《Augmenting Reality》Chapter 7: Jane's Winter Preparations
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Chapter 7: Jane's Winter Preparations
Darkness greeted Jane. The kind crept slowly inside bones and sucked all the warmth from the body and deprived the senses of all sensation. A thick, lifeless darkness.
To Jane, there was nothing. No sight. No sound. If she didn't know she was standing, she wouldn't even know there was a ground.
Jane quickly looked in the direction of Mrs. Pettigrew. The information displayed above her head was gone. Did I get transported somewhere? She wondered.
Faint clicking could be heard to the left of Jane. As the sound drew louder, Jane realized it was similar to heels walking on a hard surface. As she looked in the direction of the footsteps, she began to make out a glimmer that became brighter along with the approaching footsteps.
Minutes passed and Jane began to make out a figure of a woman. The woman's clothes slowly became recognizable, followed by the facial features. She could be the picture of any stylish middle-aged upper-middle class woman. The only recognition that Jane could see that distinguished her from another woman was that her face and light-brown hair was an aged version of her own.
As Jane's heart beat faster, the woman drew closer. Her forehead began to show wrinkles and her lips pursed as if thinking of something unpleasant that had to be said. She stopped three meters away, as if she couldn't be bothered to come any closer.
Jane remained silent. She couldn't form words even if she wanted to, for fear of what she might be seeing. Fear that it might be real, and fear that it might not.
"Jane," the woman spat out in contempt. Jane's eyes grew wide in surprise and then lessened in heartache. She had a familiar feeling of realization now that she heard the voice, but couldn't stop listening even if she wanted to. She knew what was going to be said next.
The woman clicked her tongue as she looked Jane up and down. "I was right to give you to that woman. Look at you. I carried you for nine months and all you can do when you see your mother is stand with your mouth open."
Disgusted, the woman huffed and started walking away. "No daughter of mine would be so weak."
Jane could only slump to the floor as the woman's words rang in her ears as they had many nights over the years. They weren't always the same, but they always were of unworthiness. Unworthiness for her to stay.
~*~
With a familiar brightness, the room below the library came back into view. This time, there was a red screen on the wall in front of her with the words, "Failed: 0/10".
Mrs. Pettigrew walked slowly over to a still limp-legged Jane and took her in her arms. "The first time is always the hardest." She consoled.
Sniffling, Jane replied. "I knew once I heard the voice that it wasn't real, but it still hurts."
Patting Jane's head, the elderly woman soothed. "Even if that woman was real, that wouldn't be what she looked like. You take more after your father."
Jane's head jerked in response as she said frantically, "You saw?"
"Of course. How else would I know if someone being tested was in danger? Even if whatever you experience is an illusion, mental magic can do some nasty things. Especially that which we allow ourselves." Mrs. Pettigrew said.
"I always wondered what happened to them, you know. I remembered seeing my parents after I was born and then the people who claim to be them looked completely different." Jane shook her head and laughed dishearteningly. "I never made an effort to get to know them. They were always under suspicion of possibly kidnapping me or something else. I confessed this to my mom last week and she didn't even act like it affected her."
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Jane shook her head again. "A mother should have some kind of reaction. Especially after being so happy just before after I awoke. All she did was confirm one of my theories that I entertained that my parents were really in disguise and hide away in this village from something. Still, I guess I haven't believed it yet or else that illusion wouldn't have hurt so much."
They sat in silence for several minutes. Jane hadn't ever been comforted like this growing up. It was nice.
Finally, Jane asked, "How do you know how my parents looked like? She had mentioned having a Witch disguise them. Was that you?"
Nodding, Mrs. Pettigrew confirmed it. "I did. It took some of my more craftier enchantments and potions as well to completely mold the body and aura that each gave off. Otherwise your parents would never be able to leave the village and find work for fear of bounty hunters. Still, it's best that they don't tempt it. As I said, mental magic can be tricky to deal with. Never fully rely on a disguise, especially if it's an illusion."
After a brief silence, Jane let the words' meaning take root. "They don't leave the village. If it's a safe-haven then why would they need to fear bounty hunters seeing through a disguise?"
Laughing, Mrs. Pettigrew stood up and ruffled Jane's hair. "You don't actually think this village has enough work to support everyone who lives here, do you dear? Most living here don't even need to work, neither do your parents. They just work in the local shops to not be restless. Others commute. That's what your parents do."
"I always wondered how your library could afford all the new books. I thought it was just supplemented by taxes gained from tourism revenue, there isn't much else to spend it on with the little maintenance that the village seems to need." Jane mused as she got up and tidied her clothes and hair.
"When you go out into the world, you'll find that the supernatural world is quite an alarming place. No one's developed their magic or enchanting skills to the point that teleportation is possible, yet advanced technology obtained through Instances still shows up on the market that allows for it. It's incredibly expensive, that's how I know your parents can afford not to work." Mrs. Pettigrew huffed. "Oh the devices aren't rare, mind you. Just uncommon and expensive. A few of the locals in the village use this transportation to gather information about the state of the world or find work."
Jane was amazed. "Mom mentioned mutated Instances opening rifts for things to find their way into or be pulled into our world. She said it was why organizations fight for control of them. When she said advanced technology, I just thought it was like something similar to quantum computers or laser pistols. I wasn't expecting teleporters!"
Seeing that Jane's mind was off her experience with the illusion, the woman smiled and decided to continue the lesson. "We'll discuss this more in the future. You don't have to worry about that now. I need to get back to the library before I'm missed."
Realizing the time, Jane agreed. "Right, the training."
"The text on the far wall there is used to mark your success. The numbers represent how many minutes out of however long the illusion is set for that you managed to conceal your aura." Mrs. Pettigrew lectured. "Using this knowledge, you can practice that technique your mother gave you. With zero minutes successful, you can understand that from the start you became unnerved and your body started interacting with the world's energy."
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Realization dawned. "So the enchantment is designed to access my mind and find something that unnerves me. That's disturbing and effective." Jane stated.
Mrs. Pettigrew nodded. "Mental magic can be very deadly. Illusions as well. This enchantment works with both. One to affect your mind and the other to affect your sight and that of those monitoring within the room. This enchantment uses mental magic to not only read your fears and hopes, but the reactions to them. It takes away your senses and feeds your mind new images based on your memories and those hopes and fears using illusion magic. Then, it monitors your aura."
Mrs. Pettigrew stopped Jane from asking more questions. "Now you see why I haven't told anyone outside the coven about what this place offers. It's not just an effective way of training our members to hide their auras to pass off as normal humans. A lot of organizations have similar training. It helps people resist two of the more subtle and cunning forms of magic."
Jane thought for a moment on the implications. "So you're saying that if people learned that you have a way of breaking or resisting illusions and keeping people out of your mind that this Instance would be in constant use."
Snorting, Mrs. Pettigrew chided. "That too. No, I'm saying that to the degree this enchantment in the Instance can provide such training goes well beyond the norm. Someone with enough mental fortitude could be immune. Organizations have killed for much less. It's hard to keep this kind of secret from getting out, and this hideaway in the mountains have plants from some of them. Do you really think that if someone let it be known just what is here that one of them wouldn't start chaos to claim this village just for control of it?"
Jane hastily assured that she wouldn't. "Out of curiosity, why wouldn't you just remove the enchantment and relocate to another area? My mom said that people can create Instances, and this enchantment obviously was placed inside it initially. So it should be able to be moved, right?"
"A good question. It's for the same reason that you don't see anything other than mats on the floor. Anything placed her becomes a part of the Instance. Initially, you're right. It was just a separate space. However, due to how the enchantment worked, it began to fill the space here with mental energy and Mana emitted due to the emotions and auras of the people who came to train. It resulted in a minor mutated Instance." Mrs. Pettigrew said sadly.
Clapping her hands, the woman said. "It shouldn't be possible in this valley, but it happened. That's enough for today. Let's head out."
Following, Jane left the Instance with Mrs. Pettigrew. She had much to consider.
~*~
Back in the main room of the library, the two looked around and saw it was still mostly empty. Only a few regulars were there in their usual chairs in various corners of the room, reading to pass the time.
Looking at the time in her vision, Jane noticed that she had spent close to 40 minutes down below. She wondered at just how long she spent rattled from the illusion. The test and conversation couldn't have taken that long, she thought.
Whispering, Jane asked Mrs. Pettigrew when she should come back to start training privately in the cellar. Instead of an answer, she was offered a job.
Jane looked again around the room. "Do you really need help? All I could offer is maybe two hours per day during the week after school." Secretly, Jane didn't think the place required a full-time librarian, much less help.
In a low voice, Mrs. Pettigrew replied. "Of course not, dear. If we're going to have you sneaking around under everyone's nose, it'd be the perfect cover. Don't you think? Shuffle some books, reorganize the signs and displays a little, then go fill out some forms in my office and you can slip on down even if the place was full of people."
"I thought it was something like that, but I just wanted to be sure. Well, I was already planning on coming in for a couple of hours after school anyway. Would you mind if I used your office to work on school work and my research when I'm not using the 'facilities'?" Jane asked cryptically.
With a straight face, the elderly woman deadpanned. "Only if you clean up afterwards. Though you really shouldn't spend too much time in there. It'd be hard for me to check regularly."
"Sounds like a plan." Jane paused for a moment then asked with a smile. "Do I get paid as well?"
Swatting Jane away, Mrs. Pettigrew ended the discussion. "Only with love, dear."
~*~
The following day saw Jane back at the library. She had chided herself on the way home for not even checking out some of the books she was going to read in an effort to develop her Observation skill. This time around, she'd pull some of them first before she did anything.
Mrs. Pettigrew was true to her word with the job offer. As she walked in, Jane received a paper thrust in her direction instead of the customary greeting.
"And a good afternoon to you too, Mrs. Pettigrew." Jane said as she looked over the list of things to do around the library.
The list wasn't much, basically a more detailed accounting of what was discussed the previous day. Jane did stop at one item, however. "Do you really want me to do that? There's no way I can finish today and still have time work on other things."
"Consider it an ongoing project." The elderly woman replied before turning back to the book she was reading. Jane did note the title, Effective Management Best Practices, before moping to the door at the far side of the room that would lead to the stock room.
Opening the door, Jane was greeted with a cloud of dust. "How is this so dusty if she's keeping all the books current in front?" She coughed out after an unsuccessful to close her mouth from the shock before the dust cloud greeted her.
After her eyes adjusted to the dim light, Jane saw four rows of large boxes stretched twenty long and five high in the room. Mrs. Pettigrew wanted Jane to inventory them by making a database of what was in the boxes so that she could have something to pass to used book dealers before selling them off. Before all of that, though, she was going to have to get them ready for conversion to an ebook to go on a website that Jane was suppose to setup. Mrs. Pettigrew seemed to have a sudden industrious side to her.
Jane wondered who was really going to be benefiting from this arrangement, her or Mrs. Pettigrew.
With a resigned look, Jane decided to look on the bright side: here she was, all alone with many books to work on her Observation development with without anyone to bug her. It didn't matter if it was reading in Mrs. Pettigrew's office or back here. It wasn't even like she had a deadline.
The boxes were, thankfully, coded by section and looked just to be organized into segments of the same shelf that they had inhabited in the main room. This made finding her topics much easier. Tomorrow she'd bring a laptop to start compiling the inventory, but today she'd read.
~*~
Jane's first course of action was to pick up books on gardening, anatomy, botany, chemistry, and anything else that was plant or medicinal related.
She wanted to be able to get a decent description of useful plants to start with. At the very least, this would aid her in picking out edible food from the poisoned if she ever had to resort to a wild survival situation. Jane hoped for more, though.
Being able to tell at a glance if a powder or pill is medicine or poison and what it does would be very useful. As would knowing if a plant had medicinal properties. This was just the start. She might even be able to pick up insights into if someone was ill or injured at a glance and why.
After hunting and gathering, Jane ended up with several dozen books in front of her. With a sheepish smile, she picked up one to start reading.
Minutes passed as Jane immersed herself into her reading. She began to scan and flip through each page faster and faster. Scan and flip, scan and flip.
After nearly two hours, Jane reached out a hand for the next book only to realize she was done. Then she noticed a prompt from the System.
[table=white]New Skill: Advanced Mind - MaxThrough your ever expanding cognitive abilities, you have noticed the benefits of and nurtured amassing information and knowledge. You have surpassed the abilities of an eidetic memory to store, sort, and manipulate information quickly and efficiently. Your mind has truly become a machine.
Effect 1: 50+ Intelligence and Wisdom, all information obtained through the senses is perfectly remembered and can be recalled instantly without conscious effort.
Effect 2: 75+ Intelligence and Wisdom, your thoughts are unnoticed by others. Theirs, however, are communicated to you within a 10m radius.[/table]
"Wow," Jane gasped aloud. She had known that she was able to better retain information and was developing what could be called an eidetic memory as her mental stats increased. However, she didn't expect to get a skill out of it.
Thank you System, she thought. "I guess I really was able to get something after advancing a stat to 50. It just needed a trigger." She muttered.
Dismissing the prompt, she saw a series of notices that was previously covered up. Confused, she began reading.
[table=white]Gardening merged into Herbology.[/table]
[table=white]Anatomy merged with Herbology, forming Medical Science.[/table]
[table=white]Chemistry merged into Medical Science.[/table]
Dismissing each one, she wondered how those mergers were governed. The best she could tell, since it didn't show the Skill prompt for each merger, was that insights had a weight. Likely based on research. Gardening was a very low-ordered form of Herbology so it was assimilated.
The next merger was telling. Historically, Herbology was the precursor to primitive doctors. It wasn't until one started cutting up bodies and examining what made them tick that Medical Science took off. Chemistry is just a division within Medical Science, so it's easy to see why it was assimilated.
Jane was curious, though. She wanted to be able to recognize potential magical potions. She had never seen one, but from how Mrs. Pettigrew talked about alchemists and historical texts that discussed them, they were the precursor the chemists. Except that they dealt with compounds that were suppose to break the laws of physics. Which at the time was essentially magic.
That's when she realized, physics. She needed to get all the books related to mathematics. She'd already read a lot of them prior to being uplifted, but her new Advanced Mind skill hadn't been there then. So it likely didn't pull in her current knowledge. Who am I kidding, Jane thought to herself, I didn't study anything that advanced anyway.
Since Mana was another name for the world's energy and Physics was all about modeling how energy worked, this information should evolve her new skill into Alchemy. She wouldn't know any recipes to do anything with it, but at least she'd have the option.
Jane put the current books away and went hunting books relating to Mathematics. She pulled all the Economics and Statistics-related books as well. On a whim, she decided to pull all the books related to Business. Alchemists converted lead to gold and Business was all about converting currency.
This time around, since only had to briefly see text to remember it, she held each book with its spine perpendicular to her stomach and angled it so she could easily flip through the pages by applying pressure with her fingers to the edge of the pages. It took her about three seconds to finish each book.
In less than five minutes she had finished the books. Jane waited for the System's prompt.
"Huh, I was sure that would work." She muttered to herself as she stood up to re-file all the books. "I didn't even get a notice about a Physics skill." Jane could only conclude it wasn't tangible enough to be recognized as a skill since it was mainly theories and information.
~*~
Jane was too absorbed in her reading to Tuesday to visit the Instance below the library. However, she did make time on Wednesday. She made sure to only spend an hour in the storage room cataloging the books into her laptop.
Jane caught Mrs. Winters on a void of patrons in the library to get her to escort her down into the cellar. She was still nervous about what happened Monday, and having her there would be reassuring. Jane also wanted to ask about Alchemy.
Walking through the dark, Jane asked her. "Mrs. Pettigrew, Monday you had mentioned that Witches create medicines with a herb's magical properties and Chemistry. This is Alchemy, right?"
"A rudimentary form of it. It's really just amplified pharmaceuticals. A true alchemical potion is more than herblore and knowledge of Chemistry. An alchemist has to understand how Mana operates. Both freely in the world and when it come in contact with living and non-living organisms. As I explained with the enchantment and computer example before, Mana does follow the laws of physics similar to electricity but it also can break with under the right conditions. An alchemist must learn those or they'll never use materials to their full potential." Mrs. Pettigrew lectured.
Jane understood now. "So if I wanted to learn Alchemy and enchantment I'd need to find some books on Magic Theory?"
Nodding, the woman replied. "Among other things. But for Alchemy, a solid background in Botany and Chemistry are essential in addition to that. I suppose understanding Physics would help as well, but most people who actively practice magic aren't scholars. Even Alchemists rarely invest the time in mathematics unless they have an interest."
"Could I take a look at some of those books on Magic Theory?" Jane asked. "Reading the ideas behind Mana would be neat."
"Best not to for now. You might unexpectedly gain some insight and make your aura even more unwieldy. After you can successfully remain undetected from a master's senses, I'll let you read some books on magic." The woman said while laughing.
Jane pouted as she complained in her head. I guess my Alchemy skill evolution will have to wait. For the best, though. I don't want any further Player level increases until I Max out Aura Manipulation.
~*~
Inside the Instance, Jane was facing off against the not-mother again. This was her third try for the day and she hadn't made any headway into managing her aura. The emotions were just too deeply rooted, making it easy for the enchantment to detect.
As the woman berated her, Jane was making every effort to tune the words out while she reasoned through possible solutions. Her Advanced Mind skill was ensuring she understood everything that was said, however. No matter if she was focusing on listening or not.
At least she wasn't crying at the end of the test, now.
There's a solution here, I'm just not seeing it. She complained in her mind as frustration with this situation gripped her tighter.
"This illusion is just too annoying." She muttered. "It's nearly impossible to tune her out. Even if I could, the enchantment is bound to pick up a few fluctuations as the words make it into my subconscious."
After saying those words, she paused to rethink them. Illusion. The woman is Mental magic projecting an Illusion into my mind. She thought. "I have to resist the intrusion before I could ever hope of concealing my aura from the enchantment's detection!" She said with sudden insight.
"But...how do I do that?" Jane wondered. "Will. Mrs. Pettigrew and my mother made multiple references to Will and Intent when discussing manipulating Mana. So I have to desire strongly, with directed purpose, not to be influenced by outside forces."
[table=white]New Skill: Mental Fortitude - Beginner 1Through sheer resolve and determination, your mind resists being affected by outside influences. True Masters of Mental Fortitude push through even the strongest opposing perspective.
Each level increases Mental and Illusion magic resistance by 2%.[/table]
"Huh, that was easy." She sighed.
~*~
With her new insight, the training for Aura Manipulation started to make headway. It took another week before she had leveled Mental Fortitude enough to make daily increases. By the end of the semester Jane finally mastered Aura Manipulation, Mental Fortitude was tougher to level and seemed to be the key to getting past the more advanced levels of the Instance training.
It was with great excitement that Jane could finally read about Magic Theory. She was mentally rubbing her hands together when Mrs. Pettigrew handed her two books on the topic. One she had obviously bought and another that seemed to be handwritten notes and observations.
"Be careful with these. The printed book is a standard entry-level discussion of Mana, but it is still fairly expensive. The other is a set of notes that my mother compiled to reference when she was learning Alchemy. There's no recipes, but there is some helpful insights. It should make the textbook easier to follow." Mrs. Pettigrew warned Jane before she would let go of the books.
Jane excitedly thanked her and turned to head towards the office and read them only to be stopped. "Where do you think you're going? Those books stay in this Instance. My office is probably safe to read those in, but you never know if a normal person my just wander in looking for you or me."
Apologizing, Jane slowed down enough to look like she was slowly absorbing each word on the page as the elderly woman watched. Like this, she slowly made her way through each book. She also took time to stop and ask questions.
Even if the questions weren't necessary for fully understanding the books, asking would prevent questions and she did actually gain other insights in the process.
[table=white]New Skill: Mana Control - Beginner 1Through looking beyond the commonly accepted reasonings for how the Universe works, you realize that Mana behaves in a more unique way. True Masters of Mana use the energy of creation with ease, treating it as an extension of themselves.
Effect 1: Each level reduces Mana consumption by 1%.
Effect 2: MP is boosted by 2% per level.[/table]
[table=white]Mana Control merged with Medical Science, forming Alchemy.[/table]
Seeing that notice, Jane became alarmed. Control? That's important! You better have not removed that skill like the others when you merged, System! She cried frantically while pulling up the Skill menu to check.
She let out a sigh of relief when she found it still there, then opening up to read about her new skill.
[table=white]Alchemy - Beginner 6You have learned to see that all Sciences share a common root. Alchemy is the heart of Science and can unlock the potential in all things. True Masters of Alchemy can take the mundane and transform it into the Divine.
Each level increases the probability of a successful potion by 1%, regardless of preparation.[/table]
Jane mentally did a happy dance when she read that. Now her Observation skill was complete.
Over the past two months, Jane had used her increased reading speed to finish up all the general information books that were in storage as she cataloged them. She also downloaded and studied the commodities market, compilations of weapons and armor, and various psychological assessments on her laptop at night.
Alchemy was the last piece. She had gained a few levels with each new pool of knowledge for it to draw from. It's description even modified.
[table=white]Observation – Advanced 2Through careful study of the world and those that live within it, you have gained insight into being able to assess your surroundings and not be taken by surprise. True Masters of Observation glean hidden insights without prior knowledge.
Each level increases the probability of additional helpful insights by 1%, regardless of prior knowledge or Player level in relation to the target's difficulty.[/table]
In lieu of the relatively poor physical stat gains, not to mention the non-existent mental stat gains over the past two months, Jane felt that her gains from the library more than made up for it. She was looking forward to the coming weeks without school.
Updated list of Stats and Skills in Spoiler
Spoiler :
[table=white]Player Information:Name: Jane BlackthorneClass: PlayerHP: 310/310MP: 510/510Title: NoneAffiliation: NoneStats:Strength: 29Vitality: 31Dexterity: 34Intelligence: 50Wisdom: 50Luck: 27 (+10)[/table]
[table=white]Acting - Intermediate 1Through the use of emotional manipulation, body language, and tone of voice you have shown you have what it takes to sway hearts and minds. With each level increase your lies become 1% more believable, even if they are poorly constructed.[/table]
[table=white]Advanced Mind - MaxThrough your ever expanding cognitive abilities, you have noticed the benefits of and nurtured amassing information and knowledge. You have surpassed the abilities of an eidetic memory to store, sort, and manipulate information quickly and efficiently. Your mind has truly become a machine.
Effect 1: 50+ Intelligence and Wisdom, all information obtained through the senses is perfectly remembered and can be recalled instantly without conscious effort.
Effect 2: 75+ Intelligence and Wisdom, your thoughts are unnoticed by others. Theirs, however, are communicated to you within a 10m radius.[/table]
[table=white]Alchemy - Beginner 6You have learned to see that all Sciences share a common root. Alchemy is the heart of Science and can unlock the potential in all things. True Masters of Alchemy can take the mundane and transform it into the Divine.
Each level increases the probability of a successful potion by 1%, regardless of preparation.[/table]
[table=white]Aura Manipulation – MaxBy acknowledging how your emotions and will affect the world around you, you gain the ability to control your Aura. True Masters who are at peace with their actions and memories and accept their place in the world can maintain a tranquil state and pass through life without affecting the lives of others.
Each level reduces the chance of unintentional leaks of personal aura by 2%.[/table]
[table=white]Cooking – Beginner 1You have decided to join the lovers of domesticity and gastronomy in this age-old art. True masters of Cooking understand that food is as much an art as it is a science splashed with a dab of magic and love. Meals you prepare have a 1% chance of being edible per level, regardless of your effort.[/table]
[table=white]Mana Control - Beginner 1Through looking beyond the commonly accepted reasonings for how the Universe works, you realize that Mana behaves in a more unique way. True Masters of Mana use the energy of creation with ease, treating it as an extension of themselves.
Effect 1: Each level reduces Mana consumption by 1%.
Effect 2: MP is boosted by 2% per level.[/table]
[table=white]Meditation – Intermediate 8Through calming your mind and centering yourself, you've found the benefits of self-reflection and introspection. Stillness brings oneness with the Universe and all life within it. True masters of Meditation can sustain themselves solely on the energy of the Universe.
Each level increase in Meditation brings a 1% quicker recovery rate of Mana per minute while meditating.
Gains towards Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck have a chance to slightly increase while meditating.[/table]
[table=white]Mental Fortitude – Advanced 3Through sheer resolve and determination, your mind resists being affected by outside influences. True Masters of Mental Fortitude push through even the strongest opposing perspective.
Each level increases Mental and Illusion magic resistance by 2%.[/table]
[table=white]Observation – Advanced 2Through careful study of the world and those that live within it, you have gained insight into being able to assess your surroundings and not be taken by surprise. True Masters of Observation glean hidden insights without prior knowledge.
Each level increases the probability of additional helpful insights by 1%, regardless of prior knowledge or Player level in relation to the target's difficulty.[/table]
[table=white]Unarmed Combat – Intermediate 4By incorporating your knowledge of the body's movements and its weight distribution through a variety of poses and exercises, you can see how it would be used to effectively be used in combat.
Each level, physical attacks given and damage negated is 1% more effective.[/table]
[table=white]Yoga – Intermediate 7By understanding that the body is an extension of the soul, you have found that through Yoga you can strengthen the body. True masters of Yoga have gained spiritual awakening and insights as they incorporate Meditation in their practice.
Each level increase in Yoga brings a 1% quicker recovery rate of Mana per minute while performing the skill.
Gains towards Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, and Luck have a chance to slightly increase while performing Yoga at rates of 0.3%, 0.3%, 0.8%, and 0.1% respectively.[/table]
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The Western Roman Empire, has against all odds, survived until the year 1504. The effects on the world are widespread till even this day. Europe is forever changed, the rising nations from the ashes of the western empire hold true to Roman ideals. Latin remains the shared language across western Europe and the notion of nation-building maintains firm till after the Era of colonialism. Fast forward to the year 2048 and our world has changed beyond recognition. Once under the control of the Imperial Federation, a grand super-state of a size never seen before, the British Isles were ripped from their grasp in the year 2025 to an unknown invader calling themself the First Knight and the future conqueror of Earth. Yet, the so-called "future conqueror of Earth" made no moves of aggression towards the outside world. But instead closed its borders and entered into an era of seclusion. 23 years later and the Authority has begun to stir, the generation of Roman-Britons once loyal to the Federation are slowly matching to their graves. And as rebellion dwindles, the war machine arises in its place as millions of soldiers roar our maxim. "All is Beneath the Authority! And All shall stay Beneath!" The world may not fear our future conqueror of Earth, but they shall soon. For it is fear and fear alone that enables our rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Currently under rewrite/rework. Please hold
8 148The Iridescent Abyss: A journey through a vibrant and bright hellscape
Enter the world of The Iridescent Abyss, a dark psychological & esoteric cosmic horror story told through the eyes of a mysterious figure (who may or may not be based on the author and his own personal experiences with acquired insanity) who have found themselves in a truly bizarre world; where giant trees with sail-like leaves propel suspended islands through the void and where the very fabric of reality is merely a suggestion. Join him as he wanders the floating islands of this vibrant reconstruction of his own personal hell, meeting all manners of monsters, entities, cultures and peoples alike. At the same time, he struggles to survive, let alone thrive, in a world which he was once fascinated to explore, only to become ensnared in its frigid embrace...
8 175Diavolo Reader x Vento Aureo
So, you are the first Diavolo in any timeline to lose to Giorno Giovanna. Due to this, you have died, everyway possible. You even died once from the infinite rotation, which only killed you once because your death was reset, and five times by Bites the Dust, before Kira found out who you were and killed you. Hell, you've been killed by your past self, and even Kars. At this point, you have experienced every thing to ever happen. Only for something you've never seen before happened.
8 225- Dead Apple : Without Me || D. Osamu - [END]
After your brother, Odasaku died, you realized that more than half of your physical and mental strength was getting weaker and weaker. But then, this person -who share the same pains with you gave you a little light and hope. Not until-"This fog took away my light. Why? Why you give me this light? What will you do WITHOUT ME?"---『Dazai Osamu x Fem!Reader』Theme : Drama, Action, Mistery, Seinen, Super Natural, Song-Fiction (?)Book : 1 Prologue + 30 Chapters + 1 EpiloguePublish : June, 2020 - August, 2020Warning : May Contain Violance, Bad Words, Sensitive Content Mention and a Little bit Spoiler.Disclaimer :I do not own anything here. I only own the plot. All of the things that I mention belongs to the rightful owner.
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