Aurora's Bastion, Arc One.
A Star Ignites, Part one.
Our story begins in a dark room, lit only by chandeliers and a metal lattice pillar of a cage. The room is roughly 50 meters x 40 meters x 50 meters. Large double doors stand at the entrance opposite the pillar, barred shut. Circular columns line the sides roughly 10 meters from the walls, leading up to a high roof. Upon the roof is a meticulously detailed mural of a night sky. The chandeliers hang periodically in 5 meter intervals centered, each giving off a soft and warm golden light. From within the metal lattice, the its source of light is revealed. Above a wide pedestal that takes up a good portion of the pillar, rests a small jewel. Shaped like a perfectly round sphere, it floats peacefully, shining with a golden light that blends into a prismatic effect at the edge. This is the Core and their "Throne".
With a flash of light, a vision is show. Of a misty field under a blanket of stars, floating placidly is an odd figure. Under a pure white shroud, what looks to be a piece of the night sky filled with stars is shaped like a humanoid wolf. No visible features can be seen, only their masculine figure. Under the shroud overhanging his face, two golden eyes can be seen opening.
"It is time to begin. Now to make my first companion~"
The vision ends and the scene shifts to an overview of the area outside. The view of an old town, surrounded by a tall wall with barred and barricaded gates. Surrounding the town further, a dense forest. In the fort town, old buildings lie about in various states of disrepair: guard stations, a library, an Inn and Tavern, shops, smithies, and more. All overgrown with plant life. At the far end of town, lies the old keep belonging to the town's leader. With the keep's grounds, in the gardens lies an old stone shrine. Within the shrine is an odd staircase leading under ground. What is even odder, is the fact the staircases' threshold is lined with runic scriptures and is covered with a metal lattice gate. The gate bears an emblem of a wolf's head surrounded by eight swirling stars, while holding a nineth in its jaws.
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With the darked halls, in a hidden barracks chamber, a clutch of crystals and a crystal pillar grows at the far end. Within the pillar the emblem of a dragon's profile appears and a light flashes brilliantly for but a moment. From the flash, a body coalesces and rests upon a shabby bed. It is a female Kobold. "Awaken and rise, my little one." The Kobold snaps awake and sits up. She looks around and slides off the bed. Next to the bed is a floor length mirror. "Go. Take in your appearance." Listening to the voice in her head, she slowly steps in front of the mirror and what greets her is a female Kobold with pale white scales covering most of her body, while the scales on her lower jaw, neck, belly, and joints have a soft gold hue. Her horns and claws are a bright hue of gold. Her naughty bits are a brighter white than her primary scales. Leaning forward, she takes notice that eyes color transitions inwardly from purple to pink in a gradient. Leaning back to gaze at her figure, she notices she has wide hips, thick and meaty thighs, a pert and thick ass, a moderately long and thick tail, slender yet built arms and shoulders, and pert A-cup breasts are present upon her chest. She stands with a digitigrade leg structure, with three clawed toes on each foot-paw. Her hand-paws consist of three fingers and an opposable thumb, each tipped with sharp claws. Her ears are long and pointed upon the sides of her head. "Good." The voice coos gently. "Can you speak for me?" At this, the Kobold coughs slightly and moves her mouth slightly. Eventually she gains enough courage to make an attempt. "Y-you a-are...Creator?" She manages, her voice is raspy yet girlish. "Good, good! Your voice sounds so cute, keep practicing. You'll get the hand of it." The voice cheers and compliments gently, earning a faint blush from the Kobold. "Yes. I am your Creator. Please call me Golden eyes, for now at least." She nods, blush still coloring her cheeks slightly. She attempts to speak once more, with another question. "W-what...my n-name?" Golden eyes answers after a moment, clearly thinking. "Your name, is Pendra." The now named Pendra beams, doing happy little tip taps in place. "Now Pendra, look to your right. At the foot of your bed, there should be a chest. Open it and don what clothing is inside, please." Pendra nods, stepping to the chest and gently opening the lid. She pulls out what's inside and puts it on.
Pendra is now clad in a leather bandeau and loincloth.
"D-dressed, Master!" A faint sigh can be heard from Golden eyes, but he doesn't comment on the title. "Good. Please head out of the barrack and make your way to my Throne Room." She nods and slips out from the barracks, passively memorizing where its secret door is. She now stands in a 5 meter x 5 meter x 15 meter room, with the hallway threshold being 3 meters in width. Various crates, boxes, and barrels litter the room. Pendra makes her way out of the room and into the hallway, making her way onward. As she goes, [she passively notes there are traps lining the path]. "Pendra, be alert! We have invaders!" Golden eyes informs "Do you see the overlay?" Pendra tenses, slows to a stop, and looks around, nodding as she sees three bars in the corner of her vision. "The red bar is your Health, if that is fully depleted and hits zero, you die." Pendra tenses once more, before Golden eyes continues "Though death will only be temporary for you. As my Denizen, you will respawn back in your assigned bed in the barracks. After a time, that is." Pendra nods. "The green bar is your Stamina, which depletes when you utilize an Art. The blue bar is your Mana, which depletes when you utilize a Spell. All three recover naturally." Pendra nods slowly. "Now, I need you to say or think 'Status' or 'Menu'." She does so with a shaky, "S-status". Before her eyes, a semi-transparent screen pops open.
Stats
Level: 1. Class: Scion ???. EXP: 000/100. Evo. Stage: Base. Rank: Least.
HP: 35. SP: 35. MP: 30.
Strength: 10, Wisdom: 12, Faith: 14, Vitality: 13, Agility: 19, Luck: 12.
Attack: 15, Defense: 17, Accuracy: 22, Evasion: 35, M. Attack: 10, M. Defense: 19.
Innate Affinity: Fire.
"There you go. You are my Kobold Scion. My first consciously spawned Kobold. Though...you still need a class. That can be handled later." Pendra beams at the first part, then refocuses. "What...Invaders?" Golden eyes hums and explains. "Monsters and creatures from outside our home fall into three categories, the one most relevant at the moment is Invaders. Monster or Creatures below a certain threshold of some kind, that want my Core for one reason or another. If they get to it and touch it, my Lifeforce and Mana will be drain and I potentially die. I...don't need to explain what'll happen to you if that happens..." Pendra pales and gets serious. "There should only be one Invader up ahead. Be careful, my Scion." Pendra nods resolutely and continues on her way, flexing her clawed fingers as she does. Upon reaching the threshold of the next room, she peeks around the corner. Standing in the center of the room, hunched over and rooting around some debris, is a green creature. Pendra focuses and receives a flash of info in her mind's eye.
Goblin Runt. HP: 10. SP: 10. MP: -.
Strength: 5, Wisdom: 5, Faith: 5, Vitality: 5, Agility: 7, Luck: 11.
"While it's distracted, strike!" Pendra launched into action at Golden eyes' urging. Something inside her triggered and she was suddenly closer to the Goblin, the term "Quick Step" flashing in her mind. Now that she's in range and acting on instinct, she strikes toward the junction between the head and neck with her claws.
Art: Scratch used! Fatal Overkill.
With that swipe, Pendra's claws cut through the Goblin's neck and nearly severed its head before it could even comprehend what happened. The Goblin Runt's body slumped to the ground and its head rolled listlessly. The corpse bursts into a purple and gold mist, a portion of which flows into Pendra.
Invader slain. Victory! Pendra +10 EXP. The Bastion +20 EXP and +100 Mana.
Pendra feels a rush of energy and shivers slightly. She refocuses and looks around, on guard. There are three other hallways, thus she listens. She hears more debris being scavenged through to her right, thus she cautiously makes her way down the path. She pauses at the threshold and glances inside, spotting two Goblin Runts this time. A spark of knowledge passes through her and she slowly steps away from the way, muttering under her breath.
"Gather and be woven. Smolder and ignite. Burst forth and strike my enemy with burning ash. Cinder Bolts!"
With those final words, two balls of smoldering ash burst forth from a sigil of a small dragon head surrounded by a ring of embers. Each smashing into a Goblin with no small amount of force, earning a yell of pain from them both.
Elemental Weakness! Fatal damage delt!
The bodies slump to the ground, as shouting can be heard from the hallway to Pendra's left. "Prepare yourself! Dodge with Quick Step when you can, use Arts wisely, and if you can manage, try to get off more Cinder Bolts" Golden eyes' orders ring through her, her gaze sharpens and her resolve hardens. A Goblin Runt charges in, two more behind it, and bringing up the rear is not a Goblin Runt. Now that she sees them clearly, she hisses with revulsion. Thin emaciated bodies, greasy green mottled skin, beady little red eyes, mouths filled with uneven and gross teeth, and filthy loincloths that barely cover their swinging shame. The first Goblin lunges at Pendra, believing she's is frightened. He was sorely mistaken, as she pivots on her paw and lashes out with her tail.
Art: Tail Swipe used! Counter! Fatal Overkill.
The Goblin's head pops like an overripe and rotting fruit as his body was launched back into one of the following Runts. The still standing Runt makes the mistake of looking away, one he won't live to regret as Pendra 'Quick Steps' in. Planting herself firmly, she slams a balled up fist into the side of his head.
Momentum advantage! Fatal effect!
The Goblin keeps moving, Pendra's fist a fulcrum, and tumbles briefly before landing head first. His neck breaks on impact. She spots the Goblin Runt push the corpse off of himself, looking up just in time to spot a blood and brain cover white tail centimeters from his face.
Art: Tail Swipe used. Fatal damage!
The final Goblin freezes in shock, allowing Pendra get a good look and to garner information. Her revulsion worsens.
Goblin Proto-Chief. HP: 30. SP: 15. MP:-.
Strength: 8, Wisdom: 2, Faith: 6, Vitality: 10, Agility: 3, Luck: 12.
Mildly obese, greasy green mottled skin, sunken beady red eyes, mouth filled with uneven and gross teeth with some missing, a collar of feathers, and a too small loincloth. Clutch in his right hand is a shiny and new dagger. A shiver of disgust travels through Pendra, as she hisses her displeasure. The Proto-Chief snaps out of his shock and shout in anger. "You! Lizard thing! You pay dearly! Make you sow, push out more Gobs!" Pendra wastes no time, Quick Stepping back and incanting, as the Proto-Chief attempts a charge flailing the dagger around.
"Gather and be woven. Smolder and ignite. Burst forth and strike my enemy with burning ash. Cinder Bolts!"
Before the Goblin could even get halfway to her, she unleashes three bolts at him. One strikes him in the face, causing him to stagger. The next strikes the wrist of the hand holding the dagger, making him drop it. The last bolt...the last bolt strikes him in below the belt, garnering a scream of agony. He staggers back, gripping his privates, and sinking to his knees.
Elemental Weakness! Brutal damage!
Pendra doesn't hesitate and Quick Steps repeatedly toward the Proto-Chief, scooping up the dropped dagger in the process.
New weapon equipped: Light metal Dagger. +5 to ATK.
With dagger in hand, she maneuvers around the agonized Goblin, running her claws along the flat of the blade as she swings to the nape of his neck.
Art: Enkindled Blade used! Elemental Weakness! Fatal Finish!
With a blade wreathed in fire, she decapitates the Proto-Chief. With that, all the corpses burst into purple and gold mist. Pendra's share flowing into her.
Invaders slain. Victory! Pendra +90 EXP. Level up! The Bastion +500 EXP and +900 Mana. Level up!
"Atta girl! You're a natural Pendra!" Golden eyes' praise sings through her mind, causing her to beam and flush. "Those are all the Invaders I sensed. Hurry to the Throne Room." Pendra shakes off her flush and hurries along. It doesn't take her long to find make her way through the winding halls, now that she could relax a bit. She arrives in what looks to be a well lit courtyard. She looks up to see the ceiling is made of crystals that give off a gentle glow. "Master? Where?" She looks around, before quickly spotting the double doors. Making her way to them swiftly, [she passively spots a shrine on one side of the steps leading to the doors and a fountain on the other]. Pendra pauses at the doors, which swing open to welcome her. With a deep breath, she step past the threshold, onward to meet her Master and Creator.
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[i]All over the world, a shift is felt. As if the world itself has shuddered. Something has happened. Something has changed. Something fundamental. Whether this change is for good or for ill, will yet to be determined.[/i]
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