The world before the System Descent is mystery to us now, any records of that time disappeared during the Rending or were lost in the centuries since. How did those people judge each other, unable to view themselves with perfect numerical accuracy as we so easily can today?
Was that society a more equitable place? When the worth of a human being can be weighed with such precision, strict roles and structures are easy to maintain, perhaps back then, when the qualities of each individual were more nebulous, it allowed greater freedom, greater choice in a persons' life? Many believe the System elevated us, empowered us to fight back against the great cataclysm, but many of the wise question this narrative, we know what we gained in the Descent, but we can no longer recall what we lost.
Exert from page 15 of "Ruminations on the pre-Descent society" by Illarion the heretic.
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Okay. So I have a skill point and a body point to spend? If this is a game-like situation then I would be able to open some sort of menu in order to spend my points and improve myself. How do I access this menu here in my tunnel though?
Erm. Level up!
No, that didn't work.
Escape! Escape key!
… Nothing.
I mean, worth a shot right?
Sigh.
Status!
Whoa!
Name: Anthony
Level: 1
Might:15
Toughness:12
Cunning: 25
Will: 18
HP: 30
MP: 0
Skills: Digging level 1; Acid Shot Level 1; Grip Level 3; Bite Level 2
Species: Hatchling Ant Worker (Formica)
Biomass: 1
Skill Points: 1
Wow, this is really interesting! My status huh?
The first time I saw these numbers I thought they looked high but perhaps they are actually really low? I can't imagine a hatchling ant worker has an impressive status in any way. And what are these skills?
this mean I can hold onto
surfaces and objects
triumphant return of Lord Gandalf! My lord! My savior! Truly your beard is the most
system built into the status to
my ability to hold onto stuff with my six legs, including walking on walls and the ceiling? I totally forgot ants could do that. I'll have to try it as soon as I get out of here, why would you walk on the floor if you had the option to use
do my other skills
and forcefully apply a bite using fangs,
when digging
from
Okaaaaay.
ant on earth that were able to shoot formic acid from their rear zone. I must belong to a monstrous species of formic acid spraying ant then. This could be very helpful, it gives me an option to attack without getting too close to my opponent, a course of action that I think would, at the moment, lead to my
crawl on the roof, dig and shoot acid? That doesn't seem like a lot of tools to survive in an environment like
what kind of creatures live in this place other than ants like me and Croca-beasts, I've no idea where the surface is or if the surface even exists in this world. I can't communicate with anything since I'm fairly sure I don't even have vocal chords, so even if I found someone prepared to talk to a monstrous ant, dialogue
information I'll have to get it
Hmmm.
so scary,
to go out there with who knows how many unknown horrors as a lone little ant monster?! Madness, madness I
not help this situation in any way. Stay
final question is, what can I spend my points on and
like to
I absolutely would oh wise and magnificent Gandalf, bringer of hope, bringer of light, may your
with my status, a window
Skill points: 1
Biomass: 1
purchase new skills or upgrade
can be spent to improve or modify aspects of your physical, monstrous
[Skills available to purchase:
your ability to hide and
1sp, Increases speed over short distances
sp, more accurate
and are more difficult to shake
sense: cost 1 sp, improves sense of direction when
improvements available to
your exoskeleton to improve resistance to
and improve their ability to
Legs +1: improve agility
Eyes +1: improve eyesight
sensitivity to air current and
thicken the concentration of
is a lot of options! It's very difficult to choose! I have
would make it harder for me to get lost
would only be suicide, if I attack a monster I can't defeat then it'll be game over straight away, improving my speed will be a
worker, I have to
I have made my
Eyes +1 and
purchase Eyes +1 and
Yes, please.
itch burst over my eyes, like a thousand
Gaaah!
me Gandalf! I can't even scratch this itch,
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