Evelyn went to one of the display cases and swung her staff, breaking the glass in a shower of shards. An old sword rested inside, mostly rusted with illegible engravings alongside the blade. One of the many relics from heroes of the past. Her child self would have been fascinated by it, obsessing about every little detail of the history and great deeds associated with it.

Her adult self couldn't care less about it. Those heroic tales were useful fabrications to appease the masses, to show them the illusion of something bigger than themselves, so they could get satiated in the hope and romanticism of times past instead of fighting for their present reality.

Cynical outlooks aside, Evelyn doubted most of these so-called relics would be the real deal anyway. But they would be perfect to test her new powers.

Grabbing the rusted sword carefully so as not break it, Evelyn concentrated her mana and called to her third Skill.

"[Verdant Toolset]." She said, expecting some kind of reaction.

But nothing happened.

"No effect again. I kind of expect it, to be honest. What am I doing wrong this time?"

With a quick exertion of will, she manifested her Status Screen to take a look at her Skills.

 

[Evelyn Anima]

[Hybrid Core - UNSTABLE]

[Class - Undefined - Tier 1 (Novice)]

[STATS]

[STR - Unassigned archetype]

[DEX - Unassigned archetype]

[END+ - Unasigned archetype]

[AWA - Ecologist (AWA, END) - Tier (Novice)]

[Action Skill - [Hylosynthesis] - Tier 1 (Novice 54%)]

[Passive Skill - [Pulse Link] - Tier 1 (Novice 38%]

[Utility Skill - [Verdant Toolset] - Tier (Novice 0%)]

[INT - Unassigned archetype]

[WIL - Unassigned archetype]

[PRE - Unasigned archetype]

[True Runes]

[Primeval]

[Harmony]

[Technogenic]

 

"At least the other two Skills seem to be growing quite well already. I may be able to get them both to the next Mastery Level. How did it go again? A Skill starts at Novice, then levels up to Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Veteran, Elite, and finally Master, right? That's supposed to be true at each new Tier because the Skills evolve after Master level, but doesn't that mean I'm growing kind of fast?"

Evelyn thought about it for a moment. Most Classers took weeks to months to level up their first Tier 1 Skill all the way to Master Level. But technically, she had been using these Skills for years. She may not have had control of them, but her Core remembered the feeling; they were familiar to her.

In a way, it was similar to how he learned to use her arm again after getting her first runitronic implant from Alice. She started accidentally breaking everything she would grab, or not being able to lift a pebble, but eventually, after many failures and tons of practice, not only did she get control over a fully functional arm again, but it was better and stronger than it had ever been before.

Her Skills had been really strong but unpredictable, but now that they were at her command, even if they were weaker, she just needed to remember how they could be. Just like Kornos said in their training session, with control comes the need for focus. If she kept pushing herself, she might be able to speed through Tier 1 at record time.

And then she would be stronger than ever before.

Which took her to another line of thought; she could easily remember all the times the city had talked to her, that was [Pulse Link], and how could she forget the life-threatening metal leaves that would come closer to killing her after every nightmare? The amber colored blade around her runitronic arm, its black vine coiled around it like a serpent, but certainly the same, so that Skill had been [Hylosynthesis]

So, when had she used [Verdant Toolset] in its unleashed form before? She couldn't remember as clearly as with the other two.

Evelyn checked the description of the Skill again, just to make sure she was interpreting it correctly.

 

[Utility Skill - [Verdant Toolset] - Tier (Novice 0%)]

[Cultivate technorganic living items by planting broken objects as seeds. Verdant tools can grow and evolve.]

 

"Right. So it takes broken things and makes them into... what exactly? Verdant tools? And they can evolve? What does that even mean? Like Skills? It says it cultivates them into technorganic living items... So they would be half artificial and half alive? Huh. Just like me in a way..."

Unsure as to how to proceed, Evelyn tried the Skill a few more times with other things from the rest of the museum. Swords, daggers, spears, shields, pieces of armor, and even little trinkets like coins. They were no longer accepted in Neo Vorath, not for close to a couple of centuries, since the Tetracrown established credits as standard money, so none of the few scavengers that had made it to the Unreturned Point had bothered to take them, unlike with the exposed jewelry. A pretty gem in a ring or necklace is always valuable as trading goods, no matter how old it may be, so those were all gone.

No matter how many things Evelyn tried at the museum, nothing worked at all for [Verdant Toolset]. The unchanging big 0% in its progress bar taunted her with her failure.

Frustrated, she decided to switch back to the other two Skills in the meantime to level them up. If she couldn't figure it out now, it would come to her later. There was no hurry.

Contemplating the pile of garbage she had produced to try to make them into verdant tools, Evelyn decided to make good use of them.

Taking a small bronze dagger, one of the oldest and most damaged she could find, she activated [Hylosynthesis] once more.

Evelyn made sure not to let go of the dagger as her mana filled it with a soft amber light. Small buds protruded from its surface before quickly growing into familiar black cable vines. But unlike those in her arm, they were thin and short, and their metal blades, slightly amber in coloration as the mana shaped them into sharp leaves, looked more fragile than deadly.

"It's just like when I tried it with those pieces of scrap while sparing with Kornos. These won't do much damage before breaking," she passed the tip of a human finger across one of the amber leaves, cutting herself in the process, "though they are still quite sharp."

Evelyn tried with a few weapons and a couple of coins for good measure. The results were pretty much identical, but she still got good information out of it. For starters, the amount of metal didn't seem to matter all that much. Be it a longsword or the tiniest coin, the size of the cable vines was about the same. So the Skill didn't work around weight or metal concentration.

Sending her mana to a coin, Eveyn flicked it as the Skill activated and the bladed cable vines erupted from it mid-flight, falling some distance away from her. The amber metal leaves shattered with impact, and the cable vines withered and turned to mana dust right after.

So if the amber leaves are destroyed, the cable vines die. Otherwise, they don't seem to have a time limit at all.

This time, Evelyn slid a dagger she had used the Skill on across the room, and once the cable vines erupted, she attempted to control them.

There was a feeling of disconnection, a sluggishness in their reaction, like there was a delay on a weak signal, but they still moved. They were slow and clumsy, but she could control them for a little while before the connection broke off entirely. She tried sending the affected metal further away, calculating how much distance affected the connection of the cable vines to her senses.

Evelyn determined that the farther away from her they were, the weaker and short-lived the connection. Even just at arm's reach, as long as she wasn't touching them directly, the connection was still far worse than with those in her arm, and it still broke off on its own after a few minutes. She tried picking one of the coins, but to her surprise, the cable vine growing out of it reacted aggressively and lashed out with its single amber blade, like a cornered snake.

"They don't need me to act on their own? That could be useful to make traps, but I don't like that they don't obey me anymore after the connection breaks off. It seems like you are still eager to cut me down even now that I can decide when to make you, aren't you?" She said to the cable vine, which was erected and swinging from side to side slowly, very much like a snake ready to bite.

The other cable vines that had survived her test danced similarly all around her. It was like they were warning her not to come closer.

Evelyn chuckled, impressed by the defiance of her own Skill.

"You want to attack me? Go ahead, I'll break you if you try." She commanded the one growing on her arm to uncoil, which it obediently did, ready to protect her.

There was a clear difference. She had no control over those around her anymore; they had become their own independent entities. But the one on her arm wasn't. It was not only much easier to control, but it didn't feel separate from her at all. It was her.

She could feel it as an extension of her own self, just like the runitronic arm was connected to her nervous system through her mana circuits.

"I think I get it now. It's about dominion." She realized, looking between the cable vines on the floor, small, weak, unruly, and the one on her arm; strong, long as a whip, and at her command. "It's just like the Lethany of Dominion. The first dominion is the part of the self."

Evelyn hadn't considered the implications of one of the three laws of magic when using her Skill. Of course, a Tier 1 Skill would only work coming out of a part of herself directly.

It was just like when Robert got his first Class Skill. He could only make it ignite his own hands in fire, and when he tried throwing it, it would die out quickly afterwards.

That was why, even with powers, it was commonplace for Classers to learn some kind of martial arts or weapon to defend themselves as they grew their Class. Even her mother had preferred to use a gun, and she had been far from a mere Tier 1.

Kornos had drilled into her not to fall complacent about her physical training, to keep practicing her nemas and staff techniques no matter how strong her Skills got.

"Which means that this arm is my first dominion. And so is what I'm touching directly. But that connection to my dominion becomes weaker after I let it go. So you lot," she said, referring to the disobedient cable vines, "are no longer under my dominion. So can I get you back if I do this?"

Evelyn launched her arm's cable vine towards the one that had just tried to cut her. It tried defending itself, but its fragile amber leaf broke off the moment it clashed against the much sturdier and bigger leaf of its attacker.

"Puffdust." Cussed Evelyn, annoyed by the already withering cable vine. "I have to be careful not to kill them in the process. Gotta be faster than that then. Let's try this again!"

After about a dozen failures, Evelyn finally managed to make her own cable vine coil around and apprehend the last of the rebels, coming out of a rusted rapier, before it could destroy itself. It tried uselessly to free itself, but Evelyn kept her grasp on it tight, careful to raise its lone amber blade upwards so as not to even touch it with her own out of fear of it shattering again.

"Okay. Just like that, let's stay cool and calm. I'm just gonna make you a friend again." Evelyn sent her mana through her arm into her cable vines, seeking to reconnect with the one coming from the rapier.

There was nothing to connect with. Her mana reached the tip of her arm's cable vine, but it went nowhere.

I'm touching it, but the connection doesn't form the same way again.... Wait, what if...?

"[Pulse Link]" She said, activating her passive Skill.

The moment she did, it was like a door was opening in her mind; there was a spark throughout her mana circuits that translated into her nervous system. She could feel mana flowing and a part of herself going with it, into the senses of something beyond what was defined as Evelyn.

Her body felt suddenly constrained by a great serpent, making her panic for an instant before her sense of self stabilized, and Evelyn realized it had worked. She was feeling what the rebel cable vine's sense of touch was.

"Let's try this again, shall we? You are mine. You are me. I am you."

Evelyn barely had to send mana at all as the cable vine coming from the rapier immediately relaxed. The connection had been reestablished. She was Evelyn. But she was also the cable vine coming out of her arm. And she was the one coming out of the rapier. They were part of her, just like limbs. She didn't dare to separate them yet, so she kept them coiled, albeit looser than before, around each other.

Trying an idea, Evelyn raised the interconnected vines as if they were a single longer arm. It was kind of difficult at first, having to concentrate her senses to not lose the connection and keep track of which part was which.

It really was just like when she learn to use her runitronic arm. Just like it. But this time, she wouldn't be grabbing an egg as training for her grasping strength.

As she raised the cable vines, the rapier went with them. She was connected to it through them. [Pulse Link] sent her the sensations of the rapier as well, and with it came the feeling of having the cable vines growing out of it before. Evelyn figured she would have to get very used to that sensation.

She noticed that as the cable vines from the rapier connected to her arms, they were growing just a little thicker, its amber blade a little brighter and harder than before. The pulse of mana coming from her Core travelled through them, visible in the bright amber colored circuit patterns that could be seen across the black cable vines.

Evelyn was feeding them, like water to plants, making them as strong as they should be. Strong enough to do what followed.

She posed herself like a duelist, her human hand on her back and the long limb formed by the cable vines forward. With the rapier on the point.

Then came an order for a basic attack, a command transmitted through the connection, from Evelyn to the rapier itself.

And the rapier gave such a thrust in the air, with such intensity and precision, that it would have been enough to pierce a person with ease.

After that one coordinated attack, having to move the vines precisely like muscles extending from her arm to exert the proper force made Evelyn feel a slight sleepiness. Her amber eye was getting harder to keep open.

The test had taken out more mana from her than she thought. Or maybe it was the combination of two Skills at the same time. Technically, she wasn't activating [Hylosynthesis] to control the cable vines; they were a result of it, but they still needed some mana to keep around.

Deactivating [Pulse Link], the cable vines' connection dissipated, and the rapier fell to the ground with a resounding clank, echoing in the big chapel chamber to the Returned Four she had been training in. A few seconds later, the rapier's cable vines withered and dissipated into mana dust like all the others, though its amber blade hadn't been shattered at all.

"Ufff... I don't remember the last time I ever felt short on mana. I have to get used to having a regulated Core; I don't have the luxury of endless overflowing mana anymore. Not until I get stronger, I guess. Speaking of which, I feel different..." Evelyn noticed, which prompted her to check her Skills again.

 

[AWA - Ecologist (AWA, END) - Tier (Novice)]

[Action Skill - [Hylosynthesis] - Tier 1 (Adept 12%)]

[Passive Skill - [Pulse Link] - Tier 1 (Novice 84%]

[Utility Skill - [Verdant Toolset] - Tier (Novice 0%)]

 

"I leveled up the mastery of [Hylosynthesis] already? Dust! At this rate, I may be able to get my Skills to Master by tomorrow!" She laughed, excited about the possibilities. There was much room for improvement, but she could already feel herself getting addicted to the feeling of satisfaction that came with her growth.

Just how far could she go?

Evelyn tried the Adept level Skill on one of the coins. The cable vines were a bit thicker and longer, and now there were a couple of amber metal blades instead of just one, their edges sharper and a little sturdier looking than before.

Throwing about the same distance from her as in her previous tests, the connection stayed on longer, from less than a minute to over two minutes now. And while it was still on, she could move the cable vine faster than before and more precisely, though there was still a delay without a direct physical connection.

Once the cable vine rebelled, Evelyn disposed of it by breaking its amber blades. It was still not a match for the one on her arm, but it was a little harder this time, as the rebel cable vine managed to avoid the first of her attacks and sacrificed one of its amber blades to nick hers. Not only were they getting stronger. They were becoming smarter fighters. Learning from her fighting experience as much as she was learning to fight with them.

If she managed to get them under control at all times and they kept growing bigger with her progress, she could make them a self-defense system for Menagerie. Just grow them out of all the metal trash accumulated on the Pilefence wall. They wouldn't have to rely on a supply of mana from the NVOS to power the turrets anymore. They could become truly self-sustainable.

And then, Evelyn could take it a step further. They could serve to make safer points across District Zero, hells, more towns like Menagerie. If she kept expanding them, they could keep monsters away until they finally took back their land for the people.

They could rebuild from the ruins with a garden of remains.

The sound of the main entrance doors opening brought her out of her daydreaming with a snap.

For a moment, she thought Kornos had returned, but her mind got into survival mode as soon as that thought was discarded.

Kornos could fly. He wouldn't use the main door when the balcony on the second floor was still open.

Evelyn moved silently like a predator stalking her prey, leaving the chapel on the second floor behind. She slithered through the corridor of portraits until she reached the top of the stairway at the main hall entrance.

People were entering the old museum. But they weren't scavengers from Menagerie.

Their naked torsos were covered in complicated designs, marks where their flesh had grown again after being cut open and filled with monster blood. They were carrying weapons made of scrap metal, pieces of diverse garbage, and, of course, human bones. Their only pieces of clothing were a set of skirts made of sewn-together pieces of fabric, as dirty as they were, mixed from different colors, materials, and textures, and another, much more iconic and frightening symbol of their identity and affiliation.

Around their necks, varying in length from one to the other, there was a scarf made of pieces of sewn human skin. The leader had the longest one, with half a mournful stretched face sewn into the part of his scarf that covered his own mouth. His scars in particular had grown into thin patches of grey fur with little protuberances that looked like dog teeth poking out of his mutated scarred skin.

The scarflock had come out of hiding. And they were looking for fresh prey.

Evelyn had been taught to always avoid them, and she had managed to do so, most of the time at least. There was no telling what those crazy cannibals would be capable of.

But she had an advantage this time.

They didn't know what she was capable of now, either. They had come looking to hunt, to add length to their scarves, only to find a hungry predator instead.

It was time to test her powers on those she was more than comfortable to slaughter.