Crack

> Examine bookshelves.

You are an avid reader, so your shelves are always full. Most of these are either novels, legends, or history books. You also keep a shelf of things very personal to you: letters, photos of friends, and your copy of The Lore of Skaia.

Well, AR is here helping you unpack, and while you're normally fine with an audience, you'll probably bother him. And he'll get mad that you're not unpacking too. Plus, you know your house- that's now how any of this works.

You'd love to sleep, but it's not past Skaiarise yet. Dersites like you are nocturnal! You will just as Skaia comes over the horizon, you guess.

You unpack the last box in your living room. Inside are several boxes of tea, a copy of Carapacian Genetics, your first aid kit, and an amethyst geode.

The book most readily available to you is the one in the box in front of you, your copy of Carapacian Genetics, gifted to you by a friend with an interest in ectobiology.
A page you were very interested in when you were younger was the one on shell mutations, which discusses the most obvious detail of every carapace- their shell. It’s a strong exoskeleton with a surprising range of capabilities, from language to defense.
Ectobiology is the way you’re all created, so shell genetics plays a huge factor in who you’re meant to be and who you’re going to be.

The most common is rightfully named Common and is widely seen throughout the populous, incredibly versatile in use, and thus the shell type of choice when a newly cloned is made.

Spine is what AR has, and it’s frequently referred to as Common’s cousin, as there isn’t much difference between the two at all beyond Spine being quite literally sharp. Every plate has an edge and point to it, and the most notable feature is the series of spikes along the middle of the backs of carapacians with it. It’s seen a lot in fighters, and can be awful intimidating.

Glitter is what you have, and it’s one of the rarer of the lot, made for carapacians with specific jobs such as your own. It features much less outer shell than Common, exposing more soft undershell and allowing for extreme flexibility and quieter movement, perfect for assassin types like yourself. The main downside is more vulnerability to wounds, but luckily shell of all types naturally hardens when someone senses danger in order to protect them. Unlike the rest, it lives up to its name by making shell appear as if it has glitter implanted into it, and it shines different colors when catching the light dependant on who you are. Yours is purple, more on the lavender side, but the Queen’s is a vibrant green.

Crystalline is the rarest form and usually found in strong carapacians meant to take more than your average amount of blows. Shell structure forms a crystalline lattice here instead of forming normally, but is difficult to break due to just how thick shell is, especially on the growths of carapacians with Crystalline. It can get wildly out of hand though, and for the protection it offers its downsides are great. Shell is more prone to cracking as opposed to slashing, it limits movement severely as its growths often cover joints and areas where undershell should be, and makes an overall slower, heavier fighter. Some carapacians have so many or so massive growths that they can hardly move altogether. They’re a sight to see, however, and light catching off their facets reacts similarly to the way Glitters have it, but with a more, well, faceted flair. They make for good tanks, people to defend others and keep on the frontlines to take the bulk of the damage.

It’s all pretty neat, you think, just to know a bit more about a person simply by looking at shell.




Your desk is a nightmare all year round. It’s tame at the moment, but it’ll get worse eventually. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. You’re lucky that Jack gets the bulk, and Agents who should be out and about like you and AR don’t get as much. You’re going to be shuffled off to the Battlefield soon, so you’re seeing it come down to a trickle, but it’ll certainly pick back up once you return. Also here is your laptop and journal.
You take care of the more legal issues here on Derse, mostly less street criminal related than the work AR picks up. You have a voice in lawmaking around here, but Jack takes final say for the Agents, and ultimate choice goes to the Queen.
Some of this is paperwork on your army legion as well, as every Agent has a sector to command. You’ve all been throwing Battlefield papers around since you’ve been told you were headed there, but you have confidence in your lot.