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Chapter 65 - Chapter Thirty Three - Part One: Becoming Friends

Before heading to the Outpost's gym, Leta and the team made a stop at the Holding for a 'present' that Atreus had left her in the early hours.

The gift was a dead Golem which reminded her of the plaster casts from Pompeii she'd seen as a child. It was human like in shape but looked to be made of compacted mud, like a child had taken clay and tried to sculpt a person. The body had the oval shape of a head, two appendages for arms with three fingers on each, and two legs that ended in stumps with no features to tell if it had been a male or a female.

"How do you kill one of these things?" Leta mused, poking at it with the toe of her shoe which caused part of the corpse to crumble into ash at her touch.

"Separate it from dirt or land and bake it until crispy," Afra answered as she twirled a spark of fire between her finger, "or get it into a large vessel of water and freeze it. My guess is they went with the first option."

Leta placed her hand on the Golem's head and selected yes when prompted.

[HOST HAS ABSORBED 2,456,327 inert NANITES FROM CORRUPTED - GOLEM. NANITE CURRENT AVAILABLE NANITES EXCLUDED FROM RESERVES: 2,456,347.]

'What's my total available skills? You can skip the internal and external going forward, too. I've got that part covered."

[SKILLS AVAILABLE:

WARRIORS EYE - LEVEL ONE: By utilizing the connection between Master and Weapon, the Host is able to perceive the Weapons condition and surroundings. At Level One, the Host can perceive the Weapon's surroundings at a maximum of 1.5 kilometers away. Nanites needed for this upgrade: 2,093,593.

DISPEL CHARM: The host is able to remove mental miladies inflicted on the target, including beguiling and paralysis. Nanites needed for this upgrade: 2,502,402.

BARRIER- LEVEL ONE: The host is able to create a frequency which causes air molecules to solidify, creating a barrier against physical attacks. At Level One, the host is only to create a circular barrier one meter in diameter, the barrier is stationary, can only be held for 30 seconds, and can only withstand 250 kilograms of force. Barriers consume the host's energy to construct and will have harmful effects on the host if used over prolonged periods of time. Nanites needed for this upgrade: 2,453,221.

'Well, Dispel Charm would certainly show I'm useful.' Leta thought to herself. It would allow her to completely remove a beguiling without have the override skill that was similar to a Blessed capabilities.

Barrier sounded good, but it seemed more of a last resort option and less of a mobile shield that could come and go. In addition, it would basically whip her out of available nanites and have her relying on her reserves if something happened.

'But on the other hand, that barrier could be a sealed door in a pinch or a buffer between me and certain death. It has some good qualities to it.'

Taking a chance, Leta chose Barrier.

[SELECTION CONFIRMED. DOWNLOADING SOFTWARE NOW.]

Leta felt her muscles lock as new knowledge was poured into her brain. By now the sensation was becoming all too familiar as she took a deep breath through her nose, letting the sensation wash over and out of her like an out going tide.

[DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. AVAILABLE NANITES: 3,126]

"Jezzus…" Afra hissed, reaching a hand out to help her until Leta waved her away.

"I'm okay. New skill." She breathed.

"Huh?"

Leta stood up straight, "When I absorb part of the Blessed, I can sometimes compile those parts to upgrade myself and acquire skills that I didn't have before."

Afra blinked, her eyes going wide. "Holy shit… not even the Crowns can do that. They get stronger but they don't become more than what they are."Leta chuckled, "I told you, I'm a Monarch, not a Crown. And there are a lot more limits on it then you think. Whatever I got from that Golem is basically gone now with that upgrade.

Afra's nose scrunched up, "That's no fun. So no waving your hand and mountains crumble for you?"

She shrugged with a smirk. "Not yet, anyway. Who knows what the future holds. Personally though I'd rather be able to fly or, I don't know, not trip of the stairs every time."

Afra snorted, "Weirdo. Well, walk and talk. We've got places to be." She turned on her heels and headed for the door, Leta doing her best to catch up.

When they were in tunnels, Afra asked over her shoulder, "So what was the skill?"

"Barrier. I should be able to block about 250 kilos of pressure, but I can only make the shield a meter wide and hold it for 30 seconds."

"Huh," Afra pursed her lips in thought. "That's not much in a fight other then as a means of last resort, but it's a great resource to have in your back pocket. Say you need to jump a wall but can't reach. Bam! You create a step for you to get up."

It was Leta's turn to blink, stupefied that she hadn't even considered that option. "I… didn't even think of that."

"Our talents are cool, but what sets Arisen in their class is how creative we can get. Not all Hearth Maidens can create the Fire Fingers that I can. Not all Hunters have familiars. It's all about figuring out how to use what you've got."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Afra put an arm out to stop Leta from going forward. Leta thought she was in trouble until she saw the mischievous look in the woman's eyes.

"Do me a favor. Don't tell Allister that you got this new talent. Wait and surprise him when he least expects it during sparring."

Leta snorted, shaking her head with an equally devilish grin. "I think we really are going to get along great."

"That's what I've been saying!" She nudged Leta with her elbow, brown eyes wide with anticipation of the joke. "Now, let's get going. I want to see the look on that ginger bastard's face when you pull this one over him."

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