Once the jobo was lying limp in the vines, Edge willed [Extraction] to activate. His chains came slithering out from his wrists and went flying toward the bound beast, eager to hunt and feed.
When they appeared, he noticed that the living links were faster, longer, and stronger than before, just like the System had promised. Since their prey was unconscious and in no shape to put up a fight, the chains were able to penetrate the jobo’s core without resistance, granting him a vision of the interior.
Edge found himself inside a shady grove with a creek running through the middle. The sun was just starting to set, and the air was nice and cool. It was a quiet place, full of tasty plants to eat and soft spots to stretch out and sleep.
He wondered what made each core appear so different from one another. For beasts at least, he was beginning to suspect that the strange space was an idealized form of their favorite place. The spot where they felt happy and safe. It made what he was doing feel a bit more sinister, but it wasn’t going to stop him from acquiring his next skill.
On that note, there were three of them in there, just like he’d been expecting. One was a pair of legs that was bursting with energy, bouncing around like crazy. That must be leap. What about the other two? Edge looked around to see what else was on the menu.
One of the skills took the form of a pair of fists, with one placed in front of the other. The leading appendage was small and fast, while the second was massive by comparison. That has to be combination strike. A rapid jab sets up the heavy hit that follows.
The final option took the form of taloned feet. There was a second set superimposed over the first, like there were two sets of weapons occupying the same physical space. That must be the power it just acquired. I’m not sure what it’s called. It seemed to multiply the power of a strike. It looks like feet, but the jobo was able to use the skill on its fists and tail too. It must be fairly flexible with its target.
The third skill must have been rarer than the other two, because it was the one that his chains wanted most. Since Edge suspected that it was the best of the bunch, he didn’t try to resist their pull. He watched with eager anticipation as the black links converged upon the doubled talons like a pair of serpents.
Since it wasn’t particularly large or agile, the chains had no problem trapping their prey. They wrapped tight around the blurry blades and then pulled them out of the jobo’s core, tossing the skill into his mouth before sliding back into his wrists with a satisfied flourish.
The jobo opened its eyes and let out a horrified scream, as if its very soul was shattering. Edge steeled himself and hardened his heart, eating the skill while covering his ears. I’m sorry, but I’m not stopping. It will all be over soon.
Despite his intentions, the skill didn’t intend to go down without a fight. While it had been easy enough to remove, he had to struggle to digest it.
It scratched and stabbed as his teeth went to work, shredding his tongue and cheeks. Each slice it made opened two in his flesh. Since he knew what to expect this time around, Edge just spat out the blood and kept on chomping, letting regeneration heal the damage he took.
The taste was weird, more of an impression than a flavor. A sense of one becoming two and then one again. Of a single blow packing twice the punch. Of being in more than one place at the same time. Oddly enough, the flavor was doubled too, the aftertaste just as strong as the initial sensation.
It hurt. But it wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as eating elemental blade, so Edge kept right on chewing. After breaking the talons to pieces, the skill went limp. It slid down his throat without further resistance.
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When it entered his core, he was granted a sense of what the skill did. It’s another uncommon after all. Badass. He grinned as his mouth finished healing, because this ability was even better than he’d been hoping. The skill straight out doubled the power of the paired attack, while spreading it over a wider area. Effectively landing two, slightly staggered blows for the price of one.
All of that was in line with his expectations, but the skill’s other property was even more versatile than he’d thought. Edge could use it on any attack that he chose, both parts of his body and weapons held in his hands, including skills like his iceblade.
It seemed to be fairly mana intensive. But it could add considerable lethality to a given blow, while making it harder to dodge, and he was thrilled to have it in his collection.
You have extracted the skill: Double strike (uncommon, rank 1).
Digestion is complete.
Would you like to slot double strike now?
When Edge confirmed his intentions, the skill was drawn into his garden and linked to his core. Once it was slotted, the feet changed shape, becoming a doubled blade that was identical to the knife he was holding. Neat, although I’m not quite sure what to make of that.
With that, he was drawn back into his body. The rapid change of location wasn’t quite as jarring this time around. I think that I’m starting to get used to this.
The jobo let out an agonized whimper, moaning in horror despite its heavy concussion. Its suffering made him feel vaguely guilty. But since the creature would have been happy to tear him to pieces, and Edge was planning to end its life in another few seconds, he didn’t feel too bad.
Extraction. He sent his chains back in, only to discover that the jobo’s core had changed dramatically over the last handful of heartbeats. What had been paradise only moments before, was now something from out of a fever dream. The trees had lost their leaves and looked barren and diseased. The rivers ran thick with putrid fluid and the scent of blood hung heavy in the air.
Stealing a skill must damage a core on a fundamental level, he realized. It was Edge’s first time witnessing the aftermath of Skill-Eater’s ultimate ability from the inside. Since the jobo’s skills seemed unaffected by these changes, he had no reason to do anything other than claim his prize.
This time, he directed his chains to go for leap, which precipitated a chase as the living links surged after the agile skill. They might not have been able to catch it if they weren’t faster than before. But with their newfound power after reaching stage-one, they were able to close the distance. After chasing the skill around the core, they managed to wrap around it, stripping it of leverage and then dragging it out.
On this occasion, everything inside between his jaws went how Edge had expected. The skill bounced around like a jackrabbit on steroids, pressing hard against his tongue and slamming into the roof of his mouth. It took him several tries to chomp it between his teeth. After he got in a few good bites, leap shattered and stopped moving, letting him swallow without resistance.
It tasted like the wind flying through his hair. That feeling you get when you hang weightless in the air, before falling back down to the ground. Of going and going, then going some more.
When it entered his core, there weren’t any surprises this time around. As its name suggested, this skill sent mana into his legs to let him unleash a powerful jump.
You have extracted the skill: Leap (common, rank 1).
Digestion is complete.
Would you like to slot leap now?
Yes please. When the process was finished, the bestial feet shimmered, turning into a pair that looked just like his own. They went leaping around his garden, playing with double strike and the other skills that called Edge’s core home. Satisfied that everything was proceeding as it should, he moved back into his body and got ready for round three.
He had planned to claim the jobo’s final skill, even if he wasn’t sure that he wanted to keep it. But when he snapped back into his skin, the beast let out a blood-curdling wail, eyes wide with horror and foaming at the mouth.
Before he could send his chains out for a third time, the jobo spasmed and then went still, the life fading from its eyes. Apparently, in addition to being an awful experience, [Extraction] was harming its victims after all. To the extent that a second invasion had been enough to finish off the wounded creature.
While he hadn’t been able to steal a third skill from the same quarry, Edge had claimed two good ones and picked up some valuable information along the way. And his gains didn’t stop there.
After he took each of his new skills for a quick test drive, it was time to harvest what he could from the jobo’s corpse, adding some credits to his gains for the day.