"One two three..."
Chomp!
"Basura…" Spitting out the flesh he'd bitten off the beast he'd killed, Isaac cursed himself. The taste he'd grown used to but its texture always made him gag, but he had no other choice if he wanted to survive.
Within the dense groves of a massive jungle made up of overgrown mutated trees covered in a glistening wax, a young man with copper-red hair sat holding the partially eaten and digested detached human-sized head of a frog-like beast.
Hesitantly, he brought the back of the head towards his lips, bared his teeth, and positioned the skull. Gnashing his teeth together, Isaac tore through skin and muscle before shattering bone.
Reeling back, he threw his head up in disgust as he began chewing. This one's flesh was slick with mucus and swollen with fats, not to mention far undercooked.
Swallowing the flesh and bone, Issac stuck out his tongue to stop himself from throwing up, a skill he'd learned only a short while ago. Then, glancing at the vials on his forearm, he watched as two small glass beads embedded in his flesh filled with blood thickened and turned to ink.
"Beasital Grade 1 Jungle Beast: Flare Frog Slaughtered. Require portion consumed. Two Inkwells filled. Calculated credits earn via consumption of; head one hundred fifty, major bodily organs five hundred-"
A familiar voice sounded out above Isaac as his "fly" circled his head as it reported his kill, "That enough. Just show me my data sheet."
On command, the fly ceased its movements. Its eyes lit up a vibrant blue as it projected Issac's status window in front of him.
Isaac Hue: 19
Stage: Beasital (Grade 1)
Innate Ability: Clay Body (Passive Mutation)
Inkwell Filled: 7/20
Occupation: Cleaner
Location: Wax Jungle
Credits: 25,456 (+653 Pending…)
"I've been here for an entire week, and I've barely managed to fill three of my wells. It'll have to be enough." Issac steadied himself once he realized he'd finally built up enough credits, and after this, he'd have nothing to claim as his life's savings.
Slinging the frog's head to the side, he stood and brushed the dirt off himself, motioning for his fly to close the project.
Almost a century ago, did the world of man and painters collide. Ink pooled from the clouds and drowned and redesigned the world in a different image. Forest sprung up from deserts, and oceans turned to deserts of bleached sands. Populating these new environments were the beasts—creatures of demonic horror and angelic blessings.
These creatures were nothing like the ones that previously existed. They held endless hunger and grew stronger, smarter, and more capable as they feasted. They came in all types and began to flourish as they feasted not only on the other species but on each other. Conventional Weaponry proved ineffective as only high-end large-scale weaponry could dismantle and completely destroy the beast who'd simply regenerate and return to their previous states.
Wars were waged and lost. Soon it was theorized that each creature has a baseline level of sentience that is the key factor for their existence as once their will to continue to feast dies, so do they. They can be destroyed as many times as one possibly could, but until they've lost the will to continue, they will return.
They continued to feed until they reached a final stage that depended on their innate abilities or ones stolen from their prey. Generally, beasts start off in the beastial class and then slowly progress to primal then mythical. After which, there is a split due to an unknown factor, and they either become categorized as demonic or angelic beasts. After which, they then reach their final stage.
Ones that developed or stole the ability to fly become dragons able to cut through the heavens, ones that developed or acquired aquatic breathing often become leviathans and rule the seas, and one devoid of both of these abilities become worms and conquer the earth.
Even among the very rare few beasts who reached these final stages stim an even higher class. The ones that hold the moniker of 0,0, which come even further warping of environments. Their presence warped the domain around them as they claimed the space as their own. These locations are known as origin points. These locations became a massive feeding ground where hoards of beasts can be found practicing in a never-ending feast.
Humanity as a whole has lost hope. That was until they themselves began to evolve. As if bestowed a gift, humans began developing traits of the beasts. Inkwells appeared on various sections of their bodies in the same manner as the beats, which could be used, when filled, to empower and sharpen the body and mind.
Innate ability began to show in children, and abilities stolen from beasts killed began to spread throughout humanity's now flooring population. This development led to the creation of Cleaners. Humans that consumed the flesh of the beasts developed once impossible magical and physical arts and competed right alongside the beast's themes.
This occupation satiated their abnormal hunger and led to their rapid evolution. In the following decades, more and more people volunteered to become cleaners as not only did they gain status but also abilities no human could ever have dreamed of, which leads to unexpected effects on society.
The development of arts of war, alchemy, scientific and magical principles and academies, schools, as well as other teachings, was developed or reconfigured to better suit the Cleaners and their Occupation. With these developments came a period of great advancement in all fields.
Within this newly reformed modern society life began to accept a new normal, resembling the world before. Though, as expected, even with these new technologies and new normals, there were still those who suffered and were considered less desirable in society.
Isaac was one of these fewer desirables, and he'd had enough. He'd spent his life with the dream of holding the moniker of 0,0. To become a true beast, to become a worm. Continuing as the lowest grade of cleaner no longer was an option, and he's been preparing for his ascension.
"Show me the cleaner shop," Issac's mechanical fly obeyed and displayed the Cleaner's shop, "Filter Highlights."
Item: Wraith Axe
Class: Mythical
Weapon Grade: 5
Type: Short Axe
Description: A short axe made from the essence of a grade 3 Wraith bat. Due to the nature of the swarming wraith bats, the weapon was made from being embedded within this blade, causing it to be in constant vibrating motion. Only stabilized via the usage of three inkwells per hour of usage.
-Effect "Vibration": Due to the nature of this weapon, any attack performed using its blade will have a higher chance of penetrating and splitting the flesh.
Cost: 25,000 Credits
-
Item:????
Item Grade:????
Type: Material
Description: As promised.
Cost: 0 credits (Auctioned)
"Purchase Confirmed."
Once he finished his order, the fly closed the shop and began the transmission. Alerting him of the process as it went, "Calculating coordinates," And less than a second later, viable particles of light began to clump together before fully materializing, "Transmission Complete."
Holding out his hands, Isaac caught a brown warped package and a card. Quickly opening his first package, he grabbed his axe by the handle and admired its lightness and design. The blade was an olive, white tie and mounted on a dark purple curved handle that resembled wood in nature.
Twirling the axe in his hand, he swung the blade, feeling the power embedded in it transferring to him, empowering his strikes and swings. The force of which generated winds that stirred up and made small slashes in the dirt around him.
Smiling with excitement, Issac placed the blade in his teeth before tearing open the card. From it fell a sling slip of white paper he then caught and unraveled.
Reading it over he threw his hands up in pure excitement and joy. Grabbing the axe from his mouth, he shouted, "Teleport me to the Primal Plans!"
"Access port denied. Reaso-"
"Override Access Code: 0XHAS731"
"Now transporting to a random location in the "Bleached Sands: Primal Zone" Calculating Coordinates."
Issac felt his body lose its weight as several parts of it began flickering in place before he was teleported. The first thing he felt once he arrived were the dry winds that stripped him of the moisture resting on his skin, and the scarlet red skies bled into his eyes.
Looking around, all Issac could see was bone-white sand extending as far as he could see. His vision was obscured and hampered by the constant warping of the environment from the enormous amount of heat. Feeling himself shrink, Issac looked down at his feet as they continued to sink deeper into the sands.
"ALERT! Grade 4 Primal Beast less than 50 feet detected.", "ALERT! Grade 2 Primal Beast less than 70 Feet Detected."
"ALER-"