Abusing the Forest #299

I couldn't help but sigh as I lay on the floor and looked at the weathered forest, which wasn't a forest anymore after suffering through a dozen or so of my rage-fueled tantrums.

It's been four months since that bitch Nabu trapped me, and I have tried everything to escape, only to fail, which resulted in said tantrums.

Once I calmed down after screaming obscenities, curses, and threats at the Lord of Order, I went to work and emptied my inventory, creating a simplified workroom.

From there, I experimented with every technology I knew to no avail, only to turn my attention to magic. However, dark magic, versatile as it might be, wasn't the solution either. Alchemy might have helped, but it was too low of a level to be of any use.

Realizing I couldn't escape with my current abilities, I abused the forest's weathered trees some more and proceeded to do all kinds of random shit to raise my skill levels, hoping to achieve a breakthrough that would allow me to escape.

As you can guess by the current state of the forest and mine, I failed again, despite making a lot of progress with my skills.

"Fuck..." I muttered, letting out a drawn breath as my gaze turned to the system's interface. "Might as well..." I shrugged as I began browsing through the notifications.

[+3 levels to the Brawling skill]

[Brawling (65)]

[+4 levels to the Acrobatics skill]

[Acrobatics (55)]

[+4 levels to the Computers skill]

[Computers (68)]

[+3 levels to the Mechanics skill]

[Mechanics (65)]

[+2 levels to Medival Weapon Mastery]

[Medival Weapon Mastery (42)]

[+3 levels to the Chemistry skill]

[Chemistry (24)]

[+4 levels to the Dark Arts skill]

[Dark Arts (57)]

[+9 levels to the Alchemy skill]

[Alchemy (20)]

[+16 levels to The Alchemist class]

[Alchemist (level MAX)]

[+48 stat points]

[+1 level to The Occultist archetype]

[The Occultist (level 4)]

[You have unlocked the power: Avatar Creation]

[Avatar Creation: the power to create an incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of an entity of one's self. The strength of the avatar relies on a mixture of the original's and the Alchemy skill's level]

'Well, that's a can of worms I won't soon open...' I mused with a smile, shaking my head as I moved on to the remaining notifications.

[You have reached the maximum level for your current class. Would you like to choose the next one?]

'Yes...'

[Availiable classes: (Astrologer) (White Mage) (Artificer)]

'Yeah... the choice is pretty much clear...' I mused as I selected the Astrologer class without hesitation. White mages dealt in healing, holy magic, and whatnot, which would be worthless to me for now.

With Artificer, I might be able to create some whacky artifact that could help me escape, but I don't see that happening anytime soon, which only left Astrologer.

Astrology was the study of the stars, and if I'm correct to assume it has something to do with divination, astral projection, and that type of shit that women seem to enjoy, then it just might be my way out.

[You have gained the Astrologer Class]

[Astrologer (level 1)]

[You have gained the Astrology skill]

[Astrology (level 1): the ability to study the stars and various astronomical concepts draw power from it, and divine of the future (immediate and far), albeit never clearly]

'Ok... that sounds promising...' I mused as I read through the Astrology skill's description. It was incredibly vague, and so was the rush of information I received with it.

It only implanted the basics of gazing at the stars and searching for meaning into my brain. How staring at the sky like an idiot would translate to drawing power or predicting the future, I had no idea, but I intended to find out.

...

One month later

"I hate this so much... fuck you, Nabu..." I muttered as I stopped staring at the sky and brought up my system's interface to check on skill progress.

Name: Grayson Whitlock

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Archetype: [The Mad Scientist (level MAX)] [The Occultist (level 4)]

Class: [Thief (level MAX)] [Fighter (level MAX)] [Acrobat (Level MAX)] [Programmer (Level MAX) [Gunman (level MAX)] [Mechanic (level MAX)] [Duelist (level MAX)] [Artist (level MAX)] [Scholar (level MAX)] [Linguist (level MAX)] [Chemist (level MAX)] [Surgeon (level MAX)] [Biologist (level MAX)] [Dark Mage (level MAX)] [Alchemist (level MAX)] [Astrologer (level 10)]

...

Stats:

Body: 400

Mind: 400

Spirit: 400

Stat Points:

.....

Skills:

[Brawling (level 65)]

[Crime (level 64)]

[Acrobatics (level 55)]

[Computers (level 68)]

[Gun Mastery (level 39)]

[Mechanics (65)]

[Medieval Weapons Mastery (42)]

[Art (5)]

[Knowledge (24)]

[Language (18)]

[Chemistry (24)]

[Medicine (24)]

[Biology (2)]

[Dark Arts (57)]

[Alchemy (20)]

[Astrology (level 20)]

....

Perks:

[Dormant Metahuman]

[Silent Step]

[Energy Detector]

[Augmented Reality Vision]

[Energy Conductor]

[Metallurgic Intuition]

[Ricochet Intuition]

[World Wide Access]

[Energy Conversion]

[Menacing Presence]

[Emp Surge]

[Supernatural Body]

[Supernatural Mind]

[Energy Adaptability]

[Ergo-Pisonics]

[Cat Falling]

[Crypticus Maleficium]

[Oath Breaker]

...

Archetype powers:

[Network Crash]

[Code Manipulation]

[Personal Computer]

[Machinery Scan]

[Machine Control]

[Machine Morphing]

[Chemical Analysis]

[Metabolism Manipulation)]

[Living Catalyst ]

[X-ray Vision]

[Instant Surgery]

[Stitchting]

[Detect Weakness]

[Create Familiar]

[Instanr Ritual]

[Word Of Power]

[Instant Potion]

[Avatar Creation]

...

"Looks good..." I muttered as I browsed my skills, perks, powers, and stats. "With Astrology at level 20, I should be able to do something... not sure what exactly, though..." I added with a sigh, scratching my head.

Astrology was a weird skill, and I still struggled to understand it, even after doing nothing but practicing it for the past fucking thirty days. And the experience was made much worse by the lack of stars in the Nightshade Dimension's sky.

I already developed a dislike for the damned skill within the first few days, and it wasn't necessarily because of how ambiguous and complicated.

I was used to relying on hard facts and research to get shit done, and there was just something about the idea of predicting the future and drawing power from stars that rubbed me the wrong way, but that was probably the Mad Scientist inside me talking.

I didn't feel the same way about Alchemy and the Dark Arts since they were, in a way, branches of science that relied on a set of rules, such as the law of equal exchange.

You give something, such as energy or life force, and get something in return. It was that simple, but Astrology was the opposite as it pulled results from seemingly thin air.

I'll probably never like the skill, but beggars can't be choosers, and my current predicament dictated I swallow my dissatisfaction and use whatever means at my disposal to return home.

'Now let's see what the fuck is going on with the dimension...' I mused as I sat cross-legged on the ground, hovering my hands over my laps close to one another.

I channeled my energy into my hands and activated the Astrology skill, my eyes lighting up in a starry light as a hologram of a dark sphere representing the Nightshade Dimension appeared before me, slowly growing in size.

Once the sphere fully materialized and grew to match my size, I noticed a coating of golden energy with a holy feeling that contrasted the dimension's sinister dark atmosphere surrounding it.

'That should be Nabu's magic...' I mused as I moved my fingers, and the sphere rotated in response as I studied the golden barrier surrounding it, searching for any weaknesses I could abuse.

Much to my frustration, I found none. However, I spotted a tiny speck of light buried within Nabu's magic. It wasn't a flaw per se, but it felt different, giving off a different feel to the Lord of Order's light.

Whereas Nabu's light felt warm and welcoming, akin to a ray of sunshine, the tiny speck felt wild and unpredictable, akin to a small ember ready to devour an entire forest.

I focused on the tiny speck, and my eyes instantly widened as I felt a familiar energy signature and recognized its owner. 'Still no way out... but at least I'll have some company...' I bitterly mused, rubbing my head in frustration.

I quickly shook off the negative emotions as I pointed at the tiny, fiery speck, materializing a thin dark tendril that instantly latched on to it, slowly pulling it toward me.

Empowered by Nightshade Dimensions as it was, even my Dark Magic couldn't penetrate Nabu's blockade, but I could still chip it just enough to bring in the tiny speck before it recovered.

It still took a considerable amount of my energy. However, I managed to rescue the little speck and bring it straight to me, causing me to smile as I watched a blazing fire apear, slowly turning into a woman with leathery wings on her back and two horns adorning her head.