Chapter 386 - The Price of Versatility (Patreon)

A wave of dizziness swept through Sasha, and she fell to one knee as Zeke shouted, “Now!”

She looked up to see the flashing lights of Silik’s [Spear of Memories] mingling with Pudge’s more subdued balls of [Hellfire]. Then, she fell back to sag against the wall, which shook with the impact of a huge explosion that filled the entire chamber with the acrid smell of smoke, burning flesh, and dense corruption.

And then the screams started.

Inhuman and high-pitched, they sounded like torture and agony. Only a moment after the sound pierced Sasha’s ears, a sharp pain knifed through her mind. And in her drained state – she’d used every ounce of mana she had at her disposal – she was incapable of resisting. She swayed, then collapsed, falling into unconsciousness only a few seconds later.

She dreamed, though when she finally awoke, she couldn’t recall the subject. Instead, her only memory was a vague foreboding that felt like something was stalking her. It faded only a few moments later when Pudge’s furry face filled her vision.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I…I think so…”

“I told you she was fine,” Eta’s voice came from nearby. “She just overexerted herself. Completely worth it, though.”

“It certainly was the easiest level I have ever gotten,” remarked Jasper from somewhere to the left.

Pudge leaned in, asking, “Are you sure you’re not hurt? You were unconscious for…a while.”

“I’m fine. Just overused my mana,” she said, sitting up. She ran her hand through her hair, then asked, “So, we got it, right?”

“We did. Because of you,” he said.

She gave him a tired grin. “That’s good.”

Then, she checked her status and let out a little gasp, to which Pudge immediately responded by asking, “What? Are you hurt?”

“I said I’m fine, Pudge. I just got three levels…”

“What?”

“Did she just say three levels?”

“It’s probably because she did the most work. Zeke got two,” Eta reasoned.

“I can get a new skill,” Sasha said.

She already had [Mana Manipulation], [Meditation], [Elemental Conversion], and [Spellform], all of which helped her with spellcasting. In addition, she had [Focus], which helped her concentrate during long stretches of study and [Comprehension], which allowed her to understand complex spell theory. However, she’d long looked forward to reaching level thirty-five and gaining something more active.

So, it was with some excitement that she looked at the options the Framework had given her:

[Tremor] (D) – Create a localized earthquake. Upgradeable.

That was a disappointing explanation, and it was far less descriptive than she would have expected. Still, it was a D-Grade skill, which meant that it was a strong ability. How powerful of an earthquake would it create? And how localized would it be? If it was ten yards wide, it would be useful, but if it covered a square mile, then it would be infinitely more destructive.

Shaking her head, she moved on to the next skill choice:

[Spellsurge] (D) – Use ambient mana to empower a spell well past its normal restraints. Upgradeable.

The skill was, in a way, expected. While Sasha hadn’t known what form it would take, she certainly wasn’t surprised to see another skill that would help her spellcasting. The moment she’d taken [Mana Manipulation], the Framework had recognized her path and had given her options that would make her a better sorceress.

However, as powerful as [Spellsurge] obviously was, she hesitated to choose it. For one, she was certain that it – or some other variant – would be available sometime in the future. The same couldn’t be said for her other options. So, taking it wouldn’t be as urgent as it might be for the other available skills. More importantly, though, she’d felt the sting of her class’s defining negative aspects. Chiefly, that none of her spells – save for the comparatively weak lightning bolt spell she’d created – were quick or easy to cast. Because of that, she had difficulty adapting to changing situations. Because of that, she’d hoped for something that would fill that void. A quick-casting skill that she could use in desperate situations to help turn the tide of battle. [Spellsurge] definitely wasn’t that.

With that in mind, she looked at her final available skill choice:

[Twisted Tongue] (D) – A passive ability that increases the speed with which you can cast selected spells. Upgradeable.

“Ugh,” she muttered.

“What?” asked Pudge.

“I don’t know. It’s just…my skill choices are a little disappointing is all,” she said. “They’re strong, but…”

“But what?”

“They’re just more of the same. Except one that has a description so vague it could range from terrible to amazing,” she responded, referring to [Tremor]’s lacking explanation. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I…I don’t know either,” Pudge said, shaking his massive head.

That wasn’t surprising. Pudge was a lot of things, but an introspective thinker, he wasn’t. So, Sasha focused on her choices, trying to think of pros and cons for each one:

* * *

“Let me out,” Eveline said. “Now. Before that girl makes a huge mistake.”

“I’m not letting you manifest in front of these people,” Zeke said. The death of the tentaracles was, in a word, anticlimactic. Certainly, if the thing hadn’t been at the bottom of an enormous pit, things would have gotten dicey, but the fact of the matter was that Zeke’s plan – simple as it had been – was extraordinarily successful. And though it had taken quite some time for the thing to die, the rewards had been more than worth it.

For Zeke’s part, he’d gained two whole levels, which put him on the verge of level forty-five, when he would gain another Framework skill. He had no idea what would be on offer, but more skills were always a good thing. The others had gained a level apiece, which suggested that either Zeke was close to gaining level forty-three before he’d even attacked the thing or he’d gained more experience –

“Kill energy,” Eveline reminded him.

“Shut up,” he groaned inwardly.

“I’m serious about letting me out. Sasha is going to make a huge mistake. I can feel it. And I want to stop her from doing something she’ll regret.”

“Eveline, I –”

“Please, Ezekiel. Just trust me. For once.”

Zeke sighed, then raised his voice, “Okay, guys. Listen up. I know this is going to come as something of a shock, but…well, we have another member of the party you’ve never met.”

“Smooth,” Eveline muttered.

“Just let me do this…”

“Fine.”

“What’s going on?” asked Eta.

Zeke shook his head, saying aloud, “This is kind of hard to explain…”

“Just let me out, and I’ll do it. You’ll probably explain it wrong anyway,” Eveline said in his mind.

“So, after my ascension, I came into contact with a mind spirit,” he said. “She was shackled to a…I don’t know…she was a prisoner. And I freed her. But once she was free, we realized that she couldn’t survive on her own. So…I decided to save her. By letting her set up shop in my head. Anyway, she’s been with me ever since.”

“You…have a mind spirit?” asked Jasper, narrowing his eyes.

“I do.”

“Just let me out.”

“Fine,” he muttered. Then, he lowered [Bulwark of the Tribunal], and Eveline manifested next to him. However, instead of her normal appearance, she’d adopted something far closer to human. Her skin was no longer red, she didn’t have hooves, and she certainly didn’t have a tail anymore.

“Hello!” she said cheerfully. “I’m Eveline, the brains of this operation. Well, not brains. I don’t have physical form. But the mind, for sure. I’m sure you’re all familiar with Zeke’s…ah…deficiencies, so we can all agree it’s better that he has a minder.”

“That’s not –”

“But that’s not important!” Eveline cut Zeke off. “What’s really important is that you – beautiful girl – are on the verge of making an enormous mistake. Huge. Like…well, path-breaking.”

Sasha gasped. “Me? What…have you been in my head?” she asked.

“Of course not, dear girl. I obviously can’t do that unless you let me in,” Eveline lied smoothly. Zeke knew it for the falsehood it was, simply because he’d never consented to letting Eveline in his mind. Not in the beginning, at least. But he did know that she couldn’t do so without her victim’s knowledge, and once she was inside, she had little – if any – real power. More, it made her incredibly vulnerable, and if she did it the wrong person, she could be ripped to shreds.

“Oh…that…so, what kind of mistake am I about to make?” Sasha asked.

“You were going to take a skill that doesn’t make you a better sorceress,” Eveline stated bluntly.

“What? How did you know that?” Sasha demanded, for some reason clutching her head in her hands. “Are you reading my mind right now?”

“Uh…you were talking about it,” Eta said.

“We all heard you,” Jasper supplied.

Sasha looked from one to the other, then let out an annoyed snort. “Not my fault I got flustered by a mind spirit,” she muttered. “I mean…who wouldn’t be freaked out by that?”

“Very true,” said Eveline. “I apologize for how this was done. I’ve been begging Ezekiel to let me meet you all, but you know how he is.”

“This is literally the first time you’ve asked,” Zeke said in his mind. Even with an image manifested in the physical world, some of her spirit remained in his head.

“Shush. I’m trying to bond here.”

Zeke tried not to roll his eyes. He didn’t mind being the butt of his friends’ jokes, and he knew he often made questionable decisions. However, he definitely didn’t appreciate lies. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself because he thought that Eveline had the best intentions, and he wanted to help Sasha avoid any mistakes she might be on the verge of making.

“Please, tell me your skill options,” Eveline said. “I have centuries of experience behind me, so perhaps I can give you some advice.”

Sasha looked around, then at Pudge, who gave her a nod. Then, she explained her three choices, ending with, “But I’m basically useless in most fights. It makes leveling harder, and…I just feel like everyone’s carrying me.”

“You do understand that we just killed a level seventy-two monster mostly because of your spell, right?” said Eta.

“I wouldn’t have even suggested it if you hadn’t mentioned that hellwater spell you’d been working on,” Zeke supplied.

“But what about –”

“No one is capable of everything,” Eveline stated, stepping forward. Normally, she glided, but it seemed she was doing everything she could to seem more relatable. She reached out and rested her hand on Sasha’s shoulder. Eveline had no physical presence, so from a realistic standpoint, she was just holding her hand in mid-air, but it clearly had the desired effect when Sasha relaxed. “You have a role. An important one. Going forward, you are the lynchpin for this entire operation. You must see that.”

“I don’t –”

“You are a sorceress, and one of the most promising ones I’ve ever seen. Embrace that. Be who you are meant to be,” Eveline said.

That seemed to get through to Sasha, who said, “You sound like my dad.”

“He sounds like an intelligent man.”

“So, which one should I take?” Sasha asked. “I like the idea of [Spellsurge], but [Twisted Tongue] seems more useful in more situations.”

“I don’t want to tell you what to do –”

“That’s literally why you begged me to let you out,” Zeke said inwardly.

Eveline ignored him, continuing, “But it seems like an easy choice to me.”

“Oh? So, which would you take?” Sasha asked.

“[Spellsurge],” Eveline answered. “Without a doubt or an ounce of hesitation.”

“But why?” Sasha asked. “I mean, it’s strong, but –”

“Sorceresses are big hitters,” Eveline stated. “You are capable of creating devastating effects that far exceed the normal limitations of your level. With [Spellsurge] and enough time, you could destroy whole cities. You don’t turn down that kind of power.”

“But that kind spell would take –”

“Weeks of preparation. Maybe months,” Eveline said. “But it would be worth it. You have friends. A team. Use them and play your own role. That is my advice. Take it or leave it. I can guarantee that you will regret it if you take [Tremor].”

Then, without another word, she disappeared. The moment she returned to Zeke’s mind, he replaced the mental barrier of [Bulwark of the Tribunal], sealing her in his mind. As soon as she settled into her normal place, she asked, “You think it worked?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Probably. She’s impressionable, but a little headstrong. But for what it’s worth, I agree with what you said. It’s best to play a role and do it well. Versatility is a path toward mediocrity.”

“I’m glad you think that. Because I was going to give you the same speech,” Eveline said.

“Huh? I’m still a level away from skill choices.”

“I’m talking about your little project,” she said. “That skill you’ve spent every spare moment building.”

“What about it?” he asked.

“It’s useless for someone like you, and you know it,” she said.

“I don’t think –”

“I mean, flight? Really? You’re naturally earth-attuned,” she said.

“I can gain other attunements.”

“We think. But that’s for the future. For now, if you built a flight skill, you’d remove yourself from any advantage you might have. Besides, the Framework doesn’t like it if we go off theme.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you’re an {Arcane Colossus}, and you should keep that in mind when you build skills,” she said. “Otherwise, you’re going to end up with a week ability. Or worse, one that actively hinders you. So, as much as you might enjoy the idea of flying around and swooping in to kill your enemies, you need to rethink your skills and tailor them to your path. You’ll be a lot stronger like that.”

Zeke sighed. What she said made sense, and in the back of his mind, he’d always known that flight really wasn’t in the cards for him. But when he’d discovered the advantages offered by his colossal body, he’d hoped that it would open doors for him. In the end, though, he was still an {Arcane Colossus}, and while that class gave him more variability than most, he was still subject to its strengths and weaknesses.

“Fine,” he said. “But I still think I need some kind of movement skill.”

“Then build one. Just keep your class in mind when you do,” she said.

At that moment, Sasha announced, “Okay. I took [Spellsurge]!”

“Great,” said Eta.

“I guess just point me to the nearest city that needs to be destroyed,” Sasha said with a grin.