"You didn't say anything about me becoming leader." I questioned Raven. "What about you? You worked so hard for this, and you're the best leader we've ever had. And, I am a horrible team player."
"Just take the damn position and stop complaining. It's not like you being the leader would change much. They'll still listen to me more regardless." Raven admonished me. "And besides, people would expect the most powerful member to be the leader. If they weren't, it would cause an uproar."
"Bu-" I was cut off.
"Don't make me say it." She warned.
I shuddered just thinking about it. "Okay, you win. I'll take the stupid leader position." I was starting to wonder if joining the Asura Squad was the right choice.
She just smiled, "Good. Now, we need to get you some gear, since you have an entire half of your Path that revolves around weapons."
The reason she knew this was because I forced the Grimoire show updates on my status to them, as well as do the same vice versa. Their abilities were way easier to read than mine, thank god, and were just as powerful and versatile as I would expect.
Raven could take a certain type of Aether, and turn it into a sentient creature called an Elemental, that could control said Aether with ease. Their power depended on how much she understood that Aether type and how much power she put into it, as well as what representation she attached to it, which gave them specialized powers.
Jason could not only continuously strengthen himself using Aether, he could also allow his body take on the characteristics of Aether types, depending on how he understood them. Earth or Metal Aether and their variations made him tougher, Wind made him faster, Fire stronger, etc. It essentially allowed him to turn into a Human-Elemental hybrid. He could control the Aether easier but most of the enhancement was making his body stronger. He told me that he felt the next step to it was allowing him to mimic multiple types for different purposes, which would cause his battle power to skyrocket.
Zari's magic system way stranger. The only thing it said was "Space and Dimensions are your Authority.". My Authority was Reality. Considering her powers, she could probably completely control space, dimensions and everything to do with them. And she could probably only be matched in those elements by someone who had a stronger Authority, or theirs encompassed hers.
From what I can gather, their magic systems are all just as unique and powerful as mine, the only difference being that I can have a practically infinite amount of those unique and powerful magic systems.
"Alright then, lead the way." I said.
She and all the others walked back to the elevator that took us down here, and pushed a button for a floor lower than the one we were on right now. The elevator started moving, and the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
So I tried to do so.
It was really funny too, I used the Asura Path as a sword and focused it on the metaphysical concept of 'tension', and slicing through it. A few seconds later and everyone was talking and laughing. Vin was maniacally laughing as they forced Vera to take a selfie with them. Cedric and Jason had their hands draped around each other's shoulders and were singing a sailor's song they saw in a movie. Raven, Zari and Grayson were smiling and playing rock, paper, scissors. I just stood in the corner and laughed too since a new possible Path appeared.
[Potential Paths: Meta Path, Law Path]
It was another goal to pursue, and another way to get stronger. The elevator started to slow down, and the doors opened up into another black room, this one with racks upon rocks of weapons as far as the eye could see. From katanas to war hammers to assault rifles to whips. There were a few that I couldn't even describe in reference to regular weapons.
A voice from a speaker system suddenly says, "Alright Asuras, I see we have a new member. Come on down right away."
I sent a questioning gaze towards Raven. "That's Malcolm, he's the one that makes all this stuff."
I nodded and followed them to a door at the back of the warehouse sized room. It was about a foot thick and had a full body scanner installed into it. It scanned all of us ad flashed green for all of them except me. It forcefully tried to teleport me somewhere and it took all my power to resist. It slowly became more bearable until the pressure disappeared entirely. I was overcome with curiosity and sent my perception through the pathway that I would have teleported through.
It was an empty field of grass, a seemingly picturesque landscape. But if you were to look closer, you would see distance distorting, and random patches of space that switched around. What worried me even more was the fact that there were creatures that could survive there, and they weren't weak by any measure. It was probably the most dangerous place I had ever seen in my life.
I decided to teleport there. Others saw suicide, I saw training. And I loved training
I could vaguely hear the screams of shock and fear behind me, as well as the giant door opening. It seems the architect of that death field decided to get his lazy ass out of his hole in the ground, well he would have to wait for a bit.
I was out hunting.
***
Two hours later, I teleported back into that room, my clothing and body in literal shreds, my mind strained to the limit. I was smiling though, because firstly, the gains I had made just now were more than I had ever made since Changing. Secondly, the cracks that had appeared on my body were not only perfect Ichor( and therefore aether) channels, they also helped me to absorb it better, which meant I would be fully healed within the next few minutes.
A Mind is the core of a being. It was where Aether coalesced and flowed through a being. The thing is that, just by a body's higher Aether density, everything about it would get progressively better. Aether channels were upgradeable pathways that the Aether would flow in, that was optimized for the being.
I just sat there grinning at the Page in front of me.
[Asura Path: 40%]
[Preta Path: 33%]
[Rune Path: 39%]
[Grimoire Path: 28%
New Spell Learned!
Burst: A powerful burst of Aether, capable of blowing up small houses.]
[War Path: 39%]
I just realized how much of my potential I was wasting by using my powers just by their descriptions. The power of the Asura Path skyrocketed once I stopped trying to control everything, and rather tried to connect to everything, feel them, and control them that way.
I had also not even known that Spells were a thing, but that's just another on the list. The rest quickly ran out of the door.
"You're an idiot." Raven said. "Now stop faking you dirty cheater and get in here."
She was sweet that way.
I just sighed, got up, and walked into the room, my injuries more or less healed. I got in the room and was greeted by this veritable maze of stuff. I counted multiple mountains of nuts and bolts, fuses, reactors, and scrap metal. There were other, more exotic piles, but before I could explore any of them, I was jump scared by a stick figure of a man, with crazy white eyes that signified he was blind, and wild black hair that stuck out in every direction.
"HOLY MOTHER OF CHRIST! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU??!!" He suddenly screamed.
Raven came up from behind me "He uses his magic system to see, and can only differentiate people by using the nature and size of their Aether signature, both of which, in your case, are absolutely scuffed. He was just probably curious."
"And he can probably hear you since he's in the same damn room!" He shouted. "Now come along, I've gotten everything I need for the suit and weapons, so just wait here as I make them."
I just followed the mad engineer, excited for my gear and trying to think of ways to get him to teach me.
Yeah. The Asura Squad was the right choice.