Chapter 574: Affinities Finalised

"Hey Lily…" said Sylvie considering the combination of powers Lily had decided on. "Could you use shadow magic to write on the paper you summon? If you can… can you combine them together with that writing?" Everyone in the room got extremely quiet and thoughtful at that.

*Nothing I've seen suggests that something like that is even remotely possible… but I have a gut feeling that it would work. Perhaps not exactly as we might wish… but in some capacity at least. Perhaps is she drew shadow creatures they could be stored in paper for a minor cost? Maybe just shapes? Could she make spike traps out of them?*

"I don't know," said Lily. "Nothing that I was able to get from the system even hints at the possibility of combining magic like that. Oh sure you can use them together, like wind and fire magic to get more powerful fire… but you couldn't use say… ice and fire to make cold fire. Your fire would melt your ice unless you're Kat of course.

"Still… the idea of combining them together is nice but I still don't have a final magic as a powerhouse magic. The one that I can use to really burn mana and make a difference when it's called for. So far we have gravity, space, and time, though I might argue that space is more support unless you can alter the space inside of people and get them that way. I doubt it's possible but you never know"

"I rekon that at the highest levels anything can be a power house magic" said Vivian in response. "I mean I get the idea that there are certain affinities that are only good later. I just… find it hard to believe that any of them are truly the best when it comes to the stronger stuff or everyone would go for it. I know affinities play a big role but I believe you can still use magic you are unsuited for correct?"

"That's a little unclear," said Lily "I think maybe, yes? But you have to be better at whatever your affinities are before you try. It causes issues to try and grow a magic past your natural affinities from what I can tell but that's another thing the system won't really tell me"

"Perhaps looking more at what weaknesses you might want to shore up," said Callisto. "While I think space, if you do count it as a powerhouse affinity, would suit you best for reasons I can explain if you wish, perhaps it is not what you truly need. Healing would still be a good option, or if you chose to forgo that particular power then I think earth as a proper defensive magic might be a good option. Lightning for more speed and agility could work if you want to focus on dodging instead. Though I'm not sure how safe that would be… perhaps no lightning"

Lily thought on that for a moment. Really, if she was creative enough, she didn't see paper or shadow really letting her down. There might be things it they couldn't do, but none that were terribly crucial. Healing or space were both good options. Space for its various potential tricks, and healing for helping others after a fight something that Kat wouldn't need but others might. She was torn. "I think healing or space for me. I just don't know which one. I could look further afield but we'd be here for a long time debating it. So, let's just think about those two alright?" requested Lily.

Everyone looked thoughtful at Lily's request as they tried to consider which would be best. Sylvie spoke first though, knowing what answer she thought was correct. "I think space is my suggestion, Lily. You can probably use shadows or paper to do some basic first aid. Bandages of paper, pulling bones back into place with shadows and then holding them there. It wouldn't be life saving of course, but perhaps enough to get you to a healer. Certainly, enough to hold off death"

Vivian nodded but her words weren't in agreement. "I don't know about that. Healing seems like something that suits you well. You're a very sweet girl Lily and I'm sure you'd love the chance to help others. Healing would be a good way to do that."

Callisto looked over at Vivian and shook her head. "Perhaps it would be but healing would likely be a late pick for Lily, after both shadow and paper have been practiced. At that point she would be powerful and could perhaps investigate a bit of light healing magic on the side. It would not need to be a main affinity. Even if it was slow or not quite as good as a full healer, if she has mana to throw at the problem, I do not think it would matter"

*I hadn't considered that angle. The idea that healing while good… would be something better to pick up on the side. If you aren't directly in combat the mana cost isn't as big of a deal. With her robust knowledge of the human body or at the very least the ability to research it she could likely be a decent healing without the affinity. Though… I wonder how much that would limit her to humans. How similar are the other races?

Actually… what does my body look like now inside? I've been cut up enough to know I bleed black. I know I still have bones but not what colour they are… but depending on what my horns are made of… they might be the same colour. If my horns are bone, my bone is black as well. If they are more like fingernails… well then, I don't really know what that means considering my fingernails still look normal. Of course, I know I can use them to slice through metal so they can't be normal anymore. 

I wonder what my stomach looks like? Do I have stomach acid still? No I can't. I don't use the bathroom anymore and I hardly need to drink anything. Water is a nice thing to have with food… and while food does seem slightly necessary that's exactly how it is. Slightly. Something I could make do without for a while if it was truly necessary. 

I have to have lungs at least. I know I still breath, and while I can hold my breath that costs me energy. I can feel my lungs when I breath. I must be missing at least some organs though. I wonder if I have any new ones? Questions that would be hard to answer. Still, it does mean that healing anything that isn't human might be an issue if she tries to rely on Earth's medical knowledge. Still… I think Callisto has the right idea. Even if she does have to research the biology of other races that sounds like something Lily would do for fun.* 

Kat noticed that during her lapse into thoughts all the eyes in the room had turned to her, awaiting her answer. Lily in particular seemed particularly interested in that answer and Kat knew that Lily, in this moment, would almost certainly defer to whatever judgement Kat rendered. *I'm glad I thought this through before I spoke instead of as I did.* 

"I think Callisto is right. With a lot of mana and probably a bit of research you can manage healing well enough. If you don't want to take it as a primary affinity then it's probably best you leave it to the side. I do however, think you'll be rather busy with the three you'll be picking out so I don't think you'll get to healing for a long long time… but it'll be an option. Perhaps by then you can even pick it up as an extra affinity somehow," said Kat

Lily nodded and blushed before looking around the room. To Kat's eyes she looked to be agonising over a decision. Kat leaned in to ask her what was wrong, but that must have been some sort of a signal to the smaller girl because she leaned over and gave Kat a light peck on the cheek before sliding away ever so slightly. Not actually enough to stop touching Kat, just enough to not be completely pressed against her anymore.

Vivian grinned at the display. "T-thanks" mumbled Lily. "I… I think you all made good points and thanks for h-helping my decided Kat. Healing would likely be the m-most interesting to research. Other magic would be cool to look into as well but… you're right exploring the main three I chose should be more important. That's where the core of my combat will be. I'll start with paper and refine that. Then I'll take up shadow and see how it can fill in the gaps. Then finally I'll have space to do things that the other affinities can hardly manage. Even if it might be a bit niche."