Chapter 305: The Ninth Skill

Chapter 305: The Ninth Skill

Jin woke against the stall wall at half past one, with a crick in his neck and Flicker standing on his knee.

"Ow."

She fluffed her feathers and settled more comfortably.

Glitch lay opposite him, chin on his bedding, watching. Through the bond came a small questioning nudge. Jin had been excited all morning, fallen asleep without explaining why, and apparently that was unacceptable.

"I know. Let me get up first."

He eased Flicker onto her perch, fed them both, and carried his phone upstairs to room 311. His thumb hovered over the Inventory entry he had checked twice before falling asleep.

[Inventory — Astral Skill Book: Gravity Press]

[Compatibility — Glitch: high]

[Use on avatar?]

Two hundred and forty-two attempts. He wanted to press it immediately.

Instead, he opened Glitch’s skill panel.

[Astral Skills: 8]

[Species-foundation capacity (Silver): 8]

Jin sat on the bed. Harden, Tremor Sense, Lesser Regeneration, Corrosion Resistance, Acid Breath, Draconic Dread, Rending Dragon Claw, Faultline Rush. He counted them again, although the number was hardly going to change because he wanted it to.

His instructor had called capacity a soft limit. An exceptional foundation could support more, but learning the additional skill was only the beginning. Holding and repeatedly using it placed greater demands on the Astral Core.

Glitch’s foundation had survived an evolution that still made Doyen ask questions. That gave Jin a reason to try, not permission to ignore the cost.

He looked at the compatibility line once more, remembered waiting helplessly beneath Sablecourt’s kestrel, and selected the book.

[Skill book consumed.]

[Avatar skill acquired: Gravity Press]

[Effect: briefly increases downward gravity within a small targeted area at medium range.]

[Integration sustained. Expanded skill load detected.]

Jin let out the breath he had been holding.

"All right. Show me."

He took the avatars into an empty stretch of quarry gallery and used loose stones to mark distances.

The first cast missed Flicker completely. A circle of dust settled sharply behind her while she continued along the floor, untouched.

I aimed where she was.

After a pause, he tried again, placing the patch ahead of her. Flicker ran into it. Her next stride shortened, her body tipped forward, and she caught herself with a wing.

"There," Jin said aloud. "There."

He glanced toward the closed door, embarrassed despite being alone.

Braced targets proved less satisfying. A worker lured into the test area lowered itself and endured the pressure until Glitch dealt with it. Holding the field for eleven seconds left the avatar breathing hard and brought up a warning.

[Astral Core strain: elevated]

Jin ended the test. He waited for the reading to settle before trying anything else.

The next cast lasted less than a second.

Flicker’s avatar crossed the marked space at speed. This time he waited until her leading foot was committed, then pulsed the ground beneath it. She stumbled, slid, and recovered beyond the patch.

The energy cost was much lower. The strain reading still rose, but only a little.

That might actually be enough.

He did not need to hold an opponent down for Glitch to reach it. Sometimes he only needed its next step to go wrong.

Across several short trials, separated by recovery, the difference became clear. Cast early and Flicker changed course. Cast against a balanced stance and she braced. Catch her during a committed movement and even a brief pulse spoiled it.

The patch stayed where Glitch formed it. It did not follow a target, and Glitch’s own steps grew heavy if he entered before it faded.

Then they tested flight.

At two meters, Flicker’s avatar dipped sharply under the extra weight and had to land. At five, she passed overhead without changing course. Jin marked the lower height and refused to count on anything beyond it.

A bird circling high would still be a problem. A bird coming down to strike would have to enter reach.

He watched the last trial again, imagining the kestrel’s low approach. This time, he could picture an answer.

At four, Jin put the phone away and walked real Glitch around the covered yard. He watched both forelegs, checked the old cuts, and tried not to turn every ordinary movement into evidence for the decision he wanted.

The delegation medic examined him at five.

"Gait’s even. Ribs aren’t tender anymore." She parted the plating around the last visible scrape. "His Lesser Regeneration has done well with these. Any trouble after exercise?"

"Nothing I’ve noticed. Could you check his recovery readings too?"

She did, then showed him the results.

They were comfortably within his usual range. Jin’s shoulders loosened.

"What are you planning?" she asked.

"A new skill. I want him properly recovered before we work on it."

"Then keep the first session short. Being healthy doesn’t mean he’s used to whatever you’re asking him to do."

Jin nodded. He could manage short. After three days of failed attempts, short sounded wonderful.

At nine, with Glitch fed and the stall gate shut, he opened the Sync panel.

[Sync — Glitch]

[Transferring: Astral Skill — Gravity Press]

[Confirm?]

Jin rested his hand behind the horn ridge.

"This might feel strange. We’re only trying a little afterward, all right?"

Glitch pressed into his palm.

The familiar warmth spread beneath the plating and lingered. Glitch closed his eyes, breathing slowly while Jin watched the monitoring display. Once, the reading climbed enough to make him lean forward. It steadied, then began to fall.

[Sync complete.]

[Astral Skill acquired: Gravity Press]

[Astral Skills: 9]

[Expanded skill load: monitor strain and recovery.]

His Rank and Quality had not changed. Neither had his weight. Glitch stood, shook himself, and knocked over the water bucket with his tail.

Jin caught it before it rolled into the bedding.

"Good start."

He waited until the readings settled, then placed an empty feed crate five meters away. There was clear floor around it and nothing fragile nearby.

"On the crate. Small."

Glitch stared at it. For a moment, Jin felt the beast searching through a movement he knew but had never performed in this body.

The lid clicked downward. Straw flattened around the crate, and a corner slat creaked.

The patch spread wider than intended, slightly left of the target. It vanished almost immediately.

Glitch turned to him, delighted.

"You nearly broke it." Jin crouched beside him, grinning anyway. "Yes, I saw. Well done."

Under his hand, a faint tremor passed through the shoulder.

He checked the display, then waited with his palm against the plating. The tremor eased. It was small, but it had followed a transfer and one imperfect cast; there would be no second test tonight.

"That’s enough."

Glitch’s head swung toward the crate.

"No. Tomorrow."

The disappointment through the bond was immediate and enormous. Jin sat against the wall, and Glitch pushed his muzzle into his chest until he had to laugh and brace himself.

"You got it. You don’t have to prove it twice."

Eventually Glitch settled with his chin on Jin’s thigh, accepting scratches as compensation. Flicker fluttered down from her perch, inspected the bucket, and perched on its rim.

Jin stayed there until his leg went numb. The crate was still standing across the stall, one corner slightly crooked.

Tomorrow they would work out the cost properly. Tonight, he kept looking at it and smiling.