NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53: Forced Vacation.
Chapter 53: Forced Vacation.
My body was still aching after I woke up.
It was a soreness so profound that even the mere act of breathing sent shockwaves through my nerves.
I braced myself and attempted to look down at my own body.
“Hey Buddy, could you please retreat a little from the front?”
‘Sure thing Sully!’
Buddy contracted his mass and the red astronaut suit he had turned himself into drew backwards. Revealing a grisly sight.
Every single muscle I could see was big and raw and red. Looking more like balloons on the verge of bursting than parts on a human frame.
“Hey Buddy. Remember what you did for me when I had a broken leg? Yeah. I’m gonna need another dose of that. A big one.”
‘I’m already dampening your nerves, Sully. You worked really hard yesterday. I don’t think I can help you any more than I am now.’
In other words, I’d worked myself so hard that a broken leg was mild by comparison.
I looked over at my status and sighed internally.
Still no second Type.
I allowed myself to relax. Reaching through my fog instead of my mundane senses.
Feeling a torrent of thoughts and emotions being soaked into it and dragged back into my mind.
Charlie was doing push-ups under the strain of [Amplify Gravity], though he had three people using the ability on him instead of one.
His own mind was solid as stone. Utterly focused on [Enhanced Training] and the ways it could affect his own prowess.
Right now, he was experimenting with it. Using it in conjunction with his Projector absorption abilities and his active Enhancer boosts. He wanted to see if he could gain a greater degree of control over them by running while being under immense physical and mental stress. The more potent the gravity became, the greater the gains.
At least, that was his hypothesis.
“I wonder what would happen if I worked out under those conditions?”
‘I wouldn’t recommend that Sully. I think it might kill you.’
“That, or make me stronger.”
Buddy considered that a moment, before dismissing the notion out of hand.
‘No. No, I’m pretty sure it’ll just kill you.’
I laughed, only to groan once the movement brought me another wave of agony.
I retreated back into the fog. Isolating lone individuals from the crowd.
Slab was hitting Dusty with a club. Striking her arms with all he had.
She didn’t seem to feel it.
While he had gained a second Type, she’d merged several abilities, until she found herself well into the second Tier. Nothing on my level of course, but enough that an entire group of our very best had to work themselves to the bone just to make her flinch.
She’d even gone so far as to tank a couple of hits from Dolce.
Not without taking damage, but the mere fact that she’d lived through it and was still standing afterwards spoke volumes as to how scary Enhancers could be.
Most fights up until that point had been quick and dirty things, where one side gained the initiative and pressed their advantage to achieve an overwhelming victory. This was mostly out of necessity as both sides tended to have deadly abilities that could flip the script at a stroke.
A monster that could kill you wouldn’t hesitate two whole seconds to do it, while an Esper with any sort of advantage needed to be decisive, lest their opponent use one of their abilities to turn the tide.
Through that principle, a Shifter sneaking up on a Projector couldn’t afford to hold back at all. Because if they did, that one hit kill would turn very very ugly, very very fast. Even a weak [Force Bolt] could gouge out the stones in the walls and a level 1 [Fire Bubble] could and would dissuade even the most determined attackers.
Dusty was the first exception to that rule that I’d seen.
She could leisurely crash through barriers with the ease and grace of a professional skater flying through a rink.
It was as impressive as it was foreboding.
I’d already seen a boss that could resist my [Domination]. The possibility that there could be more creatures with similar resistances was not zero.
If I ever failed to capture a threat and ran out of meat shields….
I shuddered.
“Welp, that’s all the more reason to keep trying for new Types. Can’t be too careful nowadays.”
‘Sully, you’re talking to yourself again.’
“I know Buddy. I know.”
I allowed the fog to take me elsewhere.
Sensing Olga and the thoughts running through her head as she stared at Charlie’s abs. At the way they went up and down and up again while the man did push-ups.
Then I sensed Esmeralda and Fernando. Sitting together and sharing stories about their worlds.
Esmeralda was regaling her admirer with tall tales of her battles against zombies. Almost all of which were wildly exaggerated.
Fernando wasn’t listening. Rather, he was pretending to listen while in fact focusing on her full lips. His heart beating faster and faster every time they curled into a suggestive smile.
I immediately felt a pang of pity for him. Knowing damn well that Esmeralda and Prudence had become fast friends and the former had almost certainly asked the latter for gossip.
Though, perhaps it was unnecessary.
Fernando wasn’t exactly being subtle about it and Esmeralda was getting a fair amount of mischievous glee from the whole affair.
I only hoped that none of her other admirers took offense.
I hesitated before moving on from their spot.
Both were Shifters, him from his first Type and her from her second.
I could have asked them to come and heal me. The notion was soon dismissed however.
Things were going surprisingly well for me on the friend making front. The last thing I wanted to do was to earn Fernando’s animosity. Not when we got along perfectly fine.
I searched for Borislav instead, and found him engaged in a heated discussion with Prudence, Simeon, Ahmed, Raj and Old man Park.
“I’m telling you that generalizing is the only option that makes sense! All the abilities complement each other in ways you’ll never know if you don’t take them! [Mitosis] and [Acclimation] work on a whole other level when you have more Enhancer passives! You get more stored healing through better circulation, digestion and respiration and the resistances you get from the Enhancer boards make it so that [Acclimation] adapts faster to whatever kind of damage you’re taking! It becomes a feed-back loop! One makes the other stronger and the other then strengthens the first one!”
The others did not look convinced.
Least of all Mr. Park.
“I understand your arguments, Mr. Sokolov. I really do. I’m also glad that this approach has worked so well for you. Your service is exemplary and any progress you make brings us one step forward to escape and aid in the eventual goal of saving our earths.”
Borislav bristled.
“Don’t play games with me. Say what you mean and say it clearly.”
“I thought I was doing so. I was merely trying to add that, despite your successes, that might not be the way to go. The literature we’ve received from this, Orphan Maker, has been very clear on the subject. Higher ability levels correspond with higher chances of combining abilities and having too many abilities can make the process of isolating any two, tricky. Furthermore, specializing can yield astonishing effects on one’s build; if the right options are paired together. Take me for example. Enhancer as the first Type, with Shifter as my second. You’d think I was all for mixing and matching. And yet, I’ve personally found more success in choosing my abilities carefully and investing in the ones that bring the most immediate value.”
He spread his arms in a placating manner.
“You will have to forgive my caution, of course. I am an old, feeble senior and cannot hope to compete with the vigor of you, young ones. When I become embroiled in a fight, I want to make sure I am on the winning side and that my victory is a perfect one, where I take no damage whatsoever. Range is the way to go. Range and mobility. So that we can hit hard from relative safety before disappearing if our sneak attacks don’t go as planned. After all, why should we fight in close quarters as the beasts do? It expends far too many of our resources for too little gain. Humans are tool users and endurance hunters. It was a strategy that allowed our ancestors to overcome beasts that were larger, faster and tougher than they were. Even today, in our modern day, wars are not fought with swords and spears. We use guns. And we constantly strive for bigger and better ones, with longer ranges. Why should this war be any different?”
“Because we’re in a cave.”
Mr. Park dismissed the objection with a wave.
“A trifling issue. Abilities like [Enhance Projectile] can strengthen even common pebbles with Psy to make give them the quality of top-shelf ammunition. Couple that with [Heavy Shot] and you have a bona fide armor piercing bullet at level 1. So what if the power degrades the projectile after being launched? We only need one good shot to end a fight. I combined this innovation with the usual Enhancer passives after fashioning myself a sling out of a dead mole’s hide. I was practically swimming in monster corpses before I was caught.”
“But you were caught.” Borislav pointed out.
Mr. Park gave him a sad smile and sighed in a self-deprecating manner.
“That I did. Alas, we can’t all endure continuous sleep deprivation. That, and not all of us were lucky enough to run into this Randall fellow and later, into Mr. Carter. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be a Projector or a Telepath like them. A whole menagerie of ranged attacks coupled with either teleportation or stealth capabilities. I would’ve been unstoppable.”
“Don’t change the subject. Your specialization gave you advantages, yes. But it left gaping holes in your defenses. You could have resisted for longer if you’d had [Enhanced Concentration] and you could have run away if you’d invested in the active boosts.”
“I’m not trying to change the subject Mr. Sokolov. I was merely pointing out that other Types would have had an easier time of it. Us Shifters have more options overall, but we have to get creative in the way we go about designing our fighting style. Take Miss Kettler for example. She’s more focused on close quarters combat than me. That is fine. She has her Telepath abilities to fall back on. A fact I truly do envy. My own solution is a bit more… odd.”
The others saw their emotions flare up as Mr. Park began using some of his abilities.
“What is that?”
“The combination of [Organ Independence], [Spines] and [Excretory System]. With a little touch of [Venom Glands] and [Produce Adhesive] for good measure. I call it, the spike-gatling gun. As it can shoot ten spines every two seconds with surprising accuracy. It is true that they’re not as fast as bullets, yet they have the stopping power equal to or greater than the best anti-material rifles I’ve had the pleasure of firing. All while packing a debilitating venom and an adhesive that makes them nigh-impossible to remove for most monsters.”
“That won’t mean much once you’re cornered. Its too bulky for close combat and too Psy hungry to handle large groups.” Borislav pointed out.
“I’m not worried about small enemies in groups. That’s what teammates are for. I’m worried about things like Dolce. The massive horrors that are lurking beyond our borders even now. Did you know their levels are in the low 90s? How much experience do you think each one grants?”
Ahmed’s eyes shot open as surprise coloured his mind.
“That’s how you’ve been levelling so fast! You’ve been sniping elite mobs!”
Mr. Park felt a surge of pride.
“Taking down higher-level foes does seem to be the obvious solution. I merely found a smart way to go about it.”
Borislav snorted.
“That might get you levels and points. True enough. It won’t get you closer to Tier 2. We all saw Sully and Dusty’s memories. For him, its like tying a knot. For her, its like forging two ores together. The pattern is that Tier 2 comes from understanding and visualizing an ability and pressing two compatible ones together.”
“Precisely. That is the reason I continue to meditate. Looking inwardly so that I can hone in on what makes these powers click.”
Mr. Park smiled sadly.
“It really is too bad that no one back in our world has any experience with the Tutorial or with the System in general. My job would have allowed me access to updated information compiled from thousands of individual cases. As things stand, we must rely on Orphan Maker’s compiled writings, as well as the interviews I’ve conducted to double check his assertions. Throughout all the interviews I’ve performed, one factor stands out. Higher level abilities are easier to visualize. That means its more likely that these ones will be melded together. This backs up the information we received from the crow. Suggesting this happens to be the prevalent philosophy within the Labyrinth.”
“He’s right.” Prudence agreed. “I can feel [Regeneration], [Mitosis] and [Acclimation] far more than [Claws] or my Telepath abilities. They, I don’t know. Pulsate. Like they have their own heartbeat that drums along next to mine. Only, its not real and I know its not real. All while I can feel its beat. Its warmth. I’m close to merging them. I can almost taste it.”
“That might be so, yet it doesn’t change your situation. You’re still missing out on useful combinations. Who knows? There might be hidden interactions between the Shifter and Telepath Types that we aren’t aware of.”
“Oh, most certainly.” Mr. Park agreed. “Orphan Maker left us a good deal of pre-explored combinations, but it would be foolish to think this was all there was. The creature is, after all, not human, and he only helped us out of fear. Still, you will recall the council’s policy on such matters. We do our utmost top guarantee individual freedoms. That means we do not involve ourselves in other people’s selections. Miss Kettler could take that risk. But she’s ultimately free to play it safe.”
“And this ignorance of hers is playing it safe?”
“It is. Mr. Carter is… powerful. Unimaginably so. He would most definitely be an S-Rank asset back home. But his presence has dulled your wits. I know that his protection is not a guarantee. He will move on, eventually. Whether due to his family or friends or his promises to Dusty and Slab. The Tutorial will end and we will be left to fend for ourselves. You and me and Miss Kettler all come from the same world that he inhabited, so the likelihood of our homes being invaded is…low.”
The idea warms him up inside.
A transient mote of security in an uncertain universe.
Borislav’s mind turns into a vice. Going blank. Letting nothing slip.
“If someone was stupid enough to dare such a thing, I have no doubt that they would regret it sooner, rather than later. However, that does not mean we will be able to hide in his shadow forever. We will be teleported to this, Human City, after the Tutorial is over. A place where we will have to fend for ourselves. The excursions have also proven the need for autonomy, as they allow limited teams. When they allow teams at all. The upper limit we’ve seen so far is 12. I do not fancy my chances in one of those without our dear Sheriff. Hence, we must train and choose our options carefully. We must struggle and improve now so that we can defend ourselves later. I, for one, have no desire to be imprisoned again.”
Prudence began growling. Raj and Ahmed too.
All of them nurturing the hatred in their hearts. Thorns that pricked at their pride and mental stability. Thorns with rosy cheeks and conical hats.
Borislav remained quiet.
Empathising with their struggle.
Unable to think of a response.
Instead, he took a deep breath. Giving himself a few seconds to think.
When he spoke, his voice was deep and tinged with regret.
“If you truly think this is the way, then I won’t stop you. I only hope that you recall that the Type boards will not be available after the Tutorial. This might be a chance that won’t come again.”
He paused once more, before adding:
“Though I would like to remind you all, that levelling is not normally as easy as it is now. Sully’s [Insight], coupled with our new training methods, are making things far easier than they were in the past. That experience bonus will not last, I fear. Nor will this rush to level 50. We cannot gain new abilities or force new levels as he does. At least, nowhere near as often. Generalizing allows me to train dozens of powers at the same time. Making it so that I keep my momentum. By refusing to spread points, you run the risk of your levelling speed dropping to the Labyrinth’s standard. And we all know how this new multiverse treats those that are merely standard.”
“It is a risk I am aware of.” Mr. Park stated.
“Me too.” Prudence confirmed.
Ahmed and Raj also agreed. Siding with Mr. Park.
Borislav said some niceties and got up.
Making his way over to where Charlie was training.
That was when I reached out to him.
‘Hey Borislav.’
He flinched. A rising panic taking hold, until he realizes its me.
‘Hello Sully. I see that you’re finally awake.’
‘Yeah. I am.’
‘How are you feeling?’
‘Like (Gnome)’
‘I figured. I actually checked up on you earlier when you didn’t wake up.’
‘I’m…sorry? What do you mean?’
‘You’ve been asleep for 18 hours.’
‘Oh.’
‘Oh indeed.’
I looked down at myself once more.
‘Uh, did you heal me?’
‘I did.’
‘So, that’s what it looks like after being healed.’
‘Yes.’
‘Can I ask for another round?’
‘I’m on my way. I won’t heal you all the way though. Slab raised some, concerns. He made it clear that you needed a break from your usual routine. To allow for more complete healing. He also let everyone know how important you were to him and his sister and what would happen if, by some mishap, something bad happened to you. I doubt you can count on Olga for more sessions. Or on anyone else for that matter. Slab can be very convincing when he wants to be.’
I’ll bet.
The man came, took a look at me, massaged his forehead, healed me, and left.
All in the span of a few minutes.
It, didn’t change much to be honest.
The pain had lessened.
Somewhat.
Yet it came back with a vengeance every time I tried to move.
It was like knives slicing through my skin. Digging into the muscle and the bone beneath.
It got so bad that I used [Domination] on myself. Commanding my nervous system to stop hurting.
Once that was done, I was able to raise my body without immediately falling back down.
Feeling nothing.
I was about to get off the bed when Buddy spoke up.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea Sully.’
‘Oh, come on Buddy, not you too.’
‘Sully!’ Buddy snapped. Sounding angry for the first time in…forever. ‘I am your best friend in the whole world. Best friends do not let each other get hurt. You are broken right now. You need to stop and not move. At least for another day. You might hurt yourself otherwise.’
I had no words.
I was so stunned that I forgot all about the chances I might be missing out on. About the hurry for a second Type.
In the end, I laid back down and pulled the blankets over myself.
I got bored after a few minutes, so I returned to my fog.
Listening in on the minds of the others as they improved. Following the monsters skittering around the premises.
Dolce was floating around the edges of my senses. Lunging in and out of the ethereal blanket to snatch unsuspecting prey.
I found it fascinating that a creature of his size could sneak up on anything, before recalling that it had [Hide] at 9. Higher than mine.
‘Man, I’m so lucky that he didn’t kill me when we first met.’
I watched him for an hour or so. Transfixed by the way he so deftly switched from passively swimming through the air to aggressively snapping up moles and were-zebras.
It was, interesting. He had abilities from all four Types working in concert, just as Borislav had described.
Only, it went deeper than that for Dolce.
He would call upon [Camouflage] from the Shifter board while using [Hide]. All while calling on [Harden], [Force Bubble] and [Accelerate]. Together with all the Enhancer boosts he had. All to make himself into a battering ram that made puree out of anything it hit. Spending extra Psy for, nothing, as far as I could tell.
I mean, why on earth would he spend so much effort for weak prey?
I asked ended up asking him some time later.
‘Because its fun!’ He said in cheery voice.
‘It’s … fun.’
‘Yes! I love it when they don’t see me coming! Its like a game! I win if I can crush them without them seeing me! It helps me get better at hunting!’
‘I see. Thank you for answering. I’ll let you get back to it.’
I relaxed my mind.
Letting the fog disperse before thinking on my current problems.
‘Periwig, isn’t some cartoon. He’s real. He’s real and he has a spaceship and a crew and a whole lot more resources than I do. He’ll be coming as soon as the Tutorial is over. Him and the other gnomes. To wreak havoc on my world, the same way they did down here.’
The notion was chilling. As were the implications.
Periwig likely wasn’t the only one trying to take advantage of humanity. He was merely the only one I knew about thus far.
It, the Seeking Drake, said this was common.
Was he telling the truth?
Was my life destined to be a series of escalating conflicts?
I hoped not.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of killing if it meant protecting humans.
Far from it in fact. I’d gladly brutalize any gnome who so much as thought of stepping foot on Earth.
No. I was afraid of having to hurt people.
Mason had, of course, deserved what I did to him. But I didn’t enjoy it. I couldn’t.
Those men on the beach.
They’d been criminals.
I knew that.
I also knew that unity among humans was more important now than ever before and that neither I nor my friends could afford to have a bunch of slavers on the loose.
The logical course of action would be to have a trial and sentence them in some way that enforced the rules of common decency.
But how to do that when they were Espers and when there were so few of us to begin with?
How could I enforce the rule of law in these circumstances?
I could fall back on the whole memory sharing idea. It had worked for my current group. Helping to make us all cooperate despite intrinsic differences of opinion.
But what if it didn’t work? What if Drake was right and the only way to stop them was to kill them?
My hands had clenched into fists while I was distracted and I relaxed them as soon as I noticed.
‘Man. I wish someone would come along and tell me what to do.’
No one did.
Which was fair, I suppose.
I was the highest levelled guy in the whole Warehouse by far and I had the benefit of a nebulous future-warning ability to help me along. Complete with a title and everything.
If I couldn’t figure out how to save my Earth; what chance did the others have?
‘You know Buddy? Its times like these that the hero usually meets a wise mentor who shows them the ropes and teaches them how to navigate their problems. How come I don’t have one of those?’
‘Don’t you have that spooky Seeking Drake fellow in your head?’
‘That’s…different.’
‘How so?’
Because his advice had been to publicly disembowel anyone who went against me.
Until all my other enemies got the message that being my enemy was some very poor decision making on their part.
‘Let’s say it and I have our differences and leave it at that.’
‘Okay.’
I thought about it some more. About the other two flies in my ointment.
Randall and Anezka.
The former was, well, unstable.
That was pretty much the crux of the issue.
I was fairly sure I could fix it by sharing our memories though.
He’d see the world through another person’s eyes and I’d have some more insight into his internal reasoning for what he did.
The problem was what I knew about Anezka.
That is to say, nothing.
I had no idea who she was or what might motivate her. I didn’t even know where she was right now. Which was odd, because she’d been so prevalent in my visions up until recently.
All I knew was that she preferred to use deception and subterfuge to get what she wanted and what she wanted was me. In a metal coffin. Without my arms or legs or, even my skin.
So that I might be easier to sell to whomever was funding her bloody enterprise.
If money was what she wanted, then I couldn’t compete. Her own Earth might as well be using bottle caps for cash as far as I knew.
Not to mention that I was currently a broke university graduate.
A jobless, broke university graduate.
Ah (Gnome).
I just realized the rent for the dorm room had only been paid until the end of the month.
Was I technically homeless now?
That thought led back to my parents and my friends.
To what they must be going through right now.
‘They probably think I’m dead. That’s usually a safe assumption for folks that disappear near open rifts.’
‘Sully? Are you okay? You feel really sad.’
‘Yeah. I’m good Buddy. Thank you.’
‘…’
‘…’
‘…’
‘Sully. Please know that I’m here for you. No matter what happens. I’ll always be here.’
A smile crept onto my face.
‘Thank you, Buddy. It means a lot.’
He was right. I wasn’t alone. Not anymore. I had him to lean on. Him and my new friends.
Charlie and Borislav had been very enthusiastic in getting to know me. Just like Monique.
They listened to my problems and did their best to give me decent advice.
Kaito, Prudence and Olga were fun to train with.
Jacob was a hoot when he was in his cups. Always talking about practical uses for this or that. He was more of a self-taught engineer, but I appreciated his unique perspectives.
He certainly knew more than me when it came to making improvised weapons from whatever was at hand. Though he was rather peeved at how, tough, the materials we’d gotten were.
Slab was still a bit of a kiss(Gnome). And Dusty had been thinking, disquieting things about me. Yet I cherished them all the same.
They’d stuck up for me when no one else would have.
I knew I could count on them no matter what.
It was, comforting to have them around.
‘I need to keep pushing myself.’ I decided. ‘I must be able to fight back when the time comes. For them, as well as myself. Stagnation is death by another name. I have to keep moving forward.’
I re-focused my mind and commanded Dolce to bring live prey into my fog.
He did so, despite his apparent confusion.
Afterwards, I kept practising my organ-disrupting abilities. Inducing [Heart Attack], [Drown] and [Indigestion] on whatever he brought back.
Again, it was a lot like [Mental Bolt]. Bullets made of Psy that flew at my targets. The only difference that I could glimpse was that they auto-locked to specific sections of the body. My original bolts always went for the head. Always.
While these new options targeted the intestinal track or the cardiovascular system or the respiratory system. Rupturing or collapsing whatever organ they hit.
Funnily enough, the effects would vary between monsters.
Case in point, the moles had three hearts, and my powers would only cripple one at a time. However, the same target would wither and die as soon as they were exposed to [Drown], as their lungs would promptly fill with fluids.
By the same token, common eels were nigh-immune to having their lungs attacked, while they had no centralized hearts to speak off. That left [Indigestion] which….
(Gnome). That’s disturbing. Even for me.
I kept trying new things with new monsters. Experimenting by trying to deviate the trajectory of my assaults. I mean, what would happen if [Indigestion] hit the lungs? Or the heart?
Turns out the hostile energy didn’t dissipate. Instead, it gathered in the core of my victims.
Building up inside of them until it started doing, weird things. Like, leaking out in small increments into the bloodstream.
The first one to take notice was an ant. The kind the gnomes had previously ridden. Its legs began to spams. While its own mind screamed in agony. It was feeling like its blood was boiling from the inside. Like there was a whole host of small construction workers trying to dig their way out from inside of it.
Then, I felt all three organ-targeting powers begin to call out. But not from within my lake. Instead, the ant was making them. Hitting itself with less potent versions of my own afflictions over the course of minutes. Desperate for it all to end, yet not quite capable of finishing itself off.
Its rectum started to melt as stomach acids flowed freely from it. Ichor mixing with other intestinal fluids. Its lungs palpitated. Drawing air in uneven intervals as if it had to consciously move them over and over again. Its heart, or hearts, as it were, began to falter. Contracting far too strongly or without sufficient strength to move its equivalent to blood around.
It ended eventually. The hapless monster collapsing in a pile of its own refuse. Sweating tainted ichor from between the gaps in its exoskeleton.
Level Gained: +500 Maximum Psy. +12 Ability Points.
Ability Evolving: [Heart Attack] 2 has grown to [Heart Attack] 3
Ability Evolving: [Drown] 2 has grown to [Drown] 3
Ability Evolving: [Indigestion] 2 has grown to [Indigestion] 3
Ability Evolving: [Psionic Curse] 1 has grown to [Psionic Curse] 2
Name:
Solomon Carter
Psy:
162, 162 / 162, 945
Type:
Telepath III Level 137
Abilities:
[Solomon’s Inescapable Domination X] 18 / [Solomon’s Overwhelming Delusion V] 12 / [Solomon’s Inexorable Suppression V] 12 / [Solomon’s Calamitous Insight VII] 19 / [Delirium III] 6 / [Sense Thoughts] 14 / [Message] 5 / [Mental Bolt] 5 / [Hide] 3 / [Faint Presence] 2 / [Mental Map] 10 / [Team Tactics] 5 / [Electronic Interface] 4 / [Floral Interface] 1 / [Fungal Interface] 1 / [Sleep] 1 / [Team Spirit] 4 / [Team Resilience] 3 / [Team Momentum] 2 / [Team Doctrine] 4 / [Imposing Presence] 1 / [Alluring Presence] 4 / [Mask] 1 / [Hidden Danger] 1 / [Muffle] 1 / [Flash] 1 / [Persistent Message] 1 / [Mark Target] 2 / [Sobriety] 1 / [Hum of Attack] 5 / [Hum of Striding] 5 / [Hum of Defence] 5 / [Hum of Harmony] 3 / [Hum of Discord] 1 / [Hum of Cleansing] 6 / [Hum of Mist] 1 / [Painful Gaze] 1 / [Cleansing Gaze] 1 / [Entrancing Gaze] 2 / [Degrading Gaze] 1 / [Stable Reality] 1 / [Unstable Reality] 7 / [Manifest Intruder] 7 / [Seal Intruder] 5 / [Banish Intruder] 1 / [Psionic Jinx] 1 / [Heart Attack] 3 / [Drown] 3 / [Indigestion] 3 / [Psionic Hex] 1 / [Psionic Curse] 2 / [Blind] 1 / [Deafen] 1 / [Anosmia] 1
Ability Points:
1
I waited for another minute, before making the call.
‘Dolce?’
‘Yes Sully?’
‘I’m going to need you to run a little errand for me. I need to get my hands on some more gnomes.’
‘Sure thing! How many do you want?’
‘As many as you can bring Dolce. Thank you.’