Malwine had somewhat internalized the need for this even before it became a reality.
You have chosen to plant a Foresight II
Which Class category would you like to make {Foresight} the Root of?
Available Class categories:
,If you use a Root as Mana Source for any abilities beyond the Class it was planted for, its effectiveness will be limited to 25% of what it would be within its Class.
(!) Skill effect present: [Enforced Longevity]
It had to be done. There had been no other way.
Because while this Affinity may have very well been at the root of all her problems, there was no denying something—it meshed terribly well with a Class category geared towards keeping herself safe from threats, not unlike how {Legacy} fell almost perfectly in line with her
Mana Sources
Root
Acclimation
Control
Legacy ∞
50
25
Foresight II
0
0
Available
-
-
Locked
-
-
Locked
-
-
Locked
-
-
Locked
-
-
Other Affinities: Ore III
She tried to convince herself she could have gone for {Ore}, but… two of her
Skills would now be focused on keeping herself as safe as possible. Perhaps all three if she counted [Home Sweet Home]. Not to mention, [Enforced Longevity]’s interdependence to every category’s attributes, which meant she could rely on for it, even if she’d yet to figure out the details.Her views on the Affinity had changed over the past year, especially with her trials.
If {Foresight} was worth fighting Mythic curses for, it had to be strong.
If—beyond its vague description—it held any sort of predictive power, it would mesh so, so well with her
Class someday.Malwine could only hope she didn’t grow to regret it.
Besides, [Enforced Longevity]’s effects make it so I can just transfer power from one Root to the other just fine.
That had been quite the unexpected boon, and Malwine hadn’t exactly planned around it. But theoretically, she could fuel even [Enforced Longevity] with the once-dreaded Affinity if she wanted to.
It fits—a Legendary Mana Source for a Legendary Skill. Even if it's borrowed from the
Root.As much as she wished to dwell upon it, she still meant to move quickly.
You have attained the Forged Skill [Shieldwork]
What value does power have when it cannot defend you? Channel your mana to create spherical shields anchored to you. These may surround you completely, or protect only part of you. For an increased cost, you may increase the shield's size and range. Shields accrue [Toll] to sustain themselves. Should your [Toll] bear no more, you may burn [Integrity] at your own risk to keep them running as they take damage.
(!) Using this Skill requires the Class to have a Root as Mana Source
Trait: None
Aspect: None
Her initial plan to just willingly burn [Integrity] for it was valid—the thing wasn’t that hard to recover anyway thanks to [Meditation]. She rarely needed it to get things done, so it wouldn’t be a problem to burn it unless she had to use [Implacable].
With a sigh, Malwine moved on to the next and last section.
Under the
Oh, so like the opposite problem to what I had with the
She wanted approximately zero of these. All but one of them were the repetitive hidden bonus type. Malwine had no idea how the category’s options could have ended up being like this. Frankly, all Skills were missing some snarky [Forger] commentary, because who could ever want these things?
Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’ll pass.
The next book awaited her, at least, even if she knew her time with it would be limited. In some ways, her excitement had died down.
The three Skills she had gotten so far would likely be hard to overshadow—especially considering the next book seemed to go over expectations and duties for the imaginary noble lady that’d be reading it.
I pity you, Matilda.
Most of the Skills were just… bad.
It didn’t help that the second book lacked the dramatism that had led her to actually read most of the contents of the first. In this one, she skimmed pages upon pages. It was as disappointing as it was infuriating—after everything that had happened, she might have to leave empty handed, as far as the second book was concerned.
Most of the Skills Malwine saw so far had been lackluster—though if she ever wanted to learn [Dancing], the book sure had that. The same applied to things like [Embroidery]. Sure, a noble lady probably had use for that, but it most definitely wasn't worth a Skill slot for her. Most available Skills suffered from such issues, and a weird amount of them were categorized as
She was starting to wonder how widespread this kind of book was—seeing several of OBeryl’s Skills in it just felt strange. Or had her late great-grandmother had access to the same resources Bernadette did? She’d had various Rare Skills and even Epics, specifically of the type shown in the books.
Then again, OBeryl had been unbalanced herself—that much Malwine was sure of. She didn’t need to recall all the details to know there had been several Commons in there.
Malwine moved on to another book, long past actual reading, and well into the realm of skimming.
This book’s Skills were also terrible, swiftly worsening her mood. Fine, the Skills themselves weren’t that bad, no. They were simply all terrible fits for Malwine. Though the defensive Skills from the first book had painted a good picture for her, she’d once again forgotten these were apparently meant for noble girls.
No offense, Bernie, but these suck.
For example, [Refinement] would probably be useful to someone out there, but to the average person? There were only so many Skill slots to be used, and most of these seemed like they would be a waste for anyone who meant to live a life that would not necessarily be peaceful.
Yes, some of them were more of the Skills OBeryl had, but sentimentality wasn’t going to make her sacrifice potential. Not in this.
Still, both
And the options were not looking good.
She, quite frankly, wished she could voice her displeasure in any meaningful way.
At least glancing at her proper Skills panel helped her gain some perspective on her imbalance, beyond her preexisting willingness to worsen it.
Skills
Locked
Unused Skill Slot (x2)
Locked
Locked
Unused Skill Slot (x2)
Locked
Locked
Unused Skill Slot
Locked
UNUSED
Mental Defense
0
Undeveloped Aspect
Locked
Unused Skill Slot
Locked
UNUSED
Multitasking
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5
Undeveloped Aspect
UNUSED
Shieldwork
0
Undeveloped Aspect
UNUSED
The Plurilingual Psyche
28
Understanding
UNUSED
Home Sweet Home
50
Homeward Roads
Identify
Cool Head on Your Shoulders
50
Expressed Reversal
UNUSED
Unpacifiable
50
Implacable
UNUSED
Learning By Reading
50
Remote Reading
Curator of Fallen Branches {Legacy}: 13/35
Locked
Unused Skill Slot (x2)
Locked
Locked
Unused Skill Slot (x2)
Locked
UNUSED
Enforced Longevity
10
Undeveloped Aspect
Locked
Unused Skill Slot
Locked
UNUSED
The Things We Do For Family
1
Undeveloped Aspect
Locked
Unused Skill Slot
Locked
UNUSED
Meditation
26
Undeveloped Aspect
Blank Panel
Write Anywhere
25
Undeveloped Aspect
UNUSED
Once and Forever
50
Mana Reclaimer
UNUSED
Situational Autopilot
50
True Autopilot
UNUSED
Nosy Old Lady
50
Purpose
UNUSED
Close to my Chest
50
Reveal Nothing
It was something palpable. The weight had shifted—ever so slightly—the moment Malwine added [Shieldwork].
It appeared
was in as much trouble asAnd as odd as it was,
The situation did warn her of something she had mixed feelings about, however. If she was right, ever adding a Trait to [Enforced Longevity] could be a disaster. It wasn’t yet leveled enough to truly be a problem by itself, and while it developing an Aspect could prove unavoidable, she had to play it safe.
Either
orAll Malwine had to go off on was how the categories felt to her, but she doubted there could be a more accurate measure than that. [Shieldwork] had yet to leave its mark, and her Class categories were too dissimilar still.
It pained her to admit it, but Malwine wasn’t the type to deny reality—it was really looking like she wouldn’t find another Skill to snatch from Matilda.
The hour passed all too quickly, and Thekla herself was eager to take Malwine to her room.
Apparently, the adults planned on having a bit of an afterparty—quite rude to use Matilda’s day like that, if Malwine were to say.
Her only real regret was not getting to find that astral projection Skill she wanted—as if she could have ever found that type of thing in such a book in the first place.
----------------------------------------
By the time Thekla dropped her off at her room, Malwine found she was exhausted, though gratefully alone. Without the fresh excitement of her new Skills to distract her, she became uncomfortably aware of just why [Toll] bore that name.
And this is with [Enforced Longevity] in play…
She assumed the matter would have been even worse without her new Legendary Skill.
Still, it was quite the bother. [Meditation] wasn't being as efficient as it should've been, the attempts sluggish. She'd caught a glimpse of what proper mana circulation could be like, and now she had to deal with the opposite side of the spectrum.
[Toll]
271 / 79
Sleep—which would have been the only other ‘quick fix’ she could think of—wouldn't come.
Malwine sighed—it was starting to look like waiting it out would be the only way to fix the [Toll] overflow.
Testing [Shieldwork] seemed like a nice idea to kill time.
Malwine raised a hand, examining her chubby fingers. As much as she tried to treat her desire for any Skill that would give her the option to move around as a joke, it rang true.
She'd come to accept her current status and age, but she found she still resented it. Her time outdoors had brought her some newfound freedom, but that only went so far.
If she didn't have something to focus on, something to do, her mind would wander back to this.
[Shieldwork] allowed her to be selective, sure, but a part of her worried as to how that would feel. If she shielded her hand, would the rest of the shield go through her skin?
Given how [Unpacifiable] failed to warn her of anything, Malwine decided to take that silence as approval.
[Integrity] 975 → 955
A pulse of light came and went, a bubble settling around her closed fist. The sphere and its seemingly uneven surface reminded Malwine of what pictures of the sun looked like.
Within a moment, it grew translucent as its glow ebbed, tinged a dark yet vibrant hue of blueish purple. The color fit {Foresight} just as citrine did {Legacy}.
Then it was gone from her sight.
Malwine could still feel the shield, still knew it was there, but had her skin not still tingled from its presence, she might have wondered where it had gone.
No part of the description had made her expect it would be about invisible shields, but it was probably better this way. There were probably abilities out there that could detect them anyway, but if they only really stood out when cast, she might be able to walk around with an extra layer of protection.
On a whim, Malwine hit the wooden side of her bed.
[Integrity] 955 → 954
Your [Shieldwork] Skill has improved! 0 → 1
One level. She supposed not all could be like [Enforced Longevity]. Perhaps starting with so many maxed Skills had ruined her expectations—with how many of her Skills bottlenecked, getting to 50 on any Skill might be harder than she'd expected.
Don't really have any frame of reference here, Malwine admitted to herself. [Write Anywhere] had lagged behind the rest, but it had leveled.
Maybe she wouldn't encounter that much trouble with her new
Skill until she got to that halfway mark.It was wishful thinking.
Opening and closing her fist didn't make that much of a difference.
[Integrity] 954 → 952
The shield just expanded once, then nothing. The moment her fingers neared it, it chose to adjust rather than let them go through it. The shield became briefly visible again with each adjustment.
Malwine wondered if it would change itself to fit her movements as well, had it been a shield around her entire body.
She'd have to try later, when she had [Toll] to spare. The Skill hadn't seemed that costly to explore so far, though she figured it would likely be harder to sustain should she actually be under attack.
She would have to—
“Pretty.”
Malwine suddenly understood what the ‘nearly jumping out of your skin’ idiom stood for. “Adelheid.”
She dismissed the shield in a rush, but her littlest half-aunt remained sitting on the floor next to Malwine's bed.
When had she even gotten here?
Adelheid gave her a sad look. “Where did the pretty glass go?”
“It's secret,” Malwine sputtered. How could she convince a little kid to not blabber about this? “Bernie would be sad if she found out.”
To her surprise, Adelheid didn't bat an eye at that. “I know.”
Malwine gaped at her. “Oh?”
Her little half-aunt tipped her head. “Mother worries. I don't understand. She gets mad about mine.”
“Yours?”
Adelheid was gone.
Malwine straightened into a seating position, letting her legs dangle off the edge.
The next time she blinked, Adelheid was there.
As if she'd never left.
Malwine took a deep breath, deciding to echo her little aunt's earlier words because actually thinking about this would just be a headache waiting to happen. “Pretty.”
An unspoken tension faded, and Adelheid giggled. “Fun,” her expression fell. “Less pretty. I don't have pretty lights.”
Though Malwine figured she probably wasn't going to get snitched on anytime soon, she wasn't sure what she should say. She settled for: “But it's awesome anyway.”
“Awesome?” Adelheid repeated.
Malwine nodded. All in all, this might have actually been the closest she'd ever gotten to an honest conversation with a member of her family. She was absolutely confused, but for the moment, she didn't have to put that much effort into hiding at least one aspect of herself.
“So, Adelheid,” she continued to insist on just rolling with it, hoping she could learn something—technically, this was a conversation they'd have needed to have eventually anyway. She just hadn't foreseen it would be so soon. “Where'd you learn to do that?”
“Always been that way,” Adelheid nodded sagely. All Malwine could do was continue to stare.
Yet Adelheid had all but confirmed Malwine's suspicions that she was up to something, and as a 3-year-old with Skills herself, she found the idea of a toddler having Skills incredibly suspicious.
She was at a loss—she hadn’t thought this day would come so soon.
“Do you have Affinities?” Malwine decided the conversation had gone on for long enough for her to justify starting to try and steal those. Her little half-aunt had given her quite the scare, so why not?
A look of pure sadness crossed Adelheid’s features. “But they don’t glow.”
Okay…
“What are they called?”
Adelheid shrugged. “One’s missing, and the other one.”
It took Malwine a moment to understand what she might mean. Like, literally {Missing}? {Missing}, and what? Malwine wasn’t even sure why the name of the first one bothered her—Adelheid having any type of Affinity related to hiding or stealth would make perfect sense, but she’d expected it to be more on-the-nose. Then again, I guess there could be a dozen ways to interpret the names of mine.
“What other—”
With a yawn, her little half-aunt was gone again. This time, she did not return.
Malwine couldn’t help but huff. Seriously? You’re going to leave me hanging in here?
Her stares did nothing to change the situation. At last, she sighed.
{Missing}. Knowing its name, Malwine was confident she could steal—
She could inherit it from her perfectly still-living and younger half-aunt.
Nonetheless, the Affinity’s name had her wondering—should she?