God's Garden - I've Got Skills 5

"How long does it take to charge each entry of the Holodex? Hhhmm...you'll have to try meditating to find out. I suppose, stronger forms would require much more energy to maintain. Therefore, you're going to need to meditate longer. On the flipside, if you put in the time, you can fight above your paygrade if you dedicate a bit of time to something you normally wouldn't be able to hold for too long."

Norvin thought about that for a moment, already picking which forms to dedicate energy to first, until he realized something.

"Wait, the description just says meditating charges it in general, no? Can't I just give energy to the Holodex and use it for whatever?"

"I guess the first thing to do after dinner, before getting some rest, is to try it and find out..." The sub-body didn't have a clear answer for Norvin.

"I'll try to 'meditate' and see what happens before bed, I guess..." Norvin shook his head and pointed his index finger at the the final personal skill on the glowing list before his eyes. "Last one is called 'Calming Soul', it alleviates any feelings of extreme fear or stress. It keeps my emotions balanced." 

"This is a passive ability, kid. You should have already noticed it at work." The sub-body commented.

With that, Norvin raised an eyebrow. "I have, now that you mention it, I would have been sick to the stomach multiple times today otherwise, all the blood and guts..." Norvin shuddered slightly while remembering the carnage from the bar. "...Alright, onto my Curator Abilities."

"First, I can create oracles for myself using 'Oracle'."

"That will grant you valuable allies, just make sure they are trustworthy and relatively strong to start, don't worry kid, I'll make sure you make good choices." The sub-body seemed to have something to say about every power Norvin mentioned. 

"Uh huh...'Cosmic Catalogue' is next on the list, which I'm using right now. It allows me to scan objects, people, and places to gain information about them, I've used this one a bunch already...It's kind of weird to read about a skill that is currently being activated."

"Knowledge is power," the sub-body quipped. "Cosmic Catalogue will easily be one of the most important abilities you have access to."

"Next is 'Infinite Stellar Refinement': 'One punch is as good as one thousand punches, due to a combination of psychic abilities and photographic memory Norvin understands and trains his muscle memory 1000x better than the average being'. Damn, is that why every time I use an ability it seems way easier to do?"

"You catch on fast Norvin." the sub-body remarked. "When we start training, this is going to be one of the primary abilities that is going to come into play."

"Training for what? I mean, I obviously want to play with my superpowers, who wouldn't? But you're making it sound like there's a major problem to train for on the horizon."

"Kid, there's going to be nothing but hardships headed our way from now on. I didn't pick you to go on a fantasy pleasure cruise..."

"Hhhmmm, fair enough, let's table that for now then, it is what it is. I'll keep going then."

He waited for the sub-body to respond. After a few moments of silence he carried on.

"Next, we have 'Celestial Composition'...I can project songs and melodies from my memory into the surrounding area to buff or de-buff myself and other people, and the strength of the ability depends on my emotions in conjunction with the music." Norvin stated. "So this one is clearly what was going on when we were battling earlier."

"It was highly effective, I would say you gained 20% power, speed and defense when you used it." The sub-body confirmed.

"We've already used this one too. 'Archivist's Aegis' let's me see myself in the third person while you control my body for me. We've already proven how much this can help me in combat. That was a badass experience, like being in a video game."

"Useful for spatial awareness and when the numbers are not in your favor." The sub-body replied.

"Then there's the 'Astral Alchemy' I just used.—I can manipulate reality and transmute matter with psychic molecular fuckery...chef's kiss!" Norvin exclaimed, he licked his lips and ate some more seasoned meat.

"Such power opens up endless possibilities, and not just for flavor. By the way, I'm able to share your senses when I choose to...the meat is tasty." 

Norvin gulped down the current mouthful he had been chewing, licking his lips again when he was done.

"Damn right it is. First thing you've eaten? You're lucky Ed isn't the one cooking for you, or you would not be saying that the food tastes good."

"I'll trust your word, and your memories..." The sub-body had scanned some of Norvin's past experiences briefly after Norvin trashed Edward's cooking abilities. Many burnt grilled cheese sandwiches had popped up.

"Celestial Fusion allows me to combine different elements influenced by celestial bodies..." Norvin continued.

"...What exactly does that mean? It sounds kinda the same as Astral Alchemy?"

"It is somewhat similar, yet distinct. It represents another fundamental aspect of the Oracle ability, as well as the operational mechanics behind Holodex transformations. Celestial Fusion allows for the creation of new materials or enhancements to existing ones. For example, infusing iron with starlight to create a weapon that glows with cosmic energy. Or recreating function transformation devices, like the 'Drivers' you made for your first Oracles as an example." 

"This one is called 'Echo Manifestation'. Let's see...summon fleeting manifestations of dreams or concepts into the physical worlds, allowing for the creation of tools, weapons, companions or landscapes inspired by Norvin's imagination. Energy constructs based on will power.'..."

Norvin raised his eyebrows.

"...I can summon 'fleeting dreams' and 'concepts' into reality? This is pretty much the same as astral alchemy and celestial fusion..." 

"Why don't you try it out and see? Our energy can be used to create all sorts of things temporarily." The sub-body stated. "You'll see the difference right away."

"Alrighty..." Norvin thought about using the ability and concentrated on his outstretched hand. As he did, his psychic energy seemed to get a boost, it took on a golden hue, washing away its previous white glow and slowly formed the shape of a small knife. 

"Whoa!" Norvin held the glowing blade in his hands. "It doesn't look quite real...and its glowing brighter than a neon sign. This reminds me more of what a green lantern can do." 

"That is a pretty good way to put it, kid. Think of this as more of an energy construct, the sharper your concentration, and the more will you put into it, the longer it will last and more accurate it will be."

Norvin threw the glowing knife towards the wall of the cave. It imbedded itself all the way up to its handle, before turning into a mist of golden light and disappearing completely. When the golden blade struck, it had not made the typical sound of metal striking rock either.

"See? It doesn't require outside materials or anything like that to operate. The downside is that it isn't permanent." The sub-body elaborated on what had just happened while Norvin stood up to walk and examine the gash left in the wall where his thrown knife had lodged itself before dissipating. 

"This power is every assassin's wet dream, aside from the whole glowing part..." Norvin felt the hole in the wall with his fingers. 

"You just need to practice it more, as you do, and as our grade rises, the glow will be much less noticeable, not to mention the duration of the construct lasting much longer."

"All I really need to do is rely on Infinite Stellar Refinement to bring it up to the next level. Speaking of which, I should be able to create a couple of different solid fighting styles with only a few days' worth of effort..."

"Now you're starting to understand how this is going to work. God's Garden is the perfect place for you to train our body, how many kung fu movies and other combat type media have you consumed while laying on that couch back on Earth?"

"...That's too sick. I've got some ideas now..." The many fighting styles from films that Norvin had locked into his memory flashed through his mind.

He stood back and threw the same combo several times in a row. Norvin performed two jabs with his left hand, followed by a cross with his right, a left hook and then drawing that same left hand in reverse for a backhand. He started picking up speed with every fresh start.

After about the twentieth attempt, the combination of punches had become incredibly smooth, not to mention twice as fast. 

"Oh man, I'm going to have a field day with this tomorrow." 

Norvin felt as if he had practiced this combination of punches every day for years.

"...Tomorrow will certainly be a busy one. Let's get back on target Norvin."

Norvin rolled his eyes, putting away the desire to practice another set of punches and activated cosmic catalogue again, finding where he had left off.

"This one is called 'Chronicle Correction'. I can manifest individual records and make changes to them," he read the golden text about himself and thought for a moment. "Wait...I can use this to modify other people?!"

"To a certain extent, it isn't easy to mess with living creature's records. You might want to wait until a higher grade to try it out, you also need to be right in front of your target to use it. Powerful, but use it wisely, and when appropriate." The sub-body tried to explain the skills limited reach.

"What's appropriate?" 

"For example, if someone is injured and you have a chance to heal them, given the time and space... you could erase the part of their record that states they were injured. It's not like you can strip someone of their power or turn them into a fly or anything over the top like that. You aren't almighty."

"I see...the next one looks sick, is it what I think it is?! 'Inventory'...By taping into the sub-body number 106's 'soul', items and oracles totems can be stored in this sub space. The area size is nearly infinite...hahaha it IS what I thought it was. Video game style storage. Let's try it out."

Norvin reached for the last part of his meal and thought about activating the inventory ability, as he did, his hand holding the meat disappeared from view into a golden distortion in mid-air. He let go of the meat and withdrew his hand. "Holy shit...that is one of the coolest abilities I could have gained!"

"Time stands still inside my soul too, so the meat isn't going to spoil when you take it out again."

"Dope, that means breakfast will be tasty and warm! That wolf steak was damn good." Norvin was thrilled with this new power, it was in the running to be his favorite so far, the nostalgia and familiarity to video games with infinite storage really struck a chord in him. Norvin was also happy that breakfast would be an easy thing in the morning.

He looked back at the list floating in front of his eyes, eager to see what else he could do, hoping for something close to as awesome as 'Inventory'.

"Lastly for the Curator category, there's 'Supreme Cosmic Convergence'. It channels celestial power to enhance our physical abilities and allows for...reality warping!?...'reality alteration within a limited radius, including time and space', so not quite as op as I thought, but close. Uses my latent psychic energy to form a nearly impregnable barrier, which can be manipulated to form different weapons and items. Can access the chronicle correction ability without limit." Norvin scanned the entry, eyes growing larger and larger. "Holy crap, now that's truly overpowered..."

"That form renders us nearly invincible," boasted the sub-body. "It's not merely a fusion of our powers. It enables us to momentarily merge with the main Record itself. While you were unconscious, I utilized that form. Piloting us with almost boundless power was exhilarating, Norvin... Had you been conscious, we might have reached S Grade power levels. Alone, I managed to summon Apex-level strength."

"So literally a super form. What did it look like?" Norvin was a bit jealous that he hadn't been able to experience the ability first hand.

"We were glorious kid. We were a part of the universe, and the universe was a part of us."

"Can we try it out?" Norvin was excited to feel what that form was like. 

"Not a good idea kid, it drains our energy really, really fast. If we come up against something that is outside of our scope, or you find yourself incapacitated again, I will activate it."

"Sooo, just you get to enjoy going Super Saiyan?"