"Are you... serious?" Clove narrowed his eyes at . Fortunately, Fern wasn’t there to do the sa or worse. At least, Clove didn’t judge straight away, cussing out for being stupid. He listened to when I told him about the System update and what I hoped to be the case—and whether that was actually true or not, I’d find out soon enough.
Was I really hoping my System updated in a way that allowed to absorb and digest Bloodlines? I wasn’t entirely sure about that, but I told Clove all I thought to be the case. Whether that was actually true or not, I’d find out soon enough.
Clove looked uncertain, the odd shimr never truly leaving his eyes, but he cut his finger and placed a droplet of blood in a small cup.
"Do you think that’s enough to test it out?" the young fae asked, his voice laced with a mixture of curiosity and discomfort.
"No idea. I guess we will see about that." I tried to sound lighthearted, but tensed up as I transford into the Khörs Vampire. Maybe I could have used the updated version of the System with my main body, but it didn’t feel right. I needed to be a Vampire to do this.
Hesitation wouldn’t help , so I focused on the task ahead. I emptied the cup, drinking Clove’s blood. I felt an imdiate change. Hunger flooded my Vampire form, and the cut on Clove’s finger suddenly looked incredibly tasty. I was salivating before I knew it, and I hurriedly transford back into the Chira form.
That quenched the worst of the thirst, even if it didn’t remove the desire to acquire more blood imdiately. Shocked, I stared down at myself, then called upon the System. There was no System ssage, so I willed the Status to manifest before as well. Nothing had changed there either, but sothing did change. I just didn’t know what exactly. It was hard to put into words.
However, sothing did change.
"Sothing happened. You rember the Rotheart Vampire’s bloodlust?" Clove nodded when I ntioned them.
"I transford into one of the older Vampires—a Khörs Vampire, who wasn’t all that bloodthirsty before. That changed drastically the mont my lips touched your blood." I shuddered, while the young fae nodded in understanding.
"You noticed that the Vampires focused on the demihumans, right?"
I nodded. "They attacked those with the most potent Bloodlines, I think."
"Yeah, so I was probably lucky that they didn’t even get to touch . If they’re really all that obsessed with Bloodlines, they’d probably love to suck dry." That did make sense. Clove’s bloodline was incredibly potent. That was also why his Core awakened so early and how he managed to reach Tier-2. He was a genius, but his Bloodline was incredibly powerful.
"I understand," I muttered, tilting my head as nurous thoughts flashed through my mind. "But I think I sensed sothing when I drank your blood. Maybe I need more."
Clove narrowed his eyes at , but I waved dismissively. "If you’re not comfortable with that, we can put it aside."
For the mont, I added silently, holding back from licking my lips in anticipation.
Clove cleared his throat and got up. "I think I’m going to leave. The others need my help."
That was probably for the best. As unfortunate as the lack of a System ssage was, I didn’t need a notification to understand that sothing was happening to . Either it was Shift that had been upgraded in a way that allowed to absorb Bloodlines like Vampires did—apparently—or it was Shift’s influence on the System that created the situation.
One way or another, I was certain that absorbing Bloodlines would help grow stronger. That left a particular question: how was I supposed to know how much blood I needed to earn the System’s acknowledgnt? And... how was I supposed to acquire all that blood?
Killing demihumans sounded like the most obvious answer. I was sure the Huntrice had so missions to hunt and kill Outlaws belonging to various races. As long as so demihumans or fae with decent Bloodlines were among them, I could suck them dry.
Why does this not bother ? I really don’t care about that, do I? It did feel a little weird, but that was more related to my mindset.
At first, I was disgusted that I had to consu blood, and now... now it didn’t really matter, did it? Why? The answer was as simple as disturbing; it didn’t matter anymore because I knew it would make stronger.
Clove left the inn room without another word. He glanced back at in confusion, but closed the door behind him silently.
Once again alone, I considered my options. I could try to learn more about the Bloodline System update and ask so demihumans for their blood, but that was macabre—especially so soon after Vampires attacked the fortress, killing the beloved of many.
I considered leaving the fortress to ask for blood in other villages or towns, but I didn’t want to leave Fern or Clove behind. Also, I hadn’t gotten used to the changes induced by the Tier-2 Core. Having a perfect Core provided with the best possible benefits, and I had yet to make full use of them.
That did include changing my Chira form. My physical body had already crossed the barrier to the 2nd Tier, but the pathways grafted into the body were still those of a Tier-1 Silverback Elephant’s. That had to change, so I used the next best pathways at my disposal: the Gale Wolf’s.
Even though the Gale Wolf’s Core was more saturated than mine, it was nowhere near as pure. That ant that, while technically having a ’weaker’ Core than the Gale Wolf, I could transform into its form permanently. With that, I could also use Shift to implant its pathways into my body, hoping the racial trait would carry over as well. When that did not happen, I tried sothing else.
After weeks of studying the Airborne Archaeopteryx, I finally found what I had been looking for: a small, inconspicuous organ the size of a pellet. It was connected to the Airborne Archaeopteryx’s pathways, its vocal cords, and so other organic matter I struggled to replicate into the Chira form—but I managed.
It took a few more days, during which I didn’t see Fern or Clove all that much, yet it worked.
Xavier Halur
Core(Essence/Demonic): Tier-2 (1%)
Insignia: Dominance(1)
Bond - Trickster Demon(Adolescent - Lesser)
Primary Power: Shift,
Replicated Powers: Blade of Astor, Burst
Racial Trait: Sonic Boom
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