I want this Skill. I focus on the "Known method's of acquirement" section.
* Hold ten times one's own volume in one’s stomach with the intent of storing it, not eating it. (How this was found out is beyond me)
This would probably work if I used 100 of my [Clone]'s to eat random stuff off the forest floor with the intent of storing it.
* Eat a hundred times one’s own mass with the intent of storing it within a minute. (we tried to do this by eating something with the intent of storing it, letting it be digested, then eating another thing with the intent of storing it, gradually adding up to a hundred times one’s own mass. It didn’t work.)
This one is time sensitive, and I'm not in a position to try and cheat by eating a super dense object, so this'll be the backup method if the first one doesn't work. Somehow.
* Use one’s own stomach to store an object that weighs as much as them for 10 months without the object being damaged. (We discovered this one because somebody accidentally ate a Bone Penny, couldn't digest it, and gained the Skill because of it.)
This method is instantly out. I want the Skill now, not in ten months. I send out a mental message to all my other [Clone]'s about the first method, and I begin eating random rocks off the floor. It's gross, but I've done and been subjected to worse. A small shudder makes it's way up my spine. So much worse.
I open my soul book to watch for any changes and notice something strange.
Name: [War]
Level: 4
Age: [17]
Race: Human?
Mana : 3305/5464 (6248)
Mana Regen per hour: 11.4 (774.4)
Minds: 335
Clones: 109/110
Free Stat Points: 0
Stats: [Strength]: 76 [Agility]: 76 [Constitution]: 76 [Willpower]: 71 [Intelligence]: 88 [Awareness]: 88
Skills: [Multimind lv 4] [Cloning lv 4] [Stealth lv 4] [Slaughter lv 1]
Status Effects: Depression([Willpower] -18) Perfect Specimen(+5 [Str][Agi][Con] per level)
When did one of my [Clone]'s die? Why wasn't I immediately aware that one of my [Clone]'s died? I close my eyes and, using my four minds, I feel out my Skills. [Cloning] seems fine, but something's wrong with [Multimind]. It takes me a second to feel out what's wrong, but once I do, I feel like an idiot.
[Multimind] was never meant to be used in the way I'm using it. It's meant to be used within a single body, all collectively experiencing the same thing. I've put my minds in different bodies, and they're experiencing different things as a result, leading them to change in different ways. There's an easy way to fix this, but if I hadn't caught it early it could've lead to some [Clone]'s being wildly different from others, and maybe even rebelling.
I reach into the Skill, feeling around until I find the metaphysical muscle that'll fix my problem. I find it after a few seconds of feeling around with my (Mind? Minds? Soul?) and flex it, causing the memories of every single [Clone] to join into a single, shared pool that updates every second.
I felt the Skill effect snap into place, like a puzzle piece that had been missing. The change Ripples out to my other [Clone]'s, causing me to notice that the minds from the dead [Clone] had simply moved to another body instead of dying. Viewing the last memories of my [Clone], I couldn't figure out what killed me.
Whatever it was sent my body flying with a blade, but for the life of me I can't figure out what. It doesn't look like something natural, but I've never encountered or even heard of something that looks like it's made of fabric.
The group of [Clone]'s I was heading towards has changed direction, heading somewhere else. Don't want whatever that was to find me again. In an entirely separate stream of thought, I got the Skill!
Skills: [Multimind lv 4] [Cloning lv 4] [Stealth lv 4] [Slaughter lv 1] [Spatial stomach lv 1]
I was then subjected to the extremely uncomfortable sensation of growing an entire stomach in a different direction than reality. In 110 different bodies. Then all the separate stomachs came together to form one large stomach made out of space itself.
The first thing I did with my new Skill was figure out how to open the portal to the [Spatial Stomach]. It required flexing a muscle I'm 100% sure I didn't have a minute ago, so it took me a minute.
I then shoved my remaining six silver pennies into my mouth, the portal already open. [How to acquire Skills] followed shortly after, disappearing into the darkness of my mouth.
The portal is a pitch black, perfectly flat surface in the middle of my mouth. As a test, I opened the portal in two separate [Clone]'s mouths. Then I stuck the arm of a different [Clone] through one of the portals. I had to open my jaws further than I think they're supposed to open, but It worked just as I had hoped, and the arm of one [Clone] came out of anther [Clone]'s mouth.
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It looks really weird, on both ends, but that's fine.
I pull my arm back out, then open a portal in my main body's mouth. I shove my arm back in, utilizing my enhanced speed, and it bursts out of my mouth. I grab [The Big Book of Weird and Wacky Skills] and pull it into the forest, where one of my [Clone]'s begins reading it, guarded by ten other [Clone]'s.
Now the receptionist is really glaring at me.
****At the clothing store****
I walk into the store nonchalantly, purposefully slowing down my movements to match normal people. I'm sure the higher level someone is the more they have to adjust stuff like their speed and strength for everyday life. Wait, how strong am I actually? I know my strength stat says 76, but how strong is that really?
I'll figure it out later. Right now I have a task to finish. The store's interior is made out of mahogany, with the ceiling being made out of Black Void, yet somehow still keeping the store sufficiently light up.
Black Void is a kind of rock usually found deep underground, and I've heard that it's actually pretty cheap for what it is. Maybe, once my rent-a-[Clone] business gets going I could afford some for myself. I probably need a better name than rent-a-[Clone].
Food for thought.
I stop at the front desk and ask reads nametag Joe where I can find adventure grade clothing.
"Isle seven and on, third row back. You're not gonna find anything in your size though, so I'd suggest a custom order."
"Oh. Okay, where can I get a custom order then?"
"Here, I'll give you his address." Moving with the kind of speed and grace you don't see from non-awakened, he pulls out a scrap of paper and writes down a string of numbers and letters. He then politely hands it to me, the bored expression never leaving his face.
I take the slip of paper, then look him dead in the eyes and ask;
"What's an address?"
Something die's inside of his eye's.
"An address is a code to help locate where someone lives, usually their home."
"How do I use an address?"
*After a brief explanation on how addresses work*
"Thanks Joe!" I say as I walk out of the store. Joe had given me a general direction to search, so I find this direction and begin navigating the streets. I pay attention to the numbers by the houses, using them to help narrow down where it could be. Eventually I find it. Sandwiched between two slightly bigger houses stands the humblest little cottage I've ever seen.
The only thing that stands out about it is a rocking chair bigger than me sitting on the front porch. Whoever lives here must be huge! I walk up to the door, careful not to step on any of the flowers.
"Knock" I knock on the door, which is surprisingly sturdy.
"Coming!" Wait a second... I recognize that voice!
"Hey there, how can I- Jay?"
"Big sword man?!"
He takes a second to process my words before busting out in laughter. His laughter rattles the windows and nearby pedestrians wince. He gets control of himself relatively quickly.
"Big sword man?! Really? That's how you think of me?"
"Yes."
My frank admittance get's him laughing again. It's starting to hurt my ears.
"Malcolm. My name is Malcolm. Got that little man?"
"Sure."
"Great, now why are you at my house?"
"I was directed here by Joe for a custom order."
"Oh? Need adventure grade clothes size miniscule?" I narrow my eye's menacingly.
"Yes. I need-" 110*5 200*5=1000 "a thousand of the exact same outfit."
"...Let's discuss this inside." He moves to the side and I move inside. As I step inside I feel myself cross some sort of invisible barrier. It feels familiar somehow, the feeling tugging at the back of my mind.
"This way." Malcolm leads me to a door roughly in the middle of the house and opens it. When I try to look at it, my gaze slides off it to somewhere else. A spell of some kind? The door opens to reveal a staircase down into the earth. It's well lit, thread covering the walls and hanging from the ceiling.
I follow Malcolm down the strange tunnel until it opens up into a massive room absolutely COVERED in threads of different thickness, colors, lengths, and textures. The threads form mesmerizing patterns on the walls, with not a single knot in sight.
"Okay, stand here for a second." He points to a spot covered in hanging threads.
"Under there?" I ask.
"Yeah. It makes measuring faster." I shrug and step in. By some miracle I don't immediately get tangled up, but then the threads come to life and start wrapping me up.
"Hold still! You're making it harder to measure your limbs."
I relent in my struggle. This body is only a [Clone] after all. The strings remain for a minute longer, before releasing their grip on me. I step out of the trap, my expression unchanged.
"Sorry for not warning you, it slipped my mind. You seem fine though."
"Mhm. How long is it going to take to finish?"
"Well, what kind of outfit do you want?"
"Plain T-shirt with a hood, normal pants with a forgettable color. I don't want to stand out." The more forgettable I am, the easier it is to erase myself from other's minds. Or at least hide myself.
"What color T-shirt?"
****In the bookstore****
I look out through the window at the people moving about, pointedly ignoring the (Figurative) daggers being stabbed into the back of my head. I also delve into my memories, looking for the most common shirt color.
****In Malcolm's Workshop****
"Grey. Light grey for the shirt, Darker grey for the pants. Underpants can be whatever." He nods. Then the room come's to life. Multicolored threads part to reveal passages, from which bundles of Light and dark grey cloth stream in. The bundles unravel and flow together in specific patterns, the multicolored thread limbs wield scissors and other colored threads, weaving together to create an outfit.
Within moment's the first outfit is finished.
"Okay, try that on real quick."
I nod, my eye's wide with amazement. I knew that people with high level Skills could accomplish some impressive feats, but seeing it in person was something else. As I switch outfits, Malcolm quirks an eyebrow and turns away. Strange.
The outfit doesn't itch or stink, and it fit's me perfectly.
"That'll be 50 Bronze per outfit." I blink.
"That much?"
"You get half price because you're half size. Which means the full 1000 outfits will cost you 5 Silver. Don't look at me like that, that's adventure grade material you're wearing. It's not combat gear by any means, but it won't tear off if you move at your full speed." I don't question how he knows my top speed. I just reach into my mouth and pull out 5 of my remaining 6 Silver.
With a bit of hesitation, he takes it. Then the room sprang to life again, with the ceiling rising in height and all the bundles unraveled. Then they began to weave to together in a mesmerizing display of both skill and Skill.
I'm gonna need to learn how to do laundry...