Edit #41
"Editing skills and items, huh?" I mulled it over, fingers tapping on my chin like a man plotting mischief. The prospect was as promising as it was perilous. If the point cost played nice, I could turn mundane trinkets into artifacts of chaos.
Take my Dredbane Necklace, for instance. Presently, it allowed me to appear as someone's deepest fears and scare the shit out of them. But what if I tweaked the wording to summon those fears? A tempting upgrade, but the risk of a fear-fueled citywide tantrum made me hesitate.
"Careful what you wish for," they say, and I wasn't willing to risk an accidental, horror-flick-themed apocalypse.
Amid this cerebral carnival, a seemingly safe guinea pig for my editing experiments strutted into the limelight—my shadow manipulation skill, AKA Beginner Shadow Control. What cosmic dance awaited if I snipped out that first word?
While I mulled over the tantalizing possibilities of the Edit Function, a notification materialized in my field of vision.
[If you use the Edit Function within 24 hours of receiving it, you will receive a 50% discount on the process.]
Bingo. That was all the incentive I needed. No time for dilly-dallying; it was straight to business.
With the swift prowess of a seasoned shopper, I summoned the system's interface, navigated to the skills section, and locked eyes on my prized possession—shadow manipulation. Clicking on it revealed a new addition: Edit. A virtual gateway to wordy mayhem.
Two boxes greeted me, one for the skill's name and the other for its description. Opting for a name overhaul, I clicked on the box, and the option vanished, presenting me with the chance to redefine. Without much ado, the word 'Beginner' vanished, leaving only 'Shadow Control' in its wake.
[The selected changes will cost 750 points with the discount. Would you like to proceed?]
The prompt blinked at me. I gave it the digital nod of approval, and in the blink of a virtual eye, the metamorphosis unfolded.
A surge of newfound power coursed through me, an electric jolt of evolution. The updated Shadow Control was more than a linguistic makeover; it was a revamp of epic proportions.
The shadow constructs I make will no longer be mere smoke and whispers; they now bore the solidity of steel at my whims. The range expanded, the scale heightened—a symphony of dark possibilities unfolding.
As I reveled in the enhanced might, my eyes glinted at the final upgrade. But why spill the beans when I could unveil it with a bit of flair?
With my phone in hand, I embarked on a little experiment, activating my shadow control power. The shadows swirled and danced, coalescing into a gate-like circle hovering above the sheets.
In an act of daring, I hesitated for only a moment before gently lowering my phone into the shadowy embrace. Like a magic trick gone right, my phone vanished, and the shadowy gate followed suit, closing the curtain on my makeshift portal.
"That's so friggin' cool," I couldn't help but mutter, eyes wide with wonder at the spectacle. Even Rattigan, my ever-cheeky rodent companion, seemed intrigued, his tiny eyes fixed on the unfolding scene.
"Now, let's see if I can actually get it back or if I just wasted a perfectly good phone," I mused, shifting my focus to my shadow control power. In no time, the same shadowy gate reappeared on the bed.
With a hint of apprehension, I extended my hand into the dark gateway, rummaging around until my fingers found the familiar shape of my phone. Pulling it out, I inspected it from every angle, relieved to find it intact—no worse for the shadowy wear.
"In video game terms, this should be something like an inventory," I mumbled to myself, observing the shadowy gate dissipating into nothingness. "I need to figure out its limits as soon as possible."
The temptation to rush outside and test the newfound power's boundaries tugged at me, but a quick reality check reminded me of my weariness. The Arkham Asylum escapade had drained me, and despite the eager heart, the body cried out for rest.
"Oh well... it'll have to wait until tomorrow," I grumbled, tossing myself onto the bed. Rattigan, too, lost interest in my antics, settling into his rodent throne and closing his eyes, a clear signal that beauty sleep was in order.
"Good night, big guy," I bid him, and he responded with a dismissive chitter and a wave—his way of saying, "Stop bothering me, and let me get my beauty sleep."
...
In the middle of this deserted construction zone, I tried my best to ignore Rattigan giving me the side-eye like I was auditioning for the weirdest circus act in town. My attention was locked onto the pen in my right hand. A quick twist, and poof! It disappeared.
Shifting my focus to my left hand, another twist, and voila! The pen was back. Cue Rattigan's tiny paws clapping together, as if he were the king of the rat court enjoying the antics of his personal jester- damned cheeky little furball.
Sure, it might look like your run-of-the-mill sleight of hand, but let me assure you, it's my shadow storage power at play. I've been toiling away for hours, trying to unravel its mysteries, and here's the lowdown.
First off, anything that ventures into the shadows stays the same, no matter how much time elapses. I played scientist, throwing containers with hot and cold liquids into the shadows, only to pull them out later and find them holding onto their original temperatures. I
did the same experiment with my phone, and guess what? The clock didn't budge, despite an hour ticking away.
Secondly, I discovered some sneaky maneuvers for stashing and grabbing stuff from the shadows without the flashy shadow gate. Natural shadows can be your covert ally, but it takes a bit more focus. Stealth mode engaged!
My mind couldn't resist conjuring up wild fantasies of storing an absurd amount of water, envisioning myself unleashing it as a laser-powered surprise at a crucial moment using the magic of pressure. But alas, reality threw a bucket of cold water on my dreams—pun intended.
Regardless of how much water I crammed into the shadow storage, it fell miserably short of generating any pressure. Maybe enough to drown a room if push came to shove, but I'd be the one taking a swim alongside anyone in there.
Beyond the realm of physical, tangible objects, I ventured into the territory of energy. The results were a mixed bag of success and failure. While I could store something as delicate as the flickering flames from a lighter, it vanished into thin air the moment I yanked it back from the shadow storage.
No grand bonfires or flamethrower stunts for me. I never got around to experimenting with electricity, mainly because I had no clue where to even start, so I didn't. And it's a good thing, considering my history with getting zapped.
With my creativity well on the decline and ideas running dry, I realized there was much more to explore with this storage ability. However, the increasingly empty vault of my imagination was calling for a shift of focus to the combative side of this shadowy power.
Extending my hand forward, the tendrils of my shadowy powers eagerly responded to my command, materializing a long sword enveloped in a cluster of writhing shadows.
Curiosity brimming, I attempted to test the blade's edge with my finger, only to be met with resistance from my trusty Guardian Veil barrier. "Right... totally forgot about that..." I muttered, acknowledging the protective barrier.
My attention shifted to a nearby cinder block resting on the ground. Approaching it purposefully, I raised the shadowy sword and brought it down.
Now, I won't be mistaken for a master swordsman anytime soon, and the evidence lay in the crumbled cinder block, emitting a metallic clang more reminiscent of a hammer blow than a sword strike. Nonetheless, the demonstration highlighted a crucial point – the shadow constructs I conjure from now on won't be as fragile as cotton candy.
Feeling a touch flashy, I extended my free hand forward, prompting the shadows to dance around me, weaving into the ground. In a theatrical display, shadowy spikes shot forth, penetrating several objects scattered on the floor.
"Neat..." I remarked, a grin tugging at my lips as I marveled at the newfound potential of my shadowy arsenal.