It had been an interesting week of everyone getting ready for the big battle. For most there wasn't a lot to do. They had upgraded what they needed and could afford while buying whatever they could with what was left, and that was mostly it. There was a certain amount of playing around with new abilities and refining the use of old ones, but there was little more most people could do to prepare. A few of us, myself included, tried to explore the surrounding area to familiarize ourselves with the opportunities and to find anything worth salvaging, but there was very little to find that wasn't already on my map.

So instead most people just took these days to rest and to make friends. More and more people ended up near the inner circle of the fire every night, though the dynamic seemed to then separate everyone into the louder and the more conversational sides of the fire. The issue with learning other people's magic turned out to be easier than I thought. Just bring up the cool things people could do and they would show off and talk about it forever if given the chance. This opened up a lot of new options for most of us, but only for magical skills and with some weird restrictions. Apparently part of the points were blocked? Nobody had any clue why. I managed to get around some of the restrictions with the skill I got from Sotang, the energy transformation one, but only that skill. It was the first one I got, though, so maybe there is another unexplained limit in place?

Not everyone wanted to show off and talk about their magic, the Telekinesis guy in our group being a prime and vocal example of someone who didn't want to share, but most of the others did once they realized that they could get more options out of it. The revelation came partway through 'Dark Depths' very loud demonstrations of his abilities when someone who was unfortunately too close to be able to ignore the tirade noticed something new was available. Everyone eventually 'figured out' that people could get access to a new ability if they listened intently when someone talked about how they used their ability while showing it off. I knew that they you didn't need to listen intently and that the conversation could have anything to do with the magic in general instead of having to be so strict on the topic, but their way was good enough. There was a lot of overlap between people with several of the elements and strangely nobody with the 'earth' element or anything like it. There was also a guy with healing, but it was weak and used too much energy for him to really demonstrate it. Also nobody wanted to hurt themselves over and over to see it happen and looked at me funny when I tried to volunteer. In addition there didn't seem to be anyone with one of those weird mind altering classes like what I had been offered alongside my current class.

In the end pretty much the entire group got access to fire, water, wind, electricity, light, and energy transmutation magic. Magic people alternately had access to either Magic Sense or Magic Manipulation, but nobody could figure out how to demonstrate seeing or what came across as feeling magic.

The supers were less interested in sharing what made them special. Not that they didn't try, but all that you got from one person flying and talking about how great it was to fly was a bit of morose jealousy out of Mack. The other techies barely even tried. Donnie could make some simple weapons and traps to hand out, for some reason the more complicated ones disappeared when he tried, but that was about it. Mack did find me a chain to add to my costume but I ended up not using it because it made too much noise when I walked.

Maybe there is a story about how people realized that they could trade around magic, I mean beyond: 'hey, something new just appeared on my status,' followed by 'I think someone was talking about how they use their magic while using it, lets try doing the same,' and then concluded by 'Hey, that worked, lets all do it.' But if I can describe an entire interaction in one admittedly long sentence than is it really worth an entire longwinded description?

My gear hadn't changed too much from the first fight, beyond my new knife. There were a few new embellishments added to everything to make it look more sci-fi and my original clothes were a bit worse for wear, but I otherwise looked the same except for the knife. The knife, however, was worth every credit I spent on it.

The issue with picking a weapon was that I needed something as economical as possible while still getting through as many forms of defense as possible. Ranged weapons were great and could counter any number of defenses: from range to speed to the simple fact that if I needed to get into mele range than there was a good chance they would kill me first. The problem, however, was that if they had literally any passive defenses, from armor to shields to whatever other BS this universe could imagine, then my ranged weapon would be all but useless. I could get one that would change the beam setting to get past some defenses, but first I would need to know the right setting for each barrier. I could get one that was powerful enough to blast past some defenses, but at my price range even that would be limited. And the more range I wanted it to have, at least with any sort of accuracy, the worse the power output of the weapon would be. And that is just with energy weapons, I could forget about having enough credits for anything with worthwhile ammunition.

Mele weapons solved most of those problems, at least with passive defenses. The coherent energy blade of my weapon was enough to blow through a lot of barriers all on its own, a tradeoff achieved by having the blade's energy charge up over several seconds. It could have a specialized built-in scanner to figure out how to adjust the beam, made more powerful because it only had to take in the feedback of the blade impacting the barrier rather than having to scan defenses that were specifically designed to be hard to directly analyze. Unlike a gun, whose projectile would be set when it was fired, the blade's settings could be changed in real-time to give almost instantaneous results. If I could get a clean and well aimed attack against someone with no more than a hundred levels on me than there was a good chance that the knife could get through their defenses and score a kill. This was absolutely not the case with the cheaper guns.

The tradeoff that mele weapons made, at least point for point, was that they required more skill to use. Of course if I were to remove the point restriction from the equation than mele weapons would top out, at least in terms of diminishing returns, long before ranged weapons do; but I was on a budget and so points mattered. Range would make up for a multitude of shortcomings, in terms of points and stats, but a sneaky backstab could do that far more economically. Who cares if the enemy has a faster trigger finger than me, has more firepower than me, or can literally dodge bullets? My answer: Backstab. For any almost any active defenses, so long as they don't see me coming, backstab works.

Was this a good idea? A bad idea? A crazy idea? Those were completely the wrong questions. The real question was 'Do I have a better idea for how to deal with the members of a literal actual army?' The answer was unfortunate, but obvious.

I had 26,861 credits after buying the senses upgrade but the knife itself cost 20,000 of those. Fortunately I could bind it to my character for free or I never would have had enough for everything. I then spent 6,000 on magic, getting the ability to transform electricity to magic, create electricity with magic, and create water with magic. The electricity generation would allow me to recharge the knife, skimping on an internal generator to give it a battery and a little extra power, and all it would cost me was some fatigue during my downtime. The electricity to magic transmutation would allow me to power my magic without significantly fatiguing myself in the moment, pulling from the extra batteries I had when I needed to better spend my stamina on not dying. That wasn't significant now, but it might be in the future.

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Finally the ability to create water was pure utility aimed at the group. While I had my self-filling water bottle, only two other people in the group had any way of getting water during the battle. Most of the people had been getting water from the market but the restriction on entering the market during the actual test would literally leave them high and dry. The other two who could do it were Donnie, who had made a gadget that could do the job slowly, and Dark Depths, who was himself. Once people's water bottles ran out it would get bad. Call it pride in wanting to be the person people valued as though their life depended on it, or group interest in helping everyone survive, or just practicality in knowing that the better our group fought back the more likely the army would take its pound of flesh somewhere else; the one point expenditure was worth it.

835 credits were spent on a generator to help cut down on rechange times for my stuff, lots of food, and toiletries. You don't really think about how important those things are until you have to really rough it. This left me with a grand total of only 26 credits. Not enough to buy anything worthwhile that could actually help.

As the time counted down I took my place as lookout at the top of the highest standing building and reviewed my status one last time before the timer hit zero.

Aliases/callsigns: None

Body: 38-40

Speed: 40-40

Mind: 40-40

Recovery: 40-40

Path: Technology

Level: 4

Classes: Computer Operator

Credits: 37

Soulbound: 16/20

4pt Computer

4pt Electronic Transmitter

4pt Limited Quantum Interference Interface

4pt Harmonic Disrupting Multiphasic Scanning Dagger

A generalized memory storage and computational device, essentially a robot brain. Can be optimized for size, power, or other parameters. (Class Option)

A catch all for most types of computerized control and interface devices for use with a sufficiently powerful computer. (Class Option)

A specific computer interface and control device unlocked through the higher category and discovery. Allows connection with other electronically based devices designed for interface capabilities, with higher levels making hostile intrusion easier and increasing the range of the interface (Class Option)

A specific computer interface device unlocked through the higher category and discovery. Allows the analysis of nearby objects molecular composition with higher levels increasing the range and the clarity of complex esoteric chemicals and chemical reactions. (Class Option)

A specific computer interface device unlocked through the higher category and discovery. Allows the analysis of nearby biological entities; including the genetic, physiological, and other less obvious aspects of the entity. Higher levels give more range, clarity, and allow for gathering more esoteric biological data types. (Class Option)

A specific computer interface device unlocked through the higher category and discovery. Allows the analysis of nearby abstract generated reality spaces, with higher levels giving more range, clarity, and chance to bypass hostile barriers to data acquisition. (Class Option)

A specific computer control and interface device unlocked through the higher category and discovery. Allows connection with other abstract reality generating based devices regardless of their design for interface capabilities, with higher levels making connection more possible and less prone to unreality bleedover. (Class Option)

A specific limited range quantum interface and influence device unlocked through the higher category and discovery. Higher levels increase the power and the range of useful signals that can be interacted with. (Class Option)

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Abilities: 20/20

4pt Hammer Space

16pt Enhanced Senses

A safe area held within the soul that allows the transfer of items into and out of that subdimension. Can be bought up to the level that allows for the transport of a small spacecraft. (Class Option)

A Brain and nervous system upgrade that allow for mental control of any electronics implanted while allowing those electronics to have a degree of influence on the biological. (Class Option)

Gives the user superior senses, including the mental upgrades required to process the greater levels of information. Allows the user to actively utilize often unconscious senses, such as touch's heat sense, to gain information about the surroundings that might otherwise be ignored. (Discovered Option)

A body that has been genetically optimized for the Arcane Arts can now be yours, allowing for greater levels of Magical or Psionic use with less physical strain! (Discovered Option)

The very fabric of your soul has grasped more than most mortals could even imagine! This allows the student to do greater feats with no greater strain, greatly improving one's maximum power! Perhaps, in time, your power may grow to mythic heights! (Discovered Option)

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Skills: 6/20

4pt Electrical Energy to Magic Transmutation

1pt Create Water

1pt Generate Electricity

Gives the user the skills to create operating systems to both control a computer and to allow the computer to control other things. Level effects the complexity of the control and the range of how complex the thing is that can be controlled. (Class Option)

Gives the skills to create items that a computer can use to control other things. Level determines the complexity of what can be a controlled target. (Class Option)

The Power of the Arcane and mundane collide a proof of how the Magical triumphs as it molds the world into whatever nature it desires! (Discovered Option)

The ebb and flow of liquids and their power are yours to command as you show any and all obstacles the power of the deep! (Discovered Option) (Limited from 16Pt version during the Tutorial)

Energy in its purest form, the very essence of reality, can be wielded or denied as you desire! (Discovered Option) (Limited from 16Pt version during the Tutorial)

That which reaches beyond the bounds of Time and Space, the very symbol of knowledge and the first grasps beyond it, is yours to direct at a whim. (Discovered Option) (Limited from 16Pt version during the Tutorial)

The Ephemerality of air is both the substance of the empty space between stars and the pressure that holds that emptiness at bay! It is now, also, yours to command! (Discovered Option) (Limited from 16Pt version during the Tutorial)

Energy in its most Physical manifestation, that which destroys all and yet gives birth to stars, becomes your tool to use as the plaything that it is! (Discovered Option) (Limited from two 4Pt versions during the Tutorial)