Chương 53: 47: Cheat Sheet

After my latest fight I had not received the usual power-up energy immediately. It had come with a considerable delay and it had also been considerably larger than most other fights - entirely disproportionate for not even killing a single opponent. My suspicions about the differences had not simply been confirmed but the changes in how my sheet was arranged only underscored the importance of what had happened.

All the world-shaking events, the traumatic situations I'd been through, the inhuman monsters and monstrous humans I had faced and nothing about how my powers were shown had changed, not even once. Now? Not one, not two, but multiple different changes had been made.

Name: Maya Wennefer Bio: female human, 17y3m13d Word of Force [33 pts] Force Adjustment III, Force Awareness II, Forcefield Creation II, Forced Acceleration III, Immutable Force II, Lasting Force II, Proximakinesis III Other Powers [24 pts] Chronal Leap I, Empowering Regeneration IV, Focused Invulnerability I, Instant Action II, Retributive Defense I, Super Suit I, Spatial Distortion I, Spatial Leap I power points: 8/65 Attributes [8/65] Might 29, Agility 14, Reason 6, Vigilance 9, Ego 14, Luck 2 First and probably most important, a title about some "Word of Force" had been added to my sheet.

This was not simply some categorization, a spiffy new way of grouping things together so they'd sound cooler as we humans tended to do. The moment I saw it, the shape of it echoed in my mind like some weird bout of synesthesia. There was something there, something tangible that had not existed before my latest fight. Was it because I had multiple skills under the same theme?

That couldn't be it, not by itself; I had had skills under that theme for some time now, even had all of that list under Word of Force in previous battles. Maybe... maybe it was using the skills together, all of them in the same fight? Still didn't quite fit; I had used multiple skills of a given theme before. Perhaps it was some sort of threshold I had only just passed that "unlocked" the change somehow. I did not really know, nor did a way to find out came to mind and I did not trust surprises...

mostly because surprises usually ended with me in some tentacle-filled pit or worse. Secondly, that category of "Other Powers" was not exactly what it seemed. There was something under the surface, something incomplete, that felt similar to the "Word of Force" category, but different. Not every power in the second list felt part of it, though. And of those that were most we shifty, as if the pattern was not set and could change at any moment. Yeah, that wasn't ominous or anything!

Third, while my pool of power points remained the same the split in skill categories all but made inevitable that all of the points would not be applied in the same group... and that felt important. I was getting the impression that where I placed those points would have greater impact than before, for good or ill. The first group of powers felt like it pulled towards a specific if very broad theme, with everything else being secondary. The second group was... iffy.

I was getting the impression that investing there could lead towards some form of balance, or a complementary but split duality of themes that had yet to form, or even something more complex. Couldn't it had given me something simple, like picking between set character classes in popular computer games? All those feelings, vague options, possibilities impossible to see clearly before committing felt rather woolly and odd. I bet Jerry never had to deal with choices any more complex than picking a skill that fit.

As for Mandy, given how variable her power appeared to be she probably put everything into it and could later discover or even invent new uses - and excuses - for how some effect really fell under the umbrella of fire magic despite having nothing to do with fire in the first place. And yet... according to what I'd discovered and been told about magic, everyone had a hand in shaping how magic was expressed in their case.

Maybe, unlike Jerry, I did not believe life and thus magic could be made to fit neat little labeled boxes. Yet also unlike Mandy, I did not believe it was entirely free-form. Reality didn't and shouldn't work like that; there were rules, if loose ones to allow for a countless variety of choices... which brought us back to the ones before me now. xxxx xxxx Attributes came first, as usual.

They were simply way less complicated than powers, if individually with greater impact to who and what I was except for the most physically altering, body-related powers. Those were not on the menu however, simply because I loved my humanoid body too much to shapeshift into a dire lemming, many-maw octopus, or cloud of radiant energy. For starters, I very deliberately did not add points into Vigilance. Super-senses were cool and all; watching the city's entire population naked at all times? Not so much...

especially if the monsters were included. Honestly, how hadn't Superman abused the hell out of similar powers? He'd gained them as a teenage boy in the majority of continuities! A point went into Ego, Agility and Might at the same time, then one more, then the final two points were added to Might alone, keeping a rough ratio of two to one.

Instead of waiting for my body to settle, I spent the points in rapid succession while it was still in flux, ensuring every point's influence on my body would apply at the same time. The collective change seemed smaller than any prior leaps in power, at least at first. Except for breaking into true superhuman territory as far as beauty was concerned, getting to a point that even the best make-up artists would be hard-pressed to improve on what now passed for my natural looks at all, I didn't look any different.

My height had not changed, my bulk and muscle mass had leveled out at the upper limit of 'normal' for my seven-foot frame, everything about me was impressive but not individually inhuman. Yet for all my flesh seemed pliable, beyond a certain point it was as hard and unyielding as steel.

For all my rolling gait seemed similar to that of a talented gymnast's, my level of precision and balance was more machine-like than not and if I forgot to pay attention my body would remain as fixed in the stance of optimal balance as a statue was fixed how it had been carved. Without using active powers I could dent steel plate with my punches and work with iron almost as if it was silly putty.

I would not get tired by even peak human levels of effort practically indefinitely and sleep was necessary once every other week. Dodging bullets after they'd been fired only took moderate effort for a handgun or two and was borderline possible even for automatic fire without stretching physics to my advantage.

Name: Maya Wennefer Bio: female human, 17y3m13d Word of Force [33 pts] Force Adjustment III, Force Awareness II, Forcefield Creation II, Forced Acceleration III, Immutable Force II, Lasting Force II, Proximakinesis III Other Powers [24 pts] Chronal Leap I, Empowering Regeneration IV, Focused Invulnerability I, Instant Action II, Retributive Defense I, Super Suit I, Spatial Distortion I, Spatial Leap I power points: 8/65 Attributes [0/65] Might 33, Agility 16, Reason 6, Vigilance 9, Ego 16, Luck 2 One last look into my attributes had me wondering whether the outward changes would eventually peter out if normal people that saw me in the street a year down the line would have to handle some sort of Uncanny Valley effect that would mark me as 'Other'.

Maybe I would be like the elves of Tolkien fame, well into the alien and the majestic, something more. I guess time would show. xxxx xxxx With attribute points all spent, the first step into the more complex issue of powers was reviewing my actual options. Picking the non-grouped powers that could be updated with eight points or less, I asked them to be shown as a list and my sheet replied.

Chronal Leap II: move a target up to a half ton that you perceive where they were up to 2 seconds before or where they would be in up to 2 seconds. Focused Invulnerability II: once per minute choose a single target and two specific actions of one source. Ignore the target's attempts at those actions. Instant Action III: exert five minutes worth of maximum effort to perform three seconds of actions instantaneously.

Retributive Defense II: h armful effects prevented, reduced or restored by two chosen defenses are transferred to the originator. Super Suit II: create custom costume over 30 min. As resilient as you, unharmed by your powers and can share them. Only you can wear it. Spatial Distortion II: treat two distances at a time from half to twice as long, selectively, in relation to yourself. This does not directly affect others.

Spatial Leap II: change location and orientation of a target of up to half a ton that you perceive by up to 40 ft and 120 degrees in the same local space. Interesting. Most of the changes were in quantity rather than quality, but all too often quantity had a quality all of its own. Eight points here meant four upgrades since most of the powers would go from level one to two and that would afford me both a bit more flexibility and a bit more all-around power.

On the other hand, none of the powers here were directly offensive or defensive so my raw combat power would not change that much. Nothing spectacular but far from useless either. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Then what about the other category of powers, the ones newly grouped together? Area Force Control IV: adjust forces and force-like effects within 20 feet but not internal to others by a factor of up to 8x, selectively.

Automatic trigger vs harm. Personal Force Control IV: adjust forces and force-like effects on touch but not internal to others by up to 16x, selectively. Automatic trigger vs harm. Force Awareness III: sense the application and distribution of forces in your surroundings as accurately as your sight, with no blind spots. Forcefield Creation III: apply force effects you exert to a volume up to four cubic yards at a time, at reduced effect. Up to four simple geometric shapes at a time.

Area Forced Acceleration IV: boost internal forces at all levels, speeding actions and internal processes by up to 150% in any targets within 20 feet. Personal Acceleration Field IV: control internal forces at all levels, speeding or slowing actions and internal processes selectively by up to 200%. Immutable Force III: Resistance to all alteration except through physical means, immunity to supernatural negative emotion, disease, or entrapment.

Lasting Force III: make force effects you can exert permanent, at somewhat reduced effect. Costs time and stamina scaling with effect, inverse scaling with each other. Multi-Proximakinesis IV: exert total forces of 4x your maximum strength on touch, up to 1/4 said total per force, divided and controlled as easily as you can visualize them. Greater Proximakinesis IV: exert and/or negate total forces up to 3x your maximum strength on touch, divided and controlled as easily as you can visualize them. Now that...

was different. With multiple powers at rank three, lots of specialization options came up and each and every one of them was powerful. Area and personal versions of Force Adjustment and Forced Acceleration, the area ones with emphasis on broader effects, the personal ones with emphasis on raw power. Similarly, Proximakinesis had a version that could apply multiple weaker forces on touch and another that could exert less total force but was stronger both individually and could negate forces.

I could partially ape the effect with oppositional application of my current Proximakinesis and while it wasn't perfect it was dead useful. Anyone with less total strength than me could simply be incapacitated at a touch... and that was just scratching the surface. Ultimately, the area powers were less useful. Forcefield Creation could already turn any force effect into an area effect and while weaker than the area powers it was far more versatile because it could be shaped.

There simply wasn't any comparison, especially with how the field creation power had a single power's upgrade cost that could then be applied to any force effects I gained whereas the area powers would have to be bought individually. There were other effects to be bought, countless ones in fact. Some were already short-listed, such as Force Creation or Personal Forcefield, the many variations of clothing or disguise-creation powers, even a few attacks.

Those I'd not had the chance to look into were vastly more numerous, lists after endless lists of abilities. I looked at none of them for the time being. With fifteen different if similar powers all vying for the limited amount of upgrade points adding another power unless absolutely necessary or dead useful in some combo of multiple powers adding one more would have been spreading myself too thin.

Versatility is useful, but trying to do a bit of everything would end up being mediocre at much less than everything and ultimately good at nothing. Improving Force Awareness another rank was not something I felt I could handle at the moment. Information overload was a dangerous, often indirectly deadly problem and juggling even more in the way of enhanced senses was a non-starter. So this option got the axe and we could move on.

Forcefield Creation and Lasting Force were two complementary, potentially game-breaking powers that allowed me to apply my powers to a volume of space, including objects and people, then make it permanent. Some of the most impressive and complex things I could do had been created through this combination of skills, including what was essentially magic items. Hell, the only reason I could take hot baths that actually felt hot was a use of those skills.

They would have normally been my first priority for development, except I could already make magic items with the current ranks. Improving them would result in increased output and power, but not grant me any new capabilities. Finally, Immutable Force was a broad passive defense skill that had saved my life against mental influence, against curses and dark magic, and had almost certainly helped against the Old Man's nullification abilities.

For all the grief it had brought me, his primary weapon against other magic-wielders had not really been as powerful as the strongest skill someone like him would have. Something must have weakened it, and the only thing that made sense was Immutable Force. On one hand, improving Immutable Force now would mean having a stronger all-around defense. On the other hand, it still worked to blunt enemy powers as it was and I really wanted the points to get another fourth-rank skill.

An overt, active application appealed more than passive defense at the moment, especially since fights with some enemies were becoming a slog only won through attrition. I wanted to kick some peoples' asses, OK? Especially that necromancer guy that had wanted to save the Old Bastard and had threatened to fry me in the process. Personal Force Control IV: adjust forces and force-like effects on touch but not internal to others by up to 16x, selectively. Automatic trigger vs harm.

Personal Acceleration Field IV: control internal forces at all levels, speeding or slowing actions and internal processes selectively by +/- 200%. Greater Proximakinesis IV: exert and/or negate total forces up to 3x your maximum strength on touch, divided and controlled as easily as you can visualize them. All of the above had narrowed down the options to just three. Personal Force Control was a pure force multiplier, both offensively and defensively.

It worked on the majority of my other powers, it made me effectively stronger and tougher against many attack forms, was an all-around boost. It might not grant anything new but its boost to things already there made it a powerful option already. Personal Acceleration Field was all about speed; the speed of anything that happened inside my body.

At the upper end, it could triple the speed of both physical motions and mental processing, let me heal faster or, in the rare cases it might be needed, slower, could alter my metabolic rate and so on and so forth. The greatest improvement though was that it could now reduce the speed of those processes even, if I was reading the maximum slowing of -200% properly, actually reverse them.

It might not be able to affect other people or monsters directly - though punching them faster still worked - but for personal changes it was very powerful. For one thing, it could grant complete immunity to any sort of chemical, infection, poison or other unwanted subtle attack simply by reducing the speed of those reactions to zero, or even reversing the damage they had already done. It could similarly prevent bleeding, suffocation and strangulation by stopping those processes as if they'd been frozen solid.

Last but definitely not least, it could adjust body chemistry as long as I knew what I was doing. Greater Proximakinesis was simply deadly. Unless the target had some sort of defense, one touch could kill outright. This was no exaggeration; while its effect had a limit, deadly situations could be created with far less power with carefully applied forces or force negation. Even against a peer opponent, how much force did it really take to cause an aneurysm? How about negating the force of an enemy's heartbeats?

Even those examples were strictly small change to what could be done with enough control. That it was the power I used to fly, beat enemies with and tank attacks was just a bonus. I thought about it, reconsidered, came within a split-second of investing the points before changing my mind, then changing it again. It took me more than an hour to settle and decide; it was good that the water was self-heating and couldn't grow cold.

But procrastination was a limited commodity with a war going on and in the end I made my choice.

Name: Maya Wennefer Bio: female human, 17y3m13d Word of Force [41 pts] Force Adjustment III, Force Awareness II, Forcefield Creation II, Forced Acceleration III, Greater Proximakinesis IV, Immutable Force II, Lasting Force II Other Powers [24 pts] Chronal Leap I, Empowering Regeneration IV, Focused Invulnerability I, Instant Action II, Retributive Defense I, Super Suit I, Spatial Distortion I, Spatial Leap I power points: 0/65 Attributes [0/65] Might 33, Agility 16, Reason 6, Vigilance 9, Ego 16, Luck 2 The only thing I regretted was being able to choose only one.