Augmented Aspects: Chapter 59 Royal Blood (Patreon)

Chapter 59

Royal Blood

I was floating deep in my own consciousness. When suddenly I was surrounded by a stream of lights, red, gold, green, silver, purple, dark purple, and even a few colors that were not on the spectrum. The colors that were not on the spectrum were deeper ones, ones that were only experienced by feel, rather than by sight alone. It was the hidden colors that called to me the most, the ones that I knew I shouldn’t see, but somehow knew that I did. Only after a moment of this did I realize that I was dreaming. That was the only reason I could only experience the normal color spectrum. In this dream I realized what I had given up for my Angel’s Sight, the world I was now seeing within my mind was vibrant and beautiful, so much so that I almost felt tears coming to my eyes.

Unlike most dreams that disappear at the time of comprehension, ones that evaporate like smoke on the wind, this one lingered. If anything this dream seemed to grow stronger in its resolve at my own revelation of its existence. Of my existence within it.

That was when I was met with a message that let me know this wasn’t truly a dream, but rather part of the evolution I had been hoping for.

Choose one.

While the words were vague, the intent was clear. I was to choose one of the colors before me. Holding out my hand, I tried to sense which colors would mean anything to me should I choose them. While I did feel a slight compulsion to go towards the gold and green, those sensations were muted. As was my attraction to the ultraviolet.

There with my hand hovering over them, I felt the true meaning of those colors, they were straight bonuses to a particular branch of magic. Choosing gold no doubt would likely lead to the deeper blessing type powers and arcs of magic. Similarly green was life, by choosing it I was almost certain that I would get life magic. While the ultraviolet no doubt would further increase my connection to spirit magic. I was as certain of this, as I was that this was no mere dream, but an awakening sequence for my bloodline. The system message further pressed this for me.

Had it been three days ago, before the failed tournament, before my most recent curing of a cursed patient, I likely would have chosen green. The idea that I could wield life saving magic would have been too much of a temptation to resist. Yet, this wasn’t the case anymore. I had Omni-Healing, a Trait that I felt would eventually allow me to do more than I ever could with mere life magic alone. While green might also offer further benefits, like the ability to cultivate plants and tend gardens, that was not a life I wished to live. I’ve had my gardens, I remember raising my children and grandchildren in the small field we held out back of our house. That was a time with them, while I did like the idea of having a garden again, I didn’t want to lessen that memory I had with my children by trying to recreate it here. Additionally, creating a garden would tie me down to one place much more than I would want. As it was, I already felt bound by my two competing contracts with the Mages and Thieves guild that kept me here for a year and up to six months respectively.

No, I didn’t want life magic, nor did I want recreate my past here. This place, my new life, it was for the future, for my future. With that in mind, I almost thought about choosing spirit magic, as I felt it would easily push me to Tier X in that school of magic. I trembled to think of the different spells I could learn to create with that level of power, but I ultimately stopped on that one as well. That would limit me to being one of the premier masters of spirit. While I was one of the premier masters of spirit magic, at least the kind that doesn’t involve going around killing hundreds of people with magic, I felt that this too would stunt my growth.

Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on the other sensations. Inwardly I cursed my sight, while it was wonderful to see again naturally, I felt so dizzy by it. My senses were far too limited with just my eyesight. Though I figured that was part of the challenge of this test by system. Most would only see the colors and feel that they would be forced to limit themselves to those colors.

The real test came with trusting yourself. With that in mind, I kept my eyes shut and began moving. Fortunately the room I was in was a flat surface, one that if my eyes were not deceiving me stretched on for an eternity. I knew that this was wrong, that it couldn’t stretch on for eternity, well not the way I think of eternity, rather it would stretch on as far as I needed it to go. With that in mind, I just started walking, slightly ahead and to the right, I felt a strong pull that seemed to call to me. As I got close I could feel an invisible cloud of energy that resonated with me on a far deeper level than any of the magical schools offered did. The only problem was, as soon as I got here, I felt another one that had a greater pull on me further away.

Now I could stay, or I could go to the next one. I knew this was also a challenge of the system, seeing how much I knew myself and trusted in my own instincts. Would I take the first hidden quest result, or would I go further. Obviously for something like this, I would go further.

I tried to cheat.

Mentally feeling the distance to the next spot that was calling to me, I tried to Teleport.

Function not available.

Seeing that, I decided to start moving forward. The minute I stepped away, the world around me grew darker. I paused having never felt this sensation before, at least not in a long time. Opening my eyes, I realized that the light in the room I was in vanished. Looking back, I tried to see what was happening, only to find that the light from the different schools of magic were also gone. I was in the dark, which was funny as I had been closing my eyes the entire time, and now that the light was gone, I suddenly felt vulnerable.

“Come on Cass, you’re better than this.” I say to myself, while shaking my head. I almost let the psychological trick work. Closing my own eyes again, I focused on the resonance that was calling to me from far away in the endlessly dark cavern.

The minute I took the next step forward, I was greeted with another system message.

Time remaining: 14:59…

A timer.

Badump, badump.

I hate timers, I hate tests, and worst of all I hate tests that could forever change my future the most. This was apparently all three.

Still I knew this for what it was, a challenge to make me doubt myself, to get me to turn back to what was right there, the easy road. I didn’t know how long it would take me to get to the new location, I felt it had to be a long way away, but distance was an odd concept in this challenge zone that existed solely within my mind.

Regardless, I decided to run. Eyes closed, it was an odd experience, but I somehow managed to do this easily. Maybe it was the years of feeling like I was constantly detached from my own sense of sight, and the way I constantly ran into objects and obstacles when I was first learning to walk around while blinded that this act was easy. Well, let me qualify that, this was not easy, but I had an easier time adjusting to the idea of running with my eyes closed than others likely would.

Flashing lights.

There were flashes of lights that pulsed and seemed to burn my eyes. Even with my eyes closed the effects were painful, and I could imagine that if I had my eyes opened this would have caused me to be even more disoriented. As it was, these flashing lights were little more than an annoyance, one that I pressed through quickly, not letting my silly crippled sense of being forced to see distract me.

Finally, after what felt like forever, being surrounded by dozens of flashing lights and various obstacles I arrived.

By now the pulse of this thing, this concept was so intense that I could feel it shaking the ground. By the time I got close to it, I could feel the invisible object that had been calling to me over what had to be a mile’s worth of distance resonating within me.

Time remaining: 8:37…

That was the marker I needed, I had made it. Better still there were no other pulses that called to me on a deeper level than this one invisible object did.

Reaching out to the object, I was met with another system message, just as my hand made contact.

Before claiming me, you must first name me.

At that, I nearly laughed, as I almost missed the whole purpose of this event. This was a spirit quest, or something similar to it, one where I was meant to awaken a deeper portion of myself and find out who I truly was, deep down inside. I was supposed to name this concept, or at least the part of me that I wanted to strive forward to improve upon.

Time Remaining: 8:33…

I was still being timed, which was supposed to cause me to panic, to likely try to come up with a deep seeded convoluted explanation of who I was and where I wanted to go. I knew this for the trap it was, as I didn’t want to go into something grand like the greatest healer ever. While I knew this would help me in my immediate timeframe, it would do little to help me overall.

Instead, I decided to keep it simple, one word to describe everything I felt that was so beautiful about this world. One word that expressed my awe and wonder about what I would was capable now, and what I hoped would still captivate me going forward. I wanted a word, a concept that would be something I was proud of not only now, but also in the future. Something that if my kids and grandkids should one day join me, they too would be able to join without any restrictions. I wanted a concept that would also help them out in their quests to find themselves and their own places within this world. That was why I went with one word.

“Magic.”

Chime.

With that, the invisible object that I was touching began pulsing and forcing its way into my hand, then from there it worked its way up my arm, and into my chest and head.

There was a pulsing sensation as I felt portions of my mind and core break and shatter. No, shatter is not quite the right word, more like shed their way free. Like a reptile that was molting skin as it invariably grew, so too were my mind and my core shedding themselves free of their previous sizes. I could feel how my blood and body were pulsing faster, thicker. I felt waves of energy flood my body, as I felt a deeper understanding to magic than I ever had before. Even the skills I had learned to this point were nothing, in my mind I had it, a moment of crystal clarity. I could see formulas and spell structures that were so complex that I knew there was no way I could complete them, at least not currently. I saw the way to use mentally enchanted platforms to first empower an area and then begin casting. I saw many ways I was being wasteful with magic, forcing magic to work, versus guiding it. Times when I could have cut out entire snippets of healing movements to work faster. Ways that I could expand my knowledge of Planar Shift could be changed and altered to shift through this tower quickly. How I was only bound by my own mental limitations that I imposed on myself.

I saw it all, and for a moment I felt the true meaning of creation running through me. How I could change the world to meet my wants and dreams.

Then just as quickly as that moment of insight came, it was gone.

Poof.

Finally, the event I had expected to happen a while ago happened, my dream ended and I found myself awakening. I was still in my big, overstuffed office chair. One that had been made for either a queen or someone far more rotund than myself, either way I had been able to curl up in the large chair and take a nap with my head on the armrest.

Waking up, I saw a series of system message, but they were the same ones I had gone to sleep with. Though now I was able to see them for what they were.

Impossible Quest Complete: The Cursed Remains of Ebinar Ghould: You managed to cure a patient of Death’s True Curse. Rewards: Experience, New Spell, Skills.

Experience gained: 500

New Spell: Curse Removal [Tier IX] (C): This spell created by Cassiopeia Spiritlight can remove any curse that is Tier VIII or lower. For tier IX curses, a contested battle of wills will need to be conducted to determine a victor.

New Skill Gained: Occult (Curses) has reached level 1.

Skill Occult (Curses) is a Perception, Intelligence, and Willpower based skill.

Only after I acknowledged those prompts that I went to sleep with, did my prompts arrive, letting me know that it wasn’t actually a dream.

Hidden Quest Updated: Royal Racial Bloodline Established: You have conquered the final steps of awakening your evolved bloodline and merging that bloodline into your base racial template, creating a new sub-species of Dark Elves. Your new sub-species will be known as Royal Arcanist Elves. As the matriarch of this rare and unique bloodline you will set the maximum potential that all future progeny of your lineage can achieve. Current Bloodline Ranking: Royal. Bloodline Potential: Limitless.

Current racial bonuses:

Attributes: +1 Appearance, +1 Intelligence, and +1 Willpower every level.

Royal Arcanist elves are the true pinnacle of elven magical ingenuity, and what elves are capable of when they devote themselves to mastering the different schools of magic.

Racial Merit: Magic School Proficiency: All schools of magic increased by two Tiers (maximum of Tier IX). (Upgradable).

Racial Merit: Magic Proficiency: All skills related to the use of magic are increased by 10% potency, range, and efficacy. (Upgradable).

Racial Merit: Magic Trait Proficiency: All magic based Traits are further increased by 10% potency, range, and efficacy. (Upgradable).

Racial Distinctions: Royal Arcanist Elves are inherently magical creatures. Due to their unique connection to magic, others who are sensitive will automatically be able to identify the true nature of the elf.

Racial Flaw: Magical Beacon: You are easy to notice by sensitives and true practitioners of magic.  Minus 20% to Stealth and Evasion type skills when being actively sought by a magical practitioner.

Furthermore, the eyes are the gateway to the soul of the Royal Arcanist Elf, if they focus on the arts of healing their eyes will be green. For those seeing power, or other combat the eyes will change based on preferred school of magic use and for what purpose.

Racial Flaw: Magical Eyes: Your eyes are the true gateway to your soul. With this flaw people can see what type of a monster you truly are. Current Status: Green (a True Healer).

Additionally, Oracles, Seers, and practitioners of Divination Magic are now receiving word of your arrival. Your kind have been prophesized about for generations as the usherers of a new wave of magic. Many will fear you, while others will seek you and your kind out for guidance, and a means to grow stronger with what is set to come.

Racial Flaw: Children of a Magical Destiny: You and those of your lineage will be able to awaken, or enhance, the magical potential in those you meet (Maximum of Tier IX).

Current Bloodline Lineage Status: Lineage Rank Royal Progenitor.

Note: As a bloodline Progenitor, you are seen as the maximum ranking that members of your lineage will be able to achieve. To have an increasingly stronger bloodline, you will need to both improve your own bloodline potential, and sire lots of children (currently unavailable due to age restrictions).

So, wow, that just happened.

I take a moment to read, reread, then re-reread the information before me. I felt both thrilled and simultaneously distraught at the idea that I had somehow unlocked the equivalent of Royal Blood. To be clear, this did not make me royalty, but rather noted that I was seemingly at the fourth tier of bloodline evolutions. The bloodline ranks went something like: Awakened, Exemplary, Noble, then finally Royal. There were something like seven, or possibly more by now, but at least seven when the game first started. To think I went ahead and jumped all the way to the rank of Royal was impressive.

In this case Royal was more of a concept, someone so powerful, or with a strong enough bloodline that offered enough benefits, that if I became a ruler that nation would be able to be prosperous. Basically any kingdom or empire I joined would have the chance to not only have my bloodline, but future generations might also be able to have a mixed bloodline. Though if my bloodline mixed with anyone who was not also at the Royal level, my blood would supersede the other bloodline. This was supposed to show how it was hard to find true royal dynasties, as one slight mix up, one slight deviation and the mixed bloodline would not work, and instead it would just be the same powerful bloodline being extended to everyone.

Of course, that would involve having kids, something I physically could not do right now, thanks to my age. How often have I said that? Thankfully I am still too young to be forced into such a predicament.

Though, I also realized that much of what I did from here on out would have to change. Or at least the way I went about things would have to change. I was the equivalent of a magical wish giver, one who could apparently either awaken, or enhance the  magical potential in people. This also meant that I would be perpetuating generation after generation of stalkers, as those people who I then awakened would be able to track me down and then get me to awaken their children, or if they felt enough time went by, then they likely would think I could re-awaken or further improve their own magical capabilities.

Yeah, this was going to be bad.

I also noted that my magical Tiers were now capped at Tier IX, meaning that an easy way to increase that would be to further evolve or improve my bloodline. The only problem was that this would likely mean that I could then improve other people’s bloodlines to match my own. While I felt that this would mean I would no longer have to worry about money or future earnings. There were now further complications that I needed to consider. Especially as I still had plans on stealing back what was rightfully mine from the poker tournament committee that had robbed me blind.

“Are you okay?” Zero asked, a note of worry in his voice.

“Yeah, just thinking…” I reply, and I was. I now had to think about how to steal my experience back from the Tournament officials, while still keeping a low profile, despite the magical shining sign saying, that not only am I here, but that I grant magical power ups. This was going to be interesting, to say the least. Maybe I would just let ride, let bygones be bygones and forgive them…