With a lot of patience, I eventually cleared all the material inside my radius. I had gotten curious where it all goes, and with a simple check of the [absorption] ability, I found out it gets used in my [construction] ability from a storage space. I can also apparently ‘consume’ the stuff, but I wasn’t excited to find out if I had a sense of taste like I could smell mana around things.
It was now finally time to summon my first ever worker.
I’d debated with myself about which would be the best, and ultimately my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know more about the fox-kin and what those symbols on their backs were.
Running through a quick checklist, I found myself as ready as I’d ever be, and activated [summon species] from the sub-categories of the summoning ability.
I once again regretted my choices.
With a feeling uncomfortably close to vomiting, I felt materials be brought forth from my storage, as stone formed a short, tailed skeleton, and various meats that had been inside crates suddenly flooded out in a slurry-like state, before shooting out in strands like the worlds worst spiderweb.
The meat threaded itself around the bones like a snake, solidifying into cartilage and muscle. Water poured out of me and mixed with minerals to form warm blood, before the red substance saturated the flesh growing before me.
More material poured out, and fur soon coated the heap of tissues, the wild patchwork of colors suddenly swirling into a more traditional fox’s coat. Eyes formed under their lids like gelatin molds, teeth grew like quartz in their jaw, and mana surged out of me and poured into the heart of the forming being.
It beat once, twice, and soon in a steady rhythm.
The last thing that formed was a loose set of clothes, and a white painted mask that fit perfectly over the face of the fox-kin.
It felt like an hour had passed, but the sun overhead hadn’t even shifted in the slightest. A minute at most.
Feeling drained from the summoning, and quite disturbed overall, I drifted into rest, taking one last glance at the completed and now sleeping worker next to me.
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***Kohaku***
I felt wind brush my fur, and sunshine grace my skin.
I awoke.
My immediate thought was that I wasn’t in a cage.
I had lived. Escaped?
No. I could feel the presence of a Master nearby.
I sat up enough to see just over the grass around me.
There was a ring of Master items around my resting place.
Had I been in a caravan? Had I been broken out?
But I could still feel a Master somewhere.
As I looked around, I saw several items inscribed with fox imagery.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Why would a Master carry such things?
Unless…
A long time ago, back when I was a pup. The Masters had talked at length about a kingdom in the north, who freed fox-kin like myself, and drove slavers away at spearpoint.
The Kitsumari Empire.
But how could I be here? What little I know of world geography tells me I couldn’t have gotten here in only a day. At least a week of travel would have been required!
Maybe my page will reveal the truth.
Status I thought, and so it appeared.
[Kohaku, Lvl: 7 Fox-kin Laborer (Bind: Unnamed Wall Core)] [Str: 6 Con: 5-3 Int: 3+1 Wis: 1 Agi: 1+2 Dex: 6] [HP: 14, Mana: 1/27] [Abilities: Focus to Reveal] [Effects: Focus to Reveal]
I was Chosen? But I thought cores are only myth?
Except… this one is real?
I look around again, searching the clearing in the Master’s trash.
There! A gemstone, barely larger than my fangs.
A newly formed.
It may be the binding, but… I can’t help but feel sad for the little thing.
It’s defenseless.
I sneak over and sit down to examine it. I dare not touch a core, even a young one. The myths say that to touch a core is to forfeit your soul to the gods.
It is a pale shard, with a slight green shimmer beneath the surface. Only the tip has any variation, a faint pink glimmer on the edge, barely visible to even my own eyes. It radiates the same energy as the Masters.
I get up and search in the mess for a moment, certain that the Masters who left it must have something to cover the small jewel. After a moment I return with an old, rusted lid, from a pot most likely, perhaps the same type used in the pits.
I shudder at my own mention of those retched places.
I set the lid gently over the crystal, careful not to contact the gem itself.
I let out a sigh I didn’t know I was holding when nothing goes catastrophic.
I glace out to the pile of Master things around me and grab a small dagger I spotted.
I huddle next to the covered gemstone, and drift back to sleep. Perhaps its out of a twisted sense of comfort, but I hear a faint voice say, “thank you.”
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***Core***
I had woken up earlier to the confused sounds of my new fox-kin, and as I looked at them from my strange third-gem view, I could see them come over to me with what looked to me like a pot lid.
When the grabbed a dagger I had a moment of worry, but they simply curled up next to me and closed their eyes. I whispered thank you and was surprised when I saw their ear twitch.
Coincidence? until proven otherwise, then yes, most likely.
I started looking though my storage space for something nice, and eventually found a piece of a quilted blanket, fox patterns all over it's outer side. I summoned it over the furry little worker, and with nothing left to do, started ‘eating’ some of the stored materials I had.
My day was ruined before the sun even came up all the way. I tasted every piece of wood, stone, clay, and food and washed it all down with water, acid, and several potions that probably would have been lethal if not for the way I consumed them.
At least I have confirmation that my workers are actual people, otherwise how would they already have a name and class?
I couldn’t tell if that made things better or worse on my end.
What did cheer me up was a familiar blue box with some great news.
[Level up 1 – 2]
[Str: 1 – 2 Con: 1 – 2 Int: 1 – 3 Wis: 1 – 3 Agi: 1 Dex : 1] [1 Attribute Point Acquired] [Mana Capacity: 10 - 20] [HP: 1 – 1.5] [Radius Expansion: 2.5 - 5]
I immediately put the point into constitution. Not dying is my priority and more hp is a welcome help.
and hey, who knows, it might even be the difference between life and death.