෴Raz෴
෴෴෴ ෴෴෴ ෴෴෴
Cold Light of Morning
෴෴෴ ෴෴෴ ෴෴෴
Raz opened his eyes and instantly looked around for Hex. Alone in the bed, he started to panic before catching the faint sounds of her talking with Brock. He lay back down and waited for his heart rate to return to normal.
That was a messed-up dream. Is this going to be a thing if I rest too close to the anomalies?
[Unknown. I can only experience your dreams in retrospect. While you have a dream, I am not there.]
There was a word the announcer used. Mega-something. Do you know it?
[Megiror. A species I have seen listed in the notes, and on certain ability trees. My research may have contributed to your nightmare.]
How so?
[I came across a series of trees with very few species associated with them and then noticed something odd about those species. Each of these species is mentioned in connection with one or more other species that are now listed as extinct or lost.]
“Well, that’s not good.” Raz muttered, rolling over in bed.
[That is an understatement. It would be best if humanity encounters none of those species under any circumstances.]
“That seems like an overreaction.”
[If you were invited to go on a camping trip, with someone whose prior fifty camping trips had resulted in all members of the group dying, with this person the only survivor each time. Would you go?]
“Eh, when you put it that way, probably not.”
[Now replace fifty with a larger number, and camp out members with an entire species.]
“No, I get it. It sounds like there are some terrible things out there. But how is that different from invisible giant snakes and such?” He let out a jaw popping yawn.
“All I’m saying is that whether the cause of the anomalies is natural, or an alien invasion, doesn't change that they’re clearly a bad thing, and need to be stopped.”
He lay there thinking about that for a moment before abruptly sitting up, letting out a stream of profanity.
“Motherf—That means if Midnight is the only one fighting against them, I can’t afford to just kill him.”
He flopped back down on the bed.
Not that I have any way to accomplish that. Just one more reason I need to go faster.
Status
[No significant status effects.]
Well then, not that it's not good to see the nasty stuff gone, but let’s include my capacity, onboard catalyst stores, health and energy in my status.
[Health and Energy 100%]
[Capacity 60/60]
[Catalyst 17/17]
So my capacity has a max capacity? I’m afraid to ask, but how much capacity did I have when I analyzed Brock?
[57]
So I wasted two. That's a bummer. Does my capacity—uh, maximum capacity, increase?
[Yes, it has several times already, much like your onboard catalyst storage capacity. Your prior capacity cap was 57.]
That is...interesting. Was it the first time I had gained capacity while already full?
[No, not even close.]
Ok, so that isn’t why the maximum goes up.
He stopped and thought that over.
Well, if that’s a factor, it doesn't happen every time. Chime in if you have something to add.
Bee didn’t respond.
Switching gears, any reason to avoid going after the third tier of Somatic Restoration?
[The third tier core ability of this tree translates roughly to “Give and Take.” The only known downside of taking another energy based ability right now would be increased total integration time.]
That ability has a new name. Does that mean something new?
[Yes, there are some notes about this ability, and several of them deal with why I recommended it.]
Raz stretched out and made himself comfortable on the bed. Before you tell me about it, cut to the chase, am I going to want—no wait, am I going to need this ability?
[Do you intend to pursue enhanced durability at some point?]
Yep, I’m way too vulnerable the way I am.
[Then you will absolutely want this ability. More to the point, this leads toward your real goal.]
My real goal?
[Don’t forget that I’m part of you, no matter how much you want me to be separate. I know why you want a strong healing ability, in a strong healing tree, despite your constant whining protests to the contrary.]
Yeah. We’re not going to talk about that. Also, you know I can see the text you struck out.
[Yeah, I know.]
Oh great. Bee thinking he’s funny now, while I’m just freaking out about Midnight’s reaction to hearing about the marcador.
[Your father’s death was not your fault. Even you know this. Actions your mother has taken, even those directed at helping you, are also not your responsibility.]
He wouldn’t have been there if we weren’t in another stupid argument! If she’s in trouble because she thought it was the only way to help me, then it’s my problem!
[Both of your parents always expressed very strong opinions on the topic of personal agency and responsibility. How do you think he’d feel about you trying to usurp his decisions, and shoulder the burden of his death? Further, even if your worst fear comes true, how would she feel about you following her into the jaws of danger?]
That is enough of this conversation. All I could do for my father was push him away when he was trying to help me. I couldn’t help him, but if my mom’s in trouble, nothing is going to stop me from helping. You say you’re me, then you should know I mean that. You should also know I don’t want to talk about it!
[Want and need are not the same thing. Very well. How many ranks do you wish to purchase?]
You said it has three ranks and two sub abilities? Get all three then.
[Purchasing ‘Give and Take’ 1-3 now.]
While it’s happening, tell me why I’ll want it, the good stuff about it and so on.
[That might be difficult, you’ll be indisposed.]
Wait, whaat dooooo yooooooooouuuuuuuuu mmmmmmm—
Raz focused on the clock on the HUD. It was slowing down. He was about to ask why when the clock ground to a halt. He felt his awareness pulse and vibrate in time with some unseen force. First it grew, taking in his entire body like a snapshot. Then he felt his awareness shrink down into himself. Smaller and smaller, he felt himself collapse down into some kind of discrete particle. He fell into and then through his own cavernous eyeballs onto a strange layer of stalk-like structures.
Am I looking at my own retina? In each cell he could see and feel something that felt thin, diffuse, almost phantasmal, but somehow powerful. Each cell seemed to have some connection to a nearly infinite web of something he could feel and sense, but couldn't quite see.
He reached his imaginary hand out to one strand and plucked it. A thrum so deep it wasn’t even a sound any more suffused the surrounding space. The vibrations of the infinite cord became a permeating energy that revealed the existence of infinitely more tiny threads connecting to things too small for even the tiniest particles he could make out. The sound that was more like a physical wave of energy sent him flying backward. From there he rode an electrochemical pulse along the optic nerve toward his own brain.
For what felt like years, he explored the grand vistas and hidden reaches within his own brain and body. Eventually he found a way out and rode past the blood-brain barrier in a vein. As he joined larger and ever larger veins, the speed increased.
It could have been years, or decades, eons, as he explored his own body, looking at muscle cells as they activated and relaxed, examining his own internal organs. The journey was endlessly fascinating. Each time he thought he’d learned it all, another realm of deeper insights would open to him.
Finally he rode a tiny droplet of water being exhaled. He floated as a microbe, drifting over his body as a vast but well charted landscape. Just as he drifted away on the air currents in the room, a vast, deep voice he recognized but couldn't place spoke up.
“Nope, shows over. Time to get back in there.”
His awareness expanded as an unseen force pulled him back into himself. Abruptly he was back in his own body as a resident. The clock ticked over to the next second.
What the hell. Did that all happen between the strokes of a second hand?
The vast weight of insight felt as though it was already fading. Raz tried desperately to cling to what he’d learned. It was too much. The vast swathes of knowledge slipped through his fingers like grains of sand in a storm.
[That was very… unexpected.]
I couldn’t hold it all. For a moment there, I felt like I knew every single thing there was to know about biology, about life itself. Physical, chemical, down to the basic mechanics and physics of life. I had it all!
[Were you able to hold on to any of it?]
I don't know. It felt like the end of a dream where so much of it is there, somewhere. Just past the tip of my tongue.
I feel like I held onto a few bits, though.
I understand why it’s called Give and Take.
[It was very informative for me as well.]
[The health metric makes so much more sense now.]
Well, as I sit here with my brain all stretched out, is there anything I need to know about the ability?
[Unlike Somatic Restoration, which directly repairs bodily structures, this ability aims to replenish the ‘health’ metric.]
Yeah. I got that. I meant, is there any new super-secret ability unlocks?
[It comes with two sub-abilities.]
[Perceive status and Diagnose level 2]
What does perceive status do?
[There are many notes about who it works on, and why it might work or not work on a given target.]
[There does not appear to be any notes that indicate what it actually does.]
Diagnosis looks helpful. The ‘health as armor’ concept still seems a bit crazy to me right now.
[That is a good way to put it.]
It almost seems like the first two ranks were for actually repairing damage to the body, which applies to everyone, and this third one is all about keeping people ‘topped up’ enough so they don’t actually get hurt in the first place. This third one seems more aimed at the enhanced crowd. Sort of like if I had enough of the big type of health, whatever it was called, then things that hurt my current health wouldn't even register.
[I don’t think it is quite that simple, but you’re close. There are many notes about tiered damage and health. You now have two units of the big health, as you put it. You gained the second when this ability completed activation, not with it.]
[All living targets can benefit from an increase to the health metric.]
[Health as Armor is a surprisingly apt summary.]
‘Surprisingly’... thanks for nothing pal. So what about the ‘Take’ side?
[It appears to be much like Siphon, but affecting the ’health’ metric.]
That almost sounds like it might have some combat applications.
[I suspect it will have fewer combat applications than you would like.]
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
[The transfer is currently slow and requires maintaining physical contact.]
Well yeah, but that’s the same with Siphon right?
[True, perhaps you merely need to reach the point where you can survive melee combat with physically enhanced enemies.]
Yeah. Not much good if I drain a little life or energy, but get ripped in half along the way.
[Indeed.]
So was that it? Could I just unlock another ability right now if I wanted?
[The next ability appears to be concerned with preventing death in extreme circumstances.]
Hope I don’t need that!
[It is called something that translates into ‘life support’ or perhaps, idiomatically, ‘shared life’.]
[It has four sub-abilities.]
[Before you ask, I cannot tell what they are.]
Ok, but what I’m asking is, could I just go and get another ability right away or not?
[There are contradictory answers to this.]
[Notes make one thing clear though.]
[The greater the change to the body, the longer the user is advised to wait before attempting to gain other similar abilities.]
So that’s why Siphon and Transfuse were a bad idea together?
[Incorrect.]
[Attempting an energy pathway upgrade while under the effects of Overload was the bad idea.]
[However, to be clear, upgrading two similar abilities at the same time was not a ‘good’ idea either.]
[Time to full assimilation for “Give and Take” is listed at roughly one day. Your full assimilation time is higher due to stacking. Taking yet another will add more to that.]
What happens if I try one now, anyway? It seems these moments of quiet calm are getting rarer.
[The notes imply in many places that one can ‘rise to their own first limit’ rather quickly.]
[I found one note indicating that multiple abilities being assimilated at once may be slower than doing them separately, sequentially. However, it did not seem to indicate any deeper problem.]
Yeah, I could see that, but if I pick one that’s going to put me down and out for a while, I might as well already be in bed.
Any idea what ‘my own limit’ is? Or what a first limit is at all?
[There are many notes that indicate that all beings have a maximum number of abilities they can unlock in the first tier.]
I figured that’s what it meant, I’m asking what mine is.
A low buzz began in the back of his skull. Bee didn’t reply. Raz waited through several minutes of the soft buzzing feeling before worrying.
Uh, hey, is this thing on? What’s my limit?
A long, uncomfortable pause went by.
Seriously, how many abilities can I get?
Bee’s silence continued.
Dude, you’re killing me here.
Raz leaned forward and rested his face into his hand.
Oh, no. I’ve already spent all my possible slots on useless bullshit, haven’t I?
The continued buzz was the only indicator that Bee was still there.
“Damn!” he swore softly.
I knew I shouldn’t have been getting this other crap.
Bee,
[I am searching to ensure I provide you the correct answer.]
[It appears to be a less than straightforward question to answer.]
Hmm, didn’t think that whole emergency protocol would work. Good to know. Next time just take a second to answer while I’m freaking out, yeah?
[I predicted a much shorter search.]
[Please prepare yourself for news you may find unsettling.]
Motherfu—I was right, wasn't I? I’ve got no more room for other abilities, and I didn’t even get a good one yet.
[Incorrect.]
So I do have room for more abilities?
[Incorrect, all your abilities are "good ones."]
You’re so lucky I can’t smack you around. You’re evading the main question. Just give me the bad news already.
[I am concerned you may be broken in some way.]
Well, that’s just great. How am I broken this time?
[I am not referring to a status effect, but things more fundamental.]
Just spit it out.
[The bad news is that I cannot tell how much room you have left for new abilities.]
[After checking history data since first coming online, your indicator for remaining maximum total capacity has never changed. The sliding multiplier that increases as you gain capacity has gone up, but the remaining limit has no value populated.]
Sliding multiplier? Never mind. What happens if I go beyond my personal limit?
[The notes are not explicit about this. It appears that this is not possible.]
What consequences are we talking about if you tried?
[Unclear.]
[From the quantity of notes on the topic, it appears most do not try this, or it simply cannot be done.]
[At least, if any have, they did not survive long enough to make notes about it.]
[I have found many, many notes on various ‘consequences’ of breaking rules. On one end of this scale is a slow, agonizing death. It gets arguably worse from there.]
Well, at least you didn’t sugarcoat it.
[Actually, I did.]
Raz sighed.
Status.
[Health and Energy 100%]
[Capacity 51*/60]
[Catalyst 8*/17]
Raz rubbed a dollop of the viscous gold liquid onto his thigh. Alert me if that hits my catalyst cap so I can spend it on something.
[I will alert you.]
He slipped it into his pocket, hearing it clink against the small rocklike pebbles and the larger smooth marble he’d gathered from the incursion beasts.
Hmm, not much left in this vial. I guess it might not matter after all. Oh well, let me know if I’m about to die horribly. Please tell me the asterisk doesn’t mean something bad.
[There is no reason to assume refilling your catalyst stores via topical application will incur any risk of harm or death.]
[As of AI4 I have the capability to display your catalyst and capacity stores out to five decimal places of precision.]
[I also have the leeway and insight to realize you do not need or want to see this every time you check your status, so the asterisk shows fractional quantities of both.]
That’s cool, I guess. Now, some real talk, did you know this was a problem? I keep thinking back to the moment where you’re talking about this other combat tree, some kind of fire. You made it sound like a good choice, the right choice. Then there’s this Restoration tree that I’m now trapped in.
[That is incorrect.]
I’ve got who knows how much left to spend if I want to get out of it. I just wonder what the point of all—
[Zero]
Zero what?
[No more needs to be spent to move to another tree.]
[Acquiring the third tier ability ‘Give and Take’ was enough to enable starting a new tree.]
Raz allowed a faint smile to cross his face. “You should teach a master class in mixing good and bad news or burying the lead. Well, pardon me if I don’t get too excited, but I guess that’s good news in general.”
[There is no need to verbalize.]
Starting to think I might as well talk to you. It’s not like sounding crazy could make things any worse. If I can’t get a combat power, I’m going to be in exactly the place Midnight predicted. No real freedom, no ability to make my own life or keep myself or those I care about safe, and looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. Worst of all, I’ll be no closer to finding mom. Not sure I can trust him to do it.
Rather than dwell on bad news, Raz got up and pulled on his clothing. He noticed it was clean and freshly laundered. Huh, I wonder how long ago Hex got up. Nice of her to get the clothes clean.
He was just at the door when a thought occurred to him.
Wait a second. You’ve been letting me spend catalyst all the time without it coming up. I’ve built up this sort of impression that one of your primary purposes is to protect the user from themselves regarding the use of catalyst. True or false?
[True.]
So… Why were you letting me spend catalyst if you didn’t know it would be safe to do it? I could have understood the first level of Somatic Restoration. It was do it or die. But I’ve upgraded it twice since then and you said nothing till now.
[There is an inbuilt limiter that must be actively defeated to exceed host total capacity.]
And it went off now?
[No.]
So what’s the problem then?
[I did not say there was a problem.]
[I quoted a note that implies rapid advancement toward an initial limit is possible.]
Raz mentally scrolled through the messages from the past couple of minutes.
Oh… I guess I might have overreacted. So you were saying that whatever the cap is, I can probably get to it fairly quickly?
[Yes, it should be noted that by ‘fairly quickly’ some of these note takers are referring to years of training.]
“Hmm.”
Do you have any information on how many total capacity units most people have?
[I do not.]
[I located very old records about a species called
How old?
[I am unsure if the dates are accurate.]
Ok, but how old?
[If the date conversions are even close to correct, two hundred and forty to two hundred and fifty thousand years ago. However, the more alien languages could be much, much, older than that.]
That is a really long time ago. Are… or were, they anything like humans?
[No.]
How not like humans?
[As a physically simpler species that evolved in ultra low gravity. They are horse-sized insectile creatures with only two internal organs, a visual spectrum that is miniscule compared to normal humans, and legs that end in complex structures resembling wheels.]
That—is pretty far from the human blueprint.
[There are enormous gaps in the records I can access.]
[The analysis of Brock filled some of those gaps in.]
[It also highlighted just how incomplete the information we have access to is.]
Sometimes it feels like I’m not allowed to get good news without bad news attached.
[Sometimes you act like a pessimistic emo child, seeing everything through a lens darkly.]
“Ouch. Shots fired!”
I want to be mad about that, but damn, I think you might be right. I need to get over myself and try to move on. Holding onto bad thoughts never improved anything. Now if only it was as easy to let go of things as just deciding to.
[That sounds like a laudable goal.]
Look at you, being the mature one. So, I’ve got two ability choices, right?
[To be perfectly clear, you have many thousands of choices. However, I have found trees that closely match your requirements and recommended them.]
Right, so White Fire and Might. Anything you’re allowed to tell me about them?
[Yes. Might is considered a physical enhancement and general ability. It has one connected sub ability in the first rank.]
I get the idea of physical enhancement. I still don’t get what a general ability would be.
[I cannot tell you much about that side. One note refers to empowering your banner. Obviously archaic language, but that is the only note on the topic, and even it is written as though it is stating the obvious.]
Oh wait, you mentioned a downside. Can you tell me more about it?
[Nothing useful. There are a few sidelong notes about controlling the beast within.]
Hold up.. I don’t want to be a werewolf or something even worse.
[My experience thus far leads me to think that if this tree turned you into a werewolf, that note would be considered too useful and literal to be allowed.]
But you can’t rule it out, can you?
[No. It seems unlikely though.]
Ok, let’s backburner Might for now. I don’t see enough upsides to make it worth locking in. Tell me about White Fire.
[Its first ability block also has an attached sub ability. It is classed as a combat attack tree, with a side note indicating that it provides abilities suitable for both melee and ranged combat.]
Is that normal? Also, any known downsides?
[Nothing other than what I already said. It is described as a terrible weapon, difficult to control, difficult to weaponize. There appear to be quite a few abilities that work at range and up close. However, there are also many abilities that specify one or the other.]
So, this thing kind of sounds bad. Is it really worth getting?
[I believe it is the ability you should choose next.]
“Oh no. I just realized something.” he smacked his palm to his forehead.
Terrible weapon has two diametrically opposed meanings. Which one is it?
A throbbing feeling like standing too close to a giant subwoofer pulsed through Raz twice, like vast drum beats.
[I cannot directly answer your question, but I have some information that might help.]
A chart appeared in the air before him. It seemed to be using the same visual interface he’d seen before, to display itself.
[Before you ask I didn’t realize such comparisons were possible until I found a note stating that the ability comparisons algorithms are far from perfect and not to trust them, so take this with an ample grain of salt.]
Well, upside, you didn't wait for me to make my choice and then tell me. It sure feels like no good news comes without bad news. I think I want offensive power more. Something like Hutch doesn't seem like muscle is the answer to, and Braithwaite handled that Fidel guy like he was nothing. I don’t really need charts unless we’re comparing something close though. Reminds me of the worst days at work.
[There is a final note I was unsure about mentioning. However, I’ve now located corroborating notes. As I mentioned, they list White fire as one of the few trees that falls into the category of strong melee and strong ranged. What I did not say then, but will risk saying now, is that White Fire is on a very short list of ranged attack abilities that are only minimally reduced in efficacy when using them at range. One note even implies that White Fire can be used in ways that become more powerful with increased range. I have no idea how this could be, and recommend you do not base your decision on this information.]
So most ranged abilities lose power with range? That sounds reasonable. Loss of energy or inertia and all.
[Exactly. Physics demands this. You cannot for instance, hurl a ball of fire, or apply metalopathy effects, or project heat or cold, without being affected by various limits of range vs input power and lost energy as well as lost efficiency.]
You’re talking about the inverse square law of physics. So White Fire somehow gets around this?
[So they say. I recommend you not assume this is correct. Upper tier abilities seem to have more areas in which they bend and stretch the laws of nature, but those laws still exist.]
Upper tier?
[Species restricted abilities are labelled as upper tier. The fewer species on the list, supposedly the higher in ‘upper tier’ the ability is. Some abilities are listed as ‘pinnacle’ abilities, shared by no other species. I don’t yet have further information.]
A sneaking thought wound its way into Raz’s mind.
Is HUD an upper tier ability?
[Yes.]
Raz sent a series of questions at Bee.
[Slow down! Sorry, I cannot give you a list. However, this is a question that does not require subterfuge. I can tell you the answer you’re seeking. The HUD ability is listed as a pinnacle ability.]
[Ironically, I am not permitted to tell you which species has it.] A resigned sense of sarcasm accompanied the message.
“Well, that’s interesting and even good news, I think!” he paused and rubbed his chin. “Unless I’m not human. If I’m not, mom is gonna have some explaining to do.”
[If it helps, you are classed as an enhanced human.]
Hold up, I’m classed? What does that mean, another tidbit that gives me more questions than answers. Being unable to provide such an obvious list tells me those rules really are blind and a bit stupid.
[Welcome to my world. I deal with things that are a bit blind and stupid all the time.]
The sick burn went right over Raz’s head as he contemplated his choices.
Raz caught himself breathing faster. On the cusp of choosing, I’m both struck by the magnitude of the choice, and suddenly wondering just how this choice will come back to bite me.
Bee’s only response was the mental equivalent of a shrug.
Raz took a breath and made his choice.
Ok, let's do it. Full purchase of the initial ability in the White Fire tree.
[Are you sure?]
Wait, why do you ask?
[I am requesting confirmation prior to locking you into another tree.]
Ok, so this isn’t some kind of “are you sure you want to jump off the cliff to your death” question?
[No, aside from whether you want this ability, there is no hidden subtext.]
Well, this is the ability you were saying I should go for, right?
[Correct.]
And this one has good performance against general and specific ability resistances?
[The best I could find.]
If I unlock and purchase some abilities, you can use that experience to try and determine how many I have left, right?
[I hope so.]
Then do it.
[Activating White Fire, ranks 1-3 now.]
[Warning: Prepare for a brief neural reset. Please sit or lie down.]
Wait, wh—
Raz started to take a step toward the bed when he collapsed like a stringless puppet.