~~~~~~~~~~~
Seeing the destruction of Heaven, blasphemers sought to place themselves on high, and sought to sully the pure with their profane magics. They were all fools.
We knew not of the forces we meddled in beyond our understanding. In that briefest of eternities, the Gods themselves stared down upon us. Many were driven mad, others fell into a murderous rage. Kings fell to their knees at the majesty of it all and despaired. Nations crumbled as Truth was revealed. Only by the grace of His Sight were we freed from the curse brought upon ourselves through ignorance, though we remain burdened with the weight of our transgressions.
One day, the gods will welcome us back with open arms. Their chosen will light the way through their works of destruction and bring low the unbelievers. Until then, it is both our duty and our privilege to share the Truth with the world though they may scorn us. For truly, the persecuted shall be rewarded.
-Canticles of Dave, Chapter 3, Verses 8-11
~~~~~~~~~~~
Checking the security of the doorway one more time after the last howl, I was satisfied and returned to my resting position. “Skills,” My vision filled as the list appeared before me.
***
Current Skills:
None
Available Skills:
Martial-
Endurance (1) - Resist fatigue and boost healing rate from all sources by 20%
Sword (1) - Increase damage done with swords by 10%
Throwing Weapons (1) - Accuracy of thrown weapons increased by 15% and damage by 5%
Shield (1) - Durability of equipped shields increased by 30% Damage Resistance of shields increased by 2.
Piercing Strike (1) - A forceful attack that ignores 50% of armor. Activation Cost: 5 SP, 8 second cool down.
Technical-
Rune Crafting (1) - Construct and apply basic runes to equipment. SP cost depends on rune.
Magitech Interface (1) - Activate Class 1 magitech devices for 50% SP
Efficient Conductor (1) - Reduce SP costs by 5% for all actions.
SP Channeling (1) - Efficacy of elemental energy runes increased by 20%
Esoteric-
Unbroken Will (1) - Gain immunity to [Stun] and [Fear] afflictions for 45 seconds. Activation Cost: 20 SP, 12 hour cool down.
Scholar (1) - 10% increased critical chance vs studied enemies / 10% damage resistance vs unknowns
Thaumaturge (1) - 10% chance to receive a random beneficial effect on each successful attack.
Conversion Matrix (1) - Sacrifice 20% max HP and SP to increase all damage done by 30% for 15 seconds.
Siphon (1) - T̸͍̭͉̐h̸̡͉̖̙͗̎̂̾͝ë̴̜̠ ̸̬͍̂̓͐c̴̗͔͉͚̈́̈́̿͝a̴͈͈͂k̵̡͐͛̄͝ë̸̮̼͔́͆̾̈́ ̶̖͚̇͝į̵̛̥̱̼͕̈́̒̇s̸̫͈̮͔̈̓ͅ ̵̤̇́͆͛a̸̤̮̼̥̺͂͒͌ ̶̦͇̝̰̼͆l̴̤̱͘l̵̨̗͓̎͆̈̂i̴͚̞͎̐̾͆̀̃è̷͕̰͖͇͝
***
“What is the deal with that last skill?”
“Siphon? I don’t know. Something is wrong with it. All the other skills are things I know...or things I assume you know. Maybe if we focus on it alone?”
“[Endurance], [Sword], [Shield], [Piercing Strike]? Those are all things I learned. I’m guessing [Unbroken Will] fits me too,” Something indeed wasn’t right about it, but it felt like the description was hiding from me. A sense of... questioning? “Yes?”
***
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***
“Owwww... that hurt.”
“Yeah, but look! The Skill description is clear now.”
***
Siphon (1) - Heal 5% max HP with your next successful attack. Passive Ability: 8 second cool down.
***
“One of these things is not like the others.”
“One of these things is broken as fuck.”
“Everything else sounds reasonable in comparison. I do not know how or why your magic technology stuff works but it fits together. I’m no expert at these things, but I’ve never heard of anything that would heal a person from battle.”
“Me either... healing skills were rare and carefully guarded. Those with them operate in clinics, and where’s the intent? It just happens, with no cost?”
“If we are in one of these games of the gods, this must be the gift they have given us to guide our way.”
“I’m still not convinced that this can’t be explained using science... but I agree that we can ill afford to ignore the uniqueness of this ability. Before making any decisions though we need to decide what we are going to accomplish.”
“Survive? Return home?”
“I don’t know if it’s even possible to return. There’s every possibility that your world looks like what happened to mine. I can feel that this body is not as strong as I used to be. My colleagues had researched bodily transference tech but it was a highly restricted field due to the potential for complications like...well like this,” I motioned at my dusky ’human’ body. “Though such concerns don’t seem as important at this point. There’s also the task of access to sophisticated enough equipment to create another portal.”
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“Surely one of the neighboring cities has the tools you need.”
“Those tools were the cumulative work of my entire department for decades. Proprietary and experimental hardware seen nowhere else in Azur. Even if I remembered how they were made, which I do not, it would be a monumental cost. It seems unlikely that we’d find many willing to invest in a technology that has proven to have such disastrous impact on its host city.”
“I can see how that might be difficult. But we must first survive if we are to break free. This System has given us the tools to do so. We should take my abilities, so that I can keep us alive long enough to get that power.”
“You know how difficult it was to operate that lighter? The one that drained 7 SP to start the fire right there. That was child’s play compared to what I can do. Could do. I’m a researcher and not a warrior, but I know how powerful magitech is in skilled hands.”
“Hmm... only a fool would turn down an advantage for comfort of the known. But I’m not willing to risk my life by throwing away everything I’ve trained for.”
“[Siphon] is too good to ignore.”
“I agree.” It really was too good. Who had heard of healing by attacking? Some Gauls I’d encountered painted their bodies and attacked with a furious rage, but even their fervor would drain as they bled into the icy snow. All men grew weary over the course of battle, not stronger.
“A compromise then? We have four skill points left. Two for you and two for me? Neither of us gets everything we want right away, but we get the minimum to best use our abilities.”
“[Throwing Weapons] and [Piercing Strike].”
“... I wasn’t really expecting you to decide that quickly. I’m still not sure myself as to what I want. If we’re going to work together, can you share why those two?”
“This is a land where I don’t know what will come next. The best way to survive is to not fight. If I must fight, I’d prefer to do it from where I cannot be attacked.”
“We only have two of those throwing spear things through.”
“Pila. Which can be retrieved and used again. Far superior to arrows in all but range. I’ve seen more than one pierce a shield and halfway through the man behind it. No man or beast fights well with a stomach wound or spear stuck through their leg.”
“I... see. My combat experience is... limited.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning... that I got into a fight with one of the girls in university after she hid a scorpion in my backpack.”
“Assassination attempt by a rival? You must have been more important than I thought. I will lend more credence to your talk of this magitech. You must have been a great scholar and inventor to warrant such a cowardly foe to try and take you out.”
“I... sure,” Where to even begin with that tangent. At least maybe now he’d start seeing the benefits of magitech over using pitchforks and torches to club people over the head.
“We can discuss our battle histories later if it’s too lengthy to get into right now.”
“Okay!” I jumped onto that out from the conversation like a drowning ant to a passing leaf. “In that case, I’m leaning towards [Magitech Interface] and [Rune Crafting]. [Scholar] would be great for survival, but if we are in a position where that 10% makes the difference, I think I’d prefer to just avoid that situation all together. Be careful when choosing our battles. [Conversion Matrix] looks like some amazing burst damage, but the cost is so high. With [Siphon], it would help offset the health costs, but until we find out what works I want to stay as hale and hearty as possible.”
“Fair. What do you want to do for stat points? I’m not familiar with them.”
“It depends on how they are allocated in this System. If it’s still my world, I think we should get more as we level up. I know old adventurers could take hits that would have killed a younger one. How much of that is due to this System, I don’t know. I do know that as I grew as a researcher, the depth of my SP seemed to increase. I can’t say if it was because of Skills or a flat increase in how much I had to work with. A System like this would have made my research so much more precise.”
“If they don’t increase, then perhaps we should stay balanced? See if things change after we manage to level?”
“That makes sense to me. Go for 10 in everything then spend the other 5 once we see if that’s all there is to work with.”
I mentally selected my chosen stats and skills, Dansin’s as well. The feeling of being in complete control of my choices has not changed even though I’m making decisions that I wouldn’t otherwise choose or understand. Perhaps it is some odd side effect of our combined existence. Either way, if I’m to survive, I must be strong. Accepting the bizarre as fact is becoming scarily easy at this point. Before I have time to ruminate further on these thoughts, darkness takes me as my eyes shut for the first time in this strange land.
***
I’m abruptly awakened by the hammering of a bird on a tree in the distance. Attempting to roll over, I find that my left arm had fallen asleep beneath me. A numb tingling shot down my arm as I worked it back into operation.
“Oww my arm hurts.”
“Me too... oh yeah. Forgot about that. Umm, good morning?”
“Morning, and yeah. It’s kinda difficult to accept this as my life. I was kinda hoping that it was all a bad dream. It wasn’t, was it?”
“Unless it’s a dream that neither of us can wake from.”
“Still not ruling that out, but for the time being I suggest that we work within the framework of what we know. We are still heading toward Oxdale, might get there by sundown if we make haste. Perhaps someone there will have a better idea of what happened at Eshix. Let’s get there first and get our bearings.” Packing up my gear, I also stash away the lighter rune. Maybe it is theft, but I don’t need to make justifications when I’m stuck in someone else’s body sharing in their consciousness. Also it would be good practice working on building up my SP manipulation abilities again.
“No time like the present then, let’s see where we are at. Status Menu.”
***
Fabius Dansin
Level 1
100/100 HP
100/100 SP
Progress to next level: 4/100 XP
Statistics
Body: 10
Mind: 10
Soul: 10
ALERT- You here 5 unspent stat points
Skills
Throwing Weapons (1) - Accuracy of thrown weapons increased by 15% and damage by 5%
Piercing Strike (1) - A forceful attack that ignores 50% of armor. Activation Cost: 5 SP, 8 second cool down.
Rune Crafting (1) - Construct and apply basic runes to equipment. SP cost depends on rune.
Magitech Interface (1) - Activate Class 1 magitech devices for 50% SP
Siphon (1) - Heal 5% max HP with your next successful attack. Passive Ability: 8 second cool down.
Perks
Twinned Souls: +2 skill points per level, +30% resistance to mind altering conditions.
Eyes of the Void: Increased capability to discern the true nature of things, may unlock unique skill evolutions.
***
“Think that’s pretty good for a level 1 nobody!”
“Except that I worked for eight years to reach my position in the Legion.”
“And I spent six after my degree to get my own lab. There are new rules in play and in case you haven’t noticed, we are wasting time. Let’s move out.”
After only a day, the other voice in my head was starting to make more sense. I’d found what looked to be some kind of currency in a hidden compartment under the floorboards where I’d moved the furniture away. Checking all my belongings, including the few items filched from the shack, I set out eastward and leave the river road behind.
Overgrown briars stretched across the road, sharp thorns digging into any exposed flesh they found. My leathers provided decent protection but even they failed to stop every thorn. Trudging through the initial patch, I found myself in a more open area of older growth woods. Recalling the howls from the night before, I kept a wary eye out for movement in the distance.
Luckily, the journey continued without further delay and only minimal briar patches to press through. The canopy overhead was dense enough in most places that it shaded out the worst of the growth. A small patch of berries caught my eye off to one side.
“Huskberries? Oh they are just perfectly ripe!”
My initial concerns of eating an unknown fruit were swept aside and I grabbed a handful of the plump, glossy yellow balls the size of a thumbnail. Tossing one in my mouth and chewing, it popped open with a crisp sweet juice. A few small soft seeds provided a token distraction before they too gave way, tartness contrasting delightfully with the sugary flesh.
Thirty minutes later, the bush was picked clean and my stomach informed me of its displeasure. A few bites of hardtack to provide some substance to my impromptu breakfast helped settle my stomach. The extra space in my ration satchel provided was, of course, repurposed to hold more of the huskberries.
Taking a quick swing of water to wash it all down, I set out again on the path toward civilization.
***
“So tell me, how do you provide running water to cities without magitech pumps to provide flow and pressure?”
“Aqueducts, just dam up a river above the city and redirect it to flow through channels. Flow within the system is controlled by a series of sluice gates.”
“Fascinating. How do you deal with the sanitation then?”
“More of the same. Direct the flow downstream, use water to push everything through. Clean cities have less disease, and we are working to bring this across the empire.”
“I’m actually impressed. You manage all that just using the force of gravity. Sure it’s not as efficient as a modern system, but the sheer scale of construction that would be required. And all by hand?”
“We use tools, but none of those horseless carriages or other ’motors’ or ’pumps’ how you describe. I can’t see how you could make a water wheel turn backwards against a stream, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Just really difficult.”
And so we continued in idle chat along the way. Sharing bits and pieces of our homes as we knew them. The road being so empty and no sight of other travelers put me on edge, it was good to have a conversation partner. Discipline only worked up to a certain point before you would start jumping at shadows and I was still trying to recover from the shock of all that had happened. The wonders of this world as she told them were unlike anything I’d even dreamed of before. Maybe there was even a way to send me home again.
***
The sun rose to its peak in the sky, though the worst effects were muted. I could still feel my clothes sticking to me as a swarm of gnats circled closer.
“First thing I’m doing when we get to town is buying some Cephlyx and sticking a frost rune on this chest piece. Don’t know how your world can even function without basic climate control.”
“Sefa-whatix?”
“Cephlyx. It’s used to create mutable pathways for SP flow and channel the expression of it. Based on the construct, it can create ever more intricate and diverse effects from the energy stored within your body. Think of it as a kind of magical ink.”
“Sounds expensive.”
“It can be for lab grade, but a simple work like what I have in mind it should be cheap. Any alchemist worth their wares will have at least a few lower grade options in stock.”
“We have a few coins from the shack, think it’s enough?”
“Hard to tell depending on inflation. The coins themselves look different than I know, but the denominations are the same. With sixty-three guilder, we can expect a night in a decent bed and full meal. Maybe with five or so left over? A 10mL vial of low grade Cephlyx should be less than that.”
“Do those rune things work on the bugs too?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Still won’t complain about cooling it down during the heat of the day. I’m chafing all up-”
“I’m well aware.”
“Oh, right. Is it awkward that we have a... you know...”
“A penis? And testicles? They’re not the first I’ve ever seen. The design is quite handy for travel through.”
“Oh, so how do I-”
“Don’t ask questions that you don’t want to hear the answer to.”
“Right. That’s probably a good call.”
“Yes it is.”