Maybe last chapter this weekend (3 day weekend cause schools are closed today). I will try to get out one more by tonight, but that's a long shot.
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When Garnet woke up, she was back at the manor. She recognized the bed and the ceiling of her room. She looked around. The only person in the room was Kiko. She was asleep. Even though Kiko was intimidating at first. She seemed to be more and more laid back the more time Garnet spent with her. "Wake up!" shouted Garnet.
Kiko woke up and looked around. "You're awake!" Kiko said. "I was worried."
"How long was I out?" asked Garnet. Kiko was the last person Garnet expected to see, but it was clear that she was worried about Garnet.
"I'm not sure," said Kiko. "When I awoke, I saw you lying there on the ground in a pool of the creatures' blood. I immediately called Charles over and he loaded you on the carriage with everyone and drove you all back here."
"How long was I asleep?" Garnet asked.
"About a day," said Kiko.
"My body still hurts all over," said Garnet.
"You're going to need to look in a mirror," said Kiko.
"Why?" asked Garnet.
"Something happened to your body, I don't know what, but you look much younger" said Kiko.
Garnet took a look at herself. She was in different clothes. She was no longer in the dress. She wore what resembled a light blue hospital gown that covered her entire body. When she got to her arms, she noticed something. There were black scales. "What's this?" cried Garnet.
"It's on your legs as well," said Kiko.
Garnet rolled up the sleeves of her gown and took a look at her arms. There were black scales there as well. They were almost like armbands. She noticed that her chest size had shrunk a little as well. "How did this happen?" Garnet asked.
"Like I said, no one knows," Kiko explained. "When I found you, you were already like that."
"Can you help me get the mirror?" Garnet asked pointing to the dresser next to Kiko.
Kiko took it out and handed the hand mirror to Garnet. As Garnet looked in the mirror, her face was different. She looked much younger, as if she was still in her mid teens instead of in her twenties. One of her iris turned red and the sclera was black. "My guess is that the bodies of those creatures we fought exploded and their blood somehow merged with yours," said Kiko.
"The Hero System?" Garnet thought to herself. The description of the Blood Absorption skill said that she could take on the abilities of some of the enemies that she absorbed. It had only been summons and stats so far, but this was vastly different. At the same time, this was possibly the only explanation as well. By absorbing the three Siren, she had taken on the characteristics of the Siren.
"What about the everyone else?" Garnet asked.
"Most of the guards only suffered minor injuries," said Kiko. "Only one died and one had severe injuries."
"That's good news," said Garnet. As she moved to get out of bed, she felt a sharp pain in her arms and could not help but wince.
"Take it easy and rest," said Kiko. "I'll go get someone."
Kiko walked out of the room. Garnet examined the black scales on her arms. They were extremely sensitive yet also quite hard. They had pierced through from under her skin. If she wore long sleeved clothes, she could hide them.
BANG. The door slammed open. "Mommy!" shouted Ruby. "You're okay."
"Sorry for worrying you again," said Garnet. "But I'm back as promised."
"I was scared," said Ruby. "I don't want to lose you again."
Garnet could see that Kiko and Anna were standing by the door. She raised her hand and used it to brush Ruby's hair in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm okay," said Garnet. "I just need to sleep for a while again."
"Okay," said Ruby. This time she stayed, she did not leave. She was very worried since Garnet had been injured twice within a relatively short period of time. Ruby stayed until Garnet fell asleep again.
When Garnet woke up again, Ruby was asleep on the bed. Anna was watching over them. Kiko was nowhere to be seen. The pain had largely subsided, but there was still an odd sensation. "How long?" Garnet asked.
"A few hours," said Anna. "I'll bring her to bed."
"It's alright, just leave her next to me," said Garnet.
Anna carried Ruby and put her on the bed next to Garnet. Garnet put her arm around Ruby. Garnet was still unsure of what she should do as a mother. She only remembered a little of what her parents had done for her during her childhood, but that was not enough to go by.
"Where's Kiko?" Garnet asked.
"Duchess Kiko had to return to her own manor for now," said Anna. "A Duke cannot leave their lands for too long because they still have to manage it."
"How did Duke Wellington get away for so long then?" asked Garnet.
"If they have capable people, they can usually leave for longer," said Anna. "Duke Wellington has a system in place even if he were to disappear, so he can actually leave for quite a long time if he wanted."
"I need you to do something for me," said Garnet.
"What is it?" Anna asked.
Garnet searched through the pieces of paper on the desk. She remembered that she had designed a wheelchair. "Hand this to the Duke and tell him to build this for me," said Garnet.
"Alright," said Anna. "Take care of her," she said as she looked at Ruby.
"I will," said Garnet. "She's mine after all."
Garnet did not really tell Ruby much about herself. It had always been Ruby telling stories about what she had seen and what she had done. She had done little else for Ruby, but she wanted to do more. Leeroy and Anna were the ones who taught her. The other servants were the one who helped to feed and take of her. Garnet was unsure about her own role. But, Garnet knew that she could at least be there for Ruby when she wanted to speak. It was something Garnet did not have because of her own life.
Without realizing it, Garnet had settled for being a housewife and it kind of made her feel a little happy just spending time with Ruby. Since she discovered her abilities, it had always been fighting, but this was a nice change of pace.
Garnet had still felt sharp pain when walking around even though it was okay when she laid there. There was still occasional bleeding from her arms and her legs as the scales cut through the skin around her arms. She spent most of her time just scribbling things from Riley's world onto paper, trying to figure out what could be used and what could not. A few days later, the wheelchair arrived.
"Here it is," said Duke Wellington. "What is it anyways?"
"It's a wheelchair," said Garnet. "Help me get into it."
Duke Wellington rolled the wheelchair next to Garnet and lifted Garnet into it. Garnet rolled herself around using the wheels to get a feeling of it. It took a lot more strength because the wheels were wooden ones that were not very well made, but it was okay. "Now I can at least get around on my own," said Garnet.
"Do you think you can help me with something?" asked Duke Wellington.
"What is it?" Garnet asked.
"There have been soldiers that were injured during fighting," Duke Wellington explained. "Do you have any tools that can help them get around more easily? I know some sailors and pirates have those wooden legs, but those things are silly."
"Push me to the table!" Garnet ordered. Duke Wellington grabbed the back of her seat and rolled her to the desk.
Garnet took out some paper and started searching through them. Since she was stuck in bed, she had written down a bunch of things from Riley's world, but some of them were not used due to the lack of materials or because it would be too harmful to the environment. Handing that much power to a less developed world would only cause trouble. Crutches, walkers, a design for wooden prosthetic legs, and most importantly, paved roads. "Don't use the cheap wood and keep it dry," said Garnet.
"Thank you," said Duke Wellington. "This will help out a few people a lot."
The people had started listening to the Duke's a lot more since the farm. It turned out that production would up nearly a hundredfold on Herion's Farm in a year at the current rate. The numbers seem exaggerated at first, but when she thought about how poor the condition of the farm was when she first found it, it was plausible. The first harvest was already far superior to the old and Duke Wellington was working with Louis, Charlie, and Herion to spread it to other farms. As long as there were no severe winters...
Then, it hit Garnet. Winter was always a problem for farmers, especially ones in the North. "Wait!" shouted Garnet.
Garnet could hear loud footsteps of someone running up. "What's wrong?!?" shouted Duke Wellington. He was scared. He thought something had happened again. After all, Garnet had given him multiple shocks in quite a short period of time. At this point, it was not a surprise anymore.
"I just forgot to give you one more thing," said Garnet. "Build this for Herion in the Winter and tell him to plant his crops in it."
"Plants don't grow well in the Winter, so we usually skip it," said Duke Wellington.
"This is what will help you grow some in the Winter," said Garnet. "It's not as much as normal, but it is still something." Garnet sat there thinking.
"Is something wrong?" Duke Wellington asked.
"Just thinking what else I might have forgotten," said Garnet as she scrambled through the papers on the desk. "Oh and you can have the watermill changed so that it can help cut wood."
With this, food production was secure in the North. Garnet could at least work to improve the North while. Once food was secure, the next step up was industrialization. But there was a huge problem with this. Industrialization was messy and poisoned the water if it was poorly done. This was something that had to be avoided. Disturbing the balance of power too much could also lead to numerous wars as people struggled for power. Steam power was something that would help immensely, but they needed to produce enough iron and steel for that first. As long as gunpowder and chemical manufacturing could be avoided, it would be enough. That was the next goal.
Every day, Garnet tried to walk by herself, but the pain was always there. The changes from absorbing the Siren had a lasting effect on her body, and she had no idea what to do about it. She was hoping time would help, but it had not. Garnet realized, she had not looked at her skills since absorbing the Siren. She had no idea what changes the Siren had actually caused. The only thing she remembered was the Class Change into a Temptress of the Night before she passed out. Garnet opened her Menu and took a look at the Temptress Class. Next to it was an exclamation mark, which meant there was a change that she had not looked at.
New Skill: Sonic Scream
By stressing your vocal chords, you can create a high pitched tone that can stun, confuse, and even throw off the balance of your enemies.
MP: 200
New Skill: Illusion
You can disrupt the basic senses of near by enemies.
MP: 100 per second
New Skill: Alluring Song
Your singing draws people towards you. Their basic senses are disrupted. More effective on males than females.
MP Cost: 100 per second
New Skill: Flight
Wings sprout from your shoulders and gives you the ability to fly
MP Cost: 50 per second
New Skill: Night Vision (Passive)
Allows the user to see more clearly in the dark, even if they were just in a bright area moments earlier.
Skill Upgrade: Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 2)
New Skill: Transformation
Reverts you to your normal form
MP Cost: 0
New Skill: Transformation: Temptress of the Night
You can change your form to one that enhances your existing abilities. The more mana and intelligence the user has, the greater the enhancement will be.
MP Cost: 1% of maximum mana every 5 seconds
New Skill: Physical Resistance -> Scale Armor (Level 1)
Your body has a layer of scales that reduces incoming damage.
Effect: Physical Damage Received -30%, Magical Damage Received -30%
New Skill: Supernatural Beauty (Passive)
The beauty of an individual that is beyond rational belief. Others can be dumbfounded and lose their rationality from simply looking.
Effect: Charisma +10, Enemy Charisma -10, Immunity to enticement and enchantment
New Skill: Aura of Fear (Passive)
Intimidates all living things within a given area, lowering their stats significantly. Your summons are unaffected, but all other things living or undead are affected.
New Skill: Lightning Fire (Passive)
Allows for the combination of lightning, fire, and wind magic. It possesses the explosive power of fire magic, the inhibiting power of lightning, and is as malleable as the wind.
Skill Upgrade: Captivation (Level 3)
Skill Upgrade: Reflex (Level 5)
Skill Upgrade: Drain Will -> Pleasure Inducement (Level 1)
Through any form of touch, it is possible to create sexual arousal in the target. When the target achieves climax, they are vulnerable to suggestion. Warning, repeated uses on a single target can cause addiction.
Skill Upgrade: Enhanced Body (Level 3)
Great resistance to abnormal effects. Unaging. Enhanced healing.
The last one took Garnet by surprise. Unaging. That would explain the change of her appearance, but to not age was the equivalent of semi-immortality. Absorbing the Siren had given her numerous abilities. It was possible that Garnet harmed herself unconsciously because she could not control the abilities. The other big surprise was Lightning Fire, but she had no spells that could actually be used like that. "Is it because I don't have enough magic skill to learn any of the spells?" Garnet thought to herself. For now though, there was still one thing that she could do.
"Transformation!" Garnet was trying to at least make the black scales on her arms and legs disappear. "UGH!" Garnet groaned in pain. Physical transformation was extremely painful as it warped the person's body. It was not just an illusion that was maintained by magic. It was an actual change to the body, which was why it did not cost any mana. When the pain stopped, her the black spots on her arms and legs were gone. Garnet touched them and they were still a little sensitive. She could feel the scales still, but they were no longer piercing through her skin. It was a separate layer altogether now. The process was very draining and was something that should not be used very often.
The only other spell she could try was Flight. Garnet got out of the wheelchair and stood on her feet. They were still a little sensitive, but not as painful anymore. "Flight!" Garnet activated the spell. RIP. It was the sound of something tearing as Garnet felt extra appendages on her shoulders. She had sprouted two large pairs of black bat like wings. "I'm not human," Garnet thought. It had hit her. The Class Change was from Temptress to Temptress of the Night, another name for a Succubus. She could flap the wings, but she did not want to try it indoors. The damage to her clothes could at least be explained by a fall while trying to move from the wheelchair to the bed and none would be the wiser for now.
Garnet had definitely gotten new powers from the Siren, but she would also have to learn to control them. But, she would still need to heal first, so she got back to scribbling down various things that came to her mind. Despite her enhanced healing, she still felt other problems like dizziness, fatigue, and nausea that did not go away. As great as the Hero System and the abilities she could get from it were, it was not the ultimate solution to all of life's problems.
There were no major problems since the Siren were taken care of. The other farms had begun to adopt the technology that she had introduced. By the fall, the entire region's production had gone up immensely. They now met the conditions necessary for the beginning the stages of industrialization. However, Garnet had other problems to deal with.
Quest Complete: Rebuild the Outer City Wall
Duke Wellington has completed construction of the East Wall
Reward: Experience, Fame+0
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
Four whole levels! It was the most Garnet had ever gotten at once. "The Duke kept his promise!" Garnet said to herself. It had taken a while, but it was finally done. The easy part was done. Convincing the other nobles to lower tariffs and taxes was still in the works. As Duke Wellington said, there's not much he can do about it at the moment. The Duke would have to become King Charles before he could make serious changes to the policy.
"Are you okay?" Anna asked as Garnet tried to walk around with a walker.
"Yes," Garnet responded. After spending a few months in a wheelchair and recovering from the scales protruding through her skin for so long, her legs felt a little weak from disuse and she had difficulty walking normally. Surprisingly, Anna was the one who helped Garnet with her rehabilitation.
Ruby would watch with Anna since she could not go outside alone. "You can do it!" she shouted. Garnet received words of encouragement from Ruby. Ruby had encouraged Duke Wellington as well. Garnet was able to walk on her own, but she just pretended she had difficulty.
"Who are you anyways?" Garnet asked Anna.
"I'm a maid in the service of Duke Wellington," said Anna.
"You seem like something more," said Garnet.
"That's a secret," said Anna.
"Are you the Duke's childhood friend whom he had promised to marry before you found out he was a noble?" Garnet asked.
"That's ridiculous," said Anna. "I didn't even see him for the first time until he was about twelve."
"What did you use to do?" Garnet asked.
"I took care of children," Anna explained.
Garnet wanted to try to get as much information out of Anna as possible, but Anna was not telling her much. After a while of probing, Garnet gave up. Anna was not giving anything important away. She was hiding something. Garnet could not see her level for some reason and she was clearly someone who was very capable. Anna's basic information even revealed that she was a Monk, meaning she knew how to fight.
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Even though Garnet mostly recovered, she still felt some of the same problems. Dizziness, fatigue, and nausea. She was not hearing Riley's voice in her head, so it was clearly not Riley regaining control of her body. After all, that personality seemed to have disappeared. "Too much stress?" Garnet thought. She had been working to help the Duke implement plans that she had developed from farming to the beginnings of industrialization. Only food and cloth production had been industrialized. Steel was in the works, but preparing the equipment took a long time. Garnet decided to leave the rest alone for now.
Quest Update: Secure Charles Wellington's Power
Stop the assassins from killing the Duke.
Reward: Royal Title
It was a quest update. She had not received one since fighting the Siren. Someone was trying to kill the Duke. "Help!" Garnet shouted.
Anna burst through the door. "What is it?" she asked.
"Someone is trying to kill the Duke," said Garnet.
Anna immediately ran outside faster than she had ever been.
A bell was being rung as Garnet ran outside. When Garnet reached the courtyard, there was numerous guards being lined up in rows and columns. "I have received word that someone is targeting the Duke's life!" shouted Anna. "See to it that it does not happen."
The guards all immediately took their positions along the gates and at various positions throughout the manor. It seemed to be something that they regularly prepared for. "Go inside," said Anna. "You and Ruby need to stay safe."
"Where's the Duke?" Garnet asked.
"In town with Ruby," said Anna.
"Aren't you supposed to stay with Ruby?" Garnet asked.
"She went with the Duke and Leeroy, I was asked to stay here," said Anna.
"Flight!" Garnet sprouted wings from her back and took off towards the nearby town.
"You can fly too?!?" Anna was surprised.
Garnet could see a group of guards mobilizing towards the town. In total, about a hundred guards had been deployed. Most were stationed around the manor, but a fairly large group of about twenty headed into town. From above, Garnet could see everything that was going on. She lowered herself to get a closer look at the people from the sky. Unless someone directly looked up, they would not be able to see her.
In the distance, Garnet saw the Duke, he was wearing regular clothes, not his traditional red. He was with Leeroy, Ruby, and two other guards who were in street clothes. Garnet took a sweep around and saw nothing. She quickly dove towards them. BOOM. Garnet crash landed, she still needed to work on the landing.
When Garnet got up, she saw the two guards and Leeroy draw their swords. "It's alright," said Leeroy. "Put down your swords."
"Someone is trying to-," Garnet was interrupted. BUMP. Something hit her in the back and she fell to the floor.
"Mommy!" shouted Ruby.
Leeroy saw the dart on Garnet's back and immediately pulled it out. It was dripping with a colorless liquid. "Hurry get them out of here," he said. The other two guards dragged Duke Wellington and Ruby. Leeroy picked up Garnet and ran as well.
Garnet looked around and saw two people walking away. Her vision was a little blurry. It was due to the effect of what she was hit with, some kind of poison. "Green cloak," said Garnet as she pointed into the distance. Leeroy looked and saw two men in green cloaks walking in the opposite direction. "I'll be okay," said Garnet.
Leeroy put Garnet down. "I'm sorry," he said as he ran towards the guards.
"You probably thought I would die," said Garnet. Leeroy was already gone. Garnet was laying on the ground by herself. "That's three times since I got here," thought Garnet. Her being incapacitated seemed to be a regular occurrence at this point.
After a few minutes, Garnet picked herself up. "Are you alright?" asked a voice.
Garnet turned to face the voice. It was Charlie. "Yes," said Garnet. "I need to go after them."
"What happened?" Charlie asked.
"Assassins," said Garnet. "They ran off to the South, Leeroy is already chasing them. Get the dart that was used on me!"
"Yes sir!" said Charlie.
Garnet took off flying once more. She scanned the area trying to see if she could see anything that resembled the assassins. However, there was no one wearing green cloaks. "It was a distraction!" Garnet realized that they wore something that stood out to draw their attention, but they had changed after they ran and hid. These were professional assassins and Garnet could not catch them.
Quest Update: Secure Charles Wellington's Power
Speak with Charles
Reward: Royal Title
The assassins had gotten away, but they left some evidence. The green cloaks that they wore and the dart that was used on Garnet. They were collected and brought back to the manor for examination. Security was still heavy due to the assassination attempt. It was only stopped by sheer luck as Garnet had landed right in front of the Duke.
The person that was the most suspicious of Garnet was Leeroy, who immediately confronted her when he returned.
"You should be dead," said Leeroy. "That dart was coated in a very strong poison."
"But I'm not," said Garnet.
"That's not possible," said Leeroy. "That poison should have instantly killed you."
Garnet rolled up her sleeves. "Touch my arm," said Garnet pointing to the area just below her wrist.
Leeroy put his hand on Garnet's arm. He moved it up and down. "Scales?" said Leeroy with a surprised voice.
"It happened when I fought the Siren," said Garnet. "I don't know how, but it's there now."
"So it never made it into your body," said Leeroy. "Come with me," he ordered.
Leeroy led Garnet to a room in the back of the manor. In the room was Duke Wellington and Anna. On the table were two green cloaks, some clothes, and the weapons used on Garnet. It was a hand crossbow that was designed to fire arrows and darts. "This is what was used on you," said Leeroy.
They were assassination equipment. They were out to kill the Duke, but hit Garnet instead. "You're okay," said Duke Wellington as he held Garnet.
Garnet was still staring at the items in shock. It was her first time experiencing something like this. "Do you know who was trying to do this?" Garnet asked.
"No," said Anna. "There's no marks that give away who made these, but it is clear that it is someone with quite a lot of money since normal equipment bears markings of its maker."
"There's no unique markings on any of the equipment, but they're of high quality," said Leeroy. "I suspect a noble. I think it is Duke Gray."
"Isn't it Baron Gray?" Garnet asked. He was the guy that tried to capture her at the market in Antium.
"His older brother is Baron Gray," said Duke Wellington.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Garnet asked as she looked at Duke Wellington.
"There has been a power struggle in Antium," said Duke Wellington. "The condition of the King has worsened and he is expected to die soon. I never thought that Duke Gray would try to assassinate his enemies."
"Who is the other Duke?' Garnet asked. "There should be four."
"The Duke of the West is Duke Innes," said Duke Wellington. "He's not concerned with struggles of power and cares more about protecting and developing his own territory. The only ones in serious competition are me and Gray."
"Is Kiko going to be okay?" Garnet asked.
"She's a lot tougher than she looks," said Duke Wellington. "You kind of threw her off when she was here and her guards are much stronger than mine since all of them are not only skilled fighters, but magic users as well."
"I also want you to see a doctor," said Leeroy pointing to Garnet.
"But I'm okay," said Garnet.
"The poison might be working slower on you for some reason, but this is just to be safe," said Leeroy.
"Alright," said Garnet. She could tell she was not poisoned by her status. The dart had done no damage to her and she had no abnormal conditions. However, everyone else was concerned about her, so she agreed.
"So what should we say?" Duke Wellington asked.
"There was an attempt on the Duke's life and we are investigating it," said Leeroy. "Until we find some proof, there's little that we can do."
"I'll bring this over to Freud," said Duke Wellington.
"How will that help?" Garnet asked.
"People as well as objects carry memories," said Duke Wellington. "She should be able to find out where this was made and who was using it."
What worried Garnet the most was that someone knew that Duke Wellington was increasing his power. Someone was possibly spying on them. They attacked at a time when the Duke was exposed. If Freud could do what Duke Wellington had said, then it would be resolved. However, Garnet would have to speed up her plans. If the King was going to die soon, then there was no more holding back, her plans would have to be pushed forward.
The next day, a doctor arrived. He was a middle aged man with a beard wearing magician's robes similar to Zedd's. "This way," said Anna guiding him to Garnet who was sitting in the kitchen with Ruby.
Name: Rito
Level: 48
Class: Healer
Sub-class: Doctor
Stats: High Intelligence
Ruby walked over to Anna was. Rito took out his equipment. He pulled out a stethoscope while checking Garnet's pulse. He then took the stethoscope to check Garnet's heartbeat. Rito's face suddenly changed. "Hold still and don't resist," he said.
Garnet did her best to not move, but it was hard. Rito used his hand and magic to check. Garnet could feel the mana flow throughout her body. "Have you been feeling anything strange?" Rito asked.
"I had a few days where I felt dizzy and nauseated," said Garnet.
"Anything strange cravings for food?" Rito asked.
"No," said Garnet.
Anna had a strange smile on her face with her hands clasped together in front of her. She was happy about something, but Garnet did not know what.
"The good news is there's no poison in your blood," said Rito. "But I have some other questions."
Garnet nodded, "Okay."
"When did you last bleed?" Rito asked.
Garnet tried to remember. Her last one was some time after she arrived at the Duke's manor. "Maybe four months ago?" said Garnet. "But there was also periodic bleeding when I was injured, so I'm not sure."
"You're fine then," said Rito. "There's no traces of poison. Is there anything else?"
"No," said Garnet.
"If there's other problems, send someone again," said Rito. "But there should be no problems. Just rest."
"Alright," said Anna. She had a big smile on her face. "Looks like you and the Duke have been pretty busy. For a moment there I thought he was going to announce that you were going to have a baby."
Garnet waved Ruby over and lifted her to sit on her lap. "Can you tell me more stories?" Garnet asked.
"Sure!" said Ruby. She was still going through her diaries. She had almost something for every day.
Garnet just wanted something to get the news off her mind. Anything else to think of. She only recently found out that she had a child and now she was going to have another.
"And that was when Leeroy taught me when and how to hit daddy!" asid Ruby.
Ruby's stories sometimes shocked Garnet as well. Even though Ruby was still very young, she was very observant and wrote down a lot of the things that she saw. Her father was the main subject and she managed to track all of the bad things that Duke Wellington had been doing, leading to some awkward moments between Garnet and the Duke. It also created a lot of rumors about the Duke since the servants all overheard these conversations.
This would not last though. At the age of five, nearly all children of noble birth are sent to schools to learn how to be leaders. It would soon be Ruby's turn and she only had a few months left.
"Have you wrote anything about me?" Garnet asked.
Ruby pulled Garnet to her room where she had another book labeled "Mommy." She opened it. The very first picture was from when Garnet arrived at the manor. It had stick figure drawings of everyone including Garnet. At the bottom included notes about what she thought: "Mommy is quiet and likes to listen to me talk." Anna stood quietly outside so the two could spend some time together.
"At least it was something good," thought Garnet. Stories about "Daddy" were mostly negative and about all the bad things he was doing.
The ones that stood out the most were the ones when Garnet was injured. There were signs of water damage and incomplete sentences. It was most likely because Ruby was crying and did not want to think about what would happen. Garnet held Ruby close to her. "I told you I'm not going anywhere," said Garnet. "You don't have to worry about me leaving."
"I know," said Ruby. "But your face is scary when you are hurt."
Garnet was glad that she learned how to use the Summoning Circles for Teleportation because she could visit Ruby any time. All Garnet needed to do was put a magic circle somewhere near the school.
"Did you ever write books like this?" asked Ruby.
"I did not have money for the paper," said Garnet.
"Is paper expensive?" asked Ruby.
"No, but it is not always easy to find," said Garnet. "Where I was from, there was nowhere to buy paper. It was just lots of farms."
Garnet's current life was much different from her old one, where she was constantly on the job whether it be at a farm or at a brothel. Relaxing and writing was something that she did not have a lot of time to do. She was at least lucky enough to have learned how to do it. Ruby on the other hand was sheltered. She did not get many chances to leave the manor. She could only learn from others around the manor until she went to a formal school. When Ruby went outside, it was always under guard.
"Is there anything you want to know about me?" Garnet asked Ruby.
"Why did you disappear?" Ruby asked.
It was something Garnet did not expect. "I had to leave because people wanted to hurt me," said Garnet. "If I did not leave, then they would have hurt you and daddy too." That was the best lie that Garnet could come up with.
"Okay," said Ruby. "Mommy love us very much, but Mommy did what she had to."
"Thank you for understanding," said Garnet.
"Daddy says that all the time because he leaves for many days at a time," said Ruby. "He is staying longer now with us though."
"Anything else you want to ask?" Garnet wanted to ease Ruby's mind.
"Can I sleep here with you tonight?" Ruby asked.
"Sure," said Garnet. She knew that she did not have much time left to spend with Ruby. After all, Ruby would be leaving for school soon. She wanted to feel that she could at least be a good mother to Ruby. After all, Garnet had nothing to offer but talking and listening to Ruby.
Spoiler :
Name: Garnet
Level: 14
Class: Dark Mage
Sub-class: Temptress -> Temptress of the Night
Stats:
HP: 1010/1010
MP: 2780/2780
Fame: 20
Strength: 20 (+5)
Dexterity: 12 (+7)
Intelligence: 73 (+22)
Vitality: 21 (+5)
Agility: 21 (+7)
Charisma: 24 (+20)
PROFICIENCY:Weapon:
- One Handed Sword – 6
- Hand to Hand – 2
- Staff - 1
Magic:
- Fire – 5
- Lightning – 8
- Wind – 1
- Summoning – 7
- Blood – 5
- Spatial - 0
SKILLS:Weapon (One Handed Sword):
- Horizontal Slash (Level 3)
- Double Slash (Level 2)
- Crescent Slash
Weapon (Hand to Hand):
- Palm Strike
- Wind Palm
- Explosive Palm (Level 2)
- Lightning Palm
Weapon (Staff):
- Thrust (Level 2)
Class (Dark Mage):
- Fire Bolt (Level 5)
- Fire Ball (Level 1)
- Lightning Bolt (Level 8)
- Chain Lightning (Level 2)
- Light (Level 1)
- Air Bullet (Level 2)
- Mana Strike (Level 2)
- Mana Shield (Level 2)
- Call: Skeletal Hounds (Level 3)
- Call: Skeletons (Level 1)
- Call: Lilith (Level 1)
- Recall
- Dismiss
- Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 2)
- Lightning Fire (Passive)
- Blood Absorption (Level 6)
- Blood Bind (Level 1)
- Teleportation (Level 1)
- Teleportation Summoning Circle (Level 1)
Sub-class (Temptress of the Night):
- Enhanced Body (Level 3)
- Captivation: (Level 3)
- Mind Read: (Level 1)
- Drain Will (Level 3) -> Pleasure Inducement (Level 1)
- Sexy Walk (Level 1)
- Stealth (Level 1)
- Shadow Walk (Level 2)
- Sonic Scream (Level 1)
- Illusion (Level 1)
- Alluring Song (Level 1)
- Flight (Level 1)
- Aura of Fear (Level 1)
- Scale Armor (Level 1, Passive)
- Transformation (Level 1)
- Transformation: Temptress of the Night (Level 1)
Tradeskills:
- Hunting (Level 3) - Hunter
- Cooking (Level 5) - Cook
- Inspection (Level 3) – Farmer, Coroner
- Inventory Expansion (Level 3)
Passives:
- Hand to Hand (Level 1)
- One Handed Sword (Level 1)
- Staff (Level 1)
- Reflex (Level 5)
- Speed (Level 10) -> Haste (Level 1)
- Physical Resistance (Level 3) -> Scale Armor (Level 1)
Unique:
- Hero System (Passive)
- Otherworldly Knowledge (Passive)
- Golden Tongue (Passive)
- Mana Compatibility (Passive)
- Quick Learner (Passive)
- Channeling (Passive)
- Charging (Passive)
- Night Vision (Passive)