Vina awoke the next morning feeling like a different person. She felt fresh and awake, strengthened by the sensation of her own blood rushing through her veins. Each breath she took fed her body in a way she had never known before. Her Blood Sense wasn’t limited to only her own body though. She soon realized she could feel the blood of other people around her as well.
As Vina and Etana walked together to the Institute, Vina couldn’t get over how brightly her sister’s blood was glowing. It had been the same with Ann and every person Vina saw today. It was as if a part of her body was listening to music no one else could hear. It was like her eyes could see a light that no one else could see. Their blood was so sharp in her senses, Vina even thought she could smell a metallic scent. It was subtle, but she felt it had affected how her breakfast had tasted.
Her exposure to so many people had changed her impression of the skill. It was not just the smell, or the sound that the skill gave her, but the very essence of the vibrant life within each person she met. She began to suspect something. “Could the vibrance of their life be a hint of their level?” she wondered to herself. She was curious enough to look around occasionally to try to confirm her suspicions, but she found the experience overwhelming and soon began to develop a headache.
Vina was so distracted with this new life experience, she hadn’t noticed she and Etana had arrived at the Institute. Her sister stopped at the entryway and Vina could see it was crowded with people milling about. Etana rushed forward through the crowd, but Vina followed more slowly. She was hesitant being around so many people at once, and her head continued to hurt from the overstimulation that Blood Sense was giving her. “Did I make a mistake learning this skill?” she wondered to herself, so deep in thought she stopped walking. “When I first arrived I asked myself if I could learn a skill dangerous enough to hurt me. This skill is not exactly hurting me, but I am changing. What am I becoming?” She was so distracted her last words were spoken aloud.
“What are you becoming?” said a voice behind her.
Vina did not jump. She had felt the blood of a person behind her even though she was trying very hard to suppress that sense. She turned and saw Ebba. The vibrance of Ebba’s blood was so intense, that to Vina it almost felt like staring into the sun. She averted her eyes. “Oh. I was just thinking out loud.” Vina said, avoiding the question.
“I see. I wanted to apologize for missing our session last night. I had other responsibilities that called me away. I would have sent you a message if I had time. Instead I sent myself today to make amends.” Ebba said with her head bowed slightly.
“It’s okay. I needed to rest last night anyway. Do you know what’s going on with The Institute?” Vina asked, changing the subject. She did not want to have to explain why she was so tired.
“Yes I do. There was a fire last night and a portion of the building was damaged. It’s unfortunate, but I suspect you will not be having classes today.” Ebba said, looking at the building in the distance. “What will you do with your time?”
Vina considered for a moment, “Am I allowed to own a weapon while I stay in Termily?” Ever since she had lost her spear, bow, and knives, Vina was feeling somewhat vulnerable. This world had left a mark on her and she didn’t feel safe without a weapon by her side anymore.
Ebba seemed to consider her request, “I don’t recall any restrictions made on the items you may own. If I recall, you still have your bow?”
Vina shook her head and Ebba continued, “I believe you are well within the bounds of our agreement if you obtain a defensive weapon at the market. I must now excuse myself. I have a full day of work ahead of me. Once again, I do apologize for my absence.”
Vina reassured her it was okay and Ebba took her leave. Her armor and two handed sword softly clattered as she walked away.
Etana ran back to Vina, “One of the buildings is burned! Where were you? I thought you were right behind me.”
“Oh. Ebba stopped me. She wanted to apologize for not showing up for our session last night.” Vina said, rubbing her forehead with one hand.
Etana looked around, “Which one is she? Is she still wearing that full body armor you mentioned?”
Vina looked where Ebba had walked away just a moment ago, but she didn’t see her. “Hm... she left that way, but I don’t see her now.”
Etana gave her a strange look, “Vina. Seriously now. I’ve never seen Ebba, but you seem to see her all the time, even when I’m with you. It’s as if she is one of the twelve with how mysterious she is. I’m confused why that is happening.”
“Yeah. That is kinda strange isn’t it. Why don’t you join us tonight? You can meet her and I can show you some runes at the same time.”
Her sister seemed to consider the offer before accepting. “I think that might be for the best. I know you haven’t been in this world long. Maybe there is something you are missing here that I can see.”
Vina cocked an eyebrow, realizing something, “You know who mentioned the twelve in her letters. Who are they actually?”
Etana looked around as if she was scared to be overheard, “Classes are canceled. Come on. Let’s go somewhere private.”
~~~
Vina and Etana headed to one of their favorite open fields. Etana seemed to be gathering herself for a lecture on the twelve and Vina was more than willing to listen. They sat close to each other and Etana spoke softly.
“The twelve are the current leaders of The Watch. They all have different true Aspects of Trina. Some say they are the most powerful aspects, others say the twelve have just been bonded with them for a long time. Whatever the reason, they are extremely powerful and very private. Historically they have been replaced after aging out, but no switches have happened in decades at this point. Well, at least not publicly. Judging from mom’s notes, they probably have the Aspect of Life now to extend their lives.”
Vina interrupted, “But Shan didn’t give them the Aspect of Life, right? Priya said he still had it.”
Etana shrugged, “I don’t have real answers here. I am guessing though that maybe dear old dad tried to make some compromises that weren’t entirely well received. Maybe he offered fakes, but that wasn’t good enough. Anyway, The Twelve normally just go by their nicknames, but some of them don’t even like that. I’ve heard stories of some of the twelve killing people if they ever learn their true identities.”
“Wow, that's horrible. I read some of the history of The Watch, but they never spelled out who the twelve were”, Vina said. “Do you know any nicknames?”
“There are only three that I know of. The most popular and public is Haco. She is bonded with the Aspect of Flame. Her aspect has many fakes in the world. You can even buy one in the market in this town. I’ve heard of Carda, but I couldn’t tell you what his aspect is. He leads the armies of The Watch and manages the war with The Darkness. The last one I know is Gij. She comes out sometimes and makes things from nothing.”
“What kinds of things does Gij make?” Vina asked, somewhat intrigued.
“Oh gosh. I’ve seen her make anything from shoes to buildings. The larger or more complex the object is, the harder it is to make, I think. I saw her make a few barracks buildings a few years back and she looked exhausted from the effort.” Etana said.
“She sounds amazing. Her aspect is capable of helping a lot of people.” Vina said.
“You’re not wrong, but I’m certain you can tell that the Twelve are not all good people from what you’ve read.” Etana said, giving her a serious look.
“I’ve picked up on the bias in the history books. Yeah. I actually did read about Haco. She uses the Aspect of Flames right?” Vina asked.
“Yeah. She’s more than that though. Haco is becoming the most visible of the twelve lately. She travels from city to city and completes every bounty that involves killing creatures, all by herself. She’s incredibly efficient. She can complete a bounty in just a couple of hours that would take a team of adventurers a month. She is the primary reason The Watch’s towns are so safe.” Etana held her head up ever so slightly, and Vina could see she looked up to Haco like a hero.
“I’d like to meet Haco and Gij some day. What is Carda like?” Vina asked
Etana shrugged. “My guess is he’s like a soldier. I’ve only ever seen his face on posters and heard about his accomplishments on the battlefield. I’ve never seen him. The guards seem eager to serve when they get called to the frontlines.” Etana paused for a moment and her face took on a serious look.
“Vina, there’s also the story time twelve like the portal maker, the titan, the twins, and nil. No one knows if they are real and their rumored aspects are terrifying. It’s incredibly important we don’t gain any of their attention.” Etana said, seriously.
Etana clapped her hands together, “Which brings us Ebba. Maybe she is just an official for The Watch. Maybe because you are from a different world, capable of writing rune words, and have completed bounties by yourself, they called someone higher up the ladder to figure you out. There’s a reason they’re called The Watch. They watch literally everything they can.”
Etana took a deep breath and continued, “Look, Ann and I aren’t exactly normal people here either. We’ve known for a while to keep our mouths shut and to escape this place when we could. When you joined us, it became abundantly clear we were going to have some problems with that plan.”
Vina listened closely to everything Etana said and began to see the situation from her perspective. “It’s… a problem.. because.. I’m being watched”, she said slowly.
Etana nodded deeply, “Yes. We can’t get out of this town and leave you behind. Even if all three of us were to leave, I am concerned they would find us and bring us back. After talking this out, I’m not so certain I want to meet Ebba now. I don’t want Ann and I to get on her watchlist. I think I will follow you home and see what Ebba looks like, but that’s the full extent I’d like to go for now. Maybe I’ll recognize her.”
Vina nodded, “What can I do to get myself off the watchlist?”
Etana reached out and touched Vina’s hand gently, “I don’t know. But we’re going to figure out a way.”
~~~
Vina was walking back to her home. Her blood sense skill made her completely aware that Etana was trailing her from some distance. The distance was nice actually, for Vina. She had spent every moment of the day close to other people and her nerves were on edge from Blood Sense. She wished she could turn it off sometimes, but that feeling would often come and go. She hoped in a few days the skill would not be so raw to her senses.
They had not been idle all day. They trained their running and jumping and climbing skills as much as they could. They also did one single duel with only fists to see how it would go. They both agreed it was rather brutal, but Etana won after a mountain of bruises, split lips, and broken fingers. Vina was surprised by Etana’s strength and also some kind of passive ability she had.
Every time Vina was hit, she felt a second force applied to her body. It was like every hit she received was duplicated. Etana wouldn’t elaborate, and Vina found she had to avoid being hit if she had any chance of winning. Although she had not earned any experience from her loss, she had gained several points in her skills.
New Skill Learned: Unarmed Fighting. Unarmed Fighting has reached level 2. Your fists inflict 101% of your strength in damage and your body is .50% more resistant to damage Quest Updated: Learn Skills 3 33/75
Skill Level Up: Kicking has reached level 4. Your kicks inflict up 115% of your strength in damage. Skill Level Up: Running has reached level 4. Running currently burns 11.4 times more stamina than walking. You can run at 6.6 miles per hour. Skill Level Up: Jumping has reached level 5. You can jump 18 inches off of the ground. You have gained one skill point. Skill Level Up: Climbing has reached level 5. Your grip strength is 8% stronger. You burn 12% less stamina while climbing. You climb 8% faster. You have gained one skill point. You have gained 325 experience points from leveling skills.
After they had beaten each other up, Vina and Etana visited the market so Vina could make several purchases. She was delighted to discover that the Regal of The Watch was financially more valuable than a Randar. She was able to purchase a new thrusting sword for fifty regals, a sword breaker dagger for 40 regals, and she replaced all of her throwing knives for 30 regals. Vina also purchased a small wooden box. Although she had not won a single barter opportunity, she did force a couple of rerolls. Those rerolls allowed her to level her Barter skill once more.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Skill Level Up: Bartering has reached level 4. When in a bartering opportunity, your minimum roll is increased by 3 and your maximum is increased by 8. You have gained 35 experience points from leveling skills.
Vina Level Up: You reached level 6 and have 3 more attribute points to allocate. Your agility has increased by 2, your dexterity has increased by 1 and your mastery has increased by 1. You have gained 10 health and 5 stamina. You have earned one class ability point. You have earned one skill specialization point.
Vina was itching to check out her skill point options and her class ability point, but she and Etana had made a plan for tonight. She needed to focus as much as she could to play her part to perfection. It was a rather simple plan, however. Etana would remain in hiding until Ebba left her home. She would then follow Ebba to see where she went. Vina thought Ebba would just return home or to some office building for the night, but Etana wasn’t so sure. Her sister had asked her to end the evening as soon as possible and to do it in a manner that would fluster Ebba. The hope was that if Ebba was distracted, it would be easier for Etana to follow her safely.
Vina sensed Ebba before she saw her. “Good evening. Vina”, Ebba’s voice said from behind her.
“Why is she always trying to surprise people?” Vina thought to herself. “Good evening. Are you ready to begin?” she said aloud.
Ebba and Vina walked the rest of the way to her house and sat down at the table together. Ebba began speaking, “How was your day today Vina? Were you able to find yourself a weapon?”
Vina grinned, glad Ebba asked. There was a kindness in her remembering that made Vina feel welcomed. “Yes. I was able to find a thrusting sword that pairs well with my abilities.” She fished into her backpack and pulled out an elegant thrusting sword with an intricate wire guard. She held it out for Ebba to examine.
Item: Quick Thrusting Sword of Blood Rare Damage: 4-10 Durability: 30/30 Required Attributes: Strength 10, Dexterity 16, Agility 14 Bonus: Attacks made with this weapon are 5% faster. Bonus: Wounds received from this weapon cause 5% additional bleeding damage. This is a sword designed for thrusting attacks. The sword is longer and thinner than the average sword, but just as heavy. This sword is adequate at making slicing attacks.
Ebba nodded slowly, “It seems you have done well for yourself Vina. This was a good choice. I know the blacksmith who made this weapon. He is quite good at his craft.” Ebba took a moment to lay out some items on the table and began to speak, “Today we’ll be learning how…”
“I have an idea for a project today. Can I try to do it by myself while you watch?” Vina interrupted.
Ebba looked at her consideringly for a moment and said, “I think that will be okay for this evening. What is your idea?”
Vina smiled eagerly. She actually was really excited for this despite the goal Etana had given her. “I know you’ve been trying to learn Blood Runes with me, but you haven’t picked the skill up yet. I had an idea how you might experience what it feels like even when you don’t have the skill.” Vina pulled out her box. It had been hand carved from a single piece of wood and had a nice hinge added on for the lid. “May I begin?”
Ebba seemed to be analyzing her face, and Vina felt awkward for a moment, scared Ebba could see through her. But her concern was unfounded when Ebba smiled and said, “Please do. I am very interested to see what you will make.”
Vina took the knife Ebba had set on the table and began carving runes into the box. She worked as quickly as she could while still respecting the level of detail required for what she intended. Vina started with the simple words. She carved finger, blood, lake, touch, and so on. Once she had the elements that she needed, she connected them into phrases. She wrote ‘Touch Box’ , ‘Blood Flow’ and ‘Stream to Lake’.
Vina felt frustrated at times. Compared to what Priya could write, she was speaking like a toddler. However, she persevered and added in the connections between the phrases. She flipped the lid open and continued the carvings inside the box. She defined the lake, and what absorb and store meant, and what constituted a touch. She tried adding Ebba’s name to the On button as she had seen her mother do with the sealed letter. Vina saw a deficit in the function however. She didn’t have a means to identify Ebba.
Vina paused as she considered for a moment how to tie the box directly to her mentor. Blood sense spoke loudly to her as she considered this and Ebba’s vibrance still resonated powerfully in the room with her. Vina realized that was the answer. Ebba’s blood vibrance was unique. Vina smiled as she carved words to describe Ebba’s vibrance and was soon satisfied with the result.
On a whim, Vina added an emotion to the On button as well. The same emotion she felt when she brought a rune to life. This was by far the hardest work Vina had ever done. Describing functions was difficult, but describing emotions took it to a level she had never attempted. By the time she finished, she was sweating from the effort.
After one last look at her work, she handed the box over to Ebba. “It’s done I think.”
When Vina looked up she saw Ebba’s eyes were wide in surprise. “Vina, this is the most exquisite work you have done so far. Are you aware you did this entirely with Blood runes? I don’t recognize even a third of these words. What have you made?”
Vina blushed at the praise, “I created a box that will act like a rune activated with blood. It is keyed to you only. If you cut your finger and place it onto this rune, it’ll collect some of your blood and it should feel exactly the same as when I do it.”
She watched Ebba as she slowly removed her right gauntlet. Ebba’s eyes were locked on the box. There was fear and wonder in her voice, “Do you think I can really learn the skill like this? I’ve never heard of this strategy before.”
Vina furrowed her brows in confusion. Ebba suddenly sounded like a scared child trying something for the first time. “I really don’t know. I mostly wanted you to know what it is like for me.” This feeling was true for Vina. She felt alone learning these blood skills and had no one to share it with. Part of her hoped this box would work. Then she wouldn’t be alone anymore.
When Ebba brought out a knife and cut her finger, Vina looked at her hand, and couldn’t stifle her gasp. Ebba’s hand was badly burned and covered in scars. The skin looked painful despite being long since healed. “There are some wounds even mixtures cannot heal quickly. I share my trauma with you in full vulnerability, Vina. Please do not share it with others.”
Vina nodded slowly and said, “I promise, Ebba.”
Ebba pricked her finger just like she had seen Vina do and placed it against the box. Vina watched Ebba’s eyes open in surprise and then a silly smile formed on her face. She held her finger there. Some time passed and Vina began to get nervous. “Ebba?” But just as she said it, the box overflowed with blood and spread across the table.
Vina jumped up and tried to pull the box away from Ebba’s hand, but it was locked in place. “How…?” she said but she didn’t have time to consider further. She tried pulling Ebba’s fingers away, but her hand was like iron. The blood continued to spread across the table and drip onto the floor. “How is she bleeding so fast?” Vina thought. But she did not have time to consider further as inspiration struck her. She moved to the other side of the table. She kicked Ebba’s chair with all of her strength.
The chair didn’t move, but Vina felt something give. The chair broke and collapsed under the significant weight of Ebba’s armor and she fell to the side, away from the box. She seemed to snap awake and grabbed her hand in surprise. She quickly reached into her armor, pulled out a mixture, and immediately drank it.
“Wow.” Ebba stood up and surveyed the blood. “I should have known. You warned me it would be exactly like what you experienced, but I did not listen.” She held her hand to her head and tried to steady herself. “Although I didn’t learn the skill, I think your experiment is a success, Vina. I apologize for doubting you. You spoke your truth.” Ebba’s voice faded as she looked away as if staring into the distance and said, “I should have detected that.” Her head snapped back to Vina, “Blood runes really are alive aren’t they?”
Vina nodded, her eyes welled with some tears at the validation.
Ebba looked around once more at all the blood. “ I think I better head to the clinic to be safe. I suspect you can clean this up better than anyone else.”
Vina smirked, “Yeah. I think I can tell it to gather in a single place. Are you okay with your blood being fed to the lantern?”
Ebba laughed, “I think that’s the first time anyone asked me that before. Yes, you can feed it all to the lantern.” Her eyes rested on the box on the table. “You’ve made something amazing. That feeling…” Her voice trailed off and she seemed to gather herself again, “I need to go.”
Vina nodded and walked Ebba to the door. She offered to help Ebba walk to the clinic, but she declined. She was still worried when she saw how unsteady Ebba was in all that armor.
Vina headed back into her house and sat down at the table. She pulled out her lantern and began urging the blood to fill the lantern. Vina stopped for a minute though and approached the box she had made for Ebba. It was still full of her blood. Vina tenderly touched the box. “Could Ebba’s blood be useful in the future?” she whispered.
She sat down and took out one of her own knives. She sounded out the phrase she wanted and lifted the lid. She wrote slowly and intentionally the words Preserve and Contain and connected it back to the lake runephrase, her hand briefly dipped into the blood to scribble on the inside. It didn’t bother Vina that she was covered in blood after leaning over the table. She leaned back from all her work and sighed. Her head snapped to the door when Etana walked through.
“What the hell?!” Etana yelled.
Vina stood up from her seat and held her blood covered hands out, “Hold on. This is one of my skills!” Vina hesitated and wiped her hands on her shirt, which didn’t help at all.
Etana looked at her, eyes wide. The fear Vina saw in them hurt her deeply. “Did you and Ebba try to kill each other?”
“No no. Not at all. I kinda lied… I am not actually a Rune Carver, I have a skill called Blood Runes. It’s a blood based skill and I thought you might not like me if you knew I had blood skills.” Vina said, speaking quickly.
To Vina’s relief, she saw Etana begin to relax, “Vina, you’re my sister, I’m not going to judge you for your skills. But my goodness, it looks like you killed someone in here. Whose blood is that?”
Vina looked at the box in front of her before closing the lid, “It’s Ebba’s. Here, let me clean this up and we can talk. I’m going to tell this lantern to absorb the blood, but please do not be scared of it.” She watched Etana brace herself. Vina looked at her lantern and willed it to start absorbing the blood on the table.
Etana watched in fascination as all of the blood, liquid or dried, slowly moved its way to the lantern. “You can move blood with your mind? I mean how does that work? Blood isn’t a substance. It’s made up of things like water. Do you control water?” Etana asked.
Vina smirked at the question, “Honestly… I don’t really know how I’m doing it. I don’t have a skill that specifically says I can. I think it’s just a perk of having Blood Runes. Does the lantern make you feel uneasy?”
Etana swallowed hard and said, “This whole room is making me uneasy.” She laughed, trying to dispel some of the tension. “As for your lantern, there’s definitely something off about it. Yet it feels familiar. Do you feed it… you know… from your own body?”
Vina looked at the lantern lovingly, “I guess I do sometimes, yes.”
Etana watched the blood in the room slowly disappear as the lantern gathered it all up. Soon not a single drop could be found and only the lantern and the box remained on the table. After some time, she spoke, “Okay. Vina, that was horrifying, but it’s okay. You don’t need to tell me anymore about your skills or your class. I suggest you find a respectful way to share this with Ann, however. You two sort of have differing skill sets, and I worry how she would respond to a surprise like this.”
Vina nodded her agreement and changed the subject, “How did it go with Ebba?”
Etana blinked, “Oh yeah. She left your house really wobbly. I thought you drugged her or something. She managed to stumble away and headed toward the clinic.”
“Does that help us learn anything?” Vina said.
“Not really. She just looked like someone who was injured and going to the clinic isn’t suspicious. Especially since you almost bled her to death tonight. Were you trying to kill her?”
Vina shook her head, “No. I made a special box that would absorb her blood, so she could feel what Blood Runes was like. I didn’t put any protections on the box and she nearly bled out. The experiment was successful, but it had unintended consequences.”
Etana moved to the table, lifted the box’s lid, and peered inside. “You kept Ebba’s blood? What can you do with it?”
Vina shrugged, “I have no idea. I was under the impression that Ebba could be one of the twelve. What if I needed to use it against her someday? Do you think I should keep it?”
Etana considered for a moment, “I have no idea Vina. I don’t know much about blood skills or what they can do. It’s up to you.”