Above Randidly’s head, the Nether Dome seethed with chaotic patterns. He mostly whirled the energy to create an absolute pressurized barrier; the particulars of the flow didn’t matter. As such, vast destructive maelstroms spun in lazy circles. If he loosened that power out into the surrounding area, it would act as a bulldozer, leveling hills and crunching vegetation.
Yet that only set the stage for his current activity. The massive interior area around his body had been filled with darkness, but he was perfectly aware of everything that occurred. Breath steamed out from his nose, air superheated by passing through his body adding more smokiness to the environment.
The Grey Creature howled in the hollow space above him, a mass of shadowy scythes, ripping claws, furiously beating wings, and bulging muscles. Instinct forced to descend to the material plain and reveal its animating force. With the adjustment in focus, a core shift happened within the concrete ‘shape’ Randidly had always held for the image. The central tentpole had been replaced. While the new one assembled itself out of all of the times Randidly had gritted his teeth in the face of adversity and chosen to step forward, of which there were a lot, the shape remained ambiguous.
However, Randidly set that issue aside. His whole left side felt aflame, the final connections forming between his body and Sulfur. Abused nerve endings were put through one last series of checks. With the change in the Grey Creature, his Soulseed had finally found its role going forward.
“So it’s finally time,” Randidly muttered to himself. His black hair fluttered around his face, almost down to his chin again at this point. Yggdrasil and the Stillborn Phoenix held down the fort in his body, circulating his energy cleanly. Every cell of his body sang in a harmony of rising energy, prepared to accept whatever Sulfur brought to the table.
With an audible crack, the half arm Randidly had possessed for the last several days began to hatch. The muscles in his shoulder knotted and bunched. The heat across his side intensified, creeping along his muscles before settling upon his spine.
The cracks spiderwebbed out, the harsh shell of Sulfur giving way to the new form beneath. Yet just when Randidly thought the reveal would happen, the limb began to tremble but did not erupt from its shell. Instead, he just stood there, buffeted by the wind, maintaining the ideal balance of energy within his body plus Aether and Nether without, and felt heat settling along his spine. A strange sense of aggravation seized him.
Oh, fucking come on, Randidly released a nonverbal growl of frustration. How long is this process going to be dragged out?!?
Luckily, the universe seemed to hear his complaints and, with a tired sigh, set about its business of moving the process along. His spine became incendiary, threatening the precarious balance of energies within his body, but that was the last requirement Sulfur had waited for. In an explosion of bits of melted armor, Randidly felt his new limb connect to his body’s circuitry. He gasped, partway between shock and pleasure as sensations flooded his brain.
After having nothing for a few days, the familiar weight of a limb filled Randidly with relief.
For a few seconds, the darkness and debris released by the reveal covered up the new arm. But Yggdrasil manifested in the air above Randidly’s body as the traced golden outline of a tree, shedding light into the interior of the training dome. And secondly, Randidly instinctively clenched his new, unfamiliar hand with such force that any remnants were blasted away.
First, he saw the arm.
Sleek, humanoid, with the grey cooling from its previously imperious slate to something closer to the uneven shading of charred bone. The arm had thinned considerably from Sulfur’s brutish previous iteration, settling on just slightly oversized for Randidly’s muscular body. Rather than lugging around a sledgehammer, it ended up being a usage limb. His elbow had a few armored ridges to protect the joint, but it had settled down to a more streamlined ideal.
A dozen divots had been carved on Randidly’s forearm, three of which glowed with a swampy green light. When Randidly focused on them, his face flickered in surprise; even through the evolution, Sulfur had captured some of the Authority of rot he had faced, via Helen’s inherited Domain. The power of degeneration pulsed within his limb, ready to be called upon. For now, he set that to the side.
It would be a useful weapon if applied at the right time. Meanwhile, his minute examination of Sulfur’s new form continued.
His fingers matched those of his right arm, long and glittering, even when clenched into a fist. When he loosened his hand and flexed, Randidly felt surprise at the size of his hand. The palm itself was the size of a small plate. However, with a crucial distinction: the central portion of the palm was a giant hole.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
For a few seconds, he looked at the absence with confusion. But then Sulfur’s will reached out and touched Randidly with an answer. He sucked a breath through his teeth. This was a staging area for the Stillborn Phoenix, an obvious absence to use as a portal. Inside the palm of his left hand, the gaze of the Stillborn Phoenix could be birthed.
Next came the notifications, shoving their way into his already complex thoughts without a worry of intrusion.
Integrating a foreign entity back within your body…
Warning, Your (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos has been integrated into your idea form! This foreign entity will occupy a portion of that idea form! If you continue-
Dangers overwritten. Continuing with integration…
Warning! Adding parasitic creatures into your body will generate increased strain on your body! All Attributes may be affected. If you do not possess sufficient energy-
Dangers overwritten. Continuing with integration…
Warning! Due to prolonged exposure to mysterious elements, including your Fourth Authority Animation Nova and your profound images, Soulseed Sulfur has seen its limits and attempted to break through them! It has incorporated extraneous energies beyond its capability and has developed in an unforeseen manner. It no longer can be technically classified as a Soulseed.
Attempting recategorization…
Recategorization failed!
Foreign Entity Sulfur (Rarity Rating Impossible) has evolved due to constant exposure to Nether forces! The base properties of the entity will be affected. Warning, the result will be unpredictable. It is highly recommended you proceed to the nearest-
Dangers overwritten. Continuing with integration…
Integration almost complete! Compatibility is 99%! Two separate entities are becoming one! Due to unusual compatibility, some of the special abilities of Sulfur will be absorbed by Randidly Ghosthound! Sulfur will gain access to Randidly Ghosthound’s evolved Stats!
Congratulations! Due to your union with Sulfur (Rarity Rating Impossible) you have received several Unique benefits! You have gained the Skill Combat Furnace (U)! You have gained the Skill Nascent Nether Organ (U)! You have gained the Skill Resistant to Force (U)!
Combat Furnace (U): For ten seconds after you have been struck by a blow, all regenerations double. (Please note, this is an inherent Skill of a foreign entity. It may evolve along with them, but it will not accumulate Skill Levels or generate Path Points)
Nascent Nether Organ (U): After housing vast amounts of Nether for so long, Sulfur has begun to have its physiology adjust to its presence. Several strange mechanisms have developed to empower localized Nether. While using any Nether Skills, the effects will be 10% greater so long as the energy passes through the body of Sulfur. (Please note, this is an inherent Skill of a foreign entity. It may evolve along with them, but it will not accumulate Skill Levels or generate Path Points)
Resistant to Force (U): Sulfur naturally absorbs all foreign forces and turns them into its strength and fuel. This aspect has been slightly reproduced across your body. Reduce all damage taken and foreign influences by 5%. Effect triples when the area of impact is Sulfur. (Please note…)
You have regained access to (Domain) Mournful Sea, Helen’s Pernicious Riptide (T)!
Recalculating…
Due to the will of Sulfur, it is being integrated into your other Domain! Due to high synchronicity, it is possible for Sulfur to integrate further with the idea form of Randidly Ghosthound! The relationship between the two deepens.
The two Domains are interacting with one another…
Recalculating…
Warning! Due to the power associated with Domains, attempting to integrate two will likely result in an extremely dangerous-
Dangers overwritten. Continuing Domain evolution…
Incorporating elements from your images…
Reviewing potential shifts… deviating from approved pathways to maintain unique structural power…
Congratulations! Your Domains (Domain) Mounful Sea, Helen’s Pernicious Riptide (T) and (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos have been combined! (Fusion Domain) Helen’s Sea, Cradle of Unlikely Lives (GD)(U) has been created! Skill Level has been set at 999! Skill has been incorporated into Skillset Moirae of Minute Ripples!
(Fusion Domain) Helen’s Sea, Cradle of Unlikely Lives (GD)(U): The unique Skill of a being who has begun to glimpse both the shape and substance of the Pinnacle, although the traditional path had been discarded to reach that plateau. The powerful and mysterious depths of the sea have housed many of the great miracles of existence. Within those murky waters, true life emerged from the void. Small steps led to great advances. The body of user had expanded both literally and figuratively to the proper vastness to include similar possibilities. The density of energy has also reached the necessary parameters. The proud spirit of a deceased knight swims in the shadows of these waters, an ethereal presence that nudges the budding lives toward greatness. The creation of this ability is only possible due to witnessing incredible truths about the universe and sacrificing much.
User is surrounded constantly by patterns of force that can be manipulated. The longer combat lasts, the easier and more precisely the user is able to manipulate these. All related Skills receive a massive boost in effectiveness. User also has the ability to absorb a particular ability into himself, allowing aspects of it to evolve and merge with other mysteries he has previously absorbed. User may release the combination of power as a massive attack. Effectiveness of the attack depends on the compatibility of the incorporated aspects and how long they have been refined by Helen’s Sea. Effects increase with Skill Level.
Congratulations! For such an impossible achievement, Muse’s Reverie +1!