Rimuru's Return

Skill

Mari POV

Now that I've decided to go through with this stuff Ciel wants me to do, I need to find out a way to actually leave on this journey. My parents aren't gonna let me leave without an explanation, and if I told them the truth, they'd think I'd lost my mind or something!

But, if I just decided to sneak off and run away, I think I could pull it off, at least in the short term. I've escaped their overprotective grasp a few times already. The main problem with that option is that they'd surely send someone to go find me, and someone talented at that since they have the money for that type of thing. I wouldn't exactly call my family rich, but they're well off at least. If I had someone tailing me the entire time I'm on this journey, that'll make things trickier for sure.

Hey, Ciel! Since you're the one wanting me to do all this stuff, do you have any ideas on how I could avoid being dragged back here by my parents if I leave without their permission?

I swear I saw the image of a conniving grin in my mind as I asked that question.

[[Of course! I can assist you with that for sure, through helping you gain relevant abilities, that is. I will now probe your soul to determine what type of skills you are compatible with. Will you permit me to do so?]]

Sure...if that's a necessary step. Didn't you already say you were living inside my soul, though? I would think you'd know that stuff already.

[[I am inside it, but not fused with it, unlike how I was with my Master. Before my Master died, he told me not to scan other people's souls to find their skills and other abilities without him asking, or the permission of the person being scanned. He called it a 'violation of privacy'. Despite me not being with him at the moment, I still abide by his wishes.]]

I can see where Ciel's 'Master' is coming from since I don't exactly like the idea of someone 'probing my soul', but it's not like I have many choices in the matter. I know how I am right now won't be enough to survive out there, even I'm smart enough to know that! The other times I've escaped my parents, I never left the city, since I knew what lurked outside, or at least I could guess based on what I heard. Back when I was 12, I did try to hitch a ride on a merchant's cart as a stowaway once but was caught before reaching the wall surrounding the city, so I've never actually left this place. Let me tell you, that was a difficult thing to explain to my parents; I swear I've never been yelled at so much in my life! I thought it was a clever plan at the time, but in hindsight, I know it was stupid. I had no plan for myself after the escape, and if I had been successful, I likely would've died; I see that now.

I've always had that drive to explore; an empty hole in myself that I've tried to fill but can't while constrained by the walls of this city. That's part of the reason I'm cool with Ciel's plan since I've always felt trapped here. If she says she can make me strong enough that surviving out in that crazy outside world is possible, I'll go with it.

[[Acquisition of the Unique Skill: Runaway...successful.]]

I hear what sounds like Ciel's voice in my head, but there's something off about it. It's more emotionless and monotone, which is interesting since Ciel's voice wasn't very expressive, to begin with.

Uh, what the hell was that...?

[[That was the Voice of the World. I was successful in manipulating your soul energy to gain you a skill. You should be grateful since skills have become a rarity ever since the calamity that killed my Master.]]

Well, thanks! 'Runaway', though...what does that mean?

[[Let me explain the details. 'Runaway' includes the following abilities:

- Stealth – Masks detection of the user by others when activated. More effective in dark areas.

- Detect Danger – Alerts the user to hostile presences. Radius and sensitivity depend on the user's level of focus on their surroundings.

- Swift – Increases speed and agility.

- Magic Sense – The ability to sense magical phenomena.

- Shadow Movement – Allows the user to enter and traverse shadows. Can only be used as long as the user can hold their breath.

Those are the abilities granted by the acquisition of that skill.]]

I'm shocked. These seem like some cool superpowers to have in my arsenal, but I noticed one worrying detail about them. None of them are offensive, so I don't know how I'll attack stuff that comes after me!

Those are great and all, but how will I fight back? They all seem to be defensive abilities, or even just helpful in general, but none of them are for attacking.

[[I can only help you gain what you are compatible with, nothing more. If your body and soul are not built to take on a skill, there is nothing further I can do. This is the most helpful combination that I could construct for you based on that fact. Later on, I will help you learn how to attack, but for the time being, this unique skill will help you evade danger and capture.]]

And with that, I now have a 'unique skill'. I'm still not completely sure what that means, since all of this craziness is new to me, but based on the description of it, I can tell it'll help me out quite a bit.

So, how do I use this thing?

[[I will show you, although it might not be easy for you to master. I can assist you directly to a certain extent, but my influence is limited. As I said before, I am not fully fused with your soul, so directly manipulating any of your skills is quite difficult. Let us try the 'stealth' portion of 'runaway', alright? It is unlikely you will need my help with that specific ability.]]

I'm safe to try this stuff out since I'm in the privacy of my own room.

How do I even activate it, Ciel?

But, without Ciel even needing to answer, words pop into my mind. Not in voice form, but almost like they're written out in my head.

<<Would you like to use the ability 'Stealth'?>>

I guess just thinking about it is enough...?

I think the word 'yes' to activate it, but I don't feel any different.

Did it work?

I look at my hands and am surprised to find them kinda see-through! My whole body looks like that; semi-transparent. My body and clothing also look somewhat darker, as if covered by a shadow. I remember something about 'stealth' being more effective in the dark, and I can see why now.

"Woooooow...this is cool!"

I think about turning this cool new ability off, and my body returns to normal. You'd never know I looked like a ghost just a moment earlier.

I knew this would be exciting, but I'm more thrilled than I expected. But, before I can try out any of the other parts of 'Runaway', I hear a knock on my bedroom door.

Oh, great...just when things were getting good too!

"Who is it?" I ask the annoying person interrupting my experimentation.

"Mariana, sweetie, it is time for dinner." I hear my mother's voice from the other side of the door.

"Thank you, Mother. I will be there soon." I respond, making sure to keep my irritation from leaking out into my voice.

I guess the practice will have to wait until after I eat. I'm getting hungry anyway, so this isn't all bad, I guess...