The Skills of the Boneless


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain spent the next few minutes exining her ss to Ms. River. She described what the library really was and why she was willing to let people risk its knowledge. She spoke of her goals and the problems she hoped to solve, all while ignoring the pain in her head. As she spoke, it felt like weights were falling off her shoulders, and the exnation soon turned into rambling.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain had never had anyone to confide in. She had never been able to just exin her challenges or how she felt to someone. Having the knowledge and trust of her past self dumped onto her shoulders only made it worse, adding to her feelings of istion. Yet now, as she spoke with this woman she hardly knew, Rain realized how much she needed help.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Not only that, but as she exined the problems, she found walls in her mind shattering as obvious solutions made themselves known. By the time she finished rambling, she was talking about the kind cobbler in the Low Ring who had sold her her first pair of shoes.


    <span style="font-weight:400">That''s when the realization hit with a heavy dose of embarrassment. She had been talking aboutpletely unrted things for a while, unburdening herself while someone in far worse condition was sitting right there, looking for answers to their problems.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ears burning, Rain looked down.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Sorry. You didn’t need to hear about most of that stuff.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s okay.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain felt a hand take a nervous grip on Rain’s much smaller hand.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t me you for what happened to me. It’s my own fault.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain looked back up but said nothing as Ms. River continued talking.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I was so worried about holding everyone up because I was the only one who hadn''t chosen a book that I read a book without giving it enough consideration - I never could do anything right.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain wanted to cheer Ms. River up. So she did the only thing she could think of.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What skill did you get?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain had gotten a message about Ms. River’s skill, but she had ignored it at the time, and now Mr. Purple wouldn’t show it to her again. She must have really hurt his feelings when she ignored him, because no matter how much she apologized, he refused to show her the message again.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“How do I know?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I just think about my name really hard, and Mr. Purple writes all my information out for me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ms. River screwed up her face at that, looking like she was trying really hard to poop. Then her face rxed, and her eyes widened as she saw something Rain didn’t.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I can read this! But I''ve never been able to read before! Did getting a ss teach me how to read?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Did you get a ss? What are your skills? Do you have anything good? What is Mr. Purple telling you?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain realized she was standing on her chair and bouncing in excitement. d that Ms. River seemed too distracted to notice her behavior, Rain got down and almost fell over as the pain behind her eyes throbbed to new heights.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Who is Mr. Purple?” Ms. River asked, still lost, reading something Rain couldn’t see.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That''s the name of the words that tell you about your skills and stuff. I named them that because they glow purple.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“My words are silver.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">That stumped Rain for a bit.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Maybe you have a different messenger?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">It was the best thing Rain coulde up with. But it also gave Rain a way to check something she had been worried about.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Does your, err, Ms. Silver? Say error a lot?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, what''s that about?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain sighed in relief.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No idea. I’m just d Mr. Purple isn''t sick.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Anyway, what''s your ss!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It says my ss is giarist. I have no idea what that is. My only skill is echo. I don’t know what it does, though.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Try asking your Ms. Silver. She should be able to exin how it works!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Woah, it all changed. You''re Right! Save a copy of any skill used on you. You can then use that skill as if it were your own. You may remember any two skills at one time; more skill slots will be unlocked at higher levels, error level system unavable.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ms. River’s face fell a little at the description.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That doesn''t seem very useful. The only skills I’ll get are the ones other ssers use on me, and I’ve never met another sser before. And if what you said is true and I’m now a boneless, skinned fish, then my chances of ever using this skill are almost nonexistent.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain didn’t agree with that assessment. In fact, she was currently kicking herself for not remembering what book Ms. River had read. It would almost be worth the risk of reading to get that skill for herself. Regardless, this skill might give Ms. River a way to fix her problems to an extent.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hey Ms. River. I’m using a skill on you right now. Can you copy it?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ms. River’s face scrunched up for a bit before her eyes once again widened.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I did it! I copied the Enter Dream skill!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain watched as Ms. River read the skill description, her face changing from excitement to disgust as she processed the requirements to use this skill.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Is this why you made us drink your blood?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. Good thing I did, too, or I wouldn’t have a way to talk with you now.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I guess it was a good thing, but what can I do with this? It''s not like I have ways of convincing people to drink my blood.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No, but if I can get people to eat bits of you, then you can enter their dreams. It won’t be the same as having your body back, but at least you can interact with people again!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain could already think of all kinds of ways she could put Ms. River to use. If she could slip an enemy a bit of Ms. River’s slime, then she could have Ms. River monitor them in their dreams. Or maybe she could have Ms. River act as a messenger to deliver messages to people for Rain.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain realized where her mind was going. No, Ms. River wasn’t a tool Rain could use. She was a person Rain should help. Rain felt even worse when she saw the gratitude on Ms. River’s face.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You would do that for me?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Of course.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you, thank you, thank you! If you ever need anything, I’ll help.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Why was she making it so easy to use her like a tool? But if she was offering, Rain could use the help.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Okay, I''m looking forward to working with you! Who do you want me to slip River juice to first?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ms. River grimaced at that.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t call it River juice.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain didn’t understand why that was a problem but shrugged and went on, ignoring the twinges of pain her movements were causing.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Okay.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ms. River thought for a moment before speaking.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Do you think you could get Less to do it?” She asked hesitantly before rushing on. “don’t slip it to him. Of course, tell him what it is and, why he should eat it, and what it does. I don’t want to trick him into it. Not that what you did was wrong. Or even tricking. I just don’t want… to… I''m going to stop talking now.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain couldn’t hold back the grin at the deluge of words.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll get it to him, don’t worry.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Rain had so much more she wanted to talk with Ms. River about, but before she could, a wave of pain swept over her, pulling her from the dream. When Rain woke, she was lying on her couch, and she was covered in blood.