Apocalypse Redux

Chapter 121: Evolution, the third

Congratulations! You’ve managed to reach the third Evolution Threshold.

Based on your current achievements, Skill Levels and Aspects, you have unlocked several new Classes. If these options do not satisfy you, you may choose to leave this screen and continue to rack up more prerequisites, but you cannot increase your Level beyond 50 until you evolve your Class.

Here are your possible Class Evolutions:

Bladeking (epic)

It is one thing to wield a weapon, it is an entirely different thing to focus one’s entire life on becoming the greatest there is, becoming one with these weapons, ascending to become the monarch who rules over all edged weapons.

Whether it is you who holds them, or other people trying to attack you with them, you are the one who controls them. With your blade proudly raised to the sky, nothing and no one will stand in your way.

This Class vastly expands on current your current abilities with the blade, and opens up now new and unique uses for bladed weapons.

Master Demon Hunter (epic)

There are great hunters in this world, those who brought down some of the greatest beasts the System has produced. These people are master hunters, able to track anything they wish, and then systematically pick it apart, exploiting the countless weaknesses intense studies have revealed.

A Demon Hunter is someone who has specialized in bringing down the worst, the most dangerous prey there is, the beasts of hell itself. Someone who has gazed into the darkness that these monsters can contain, only to decide to stand up and do something about it. And above them all stands the Master, a Hunter who has inflicted untold damage on the apex of demon kind, a creature he never should have even been able to touch without supreme skill.

This Class comes with countless Skills that make beating further demons a breeze, as well as a full set of standard Hunter’s Skills.

Machiavelli’s True Heir (legendary)

Movers and shakers shape the world. Some do so openly, leading nations as democratically elected leaders or monarchs, others do so from the shadows. A word here, a gift there, and maybe a little espionage out of the public eye.

You have shaken the world multiple times, all from your position first a student, then a research assistant, while pawning the credit off to someone else, and continue to do so.

And finally, you have brought down nations with mere words, further proving your bona fides.

You have proven yourself worthy of inheriting the mantle of the father of modern political philosophy. The knowledge he once held now passes to you, you may call on his instincts and even, once a week, his advice. In addition, this Class will bring with the ability to conduct negotiations and statecraft at preternatural levels, letting you sense motives, see through lies and visualize interpersonal connections without ever having to do more than activate a single Skill.

(Unlocks High Human racial option)

Sage of the Auric Arsenal (legendary)

Aura. The power of mind, of will, one that represents the true core of a person.

It might be a nigh-ubiquitous ability for everyone at or past their second evolution, yet there are only a handful of people who can use it properly.

Well … at least there weren’t, not before you began to share your knowledge with the world. You have delved deeper into the mysteries of this force than any other, and taught others to wield it to great effect. Their efforts still fall well short of your abilities, though.

A few hundred years down the line, your teachings will almost certainly continue to be taught, and even in if they aren’t reproduced word for word, your discoveries will still form the basis of all future auric research. So long as humanity endures, you will be remembered.

As the person who represents a large part of humanity’s power and potential, you will likely become a legend in your own right. As such, you have gained access this Class, Sage of the Auric Arsenal.

With it, you gain the ability to wield two Auras simultaneously, as well a choice of one additional Aura to gain for free. Adjusting to this may be difficult, but hardly outside of what a Sage can manage.

(Unlocks High Human racial option)

Hildebrand’s Heir (legendary)

An old warhorse, knowledgeable and strong, yet tired. The master at arms to a king of myth and legend, Dietrich von Bern, his constant companion, his trainer, his greatest ally. Not the hero of the story, yet integral to the whole affair. A great power both upon the battlefield and in the ballroom, a man whose training allowed another to shape the world.

You have seen it all, done it all, and you have passed those lessons onto others, granting them the abilities needed to become legends in their own right. Great kings, mighty warriors, those who write history.

Those who take up this mantle, this burden, will have to bear it for the rest of their lives. But they will raise up countless people, either into positions of power or as bulwarks against the darkness.

(Unlocks High Human racial option)

Storied Warrior (legendary)

A lone warrior, holding off a monster of cataclysmic strength, buying valuable time for a city of millions. That is the thing stories are made from.

But whether or not that story is a legend of bravery or a tragedy depends on how well said warrior does. But anyone seeing this message, well, they must have survived, right?

A Storied Warrior is the embodiment of that certain je ne sais quoi that makes for someone whose entire life will become an epos after their death. As such, they gain some degree of subconscious insight into when and where trouble will arise, and will find them in a position to engage.

(Unlocks High Human racial option)

Legacy of the 300 (legendary)

Blades flash, blood spatters, a new injury appears on an already horrifically mangled body. Yet the warrior refuses to move, not even in the face of overwhelming power, because he knows there is something worth protecting behind him, something he will never expose by moving from his current position.

Eventually, that man died. But knowing that the enemy leader had ordered to have his body mutilated in a sacrilegious way, his forces drove back their vastly superior foes four times to retrieve him.

You have shown that same unflinching resolve, that same willingness to die for those unable to defend themselves and lived to tell the tale. Through this, you have gained their approval and right to carry their strength onto new battlefields, both as spectral warriors to fight by your side or to enhance your personal power.

(Unlocks High Human racial option)

That was … a lot of [Classes]. The first one, [Bladeking], was a straight upgrade to his current [Class], even though it had dropped down a rarity rank, though the reason for that was rather apparent.

When he’d evolved the last time, becoming a [Bladewraith], he’d just grabbed a bunch of new Aspects, each of which gave his soulbound weapon a new ability. At that point in time, Isaac had had the single greatest weapon in the world, with an immense number of possible uses, which had qualified him for his current legendary [Class]. But during the advancement to the next Evolution, the one he was currently undergoing, he’d not focused on that particular part of his build and the weapon that had been considered legend-worthy at Level 25 wasn’t quite that impressive at Level 50.

Also, while [Bladewraith] had been fantastic at Level 25, sticking to that precise path for the rest of his life wasn’t really what he wanted.

[Master Demon Hunter] was clearly the [System’s] attempt to give him a [Class] directly related to the ‘demon’ portion of his recent fight against a powerful demon. But the sheer focus on demons as foes meant it was right out.

[Machiavelli’s True Heir] was an upgrade of the previous [Machiavelli’s Heir], and while it was flattering and a strong [Class], all the reasons against the previous one still held water.

[Sage of the Auric Arsenal], meanwhile … wow. Just wow. Being able to use two [Auras] simultaneously and gaining a new one for free was damn strong, never mind what other [Skills] that [Class] held, but he wasn’t going to pick it. For someone who’d been using [Auras] for ten years, Isaac was still above average, but onlyabove average.

If his main concern had been fighting other people, he’d have picked this one in a heartbeat, but only then. Sure, it would be a great boon against monsters as well, but it was perfectly possible that other [Classes] fit that bill even better.

Isaac actually had to think a little about who the hell Hildebrand of [Hildebrand’s Heir] was even with the [Class] description explicitly stating which legend he was associated with, but when he remembered, he nearly grinned despite his injuries.

Dietrich of Bern was a king based in what today was Switzerland in modern day and was essentially its equivalent of King Arthur. The mythical one, at any rate. He’d fought giants, trolls, dwarves and other mythological creatures, all with his faithful Master Hildebrand by his side.

The ‘old warhorse’ hadn’t been the main character of the story, but nothing would have worked without him. He’d trained up the man who’d shaken Europe, just like the [Class] description had said. It was a [Class] that offered both great personal power, as well as the ability to empower others. It fit him like a glove, it gave him everything he ever could have wanted.

Yet there were more great [Classes] to look over still.

[Storied Warrior] sounded like it would give him a degree of literal plot armor and if the insight into future trouble hadn’t been subconscious, he’d have taken it in a heartbeat, but as it was, he liked to plan and that required concrete knowledge of what specifically he was going to end up fighting.

And then there was [Legacy of the 300], which was … a lot. It was incredibly tempting, to lead those 300 exemplar warriors into battle would have been a childhood dream come true, but it the end, nothing beat [Hildebrand’s Heir], so he picked that, dismissing the ‘would you like to pick your [Skills]’ message.

And lastly, he had the option of changing his race, due to the [Class] he’d chosen.

Congratulations! You’ve reached the point where you may change your race!

Sticking with your old race might not give you exciting new body parts and bonuses, but it sure is comfortable to stick with what you know, isn’t it?

Human (natural, mundane (current race))

Homo sapiens sapiens, the wise man, the Earth’s premier species, or at least that’s what they think. Hell, the very word primates is derived from the Latin language and means first or noble, which is where the people who named them think they are when ranking all living beings.

Humans are adaptable, intelligent tool users descended from endurance predators, their ability to sweat allowing them to cool without having to stop and pant, letting them outrun any land creature at a distance.

In addition, their hands are highly flexible and allow them to grasp and manipulate most tools while the high number of neurons in their brain grant them a high level of intelligence, pattern recognition and creativity.

Benefits: intelligence (current level)

Base Stats: 5-15 for a normal adult

High Human (preternatural, advancement of current race)

Humans are primates, a name taken with no small amount of hubris, given that it refers to the fact that they are supposedly the peak of creation. And in a sense, they are correct. Others might be stronger, have greater magic, or any of a host of fancy tricks, but humans are infinitely flexible.

Yet there is one more race, one with all the same advantages, but lack many of the weaknesses. The High Human has incredibly resilient physique, being highly resistant to toxins and mutations, and has increased physical Stats compared to ordinary humans.

Benefits: improved healing, naturally improved bloodline, superhuman physique

Base Stats: 15-20

The choice of whether to evolve or not was rather obvious, wasn’t it?

A High Human was to normally people what an action movie hero was to the faceless mooks they moved down in droves … at least at Level 1. Later on, 3-6 Levels worth of Stats wouldn’t make that much of an impact, especially as from the third Evolution onwards, one gained 20 Stat points instead of the usual 10, but it was still a pretty good improvement and hardly the only one.

The mere act of evolving cleaned up one’s genetics, improved cognition, and made sure those improvements would be passed on to any children one might have. And despite all that stuff the description said, a High Human’s capabilities were still technically within regular human limits, but that was an incredibly strong “technically”.

Of course, there were plenty of stronger races one could attain, but it was possible to pick those even if one was no longer human, it was just that shifting over would hurt a hell of a lot.

“I’m going to get a new [Skill] that will improve my physique, it might look a little … off from the outside.” Isaac said, prompting the [Combat Medic] to jerk back as if he’d just turned into a live snake. After all, when the expert spoke a warning, people tended to treat it quite seriously.

He clicked the mental prompt and spasmed once, but that was the end of it. After all, he was basically still human and the minor changes wouldn’t affect him overly much. Still scared the hell out of the [Combat Medic] and driver, though.

But it had been worth it, as shown on his Status.

Name: Isaac Thoma

Class: Hildebrand’s Heir

Species: High Human

Level: 50

XP: 12,991/25,500

Health Status: Charbroiled

Mana: 0/1,050

Stats

Fortitude

80

Perception

145

Strength

85

Agility

145

Magic Power

105

Magic Regeneration

135

Free Points: 0 Stat, 17 Skill

Aura

Aura of the Crimson Dawn (short range, combat, blood, regeneration)

Aura of the Desperate Seeker (long range, sensory, mental, projection)

Central Skills

Form of Horror XXI

The Chosen Weapon XXV

I Am The Sword VIII

Grave of Swords XII

Skills

Hundred Faces XXIII

Stealth XXVI

Power Strike XXVIII

Piercing Strike XXX

Sundering Strike XXVI

Blades XXVII

Sneak XXVI

Sweeping Strike XIV

Far Strike XXV

Manifold Strike XIX

Hunter’s Gaze XXVIII

Phantom Step XIX

Unknown Fear XIX

Bestial Regeneration XXV

Undying Focus XX

Tools of Terror XIX

Fleeting Presence XIV

Crippling Blow X

Absolute Blade Mastery XI

Compounded Impact XII

True Cut III

General Skills

Gralloch XI

Alchemy XII

Death’s Embrace I

Aspects

Aspect Skills

Poltergeist (2 stack)

Poltergeist’s Flight

Poltergeist’s Shift

Greater Hydra (3 stack)

Hydra’s Regeneration

Redundant Organs

Ignore Injury

Megalodon (2 stack)

Shark’s body

Wave Charge

Fata Morgana (2 stack)

Improved Basic Illusion

Perception Block

Blade Tempest (2 stack)

Blade Control

Eternal Blades

Acid Drake

Drake’s Heart

[Empty Slot]

Now he just had to pick his [Skills] and make his choices relating to how he could strengthen his family at a later date, preferably when face to face with them. Having his family suddenly shift into something else unexpectedly would, at the very least, be terrifying if it arrived without warning. He looked over the available [Skills] as well, but decided there was nothing he needed immediately, so he could relegate that to a later date, especially as he could feel his mind starting to grow frazzled.

The truck rolled to a stop outside a building that was clearly the hospital he’d been promised. A full medical team had been waiting outside with a stretcher for a while, but now, it felt like half the staff of the emergency room were out there, preparing for the legion of injured people that would soon arrive from the battlefield.

Isaac rolled to his feet to make it easier to get him out of the back of the truck, yet ended up stumbling and barely managed to change the endpoint of his fall to the stretcher, and then everything went black. He came to again a mere moment later, the stretcher hadn’t even been moved a meter towards the hospital, but it was still an alarming sign of how badly he was injured. Still, he wasn’t going to be doing much work now, things would shake out over the next few days without needing his direct intervention. From here on out, his only task was getting better.