Erik's next two weeks were a whirlwind of activity. The newly purchased building quickly became a hive of activity, transforming into the hub of his burgeoning guild. The once lifeless and empty structure was now brimming with energy and ambition.
The first item on Erik's to-do list was to move into the building. He chose a room on the highest floor with a panoramic view of the city. The space was tailored to his preferences—a private sanctuary that reflected his preferences and needs.
The gleaming new vehicles were brought in, parked in a specially designated area, and were immediately ready for deployment.
Some mercenaries from Erik's guild decided to make the building their permanent residence.
They moved in, bringing their belongings and their laughter with them. The once-silent corridors now echoed with the sounds of life, conversations, and footsteps, creating a symphony that represented this new community.
Lysa was crucial in locating the right people to maintain the building. Gardeners, cleaners, and administrators were hired, and each played an important role in the day-to-day operations. Still, Erik intended to replace them with people he could rely on.
Erik's days were jam-packed with meetings, decisions, and tasks. He was in charge of the training areas, the armory, and making sure the resting areas were comfortable.
The money started flowing in almost immediately, replenishing his coffers as guild members contributed their earnings.
Despite his numerous accomplishments and successes, Erik's attention was drawn to something hidden in his room.
A sphere lived in a secluded corner of a closet, safe and hidden from prying eyes. Erik's new ability had brought it to life, and it had grown in size, until it was the size of a baby.
Erik was intrigued by the sphere, which he watched with bated breath while waiting for it to hatch.
Erik would take it out and examine it in the middle of the night, his eyes tracing the curves and textures.
Unanswered but tantalizing questions flooded his mind. What would it turn into? What could it possibly do?
Then came the big day—the day the egg was supposed to hatch. Erik had cleared his schedule to ensure that he would be present for this momentous occasion. The rest of the guild's activities continued, but Erik reserved the day for the sphere alone.
His room, which was normally a place of rest and contemplation, had been transformed into a surveillance chamber. Erik sat in a chair, his gaze fixed on the closet, where the sphere remained hidden but not forgotten. The wall clock ticked away the seconds, its monotonous rhythm making the young man even more nervous than he was before.
The system had given a time limit—a couple of minutes during which the sphere would break open, revealing what was inside.
He looked at the clock, watching the hands move closer to the hour. The minutes seemed to stretch, each second a slow crawl toward the time when he would know whether or not this new power he had acquired would be useful. He could feel a knot of excitement and trepidation in his stomach, an unfathomable mix of emotions.
The moment had finally arrived. Erik's breath caught in his throat as he approached the closet, his hands slightly trembling with emotion.
When he opened the closet door, there it was—the sphere pulsing with its own life. Its surface glistened, a dance of light and shadow hinting at the transformation within.
He reached out, his fingers barely touching the surface, and felt a new warmth, a sign that something was stirring. The sphere began to tremble, a subtle vibration that grew stronger. Erik took a step back, his eyes wide and his heart racing.
A crack appeared, a thin line that spread and branched into a network of fissures that consumed the surface of the sphere. A soft creaking filled the room, a whisper of life breaking free. Then something happened.
The orb shattered open, fragments falling away to reveal what was inside. Erik's eyes widened, his breath escaping in a stunned gasp, but he wasn't pleased with what he saw.
The creature that emerged from the shattered sphere was an incredible cross between a human and a worm. This synthesis was both captivating and disturbing.
While it had a general human shape, its body was elongated and sinuous, with the flexibility and smoothness of a worm.
ραndαsΝοvεl ƈοm Its skin was pale, grayish, and rough, like that of an elderly man. It was hairless and slightly damp, like a worm's body after a rain shower.
The creature's face was the most human, with two clear, expressive eyes that glowed with intelligence.
Even so, the worm's influence was visible in the slightly flattened shape of the head and the lack of a discernible nose or ears. The mouth was a thin horizontal line that could stretch wide but was otherwise unremarkable.
Its limbs were slender and elongated, the arms and legs bending and twisting with an unnatural grace despite the presence of bones.
The fingers and toes were slightly webbed, and the hands ended in delicate yet powerful hand-like appendages capable of fine manipulation and a strong grip.
The most obvious worm-like feature was the spine. Erik assumed that the creature's flexible and muscular structure allowed it to bend and contort its body in ways that no human could. It moved with a gliding, flowing motion, a graceful yet slightly eerie dance.
The creature had no discernible gender; its form was sleek and ambiguous, a fusion of lines and curves that defied easy categorization. However, because they were Erik's clones, it was obvious that it should have been male.
The clone made a strange chirp, and Erik wondered if it wasn't as intelligent as it should have been. Its voice was cute, but it didn't have a male or female timbre.
Erik felt a mixture of awe and curiosity, fascination, and a touch of fear as he looked at the creature. It was a being beyond comprehension, a living testament to the potential of the abilities he had stolen from the Mirror's Centipede.
Erik noticed that the creature returned Erik's gaze, its eyes filled with a calm gaze.
"Because my intelligence points are high, this thing is smarter than the average child, even if it is an infant." "I'm overthinking things."
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