Chapter 129
Before I explained anything, I wanted to make sure I could back it up. I called Doctor Ansari first and asked if it was alright to use minor abilities. Ordinators Guile significantly reduced the amount of mana required to use anything on the Probability tree, so I figured it wouldnt hurt.
She muttered something disparaging, but eventually relented after I promised to do nothing physically taxing, stop if I got short of breath, and agreed with her requirement to stay in the damn wheelchair. When I asked if there were any early indicators beyond shortness of breath to look for, the response was, Sudden unspeakable pain followed by loss of consciousness. After that, she hung up.
Dr. Ansari really didnt like me.
We sat around the coffee table. Sae listened as I described Rangers Fortune, outlining as clearly as I could without calling it by name. She clearly didnt believe me at first. I understood why. As paradoxical as it seemed, magic required little faith. Most of it was obvious, the cause and effect easily apparent. What I was describing was far more abstract.
Weve all been under a lot of stress, Helpline. Sae said, cutting my explanation off. And with the system throwing all these fantasy elements and powers into the mix
You think Im losing it, I said dryly.
I didnt say that, Sae answered quickly, glancing away. But werent vivid dreams one of the side effects of the recovery potions youre taking?
Id warned Sae earlier because I didnt want her to panic if she heard me screaming. Still, I could understand why that was working against me now.
Pick a number between one and twenty.
Sae raised an eyebrow. Between? So, I cant pick one or twenty?
I shrugged. Whatever you want. Just figured youd want to go for something less common.
Fine. Thirteen. Sae said.
I held up the twenty-sided dice and prepared to roll, picturing the number in my mind. nove(l)bi(n.)com
Wait. Sae took the drawstring bag and pulled out a black twenty-sided die. It matched the unnaturally dark chitin that covered most of her body. Use this instead.
Why? I was curious to hear her reasoning.
I instinctively picked a number without really thinking about it. Its possible you forced that choice somehow. Subtly suggested it.
That was surprisingly paranoid coming from her. You think Id do that? I asked.
No dumbass. Sae rolled her eyes. If the point is to prove something, it helps if to eliminate any doubts I might have before we start.
Fair enough. I took the dice from her hand and paused, glancing over conspiratorially. What if thats the loaded dice, and I arranged it this way because I knew youd request a substitution.
Sae gave me an even stare. Dont be a dick.
Fine.
I pictured the result I wanted. Unlike before, I actually rolled the dice, giving my power plenty of time to work. It came to a stop, spinning on a corner, before it came up on thirteen.
Sae blinked. Okay. Kinda creepy, but still possible.
With a smirk, I rolled the dice again. And again. On the third result, Sae stopped me and rolled the dice herself. When she came up with a seven and one, she glared at me as if Id sabotaged her somehow. Im still swapping your dice.
Thats fine.
I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hands. Like another ability.
Sae grinned. From an entirely different class. Think about it. Were talking about a skill that makes something with one-in-six-million odds an everyday occurrence. You could confuse the hell out of anyone trying to get a handle on you.
Or terrify them.
A simple example was telekinesis. Regardless of whether telekinetic magic existed, it would be trivially easy to make people think I had it. Id been avoiding using gestures ever since I realized they were unnecessary in an attempt to hide my ability. Playing it up instead was an interesting idea, and only the tip of the iceberg. Id have to dig deep and come up with a portfolio, but there was plenty I could do in theory to imitate elemental magic, or advanced melee combat skills.
Saes phone beeped. She glanced at it, then at the light fixture above the table. Thats time. Want to try the If-Thens?
Above us, a half-dozen dice were balanced on their edges on the light fixture. The first if-then was my idea. I wanted to see if I could get to activate under specific conditions. First, I made the trigger holding a hand beneath the dice for two seconds or longer. When that worked for both of us, I specified Sae. The dice remained fixed for me, only toppling when Sae held out her hand.
Next, Sae suggested we test how long the command lasted. I cast the ability, trying to keep my mana use even. Shed placed a die on the fixture roughly every half-hour for the last four hours.
I held up a glass, walking from left to right. One by one, they clinked into the glass, until I reached the last dice, the first wed put up.
I shook the glass beneath it, in case my depth perception was off. I guess thats it.
You cannot tell me youre disappointed right now. Sae stared at me, slack jawed.
Not exactly. But Id be happier if there was some way to confirm that the time limit was tied to the abilitys level. Its earlier iteration had nothing like this, so there was no way to know for sure.
Three and a half hours is fantastic. Theres so much you can do with that. Sae stood and stretched up to grab the errant dice. The movement lengthened her chitinous body in a manner that looked off, somehow. She clenched her fists in excitement. Not to mention, youre not even breaking a sweat. Holy shit. I want to see how this would work in combat. Weve gotta get back out there.
I held my breath, expecting at any moment for her to realize what she said and take it back. Getting the recovery potions down had been brutal, but I was on schedule to finish the second potion tonight. Meaning, if she was willing, I could take her to the adaptive dungeon with me. Not to fight the lithid, of courseconsidering what Talia said the creature was capable of thatd be a terrible ideabut maybe to revisit the earlier floors to test Saes abilities, and ensure I got a level out of it. I had a feeling that the dungeon would recalibrate for a party of two.
But that would mean throwing Sae into a combat situation that she might not be ready for.
Is that what you want? I asked.
The excitement petered out of her expression, and her hands slowly lowered to her sides. I cant slow down, Helpline. Every time Im alone, and the lights are off, Im back in the trial. With the whispering walls and that fetid water soaking into me. Reliving every mistake over and over. I have to do something. I have to move.
That I could relate to, even though the rest of her situation was so far off, I ran through it in my mind, considering the possibility. You realize thats not sustainable.
Sae glanced down. I know. But its what I need right now. Iris said shed have something that would work temporarily by late tonight.
Ill be back on my feet tomorrow. If Iris pulls throughkeep in mind, shes new to thiswell find a place to spar and see if youre up to it I stopped mid-sentence as a message rolled in.
Whats up? Sae asked.
I glanced at her, my expression hardening. Well talk more later. Its time to see how the assholes behind the scenes are going to spin this.
