Chapter 37

The 'Great' Train Robbery

Zero was bleeding, not just a little either but they had a huge gash on the top of their head. I put my hand up to staunch the bleeding and instantly felt a giant tingling sensation. This was the blood of my familiar, someone who I supposedly shared a deep personal connection to. Yet, I felt numb, well numb until their blood was coating my skin. The minute their blood covered me and I desperately pressed my hand to their head, I just couldn’t help but feel a connected surge of energy, followed by pain.

Using Telepathy, I mentally reached out and tried to connect to their mind, but they were gone. Again, there was something about the hit to the head that was apparently dangerous to the tiny familiar. That or it was the fact that we were in the spirit realm, meaning the damage that was taken affected them on a deep personal level.

BOOM!

Then just like that, there was an explosion. I should have expected something like this, I mean the ticket counter all but said something like this would be scripted with all that, never had an accident talk.

Shaking my head, focus my eyes and using my Angel’s Sight I see multiple tropes going on all at once. There is the train heist, which this is an amateur group at best, no flair for the dramatics, no breaking in through the skylight. No stealing countless hidden jewels while no one is looking. Instead they are all straight forward, smash the train’s engine, blow open a gaping hole in the side of the opium den, then apparently gag on the released vapors. You know what, I am losing even more respect for these thieves, the more I watch. Especially as they only decide to put on their Thieves’ Guild masks after they are inundated with smoke.

I am half tempted to go around robbing this train and its people now, all in an effort to blame these thieves. They are the perfect cover, who would expect a second thief using the first group as a distraction. No, if anyone found out about the other robberies, they would just think that a master would have worked in cahoots with the terrible thieves to mask their movements.

Shaking my head at the tragedy of it all, I focus on the only thing that matters right now, Zero.

There is something in Zero’s blood, as it feels like it is a dense pool of spirit magic. Feeling the energy, with the pools of energy fused blood coating my fingers, I can’t help but feel that there is something potent and powerful to the energy. Something that I could take for my own, and of course at that revelation I feel something shatter within me.

Hidden Quest Line Opened: Awakening the Shade Touched Bloodline: You have found something truly remarkable in the blood of your familiar. Consume the blood to awaken your bloodline. Rewards: Experience, Attribute Bonuses, Bloodline Trait.

And there it is, the carrot to see how much of a villain I can be, well villainess if I want to be technical. I feel repulsed just by reading the quest prompt. Reading it, I realize the horrors that Ms. Umbra’s mother had to have gone through, what she willingly put herself through for this bonus.

I am sickened and appalled by the very notion of doing this sort of thing to anyone, let alone Zero my faithful companion.

I reject the quest line so quickly that I am instantly hit with a warning message.

Warning: You are choosing to avoid the awakening your bloodline quest. If this continues, you might never be able to awaken your bloodline heritage. Do you wish to continue with this path?

“Yes!” I hiss out, as I can barely believe it is still asking me this.

At that, I feel something shatter from deep within me.

Quest Updated: Quest Awakening the Shade Touched Bloodline: has now evolved to: Curse of the Shade Touched Bloodline. You had within you the blood of the Gods of Darkness. Due to your inability or reluctance to take the gift that has been bestowed upon you, your blessing will now be a curse. For failing to take the power of the Dark Gods’ power, you will be cursed until you can remove the markings of your tainted bloodline from your body. Reward: Experience, New Skills, removal of socially detriment flaws. Quest Conditions: You must purge yourself of the corrupted Shade Touched essence that permeates your entire body. During this time, you will be seen as a cursed agent to all elven kind.

Seeing the random quest prompt, I couldn’t help but feel this was payback. A final test of the system to allow me to remove my Minority Status Flaw. I had to give the system credit, this was an effective way of making it so I didn’t just age out of the flaw, or that I didn’t go to the Dark Elves and live like a queen, well murder-hobo-princess in training. The fact that it is just choosing now of all times to thrust this new series of complications on me, well that is to add importance.

I can already feel some flaws taking place within me, but I can’t quite determine what they are. I also wonder if this will affect my form of Octavia, making my Spiritual Doppelganger image of her appear poisoned as well.

This also brings to the point that some, if not the majority of the invading thieves will undoubtedly be elves, just to make this whole act even more difficult.

“Give us all your money!” The gang of thieves are going one by one through all the luxury cars. This part they look like a well oiled crew, as no less than four people enter any train car. Two disable the males, while the other two first threaten the females and then get the females to gather the valuables while the men stare on. Of course, since all the cabins are set up for a maximum of two people, the use of four henchmen is easily double what anyone can expect.

I only have seconds myself before a group of four armed men make their way down to our car. Fortunately we are the last, but being so close to the engine, we are also likely to be seen as the number one target to hit. Despite my position and status all being a sham. If I had kept the forty gold from earlier, this would likely be the event that would have been used to take it away from me. Still, now that I had given it back, I wondered why this event line was still happening. Did it happen because I gained too much experience? More than tripling my original experience value? Honestly, I didn’t know, nor did I care.

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Right now, the only thing that truly mattered to me was Zero.

Zero, and their seemingly bloodline awakening blood. Mentally I also make a mental note that if Zero could awaken my bloodline, then their blood might also be able to awaken the bloodline of other Shade Touched individuals.

With only seconds before the armed robbers make their way to my door, I cast my only real spell I can. With my glowing hand I swipe out into the air and cast Planar Shift. I do find the situation at hand rather odd. Normally I cut open a hole in reality to evade people and complications in the mortal realm. Yet, with this tower being designed as a spirit tower, it seems that I will need to rethink many of my strategies. Especially when I get my next system message.

You have left Arcanarus Tower. Current floor: 1. Progression 99%. Your progress for completing the tower will be finalized in 30, 29, 28…

And there it was, yet another way the system was going to end up biting me in the keister. Exhaling loudly, I wait.

With my Spirit Sight spell active I can see the way the four mobs enter and search my room. They clearly seem to be drawn in by the items I wore and then discarded, like my t-shirt and fuzzy slippers. Seeing the interactions with the items, it is clear that the crew has a tracker of some kind.

Yet, they look around and are about to leave, when shrugging they take my used complimentary t-shirt, and fuzzy slippers. I realize this is likely the game world’s way of telling me I purposefully missed an easy encounter. I can’t help but think that the system is right, as I am level 18 now, and likely a good eight levels above all of the would be thieves that came to steal from us.

Still, I could care less. One I was used to nice things getting taken away, stupid Broke flaw. I made a mental note that I would never take that same flaw again. Also, with the system effectively letting me get rid of my Second Class Citizen flaw thanks to this new quest chain, I figured there might be a quest line coming up to remove my Broke flaw soon as well. Maybe something along the lines of The Legendary Score, or something equally as cliché and enticing.

But all of that would be secondary.

Right now, I was focusing on healing Zero. I am even going so far as to pinch the skin around her wound shut with my fingers, while also trying to apply pressure. I did take a few forced first aide classes in my past life, classes that I assume will have some bearing on Zero, especially as she is bleeding ghostly fluids.

At just under ten seconds left on the time, the crew of four leave my car, having ransacked it of everything of value. Again nothing is there, I don’t use food or water since I have my Spirit Sustenance spell constantly going. At this point I produce so much that I could almost feed Zero.

Wait? What?

I think to myself as I realize I might be able to use my existing spell in a new way. Or at least a way that I haven’t tried this far.

With that I am about to try, only stopping when I see the timer for my being out of the tower get down to 7 seconds, at which point it begins to flash red.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” I say, once again opening another rift in the veil between the mortal and spirit realm and pulling Zero through with me.

At one second the timer pauses and just blinks for a few heart beats.

What, I beat it? I almost yell, but then realize that is exactly what the system likely wants. Me to create a loud sound that would once again attract the attention of the robbers.

Instead, I just focus on the random thought I had a moment ago. The thought of trying to alter my Spiritual Sustenance spell slightly, as a way to replenish the vital nutrients that Zero is losing.

I try, but nothing happens. With a frustrated sigh, I realize the dilemma, my skin is keeping in my personally energy inside my body. Normally this is a great thing, as it means I am not wasting mana. But for this particular instance, such an event is less than optimal.

Sighing to myself I pull out one of my two concealed daggers. Yes, I have daggers, after I mastered the skill and my dual wielding I find it stupid not to carry them. I mainly focus on defensive strikes and evasions, but they are still accurate in my palm. With that, I focus on my own hand and cut a line.

Yes, it is stupid to cut the palm of your hand, so many nerve endings, so many better places to produce ample blood, but this is one of those spots in the game where going with the cliché spots works. Also, the formulation of my Spiritual Sustenance requires me to circulate the spell throughout my entire body, around my whole body in a circuit that ultimately ends up in my left hand, the hand that I so happened to slice open. Why is this important? Simple, if I want to continue pulsing my energy around, I need to be able to direct it cleanly and accurately throughout Zero’s body.

This means I can use the last node in my left hand as a sort of directional point for how fast, and in which direction I circulate this infused energy into Zero.

There of course is another reason why I don’t mind cutting my hand, even if it is a stupid spot to cut. Namely my Regeneration merit makes it so such feats are ultimately minor in the grand scheme of things. So long as I can get out of combat and rest, I can heal from almost any wound.

I almost make the cardinal sin of wishing I could convert my Regeneration merit to be broader, but stop myself before that thought gets too far. The system is already messing with my Second Class Citizen flaw, I do not want to see what it would do with my Regeneration merit. But I pause, as I realize the system is if anything balanced, giving and taking in equal measures.

Can it be something so simple?

I find myself asking. I know logically, the game cannot take away Zero, as they are part of my class.

Then an icy chill runs down my spine as I realize the seven-point flaw that got me Zero in the first place.

Unique Class Flaw (7): Void Touched Void Walker: You have been marked as the chosen advocate by the deepest denizens of the void. Your primary class will now and forever be Void Walker. Additionally, both denizens of the realm of the living and realm of the dead will know you are the one who can both teach others your class, while also conducting unique missions on behalf of both realms.

Seeing the class flaw, my mind is instantly drawn to the similarities between this and my recent class quest. Not only am I Shade Touched, but I am also Void Touched as well. That was when I met Zero’s mother, one of the most powerful spirits of these whole realms. The Goddess who upon her death would spell the end for all spirit realm quests and adventures. Or at least these particular spirit realm quests and adventures. I could only imagine what the consequences of drawing the ire of such an unfathomably powerful creature would be. The spirit realm is my safe haven in the storm, the place I go to when I want to lie low for a while. If I lost Zero, I just knew that my life here would get exponentially tougher, if not deadly.

Shaking my head, I decide to do something stupid. Either this will work, and I will be rewarded, or it will fail miserably, and I will end up with a lessened version of my Regeneration merit, and a still dead Zero.

Again, I wonder how. How could such a small creature crash their head so hard as to apparently cause minor skull fractures that might or might not be leading to internal bleeding right now. Again, I wasn’t a doctor, I barely knew how to take care of humanoid living patients. Given that this is a spiritual ghost dragon of an underdeveloped child, I can’t help but feel am well out of my depth.

Sending my energy into Zero, I focus on the stream, guiding it straight towards the core.

Well not to the core first, as I technically have to angle it through the brain in a way that bypasses the eyes, and then goes to the core. Why this odd circuitous route? Simple, it is the only way that can get to the core from the larger brain node.

I am relieved to see that magical nodes and pathways work almost identically in spirit creatures, particularly spirit dragons, just as they would for humans.

Still, this is only the beginning, as I can tell that the amount of spiritual energy inside Zero is painfully low. At the very least they will need my sharing of my energy with them for a while, even if they regain consciousness.

Whoosh.

A few minutes, or maybe hours into my channeling, I hear the door open. I don’t even send my senses out to investigate who is at the door. At this point I don’t really care if it is the criminals or not, if the criminals have come back, I will end them. If it means saving Zero, I will. I am as certain of this, as I am certain that I will not stop until Zero is healed.

“Whoa there.” The voice of the ticket master says. Only after looking up, do I realize that I have inadvertently grabbed hold of dozens of loose items, the candelabra, a book stand, a few pens and have not so subtly brandished them with my Telekinesis.

“Sorry.” I say, letting my mental grip over the items go.

“Who is…” The ticket master asked as they moved forward, only to pause in recognition of the small form within my arms. “Is that the princess?”

I pause, having never heard of Zero referred to that, but I guess she technically is a princess spirit, at least her mother is one of the major gods of a realm.

“Yeah.” I say.

“Um, okay. I will be right back.”

“Wait, we can’t pay…” I begin.

“Nonsense, you are our most valued passenger. Now just wait here for a few moments, while I go search for a doctor.” With that the ticket master leaves.

By now I take a moment to see what has happened. Everything of value is gone, a few valuable trinkets that could have likely been won during different quests. A few items that could have been purchased from various shops were all gone. Everything was missing from the train.

Logically I knew I could hunt down the thieves and get some or all of the stolen items. But that was a distant cry right now. For the moment I was being tested to see if I was still worthy of keeping Zero as a familiar, and this was a test I swore I would pass.