The gods' chosen was not significant or even noticeable. This one was treated like the scum from a waste bin. Tossed around and used by the hour for brief pleasure. Much like the world they came from. Physically rotting being dug into and apart for the greed of the fleas on its back. Over time all thoughts rendered themselves mute. Content with the fact that everything including itself was finite and eventually came to an abrupt end. That end came. Life was drained from the very lungs that kept them alive. All for one last euphoria from its buyer. Everything as it always does ends. Memories from happier times, content people, and fleeting beauty were lost in the eyes of all. Then, the sky deepened to a true black. The passive gods eyed the mortals with disdain and disappointment. They too died along with the world they let wither away.
Fate would have one soul given another chance. A spying god desperate for a vengeful soul sought out the chosen. Taken to another world one on a similar course without intervention. Thus the first deathstalker was born.
'Crack.'
A stone altar is hidden among the sand dunes in a rocky cave cracked apart by violent intent. Dark divine energy embodied by hateful emotion radiated outwards. A black scaled beast no bigger than a cat crawled out from the alter. It's two glowing azure eyes scan the new world.
"Why am I here? How am I here?"
Without human vocal cords, it comes out as shrieking hisses and growls. Fanged teeth and serpent-forked tongue exposed for the first time. Tiny clawed feet rake against the hot sandy floor of the cave.
'How peculiar.'
Wolfish ears swish back and forth as feline eyes observe the three sets of limbs. A set of back legs, one set of front arms, and a second set of smaller arms. Its weight is balanced on the back legs and larger arms. The smaller for another purpose.
A rust-colored screen appears before the little beast.
'Congratulations you have been reborn as a DeathStalker!'
The message lasts long enough to be read before it blinks into another.
'The gods of this world are delighted by your arrival.'
'This world faces the same end as your own.'
'Save the last of the gods' worshippers at the empire's coliseum… and eradicate humanity!'
…
'Well, this is a delight.'
Some time was spent going over the system's functions. It was limited to only two things. A main page with the main objective listed and my name and species rank listed.
Unnamed - Deathstalker Hatchling
The other was the evolution tree with my rank at the bottom center. It split into several branches although only one branch was readable for me. The rest were all question marks and locked. The opened branch only showed me the next evolution available. Royal DeathStalker Young.
'So royalty? How ironic.'
According to the evolution tree page in order to evolve I needed two things flesh and minerals. Flesh would be the bulk used as fuel to grow and mutate. While minerals were used to create a cocoon to evolve.
Moving on. The cave had only the broken altar and scattered pottery across the floor.
'Perhaps clay counts as a mineral?… Oh.'
Human bodies. Several jerky-looking mummies leaned against the walls. Preserving ghostly wailing faces down to the gums. One even leaves dragging nail marks on the sand floor struggling to resist death.
Growl…
'…'
Not so surprising hunger pains emit from an emaciated stomach. How horrifying to be prompted from the sight of fellow man. Well, no longer fellow man. Still, by lack of empathy or lack of humanity tiny fangs tear at dry jerky. Flavor hits the reptilian tongue and smell to flaring nostrils.
'How… thankfully tasty. Could use something to wash it down though.'
Despite its small size, the first body is eaten down to the bones. Yet drool instigates further consumption. Teeth munch at bone the two hard forces competing for solidity. The teeth won. Fangs slice through reaching the soft bone marrow inside and all of the first bone is consumed.
'Mineral obtained!'
'HiveMaterial knowledge obtained!'
'CacoonBlueprint obtained!'
A short burst of information hiding in the form of new instincts flows into the chosen brain.
'Interesting. This hive material could do far more than a simple cacoon in the future.'
The limits of the small creature's stomach appear endless. Powerful digestive juices perhaps aided by the gods themselves leave a still near-death-looking frame. The first mummy is devoured wholly. Not even teeth are ignored.
'No system message? Is flesh not worthy of an announcement?'
A whine-like growl shares its complaint. The gods don't seem it fit for a response. A deathstalker eye-roll later and another body is set upon by a hungry monster. In total five bodies were consumed.
'Is there no end to how much I can consume? That seems far too much. Will I starve if I don't constantly eat?'
Wolfish ears twitch and a bloodied maw opens wide for a yawn.
'WARNING!'
'Evolution is close!'
'Please prepare a safe location and cacoon to evolve!'
Wide eyes quick map out options in the depths of the cave. The alter seems a poetic choice but instead the little hatchling climbs up behind it. A rather unplesent retching sound fills the space. Black snottish liquid is puked out. An elongated tongue shapes the material over itself and surroundings. Tedious work taking some time. Eventually a slowly solidifying shiny black material forms.
'So gross… way too gross.'
Blue eyes slowly flutter closed. Exhaustion taking hold and breathing slows. Curled into a tight ball evolution begins…
While unconscious bones break, new organs created, and body mass increases. Days pass and a newly evolved organism breaks its way through the crystalline cacoon.
'Congratulations you have evolved into Royal Deathstalker Young!'
Another set of glowing eyes joins the first. Claws and fangs sharper and longer. A new tail swished behind the body with a deadly sharpened point. The creature was now the height of a man's shoulders. The long long tail helped the beast reach two meters in length. More muscular limbs and frame gave a sense of deadly strength. On close inspection, the smaller set of arms now had slight depressions in the center of its hands. Perhaps hinting at future development.
'I'm starving! I'm suspecting this may be my new normal.'
Flaring nostrils and a low growl the deathstalker follows its instincts and out of the cave. Into the brand new world and its uncertain future.
Outside is the barren sand dunes with no plant or animal life in sight. The elements of a destroyed primitive camp the only indicator of life. Destroyed and fallen pelt tents and a sanded over camp fire. The desert wind breezes over casting small sand particles to flow in its wake bringing the scent of distant life.
'Unfamiliar but everything is so unfamiliar here.'
Its steps leaves a trail of claw prints and tail swishes in the sand. The only guide and motivator the promise of food. As an unknown amount of time passes and the sun travels across the sky, the young hunter wonders for motivation. It had no hope of retribution for its past life. Then again it held little thought of vengeance with the power it had in the past.
'I only wish to thrive and live with those I love this time.'
Ignoring the gods' demands was not an option but eliminating humanity gave options for the future.
"So be it! I shall bring forth the end of humanity!"
Loud and unrecognizable shrieks rang out amoung the dunes. Distant wildlife listened intently curious of this new development, but only briefly. Life had to go on after all.
'Once this cleansing is over. I'll have to work on my future family.'
Scheaming eyes go over the evolution tree once more. Leaving the future of humanity deeply in question. The future of the growing monster offering the possibility of a new era.