The chill of the pre-dawn air was a physical thing, a damp weight that settled deep in my bones. Every muscle screamed from the tension of a night spent motionless but on high alert. We'd survived. That was the main thing. Elara, breathing shallowly in a pained, fitful sleep a few feet away, was a constant, worrying reminder of just how narrow that survival had been. My journal lay open on my lap, the quill's tip hovering over a half-finished sentence cataloging the goblin patrol patterns we'd deduced from their distant, guttural shouts.
The sheer act of processing that information, of turning fear into data, was the only thing keeping me sane. It was my Vocation in action. While Elara's Ranger abilities likely leveled through hunting or tracking, mine, it seemed, progressed through thought itself. And after a night of non-stop analysis, of watching Elara's wound for signs of worsening infection, of planning and counter-planning a dozen different scenarios, the System finally took notice.
[Continuous mental exertion under duress has met the requirements for advancement.]
[Level 2 achieved! 60/60 HP & Mana restored.]
[You have gained 2 attribute points. Allocate wisely.]
[Vocational Skill Tree unlocked. 2 out of 5 skills available for selection. Choose wisely.]
The familiar blue text boxes bloomed in my vision, a welcome sight that washed away some of the bone-deep weariness. The surge of restored energy was even better, a warm current that soothed my aching muscles and cleared the fog from my brain. I immediately opened my status and, without hesitation, dropped both points into Intellect. Strength and Vitality were tempting, especially after seeing Elara's injury, but my path wasn't a physical one. My Vocation was Scholar. My weapon was my mind. Doubling down was the only logical play.
[Intellect: 6 -> 8]
[Maximum Mana: 70 -> 90]
[Spell Effectiveness bonus increased.]
[Cognitive processing speed subtly enhanced.]
I felt it instantly—a slight sharpening of my thoughts, as if a filter had been removed from my perception of the world. Then, I focused on the main prize: the new skills.
A new menu materialized, displaying five options. It was a critical choice, one that would define my capabilities in this brutal new reality.
[SCHOLAR SKILLS - TIER 1]
[Enhanced Analysis]: (Passive) - Increases the speed and detail of the Analysis skill. Reduces confidence penalties for analyzing unknown subjects.
[Mana Siphon]: (Active) - Draw a small amount of mana from a target (Flora, Fauna, or Sentient). Requires sustained focus. Range: 10 feet.
[Runic Scribing]: (Active) - Allows the user to inscribe basic runes of power onto objects. Requires prepared materials and significant mana.
[Minor Illusion]: (Active) - Create a simple, non-tactile illusion (e.g., a sound or a small visual shimmering) to serve as a distraction. Duration and complexity based on Intellect.
[Subtle Influence]: (Active) - Attempt to plant a simple, one-word suggestion into the mind of a target. Success is dependent on your Will versus theirs. Low chance of success on resistant targets.
I read through the list twice, my mind racing. I had two choices. Enhanced Analysis was the safe, long-term choice. Runic Scribing was for when we were secure, not when we were hiding in a hole. Mana Siphon seemed useful but risky.
My eyes kept coming back to Minor Illusion and Subtle Influence. They were tools of misdirection, of deception. The goblins were a known threat, but I was more worried about the unknown ones. Other humans. Back on Earth, I'd seen what people were capable of when they had power, and here, power was handed out by the System. Scum would rise to the top just as easily as heroes.
I needed an edge. Not a weapon to kill, but a tool to control a situation before it became violent. Minor Illusion could create a diversion, letting us slip away. Useful.
But Subtle Influence… that was something else entirely. It was invasive. Dangerous. The description was clear: plant a suggestion. Sleep. Flee. Ignore. Calm. The potential applications were staggering. It could de-escalate a tense standoff with a paranoid survivor. It could make a goblin scout overlook our hiding spot. It was a scalpel, where a sword was a clumsy axe. It was a power that preyed on the mind, the ultimate advantage for someone who had no physical might.
The ethical implications nagged at me for a half-second before pragmatism crushed them underfoot. This was Norrath, not a university ethics debate. Survival first, morality later. I made my choice.
[You have selected the skill: Subtle Influence (Level 1).]
[New Skill added to your repertoire.]
As the notification faded, I felt a strange shift within my own consciousness. It was like a new sense had opened up, a faint, almost imperceptible awareness of the minds around me. It wasn't telepathy, not even close. It was more like feeling the faint heat from a distant fire. I could feel the low, instinct-driven buzz from the insects outside our den. And closer, much closer, I could feel the dim, flickering ember of Elara's consciousness, banked low in exhausted sleep but still radiating a stubborn, resilient heat. The awareness was unsettling, a violation of personal space I'd committed simply by learning the skill. I looked at her, my only ally in this hostile world, and a cold thought slithered into my mind: I could use it on her.
The thought was venomous, coiling in the pragmatic recesses of my mind. I could use it on her.
I immediately tried to shove it down. It was a monstrous idea, a violation of the fragile trust we were just beginning to build. She was my only ally, an injured woman who had shown me a measure of grace when she could have just as easily put that spear through my chest. To manipulate her mind, even in the smallest way, felt like a betrayal of the highest order.
But the cold, hard calculus of survival fought back. This alliance was an improvisation, born of mutual desperation. It was as stable as the deadfall we were hiding in. Elara was tough, battle-hardened by her three days in this hell, but she was also suspicious and running on pure adrenaline. A single misstep, a perceived threat from me, and she could turn. She was a valuable asset, but an unstable one. A frightened, cornered ally was just as dangerous as an enemy.
What if I could… stabilize it? Not control her. Never that. Just… nudge. Nudge the needle on her internal compass from 'wary stranger' a few degrees closer to 'trusted partner.' For her safety. For our safety. It wasn't about dominating her will; it was about ensuring the survival of the team. My Scholar's mind framed it not as a moral failing, but as a strategic imperative. The guilt was a luxury we couldn't afford.
The decision settled with the weight of a stone in my gut. I would do it.
I focused on her sleeping form, on the faint, resilient heat of her consciousness that my new skill allowed me to perceive. Her mind felt like a walled fortress even in slumber, the defenses lowered but not gone. I needed to be careful, precise.
Taking a slow, steadying breath, I activated the skill.
[Activating Skill: Subtle Influence (Level 1)]
[Mana Cost: 15]
A faint thrum of power resonated in my skull. I felt my mana pool deplete, a noticeable drain of 15 points from my newly refilled 90. I focused that energy, shaping it not into a battering ram, but into a single, whispered thought. The target word had to be simple, elemental. Trust was too complex, an abstract concept her mind would immediately reject. I needed something more fundamental.
Ally.
The word formed in my mind, polished and clean. It wasn't an emotion; it was a definition. A statement of fact.
[Target: Elara Vance (Human/Ranger)]
[Target Condition: Asleep. Willpower temporarily lowered.]
[Initiating Contested Check: Your Will (5) vs Target's Effective Will (3)]
The System's logic was brutal and beautiful. Her base Will of 6 was higher than mine, but the debuff from her exhausted, sleeping state gave me the opening I needed. I pushed.
It felt like trying to thread a needle in the dark. I could feel the passive resistance of her subconscious, a deep, instinctual barrier designed to keep intruders out. It wasn't an active fight, just a stubborn, unyielding presence. For a second, I thought it would fail, that my suggestion would simply dissipate against the wall of her mind. I focused harder, channeling the pure intent of the word, imagining it as a single, perfect key sliding into a lock I could feel but not see.
Then, a subtle give. The resistance didn't break; it yielded, just for a moment. My projected thought slipped past the threshold.
[Check Successful!]
[Suggestion: "Ally" successfully planted in target's subconscious.]
The connection snapped. I slumped back against the deadfall, the mental exertion leaving a faint headache behind. I looked at Elara, searching for any sign of change. There was nothing overt. She didn't smile in her sleep or murmur my name. But as I watched, the tense line of her brow seemed to smooth out, ever so slightly. The tight, pained clench of her jaw relaxed. Her breathing, which had been shallow and ragged, evened out into a deeper, more peaceful rhythm.
It had worked.
A wave of something cold and powerful washed over me. It was part triumph, part self-loathing. I had successfully manipulated another human being's mind. I had crossed a line I didn't even know existed an hour ago. Looking at her now, she was no longer just the Ranger who'd found me by the stream. She was my ally, yes, but she was also my first successful test subject. The power felt clean, efficient… and utterly terrifying. And a dark part of me, the part that was already calculating our next move, couldn't wait to see how it changed things when she woke up.
But before that, I decided to use my last ability pick on….