Second Chance: Atlantis 341 Book 1 Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Asteria used that moment of disbelief and wonder to look around the System integration room at the other people in the room, embarrassed that what she had considered to be so momentous, the claiming of her own identity, had been greeted with such little fanfare. 

She was surprised to find the room had changed. Instead of multiple desks with different people flickering in and out of existence as they selected a race and class, the room had transformed into an office. One with a two-sided desk. One side for her, one for the [System Administrator].

She had put off the existential crisis that had been straining to escape since she found herself back in her bedroom., back in the past and given a new start. But now that she had changed the course of her life, she allowed herself to relax, to think. To wonder what this was all about and how she fits into the scheme of things. 

The weight of knowing that her life would unfold in a drastically different manner than the last System integration had filled her with relief so immense that if the System would have allowed, she would have locked herself in her bedroom to sleep for a week.

The spiraling emotions. The out-of-control adrenaline as events unfolded. The spiraling loss of focus as she had moved from one event to another. The memory of the pain from being bound and whipped. The surprise at finding herself in the bedroom from her past. The re-initiation of the System integration.

The release of tension and fear that she had been living with for decades, the release of emotions that she had been forced to suppress, was euphoric. She allowed her mouth to relax, unclenching her teeth. As more of the tension drained away, she felt the relaxing of shoulder and neck muscles for the first time in so long that she couldn’t remember the last time she had truly relaxed. 

The ability to relax, if even for a second, for the first time in decades, almost brought her to tears. She savored these small changes, the release of the wariness she had been forced to learn to survive. That moment of freedom was cathartic.  For the first time since she could remember, she was able to let herself just be in the moment. 

That moment to really absorb and process what she was experiencing couldn’t last. Not with a  [System Administrator] watching, waiting to intervene, hiding behind the shape and form of that matronly professor. She had already proven it was willing to take action, to force a choice on her by interfering with the selection process and forcing her to move on to the next step in this new life.

She was relieved that the [Administrator’s] action had ended well, but she had no illusion that the being had cared one way or another what the result of her interference might be. The [Administrator] didn’t have the same emotional experience or understanding to care. She was the embodiment of the System, and the System was all things logical and orderly. 

Finally, looking at the monitor, she focused on the new prompt.

[Select Class…

It was the prompt she’d expected, but the choices offered were beyond anything she’d hoped for. There were pages of classes to choose from. The standard Class trope that anyone would expect in a newly integrated world: Warrior, Mage, Thief, Healer. And each of those classes expanded into specialized versions: Guardian, Warlock, Assassin, Druid. 

But Asteria wasn’t interested in any of the standard classes or even any of the branching classes that might be available as subcategories for those standard Classes. She intended to take advantage of the inherent bonuses that came with her race, from both races. There were enough rare and esoteric Classes, Classes that no one on Earth would have ever heard of. That she was positive, she would find something unique. Something strong enough to ensure that she would never be enslaved again.

And so, she began sorting, adding keywords to the search field to refine the choices offered.

Psion.

Pet.

Technology.

Range.

Illusion.

Each term allowed her to filter the choices offered. Each word repopulated the screen before her, narrowing the choice of class offered until, finally, only three classes remained.

[Psy Bernetic… (Cybernetic)

[Psy Seelie… 

[Psy Pher… (Cypher)

[Psi Bernetic (Hybrid Class) - The Psi Bernetic class allows the individual to maximize Psionic abilities and control mechanical hardware and artificial intelligence more easily. The individual is adept at creating and piloting drones and can implant chip technology into animals and beasts to tame and control. This Class excels in both Melee and Range attacks.  Unlocks the Nano Tech Stat and Will.  +2 to Nano Tech +1 to Int per level +1 to Will per level.] 

[Psi Seelie (Pet Class) - The Psi Seelie class allows the individual to create a psychic network that may be augmented by either nature magic, telepathic skills, or/and an artificial neural link. This network allows the Psy Seelie to accept other individuals, animals, and beasts into a group, party, guild, bureaucracy, and raid settings where the many can coordinate and act under the direction of the one who formed the group. Excels at Range, support, and crowd control. Unlocks the Charm and Nano Tech Stat. +3 to Charm +2 to Int per level +1 to Nano Tech per level.]

[Psi Pher (Mentalist) - The Psi Pher class allows the individual to control illusions and enter dreams. They are adept at stealth, invisibility, and forming psi constructs. They have the ability to implant memories and emotions in targeted individuals. This ability allows them to overwhelm the defenses of and control, for a limited time, weaker individuals, animals, and beasts. This Class excels at Melee. Unlocks the Will and Charm Stat. +3 to Will +2 to Int +1 to Charm per level.]

The decision, even with only three choices left, was hard to make. It would help if there were more information about each class. She would have liked to have known what other stats might be available and if leveling or training allowed for free stats to be gained. She would have to make her decision based on her best guess. There was no way to tell what abilities and skills each class offered and how those skills could be gained or advanced.

Asteria decided to base her decision on the Mousekin race from her last life. It had the normal spread of stats: Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intelligence, Charisma, and Luck. Increasing each stat was done through a mix of free stats gained each time she leveled and by hard work.

Her Digger class did allow her to gain experience and level up, but even the experience from those labors finally petered out after she hit level ten. She would have needed to mine a higher quality ore or gem to begin gaining levels again, and the supervisor that controlled the mine was happy enough to keep her where she was.

Her years as a slave mining for ore and gems had allowed her strength and agility to advance quickly until she reached level ten, and the stats were capped until she broke into the next level. But the conditions she was housed in kept her vitality drained from a permanent debuff. One that seemed to stack as the years of slavery flowed one after another.

Asteria looked over her three choices a final time. If the Psi Bernetic offered the same stat increase per level, it would have been her choice without question. Losing two stat points at every level might not seem much of an issue, but those two points would add up. And there had been no mention of level limits.

And if this System integration was similar to the previous one, that difference in stat point distribution at higher ranks meant a great deal. The loss of those points was exponential. Asteria didn’t know for certain, but her gut was telling her that those points would make an even larger difference when crossing tiers. 

She hadn’t been able to gain enough experience to get past level ten in her previous incarnation, but she knew that those that did would receive bonuses to stat allocation based on passing certain level milestones.

Psi Bernetic was a Hybrid class, and although there might be advantages and bonuses that that class earned as it leveled up. If Hybrid classes worked as they did in any game she had ever played, then it would take even more experience for them to level. The class was, in essence, a dual class, and leveling two classes at the same time always required more time and effort.

With that class removed from consideration, there was only one real choice left for her to make. The Psi Pher was interesting, but it came across as an Assassin or Spy-type class, not something she was really interested in. 

Asteria wasn’t against assassination as a class, not after the horror and torture she’d endured, but if she were reading the description correctly, the class would really shine if you worked solo. She had had enough of isolation, of working day after day with no real personal interactions. She refused to follow that path again if there was another choice.

Psi Seelie would allow her to form a network of connections. Multiple networks if she was reading the description correctly. How that network and her control over the individuals that joined each network would develop would be based on the type of limits she set for herself.

She refused to become a slaver, to force minds into a collective that they would blindly serve because her Psi abilities and Charm gave them no choice. She wanted camaraderie and friendships. And if that meant that there would be times when she needed to make decisions for everyone, as long as they had the ability to leave whatever group they were a part of, then she could live with having some control.

Selection made and confirmed, Asteria felt her body being primed, the potential for what she would be made ready. When she had transformed into a Mousekin, the pain had been unbearable. Unfortunately, she had passed out midway through, and what few choices the System had offered were made for her. Those changes were mostly cosmetic, like size, coloring, and ear position, but the System did offer a few alterations that might have been helpful.

Unconscious, the System used default settings to automatically assign those traits when prompts timed out.  Changes that might have helped her survive better, like tail length, teeth type, and claw durability, defaulted to standard settings. She only discovered what she had lost by losing consciousness from an overheard discussion with the Taskmaster.

[Select a Height between 6’5” to 7’6”…

This was only the first of the changes she had to remain aware of. Asteria had always wanted to be taller, but when she remembered the pain she would have to endure, she quickly selected the minimum height offered.

The pain was just as excruciating this time. But she had lived a life as a slave, and the treatment that came with being a slave held little value. She had survived beatings, maiming, starvation, and branding. She would survive this.

The pain began within her skeletal system as bones were broken and reforged to make her taller, give room for different organs and organ placement, and strengthen them to withstand the pressures of the ocean’s depth.

Going from barely 5’6” to 6’5” might have allowed for a certain symmetry, but when your skin is being ripped apart to make way for that accelerated growth, the beauty behind any chance of symmetrical growth was superfluous.

She'd barely had time to unclench her teeth and take a deep breath before the next prompt appeared.

[Select eye and hair color…

“You have to have access to all of our literature, movies, and games,” she said to the [System Administrator], gaining her attention enough that she began peering across the top of her glasses at me. “Why don’t you just use a character editor to allow us to make changes all at once instead of forcing us to endure the pain for each change individually?”

 “If that is what you’d like,” she replied, the glint of amusement directly contradicting the almost evil smile that was quickly hidden.

[Customization Panel…

[Height. *Locked* 

[Eye color, shape, size, and position.

[Hair Color.

[Ear shape, size, and position.

[Lips shape and size.

[Facial Shape.

[Nails.

[Skin Tone.

[Psi/Tattoo/Tech markings.

[Sea Hag display options.

A portrait System panel appeared on the monitor. One that allowed her to play around with sliders and colors. It was much easier to make changes when she could see what she was doing and how each change made a difference to her appearance.

The height was locked. No matter how she manipulated the slider, she would remain 6’5” tall. She had already paid the price in pain for that adjustment, so it seemed fair that it was locked. 

She admitted she played with the cosmetic features for longer than she should, but if this was going to be her from now on, she wanted to be comfortable with that look.

For her eyes, she settled on sapphire, keeping the gem-like luster. Her hair color matched her eyes, with silver highlights added to bring out the uniqueness of each strand of sapphire. Nose, pert and small. Lips are red, plump, and wide. Ears, scalloped shape with elf-like points fluted. Facial shape oval with high cheekbones and a cleft chin. Nails hardened and sharpened. Skin tone, Turquoise. 

And done.

Except for the two notable changes that she had left to make, changes that made it obvious that Asteria was no longer human. The Psi/Tattoo/Tech markings couldn’t be toggled off, so she played with a mix of the three elements until she was happy with what she came up with.

First, she created a tattoo in the middle of her forehead that she managed to resemble a piece of filigree jewelry. Next, she created a mixed neck and headpiece. She kept the cybernetic elements to a minimum. Just enough to make it seem as if her  Psi energy was using the mechanical devices to maintain the path from around her neck to a halo that circled near the very top of her head.

The other item she had to pay special attention to was the changes that she made that would reflect her Sea Hag heritage. The only frame of reference she had for a Sea Hag was cartoons. Some resembling mermaids, some a gestalt of humans and squid.

The Sidhe Sea Hag conformed to the human/squid combination, and she had to figure out a way to display the tentacles. She finally settled on placing them on her back, making them seem to serve the same purpose as a pair of wings.

She considered making them so small that they would never be seen. But after adjusting their size, she realized that with them large enough, they could be used to attack or defend as needed. They also came with suction cups on each tentacle, and she was confident that she would be able to practice with each tentacle enough to use them as second hands.

Happy with her choices, she accepted the changes.

Forget everything she'd ever thought was painful, every bit of torture and suffering she'd endured. None of that, not even the pain from growing almost a foot taller compared. Changing everything at once had been a mistake, as she felt every cell in her body ripped apart and reformed. She could actually feel the changes being made on a molecular level as her DNA was manipulated.

She should have realized what that smirk, what that evil grin, had meant when the [System Administrator] agreed to her request. As the pain increased, as the changes coursed across her body, she prayed that she would pass out. The human mind was simply not suited to withstand this kind of trauma.

But her mind wasn’t human anymore. Part of that reformation she was undergoing included the changes to her brain, changes that would include a new organ that would allow for Psionic abilities. An organ that would serve as her Dantian as she cultivated her mind and evolved.

Those changes to her mind forced her to experience every excruciating second of the transformation. Her sanity came close to shattering. If her brain hadn’t been the first change to be finalized, she would have. 

But with the changes made that would give her Psionic abilities came the gift of shielding. She was forced to build a mind palace, a fortress she could hide behind. A place where she could isolate and control the flood of information she was receiving. 

Her instinctive creation of this bulwark of protection allowed her to filter out most of the pain. To remain stoic and protected as Asteria, the human girl became Asteria Teigh, daughter of Atlantis and Tuatha de Danann.