I grimaced. “That must have been awful for Jean.”

“She doesn’t actually remember it, as the Phoenix was in control. She’s not very happy about it, but she also knows the risk of having vat-programmed natural telepaths as strong as her and Emma around in so many numbers. They’d end up taking over the planet with their hivemind, and could likely dominate even the Phoenix Force,” Kwannon told me grimly.

“It was a survival strike,” I agreed, understanding it for what it was. “And you saved all their souls...” I added knowingly.

She smiled despite herself. “I have a, let’s say, doubly-unique perspective on the existence of being a copy.” She patted her chest comfortably. “I’m afraid I’m really not a Duplicate anymore, Dyna.”

“Any problems with the fusion?” I asked, not really caring.

“No. They were basically infant souls in Vatted bodies, and since they all had the same programming, they merged effortlessly, and we threw all the artificial stuff out. They were real in ways I was not, and I was real in ways they were not. We complemented one another completely.” She gave me another look. “Do you believe the Duplicate-sharing will still work?”

“Yes. 99% of you is based on me, just willingly taking another road in life. We’ll simply combine it with a Godmerge spell’s functionality. The Karmic Sharing is just an outgrowth.”

“I’m still not done with the Heavy Gravity Training,” she reminded me, pointing at the Belt she was wearing.

“Crystal Bones, done. Sunstone Attunement. Godstone Attunement. I’m currently 19/17/17. Nova Core.” I inclined my head at her. “We can skip it if you like. It isn’t like I’m going to retain your psi-powers unless a new Tranche opens for us.”

She blinked at me. “With a Godmerge, that’s more like two independent minds!” she pointed out. Which would mean we’d have all of everything.

“I have the impression you will want to remain separate and not conjoined with me.”

She exhaled once, and slowly shook her head. “You are correct. I... we struggled fiercely to actually live. In some ways, we are more real than you are, are we not?”

“Soul of le Fey, remember?” She blinked at me. “You remember that whole future host of le Fey act of hers, right? I turned it on her?” I spread my hands. “Reincarnation of Morgan le Fey. Pheer me.”

Her incredulous expression devolved into quiet laughter. “Only in a superverse,” she murmured, trying not to giggle. “What a fate for one of the most powerful sorceresses in history!”

“Aye, becoming one of the most powerful sorceresses in history, again,” I sniffed haughtily. “And a much better alchemist and more well-rounded human being!”

“Do you have her memories?” Kwannon asked carefully.

“No, I’m not doing the Souldive until I’m a Twenty. I’m not dumb. Pretty sure she’s trapped her memories, and I’m going to have fun springing it and turning it on her, again. After all, she’s a sorceress, not a wizardess.”

“Brains for the wins!” We bumped hips and fists automatically.

“I’m willing to try this, if for nothing else than the free Levels. You are a monster,” she pointed at me.

“We all are,” I corrected her. “You’re the last one. I’ll have to go back and re-Dupe the others again after this, and we’ll have to do this again in six months, getting everyone updated properly.”

“Do you think I’ll bump us to Twenty?” she wondered aloud.

“It all depends where your Karma goes. I’m guessing you focused on your side skills and not your Primary Casting, so I’m guessing the sides for me. Your psi-mastery and combat skills are analogues to my Alchemy and Minstrelry.”

“That is unfortunate. I shall have to live with jumping to a Nineteen Primary,” she sighed loudly. “That means I could completely dispense with Ur-Priest... if I didn’t want to take the Caster Level hit.” She winced. “So broken!”

I rolled my eyes. “I AM aware that the Copy Spell-Like Abilities capstone works perfectly well on phrenic powers, and thus mutant special abilities,” I nudged her. “Are you even going to TRY to tell me you didn’t take the Contemplative Mastery and are copying mutant powers to a database for yourself with other psi-powers?”

She smiled shamelessly. “So good to have another power-gamer around who understands proper application of versatility!”

“Query, since you’re in the heart of mutant and psionic power. How many power copiers and drainers have you seen?”

It was a very serious question, as the ability to take powers and/or copy them was by far the most powerful super power out there. Your restriction became who you could take from, instead of anything else.

“If there’s a Rogue out there, she’s buried deep. There is a Mimic, however. Nobody talks about him, because he’s the ultimate backup for the High Guard. Apparently, he has the powers of Comet and Primus at half-strength, and swaps the other two he can in and out, along with being a shapechanger. He can sub in for just about anyone on demand, and is also used as a deep penetration agent if needed.” She smiled slightly. “He’s one of Sama’s students, I think?”

“How long have they known Skrull organ transplants allow humans to shapeshift?”

“Most of a century.” The question didn’t catch her by surprise at all. “That force in the Tribes is called the Raven Guard. Given European sentiments on Ravens, they naturally misread what it represents, if they’ve ever heard of it. I’ve not inquired deeper into the matter.”

“The Black Widows all use the trick.” That surprised her. “Apparently the degree of shape-shifting conveyed is dependent on the amount of the transplants. All Black Widows have a Skrull appendix, and can shapeshift into just about any other woman of roughly equal body mass. I’m guessing if they swap livers, they can swap genders, and gain a greater range of body mass, too.”

“Automatically qualifies them for Warshaper, then,” Kwannon nodded thoughtfully, which would explain their resilience and strength. “Sama intimated that there’s some high-level aliens out there that aren’t aliens. The combination of Shifter Class Levels, psionics, and Skrull-changing would be a very potent combo for getting past genetic and mental scans.”

“The Raven Guard, indeed.” The Raven was a trickster god, THE trickster god, in the Tribes. Coyote was like his funnier, less-serious apprentice. Coyote pulled stuff and would laugh at you, mock you, taunt you, and definitely let you know who had bamboozled or thwarted you.

Raven, now, Raven would challenge you to see if he was involved at all. His sophistication level had skyrocketed as the Tribes were unified and civilized, and more modern tricks of all kinds rapidly became part of his repertoire. Ravens were great mimics, after all.

I understood Tribal video game companies credited him on every game, hoping they’d made something clever for him to enjoy, and some of the designers swore they’d been inspired by Raven Himself. Raven had a BIG following in the Tribes.

“How do you want to handle this?” Kwannon asked shortly. I glanced around despite myself.

“Somewhere private. Heads up; getting a Nova Core consolidated the Core the Beaubiers were giving me. I’m not at all sure how it will interact with the Dual Core of a mutant Psion...”

“Still can’t believe they gave you one of the new Nova Cores so fast,” she shook her head at me, reaching out to take my hand. “Just a little spot with nobody around.”

Psionic energies rippled, and we were out of there.

---

It was a clearing in the woods, about ten miles away, on the side of a tall hill in the middle of nowhere. A little brook to the side, some boulders dumped here by the last Ice Age... and signs of Wards being put up and taken down on a regular basis.

“Stargazing?” I asked, looking about with a smile.

“Cassandra sometimes just needs to be away from stray thoughts, so I take her here to meditate.” With a gesture, she powered up the Wards, just in case something wanted to look in at us. “Nothing special about the place, which makes it easy to tell if someone has tampered with it.”

“Horrors. Can’t imagine anyone doing that in this world!”

She just smiled at that, turning to face me. “All right, how do you want to approach this?”

“Very simply. Godmerge, followed by the Duplicate draw. Then simply recast Duplicate as the Merge is cancelled.”

I reached out with my hands, and she took them calmly. I held her violet eyes as I Cast the spell.

She wasn’t a divine entity of any kind, but she was a Duplicate of me on a spiritual level, made to recombine with me. Her physical side was basically an extra for the Godmerge to handle.

Like a zipper coming together, our lives up to her Duping drew together, and our combined experiences came together too.

So did everything else, bodies flowing together into a composite of both of us.

It was a good thing the Wards were up to tamp down on any light shows, because our Nova Core promptly leapt all the way up to a False Nine as it integrated the massive amounts of energy from Kwannon’s Core into its shell. There were no issues with the residual Beaubier Core, either, it was all just added in smoothly.

“Woo!” we exhaled at the rush. The Heavy Gravity Training Buffs were actually minor compared to the active Totem Buffs and the Nova Core boost, but totally new to Kwannon. All our knowledge and memories came together, the sixth and last train of experiences for us, and we watched both my side Levels pop to 18, staying 19 in Primary.

“Damn,” we murmured, and just to see, spun up a holo mirror.

“Okay, we are definitely hawt,” we murmured, looking at the face taking the best of both of us, one eye emerald green, one shining violet with the sheer amount of energy inside us. Skin tone lighter than Kwannon, definitely more golden than Dynamo, and a figure to have the boys weeping.

Alas, it was not to be. We pushed against one another as the Duplicate spell was recast, and Kwannon was pushed back out of me, the Godmerge undoing itself and rendering us back into two people again.

She was Reformatting herself even before I confirmed the Levels I’d gained were still there, and that the psionic Nova Core was also unspun and gone, while I also Reformatted myself.

=========

Kwannon Quar, the Parent, the Sword of Cynosure

Female Powered Human/5 (Mutant), Base Spider Totem Template

Ur-Priest/1, Learned Sorceress/1, Archmage/3, Hierophant/2, Warshaper/5, Arcane Shadow/6; Melee/10, Scout/4, Arcane Fist/4; Psion/3, Divine Mind/9, Cerebramancer/7

Strength: 15-> 38 (48)* Height: 5’8

Dexterity: 17->35 Weight: 140 lbs.

Constitution: 17->39 Hair: Lilac

Intelligence: 20->48 (52 Cold) Eyes: Purple

Wisdom: (12) 18->30 Age: 22

Charisma: (12) 18->32

Health: 114

Soak: 503

Movement: 180’

Nova/Psionic Core: 0 (0%)/ PP: 205->300 Mutant, + 492 (311 Class+ 189 Intellect bonus + 20 Mastery/5 -28 NOG Wis/Cha)

Arcane Pool: 22 (3+ Ki(19))

Theurgic Caster Levels: Ur-Priest at 10 (45); Sorceress/17 (22); Psion/19 (24).

Notable Talents/Traits: Mutant Psion (Telepathy, Telekinesis); Born Mindblade, Naturally Focused, Dauntless; Patient, Protective; Heavy Gravity Training/4*; Merged Duplicate; Slayer: Ninja, Tong, Werewolf, Skrull/Dire Wraith, Brood, Fiends, Mutates, Undead, Constructs (robots) (acquired); Widow of the Red Room; Sealed Identity; Master of Four Dragons (Sun, Moon, Shadow, Ocean); Master of Night Rose

Templated Powers: Enhanced Might (--); Enhanced Reflexes (--); Increased Fortitude and Stamina (--); Poison Resistance and Acquired Immunity; Radiation Immunity; Perfect Balance; Enhanced Speed and Jumping; Impact Resistance

----Mutant Psion Template: Manifest Psychic Knife (Mindblade); Manifest Telepathy; Manifest Telekinesis

Nova Core Powers: Non-powered

Widow Training: Enhanced Healing, Enhanced Memory, Combat Instincts, Fast Learner, Steady Mindset, Increased Longevity

Acquired Powers: Immune to Fire and Cold extremes, affinity for Fire and Cold Magic; Spellcaster (Weaver Magic); Pheromonal Control; Sunstone Attunement (Crystal Bones); Rune-Carved Bones (+5 to Physical Stats**(not included), Unbreakable), Attuned to the Godstone, Psionic Nova Core

===========