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Alex groaned as he sat up, immediately feeling the minute ripple of power radiate at the utterance.
He clamped down on it with a modified curse. He needed to find a solution to that inconvenience, but it would have to be later.
His attention was filled with a furiously blinking notification, and that took precedence.
Attribute Level-Up:Basic Skeletal Structural RemodelingLevel 2 → Level 10
You’ve Remodeled your entire skeleton… Wow, look at you go. You really are… something. In this case, though, it’s likely our fault. The Imperium is known for offering biological augments, and we did use them as a template.
Regardless, well done seizing the moment and all that.
You have maxed out a Basic Attribute. Which direction would you like to take the next step?
Faster ModificationCheaper ModificationEnhanced ModificationNormesthesia Modification
Note: As you have achieved this upgrade through a modification of every bone in your body rather than through the repeated changing of one or more bones, you are granted the choice of two of the above options.
Alex goggled at the options before him.
Bev leaned in, checking him over with a smile. “It looks like everything is good to go. I assume you have some notifications?”
“Just one, really.”
She nodded. “Good, good. Let me know if you have any questions.”
He nodded absently, looking closer at each option. As he did so, he got a sense of what they meant.
In that moment, his mind hitched, and he realized something that should have occurred to him earlier. The notifications were very like the language of magic and power. Almost every time he’d tried to ‘look closer’ at a notification, he’d found more detail that had been, somehow, ‘tucked’ into what he’d read on the surface.
It was just like how the more detailed parts of magic eluded his sense, but he could still see the ‘headings’... but in reverse.
He grunted, tucking the revelation aside for the moment and returning to the options he was being presented with.
Faster would effectively let him spend his HP or Life to move the process along rather than simply relying on his health regeneration to accomplish the goal. This could remove much of the deep itch, pain, and discomfort from the change, possibly even condensing it to a simple spike of pain that he could tolerate more easily. It might even allow for more opportune battle modifications to adjust to changing situations.
Cheaper similarly did what it said on the tin, making the cost of any modification lower. That would also make it faster, but not in a flexible way like the previous option. Still, a lower cost would make the discomfort pass sooner and possibly even make it less pronounced. It would also seemingly mean that he would need fewer nutrients to execute the change, putting an overall lower strain on his body from concurrent changes.
Enhanced would simply give any modification he made a bit of extra oomph, much like his stats modified what was already there. This would make any feature of his skeleton just a bit more of whatever it was.
It was interesting, because Enhanced wouldn’t increase the cost or time, nor would it require him to come up with a ‘better’ version to enact. Even so, he could choose a slightly lesser version of any enhancement, effectively making the same result both cheaper and faster in a way.
Finally—the oddest one at first glance—Normesthesia; that simply meant the lack of unusual or abnormal sensation. If he understood correctly, this would remove—or at least reduce—the discomfort of altering his skeleton directly.
He was really tempted by that one, especially since he’d effectively just had to have himself knocked out to make changes, but…
He sighed. That was the coward’s way out. It was effectively using a powerful, System given enhancement just to make himself a bit more comfortable every once in a while.
Down that path lay the madness of suburbia and quiet contentment… He did not let himself consider what it meant that he saw those as madness… He probably still wasn’t completely right in the head, if he were being honest.
Regardless, two stood out as the obvious choices for him: cheaper and enhanced.
…But he was sitting directly before a System provided expert in this field, and he would be a fool not to at least ask.
“So… I seem to have maxed out the attribute?”
She smiled and nodded. “That’s generally expected for basic modification-style attributes. They are both simple to advance and difficult at the same time.”
He frowned, then started nodding. “Because without your assistance, I’d have been working blind. I can see that. There were some System given options, but enacting them on myself? Yeah, I’d not have done my full skeleton.”
“Exactly. Moreover, I don’t know that you fully realize just how in depth the Blood Basher changes were. It truly was a change to your entire skeletal structure, not just to parts of each bone.” She held up a hand. “Also, on a separate note, I feel that it is important to note that while you were out, I gave you several large infusions of nutrition and hydration in various forms. Keep that in mind if you ever want to do modifications on your own, and don’t do any more for a few days, until you get your nutrient balance back in… well, balance.”
“Noted.” He smiled, then explained what he was being offered.
Her eyes widened a bit before she blinked. “A directable attribute, then? Most would have simply become a little better across the board upon advancement. I assume you have questions about your options?”
He nodded. “I was thinking cheaper and enhanced, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake somewhere.”
She frowned. “Why cheaper?”
“Well… it makes the changes less expensive. That will make them faster. In that way, I can get the best available and then the enhanced modification will make them even better.”
She nodded. “I understood that, but why? Did you have difficulty paying the cost this time around?”
He opened his mouth to respond then stopped. “Huh… No, I guess I didn’t? How long was I out?”
“A bit more than an hour.” She smiled. “Do you want the exact time? I didn’t wake you immediately when you finished as I wanted to verify your state and ensure that your body had the nutrients it needed.” She gave him a pointed look. “And you’ll need to eat good, full meals for the next week at least.” She chuckled. “I suppose that’s actually true for the rest of your life, but it’s even more important for the next week.”
He nodded absently, doing some mental math. “So… just about eighteen times my max HP to reshape…”
“So? Did you have difficulty?” She prompted with a renewed smile.
“No… I guess I didn’t… Still, even if I choose faster, I don’t have the required HP to do the change in one…” He blinked a few times. Could I use Life? Would it be more efficient?
It would have to be… Right?
He frowned, looking back to the notification, and… Yes. Spending Life wouldn’t give him the 1:10,000 ratio that it took to recover, but it might with some more upgrades.
At the moment, he felt like it would be closer to 1:1,000.
That wasn’t great, but it meant that he could make a change almost instantly… He frowned. No. He could speed it up, but not accomplish the change instantly. He could feel that he wouldn’t be able to just ‘pulse’ it. It would be faster, not instant.
Still, that was another way in which he could push the attribute as it advanced if he wished.
Normesthesia was still a trap though.
Finally, he nodded. “Faster and Enhanced. That is what you’d recommend?”
She shrugged. “I can’t choose for you. For some, the discomfort would cause them to use the attribute less, and that would lead to a worse outcome overall. Making it easier to practice with and utilize a tool in your arsenal is not a bad choice.” After a moment’s hesitation, she gave a slow nod. “Keep in mind that what took you to this point is likely what it will take for each level going forward.”
His eyes widened. “A full transformation of my skeleton will be required for each step forward?”
“Each noted step forward. Every use has some benefit. Also, I feel it’s important to note that if I knock you out each time, you won’t get as much benefit. You need to learn the attribute, not simply allow it to work on your unconscious body.” After a brief pause she added one last thing. “And obviously, each level will take more than the last.”
He sighed but slowly nodded. That seemed quite in line with what he understood of the System. “Alright, then. I think I understand.”
He focused and made his selection.
Attribute Level-Up:Basic Skeletal Structural Remodeling (Lvl 10)→ Skeletal Structural Remodeling [Fast, Enhanced] (Lvl 1)
Details:System guided, Innate ability to shift the base state of your skeletal structure, that which you will return to upon magical or mundane healing.
Description:So, your bones are not to your liking… your bones? Your bones now?
Fine…
Moreover, you’ve remodeled your entire skeleton… Wow, look at you go. You really are… something. Well done seizing the moment and all that.
Your Life has a growing ability to alter the blueprints of your very skeleton. As such, all wounds of the skeletal system are no longer such, being a simple reduction in your HP and healed when your HP replenishes. Moreover, infirmities of the skeletal system are now only wounds, needing HP—not Life—to correct, though Life can still do so.
Fast - You can spend HP from your pool at a rate equal to 1x your recovery rate or Life at a rate of 1 point per second toward the completion of any given Remodeling
Enhanced - All features of your remodeled skeletal structure are 1% better at a base level than the unenhanced version of the same feature. This enhancement is based upon the intention behind each given feature.
He frowned in thought. Both modifiers had 1s in them that seemed to be connected to the level of the attribute. A clear benefit for advancing, then? Huh… I like it.
He was running out of time.
He checked his bracelets and found that he had less than half an hour before the mandatory sparring session headed by Grant. Maybe we should have put Natasha in that position…
He dismissed the thought as silly. Practice was good, and sparring was just the sort of practice that he needed.
Still… “Do you have any toxins that I could have?”
Bev blinked at him. “Hoping to develop a poison or venom counter skill?” She frowned. “That… that might actually be wise given the enemy before us is of the bug variety.”
Alex latched onto that and smiled. “Yeah, venom specifically.”
She smiled. “I don’t have any that I can give you, but the concept is easy enough. You can do rune-work, right?”
Alex hesitated, then slowly nodded. “Yes?”
“Perfect. A classic tactic for attempting to gain such a skill is to get a needle enchanted with a venomous or toxic effect. It’s common knowledge that the more powerful the toxin—and varied the type—the more success you’ll have in developing such.”
He smiled. “I see. I imagine similar things for acid?”
Once again she hesitated. “Yes… they do like their acids too.” She frowned. “We don’t have that long before we arrive, Helmsman Alex. I would recommend you focus on acquiring a single one of these skills. Splitting your focus could cause you to get neither."
He nodded, not willing to correct her misassumption. “Understood. And just so I have all my options in hand, what about curses?”
Bev turned to fully face him then. “No. Don’t attempt to develop any such skill, not without a Holy Healer at your side. If untreated, some can get into you and give negative attributes that never go away. You cannot reliably develop anti-curse skills without proper instruction and oversight.”
He almost argued with her but finally just nodded. “Very well.” He stood, feeling oddly heavy—even if just slightly—which brought a grin to his lips. “Thank you, Bev. I’ll come back for another augmentation and bio-clean-up.”
“I’ll look forward to it. Do you want a few suggestions on which augment you should pick, or should I just be ready to do as you ask?”
He chuckled. “I’d be a fool not to seek your advice.”
“True enough.” She winked. “Now go, our new Security Officer didn’t sound like he was joking when he mandated the training.”
Alex hesitated at the door. “Are you coming?”
“I’ll be there in a professional capacity. I am a non-combatant by contract.” She grinned. “He can order all he wants, I don’t have to fight anyone. Not ever.”
Alex chuckled, muttering under his breath as he departed. “Must be nice.”
He decided to go a bit early and move through some stretches and forms to help him get used to his new, slightly increased weight.
His range of motion was a bit different as well, with his joints having been altered just slightly for faster, more dynamic movements.
He still wasn’t a gymnast or contortionist, but his bones now didn’t add to his restriction.
The oddest sensation, though, was within his own head.
As he moved around, he found that nothing moved.
Now, that might sound normal, but it was like the difference of doing a rollercoaster on an empty stomach after always previously having a full one.
He found that he could move more quickly, specifically whipping his head around for some of the more advanced ducks, dodges, flips, and aerials that previously made his head spin.
No longer.
Oh, his inner ear still screamed at him a bit, but it wasn’t accompanied by any other sensation of motion, so it was easier to ignore.
Huh… my inner ear. A better sense of balance and orientation might be just the ticket… But it might also be a waste.
Soon enough, the other Initiates joined him, along with Juba.
Audry was apparently also a non-combatant, so she wouldn’t be sparring or even present. She was still on the asteroid with her mining drones regardless.
Grant grinned, gathering their attention. “Alright! We’ll start with hand to hand, one-on-one. We can sort out even partners today, but go a bit easy to start, as we need to assess levels of skill. Then, we’ll go to close-range weaponry, and finally, we’ll add in magics and skills. Understood?”
There was a bit of grumbling, but it was mostly good-natured.
“Good. Let’s get to it!”