Transferable Skills

Reporters yelled back, "Explain what just happened then!"

"We are looking into it!"

"Don't try to hide what just happened! Why did Rah awaken?"

"We. Don't. Know." A man with two wooden staffs arrived at the scene, creating a large bubble that guarded the floor. A dense barrage of magic and artifacts envelopes him but a single swipe of his staff blew them away, hitting the people.

Underground, a hundred creatures crawled out from their test tubes, much to the surprise of the guarding monks. Those who could, instantly called upon their gear to cover themselves. Entire spears and magic items flew from all over the world, breaking walls and tearing out the ground. One rectangular shield with a large circle carved into the side trembled under the microscope of an old analyst and glowed red.

"Oh, my!"

The shield broke away from the glass casing it was in and shattered the old man's wooden door, flying into the distance, past trees and mountains, gaining speed the entire way through. It finally flew all the way to Rah and tore through the ground between the monks and fighting hunters, stopping the fight while ripping a hole all the way down for everyone to see. The shield's speed and strength withstood all the metal and rocks in the way, creating a blackened hole from the hundred to the hunters.

The hunters and monks stared down while the hundred looked up at each other for a few seconds before the hundred went, flying, running, jumping, or otherwise, up the hole, each scattering and hovering in the sky.

"What is going on?" Skwil asked.

"I don't know," Rustran whispered, "but I think those orbs are recording us."

Kezmerald called for his own weapon and a pair of translucent golden wings fluttered down to him.

Miles away, Emma jolted up from her slumber. 'His presence…' she muttered, 'but how? I have to go see!'

She jumped on her map eagle and soared off.

Zeeth wrapped all his jubilant slimes around him, happily and comfortably getting back into position like usual. He thought back to the lessons he was taught during the year, 'make sure his slimes were happy, not just adequate.'

His connections to his slimes had grown immensely during the year, strengthening the connection shared by the skill and allowing each more power. Zeeth was able to make his body more water-like and the slimes had grown noticeably smarter.

He closed his eyes and sent out a massive wave of mana as well as Animo, sending all that he could. There was a large cluster of mana above him and a hole leading from one room straight above. Using water and magic he bolted to the hole as fast as he could, rooms and hallways passing by in a blur, with Black telling him, 'hey while you were gone I made your body become a pile of water for a minute.'

'How did you have control over my body? I thought it was only if I gave you permission.'

'I suppose if you're dead then it doesn't matter. Contracts are nullified if either party can't participate.'

He burst out the entrance, flying out like a missile. The hunters were blown back by a gust of wind while the hundred held their grounds. Page, Nadaho, and the rest appeared from below, each jumping their way up and landing next to him.

"Dude, we thought you were dead."

"Yeah, apparently, people don't die when they enter. It was made as a trap to steal strong people."

Reporters were having a field day, yelling into their orbs, "he-he's come back! As well as all our previous heroes, that's Kezmerald! He looks exactly as he does in his images, and that's Rustran! And… he seems to be talking to Ifgizan, the two leaders of rival nations!"

"Hey, did you hear that?" Rustran asked Ifgizan, "I think the two nations are still alive."

"Sounds like it. We better go back soon to our people."

"And quell the fighting." Rustran smiled, fisting bumping Ifgizan.

"They are all alive! Is this a dream?!" people were yelling.

The hundred reacted differently. Upon seeing Zeeth they all crowded around him to thank and congratulate him for getting them out.

Skwil jumped on his head and sat down, "wow, look at this place. It's VASTLY different from my time, even the gear on these hunters have changed." she sincerely told him, "Thanks for getting us out. We probably owe you our lives."

"Yeah, no problem. I needed to leave anyway."

"What is going on?" a massive eagle soared down from the sky and a lady jumped down, a woman hollered from above, "Pishku, I thought I said…"

Pishku, the name of the head monk, held his hands up and backed away but she soon stopped yelling at the monks and looked past Zeeth.

"Emma?" Zeeth asked.

"Mom?"

"Kez? Zeeth? What… how…"

Zeeth wanted to explain but he stepped back and watched the scene unfold. Emma approached Kez and caressed his face, tears welling in their eyes. "Are you...real?"

"Mom," Kez whispered, "Yeah, yeah I'm real." he held her hand, "I can't believe it, after all this time."

"You can't believe that your mother waited for you for a hundred years?" she smiled, hugging him tightly. The tears fell down her face as she closed her eyes and leaned against his chest. Her massive map eagle hopped in and covered them in its wings, protecting them from the others during a moment that is considered a vulnerable situation.

Reporters recorded the entire situation in silence, everyone waiting for the eagle to open up.

However, not too far away, Gror had fallen to the ground, his head covered in wet blood while carrying Thraz in his arms. Gror has grown considerably, his arms were twice as thick as before and easily large enough to carry Thraz and more. Behind him, water whipped out and froze, slashing down at him and plunging into the floor when he burst forward to dodge it. From the darkness of the hallway, he was running from, Yemisia burst forward using water from her eyes to move around at incredible speed. Her eyes and upper face were turning blue, tiny horns grew from her head and she laughed insanely. Every hearty laugh caused water to collect and form a ball in her mouth that shot forward and burst against the wall.

Zeeth was being barraged with questions, orbs being shoved in his face, and reporters fighting to climb over each other and to him.

"Are you the real Zeeth?"

"What happened a year ago? Did you hide your death intentionally?"

"Why did you stay silent for a year?"

"How did you get out? how did everyone get out? Tell the people the answers they want!"

He had to defend himself from being physically pulled and pushed while trying to answer their questions but his annoyance was building up. He began considering blowing up and blasting them away but his sensible side told him to remain calm and get out safely. His year of training with the monks had taught him to only act in defense of oneself or others and not personal gain.

He stood, noises bombarding him and going in between pushing them away and simply talking. Stuck between the two, he felt a skill activate on his arm. On his shoulders, magic pooled together involuntarily and he saw two things, his right shoulder had a small chubby red demon with the typical features of a demon from his homeworld, red and black leathery wings and black horns, while on his left shoulder he saw a typical angel, a tiny chubby being with features of a human with a pair of large feathery wings and a bright yellow halo.

'What in the...'

But no one else seemed to have noticed them. The reporters kept pushing their orbs and annoying questions, even into and through the angel and devil.

Hundreds of elves and dwarves ran away or huddled in little spaces, trying to avoid the dangers of Yemisia and Yem. The demon situated herself on the tallest building, a new structure the two sides built in order to show the collaboration between the two races. A large bow with a hammer placed as the arrow, but the building was now in shambles and drenched in water.

Leia hid under a trapdoor with Alba. She glared at Yem sitting arrogantly atop the tower until rage finally took over and she tried to run at Yem but Alba grabbed her hand. "Mom, I can do this! If I can touch her, I can make her confused and leave!"

"Leia, I know you can. But I can't risk you, you are too important right now. You are the only person I can entrust my prophecies to."

"Mom, your prophecies are yours."

"No." she shook her head, "It's a Transferable Skill. I can pass it onto any female descendant, you are my one and only daughter."

For a moment, her anger was replaced by confusion. "Mom, what?"

"A transferable skill, I can teach you how to read and understand the prophecies, but you must be alive in order for this to live on. I am too old for any more children and we're in too much danger not to tell you this."

Zeeth felt where the skill activated. He wanted to take a look but the reporters would record and publish his skills so he used Animo to feel it and noticed a new tattoo on his shoulder, under his other two, a small yellow and black square depicting the face and feathery wings of a yellow silhouette and the red, leathery wings and horned face of a demon.

[Angel and Demon. A transferable skill (transfer information currently hidden). When you have to face a horribly difficult decision that you can't decide between, the skill will activate. On your left shoulder, an angel will appear, and on your right, a demon.

The angel whispers to you what you think is morally right and your devil will whisper what would treat you personally the best. If you choose the angel, it will grant you Holy powers. These give you a great emotional and motivational boost and a crazy adrenaline rush that allows you to overcome your limits hundreds of times. The harder the decision, the greater the boost. It also brings you closer to being a heavenly being, blessing you with a holy light straight from an angel that doesn't go away. It is a very, very minuscule amount, but with enough, you can eventually gain incredible powers.

If you choose to side with the demon and move with those actions, it will grant you incredible strength straight from the devil. It will leave you with a part of the devil's aura. It's a very small amount but it stays forever .]

The angel gently whispered, 'please, talk this through. We both know answering all this with words will help you in the future. Being on the good side or reporters and the general will assist in ruling the world.'

The demon whispered raspily, 'hey, just blow them all away. How easy will that be, huh? And how fun will that be? Just destroy their orbs and maybe even kill them later, no one will know. It's much better than having to suffer this hell.'

'This doesn't help me at all.'

'It's not supposed to.' they both whispered, we just offer you both sides and let you choose.'

'What happens if I choose neither?'

'Like what? What other choices are there?' they said in unison.

'This isn't just some video game. I can just fly away.'

'That would be closer to my option.' the demon said.

'And answer them all in one speech.'

'That would be like mine.' the angel whispered.

'It would be the best of both worlds. Can I do that?'

'We don't know.' they said, 'we are manifestations of your mind. We only know as much as you know.'

It seemed this is what Zero meant by his brother choosing exclusively demon powers. He always went the demon's route? So Zero seemed to have generally gone the angel's route. Both sides offered powers of equal and opposite power, the angel's holy light seemed to hold the same power as the demon's aura.

Yem pointed her finger like a gun and blasted a metal house to smithereens.

"Leia, hold your hand out and close your eyes. Try to feel the energy collecting at the bottom of your stomach." Alba held her hand gently and closed her hand as well. A light purple glow shone from her hands and Leia's eyes glowed red. She could feel energy swirling within her stomach like never before. The glow erupted from her mouth from the pits of her stomach and noises she didn't understand slithered out.

'I suppose… I will go my route. Sacrifice this one for answers,' Zeeth thought. He jumped into the air, surprising the reporters and especially Skwil who still sat on his head. He couldn't fly himself but Leaf absorbed enough wind magic from Faber's item to generate wind and allow him to float. He yelled down to them, "Yes, I was presumed dead a year ago. I am that exact Zeeth and I came today to kill Rah. We did break out of Rah's mind today and I am declaring, it will no longer awaken. Any other question is off-limits or will be answered with time."

With that, he flew off with the winds Leaf generated, blowing onto the reporters and causing them to look away. As he was in the air, the angel and demon both swirled around, the angel split into yellow strands of mana and the demon became red, changing until they were both spheres with the same properties except one was yellow and the other red. They both whispered at the same time, "we both accept what you've done and have decided that your actions embody both our values. Yet not all the way, so you may only take a portion of both of our abilities."

They evaporated and mixed into a bright orange sphere with the same size as either one, meaning they each lost half their mana and he felt some of their mana being absorbed by his body from either side. But after they permeated his skin, he felt not much different from before. "I thought I got some kind of energy boost from that."

"You are supposed to," Zero said. He could hear Zero's voice in his head and he nearly fell from the sudden voice.

"Zero?!" Zeeth and Black said simultaneously.

"Hello, Black what a surprise to see you here. But the important thing is Zeeth. That skill is meant to help you in serious situations, yet you activated it then."

"Seriousness is relative to each person. How are you here anyway?" Black questioned.

"After I gave you the skill I left a portion of myself with the skill so I may see what you will do when the skill activates and whether or not I would have to kill you. But what a curious choice. I've never seen anyone do that before. Well, then again only my brother and I have ever held the ability."