Nira could feel panic bubbling up her throat, withered branch-like hands clutching at it as she tried to breathe, but there was nothing she could do. She didn't even understand what happened. Sure the boxes explained it but she was not prepared for the cosmic cheating that had been done. Nira took a deep breath and shoved the burgeoning maelstrom of emotions into the back of her mind. There was no way she'd be going down without a fight. She just needed to S.W.A.E. with it.
While the pressure from her current situation was rather extreme, she did not have to break from it or give in to hopelessness. All Nira had to do was bend, or flex, she corrected, a little or maybe a lot, given the situation. She could flex but remain firm in her goals and ideals when things got tough. There was no valid reason she had personally to change who she was at her core unless she desired to do so. And if Nira was struggling with a problem? She simply had to approach it from another direction. So S.W.A.E.ing it was!
S.W.A.E. stood for Stabilize, Work, Assess, and Expand. She didn't know where it came from, but it was like a sticky note that'd been stuck to one's shirt. Not noticeable until one looked down and that's what this whole thing felt like. Where it came from, she didn't know but it was useful.
Phase One: Stabilize her mindset.
For her, this was the most difficult aspect of S.W.A.E. Calming one's mind. There was a lot of self-doubt, fear, and anxiety that clouded her thoughts. That was why this step was all about putting said stressors, anxiety-fueled issues, and the problem itself on a metaphorical table to deal with.
1. Nira inhaled, imagining the very air filling her lungs, and slowly exhaled. A barrage of dings flashed in the corner, but she ignored it, breathing in and out, the feel of the air as it flowed through and into her. Now that she had given herself some time to catch her breath and calm down, she could efficiently analyze and address her problem.
2. She would handle this, Nira acknowledged. Difficult or easy there was a solution and she would figure it out.
3. Nira did not need the perfect solution right now. That was something she would be able to build up to. However, she need to rationally put together a solution that would build upon itself and serve as her foundation for this new life.
4. She was committed to helping Shadow. She was someone that would return the favor or the trouble two-fold, a grin cracked bark-like lips for potential mischief to be had, before slipping away.
Phase Two: Work through the problem by breaking it down.
While Nira's storm of doubts, fear, and anxiety had not stilled completely, they'd slowed enough for her to handle it. Breaking down the problem into bite-sized pieces would make finding solutions easier and further reduce her inner turmoil.
Problem 1: She failed the bet.
Which sucked a lot, nevertheless, she recommitted herself to rehabilitating Vio, in any way she reasonably could. Nira felt that Shadow would be satisfied with this answer. They hadn't seemed the type to ask someone to push themselves beyond their limit unreasonably so. Some would argue and say that fixing an entire continent was overdoing it, but all Nira had seen was a series of small problems interconnected to form a seemingly impossible mountain of a problem for just one person. Perspective. Just have to keep some perspective.
Problem 2: Greed.
Yes, she had been greedy, Nira admitted. Shadow had given her all the tools needed to accomplish her task but she had not been satisfied. This was not a problem that she could fix in one go, but one that she'd have to practice as the opportunity popped up.
That meant she needed to question her motives. Motives, Nira nibbled on her lip as she mulled over it. Motives could be confused with and used for greed, so Nira decided to table her thoughts about motives. She had to define greed and how it came to be first. Nira tapped her toe on the ground, and when that wasn't enough she began to pace back and forth.
For her, what the outcome had was an unneeded reach for more. She had ultimately been dissatisfied with what she had. Though this particular thought could also be mixed with the need to progress, grow, and- Nira halted that train of thought and refocused back on defining what had gotten her into this mess.
She had everything she needed and wanted, but she'd been cocky and the idea that she could get something more had been tantalizing on the heels of so many wonderous things. She'd assumed that she would win an amazing skill for little to no work. That whatever Murphy had to give would make winning the bet easy. A bet against Murphy himself.
Nira's shoulders slumped, introspection could be a sucky thing. Nira didn't like how overly confident she'd been and sloughed a snarky comment about hindsight somewhere into the abyssal depths of her mental "Nope Box". No unhelpful or hurtful criticism allowed. This was a constructive process, not a pity party. Mind straightened out and lightened up, Nira continued her self-analyzation of how she'd gotten into this mess.
Cockiness vs capability was like comparing sand to stone. There was no substance to cockiness, and all too often one was buried by its consequences. If one tried to build a foundation on it they would sink.
Capabilities were like stone. If left alone or allowed to succumb to cockiness it would be eroded into grains of sand. However, it could be compacted and built upon through dedication, effort, and practice. It could be expanded upon through time given to learn and accumulate more experience.
Okay, Nira liked that comparison, a lot. It helped her to put things into perspective like this and give herself the space to think it through. However, progress did not progress with mere satisfaction alone. Nira mentally shucked 'Greed' and its cause off her metaphorical table and continued her introspection feeling a little lighter and a bit brighter.
Lastly, this problem and its solution, what was progress to her? If greed was the ugly grasping for more without reason then how did she progress without the grabsies? Nira felt stumped here. It would be hard to progress without some form of greed. At its core greed was the desire for more and more. In her case, the problem was that she had wanted the easy option.
That said she had two starting points here. One, the desire for more, within reason, Nira tacked on, and two, hard work. It was controlled and balanced. After all, if she wanted to go up, then she'd have to work for it and in order for her to succeed in this magical world she'd have to be smart about it especially given her current circumstances. Was that enough though? Could she form a solid game plan on just these two answers? Nira took her time and compared the forming ideas and goals of how she wanted to go from here on out.
No, she decided. What she had right not was too ephemeral. Back to the board with this.
What she had so far was 'desire within reason' and 'work your way up'.
It was reasonable to want to grow, Nira affirmed. Growth was important, especially personal which was best done step by step. Now what those steps were or how fast one went was up to the individual. It was important she had to make sure it was logical for her and her goals. Nira paused over that little nugget. Logic and goals.
Ok, so keeping her need for growth tethered or tempered by logic and goals was good. However, it lacked something. Ah! Nira brightened, it lacked motivation. She could set any goal she wanted but without motivation, she'd be like a bug stuck in the mud. So let's put it together then.
1. Desire within reason, rather objective. It was reasonable to want to evolve. Nira paused here. Evolution is not one of greed but of necessity. Personal growth is done best step by step. How fast that went was up to the person making the decisions.
Yes. While she had long-term goals, the short-term, more clearly defined goals or objects, would counterbalance the more impulsive decision-making. With an immediate idea of what she wanted, the objectives would serve as guides and deter another potential disaster.
2. Goals. She wanted to help Shadow and fix Vio, have fun, play with magic and make friends. Short, sweet, and simple. Nira liked that.
3. Motivation. She is a good person. Nira's face scrunched up. Really? Would that be enough to help her accomplish fixing an entire continent?
Nira could feel her frustration build while she tried to come up with a 'heavier' or 'better' motivation. Her body shook from the effort, skin turning a few shades darker than its normal ashen color it was until she relaxed.
Nope, Nira decided. She didn't need a 'better' motivation. At the end of the day, Nira was a good person and she liked magic. She wasn't some OP here to save the world. Just a gardening project and then adventures galore. No need to overcomplicate things.
Okay so next was 'work her way up.' This was an easy one. Nira's evolutions were dependent on base and choice it seemed. Her fairy physique had been the base for her newer fae nature and her sub-species had changed with the attainment of an epic skill.
Given these two observations, it made sense that she could not only macro-manage but also micro-manage both her species and subspecies through the various options, accomplishments, and so on in the system.
On a macro level, it was her as a whole that influenced her tree, but it was the use of what she was given that changed it on a micro-level, potentially opening new paths further up the evolutionary tree, or even leading her to another. If that was accurate, and Nira would have to do some experimenting, then she'd be able to evolve her parasitic nature into something symbiotic given time.
Nira's breath left her in a whoosh. Eesh, that'd been more than what she'd thought it'd be. Which was fine because now she had a clearer picture, but time to move on the next problem.
Problem 3: She was parasitic.
By definition, anything parasitic was in a one-way relationship with whatever it fed on. In other words, she was a tick, and the world was a dog or a cat. So she'd have to come up with a counter to the drag she created. A major obstacle is that the skill was the evolutionary foundation of her parasitic evolution was qualified as epic and at this very moment, she did not have the option to select another skill. The odds of her second skill being of epic quality as well were downright minuscule.
The question that'd been bugging her was is it possible for a large pool of skills to outweigh an epic skill enough to hold sway over an evolution? Her nature changed based on a skill, so then wouldn't a massive group of skills potentially counter or change that? In conclusion, if she addressed the issues caused by Drain, then that would directly influence the parasitic aspect of her evolution and balance it out.
Problem 4: Drain was a passive skill. That meant while others breathed air, for all she knew, Drain was like a magical set of lungs. Nira could feel a headache growing. She wasn't quite sure how that would work.
In fact, now that she thought of it, she didn't know anything about her current biology. What if Drain was a representation of a magical organ that Murphy had grown within her? Was that what a skill represented? The spontaneous growth of an organ? Then what about active skills?
Intrigued, Nira couldn't help but chase that thought. Active skills she could see as the fantasy version of, move your hand. Only instead of an actual hand it is a magical muscle or was it the ability to intentionally the fluctuations of magic with the mind? As in one can mentally turn the valve that is the flow of magic on and off at will?
Was it possible to convert a passive skill to an active one? Wouldn't that be like you telling your heart to tap dance every hundred or so beats? Nira chuckled at the image and moved on while mentally filing it away for later theorizing.
Problem 5: The powers that be did not like her particular combo of drain and parasitic nature, but if she fixed it with any of the solutions above then this problem would be corrected.
Phase three: Assess the results.
That meant both the wins and failures, what she did right, and what she needed tweaking. This part could be difficult as multiple assessments could be needed, creating a cycle between Work and Assess, which may not necessarily have the time in any given situation.
Phase four: Expand.
Build upon success and learn from failure in order to establish an interconnective network of success. In other words, plan heavily now and become the ultimate gardener slash adventurer. Nira could almost feel herself floating from joy. Everywhere she went, vegetables and fruits and forests and meadows would follow! She'd be a traveling farmer's market or even regenerist of the land itself!
Nira took a couple of calming breaths causing a barrage of warning notifications, this time she eyed them, each one claiming she was draining the world's magic supply. Nira felt a tingle run down her spine and carefully minimized them. This was not the time to panic.
She had a job to do. Nira had exchanged her word for this new life. None of this would have been even remotely possible if it hadn't been for Shadow. She wouldn't even be alive. This situation was the result of her own foolishness. However, now that she'd come up with good solutions she was ready to tackle her own special brand of obstacles and move forward.
Starting with fixing Drain and then Vio. That said, how was she supposed to fix a continent when she was draining the world of its very life? Nira shook her head. If she tackled it step by step, Nira was positive she'd be able to finagle a solution.
Not being a fairy anymore and failing the quest did not mean that she couldn't fix the continent. It just made it difficult. In comparison to her current parasitic fae nature, she'd practically be OP as a Sylvan Fairy. Nira slapped her cheeks. There was no point in moping here. It'd just bogged her down with useless thoughts.
Now that Nira thought about what did it mean that Murphy tipped the scales? This was more like scale-smashing! Was there even a chance to right the scales? She had the skill overload or somehow hypnotize herself into making a passive skill active, or, Nira could feel herself brighten, maybe she would not need as many skills if she could just nudge Drain in a better direction. Curious, Nira brought up her personal box and poked the seedling in the lower right corner.
[Drain]
Passive
Epic Skill
In nature, balance is necessary. As such, Murphy tipped the scale and you received the epic passive skill, Drain. While the world uses magic as a tool to impact, you use it to support. Like many creatures, magic is what keeps you alive, but where others create a cycle of magic through and around, you drain the world of its magic.
She read over the description again this time, with an eye out for keywords and what she came back with was, passive, balance, support, and drain.
Draining itself was not bad. What made it so bad was that it was so one-sided and how she drained the world to the utmost degree of its magic. Was there a condition to possibly spark an evolution of the skill?
Before Nira had taken [Murphy's Tipped Scales] she had been offered the choice of three skills, Nourish, Grow, and Water. While she'd accepted the offer, [Murphy's Tipped Scales] she had briefly considered those basic skills that had the potential to change. While she had yet to prove her theory, it made sense that basic skills could be nudged to grow and if she applied that to Drain there was a distinct possibility that'd shed be able to nudge it into a healthier, for the world, direction.
There were also the words, support, and balance. To what did Drain balance? If there was an opposite to drain, then what could it be? Overflow? Flood? Soak? If she drained magic then something exuded magic to the point of harm. What could possibly be her counterpart in her current state?
There were no immediate answers to those questions. She'd just have to give herself time to learn, so Nira added them to her growing list of things to find answers and continued on. The next word she thought had been interesting was support.
She used magic to support herself. How? Nira felt that this one would be what determined how she'd nudge her skill. If she knew how it worked then she'd be able to utilize it for more than personal gain and, while she'd still have the skill Drain, her parasitic nature would change.
The last one was passive. This word and action were the cogs that strapped her into the crazy roller coaster. Nira wondered if she piled a multitudes of skills if that would be enough to destroy the skill, Drain. Too many directions pulling at a skill could possibly create the disharmony needed to break it, and while she was all for breaking the system, that didn't mean that she wanted to waste an opportunity.
Sure, a lot of her troubles would go away with the nullification of Drain, but there were a variety of ways to use cultivate the parasitic skill into something beneficial. Nira could feel her thoughts settle with that as if a part of her that she hadn't realized was on edge relaxed. She didn't know if that was actually her Nira, the ex-human or a new part of her that had been born with her evolution as a Parasitic Fae. Regardless, this was her life, and she didn't want to waste anything. So what that this skill made a predator on a planetary level. She would nudge her overly aggressive skill into something positive.
As soon as she decided that, a brilliant ruby-colored alarm flashed into existence in the corner where the minimized notifications were. Nira stared, branch-like fingers twitching to press the button and see what else had gone wrong. The urge was as strong as a horde of children's inner compass for all things sugary.
Nira tried to stop herself, she really did, but before she could grab her hand, she had already clicked on the little seed and her vision went red. Black eyes grew wide as she read, jawing dropping to reveal sharp teeth. With an audible snap, Nira shut her jaw and ran a shaking hand through her black braid-like willow tendrils of hair. Mind awhirl, Nira paced back and forth as she attempted to find an appropriate solution.
Nira stopped, opened her system and flicked through the veritable ocean of notifications in search for something be it a 'Help' option or a 'So you have been deemed a planetary and would like to make an appeal' but she found nothing. Nothing. Nira didn't think she'd be able to sway her way around this problem.
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*Notification*
After a brief discussion, the world's gods and guardians have decided that you are a planetary risk on a catastrophic level and are to be smoted.
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