P.O.V – Vanguard of a New Era
Zoey brushed her pants, taking a deep breath as she ntally prepared herself.
Here we go. Here we go. Here…we…go!
Pumping her arms with all her might, Zoey ran toward the edge of the cliff she stood upon before hurling herself off the side. Falling through the air, she tucked her arms in, enjoying the rush as she fell miles, floating islands of rock and mountain hovering throughout the sky around her. At tis, birds dove after her, but her fall was too fast, zipping past even the fastest-diving monsters in the sky. As she crashed toward the ground miles below, a wicked smile plastered across her face; Zoey whooped ntally, not risking opening her mouth lest she swallow a bug.
Trees quickly appeared below her, and she brought her arms together as she activated a skill.
First Through the Breach
Rarity: Extre. Skill Level: Inexperienced.
Few are willing to take the first step; fewer are willing to be the first through the breach. You are both. With an impossible determination and ego, you can manifest the unwavering nature of your spirit into reality itself. When activated, completely negate the next instance of significant bodily damage within ten seconds. One day cooldown.
As the skill activated, Zoey felt sothing stir within her. Her body and soul suddenly sang out with an impossible resonance, the world around her shimring briefly. Then, like a fallen star, she crashed into the ground, the ground exploding upward from the impact of her several-mile crash landing.
As for Zoey herself, within monts, she was dusting herself off, a silly grin across her face.
"Never gets old."
To use such a pivotal skill so flippantly could be considered a rather insane waste. Still, Zoey didn't intend to get into any serious fights today. Not to say no fights would occur, but none she would need her skill for.
Today would be the day she cracked A5, and it wouldn't be battling so insane monster.
No, she had a different plan. Earning experience for ascension, or 'Ascension Energy' as Aelia had referred, generally ca from killing monsters, but it wasn't the only way. That was where another one of her 'skills' ca into play, though it wasn't a skill in the traditional sense.
Wanderlust
Rarity: Extre. Skill Level: Low.
To eternally wander is the path of so, to set down roots the path of others. You chose to set down roots so that wandering may have the significance of leaving behind what is known to explore what is unknown. Permanently disables the ability to gain Ascension Energy while near a settled location, and in return, gain the ability to gain Ascension Energy from exploration.
It had been a skill offering from an earlier ascension rank-up and a milestone for her path forward. That had already been quite a boon, but upon unlocking her second Extre rarity skill, she'd been surprised by her Vocation Testant updating as one of the shadowed pillars suddenly beca illuminated.
Vocation Testant #9
Status: Unlocked
Prerequisite: Obtain 2 Extre rarity skills or above.
As for the skill she'd slotted within the unlocked Testant, well, that was obvious. Wanderlust had imdiately been slotted, which had quickly led to its evolution.
Wanderlust
Rarity: Extre. Skill Level: Low.
To eternally wander is the path of so, to set down roots the path of others. You chose to set down roots so that wandering may have the significance of leaving behind what is known to explore what is unknown. Permanently disables the ability to gain Ascension Energy while near a settled location, and in return, gain the ability to gain Ascension Energy from exploration.
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Into the Unknown
Rarity: Extre. Skill Level: Low.
To eternally wander is the path of so, to set down roots the path of others. You chose to set down roots so that wandering may have the significance of leaving behind what is known to explore what is unknown. Permanently disables the ability to gain Ascension Energy while near a settled location, and in return, gain the ability to gain Ascension Energy from exploration. Vocational influence magnifies energy gained twofold.
It was a welco upgrade. Zoey was an adrenaline junkie, always had been, and loved seeing everything the world had to offer, and that had been the case even back on Earth. Being forced to try to war with the local fauna of Aelia constantly had been a rather annoying cramp in her style. She would if she had to, but she preferred to explore, when possible, simply enjoying the sights to be had. It was sothing Aelia herself had seed to appreciate about Zoey, sothing Aelia had told her on multiple occasions.
"You know, you may be the only one of my founders who truly respects the artistry that I represent. The others love to complain. Why, if only you could hear what Badger is saying, constantly complaining about the water in his fur. Oh, wait, pretend you didn't hear say a na. Anyway, if you saw where he is, I could bet the first thing you'd do is dive right beneath the waves. Truly, how none of them appreciate what I have to offer baffles ."
Zoey wouldn't lie; she could understand why others might not appreciate being pitted in a life-or-death battle against the planet they now called ho every day. However, that didn't an Zoey disagreed with Aelia. Aelia -the planet- was beautiful; the sights she'd already seen, such as the discovery of a floating mountain range, were beyond anything Earth had to offer, or even so of the pictures she'd seen of their old universe.
As for the discovery, that would see her into A5? There were no old ruins, considering they were the first to set foot on the planet, but that didn't an there still weren't things of intrigue to find. Specifically, she'd found a cavern that dropped deep into the earth. Once one explored deeper, it was like you were transported into a new world, a massive cavern filled with waterfalls flowing upward, mountains spewing purple magma, and most importantly, a giant temple smack in the center, approximately fifty miles to the center of the massive underground cavern.
That was her goal, which would propel her to A5. She would trek deep into the underground cavern before exploring the temple itself. If the founders were the first to step foot on Aelia…
Just what was the temple?
P.O.V – The Bird
Predator. Prey. Those were the laws of life.
Hunt or be hunted.
Eat, or be eaten.
Hunt. Fight. Eat. Grow. Repeat.
Those were the rules of the Great Mother. Grow.
Hunt. Fight. Eat. Grow. Repeat.
First, it had been nothing more than a zipping bird. While its wings could beat a hundred tis a second, it was too small to hunt anything but the smallest of its fellow monsters, preying upon the smaller mbers of its species or even a young caerbannog when luck favored it.
Not always the strongest, fastest, or quickest, it was the cleverest of its kind. It knew when to hide and when to attack.
And so, over ti, the tiny Spectral Hummingbird grew. From tier one, eventually reaching and evolving into tier two. Its beak beca sharper, its vision stronger. Still, tier two was far away from being the strongest around. So it continued its path, not of reckless violence, but of calculated risks.
When tier three ca, its wings beca like razors, and its feet beca true talons. Now, it could hunt by tearing through the air as its wings cut through slower opponents. It had finally beco a formidable creature.
Months would pass, and bolstered by slaying fellow monsters and the thick soup of energy the Great Mother nourished them with, again the forr Spectral Hummingbird would ascend and evolve, finally a tier four. No longer was it a simple Spectral Hummingbird; now it was a Coronal Falcon. Many more months would pass until one day, the Coronal Falcon would realize sothing. It no longer feared potential threats; no fear of other monsters preying upon it. It had reached the point of being supre above all other monsters in its territory.
It had finally taken its rightful place as a Territory Alpha.
Only a month after claiming the title of the alpha of this territory, sothing most peculiar would appear. A small furry bipedal creature ard with a strange weapon that it had never seen before, for it had never seen weapons that were not natural. As the furry intruder approached, it seed to make sounds of anger toward the Coronal Falcon, an insult that it could not abide. As the alpha of this area, it knew better than to hunt recklessly; as much as the Great Mother wished for them to grow, there was a balance, an equilibrium that must be kept.
But if one wished to try their luck, then so be it.
For days straight, they did battle, the furry creature often hiding and reappearing when it needed to recover. However, the Coronal Falcon was not an easy foe to best. The sunlight energized it, healing its wounds and replenishing its energy. Yet the small furry creature was not a foe to take lightly; often, it would drink from strange objects, filled with different liquids, healing or surging in strength as their battle stretched on, now over a week.
But, as with all things, the tipping point was eventually reached. Reaching inside a pouch, a look of shock crossed the furry creature's face. It was a split second, but it was all the Coronal Falcon needed: an opening to take advantage of. Using all its power and speed, it shot forward, its wings flaring out.
And then it was done. Without ceremony, the head of the furry creature fell from its body.
"Well, I can't say I expected this in only a little over a year."
A new sound. It was a voice that the Territory Alpha instantly recognized, a voice that spoke within their dreams and urged them forward. Landing on the ground, it lowered its head to the Great Mother.
"One of my founders, dead just like that… Hmm, well, I did tell them if they were going to die, to at least die in a rightful battle against one of you." The Great Mother spoke, and while the Coronal Falcon could not understand the spoken words, the aning was still felt deep within its essence. "I must say, you've surprised , little one. Of all the monsters I've sprung forth, I can honestly say I never expected it to be a natural born tier one monster to have climbed high enough to claim the lifeblood of one of my founders."
The falcon could feel pride in the Great Mother's words. There was also a hint of disappointnt, but the Coronal Falcon knew it wasn't toward him but the 'founder' which he had slain.
"Well, I won't hold you from your prize any longer. Go ahead, enjoy your fill. After all, I suspect you and I will et again in the future, Reborn One."
Then, just like that, the Great Mother vanished.
Turning to face the deceased invader, the Coronal Falcon could feel a swell of pride. With the defeat of the particular invader, he could feel a potential welling up inside his chest, which had nothing to do with the fact that it had also been the catalyst for breaking through into tier five.
A new path forward had appeared, signified by a sudden screen of light appearing right before his eyes.
Vocation Gained: Born of Brilliant Feathers
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