Chapter 3: Bonds

After a lengthy discussion with Shan, Vina found herself seeking refuge once again in rest. The predicament she found herself in seemed to possess no easy solution, and the weight of it all had left her feeling worn and strained. Awaking did not bring the hoped-for clarity or options; instead, a grim reminder of her neglected responsibilities popped up before her eyes.

Your mentoring agreement with Seassa Imala is under threat. You have missed one session this week. If you do not attend three mentoring sessions this week, the mentoring agreement will be void and you will lose all knowledge of thrusting swords you have gained while training with Seassa Imala.

Groaning in aggravation, Vina propped herself up. The reality of her situation hit her—she had been trapped within this orb for days. Her enhanced endurance and vitality meant she consumed less food and needed less sleep than before, rendering those unreliable as measures of time.

“What’s wrong?” Shan queried, sensing her distress.

“More bad news I can’t share with you right now,” she said, masking her concern with a nonchalant stretch. “So, we agree? My only viable option is to venture to the edge of The Gloom?”

Shan's shadowy form bobbed in a slow nod. “It appears so. You have no other choices.”

Reluctantly, Vina called up her class ability page one last time. She had already made her decision about where to allocate her final two class ability points.

Blood Recovery (3/3): Your body's ability to produce new blood increases by 250%.

Scarlet Dance (2/3): Scarlet Dance is an active class ability. You may activate this skill to cause 10% additional bleeding damage with bladed weapons. It is 7.5% more difficult to stop wounds from bleeding when this skill is active. This is a stacking effect on each hit. Maximum stacks: 10. When you are standing in blood, your stamina recovers 20% faster.

She instantly noticed the shift in her body's ability to generate blood and utilized it to top off her pendant. The jump two two hundred and fifty percent was significant, yet her mood remained somber. The looming necessity to venture back into The Gloom filled her with dread, and the benefits of increased blood and stamina regeneration seemed scant comfort, offering only a few more hours of survival outside.

Vina laid out her armor on the grass before her. She pondered over it in silence, interrupted only when Shan spoke up.

“Will you go today?” He asked.

“No. I still need to prepare. I intend to create every possible advantage I can think of before I step out of here. There was a man I fought and killed with the help of Etana. He had engraved protective runes onto his skin, much like the ones you carved into me to bring me back from earth”, she stated, her tone steady but her words biting. Shan began to respond, but she overrode him, “I’m planning to make the same changes to my armor. I think I can make blood runes on it to enhance my chances of survival. To get out of here, I just need a lot of stamina and blood. My agility and running speed might be sufficient as long as I have a head start against Stine. I’m going to begin.”

Blood seeped from her body as she crouched over the gloves, carefully maneuvering the crimson fluid over the armor. She reevaluated after a moment, and slid the blood into the armor instead. “I don’t want anyone reading these runes”, she thought. Skillfully, she shaped the blood into runes, spelling out her desires. Words and phrases such as 'Absorb My Blood', 'Store Within the Lake', and 'Release to Vina' flowed more easily from her now. She pressed the runes to identify her vibrance uniquely so they couldn’t be used by another person. Activating them on the armor presented a challenge due to the paradoxical need for them to be constantly fed by her blood but not currently being worn by her. She improvised a temporary solution by tying the power source to her own bloodstream.

Exhausted, she leaned over the gauntlet, breathing hard from the exertion of her focus. She activated the blood runes, feeling a burning sensation as they attempted to integrate into the kaliter scales using her blood as fuel. Her brow furrowed when she sensed the resistance offered by the scales despite her persistent attempts to imbue them with more blood. The runes fizzled out, partially integrated, nonfunctional, leaving her holding the gauntlet in disbelief. Half burned scars marred the insides. Only Ebba had managed to inflict more damage on the resilient Kaliter armor.

Still in shock, she laid the gauntlet down, unable to comprehend the scales' resistance to her blood runes, a phenomenon she had never encountered before. "How on earth did mom manage to kill a kaliter?" she voiced her bafflement aloud.

"She didn’t," Shan clarified. "Your mother and I came across a group of kaliters hidden from Stine. We assisted them in rejoining their colony at Norphany, and in gratitude, they gifted us two full sets of shed kaliter scales. The Watch seized my armor set long ago. However, the armor you have isn't from your mother's set. It's intriguing where she procured a third set."

"But how did she manage it? The scales are so resistant. Wouldn't they adapt before a blacksmith could shape it?" She asked, trying to dig for answers.

Shan smiled, "Not all armor is forged with a hammer, Vina. Perhaps you should try a more gentle approach."

Vina looked at him skeptically, "I don't understand." She paused, letting her memories flood in. The kaliters were outworlders, likely inhabitants of a world as foreign to Palitern as Earth was. Haco had even mentioned they possessed otherworldly magic. The armor adapted to any adverse impact. Kaliters retained their shed scales and offered them as gifts. The armor description itself pleaded to not be scratched. "Oh my god. It's alive in some way," she realized. "And I just burned it with blood runes." She began to soothe the injured gauntlet, remorse seeping into her touch.

Shan sighed, "Yes. The scales carry the memories of their owners. Kaliter families shed scales together during moments of joy, capturing a frozen snapshot of happiness that could last virtually forever. Your armor likely comprises multiple individuals."

"Wow. That's remarkably beautiful," Vina murmured. Then an idea sprung in her mind, "If it is somewhat alive, perhaps I can heal this." She activated her Blood Aid skill and streamed her blood over the gauntlet once more, intending to form a protective scab over the damaged regions. Suddenly, an unusual window appeared in her vision—its dark, jagged-lettered contents veering away from the standard display.

System: Outworlder Kaliter Scales has sampled Vina’s Blood.

System: Outworlder Kaliter Scales has detected a benefit in Vina’s Blood.

System: Outworlder Kaliter Scales are now Kin-bound to Vina

The system message disappeared as quickly as she read it, and a standard notification replaced it.

Vina’s Light Armor of the Kaliter (Indestructible) is now Soulbound.

"What just happened?" Vina gasped. An intimate connection to the armor rushed through her, similar to her bond with the lantern and the backpack. "The armor... it bound itself to me now!"

A smirk played on Shan's lips, "Whatever you did just then, the scales must have appreciated it enough to bind themselves to you."

"I suppose they forgave me when I tried to fix the damage I caused," she mused. She finished using Blood Aid on the gauntlet, watching her blood form supple scabs over the burns. "I'm sorry," she murmured, gingerly placing the gauntlet back with the rest of the armor. "This approach won't work though. I can't force it to accept blood runes for my convenience." A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Each of her plans was proving insufficient in her struggle for survival.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Flexing her arm, she examined her muscles. The transformation her body had undergone since she arrived was still a marvel to her, and she found it daunting to consider another transformation. "I'll have to do it to myself," she resolved, "I can construct an external circulatory system."

Shan raised a hand of caution, "Vina, wait. The shock…"

"You didn't wait. You did it to a baby!" she interrupted, her voice sharp with accusation. Then a realization struck her and she sprang to her feet, pointing at Shan, "You've done it already! Why didn't I think of this before!"

As Shan attempted to interject, she silenced him, "Hold on for a moment." She closed her eyes and focused on the blood within her. Her Blood Sense was perpetually active, making her acutely aware of every trace of blood around her. Yet she had never manipulated this ability to concentrate on something specific. This time, she redirected it inward to inspect her own body. She knew this skill could do more ever since it had attacked whatever Ebba had implanted in her heart. Trusting it to alert her to any abnormalities, she focused.

Moments later, she felt her blood coursing around an unfamiliar structure. Simultaneously, following the rhythm of her heartbeat, she sensed engravings on her bones. A shudder coursed through her at the thought of her father inscribing the shapes she now sensed. But attempting to read the runes was like trying to decipher shallow etchings by lightly grazing them with the back of her hand. She lacked the finesse to read anything. But Blood Sense was up to the task.

Blood moved into the etchings, illuminating the entire network engraved within her body. She sat there, shaking her head in disbelief, unable to fathom the vast grid she was sensing. This complex array of runes was designed to track her age, long-term divinity storage, and to teleport her back to Palitern within multiple potential locations.

The fact that her mother had accurately predicted her arrival in the prison was extraordinarily fortuitous. "She must have figured out precisely where I would appear," she thought. "Regardless, if I can reactivate this, maybe I can utilize it again."

Slowly, she began to translate the divine runes into blood runes. She needed to shift their power source from divinity to blood, and adjust the trigger from age to an overfilled reservoir of blood. As she manipulated the blood within herself, she rewrote the first rune, directing her blood with her title skill, and allowed it to sear permanently onto her body. A scream of agony escaped her lips as the newly formed rune etched itself into her. "One down," she tried to console herself, daunted by the multitude of runes left to alter. Pain distorted her perception of time, yet she compelled herself to persist. By the end, she was a trembling wreck, but she had carved out a path to freedom. Overwhelmed with exhaustion, she collapsed and fell into a deep slumber.

~~~

Upon waking, another system notification warning her about a missed mentorship lesson with Seassa greeted Vina. She paid it no mind; her body ached, and her mood was foul. Another system alert caught her attention, reminding her of her grim accomplishment.

Skill Level Up: Blood Runes has reached level 17. Blood runes can be drawn 80% faster and take 80% less blood to activate or maintain You have gained 150 experience points from leveling a skill.

.Before she could fully process it, Shan broke her reverie, “Are you alright? You were screaming for hours, and then you were unresponsive.”

Vina attempted to massage away the deep-seated ache that plagued her, but to no avail. Her pain ran deeper than her muscles. “I think I’m okay. I discovered a way to escape from here.”

Shan's face became stern, “Can you tell me?”

“I will, right before I leave. I don’t want Stine to know yet.” Struggling with residual pain and the disturbing realization of the invasive alterations performed on her body, she was more resentful than grateful. She couldn't deny that if using recall on herself enabled her escape, her father had essentially saved her life. “But that doesn’t excuse what he did to me,” she silently fumed. Despite the torment, she felt a wave of relief at modifying his markings, replacing them with her own. She now owned the runes etched within her, and no one could hurt her like that again.

“Shan, I need some additional information before I leave. I visited your grave, and it bore the inscription: A Light’s Hope Burning Brightly in a Sea of Shadows. The initial segment, A Light’s Hope, led us to some of your writings. It guided me to find Trina. Do you know what the remaining part means?”

Shan shook his head, “It doesn’t mean anything to me. It could literally signify Trina's barrier existing within this gloom. Who made the tombstone?”

“It was vaguely suggested to be Priya, but it wasn’t clear.” Unsatisfied with his response, she shifted the conversation, “You mentioned needing to die to sever the bond with the Aspect of Light. Why couldn't you simply pass it on to another person or hide it?” Vina questioned.

Again, Shan shook his head, “Once a True Aspect is bonded with you, its removal risks a deadly Bonding Sickness. The affliction is slow and torturous. Some survive with many mixtures and care, but that wasn't an option with Stine relentlessly pursuing us.”

Vina looked at him with confusion and concern, “If what you are saying is true, then mom is likely dead. I know Faer possessed the Aspect of Travel. That was mom’s aspect right?”

“Yes. If Faer really had that aspect, then Priya is likely dead. I doubt the twelve would have helped her survive the process.” He looked down, sadness evident on his shadowed face.

Vina shook her head, remembering Norimor, “No. That can’t be true. I know someone who had a true aspect that was taken away. She wasn’t dying.”

Shan looked up at her, “The world is a very big place...” Shan looked over at Trina, “... and miracles are common. If your friend found a way, maybe Priya did too. You should ask your friend.”

Before Vina could launch into another inquiry, Shan pressed his hand against the barrier, only to be repelled. “Vina, could you tell me about my other daughters?” he requested.

She studied him for a drawn-out moment, gauging her emotions. “Annalina has joined the Twelve. I don’t know yet how strong her bonds are with them. The twelve want to kill me, so I haven’t been in a position to meet with her. I don’t know where Etana is, but she was able to create a quest to let me know that she knew where I was. It’s a complicated story, but we managed to kill one of the twelve together about a week before I arrived here. I never saw her, but I know she is still alive because we have a shared quest active.”

Shan nodded, absorbing her words. “What is Stine doing?”

Vina let out a weary sigh, “To be honest, I'm still new to this world. What I know is that there's a war raging against The Darkness, and it appears to be a losing battle. Monstrous creatures are invading our world, created by things called Assemblers. It’s causing a frantic contest between our forces leveling up by exterminating them, and The Darkness amassing them for its army. With Ann now bonded with the Aspect of Light, there seems to be a glimmer of hope. Naturally, I worry about her, but she appears to have a reliable ally at her side.” Vina hesitated and then looked away. “I have one last task to do before I leave.”

Her attention was drawn to the colossal axe half-buried in the ground, its length exceeding her five-foot-seven stature. The bearded axe-head sported a row of spikes along its back, and the axe cheeks shimmered with long streaks of luminescent, pale yellow liquid. Forged from sleek golden metal, the handle arched into a perfect curve and hummed with latent power. The weapon itself exuded a vibrancy she had never felt before, cold as ice and utterly timeless.

“There’s no way I can lift this thing”, she inwardly conceded. Nevertheless, she reached out to touch the handle, only to receive a sharp jolt that made her yelp in pain and retract her hand. She looked and saw there was no wound, courtesy of Trina’s Refuge. She attempted to use Examine on the Axe.

Weapon: Everlasting to Darkness’ End Artifact Go away. I answer only to Zel'alor.

Vina shook her head, “Did this axe just tell me to go away?” She bit her lip, deep in thought. “Shan, who is Zel'alor?”, she questioned.

“I’ve never heard that name,” he confessed.

She scrutinized the axe a little longer, but finally withdrew, realizing there was nothing she could do with it. Like her armor, the axe appeared sentient, and it resoundingly disapproved of her.

Vina collected her belongings and redressed in her armor. When she slipped on the mended gauntlet, a pang of guilt hit her. She felt a prickling sensation as one of the scales grazed her skin below her ribs, and then a slow drawing of her blood. “Not you too…” she muttered to the armor, chuckling at the absurdity of another object seeking her blood. “What on earth are you up to?” she addressed it. With her abundant blood regeneration, she let the armor continue siphoning, unfazed.

Attaching the lantern to her belt, she sank to the ground. “This is going to suck,” she admitted to herself, “Shan, I've transformed the runes on my bones into blood runes. I think I can reactivate them to escape The Gloom. I don't know where it will transport me, though. However, I have a way back here whenever I am ready.”

Shan moved as close to the barrier as possible, “Vina, I recognize that it's too late. Far too late. I regret the unspeakable wrongs I committed against you. Please look after yourself and your sisters.”

Vina took a deep, steadying breath, “Shan, you were right. You don’t deserve to be called my dad. You did horrible things to me that I don’t think anyone could ever forgive. However, I know Trina mourned your death. She and I shared a moment of deep sadness over a loss of what could have been.” She paused for a moment to get control of her emotions. She needed to say the proper words for what could be a final goodbye.

“I saw what was written in the description of the Aspect of Life. It did not say ‘Find Trina’. It said ‘Find Life’. She didn’t want you to find her; she urged you to make your own life. She gifted you an infinite number of years to do so.” Vina paused, letting the implication sink in. When Shan didn’t respond, she continued.

“Even now, Stine has kept you alive as a shadow. Who can tell what Trina could accomplish if I manage to revive her? I think you still have a chance to find life and create what Trina and I mourned over, if you want it.” She paused a second time, waiting to see if Shan would respond. When she saw only the sadness of a shattered man, she spoke again, “Stay near Trina if you can. I’ll see you soon.”

She shut her eyes and drew blood from her Blood Lake passive ability, instantly channeling it into the blood rune reservoir etched into her bones. As soon as the reservoir overflowed, an all too familiar searing pain surged in her chest. At that moment, she thought she had discerned Stine's true intention behind leaving her alone with Shan. “It was genuinely trying to teach me…” she realized. The following moment, a portal materialized beneath her, and she fell through.