Sam arrived in her soulscape excited about what she was about to do; even the creepy feeling of being watched as she traveled down the tunnel to her soul didn't bother her like it usually did. Rushing to her art room, Sam walked straight up to the completed Technogog Arcana and held her hand to the small figure.
“Are you ready?” She asked, knowing the figure was not a simple doll and could move on her own.
In answer, the Technogog Arcana, or Samantha as the System referred to her, slipped from her pedestal and looked toward the other two figures on the table. When they both gave slight nods, she looked into the obscuring mist against the wall, fidgeting nervously as she waited for what Sam guessed was confirmation. After several moments passed with no movement or sound coming from the mist, Sam figured it was a wash. Just as she thought she wasn't ready to assimilate, a violet marble rolled out of the obscuration. The Technogog Arcana figure eagerly ran to it and picked it up. When she turned back to Sam, her chest cavity was open, and she was already placing the marble inside.
Sam looked at the figure's outline in the obscuration and said, "So you took their cores to keep me from using them again. Well, aren’t you a cheeky little shit?” She smiled as she said it, knowing it was probably for the best.
The Samantha figurine jumped eagerly into Sam’s outstretched hand, and she carried her to the altar along the opposite wall, placing her on the awaiting pedestal.
“I’m not sure how exactly this works, so bear with me,” Sam said when Samantha was situated on the pedestal.
Not knowing what else to do, Sam dismissed her clothes and climbed onto the altar, which was thankfully warm. She lay on her back in the impression, finding she fit perfectly.
As soon as she was relaxed and comfortable on the altar, the violet flames from the four corners flared brightly, and a message appeared in her vision.
You exceed the minimum requirements to use this avatar. Note: Assimilation with this soul construct will temporarily change your class. All noncompatible abilities, skills, and spells from your Arcane Pathfinder class will not level while you are in this form. In addition, your class, Arcane Pathfinder, will not level, nor will the Technogog Arcana class, as it is a sub-class of Arcane Pathfinder. All unique class skills and spells relating to the Technogog Arcana will be able to level as normal, as well as your race and racial skills and spells. Assimilate with Samantha [S.]; Technogog Arcana [Level??]; Yes/No?
"Oh, hell yes!" Sam thought, mentally selecting 'Yes,' she didn’t like having to put her leveling on hold but was still excited at the prospect of gaining new powers that would help her in the dungeon. The message disappeared, and Sam felt warmth wash over her entire body. It was like someone pulled a cozy, heated blanket over her. It was the feeling that if she still needed to heed nature's call, would immediately make her want to pee. She didn’t risk raising her head to look at what was happening, afraid it might interrupt the…spell or whatever it was. She did poke a mana thread up to observe the altar and herself in it. She was just in time to watch the figurine melt off her pedestal.
Sam gasped when the figurine that took her so long to repair simply melted away into thick violet goop with streaks of black running through it. She did her best to remain calm and motionless. Her patience was rewarded when the goop trickled off the pedestal and began filling the recess she was lying in, coating her head before traveling to the rest of her body. When she felt the viscous fluid fully engulf her, Sam felt weightless and fell into the altar with a splash of violet. The rune on the side of the altar flared for an instant, and she was gone.
***
The three remaining figurines watched silently as a fourth figure climbed up from the impression in the altar to take its position on its pedestal. It was a perfect replica of Sam, albeit only twenty centimeters tall, fully nude, and with glowing purple circuitry covering her entire body like veins just under her skin. The new figurine proudly stood on the pedestal with her hands on her hips. She stared back at the others observing her and smirked before becoming motionless.
In her soulscape, a door appeared in Sam’s living room. Glowing violet lettering above the door read “Technogog Arcana Workshop.”
***
Sam opened her eyes back in the hanger bay. She didn't even remember traveling down the tunnel or having to return to her mind when she exited her soul this time. But that was only a faint thought in the back of her mind, overshadowed by what she was seeing. Sam had trouble believing she was still in the ancient and ruined hanger bay from a few short minutes ago. Everywhere she looked, various colored readouts with descriptions hovered in her vision, identifying everything from; “Structural Arbaplast Beam: 13% integrity remaining” to “Light Infantry Rifle: 82% integrity remaining; 97% charge remaining.”
"This is amazing," Sam said in a hushed whisper. Reaching up, she touched her face and felt the wrap-around glasses the figurine wore. "These remind me of the augmented reality glasses that were becoming popular back on Earth. Except these are infinitely more effective." The glasses even let her see possible power sources hidden behind walls and under centuries of deposited sediment.
Sam pulled up her stat screen, but a notification forced its way into her vision with the familiar annoying chime instead. "Of course," She grumbled. Still, she read the notification, expecting it to be no doubt important.
‘Bing’ Congratulations! You have successfully assimilated with a dormant part of your soul. Unlike previously, this time, you waited until you met the requirements to do so, for which you have been awarded a small amount of experience. It pays to do things right for a change, doesn't it? Because you met the prerequisites and this avatar is a part of your soul, there will be no time restrictions on assimilation. Good job, Samantha.
“Snarky little bastard, the only reason I did it last time was because you were trying to kill me!” Sam thought in annoyance, “I was wondering if I had seen the last of those asshole messages. I guess not.” Once she read it, the notification disappeared, and Sam was finally allowed to view her stats. But first, she admired the new look of the floating caricature in her vision; Sam became a perfect full-sized replica of the Technogog figurine, complete with her outfit and gadgets. She smiled at the chic and sharp violet overcoat that fit like a glove and felt heavy on her shoulders. The black leather pants felt normal enough, although she was curious about the strange tool belt full of weird gadgets that held them up. The black leather combat boots were comfortable and fit perfectly. Sam wasn't so sure about the functionality of the black crop top with its violet pentagram emblazoned on the front that completed the peculiar ensemble. She already noted the wrap-around glasses but wondered what the headphones draped over her neck did. Remembering the figurine had a device that looked similar to a cellphone in her hand when Sam was in her soulscape, Sam made a mental note to check in her pockets for it when she finished looking at her stat screen. Finally tearing her attention from the vision of herself, Sam read what she became.
Samantha [S.]
Race: Evolved Soul Splinter Hybrid [Level 55]
Class: Technogog Arcana [Epic] [Level 57]
Title(s): Grade Breaker
Health: 9412
Stamina: 9049
Mana: 82717
Attributes:
STR – 135 [263]
VIT – 153 [321]
END – 121 [254]
AGL – 189 [369]
INT – 170 [663]
WIS – 225 [1553]
Free Attribute Points 0.
Abilities:
Spatial Inventory
Loot
Linguistics
Cartography
Void Manipulation
Class Skills:
Tech Repair [Level 1]
Tech Link [Level 1]
Racial/General Skills:
Identify [Level 34]
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Rebuild [Level 13]
Meditation [Level 36]
Void Infusion [Level 9]
Class Spells:
Override [Level 1]
Reprogram [Level 1]
Racial/General Spells:
Void Bolt [Level 8]
Hybrid Skills:
Technocrafting [Level 1]
Void Step [Level 1]
Void Tech [Level 1]
Hybrid Spells:
Void Tunnel [Level 1]
Resistance(s):
Arcane Magic [Level Max]
Pain [Level 53]
Heat [Level 20]
Poison [Level 49]
Cold [Level 25]
Mental [Level 7]
Void [Level 14]
Sam figured she must have looked like an idiot as she stood there staring at her stats, her mouth agape.
“Eighty-two thousand mana units, and my health and stamina are over nine thousand! That’s one hell of an upgrade!” she thought, scrolling down to see which class skills and spells she had kept.
“Let’s see…it looks like I lost Mana Manipulation and Mana Sight, which sucks, but at least I kept Void Manipulation, and the glasses I have now are a reasonable substitution for Mana Sight,” she thought, continuing down the list, “Losing Mana Repair and Mana Caster is bad, I won’t be able to heal my companions unless Tech Repair has a similar function…something tells me it doesn’t though.” Sam was already considering switching back to her Arcane Pathfinder class. But she refrained, deciding to stay in this avatar for at least a day or so.
“Lupie, you're our healer now,” Sam sent through their comms.
“Uh, okay,” Lupie replied, padding closer with Nul on her back.
Sam continued going through her new abilities. She was happy to see she kept all her racial skills and spells but bummed that she lost Magismith. Her disappointment was tempered with excitement over the three new hybrid skills and one spell, especially since Sam already knew what two of them did. “I can teleport now!” she thought gleefully, looking at the Void Step and Void Tunnel abilities.
Sam checked for descriptions for her new skills and spells, starting at the top with Tech Repair.
Tech Repair [Level 1]…error. Recalculating node distribution…compatible skill detected…Mana Repair…merge skills? Yes/No? Warning: merging skills is permanent and may result in undesirable outcomes.
"Can nothing be simple?" Sam mumbled to herself. It seemed like no matter what she did, there was always some way she could permanently cripple her progression. Still, Sam was a no-risk, no-reward kind of woman, so she chose 'Yes' and doubled over as the familiar pain of soul etching washed over her in a wave of agony. It only lasted for a few seconds, and when she regained her composure, a message awaited.
‘Bing’ Tech Repair and Mana Repair skills merged successfully, creating a new skill, ‘Repair’ [Level 17]. Description: Repair has retained all the abilities of Mana Repair and added the ability of Tech Repair, allowing the user to repair manufactured nonorganic machines. Note: This skill does not allow the user to repair nonorganic materials not part of a machine.
"So, if I'm reading this right, it means I just sacrificed half my levels in Mana Repair to do what…repair a machine? I bet I can do the same thing with Technocrafting. Also, if I had waited and leveled up my Tech Repair skill I would probably have received more abilities in the merge. Damn, did I just make a mistake?” Sam brushed off her worries. At least she could heal her companions again, and that alone was worth merging the skills.
“Are you okay, Mistress?” Lupie’s concerned voice pulled Sam from her thoughts.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Sam responded, adding, “I can heal again, so that’s one less thing to worry about.” Saying it out loud helped Sam conclude she had made the correct choice. One of the things that made her and her companions so powerful was their ability to heal themselves and each other even while fighting. It was by far one of their greatest advantages.
Sam moved on to Tech Link, assuming she already knew what it did, but checking, nonetheless.
Tech Link [Level 1] Description: This ability allows the user to link with magical technology to varying degrees depending on the skill level. The skill's current link power is ‘low’ and can support up to three weak links or a single slightly stronger link.
Sam’s first thoughts after reading the description were, “Yep, it is exactly what I thought it was,” and, “I wonder if Cara has this skill?” Deciding to ask the Technomancer about it if she ever saw her again, Sam continued checking the descriptions of her new class powers.
Override [Level 1] Description: Channeling or casting this spell at a machine allows the user to attempt to override the technology controlling it. If the override is successful, the machine will be under the user's control for a short period. The level of the spell determines the power and duration of the control.
"This will definitely be useful in this dungeon," Sam told herself. She checked Reprogram next.
Reprogram [Level 1] Description: Channeling this spell into a machine allows the user to attempt to reprogram the technology controlling it. If successful, the machine will be permanently under the user's control. The user can give the machine a set of commands during reprogramming or directly control it through Tech Link if it is at a sufficient level.
"Something tells me Reprogram will fail much more than override," Sam mused. Still, she imagined herself marching through this dungeon with an army of machines at her back. Smiling at the thought, she continued to Technocrafting.
Technocrafting [Level 1] Description: Channeling this skill with the appropriate materials nearby will allow the user to craft magical technology.
Sam wondered briefly why the skill didn't try to merge with her Magismith skill when a forced notification popped up, obscuring her vision.
‘Bing’ Congratulations! Three compatible skills have been detected! Technocrafting, Void Tech, and Magismith are all compatible skills. Would you like to merge these skills? Yes/No? Warning: Merging skills is permanent and may result in undesirable outcomes.
“At least there weren’t a bunch of errors with this one,” Sam thought as she considered her options. Her Magismith was only at level seven, so she didn't think she would lose much other than the reduced mana costs the levels granted her, especially since she had so much mana now with the Technogog Arcana class. Sam still hadn't checked the Void Tech description but was reasonably certain it meant she could control Void Tech. After some indecision, she chose 'Yes,' hoping she had avoided making a mistake this time. The pain was much worse and brought her to her knees as waves of agony pulsed through her as the System etched pathways into her very soul.
Five minutes later Sam finally sat up and read the System notification waiting for her.
‘Bing’ Technocrafting, Void Tech, and Magismith skills merged successfully, creating a new skill, ‘Creator’ [Level 1]. Description: Creator is an ancient skill customarily reserved for god tier or above. Thanks to your existing abilities to manipulate reality and anti-reality, when you developed the capacity to create technology and subsequently merged the skills, you have been granted the skill of Creator. You can now create anything you can conceive using locally sourced materials, ambient mana, or your own mana. Note: You have lost the ability of Technocrafting that allowed you to intuitively understand magical technology.
Sam felt mixed emotions regarding the merge. On the one hand, she now had a god-tier ancient skill. On the other hand, she had lost the one thing on which her new class hinged, her ability to understand how magical technology worked. Dismissing the message and her interface, Sam grunted from the residual soul pain as she stood. She looked at the droid she speared through the torso. It was the least damaged out of all of them, so she decided to put her new skills to the test and try to repair and control it.
She tried to touch the droid with a mana thread but immediately realized she could no longer manipulate mana—or could she? Reaching inside herself, she activated Void Manipulation and sighed with relief when six void threads sprang from her back. Unlike her Arcane threads, though, these were plainly visible as they waved around. Sam decided she was okay with that and proceeded to repair the droid.
It ended up being much the same as when she healed someone. The skill told her where the damaged parts were and repaired them as long as she channeled her mana into it. It took less than an hour to repair the droid, but unfortunately, its mana core wasn’t part of the repair.
Examining the newly repaired droid, Sam noted a sealed hatch in its armor plating that she could now open to insert the core. After a couple of fumbling attempts, she opened the hatch using her Tech Link ability to sync with the droid. It was a weird feeling, to be sure, when her mind dove into the droid's central processing unit, and her glasses lit up with hundreds of readouts scrolling across one side. All she had to do was use the link to send a little mana into the hatch, and with a hiss, it slid open. Sam quickly severed the link when her skill told her something was trying to remotely reestablish contact with the droid.
“I wonder what will happen if I manage to get this droid up and running. Will it immediately attack me? Probably. I should try reprogramming it first…but it might first need power to do any of that." Sam said, talking to herself as she pulled out the bisected mana core.
“Should we set up camp? Or are we going to continue exploring?” Lupie asked, then added, “You look really weird, but at least you smell the same.”
After some thought, Sam responded, “Yes, let's set up camp here and see if we can create a safe zone in this dungeon. If not, we will portal out with these droids so I can figure out how to control them.”
“You think you can control them?” Lupie sounded impressed but with a hint of disbelief.
“According to some of the descriptions for my new abilities, yes,” Sam responded.
Lupie morphed into her bipedal form to start setting up camp but said in a giddy voice, “Wow…I remember seeing you like this in the cave when you turned into a dragon! Can you become a dragon, too, now?"
“No, I cannot become a dragon or snake for now, but hopefully, I will be able to soon. Have you checked my new stats? Health and stamina are nearly double, and just look at my freaking mana pool!” Sam said, unable to hide her excitement over her new power.
Lupie and Nul expressed surprise and admiration when they saw Sam's stats in their party menu.
“Sister has Void Jump!” Nul exclaimed, teleporting a couple of times for fun.
“Yes, now the two of you find a place nearby to set up camp so we can check if a safe zone can be created,” Sam said, laughing at her friend’s excitement.
When they complied, Sam returned to examining the two halves of the mana core. It consisted of a blue orb slightly smaller than a baseball housed in a circular frame resembling a gyroscope. Putting the two halves back together and activating her Repair skill did nothing. Apparently, a mana core wasn't part of the machine and was not affected by her skill. She already suspected that but was a little disappointed, nonetheless.
A welcome safe zone notification popped up shortly after Lupie got a fire going. Relieved they could camp in the dungeon, Sam plopped down next to the droid to keep tinkering with the mana core. She felt something in her pants pocket and pulled it out. It was the cell phone-like device. She used Identify on it.
Data Link [Growth] 1 of 1
Classification: Multifunction I/O Media Device
Quality: Epic
Magical: Yes
Enchantments: Immortal; Soul Bound
This device can sync with and control other devices in several ways. It is a multipurpose tool that allows the user to view data files, search memory banks, reprogram, and control other forms of technology. Note: This item is soul-bound to you and cannot be destroyed.
The small device had no buttons, so Sam activated Tech Link and sent some power into it. The screen lit up, displaying a series of icons. One icon in particular captured Sam's immediate attention. It was labeled 'Music.' Although Sam instinctively knew the device was a touch screen through her link, she tried to mentally select the music icon, and it worked. The app opened, and a list of thousands of songs appeared alphabetically on the screen. Sam's breath caught in her throat when she started reading the song titles; they were all songs from her memory!
"Oh, please be good quality," Sam said, slipping the headphones over her ears and selecting a song at random. Sam lost her mind when the crisp, clear sounds of Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine began playing in her ears! Jumping up, she started dancing to the beat, unable to help herself! Music was one of the things she had missed most from her former life, and there it was in the Multifunction Media Device! “I have music!!!!” She shouted at the top of her lungs.
After calming down and a little trial and error, Sam figured out how to randomize the playlist. Sitting back down, she picked up the mana core again. Rocking her head to the beat of the latest song, Just Got Paid by ZZ Top, she activated Creator. It was time to build her droid army.