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Chapter 8,5 - Class Skills

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  Seraphiel reached out with her mind and lifted the small stone in the air. The stone dipped a bit before reaching the desired height, and when she tried spinning it around, the stone spun out of control and fell to the floor.

  “This is ridiculous.” She muttered, covered in sweat.

  “What’s wrong? You’re doing pretty well for someone trying to gain new Skills.” Ophiel tried to ask. The two were in the training room of their penthouse.

  “That’s exactly the problem. This is ridiculous for someone who previously had enough control and power to take apart an entire craftworld with nothing but my mind. I know what I want to do, and how it’s supposed to be done, but my powers are not working as they’re supposed to.” She complained. She knew it was unrealistic to expect her new powers to work just like her old ones, but she was still shocked at the difference. Something that should’ve been as easy as breathing had suddenly become extremely difficult.

  "Hmm." Ophiel made a thoughtful sound. "I suppose it could be a bit of a shock to have your powers work completely different from how they used to. In fact, your old way of doing things might even be hindering the current you. You need to remember that even if you might reach the point you used to be at, these are currently not the same powers you used to have. These are entirely new, that happen to work in a similar way to your old ones."

  Deciding against making a clever response, she tried again. Now that she'd gained the Skill, the process was easier. Not easy, but easier. The stone lifted into the air more steadily and she could now spin it, though only at a very calm pace. What annoyed her the most was the fact that telekinesis used to be one of the powers she excelled at. It had been her favourite psyker ability and something that had carried her through countless battles. There was nothing quite like ripping out chunks of your enemy with nothing but your mind. Or throwing a mountain at them. That was fun too.

  Instead, she moved on to unlock another Skill. Class Skills were a little different to other Skills. You got a couple offered to you right away, and if you happened to have a Class with Skills that you could train before gaining the Class, then those would be on the list. However, as she had used no psionic power in this life, and unlike previously, it seemed her previous life didn’t count this time. Her past lives might make acquiring Skills easier or offer her access to a wider variety of Skills, but she didn't start with the Skills. Instead, she was given vague hints about abilities she could gain.

  She had started out with Psionic Affinity, which worked just like all the other affinity Skills. It made all her psionic abilities stronger and easier to use. At Skill rank 1, the bonus was just two measly percentage points, and even that was because she had two psionic Classes that both came with the Skill, which had merged. Usually, the bonus was one percent. Still, at higher levels it would be much more useful. She’d also gained what she assumed was the starter Skill for everyone taking the Class, Destructor, which allowed her to send rolling blasts of psionic energy that hurt any caught in the area of the blast. The ability happened to fall under electrokinesis, so that’s what she decided to try next.

  She raised her hand and sparks of electricity circled around her fingers. She managed to send a small jolt of electricity towards the rock she’d been practicing with, though there was no noticeable effect. Interestingly, she seemed to be immune to the effects of the lightning, and she didn't need another Skill to conjure the element into being. This was the benefit of psionics. In many ways, the lightning she created wasn't natural lightning and just a manifestation of her psionic power. She wasn't immune to lightning, and if someone threw a lightning spell at her, that would sting quite a bit, but at least she didn’t hurt herself with her own power.

  Yes, yes. Of course. After accepting the Skill, she sent another stream of electricity at the rock, and at least it got singed this time. Ironically, using Destructor would’ve pulverized the rock, showing the difference between Skills that had a very specific effect and meta-Skills that allowed managed an entire concept or element. The power of specialization at work. Her teachers had been quite direct about the power of focus versus spreading yourself too thin. Even in her case, there was a danger of spreading herself too thin, so she had to balance having a few more specific Skills against too many meta-Skills. The latter would prove more beneficial in the long run, especially once her Skills, Power, and Control improved, but for now, they were a potential liability as neither of the two new Skills was usable in combat, while Destructor was.

  Deciding to go for one more essential meta-Skill, flames appeared around her hand, just like electricity had just moments before. She knew she would be able to combine some of the Skills later on, and controlling the basic elements was an essential part of much stronger abilities in the future.

  Yes. That was her fifth Class Skill on the Path of the Seer. She allowed her psionic energy to recover, as it was rather shocking how quickly she could deplete her reserves now. She then aimed for a pair of more specific and direct Skills, activating both at the same time.

  The basics of the martial abilities of a Warlock or a Farseer. The first one made their fragile bodies able to withstand attacks even from Greater Daemons, while the latter turned their Witchblades into deadly weapons able to slay even the mightiest foes. On that note, while the Power Infusion could be used with any weapon, a proper Witchblade designed for the purpose would make it vastly better. While she could hope the Aeldari that had been brought to this universe had some, they were not very likely to just give one of the treasured weapons away. So, she needed the ability to create her own.

  She raised her voice to sing an eerie tone that clearly unsettled her mother, who covered her ears. As she sang though, a very small piece of white smooth material appeared in her hand.

  “What the heck was that?” Ophiel asked with an alarmed voice. “Angels are supposed to be great singers! I know you mentioned that you could sing before as well, even if you rarely do it.”

  "That was a new Skill," Seraphiel replied calmly, showing the small piece of Wraithbone. It was brittle and barely even managed to hold a shape, very far from a blade not to mention a proper Witchblade, but it was a start.

  “What kind of Skill? Were you trying to unsettle me or something? Because you succeeded. Please don’t do that while I’m around. I’ve never heard something so eerie, and I’ve faced a Banshee before.” Ophiel shivered at the memory.

  “I’ll try not to, though it would be safer with you around. I don’t know how it works here, but back where Bonesingers come from, their song could attract Daemons from the Warp. I’m not quite up to facing anything too nasty just yet.” She explained.

  “Then at least warn me first, so I can protect myself. And you from any nasties.” Ophiel demanded.

  “Fair enough.” She smiled.

  “I’ve counted eight Skills so far. I’m assuming you’re going for full ten?” Her mother changed the subject. Gaining a full set of Skills was rather important, as that was usually the trigger to gain your first level.

  “Yes, and I have an idea for one, but I’m not quite sure what to do with the last. I’m getting the distinct feeling that almost everything I have in mind requires the Class to evolve first.” Time and Gravity manipulation were not exactly abilities for the starter Classes. And those were the signature Skills of the Class.

  “Have you considered something supportive or passive? Something a little bit like your affinity, but more precise?” Ophiel suggested.

  “That’s…an option.” She wanted something that could evolve. “Let’s start with something that was considered more of a utility ability in my past.”

  She focused her powers on the idea of being hidden. If that could not be achieved, then at least she wanted her position to become unclear. Her form suddenly blurred, and her presence seemed to become weaker.

  Sometimes a bit of stealth was much better than blunt force. Hers was not a stealth Class, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t become one. To an extent at least.

  As she considered what to do with her final Skill, she realized she’d forgotten something fundamental. The Path of the Seer was all about predicting the future. She’d discarded the time aspects of the Class because she would need to evolve the Class before she could have any control over time. But she didn’t need to control time to benefit from the future.

  “Chuck something at me.” She told Ophiel. To her surprise, the woman didn’t hesitate even for a second before a small glowing orb flew her way. She could sense the orb was mostly harmless but would be embarrassing if it hit.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Yes, absolutely.” She said out loud, a little embarrassed that she’d almost forgotten such a basic part of the Class.

  “I can see you leveled up. Got all ten Skills then?” Ophiel confirmed.

  “Yes. Race leveled up as well.” She admitted. And of course it would, as the race leveled with your highest-leveled Class.

  “Good. Now the only way to level is to actually train your Skills and to perform activities related to your Class. Healers need to heal, warriors need to fight, merchants need to trade, and nobles need to lead. That sort of thing. Killing shit also works, and is quite effective, but I really don’t recommend that at this level just yet. Which reminds me, what sort of Class did you get? Obviously something psionic.” Ophiel couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer.

  “Path of the Seer. An A ranked Class that can evolve up without limit.” She didn’t mention her other Class for now.

  “Seer? Like telling the future kind of seer?” Ophiel asked, a little surprised. That sounded powerful but also a little odd as a choice.

  “That is part of it, but not the main part. Think of it as a psionic warrior that can indeed glimpse the future. You could also think of it as a leadership Class among the Aeldari, but the Skills aren’t directed that way. That was more of a cultural thing. Well, reading the future is quite useful for leadership, but not always the most reliable method. Also doesn’t mean they have other leadership qualities.” She explained.

  “Well, I’ll leave you back to your training. Just don’t summon any Daemons for now.” Ophiel only half-joked. She also seemed to realize that Seraphiel would need to practice some of her more hidden powers. She wasn’t stupid after all and knew she’d gotten something out of being a Champion.

  Once she was sure her mother was gone, she created a blade made of pure psionic energy that looked like it was made of hardened light. This was the basic technique of the Shinmei-ryū Kamigoroshi, [Hard-Light Creation]. The sword school had many techniques that utilized weapons created from hard light, although most of those techniques had been created after she’d started adjusting them. She also heavily combined the glowing weapons with her telekinesis abilities, which was one of the reasons she wanted to take both of the Classes together, as the techniques were designed to work in concert.

  “Zanmaken.” She stated while slashing at one of the training dummies in the room. The blade went through the target, leaving it unharmed.

  The very basis of the sword school. It was also one of the reasons why the Class had such a high ranking. If your technique, or in this case Skill was high enough, you could ignore almost any defences and strike down any magic or other techniques. The simple slash alone was enough to strike down anyone and anything. In theory at least. As always, techniques competed against one another, and the more powerful one won in the end. Physical defences like the scales of a dragon could still easily stop the blade even if she actually wanted to cause physical harm. That meant Vitality was the biggest obstacle to the technique. Her hard-light blade only passed through the dummy because she didn’t want to harm it. She also didn’t have the power to even cut through the enchantments in the dummy, but that hadn’t been the point.

  Suddenly electricity crackled along the blade and she struck the dummy again, this time cleaving it in two, although it immediately repaired itself.

  Of course, there was another method to deal with physical defences. And it would benefit from her [Electrokinesis]. Symbiotic Skills were the name of the game. It would be ideal if, in the end, all her Skills worked in perfect harmony, though she was still quite far from that. Raimeiken was also only the first step on the path of that technique. In the future, the Skill would have more than just lightning empowering it.

  She stepped back and swung her sword, sending a scythe-blade of lightning energy at the dummy. The blade was rather pathetic in size and power, but it was there.

  The four basic techniques of the style. The very fundamental basics. They could all be executed in a myriad of ways, but this was the basic form.

  Now for something a bit more esoteric, and the second reason this Class was so highly ranked. Flexibility. She took a stance and a glowing barrier suddenly appeared in front of her. She could only maintain the barrier for a couple of seconds before it shattered, but it was a start. Defences were important, and the Skill allowed her to defend others in addition to just herself.

  After defences came mobility. Her form blurred a bit as she appeared on the other side of the room. She also almost stumbled on her own feet, as the technique had been so rough, her body not able to follow along with her wishes.

  Hohō, and its ultimate form Shunpo, was another technique she had picked up in another universe and combined with the teachings of Shinmei-ryū and psionics. To the uninitiated, it might seem like teleporting, but even at its highest level, the technique was all about moving faster than the eye could follow. As speed was the main factor, the method was best characterized by how fast one can get from point A to point B with the fewest steps. Once her Skill reached a high enough state, the psionics could turn it into actual teleportation, but at its base, it was not.

  "Now that I think about it, I'd be shocked if no god from this universe saw the potential in bringing any of the Soul Reapers from that universe over." She reminisced over one of her favourite stays in another universe. Sometimes violence at its simplest was quite fun. “Might as well go for another trick from the same source.”

  Hohō was not the only technique she had stolen from the Soul Reapers. Kidō was another thing she’d decided suited the Shinmei-ryū well, and it was a versatile system of performing various offensive and defensive techniques. Her version of the Shinmei-ryū had absorbed, or stolen, many techniques from various sources, and versatility was one of its main features. The same applied to Kidō.

  She pointed at the dummy. “Hadō #1. Shō.” A small amount of energy erupted from the tip of her finger and hit the target hard enough to cause it to spin. Ironically it was the first time she'd spent power in a way that she would have to be worried about her Tolerance if she executed the technique several times in a row. The sword techniques like [Zantetsusen] or [Zanmaken] were not something you usually had to execute rapidly and took as much power as she put into them. Most of her Skills so far fell more into the category of reserving power instead of bursts of them immediately. Easier on her Tolerance, though would require her to focus on her Psi pool.

  Kidō as a Skill felt almost like cheating. Almost. Until she remembered that many Classes had such umbrella Skills. In fact, nearly all of them did. Few accessed them this early or were quite as versatile as Kidō, but that was the power of a strong Class. Besides, something like wizards and mages could use countless spells and techniques. All that limited them was time and learning.

  Time for something purely offensive, and another technique she had shamelessly stolen from another universe. She walked to the edge of the room and concentrated for a while. She wasn’t sure if this technique was acceptable for a base Class, but she got a sense that it would be, though only barely. She could sense her psionic power gathering around her, squeezing her down, suddenly propelling her forward before leaving her panting in the middle of the room as all the objects around her were launched away from her, propelled by a rather strong force.

  She needed something purely offensive for a change and this Skill qualified. It was a little like a purely offensive form of advanced Hohō combined with a psionic attack of significant power. This showed the power of specialization. She could travel a lot further with the charge and cause a small explosion at the same time as she abandoned the versatility of Hohō. At first, it seemed like doubling up on a similar Skill, but she knew the charge could develop in very interesting ways. And if she had to take specific powers, then she’d rather take ones she knew would evolve into something greater. The Skill could also travel through solid objects, as she herself turned to psionic energy for a very brief moment while traveling. It also showed her low level, as this Skill was meant to be used repeatedly in the middle of combat, as it was something she had designed to work in conjunction with the psionic leaps of the Path of the Seer, but now a single burst had completely burned her out and overheated her over her Tolerance. Still worth it, as it could be extremely powerful in the middle of combat. Executing it would also grow easier.

  She had to rest for a moment to allow her Tolerance to cool down from the sudden overheating and her body to recover from the strain.

  Despite psionics often being focused on mental manipulation of your targets, she had always disliked that part of her powers. She didn't like messing with the minds of her enemies and preferred to overpower them with skill and strength instead. However, now she didn't have much choice. [Psionic Shroud] could be considered a mental Skill as well, and she leaned a little bit into the same idea, but for a different purpose.

  She executed another technique, though nothing changed to her own eyes.

  This too would evolve into something much more dangerous in the future. Illusions were also one of those Skills opposed by the target’s Willpower, so she had to be careful who she tried to use them on. That said, she was fairly confident that many people would ignore their Willpower stat whenever possible, at least unless they got the same lessons she had. And that would be to their detriment. Even a single moment of confusion created by an illusion could be detrimental. And true masters of illusions were dreadfully dangerous.

  For her last magic trick, she had to dig deep inside herself. Ophiel had given her an idea, and she needed something that could support her other Class as well. She'd recognized the importance of focus a long time ago, and it was time to make the System recognize it as well. It took almost an hour of unflinching focus as she levitated the small rock in place, but finally, she got the announcement she was looking for, although she almost missed it due to her focus.

  Finally. Now all she needed to do was to train like a lunatic! She happily assigned all her Free Stat Points again.

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