Tony had gone through five of the micro doses of Hamaskyr before anyone entered his chambers again. He hadn’t had a clock on his interface since the last time he had been on the Hagh’Tanak. He wondered absently if there was some sort of central system that he needed to connect to in order to sync with the “local” time.
Vixie and a pair of Padinus guards strolled into his chambers with the same examining tools the elf had used before, food, and water on three separate trays. Tony took note of the five additional vials of Hamaskyr on Vixie’s tray and scowled.
As the alchemist examined him again, her face was a confused frown.
“What?” Tony asked curtly.
“I’m having a hard time reading your vitals, I’ve never had a hard time reading vitals. What did you do?” She demanded.
“Maybe it’s all the drugs,” Tony retorted, “I’ve just been sitting in here… minding my own business.”
Vixie’s already thin lips tightened into a near undetectable line on her face.
Tony didn’t care. He was done with the niceties… of giving Vixie the benefit of the doubt when the evidence was right in front of him. He was a means to an ends for her, for Serketzi, and hell… probably for Jorogu too. That’s why he was here in the first place.
All he had done was try to make things right… to get Jorogu back to her people… but instead he’d been kidnapped, assaulted repeatedly and in a variety of fashions, made to compete for sport, and now would either be a rescuer or a killer. Tone needed to get out of this place and back to doing something that mattered, like finding a way to kill Ignacious.
Tony became immediately aware of a swelling of essence in the center of his chest, the result of his days of meditation coming to the surface. His essence seemed to do that when he was frustrated or anxious, sit in his chest. With a couple of deep breaths, the buildup released and circulated back into his system. If he had to gauge it, he was at step two-and-a-half of unlocking the talent that D had been teaching him. He was circulating essence regularly enough, but whenever something significant happened, he’d get a twitch-like reaction letting him know something was wrong… almost like a body based notification.
“I told you that she was making me make the potion, it’s not like I have a choice…” Vixie explained with a harsh whisper.
Tony shot out of his seat and shoved Vixie away.
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“There is always a choice!” He shouted, “there has to be!”
Vixie looked up at him from where she landed on the floor and before she could say or do anything, the pair of guards who had accompanied her had lashed Tony’s unarmored frame with their gland tipped whips and pinned him to the floor with their crook-spears. Tony’s eyes never left Vixie’s as he was flogged for daring to attack the “Empress’ Prized Physician.”
You have gained a Language Proficiency! Padinus (Basic)
Vixie and her two guards left Tony a crumpled beaten mess in the middle of the floor. Fortunately, his Ascendant Healing Factor kicked in immediately and in a big way.
Achievement Unlocked: Secret Technique Apprentice - Unlock a hidden talent
You have learned a new talent: Adamant Body Ascension
Adamant Body Ascension Prerequisite: Ascendant Healing Factor
Type: Permanent Duration: Permanent
Effect: Your Ascendant Healing Factor has been upgraded through your resolve and spite. Your body has been hardened gaining bonus Defense Rating and Damage Reduction, additionally, you have gained the ability to regrow lost limbs and damaged organs.
- Normal Ascendant Healing Factor = [10 + Essence] x Human Healing Rate
- Adamant Body Ascension Healing Factor = [10 + Essence + Stamina Modifier + Spirit Modifier] x Human Healing Rate
Adamant Body Ascension was easily his most powerful talent and it's effects were passive, they'd be active all of the time.
At least I'll be spending less time on the floor. Tony thought.
Now that he'd regained his Dreadblade, that meant that Life-Biting Essence would be present, and that coupled with his new passive healing meant that he could heal through some devastating attacks as long as he was dealing heavy damage through them. He'd be trading blows a lot in the future to maximize his damage and healing. Once this was all done, once he was freed from this place, from Serketzi and the damned Slave Collar, he'd have to take a thorough look through his sheet and the talents waiting for him.
Fortunately, the trays of food, water, and Hamaskyr microdoses were still intact despite the carelessness of the guards while they had flogged Tony. He hadn't had a real meal since the engagement festival with Jorogu, if the odd amalgamations of sap, insect flesh and herbs had counted as "real food." What was on the tray looked to be some sort of broiled meat, vegetables that weren't too far removed from broccoli, and... maybe... puffed mushrooms?
Tony tried a little bit of each and then devoured the food and gulped down the water greedily. He hadn't realized just how hungry and thirsty he'd been. The Starved and Dehydrated debuffs winked out almost instantly. Apparently, food and water were still necessary, just to a much lesser extent than he had pre-Ascension.
I wonder if eating enough food, or different kinds of foods would get me some sort of food buff... he wondered.
There was no opportunity for Tony to explore as the following days offered him no food or drink beyond the bare minimum, just a pair of Padinus attendants and guards to help clean himself and don his armor before they kicked him out of the suite and into his very own tunnel into the Pits. This would be the first time that Tony walked onto the sands of the arena without some sort of pep talk from Jak. There wasn't the time for sad remembrances or regrets. It was time to fight the Champion... to get the hell out of this place... time... to win.