She carries me straight upstairs and dumps me in the bathroom, taking her coat off my shoulders.
"Feckin' stupid lout. Wash yerself and then get back to bed. I'm no' yer nurse." She mutters under breath, mumbling insults like she's been doing since Dragon led me to her on the path back to Deer Lake. She did tell me what day it is though, so it's not all bad. I was only out over night, apparently.
Somehow, I get the impression that she's not happy with me. Can't imagine why.
I don't really care right now. My expression is blank, almost empty. When she slams the bathroom door behind me I sigh and start tugging off bandages, wincing slightly as dried mud and dried blood come with them. A few fresh wounds open up slightly, but I ignore them.
The bath is, shockingly, already ran. I've not really used one before, which is apparently weird. I'm not certain. It looks… really hot.
Ah. Maybe I could've been training heat resist this whole time.
That thought prompts me to disrobe the rest of the way, sinking into the hot water with a shaky sigh.
+1 Wisdom
Almost as soon as I'm in the bath I just go limp, like a wet noodle. My head drops against the side of the bath, my eyes closing for a moment. The water is hot, perhaps too hot by some metrics, but that only seems to be an improvement.
"Now I get it." I mumble to myself, closing my eyes.
Getting a point of Wisdom just for taking a bath is uh… a little pathetic, maybe? At least at first. However, looking inwards, it seems like the oft forgotten passive swirl of mana in my chest has sped up a little. Is it the heat, or the relaxation?
I'd say it needs further testing, but right now I'm not sure I even care. This is nice.
The mud and blood caked to my skin slowly flakes off, soaking into the water. Thinking about it, that's probably a bad thing. Fortunately, I have a solution!
I make my mana into a net with a fine mesh and start running it through the water with mana manipulation, scooping up the worst of the particulates and dumping it onto the tiles beside the bath.
Whilst I do that, I decide I may as well make a dull blade of mana to help scrape some of the more stubborn bits of mud and, more often, blood. And of course, as the simple motions become almost mindless, I start looking through my status a little.
Level 2- 264/300
HP: N/A - MP: 22/22
Stat Points - 0
Strength - 13
Constitution - 20
Agility - 15
Dexterity - 18
Intelligence - 22
Wisdom - 17
As far as stats go, they're still climbing. I ought to put more time into training Dexterity to get that to twenty next. I'm tempted to use my stat points on Wisdom to bring that up, and then the rest will just be a matter of exercise.
Resist Skills, on the other hand-
You have earned the skill 'Minor Heat Resist' at level 1.
Minor Heat Resist LV 1/10 - 3/200
Reduce the effects of high temperatures by 0.1% per level
-are going quite nicely, all things considered. I'm not sure what I'll need in the future, if any, but finishing off Slash Resist seems like a good bet for now. I'll have to take more baths to train heat resist too, but that's long term.
The bath is… real nice. I'm thinking clearer than ever before right now.
My most recent priority list isn't all wrong. I do need resistances and the traits from 20 points in a stat. Rather than making new spells, though, I should train my current ones more.
Lesser Mana Burst 8/20 - 0/450
Lesser Sprint 7/20 - 0/400
Lesser Mana Shield 6/20 - 330/350
Lesser Buzzsaw LV 8/20 - 200/450
Lesser Mana Bullet LV 1/20 - 80/100
Lesser Segmented Staff LV 3/20 - 50/150
Summon Simple Tools LV 3/20 - 40/200
My spell list is nice, with one glaring flaw. They're all lesser. I've still got the trait Skilled Mage to use too. The 5% exp buff for lesser spells is nice, but I distinctly feel that it would be more important to use it as a feat for Lesser Mana Burst. It could definitely also be used on Sprint and Bullet, and might work on Buzzsaw, but the strength of both of those changes based on the strength of Burst.
Man, though, it's gonna suck training that up. There's still another 12 levels to get through, and it won't even help me with Dexterity training too much. It might be better for Wisdom, honestly.
Shield would be the next priority to upgrade. It would not only upgrade Buzzsaw by proxy, but would also shore up my defence a little. Just lesser shields have been nice, but it's quite difficult to get them in the way of sudden attacks, and is basically useless against gunfire.
+1 Minor Heat Resist
The rest of my skills… eh. Most of them will go up as I work on other stuff. Conditioning primarily. I might have to figure something out for Mana Manipulation considering how slow it is, and I really should work Mental Manipulation up to 10 soon.
Lesser Mana Core is finished at least. The maths behind it seemed annoying at first, but in hindsight I suppose it wasn't. It was ten percent of intelligence and wisdom together, multiplied by its level. Now that it's level 10, that means it's just Intelligence + Wisdom. 39 points of mana per minute.
I'd wonder whether or not that's a lot, but there's no point. Who am I supposed to be comparing myself to?
I groan, sinking deeper into the water. Don't wanna think about that sort of thing, honestly.
The water's starting to cool down, my mana getting less active as a result. Disappointing, I wanted to train Heat Resist longer.
…I am supposed to be a mage though, aren't I? Maybe a wizard, or a sorcerer. Something. Surely I should be able to heat up a little bit of water. It's just a question of how.
I wish I still had my phone. I could look it up and try a few things right now. Instead I suppose I'll have to ask Mary next time I see her. Until then, I'll just train stuff that doesn't need any thought at all.
Even though I'd rather not.
+2 Minor Slash Resist
When I really put my mind to it, using multiple blades, it was only a few more hours to finish of Slash Resist. I should've done this ages ago, but gosh did it feel horrible. Dragging a blade across my own skin is truly disgusting. I'd hoped that the scraping I was doing to clean myself would count for something, but no. Not a single point from that.
Regardless, after about an hour of training, when the water had long since started feeling quite gross, I realised that I should get out. I didn't want to until I noticed that Mary had in fact left me clothes already. She's really always ready for anything, huh?
When I got back to my room I was soon after followed by Mary, who shoved a plate of food in one of my hands and a couple of strange pills in another. 'Antibiotics', apparently. Disease Resist slowed down after I took them.
Minor Blunt Resist LV 10/10 - 1000/1000
Minor Slash Resist LV 10/10 - 1000/1000
Minor Pierce Resist LV 10/10 - 1000/1000
Now… they're all capped. These three skills, oh so similar. And how to make them fuse? I can't take any action that would fuse them, save maybe hitting myself with a strange object that uses all three damage types. Could I just ask nic-
Synergy detected. Would you like to fuse: Minor Blunt Resist LV 10, Minor Slash Resist LV 10, Minor Pierce Resist LV 10
-ely? Apparently the answer is yes. I'd debate whether this is a question, on account of the lack of question mark, but I don't really care to correct the grammar of whatever this thing is.
Of course I'd like those to fuse.
You have created the skill 'Weapon Resist' at level 2.
Weapon Resist LV 2/100 - 0%
Resist damage from all weapons and weapon adjacent objects. Includes fists, bullets, and improvised weapons. Doesn't include magic-adjacent effects. 0.75% per level. (1.5%)
Oh. Wow. Already 50% better than the previous resist skills could even be. The name is… not what I expected. I hope the definition is lenient then.
Whatever the case, this is great news! I just need to grind this skill out a little. I'm not sure what someone smarter than me would say, but in my opinion it needs to cut the damage by at least a third to really be considered helping. That would be… something like level 40.
So, a long way to go. I summon a few needles to jab into my arm like when training Pierce Resist, going up to five this time. The weakness of the percentage based damage reduction is immediately apparent, as there's no immediate change in how tough my skin is to pierce. If I don't get any sort of flat damage reduction then I'll always take at least a little damage.
On top of that, there's still half a dozen more resistance skills to get to the next stage. Next I want Cold and Heat to fuse, most likely. Disease and Poison must be another combo, maybe with Acid involved too?
That just leaves… mental resist. Still not really figured that out.
Could I fuse it with Pain Resist?
…
No.
Damn.
[Minor Stealth Mastery, Minor Health Recovery?, Minor Critical Mastery, Minor Sensory Impairment Resist]
In this list, Sensory Impairment Resist seems like my best bet. If I take that alongside Mental, Pain, and Light, and I'm sure I'll have something workable somewhere, given Light Resist's focus on protecting my eyes. It's just a matter of whether or not it would include Mental Resist.
Other than that, I'm sort of on a roll. Multitasking is almost done, and once I've got my phone back I was thinking of bullying people online to train mental manipulation. Tons of people are doing it in the comments of those hydraulic press videos, so I'm sure it's alright.
I should test using Insight on more than just a person in front of me, too. Could it work on a picture? Probably not, but Dragon was just controlling the drone. Is it because she's some sort of machine, so she was technically there? Or could I use Insight on people in a forum?
Question after question. With the Students still closing in, I've only got so much time to answer them.386GravityfunnsNov 8, 2025View discussionThreadmarks 2.9 - Boundary View contentGravityfunnsHe/HimNov 9, 2025#89+5 Minor Electronic Comprehension, +1 Minor Multitasking
Getting Slash Resist to level 10 so quickly really emphasised to me just how easy it is to max out a skill when I put my mind to it. So, before doing any research into fire and heat, I did some studying on electronics. Mostly computers, because that's what I've already been looking at. Shockingly, looking at actual scientific explanations of how things work makes the skill level up a lot more than just using a phone passively.
It would've been a lot harder to do any research, had I not found my phone sitting on the bedside table once I finished eating. It was likely there the whole time, though how it got there is anyone's guess. A drone, maybe?
Keeping the needles running whilst I researched was enough for Multitasking, leaving both skills now capped. The conditioning skills would be the obvious target for my training next, working in concert with my goal to train my stats up to 20 anyway. Before that, though, I want something new to do with my mana. And before that…
You: Hey Andy! I'm back. How are things going with the Students? I've still got that quest to keep them away.
I want the quest done, of course, but after the travesty that was my last attempt, I think I'd be better off knowing a little more about the situation. Not to mention that I'm still healing. The short-term confusion hasn't even gone away yet.
Andy has yet to respond to my message though. I'm not sure what's happening, but I assume it's fine.
In the meantime, I've settled on a simple plan of action. As much as I'd like to figure out fire, it's not really practical right now. Burst should be my number one priority. The nice thing about magic is that it doesn't really need my body to work, so I can multitask with it pretty easily.
As for a work out routine, it's pretty simple. Online they recommend switching between muscle groups or whatever, but they don't have numbers that go up when they exercise. With that in mind, I've planned for two things.
First, a bar made of my Segmented Staff crossing the room, so I can do pull ups on it. The room is relatively small, so I only needed eight segments to make it across, with some extra blobs of mana to keep it fixed in place against the wall. With that, I should be able to do Strength easily.
Agility is a lot simpler on the construction front. According to the internet, the best way to train agility is to do stupid little hops around some small cones, so I'll just do that whenever my arms get tired.
And of course, whilst I'm doing all that, I'll be casting Burst as often as my mana allows it. If I use 1 mana a go, that should be 39. Perhaps a little higher, depending on whether I've got fractional stats from Conditioning. Overall, it seems like a simple yet effective plan. With any luck, it'll be finished before long.
+1 Strength
+1 Lesser Mana Burst
Half an hour later I collapse onto my bed, panting for air, sweating, and with blood starting seep back out through my bandages. My eyes unfocus as I stare at the two measly notifications.
I did pull ups non stop for half an hour, and this is all I got? In that time, only one level to Burst?
I mean, I wasn't using Burst the whole time. It's kinda hard to focus when you're in the process of tearing your skin back open. I groan, dropping my head back into a pillow.
Working out is so much harder than I remember. Does being injured actually make you perform worse? God, who could've imagined something like that? There should be a warning or something.
Whatever the true cause, it puts a massive damper on my plans to become incredibly strong over the next couple of days. The longer I take the more set in the Students are getting, right?
Or… maybe not. Maybe they're running out of money. Now that I think about it, they're already being careful with their spending, and I've wrecked a few of their drones and some of their people. I'm not sure how expensive it is to heal someone, but it can't be nothing. Where do they get their money anyway?
With that in mind, an optimistic outlook puts a lot less of a time crunch on me. That still doesn't account for the time I've already wasted though. So much time sitting in bed training magic, without a thought to my physical stats.
And now, with my injuries, that's only going to get worse. I'll switch to a half-on half-off schedule. That is, half an hour on strength, then half an hour rest, then agility, then rest again. Repeat until I become a god. Or get bored, whichever comes first.
Whilst I'm resting… I pull out my phone. Time to figure out how fire works.
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Agility, +1 Wisdom
+1 Minor Light Resist, +1 Basic Insight, +10 Minor Thermodynamics Comprehension, +1 Minor Mental Manipulation, +1 Minor Physical Conditioning, +1 Minor Mental Conditioning
+4 Lesser Mana Burst
Minor Thermodynamic Comprehension LV 10/10 - 1000/1000
You have some minor understanding of the physics underpinning heat and heat transfer.
Hours pass. During my rests I split time between mocking people on the internet and trying to wrap my head around what starts fires. That leads to understanding heat, hence thermodynamics. Which, but the way, I'm unsure is even the right field to be looking into.
By the end of it I was reduced to little more than a sack of flesh laying limp in bed, exhausted and trembling in pain. I think every injury on my body re-opened and healed back shut at some point. Still no sign of that fabled health recovery skill, despite my fervent hopes.
That was yet another hour ago though. Now I'm doing much better, at least in the energy department. My mana is full, and my mind is active once more.
And so, I sit up against the headboard of my bed and hold a hand out in front of me. Out of my skin emerges two circular plates of mana, about four inches across each. With a little focus, I greeble the surfaces of both of them up, trying to mimic sandpaper.
According to my research, a common way to start a fire is by rubbing sticks together. This is because sticks are flammable and tend to have rough surfaces, the latter of which causes friction. It's this friction that creates heat, which sparks into a fire.
Mana… probably isn't flammable, I'd assume, but it can certainly generate friction. Just rub two surfaces together. The rougher the surfaces and the greater the force pressing them together, the more friction it generates. Heat is a direct consequence.
For that reason, I need as strong a mind as possible to apply the force. The issue is, my mind isn't strong. I've never tried using raw mana control offensively because it, frankly, isn't that good. However, to make enough heat to be worth anything, I need the force applied to be consistent. That means Burst doesn't work. The Powerful Mind trait helps a little though, it's already up to 12% extra damage. Hopefully that helps.
I went with plates rather than sticks because there's more surface area. I could do three instead of two, but splitting my strength in half is already a lot. Manipulating mana is an awful lot like regular multitasking in that way, though simplified in many ways. No matter how simple, it's a general rule that a person will be less than half as good when splitting their focus two ways.
Minor Multitasking isn't yet enough to bridge that gap into a machine-perfect ability to split my mind, and if I can't find a way to upgrade it then it never will. Comparing it to a computer draws my eye to Electronic Comprehension, but… well, I'm not sure how that would work.
In typical fashion, I start the test whilst I'm half distracted. My mental grip drags the two plates against each other, like sanding down a rock. It's slow going at first, but as my mind gets used to the movement it starts getting faster.
I can't tell whether or not it's working, honestly. How could I? It won't generate fire or anything. The surest way would be to stop rubbing them together and touch it, but that would be a waste.
Instead I keep going. The sound of the plates sanding each other down is grating, but fortunately limited in scope. Mary is probably still out, so there's no one to bother with it anyway.
It isn't long before I get a rather unceremonious notification.
You have learned the skill 'Minor Heat Manipulation' at level 1.
Minor Heat Manipulation LV 1/10 - 1/200
You have some ability to control the level of heat in an area, particularly to increase it. Intuition improves per level.
+1 Mana Manipulation
My lapse in concentration causes my control over the plates to waver, and as a result they slow down. That's fine, ultimately. The messages are more important. Not only heat manipulation, but also a level to mana manipulation to go with it. I was sure that I was still a full thirty percent from the next level, but I guess I've not checked in a while…
Before anything I stop the plates and cautiously reach out to touch one on the back. The heat makes me hiss and jerk my hand back. Akin to the bottom of a hot plate right out of the microwave, I believe.
Quite a lot for something I did for free, even if it did take a few minutes to prepare. Apparently it isn't worthy of a spell, shocker.
The skill does surprise me, though. I'm not really sure what I was expecting precisely. I suppose just a spell to make heat, despite my assumption that it didn't work. This skill is…
Minor Mental Manipulation LV 4 - 202/500
You have some ability to control a person's actions through the use of outside stimuli. Intuition improves per level.
It's remarkably similar to Mental Manipulation. Even with the same tagline at the end, and grouped up together right about mana manipulation. The way skills are grouped is largely purposeful, with resist skills all next to each other, and my skills relating to magic together in the same way.
Similarly, there's a certain logic to completely different skills being close. Comprehension leads into mastery, to Insight, to Multitasking, and finally to manipulation.
Isn't there something to that? Mental manipulation should logically be closer to Insight than Multitasking is, but instead it's next to Heat and Mana, seemingly completely unrelated. And why isn't heat manipulation next to Thermodynamics?
The thought won't leave my head. It's something I've been wondering for a while, and this new evidence only compounds it. There's surely a lot I'm missing, even with the hints being dropped. At this point I'm certain that this must be something.
I hold a hand out close to the heated mana, close enough to feel the mana itself out with a few careful waves of my own personal store. It feels different. Aggressive, almost. On the edge of tearing itself apart, in a way.
I create a golf ball sized sphere, pressing it down tightly, and hold it above my finger. Close enough to feel, but just shy of touch. A tendril of mana connecting it to me.
With a thought, I try my best to copy the state the heated mana was in. I can see the similarities to how heat typically works, at least as far as I've studied. Particles vibrate, which passes that vibration along. For some reason vibration equals heat.
Okay, so I don't really get it. The point is, mana isn't made out of particles. It's an energy that comes out of my gut, something non physical that can become physical.
And so, I press my will onto it just like when compressing it. Obviously, in lieu of compression I force it to vibrate and heat up. My own mana stores drop slightly, but unexpected as that may be, it's not worrying.
And then, all at once, it ignites. The ball of mana over my finger begins crackling with an orange flame, like an oversized candle wick.
+4 Minor Heat Manipulation
Four levels come all at once, startling me with just how… easy it came. Considering how laborious it was to get Mental Manipulation to the same level, I think I have my answer.
These 'manipulation' skills are designed to manipulate things other than mana, but there must be something connecting them. I believe that connection is the force of thought that's been so emphasised.
I look down at the orb of fire flickering over my finger and turn it off, leaving only the faint white glow of a ball of mana, slightly dimmed.
+1 Minor Heat Manipulation
Fire needs three things, supposedly. Oxygen, fuel, and heat. Mana is substituting for fuel, then.
I point my finger away and focus with every ounce of my mind, trying to light up the orb with as much heat as possible, in as short a time as possible.
A moment later, it pops. A puff of fire bursts out in a sphere radiating from my finger, washing over me and the sheets. I scramble back from the heat with a gasp, panicked.
+1 Minor Heat Manipulation
You have learned the new spell 'Lesser Detonate Mana' at level 1.
Lesser Detonate Mana LV 1/20 - 0/100
Forcefully convert Mana into Heat through an exertion of raw Intelligence, resulting in an explosion of varying strength. Costs 1 MP per 5 MP detonated. Intelligence {+Strength} scaling
The fire wasn't enough to cause any damage, thankfully. It was more startling than anything, due to the low level of mana still left in the sphere.
A new spell is… surprising, for sure. The strength scaling is odd, but otherwise it seems nice. I'd assume it would be stronger if I did it faster, or with more mana, or something to that effect. I hope so, at least. Adding an explosion to my bullet would be way too good to pass up.
…hey, maybe that's how I can upgrade spells normally? I can't imagine fusing them unless it would let me farm basic spells, but cross-breeding aspects from multiple spells into one would make sense.
Food for thought, and with plenty of time to chew at that. Spells are crap to level up compared to skills.
Case in point…
+3 Minor Heat Manipulation
With a little more playing around, Heat Manipulation is already complete. I can almost feel the effect the skill has, with it going up so quickly.
I make a small marble of mana and this time give a shot on doing the opposite to lighting it on fire. It stands to reason that if activity makes it hot, then inactivity is cold, no?
It's harder than it sounds. Whenever I try, my mind defaults to compressing it instead. Kinda like the depression my body has made in the mattress from sitting around all day, it's hard to sit anywhere else because I just slide in.
Still, I manage to feel it chilling in my hand, if only slightly. Maybe I could use mana in place of ice cubes… That'd be nice.
It does give me an idea though. The most basic law of thermodynamics is that energy doesn't come from nowhere. I'm kinda forcing it here, simulating hot and cold by forcing mana to take on the role.
I form a shell of mana around the cold marble, still doing my utmost to keep it as cold as possible. Then I slowly heat up the surrounding shell, filling it with activity. Contrasting actions are tough, but on this small of a scale it's no big deal.
Unfortunately, I haven't got any sort of heat sense, so I can't tell if it works. All I know is that the effort it takes to keep the inner marble cold increases slowly but steadily.
Basic science says that cold things suck in heat. I think, at least. So, if something thinks it's cold, it'll suck in more energy and stockpile it. If I keep tricking it, then-
My control breaks all at once, and quite suddenly. The shell snaps and dissipates as a burst of heat erupts from the marble. When it hits the air it turns to fire, and burns itself out in moments.
+2 Lesser Detonate Mana
Synergy detected. Would you like to fuse: Minor Thermodynamic Comprehension LV 10, Minor Heat Manipulation LV 10
…
I'm almost suspicious of how easy that was. Am I just naturally talented, or is heat magic that easy? There must be some sort of catch, some way I need to struggle a little more, but… I'm not sure what. However, despite my misgivings, it would be stupid to turn it down.
I tentatively accept.
You have created the skill 'Thermal Magic Mastery' at level 1.
Thermal Magic Mastery LV 1/100 - 0%
You have some proficiency with the school of Thermal magic, allowing for the increase or reduction of heat in mana, among other things. Thermal spells gain slightly more experience per level. Thermal magic is 1% stronger and 0.25% cheaper per level.
And just like that, my second upgraded skill. As usual I don't feel any immediate changes, though it's comforting to have the numbers there. A quarter of the cost and twice the power certainly sounds impressive, though given the time it would take to reach there it may feel underwhelming. Hopefully applying it on top of other multipliers will only serve to make it more worth it.
I can't say anything on the boost to experience. I'll just have faith that it's worth it.
I half expected to get fire magic, honestly. The distinction that it specifically gives me heat is… interesting. I'll obviously have to work on it some more, though perhaps later. Shoring up my foundational magic would be the best bet against my current enemies, rather than relying on something new and untested.
With a heavy sigh, I force myself out of bed and look up at the pull up bar again.
Such a shame that my foundations include doing exercise. Let's get this over with…373GravityfunnsNov 9, 2025View discussionThreadmarks 3.1 - Threshold View contentGravityfunnsHe/HimNov 10, 2025#100April 12th, 2005
+2 Strength, +1 Constitution, +2 Agility, +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom
+8 Minor Heat Resist, +3 Minor Light Resist, +1 Weapon Resist, +2 Minor Mental Manipulation, +1 Mana Manipulation, +2 Minor Physical Conditioning, +1 Minor Mental Conditioning
+6 Lesser Mana Burst, +1 Lesser Segmented Staff
Malady 'Moderate Short-term Confusion' has been cured
Level 2- 295/300
HP: N/A - MP: 4/24
Stat Points - 0
Strength - 17
Constitution - 22 [23]
Agility - 18
Dexterity - 18
Intelligence - 23 [24]
Wisdom - 19
Over the past couple of days, I've received almost no correspondence from Andy. Just enough to know that he's not dead, at least. Mary has been largely out of the house, though doing what I'm uncertain. It worked just fine for me, leaving me plenty of time to train.
Obviously my stats went up, though not a lot. I was hoping to get at least something to 20 before my maxing out lesser burst.
Lesser Mana Burst LV 19/20 - 997/1000
Clearly that didn't happen, it's barely a single cast away from level 20. It took a lot of dedicated work, though I suppose in the grand scheme of things it went by fairly quickly.
I've got a few skills capped now. Heat and Cold resist, which I haven't taken the time to fuse just yet. I only trained heat resist because I wanted an excuse to train Thermal Mastery, but it capped out before earning me a single level. Just heating stuff up isn't the best use.
My conditioning skills are both level ten now, giving me 5% each. I was certainly shocked to see Intelligence and Constitution gain an extra point. Hard to say whether it was due to the stats going up or the skills though. The skills themselves, I figured, would fuse pretty easily. Apparently not. I thought opposites were supposed to attract, but I guess I've just not found the middle ground just yet.
I think I'm close though. Powerful Mind proves it, using strength to boost my spells. But that's a later problem.
I build up mana into my hand, and trigger burst. At level 20 it's noticeably bigger, a flash of light hitting my eyes and leaving me blinking away spots. I've not tested the force, mostly focused on grinding the levels out, so I'm still unsure how much of an effect levels have on spells.
+1 Lesser Mana Burst
And after this, Mana Burst won't be the way I find out. I'd like to use Skilled Mage to upgrade Mana Burst.
Would you like-
You have lost the trait 'Skilled Mage'
Lesser Mana Burst has been upgraded.
Mana Burst LV 1/40 - 0%
Forcefully burst mana under your control, resulting in a controlled explosion dealing physical damage. Variable MP cost. Intelligence {+ Strength} scaling.
It happens with far less tacked on than I expected. No overflow exp, logical I suppose, but also no bonus effect from the trait I used. Spellmason added an effect to Mana Manipulation, but I suppose Skilled Mage was a lot less interesting. And that's saying something, because Spellmason was already pretty boring as far as traits go.
I hold a hand out in front of me and trigger Burst again. Immediately a flash of light sears my eyes, the kick back almost jerking my arm out of it's socket, shoving me against the headboard.
+1 Minor Light Resist
I grimace, shaking out my now sore wrist.
That was quite the upgrade. It'll take a bit to get a handle on it, I guess. And what better way than through glorious combat, right?
Not that glorious, in my opinion. I don't know why people on the internet call it that. I've been bullying people in all sorts of forums, so maybe it's my fault for intruding in places where people are weird.
Whatever. I-
Level up!
You are now level 3
+4 Stat Points
Uh. Okay? Not sure where the extra experience came from, but I'll take it.
I think it's fairly obvious where I'm gonna put it. One point goes into Wisdom, Two into Dexterity, and I hold onto the last one for a rainy day. I put them in one at a time though, so I don't get too many notifications at once. First, Wisdom.
You have reached the second threshold for Wisdom. Please select a trait.
Instinctive Wisdom -> Primal Wisdom
The mind has existed for all of time. Instincts built on those that came before. With this, you can tap into the ineffable power that came before you.
MP regenerates at a rate of (0.05*Wisdom) per second
Deepened Wisdom
Through experience, Wisdom compounds and expands. Yours, moreso than most.
Reduce the strain of sustaining mental constructs by (0.2*Wisdom)%. May not reduce strain to zero.
It's… not actually a difficult choice at all, to be honest. Primal Wisdom sounds impressive, but it just multiplies Instinctive Wisdom by 5. 1 mana per second is nice, but not incredible. I suppose it could become better later, but I've already got a skill for that.
Deepened Wisdom, on the other hand, promises a different benefit. Multitasking does a similar thing, but through a different method. That means, unlike Primal Wisdom, it has a compounding effect with the skill, rather than additive. One day it may become incredible, even with that little caveat.
Next, Dexterity of course.
You have reached the second threshold for Dexterity. Please choose a trait.
Swift Nerves -> Deft Nerves
Flinching is a weakness of the flesh, borne of irrational fear. Stay conscious and aware, and it won't happen again.
Reactions are (0.3*Dexterity)% faster
Subconscious reactions operate on (0.1*Dexterity)% of conscious knowledge
Steady Nerves
The nervous system is imperfect, almost inherently. To fix it is to take one step closer to being more than human.
Control is (0.2*Dexterity) surer
This is definitely a difficult call. Mostly because it sort of sucks. Flinching has never been a problem, nor has unsteady hands. It could, I can see that, but why operate on an uncertainty?
Even worse, the boost to reaction time is only 50%, bringing it from 0.2 to 0.3.
Still, it may just be my best option, though I hate to say it. Deft Nerves seems most likely to become something better in the future, and there have been more than a few times where I was too slow to react to an attack before it comes.
Maybe I shouldn't think about this in such a meta way, but I also feel like there must be a reason that the base buff didn't double, like it did with Powerful Mind. The only reason I'd do that, if I were designing this, would be if it would be too powerful combined with something else that scales off Dexterity.
Plus, I don't want to bloat my Trait list by picking the new traits all the time. I take Deft Nerves.
…where was I again?
Right. Information.
Theoretically, that's what I need if I want to take on the Students. I already know a lot of potential bases, and according to a Newfoundland forum I discovered, people have been speculating that the PRT has been doing something or another around the area. Nothing confirmed yet, but I'd bet that it's either related to me or the Students.
Either way, I probably need to move fast. Either to take advantage of their weakness or to avoid being captured before my quest is complete. Andy has been… less than co-operative with this idea.
You: Hey Andy! You've not responded to my message. Are you alright?
Andrew: I'm fine. Just working on a project. Continue resting.
You: I will. But when I'm healed, I need to finish the job. Is there anything you can tell me to help?
—
—
You: Hey Andy! You've not responded to my message again. What's going on with that?
—
—
You: I get the sense you think it's a bad idea for me to go out again. Is that right?
Andrew: Of course it's a bad idea. Parahumans often feel invincible after getting their powers, but you need to remember that you're still only human.
You: I don't have to be.
Andrew: I'm working on something that will handle this peacefully.
Andrew: What?
The conversation ended there. We kept sending messages at the same time, which was so awkward. And by 'kept', I mean it happened once. Still.
I shake my head, reaching up to take the segmented staff out of where it's lodged between the walls. It's 8 feet long, which is apparently too much for actual fighting, but a big stick seems worthwhile. Plus, the change in Mana Burst's description is giving me ideas.
It's just a matter of tracking down the enemy and destroying them, now.
My new burst really is tough to handle.
It's currently just after noon, the sun still high in the sky. After consulting the map again I took a run a short distance away before masking up again so I could start Sprinting, there's a lot of ground to cover after all. The furthest office seems like the best bet.
I activate Lesser Sprint once more, testing it. The Burst explodes out of my feet, throwing me forward in something closer to an uncontrolled leap than a sprinting stride. I barely get my feet under me when I land, turning my momentum into a stumbling run.
+1 Lesser Sprint
+1 Basic Sprint
The experience is good though, for whatever reason. It all seems more based on results than actual learning, as far as I can tell. With the new Burst, results are a little overtuned right now.
That aside, it isn't long at all before I make it across town to Business Space Limited, a much smaller building than the first one I went to. Each step along left an oversized crack in the pavement which sucks, really. I don't actually care much though. Not my problem.
+1 Lesser Sprint
I almost fail to stop, having to plant my glowing white staff into the pavement and bring myself to a screeching halt.
All told, I look incredibly conspicuous. At least I could collapse the staff to bring it discretely for a little while, but now that I'm here I'm basically just holding a glowing beacon announcing my presence.
Even still, there's not a soul coming out to greet me. My eyes have fully healed as best as I can tell, but I still don't spot any drones. There's a security camera above the door, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
Dropping the staff on my shoulder to keep it a little more out the way, I stride forwards and through the front entrance.
Or, I try to. The door doesn't open, no matter how much I push. I glare through the large glass panes that make it up, staring into the reception area. There's someone in there, but they're not looking at me. Irritating. Shoving the door one last time confirms my fears, it's locked.
This is…. not a problem I anticipated. I don't have any easy way to solve this problem. I've seen some lockpicking videos on that one site, but they all just consisted of a guy bashing padlocks together. I'd call him an idiot, but it did tend to work.
Hm.
I make a fist and punch the lock as hard as I can. The door buckles under the force of the blow, flexing for barely a second before the glass suddenly cracks. Punching it again finishes the job, shattering the glass completely and leaving large shards scattered along the floor. I duck my head to step in through the newly created gap.
The receptionist immediately reaches for a phone. With a burst of light, I lunge forward and jab at the phone with my staff, knocking it out of the receptionist's hands and causing it to shatter against the wall.
"No cops, I'm afraid. Or Students. Speaking of, are they still here?" I ask stiffly, holding the staff in both hands, across my chest. Whilst they begin to answer, I scan them with Insight.
Darrek ??? - LV N/A
A nervous receptionist handling rented office space. He didn't expect to see anyone here today.
"I-I um- I don't- I'll check." The man stammers out nervously as I narrow my eyes at him.
His expression is still a mystery to me. It's not like his face is blurry or anything, but I can hardly connect the dots between the various parts of his expressions. This lingering confusion malady is frustrating, to say the lease.
"Th-they um. They are. They're in the first room, w-we've only got two." Darrek shakily points to a door to his left, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Thank you. I'll be out of your hair shortly." I nod and walk over to the indicated door. There's only two doors out of this room, other than the entrance. Based on what I saw from the layout outside, I'm inclined to believe him.
He doesn't respond, so I silently grab the handle. Just before I throw it open, I conjure a large shield using a full five points of mana, making something large enough to cover my head. Carefully staying behind it, I throw the door open and brace myself.
I move the shield aside so I can look past it into the room, still on edge.
There's… no one there. Just a lot of empty tables, nothing indicating that this place has been in use. That doesn't comfort me of course, so I remain cautious as I slowly back away.
Out of the corner of my eye I notice Darrek gesturing at something, so I silently use Insight again.
Darrek ??? - LV N/A
A nervous receptionist handling office space. The Toronto Students struck a deal with him so that he'd alert them of any suspicious characters entering the space. In exchange, they'd keep him safe from said characters.
I frown and follow his gaze to the corner of the room. I don't see anything there, but I suppose it's possible there's an invisible camera or something? He's looking right up near the roof.
"So, does that mean I can expect company then?" I ask dryly, walking up and leaning against the desk. He flinches and looks away from the corner, staring at me with wide eyes. Based on his lack of response, I assume he's unsure what to say.
"That's fine. If you've got a back up phone then give them a call. I'll just set up over here." I walk over to the middle of the room and put my hands on my hips.
Now, I've never made a chair. I've barely even seen any, actually. The general principle is that it's something flat you can sit on that supports your back. It seems kinda pointless most of the time, a bed is way more comfortable. Still, it must be simple to make.
I use Lesser Segmented Staff to make the legs, trusting my spell to handle making those whilst I fashion mana into a seat. It takes quite a bit, at least 10 points and a waste by any metric, but I get the seat made and the legs screwed into it. The back, I decide to make out of just more segments. All told it takes about ten minutes to make, most of that just waiting for MP to regenerate
I drop into my newly made chair, my weight threatening to topple it as I lean back. All it takes is a little bit of Manipulation to hold it in place, pressing the front legs back to the ground so I don't fall.
Darrek's gaze bores into the back of my skull, intense and likely confused. I tend to assume that most things I do are a little odd by other people's standards, so confusion is the default. Not worth thinking about, as far as I'm concerned.
That aside, I've got quite a lot of time to kill before my enemies arrive. I could start making a bunch of shields to protect myself, but that strikes me as… pointless. They block me as easily as my opponent, and I'm fine with taking a few hits if it means I can take them out. Other people are invariably weaker than me.
I look down at the eight foot staff in my hand, pondering.
Its glow is rather faint compared to the shield. There's not much mana packed into it, just enough that it could hold my weight. I don't weigh too much, even with Ironweight on full blast. Especially considering 'full blast' isn't even 4% heavier than my default.
I've never really tried putting more mana into a construct I've already made, but I don't see any reason not to. I lay the staff across my lap, one hand holding it in place whilst I lay the over over the middle. With a pool of 24 mana right now, it feels pretty dense inside me. I can't easily compare that to the semi translucent staff, and again, I don't have any sort of sense for mana. That in mind, I just release mana from my hand and cram it into the centre-most segment of the staff.
It hits the segment and slides off at first, but I grab hold and shove it back in. I've got a lot of constructs out right now so I don't have much strength to bear down with, but it isn't long before I see results, the excess mana slowly seeping into the staff.
The pattern is easily noticeable. By default the mana in my constructs is evenly distributed. Forcing extra mana in like this is not, instead creating little pockets of increased brightness. Akin to bubbles, or stars.
I can guess about why that is pretty easily. The outer layer of mana builds and builds until the segment gives and lets it in. The less compressed mana behind it follows in the moment before the segment closes up, and the pressure forces the varying densities of mana apart.
It's not ideal. The increase in strength is inherently uneven now, not the uniform density increase I'd hoped for. At best, it means that if the construct breaks it leaves behind a few beads of mana to distract the enemy.
…not that that's a bad thing. The volume doesn't change, either, so it does by definition mean that the segment is denser now. I move from the centre to the tip of the staff, deciding to work on that one next. I won't use more than a few points at a time, that way I'm still prepared for when the Students come.
They… are coming right? It's taking a while. I suppose I'll see.374GravityfunnsNov 10, 2025View discussionThreadmarks 3.2 - Threshold View contentGravityfunnsHe/HimNov 11, 2025#111+2 Lesser Segmented Staff
I only end up getting three total segments enhanced. One on either end and one in the middle. I'm not sure how long it took, not that it matters.
I knew something was up when I suddenly lost a second, my mana slipping out of my grasp when my mind when vacant. I reaffirmed my grip and pulled it back in, rising to my feet in a snap.
There. I left the door to the room they were using open, and I just barely caught a glimpse of a drone before it slipped back around. There's no question as to why they'd be distracting me, so I move the shield to protect my head and swung the chair around between me and the front door.
Just in time, as a bullet shoots through the chair, shattering it into motes of mana and just barely being diverted off to the side. Instead of burying itself in my gut, it grazes my belly. Still hurts, but something about my increased stats makes it easier to bear. The receptionist reacts more than me, yelping and ducking behind his desk.
That drone is gonna suck, so I Sprint, blowing a hole in the carpet as I explode myself through the open door. As soon as I'm in there something hits me in the temple a-
My momentum carries me further forwards than I expected, and I have to use the staff as a walking stick to catch myself. Experience from last time has me squeezing my eyes shut, but no flashbang hits this time. I open them and whirl around, scanning the room for the drone.
Predictably, it's hovering by the roof, in the very corner of the room. I grab a loose office chair and throw the flimsy plastic thing straight at it, buying myself time to jump onto a table and poke it with my staff when it tries to dodge out of the way.
+1 exp
The tip of my staff crumples its shell like paper, slamming the drone into the roof and causing it to drop like a stone to the floor. An easy win, by any metric.
That still leaves the shooter that it was trying to distract me from. I still remember the bullet, so it can't have been the mystery guy that is always forgotten. It doesn't have to be a cape I suppose.
My question is shortly answered without my intervention being necessary, as I hear someone storming into the building over broken glass. I peek through the door to get some Insight, ducking back out of the way as soon as I get a glimpse.
Pennelope Chapman (Auditor) - LV N/A - Class: Detective Brute
A woman with an uncommon but unimpressive power. It has Thinker and Brute aspects, and she can emphasise one at the cost of the other. After being impersonated and humiliated repeatedly by Projector, she has teamed up with the Toronto Students and sworn to take him down.
The repeated failure is cutting very close to her Trigger Event, and making her increasingly erratic as a consequence. She's convinced the Students to let her handle this on her own, though is unaware of the intervention of Redacted, and still willingly uses their resources.
+1 Basic Insight
I wince as a gun fires off, the sound making my eardrums ache. The bullet whizzes through the doorway, hitting the wall opposite. There's a lot more info there, details about her power are different for example. I don't know what a trigger event is, but from the name I assume it's an event that causes something. Power related, maybe? I just realised I've never thought about where they come from.
I hear a frustrated growl, and then someone running straight up to me. It's odd though, because there's a wall between me and-
The wall shatters as she tackles through it, her arms wrapping painfully around me as she barrels into me. I can't even yell, the air forced from my lungs from the attack, then again when we crash through a table and into the ground.
Before I can get any recourse, the barrel of a gun whips across my face, snapping my head to the side. In a panic, I snap the staff in half so I can more easily jam the tip into her chest, squeezing tightly as I cram as much heat into it as possible.
Just as she points the pistol at my forehead, Lesser Detonate triggers on the seven points of mana stored in that segment, a burst of fire knocking her back. I scramble up, panting raggedly as I survey her.
She's not in her normal suit, instead wearing some sort of fire proof protective armour. Her face is singed by the blast but not harmed, though her hair is fully on fire. She's putting it out quickly though.
I slam the other half of the staff down into her gut and detonate the full segment, this time in a Mana Blast.
For a moment I swear she's concave, as the explosion of raw force shoves her down and cracks the ground beneath her and the carpet. The sudden force makes her reflexively pull the trigger, and I hastily swing the shield down between us just in case.
The bullet hits a filing cabinet in the corner, missing me by miles.
Unfortunately, I discover my attack didn't do much when she uses the cover of my shield to pull out some sort of cylinder, throwing it straight up over the shield.
I frantically swing at it to bat it out of the air. If I'd seen what they used last time I'd be more prepared, but as it is I had no idea what a flashbang looks like. A searing flash of light hits my eyes, blinding me.
+2 Minor Light Resist
Though among other reasons, it wasn't as strong because it was further away. I can see Auditor as a blurry shape as she bounces up off the floor with unnatural alacrity, training the gun on my head over the shield.
I duck down and Sprint at her, trying to lunge into her. Despite my explosive speed compared to last time, she somehow expects me to do that and steps aside, keeping the gun following me.
Fortunately, the shield is also following me. I push it another foot out so it hits her hand as I pass, knocking the gun out of her grip and onto the floor. Unable to arrest my momentum, I painful slam into the wall behind her, denting the drywall.
"Fuck!" She snaps, frustrated, "Stop with all the fucking tricks, you rat!"
Her rage is incandescent. She picks up an entire table and slams it over my back with brutish strength before I can push off the wall, shoving me down to the ground and drawing a pained yell from me. My shield cracks and then dissipates, along with one half of my staff.
+1 Weapon Resist, +1 Lesser Mana Shield
The table shatters, leaving large splinters lodged in my flesh. The pain is almost unbearable. But… I have to bear it.
I'm honestly not sure how to damage her. The way she fights is strange too, switching between raw strength and controlled… aiming.
Oh. I get it now. She uses her thinker power when she's using the gun, and her brute power when she isn't. I would assume that durability comes from the brute aspect, so if it really is one or the other, then I just have to wait for her to use the gun again.
She keeps hold of the leg of the table and brings it down to brain me on it.
I frantically push off the ground, Sprinting forward and through the hole in the wall leading to reception. I need to make distance.
Sprint throws me to the floor of course. I shakily push back to my feet, one hand clutching my stomach in pain. Or, that's what I hope to look like. I leave just enough space to start forming a jam packed Mana Bullet there, holding it for the right moment. To sell the illusion, I start making a shield at my back. I'm facing away from her, so-
My forming shield is dispersed when a warped table leg slams into it, just barely protecting me. I got lucky there.
I turn around to face her, seeing her standing in the doorway, chest heaving, hands clenched into fists. A moment later, a wave of calm washes over her, her face turning impassive. Her armour creaks as she swiftly crouches, scoops up the fallen gun, and aims it at me in one motion.
Whilst she's in the midst of crouching, I snap my hand off and fire out the bullet. I almost forgot it was powered by Burst as well, the light hitting my eyes almost worse than the flashbang. That self-damage hardly matters, as the bullet rockets forward at never before seen speeds.
It slams into her right shoulder and shatters it completely. She screams wordlessly, dropping the gun and then herself.
No exp notification though. I hurry forwards, shaking off my own pain. Even before I reach her I'm readying a kick, and once I'm there I let it fly home, right into her face.
Her head snaps back, but nothing breaks. Her eyes glaze over for a moment before returning in a blaze of sudden fury.
The next thing I know, she's grabbed my elbow and thrown me like a ragdoll. My back breaks through glass, and then continues flying until I hit asphalt. I'm… in the carpark?
+1 Minor Bleed Resist
She follows me out of the window a moment later, her arm hanging limp at her side. I'd say she's gone berserk, but I can't really tell. I use Insight as I quickly crawl behind a car, hoping to hide for a moment.
Pennelope Chapman (Auditor) - LV N/A - Class: Detective Brute
A woman with an uncommon and impressive power. It has Thinker and Brute aspects, and she can emphasise one at the cost of the other. She recently experienced a second trigger, allowing her to actively make one aspect worse for the sake of the other. After being impersonated and humiliated repeatedly by Projector, she has teamed up with the Toronto Students and sworn to take him down.
The repeated failure almost mimicked her Trigger Event, causing a second trigger. She's convinced the Students to let her handle this on her own, though is unaware of the intervention of Redacted, and still willingly uses their resources.
I don't like what I see after scanning it quickly. I guess her power is now making her stupider? That's pretty bad for me, because now I'm unsure whether I can even hurt her.
Or maybe it's good. My mana is at about 8, after spending a lot and recovering a little. I've already taken out one arm, so it's not impossible to take this win. It's shocking how much difference her equipment made though. Just some good armour and a gun, and she's way more threatening. I guess that's why she's using it.
A rush of wind distracts me, and I look up to find that the car I was hiding behind is gone. I leap to the side immediately, and it's good that I did because Auditor is there a moment later. My heart pounding, I start casting Buzzsaw as fast as physically possible.
Unlike my flailing, she's able to catch herself when missing, swiftly following my escape to try and get me. Without a shield to cast it from, Buzzsaw is not yet ready. I kick off the ground with Sprint to throw myself narrowly out of the way.
Seeing as I'm currently defenceless other than two little segments, I summon a knife into my other hand using summon tool and brandish it in front of myself to ward her away for her next attack.
Even if it could hurt her, she stops just before it and slams a fist into my gut. Even with Ironweight it sends me flying. I twist in the air to land on my side instead of my back again.
Despite the injury, I held onto Buzzsaw. It bought me enough time to finish the cast too, though I hold off on starting the spin. Auditor seems wary of the new construct, unless there's another reason she hesitates to approach.
I act quickly, before she can think to switch to her thinker mode. Maybe I should've let her switch, but I'm panicking.
"Dammit. My buzzsaw isn't working." My voice is shaky, but I get it out.
Precisely as I'd hoped, she is in fact a lot stupider like this. She falls for it, throwing herself forward to go for another hit.
I shove the Buzzsaw forward and activate it, a flash of light burst out and masking it's starting. She tries to jump over it, but I'm able to lift it up just enough that it catches her in the thigh, the teeth digging into her thin but tough armour.
It stutters a moment, but just draws on more of my mana to force itself forward again. Before long, it tears through the armour and scores a wicked gouge into her leg. It's less cutting and more tearing, but that's fine.
Her jump aborted, she tumbles gracelessly to the ground. The saw follows, cutting into that same spot. Blood spurts out, though a lot slower than I was expecting. Still, it's damage.
She tries to get up, so with little mana to spare I start summoning another saw and drop to my knees to press my summoned knife to her throat.
"St-stop. I've got… a lot more where that came from…" I speak sluggishly, but maintain as firm an expression as I can manage. She stares at me another moment, and then stops trying to get up.
I bet she wants to switch to her Thinker power to come up with a strategy, but with the buzzsaw still working away at her leg she can't. My mana is getting low though…
"I'll… spare your leg. Don't come after me… again." I stop the buzzsaw's movement, but leave it there for now. I'm not gonna relax until-
+75 exp
+1 Agility, +1 Intelligence
+1 Minor Mental Manipulation, +1 Minor Critical Mastery
+1 Lesser Sprint, +1 Lesser Mana Bullet
The final notifications of the fight hit me at once. I sigh shakily, relieved. I shoot her with another Insight as I sluggishly stand up, just to be sure.
Pennelope Chapman (Auditor) - LV N/A - Class: Detective Brute
A woman with an uncommon but unimpressive power. It has Thinker and Brute aspects, and she can emphasise one at the cost of the other. She used to have an unknown additional power from Teacher, but has since lost it. After being impersonated and humiliated repeatedly by Projector, she has teamed up with the Toronto Students and had sworn to take him down.
The repeated failure is cutting very close to her Trigger Event, and making her increasingly erratic as a consequence. She convinced the Students to let her handle this alone, but was soundly defeated. Unwilling to face a reminder of her trauma again, she's finally given up.
…well, I almost feel bad. I wouldn't say I soundly defeated her, though maybe it looks like that from her perspective.
Whatever. I can think about it later. Right now I ought to go home, so I dismiss all my constructs and try to recover mana. I've got so far to walk in this condition though. Agility is 19 now, and I do have that one free point…
You have reached the second threshold for Agility. Please select a trait.
Featherlight -> Aerolight
A feather is too heavy, and you need less. Your body may instinctively make itself lighter at key moments, to enhance your movements.
Selectively reduce weight by (0.4*Agility)%
Sudden Motion
Agility is more about moving accurately than quickly. A mild tactile telekinesis makes it much easier for you to make sudden turns.
At will convert (0.2*Agility)% of forward momentum to another direction
They both seem good, but I'm gonna take Aerolight. Sudden Motion is good, but only helps when I'm currently moving. Plus, I do want to be faster. Maybe one day I'll be able to use Sprint to jump over a building, because I'm so light?
Aerolight doesn't add new effects, but the scaling improves dramatically. Four times better, giving me about 8% reduced weight. That seems more than worthwhile to me.
…plus, it'll make it easier to walk home. Taking the trait, I immediately feel just a little bit lighter.
That decided, I turn my back to Auditor and start walking out of the carpark. I better hurry before the cops come.