Awen— Time Management— Basic MechanicsOrange— Sunbathing— Murder— PettingCalamity— Laugh in the Face of Death— Swashbuckling— Never MissCaprica— Thick SkinDesiree— Graceful Under Pressure— Etiquette— Tail MaintenanceBooksie— Harebrained— Haredevil— Buns of Steel— Hopping Mad— Bun in the OvenRhawrexdee— Hoarding— Flight— Draconic ConfidenceThat... looked like a pretty good selection to me!
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Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty-One — Scratch That
Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty-One — Scratch That I had four General skill slots to fill, and a lot more than four options. Really, the moment I was done with my list, I kinda wanted to sit down and think about it, but I also had some work to do, so I folded it up, stuffed it in my pocket, then did my captain-ing duties for a few hours.That mostly meant double-checking our heading, making sure that the few repairs we'd done were in good order, and ensuring that everyone was doing their job. That wasn't too hard, I had the best crew ever and they were all very responsible and didn't slack off when it was their turn to do something.It wasn't until well after supper that I had time to think about the list again. I told Clive to take the night off, I had so much energy at the moment that I was sure I could stay behind the wheel until the early hours of the morning, and the old bird deserved a few hours of rest for putting up with me and my friends.So, as the sun set, I found myself behind the ship's wheel. The Beaver's engine rumbled beneath me, but it wasn't being pushed at all. There was a slight wind from the east, one that was surprisingly warm... or maybe not so surprisingly warm if it had come from over the Ostri desert.I locked the ship's wheel in place using a little metal latch that Awen had tinkered up. This way the rudder would keep pointing us ahead and slightly to the left, to counteract the easterly wind. I was keeping an eye on the compass too, in case I had to make some minute adjustments as we went.Fortunately, it was a pretty clear evening, with only a few puffball clouds overhead, and the stars were plainly visible already. It was easy to pick a constellation out ahead and with a squint I could have the duck figureheads at the front lined up with a particular star.I pulled out the list from my pocket and unfolded it. There were... twenty-four potential skills on the list. I had room for four general skills, and a single spot for a Wonderlander skill. So I had to chop the list down by quite a bit.Pinching my tongue between my lips, I ran through the list and crossed out a few skills that I was pretty sure weren't super suitable for me. I started with Amaryllis' skills, since they were at the top.Meditation got the chop. It wasn't that I couldn't picture myself meditating, it was just that I had such a busy life that finding the time to do it would be hard. Plus, it seemed like something that went counter to my goals of having as much fun with my friends as possible. Unless we did group meditation? Hmm, no, I couldn't picture everyone being into that.Mana Regeneration, however, was staying on the list. It was the kind of thing that was just handy to have, really.Danger Sense could stay on there too. There was a lot of utility there, not just for fighting, but for everyday stuff too. Maybe it would warn me if something I was about to eat would upset my tummy, or maybe it would let me know about a dangerous person that I had to be careful while befriending?Common Sense was nice and all, but I was worried that it might interfere with my Wonderlander abilities. Besides, if I wanted some sort of sense, then I probably didn't want it to be common. At least uncommon would be alright, but I'd settle for rare or legendary a lot faster.Next to be crossed out was Time Management. It wasn't that bad of a skill, really, but I didn't see a practical use for it. If I was ever going to be late for something then Amaryllis would let me know... at length and with great gusto. Caprica and Awen were also very punctual people, and it wasn't like I was all that bad with stuff either. Sure, I got distracted sometimes, but not always.So that was one more crossed off the list.Orange's suggestions were... well... Sunbathing was nice and all, and it was true that sitting down on a porch on a day where it was just a bit chilly outside, maybe with a thin blanket on while the sun warmed you up, was one of the nicest, comfiest feelings-but I wasn't sure I needed an entire skill for it.Murder as a skill was also not something I was too keen to have. It was something I hoped that I would always be very reluctant to even consider, and definitely not something I wanted to be good at.Petting... alright, that could stay for now. I wasn't sure if it would make it to the shortlist, but being better at it couldn't hurt! Imagine how happy the next dog I met would be if I had supernatural ear-scritching abilities?If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Next were Calamity's suggestions. Laugh in the Face of Death actually got an underline. I didn't know how I would even start to get that skill, but it seemed like it would be a fun one. Would it stop me from being afraid? Would it make me stronger when I was in danger? I didn't know, but I wanted to know more about it, and I was willing to do a pinch of research to find out!Getting the skill might be the trickiest part with this one, but I didn't mind overly much. Plus Calamity might be able to help!Swashbuckling was a nice second contender. I wasn't sure what the skill did exactly, but I imagined it would help me fight on an airship, maybe give me some skills with a cutlass or help me strut around like a fearsome sky pirate!Never Miss was a third great skill from Calamity. I wasn't sure if it was a great skill for me in particular since I wasn't a dedicated ranged fighter, but it might help me in those cases where I did have to fight from afar. I tended to use a scatter approach with my fireballs. This might help me use stronger ones without having to worry about wasting as much mana.And Never Miss seemed like a skill that had uses outside of fights or near-death situations.Caprica only had one skill on her list, but it was a doozy. Thick Skin looked like something that would probably be fairly easy to unlock, and it had so many uses! I could imagine being impervious to insults and people making fun of me! That would be so incredibly powerful.Also, having skin that was literally thicker might be nice too. I tended to not get hurt too often, but scrapes and bruises and boo-boos happened. I'd gotten some rope burn the other day, and a cut on my shin. Not to mention a few scrapes here and there. Those were the price I paid for an active lifestyle, and it would be nice if I could just... not have those.I did worry about the skill making my skin less soft. What if it became all calloused and leathery? One of the great pleasures in life was smushing your cheek against someone else's in the middle of a hug, and would I lose that if my cheeks weren't as soft and smooth?I still really liked the skill. It got an underline too!Desiree's Grace Under Pressure got underlined right after. It seemed like a neat skill to have, and again, there were uses in and out of combat. I wasn't one to fumble over my words when worried or stressed, but having an extra boost for that kind of situation wouldn't hurt. And I suspected that it also made me a bit more flexible, or at least graceful, during fights too, at least when they got tough.Unfortunately, Etiquette and Tail Maintenance got the cross-out-of-doom. I didn't really think I needed a skill for etiquette. The best etiquette was just being nice. And my floofball of a tail was kept clean and properly floofy already.Booksie had given me a heap of skills to pick from, but a few felt a little wrong. Harebrained, Buns of Steel, and Hopping Mad didn't call out to me. Bun in the Oven was neat if it helped with baking, but we didn't even have an oven on the Beaver. That left Haredevil, which did sound pretty neat.Would it help me pull off cool stunts? If so, then it was totally worth considering, at the very least.That left Rhawrexdee's skills, and all three of them were actually super-duper good. Hoarding would help me make and keep more friends. Flight was flight. Draconic Confidence... well, I probably didn't need the confidence to be draconic but it was still nice to feel certain in yourself.I nodded and looked at my list again.Amaryllis
— Meditation
— Mana Regeneration— Danger Sense
— Common Sense
Awen
— Time Management
— Basic MechanicsOrange
— Sunbathing— Murder
— PettingCalamity— Laugh in the Face of Death— Swashbuckling— Never MissCaprica— Thick SkinDesiree— Graceful Under Pressure
— Etiquette— Tail Maintenance
Booksie
— Harebrained
— Haredevil
— Buns of Steel— Hopping Mad— Bun in the Oven
Rhawrexdee— Hoarding— Flight— Draconic Confidence... Well, thirteen was less than what I started with, at least?
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Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty-Two — Get a Second Opinion
Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty-Two — Get a Second Opinion "Will you remain seated here?" Desiree asked.I opened my mouth to answer, but instead of anything coherent, a big old yawn escaped. About halfway through, I decided to just let it all out until my jaw cracked. I brought a hand up to cover my mouth, but it was a little late. "S-sorry," I said."Ah, the reason you're here is because you're too tired to evacuate back to your rooms," Desiree said with a knowing nod. "I shall carry you, then, like a princess in one of those sordid tales!"I giggled. "No thank you! I don't need to be princess-carried to bed just yet. Though I guess I am a little tired."The remains of breakfast were laid out on the table before me. Toast and oatmeal porridge and some tea for those who had just woken up. As for me, well, this was more like a very very late supper, or a second super early lunch, maybe.Being up all night long kind of rattled my sense of time a little. "I should go to bed," I said."Ah, but something holds you back?" Desiree asked with a knowing nod. "You haven't done your nightly ablutions, then?""Hmm? Oh, no, those are easy. I just use Cleaning magic on myself, then swish some around in my mouth. It's not the same as brushing my teeth-no minty taste-but it works well enough." I was kind of terrified of getting cavities. Even though I was sure there were people with the Dentist class out there, most little towns mainly relied on their barbers to handle tooth problems. Hopefully, enough Cleaning magic would let me avoid the entire issue."I suppose you're the one keeping the ship so absurdly clean?" Desiree asked. She reached a tail over to the top of a shelf and ran the tip along the edge. Her tail returned, entirely dust-free."I kinda leak Cleaning magic all over," I admitted. "I think it might be good practice? And it's not like Cleaning magic is harmful. At least, I hope it isn't! It keeps the ship nice and clean, and I think everyone is happy that they don't need to do the laundry or scrub out the toilets.""Perfectly understandable," Desiree said."It doesn't keep things organised though," I said. "If you leave stuff all over, then it'll be clean, but it'll still be out of place. So we need to make some effort to put things away."She nodded along. "Are you going to stay awake to continue expounding on the glories of Cleaning magic?""Huh? Oh, yeah, I should be going to bed. But I've got too much thinking to do. I can't decide.""Decide on what? Are you still, perchance, working out which skills to obtain?" she asked. Desiree could be surprisingly astute at times. She stared at me, tails swishing behind her."Yeah," I said. "I shortened my list a lot. Then I rewrote it. Did you want to see?"She shrugged a shoulder, then watched as I tugged my new list from a pocket and set it on the table.— Mana Regeneration— Danger Sense— Basic Mechanics— Petting— Laugh in the Face of Death— Swashbuckling— Never Miss— Thick Skin— Graceful Under Pressure— Haredevil— Hoarding— Flight— Draconic ConfidenceDesiree looked at the list for a while, then squinted. "I recognize none of these words."I blinked, then looked at the list myself. I supposed that with how tired I was, I'd written it in plain English. So I grabbed it, thought of the local language, and tried my best to focus as I rewrote the whole thing so that Desiree could understand it.My Riftwalker abilities were weird. Strange that they weren't a skill or anything. "So, these are... thirteen skills that you must pick from?""That's right," I said. "And I only have four general slots and one for Wonderlander," I said. "So obviously I need to trim it down a heap.""Petting?"I flushed. "Alright, maybe I can cut that one," I said. "But I felt bad dismissing everyone's suggestions so I wanted to keep at least one from each friend, at least through the first round of cuts!"Desiree shook her head. "You are a silly bun.""No I'm not," I grumbled."I think you'll find that upon further observation, you are in fact the silliest bun aboard this vessel.""There's only two of us," I said."Yes, and the other is literally about to marry a dragon after only knowing him for some scant weeks. And yet, somehow, you are still the silliest."Well, now I was pouting, and it was all her fault.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident."Come on, Captain Bunch, let's get you to bed. You can speak to me of your choices on the way over. A bit of discussion will certainly help." Desiree patted me on the shoulders as I stood up. "No no, leave the dishes. I shall see to them forthwith. Now, what's the reasoning behind the underlining of certain skills?""Oh, those are the ones that I thought would be the more interesting," I said. "Your Grace Under Pressure for example sounded really neat. Maybe a literal life saver, and it can be used in and out of combat.""I see. Is that important to you? Skills that are efficacious in both violence and peace?""I guess so," I said. We started through the corridor towards my room. "I don't really... well, maybe I do enjoy fighting, but more for the teamwork and the exertion than the actual fighting part. But when it happens, I'd like to be pretty good at it. The other option is to be pretty bad, and that's just not great.""A personal priority on personal safety is eminently reasonable," Desiree said. "I would counsel you to retain Mana Regeneration upon your shortened list. Such a skill improves the foundation upon which your magical prowess is built, and is therefore a prudent addition in any circumstance.""Okay," I agreed. That was probably going on my shorter shortlist either way."Danger Sense can stay as well, I suppose, though you do have friends with this skill already, do you not?""I do? Who?""Calamity and Caprica, I believe," Desiree said. "Do bear in mind that I speak only from personal observation, however. Possibly, they possess some related skill that grants similar effects.""Oh," I said. I hadn't seen that. Did they have the skill? It... probably made sense that they did, actually."Basic Mechanics... hmm, I suppose I see why you might want this. But to practice this one, it seems to me you shall have no choice but to tread on poor Awen's toes."I shook my head as I headed into my room. Desiree followed. "I thought it would be a nice excuse to spend some time with Awen.""Silly once more, Captain Bunch," Desiree said. "You can spend time with your dear friend regardless, and perhaps she'd find your cluelessness all the more endearing."I grumbled, but she wasn't wrong."Now, strip out of that armour whilst I search for your nightwear. Have no fear, I've seen worse than anything you might be hiding. Chop chop, or I'll give you a tail-lashing!"With how soft and fluffy her tails were, would that really be a punishment?Still, I took off my armour and then my gambeson, and finally tugged on the nightgown that Desiree gave me.I sat on my bed, the covers pulled back. "Now that I've moved, I'm not tired anymore," I complained."Hmph," Desiree said. "Well, we can go on. For one such as yourself, Petting is entirely without value. Yes, it would be nice to have someone pet my tails with all due skill, but your job is to captain the ship, not assuage my tail's ill humour."I sighed, but she was probably right."And now we come upon the first of the underlined skills. Laugh in the Face of Death? Well, I suppose that this isn't an ill choice. None of these are. Hmm hmm, Swashbuckling and Never Miss. Combat skills. I imagine you'll want to pick the one or the other.""Not both?" I asked.Desiree carefully shoved me onto my side, then she picked up my feet and slipped them onto the bed. "Certainly, there is nothing preventing you from striving to obtain them both. However, doing so would restrict your options. It appears to me that a number of these skills will likely only be available through the combination of smaller talents that you must first acquire. Naturally, that will be impossible if you secure too many other skills.""Urgh," I said.My pillow was fluffed and tucked under my head, then Desiree patted my ears out across the top of the pillow. "Are you awake enough to continue?""Mhm," I said."You don't sound very awake."I snuggled in deeper into the blankets. They were so warm... was Desiree warming them with magic? That wasn't fair. "I'm 'wake," I murmured with great determination."I see," Desiree said. Judging by the noise, she placed my list on the nightstand nearby. I couldn't see, on account of my eyes being closed.That was, until I heard a familiar noise from Mister Menu.Ding! For doing a Special Action in line with your Class, you have unlocked the skill: Snoozing!
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