, tears running down her face as she curses, she is compelled to watch as muscles, tendon, nerves, and veins crawl their way up bone, with skin shortly following after. Like a living creature, the flesh fills out her new arm until the thing that is attached to her is unmistakable.
With the last stretch of skin reaching her fingers and ending at the base of new claws, much like the ones she had just modified, fur is quick to follow through and sprout like a freshly grown carpet of grass. Her side seals up, flush and smooth, and not even a scar is left behind.
Bug is let gasping on the ground as both of her left arms are left laying over her side, the new flesh twitching before her eyes as nerves come alive and signals start to course through it. She merely stares at them for a long while as the shock of it all continues to rattle her brain.
…
They’re identical… Perfect matches…
It takes but a spare few moments for the new limb to be ready, the knowledge for how to use it coming naturally to Bug, much the same as how she could walk mere minutes after her birth.
“I, I can feel it, oh shit I can move it! I can… I can sort of feel it? It’s a bit heavy…”
Forcing herself to sit up, and certainly feeling the weight on a whole new arm on her side, Bug looks down at her new arm in worry.
Why is it so… Fuzzy? Blank? Feels weird… Oh wait, something is happening!
As fresh blood gets circulated through the arm, it starts to feel warm and full. Bug tries to move the arm around a bit more and recoils as it touches her other arm.
“Ahh! Why is it all buzzy, buzzy!? It tingles! Ahhhhhh! Make it stop! Ahhh!