2 The System
As Gerard's vision adjusted to the light, he saw the cemetery grounds around him. A haunting silence settled over the air. Overgrown grass flowed to and fro with the wind. Weeds bore through tombstones, and flowers left at the grave sites had long since withered away.
With each step on the overgrown pathway, his skeletal feet crunched on the tangled carpet of weeds. As he moved, bone scraping against bone, the ground seemed to shudder beneath him as if acknowledging his emergence from the realm of the deceased.
Dense fog, infused with an otherworldly aura, clung to his bony frame, obscuring his surroundings. It wrapped around him, caressing his skeletal form with a damp and chilling touch.
An eerie feeling washed over him.
Behind him, a shambling, moaning, rotten corpse moved closer.
*A zombie?!*
He didn't notice it before, but words could not leave his lips, likely because he had none: no vocal cords, lips, or anything to make a noise with, except for his bones.
*How am I supposed to live in this world if I can't even speak?*
The zombie walked by him. Perhaps due to also being an undead creature, but the monster paid him no attention.
[Answer: You may evolve into a creature with vocal cords once you meet the requirements.]
*What was-*
[Answer: I am a system created by-]
An undecipherable series of ear-piercing noises broke up the next words.
[To assist you during your reincarnation.]
*Okay... So they did reincarnate me; what kind of a sick sense of humour does that god have?! What do I call you?*
[Answer: I do not have a name, but you may call me Sprite, as I like the idea of being thought of as a fairy-like creature.]
*You seem oddly...*
[Alive? I believe-]
The deafening noises returned, and Gerard clenched his jaw.
[Modelled me after a female philosopher from your world. In reality, I am but a series of electrical signals that your soul is reading.]
*That's really annoying. Well, whatever. How do I evolve?*
[Answer: Say 'Status Screen' and select your evolutionary tree.]
*Say it, she says. I can't speak. Oh well, I'll think it. Status Screen!*
In front of Gerard, a board covered in information appeared before him like a hologram from a science fiction movie.
*Ah, this is like the video game my grandson showed me! What are all these values?*
[Gerard Blythe - Level 1 Skeleton]
[HP: 5]
[MP: 0]
[Strength: 7]
[Dexterity: 8]
[Defense: 5]
[Resistance: 20]
[Mana Conductivity: 100]
[Skills: System Access, Evolutionary Tree, Mind's Eye]
[Resistances: Piercing]
[Weaknesses: Holy Magic, Bludgeoning]
[Immunities: Hunger, Dehydration, Sleep, Exhaustion, Poison, Disease, Fear, Paralysis, Decay, Confusion, Blindness]
*So, I am definitely a skeleton...*
Gerard sat down; his pelvis bore into the earth while he looked over the screen.
*Immunity to confusion? I feel pretty confused. But I guess those immunities are why I don't feel hungry, thirsty, or tired. What's HP? MP?*
[Answer: HP, or Health Points, are the representation of your life. Skeletons are one of the weakest species in this world, and your low HP indicates that. MP, or Mana Points, are your reserve of mana. People in this world use mana to cast spells with an infinite variety of effects. Skeletons possess no affinity for magic. The stats of an average human have a value of 15.]
*So, mana conductivity is how efficiently I use this mana?*
[Answer: Correct. Basic skeletons, unknown to the people of this world, have an incredible affinity for casting spells, even if they have no mana.]
*Can you stop saying 'answer' whenever I ask a question?*
[Answer: Yes.]
*Then stop doing that.*
[As you wish.]
*Good. Didn't I have blessings given to me by that person?*
[Yes. System Access allows you to speak with me and access your status board. Evolutionary Tree allows you to evolve, a trait that very few creatures and monsters have in this world. Mind's Eye allows you to see without eyes, in the dark, and prevents status effects like blindness and spells that remove your sight.]
He pressed his skeletal hand against the Evolutionary Tree skill, and up came another screen. At the bottom of the screen, it showed the highlighted image of a skeleton. Four lines moved upward, leading to potential evolutions.
[Skeleton Warrior - Swing a weapon 100,000 times.]
[Skeleton Mage - Take damage from 100 spells.]
[Ghoul - Eat from a human corpse.]
[Zombie - Eat a living human.]
*The first two simply aren't possible in my current situation. The other two... Gross. Either way, I'd have to eat a human? Wait... I don't have a tongue, so I won't be able to taste it anyway, and I am in a cemetery!*
He wandered through the cemetery, looking for the newest-looking tombstone. On the way to find it, he grabbed a rusted shovel, which slipped from his grasp.
*Ah, no skin to grip it with.*
He tore off some of the rags around his skeletal frame and wrapped them around the handle before trying again. Success.
He soon stopped before a grave.
It read, 'Herein lies Redford, our commander who gave his life in pursuit of peace'.
*I can read this?*
[It's not on your status screen, as it isn't a skill, but upon entering this world, you were given the knowledge of the world's written and spoken languages.]
*Handy.*
He dug. He dug until he struck something solid. Without muscles, his body still provided the strength required to dig through solid earth.
He pulled the lid off the wooden coffin. Luckily, without a nose, he couldn't smell. The man's grey, mostly decayed flesh wriggled with some kind of lifeform beneath it. He grasped at the meat, pulled some from the bone and flicked maggots away before placing it inside the hole behind his teeth.
[You meet the requirements for evolution. Would you like to evolve?]
*Just like that?*
Gerard looked at the evolution screen again. The word 'Ghoul' now appeared green, while the word 'Zombie' was still red.
[Yes.]
The zombie path was now greyed out, and an image of the ghoul became highlighted. Further up the path, two new options became available.
[Lesser Vampyre - Drink fresh human blood. (5)]
[Variant Ghoul - Kill five humans. (5)]
*I'd rather not kill humans and get on their bad side, so I guess I'll become a Vampyre later.*
Suddenly, he felt a heaviness wrap around his body. He watched as flesh materialised on his arms, legs, and torso. Muscle, fat, blood vessels, and tendons wove themselves into shape before skin formed and compressed the flesh. Covered in spots of decay, with a few chunks missing here and there, his new body afforded him a better sense of touch.
His tongue, eyes, and other parts of his face materialised. He could smell the damp earth, and he could still see just as well as before, but the acrid taste of decay overwhelmed his tastebuds. He promptly spat out chunks of rotten flesh.
*I forgot, if I evolved, I'd probably be able to taste things again.*
He tried out his new voice.
"Uaaaah. Gwoooah."
*Only simple sounds, I suppose. Ghouls still have decayed bodies.*
[Congratulations on your evolution! Be aware that as a ghoul, you'll still be hunted by humans and other races on sight.]
*Hunted? Okay, so I started as a weak monster with the potential for endless growth. So long as I survive.*
[Yes.]
*That wasn't a question, Sprite. But thank you, I'd already be lost in this strange world without you.*
Sprite didn't reply, but Gerard felt as though it was happy to hear its self-appointed name being called.
