“Any questions?” Atreus’s words cut through her conversation with Gada and brought back to the present.
Seeing none, he nodded. “Alright, to your tasks then.”
While everyone started organizing themselves for their duties, Leta looked around in confusion, attempting to decide on her course of action.
Afra groaned as she got to her feet and gestured for Leta to follow. “Come on, Sparky. Let’s get some food. I’m not your biggest admirer at this moment, but I won’t let you starve wandering around this place.”
Leta snorted. “Most generous of you.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m starving and can literally set this place on fire if I get hangry. Nobody wants that. Afterward, I’ll give you a tour of the place and drop you off with your Mundane friend in the scriptorium.”
“Oh, crap. Vigo.” Leta face palmed, “Yeah, I need to make sure he’s okay.”
“Trust me, he’s having the time of his laugh.” Afra cackled as she headed towards a pair of large wooden doors, “I stopped by earlier, and Huda said he was running around with the energy of a caffeinated toddler. I believe her exact words were, ‘he was as happy as a seagull with a French fry.’”
Chuckling to herself, Leta followed Afra into the main hall and to the central kitchen.
Lunch was a simple affair of slightly dry sandwiches and a selection of fruits on a table in a surprisingly modern kitchen.
Afra helped Leta figure out where everything was, like plates and silverware, explaining that everyone took turns making meals for the group, but it was everyone’s responsibility to wash their plates.
The place where they ate was large - too large for the number of Chosen that were supposed to be with the Sect. Four tables of different lengths stood parallel in the main dining area and were surrounded by mismatched chairs.
Koa, Hayato, Allister, and young Samuel sat at one table, silently devouring their meals with gusto.
The table lurched upward as they approached, and a mass of black fur stuck its head out from under the tablecloth.
“Oy! Bonnie, ya daft beast,” Allister grunted as the massive wolf emerged from beneath the table to stick its snout in Leta’s hip, its tail wagging.
“Holy…” Leta let out a sharp breath as she tried to calm her racing heart at the sudden appearance of such a large animal.
“Aye. Meet Bonnie Lass, my familiar and all-around pain in my arse.” Allister groaned in disgust but smirked as he ruffled the wolf’s ears like an overgrown puppy. “She’s just hoping you’ll accidentally drop something. Pay her no mind.”
Leta grinned, watching Samuel surreptitiously slide bits of sandwich beneath the table to the wolf.
Seeing that lunch was a silent event, Leta didn’t bother making conversation.
She had something else to talk to anyway.
‘Gada?’
[Yes, Host?]
‘How are my nanite numbers doing after last night?’
[The Host currently has 3,203,584 unassigned nanites in storage.]
‘Damn, that’s a lot.’ Leta mentally confided in her sandwich. She hadn’t hit max capacity, but the potential of so many nanites was tempting.
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She would have no trouble acquiring skills like Herald of the Storm but reminded herself that getting too many skills at once could have severe consequences for her health.
‘Let’s start small. Show me my base stats.’
[Height: 1.67 meters
Weight: 52 kilograms
Bone Density: +1.2
Power: 13
Speed: 12
Stamina: 12
Reflexes: 14
Constitution: 12
Mental Fortitude: 17]
‘Huh. I got taller again.’ Leta’s head tilted as she thought about that. ‘Weird, but okay. So, to recap, give me the skills that I currently have. Just the names and levels - I already know what they do.’
[Current Skill software installed:
Tongues Of The Many
Sacrificial Touch
Filter Feeder: Level One
Eyes Of The Night Hunter
Ears Of The Judge
Electrical Misconduct
Magician’s Hand
Storm Glass
Gremlin’s Trick
Command: Level One
Thunder Strike]
Leta frowned. ‘Wait a minute. I remember Gremlin’s Trick being an option the previous night, and then I got the skill after fixing the helicopter light on the roof. Why did I obtain the skill at no cost?’
[The Host can acquire specific skills without downloading software by implementing and mastering that skill’s essential functions through their methods. For example, by utilizing both Electrical Misconduct and the Magician’s Hand, the Host could learn the skill of Storm Glass. It should be noted that the Host can only acquire skills if the prerequisite skills needed have already been learned.]
Leta nodded to herself. That at least felt easy to follow.
‘Got it. So, theoretically, I could download a combat skill for something like throwing daggers, then start practicing using telekinesis to throw them. Getting that right would allow me to throw sharp objects with my mind.’
[Theoretically, it is possible. Remember, downloaded skills give the Host a fundamental understanding and application. It does not give muscle memory.]
‘That’s fair. Just because I know how to use a crayon doesn’t make me the next Da Vinci. Okay, let’s start with that list of available skills I could pick from.’
The sudden tidal wave of skill titles and descriptions was so overwhelming that her body recoiled from the sudden onslaught.
Leta’s reaction didn’t go unnoticed. Allister frowned at her strained expression and the way she narrowed her eyes.
“You all right there?”
“Yeah,” Leta groaned in pain, “Something in my eye.”
‘Jeez! Turn it off.’ She blinked as her vision cleared instantly. ‘What was all that?’
[Recently acquired skills have opened pathways to several new software options. If the Host is interested in a particular set of software, a filtered list can be provided.]
‘Holy crap, I’ve seen terms and conditions that were shorter!’ How would she make a decision when there was a novel’s worth of information to sift through?
‘I think I’m going about this the wrong way. Let’s do the diagnostic first, and then we’ll see where we need to go from there.’
[Based on calculations, the Host received the most trauma during the last fight from piercing damage. To effectively mitigate this form of trauma, it is recommended that the Host increase constitution, convert skeletal structures of ribs and fists to Atlanite, and acquire the available skill, Gladiator’s Resistance.]
Leta paused in peeling her orange. Her hive mind suggesting skills for her was a new one. Maybe because she had so many options this time around?
‘What else?’
[The Host has survived seventy-two consecutive hours and is fully assimilated to the nanites. The Host can now create ports in certain parts of the body using Physical Characteristic Reconstruction and the skill Summon Nanite. These small ports would allow unassigned nanites to temporarily be assigned rolls outside the Host’s body, as long as they remain in contact with the Host.]
Leta nearly choked in shock, quickly taking a drink of her water as the table gave her a confused look.
“Maybe you should concentrate on eating.” Hayato said pointedly, “You seem to be very distracted.”
“I’m fine.” Her eyes watered as she coughed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Once she had calmed down, she took a deep breath and asked, “Are there any other bathrooms besides the massive one with the showers?”
The group exchanged bewildered glances. Koa finally slowly said, “That’s the only one.”
“Fabulous. Please excuse me.” Leta took her plate of food to the kitchen and followed the instructions Afra had given her earlier on where to dispose of things before gracefully walking out of the room as the eyes of the group trailed her footsteps.
A very quiet Samuel asked, “Is she okay?”
Just as the door shut behind her, she could hear Allister sigh, “Who knows?”