This Ascent to Divinity is Lewder Than Expected

6.26 – A Disoriented Fox II

6.26 – A Disoriented Fox II

Rubbing her forehead, Delta walked back to the bed and plopped down, sinking a good half-foot into the overly plush mattress. She couldn't say she was stunned by the realization. Rosalie was obviously part of wayfaring high society; Delta had intuited that the moment they'd met. Those stupid sharp cheekbones and arrogant blue eyes alone would have given it away, much less the enunciated words and her total disdain for any wayfarer not meeting her ridiculously exacting standards.

But apparently she was so cozy with the upper class that Delta had been dragged into the actual d'Celestin Palace.

As a visitor. Or rather, temporary prisoner, presumably. Her attention flicked over toward the enormous closed double-doors leading out into the palace hallways. Delta hadn't tried to open them yet, but she had a sneaking suspicion she didn't have free-reign of the estate.

Well. Whatever. Prison break couldn't be that hard. It'd be interesting to see what the security of the d'Celestin palace was like.

First, Delta needed—and wanted—to see her new abilities. She'd appraised her direct surroundings and didn't feel immediately threatened. If admittedly she was dying with curiosity and a bit intimidated by what her future looked like. But she'd progressed in advancement, and, as any wayfarer, was itching to see what skill or skills she'd gotten.

Unlike Zoey, that ridiculous woman, Delta had only a single rune to check up on. Closing her eyes, she quested out for that block of information embedded onto her soul. Reading one's tabula anima was a skill that took some, if not much, practice. She couldn't believe Zoey still didn't know how. Though that was almost certainly to oblige her girlfriend's nosy nature. Delta snorted, remembering how eager Rosalie had been to peek in on Zoey's skills. Zoey probably didn't even realize how intimate that act was. Or maybe she did. They were gross like that.

Rune of Dual Strikes

[1]: Dual-wield: Bonus damage when wielding two daggers and scoring alternating strikes.

[2]: Twin Fangs: Left hand dagger applies bleed; right hand applies poison. When both effects are applied through [Backstab], amplify each debilitation.

[2]: Backstab: Attacking from the flank does bonus damage.

[3]: Fade Away: Drop aggression of all current targets and enter stealth. Emerge with an amplified attack.

[3:] Quick Step: Travel short distances quickly. If an immediate [Backstab] follows, deal bonus damage.

[4]: Shadow: Create a controlled illusion of yourself that can attack at half power.

Delta's eyebrows shot up.

A little shiver went down Delta's spine. A shadow clone of herself. Staring at her impassively. It was a little creepy.

Now the hard part. Controlling her.

She couldn't explain exactly how she did it. With the summoning of the clone, a second set of instincts had implanted into Delta's brain. Mentally reaching out, she seized control of the clone's arm and told it to rise. In front of her, the shadow outstretched her arm, palm facing up, held horizontally. Delta gave her fingers a few wiggles.

"Weird."

Reaching out—physically this time—Delta grabbed her own hand. She was both shocked and not shocked to find that the shadow had physical substance. She gave a squeeze, feeling soft skin press against her own. Fully tangible. The shadow didn't react to her experiments.

She moved into more complicated motions. Drawing her dagger. Slashing the air. Prowling forward, low to the ground, making as little noise as possible. Then she tried joining the shadow's movements with her own, moving both their bodies at the same time. That was many times more difficult.

The mental commands took fairly significant amounts of concentration, so she would need lots of practice before she could control it in a real scenario while acting in her own body as well. Maybe at some point it would become subconscious. But in time, she was confident she would achieve a level of control that would make the shadow a lethal asset in combat. Attacks from unexpected angles, flanking maneuvers, distraction, and misdirection—the tactical options were endless.

Nodding in satisfaction, Delta ceased her brief experiments. The shadow was an incredible addition to her skill set. She couldn't have asked for a better upgrade.

Then, perhaps inevitably, Delta's thoughts wandered somewhere else.

A clone of herself.

A physical one.

Which she could control.

Oh, shit.

Forget the combat possibilities. Delta had a million other ideas.