[Foreign System Detected]

[Intrusion Blocked]

Good job system! You’re quick this time!

[Integration Successful]

I guess we are similar in that respect. No time for now though… or is there? I was just watching lightning at what was for sure over seven thousand frames per second. Likely multiple times that… Then again, I couldn’t even see what that nascent soul did.

A new land opens up beneath Aden as he begins his descent.

Blue skies, green lands, and tall mountains.

Towards the equator, A pinprick of golden light enters Aden’s vision. South, beyond the equator, a pinprick of reddened darkness also persists in his vision. Wherever he looks, he cannot stop seeing them.

Annoying. I'll have to check on what those are at some point. Treasures? Quest objectives? Bait? Team spawn points?

Shit! HOT HOT HOT!

Not paying enough attention to his speed, the air being crushed beneath Aden’s hastening fall begins bursting in the light of a falling star.

Aden unfurls his wings, angling himself askew from his plummet, bleeding off speed with a final burst of light and mighty pumps of his wings.

Oh, it just felt really hot. I don’t think it could get hot enough to burn through me faster than I regenerate my exterior?

Hm? Aden turns his head towards the equator, near to where the golden light is. A glint of light catching his eye. He focuses his vision, his mechanical iris of a nictitating membrane closing narrowly. His pupils push into contact with each other as they circle more and more rapidly, creating the illusion of one, with his lens flexing inwards.

Is that an arr… a spear? No… javelin? Harpoon? Someone shot at me? Fucking dicks, I just got here.

Steering himself once more askew, the object changes course with him.

You’ve gotta be fucking with me. Do I need flairs!? Oh, good idea.

Aden awaits his fated pursuer in his descent. Charging up capsules hidden within himself with fire.

I’ve really gotta readjust to relative speeds, that thing’s moving quicker than I thought.

Spear approaching, Aden jettisons his “flairs” and banks sharply left to drop down. The pursuer changes course, turning on a dime, piercing right through his fireworks. The now flaming spear losing no speed at all.

Motherfucker! That’s how it's gonna be, eh!? I’ll just regenerate, you’re mine now!

Aden snaps his wings down, stopping mid-flight just long enough. Opening himself up, he accepts the spear.

Crashing into him, the speartip folds, not even having made it to his subdermal scales. The impact sends them both hurtling to the ground and Aden grabs the spear.

Beautifully designed, I think it's supposed to be multipurpose as a spear and javelin. Looks like something elven vikings would create. Real stone… and they melted the gold into it with such intricate designs… I see MANA!? This is definitely mana, residual, but it's here! Something just powered this with mana and these designs added intent to create the seeking effect!

Continuing his controlled fall, Aden pulls the spear into him, dissolving it, letting it spread out in his body.

[Gungnir Assimilated]

Oh, is this a viking world? Or are they just using that name somehow?

Aden slams down into the ground, striking a superhero's landing, knee down.

Hmmm, It seems the effect of it is in the design itself, not really something for me to integrate, just memorizing its structure. It really was just hard stone and gold too, magic was what really made this thing what it was.

Aden admires his little crater in the ground with a hand on his chin, another supporting that one's elbow, and another supporting that one, then another… Guess I’m used to landings now.

So. He looks around, scanning the rolling plains. Where to now? Ah, right. Integration.

…

I don’t see that anything changed…

Nothing? No explanation, system?

…

Well ok then, I’ll find out as I go.

Right… Aden looks down.

Then begins absorbing the grass into him. Can’t forget to sample.

[Sungrass Assimilated]

It’s… just grass… I gain nothing from this. Should still make sure to sample things though, you never know.

Back to scanning the horizon, Aden picks up voices,

I guess I was a little distracted on the way down. I really should be paying more attention to everything. Maybe assimilate an octopus?

A young man's voice, a bit gruff, but young and inexperienced. “It’ll be fine! We’re an entire two regions behind the wall, it's just low level mobs here! Come on!

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A young woman’s voice, smooth and worried. “It came from the sky! It could be anything, we should go back and report instead.

“But if it's a treasure we might not even get a cut! Besides, I think I saw it get intercepted by the sentries.”

“That’s even more cause for concern! Don’t they only attack demons beyond the wall?!”

Guo Wei huh? Can’t really see myself to know how good this is… I’m naked… I'll just grow a robe of my hide, it does look amazing… And the crown while I’m at it…

“Trust me, If anything goes wrong, ya got me here! I’ll keep ya safe!”

“That's not what I mean, It could-”

Cresting the hill, the two young adults come into view, allowing them all to see each other.

Blonde hair and blue eyes, caucasian, they look like the aryan dream, just… weaker? I don’t think it’s an issue with my judgment of size, they really do seem… maybe five five? Not well toned either. He’s got a straight sword of some sort out, looks pretty damn heavy. She’s got… A stick with a twisted end. A staff. Nice pointed hat too. These fuckers are in an RPG.

Why’d they stop talking? Just gonna stare?

“How do you do, children. Lovely weather we are having, is it not?”

The girl pulls out a necklace with a small idol of a woman on it and begins praying fiercely while kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly. The man merely takes a knee, planting his sword into the ground before him with his head down, asking forgiveness.

“Please forgive our transgressions, messenger!”

What?

Aden glances down, realizing his mistake. He still had four arms. Then he realizes more of his mistake, feeling the wind brush against them. He still had four wings.

Oh, fuck! Partially fixed body plan! Shit fuck! The shittiest! What do they even see me as?! What’s a messenger in this situation!? She’s praying, and he’s seeking forgiveness. Divine messenger? Royal? There could be a race that looks like me! How the fuck should I know?!

“Oooh, no need for that. What messenger? I’m just wandering on vacation. What brings you young’ns here?” He says, walking closer to them.

Refusing to raise his head. “We were investigating the fallen object, archangel!”

Aaaah, now we have some info. Does he always keep yelling? At least he seems quick on the uptake, even though it also seemed like he was just luring them to their deaths. Let's see what I can do about this.

Aden folds his wings beneath his robe, hiding them as best he can, wearing them like a vest, then holds his arms together. Slowly, flesh forms between and around them, making four look at two.

That's as small as I can get them… I look like I hit arm day every minute. Best I can do though.

“And here I am. You spoke of treasure, no? How about the treasure of knowledge?”

“This lowly one would not deign to ask gift of your divinity. My sister, Celia, is a devoted priestess, though.”

In a raised whisper to her brother. “Hush Cedric! I’m still new!”

“This lowly one has yet to attend seminary.”

“Speaking like this feels so cold and distant, how can you two be so cruel to the elderly?”

The two glance at each other awkwardly while glancing upwards from their uncomfortable positions.

Ah, right, I guess I’m speaking weird too. It’s not like I know their language though, can’t help it.

“Well don’t give me that look, it's not like I know your language. This one is better anyways, lets me speak to anyone and anything! Even if it's a rock.” He finishes with finger pointed up and eyebrow raised, as if suggesting an idea.

The girl can’t help her confusion and blurts out. “A rock? But rocks aren’t even alive! How can that be!?”

“Celia-”

“It’s fine, Cedric. This is the manner of speech I wish for.”

Aden stoops down with his face between them, head tilted slightly towards Celia. Blushing at her lack of control, she glances away.

“There is a will imparted in and on everything, no matter what. Well, there are ways to remove that influence, but if you run into anything without it, then you are certainly in more trouble than you can control. Back to the point, though, I’ll give you something to ponder upon.”

“A thrown rock follows its trajectory with the force it contains from the throw within its mass. The rock you sit on is cold until it warms up from you. The coldness of the rock can cause you to move, and being struck by the rock can do the same. Just as you interact with this world, so does everything else, so can it all interact with you, and within all things, they follow the rules of existence just as we all do. They may not think, but they hold their own will in their own way.”

Skewing his head back towards Cedric. “And thus the treasure of knowledge has been obtained.”

Aden brings himself back to height, lifting the young adults to standing with him. “That’s actually some high quality wisdom right there. If you understand it well enough, you might be able to speak like me.”

The woman, readily accepting of the situation not due to adaptability, “I don’t quite understand, but I think I do? That really hurts my head!”

The man, quick to adapt. “It will take me time to truly understand, but I believe what you are speaking of, at least what the surface level of this may be, is that we are all chess pieces that move on our own, even the rocks.”

Aden takes the man in, staring at him.

Wasn’t this guy supposed to be an idiot? He was for sure about to get her killed if it wasn’t me here.

“That is incredibly insightful of you. Certainly, that is the surface of the matter, but also scrapes the core of another yet related one. I’ll tell you of that if I ever think you are ready, for now though, you might die of catatonic apathy or go crazy. Truly though, excellent work!”

Celia jabs him in the shoulder with a smirk while Cedric blushes and rubs the back of his head.

Kids, huh? Maybe it's a little early for them to be out doing whatever this was, maybe this is how they grow up. They are certainly weak to praise though. So quick to adjust!

Celia speaks up first, with some slightly cheeky wording “Would sir elder like to visit our village on his vacation? We don’t have much to offer, but there is a temple there.”

So quick to adjust!

Ruffling her hair and walking past them towards where they came, “Sure, why not, c’mon ya brat.”

Cedric chuckles at his sister as she attempts to fix her hair and picks up the hat that had fallen off from her bowing.

“Seriously though, lead the way, I don’t know where I’m going.”

Catching up to walk ahead, Celia responds with her own chuckle. “You’re funny, sir elder!”

“Which one is it, am I funny or am I sir elder.”

Getting a good laugh out of her this time, cedric takes lead with his own input, “Clearly those are the first and last name with title! Sir Funny Elder.” Finally giving aden a smiling snort.

He got me on that one, almost laughed.

“Incredible, you’ve discovered my name so quickly. Perhaps I should reward you with that life destroying knowledge?” He suggests, eyebrow raised in gest.

Hands partly raised, Cedric smiles and adds a couple steps of distance between them. “Oh no no, I’m just doing my part and helping out. T’was my sister that did the real work.”

Lowering his head to her eye level once more, with her already glancing away. “And what say our investigator? Does she need a reward for her accomplishments?”

Fingers in her ears, she melodically responds “La la lala, just enjoying my day, can’t hear nothin but my tune!”

“That doesn’t quite work with this…”

Her fingers now adrift from her ears, face dumbstruck “Oh…”

Cedric laughs and her blush returns.

“You must tease her often, such wit is rare to come by.”

Her blush deepens, “Oh you must believe me, funny elder, we all do.” But now with anger and frustration.