BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

1159  Mastering New Abilities (2)

Erik entered the training room only to find Amber and Mira in combat. The spacious room he himself made was used for that, but Erik didn't plan it for high-intensity combat such as the one the two were having.

<I hope they break nothing…>

The room echoed with the sound of their movement and the clack of Amber's wooden daggers.

Amber blinked in and out of existence, her twin practice daggers seeking openings in Mira's defense. One moment she was in front of the woman; the next she had warped behind her, daggers descending in a swift arc.

Mira's legs shifted, taking on the powerful musculature of a Terragor. She leaped aside with explosive force, simultaneously transforming her arms into those of an Ursolith. As she spun to face Amber, her enhanced limbs gave her strikes of mild power.

They weren't training, putting enough strength to injure; of course, they needed at most to ingrain the fighting style into their memory and muscles, and trying to understand when and where to use the powers.

Amber warped again, appearing at Mira's flank, but the woman had anticipated this. Her eyes morphed into those of a Skraylash, the enhanced vision allowing her to track Amber's subsequent movements after she warped.

<I can't avoid that like this…>

Her body shrank to the size of a mouse. It was the best way she could actually avoid that attack. Mira learned, through their sparrings, that when she was unable to get out of harm's way, the best thing was to change the size of her body. That way, she would be able to prevent the attack from reaching her.

Amber's daggers sliced through empty air. Before she could recover, Mira had transformed back to human size, now sporting the quick reflexes of a Mistlynx—her brain altered to mimic the creature's neural pathways. She had already quick reflexes, but with a Mistlynx-altered brain, it was even faster.

She then swiped her arms, ending up in two normal human hands. She almost slapped Amber's shoulder, but the woman warped out of danger.

<Ah… Damn!>

That was a really incredible fight to see. Three months were not enough to allow the three women to completely ingrain their new powers into their combat style, but they made significant progress in doing that.

<I wonder what Emily is doing.>

It wasn't just that, but the three women focused day and night on making neural links, aside from training. Mira was actually the most desperate of them all, since she was the one with fewer energy stats.

Getting her powers to a point where they consumed as little mana as possible was paramount, and that could only be achieved by getting more neural links.

For Amber, it was similar. She didn't have Erik's or Emily's energy, but for sure, she had more than Mira. So, it wasn't like she was helpless or had to particularly conserve her strength. The problem was that Warp consumed a lot of mana.

The new neural links decreased that a lot, but it still was not just two or three mana points she used when warping.

When Amber warped above Mira, attempting a downward strike with her wooden daggers, Mira's form shimmered and blurred. In a split second, she transformed her entire body into that of a tiny flying insect, barely visible to the naked eye.

With agility, she darted through the air, evading Amber's attack as it sliced harmlessly through the space she had occupied mere moments ago.

In another feat of rapid transformation, Mira grew back to her human size, and she got behind the still-descending Amber.

She might have landed a winning blow if Amber hadn't warped away at the last moment. Any other enemy would have been defeated at that point.

Both women were breathing hard, but they kept moving, as if they really were in a deadly battle. Amber used her power to appear in different places around Mira. The latter defended herself by changing parts of her body. She used cat-like reflexes, special eyes that helped her to keep track of Amber, strong legs, and powerful arms. This made it very hard for Amber to hit her.

The two basically danced across the training room, their powers complementing their natural fighting abilities.

Amber's warping created a dizzying pattern of attacks from all angles, while Mira's fluid transformations made her an unpredictable target.

However, it was clear Mira wasn't used to fighting at close range as much as Amber was. Besides, the woman's training was many times better than that of Mira, who mostly learned on the field.

<It's done…>

The sparring match ended in a draw. It looked like Mira, while worse than Amber in melee fight, made up for the vast experience she had. With both acknowledging each other's skill with respectful nods.

But it was clear they wanted to go on.

With their impending journey to Mur looming, where power was never enough, they recognized the need to improve their skills to the limit. Survival hinged on becoming the absolute best they could be. But that required time and, as in this case, energies.

"Impressive," Erik said from the doorway. Both women turned, startled by his presence. They had been too focused on their fight to notice had been there for a huge chunk of it.

"Wow, you've both gotten so much better," Erik was clearly impressed. "It's amazing how you're using your new powers in your fighting. Amber, your warping is smoother and harder to predict now. And Mira, you're using your shapeshifting in clever and useful ways. I think not even the Chimaeric Demons are as good as you."

"Thanks," Amber said, wiping sweat from her brow. "But we still only have 39 neural links in our new powers, and we haven't learned well enough how to use these to fight."

"39 neural links are not two. It is a lot, and judging by your stats, you are much more powerful than before. Almost twice as strong, if I have to say."

Erik examined the holographic display in front of him, showing Amber's and Mira's stats. The floating data revealed their impressive progress over the past three months. —Amber's Status—

Name: Amber Joyce

Brain Crystal Power:

Warp—Bζ1A: Enables the user to alter distances, warp objects, or shift locations within a limited range.

Gas Control — Bα3X: Amber's Gas Control ability lets her create and manipulate gasses, which she can also turn corrosive. She can shape it, move it, and use it for defensive purposes.

Physical Characteristics:

Amber is a stunning young woman, with fiery red hair cascading down her shoulders in waves. The glasses framing her piercing blue eyes enhance her intelligent and focused look. Her lips are a striking shade of pink. Years of rigorous training have given her a lean, athletic build, standing tall at 1.66 meters. She has a few freckles, most noticeable on her nose and cheekbones.

{Attributes}

STRENGTH: 357

INTELLIGENCE: 167

DEXTERITY: 313

ENERGY: 796

{Others}

Power Level: 883

Estimated Experience: Not Computed

Neural Links: 93

—Mira's Status—

Replication — Bζ1A: Allow Mira to completely shapeshift into animals, Thaids, and other people. Can be used in different ways. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Currents manipulation—Bα3X: Mira possesses the ability to manipulate air currents in a small radius around her. This can alter the trajectory of her arrows, allowing her to make shots that might seem impossible under normal circumstances.

Physical Characteristics:

He felt proud and reassured, knowing their new skills would be enough to survive what was to come, at least in theory.

12:41

Mira is an athletic woman in her mid-twenties. A life as a mercenary in Etrium, paired with rigorous training, has given her a toned physique at 1.6 meters tall. Her skin is lightly tanned, and there are a few scars on her body. Mira's eyes are a striking emerald color, alert and observant. She has dark brown hair that she wears in a long braid.

{Attributes}

STRENGTH: 333

INTELLIGENCE: 151

DEXTERITY: 353

ENERGY: 578

{Others}

Power Level: 848

Estimated Experience: Not computed

Neural Links: 93

—END—

"Anyway, I need to talk to both of you and Emily downstairs. It's important, and we need to discuss it right away."

The women looked at each other with curious and worried expressions. They both nodded right away.

As they packed up their training things—Amber putting away her wooden daggers and Mira changing her body back to normal—the mood in the room changed.

"We'll be down soon," Mira grabbed a towel to dry off. She looked at Amber, who was already packing up. "We just need a few minutes to clean up and rest a bit. That was quite a workout, wasn't it?"

Mira and Amber exchanged tired but satisfied smiles. Erik left the room, feeling happy about how well Amber and Mira were doing. He was pleased with the powers he had given them.

It didn't take long for both women to become proficient in using their new skills in combat. Erik had high hopes, but the reality surpassed even his expectations.

He felt proud and reassured, knowing their new skills would be enough to survive what was to come, at least in theory.