The respite did her some good, and this time when she closed her eyes and evened out her breathing, she found the experience less overwhelming than before.

“I... see the [ Skills ] I've leveled. They remind me glowing lights in a dark room or splatters of ink on a pristine wall — something setting them apart, calling my attention to them. Except for [ System Use ]? That one, it’s faded. Overlaid it all, I can feel my [ SP ], whatever that is, and — “

After voicing her question, a whine emerged from the back of her throat. Sláine realized she could simply reach out and know what it meant, know everything about it with the same specificity as knowing every cell in the flesh of a leaf, and it was sharp.

Pulling away from the urge, she asked, "What does [ SP ] mean?"

“Skill points; they’re used to purchase and level [ Skills ],” Red explained curtly. There was no supportive fretting in response to Sláine’s pain.

“So, like a sort of currency…” came her slow mumble. She must have acquired twelve then. Raising the power of [ Reckless Strike ] would take two, and the information following it described what happened when it was improved. “And I get them when I increase my level?”

“Your [ Class ] level, yeah. There are other ways, but… one thing at a time, yeah?”

“Mm. Very well.”

Given the feeling of ‘something more’ she sensed from each of the boxes, she assumed looking inside would show her the new [ Skills ] mentioned in earlier level up notifications. Steadying her breath, she mentally reached out as if to tug open an imaginary drawer.

Pain pulsed through her briefly, but her efforts were rewarded.

[ Berserker ] [ 6 ]

■ [ Reckless Spin LV1 ] [ A ] [ 25AP ] [ Damage all enemies in a circular radius around you by throwing caution to the wind and spinning very fast. It really works, trust us! Chance to inflict Bleed status effect. ] [ LV2 — 2SP ] [ Increases damage, bleed chance, and bleed duration. ]

□ [ Battle Frenzy ] [ A ] [ 70AP ] [ Go on a rampage, increasing your speed, strength, accuracy, and critical chance as you immerse yourself entirely in battle. However, while under its effect you lose sight of everything other than slaughter, and after the skill’s duration is over, you’ll be left exhausted. ] [ LV1 — 3SP ]

□ [ Trap Breaker ] [ A ] [ 50AP ] [ Delivering a hearty ‘screw you!’ to locked boxes and Specialists alike. There’s a pretty high likelihood of this going badly for you, but if you cared about that, you wouldn’t be a Berserker. ] [ LV1 — 2SP ]

□ [ Punishment ] [ P ] [ Weaponize your desire for vengeance to conquer your foes. When you take damage, the potency of your next attack is increased. ] [ LV1 — 4SP ]

□ [ Dire Strike ] [ P ] [ Bolster your ability to hit ‘em where it hurts. Increases critical hit chance. Stacks with all other Dire Skills. ] [ LV1 — 2SP ]

Instinct suggested that the symbols before the name of each [ Skill ] represented whether she had access to them. [ A ] and [ P ] though… after taking a minute to let the new information settle in, Sláine asked Red about it, who explained that referred to active and passive skills respectively. Obviously, Sláine wanted further clarification.

“So, [ Skills ] are things you level to gain new abilities and better stats, right? A passive [ Skill ] is a permanent upgrade, barring any weird circumstances. In contrast, an active [ Skill ], when used, lets you do a specific cool thing with the help of your Protocol. For clarity’s sake, we often call them abilities. Now, repeat that back to me.”

”What?” Sláine asked, glancing at her. The mask stared resolutely back.

“What I just told you. If I keep going without making sure you understand that much, I’ll just be talking over your head.”

“Ah… Well, fine then.” Sláine let out a huff, but she couldn’t really protest given the woman was right. It took her a moment to gather her composure, making sure she had herself settled before trying doing something as complicated as piecing words together. “There are two types of [ Skills ] I can spend my [ SP ] on: active and passive. Passive ones generally make me better, and active ones give me new abilities I can use. Like [ Reckless Spin ]? But I didn’t do anything to get that. It just… happened.”

“Sometimes that’s a natural consequence of leveling a [ Skill ] or your [ Class ]. Congratulations on that, by the way.” It was hard to tell whether Red was sincere about that, or her following query of, “How are you feeling?”

“I… think I’m getting used to it. I’m going to try another.”

[ Axe ] [ 5 ]

□ [ Guided Axe ] [ P ] [ Improves your natural ability to find the weak points in your enemy’s defenses. Increases penetration on armored foes. ] [ LV1 — 3SP ]

□ [ Dire Axe ] [ P ] [ Bolster your ability to hit them where it hurts — specifically with axes.

Increases critical hit chance. ] [ LV1 — 3SP ]

□ [ Swift Axe ] [ P ] [ You become more deft of hand when using axes. Increases agility and attack speed. ]

[ LV1 — 3SP ]

“What makes [ Skills ] different from the natural consequences of training? Like, improved strength or muscle memory… practicing still improves my own abilities, yes?”

“[ Skills ] result from the Protocols making you even better at a thing, giving you special powers and boosting your strength. If you learn to wield a sword here, you’ll still get bigger muscles and skills you’ll keep if you travel to another System… but the buffs the Protocols award don’t function outside of Arpege. When you leave this land, all your [ Skills ] become meaningless.”

“Huh,” Sláine murmured. A chill had crawled into her, slithering beneath the prickling fever, but she still wanted to press on. To make it through all of them.

[ Poison Resist ] [ 4 ]

□ [ Power Through: Body ] [ P ] [ More easily ignore toxins that would impact your body. Grants special resistance against Paralyze and the effects of toxins on physical stats. ] [ LV1 — 2SP ]

□ [ Power Through: Mind ] [ P ] [ More easily ignore toxins that would impact your mind. Grants special resistance against Confusion and the effects of toxins on mental stats. ] [ LV1 — 2SP ]

□ [ Immunity Boost ] [ P ] [ Become harder to infect or poison. Grants special resistance against becoming afflicted by toxins. ] [ LV1 — 4SP ]

Hm. So, the passive [ Skills ] she could acquire under [ Poison Resist ] helped specialize what afflictions she could deal with. But...

"Red, I'm already naturally resistant to poisons and disease; how does that factor into all this? Shouldn't I have begun with a higher level?"

"Nope," Red replied, giving Sláine a casual shrug. She noticed that Red hadn't looked away from her yet, even during the moments of uneventful silence. "All [ Skills ] and [ Classes ] start at the first level, because leveling up represents how much aid the Protocol is giving you based on your achievements and its familiarity with your, you know. General vibe."

"General... 'vibe'?"

"Yeah, like your, well. You-ness. If you believe in souls, you could think of it like that, but the more stuff you do here, the better the Protocols know how you do it. It makes it easier for them to make improvements based on that."

"I see. That explains a lot."

Sláine fell silent, but as she steeled herself to continue, another question occurred to her.

"[ System Use ]... there aren't any [ Skills ] associated with that, are there? Or do I have to get better at it to unlock them?"

"There aren't any by default, no."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nnnn... okay. Just as a general precautionary statement, I know a lot about this kind of thing — more than your average person. If you ever have a few free hours and want the whole red string corkboard deal, then let me know, but for now I'll give you the general layman's answer with the same amount of layman's accuracy. Sound fair?"

“Alright,” Sláine replied, grateful for the mercy. While curious about Red's more nuanced grasp on [ Skill ] mechanics, she already had enough on her proverbial plate.

"What you're seeing right now is a fraction of the [ Skills ] you can actually acquire; the rest you’d need individual help with from a Protocol or have really specific criteria to unlock."

"I see,” Sláine said, only half understanding. Given the number of [ Skills ] she already had available, she probably didn’t need to worry about that. Unless...

"If I spent points on a [ Skill ] and regret it, can I undo it?"

Red's shaggy purple hair shifted as she tilted her head. "Not easily," was the reply she finally settled on, and Sláine gave her a simple nod.

So, her decisions had lasting consequences, though given her action-based personality... it wasn't something she'd let herself be overly concerned about.

Right, she thought. Let's finish this up.

[ Dodge ] [ 3 ]

□ [ Uncanny Dodge ] [ P ] [ Logic? Sense? Who needs it? Improve your ability to pull off feats of agility using improbable objects. Increases dodge chance when performing unconventional maneuvers. ] [ LV1 — 3SP ]

[ Perceive Threat ] [ 3 ]

□ [ Threat Detection ] [ A ] [ 10AP ] [ Use your honed instincts to anticipate any nearby threats. ] [ LV1 — 5SP ]

In quick succession, Sláine viewed the contents of both categories. While neither contained much information to process, the strain still wore at her, leaving her drained and exhausted, and rubbing her head.

Other than the ones made available by her [ Class ], the only abilities she currently had access to was [ Threat Detection ] under [ Perceive Threat ]. It was expensive, but would the cost be worth it…?

"Hey," Red called out, and Sláine felt a brief touch on her shoulder before Red flinched away. "Uh, maybe you should exit out for now. And - um, here. Drink this."

She offered a vial to her, the shade of which reminded Sláine of the woman's obnoxiously bright hair. Unquestioningly, Sláine uncorked it and gulped it down, noting its remarkably sweet, berry-like taste that left her refreshed. She bowed her head in gratitude before asking, "How do I do that?

"Um... oh jeez. So, you remember the feeling of shutting all those drawers, yeah? Well try that again, but this time on... everything. Like you're storing a box in a closet and leaving the room."

Before making her attempt based on Red's usual strange analogies, Sláine hesitantly inquired, "Will I be able to review it again without asking Aria for help?"

"Probably? You might need some practice, but now that you've done it once it should be easier."

Letting out a small sigh, Sláine nodded and gathered her concentration once more. Put everything in a box, hm? As she settled into the even rhythm of breathing, focusing her attention on the composition of her body and mind, she found herself naturally drawn to a space that felt... empty. Like a space on a bookshelf left glaringly open, and guided by the instinct she'd been honing over the course of their excursion, Sláine took all the information bestowed upon her and slid it back to where it belonged.

Her shoulders sagged as if freed from a sudden weight, leaving her body light and airy, though in the end it was only a momentary relief.

[ System Use has reached Level 6 AHHH SLÁINE ARE YOU OKAY IF I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE THAT HARD ON YOU I NEVER WOULD HAVE AGREED I’M SORRY I’MSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIM ]

Oh.

Oh dear

She was going to have to do something about that, wasn't she?

>> Comfort panicking god-machine