Revan
My first thought was a happy one, darkness surrounding me, soothing and relaxing in a way I couldn’t remember before, as I floated in some kind of thick liquid peacefully. After a while I became aware that the position I floated in was uncomfortable. As I shifted, my elbows and knees banged into a hard, smooth surface that entirely surrounded me. My peaceful thoughts shattered as I realised that I was stuck, wherever I was. I pushed outwards with my arms, with no success; I couldn’t move them enough. My head, though, was free enough to move around a little bit. I slammed my head forward, a dull thud reverberating through whatever I was inside of. The top of my head felt strange after the impact, as if there was something attached to two points on my forehead.
Slamming my head forward again a crack sounded out, as whatever was on my head breached part of the hard surface. Cold seeped in through the tiny cracks – not unpleasant, just strange after the pleasant temperature of the liquid. Once more, I slammed my head forward, flinching and looking away from the dim light that pierced my eyes for the first time as my head breached my… prison? Grunting with effort, I pushed out with my arms, watching as dozens of cracks formed, enlarging in seconds.
Water rushed in through the cracks, forcing the shattered remains further apart. As I breathed in I had the odd sensation of cold water filtering out of the sides of my neck. I reached up and I felt several little slits in my skin, just under and behind my jaw, where warm water gushed as I breathed out. I swam upwards towards the light that shimmered on the surface, briefly looking back at my prior home. Chunks of what looked like a large cracked egg floated upwards behind me. I mentally shrugged. Having just hatched from an egg made as much sense as anything to me at this point.
The light bore down on me, hunger tearing at my stomach, as I breached the surface and spat out the foul tasting water. Apparently my taste buds ignored the water when I used it to acquire oxygen, but let me know the second I had a different source. I paddled about, squinting while I waited for my eyes to adjust. After a few moments I could make out the shoreline a short distance away, and made my way towards it.
As I swam, I felt something brush the back of my legs, and I spun quickly around as I let out a startled noise reminiscent of a cat’s yowl. I saw a wet, fur covered tail thrashing in the water behind me. I had a tail. A white furry tail. Now that I knew it was there, it was all that I could do to not feel it. I honestly didn’t know how I didn’t realise sooner. What was up with me?
Reaching the shoreline, I dragged myself up and out of the water. I was only just slightly gasping from shortness of breath as I stood up, water cascading down my body. As I shook my entire body, I felt and heard slight flapping on the side of my face. Reaching up hesitantly, I felt cat-like ears above and to the side of my head. That definitely wasn’t there when I last closed my eyes in the hospital bed.
I looked down and a startled gasp escaped my lips. I was completely naked, and somehow I had not realised it until now. Although thinking about it, it made sense, since I just hatched from an egg. The cold water and air didn’t seem to bother me, however. The strangeness of my situation and the abrupt difference from when I fell asleep to waking up had disorientated me more than I had realised.
A snap of a twig made me turn swiftly, a hiss sounding out of my mouth before I even realised I had done it. Purely out of instinct, I found myself crouching, as if to pounce, when I noticed several people walking towards me.
“Well… this here’s a surprise. A young asrai, newly hatched by the looks of it. They can drop valuable loot. It seems it’s still getting its bearings.” The man who had spoken had a smirk on his face as he stared at me.
As I watched the three men and one woman pulled out weapons and started approaching. I was moving before I even consciously became aware of it. Another hiss left my lips as I leapt at the man who had spoken. Claws sunk into his shoulder as I clung on tightly, swiping with my left hand across his throat. The man jerked and groaned with pain as several bloody gashes appeared where I had cut him. Blood sprayed my face as something flashed in my vision, pulling my eyes towards his weapon, and I saw that it was highlighted in flashing blue light like in a video game.
Moving as if on autopilot, I pulled a spare sword from his back sheathe. Shuddering underneath me, the man reached up to try and pull me off when I lifted my ill gotten sword and shoved it down, through his chest, warmth spraying over me as my target gurgled. I heard one of my attackers shouting, but I couldn’t make it out over the pounding of my heart.
The dead man immediately began to collapse as he lost all motor control, taking me with him. Just before the corpse hit the ground, I launched myself at my next enemy as he moved up to slash at me. Leaping over his attack, I swiped my claws across his face as I crashed into him. His blond hair turned pink and he screamed in pain as I recklessly slashed at him repeatedly, before I pulled out a knife he had stashed away in his bandolier. As I dodged a punch, something whistled past me, and glancing back I saw the woman nock another arrow to fire.
Some kind of danger sense screamed at me and I threw myself away, somersaulting midair, stumbling as I landed awkwardly. Moments later, the blond man screamed as fire engulfed his entire body.
“Jonis, what the hell?!” The woman screeched, her bow and little ole me all but forgotten.
The last man, who I now noticed was wearing robes and holding a stick pointed at me that looked suspiciously like a wand, waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, relax. We’ve got health potions, he’ll be fine.”
While they were distracted, I glanced around but couldn’t see any places I could hide. We were out in the open and no doubt they’d hit me long before I reached any kind of shelter. I instinctively hissed, then grimaced as the noise brought their attention back onto me. My tail was swaying side to side, and somewhere deep inside, I acknowledged that I was loving this, as terrifying as it was.
I raced to the side, putting the mage in between me and the woman before I bolted towards him. As he raised his wand, I flicked the knife I had stolen and almost laughed out loud at his high pitched shriek as he ducked. Leaping up, I met him just as he stood back up. Sinking my claws into his shoulders, I instinctively bent down and bit deep into his throat. Warm liquid sprayed out and into my mouth as I instinctually began to drink. Heat seared into my veins as strength I hadn’t even realised I was missing returned to me.
The man struggled as I bit down deeper, his attempts to pull me away or even hit me completely ineffectual as his life force flowed into me. I sensed more than saw the woman targeting me with her bow, letting go of the mage’s neck and ducking just as she fired. With a wet thunk and a horror filled scream from the woman, the mage fell down dead in front of me.
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Getting into an aggressive crouch, I hissed a challenge at my would-be attacker. With blood covering most of my body, I was sure I wasn’t a pretty sight. The archer looked up at me with red rimmed eyes, unshed tears shimmering in the sunlight. The slack, shocked look on her face morphed to hate as she glared at me. I grinned menacingly in response and felt fangs poking my lips as I started making my way towards her, hoping I’d manage to dodge any attacks she made.
“Why did you attack me?” I said, my voice a low and dangerous sounding hiss. I was hoping to distract her, answers were secondary at this point.
Her eyes widened and she glanced quickly at all of her dead or dying companions on the ground, before her face hardened as she looked back up at me, ignoring my question. Just as I began sprinting towards her, she pulled something out and threw it at the ground between us. Instantly the clearing filled with smoke, forcing me to stop and cover my eyes as they began to burn. Coughing from the smoke, I tried to back up and away from the cloud. It only took moments, but it was still several minutes before I stopped having trouble seeing or breathing.
When I finally was able to clearly look around the hazy clearing, the smoke having thinned enough, I noticed I could no longer see the girl. She was gone. With a grunt of dissatisfaction, I stumbled my way to the water's edge and washed my face and body. And then froze, realisation sinking in as my hands travelled over parts of my body that were distinctly different from when I last fell asleep.
“What the…?” I mumbled, before gasping in shock at my soft, high pitched voice. I had worked hard at voice training but I had never managed this level of feminine before.
Between feeling my new body and hearing my new voice, I couldn’t help but feel excited, my heart beating fast from euphoria. My face threatened to split itself in two from my smile as I finished washing myself down, noting that the cold barely seemed to bother me. I was surprised, though, when my hands bumped small little horns on my forehead as I washed my face. I explored them and my tail and ears for a little while before getting bored.
After a few more minutes, I became aware of some kind of flashing blue light in my vision. I flinched and yelped, startled as words appeared in front of me, as if summoned when I looked at the light.
Jonis Duurl Level 10 Mage, slain!
Rilder Thon Level 9 Fighter, slain!
Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached Power Level 86!
Name:
Revan
Species:
Asrai
Age:
1
Gender:
Female
Class:
[Generalist] (Legendary)
Power Level:
86
Special Skills:
[Quick Thinking] Years of playing video games have given you a deep understanding of how games work. Bonus 50% to thinking speed while in combat.
Racial Abilities:
[Feeding] As an Asrai, you have the instinctual ability to feed on intelligent or monstrous races alike, consuming some of their life force via their blood and making it your own. Increased strength and health regeneration gained upon a successful feeding. This ability can also be used to create an Asrai Egg. *Warning* Will consume the hosts entire life force to do so.
[Natural Weapons] You are naturally armed with sharp, retractable claws and fangs.
[Survivor] As a monstrous creature, hunted for merely existing, you have the ability to do what is necessary in order to assure your survival. You sleep with one eye open and have the ability to put parts of your mind asleep in order to continue functioning with no proper sleep for weeks at a time. This ability also grants you 50% increased Constitution, Stamina, Health, and Health Regeneration.
[Superior Reflexes] Your instincts for survival are bar none, the greatest of any race on Illisium. The speed in which you can react to danger to yourself is almost akin to precognition.
[Fairy Agelessness] As Fairykin, you are blessed with never ageing after reaching maturity. As an Asrai, you are fully physically mature upon hatching.
[Fairy Language Comprehension] As Fairykin, you are born with the capability to learn how to speak, read and write Fairy. No other race has this ability. Unlike a true fairy, however, words spoken or written in Fairy have no special power for you.
[Basic Language Comprehension] As a sentient being, you are born with the knowledge of how to speak, read and write Basic. Basic is the language all sentient beings share.
Class Skills:
[Weapon Specialist] (Passive) Rank 1
Almost anything is a weapon to a Generalist, especially the weapon of your enemy. Suitable weapons will be highlighted. Higher ranks in this skill will show previously unthought of items as weapons. Increased damage by any weapon used by 10%, increases per rank gain.
I paused on the ‘female’ gender description, My belly doing flip flops as I read it. I had openly transitioned before my death, and seeing this gave a rush almost as much as my new body did, strange additions and all. Warmth spread through my chest.
It took me a moment to read through my… character sheet? That was another new experience for me. So isekai reincarnation was a thing that happened to people? I didn’t recall seeing some wise old man on a cloud, or some cute clumsy goddess talking to me. My last memories weren’t of someone yelling, “Mind that truck!”, me shouting, “What truck?” Then splat! I grinned wryly at that thought. Although I probably wouldn’t have been if my last memories were seeing that instead of the ceiling of my hospital ward.
I sighed. Losing focus on what I was doing had always been something I had trouble with. Unless it was video games. Going back to reading the words in my mind and hoping that this wasn’t a drug fuelled fantasy, a sudden groan brought me back to my surroundings.
Looking around, I spotted the second man that had attacked me. He was still moving, if barely, even as he smouldered a little. Crouching down to get a closer look, the man flinched, gasping in pain as he spotted me. Without hesitating, my claws flashed and sunk deep into his chest. I watched as he slumped, gurgling slightly. A clink of metal hitting rock sounded out as the knife he had pulled to stab me fell out of his lifeless fingers.
“Silly git. Did you not have any life preservation?”
Sighing, I ran my hands through my hair, and then winced as I'd forgotten about the blood that covered them..
Mik Til Fin Level 9 Warrior has been slain!
Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached Power Level 102!
I wiped my hands on the warrior’s clothes, and was surprised when a blue box appeared with a list of loot items. Scanning the short list, I was a bit disappointed to find nothing particularly special, just some weapons, coins and bloodied clothing. After I mentally clicked Loot All, my UI flashed, showing a new tab with the words Inventory. I spent some time fiddling with that, before I quickly looted the other adventurers, sadly not finding anything better.
Selecting the cleanest clothes I had found, I placed them in the slots in my inventory, surprised and pleased when the clothes materialised on my body, fitting perfectly. I was wearing dark brown pants with a loose fitting white shirt, and I happily noted that the pants had a spot for my tail to fit through. The idea of wearing shoes from the dead adventurers weirded me out, so I left them in my inventory. Thankfully I didn’t feel uncomfortable walking around barefooted.
Searching the area, I couldn’t find anything else of interest, especially the archer’s tracks. Not that I’d know what I was looking for with that, having grown up in a city. Once I was done, having decided that I had spent far too much time at the crime scene, I picked a direction that was the direct opposite of where I thought the girl had fled, and began to run.