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Chapter 83: Advice.
🕑 Added 2024-08-06 01:31:15 +0000 UTCChapter 83: Advice.
Helga and Mantis ma…Clover, were already there when we entered the room, sitting down on a makeshift leather couch.
I looked over it as we made out way over. Noting the way Helga squirmed at my presence.
‘She must have seen quite a lot of things when she tried to charm me back then. Her time spent among gnomes can’t have been much help either. I really should apologize to her too.’
To that effect, I made my body relax itself somewhat. Forcing it to release a polite cough as a segway into polite conversation.
“That’s a fine piece of furniture.” I lied. Purposely avoiding the visible stiches where poorly tanned leathers had been joined in favor of locking my eyes on them. “Where did you get it from?”
“We made it.” Helga replied flatly. “I ordered some of my vines to grow around one of the portable benches we found inside the crates at the left corner. I wanted something akin to cushions after someone.”
She gave Dusty a pointed look.
“Broke both my legs. And my hip. And half my ribs. It took Clover an hour to fix me up and even then, the soreness persisted.”
“Aren’t you a Shifter too? I’m looking at your status and you have [Regeneration] at 5.”
“I am, but I hadn’t thought to put more than a few points back then.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Dusty said meekly. “It was one of the first fights I got into after combining my powers. I wasn’t used to it.”
“Right. Of course. Anyway, me and Clover liked it enough to try and improve it. Dusty had skinned a lot of moles to clothe those without Symbiotes, only for a lot more people to get Symbiotes after we kept freeing safe-zones. Clover thought it was a shame to have so many rugs around the floor and he cleaned out one of the bigger, stripped ones. Then I ordered my dearies to create small thorns to pin the corners in place.”
“That is so cool.” I said, fully meaning it. “I wish I’d thought of it before. I could’ve had the pumas skinned instead of sending them off to hunt with the rest of the monsters. Their fur is nicer looking and soooo much softer.”
Helga coughed loudly into her hand, as if the notion somehow disturbed her.
She was frantically trying to keep her own thoughts away from me by recalling songs from her childhood.
She wasn’t doing a very good job.
‘You know, whomever said that was a viable strategy was probably messing with you.’ I messaged.
‘I…uh…sorry.’
‘You don’t have to be sorry. There’s nothing to be sorry about. You like your plants. I get it. Your ability sounds like something a plant-enthusiast would have. I’m simply different in that I don’t much care what happens to things I control.’
She shivered once more. Not paying attention to the rest of the conversation going on around us.
‘Don’t you feel bad? Knowing they love you?’
‘No.’ I replied at once. ‘They would have gladly turned me into a toothpick at the earliest opportunity so they can go suck an egg. Especially the gnomes.’
‘You like the metal things though.’
‘The robots are awesome! That’s why! You’re not an engineer so you don’t understand just how awesome they are. I don’t blame you. Hopefully one day, after all this is said and done, we can ogle them together and marvel at how they were made.’
Helga shriveled away and I shrugged in turn. My body managing the motion without giving off a feeling of uncanniness.
“Whatever. I can always find another couple hundred pumas. Oh, and shrews. Their fur isn’t anywhere near as nice, but I want a reminder that I’m at the top of the food-chain now.”
Prudence barked a laugh.
“You know, my uncle Robert used to make couches. Nice ones too. None of that assemble-it-yourself garbage. Took me to see the workshop a couple of times. Before the rift-spawn tore up the place and some brain-dead hero torched the neighbourhood. We don’t have wood here or springs, but we can probably make a better couch by shaving mole bones into the right shapes and sizes. Then we either tie them up with rope or use pre-drilled holes to lock them in place. Tanning leather makes a big stink, so we can’t make it as nice as a couch would be back home, but we could really make a work of art if we put our minds to it.”
I listened with rapt attention. Appreciating the amount of effort she put into sounding chipper for Dusty’s sake.
Prudence had, of course, been one of the first people here to start hating me based on the issues me and Dusty had gone through. Even now, she was of the opinion that, while I was better than Ryan, it wasn’t by much.
Now, I could have brought her in on the loop of all that had happened. But that felt like the wrong way to go about things.
‘No. I don’t want to let the others know about the possible apocalypses coming our way. At least, not this close to their breaks and their return trips to their home worlds. There will be time to go over all the info I gleamed after they’re in a better state of mind. After they come back. I don’t want to force it right now. Better to earn back trust the normal way. It’ll make working together easier in the long run.’
“Already on it.” I said with a smile.
And I was. All it took was a slight mental exertion and those creatures that remained or that been recently spawned in marched themselves over to us.
I paused, looking at the couple once more.
“What were you doing here again?” I asked.
Of course, I knew the answer, but mentioning that wouldn’t have been polite.
“The same thing you lot were coming here to do; I think. Planning our next steps. There are more options for me now than before and we don’t know which are the right ones.”
“I feel that.” Prudence chimed in. “Feels like I’m not making progress, despite being higher level than ever before.”
“I too have felt stifled.” Kaito agreed. “We were hoping to share out thoughts with Sully and get his input, since he’s such a genius.”
I groaned. “I sure don’t feel like a genius.”
“And yet, all the System enforcers had to run, despite being so much stronger than the rest of us.”
“Yeah, they sure didn’t seem weaker than you then.” Kaito added.
My body returned to its more neutral state after that. My mind going back to the missions I had assigned for them.
‘That is true enough. None of them could have imagined what they would be facing, if they accepted a summons to a Tutorial on the first cycle. A single one of them should have been enough to do away with whatever interloper they found. I… something like me, isn’t normal.’
I thought back to grandpa’s words then.
To the things he had murmured.
‘Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.’
It was true. Then and now.
‘Strong as I am, there are still those that are stronger. There aren’t many of them, but they do exist. The Drake is just the first of all the problems I will have to face.’
My mind went back to my new status, and to the new abilities I had absorbed from his memory. To the Titles that came with them.
Any one of them could turn an otherwise straightforward fight into a slog. Even as strong as I was, the limitations would be evident if I happened to fight something above my Tier. Which the Drake most certainly would be.
‘Not only that, but I haven’t gained a single level in all of last week.’ I thought bitterly. ‘Not in Telepath and definitely not in Shifter. I’m going to have to turn that around, if I want to be able to defend all of humanity, instead of just a few pockets of resistance. The stronger I become, the more the other, larger powers will take notice. Me being the first Savant to get a second Type will play a role as well. Things are going to get a lot harder, before they get easier.’
“Hey? Earth to Sully? You still with us?” Prudence asked, now feeling a hint of genuine worry.
“I’m fine. I was just thinking.”
“You do that a lot.” Prudence quipped.
‘Though maybe not often enough.’ She added in her own mind.
“I’d rather have him thinking than have him drunk.” Kaito replied with the slightest hint of a smile.
“Hey! That hurts! How many times do I have to tell you people that I don’t have a drinking problem!”
“As long as you’re sober, you can say it as many times as you like.”
“Damn Kaito, and you too P.R. I thought you guys and I were friends.”
“I like to think so too.” Prudence lied, with an impish grin plastered on her face. “Others would not have the nerve to call you out on your B.S. Wanna see proof?” She waived a hand at Helga and Clover.
“Okay guys. Say something really mean about Sully. Really try and hurt his feelings.”
Helga blanched and bit her lip. Her fingers tensing and digging into the furry cover of the couch.
Clover stiffened and reflexively transformed into his battle shape, complete with scything blades where his hands used to be.
“Oh, come on! You saw my memories! I’m a good person!” I barked out.
Though, on reflection, I had not really done a fine job of putting that little notion out. What with all the noise regarding Henry and the Tall Man and later, the enforcers.
I grimaced internally as I thought back to my friend. To the face he’d made when I had tried to explain the… changes. Those that had happened to me and those that would be waiting for him back home.
‘I just hope he doesn’t get the wrong idea from all the statues and… the people I exposed to my presence. Ah (Gnome). He’s going to talk to Luigi and Vince too. And my parents.’
“You are.” Clover said stiffly. “We meant no offense.”
I managed a human-like groan while Dusty made a face.
“Forget about that. Let’s just have a seat around the benches and take another gander at the boards.”
I was still grumbling when we finally sat down.
For her part, Prudence was now bickering with Clover. Complaining vigorously about the lack of ability descriptions.
“What kind of nonsense is this? How are we supposed to know what’s good and bad without losing points trying it out? Even the notes that Orphan Maker gave us weren’t any good. They all say things like: ‘Effects may vary through species.’ What are we supposed to do with that?”
“It has to do with what you start with in terms of biology.” I explained. “A species like Orphan Maker’s is going to have a much easier time with some Types and some abilities than others simply because of how their brains operate. For example, I found out from Peachy that the average range of [Sense Thoughts] per ability level should be somewhere around the ballpark of 20 to 30 metres for points 1 through 5. In contrast, we humans get around 100 metres of range from each point. The gains become standard only when abilities are combined and then become irregular again once we pass the fourth Tier of abilities. As rare as Telepaths are among humans, we do seem to have a knack for those powers. On the other hand, the gnomes get a lot more out of first-Tier Projector abilities than we do. As in, they have more range on their sensing abilities and their powers hit harder with the same amount of Psy.”
I spread my attention around the nearer parts of the cobweb and saw that I had their full attention.
“As to what you in particular should do, well. Borislav has been spreading points around everywhere and it seems to be working for him. I know I don’t really have much a leg to stand on with all the points I have, but I would recommend that going forward. The Tutorial has given us the advantages of having ability boards, but those advantages won’t last forever. While you and Mr. Park are right that gaining new abilities is still possible on the outside, it won’t be as easy as you think. In fact, I reckon it will be much, much harder than you think. If you don’t play your cards right, you might be stuck at a bottleneck until the cooldown on my boosting-blast wears off after a year.”
Prudence huffed.
“Yes. It is working for him. For now. Because he has like, ten levels on the rest of us thanks to the boost.”
“And his own hard work.” I added. Somewhat more forcefully than I might have intended.
Prudence arched an eyebrow.
“Are you saying the rest of us haven’t been working as hard?”
“No.” I said.
‘Of course.’ I thought.
“It is a matter of what kind of Excursions him and I have been going on. Not to mention the number of hidden bosses we’ve been hunting aside from that. Just last week, we killed the top sea-horse dragon in this Tutorial Instance. Those kinds of feats add up.”
She huffed again.
“So, you say. But I doubt he could hold a candle to me after I got to level 50. No matter how you slice it, generalizing leaves you weak.”
It was a good thing that my body was so self-controlled. Otherwise, I might have bust out laughing. A sideways glance also revealed that Dusty had pressed her lips tightly together. Her face a mask of impassive tranquility as her mind released a long, drawn-out sigh.
“Why are you complaining if you feel so confident?” I asked.
“Because we can only raise what we have up to 5 until we hit Tier 2. That means we have to spread the points around. I want to make sure I’m spending them properly instead of putting them in things like [Excretory System] or [Reproductive System]. Who comes up with that?”
Clover shrugged.
“The first has to do with throwing parts of yourself. Goes well with [Produce Adhesive] and [Produce Acid]. Just look at how well Mr. Park and Raj have done. The second…I think it has to do with hives.”
“Yep.” I confirmed. “The ant queen and the Hydrapede we found in the poison swamp had it. They were pumping out little clones by the dozen. The clones’ starting level was correlated with the queen’s ability level. I can see how it could be useful.”
‘More importantly, I can see how it could go well with my Telepath abilities. Or how the Drake could make my life miserable with such a tool at Tier 10.’
“I can also see how it’s disgusting.” Prudence almost spat. “I’m not growing whatever that thing is called to throw mini-me copies around. We’re humans. Not bugs.”
“Anyway.” Dusty began, trying to shake off some of the awkwardness from the conversation.
“What abilities were you considering?”
“Either [Blind] or [Deafen], from the Telepath ability pool.” Kaito answered.
I nodded slowly, moving my eyes over to the four boards where each Type’s available abilities had been written down.
Telepath ability pool Minus Starting: Message / Sense Thoughts / Mental Bolt
Available Abilities:
[Static Illusion] / [Fever] / [Sleep] / [Electronic Interface] / [Floral Interface] / [Fungal Interface] / [Team Tactics] / [Team Spirit] / [Team Resilience] / [Team Momentum] / [Team Doctrine] / [Mental Map] / [Fear] / [Courage] / [Anxiety] / [Confusion] / [Hobble] / [Phobia] / [Puppet Animal] / [Puppet Plant] / [Puppet Fungus] / [Puppet Sentient] / [Puppet Machine] / [Faint Presence] / [Imposing Presence] / [Alluring Presence] / [Hide] / [Mask] / [Hidden Danger] / [Muffle] / [Flash] / [Precognition] / [Premonition] / [Persistent Message] / [Meditation] / [Mark Target] / [Calm] / [Enrage] / [Friendship] / [Resolve] / [Review Memory] / [Share Memory] / [Fog Memory] / [Drunkenness] / [Sobriety] / [Inspiration] / [Psychometry] / [Hum of Attack] / [Hum of Striding] / [Hum of Defence] / [Hum of Harmony] / [Hum of Discord] / [Hum of Cleansing] / [Hum of Mist] / [Painful Gaze] / [Cleansing Gaze] / [Entrancing Gaze] / [Degrading Gaze] / [Block Mental Detection] / [Block Mental Attack] / [Interrupt] / [Awaken Organism] / [Awaken Object] / [Stable Reality] / [Unstable Reality] / [Manifest Intruder] / [Seal Intruder] / [Banish Intruder] / [Psionic Jinx] / [Psionic Hex] / [Psionic Curse] / [Drown] / [Heart Attack] / [Indigestion] / [Blind] / [Deafen] / [Anosmia] / [Phantom Pain]
Shifter Ability Pool Minus Starting: Claws / Regeneration / Predator’s Instincts.
Available Abilities:
[Regenerate Other] / [Mitosis] / [Acclimation] / [Organ Independence] / [Tracking Instincts] / [Social Instincts] / [Eusocial Instincts] / [Adrenaline] / [Fur] / [Rubbery Hide] / [Scales] / [Chitin] / [Feathers] / [Spines] / [Blades] / [Bark] / [Leaves] / [Spores] / [Muscular System] / [Skeletal System] / [Nervous System] / [Lymphatic System] / [Cardiovascular System] / [Digestive System] / [Respiratory System] / [Endocrine System] / [Excretory System] / [Reproductive System] / [Grow] / [Shrink] / [Stretch] / [Harden] / [Soften] / [Metamorphosis] / [Photosynthesis] / [Camouflage] / [Vocalization] / [Mimicry] / [Jaws] / [Beak] / [Pincers] / [Proboscis] / [Phagocytosis] / [Eyes] / [Ears] / [Nose] / [Tongue] / [Proprioception] / [Grasping Appendage] / [Locomotion Appendage] / [Hands] / [Suction Cups] / [Tarsus] / [Pseudopods] / [Webbed Appendage] / [Fins] / [Mucus] / [Hooves] / [Tail] / [Stinger] / [Pterygote] / [Propatagium] / [Night Vision] / [Thermal Vision] / [Infrared Vision] / [Echolocation] / [Low-Frequency Hearing] / [High Frequency Hearing] / [Olfactory Navigation] / [Olfactory Threat Detection] / [Olfactory Poison Detection] / [Heat Tolerance] / [Cold Tolerance] / [Electricity Tolerance] / [Pressurization Tolerance] / [De-Pressurization Tolerance] / [Radiation Tolerance] / [Venom Glands] / [Poison Glands] / [Incorporate Mineral] / [Incorporate Liquid] / [Incorporate Gas] / [Produce Adhesive] / [Produce Acid] / [Produce Pyro-Chemical] / [Produce Cryo-Chemical] / [Produce Electro-Chemical] / [Pheromone Hierarchy] / [Pheromone Trail] / [Pheromone Attraction] / [Pheromone Diversion] / [Hijack] / [Infection]
Enhancer Ability Pool Minus Starting: Enhanced Strength / Enhanced Dexterity / Enhanced Constitution.
Available Abilities:
[Enhanced Toughness] / [Enhanced Flexibility] / [Enhanced Reflexes] / [Enhanced Concentration] / [Enhanced Recovery] / [Enhanced Stamina] / [Enhanced Agility] / [Enhanced Vision] / [Enhanced Hearing] / [Enhanced Smelling] / [Enhanced Tasting] / [Enhanced Proprioception] / [Enhanced Respiration] / [Enhanced Digestion] / [Enhanced Circulation] / [Enhanced Immune Response] / [Enhanced Memory] / [Enhanced Learning] / [Enhanced Processing] / [Enhanced Balance] / [Enhanced Training] / [Heat Resistance] / [Cold Resistance] / [Electric Resistance] / [Neurotoxin Resistance] / [Cytotoxin Resistance] / [Enterotoxin Resistance] / [Hemotoxin Resistance] / [Viral Resistance] / [Sleep Resistance] / [Psychoactive Resistance] / [Paralysis Resistance] / [Parasitic Resistance] / [Psionic Resistance] / [Pressure Resistance] / [Vacuum Resistance] / [Radiation Resistance] / [Slashing Resistance] / [Piercing Resistance] / [Blunt Resistance] / [Gravity Resistance] / [Friction Resistance] / [Sudden Strength] / [Sudden Dexterity] / [Sudden Constitution] / [Sudden Toughness] / [Sudden Flexibility] / [Sudden Reflexes] / [Sudden Concentration] / [Sudden Recovery] / [Sudden Agility] / [Enhance Object] / [Enhance Projectile] / [Overcharge Self] / [Overcharge Object] / [Heavy Blow] / [Heavy Shield] / [Heavy Shot] / [Berserk]
Projector Ability Pool Minus Starting: Force Bubble / Force Wall / Force Bolt
Available Abilities:
[Fire Bubble] / [Fire Wall] / [Fire Bolt] / [Frost Bubble] / [Frost Wall] / [Frost Bolt] / [Spark Bubble] / [Spark Wall] / [Spark Bolt] / [Photon Bubble] / [Photon Wall] / [Photon Bolt] / [Sonic Bubble] / [Sonic Wall] / [Sonic Bolt] / [Resonance] / [Pressurize] / [Depressurize] / [Distort Space] / [Mend Space] / [Accelerate] / [Decelerate] / [Reverse Gravity] / [Amplify Gravity] / [Local Banishment] / [Local Apport] / [Local Portal] / [Local Jump] / [Local Regression] / [Local Progression] / [Local Stop] / [Mend Time] / [Sense Heat] / [Sense Electricity] / [Sense Kinetic] / [Sense Radiation] / [Sense Sound] / [Sense Psionics] / [Sense Spatial Disturbance] / [Sense Temporal Disturbance] / [Absorb Heat] / [Absorb Electricity] / [Absorb Kinetic] / [Absorb Radiation] / [Absorb Sound] / [Reservoir] / [Conversion to Psy] / [Condensation] / [Vaporization] / [Freezing] / [Melting] / [Corrosion] / [Attune to Solid] / [Attune to Liquid] / [Attune to Gas] / [Attune to Wavelength] / [Hold Attuned Compound] / [Organize Attuned Compound] / [Throw Attuned Compound] / [Phase Through Solid] / [Phase Through Liquid] / [Phase Through Gas] / [Phase Through Heated Material] / [Phase Through Frigid Material] / [Phase Through Electrified Material] / [Group Phasing] / [Forced Phasing] / [Magnetic Attraction] / [Magnetic Repulsion] / [Analyse Compound] / [Repair Construct] / [Imbue Construct]
“That’s an interesting choice.” I said off-handedly.
“Is it the wrong choice?” Kaito asked, with a small amount of panic in his voice.
“I don’t know.” I answered him.
“Then why did you say it was an interesting choice?”
“Because I noted that it would be similar to the combo Charlie used when he was wiping the floor with us. Thing is, these guys work in different way. I should know. I levelled them. It’s a single-target power, rather than something you can spread around. When Charlie uses his combination attack, he draws in all the light and all the sound around him for a few seconds. It looks powerful and seems versatile too. The sound absorption let him stay on his feet when Subutai used his sonic blast. The Telepath sensory abilities won’t do any of that, but they will last a lot longer and will take in less Psy to maintain.”
I explained.
“The best way to use them would be in conjunction to [Hide] and [Faint Presence]. As you’d have several more layers of protection. Even then, a better use of them would be in a group. Charlie would blind any allies without [Sense Thoughts] if he did his trick in the middle of a fight. You or I wouldn’t need to worry about that, as the only effect would be in the target’s mind.”
“Doesn’t that make Charlie’s power more versatile though?”
I tried to shrug, but bungled it half-way.
“It takes a lot of Psy for an effect that’s very localized and not very long. It was good for Charlie in that specific scenario because Charlie is super fast and super mean. He doesn’t need an ability that lasts more than a few seconds because a few seconds is all he needs to kick our teeth in.”
“Yeah.” Prudence said, in a half-sigh that carried an aura of depression. “Not going to lie, that kind of sucks.”
“It does.” I admitted. “But it elucidates my point. There is no ability that will guarantee you victory. You’d have to keep in mind that choosing these abilities will determine what kind of foes you can and can’t take on.”
“How do you mean?”
Prudence huffed. “He’s saying that these options will specialize you. I don’t think that’s a bad thing myself, but its something to keep in mind. Back in our world, all manner of superheroes and supervillains were running around all the time while the rift spat out horrors left right and center. We know more than most and that gives us a little bit of leverage. For example…”
She pointed at [Hide].
“That stuff is potent. No doubts about it. Blackjack killed Turbine, a freaking A-ranker while only being a B-ranker himself using that stuff. Walked right up to him and beat him over the head with a spiked bat. Turbine was a Projector, which meant he was a normal human beneath the aero-kinesis. Bro got curb-stomped hours after giving a cocky interview saying he had the villain on the ropes. Its definitely a keystone ability.”
“Keystone ability?” I asked, with some humour. “Are you guys still going on about that?”
Prudence and Kaito turned my way. Eyebrows arched.
“Uh, yeah? Because it works. Some abilities are clearly better and more integral than others. Like [Enhanced Training] or [Enhanced Reflexes] or [Enhanced Concentration]. They’re all so useful you’d have to be an idiot not to take them. Imagine what it would be like to have strength, dexterity, constitution and toughness at 5 or higher, only for someone like Charlie to show up and dance around you or for someone like Old Park to snipe you from half a world away?” Kaito offered.
Okay. They did have a point there.
“I get it. Guys. I really do. The very same could be said of [Sense Thoughts] or [Predator’s Instincts]. You see something that provides a better bang for your buck and you think that it’ll be better to go all the way in on those. However, that is a short-sighted way of looking at things.” I countered.
“Think about my hums. The entire section of Telepath buffing abilities. At first, it might seem useless when compared to something like [Precognition] or [Premonition] or [Hide], but that’s just because it has applications outside of what you’re used to. Don’t sleep on spending a point here and there to boost your overall combat effectiveness.”
“Yeah. Of course you would say that.” Kaito countered. “You’ve got points to throw around. We have to make do with what we’ve got and that means going for the ones that are the most effective most of the time.”
“Everyone’s been taking [Enhanced Learning] these days too.” Prudence interjected. “At first, we all thought it was for super-memory, like those detectives on TV that always know which type of paper was used for wrapping cookies at every restaurant in town.”
“Isn’t that the show with the Donkey that’s also a Telepath?” I asked incredulously.
“Not quite. The Donkey was transformed by a villainous Shifter. He was actually a human Telepath turned Donkey. He was solving crimes with his no-nonsense partner and girlfriend in order to eventually find the villain so he could turn back and they could get married.”
“Wasn’t the guy who played the police captain a predator?”
“Yeah. He got, like, 10 years and chemical castration.”
“Tangents aside.” Kaito interrupted. “It also lets you learn how to fight faster, affecting your motor-skills and how fast you can pick up new moves and perform them as a master would. I only recently got into juggling and I can already do twelve knives at once.”
“That was you? Everyone in the Warehouse was making such a big fuss about it when we came back from grinding out levels the other week. I heard it was super impressive.”
Kaito allowed himself a smug smirk.
“Yeah. It was pretty nice.”
“And it only gets better.” Prudence butt in. “When you have both it and [Enhanced Concentration] it actually becomes possible to veer your thoughts away from your own secrets and you can hide it from low-levelled mind-reading.”
“That doesn’t actually work.”
“Well, not from you, obviously.”
There was a slight, uneasy pause after that.
Not wanting to leave things on a sour note, I cleared my throat and tried to restart the conversation.
“Back to these options again. I… I don’t think what you’re doing is smart. I’ll say that off the bat, but I do see where you’re coming from. I’m more than willing to help if you’ll listen. I guess we’re looking for options that would give you as much leverage as possible, no matter what situation you found yourself in.”
“That’s right. I already have [Hide] and [Faint Presence]. They were actually the first two abilities I picked when you, uh, enlightened us. Problem is, you can actually still notice me the moment I do anything. Moving greatly weakens the effect and attacking in any way cancels it out entirely. They haven’t been as useful as I expected.”
Clover snorted, joining the conversation after some time.
“That’s because you haven’t used it in a real fight. Let me tell you, me and Helga would have killed to have something like that when the witch hunters were after us. Especially when her sire was in attendance. Those brothers are worse than their bloodhounds when it comes to catching a scent.”
Kaito nodded slowly. Keeping his eyes on Clover as the man huffed in annoyance.
“You really think so?”
“I know so. These sparring matches are a good way to learn the basics and develop our bonds of camaraderie, I’ll give you that. However, things are different out there. You all lived through the same things for a whole month before Solomon came along. How many times do you think the power to become unnoticeable would have turned a battle on its head? These shows are just that. Shows. Little more than a circus performance. Out there, no one would tackle Charlie head on, as we did. Instead, you’d go behind him. Following his trail for hours, days, as long as it took. You would keep following until Charlie went to sleep or was in the middle of a losing fight. Then, and only then, should you strike.”
