Aden looks out over the city stretching out beneath the shadow of the church.
A whole city of skills. There could be someone with an inventory. Every city has its crime, there should be someone, and in a cliche world like this, there should be an auction. Plenty of resources… Perhaps that blacksmith family has unique ores. How could such an archaic government resist corruption without some sort of benevolent god king, I wonder what their skills are. I don’t see any of that dark violet chi out here so far… He was rather restrained in his infiltration outside the church. If I could acquire flight and stealth skills, that would be a decent boon. Fastest route, ask the city lord.
Turning to look at the manor near the cathedral, let’s see if you qualify for liquidation.
-
Walking up to the front gate of the manor, one of the guards spots him in the dark, alerting the other seven.
Bringing his halberd to point, “Halt! This is the city lord’s manor! State your business!”
“Thanks for confirming my whereabouts, is the child home?”
“Wha-... What? I said. This is the city lord’s manor! State your business!”
“And I kindly asked-” Stepping out of the darkness, light from the lamp posts flickers across Aden’s illusory hide. “Is he home?”
“De-”
Like I’m dealing with that accusation, even if it's a little true.
Golden light bursts from Aden, basking everyone in its holy presence.
“Light of the goddess…” Says one guard, falling to his knees.
“It’s… it’s real…” Speaks another in astonishment.
“Goddess…”
“Is the city lord home?”
“...Yes” Speaks the initial guard.
“Then I’ll be on my way for a little chat.”
Moving past the guards, none bring themselves to move. Melting through the gate as he walks, Aden makes his way into the front courtyard, a looping carriage trail, artificial pond, and garden.
Decadent scenery… Perhaps too decadent. Things are looking up for me.
Approaching the split that begins the loop, Aden walks forward unperturbed, straight into the center garden surrounding the pond, flora falling into him, some ripped straight from the earth, some cut clean. Insects detect him, attempting to make way. A pungent red butterfly floats up to flee.
[Semper Augustus Assimilated]
[Orchis Quadripunctata Assimilated]
[Consolida Ajacis Assimilated]
[Rosa gallica Assimilated]
[Hyoscyamus niger Assimilated]
A wing snaps forward, spearing the butterfly on its tip, sucking it in.
It seems to prioritize names from my world if they exist rather than local ones, no way they don’t have a name for these here.
[Flower’s Blood Butterfly Assimilated]
Blood again, eh? Different meanings though.
[Papaver Rhoeas Assimilated]
[Calypso Bulbosa Assimilated]
Aden continued his walk, assimilating his way through to the pond. Stepping in, water fell into him like a drain plug was pulled, bringing the pond life with it.
[Nymphaea Alba Assimilated]
[Bufo Bufo Assimilated]
[Nuphar Lutea Assimilated]
[Triturus Cristatus Assimilated]
Taking in water with life and returning the water empty, Aden filters through the pond.
[Trapa natans Assimilated]
[Pelophylax Lessonae Assimilated]
[Lemna Minor Assimilated]
[Phoxinus Percnurus Assimilated]
[Cobitis Taenia Assimilated]
[Leuciscus Idus Assimilated]
Stepping out the other side back onto the road, Across from him lay the front entrance. Thin marble pillars make way to a new set of doors, dark wood with gold inlay mimicking an artifact. Solid gold door knockers, and a pair of knights in white steel adorned with the luxuries expectant of their position.
With golden chi pressing down on them, a presence warming to their soul, a figure of divinity. All they can do is watch as Aden walks through the doorway.
[Quercus Robur Assimilated]
It seems the wood still had enough to it, fresh indeed. Another sign to luxury… but this…this decadence!
Within the entrance hall, a spectacle of luxury. Horn banisters and chandeliers with gold inlay, marble tiling with golden motifs of the garden, fine woven tapestries and intricate paintings leaving no wall bare, opulent suits of armor and busts of pompous men.
How could I have any doubt now?
“I believe I said that none were permitted entry durin-!”
An old butler rounds the staircase making his way down, silenced at the sight of Aden.
“And who do we have here?”
Bring a hand to his heart with another at his side, the butler bows stiffly. “My apologies, envoy, we were not expecting you to arrive in this manner.”
Is the corruption so bad that I appear as a demon despite the aura of golden chi? And he was expecting a demon? Right?
“Where is he?”
Looking unsure, “Uuuh, he is in the dining hall?”
Wrong question, I suppose. I think I see him anyways, directly on the other side of the 2nd floor of this wall up the stairs.
Aden steps forward and the butler makes to welcome him, “Right this way, if you will.” Giving a slight bow and gesturing openly up the staircase.
On his last step before the stairs, Aden leaps to the 2nd floor of the wall, melting through both painting and wall, landing within the dining hall.
Sometimes I get the feeling I’m a player in a game making choices outside the list of options.
On the far side of the table, in front of a fireplace with a similar painting, sits the man they depicted, fork in mouth, stunned.
“You’ve been a bad kid, you’ve done things you shouldn’t have.” Taunts Aden as he walks through the table.
This man really eats alone?
“Y-y-y–i no,” KHOFF KHOK KHOK, the city lord chokes on his food, falling out of his seat and stumbling back, hand in the air attempting to hold back his doom.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Arriving at the other side of the now gone table, “I have some questions for you.”
Clearing his throat desperately, “I-no-yes, absolutely, anything at all!”
Arriving through where Aden should have, the butler calls out, “My lord!”
The city lord holds his hand out to the man, stopping him, “Hold, Egill!”
Glancing at the butler, “On second thought, I may have a better idea. Does this servant handle all your affairs?”
“Yes, he is the finest assistant!”
Leaning down to the city lord, Aden claps his hands together, erasing him. “Excellent, no need for the untrained then!”
“No!” Egill calls out, far too late.
[Harald Hardrada Assimilated]
[Skills Acquired]
image [https://i.imgur.com/YbGqjrH.png]
I didn’t even know his name. All this wealth for nothing.
Turning to Egill and pulling on his skills, Delegate, Edict, Pacify, and Preach, Aden weaves an indelible command. “Now you will act in his place. Summon your ilk; spies, thieves, slavers, dealers, traders, those with rotten heart, and someone that can fly. You have until morning.” I’ll be eating you either way.
Silent and near drooling, the once sharp servant walks off to carry out the command.
If my core was not so inaccessible, I would not be stuck manipulating these skills. They are excellent guides though. An excellent teaching method I’ll have to keep in mind.
Now… I guess I should check for a vault or something… this place is junk. Useless luxuries! I suppose I’ll have to make do with the rear garden.
-
-
Lying in a crater that was once the backyard garden, Aden mulls over his meal.
Soon I will reach thousands, then eventually millions. If I encounter one of my own kind, I fear they would not be so friendly and moral as I. What happens if I just keep taking in the ground below me? Is a planet within my reach?
A great wave of instinctual hunger washes over Aden, attempting to compel him.
Maybe… Not here, but there’s a portal to somewhere I likely do not care for… No, a portal to potentially many somewheres. There may be countless worlds completely taken by demonic corruption.
Realizing an even greater feast, the urge to devour rises further.
Yes… but first, I’ll have a snack. I know I said by morning, but I hunger now.
I’ll take a look around the city.
Aden bursts from the ground, rocketing into the sky. Flapping his wings, he pivots direction immediately and takes off over the streets.
This looks like a shitty place. Brothels. Must be their red light district- oh! Ganging up on a guy in the back alley?
“No eighth chances Modfrey, you owe us!”
One of the men holding him down strikes the saps gut, “Gah! I’ll have it by sun up! No, a couple hours, within a couple hours I promise!”
Good enough for me. This hunger is untenable.
“You have one hou-”
The thug fails to finish, in his place now stands a demon in white.
[Walter Watters Assimilated]
[Skills Acquired]
Brandishing a smile at the momentary relief of hunger before being met by an even greater urge, Aden eyes his next prey.
Having only the time to know fear, the remaining thugs fail to react before Aden swipes them from existence, pulled into the endless chasm that walks reality.
[Badurad Dunne Assimilated]
[Halle Assimilated]
[Finnean Dunne Assimilated]
[Wulfnoð Assimilated]
[Skills Acquired]
Not enough.
Looking down at the debtor, “How fortunate you are that our paths intersect like this. I won’t judge you this time. Live better and maybe I won’t eat you down the road.”
Cratering the ground, Aden returns to the sky to resume his hunt, obscured by darkness.
“No! Get back! I said no!”
What am I, superdemon now? At least this one is even clearer.
Slipping through the side of a building, Aden consumes one more and continues on his way, leaving only holes through the walls and a baffled lass.
[Wynston Assimilated]
[Skills Acquired]
I need more. These miscreants only serve to further my hunger… Since when was I so easily controlled? Perhaps my demonic nature is coming to bear via the mimic and doppelganger parts of me. Perhaps I’m just reveling in the potential each assimilation holds, feeding my desire for growth…
One more wouldn’t hurt.
-
-
Sitting on the roof of a brothel watching sunlight enter the horizon, Time to check on Egill.
Making his way into the sky, Aden peers down at his work. A confused populace, damaged buildings, knights attempting to bring order. It's not just a lack of people due to the early morning, I may have eaten too many… nah, they had it coming. Such is the fate of the city to attract evil.
This status screen is becoming a bit... not useless, but I'm not sure how I can use this for much in the future. As I take in more, the lists become too long to be worth having on the front screen. I have to clean up the screen again.
image [https://i.imgur.com/GSYlDov.png]
Mmm, I still need to siphon some Ki from the goddess.
Waiting in and around the crater he left, a variety of humans loiter about in their own ways, Egill standing at attention on the remaining terrace, overlooking them.
Berta can get me more another time, no need to keep any of them around.
Plummeting to the ground, some look to the sky. Pointing, nervousness, stoicism, as varied their professions, so are their responses. Egill takes knee and issues words to calm those looking to leave.
“Why isn’t he sto-!”
Cutting off the background character, Aden impacts the ground, returning to the center of his crater. As dirt and debris begins to shower out, the air gives it a tug back. The ground slips in, collapsing towards the center. With only the time for some to widen their eyes and those at the perimeter to attempt to shout, space nearly folds in, leaving a new crater to surpass the old.
Reveling in the feast, Only a single flight skill, but several inventories. A variety of stealth skills, some information gathering, sight skills, hearing skills, acrobatics and proprioception. This was better than my night time escapades. That was mostly life skills aside from a few weak profession skills.
Mmmm, some of these inventories are soul based, while some trail along a pocket dimension’s opening near you. I’m not sure if connecting the two, leading straight to my soul, is a good idea. On the one hand, I might be able to mobilize my chi in the proper manner of a cultivator for once, on the other hand, it’s a direct path to my soul without the protection of the death chi barrier. I should probably wait until I have the ability to defend myself to the same level without the barrier first.
Right, time for the entree then. Enough of these snacks, that demon lord will be worth something.
Hyu- Woah! This flight skill is an odd approach, its redirecting the force of gravity on me as if the chosen direction is down… If I get some similar skills, that should help me figure out how to wield it more flexibly than just flight.
A bullet streaking across the sky soundlessly, phasing through the air, doom approaches the demon lord.
Glancing back upon the city gaining distance, Aden’s sight grants him vision of his handiwork as if mere feet away. Innerworld precursor… I can’t quite know what that means, but I would assume it has to do with my ability to hold a world within me, and that… That which was without, quickly became within. Again, the question, how much can I eat? What happens when I become larger than a planet? Can I usurp a world without destroying it?
Returning forward, head to the south, toward the dark spot in his vision, Aden notices the hero’s position go by quickly beneath him.
Looks like he’s making his way where I just was, away from the front lines. At least he doesn’t get farmed yet then.
I should be passing the capital soon, along with the wall. I’ll give it a sweep on my way.
This flight skill is quite maneuverable since I’m technically not changing direction in the perspective of momentum. Good things in small places, or in this case weak people. My movements truly bely the mass contained within my externally normalish sized body.
Approaching from the distance, a massive tiered city peaked with an absurd fortress cathedral overshadowing the high wall stretching from east to west.
I can wait until that priest does his job, it’s not like the relics will leave this world.
Slipping through the air immediately past the wall, Aden changes direction without turning. Dropping down instead of to the side now, he stands, hands behind his back, with wind filtering through him.
Demons assail the walls, monstrous yet cowardly “rats” forced forward by the will of the corruption. Avoiding the deluge of projectiles from the walls, climbing over each other as body shields, merely to slam against a golden barrier echoed out from the channeling casters along the wall.
Knights, soldiers, priests, mages, mercenaries. They all come together here to grow and become fodder for the higher demons later on. With Aden in sight, a controlled panic sets in as they scramble to new positions to take on the new threat. Bolts of fire and lightning streak upwards, ballistae loose their missiles, archers put their will into arrows.
As if guided by the world itself, Aden slips from sky to ground unperturbed, projectiles wiped from existence. Stopping just above the dirt, in place of where a scheming demon were about to surprise a pikeman, he makes the save unnerving shift in directions again, making his way along the wall.
Spreading his limbs wide, he stretches himself from one demon to another, bending and weaving around the war-torn mortals. No movement making sense of his flight, his paths making no sense of his movement. As if the finger of God were traced along the wall, evil was erased. Then it were as if it pulled back, leaving a trail in the ground. Aden sprang from the cleanup along the wall, now devouring a path toward the demon lord.
No need to thank me, citizens, this is all bankrolled by your goddess and my hunger.
I imagine the demon lord must be freaking out by now. The me from a week ago wouldn’t want to fight me now either. Unfortunately for you, you are made of food… wait, everything is food now.
“Ahahahahahahahahahahaaa!”
The human army is left baffled as the proposed threat now savior laughs his way into the distance, carving through the earth like the finger of God writing in sand.