Damien reentered the portal, and after a split second of inertia, he was through to the other side and strolled past the procession of carriages and people. They all had clouded expressions and moved as if following a set program. It was rather creepy, but all was fair in war. 'These people never stood a chance. The Ravenhall family lacked an A-grade powerhouse, so if Vanity sacrificed some Ichor blood, she could have destroyed the city in a single night.' Damien shook his head as he remembered his sister's furious face, 'We went through all that effort, and she ended up wasting fifty years of cultivation for a mere portal.'
After walking away from the crowds of people, Damien sat down on a pile of rubble in the Ravenhall estate's ballroom and brought out his pocket watch. "I should check my stats more often. Everything feels so real that it's hard to remember I'm trapped in a game world sometimes." Damien flipped the watch open and mumbled, "Assuming this is a game world..."
As he gazed into the mirror, he could see his reflection. He looked much the same, snow white hair, a defined jawline and scarlet eyes. But there was something different. Something new. Around the very rim of his irises was a golden ring. Damien looked closer, and a notification appeared in his head.
[Unknown Bloodline discovered. Affinities required 4/5]
[Bloodline will remain locked until all Affinities are collected]
Damien frowned. A bloodline came with advantages but also a heap of trouble. "The Elaine bloodline in the game belonged to one of the Angel families. But after angering the supposed Gods, they fell from grace and became a Fallen Angel clan." Damien traced a finger along a vein down his neck, "This golden blood should be the original Bloodline of the Elaine Angels. Do I have any new abilities?"
Focusing on the mirror, his long list of stats appeared.
[Damien Nightshade]
[Noble Vampire]
[Bloodline: 4/5]
Schools Of Magic:
[Psychic Magic (B+)]
Psychokinesis [A]
Pyrokinesis [E]
Aerokinesis [F]
Geokinesis [F]
Hemokinesis [C+]
Levitation [B]
Clairvoyance [C]
Automatic Writing [D]
Telepathy [C]
[Spatial Magic (C)]
Phantom Form [B]
Spatial Movement [B]
Spatial Inventory [B]
[Blood Magic (B)]
Blood Script [C]
Blood Tracking [C]
Blood Sacrifice [F]
Blood Transmutation [D]
Hypnosis [B]
Blood Contract [D]
[Darkness Magic (C)]
Shadow Walk [B]
Shadow Hounds [C]
Shadow Bind [C]
=Null Spells=
Mana Control [B+]
=Trait Spells=
Deflection [B]
Soul Bind [C]
Sleep Casting [C]
Perception Field [C]
Suppressive Voice [D]
=Resistances=
Holy [99%]
Fire [75%]
Damien read through the list a few times, "A few upgrades here and there but no new skills apart from resistances. If this world still follows the logic of the game, I now take 99% reduced damage from holy spells and 75% from fire spells." Damien let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "I angered my sister, missed out on three days of crucial time to loot this place, and the Central Nobility will hunt me for this stupid Bloodline that I haven't even unlocked! All for two resistances?"
Letting out a deep breath, he calmed down. "I need one more affinity to complete the Bloodline. Luna affinity is the best one I have a chance of acquiring, but..."
The image of Princess Emilia appeared in his mind. She was a top-tier beauty, but Damien disliked her personality and obvious attempts at social climbing her way into his bedroom. "I already have Fay. Do I really have to take another woman in my arms?" Damien closed the watch and leaned back in thought. "Maybe we can reach a mutual agreement of some kind? She wants the throne and someone to back her up, and I want her affinity and a puppet. Right?" Damien rubbed his forehead in annoyance, "It's impossible to guess what she wants. I will have a conversation with her when I get back-"
"Master!"
Damien sat up and saw a small group of people heading his way, with Thar leading them. Damien hadn't seen his disciple in over a week but was glad to see him. "Thar! Just the man for the job, and who may these people be?"
Thar grinned, showing off his tusks. He replied in his booming voice, "These are my employees. Randy offered to pay me to employ some promising Blacksmiths, so here we are." The large half-orc then laughed and patted one of the men on the shoulder, "With this lot doing the boring manual work, I can focus more on my personal projects and... well, you know..."
Damien laughed and stood up, "How is Rose?"
"Still a little insane sometimes, but nothing I can't handle." The handsome half-orc replied with a wink.
"Good man. Take good care of her. She is a good person, and her well-being is imperative to Blackthorn's continued success." Damien placed his gloved hand under his chin and observed Thar, "Maybe I put too much work onto her shoulders..."
"Hahaha, she loves working, you know? Perhaps more than me!" Thar heartily laughed, "Anyway, Master. How can we help?"
"Follow me."
***
Under the Ravenhall estate, Damien found an abandoned prison. Its endless stone corridors were covered in moss that reeked of decay and were surprisingly devoid of life. Only the constant screams of the Aurel echoed through the tunnels.
"Sir Thar... did we have to come?" A nervous worker questioned, and Thar glared at him with a look that could kill. "If the Master orders something." Thar hissed, "Then we obey without question. Understand?" The burley worker nodded and retreated a step behind. His knuckles went white as he gripped his hammer as if something was about to jump out and bite him.
"Relax." Damien commanded from the front, "These up ahead are rather... docile."
As the group turned a corner into the final level of the prison, they saw a line of cells containing floating creatures wearing black robes similar to a priest's attire. Damien was grateful an amber mask obscured these murderous jellyfish's faces; otherwise, the mundane blacksmiths behind him may have run in fright.
"Alight, these monsters here are known at the Aurel. These runic robes help to contain them." Damien then pointed to a clay pot containing a pink liquid, "And that drug subdues their nightmares, making them calmer and easier to manipulate. The ones in this cell are tamed, and I should be able to control them..."
Damien used telepathy and tried to speak to the one in front of him. Instead, his mind became filled with a loud static noise similar to an old television between channels. It was nauseating and very annoying, but no screams of hatred or howls were transmitted.
"Ugh." Damien clutched his head as he attempted to pass an order, but it failed to penetrate the dense static. So instead, he reached for the pot of Angel Tears and smeared some on the Aurel's amber mask. Then, like a tissue soaking up water, the mask absorbed the pink liquid containing the drug from Roselyn.
"Float towards me." There was some resistance, but to his surprise, the Aurel effortlessly broke away from its chains, destroyed the iron bars with a slap from its gloved hand, and stood wordlessly before Damien.
Damien cut the connection and stepped back. The Aurel floated another step forward. "Hmmm. Once I cut the connection, it follows the last order I gave it."
Thar seemed rather impressed by the creature, "How intelligent are they?"
"About the same as a human child? They were once a humanoid race, but dense mana and resentment have turned them into these abominations. They resided on the island off the coast of Staedbergh. If legends are believed, fish used to surround the island during the mating season but were scared off by the human ships going up and down the coastline, so the natives resorted to cannabilism. Years of hunger and psychological torment, alongside their island, becoming a dungeon, all lead to this."
"So." Thar wandered around the floating monster as he inspected the enchantments, "What are their strengths and weaknesses?"
"Well, that is where you come in." Damien replied, "They are immortal and incredibly strong. Only the sun can banish them for a while, but they eventually reform once night returns."
Thar pointed to the robes, "So these robes are their weak point?"
Damien nodded, "Indeed. The robes protect their main body from the sun." Damien then gestured towards the wooden cart, "So that's where the suits of armour you have been dragging along come in handy."
Thar frowned as a thought surfaced, "You seemed to control it rather easily. Could another mage of your calibre steal away the control?"
"No. Well, maybe?" Damien pondered a while, 'I am no expert in magic. My knowledge is solely based on the game's mechanics, and there was never any way to control the Aurel like this. Magic is all trial and error, but I can't appear incompetent in front of my disciple.'
Damien cleared his throat with an awkward cough, "Ahem, the Ravenhall family monopolized the research into controlling these creatures, and they dabbled into the realm of black magic. A type of magic I lack expertise in."
'This Aurel was previously bound to one of the Ravenhall family members by a mental link established with black magic. This concoction of Angel Tears mixed with my blood lets me control them, but if another mage could fight through the static interference with a higher grade of telepathy, then I could theoretically lose control...' The image of Owl, the only A-grade Psychic mage on the peninsula, popped into his head.
'Owl is one of the first Archmages to fall into the hands of the Prince as he works independently from the mage tower, and his insatiable greed for money makes him an easy target.'
Damien tapped his chin in thought. But, first, he needed to find a way to secure control. 'Soul bind? But is binding my soul to an immortal creature as unstable as this one a good idea? Would it hurt me if it gets captured and 'dies' repeatedly in the sun?'
Damien glanced at the pile of armour, 'Perhaps if I try it with just one and keep it safe as my guard, then it should be fine?' Having decided on a course of action, Damien reached out toward the floating Aurel and closed his eyes.
"Submit."
Using [Suppressive Voice] towards the creature, the static vanished, and it remained calm. As Damien activated the [Soul Bind] spell, he once again came face to face with his overbearing soul that shone like a miniature sun, yet now it also had an almost holy glow as if it was blessing him.... or perhaps warding away evil.
A chain of pure gold shot out into the darkness and hit something. Damien had used this spell a few times before, and the feeling was always the same. But this time, it felt like he threw a chain against a brick wall. There was a resounding clang as the golden chain recoiled back. 'Strange. Is the spell's grade not high enough? Again!' The golden chain shot out like a viper after prey, but the same clang echoed.
Damien cancelled the spell and looked at the floating monster. It was restlessly moving around as if in distress. 'The Aurel are creatures that reside within the realm of souls... oh! Normal attacks do not affect them since they aren't even on this mortal plane! No wonder a soul-binding spell would scare it, but it also explains why I can't enslave it.' Damien smeared some more Angel Tears onto its mask, and it calmed down.
"This is going to take a while. So why don't you guys prepare the best armour set for this one?" Damien then counted the number of cells, "There are twenty Aurel chained down here, so get to work!"
"You heard the boss!" Thar chuckled as he rallied his men to work.
With the men distracted, Damien turned back to the Aurel, calmly put a hand on its mask, and whispered, "You and I are going to be inseparable for all eternity. Do you hear me? I could never understand the misery you endured in life, but that was centuries ago. Come with me. Let's get revenge together?"
The Aurel hardly reacted, so Damien started debating whether it could hear him. 'You are in pain. Endless pain, let me help you. Come with me. Open yourself to my control. Without my guiding hand, you will remain in eternal misery if I leave you like this. Open up, and let go of the past.'
Finally, Damien got a reaction. He wasn't even inside his soul space, yet he felt the assault. Waves of pure hatred like world-ending tsunamis assaulted his soul space in endless tides. First, the static buzzed his brain as if a bee hive had made his skull their home and then, like a cursed orchestra, the screams of a barely comprehensible man alongside the clanging and raging noise reverberated out.
Before Damien could become lost amongst the noise, his body fought back. His traits responded in full force, [Lazy] and [Concentration] worked together to drown out the noise, [Noble Aura] flared up and silenced the wailing man, and finally, [Control Freak] ascended to unimaginable heights.
"Never before has someone defied my control with such vigour!" Damien screamed, startling the workers nearby. "Submit to me. Stand beside me."
One chain shot out. Then two. Then three, four, five, six, seven. Finally, Damien's soul shone, dissipating the darkness, and revealed what it was trying to ensnare.
It was a dark, small marble. It was tiny compared to Damien's enormous soul that shone like a star, yet it had a presence, unassuming at first, but the closer one got, the more it revealed. It was dense, unimaginably so.
'Just like a black hole.'
Damien pulled back the chains, and a new feeling of profound respect washed over him. The creature could have swallowed him whole, absorbed him for all he was worth and brought him down into the pit of despair that was its eternal existence, but it had not. Instead, it had let him go free.
Damien stood there for a while. A part of him demanded control and dominance, but the more rational part understood that although this creature was a monster, it was not beneath him. Rather, it was equal.
And it seemed the creature shared the sentiment.
Damien reentered the portal, and after a split second of inertia, he was through to the other side and strolled past the procession of carriages and people. They all had clouded expressions and moved as if following a set program. It was rather creepy, but all was fair in war. 'These people never stood a chance. The Ravenhall family lacked an A-grade powerhouse, so if Vanity sacrificed some Ichor blood, she could have destroyed the city in a single night.' Damien shook his head as he remembered his sister's furious face, 'We went through all that effort, and she ended up wasting fifty years of cultivation for a mere portal.'
After walking away from the crowds of people, Damien sat down on a pile of rubble in the Ravenhall estate's ballroom and brought out his pocket watch. "I should check my stats more often. Everything feels so real that it's hard to remember I'm trapped in a game world sometimes." Damien flipped the watch open and mumbled, "Assuming this is a game world..."
As he gazed into the mirror, he could see his reflection. He looked much the same, snow white hair, a defined jawline and scarlet eyes. But there was something different. Something new. Around the very rim of his irises was a golden ring. Damien looked closer, and a notification appeared in his head.
[Unknown Bloodline discovered. Affinities required 4/5]
[Bloodline will remain locked until all Affinities are collected]
Damien frowned. A bloodline came with advantages but also a heap of trouble. "The Elaine bloodline in the game belonged to one of the Angel families. But after angering the supposed Gods, they fell from grace and became a Fallen Angel clan." Damien traced a finger along a vein down his neck, "This golden blood should be the original Bloodline of the Elaine Angels. Do I have any new abilities?"
Focusing on the mirror, his long list of stats appeared.
[Damien Nightshade]
[Noble Vampire]
[Bloodline: 4/5]
Schools Of Magic:
[Psychic Magic (B+)]
Psychokinesis [A]
Pyrokinesis [E]
Aerokinesis [F]
Geokinesis [F]
Hemokinesis [C+]
Levitation [B]
Clairvoyance [C]
Automatic Writing [D]
Telepathy [C]
[Spatial Magic (C)]
Phantom Form [B]
Spatial Movement [B]
Spatial Inventory [B]
[Blood Magic (B)]
Blood Script [C]
Blood Tracking [C]
Blood Sacrifice [F]
Blood Transmutation [D]
Hypnosis [B]
Blood Contract [D]
[Darkness Magic (C)]
Shadow Walk [B]
Shadow Hounds [C]
Shadow Bind [C]
=Null Spells=
Mana Control [B+]
=Trait Spells=
Deflection [B]
Soul Bind [C]
Sleep Casting [C]
Perception Field [C]
Suppressive Voice [D]
=Resistances=
Holy [99%]
Fire [75%]
Damien read through the list a few times, "A few upgrades here and there but no new skills apart from resistances. If this world still follows the logic of the game, I now take 99% reduced damage from holy spells and 75% from fire spells." Damien let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "I angered my sister, missed out on three days of crucial time to loot this place, and the Central Nobility will hunt me for this stupid Bloodline that I haven't even unlocked! All for two resistances?"
Letting out a deep breath, he calmed down. "I need one more affinity to complete the Bloodline. Luna affinity is the best one I have a chance of acquiring, but..."
The image of Princess Emilia appeared in his mind. She was a top-tier beauty, but Damien disliked her personality and obvious attempts at social climbing her way into his bedroom. "I already have Fay. Do I really have to take another woman in my arms?" Damien closed the watch and leaned back in thought. "Maybe we can reach a mutual agreement of some kind? She wants the throne and someone to back her up, and I want her affinity and a puppet. Right?" Damien rubbed his forehead in annoyance, "It's impossible to guess what she wants. I will have a conversation with her when I get back-"
"Master!"
Damien sat up and saw a small group of people heading his way, with Thar leading them. Damien hadn't seen his disciple in over a week but was glad to see him. "Thar! Just the man for the job, and who may these people be?"
Thar grinned, showing off his tusks. He replied in his booming voice, "These are my employees. Randy offered to pay me to employ some promising Blacksmiths, so here we are." The large half-orc then laughed and patted one of the men on the shoulder, "With this lot doing the boring manual work, I can focus more on my personal projects and... well, you know..."
Damien laughed and stood up, "How is Rose?"
"Still a little insane sometimes, but nothing I can't handle." The handsome half-orc replied with a wink.
"Good man. Take good care of her. She is a good person, and her well-being is imperative to Blackthorn's continued success." Damien placed his gloved hand under his chin and observed Thar, "Maybe I put too much work onto her shoulders..."
"Hahaha, she loves working, you know? Perhaps more than me!" Thar heartily laughed, "Anyway, Master. How can we help?"
"Follow me."
***
Under the Ravenhall estate, Damien found an abandoned prison. Its endless stone corridors were covered in moss that reeked of decay and were surprisingly devoid of life. Only the constant screams of the Aurel echoed through the tunnels.
"Sir Thar... did we have to come?" A nervous worker questioned, and Thar glared at him with a look that could kill. "If the Master orders something." Thar hissed, "Then we obey without question. Understand?" The burley worker nodded and retreated a step behind. His knuckles went white as he gripped his hammer as if something was about to jump out and bite him.
"Relax." Damien commanded from the front, "These up ahead are rather... docile."
As the group turned a corner into the final level of the prison, they saw a line of cells containing floating creatures wearing black robes similar to a priest's attire. Damien was grateful an amber mask obscured these murderous jellyfish's faces; otherwise, the mundane blacksmiths behind him may have run in fright.
"Alight, these monsters here are known at the Aurel. These runic robes help to contain them." Damien then pointed to a clay pot containing a pink liquid, "And that drug subdues their nightmares, making them calmer and easier to manipulate. The ones in this cell are tamed, and I should be able to control them..."
Damien used telepathy and tried to speak to the one in front of him. Instead, his mind became filled with a loud static noise similar to an old television between channels. It was nauseating and very annoying, but no screams of hatred or howls were transmitted.
"Ugh." Damien clutched his head as he attempted to pass an order, but it failed to penetrate the dense static. So instead, he reached for the pot of Angel Tears and smeared some on the Aurel's amber mask. Then, like a tissue soaking up water, the mask absorbed the pink liquid containing the drug from Roselyn.
"Float towards me." There was some resistance, but to his surprise, the Aurel effortlessly broke away from its chains, destroyed the iron bars with a slap from its gloved hand, and stood wordlessly before Damien.
Damien cut the connection and stepped back. The Aurel floated another step forward. "Hmmm. Once I cut the connection, it follows the last order I gave it."
Thar seemed rather impressed by the creature, "How intelligent are they?"
"About the same as a human child? They were once a humanoid race, but dense mana and resentment have turned them into these abominations. They resided on the island off the coast of Staedbergh. If legends are believed, fish used to surround the island during the mating season but were scared off by the human ships going up and down the coastline, so the natives resorted to cannabilism. Years of hunger and psychological torment, alongside their island, becoming a dungeon, all lead to this."
"So." Thar wandered around the floating monster as he inspected the enchantments, "What are their strengths and weaknesses?"
"Well, that is where you come in." Damien replied, "They are immortal and incredibly strong. Only the sun can banish them for a while, but they eventually reform once night returns."
Thar pointed to the robes, "So these robes are their weak point?"
Damien nodded, "Indeed. The robes protect their main body from the sun." Damien then gestured towards the wooden cart, "So that's where the suits of armour you have been dragging along come in handy."
Thar frowned as a thought surfaced, "You seemed to control it rather easily. Could another mage of your calibre steal away the control?"
"No. Well, maybe?" Damien pondered a while, 'I am no expert in magic. My knowledge is solely based on the game's mechanics, and there was never any way to control the Aurel like this. Magic is all trial and error, but I can't appear incompetent in front of my disciple.'
Damien cleared his throat with an awkward cough, "Ahem, the Ravenhall family monopolized the research into controlling these creatures, and they dabbled into the realm of black magic. A type of magic I lack expertise in."
'This Aurel was previously bound to one of the Ravenhall family members by a mental link established with black magic. This concoction of Angel Tears mixed with my blood lets me control them, but if another mage could fight through the static interference with a higher grade of telepathy, then I could theoretically lose control...' The image of Owl, the only A-grade Psychic mage on the peninsula, popped into his head.
'Owl is one of the first Archmages to fall into the hands of the Prince as he works independently from the mage tower, and his insatiable greed for money makes him an easy target.'
Damien tapped his chin in thought. But, first, he needed to find a way to secure control. 'Soul bind? But is binding my soul to an immortal creature as unstable as this one a good idea? Would it hurt me if it gets captured and 'dies' repeatedly in the sun?'
Damien glanced at the pile of armour, 'Perhaps if I try it with just one and keep it safe as my guard, then it should be fine?' Having decided on a course of action, Damien reached out toward the floating Aurel and closed his eyes.
"Submit."
Using [Suppressive Voice] towards the creature, the static vanished, and it remained calm. As Damien activated the [Soul Bind] spell, he once again came face to face with his overbearing soul that shone like a miniature sun, yet now it also had an almost holy glow as if it was blessing him.... or perhaps warding away evil.
A chain of pure gold shot out into the darkness and hit something. Damien had used this spell a few times before, and the feeling was always the same. But this time, it felt like he threw a chain against a brick wall. There was a resounding clang as the golden chain recoiled back. 'Strange. Is the spell's grade not high enough? Again!' The golden chain shot out like a viper after prey, but the same clang echoed.
Damien cancelled the spell and looked at the floating monster. It was restlessly moving around as if in distress. 'The Aurel are creatures that reside within the realm of souls... oh! Normal attacks do not affect them since they aren't even on this mortal plane! No wonder a soul-binding spell would scare it, but it also explains why I can't enslave it.' Damien smeared some more Angel Tears onto its mask, and it calmed down.
"This is going to take a while. So why don't you guys prepare the best armour set for this one?" Damien then counted the number of cells, "There are twenty Aurel chained down here, so get to work!"
"You heard the boss!" Thar chuckled as he rallied his men to work.
With the men distracted, Damien turned back to the Aurel, calmly put a hand on its mask, and whispered, "You and I are going to be inseparable for all eternity. Do you hear me? I could never understand the misery you endured in life, but that was centuries ago. Come with me. Let's get revenge together?"
The Aurel hardly reacted, so Damien started debating whether it could hear him. 'You are in pain. Endless pain, let me help you. Come with me. Open yourself to my control. Without my guiding hand, you will remain in eternal misery if I leave you like this. Open up, and let go of the past.'
Finally, Damien got a reaction. He wasn't even inside his soul space, yet he felt the assault. Waves of pure hatred like world-ending tsunamis assaulted his soul space in endless tides. First, the static buzzed his brain as if a bee hive had made his skull their home and then, like a cursed orchestra, the screams of a barely comprehensible man alongside the clanging and raging noise reverberated out.
Before Damien could become lost amongst the noise, his body fought back. His traits responded in full force, [Lazy] and [Concentration] worked together to drown out the noise, [Noble Aura] flared up and silenced the wailing man, and finally, [Control Freak] ascended to unimaginable heights.
"Never before has someone defied my control with such vigour!" Damien screamed, startling the workers nearby. "Submit to me. Stand beside me."
One chain shot out. Then two. Then three, four, five, six, seven. Finally, Damien's soul shone, dissipating the darkness, and revealed what it was trying to ensnare.
It was a dark, small marble. It was tiny compared to Damien's enormous soul that shone like a star, yet it had a presence, unassuming at first, but the closer one got, the more it revealed. It was dense, unimaginably so.
'Just like a black hole.'
Damien pulled back the chains, and a new feeling of profound respect washed over him. The creature could have swallowed him whole, absorbed him for all he was worth and brought him down into the pit of despair that was its eternal existence, but it had not. Instead, it had let him go free.
Damien stood there for a while. A part of him demanded control and dominance, but the more rational part understood that although this creature was a monster, it was not beneath him. Rather, it was equal.
And it seemed the creature shared the sentiment.
