As that mindset solidified within him, Joe heard a distinct *click*. The weave that he had been creating, the circuitry throughout his body, solidified. His mana began rumbling along the new pathway that he had created, and contrary to his expectations… the feeling of freedom that his mana was steeped in did not go away, but instead increased. It was strange, because all of the power was moving, but there was a feeling that it didn't need to move if it didn't want to do so.
As if it were… a different kind of non-Newtonian fluid? Gaseous and free-floating, but flowing along the channels created like a liquid while also carrying the potential to be structured into the ‘solid’ feel of a spell, the circuit revolved in his body. There was a clear starting point in the center of his heart. From there, it traveled down his legs, then up his body. When it got to his brain, time seemed to freeze for a long moment, and Joe felt a question coming. For the first time ever, he instinctively knew the system was about to speak to him, and was prepared.
You stand at a crossroad that loops upon itself and must directly choose the path you will walk upon. For the first time, you will know what lies at the end of each path. Do not be afraid to make a choice now. At your next specialization, you will need to walk the opposing path if you wish to progress further upon the road.
1) Mind over Matter. (Most suitable for your current characteristics) By breaking the Mortal Limit using only your mind, you will learn how to survive in energetic environments by simply reaching a state that allows you to move through the energy like a leaf in the wind, catching the gusts that you need in order to progress. As a fringe benefit, the mental characteristics (Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Luck) will be trainable twice per day.
2) Matter over Mind. By breaking the Mortal Limit using only your raw physicality, you will learn how to survive in energetic environments by smashing through the barriers that would keep you in place, surrounding yourself in that same energy and cutting through the energy like a ship sailing upon the sea. As a fringe benefit, the physical characteristics (Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, and Perception) will be trainable twice per day.
Joe looked at his stats and tried to make a decision. He did not know if choosing one over the other would allow him to get up on his feet right away, but he did know that his mental characteristics were far and away higher than his physical ones. If he took Mind over Matter, he was certain that he would be able to get up and get going much faster. However… the only time he had seen excitement on that Elf’s face was when he thought he was going to get a new ‘acquisition’. Joe didn't want to admit it, but he was a teeny tiny bit stubborn and potentially—just maybe—a little spiteful.
With that self-realization at the front of his thoughts, he chose Matter over Mind. The weave of power that was moving through his body shifted slightly, though it took him a few moments to realize exactly how it differed. The knots and whirlpools that had been created had shifted inward, no longer floating over the surface. Mana was sinking into his muscles, bones, tendons, and organs.
Matter over Mind has taken effect! This is not an active effect or title, but a state of the energy that flows through you. Checking for traits to absorb… one trait found!
Trait: Suppression Resistance. Current effect: Will grow as your power does and gives you a 50% resistance to stun, silence, and paralytic effects. Your mind has always been striving toward freedom, and your mana has taken on a bit of your resolve.
This trait will be absorbed into your matter. You can only choose how it evolves:
1) Suppression Resistance (mind and body). This will grant you 70% resistance to hostile stun, silence, paralysis, illusions, ensnaring sounds, and formations of the Journeyman rank or below.
2) Unsuppressed Growth. Choose one characteristic set (mental/physical) to feed into the other. The fed characteristics will gain floor(10%N) where N = the feeding characteristic.
Joe’s eyes widened fractionally, and he almost mentally slapped option two… but stopped himself. The system typically did not give two such wildly differing reward tiers. It seemed almost like this was a bait and switch, where the second option seemed incredibly better than the first. But, if he was correct in his assumption, the mind and body suppression resistance was being shown as equal in value to the unsuppressed growth. Joe realized that he did not know what the feeding or fed characteristics would be, or if he would get to choose them.
Once more, he was faced with a choice that could have long-term benefits, or something that would give him great power in the short-term and long term. He needed more information! How was he supposed to know what to do without proper time to go over the options, the pros and cons of both? With a mental shrug, he tried to boil it down. The question really became: which one would be better forever? Having ten percent of his intelligence added on to strength right now would take it from seventy-six to eighty-nine, and only ten—no! Five days of training would bring the stat to the next threshold!
But the things that had been added onto the suppression resistance… Joe had an intense gut feeling that ‘formations’, like those the Jester Assassins used, were something that the Dwarves would have in spades. Ensnaring sounds? That sounded distinctly Elven, if Joe was going directly by mythology. Either way, if he ended up facing off against one or both of these groups, he was certain that the suppression resistance would remain useful.
Joe had one final thought, one that made the choice for him. The fact of the matter was that,
