It is not a prison. . .

[Shut up. I assume we want to reach some sort of security center so we can use their surveillance to find Aria?]

That would be the most effective and likely most challenging approach. . .

[I feel like the highest chance for success is to use the shadows. Am I seeing this right; I have 13,000 mana?]

You are correct in regards to your mana pool. You currently have a maximum of 13,170. Thankfully your regeneration went up as well although your overall time to fill mana will be approximately the same given the ceiling. While I look forward to us walking through the effects of your reaching level 5, I do not believe now is the time. However, this one alert is pertinent now. Please note that there are numerous background alerts that explain, but I am skipping due to time constraints. . .

Subclass:

Twilight Operative

Description:

The darkness welcomes you. A Twilight Operative is a silent operative who excels at the penetration of enemy encampments and facilities. As a silent assassin arriving and leaving without any living creature noticing, a saboteur destroying enemy facilities or defenses, or as a messenger receiving and delivering the most secret of missives, the Twilight Operative is a vessel of the darkness.

Subclass Abilities:

Obscuring Twilight

Whenever a light source is not directly on the Twilight Operative, this skill enhances the cloaking capabilities of any and all stealth, silencing, and camouflaging skills by 25%.

Any direct exposure to light will result in this skill forcefully canceling and the cooldown beginning.

This ability is enabled and maintained through the constant expenditure of mana. The amount of ambient light increases/decreases the amount of mana required.

Duration: Variable, Mana: Variable, Cooldown: 1 hour

Darkness Infusion

Through their partnership with darkness, Twilight Operatives have the ability to temporarily imbue non-light affinity objects with the darkness affinity. Through the influx of darkness Magica, the wielder of this skill can surround an object in darkness for 1 second per 10 mana imbued per 5 square inches of the object. The object’s mass or density is irrelevant in this calculation.

Note: While this skill cannot be used on a living creature, an imbued object can be worn, wielded, or otherwise used by a living creature without altering its duration or effect. This does not change its mana requirement.

Duration: Variable, Mana: Variable, Cooldown: 60 seconds

Darkness Vision

A lack of light is no barrier for the sight of the Twilight Operative who maintains perfect vision in all light conditions. This does not grant the ability to see inside a darkness affinity skill or ability effect. The mana requirement ratio is 1 mana for 1 second of darkness vision.

Duration: Variable, Mana: Variable, Cooldown: 15 seconds

Welcoming Darkness

To the Twilight Operative, darkness is a welcoming home, hearth, and family. As such all darkness affinity skills (not abilities) have a reduced mana expenditure of 5% and an increased flow rate of 5%.

Note: This ability also raises the level cap for all passive darkness affinity skills by 50%. It has no effect on active skills.

Permanent passive effect

Darkness Sludge

Use of the darkness affinity will be enhanced by slowing the diffusion of the effects of darkness affinity skills (not abilities) by 100%.

Permanent passive effect

Bonuses:

Attribute Bonus:

Physical Attributes: +0.5 per Operative level

Magical Attributes: +1.0 per Operative level

Regeneration: +0.25 per Operative level

Health: +25 per Operative level

Mana: +50 per Operative level

Note: For classes of “High” rarity or above, the attribute bonuses are retroactive to any prior essence level gains.

Skill Bonus:

None.

Resistance Bonus:

None.

[Balls on a dragon!]

Before you get too excited, while it is evening, this facility is extremely well lit which will make your shadow idea less plausible and much slower. Even if you attached yourself to a member of the staff, how would you know where they will take you? You could be swapping between individuals all night. Moreover, I will need to directly contact the relevant terminals to gain access to this facility’s security substructure and, as you saw, it appears to have leviathan-level defensive protocols. While powerful, your new grand level subclass will provide limited assistance. The only good news is that I was able to acquire a copy of the schematics of this facility so I can direct you in the proper directions. . .

[Good point on the shadow melding challenge. But my subclass. . . I seriously was hoping for something like this as my primary class, not my subclass. Didn’t you say some Specials have multiple subclasses?]

Yes, according to NanoNet a small percentage have multiple and their strength is representative of that. It is tied to levels divisible by 5 for an unknown reason. In regards to your desires, they are irrelevant and I suggest you move on. . .

[Ouch. You’re right of course, but still. It fucking rocks phoenix fire!]

Indeed it does. You will gain a modicum of understanding of the reason behind such an opportunity when you see the full alerts. For now, you must determine a way to bypass this facility’s personnel and defenses. . .

[Actually, I kind of have a plan but it requires you to know where the surveillance devices are. Do you?]

Unless its current layout differs from my version of the schematics, yes. What is your plan?. . .

[The reality is I don’t actually care if they know somebody is here. What matters is that they won’t know it is me here.]

Oh. I see. How unusually direct of you. . .

[Give me a few seconds to prep something. Can you display a map overlay and highlight all surveillance on both the map and my visual HUD while I do that?]

A moment of distracted silence later I hear,

Done. . .

A small square map of the facility with small red dots appearing all over it materializes on the bottom right of my vision.

[When I exit out of the room show me the path to the security room. Change it as you see fit based on the situation.]

Affirmative. This may be the most unexpected thing we’ve done together, Vic. And that is saying something. . .

A quick check of my ring tells me Aria status is the same, so I equip the only two pieces of my darkness Covert Infiltrator armor set that is still functional, the wrist mana projector and mask, drape myself in an undulating cloud of darkness, and look at my map to see what, if any surveillance is outside of this door. Fortunately, there appears to be only one so I ready myself, press my hand on the cryspad, the door slides aside, and I stick my head out. I see a red highlighted crystal in the ceiling of the end of the hallway and no people. Throwing a darkness bubble on it, I exit the room and run in the direction of Jo’s green arrow.

[Allright. Let’s do this.]