"Well well if it isn't The Salamander, you coming to watch Leopold and Gordon's match?"
One sneered, its raspy voice made Xana's body shudder. She hated Horned Frogs, they were naturally resistant to her [Fire Magic] due to their [Blessing of the Pond] and they knew it.
"Watch yourself Toad"
Xana smirked at her own subtle insult, the Horned Frogs hated being compared to Toads, after all, Toads had no collective court, they were the individual sort, no sense of companionship. And the Horned Frogs believed that made themselves better than Toads.
"What did yous call me? I am an honored member of the Frog Court! Not no stinkin 'toad you wanna be dragon!"
Xana frowned, she didn't want to be a dragon. Just because she studied and used [Fire Magic] did not mean she wanted to be a dragon!
"You certainly don't have the articulation of one!"
Xana snapped back, as she slowly backed away. This was bad, she could win a fight sure, but it would take a while, was she going to let Phaelyn's daughter die? Over pride? Maybe... she barely knew Alice. And her reputation was everything here, it's what kept others from being too bold towards her. The last thing she needed was The Crows to think she was weakening or worse, stagnanting. It had been a while since her last evolution, she could not force evolve. She had many too many enemies.
"Back off now, lest I burn you all where you stand. Do not think your [Blessing of the Pond] can protect you entirely!"
The frogs hesitated at that. Xana was famous for her flames. But one had been goaded too much.
"Let's see you chant with my tongue around your throat!"
A tongue swung out at her, Xana dodged, [Fire Bolt] shot out into the open mouth exploding upon impact causing a plume of smoke to escape it.
The Frogs yelled and screamed, various tongues swung out to strike at her, but Xana had already been chanting.
"[Let forth your rage, let forth the flames of your hatred, in ash you shall find purpose, in ash you shall find... BURNING CINDERS!]
Xana felt sluggish, she hated using this spell, the mana cost always made her feel so tired but she grinned as the air turned to sparks, each flicking off of each other, one spark became two and two sparks became four, before an eruption of flame flowed across in front of her, searing flesh the air instantly filled with the smell of burnt frog tongue, as a series of combusting explosions echoed out.
Xana breathed heavily, as the smoke cleared only two frogs remained and both looked worse for wear, she grinned.
"What do you say Toads, want to be the last push to my next evolution?!"
She was goading them! Why would she goad them! She barely had enough mana left for some [Fire Bolt]'s... because reputation was everything, if they ran and lived they'd continue her legend as a powerful [Flame Mage]. She might even earn a title...
The frogs looked at each other and nodded.
"We won't forget this."
They stated before hopping away as quickly as they could. Once she felt they were gone, once she felt safe she collapsed onto the ground, just laying there for a moment.
"Oh scales! Alice!"
She quickly got up, rushing to where she had told Alice to go hunting. The closer she got the more iron filled the air, she hated that smell, it reminded her... it reminded her of that day. Burnt flesh and fur was much more preferable...
Her eyes widened as she came across the three bodies. It was a horrible sight. Blood was splattered everywhere, she was pretty sure she saw one of Alice's broken ribs scattered in a pile of blood. Alice herself did not look good, one of the wing bones had ripped out of her wing and torn it further, various bones stuck out of her body, dripping with crimson blood, Alice herself had blood dripping from her mouth, as she leaned against a body of a frog that had been drained, his body twisted inward and shriveled, while also being ripped open.
She thought back... back to...
"Mommy! Mommy, where are you!"
A young Xana searched, still but a small lizard, she skittered across the cave floor. Desperately trying to ignore the smell of iron that clung to her nostrils.
"Mommy! Daddy!"
She kept crying out, not hearing any response, before she heard a scream! She rushed forward searching... and that's when she saw them.
Humans.
A boy with shaggy brown hair stood, a smile across his face, holding a sword. He was massive, it was terrifying. She had heard about how big humans were, but never properly seen it. And now she watched as blood dripped from the sword of one, he was wearing light armor, more random plates than anything, none of it matched, and it clashed terribly with the leather he had on beneath. The strangest part was the purple pants. She didn't understand that.
They spoke but she didn't understand, her mother looked back at her, clinging to her chest.
"Run Xana, hide. I'm.. I'm sorry"
SHING!
Blade carved into her mother, she heard... a laugh, as the boy swung again and again. A gruff sound came from a human behind him, one adorned in full armor... still she could not make any sense of it. His armored legs were made of a cool blue metal, yet his chest piece was that of a darker more grey metal, and the pauldrons and arms were that of a near white armor meanwhile his helmet was black with golden engravings.
Xana watched as her mothers body fell, and the boy began to carve her open, pulling out organs, looking at them and then tossing them into the dirt, it made her sick, he was processing her mother! Searching for what he deemed to be... to be... valuable.
Xana wanted to kill them both, she wanted nothing more than to kill them this moment! But she ran, through tears and hatred not only for the humans but for herself for her weakness she ran.
Xana breathed heavily, she hated that memory she hated feeling weak again. Wannabe Dragon... no, she would never be able to enact her revenge if she was a dragon. She needed something... more... humanoid. Something she could use to sneak out of the cave with. To track them down, to make them suffer.
But that was for later, she had to focus on the now, Alice had fallen over, she was rushing to grab her, she let out a low growl, this was the second time she was going to drag a half-dead bat to her private abode.
But that was worth it she guessed, Alice was weird, so much about her was unexplainable. So strange, she advanced too quickly, skipped ranks on skills. Learned magic before she had mana! None of it made sense. So she struggled and carried the young bat, bringing her to safety.
Alice breathed, not safely, not slowly, rapidly. Breath after breath, so quickly she began to choke on air! But there was no air here there was no... air... there was water yet no air, there was darkness yet no air! It made no sense, she couldn't breath, she could breath, everything felt so far yet so close, she had to she had to...
Calm down!
Alice breathed, not quickly, not slowly, calmly. It was okay, she was here again, but that was okay. The pain was okay. She could endure it. It was scary but she could endure it. She took a step forward, she could endure, for Lily, to find- The floor was odd.
She looked down, she couldn't see anything but pitch black water, but she could feel she could...
She pushed her head downwards, peering beneath the water, only to be met with a skull. No, not a skull. Skulls. She was met with an endless floor of skulls, all staring up at her from beneath the water. She ripped her head out and began to run, but now she couldn't unfeel it, every step she felt the grooves of noses, of eye socks, she felt teeth.
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She saw the woman, no! She couldn't! She turned around, running away! She couldn't do this, she was alone, she was all alone, she!
You'll never be alone
Lily had promised her, it was a silly gesture. Lily had placed her hands on her chest one night and pretended to pull it open, pretended to take out her heart and hand it to Alice. Telling her that no matter what, she would always have her heart.
Alice cried, she curled inward in the water and cried. She missed her so much, she wanted to hear her talk, hear her laugh, listen to her explain something that Alice could barely follow.
And then she felt a hand on her head, she looked up, and saw the woman.
"Hush now child, your tears only add to the waters."
Alice stared at her, unsure of what she meant but she nodded. Regardless of what she had meant, crying in this horrid place wouldn't get her out, wouldn't help her find Lily. Evolution. It was time... for evolution.
[Adult Bat]
[Adult Giant Bat]
[Young Mana Bat(Unlock Requirement: Have Access to Mana [Fulfilled])]
[Young Shade Bat (Unlock Requirement: Reach evolution on the cusp of death [Fulfilled])]
[Young Arcane Bat (Unlock Requirement: Have Access to Magic [Fulfilled])]
[Young Spined Bat]
[Young Blood Bat (Unlocked via Prior Evolution)]
[Young Shadow Bat (Unlock Requirement: Have the favor of The Q- Aha almost got spoiled [Definitely Fulfilled~])]
[Young Devil Bat (Unlock Requirement: Have the favor of Malice [Fulfilled])]
[Young Vampire Bat (Unlock Requirement: Drink the blood of 10 different creatures [Fulfilled])]
[Young Curse Bat (Seek unholy vengeance upon another, access to curse magic [Not Fulfilled])]
Alice looked upon her options, she had a lot more options but to her there was only one option, she pointedly ignored the note on Shadow Bat and picked the [Young Vampire Bat], it was an epic evolution that meant it was the strongest right? That's what she hoped at least.
She closed her eyes ready for the pain, only to feel a soft touch the woman in chains slowly petted her head. It was nice honestly, how long had it been... not that long but with everything that had happened? She felt like it had been years since she was last showed any physical affection like this. Aside from when Phaelyn would hold her, but Phaelyn was gone now.
"Do not grow to resent me child."
And then it began, Alice clenched her teeth as the woman placed a finger on her forehead and then pulled, Alice's skin began to split open she gasped as she felt her muscles rip and tear all while the woman's finger flowed down her back. Eventually she couldn't take it, as the first layer of her body fell into the water below she cried out in pain, and then the woman began to pluck out muscles, ripping them free of the skeleton they had attached to, one by one she heard every time one of them dropped into the waters below despite no longer having ears.
Once every piece of flesh was gone the woman began to rip the bones off, crushing them in her hands and then letting the dust flow into the water, muttering the entire time. All in all Alice was handling it better than last time, perhaps due to her [Pain Resistance], but fate would not see that last. Alice felt every piece of her body torn away, until she had no body she was nothing but a floating consciousness. And then the Needle came out.
To feel ones very soul be woven, stitch by stitch, Alice wished for the ability to cry, yet the woman was only beginning to sew bone, every bone that was sewn into her existence felt like torture, like having her bones slowly cleaved open but instead it was happening in reverse. Her nervous system was punched into her body, invisible thread struck through it as it began to attach, as her internal organs were built she felt overwhelming hunger clashed with overwhelming pain she wanted to devour the very muscles that were being woven over her body, she wanted the burning to stop to feel nothing at all!
Skin and fur came next, slowly woven into her skin, meticulous work, to build a new body one had to take their time, to stitch each and every part and ensure it was tight. Ensure they did not need to start over. Alice wondered now, she would go through this every time would she not? How would it be when her body was bigger? Would she ever reach the point of not feeling this pain? This torment? She felt her eyes be pushed into their sockets, her teeth slowly pushed into her gums, and then carved into shape.
"A new Vampire Bat is born."
The woman's voice echoed and Alice awoke.
Alice was hungry, so very hungry. She stumbled up out of the moss bed, it was coated in blood but with a single sniff she knew it was old, it wouldn't satisfy her. Hm? Were those books always that size, she could've sworn they were bigger before. Maybe-
Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum
A heart beat, no... three, and the sound of blood pumping, her ears twitched, fighting. The drip of blood.
She swooped out of the hidden area, instantly noting Xana. Her heart beat was strong, her blood smelled of spice, a spiked tongue flicked across Alice's new fangs. No! Xana was a friend not food... but those two frogs she was fighting weren't friends. They were Prey. They were... food.
She swept in, crashing into one of the frogs just as it was about to strike Xana with its tongue, she ignored its cries of pain as she sunk her fangs deep into him. The rush of blood, the way it felt entering her body, the sound of it shooting out of his body into her fangs it was it was... orgasmic. She bit harder, twisting the skin under her teeth as she drained more and more, her fangs biting into the bones of the frogs spine as she began to suck the very marrow out.
She turned to the others, blood dripping from her fur. Xana looked at her with shock and fear, while the Frog looked at her with hatred and fear.
"Ah.. that was good, I was so hungry!"
Alice said with a giggle as she turned to the frog.
"Were you trying to hurt my friend?"
She hadn't meant to use [Intimidation], but something made her do so. The frog quickly moved to run, Alice was about to chase when Xana yelled.
"Wait! Don't chase him!"
Alice turned to her, curious. Was Xana always her height? Oh! Evolution! She was bigger now, that made sense. She moved over to Xana, her wing claws barely disturbing the stone and dirt below her, her body shifted silently as she approached, to Xana she couldn't help but feel a predator was approaching.
"Why not?"
Alice finally asked once she was up close, her snout almost touching Xanas.
"Be-because! If you do he'll lead you to a far bigger group, with far stronger Frogs. And besides, reputation is everything. He lives and tells your story and it spreads."
Alice thought for a moment and then nodded. She smiled as she sat down, focusing on checking her [Status].
Name: Alice
Race: Young Vampire Bat (Tier 4)
HP: 35/35
Mana: 20/20
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 5
Charisma: 25
Luck: -2
Skills
Echolocation 1
Supernatural Sense 4
Blood Drain 5
Pain Resistance 6
Shadow Magic 1
Stealth 3
Assassination 1
Intimidation 2
Human Language 5
Language of the Deep 1
Mana Control 2
Charm 4
Blood Magic 0 [Locked]
Blessing the Night 1
Daylight Weakness 1
Spells
Weak Shadow Spike 2
A lot of new stuff, even a locked skill? And a weakness. Well it was nice that they were in a cave but she would need to find a way to get rid of that eventually. She couldn't well go find Lily if she was only searching at night!
Lily Lightlash laid in her crib, as she went over the facts she knew in her head. Both her and Alice had died. Both were chosen for reincarnation. They were both sent to this world. This world had some sort of System that ruled above. She was a baby, child of the Lightlash family. Presumably royalty? Or some kind of noble, maybe just well off? They had maids. All the maids called her Young Lady. She had not seen her "Mother" since her birth.
A second go at life? I guess this is what most people dream of... Heh, maybe Alice will show up as some maid and we'll have to go through the politics of a peasant earning the favor of the beloved princess. That would be fun, or maybe... I'll find her in some slave market, buy her body, own her complet- what am I even thinking about! Ugh, this whole place is messing with my head. I can't own a person much less my dear Alice. Whatever situation she is in, I'll save her from it and then we can settle down somewhere nice.
Lily nodded to herself as she monologued within her head, thinking of different cute scenarios in which they would meet again, for her it wasn't some desperate desire, it was a certainty. She would meet Alice once more and she would take her, yes, to ensure they were never separated again. Alice was hers and hers alone.