Rise of the Omnimage

A year had gone by as Sorin worked hard at breaking through the barrier the collar generated to separate a user from aether and the main functions of the system. He had passive access to his skills, which helped him reach his daily quota every single day even when he was sabotaged by the guards by having him placed in a thought barren part of the mines.

It had gotten easier to push through the barrier to gain access to a small part of his powers and didn't feel like his head was going to burst from effort anymore.

He was down in the mine working toward his quota pressing through the barrier when a loud group of people came down the mine. Sorin didn't think anything of it, as he usually was never bothered by other miners. Unfortunately this time was different.

The guy in the front of the group, a large ogre who didn't seem like he had any issues with nutrition unlike so many others, stepped forward.

"You.. Sorin? Yes?" He said in a deep voice.

Sorin turned around setting down his pickaxe. "You got it in one! What can I do for you?" He replied projecting nothing but friendly intentions to the group.

"We couldn't help but notice, you ALWAYS have your quota. We think you might have found a stash of ore. Nobody is THAT good." The ogre said.

Kyrain didn't think anything of it, he went in, used his newest sense of metal and found pockets of the ore, dug it out with his full strength stat and got done for the day.

He had gotten careless in his pursuit of working through the collar and routine.

"No stash fellas, just mining as you can see." He said as he gestured to the wall he was burrowing through for the pocket of ore he could sense a few feet further in.

"You lie." The ogre said stepping forward and grabbing the filthy scraps of fabric he called clothes.

Sorin reached up, grabbed the man's hand and with whatever his full strength stat was, as Sorin could not tell, he twisted and removed the man's hand.

*Crack! Crunch!*

The bones in th3 ogre's hand, wrist, and arm broke and crunched as Sorin drastically underestimated the difference in their strength.

The man bellowed in agony and cradled his arm close to his body.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen. I just wanted to remove your grip and used my full strength on account of your stereotypical high physcial stat your race is known for." Sorin quickly explained as the group looked at him first with suprise then with anger.

This situation had taken a very bad turn and Sorin was now wondering if he was about to deal with a sort of prison mob attack. He began to prepare for true combat mentally and spiritually. He felt around for anything around him and senses metal ore in the packs of some of the members of the seven strong group.

It would do.

"Kill him!" Came the command from the agonized ogre. There was no hesitation from the seemingly second in command.

Until he stopped abruptly. He reached up to his chest then a few moments later had his eyes roll back into his head and fell forward without even the smallest attempt to catch himself.

The group looked around completely shocked and stunned.

Sorin spoke acting with suprise. "What?!" He looked around affecting an afraid look on his face. He took steps back as if something came out of nowhere.

*Thud!* from the back of the group, another body hit the floor causing the group to scatter.

"We are being attacked you fools!" The leader shouted. They all turned and faced the direction they had come, thinking the threat was coming from where they had come from.

Sorin had taken a gamble on the majority of the group having problems reasoning due to the lack of quality food and the collars and it looked like it was a good bet. Ogres are not exactly known for their intelligence and once he was in pain, that lack of intelligence should have dropped further and he was right.

Sorin, grabbing his pickaxe, silently stepped away.

"Stop! You're not going anywhere you rat." The ogre said surprisingly noticing Sorin was trying to leave.

"You guys head down that way and find the one we will gut like a fish later while I deal with this waste of air." With an evil grin the leader walked heavily toward Sorin who kept slowly moving backward away seemingly afraid.

The others went in the other direction away from them, setting things up nicely. They went around a small bend, then Sorin dropped the act.

"You're not very intelligent coming alone." Sorin said coldly. "The two that died, were by me."

With a flex of his will Sorin manipulated the ore into the leather pack of the ogre causing it to elongate into a spikes that he sent first through the spine and then through the heart.

The ogres legs collapsed under him and he fell forward on his hands as he felt his racial regeneration trying to keep him alive, but it wouldn't help. Sorin left a chunk of ore in his heart.

He wasn't cruel though, with a swing, Sorin brought down his pickaxe on the head of the ogre ending his suffering before running off deeper into the tunnel.

- later -

Sorin stopped after what he thought was an hour of moving through the tunnels. He sat down. He had been thinking about everything not just as he was dealing with the group, but as he moved deeper into the mine.

He had food and water issues, but got thinking. Why did people actually need to eat and drink?

He sat down and looked inward as he always did when he had an idea for self-modification or skills. He took in aether like he did for his usual regeneration and focuses on his fat cells. He began to add to his fat reserves by manipulating the frequency of the regeneration of cells. Once he was done, the skill snapped back to the regular skill he was used to. Unfortunately, he wouldn't actually stop being hungry, but he wouldn't starve if he always had a reserve of fat. It would be very miserable, but he wouldn't die of starvation. Water on the other hand, would be an issue.

Water did far too many things in the body and he needed a way to get more. He looked at the half full water skin he kept on him. He needed to find a source of more. This was never an issue before, because water was always available. He thought for a second then remembered something.

"Duh!" He exclaimed to himself facepalming.

He opened his sense up again and looked at the motes of water aether in the air. He condensed them and controlled them. No matter where Sorin went there was moisture in the air a lot or a little it was always there.

He continued down the tunnel with a huge problem mostly solved. He was in for some misery with hunger, but wouldn't die from it. He can use it as a mental training method.

- Later -

Sorin found a larger cavern deep in the mines where he was certain nobody have been for an extremely long time. He sat down and prepared to get back to work getting the collar's effect all but nullified on him.

He would drink, restore his internal energy reserves, and train his skills by fighting his way through the collar and using what he could. The pain got easier and easier. Many times through mental exertion and spiritual exertion he would get bloody noses or pass out from aether exhaustion until finally one day.

Aether minimum achieved!

System HUD restored.

*bleep!*

*bleep!*

*bleep!*

*bleep!*

*bleep!*

*bleep!*

*bleep!*

Sorin opened up his notifications.

Congratulations!

By absorbing metal aether you have gained the affinity. Path has changed from Stormbringer to Elementalist. Elementalists are born from the ability to use three or more elements. Rare across the universe, generally deployed against major beast outbreaks and the greatest of battles.

Congratulations!

Your skill Storm sense has changed to Elemental sense. It retains all effects from previous skill with the added ability to sense elements within the earth primarily metals with extremely weak earth.

Congratulations!

Your skills storm manipulation has been changed to Element Manipulation with the addition metal and weak earth affinity.

Congratulations!

You have achieved Tier 5 in all stats.

Congratulations!

You have achieved tier 6 in mind and spirit.

Congratulations!

Your skill Minor artificial gravity resistance has become Artificial Gravity resistance and now offers higher levels of resistance against artificial forms of gravity.

Congratulations!

You have achieved tier 7 in mind and spirit!

Sorin dismissed the notifications and pulled up his HUD for the first time in what felt like forever.

Name: Sorin Ekart

Path: Elementalist

AP: 77820/104000

Body: 680/1000(T5)

Mind: 1220/2000 (T7)

Spirit: 1000/2000 (T7)

Abilities:

1. Greater Elemental sense (p)/(a) - sense elemental aether more clearly around you with the ability to look closer or further at a target depending on aether expenditure. Adjusting the view of your elemental sense shifts skill from passive (p) to active (a).

2. Elemental manipulation (a) - You can manipulate elemental aether in your immediate vicinity. May cause minor interference with another's NAF. (Natural Aether Field)

3. Ignition(a) - You can create fire from the aether around you. Intensity of the flames depends on environmental factors, will power, and aether control.

4. Absorption(a) - using your connection to the world you have discovered a way to draw in ambient aether. Normally you have to rely eating in order to replenish your internal aether reserves, but no longer.

5. Aether revival(p/a) - A regeneration skill that restores the aether lost within your body. As cells become damaged they lose energy. This skill replenishes that energy for AP. Can increase the rate of regeneration through increased aether flow.

6. Aether Reaver(a) - Forcefully rip Aether from another being and add it to your own. Caution: someone of a much higher tier may be able use this to destroy your own channels and core.

7. Aether conversion(p) - all is Aether. Through your understanding of this foundational principle you may now convert all forms of Aether into the form that best suits you.

6. Aether Reaver(a) - Forcefully rip Aether from another being and add it to your own. Caution: someone of a much higher tier may be able use this to destroy your own channels and core.

7. Aether conversion(p) - all is Aether. Through your understanding of this foundational principle you may now convert all forms of Aether into the form that best suits you.

8. Artificial Gravity resistance(p) - By being exposed to and absorbing an artificial gravity aether, you have obtained a passive resistance to unnatural gravity aether exerted upon you.

9. Spirit Artificer(a) - You have an understanding of aether and can mend, adjust, and build channels and cores of other beings recognized by the system who have cores.

Sorin smiled huge. He had nothing but time now to train and get stronger. He needed to keep pushing at the collar. He was convinced there were different collars out there and perhaps some were probably much stronger for higher tier users. He NEVER wanted to feel powerless again and he wouldn't.

He wasn't going to leave these tunnels until he was sure he could crush absolutely everyone in this place.