The ground beneath Aarav didn't just shake; it broke open. Cracks ran across the reddish flat land, spitting out dust and strange, light gases. The air grew heavy, like before a storm, but colder and sharper.
From the largest cracks, huge, black bug-like creatures began to crawl out. They looked like giant beetles, but with sharp biting parts and many red glowing eyes. Their legs scraped against the rock with a sickening sound.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: TRIAL 1 STARTING]
[GOAL: SURVIVE THE FIRST ATTACK. DESTROY ENEMY CREATURES.]
[ENEMY CREATURE: CRUCIBLE SCARAB (LEVEL 5)]
"Oh, great," Aarav muttered. "Giant bugs. Just what my lazy morning needed."
Around him, people started to panic. Some players screamed. Others, still figuring out their powers, waved their arms wildly. The strong Martial Artist from the forge planet, however, let out a loud shout. He slammed his fists together, and golden energy glowed around them.
[MARTIAL ARTIST (RANK 1/10) USES: IRON FIST]
He ran at a Scarab, moving surprisingly fast.
Maya, the energetic Earth girl, gasped. "Level 5 already?! That's big!" She looked at her glowing hands. "Okay, okay, deep breaths. Furline Claws!"
[SHAPESHIFTER (RANK 1/10) USES: FURLINE CLAWS]
Her fingernails grew long and sharp, turning into dark claws. She moved them, looking a little surprised but mostly excited. "Alright, kitty power engaged!"
Rohan, though, looked like he might faint. "Mind Touch... what am I supposed to do with Mind Touch?!" he whined, staring at a Scarab coming closer. It was easily twice his height.
[EMPATH (RANK 1/10) USES: MIND TOUCH]
He weakly pointed his hand towards the creature. The Scarab didn't even move.
Aarav watched, not really caring. The Scarabs were slow, but strong. Their shells looked hard. Direct hits might not work for everyone.
He glanced at his own status screen.
[AARAV SHARMA]
[CORE POWER: ADAPTATION]
[ACTIVE: NONE]
[PASSIVE: SMALL DAMAGE RESISTANCE (CRUSHING, PIERCING - 0.5%)]
"Wow, a whole point five percent," he said flatly. "Truly god-like."
He saw the Martial Artist punch a Scarab hard. The creature stumbled but shook it off, its red eyes now focused on him. It snapped its biting parts.
Then, a flicker of light caught Aarav's eye. The Elemental Weaver alien, shining with pretty wings, raised its delicate hands.
[ELEMENTAL WEAVER (RANK 1/10) USES: WIND GUST]
A strong burst of air shot out, hitting the Scarab. It wobbled, its hard shell scraping the ground, for a moment it was confused.
Aarav's brain, even though he didn't want it to, was already working. Wind Gust. Simple pushing force. Energy needed: 3 EP. Cooldown: short.
"Okay, fine," he sighed. He focused. He needed to see it, feel it. The feeling of air rushing, of pushing with an unseen power. He focused on the Elemental Weaver's movement, trying to copy the feeling of the power, not just what she did.
[ADAPTATION: WIND GUST (TEMPORARY COPY) - ACTIVE]
[COST: 5 EP (MORE DUE TO ADAPTATION)]
[LASTS: 10 SECONDS]
A faint, almost unnoticeable shimmer of green energy briefly showed around Aarav's hand. He pointed it at a Scarab clumsily moving towards a very scared alien civilian.
A gust of wind, stronger than the Weaver's, hit the Scarab. The creature actually fell over, rolling awkwardly before getting back up. It wasn't strong enough to kill it, but it bought important time.
"Huh," Aarav thought. "Alright. Not bad."
He turned his attention to Maya and Rohan, who were now trapped by two Scarabs. Maya was slashing wildly, but her claws barely scratched the tough shell. Rohan was hiding.
"Don't just stand there, Rohan!" Maya yelled, jumping over a snapping mouth. "Do something!"
[ADAPTATION: MIND IMPULSE (TEMPORARY COPY) - ACTIVE]
[COST: 10 EP (MORE DUE TO ADAPTATION)]
[LASTS: 5 SECONDS]
Aarav pointed his hand, not at the Scarab, but at Rohan. A small, invisible wave shot out. Rohan flinched, then, to his own surprise, his eyes grew wide. He pushed his hand out without thinking towards the Scarab. A tiny mental pulse actually made the creature pause, its head shaking a little.
"It... it worked!" Rohan gasped, completely confused.
"Not strong enough to kill it," Aarav mumbled, mostly to himself, "but enough to annoy it."
He looked at Maya. "Claws won't work on its shell. Aim for the joints. Or the eyes."
Maya blinked, then nodded, her eyes flashing. She wasn't just hopeful; she learned fast. She dove, aiming for the Scarab's many-jointed leg, her new sharp claws scratching.
Aarav looked across the field. Players were dying. Screams filled the alien air. Some managed to defeat a Scarab, gaining experience, but more kept crawling out of the ground. This was just the warm-up.