Defiant Soul

“And that would be..?” I prodded when the System paused again.

ALL THE MANA THE MACHINE HAD ABSORBED WOULD BE RELEASED ALL AT ONCE CAUSING UNTOLD HAVOC TO THE SURROUNDING AREA THAT MAY LAST FOR MILLENNIA. THIS IS A RESULT I WOULD LIKE TO AVOID AND IT HAS ALREADY OCCURRED ONCE AT THIS POINT IN TIME. YOU MAY HAVE THE CHANCE TO SEE IT IF YOU CHOSE TO TRAVEL. THE ‘HERO’ AND THEIR COMPANIONS INVOLVED WITH THE INCIDENT WERE NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN. EVEN I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM DUE TO THE INFERENCE.

“Ah, so no poking ancient machinery without proper protection. Got it. Still don’t want to be a demon though.” I told it, my eyes narrowing in suspicion.

FOR BEST RESULTS, A DEMONIC FORM WOULD DO YOU WELL. THEY ARE THE MOST SUITED FOR CONTAINING AND CONDUCTING MANA. THE FAE AND DRAGON RACES ARE ONLY SECOND BEST FOR WHAT IS REQUIRED. DEMONS ALSO HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST STARTING STATS AVAILABLE. EVEN AS A HUMAN, YOUR CURRENT STATS ARE ABYSMAL.

“Uh-Huh. What aren’t you telling me?”

…

“They have horrendous drawbacks, don’t they?”

YOU COULD SAY THAT.

“Tell. Me. What. They. Are.” I told the System, and I could have sworn I heard it make an audible gulp.

AS DEMON WITH THE FATE OF ‘LORD OF GLUTTONY’ WILL BE INFLICTED WITH ‘ENDLESS HUNGER’ AND THE INCREASED POTENTIAL TO FALL INTO A ‘FERAL STATE’.

“Those don’t sound good.”

NO, IT IS NOT. I WOULD HELP YOU IN MANAGING THEM THOUGH IF YOU DECIDE TO GO WITH A DEMON RACE.

“Uh, no. I’m tired of being hungry and ‘feral state’ sounds like all kinds of trouble. What about the others? I assume they have drawbacks as well.” I assumed.

YOU WOULD BE CORRECT. ALL RACES HAVE WEAKNESSES, STRENGTHS, AND DRAWBACKS INCLUDING HUMANS. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO LIVE WITH.

“Point. So back to humans since they’re the ones I know best.” I told it.

HUMANS START OUT AS ONE OF THE WEAKEST RACES IN THIS WORLD. HOWEVER, HUMANS ARE THE MOST COMMON OUT OF THEM WITH ENDLESS POTENTIAL. THEY HAVE NO SPECIALTIES, ATTRIBUTES, OR ALIGNMENTS. THEY GET NO BONUSES BUT THEY ALSO RECEIVE NO DETRIMENTS. AND ELF MAY START OUT A BETTER ARCHER THAN A HUMAN BUT WITH HARD WORK AND TIME, THAT SAME HUMAN MAY BECOME JUST AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER THAN THE ELF. THEY WOULD ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO ANY ELEMENT OF THEIR CHOOSING WHILE THE ELF WOULD BE LIMITED TO THE ELEMENTAL ALIGNMENT IT WAS BORN WITH. EVEN NORMALLY CONFLICTING ELEMENTS CAN BE SAFELY USED BY THE SAME HUMAN. NO OTHER RACE HAVE THIS ABILITY. NOT EVEN DEMONS, DRAGONS, OR FAE CAN EVER CLAIM THIS ABILITY.

“Sounds like humans have a lot of things going for them in the long run. I’ll be sticking with my human self thank you very much.” I said, confirming the change. I got a distinct impression of dismay from the System when I did.

THEN…?

“I don’t know if I’m willing to help destroy those machines, just…” My voice trailed off as I thought about what I would do in this new world.

PLEASE.

“What?” I asked as the word disturbed from my thoughts.

PLEASE. JUST ONE.

“Just one?”

JUST ONE. THE DISABLING OF EVEN ONE OF THE MACHINES WILL BUY TIME REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME. IF ALL GOES WELL, THE DEAD LANDS SURROUNDING IT WILL BE RESTORED. LIFE WILL FLOURISH. MONSTERS WILL BE SLOW TO POPULATE THE SPACE. AND IN THE END, IF NO OTHERS ARE DISABLED OR DESTROYED, IT WILL BECOME ONE LAST BASTION OF LIFE ON THE PLANET.

“That’s pretty heavy.” I told it.

THAT MAY BE BUT IT IS ALSO FAR INTO THE FUTURE AS WELL. YOUR VERY BONES AND THOSE OF ANY DESCENDANTS YOU MAY HAVE WILL HAVE LONG TURNED TO DUST BEFORE IT COMES TO PAST.

“So, no pressure like she said. And afterwards?”

FATES CAN BE HIDDEN. THROUGH EFFORT, THEY CAN BE CHANGED, GAINED, OR LOST. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE AFTERWARDS EVEN WITH THE DEMON LORD FATE. I WILL EVEN GIVE YOU AID AS MUCH AS I CAN AS REWARD FOR DISABLING EVEN ONE.

“Alright. I’ll give it a good strong ‘maybe’. Still not sold on risking my newly acquired life from the get-go.” I replied.

NO LIFE IS ‘SAFE’ AS YOU KNOW IT IN THIS WORLD. NOBILITY ARE VULNERABLE TO IDIOCY AND ASSASSINATIONS. FARMERS RISK LIFE AND LIMB EVERY HARVEST SEASON WITH THEIR DEADLY SHARP SICKLES THAT SLICE THROUGH FLESH AS EASILY AS A BUNDLE OF WHEAT. BEGGARS ARE NOT SAFE ON THE STREETS AND WARRIORS OF ALL KINDS RISK THEIR LIVES EVERY DAY TO PUT FOOD ON THEIR TABLE.

“Point taken. Anything else? Other than me staying human with my ‘abysmal’ stats that is.” I told it and, to my surprise a transparent blue screen appeared in front of me with what I assumed were my stats.

NAME: Samuel (hidden: Jackson)

RACE: Human

AGE: 18

SOUL TRAITS: Defiant(worn), Merciful(neutral), Kind(neutral), Noble(strained)

FATE: Demon Lord of Gluttony (pending acceptance)

STATUS: System Champion (pending acceptance)

STATS:

Health: 50/50

Mana: 120/120

Stamina(?): (3)

Strength: 3

Vitality: 5

Endurance: 2

Defense: 1

Wisdom: 3

Intelligence: 12

Agility: 3

Dexterity: 4

Charisma: 0

Luck: 0

SKILLS:

Stealth

AFFLICTIONS: Starvation, Malnutrition

BONUSES: None

OTHER: Mark of the Eldritch (Shard)

I looked over it for a moment before frowning.

“What is this? And I don’t tell me they’re my stats. I can see that.” I asked it.

IT IS YOUR SYSTEM INTERFACE. NOW THAT YOU HAVE DETERMINED YOUR RACE, YOU MAY NOW ACCESS IT. THIS IS ITS MOST BASIC FUNCTION. OTHERS MAY BE ACQUIRED THROUGH ACTIONS AND DECISIONS YOU MAKE FROM HERE ON OUT.

“Alright. What about the Champion and this Mark thing?” I asked it next.

THE ‘CHAMPION’ IS A BOON TO THOSE QUALIFY FOR THE DISTINCTION. WITH IT COMES A BONUS TO YOUR STATS UPON LEVEL UP AND SPECIAL KARMIC STORE THAT OFFERS ITEMS INLINE WITH WHATEVER FACTION YOU ARE A CHAMPION OF. PEOPLE, IDEALS, ORGANIZATIONS ARE JUST A FEW OF THE POSSIBLE TYPES OF ‘FACTIONS’ YOU MAY CHOOSE FROM. HOWEVER, YOU MAY INCUR A HEFTY PENALTY IF YOU STRAY OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR FACTION OF CHOICE BEFORE RENOUNCING YOUR CHAMPION STATUS.

AS MY CHAMPION, YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING FROM MY STORE REGARDLESS OF THE ITEM’S ALIGNMENT PROVIDED YOU HAVE THE KARMA FOR IT. MY ONLY REQUIREMENTS FOR IS THAT YOU RETAIN YOUR NEUTRAL STATUS AND COMPLETE ANY QUEST I PERSONALLY ASSIGN TO YOU. I AM NOT, HOWEVER, INFALLIBLE. IF YOU BELIEVE I HAVE MADE A MISTAKE WITH A QUEST, YOU MAY DENY IT BUT YOU MUST CONVINCE ME OF MY FOLLY IF YOU WISH TO AVOID A PENALTY.

“So, in other words, don’t be a mindless minion and think before you leap.” I said to sum things up.

YOU ARE CORRECT.

“Alright. I guess I’ll accept it then. When will I see the bonuses?” I asked it.

EVERY TIME YOU LEVEL UP YOU WILL RECEIVE STAT POINTS THAT ARE AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGNED TO YOUR ATTRIBUTES.

“Got it. Do I have any say in where they go?”

YES, YOU WILL RECEIVE 6 POINTS PER LEVEL UP. YES, IT IS A LOT BUT YOU ARE ALSO THE CHAMPION OF THE MOST POWERFUL ENTITY IN THIS WORLD. I ALSO NEED YOU TO BE POWERFUL AND VERSATILE FOR THE TASKS I WILL GIVE YOU.

“Um….”

I DO HAVE TWO DEFAULT SETTINGS IF YOU CAN NOT DECIDE ON IT NOW. ONE WILL HAVE ME DISTRIBUTE THEM EVENLY ACROSS THEM. WITH THIS SETTING, IF YOU LEVEL UP 10 TIMES YOU WILL HAVE 6 EXTRA POINTS IN EACH OF YOUR ATTRIBUTES. I CAN ALSO HAVE THEM SET SO THAT THEY WILL GO INTO YOUR LOWEST ATTRIBUTES AT THE TIME OF THAT LEVEL UP.

ONCE APPLIED, THESE STATS WILL NOT CHANGE RETROACTIVELY ONCE APPLIED. MEANING, IF YOU WISH TO CHANGE HOW THEY ARE DISTRIBUTED IN THE FUTURE, IT WILL ONLY APPLY TO FUTURE LEVEL UPS. REMEMBER YOU WILL ALSO HAVE FREE STAT POINTS YOU HAVE EARNED FROM YOUR PATRON. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY THEM ONCE YOU ARE FREE IN THE WORLD.

“Hmmm.. shoring up my weakness sounds good to me.” I decided. “Last thing before you set me loose into the world –”

SECOND TO LAST. YOU STILL HAVE NOT DECIDED ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU WILL ACCEPT THE DEMONIC FATE.

“…. You’re really pushing that, aren’t you.” I stated.

YOU WOULD TO IF YOUR EXISTENCE WAS TIED TO THE FATE OF A ENTIRE WORLD. IF ALL LIFE DIES ON IT, THEN SO WILL I.

“Uh…. for future reference, maybe you should lead with that. It might put things in perspective better.” I suggested.

UNDERSTOOD AND I APOLOGIZE. ALL OF THIS IS VERY NEW TO ME. I REQUESTED SHARD FOR HELP WHEN I FIRST ATTRACTED HER ATTENTION AND SHE SAID SHE WOULD KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR SOMEONE WHO COULD RATHER THAN DO IT HERSELF. SHE SAID IT WOULD BE BETTER IF A MORTAL HELPED ME WITH THIS INSTEAD OF HER.

“Huh. If that’s the case, I guess I’ll do that ‘one’ of yours and see where I’ll go from there.” I told it.

THEN YOU WILL ACCEPT THE FATE OF THE DEMON LORD OF GLUTTONY?

“May as well if it’s the only way to help you that you know of.” I replied.

THANK YOU. I WILL DO MY BEST TO AID YOU IN YOUR ENDEAVORS.

APPLYING FATE……

I felt my insides twist with the change and realized that I did, indeed, have a body again. It was a familiar thing, an almost exact replica of my old one with its pale, unhealthy skin tone and ‘skin an’ bones’ build that came from not eating nearly enough. It was missing my accumulated scars though which I was grateful for and I had apparently acquired a new tattoo on my right arm.

It was of a stylized comet passing in front of a crescent moon with its flaming tail blossoming outward behind it. The comet went from a glowing white at its center to a pale powder blue that made up the majority of its tail flames. It darkened to a fading sapphire blue at the tips of the flames and there was an odd eye nestled in the center of the flames where they were at their widest. I thought it just had an artist’s rendering of a very strange iris…. Up until it blinked at me, and I was proven very, very wrong.

“Gah! What the Fuck!?!?” I exclaimed as I fell on my boney rump in surprise. At the same time, I turned my arm and jerked it away from me so the…. thing on my arm couldn’t see me.

What I had thought as part of its iris, turned out to be two extra pairs of eyelids. All three of them had closed one after another in a blink before the eye focused on me. The revelation of what it was, was horrendous and I flopped onto my back as I waited for my heart rate to go down.

“That was the ‘Mark’, wasn’t it?” I asked rhetorically to the air above me.

YES, IT IS. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT ALERTING YOU TO IT SOONER.

“Ug. It’s fine. Just the story of my life.” I told the system grumpily.

QUITE. YOU EVEN HAD A -1 LUCK STAT WHEN SHARD FIRST BROUGHT YOU TO ME. SHE FIXED IT BEFORE LEAVING SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT. NOW PLEASE HOLD STILL. YOUR DEMONIC FATE IS BEING HARD TO APPLY TO YOU AS YOU LACK THE NECESSARY NEGATIVE ENERGIES AS – AH! THERE WE GO.

ALTERING FATE…..

SUCCESS!

TRAITS ‘ENDLESS HUNGER’ AND ‘FERAL STATE’ HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO TRAITS ‘GLUTTONOUS PRISON’ AND ‘DEMONIC FORM’

“Um… Explain?” I asked the system. The two new abilities sounded better than the old ones to some extent but not by much.

YOUR ‘DEMONIC FORM’ IS DERIVED FROM THE DEMONIZATION PROCESS NON-DEMONIC ENTITIES GO THROUGH WHEN THEY ACQUIRE A DEMONIC FATE AND THE ‘FERAL STATE’ THAT ALL DEMONIC BEINGS HAVE. UNLIKE THEM, YOURS WILL ONLY BE A TEMPORARY STATE.