To The Rescue

John burst into the room, his heart pounding out of his chest. The floor was littered with scattered art supplies and the stools surrounding Alison were thrown to the ground. As he entered, Alison hastily tried to hide something on the desk, turning to face him with a **** smile, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Acting quickly, Violet materialised in front of John and moved through the desks to embrace the distressed green-haired girl. “What’s wrong? How can I help make your tears go away?” Violet comforted Alison. “Do I need to kill someone?”

Alison’s arm reached around Violet and she held her tightly, before pleading, “H-help, I don’t know what to d-do.” Her voice choked with tears.

Following closely behind Violet, John watched the girls hugging. He noticed that Alison refused to move her other arm from the desk. Concerned, he grabbed the jacket she used to hide her arm, anxious about potential injuries, wondering if they’d have to take her to the nurse’s office, or even call an ambulance.

As he uncovered Alison’s arm, John was left bewildered. Stepping back, he looked under the table, expecting to find the rest of Alison’s arm. Finding nothing, he stood and stared at the desk in confusion.

John stepped closer to the desk and leaned over, touching the smooth surface of the table where Alison’s hand should be. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Violet Joined him, both perplexed by the surreal sight. Alison’s arm vanished into the desk, her hand and part of her arm appearing as an image on the surface. Startled, they both jumped as the two-dimensional image of Alison’s hand clenched into a fist.

“I d-don’t know,” she said between ragged breaths. “I-I w-was just w-working, a-a-and then m-my arm f-fell through the t-table,” she explained, trembling.

John scratched his neck as Violet’s face brightened, showing she had an idea. Quickly moving to his side, she whispered her idea into his ear. John hesitated, thoughts racing in his mind. ’That’s probably not the best idea, right? But Alison is panicking and she seems to be getting more frantic. Maybe it’d be enough to distract her?’ John moved, standing in front of Alison.

Taking Alison’s head gently in his hands, and forcing her to look him in the eyes, he instructed, “Close your eyes and breathe. In… hold… out… hold… in… hold… out… hold… you’re doing great.”

John hesitated, spiking Alison’s anxiety, her breathing growing erratic again. Acting on impulse, John leaned in and tenderly kissed Alison, hoping to cause a distraction. Startled, Alison flailed, then froze, holding her breath entirely.

Drawing back, John’s gaze dropped and he grasped Alison’s now free hand, bringing it into view for the meek girl. Alison finally exhaled, and John spoke, “There we go. See, everything is fine.” He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, gently stroking her back reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’m here and you’re alright. Was that one of your abilities going out of control?”

Not wanting to be left out, and wanting to comfort Alison, Violet joined the embrace. She pulled them both into a tight hug. Alison refused to make eye contact, hiding her blushing face in John’s chest and remained there as she gradually calmed down.

After a while, Alison shook her head and pulled back. Her face was still bright red and she stared at the spot she used as a pillow seconds before. She took a deep breath, and with a hitch, she replied, “N-no. I d-don’t know what ha-ppened.” A tear rolled down her face, showing just how shaken she was.

“Okay, you’re okay, don’t worry. I’ve got you,” he reassured, firing off a few Observes around the room, but nothing seemed out of place or like a possible cause of Alison’s situation. John gently ran his fingers through her hair, further allowing the artist to calm down further.

Frowning, John turned his gaze to Violet and whispered, “It wasn’t you, was it?”

Violet was shocked and a little hurt at the accusation. “Of course not, I can’t do anything like that,” she grumbled.

“Sorry, I had to ask. I’m just trying to rule possibilities out. Alison said it wasn’t related to her powers, and there is nothing in the room that could have caused it. I can’t see someone having targeted her, and even if they did, why? All they’d have done was scare her. so I thought it would be best to rule out a prank gone wrong,” John explained, moving his hand to rub Violet’s back.

After a moment of contemplation, John had an idea. He focused on his eyes, causing his vision to change, and then he used Aspect Attunement, switching his element to Vox.

Notice: Aspect Attunement has been renamed to: “Affinity Attunement”.
This alteration has been made to better represent the skill’s function.

John opened his mouth to make an empty complaint about having another system alteration but was interrupted.

[ I will continue to improve or try new things when I feel like it. It’s unlikely to stop any time soon. Stop bitching. ]

He shrugged and nodded before scanning the room again. The only thing that stood out were the two girls.

Releasing them both, he stepped back and examined Violet first. A warm golden light surrounded her, but unlike the first time they met, the glow was comfortable to look at. Despite being distracted by the aura around her, John wasn’t blind to the smile and blush on the ghost’s face as he stared.

“Oh, John,” she began in a playful tone, “you shouldn’t openly ogle a lady, you know.”

“A lady? Let me know when you see one.” John chuckled. “I’m pretty sure a lady wouldn’t spy on people when they’re… in private… Also, I’m not ogling.”

Violet huffed, puffing out her cheeks in a cute pout as she pretended to take offence. “You clearly lack experience with proper nobles,” Violet retorted, though a smile cracked on her face.

“I’m looking at what I assume is your magic aura,” he said. Absent-mindedly, he added, “You look like an angel.”

Violet’s blush deepened, and her smile widened. “Oh, you flatterer! If you keep going like that, things might turn NSFA: Not Safe For Alison,” the snow-haired spirit cooed, moving closer and side-hugging him while resting her head on his shoulder.

John smiled and shook his head. “Enough of that.” He waved his hand in dismissal, though Violet stayed attached to his side. “Okay, Alison, I’m just gonna take a look at you. Ignore her ramblings; I’m not trying to ogle you or anything like that.”

Alison’s face remained bright red, and her eyes were glued to the floor in front of John’s feet. As he looked at the meek girl, he noticed a purple energy around her, with a faint almost invisible grey wisp interwoven.

At some point, Alison looked up and surprised him by lurching forwards and grabbing his face, forcing him to meet her beautiful green eyes. “They’re like opals with a little cross for pupils… so pretty…” the green-haired artist muttered. She caught herself, her eyes widening slightly. “I’m s-sorry, I didn’t th-think, I-I-I…”

John placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly. “It’s fine and thank you. Your eyes are gorgeous too,” he replied.

Alison’s entire face flushed crimson, and she stepped back, covering her face and letting out a little, “Eep.”

John couldn’t help but beam at her adorableness, returning his attention to his impromptu investigation. “So, we’ve ruled out Violet, and there isn’t any magic, at least in this room. I think we can shelve the possibility of you being targeted for now since there isn’t anyone here. Are you completely sure your new abilities couldn’t have caused this?” John inquired.

She shook her head, her voice muffled and barely audible as she spoke through her hands, “N-no, let m-me sh-show you.”

Reluctantly revealing her face, Alison walked over to her bag, retrieved a leather-bound book, and handed it to John. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Oh, so once she chose her class, the book shrank and turned into this. It tells you about her class and the skills that came with it. I assume it might change as she levels up or gets new skills, but that’s just a theory, a game-” Violet answered, interrupted by John’s dismissive wave.

Turning to the desk, John placed the book down and opened it to the first page.

Miss Alison Clark Skill Journal

Class(es):
Survivalist
Pictomancer

John raised an eyebrow, studying the page. “You got two classes?” he questioned.

Alison’s face filled with confusion as she peered over John’s shoulder. “N-no? Th-that wasn’t there b-before,” she stammered.

Violet flanked John, playfully draping his arm over her shoulders. “Oooh, maybe you were the cause after all. You haven’t even had your new abilities a day and already you’ve got a second class,” the spirit cooed.

“Best not to jump to conclusions, but it seems like the most likely cause, yeah. Survivalist? Sounds like a rebranding of ranger. I was kinda expecting and hoping you’d choose mage, I thought it’d suit you best and it would allow you to stay out of harm’s way,” John expressed his thoughts.

Alison shrunk slightly. “Uhm, y-eah,” she responded in a soft and quiet voice. “S-survivalist sounded more u-useful though a-a-and it seemed more in-i-in-interesting.”

“As long as you are happy with your choice, I think it’s the right one. It’s much better that you take something you have an interest in,” John reassured her. “Let’s take a look at what this thing gave you then.”

Both Alison and Violet nodded in agreement, prompting John to turn to the next page.

Survivalist

Current Class Level: 1

Mastering the art of adaptability, the survivalist excels in conquering diverse challenges, whether they unfold in the untamed wilderness or the bustling urban jungle.

Their trademark attributes encompass a blend of agility, stealth, finesse, and cunning, crafting them into adept scouts, cunning thieves, and even formidable rangers.

In the heat of battle, the survivalist effortlessly assumes a variety of roles. They become a nimble combatant, deftly dodging attacks while delivering precise, graceful strikes in close quarters, a shadowy enigma that ambushes unsuspecting foes, or a marksman who rains down arrows from a distance with unmatched precision.

John hummed. “Seems like a combination class. Were they all like this? I assume there was a fighter and mage type, right? Was the fighter like a mix of brawler and monk? Or something like that?”

“I d-don’t think so?” Alison responded hesitantly.

Violet interjected, “Yeah, the others seemed to be pretty straightforward. You’re right, there was the knight and the mage. I know what you’re thinking already, and no, I don’t think the survivalist class was stronger than the others. The descriptions of the other classes hinted at some good abilities. I don’t suppose we’re going to know what they might have given us, for sure, unless we get another one of those books. Assuming the books would have the same options.”

John nodded and turned the page, surprised to only see three entries. He turned his attention to the first skill.

▹Lithe Body - Level 1:

▹Ease of Movement - As you move, you will experience improved stability, increased flexibility and a noticeable decrease in fatigue. Additionally, your agility and recovery speed will see significant improvement.
▹Enhanced Reflexes - You possess the innate ability to detect malicious intentions directed towards you. Your body will autonomously react to unexpected and potentially harmful situations.
▹Concealment - With the aid of magic, you can enhance your ability to hide, making it more challenging for others to pinpoint your location. Moreover, obscuring small objects on your person makes them considerably more difficult to detect.

John glanced at Violet, his eyebrows furrowed. “Those are three different skills, right?” He asked.

Violet nodded. “Yeah, I looked it over a few times. I’m pretty sure ▹Lithe Body is the overall skill, and that these are sub-skills. I’m also thinking that the first two are passive skills while ▹Concealment is more of an active skill.”

“Interesting… Hopefully, your spidey sense and reflexes can help keep you safe,” John remarked, shifting his gaze to Alison. “Alright, next.”

▹Skilled Hands - Level 1:

▹Nimble Touch - Your hands exhibit remarkable steadiness, enabling you to execute precise and dexterous movements effortlessly. Your innate abilities extend to the seamless performance of intricate tasks such as setting traps, picking locks, or tying knots with finesse.
▹Tool Proficiency - With little to no experience, you can adeptly utilise any given tool, demonstrating at least a fundamental level of competency.
▹Sticky Fingers - Enchanted hands provide a secure grip while enabling you to acquire items from others without their awareness.

“Considering what you said, it does seem like this has two passive skills and an active one, too. The ▹Tool Proficiency skill sounds promising; it might be a little broken depending on what it counts as a ‘tool’ or not,” John commented. Both girls nodded, though Violet expressed herself more confidently. “Alright, last skill for the Survivalist.”

▹Vigilant Senses - Level 1:

▹Improved Perception - You possess extraordinary sensory abilities, which surpass average human capabilities. Additionally, you exhibit remarkable resistance to overwhelming stimuli, whether it's intense light glare, low-light conditions, unpleasant or potent odours, or even exceptionally loud or high-pitched sounds.
▹Insight - You possess the keen ability to discern and identify points of stress, tension, and vulnerability with remarkable clarity, empowering you to effectively leverage these crucial insights to your advantage.
▹Tracking - Channelling magical energy into your senses bestows extraordinary tracking capabilities, enabling effortless pursuit of both animals and humans or locating specific items with precision.

“I’m not sure if this counts towards the passive and active idea we had, the last two seem like they might both be active. They all seem quite useful. Have you had the chance to test the skills out yet?” John asked, glancing at Alison.

Alison timidly smiled and nodded in response. “I’m st-still adjusting to m-my eyes. I think it’s w-what I imagine it’s l-like for someone to get glasses for the f-f-first time. It’s been like th-that for all my s-senses. Seeing the w-weaknesses of things is d-di- jarring too,” she explained. “Vi-violet played hide and s-seak tag in the gym while I used ▹Con-ncealment and I f-found the n-notepad I lost using ▹t-tracking.”

“What about ▹Tool Proficiency? Have you tested that out at all? It’s probably for the best to try it with a tool you’ve never touched before, something that requires skill to use. It would be interesting to determine what the skill considers a tool too. Is an instrument a tool? Or a car? Things to consider when you test it out… might be a little harder to test the car out though,” John mused as he glanced at the pages.

Alison pondered for a moment, humming. “I have a w-welder in my art sh-shed. I haven’t ever used it be-before because I d-didn’t know how. I w-wanted to try scrap sculp-tures.”

“Oh, good idea. Maybe you could try a chef’s knife and try cutting meat or something too? The skill I’m unsure about though is ▹Sticky Fingers; I just don’t see you as that kind of person. If you want to test it, though, you could try it on Ellie when you meet her; she’ll be more than happy to help,” he suggested.

Violet groaned. “Okay, can we please look at this Pictomancy thing now? I’m dying to know what it’s all about. It’s got to be what caused all that when we came in,” Violet stressed.

“Before that, I really want to see some of the Survivalist skills in action, just to see what they can do. Only a quick demonstration, would that be alright, Alison?” he inquired, looking down at Alison.

She shuffled from side to side, giving a nod as she took a moment to decide which skill would be the best to show first.

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