The bone thing finished speaking. He told me I could take whatever I could carry as long as I wouldn't take anything from the top of the pile. There were many things here - so many that I couldn't even begin to count. Each of the things carried the sweetness in them in varying degrees and in varying scents. Some reminded me of flowers in gentle meadows, others of rolling hills and streams, of fire and charred trees, of wet grass in the early morning - so many scents. Most of them seemed to be made of something shiny, like the things humans often carried around their necks, wrists, or even fingers. The most interesting part was that all of them glowed with power, some greater than others - with the greatest being those at the top of the piles.
'Fascinating' I thought; how could these objects, lifeless as they were, carry so much power and sweetness in them? I was eager to find out, but I was also eager to just eat them - the former was distinctly harder to do than the latter, since that would require having to think and investigate and I wanted adventure.... Also, thinking was annoyingly hard to do for some reason. It was fun, but doing so much of it made my head hurt. Strange questions would start popping up, like: who am I? What am I? What is my purpose?
Those questions made my head hurt and I didn't like it.
Besides, adventure was a lot more fun.
I eyed the speaking bone thing, atop a big rock.
I could take whatever I could carry, yeah?
Well, I didn't have thumbs, like those humans, and I certainly didn't want to use my telekinesis on hauling a bunch of shiny things around. And so the only place left for them was my gullet. After all, how hard could these things be to eat? I ate the bones of that Necrosarus; surely, these were a lot softer? They didn't even look all that hard - they were really shiny though, like the surface of still water, though their colors were off.
I took a single step forward and bit down on the first shiny thing I could get my jaws on. True to my earlier thoughts, it really wasn't all that hard to chew; it was almost like bone, just a lot softer, more like cartilage. A few seconds of chewing and I eagerly gulped it down; it didn't carry a lot of the sweetness, but it was a tiny thing and I guess that made sense.
Pendant of Illusions consumed!
New Skill Unlocked: Decoy
I moved towards another. I wasn't even sure what it looked like as I bit down and chewed immediately. This one was a bit bigger, but my teeth easily worked through it. I swallowed a few seconds afterwards. The talking bone thing was speaking, but I wasn't in the mood to listen - eat now, listen later.
Bracer of Lesser Stealth consumed!
New Skill Unlocked: Muffled Steps
My jaws moved on their own, following whatever and going wherever, biting and chewing as my mind seemed to blank out. The talking bone thing was screaming now, but I wasn't listening before and I certainly wasn't listening now. I let my nose and my mouth perform all the work for me as I ravenously tore through the sweet shiny things.
Ring of Silence consumed!
New Perk Unlocked: Stealthy
Necklace of Lesser Vitality consumed!
+100 HP!
Necklace of Lesser Magical Virility consumed!
+50 MP!
Necklace of Lesser Endurance consumed!
+100 SP!
Pendant of Thieves consumed!
New Skill Unlocked: Steal
Bracer of Lesser Might consumed!
+20 Strength!
Ring of Lesser Hardening consumed!
New Skill Unlocked: Harden
Cloak of Regeneration consumed!
New Perk Unlocked: Lesser Regeneration
Earrings of Greater Mobility consumed!
+200 Agility!
Boots of Lesser Speed consumed!
+10 Speed
The pile stirred as I chewed on something that was almost akin to deer hide. Something came rolling down - something that held so much power it forced me out of the hungering stupor I'd somehow placed myself in. My eyes snapped upwards. Bouncing up and down the shiny things was a very tiny object. Its surface was oddly smooth - flat. It looked almost round, but a quick glance confirmed that it was comprised of smaller, flat areas, each one bearing an odd symbol.
The talking dead thing gasped. "No!"
It sounded afraid, but I hardly cared. The round-ish thing bounced towards me and my jaws spread open, before slamming shut.
??????Error??????
Power flooded my form, and all the world seemed to fade into a whirling cascade of colors. Twin forces battled for dominance; two, equally powerful, entities clashing at the very heart of my soul. A great and mighty warmth spread outwards from my chest as their battle raged. Around me, the shiny things shook and danced as though an earthquake had struck. The dead thing's non-existent eyes widened - its sockets did, anyway - just as I fell unto the floor. Having lost control of my own limbs, I turned my senses inwards.
I awoke to find myself in a familiar forest - the place where my den used to be, surrounded by tall trees and fiery leaves, falling from the canopy. Thunder boomed across the woods, shaking the ground at my feet. I turned and walked towards the source of the sudden noise. There, clashing at the heart of a great clearing, was a massive bear and a strange, almost crystalline, creature whose shape shifted every few seconds, gaining and losing height and mass and muscles.
The two fought and clashed, bringing forth great earthquakes each time their massive bodies met. The bear was much - much larger than myself, easily towering over the Necrosaurus. Strange patterns and colors lined its body, unnatural furs that seemed out of place. The other creature - whatever it was - fought as its form dictated, becoming fast and limber when it shrunk or turning powerful and lumbering when it enlarged. Power flooded them, radiating outwards, creating a whirling cascade of colors that made the sun dim in comparison to its brightness.
I stepped into the clearing, but the two entities ignored me; and how could they not, when I was but an ant beside them? And yet I knew this place to be a mere representation of my soul; the colors were too bright, the scents too vibrant, and the woodlands too peaceful - a far cry from the truth. These two entities, whatever and whoever they were, should not be here; why were they even fighting inside me? More importantly, who were they?
I stood in place and watched. Despite their great powers, the entities seemed intent on using only their claws, teeth, and limbs to fight. They were akin to wild animals, and yet neither of them sported any wounds or any injuries at all. "Huh...I have no idea who they are, what they are, and what they're doing here...."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Walking up to them and asking seemed like a terrible idea; I wasn't sure if I could die in my own head, but the thought was terrifying. They definitely hadn't noticed me or were simply ignoring my presence in favor of bashing each other's heads in - or whatever it was they were doing. Honestly, they couldn't even hurt each other; so, what's the point of fighting?
They were wasting precious energy - energy that could've been spent hunting down prey and-
'No...' There's always a purpose - predator and prey were but the basest of bestial thoughts. And that brought me back to square one: why were they fighting?
Thunder boomed once more, filling the sky and the air, and yet it didn't come from the clash. My head whipped to the right, where a tiny figure stood. A human, from the looks of it; though, much of its form was obscured by one of those strange furs that humans often draped over themselves, like the wings of a bird, but not quite. Most of it was black, and it leaned on a long stick that was as tall as itself. I approached the figure. No scent came from it, though an odd power did emanate from its tiny form.
"Hello Ursus, child of Volos." The human said.
"Who are you?" I asked, genuinely curious about a human for once and I wasn't even hungry.
"Your thoughts amuse me, child of Volos." A light rumbling echoed from its mouth. I knew not what it meant. "My name matters little; what matters now is the sight before you."
It gestured towards the massive entities, both of whom were still kicking, biting, clawing, gnawng and bashing each other.
"What is going on?"
"You have consumed a powerful artifact, marked by the God of Chaos, Mordal." The figure explained. "Its nature is anathema to the power of Volos, whose mark resides in you. Their powers now compete, clashing to destroy the other. Your body cannot contain both."
"Why?"
"You're not strong enough yet."
"Why?"
"Your soul has not truly awakened." A rumble escaped the figure's lips again. "Volos' mark alone would've burnt out the souls of lesser mortals; for you to hold on to it without succumbing to its power is a testament to the strength of your spirit, and yet you are not strong enough to hold both the Bear God's mark and the Chaos God's mark."
"Why are you here?"
"I... am an interested party, so to speak." The human explained. "Volos has not played the game even once in the last two thousand years - for him to do so now has alerted... many of us."
"But, why are you here?"
"Ah... I've come to offer a third path, so to speak." It answered - finally. "Without my... intervention, you would've been left with two choices: to retain the mark of Volos and reject the mark of Mordal, or accept the mark of Mordal and reject the mark of Volos. Neither choice seems all that interesting to me, and so I've come with a third choice."
"What?"
"You know - you're surprisingly easy to talk to, despite being a bear." The human said, another rumbling noise escaping its mouth. "Most mortals usually gawk at the sight of me and yet here you are, almost completely uncaring - heart set only on adventure. It's... honestly refreshing."
"The third choice, child of Volos, is for you receive a weakened mark from one of the two, thereby allowing you to carry both." The human explained. "This is normally impossible, but mortal champions do not often receive my aid."
I... had no idea what a mark was and what it did; Volos certainly never mentioned giving me one and I was fairly certain that I've been operating with my own power this whole time. I didn't need these marks, and neither did I want them.
"How do I get rid of them?"
"I told you-"
"I meant the marks; how do I get rid of the marks? I don't want them."
"You can't get rid of them." The human said. "Marks are burned into the soul; you can only replace them with another, but - once you're marked - there must always be a mark."
"That's... annoying." Well, I had no idea what marks actually did and a part of me was curious; were they useful? Did they make me more powerful? If I could have one, then why not have two? "Choice three; I choose the third one."
"Done - do make things interesting for me, little bear." The human said, snapping its tiny fingers. A bright flash followed, expanding outwards acoss the woodlands. The clashing stopped almost immediately, and the two massive figures disappeared in a cloud of smoke and ashes. "I want, for a lack of a better term, entertainment; and you, child of Volos, should prove to be... very entertaining. Goodbye."
The human disappeared as well.
'Now...how do I get out of here?'
My eyes drifted across my surroundings.
Here, in my dream world, time - it seemed - held no meaning. Everything here was a product of my imagination - I think. The sun was at its peak, simply because I didn't bother messing with it. Time didn't exist, because I didn't care about it. I was here by my own will, which meant I could leave just as easily as I arrived. Closing my eyes, I willed my senses outwards.
And there I awoke in the same cavern, the talking bone thing looking down at me from its perch.
Cosmic Dice of Chaos consumed!
New Skill Unlocked: D20 of Destiny
"Get the fuck out of my master's tomb, bear."
----------------------------------------
Basic Status:
Name: Ursus
Race: Ursine Sapien
Title/s: The First
Class: Rogue (3)
Level: 8
HP: 1240
MP: 185
SP: 1170
Strength: 840
Speed: 245
Agility: 425
Intelligence: 250
Wisdom: 19
Luck: 17
Critical Hit chance: 40%
Critical Hit modifier: 130%
XP: 340/700
Perks:
Gaze of the Watcher: Illusions have no effect on you. At all times, you are able to perceive only the true nature of things.
Mind of the Beast: Your intelligence is not like those of humans, and so the concept of Karma does not affect your soul in the same manner as it does humans. Good and Evil has no claim over you.
Eldritch Soul: Your soul is a twisted amalgam that has never truly been witnessed before in all of creation. Given enough time, it may evolve into something more. You are able to communicate with other Eldritch beings.
True Name: By having a true name, human mages and cultivators will not be able to bind you to their will.
Blood Rush: You move 2x faster when chasing down or moving towards injured prey.
Qi hunter: You can track down Qi users without having to rely on your basic senses.
Psychic Speech: You can bypass the need for language by speaking directly into a living entity's mind.
Unseen Predator (3): When stalking prey, you remain unseen until you are within 12 meters of their current position.
Assassin: You deal double damage to enemies if they have not detected you.
Giant Slayer: Deal 10% more damage to enemies bigger than you.
Cunning Hunter: Physical weaknesses of your prey are immediately known to you once you are within 2 meters of their current position.
Abyssal Maw: You are able to devour whole anything that you've personally killed, no matter how big.
Stealthy: Your enemies are less likely to notice your presence.
Lesser Regeneration: Your HP, SP, and MP recover by 5 points per second. Does not restore missing limbs.
Skills:
Scan level 3: You are able to discern an entity's given name, alongside their total HP, MP, and SP. Costs no MP.
Telekinesis level 7: You are able to move objects, weighing 350 kilograms or less, with your thoughts. Costs 5 MP per second.
Nuokinesis level 1: You are able to control the minds of small insects for 24 hours. Costs 5 MP per entity.
Cosmokinesis level 1: Alter 1 Cubic Meter of reality for a period of five seconds. Costs 100 MP.
Blink level 1: Instantly teleport a up to 20 meters away, as long as your desired location is within your vision. Costs 10 SP per use. Cooldown 10 seconds.
Shadow Step level 1: Instantly dash a distance of up to 5 meters. Costs 5 SP per use. Cooldown 2 seconds.
Mind Flay level 1: Disable the target's senses for 5 seconds. Costs 20 MP. Cooldown 100 seconds.
Decoy level 1: Leave behind a copy of yourself that lasts for an hour, unless destroyed. Copy does not move. Costs 10 SP. Cooldown 60 seconds.
Muffled Steps level 1: Your footsteps are greatly muffled for 60 seconds. Effect lasts until spotted. Costs 5 SP. Cooldown 10 seconds.
Steal level 1: Steal a random item of lesser value from your enemy. Costs 10 SP. Cooldown 1 hour.
Harden level 1: Your skin gains stone-like hardness for 5 seconds. Costs 10 SP. Cooldown 60 seconds.
D20 of Destiny: Upon activation, the success of your next course of action will be decided upon the roll of a dice, with a roll of 1 being critical failure and a roll of 20 being critical success. Warning: The use of which can drastically alter what otherwise should be a completely normal occurence. No cost. Cooldown 24 hours.