God's Garden - I've Got Skills 4

Norvin paused with a piece of the Howler meat in his mouth.

He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at the sub-body's snide remark and tone. He swallowed his bite and shot back at the annoying voice he was stuck with.

"Maybe your new name should be jerk-face. I have a lot going on right now," he replied, annoyed. "A photographic memory isn't about remembering everything happening around me; it's like a perfect recall. I can see things in stunning detail—the way one watches a movie. Just…not a continuous film, you know? I can't see every moment of every video I've watched all at once either."

"Ah, I see," the sub-body replied, now pretending to be contemplative. "So you're saying you can access precise visuals and sounds of things you've encountered before, but you're not actually processing everything all at once?"

"Exactly. It's about digging into my mental archive—retrieving details when I need them," Norvin confirmed, rolling his eyes. He knew that the sub-body already knew that.

He took a deep breath.

"Fine, if I'm going to conjure up some spices, I guess I'll use the Cosmic Catalogue to help me. Any hint to what ability I should be looking for?"

"Good call, you're looking for a skill called 'Astral Alchemy." The sub-body encouraged, brightening slightly. "Focus on your own hand."

Norvin sharpened his eyes, concentrating intently on his own outstretched hand. As he did, he watched the familiar golden light appear, its outline glowing brightly, sensing the shift in reality around him. The energy from within him surged, and suddenly, various skills and attributes began to display like an intricate holographic list hovering before him.

"There we go…" he murmured, scanning the data. Each skill was displayed in radiant letters—senses sharpened, physical abilities enhanced... There were quite a few personal abilities that belonged to him now that he was a psychic, not to mention his Curator abilities. But he was looking for one particular entry. "Come on, where is it?" he muttered. "Astral Alchemy, where are you?"

The sub-body chimed in, "It should be there. Your skill list is expansive, remember when you were being remade? All those skills you day dreamed about?"

Norvin persisted, his mental focus sharpening like a blade, until at last, he found it. "Aha! Astral Alchemy!" He felt the connection as the skill glowed brighter, revealing the essence of what it could do—manipulate reality by channeling imagination and transforming matter on a small scale. "I can do this?"

"Yes! Astral Alchemy is the base of how the Oracle skill works as well. It's low grade reality warping, more-or-less. Now harness that power. You imagined the spices earlier; it's time to bring them forth. Let's start with salt."

Ready and determined, Norvin focused on the rocks and loose earth lining the cave, he wanted to get this done before the meat cooked itself further or started to cool down. "Astral Alchemy, huh." Norvin envisioned grains of salt forming from the very mineral structures surrounding him, imbuing the raw environment with intention.

As he concentrated, a golden light manifested around the rocks, swirling with energy. The cave responded, drifting into a mystical flux. The raw materials transformed—small crystalline grains shimmering into existence like stars as they began to accumulate in front of him.

'Salt!' He couldn't help but grin. "Yes! It worked!"

The sub-body pulsed brightly. "Very impressive, kid. Now what else can we create?"

"Let's see…" Norvin rifled through his mental library, envisioning other spices he loved. "A touch of pepper and some garlic, too." He concentrated again, channeling the energy just as before. It seemed easier this time around.

With a wave of concentrated thought, the cave began to hum. Dark grains of pepper started to materialize alongside fragrant, minced garlic, infusing the air with rich aroma. The scents wafted beautifully, accentuating his hunger further. "Incredible! I can't believe this is actually happening!" Norvin exclaimed, excitement in his voice.

"You're tapping into something special, Norvin," the sub-body praised. "Combine that photographic memory with Astral Alchemy, and you'll redefine your potential. But remember, it's not just about creating; it's about understanding the consequences of what you conjure. Oracle was easy to use before because I was helping facilitate it. I'm letting you do this on your own so you get good at using your abilities."

Norvin, still jazzed up from the success, gave a quick nod, taking a moment to appreciate the evolution of his abilities. "I'll keep that in mind. But first, let's see how this tastes with some of the good stuff sprinkled on it." He rubbed the salt and other spices onto the meat, eager to elevate the flavor before sinking his teeth into another piece.

"Now, that's the spirit. Enjoy the fruits of your labor," the sub-body encouraged, the satisfaction in its tone clearly could be heard. "This is just the beginning, Norvin. Let's go through the rest of your abilities as you eat."

"You can say that again," he replied, savoring the first delicious bite of the upgraded steak, a perfect blend of flavors that ignited his senses. "I can get used to this kind of super power."

Norvin looked at his hand again while he munched away on the meat. "Maybe we should go through the list skill by skill? There's a ton of basic stuff in here too, how do I narrow the list down to super power type stuff?" 

The sub-body explained, "Just concentrate on what you're truly looking for, Norvin. Focus on the abilities that resonate with your power and amplify your potential. Let your instincts guide you—the extraordinary will stand out from the mundane."

Norvin thought about the advice for a second and then concentrated, as he did, the simple stuff fell away from his sight and he was left looking at a shorter list of the supernatural powers he now had.

"Alright, let's go through my new abilities in detail," he said, focusing on the golden light surrounding him.

"Sounds good," the sub-body replied, eager to add in its own commentary about its host.

"First up, in my personal psychic abilities, we have 'Cognitive Dissonance'. This allows me to create illusions to confuse and disorient my enemies?"

"Great for turning the tide in combat, especially with weaker minded individuals and lesser supers. Think of it as being like 'Professor X' from your world's comic books." The sub-body noted.

"...Did you search my memories beforehand for examples to help me understand what's up?" Norvin hesitated for a moment, touched. He hadn't expected the sub-body to make things easier to understand like that.

"You got it kiddo, carry on."

"...'Mind Blade'. I can manifest a psychic blade that cuts through both physical and ethereal targets." 

"A precise melee weapon against all kinds of foes," the sub-body replied.

"Next is 'Psychic Blast'. It lets me fire concentrated bursts of energy to stun or push back enemies...So these last two are pretty much Kuwabara and Yusuke's signature moves? Simple ass names too..." 

"You're the one responsible for the names, kid." The sub-body commented.

Norvin ignored that and stood up, he pulled the last chunks of meat away from the spit he had made, setting the food lightly on top of the remaining pile of firewood he had. He stabbed the stick into the ground with its sharp end. Norvin took a step back and thought about activating his 'Psychic Blast' while holding his hand out, palm flat.

After a few moments of concentration, Norvin could feel a small amount of energy condensing into a ball on his palm, he eyeballed the middle of the stick and let the energy go.

BUZZZ 

Crack!

It snapped the spit in two, right where he had been aiming. 

Norvin's eyes widened, the energy of his earlier blast had sent the stick spinning towards him, catching him off guard. He quickly steadied himself instead of panicking or simply ducking.

He kept his cool and thought about using his other ability, the 'Mind Blade'. He swung his arm towards the incoming, twirling stick and a small blade made of energy, the length of a long dagger formed on two of his fingers. He deflected the incoming wood, slicing it in half as he did.

"Alrighty...that was kinda close but also super sick! Who cares about the skills name when they do that?!" He grinned, the adrenaline still coursing through him.

Norvin used his psychic power to grasp a foot-long piece of the cooking stick he had just cut from the ground. He summoned the mind blade once more, this time channeling its energy into the end of the wooden piece he held.

BZZZZ 

The white, nearly translucent colored energy that was produced crackled, then solidified into a three foot long blade on the end of the makeshift handle. The blade held its shape but was vibrating ever so slightly, you would need perfect eyesight to notice that it was moving at all.

"Now it really is like the spirit sword that Kuwabara uses; or a psychic lightsaber, I guess? This is soooo badass!"

Bursting with excitement, he deactivated his skill and tossed the wood back onto the ground. He turned his attention back to the cosmic catalogue to see what else he could do.

"This is pretty dope too, 'Telekinetic Aura'. 'Can manipulate objects with psychic energy, lifting and throwing them or creating a makeshift barrier in a pinch, can create a repulsive force that allows for large leaps and speed enhancement. That sounds really handy, is this what I've been using to do all the moving of fire wood and cooking tonight?" 

"Absolutely! And asides from using it for utilitarian type things you could use it to defend yourself or attack from a distance with your psychic energy, not to mention doing those 'double jumps' like in some of those video games you played." The sub-body was still pulling examples from Norvin's memory bank.

"This is starting to sound overpowered. I love it!"

"Over powered within your Grade maybe. Don't get cocky around stronger Supers, ever!"

Norvin put another piece of meat in his mouth and started chewing while looking at the next skill on the list. He furrowed his brow a bit at the warning he had just been given. Norvin wasn't about to get drunk on his own power, he had read way too many comics and watched way too much anime to fall into that self-trap.

"I'll keep that in mind...where was I? Ah, 'Spirit Anchor', gives me immunity to lower-level psychic powers and extreme resistance to stronger ones," Norvin noted.

"That's a strong yet simple defensive ability to have, Spirit Anchor and telekinetic abilities are pretty basic among psychics. Also why are you talking with your mouth full?" 

Norvin paused for a moment, mouth half full still. 

"Seriously? Who cares if my mouth is full or not? What's next? Hhhmm...'Energy Drain'. I can siphon mental energy from my opponents to weaken them and boost or replenish myself," he said, happy with the thought of not getting tired like how he had during the fight with the creatures in the clearing earlier.

"Honestly, it's pretty weird talking to myself," Norvin muttered through another mouthful of food, eyes scanning the skill list. "Is it normal to have a voice in your head critiquing your table manners, too?"

"Normal? No. Entertaining? Absolutely," the sub-body replied, its tone teasing. "Besides, if you continue to chew with your mouth full, I might as well start taking notes for a 'Norvin's Etiquette Guide.' to add to your record. Care to help me out?...I'm joking Norvin."

Norvin blinked a few times, unsure how to respond. "Err...Moving on, there's 'Imagination Station'. It allows me to charge the Hero Holodex while meditating, nice! That name is kinda cool too." 

"The Holodex was originally formed from the armor that housed me. It is capable of storing a lot of excess energy, that way you can focus on fighting all out instead of conserving energy to support your transformations."

"How long will it take to charge up each form?" Norvin wondered, this time his voice was clear as his mouth was empty.