nagpurpolice Chapter 105b: Evolving Awareness
Chapter 105b: Evolving Awareness
Chapter 105b: Evolving Awareness
What do you think I should get?
Well your Flight skill is different from my own, so I cant say for certain. But what do you want from it?
That was a good question. Im not sure I really can answer that. Like I could use another combat Skill maybe, but I dont really think I want to be locked into something that would only help when Im flying, and I definitely dont want to lose out on something really cool and interesting when if I actually needed a combat Skill, I could just get one. What sorts of things would even be available?
Lefi would know hey Lefi! Rillah yelled, getting the golden-haired mans attention. He was relatively close, tossing a ball back and forth with Yathal at the base of the tower. Kynigos was between the two of them and trying to intercept their thrown ball, jumping all over the place trying to catch the ever-stranger throws Lefi could pull off.
Yes? he called back, absently catching and returning the ball to Yathal, narrowly threading it just below Kynis snapping mouth and sending it corkscrewing through the air.
Edwins evolving a Skill, we need your advice!
Marvelous! I shall be right there!
You know, Edwin is better off with my advice, Inion interjected as she floated up to them as they descended, glaring at Rillah.
Oh, whys that? Because you know how to float five feet off the ground without wings? the Dancer shot back.
No, because Im far older than all of you combined and have far more experience with magical Skills than you do. Also yes, because I know more about Edwins Flight than you do. You clearly dont know how to make it work.
Oh is that right? Well remind me-
Look, look. Edwin stepped in, I want all of your guys opinions, alright? Rillahs been helping me get tons of experience, Inion, you know stuff about Skills from way back when, and Lefi probably has more Skill evolution experience as both of you put together. Just let everyone talk, please?
They seemed unconvinced, Look, Im not going to be able to give this the proper amount of thought if youre arguing the whole time. Can you at least shelve it for a little while?
Both glared at the other, but Rillah was the first to break the silence, I have no problem with her unless she makes one.
Inion opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Lefi finally joining the little discussion with all the subtlety of a bull, Marvelous! So what Skill do you seek to evolve, what level is it, and what Paths do you have at present?
Oh, hes trying to evolve Flight. Level sixty, and hes got-
Inion, I can speak for myself.
Edwin quickly summarized the situation for Lefi, who stroked his chin in thought, Most interesting! What do you desire?
I mean I dont really know, honestly. Not without knowing my options. I want something good and strong, thatll maybe help alleviate some of Flights weaknesses.
Dont evolve it then! Continue to level it until it is at a capacity which you are comfortable with!
Edwin shrugged, I mean I could? But like Longstrider is already a better vertical and horizontal movement Skill for most situations, and Flight is only really helpful if I have help, he nodded at Rillah, Or Im just trying to float around in general. I guess I just dont know what it could become.
Your Trophy paths might give you wings of some form, Rillah added, That might help with your free-flight issues. Or perhaps some sort of glider-web, if you take the spider Path. I dont know what a bear might give you.
Hm, maybe, he thought, Though I dont know if that spider spun webs. Would it be better if I doubled down on its combat potential?
Feykind would likely grant wings, Inion opined, Quite good ones even. Most fey are good at flying, that would help you fly with more precision.
That would be useful, he conceded, But then Id need to raise Flight to level ninety to go neutral with the Skill, and Im not sure if I want to wait that long. Even just the last level took far too much time and I kind of want to get Basic Stamina Manipulation, you know?
Why bother? Take more time! What rush are you in?
I mean I kind of just want to make myself more useful? I dont feel like I can really do that much, and evolving my Skills will definitely give me a larger toolbox.
Nonsense! You are tremendously useful!
I mean, Im objectively not, he countered, But what do you think might happen if I took an alchemy Path with it?
That seemed to stump everyone, but Kynigos, of all people (When did they get here? Was it safe to be discussing this sort of thing around a kid?), barked up and Yathal looked thoughtful, Alcimmy is the thing you can do wit the smoke and bombs and healing stuff right? Well Kyni thinks you might be able to fly with your explosions or something, or maybe you could make other people fly!
Marvelous idea, Kynigos! Lefi praised, That is most likely!
The brown and white dog gave a gleeful bark, and Edwin nodded in thought.
Its not the worst idea. Cant say Id want to be rocket-powered, though it might be able to give me some extra combat options. Some sort of flight potion, thoughPotioneer or Mystic Alchemist, maybe? Mystic is also ninety points, but it could be useful.
What about the Agile Acrobat path? That would likely greatly enhance your nimbility when airborne!
Okay, I mean maybe. But I feel like Id probably already have a Path that could do that sort of thing, and also could we please keep this constrained to the Paths I currently have right now? If you think of something super amazing that I dont have but you know how to get easily, then maybe. But this will be hard enough just looking at what I have right now.
It took them quite a while to continue discussing their options, during which time Yathal had gotten bored and walked off, followed by Kynigos of course to keep an eye on his boy. But in that time, theyd gotten some amount of speculation in for each of Edwins Paths and eliminated the obviously worst option. Now, Edwin was mulling over his list of speculated Skill possibilities.
Assassin/Hunter/Burglar: Silent Flight/Aerial Ambush- airborne Stealth skill
Bomber/Demolitionist: Carpet Bombing?- bonus to using bombs while in midair
Giant Slayer/Titan Slayer/Killer/Warrior: some combat boost while midair
Heedless Hunter/Way of the Empty Hand: Kamikaze- flying charge attack
Speculation: Stealth-type skill, possibly with some kind of combat bent to it
Pros: Provides an invaluable Skill in stealth, which is immensely useful for a largely non-combatant. Even a combatant would likely benefit somewhat, though the exact amounts are unknown.
Cons: Unlikely to actually help with flight capabilities, meaning current limits on flying are likely to stay. If there are any combat benefits, they would likely be predicated on being hidden.
Mystic Alchemist: Flying Potion
Speculation: Grant the ability to fly to another person
Pros: Many situations in which having a different type of mobility would be very useful for non-avior. Quite likely to grant further benefits to me or another person who could already fly as well if they were to drink the potion, meaning it would never be useless.
Cons: 90-point Path. Unknown if it would require an actual potion to work (apparently a possibility). If it did, its possible that the recipe would need to be independently discovered and made for the Skill to be of any use, and in which case the Skill itself would be somewhat superfluous as it would only provide benefits to those who could already fly instead of granting the ability all on its own.
Engineer: Aeronautics
Speculation: A crafting-type skill that helps make flying contraptions
Pros: Jetpacks! Airplanes! Flying machines! Quite likely to indirectly improve Flight via giving it more mechanical aid. Also has many of the benefits of Flying Potion, in that it can provide Z-axis motion to otherwise grounded individuals. Also helps potentially bring various types of revolution to Joriah for good and for ill.
Cons: Unlikely to directly improve current Flight skill, and it is unlikely to create any machines itself, instead just slightly improving their effectiveness and build quality when being made. Likely limited to gliders for quite some time. Also not a magical Skill, so unlikely to help with that entire swath of flying creations such as magic carpets or flying islands.
Physical Alchemist: Floatstone
Speculation: Imbue objects with or create substances that can inherently fly or float.
Pros: Flying carpets! Flying islands! Similar to Engineer, this can be used to create objects which grant the power of flight to their wielder. Could also grant functionally untethered Flight for myself, if I managed to create something that exactly canceled out my weight (further testing required). Wouldnt provide engineering knowledge, but is likely easy enough to work around with personal memories, and definitely more supernatural.
Cons: 90-point Path. Might require unusual or expensive alchemical components, or might only be temporary depending on what other Skills it keys off of. Flying islands would be stupidly high level if even possible without an additional evolution. Once again does not directly improve Flight.
Aerialist: Improved Flight
Speculation: Flight v 2.0. Grant better maneuverability, distance, and efficiency
Pros: Doesnt provide anything wholly new. It just brings Flight up to T2 and makes everything good about the Skill even better.
Cons: Doesnt provide anything wholly new.
Skilled Arcanist: Greater Flight like Mage or an integration into other Skill, possibly
Speculation: Some form of other-Skill integration
Pros: Worst-case scenario likely to just be the equivalent of Aerialist, making this a low-risk experimental option. Likely to be very synergistic with one or more other Skills. Possibly allows Longstrider to function with Flight, or allows some form of Overcharged flight, or enables Infusion with the skill. Alternatively, might grant something wholly new akin to Mana Infusion
Cons: If combined with only a single Skill like Overcharge, might be very difficult to level and use.
Primal Ritualist: Flight (wind)
Speculation: Change the form of Flight used, possibly to something involving winds
Pros: Having air-based Flight is likely less precise than tether-based Flight, but not dependent on surrounding objects and other miscellaneous quirks. Likely freely able to switch between types depending on practicality.
Cons: 90-point Path. Doesnt directly improve current Flight, though does remove its current primary weakness (namely flight height)
Daredevil: Crash Resistance or Stunt Flying
Speculation: Some kind of aerial tight-flying bonus. Increased maneuverability, increased impact resistance, or both.
Pros: Very unlikely to be bad. Combines the best aspects of the mundane Skills into one, and definitely provides a lot of potential for growth.
Cons: Survivor or Athlete are more likely to grant each possible Skill effect individually and thus more effectively, and is unlikely to be a magic-boosting Skill.
Survivor: Crash Landing
Speculation: Some kind of impact-absorbing Skill. Might work with all physical attacks, knocking me back whenever hit hard enough, or just with falling damage.
Pros: Being likely to survive is always good, and not needing to be afraid of falling is extra good.
Cons: Not really a Flight skill. Also not magical.
Athlete: Flying
Speculation: Mundane aerial agility-improving Skill
Pros: Would definitely help with precise flying maneuvers and dodging things while in midair.
Cons: Not a magical Skill. Improvements would likely be purely based on being able to leverage more from current Flight capabilities.
This is so much work, Edwin lamented to himself, This is actually ridiculous. Guess when I know exactly which Skill will evolve when I complete a Path, I get way more picky about what it is that I want out of that Skill. Im so glad I just cant be this picky most of the time.
Ugh, evolving Basic Stamina Manipulation will be a nightmare and a half, wont it? He realized, and buried his head in his pillow. Not having to really worry about suffocation was very nice, and he could just keep his eyes fixed on the endless Almanac speculation as he fell asleep.