Macronomicon
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Chapter 118: Grinding
🕑 Added 2020-02-27 01:55:35 +0000 UTC***Learner***
Day 1 among the four limbed prey:
Deciphering their hoots has taken priority over all other endeavors, as understanding this strange communication will lead to rapid advances in understanding. Thankfully my disguise has allowed me to listen to a wide range of hoots from multiple four-limbed prey while also studying their behavior.
The smaller ones with lumps are weaker and smaller on average than the others, and yet, somehow more valuable, sought as a resource of some kind by the larger, flatter ones. Perhaps they are a caste of decision makers for the larger ones?
An inherent higher value reinforces my choice of form, and perhaps explains why the manifold predator was protective of it.
Side note: Some meaning seems to be conveyed beyond simply the hoots they make, including simple motions and stances. I am proud to say I have already grasped the come here gesture.
The primary subject of study, the Manifold Predator is seldom seen, which is fine for now, as I have not yet mastered the strange hoots to communicate with it. Although my guts feel a little not good at the prospect of not seeing it.
Post script: Many other four limbed prey are using the hoot asshole to describe the one previously hooted at as Ryan. Can names among these four limbed prey shift over time, or am I missing something entirely?
Requires more study.
On further inspection, Internal organs seem to be fairly universal between flat Hooters and lumpy Hooters, with a few exceptions. They are most likely recently divergent species.
I just gave something a nickname.
Ive never done that before.
Requires more study.
***Calvin***
When Calvins sense of self came back, he thanked the gods that breathing was an autonomous part of his body, cleaned up the mess and got back to work, turning in early after a full day of hunting and experimenting.
The next day, he got right to work.
Okay. The new years festival is in four days. Including today. I want a day to prep, a day to escape, and a day of leeway. So all the time I have to practice is today.
Hmm Calvin was deep in thought as he flicked the tip of a knife out of his finger and extended the cutting edge just under an inch with Bent.
He was currently dissecting the Lure, carefully removing the top of the creatures bulb-like head. He could have taken it apart with Harvester, and he still intended to do that to salvage any mistakes he made, but sometimes it was far easier to figure out how something worked when it was still together rather than a pile of pieces.
There was no bone in the bulb, per se, just a sort of cartilage that parted in front of the knife quite easily. Beneath the tan flesh was something he wasnt expecting:
Empty space.
In the center of the bulb there was a pinkish looking orb, see through, and distorting the light that went through it. Surrounding it was nothing but air until it struck the edge of the bulb, where there was a film that shimmered like cut meat. The film was pearlescent, pale, and incredibly delicate. it fell to pieces at the slightest touch from Calvins fingers or knife.
Deciding to leave it alone, Calvin glanced down at the pink orb. At the base of the orb was meat, and spinal column.
Neat. Calvin thought as he reached in with a finger, produced a tiny blade and separated the orb from the pine with a soft pop of separating squishy bits.
Old Salt has reached level 12! 60% Correction
Oh, thats what this reminds me of.
Whats that? Calvin thought.
This looks something like an eye. Elliot said.
Hows that?
That pink orb? Lens. The pearlescent film? Thats the sensitive bits that process info. Or reflect it. I dont know. Usually the lens is on the outside and the film is on the inside. This is all backwards.
It couldnt have been using light to see, as the creatures bulb was opaque.
Ill bet this is the sensory organ that lets it tell what people were looking for. Calvin thought, inspecting the orb before setting aside and digging deeper into the creatures spinal column. The spine seemed to be threaded with brain-like organs blooming off the sides, connected by thick strands of nerves. Somewhat similar in design to the fire worms, really. Hed gotten up to his elbows in guts before he stopped and used Harvester.
19/20 Bent Remaining.
The remains of the Lure were sorted out into neat packages, including a perfect peel of the sensitive film on the inside of the bulb.
Are you thinking what Im thinking? Elliot asked as Calvin eyed the rapidly drying film.
If youre thinking reinforcing it then seeing if I can use it as a thought-sensitive component in the future, then yes. Or perhaps grind it down, use Refine and create a coating. That sounds more practical. Wed have to verify that the lining actually does what we think, though.
Ah science and dissecting the kill. Youth really takes me back.
As fun as that was, Calvin thought, heading for his cleaning dish, Ive got to practice some Skills before we leave this Warp-rich atmosphere. Calvin had his Knick-Knacks bag up the monster parts and start the process of labelling them and saving them for later, while he cleaned the goop off his arms.
Which Skills did you have in mind?
With the concentration of Warp, he had points coming in every hour or so. It would probably be faster, but Elliot told him that was as quick as his body could naturalize the Warp.
He had enough points to catapult a single skill to the top, or even out his oddly stilted mental Attributes, or, if he was feeling particularly dumb, spread them around evenly.
Im thinking Beli Ma.
It was the only defensive skill he had, and Calvin wanted to get it to a level that it could be relied on more heavily.
For that he needed to talk to Kala.
Calvin stared at the bowl of soapy water for a moment, took a deep breath and set his shit aside. Better talk now than later.
Calvin forced himself to march over to Kalas Unqua. If I slow down or stop, Im not going to be able to do it. Then her feelings will fester and shell hate me forever. Calvin had a bit of the rush and sudden lack of control a person might experience going off a waterfall as he stepped up to her tent.
The Unqua grew huge in front of him, but he knew he was actually the one shrinking, as evidenced by the receding cavern ceiling. Calvin felt like he was slipping back out of his own mind again, watching his body lift the flap, duck and stride into the yurt.
scuse me.
Can I help you? Kala said, scowling at him, her front covered by her yellow dress, crumpled against her chest.
Whatever Calvin had been planning on saying was shoved aside when he saw the curve of her legs, sloping up toward her waist, soft dark skin barely covered by the ragged dress she held in front of her.
Oh. Um. Im S-
Im sorry. Kala said.
Calvin blinked. For being naked when I came in?
No, you doof. For making you worried. Watching you do that to Ryan got under my skin. Until I found out how much of an asshole he really was.
Oh.
Well, this is going easier than I thought.
I still didnt like the way you did it though. She said, her shoulders relaxing as she let the dress down, baring her lovely mounds as she picked up the needle and got back to fixing her dress.
Uuuh, Calvin said, staring. Those are really distracting.
Tough, she said with a scowl. She was still a bit mad at him, but he could tell from her gaze that she also very much enjoyed the impact she had on him. Calvin never could quite grasp how someone could feel multiple ways at once, but girls did it more than others.
Calvin shook off the distraction. Im sorry. I was enjoying hurting Ryan. And I shouldnt have been.
No, probably not. Kala said, glancing up at him. Have you ever seen my dad torture people out in the middle of the palace?
Well, no, but I havent really spent that much time in court. Ill have to take your word for it.
How about your village elder, then?
Well, he spanked a kid who threw eggs at his house, once.
Kala sighed and tested the rip in her dress before standing, pulling it over her head and sliding the silk dress back down over her lithe body, turning as she did, affording him an excellent view of her rounded backside.
What Im trying to get at is when you become a Wizard King, you need to let other people punish people for you. Your violence needs to be impersonal, and calculated. At least in public.
So what youre saying is I need people to get angry for me?
Kala shook her head and chuckled. Not exactly, but close enough. Nadia and I set Ryan straight for you. He wont be bothering anyone again She tested the sewing job again then glanced over at him. Was there something else?
The knot in Calvins stomach eased. That was so much easier than I thought it would be. Thank the gods Ryan deserved it.
Calvin refocused on the task at hand.
Id like to get more practice with Beli Ma before we go topside again. Calvin said. If you could help me with that, Id appreciate it.
Kala broke into a smile. Might make me feel better.
***
Beli Ma has reached level 11! 55% Correction.
Beli Ma has reached level 12! 60% Correction.
Beli Ma has reached level 13! 65% Correction.
Beli Ma has reached level 14! 70% Correction.
4/8 Warp Remaining.
Calvin held his hand up and tried to do the technique Kala had described to him, spinning two whorls of bent against each other. It was far more advanced than simply dragging a strand of Bent behind his palm and allowing it to tug the attack aside.
If successful it should be able to catch a strike in midair between the two whorls, and it was the next step toward having Beli Ma become an aura.
Bent manipulation has reached level 4! 20% correction!
3/8 Bent remaining.
The two whorls in front of his palm became slightly smoother, but the momentary distraction proved to be too much, as the bone switch caught him in the palm before Kala whipped it back and caught him in the head.
Calvin bit back a yelp and tumbled away, rubbing his head as the violent sting slowly dulled to an ache. The adrenaline from the pain slammed through Calvins heart, making all his nerves tingle with unspent energy before they gradually faded away.
A chuckle went through the crowd that had begun to gather, watching him practice the skill against Kala. There wasnt a lot of entertainment in the Abyss. At the moment boiled down to either watching Calvin get pounded or sex.
Hahaha. Calvin smirked at the double entendre.
Alright, again, Calvin said, readying his hand and creating the two whorls of energy.
Yeah, again! Nadia called from her seat on some poor bastards lap.
Actually, Kala said, wincing as she looked at Calvins battered body. I dont think Im enjoying this as much as I thought I would.
No, this is working, Im almost level fifteen.
Ooh, ooh! Nadia said, standing up and waving her hand excitedly. Ill do it!
Kala gave Calvin a glance, asking if that was okay. Calvin nodded, and Kala handed the switch to Nadia, who practically leapt over to them, jiggling with excitement.
Without preamble, Nadia turned around and began beating Calvin with the switch.
Die, you bastard! she shouted, her grin white and feral as she brought the bone down on him.
Calvin held the whorls in front of the attack, but Nadia was way too fast for his feeble Strength to keep up with, and she simply whipped the narrow bone around his defenses and caught him across the face.
Calvins vision exploded with white and he stumbled backward, guarding his face as at least six more strikes fell on his ribs, neck and legs.
Nadia! Kala shouted over the Ilethans cackling.
Its fine! Calvin said, holding up his hand toward Kala. Shes holding back. The Ilethan princess could probably have removed his head from his shoulders at full strength, so she must be slowing the switch down a bit at the last moment.
Still hurt like a bitch, though.
Blood from Calvins split eyebrow began dribbling into his left eye.
Calvin wasnt faster, but he knew what he was doing. When the blood forced him to blink, he blindly waved his hand up, trailing Bent in a basic Beli Ma style. Nadia tried to hit him where he was blind, and the switch was caught, forcing Nadias arm up with the switch.
For a brief second the switch was caught in the flow of Bent, Calvin was able to narrow Nadias options, stepping closer and forcing her onto her back foot.
When the Bent let go of the switch it was up above Calvins head, and there she was, on her back foot, arm raised in the air. She had two choices: Step back, or strike.
It was fairly obvious which choice the hyper aggressive princess would make.
Calvin leaned his head to the side and held up his palm, whorls running counter to each other. It was as if the switch was sucked into his palm, trapped in a tight area of circulating Bent and coming to a halt barely an inch away from his skin.
Nadia tugged on it with a snarl, but all that happened was the bone switch snapping off in her hand. the rest of it stayed firmly secured in midair, floating in front of his palm.
Beli Ma has reached level 15! 75% Correction.
+1 Stability.
2/8 Warp remaining.
Calvin reached out and flicked Nadias nose to scattered applause. The Ilethan princess scowled, backing away from him.
The princess isnt done yet. Somebody get her another switch.
One of the onlookers leapt to their feet to get another bone stick.
Lets see the list while hes running
Please choose an ability or mutation.
Passive External Circulation: 1 Bent/5 levels of Beli Ma may be passively circulated outside the body. This Bent is disconnected from the Users internal storage, allowing a greater amount of Bent to be stored total, while also improving reaction time with Beli Ma. External Bent may be reabsorbed, but toxicity rates apply if it is above internal storage limits.
Long Range: Beli Mas range is increased by (Intuition)%
Elliots Invisible Hands: Use fine threads of Bent to manipulate objects within range of Beli Ma at will.
Body Awareness: Beli Ma Correction applies to the entire body.
Rooted Lotus Style: Double Beli Ma Correction by standing still.
Mutations:
Dragon clutches Pearl: Absorb (Correction*1) of a successfully deflected Ability's Bent cost. limited to original Bent cost.
Slippery When Wet: Able to excrete a slippery substance through your pores to make it more difficult for others to grapple or hold you. Can be directed with practice.
I choose body awareness. Calvin thought as the man returned with another switch. Of the choices available, it seemed like the first step toward an aura type ability.
What about the Passive Circulation? That seems aura-esque.
What, did you think I was gonna stop at level 15? Calvin thought as he watched Nadia swish her new stick through the air.
Calvin held his thumb to the cut in his brow until it stopped bleeding.
Lets get back to work.
Comments
0xFFF1
When you say good, do you mean good, or bad?
Macronomicon
The Bent attack one was the Iroh Special that shoots Bent empowered attacks back. Baseline Believe ma can redirect most anything.
Ellija
Doesn’t believe ma only influence bent attacks? Like when boy guy shot him in shadow boxing using a normal arrow without a skill.
0xFFF1
Learner's Daily Research Notes might be a fun side thing once it becomes an official party member.
Findell
You should have some kind of a Wax on Wax off type reference going for beli ma dunno how you'd fit it in thou. Maybe for a Mass shifting unlocked mutation that allows you to absob mass while blocking and push it out while counter attacking but thats probbaly too much like the counter/deflection one.
0xFFF1
A technique to do external Bent Manipulation internally might be cool. Lose a limb? Slap the wound and pass Bent through to constrict the muscles to stop the bleeding. Got a sword in your chest? Push it out and stem the bleeding with no hands. Having a heart attack? Pump your blood manually by squeezing your heart with Bent in good rhythm. Is an enemy utilizing his pesky arms and legs to attack you? Disable them with precise finger jabs.
Pastor Joubert
Nadia deserves a reward, a good one.
Macronomicon
If you've got cool names for the relatively bland abilities I put in there, feel free to let me know. it felt lacking to me. matter of fact if anything else feels lacking, lemme know.
