Chapter 22

Eleonor

She felt the sea currents caressing her limbs, her vision filled with moving spots. She remained passive until, at some point, she felt hunger creeping in her. So she began to move, to hunt. For long hours, she swam and finally found prey. Slowly, she approached it and suddenly threw herself at it. Her tooth pierced the shell and brought her mouth to the flesh, that she began to devour joyfully…

The vision faded and her consciousness slowly returned to her. She was breathing slowly, the tentacles that Genèse had slipped into her nose and mouth bringing her the air she needed, like the ventilator tubes that hospitals used. Similarly, she felt another limb slowly pouring sticky fluid down her throat.

She smiled a little, always so surprised by the fact that all this became so natural to her, barely an extension of herself, hardly noticing any more these tentacles which had been so invasive to her at the beginning.

Hello Genèse. She said with the tone of someone waking up on the right side of the bed, on a Sunday morning, the smell of coffee and croissants lingering in the air.

HI MISTRESS. He replied with his neutral, almost robotic tone.

I think this is the first time I’ve woken up in you, Genèse. What’s going on ? She asked, straight to the point.

THE DAMAGES TO YOUR SPINE ARE EXTENSIVE AND MY LATEST ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT YOU HAVE FINISHED MERGING WITH THE FIRST PIECE OF XEARK CRYSTAL PRESENT IN YOUR BODY. AS A RESULT, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO ACTIVELY ASSIST ME IN YOUR REGENERATION, AS YOUR NETWORK OF THOUGHTS IS NOW STRENGTHENED. Did he explain it to her.

My network of thoughts is strengthened ? she repeated, frowning even if, in the black tar, it did not matter.

Indeed. Then intervened Sanakan.

That’s one of the side effects of integrating the Xeark crystal. That’s where my people get the mind we’re so proud of. She added gently.

But, well, the use of a Xeark crystal for the modification of a Sauriot is unprecedented, literally, so I can’t predict how the operation will go.

...Okay ? It’s not very reassuring. Eleonor answered in a playful tone.

The joke seemed to pass over her interlocutors, who remained silent.

Anyway. Let’s move on. what can I do to help ?

INTERESTING QUESTION. NORMALLY, THE REPAIRS WOULD BE CARRIED OUT EASILY BECAUSE THE TARGET ENTITY IS BUILT FROM A SPECIFIC BLUEPRINT. JUST DESTROY THE DAMAGED PIECES AND CHECK WHAT IS MISSING BEFORE FILLING IT WITH WHAT THE BLUEPRINT INDICATED. HERE, HOWEVER, THIS IS ODDLY NOT THE CASE. EVERY TIME YOU COME INTO ME, MISTRESS, I MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR MOST ADVANCED BODY CONDITION, SO I CAN REBUILD YOU IF NECESSARY. HOWEVER, IT TURNS OUT THAT YOUR CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IS HARDER TO REPAIR THAN EXPECTED. I COULD DO IT ALONE, BUT THE TIME REQUIRED AND THE QUALITY OF THE WORK COULD BE POOR. THAT’S WHERE YOU CAN HELP. SINCE YOU HAVE A SOUL, YOU CAN USE MY BODY TO REPAIR YOURS BY FOLLOWING YOUR MENTAL IMAGE. IN VIEW OF YOUR NEW ABILITY TO COPE WITH PAIN, COUPLED WITH YOUR NEURAL NETWORK FURTHER DEVELOPMENT, IT SEEMS PLAUSIBLE TO ME THAT YOU COULD MANUALLY USE MY ABILITIES ON YOUR OWN.

...A-are you sure I can do this ? Well, I mean, we’re still talking about rebuilding a piece of spinal cord when I don’t even know how to do it for a nail... She said, full of doubts.

MISTRESS… NAVIGATOR. POINT OUT DIRECTIONS, GIVE GENERAL ORDERS, I’LL TAKE CARE OF THE REST. He replied, seeming to be looking for his words to construct metaphors, something still a little unusual for him.

And I will also be there to help, if necessary. Added Sanakan in a... maternal voice ?

...Okay. Shall we start ?

YES MISTRESS. He replied before she felt tentacles caressing her head.

HYPOTHESIS: USE OF THE MIND AS A BRIDGE TO ACCESS THE SOUL. INSERTION OF A DIRECT NEURAL CONNECTION NECESSARY. He said before she felt him cutting her cranial tentacles with great dexterity.

It was a bit painful to her but much less than she expected, the usual mix of pain and pleasure stimulating her, the young woman appreciating these emotions as a good wine. When all the flesh from the top of her skull was removed, she felt a vibration spreading into the bone, Genèse drilling various holes to reach direct contact with the brain. He did the same along her neck, quickly using thin tentacles to penetrate and fuse with the nervous system of Eleonor, momentarily becoming a part of herself.

The young woman then felt a shock, as when, deprived of oxygen for a long time, the lungs of a nearly-drowned man finally filled again with air. Or maybe it was the same thing as waking up and opening your eyes. Or maybe the feeling that filled her when she looked at the world from the top of a mountain.

Confused, she felt herself tossed to the edge of the precipice of unconsciousness, the experience made bearable only by her ability to cope with pain and find pleasure in it. She then felt something like an anchor, or an outstretched hand. She focused on it and managed to grag a hold on reality.

Thankfully… I was there… said Sanakan, making it feel like she was having trouble breathing, like an asthmatic running a marathon.

Eleonor did not have the time to answer her before other sensations came to rub her like cats around their owner’s legs. She slowly accepted them, feeling herself taking more and more space, growing up in a shell of which she slowly took the size.

Genèse then guided her mind to specific tentacles, as thin as needles, which surrounded the damaged piece of the spine. They did not even speak to each other, so intimately connected that they shared their goals, their feelings, their will. The experience, however, was overwhelming to Eleonor as the difference in way of thinking was important, the cold and logical mind of the biomachin not really compatible with hers.

She felt the crystal close to her optic nerve shining with a thousand lights, helping her as much as it could to make her cross and endure this strange situation. Feeling that it was having trouble, the young woman tried to focus on the present task, rather than allowing herself to be swallowed up by all the new things that were happening to her, the mucus spread on the stone, all the tentacles surrounding her body, each specialized and fascinating structure that made up the body of Genèse…

Focus ! She hollered to herself, already feeling her mind going back wandering in the nooks and crannies of her mate.

She imagined with all her strength who she was, how she was, trying to invoke an image of herself as accurately as possible. A strange echo answered her, like a form of blurry light just at the limit of her vision, both out of reach and in the palm of her hand. She felt it moving, transforming, passing through thousands of different and indistinct forms before settling on something she knew. An image of herself, with her armored plates, her storage pockets, her tentacles on her head and arms, her satin-like and leather-like skin, her beautiful clawed hands and her reinforced feet…

... Is it really... me ? She thought, contemplating the projection with confusing at first.

...Yes. She then said to herself, smiling.

Yes, it’s me. The new me, who is not afraid of pain, who hunts and is free, much better than the old one. Her smile took on the traditional predatory shade of her thirst for blood, when she imagined hunting something and dominating it, devouring it.

But I could be better, so much better...

No ! Focus on your healing ! Resounded the voice of Sanakan who, in an immense effort, tried to reason her.

Why stop there, I could be so much more !

NEURAL NETWORK STILL TOO WEAK, OVERLOAD CLOSE. OPTIMIZATION OF TIME, FOCUS ON THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE. Genèse intervened, supporting Sanakan with his monochord and overwhelming voice of logic.

...Y-yes, yes, indeed. She said, pulling herself back together, casting her feelings aside to focus entirely o the task at hand.

She felt, through the tentacles of Genèse, her tentacles, the damaged places of her body and, with an effort of resolve, imagined them in good health. Their tentacles then began to work, guided by Eleonor as a conductor, Genèse assuming for his part the role of all the musicians and, together, played a symphony that brought back to the young woman the use of her legs, full and unencumbered.

***

She opened her eyes, contemplating the pleasant vision of the ceiling of her nest, appreciating the sensations of the flesh that covered the stone under her, its comfort, its heartbeat that she now knew emanated from Genèse. She moved her toes, sinking them into the mucus, the flesh, as if in a sheet that one would not want to leave, on a weekend morning, and remained in this position as long as she wished to enjoy it, one of the advantages of living alone in a hive empty of responsibilities.

She finally got up, enjoying the movement of her legs all the more as she knew what it was like not to have them and, happily, headed for Genèse.

Hello Sanakan. She said nicely in her head as she walked towards her loyal companions, in a good mood.

... Hmm ? Hello Eleonor. She answered with a sluggish voice.

Are you tired ?

Very. Helping you focus has been a big deal. Looks like you were born to change your body, the way you wanted to modify everything and make it better. She said shivering slightly, partially disgusted by the notion.

The young woman prepared to respond when she suddenly stopped, sweeping the room with her eyes.

Where the hell am I ? She wondered, then, as she quickly stepped over the two remaining steps separating her from Genèse, plunging her arm into the black tar without the slightest hesitation.

Indeed, the room around her had changed. It was bigger, more spacious than before, almost reaching the limit of her spherical vision. The wall that had accommodated the fruit that she ate so long ago, the one having withered after a while, was no longer there and, finally, the exit of the room was no longer the same, now a depression in the ground that seemed to go down.

HELLO MISTRESS. Said Genèse wrapping a tentacle around Eleonor’s arm.

What happened to my nest ? She asked, frowning.

MINOR RESTRUCTURING OF YOUR NEST, MISTRESS. REASON: FIRST, THE NEED TO SEAL THE ACCESS TO THE WELL, TO PREVENT THE CREATURE THAT ATTACKED YOU FROM BEING ABLE TO TRACK YOU DOWN. SECONDLY, OPTIMIZATION OF YOUR NEST FOR YOUR CURRENT SHAPE, THAT NEED MORE SPACE TO FULLY DEPLOY. He answered his mistress’s question with attention and comprehensiveness.

... Wait, I don’t have access to the well anymore ? How am I going to go back to see the dragon then ? And to hunt ?

YOUR NEST HAS BEEN CONNECTED TO ANOTHER TUNNEL NETWORK WHERE YOU CAN HUNT, MISTRESS. IN ADDITION, WITH ENOUGH BIOMASS, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO CREATE A MORE SECURE EXIT TO THE WELL, ALLOWING YOU TO MOVE WHERE YOU WANT, MISTRESS.

She rubbed her forehead with her left hand, the one outside the pond, then passed it between her cranial tentacles while thinking. She finally made it descend along her ribs, touching her now empty storage pockets.

How much biomass did I bring back ? She asked.

TWENTY UNITS, TWELVE OF WHICH WERE USED TO TRANSFORM YOUR NEST, TWO TO HEAL YOU AND ONE TO FEED YOU. YOU STILL HAVE FIVE UNITS OF BIOMASS AVAILABLE. DO YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT ? He answered before going on to a question.

Before she could even answer, a window appeared, radiating with its familiar translucent blue tone.

[Biomass available: 5]

[Purchase available:

+1 armor: 1 biomass (max +10 for this bonus)

Activation of the first modification tier: 100 biomass

Tier 1 nest modification: dependent on modification, minimum 1 biomass.]

Interesting.

INDEED, MISTRESS, THIS NEW SYSTEM IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL. Genèse commented.

You can see it ?

OF COURSE, IT IS I WHO GENERATES THE ONE YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, MISTRESS. He replied.

Ha ? Since when do you know how to do that ?

SINCE AN EXTERNAL ENTITY CONTACTED ME AND GAVE ME THIS ABILITY, MISTRESS. He replied bluntly.

... Um… like some kind of… voice ? Out of nowhere, without any kind of mind contact ?

INDEED MISTRESS.

...Okay. Let’s move on, not as if there’s much we can do about it right now. Did she think, more for herself than for Genèse.

How much biomass do I consume per cycle ?

0.6 UNIT, MISTRESS.

Okay. Can I have two more points of armor ? I’ll keep the rest as food.

YES MISTRESS. He replied by pulling her in him, placing the usual tentacles in the now accustomed orifices to the young woman.

The modification was quite quick and she came out of the pool one or two hours later, without having needed to be asleep and without having to help Genèse to be modified. she had used this time to follow the teachings of Sanakan and, in particular, she had trained herself to contain more Sfir, so that she could do something interesting with it in the future.

She looked at her character form to check her progress.

[Eleo?nor]

[Level : 37 (3,72%) Available Key Points : 0]

[Classes : N/A]

[Ressources :

Health Point : 2050/2050 Stamina: 2050/2050 Sfir : 12/12]

[Body : 41]

[Mind : 1]

[Soul : 1]

[Natural Armor : 24 (20,5 +3,5)]

[Natural weapons:

Fangs: Strength*1 damage (205), anti-armor 2

Feet and fists: Strength*2 damage (410), anti-armor 1]

[Capacity :

Abyss Eyes Black Hook Armoured storage bags Old Soul Pain Conversion Novice Sfir pool (1)]

| Novice Reserve of Sfir (level 1 (1.87%)): your reserve of mana is equal to 1 time your magical affinity|

1.87% progression in two hours… I should reach level two in what… maybe a month ? I guess it’s going to depend on my sleep and.... She suddenly stopped her train of thoughts, realizing something now.

Do I really sleep ? She wondered then.

Indeed, as far as her memories went, since she had arrived here, she had never felt the fatigue of a long day. Of course, her body had sometimes asked for rest but, otherwise, the only times she had closed her eyes and actually slept were all the times when Genèse had altered or healed her.

Genèse ?

YES MISTRESS ?

Do I need to sleep ?

INTERESTING QUESTION. SLEEP, BY-PRODUCT OF A BIO-SPIRITUAL NECESSITY, PURGE THE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF ITS TOXINS AND LET THE MIND REBUILD ITSELF BY INTEGRATING THE NEW EXPERIENCE. ALSO ALLOWS A REST OF THE BODY AS A WHOLE, INCLUDING MUSCLES, ALLOWING THEM TO REPAIR THEMSELVES. NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE MISTRESS, ADVANCED, ELIMINATION OF THE NEED TO PURGE TOXINS. HOWEVER, NEED TO LET THE BODY REST, APPROXIMATELY TWO TO FOUR HOURS A DAY. IN ADDITION, MIND RECONSTRUCTION IS NECESSARY, BUT CAN BE CARRIED OUT DURING THE PHASES OF MEDITATION, OPTIMIZING THE TIME TO BOTH DEVELOP SFIR MASTERY AND KEEP THE MIND HEALTHY. He replied, exhaustive as usual.

So I should not need actual sleep, but I should meditate and let my body rest ? Synthetised Eleonor.

AFFIRMATIVE.

In response, the young woman remained silent, slipping her legs into Genèse to take a more comfortable position.

To not have to sleep… She thought, moving her legs between the tentacles.

She lifted her hands to look at them, one of Genèse tentacule around her right arm, gazed at the rest of her body, inspecting the new armour plates that he had created on her forearms, her belly and on her shoulders, in addition to the previous ones, which already protected her hands and feet, her head and his spine, her bust.

I’m really starting to look like Sarah, even though I love these games… My body looks like an alien, the pain does hurt no longer and now I realize I don’t even really need to sleep anymore… less and less human. She thought with a certain melancholy.

But this melancholy gradually regressed, leaving room for a smiling optimism, a predatory smile.

Less and less human, that’s true, but… I’m getting cooler anyway. She then said to herself by clenching her fist, surprisingly more at ease with this strange and changing body than with her previous human form.

I’m sure Mellite will have a heart attack of joy when she'll see me like this, she’s always been the type to love this kind of things… For now, let’s see how far I can go, anyway I can still go back if I don’t like a modification.

Lily

She was sitting on a new chair, the man in front of her having taking it quickly for her since, in her anger, Lily had smashed the old one against the wall. The young woman had calmed down a little, even if furrows of tears and red eyes attested to her repressed sadness.

“Are you sure you want to continue?”

“Yes. Please.”

“... Very well. As I told you earlier, you are dead. And yet, you are here, talking to me, without this place being Hell or Paradise.”

“... And you’ll probably tell me why, I guess ?” She asked, focusing on what the man was explaining to her, trying to alleviate the pain of loss by directing her attention to something other than the death of her loved ones.

“Yes. You see, our god, Nihil, is the creator of this world and, from time to time, when a creature dies in another world, He reaches out his divine hand to collect the poor soul and make it one of his Heralds. This is the grace granted to you, young lady, to live another life, touched by the radiant aura of our god.” He explained to her with a smile full of tenderness.

She looked at him frowning.

“You know it really looks like a trap or an hoax ?” she said, suspicious.

“Ahahah ! Yes, you are not the first to tell us. I have a way of proving it, but first a question. Did your world have a System ?”

Lily tilted her head when she heard the question.

“Of course, why ?” She replied, wringing her eyebrows again, this time of confusion rather than suspicion.

“Some of the worlds from which our God chooses his people do not know that the System exists. I know, surprising, isn’t it ?” Did he react by seeing the surprise and disbelief on Lily’s face.

“... Yes. Well, I mean, it’s like a world without light.” She said shivering a little.

“Indeed, these worlds tend to be… well, darker and more crushing than those who discovered the system, according to the reincarnates themselves.”

“Let’s move on. Since you are familiar with the System, I imagine that you also know what the appraisal stones are, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Come with me then. I will show you that it is all real, everything I have told you.” He said to her when he got up, inviting her to follow him.

***

They crossed the empty corridors of the building until they arrived in another, more spacious room. At the centre of it was a rather rough rock embedded in the ground, maintained by a steel yoke. Lily recognized its nature directly from the small balls of multicolored lights that slowly slid along the rocky surface, and widened her eyes.

“This is the first time I’ve seen such a big one.” She exclaimed with surprise, continuing to look at the appraisal stone.

“Yes, we are fortunate to have very rich and high quality veins on our mines, which unfortunately is not always the case elsewhere.” He replied, he said.

“I leave you alone so that you can see for yourself.” he added as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Lily swept the room with her eyes, without noticing anything but the rock in its center, and decided to approach it, leaning her hand against it.

[Lily?]

[Niveau : 93 (0%) Points disponibles : 0]

[Classes : N/A]

[Ressources :

Health Point :430/430 Stamina: 430/430]

[Body : 43]

[Mind :19]

[Soul : 34]

[Capacités :

Chosen of Nihil BMA]

[Body : 43

Strength Modifier : 1. Overall Strength : 43 Agility Modifier : 1. Overall Agility : 43 Constitution Modifier : 1. Overall Constitution : 43]

[Mind : 19

Thinking Pace Modifier : 1. Overall Thought Pace : 19 Memory Modifier : 1. Overall Memory : 19 Magic Affinity Modifier : 1. Overall Magic Affinity : 19]

[Soul : 34

Faith Modifier : 1. Overall Faith : 34 Resolve Modifier : 1. Overall Resolve : 34 Empathy Modifier : 1. Overall Empathy : 34

|Chosen of Nihil: Nihil, the Labyrinth God, chose you to be reincarnated as an agent of change. Reduced acquisition conditions of all classes and abilities of rank Legendary and below. experience gain multiplier : 1.4|

What the fuck ? Did she think while raising her eyebrows, surprised by her character profile and, in particular, by her fundamental characteristics.

Calming down a little, she thought about the state of her chart.

Where is my class ? And since when do I have characteristics like that ?

She read it several times, keeping it in mind before removing her hand from the stone.

“You can come in !” she said then through the door, calling for librarian-like man to come back.

"Did you see what you wanted to see ?"

“Yes, but I have a few more questions now.”

“Of course I expected it. Will you still need the stone, or can we go back and sit?”

“Um… Let’s stay here for now.”

“Okay.” He replied, putting his hands behind his back.

"So, what do you want to know ?"

“To begin with, my stats. Come, I will show you.” She said to him, waving to him to approach the stone.

“Are you sure ? It’s private information, you don’t have to share it with me.”

“No, no, come and see, please,” she asked, resting her hand against the stone.

“... All right.” He simply replied to the young woman, imitating her by placing his hand next to hers, thus being able to see her sheet.

“Okay, my stats.” She said, pointing to her key characteristics.

“If the humans here are the same here as at home, the level I have is really… really crazy.”

“...” The man did not answer, too busy opening wide his eyes at what he saw.

“... Y-yes. Your level is indeed something.” He ended up saying, succeeding in overcoming his stupor.

“Those blessed by Nihil are often extraordinary, but even among them, you seem special.” He thought loudly, looking at her with interest and curiosity.