"Time to leave this place for good." Ethan suddenly blurted out.
"What do you mean?" Trevor asked from the side.
"We have to move on, away from this place, this gargoyle settlement for good. Staying will get us killed and I'm sure they must have noticed our evolution." Ethan said. He felt a bit lighthearted and partially broken hearted. Broken hearted because he had lost his trusty hammer to the abyss below when the gargoyle elder destroyed the island. His evolution coupled with his new affinity awakening and spirit beast bonding had taken a toll on his strong mind. He could feel his body brimming with power and it was taking his all to control it. Fortunately, the system was always there to help. He figured out that, the system gave him an ability to change forms or rather in this case, races. Thus, his races and Trevor had same. A subordinate must surely have one or two traits of their master. Currently, they were back to their human forms or say human race forms. The pale skin and blood red eyes coupled with the claws were nowhere to be seen. Instead, there were two teenage boys who didn't look really teenage like. Ethan was now 6.2 feet tall with Trevor right behind him, just a head shorter than him. Height was just something common, but their faces and bodies had undergone some changes. Initially, they looked like people who just started working out but now, they were full blown young gymnasts. They weren't outright muscular, no! They were now lean and slightly muscular. Their chests and abs were finely shaped in tune with their powerful arms. Their current physique would put male models to shame but that wasn't all. Vampires are beings known for their devilish beauty that even the ugliest of them would still get a harem if he wanted and that is what happened. Their evolution into vampires automatically made them more handsome than they were before. The system helped them to control their vampire side by helping them switch from human to vampire and vice versa but there were somethings which just couldn't be changed and that was their physique and beauty. Trevor's skin was fairer while Ethan's had a darker tone, becoming tanned. Their hair had also grown a bit longer, falling to their shoulders, giving them a new look. All in all, they looked 20 instead of 18.
Galeno and the rest of the beasts were now resting in their various compartments. Ethan took some clothes from his storage space and gave some to Trevor and they hurriedly changed into them. Ethan now wore a baggy grey hoodie which wasn't so baggy anymore, black cargo pants which had become a bit tighter and smaller and black Nike Airforce sneakers. Trevor wore a red sweater with black trousers and black Nike Airforce sneakers. Their hairs also looked shinier making them resemble lost models in this dangerous world of floating islands and gargoyles.
...
In a crude cave, two not-so-looking teenagers sat, both in serious meditation. They had different auras around them, one a mix of smoky white and the other a silvery blue and light brown. Ethan and Trevor have been fighting ever since they appeared in the beast plane that they hadn't had enough time to stabilize their new powers and abilities. As of now, they were making the final touches -mostly Trevor as Ethan wasn't really actively stabilizing his raging powers. With the kind of level his willpower had reached coupled with the advancement in rank, he could multitask. He didn't know the limit though but as to what he was doing, stabilizing his Telekinesis and thinking, he was doing fine and felt no exhaustion from it. This cave was the outcome of the first use of his Earth affinity. The usual builder was still resting.
'There are lot of things in my arsenal I haven't really made use of. First, I have my martial arts Dovarhin but I've just been using the Hammer Arts. There's also the Chain of Wills which isn't really working like it was supposed to... strange. My Weapons' Constitution is also severely... dormant? Probably my doing. The energy suit is also recovering as expected and I'm really using my affinity actively in battles. So many options and cards but I'm not using them.'
'There's a word for it you know?'
'Don't...'
'Stupidity.'
'Piss off! By the way, why didn't I get any rewards this time?'
'It's because you haven't checked, stupid.'
'...'
______________________________________________
Name: Ethan Smith Junior
Race: Vampire* (Locked)
Rank: Advanced (Low)
Strength: 70
Speed: 70
Stamina: 70
Perception: 70
Willpower: 300
Mana: 700
Level: 20 [0/200]
Stat Points: 145
Current Form: [Mixed Human]
______________________________________________
* Affinities*
* Spirit Beasts*
* Skills
* Quests * Subordinates* (1)
_____________________________________________
'No way in hell!'
'Surprising right? You've come a long way kid and only a few months have passed since you got the system. Your talent is praiseworthy.'
'Bow before me.'
'Feeling smug already? Then I'm sorry to burst your bubbles but you are still no match for the gargoyle elders. The other one died because ???? so, you still have a long way to go.'
'I didn't catch up on that part.'
'Not me. The system intervened. There are some secrets you aren't privy to now.'
'Zark?'
'Hmm? What's up? Your tone changed.'
'Is it possible for you leave the system. Like gain your own freedom or something instead of living in the system as a system spirit?'
'It's possible but the method is slightly... difficult.'
'What is it?'
'You must know my past. That's the method.'
'...'
'Unexpected right?'
'How the fuck is that supposed to be difficult?!'
'It is as it strongly related to the creation of this system, your ancestors, your world -Debranlith and your birth and the celestials. You might not know but anything related to the celestials or gods has some sort of mechanisms and fate-changing abilities which can very well be to your disadvantages, most of the time and you wouldn't a god breathing down your neck at this time.'
'How are they like? The gods or the celestial.'
'Hmm... I don't know the right words but all I can say is that they are egoistical and very arrogant, 99.9999999% of them. The other 0.0000001% of them are either primordial or aspects of existence or dead.'
'Fuck!'
'So do you sti...'
'I'm satisfied with my care!'
'Haha! So, what's your plan now?'
'Let me first check the system rewards.'
He had gotten a few rewards prior to completing some hidden quests and defeating the gargoyle elder Estril. A random box, two Silver tier armors, a new energy suit, a spear and a water bottle?
'Hehe! I guess I know what to do.'
...
Two pairs of eyes fluttered open almost the same time. One a bright green and the other a mischievous red. The heads possessing these eyes turned to face each other as their lips turned into massive grins.
"You look like shit." Trevor said.
"You smell like the sewer at Granny Cramdoll's." Ethan retorted.
They seriously looked like what they were describing about themselves. It was as a result of stabilizing their powers and allowing their affinities to have more leeway in their bodies, further cleansing them. Now they both had what looked like dark brown mud all over them further soiling their clothes and making them dirty all over.
Ethan suddenly took out the water bottle he had gotten as a reward from the system and examined it.
**Flask of Almost Unlimited Water: a very important creation of the 6th Dwarf King ????. It doesn't have a rank because it can't be given one. It produces almost unlimited water and refills itself after the water in it has been emptied. It can refill constantly but it clearly has a limit which no one knows, not even its creator as it was never used to the limit.
You are quite lucky to have this. **
"No fucking way!" Ethan exclaimed with pure shock all over his face and Trevor also had the same reaction as him after he analyzed it with his subordinate version of system identification. It wasn't very different from Ethan's just that it was like how Ethan's own was in the beginning, so he could do this much.
"The system is very powerful." Trevor said in a shaky voice.
"Quite."
30 minutes later...
Ethan and Trevor looked rather clean instead of previously. Their hair was still wet after they used the water bottle and true to its description, it worked just as it'd been described. They now sat cross-legged on the floor of Ethan's excuse for a cave with some items in front of them and half naked with only a towel covering their private parts. Ethan had run out of clothes and Trevor just didn't have any. Even the towels were the work of luck.
Ethan held a small glowing ball in front of him. It was black with gold glowing lines all over it. It was his energy suit which had finished recovering. Ethan had a look of pure intrigue as he analyzed it. He figured out that this was the real definition of an energy suit instead of the ones back home. This one had the ability to absorb armor and possess their qualities and skills, granting them same abilities of the absorbed armor. Also, their basic stats were half of the user's stats and grew alongside the user. It also had a final form, which was more like an evolution for the energy suit, becoming what a real armor should but Ethan didn't understand the last part. The understandable ones were enough though and he now had two plus two armors.
Without hesitation, Ethan passed the other one to Trevor along with an armor. It seemed the system took into consideration his subordinate and gave him two each. Trevor received them with confusion on his face until he saw their information. The armor was strangely of gargoyle and had the ability to turn metallic with very strong sturdiness and durability. It also granted the user +20 to strength stats and +25 to defense while the energy suit was just as Ethan had seen. The energy suit also had the ability to allow the user to choose its appearance whether a buff type or slim fit type or even into normal cloth-like appearance and the boys were clearly happy with it. They swiftly put the glowing balls on the silver chainmail-like armors and pressed a white button on the top. The armors were suddenly engulfed in yellow lights, and they put them aside to focus on other things.
There were now two things in their midst: a beautiful black spear with a head shaped like two wings although sharp with purple accents. On the middle, just between the head and the body of the spear was what appeared to be a coiling serpent-like dragon around the staff. It appeared to be 6 feet long, just the right length for someone as tall as him. Its bottom ended in a smaller version of the spear head, and it was Gold tier. He got a fucking Gold tier weapon. Just holding it, Ethan could feel its power and its basic mechanisms on how to use a spear, probably his Weapons' Constitution working in full power as expected. Placing it aside, he decided to open the random box now. At his request, the multicolored box started floating and spinning uncontrollably before exploding into light particles. In its place was a new weapon, albeit a Silver tier but it was nice all the same. It so happened that Trevor had also lost his scythe and rather coincidentally and suspiciously, the new weapon was a scythe albeit a more epic version of the metal tool Trevor was using. It was silver in color with a long-curved blade shaped like a nail extending from a claw with a very long handle, giving it a length of 6 feet and a kite shaped end. It was further designed with red accents giving it an artistic but imposing appearance.
Ethan didn't think for a second a passed it on to Trevor who received it with a blank but appreciative look on his face. Just his expression relayed all his thanks and that's when they realized. All items from the system didn't have an indicator to show their tiers or ranks. They just appeared "normal" than what they were used to. For example, Trevor's old weapon had a small orb on the handle that glowed with a silver light, indicating that it was Silver tier but the ones from the system had no such things. Instead, they appeared somewhat normal but the felt powerful from the others in their world, more so for Trevor as Ethan had been using items from the system ever since he awakened.
Each of the weapons also had special abilities like the spear having the ability to ensure a successful killing strike after every 6 strikes with an added +30 stats to speed and+15 to strength while the scythe had the ability to release energy slashes after charging it with enough mana plus a +25 stats to strength and 10 to speed.
After seeing what their weapons could do, the most mischievous grins the gargoyles had ever seen in their lives could be seen on the boys' face. If the elders were able to see this, they would have halted all their plans and found ways to kick these invaders out of their home instead of killing them, but they didn't have that luxury.