Sat there staring at the strings of runes Theodore remained expressionless, then suddenly a hint of surprise crept in and he opened his mouth to say with as much composure as possible.
"Divine! My stigma is actually divine!"
To understand the significance of his almost over the top reaction, one would first need to understand what a stigma is. In the most simple terms, a stigma is a mark etched on the soul of a herald that both signifies their ascendance from being a mundane being to one climbing the path of ascension. The mark of a herald.
But while it is true that these invisible marks are what grant them their powers which is their most basic function, their true nature are not really known. After all, with each increase in rank, a person would not only grow stronger, but also unlock another facet of their ability.
The ranks from weakest to strongest are Dormant, Awakened, Ascended, Transcended, Supreme, Sacred, Divine.
With this increase in rank however, the very nature of their being is also said to change. The most basic level of this being that of a mundane human stepping onto the path and becoming a dormant being. Unlike the mundane, their bodies are stronger and more durable almost to an inhuman degree, and along with this they are granted access to their unique stigma. But while they are granted these powers, their potency is greatly reduced compared to what one of higher ranks would be capable of.
While he didn't know the finer nuances of the differences between the lower and higher ranks, what Theodore knew was that possessing a divine stigma was nothing but a boon.
'Probably the greatest boon i could receive.'
Allowing the shock of the reveal of his stigma's rank to subside, he continued down the strings, they read.
[Stigma description: Will is the defining factor of existence, and your will grants dominion over all in this world.]
"My will? What does that mean?"
While the description of his stigma was strange to him, in truth it was quite fitting in a sense. After all, if he had an ability that was divine, being able to explain it in simple mundane terms wouldn't exactly make sense.
'Plus, having already activated it, i think i have an understanding of what it's capable of. So, i really should move on.'
Theodore for some reason seemed hesitant, or maybe more reluctant to explore this ability further.
Lingering on the description for a few moments, a slight frown appeared on his face, the a sigh. Why exactly he felt this way, he couldn't really say. Perhaps it was because the description was so vague or maybe it was even because the ability was Divine, one of only seven he had ever heard of before. Or perhaps it was something else entirely.
Whatever the reason, a part of him simply didn't want to think about it.
'Not now!'
Shaking his head, he pushed all thoughts related to that aside and continued don the runes.
[Aspects: Eater of Marks, Living Grimoire, Sigil manifestation.]
[Eater of marks aspect description: As one born to rule without equal, all in this world is yours to devour.]
[Living grimoire aspect description: All knowledge earned must be stored, and the marks you devour are no different.]
[Sigil manifestation aspect description: What good is something obtained that can't be utilized.]
The last two, Living Grimoire, and Sigil manifestation were likely the manifestations of his aspects he called forth when he fought the gravemaw weeks ago.
'The former allowed me summon a repository of some sort ,and the latter allowed me manifest the abilities stored in said repository.
Those concepts were easy to understand. With both acting like a computer in the sense that he could store and call upon data freely.
'But this first one...'
Suddenly a low growl echoed interrupting his train of thought. Dismissing the strings runes, Theodore rushed behind a wall, and only after a few moments dis he peer through a nearby hole in the wall. Quickly surveyed his surroundings, he fund himself in hat looked to have once been a residential district and a very nice one at that.
At the moment he was on the first floor of a particularly nice building.. On either side of the street adjacent to the building, there were identical buildings all two stories tall that were the only buildings that still stood not much unlike the previous residential district. And it was from those intact buildings he got a strange sensation from.
Staring into the window of one, he glanced for just a split second a figure move through faster than he could follow.
"Shit!" he exclaimed. 'I haven't fully healed from my previous encounter with a spawn, and now this.'
While whatever it was, was too fast for him to get a good look at it, at least this time he knew something was there.
"Getting caught by surprise twice in a row would be quite annoying."
Picking up his bag and supplies, he rushed to the ground floor, peering through another window right by the front door, he saw something something moving beyond the rubble of the opposite building again.
This time though, it was more than once.
Grimacing, he pondered his next course of action. While he did, whatever it was that loomed in the distance burst from the rubble into the street. The creature was covered i a cloud of dust, but he was still able to make out a few of its features.
And what he saw, was eerily human. The creature looked to be a humanoid with limbs longer than he was tall. But while it looked similar, that was where the similarities ended as instead of a short neck connected to a skull, he saw what looked to be some combination of a deer, and some sort of reptile.
The creature though still hidden by the dust scampered around, the sound of its claws scraping against the asphalt too clear to be missed. It scampered around, poking its nose, or was that its head? Whatever it was, it peered through the cloud of dust every few seconds and growling every time it did.
'Whatever this thing is, it's clearly looking for something.' taking a mommet to ponder h that thought, something unsettling popped into his mind. 'It can't be... could it?'
Truthfully, he already knew what it was the spawn was looking for, prey. But as far as he knew, there weren't any spawn, or anything alive for that matter for at least a mile. After all, the rea he was currently residing in was on the outer edges of one of the strongest spawn in the area, which was the only reason he chose to stay in this area in the first place.
While it sounded like a crazy and unhinged strategy, in reality it was quite reliable.
'I mean, who, or what in their right mind would make a home, even a temporary one in the territory of an apex predator?'
Emphasis on right.
Just then, the creature suddenly stopped in its tracks, turned towards the building he was currently in and snarled. And when it did Theodore cursed inwards.
'Damn it!'