Chapter 116 - TFF (Patreon)

Alan felt a bit silly that he had forgotten to get some furniture, but Kalyntha and Zirida seemed to carry their own. Spatial items flashed and soon the room was equipped with three completely different chairs and a nice table. Alan provided some food and drinks, which didn’t go unappreciated by the women.

“Kalyntha, can I ask something?” Alan began. He was dying on the inside from curiosity.

“Sure! And just call me Kaly, we’re friends now!”

We are? Sure, I’ll take it, you crazy woman.

“Cool, Kaly then. How come you didn’t die? And how come there is more than one of you with different memories? I’m getting confused.”

“Oh! That!” she giggled while Zirida rolled her eyes and took a piece of meat for herself. “I’m a [Metalmancer], and combining that with my special ability to separate my consciousness into many parts allows me to have lifelike copies out of living metal!”

“So… you, the one here, are just… a puppet?”

Kalyntha pouted. “No, no! Puppet is insulting! Each one of us is a living, breathing copy of the original. The main body can’t come here as it is tier three, but –”

“Tier tree?!” Alan almost choked. He looked at the girl with a newfound sense of horror.

“Yeah! I don’t know all she knows. Or the rest. I mean, my main self holds all memories, but it would make my tiny little metal brain explode.  I know all I need for this specific fractal and my abilities and whatever else I’ve lived through!” She said with a smile.

“Is it okay that you are sharing this with me?” Alan asked. He was getting very worried.

I should stop treating people like I’m used to. There are too many hidden monsters. I have enough to deal with as it is!

“Sure, we’re friends! Oh, and when I die the main one feels it, and sometimes we receive important memories too. Things might get blurry in the process though, as we’re too weak for that. There are only three of me remaining here. Two died, which is bad.”

“Two?” Who could face Kalyntha in tier one and win?

Zirida put down the cleaned-off bone and picked another piece, before speaking, “They surprised her. The one you first met was the weakest, so a mere shifter was enough to do the damage needed. The second one was killed along with two of my sisters. Another three died in strange circumstances. One is missing.”

Weakest one?!

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Zirida nodded nonchalantly then bared her teeth in a rare show of emotion, “Me too. The Order of Salvation has many branches, and I’m part of the one that believes in brutal, unrelenting revenge. Only that can give peace to my sisters.”

And here I thought they wanted to heal and help people. I haven’t even seen Zirida use healing magic yet.

“All right, but… did people kill them? Not the fractal monsters?” Alan asked. He was very confused.

“Dolls,” Zirida spat. “The dolls don’t leave the remnants of the Void Tree Temple. Ever. This was the first time and it happened in the span of a few days. Someone made them attack us. Controlled them. I’m sure.”

Alan rubbed the back of his head and leaned into the comfortable chair Zirida had taken out. It was ornate and decorated with strange symbols he assumed held some sort of religious meaning. They were quite sinister, but that didn’t take away from the amazing comfort the chair provided. He felt like he was sitting on a cloud.

“Please don’t gruesomely murder me for asking, but why are you telling me all of this? We all know I’m the weakest here, without background, and that I’ve royally screwed up my class and progress. Do you need my help or…? I just need to make sense of it all.”

Kalyntha giggled and took a piece of brightly colored fruit. “You were with us silly. And if Riasko or Solorim are behind the plot, then you will get murdered… eventually. No loose ends.”

“Wait, you think they are responsible? And I didn’t do anything! I’m just trying to live my life, damn it.” Alan protested. What did he have to do with all of that? He wasn’t going to go uncover some weird ass plot, nor was he bothering Riasko. Sure, knowing that the lisarni got his ass kicked would give him quite a lot of satisfaction, but it was not like he would do it himself. He was pretty sure he still stood no chance. And the whole plotting and betraying for an unknown reason didn’t sound at all like the quiet Solorim. Sure, he had met him for barely a few hours, so anything was possible…

A strange thought entered Alan’s mind and he straightened up in his chair.

“Do you think I’m involved? Is that why you are here?” he asked. It was possible. He was the unknown factor that had appeared out of nowhere. However, surviving with Zirida and making it to the outpost should’ve been enough to absolve him of suspicion.

“The likelihood of that is very low. You might just have a very, very bad luck.” Zirida said with a serious face. Her irises were slightly red, signifying that she was employing some sort of skill.

Is she monitoring my blood pressure? Adrenaline? Trying to figure out if I’m nervous? Of course, I would be nervous. They are here trying to judge if Kalyntha should needle my brain. Oh, god. No, I’m being paranoid again.

“Look. All I said was true and I spoke with the Outpost Master. He registered me, and let me roam the outpost freely. I just came back from a task during which I watched you,” he pointed at Kalyntha, “Or one of your copies, murder a bunch of people. You, or they, stuck a sharp needle in their heads to read their memories. So, excuse me if I seem a bit nervous, but I like my brain without sharp things poking inside of it.”

Kalyntha giggled and even Zirida smiled a bit, “We survived together, even if it was only for a while. I know you’re honorable,” the [Red Cleric] said. Alan shuffled in his chair. Honorable wasn’t a word he would use for himself. Was this all a test or a prank?

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and leaned back. “So, you’re fucking with me?”

“There is a real danger to all of us here. You were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time and got involved. Whatever is happening requires whoever is doing it to remove all [Rec Clerics] from the fractal. Zirida survived, and both Riasko and Solorim know that you have some form of blood magic, largely due to me pointing it out in front of them, for which I apologize. It is certain that they already know you’re alive, so… better get a patron quickly.” Kalyntha explained in an odd show of being serious.

Well, this is one way to get introduced to the larger universe. And again with the patron business… What will happen if I wait until level 100 and simply change my class?

Alan quickly calmed himself down. As much as he felt he had to complain some more and maybe threaten to quit, those were things of the past. He had resolved himself. “So, blood magic is dangerous to them. What else do we know?”

“The dragon is still raging, many mercenaries are missing, and the battlefield is growing more intense. Have you checked it out by the way?” Zirida asked.

“I haven’t had the pleasure.”

Kalyntha jumped up and a piece of grape fell and rolled on the empty floor. “You will love it! So brutal, so fulfilling! There is little I like more than bashing things without having to busy my pretty head with plots and bullshit. Ah!”

“We should probably make sure you won’t get killed first,” Zirida said.

“I’d appreciate that. Why are you helping me, though?”

What is their use for me? What can I offer apart from some rudimentary knowledge of the skills I have or my world? Is it because I’m from a newly integrated world? Do they want to use me?

Alan didn’t have much against that. The forces of the universe would eventually want to explore his world, and he wasn’t sure if he cared or not. It would suck if humanity were wiped out, but apart from Ashlyn and maybe Walter… okay, some people didn’t deserve it. And like it or not, Alan felt some sense of belonging there. He would certainly not welcome any lisarni if they kept being assholes for no reason.

The demon had mentioned the path of blood is honorable. Was that possible? Was Zirida doing this out of sheer integrity? That alone would make her better than 99% of the people Alan had met. As for Kalyntha, she was probably just bored despite having multiple bodies and the power to crush anyone on the fractal if she could access it.

“I pay my debts. You helped me, and I consider you a friend. Plus, I think we can find some things to work together on once this is all over and you go back to your world. And, I’ve strongly considered using you as bait for whoever wants blood magic users to die.” Zirida replied.

Ah, that makes me feel better. So, she has uses for me. I’m not sure I trust the first part, but she has been honest so far. And I’m about to let her observe my ritual.

“I’m bored, and I like Ziri,” Kalyntha added. “And I told you, we’re pals now. I’d hate for you to die. I’d get over it fast, but it would still suck. The only thing worse would be if I have to kill you because you’ve been lying to us!” she giggled, again. There was a lot of that going on.

“He isn’t lying.”

“Fine, Ziri, fine. I know. Just kidding around. Anyways, you’ve been warned. Assume each lisarni and skinwalker you see is out to get you.”

Alan nodded, “How do I recognize skinwalkers though? Isn’t that the whole point of them? Staying hidden?”

“It is hard for non-guards or lower tiers indeed.” Kalyntha hummed. “Dunno, find a way.”

Alan looked toward the [Red Cleric].

“I sense their blood,” Zirida shrugged. “They’re a strange race that is limited in their growth; even at the peak of tier two, they are weaker than the rest. Still, they breed fast and are good soldiers. All they need are dead bodies.”

Great.

“You think that’s why your sisters were killed?” Alan asked. “The blood-sensing thing?”

“Possibly, although people generally accept them with no prejudice. Unless there is something else, they don’t want me to sense.”

“How about that thing with Riasko, where you made him bleed from each orifice? Can you kill like that?”

Zirida nodded, “It is draining and much easier against some people. It would be harder for me to do it to you, as it would take going past the intent you are projecting with your will. It protects you from outside influences to some extent. Riasko didn’t have that. His skills were handpicked and bought at the appropriate level to propel him through the first tier. I doubt he has much insight into them and their inner workings. Or into himself, for that matter.”

So that’s another factor of the will thing. This [Broken One’s Will] title is turning out to be a great asset. Making my attacks better, protecting me, what else?

“Ok! I’m bored. I’ll go since you mentioned some blood stuff. I find it icky,” Kalyntha said and jumped up, grabbing a purple apple from the table. The door opened for her without Alan doing anything and she was gone just like that.

“She’s a force of nature, isn’t she.”

“She spent her whole life until tier three holed up in her clan’s world, so she’s very excited to have her clones out. Losing two is already driving her insane.” Zirida replied.

“Look,” Alan said, “I’m not clear about what we’re doing or the whole situation, but I will help you if I can. Now though, I want to perform my [Ritual: Enchanted Bones] and see what happens. I have a bunch of attribute points to spend after that. I will feel much better getting the power up.”

“Get to it.”

“I might have to get undressed.”

“So?”

Alan shuffled uncomfortably, “Anyway, please keep guard. I don’t want to get bothered or drill a hole in my heart by mistake.”

The woman nodded.

Alan didn’t say more and went to the empty part of the room. He slowly drew the ritual circle on the ground while Zirida silently watched him work. The scarred woman became almost invisible to him as he got into it. Soon, it was done and he took out the werewolf blood and the mana stones. If Zirida held any interest toward the blood, she didn’t show it and let him work. Alan appreciated that.

He undressed until he was only in his undergarments, uncaring for her presence. He paused as he examined his body. There was a strange sheen covering his now even grayer skin. The forearm where the spatial space enhancement was located didn’t stand out anymore.

Zirida seemed to frown, but once again she kept her thoughts to herself. That was not a good reaction though. Alan noted to ask about it later.

For now, he started shaping the blood and using it to draw upon his whole body. It was hard and took him quite a while to get right, but he eventually did. Then, mana seeped into each line of the circle, and the ritual began.