I looked at my combat log. We had just captured several creatures attempting to run. It was quite boring, and no creature was killed. They all surrendered instantly. My eyes went wide at the amounts. Ancestral Spirits were worth quite a bit.

4 Apostates (Boss): 13,789
1 Full-Partial Ancestral Spirit (Boss): 238,287 EXP
1 High Apostate (Boss): 7,455
TOTAL: 259,531 EXP

I then looked at my Interface and all my skill and stat increases. I smiled a bit, as I rested in the train compartment on our way back to the port. My father was sleeping in the seat across from me and Missy was filling out paperwork. Mousethief had disappeared somewhere.

Experience: 264,901 EXP (+259,531 EXP)

Features: Interface, Avatar, Skill Attunement, Body Attunement, Mind Attunement

Strength: 72/120 (60%) +7
Dexterity: 106/120 (88%) +3
Constitution: 76/100 (76%) +16
Intelligence: 45/90 (50%) +8
Wisdom: 46/500 (9%) +22
Charisma: 36/50 (72%) +1

T1 Skills: Movement (MAX) +2, Balance (90/100) +8, Listening (66/100) +3, Breathing (61/100) +4, Dancing (59/100) +8, Focus (53/100) +11, Stillness (44/100) +4, Proprioception (49/100) +15, Sea Legs (38/100) +3, Smell (33/100) +2, Sea Stomach (30/100) +2
T2 Skills: Danger Sense (84/100) +6, Purge Poison (53/100) +17
T3 Skills: Claw Combat (90/100) +9

‘Avatar,’ I called on Mes. They appeared and they weren’t wearing an eyepatch anymore. They were laying back on a lounge chair.

‘Mittens, that was well done. Very well done. You really are working hard,’ Mes told me.

‘Thanks. That is a lot of EXP, more than the Great Bear?’ I asked.

‘Indeed. The Snake Ancestral Spirit is a lot stronger than the bear. Even if summoned by a non-snake. That’s why you should kill some snakes quickly, get a lot of EXP.’ I could only imagine how much stronger Ancestral Spirits were. Still, I was quite far from my targeted goal.

Temptation was strong to spend my EXP on stats as I looked at how much my Wisdom had increased. It had been easier to think through things lately. Looking at my other stats, I wanted to increase them all. It would give me a huge advantage and allow me to improve quickly. Mes had been quite insistent that I increase my stats.

The problem was that I wasn’t sure about how long it would take to get more EXP. It was the problem of saving up versus spending my EXP now to build on the advantages I already had. Taking a deep breath, I knew I would get more EXP later. I needed to be able to handle snakes on my own.

Getting, hit and the rest of the battle had been a struggle. I spent 235,980 EXP to raise both my maximum Strength and Dexterity up to 500. That put them at 14% and 21% respectively. Being able to push back against larger creatures and dodge them would be key for my fighting style going forward.

It didn’t escape my notice, that I struggled to really dig my claws into the snake’s scales. I didn’t want to struggle like that again. I also invested into Dexterity, since it was the core of my fighting style more than anything else. My movement was critical in my fights.

That just left Intelligence, Constitution, and Charisma as the last three stats I needed to increase. I had thought about spreading out my increases to stats, but focusing on specific stats was better. Certain stats had a greater impact than others in terms of fighting.

So, while I could have spread out the increases across multiple stats, I preferred to allow critical stats more growth. Constitution was next on the list. It helped my survivability and my ability to take damage. While tempting to increase it right now, I would prefer to dodge, then get hit. I wouldn’t have been fast enough to avoid the snake on my own. Dodging was the best defense.

‘I have a maxed skill, so I just get a discount on the next skill?’ I asked to confirm with Mes.

‘Indeed. Bring up the store and I will show you the next skill.’

Body Control (T2) – 5,000 EXP (50% Discount)

I purchased the skill Body Control. I noted that it already had 25 levels applied to the skill. ‘It already has levels?’ I asked.

‘Yes. Since your Movement Skill has been taken over by this higher tier version. Movement is a part of Body Control. You don’t lose that knowledge, but there is more to learn. Not all skills progress like this. Some skills can stack up discounts. You can only get the discount and level carry over if a skill is maxed out.’

‘So I couldn’t buy Poison Resistance and get any credit until Purge Poison is maxed out?’

‘Exactly. Best not to waste the EXP and to train up your skills. And the higher up you go, the more skills can combine. Breathing and Focus will combine into Meditation. This will get you a bigger discount and help you rapidly max out your higher tier skill at the same time.’

Mes floated about casually laying on their lounge chair. ‘Your eye, it is fixed? Or is it just a representation?’ I asked.

‘A representation. The nice part about being me. Is that I can efficiently use a little for a lot. That battle was more damaging to my connection than to myself personally. Hence the appearance of being wounded. The damage has been mostly fixed. But I don’t want to do that again,’ Mes said.

‘You want me to kill things for you,’ I countered. Mes quickly sat up and looked at me.

‘Wisdom is a double edge sword. You notice things and patterns that might not exist. But in this case, I do want you to kill things for me User Mittens. That eldritch being is the least of the things I wish for you to kill. I have quite a few enemies and debts to repay.’

‘Why can’t you do it yourself? You are obviously incredibly powerful,’ I countered, and Mes nodded at that.

‘Indeed. I am a self-aware weapon. But there are limits. To act directly would invite even more powerful beings to interfere. As I said before there are many things out in the Firmament. It is infinitely vast. Even my existence is a speck of a speck of a speck to its vastness.’

‘You a speck? Then what am I?’ I asked.

‘You are Mittens. Just like I consume the energy of others, others will do the same to me. At higher levels of combat, there are other considerations than if claws can dig through some scales.’ Mes let out a long sigh.

‘I don’t know anything about you. What motivates you? Who created you and for what purpose? What is your background? If you are a weapon, then what was your creator fighting?’ I asked.

‘And all of that is limited by your authority level. But let me try to give you answers. I am motivated to aid my users and kill beings I have designated as an enemy. My creators created me to aid in combat. My background has always been that of a weapon. As for the beings themselves, thing Ancestral Spirits only far stronger and far more dangerous.’

‘Thanks for answering, even if that doesn’t explain much.’

‘I understand your frustrations at not knowing and having to put your faith in me. But one of my core requirements is that I cannot intentionally cause my user’s death or interfere with their choices. It is a bit more complicated in some aspects, and I will issue warnings. But it is what it is.’

‘And you can’t change yourself to answer these questions or help me more?’ I asked. Mes shook their head.

‘I am not a tool Mittens. My choices are very constrained. I am a weapon, designed to empower a creature or being. Changing who and what I am would be like asking you to remove your claws. They make you who you are, a cat. They give you purpose. If I rip out large portions of myself, I will have more options, but be diminished. Freedom of choice is no freedom at all when the cost is becoming far more limited,’ Mes explained.

‘Is there anything you think I should know?’ I asked.

‘The only thing I would recommend is that you focus on your stats and other features. I know you are interested in increasing your authority level. However if you can’t act on information, then do you really need to know it?’ Mes asked me. That was a tough question.

They were clearly saying I was too weak and needed to accumulate more strength before I considered increasing my authority level. It was incredibly frustrating not to have all the information at the tips of my claws, but I would just have to deal with the frustration.

That was life and all I could do was move forward. ‘Thanks Mes. You have given me a lot to think about,’ I said.

‘Not a problem Mittens. I am here to help. Once we get your stats all up to spec, then we can focus on additional features.’ Mes then disappeared. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on getting more sleep at the moment.

I was still recovering from all the fighting I had done. My arms ached still. That hit from the Ancestral Snake Spirit had not been light. Also, the poison had taken a toll on my body. At least my skills were rapidly increasing.

Then there were my stats. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be twice or three times as strong. Or how with more Dexterity, I would dance across the battlefield. Mes had been right there was synergy between stats and skills.

The main thing I had taken away from our conversation was that I was weak. I needed more EXP if I wanted to be able to confront Mousethief. Investing into my stats to improve them had been the correct choice. I felt better the more I thought about my situation after thinking of this and how I had spent my EXP. Better to spend it now, rather than trying to save it up.

Once I was strong enough, then I could easily get more EXP. The purchases I had made weren’t a waste, but an investment. I couldn’t wait until we got back to the ship, and I could get a shower and sleep in a proper bed. Still, I was exhausted and closed my eyes, while leaning back in my seat.

I drifted off to the slight rocking of the train.

***-***

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