Since we were going in a different direction than the Duchess’ men, we had to fight several drones along the way. I first tried to take control of them as I had with the robots from the last facility, however, that failed.
With the AI still active in this facility there, I found the basic commands I could send overridden in moments. My Item Attunement power just wasn’t designed for the high-level control that would be required to contest them like that.
Instead, I focused on destroying them with the same odd wrenching motion that I had used during the core fight. This worked, allowing me to take them down with minimal difficulty on our side.
This also provided Elana with wrecks that were minimally damaged, at least on the outside. I still didn’t entirely know what I was doing to the robots, hopefully, it wouldn’t be so bad that they were unusable.
I was still planning on asking the Duchess if we could have the other robots from the facility, but this at least got Elana something to study if I failed in that.
With the few drones we encountered easily dispatched, we were soon standing before the door to the ritual chamber. Since most of the enemy’s forces appeared to be deployed elsewhere, likely to defend the core, Linnea and Elana elected to stay outside during the process.
Opening the door easily, I walked inside and sighed in relief to find that the room was just like the other two. I still harbored worry that one of them would be for a different ability, however, it looked like that hadn’t happened this time at least.
Wasting no time, I strode over to the throne and settled down on it. Moments later, I was injected by it for the third time as the ritual process began.
Like my last upgrade, the strange alien substance flowed along the same patterns as before, adding to them as it went. This time, however, there was an odd hesitancy about the process.
In places, the substance simply hovered pausing in its movements as if waiting for input. Confused by the phenomenon, I focused my senses inward to gather as much information as I could.
What I found was a surprise, somehow I could sense two distinct patterns of energy waiting to be formed. While faint, both were present as if projected as some kind of preview of what could be.
One was the direct upgrade that I had been expecting. I felt it would push my ability to the next tier, though I still wasn’t entirely sure what that was. It was the other pattern that surprised me.
That pattern didn’t feel any stronger than what I currently had, however, it exuded a feeling of versatility and expansion. It felt almost like a new ability, one with a far broader range of usage than Item Attunement.
What I didn’t find was any clue as to why the process was different this time. All I could do was speculate. Perhaps this is always a choice at Journeymen? I mused as I searched for anything else useful.
A choice to further your studies or graduate as it were? Or perhaps it’s because of how I’ve been pushing the ability to work with robots. This could be an option presented because of that.
Whatever the cause, the choice was here now, and I had to make it. With no more information showing up to my senses, I could only try to make it on the potential merits of each.
The power upgrade was the easiest to consider, it would likely boost the damage of my empowered attacks higher and reduce their cost. This would be a great boon in fights, allowing me to finish them faster and do more per day without draining my reserves.
The other option was more nebulous, only giving me that hint of expanded versatility. The sensible option would probably be to just go for the straight power-up, however, I found myself hesitant to do so.
I couldn't get the idea out of my head that this might be an option due to pushing my power recently. If that was the case and it gave me a modification related to how I was trying to interact with robots, then it could be a game changer.
If I could keep something like that worker robot we’d taken from the previous facility around, then I could seriously improve my firepower and carrying capacity. It could help me in ways a straight power improvement couldn’t and it was a dream I just couldn’t let go of.
I hope I’m not making a mistake here, I thought as I focused on the new pattern. Before my senses, the alien substance began reworking the entire ability, forming a new and far more complicated pattern from it.
Though I had little perception of time during the process, it felt longer than usual before the pattern was complete and energy flowed into it from the room. By the time everything was complete, I felt exhausted and beyond nervous to view the system pop-ups.
Taking a deep breath, I forced my eyes open to see what was waiting for me.
Trait Modified
You have used an Arkathian Ritual chamber of the same type as your initial ability to perform a modification. Item Attunement(Journeyman) has become Technokinesis(Journeyman)
Technokinesis(Journeyman)
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
A Greater Psionic Ability focused on the manipulation of technology. A user of this power is able to attune to technical systems to empower, modify, relocate, control and repair them through an exercise of will and the expenditure of energy.
Invalid Skill detected
Your Item Attunement skill is no longer valid due to you lacking the required per-requisite. Would you like to transfer the skill levels to a different class skill?
Wow, I thought as I read through the prompts. Technokinesis sounded amazing, and I was now very glad that I had chosen this path. Now that I was reading the skill description, it felt like this was the reason the facilities had been set up with the Item Attunement chambers.
They were probably just training to get this ability, which would match extremely well with their apparent usage as hidden hangers. I’d only found small workshops in each of the facilities, this would explain why I never found larger ones designed to work on spaceships.
I accepted the prompt, asking me to re-select my Item Attunement skill, and selected Technokinesis to move the levels over to. It was nice that I was able to do that, and I felt like it meant that modifying abilities like this was important to the Psion class. A quick glance showed that it gave the same five percent increase in power per level as before,
It was clearly something that had been planned for with how smooth the changeover had been. I was also curious about it being called a greater ability and when I checked my character sheet, I found it was now in a different section from my other abilities.
While Skin Hardening and Ethereal Roots were still under Psionic Abilities, Technokinesis was under Great Psionic abilities. I wonder if that’s the end, I thought with a grin at the possibilities. Or is there an even higher level? Grand Psionic abilities maybe?
A horrible thought struck me, and I tried attuning to my gun and teleporting it to my hand. I sighed with relief as it appeared, before doing the same with my knife. Both worked as before, showing me I had lost none of my old functionality with this change.
Pulling my attention away, I checked my watch before jumping out of the chair when I saw that over five hours had passed. That was a lot longer than either of the two times and I’d left my companions and likely the Duchess waiting.
I sent a quick message off to the palace explaining that we were just finishing up in the facility before I jogged out of the room to meet up with Linnea and Elana. They were both settled down on sleeping mats outside and I winced at the worry on Linnea’s face before it smoothed out at seeing me.
After a quick apology for the wait, I excitedly explained what had happened.
“Wait,” Elana said, with a look of awe on her face. “You got full-on Technokinesis like you can control any technology? That’s insane, give it a go. Quick!” She was already moving before I finished speaking and almost fell over in her haste to place one of the broken drones in front of me.
I was just as excited as she was, so I nodded before focusing my senses on the wrecked drone. In the past, Item Attunement had only given me general information about something I was attuned to. Enough to know how to give it basic commands or empower it, but not enough to clearly see what was going on.
With Technokinesis, it was entirely different. I could feel all the components making up the drone, including the microchips that I had fried with what I now saw as a clumsy, brutish attack.
With a thought, I focused on returning them to full functionality and watched as my energy flowed into the machine. Repairing the damage was harder than causing it, however in the end it was simply a matter of my energy reserves.
I stopped after using about two-thirds of what I had available, which looked to be enough to fix most of the damage I had done. With another thought, I activated the drone, watching as energy sparked through its system again.
At my mental command, it took off, flying on some kind of repulsor field that I intuitively understood but lacked the language to explain. It wobbled a little as it rose, still lacking a few systems, but managed to reach head height without crashing.
I now had full control of it and was able to fly it around and even fire the weapons. Better yet, I could give it a general directive such as flying to the end of the corridor and returning. Then, even if I un-attune from it, the drone would complete the task before waiting for further orders.
It was an amazing feeling and I couldn't help but laugh as I returned my focus to the real world. Linnea had a grin on her face as she watch me, while Elana’s face was split between awe and jealousy.
“Should have been a bloody Psion,” she muttered, kicking the wall beside her.
“You can control your drone like that too though,” I responded, her amazing piloting now making a lot more sense.
“Yeah,” she responded with a frown. “But I can’t bloody fix machines with my mind like you can. You're practically just a better version of me now.”
Wincing, I searched my mind for something to say before I realized she wasn’t exactly correct. “Not quite,” I responded with a soft smile. “Even with these powers, I wouldn’t have the first idea of how to go about designing and building something new.”
“it's great for understanding and working with existing tech, even changing it to an extent. However, building something new would require knowledge and experience that I just don’t have.”
She tilted her head a little before grinning back in response as she relaxed. “Yeah, you're more like an operator and repair man than a full engineer. Thanks, Jared, and sorry for getting all jealous there.”
I shook my head and told her not to worry about it before another idea hit me. I hadn’t been lying when I said I had no idea how to build something new. Even if my powers might be able to put something together from parts, a lot more went into designing a piece of technology than just that.
“Actually, it would be great if I could hire you to help me design and build a combat robot,” I said with another grin as ideas shot through my head. “Something like those modified worker robots from the last facility, but properly designed for combat.”
It would probably be expensive and might need to be worked on over a few months, however, I felt like the cost and wait would be worth it. If I could get a powerful robot for just an upfront cost, I could keep using it to substitute for a mercenary out in the field.
With my ability to repair it myself, I could keep it running with minimal cost, giving me a way to up my firepower without going all the way to hiring someone.
“That sounds amazing!” she practically shouted as she began wildly gesticulating with her hands. “I’ve had so many ideas, but I haven't had the resources to really build something like that yet. With the two of us putting in for it, we should be able to design something great.”
I grinned at her excitement before putting a hand up. “Let’s discuss it on the way back,” I said, gesturing toward the exit. “We’ve already delayed the trip back enough, and I doubt the Duchess is much for waiting.”
It would still be a few days off, however, I could barely wait to find out the truth of what was going on.