I walked to the Data Forge, lugging my precarious bundle. No sign of goons waiting to jump me. However, unknown to me at the time, two small eyes, shining in the dark, tracked me as I crossed through the perpetual night of the city.
I passed under the crossed red blacksmith hammers and into the churning structure of the Forge. I then approached the forging station in the center of the room and scanned my code. The heavy metal door sealed me in. Blasts of hot steam vented on either side as the strange machinery labored unabated. The panel lit up, listing my options.
[DATA FORGE
CONVERT
FORGE
FUSE
EXPORT
TRANSMUTE]
I selected each option on the screen to access the more detailed descriptions of each action.
[DATA FORGE
CONVERT (Crystals into Value)
FORGE
* ITEMS (from materials)
* CARDS (from card fragments)
FUSE
* SKILLS (fuse data cards onto eligible skill slots)
* EQUIPMENT (fuse data cards onto eligible weapons or armor)
EXPORT (transform one type of item, weapon, or armor to another type)
TRANSMUTE (transform the cosmetic appearance of an item, weapon, or armor)]
I knew my rare Clurichaun data card was valuable. So valuable that a member of the elite Round Table wanted it. Or at least it conferred a useful skill. I did not know how long it would be before I might stumble across another intact data card of this frequency.
I materialized the card in my free hand and concentrated on the details.
[Data Card: Clurichaun
Card Type: Skill
Frequency: Rare
Skill Details: Project an illusory image of yourself anywhere within 30 feet. Illusion lasts 30 seconds. Skill takes 30 seconds to recharge after the image fades. Interacting with the image will not dispel it.
Skill Cost: 30 Energy
Size: 10 metabytes]
It was a ‘skill’ card, meaning I could Fuse it onto an open skill slot here at the Data Forge. Camel had said that Volunteers had four skill slots as a default. I had no way of accessing or viewing anything about skill slots in my menu or any of my submenus at present. I suppose I had to take that on faith.
Was there a way to unfuse a skill? Or would this be a permanent change? Maybe such an option only appeared on the Forge’s menu if you had skills, and I was skill-less. This particular skill required 30 Energy to use. I only had 10. That means I would need to first convert Crystals into Value, assign that Value to Energy, and then Fuse the skill card.
I recalled from my previous visit to the Data Forge that increasing from 10 to 20 in any Statistical category would cost 10 Value, but increasing from 20 to 30 would cost 20 Value, and so on. I would need to convert 30 Crystals and assign that Value to reach 30 Energy.
I was using 229 out of 230 metabytes of storage (250 including my soft cap increase). Increasing Energy by 20 value would take up 249 out of 250 max storage. Every change, every bit of data added to myself required space. Unfortunately, I would need to increase my storage to handle any additional upgrades. I had forgotten that Value converted directly to storage without a stepped increase, in contrast to my core stats. Additionally, after confirming through the Forge menu, I saw it would cost 10 Crystals to Fuse the data card.
So 40 Crystals total to fuse and use the skill. A steep cost. Still, this skill might save my life. And the increased Energy would be useful for any other skills I acquired in the future.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I decided to convert 90 Crystals to Value and reserve 10 to Fuse the skill card. Forging additional items with my crafting materials could wait until next pay day.
I selected the Convert option and one of the podiums sprouting from the forging station began glowing as before.
[Deposit Crystals for Conversion]
I unwrapped my bundle and carefully counted out 90 Crystals into the indentation, watching them clink and glimmer as they settled.
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[Begin Conversion process?]
Yes.
The Crystals vibrated and hummed, cracking and spilling light as the machinery of the Forge worked its electronic alchemy. The digitized double-helix sculpture in the middle of the forging station poured forth blinding rays until at last beautiful motes of potential circling above the central pedestal shot into me.
I was filled with charge and warmed to the core. I checked my menu to confirm what I already knew.
[UNASSIGNED VALUE: 90]
I transferred 30 Value to increase my total Energy from 10 to 30.
This was a sensation hard to describe. Although I did not experience hunger or thirst in this world, sense memories of whatever previous life I must have lived remained at the edges of my consciousness. I could recall what it meant to feel hungry, and alternately full. I could recall what it meant to feel thirsty, and alternately satiated. I could even remember what it felt like to burn with other types of unfulfilled desires, and the soul-deep feeling of resolution after satisfying those desires.
Having unspent Energy was like that. An instinctual sensuality to be expended. A need to be expressed. A sort of heady biochemical stamina oscillating within my center. Having possessed 10 Energy since my awakening in The Collective, I realized that feeling had always been there, lingering in the background. The sudden boost amplified that tingling. Perhaps it would again fade into the background with prolonged familiarity.
Next, I accessed the Fuse option on the panel, followed by the Skill suboption.
[Insert a Data Card in the indicated depository]
One of the station’s branching devices glowed. I placed the data card on the podium and watched it hover there, slowly rotating in place.
[Rare Data Card - Clurichaun (Skill) detected]
[Deposit Crystals for Fusing]
I poured the final 10 Crystals onto the other glowing receptacle. Then, I dematerialized the promotional t-shirt and re-equipped it, making sure it was layered beneath my ballistic vest.
Two white handprint patterns appeared on the surface of the third podium of the clover-like station, indicating where to rest my palms. Great. The last time I placed my hands on something like this it triggered an unspeakably excruciating experience. However, I did as prompted.
[Begin Fusing process?]
My body is ready.
The palms of my hands glowed white hot, spreading up through my wrists and forearms. It burned, as if my arms were submerged in scalding water, but was not accompanied by the same queasy sensation I experienced during the body modification surgery.
I watched as the data card dissolved into quantum foam. The Crystals were consumed by the machine. A wispy, purple effervescence shrouded my body. Illusory vapor drifted across my skin, pooling and swirling until it sucked into my solar plexus. The haunting image of the fae creature’s visage flashed in my mind’s eye for an instant.
I let out an involuntary gasp.
[Skill Fusing successful.
Clurichaun skill fused to open skill slot.
1 / 4 skill slots assigned.]
As if unlocking a new part of my mind, I could suddenly visualize four cubes within me. They were arrayed like a cross, or, alternatively, an X across heretofore unknown power centers. I closed my eyes, concentrating on shuffling and rearranging these invisible cubes hanging on some other plane of my being. Three of the boxes were empty, charcoal gray and dim. One possessed the power of the data card I had absorbed. A power I could now summon and use through a sheer act of will.
I opened my menu and saw a brand new category listed beneath my Statistics.
[SKILLS
* Clurichaun
* {empty}
* {empty}
* {empty}]
I wanted to practice using this new skill. But I knew I could only replenish spent Energy by resting during a Cycle change or using an applicable consumable, of which I had none. Skill practice would be time consuming and resource draining. I thought of the infinite ammunition available at the Armory’s shooting range. Did something equivalent to that exist for testing out skills? Something to look into.
For now, I still had 60 unassigned Value. I needed to decide which Statistical categories to boost. Increasing a stat from 10 to 20 would cost 10 Value, but increasing from 20 to 30 would cost 20, and so on. Or I could sink it all into expanding my storage.
I checked my current Stats:
[STATISTICS
* ATTACK
* * STRENGTH - 20
* * ACCURACY - 10
* DEFENSE
* * ESSENCE - 20
* * RESISTANCE - 10
* ABILITY
* * ADEPTNESS - 10
* * ENERGY - 30
* MOVEMENT
* * SPEED - 20
* * AGILITY - 10
* PROCESSING
* * PERCEPTION - 10
* * PERSUASION - 10
* * PROTOCOL - 10
* * PROBABILITY - 10]
MEMORY
* STORAGE
* * 249 / 230 (250)
I reflected on my accumulated knowledge related to these obtuse categories. I knew that Strength modified my use of melee weapons, that Accuracy modified my use of ranged weapons, and that both together modified my use of thrown weapons. There might even be Strength or Accuracy requirements for using certain weapons.
I knew that Essence was more or less the life force of my avatar. Resistance was a sort of ingrown defensive layer or hardiness, similar to the defense output ratings of my armor. But did it modify the use of my current armor in the same way strength and accuracy modified damage output? I also believed Resistance to have a protective quality against certain negative status ailments.
Energy was the resource I needed to spend to be able to use my fused skills. Adeptness modified my use of those skills. But how? Would I be able to have an improved use of my Clurichaun skill with a higher Adeptness score? There might also be Adeptness requirements for using certain skills, as I had already encountered Protocol requirements elsewhere.
Speed was self-explanatory. Agility had to do with reflexes and range of motion. I also recalled that use of traps, deployable items, or other types of devices would be modified by a combination of a Movement stat and a Processing stat, depending on the item itself.
Finally, there was Perception, Persuasion, Protocol, and Probability. All important in their own ways. Ah, I was starting to get a headache thinking about all these things.