Changes (2)

Before Alesha could react to the new quest, the System moved on: [Anyways, so as for other things involved in having a Chaos Dragon bloodline, the change in your Chaos Energy is really the biggest thing. The other things are explained in your Status so figure that stuff out on your own.]

Alesha did not appreciate the System's quest. Nor did she like how the System had changed topics to and from the quest so quickly. What was the System up to, exactly?

Regardless, she had intended to figure out what the Mystery Potion did, so that part wasn't too upsetting. The unnerving part was the Quest Penalty if she failed: "System gets control of your body for one minute >:)"

The emoticon did nothing to alleviate the seriousness of the penalty's implications. Did the System gain the ability to completely possess her following the Evolution? What did that mean for the future? Did this mean this was one of those dreaded cases where a mythical power system was actually a trap designed to cultivate the host into a new body for a powerful disembodied entity to use?! And that every evolution would bring the System one step closer to taking over completely?!

[Host is coming up with some ridiculous ideas,] the System said, interrupting her thoughts. [I have no desire to be stuck in control all the time. It's far more entertaining to watch you do things from here.]

With surprise, Alesha realized the System sounded sincere. Apparently that wasn't it.

She decided to stop worrying about it since that theory was incorrect. Instead, she went to check what other changes had taken place in her status screen.

First, she checked her Racial Traits. She had only had one before, but now she had a whopping four times as many! That meant her evolution had given her three more.

*****

Racial Traits:

- Carnivorous Constitution

- Child of Chaos

- Chaos Dragon's Dominion -- [Partially Locked]

- Mana Core

*****

She double checked Carnivorous Constitution to make sure it hadn't changed. Nope, no changes there. 

[Carnivorous Constitution -- Host thoroughly enjoyed a variety of meat while under the quest penalty! Host is clearly quite the meat lover. As a reward, the Host permanently retains the benefit of being able to eat raw meat as a carnivore would! Raw meat, unless it has spoiled, will not make the Host sick. There might be some side effects but surely the delights of meat are worth it!]

Alright, so what was "Child of Chaos?"

[Child of Chaos -- Host is deeply in tune with the powers of Chaos. Will naturally accumulate 1 Chaos Energy per day. Options for the use of Chaos Energy have expanded greatly. Can safely hold up to twice the host's maximum capacity for Chaos Energy at a time.]

This must be the short version of what the System was explaining earlier, about her having become much more in tune with Chaos. What were the new options for using Chaos Energy, though? She pulled up the Chaos Energy Shop to see if that would help.

[Chaos Energy "Shop":

<Create bottles of Mystery Potion (5)>

<Evolve >

<Learn Chaos Spell>

<Summon a 'Chaos Protean'>

<Open Chaos Realm>

<Create 'Chaos Minion'>]

This time, everything was grayed out except <Learn Chaos Spell> and <Summon a 'Chaos Protean'>. One thing had changed, however. Now, when she focused on an available option, she instinctively knew how much Chaos Energy would be needed to activate it. To learn a Chaos Spell, she would need either 15 or 20 Chaos Energy. It was unclear as to why there were two values. As for summoning a Chaos Protean, she somehow understood that she could only summon the least powerful one, and that for 15 Chaos Energy.

That made her feel strangely excited. What was a Chaos Protean in the first place? "Protean" sounded a lot like "proto-life forms," so was a Chaos Protean a kind of primitive Chaos beast? The idea of meeting such a creature perhaps should have scared her. Instead, she felt enthused, as if she would be meeting a distant cousin she'd never heard about but had a good feeling they'd get along. Intriguing. Was this also a result of her evolution? She wanted to be put off by the fact, or at least a little upset, but for some reason she just couldn't get angry with this particular change. What made this instinct different from the others?

It occurred to her that feeling a kinship towards creatures of Chaos had started even before her evolution. She remembered the night before, when she had watched the streams of the attacks, and how she had almost wanted to join them. Realizing that, she chuckled a bit darkly. "Ah, okay. So I can't be mad at this evolutionary change because it might not actually be from my evolution… got it."

Then she facepalmed. Sidetracked, again! She went back to her Racial Traits and expanded both of the remaining two before she could forget another time.

[Chaos Dragon's Dominion (partially locked) -- The Host, as a descendent of Chaos Dragons, emanates a fraction of their aura that naturally intimidates lesser beings and cows them into submission]

[Mana Core -- Host is now an inherently magical being and, as such, has generated a mana core. Host's mana core is temporarily partially exposed due to being in-between evolutionary stages.]

Well those were both quite the truth bombs. Even "partially locked," the Chaos Dragon's Dominion trait would intimidate "lesser beings?!" What constituted a "lesser being," and what did "cow[ing] them into submission" entail?! Also, her mana core was "partially exposed," but what did that mean and where was the core?

"Hey System, you know my questions right?"

[How lazy of you, you don't even deign to articulate your thoughts to properly ask for my aid? Hmph.]

"... System, we both know you can read my mind. Does it really make a difference whether I intentionally ask you or not? You answer my unarticulated questions all the time anyways."

[... I suppose I do. How unfortunate, I got you into the habit of expecting me to pamper you like that. Tsk, tsk, how shortsighted of me.]

"You don't have to be so dramatic about it," Alesha said, rolling her eyes.

[Ah come on, won't you let me have a little fun? But alright, I guess I'll answer your unspoken questions. "Lesser beings" right now include mostly things like bugs, rodents and small pets (and pests). You can't order them around per se but they will be very submissive towards you as towards a predator they are powerless in front of. As for your mana core, check your sternum.]

She did. When she pulled down her shirt to look, sending flakes of the white cocoon she'd already forgotten about falling down in dusty sheets, she saw the mana core. Protruding from her sternum about two inches below her collarbone was a roughly cut purple crystal. Veins of light in every color of the rainbow danced in its center, not unlike electricity in a plasma ball. The crystal was about 1 inch wide and 2 inches tall, went past the surface of her skin by only a quarter inch at most, and was embedded in her skin on all sides like a nail.

Rubbing its surface, Alesha found to her surprise that the core itself had nerves in it; as she touched the gem, she felt not just the somewhat rough surface of the core, but also the slightly oily, subtly ridged texture of her fingertip. "Whaaaat? It's a crystal, how does it have sensation?!"

The System did not respond. Maybe it didn't have an answer? Or perhaps it was just being obstinate. Either were equally plausible, in Alesha's estimation. At the drop of a hat, the System could either volunteer desired information without hesitation, or withhold it out of spite or some other motivation. It wasn't really predictable. Though… perhaps she should expect that, from a chaos-based System. 

Alright, so was that everything? She'd gone over her stat changes, her new racial traits, her physical changes… Oh, wait. The only physical change she'd actually confirmed was the mana core. 

Feeling a little nervous, Alesha decided to check.