Upon signing the Pact Scroll there was a similar sensation as when Ellie had given me Skills, though this was far more subtle and didn't come with any of the pain. Once Marian and I had signed the one Ellie had given me, she signed the one that I had given her, completing our bargain of secrecy.
Ellie took a sip of her coffee as she placed the parchment down. "Are you really the one who made that scroll?" she said as she eyed me suspiciously.
I nodded once again. "I really am the maker of it, the process isn't quite the same as what you did but there are some similarities."
"I'll believe you. Now, what did you want to ask me about? I have a feeling it has something to do with Marian's abrupt change, yes?"
I nodded as I took my Status Plate out and showed it to Ellie. "I know you said you could get a vague feeling for someone's Status when you transferred something, but it's best you see it plainly before I begin."
Ellie took a moment to look over my Status, her expression one of shock and disbelief that only grew the more she looked at it. "You have so many Skills and Gifts, most of them I've never even heard of."
I didn't bother to explain about my past lives and instead just focused on the Corruption Skill and Marian's transformation into a Dhampir. Ellie listened intently, occasionally stopping me to ask for some clarification.
"So you've gained a Skill that can turn people into different beings and you came to me looking for a safe Skill option to disguise that fact, and on top of that, you want to transfer a portion of one of your Skills to her." She surmised calmly. "It's not impossible for you just to make a Skill up, it just as well could be a natural change too. Do you know anything about Dark Elves?"
I shook my head. I hadn't looked that deeply into it since I just assumed Shadow Elves were this world's version of the classic Dark Elf, yet it seemed that I was wrong since Ellie was making a clear distinction between the two.
"I figured as much. In addition to being part of a secret history, most Elvish Clans despise Dark Elves.
They are a group of Elves who live underground, hiding away from those who live on the surface and worshipping a being that doesn't exist on this world. They are morally corrupt and utterly evil, the only thing that matters to them is one's favor with their deity. Almost every report of Dark Elves is due to them raiding a settlement for sacrifices, or just to enjoy the slaughter. However, something that probably no source of information would willingly tell you is that they used to be regular Elves, at least the oldest members of their society.
No one knows how, but during the Invasion, their leader managed to gain a Skill, much like the one you have now, allowing her to turn herself and any willing creatures into dark and evil versions of themselves. So for all intents and purposes you could say that you suddenly manifested a similar Skill, your race isn't a common, so it's not like there would be anyone to contest it, though that comes with the implication that you can transform people, and there are some who would do anything to grasp such a Skill."
I was surprised to hear that there was a group of beings, even if they were completely evil, that knew that there were other Divine level beings besides the Seven Mortal Gods, not that I knew if they were actually on that level either. Making a Skill up wouldn't be that difficult either, the problem was getting it to appear on mine or Marian's Status Plate. I looked intently at Ellie. "Surely you wouldn't suggest such a thing if it was actually impossible to modify what shows on a Status Plate like everyone is told, right?"
Ellie grinned at my question. "Of course, modifying a Status Plate is normally impossible, but if one has a certain perquisite it is actually quite simple. Luckily for you, not only do all Shadow Elves possess this trait, but it seems you do as well." Ellie's words rang in my ears as I looked at her confused, only for her to return a pleased and content look. "If one is able to manipulate and control black magical particles, it opens up not only the ability for you to learn Skill Transfer, but also alter what a Status Plate displays."
I was stunned at the revelation that Ellie had just told me, but as I thought about it, I could understand how that could be the case. Perhaps the Deception Skill was simply a tool that facilitated the altering of my Status Plate, in which case, it wouldn't help Marian as she didn't have any Affinity with the garbled magic type that controlled black magical particles. If I could learn to alter other people's Statuses, that would solve the majority of the problem we were having, and it also meant that I could spare Marian from the torture that was getting a new Skill, the only obstacle being what Ellie wanted in exchange for either teaching me, or doing it on her own.
I took a deep breath as I looked right into Ellie's eyes. "What will it take for you to teach me how to alter Status Plates?"
Ellie's smile faded as she returned my gaze with a much more solemn one. "I only want you to answer a single question, something I've always wanted to know. Are you related to, Vell'prara'stasiela? If not, have you ever heard the name?"
As far as I was aware I'd never heard the name before, yet there was tugging in the back of my mind that said I did, and that I should be very familiar with it.
Upon signing the Pact Scroll there was a similar sensation as when Ellie had given me Skills, though this was far more subtle and didn't come with any of the pain. Once Marian and I had signed the one Ellie had given me, she signed the one that I had given her, completing our bargain of secrecy.
Ellie took a sip of her coffee as she placed the parchment down. "Are you really the one who made that scroll?" she said as she eyed me suspiciously.
I nodded once again. "I really am the maker of it, the process isn't quite the same as what you did but there are some similarities."
"I'll believe you. Now, what did you want to ask me about? I have a feeling it has something to do with Marian's abrupt change, yes?"
I nodded as I took my Status Plate out and showed it to Ellie. "I know you said you could get a vague feeling for someone's Status when you transferred something, but it's best you see it plainly before I begin."
Ellie took a moment to look over my Status, her expression one of shock and disbelief that only grew the more she looked at it. "You have so many Skills and Gifts, most of them I've never even heard of."
I didn't bother to explain about my past lives and instead just focused on the Corruption Skill and Marian's transformation into a Dhampir. Ellie listened intently, occasionally stopping me to ask for some clarification.
"So you've gained a Skill that can turn people into different beings and you came to me looking for a safe Skill option to disguise that fact, and on top of that, you want to transfer a portion of one of your Skills to her." She surmised calmly. "It's not impossible for you just to make a Skill up, it just as well could be a natural change too. Do you know anything about Dark Elves?"
I shook my head. I hadn't looked that deeply into it since I just assumed Shadow Elves were this world's version of the classic Dark Elf, yet it seemed that I was wrong since Ellie was making a clear distinction between the two.
"I figured as much. In addition to being part of a secret history, most Elvish Clans despise Dark Elves.
They are a group of Elves who live underground, hiding away from those who live on the surface and worshipping a being that doesn't exist on this world. They are morally corrupt and utterly evil, the only thing that matters to them is one's favor with their deity. Almost every report of Dark Elves is due to them raiding a settlement for sacrifices, or just to enjoy the slaughter. However, something that probably no source of information would willingly tell you is that they used to be regular Elves, at least the oldest members of their society.
No one knows how, but during the Invasion, their leader managed to gain a Skill, much like the one you have now, allowing her to turn herself and any willing creatures into dark and evil versions of themselves. So for all intents and purposes you could say that you suddenly manifested a similar Skill, your race isn't a common, so it's not like there would be anyone to contest it, though that comes with the implication that you can transform people, and there are some who would do anything to grasp such a Skill."
I was surprised to hear that there was a group of beings, even if they were completely evil, that knew that there were other Divine level beings besides the Seven Mortal Gods, not that I knew if they were actually on that level either. Making a Skill up wouldn't be that difficult either, the problem was getting it to appear on mine or Marian's Status Plate. I looked intently at Ellie. "Surely you wouldn't suggest such a thing if it was actually impossible to modify what shows on a Status Plate like everyone is told, right?"
Ellie grinned at my question. "Of course, modifying a Status Plate is normally impossible, but if one has a certain perquisite it is actually quite simple. Luckily for you, not only do all Shadow Elves possess this trait, but it seems you do as well." Ellie's words rang in my ears as I looked at her confused, only for her to return a pleased and content look. "If one is able to manipulate and control black magical particles, it opens up not only the ability for you to learn Skill Transfer, but also alter what a Status Plate displays."
I was stunned at the revelation that Ellie had just told me, but as I thought about it, I could understand how that could be the case. Perhaps the Deception Skill was simply a tool that facilitated the altering of my Status Plate, in which case, it wouldn't help Marian as she didn't have any Affinity with the garbled magic type that controlled black magical particles. If I could learn to alter other people's Statuses, that would solve the majority of the problem we were having, and it also meant that I could spare Marian from the torture that was getting a new Skill, the only obstacle being what Ellie wanted in exchange for either teaching me, or doing it on her own.
I took a deep breath as I looked right into Ellie's eyes. "What will it take for you to teach me how to alter Status Plates?"
Ellie's smile faded as she returned my gaze with a much more solemn one. "I only want you to answer a single question, something I've always wanted to know. Are you related to, Vell'prara'stasiela? If not, have you ever heard the name?"
As far as I was aware I'd never heard the name before, yet there was tugging in the back of my mind that said I did, and that I should be very familiar with it.
