Descend- Seeing Stars by Sean Oswald (the ebook reader .TXT) 📕

      The more fascinating skill was Assimilate. It was similar to Mia’s Borrowed Adaptation but superior in almost every way. The downsides were that it required a willing partner. She hypothesized that it might be possible to force it on someone much weaker in PSI than she was but also expressed how the very idea turned her stomach. Jay was definitely glad to hear her.

      The ability essentially allowed her to absorb another ability from any other person within the restriction. So far, she could only hold onto one assimilated ability at a time but again she thought that might change as her ability level went up. The ability could be held onto permanently and didn’t require any energy from her to retain it unlike Mia. The difference in part was likely due to the fact that Mia’s skill was a Metabolism skill and CeeCee’s was a Formation skill. In fact, that worked out perfectly since his current highest stat was Formation which meant that her stat was about to get a massive boost from its current level of sixty-five.

      “Well, I truly hope you can pass that skill on to me. As interesting as your Chameleon ability is, and despite how many powers I have, there are always other abilities that I would like to have added just as a way of rounding myself out,” Jay said.

      “Yeah and as cool as your Temporal Manipulation skill is, I am sure you are right. I need to be able to survive to enjoy this long life, so please do your standard thing and give me your enhanced durability and strength,” she said. Jay didn’t bother to mention to her that he had no intention of sharing his Temporal Manipulation power with anyone. It was simply too dangerous and felt like a genie that shouldn’t be let out of the bag.

“Okay, well here goes,” Jay said as he reached out to begin the process. They had already decided to keep it sex-free, since they were getting plenty of that over the past month. He just wanted to focus on the process and perform the fusion intentionally.

      It wasn’t that it was exactly becoming old hat, not at all. But he was better prepared to understand what was about to happen. More than that, his body was so much stronger than the first time. Even with that, the shock of fusing caused him to lose consciousness, if only for a second. Then the notification was there.

Error… Searching parameters… 

Test Subjects Compromised

M1789, F19785 and numerous others

Separation failed. . . Searching for options. . .

Level gains magnified

Stats gains balanced

Greetings M1789/F19785

You experienced a partial fusion. This is outside of test protocols. Results unanticipated. Multi Status Sheet has been expanded accordingly. Future impact still being examined. Fusion had a multiplicative effect upon both test subjects. Implants have guided awakening as best as possible. 

As this is your nineteenth fusion, the risk of complete loss of individuality or death was greater but has been avoided. Further fused awakenings are not recommended at this time.

Syncing with Coreframe not possible due to temporal distortion. New expectations being generated. Results outside of all parameters. 

The highest stat was stacked with the other segments. F19785 stats insufficient to balance so additional stats utilized until equilibrium achieved.

It was much the same as he had expected. The time distortion was keeping her from syncing with the others although, if past experience held true his other fuses would soon be aware that he had fused with CeeCee.

      He first took stock of himself. The changes had been colossal again. This time he had gained a full four levels. Those points had been applied equally to Formation and Awareness. Then because Fusion was his highest stat, CeeCee gained a Formation stat level of 3,453. The difference of 3,388 was credited back to him and split between his other four stats.

      It did tickle the back of his mind to realize that her combined other stats were only something like two hundred. So it wasn’t that the system was copying her stats onto him like he had at first believed. Instead, the process of fusion was creating more power in him than she had to give. That had to come from somewhere and he couldn’t help but feel that there was some significance to the answer of what that source was.

The surge of power was intoxicating and once again he felt the urge to go out and fuse every girl that was willing. Still, he realized that he needed to be smart. He needed to adapt to the changes as they came in increments. As he had hoped he also gained the Assimilate ability, but he would need to wait for CeeCee to wake up to try it out.

      Since she was out, he did think of another idea. It was risky and definitely something he had never tried before but he was feeling emboldened by the successful fusion and so he began the attempt before that little voice of doubt could talk him out of it.

      Jay reached out with his power to the border of the tempus fugit field. He exerted his will over it. Time itself was but a form of energy in the universe and he wasn’t going to let it stand against his will. He was going to shape this in an all-new way.

      He wasn’t trying to speed up or slow down the field. He wasn’t even trying to expand or reshape it. Instead, he was trying to punch a hole through the bubble so that he could send a message out into the normal time flow around the field, with the additional hope that even a momentary break in the field would allow CeeCee and the others to sync.

      The strain was much worse than it had been when he tried to accelerate the field. It was literally like