Endyr was left sorely disappointed by the Teleportation Station. The carriage had pulled up to a tall building, and its three occupants had departed. Jace immediately took Sia and Endyr past everything and anything interesting, making a point of ignoring any of Endyr's questions. After bypassing the queues, the three were brought to a large arch embedded in the ground. After some fiddling from, the person stationed there, the arch was filled by blue light and Jace hurried them through.
After coming out the other side, Jace took them to a hotel prepared beforehand. It was there they would spend the night. Jace got two rooms: one for himself and another for the children. Despite complaints from Sia and Endyr about it being unsafe, Jace dismissed their worries, stating "a wall or two won't stop me in time for anyone to kill you." Left with no choice, the siblings split from their caretaker.
And so, Endyr lay in bed while Sia took a shower, compliments of Orvonia's strange magical society. Water could be produced from thin air or rather, from special Mana Stones, that could produce a near endless amount of the stuff and allow you to alter the temperature too. Of course, the presence of such technology did not make it commonplace: Jace claimed the hotel they were in would cause most worse-off Nobles a heavy hit to the purse for a single night.
Endyr whistled a tune to himself while twiddling his thumbs. He was in no mood to sleep, and the story Jace told them kept repeating in his mind. The fact his father was an assassin wasn't that much of a surprise; he could have been the Pope of a Church for all he cared. But it was how he met Raphaniel that stirred his interest. An assassin falling in love with his target, and then running away with her, battling enemies and hunters all the while...
"Reminds of of the web novel stories I used to read as an Avatar" Endyr reminisced with a chuckle. His memories of such a time were foggy, but not erased. His mortal body and mind were just too weak to handle to weight of his soul, causing it to be restricted in his own flesh. If Endyr really tried though, he could forcefully drag the memories up however.
Suddenly, Endyr remembered something important. He had yet to check out the System Shop! He had originally delayed looking at it, wanting to save it for a boring occasion, but his mind was in overdrive from Jace's story, so he needed to do something. With a snap of the fingers, he commanded the System. "Open System Shop."
====================<<♉︎♉︎>>==========================
[Skills]
[Techniques]
[Bloodlines (Locked)]
[Potions]
[Equipment (Locked)]
[Miscellaneous (Locked)]
====================<<♉︎♉︎>>==========================
Endyr read the presented categories, taking note of the locked ones. He teased the three available categories with his finger before settling on Skills. It held the highest interest for him, and also the easiest way to get stronger.
He briefly contemplated on asking the System about the Locked categories, but decided to focus on what was available to him first of all. Without further ado, he opened the Skills section of the Shop, a grin spreading across his face at the prospect. Yet that grin gradually faded the further down Endyr read and ended in a grimace.
'Damn! What the hell System, this is rigged!'
====================<<♉︎♉︎>>==========================
» Fireball (C): Allows the user to summon a ball of fire that is roughly equal to C Rank in damage and utility. Cost: 10 Authority Points
» Wind Blade (C): Allows the user to summon compressed air-like blades roughly equal to C Rank in damage and utility. Cost: 5 Authority Points
» Earth Spike (C): Allows the user to shift the ground into spikes and impale targets that are roughly equal to C Rank in damage and utility. Cost: 10 Authority Points
» Sun Flare (C): Allows the user to create a pillar of light that deals considerable damage to Dark Affinity enemies. Roughly equal to C Rank in damage and utility. Cost: 10 Authority Points
» Dark Beam (C): Allows the user to fire a beam of concentrated darkness that deals considerable damage to Light Affinity enemies. Roughly equal to C Rank in damage and utility. Cost: 5 Authority Points.
» Nether Blast (C): Allows the user to fire a blast of Nether that deals considerable damage to all enemy types. Cost: 15 Authority Points
» Ether Shield (C): Allows the user to construct a shield of Ether that nullifies all types of enemy attacks. Cost: 15 Authority Points.
» Invisibility (B): Allows the user to turn invisible to the naked eye. At [B Rank], sound is additionally slightly muffled but scents are not. More powerful [Analysis Skills] can see through the invisibility. Costs: 25 Authority Points.
» Hypnosis (B): Allows the user to hypnotise targets. At [B Rank], the user can remove and add memories to targets along with make them follow any command that does not directly conflict with their core values (a pacifist will not commit mass murder even if ordered). Cost: 30 Authority Points.
====================<<♉︎♉︎>>==========================
Those were the first Skills presented to Endyr, but he was not happy with them. 'What the hell?! A single C Rank Skill costs half my Authority Points! And how the hell am I meant to earn enough to buy B Rank or higher?!' In his anger, Endyr pulled up the System and demanded answers.
[Host, please note that Skills are fairly priced based on their rarity and usage. {E Rank} is the official mark of an Ascender, and {C Rank} generally correlates to Epic Tier. {E Rank} and {D Rank} take up the majority of Ascenders, meaning their Skills are in high demand. Higher demand naturally encourages higher prices. Plus, most people would only need {C Rank} Skills, as they would not be risking their lives in high-danger situations often.]
Despite this explanation, Endyr only grit his teeth and spoke through them. 'Maybe so, but why bother having Skills of all Ranks yet limit my earning so that I can barely get the average set? I thought I was meant to have privileges here!'
Endyr may have seemed like a spoilt brat, but he was not technically wrong. As a (former) Denizen of Infinity, he was used to only the highest quality samples of everything in exitance. Never in his eons of life and Endyr been too poor to buy something he wanted. In truth, he didn't even need to buy something, he just took it by force!
[Host, would you like System to reorganize the Shop to show things Host can buy?]
Endyr's ears perked up at the System's prompt, before he collected himself and nodded. 'Yes System, you may do that.
====================<<♉︎♉︎>>==========================
» Silent Steps (E): Mutes the user's steps for a short period. Cost: 5 AP
» Telekinesis (E): Allows the user to manipulate objects with a certain radius with their mind. Cost: 8 AP
» Split Double (D): Allows the user to make a copy of themselves The user can decide which Skills/Bloodlines the Double has, but the user themselves will lose them as long as the Double is active. The user can alter the appearance of the Double and dismiss it at any distance. Cost: 1 AP
»Shared Senses (D): Allows the user to share their senses with a target of their choice. The user and the target can see through each other's eyes and other senses. Cost: 6 AP
» Mind Link (D): Allows the user to share their mind and telepathically communicate with a target of their choice. The target must voluntarily accept the Link and both parties can forcefully break it at any time. Cost: 5 AP
(Note: There is no distance limit for any Skills listed, but Mana consumption does increase instead.)
====================<<♉︎♉︎>>==========================
A glint appeared within Endyr's eyes as he read the new Skill list. Unlike before, none of these Skills directly increased his combat capability and were utility Skills instead. Yet that made them no less useful to the current Endyr. He soon noticed a discrepancy in the prices however, and broached this with the System. "Why are some Skills higher or lower than others?" he asked.
[Host's Affinity and Bloodlines directly affect the price. As someone with a Blessing of Nyx and Zephylte, Host is more inclined towards Wind and Darkness Spells, and the price is reduced accordingly. As for the second list of Skills...the System believes Host has a special connection to them due to Host's past as a Denizen of Infinity.]
"Hmmm...this Split Double Skill does seem similar to the Avatar of a Denizen, especially when you include the Shared Sense and Telepathy. I guess it makes sense in that regard. And at a single AP in cost, I would have top be retarded or blind not to see what the System wants me to buy."
Endyr then looked at a third page of Skills, but didn't buy anything. He had very limited AP and didn't want to use it ignorantly. On that note... "Hey System, how many Authority Points do I have currently?"
[Authority Points available: 20]
Endyr spent a good few minutes agonizing over what to buy. As a Denizen of Infinity, he was actually a notorious penny pincher. Despite having the capabilities, he was hesitant to spend even a single Authority Point in case something major comes up that required all his AP at once. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Sia finishing in the shower however, and he took his own. After wrapping up, he postponed his decision and simply went to bed.