Despite my disgust at going anywhere near the remains of the rooster, my trepidation was gone after a single bite.
It was delicious.
[Where can we find more of these? They taste amazing!]
[...You barely survived.]
[It's worth it if they taste like this!]
[Do you really want to get almost eaten every time you meet one of these things? Because - FINALLY!]
Startled, I realize that she's back to her optimistic self at last, and I am surprised to realize I missed it.
[What is it?]
[That rooster generated enough energy for us to unlock casting! It couldn't be better timing!]
[What's so great about that?]
[It means you can extend the void outside of your body! I mean, not much, and the repertoire is really limited, but still! It's a step!]
[...So that's a good thing, right?]
[IT'S AMAZING!]
My antennae perk up. I've learned to be a little dubious when it comes to helpful abilities, partly because they tend to disappear after the first use. This time, Joule seems pretty certain about what she's doing.
[So, how do we use it?]
[Well, my Engineering rank is rock bottom - we haven't been using it for pretty much anything, but we can improve that as we go. Anyway, to summarize: try breathing in and concentrating Void at the air around your mouth.]
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I feel like she just said something really important.
[What engineering rank?]
[No, Engineering. There's a difference.]
[Okay, but what is it?]
She laughs. As usual, it's a weird feeling in my head.
[Did you really think I wouldn't quantify myself? I have an Engineering rank of one, an Allocation rank of two, and an Intellectual rank of six.]
[...That sounds really made up.]
[Of course, it's made up! I made it up! I'm a quantifier, what do you think I do?]
[Okay, fine. Settle down.]
I open my mandibles wide and concentrate void on the area in front of my mouth. I start getting light-headed.
Something starts appearing, a tiny black dot in between my mandibles. I pour more void into it, and it slowly gets bigger. I start losing void at a massive pace, the precious energy I'd just gained disappearing rapidly.
[I'm letting it go!]
[But you could make it more powerful!]
[I'm not using my void on something like this!]
I release the energy, and the ball sputters out of existence. My mandibles hang open, and I collapse from the exhaustion.
Joule starts talking immediately.
[Why did you do that? We could have kept it going!]
[I barely have any energy left! If you don't believe me, check it yourself!]
[We had plenty of - oh, wow. That was using it up like crazy!]
[You think?]
I get back to eating the rooster, frantic to refill my Void.
[Okay. Casting might be helpful at some point, but right now it's worse than useless.]
[Well - that's a little harsh. The spell you just tried involved creating a literal rip in space - an actual void, if you will. The other technique is way more cost-efficient. If I'm quantifying it correctly, that is.]
I'm skeptical, to say the least.
[What is it?]
[It allows you to create a pair of phantom mandibles at a range, and directly connects them with yours.]
[Meaning?]
[Just try it out.]
I eat more of the rooster before I do so, worried about my Void.
[How do I use it?]
[Easy. Picture a pair of mandibles in front of you.]
I look at my mandibles, their shape permanently burned into my brain, and imagine them a little further in front of me.
After a moment, a wispy form appears.
[That's it! You're doing it!]
The form dissipates.
[Wha - why'd you end it?]
[I didn't end it. I think that that's as good as it gets at the moment.]
Joule sighs.
[Sorry for hyping it up so much. I'm used to dealing with the Cosmics, and their powers are pretty much unlimited.]
That sounds like a nice thing to have. I still don't really have a good frame of reference for how dangerous Noah is, and he looks like a teenager.
[Don't worry about it. We'll get more powerful over time until we can even beat Noah!]
[That's literally impossible, but I'm liking that enthusiasm!]