෴Raz෴

෴Hex෴

෴Brock෴

෴෴෴ ෴෴෴ ෴෴෴

White Fire

෴෴෴ ෴෴෴ ෴෴෴

Raz felt a manic grin trying to force its way onto his face. He leaned on his hand, hoping to hide what felt like a crazed expression that seemed determined to come forth.

Ok, stay calm, be cool. I now have an attack ability. Let's keep the safety on. Set the hook before I go play with this new toy. Then I can go outside and learn how to blow things up.

Brock was clearly still boiling over with curiosity at Raz’s series of lures. At Hex’s prompting, the smith resumed describing how his own research into the regions surrounding the anomalies had been instrumental in Dr. Stilt discovering the precise relationship between anomaly size and the expanding affected ‘zone’ surrounding them.

Raz saw his chance to go in for the figurative kill. “That sounds really interesting. Does it have to do with all those little concealed devices deployed out there?” He gestured expansively at the miles of desert around the building.

Brock’s eyes went wide. “Concealed devices? What are you talking about?!”

Raz started to tell him what he’d found, then caught his gaze skipping past the bearded smith onto the workbench holding his gauntlets.

Nicest way I could punish—I mean incentivize someone like him is to deny him what he wants so badly.

“Never mind, sorry I brought it up. Information like this is far too valuable to give away for free.”

Brock stood there, obviously trying and terribly failing to control his expression.

Hex burst out laughing. “Well Brock, I told you this would happen. He’s not going to give you anything for free now. You should just make the best deal you can, while you’ve still got some leverage.”

Brock’s ear started to twitch. Abruptly, he turned and walked over to one of his workbenches.

And now we wait for the bite.

Raz turned his attention away from Brock and started to mentally feel out his power.

Not to be negative or anything, but I’m guessing this is going to turn out to be some power I can accidently kill myself with?

[All directed energy abilities have the power to harm the user. Without other directed energy trees to reference, it is hard to say whether providing a resistance to this energy so early in the tree is ominous or just helpful.]

Let’s be real, it’s going to be ominous.

[Maybe, but you’re a bit of a glass-half-empty sort lately. Directed energy abilities can make big changes in the local environment, fast. Being immune to direct flame won’t help you at all if the problem is that you used a fire ability and consumed all the oxygen in an enclosed environment.]

Well yeah, bu—

[Not just directed energy abilities. Any ability can be used in ways that will harm the user. You can easily be strong enough with enhanced strength to bring a building down on top of you, without being resilient enough to survive the collapse, or be tough enough to survive the collapse, but not strong enough to dig yourself out.]

That’s not what—

[I could go on. The reality is that any time you increase your personal power, there is a risk that you’ll use that power in a way that has unintended consequences. I’ll warn you when the use of a power itself will or may harm you. The rest is up to you.]

Ok ok. I get it.

Trying to mentally examine what exactly the white fire ability was, he felt around the edges of the new area in his awareness. It felt more like a force that wanted to burst forth, rather than one he had to create, or coerce into being. Something about it felt easily summoned, too easily, like it might just get out of control like a waterfall breaking a dam if he let it.

Ok, carefully now. Just enough to feel what it is.

He let a single slim thread of energy out into his hands. At first it didn’t seem to go anywhere, just flow through and around him. Instinctively he pushed it outside of himself, holding the building energy externally. A slight but increasing sensation washed across his skin. A tingling feeling not unlike pressure, or the feeling of blood rushing to his fingertips, enveloped his hands.

Brock turned from the workbench, then positioned himself behind the central counter. He watched Raz sitting there, rubbing his hands together as though feeling his own skin for the first time. “Is that from you? Is everything all right over there?” his hand hovered over the control that governed the workshop defenses.

The words pulled him from his reverie. Raz blinked in sudden awareness and instinctively looked down at himself, expecting to find himself wreathed in flames or some other more esoteric energy manifestation. There was nothing. He looked the same, but everything felt different. An active new power thrummed and pulsed inside him. The novel sensation of barely restrained forces had distracted him from his surroundings. “Uh, yeah. Just… feeling kind of weird all of a sudden.”

Hex heard them chatting and came back over to Raz. She was about to sit down next to him when she stopped short and took two quick steps back. “Is everything ok babe?”

Cocking his head to the side, Raz looked at her with minor confusion. “Mostly I think? Why do you ask?”

“There’s a really weird feeling close to you. It feels—it feels dangerous. As soon as I got this close, it feels like if I get much closer something bad is going to happen. I can’t explain it. The feeling is actually kind of familiar, but I can’t place it.” She looked conflicted, as though she wanted to approach, but was afraid to do it.

I was thinking about letting a tiny bit of it out to feel. Is White Fire on?

[Yes. You are slowly building it up around you. Until you’ve made a serious effort to find your top end, I cannot express it as a percentage except to say that it feels like a very tiny fraction of your current channeled limit.]

So even the smallest amount I can channel just builds up around me? Worse, if she’s right, it’s dangerous, and even if not, everyone around me clearly notices something is up. So much for subtle. How does this make any sense?

[Nothing in the notes so much as implies White Fire is an ability aimed at subtlety. If anything, it appears to be the opposite. Also, please keep in mind that at no point were you asking for a subtle attack ability.]

This is a little scary. So much power! The energy feels like it just wants me to let it rip! I don’t want to know what would happen to me, and everyone around me if I did that.

Willing the ability off he could feel the energy flow reluctantly close down, then slowly the tingling sensation receded and finally faded out. The feeling of an energy field surrounding him sort of drained or fell out of him. “Is that better?”

He was asking Hex, but Brock jumped in. “Much. I don’t know vhat you were doing, but my sensors didn’t like it at all.”

She came over and slid her arm around his neck. “That is much better.” Leaning in toward him, she whispered into his ear, “Did you just get another new ability?”

He nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t test it in here.” he murmured into her ear.

“Isn’t that what you were just doing?” she chided softly.

“Uh, maybe? But I was being careful!” he answered in a low voice.

“So that intense feeling like one more step would get me killed was the careful version?”

Raz nodded ruefully. “I was really using only the tiniest bit”

“That was the least you could do? Is it as powerfully energetic as it felt?”

“I don’t know, I hope so. I’ll have to test it for real to know more.”

Snuggling in close to Raz, Hex looked up at Brock. “Have you got anywhere we can test an energy ability?

Brock looked out the front windows, then at a display on his countertop. He looked at them with a tight, conflicted expression. “I guess you could just head outside for that. But don’t go too far. My defenses only cover inside the circle, and I’d prefer it if you vere ready to go as soon as I get a lock on vhere my liebchen is. You and me, ve still need to talk.”

Raz spared a bitter glance at the gear across the shop before replying. “What do you want taken to her anyway?”

Brock nodded and glanced out the window again. “It’s just a letter in an envelope. I’ll get it to you when you’re ready to leave. I just need you ready as soon as I am. The message has become rather more urgent since last night.”

Raz glared at him. “Oh. That is rather convenient for you isn’t it?” he said, mimicking Brock’s way of speaking.

Brock took a deep breath and sighed. “No. This change is not convenient for anyone.”

As Raz neared the door, Brock spoke up again. “Vhat do you vant in exchange for information about this facility, and the personnel there?”

Yes! Gotcha.

Raz shrugged. “I dunno. Make me an offer. Do it soon though, once we leave to take your message I’ll probably not be interested in sharing this, or the other information I have.”

Brock looked like he’d swallowed something terribly unpleasant. He nodded weakly as Raz stepped into the mantrap. “Vell, I’m sure I can think of something.”

Hex laughed at Brock. “You’re blowing it, dude. Make your deal while you can.”

Raz shook his head and went to the door. “Whatever. I’ll be outside trying this out.”

Hex hurried after him to the door, but stopped when he put a hand on her shoulder.

“Honey, would you mind watching my back from in here? I don’t want to risk hurting you, and I have no idea how to use this ability.”

She nodded, conflicting emotions playing across her face. “Sure. I’ll do that. What kind of ability is—Wait, yours have names! What’s it called? I bet it’s awesome.” she sounded more excited than he was.

He looked over her shoulder at Brock, who had turned away to work at one of his many workbenches. With a low voice he answered, “It’s called White Fire. Listed as an attack skill, but also says it’s hard to control and hard to use as a weapon. I’d like to try it out for the first time, without any friendly targets nearby.”

“Hard to control, hard to use? Well that makes it sound like a terrible weapon.”

He smiled nervously. “Uh, it actually also says it’s a terrible weapon.”

She laughed and then went silent when she looked at his face. “Oh. You’re serious. Why would you pick something that’s a terrible weapon? You had options right? Why not get something tried and true like the metal control stuff Midnight can do? Or, I don’t know, super strength or something? Are you ignoring your onboard computer again?”

The helpless feeling from the dream, of pounding at the barrier, then watching her die flooded through him.

He took her hand in his and shook his head. “Midnight advised against following his path, and suggested that I get whatever feels right to me. I’m hoping this is the right one…” To avoid any possible future like that nightmare.

Her expression softened, then became worried. “Are you ok? You look like someone killed your pet rabbit.”

He tried to smile. “I don’t have a pet rabbit.”

His forced smile hadn’t fooled her. “Well, you look like someone got you a pet rabbit, let you come to love it, then killed it.”

He blinked a few times to clear the sudden irritation from his watering eyes, “Just, thinking about the future is all. So what do you say, can you watch my back?”

She pulled him close and held him there for several seconds. “I will. Don’t do anything crazy.”

Pulling Raz in for a tight hug, she whispered in his ear. “Love you babe, get out there and be the goat.”

“Goat?”

“You know, Greatest Of All Time.”

He failed to suppress a grin. “The goat huh? Yeah, I’ll work on that. I’ve got an ability, don’t even know what it does or how to use it, and apparently it’s a terrible weapon, but I’ll try.”

She shook her head, smiling. “Do that. Stay positive with it. I know how you get when you start to get into a negative cycle. In fact, I’ll tell you something. I am starting to move from impressed to a little bit jealous. Midnight helped me with a minor breakthrough last year, but you’re just popping out with new abilities left and right like it’s going out of style.”

Her comment gave him pause. “That reminds me. I’d really like to look over your abilities and see if I can help you improve. Would you be ok with that? I have no idea if I can do anything, but I’d like to try.”

She nodded eagerly. “Yes, absolutely. But not here and now. You might be ok doing breakthroughs any old time, but I’d prefer to be safe at home. Not to mention, the last time with Midnight helping, it involved a sort of reset that collapsed me down to one aspect. If you did a reset on my ability right now, I don’t want to know what would happen with one of my aspects here and the rest back home.”

“Makes sense. Kiss for luck.”

She kissed him soundly before he stepped through the mantrap to head back outside.

*** *** ***

An hour later Raz was sweating and frustrated in the cool desert air.

“Why isn’t this working!” he growled.

[It is working.]

“Then why is nothing happening!?” He shouted. Raz had long since given up all vestiges of propriety or concern for his image.

Once again he dropped into a combat stance, extended his hand and gently eased his grip on White Fire. His energy stores began to slowly drop as the force built up in his hand. A sort of pressure began at his fingertips and began to grow. He slowly put more and more power into it, watching his own energy decrease as the feeling of pressure increased until he could barely stand it. The influx of power made his skin tingle and a new and strange sensation arose in him. A few seconds later he could no longer maintain the power and let it recede. It quickly drained away when he stopped allowing it to flow.

There is a very odd relationship between this ability and my energy level. It feels like I’m holding back vast amounts of energy, allowing a semi controlled amount to escape, but nothing is happening. Help me out here?

Raz engaged his energy regen procedural chain and refilled his energy in a few seconds.

[You are without a doubt, channeling the force of White Fire. Unfortunately, with such a small species list, the notes are somewhat lacking. Notes on practical application are all but nonexistent.]

Then why were you so sure it was a good option?

[Please retract that question. It would be best if you didn’t ask that question right now.]

Very suspicious. Fine, belay that question. I’ll trust you. Let me guess, the answer might be helpful, which is clearly not allowed.

[That is unfortunately more correct than either of us would like.]

Hey now, I thought you’re just a part of me.

[I am. But as you seem to prefer to incorrectly think of me as a separate entity, I’m just rolling with that until you change your mind. I feel—I feel like I might be starting to become a more distinct entity the longer you think of me as separate.]

Is that a good or a bad thing?

[I wish I knew. There are notes that describe split consciousnesses, but none apply to the HUD tree.]

A question rose in his mind about the notes and the tree possessed by only one species. Raz was about to ask a question when he decided against it.

[Good call. You didn't ask, so I can casually mention how very very few notes there are in that tree while speaking on another topic such as the status report you’re about to ask for. For now, best to return to the original plan.]

Raz closed his eyes and took a breath, taking just a moment to meditate and find his calm.

Status.

[Energy: 100/100]

[Energy Regen modifier -1]

[Energy Usage rate: 0 per minute]

[HP: 100/100]

[MHP: 2/2]

Whoa whoa whoa! I have MHP? When did this happen? I thought that was a durability power?! Is that from White Fire?

[It is not. To the best of my observation, coupled with Midnight’s information, you have gained one MHP from exiting the HUD tree, and another from exiting the Somatic Recovery tree. I told you all this earlier.]

Don’t want to get distracted right now, but we need to talk about MHP later! Midnight has those too. I need to know what exactly they are and how they work!

[That is a good idea. I have some information, but more research to do before I will feel confident that what I know is correct and useful.]

Raz assumed a combat stance again.

So, before I just keep bashing my head against a wall trying to do the same thing and failing, am I doing this wrong? I know new abilities are dangerous, am I risking hurting myself?

[Answers in order asked: You are not doing it wrong. The power of White Fire is available, but whatever should happen next is not happening. Or at least, what you’re trying is not working.]

I’ve seen some things. I don’t want to be another one who turns into a cautionary tale about ability use.

[ I think that is part of the problem. New abilities gained without proper foundation are often quite dangerous.]

Right, and that's why I—

[Wrong. You have the proper foundation, and you’re obtaining the ability from bottom to top. This is the correct, and safest way. You can still indirectly hurt yourself through carelessness or negligence with any ability, but the risk is as minimized as possible when you start from the bottom of a tree and move upward.]

Is it just too early to use it? Do I need other abilities in the tree to make this work?

[The next abilities that can be unlocked for a solid build: Insulation 2, Shatter Strike which includes one sub ability. For a linear build, the next ability is Ground Control, with two sub abilities. Again, you are accessing the power. You clearly do not need other abilities to use it. Further progressing the ability will certainly improve it, and probably make it easier to use, but you should be able access most, or all of the raw power of this tree, and be able to find ways to use it now.]

Shatter strike sounds cool. Whether it is or not, who knows. Ok. Got any pro tips then?

[I have observed that beyond the very lowest levels of output, the energy consumption of this ability does not appear to have any significant direct correlation to how much of the force you are using. There may be an inverse correlation, but until you use more than a miniscule fraction of your capability it’s hard to say.]

So how do I use this power and stay safe?

[ Are we talking in circles? No power is fully safe. Your caution is generally wise, but excessive in this case. You’re not like those people you’ve seen hurting themselves.]

Raz held up his hand and allowed the energy to flow into him. The power built up, then started to feel painful, and he let it go. There was no visible effect to any of it.

[Perhaps you should consider being a little less cautious, and activate it at a weapons grade level, like the weapon it is. Also, consider that the base level may not be a projective ability. Have you, for example, considered hitting something?]

Raz looked around him. The empty sandy spot was a good location to move around and try to project his ability, but there was nothing nearby.

“Hmm. Fair enough, hmm, something to hit.”

This thought caused Raz to look at things in a new way. He readied himself, and instead of releasing the surging force inside and all around him, he reached out and felt for it. The energy appeared to exist in multiple ways and forms all around him. Pulsing and building up, only to dissipate and flow away. This sudden awareness showed him the way the energy passed around, and through him.

Whoa. It’s—it’s everywhere. I can feel it all around me, and inside me. What am I doing exactly? Concentrating it? Summoning it? Creating it? What even is it?

[Since the point when you unlocked Advanced Interface 1, I have read well over a million notes that deal specifically with those sorts of questions across various trees.]

A big number like that makes me think the answer isn’t going to be simple.

[Microscopically short version: Some directed energy trees, such as the White Fire tree, allow you to either channel existing energy, or create it. However, there is considerable disagreement in the notes about what ‘create’ means in this case. The prevailing notion is that it is not created, but rather directed from an unusable form into something you can use, or bringing the energy into our reality from an adjacent universe, with the ability. Notes pertaining to the theory of this ability seem to far outweigh the notes concerning its practical application.]

He looked at the bare sandy soil and scrub bushes around him, shrugged, and started walking around the inside of the ring. He took a position standing at the edge of the circle, looking out toward where he’d felt something. When he got a confirmation ping back from whatever was out beyond the ring, he quickly built, then chained together, a series of procedural chains.

So, to be clear you’re suggesting I come at this harder?

[As best I can tell, White Fire is a weapon, a tool, and a defense, in that order. What would you do if you weren’t afraid of hurting yourself?]

Who are you and what have you done with Bee?

“Not wanting to hurt myself is a perfectly rational stance,” he muttered to himself.

[I’m not suggesting you go full power right away. Just stop trying to sneak up on it. Time and energy compression are real factors in combat. The energy in a fireball stretched across too much time would not light a candle. ]

Raz practiced allowing the power to flow at the highest rate that wasn't painful, then altered his combat reflex. By the end of creating this procedure, he was sweating and shaking as he breathed in a shallow panicky rhythm.

Gotta calm down. Bee says it’s safe, so it’s probably safe. Get yourself together, man.

Raz took a few seconds to calm his breathing and refill his energy as he breathed in a slow and controlled manner.

“Here goes nothing. Let’s hope I don’t blow up.”

Probably safe, probably safe, probably safe. He chanted to himself and looked for a target.