The building had already absorbed Aziz’s eggshell and the bowl appeared to be ready for more blood.
Malik couldn’t help but notice that the yellow egg still hadn’t grown much, making him worry that something was wrong with it. It wouldn’t surprise him since it was ripped from the Incubation Chamber, but the bowl had taken it back without any fuss.
He looked back at a smiling Aisha and a wide-eyed Aziz. There was something satisfying about seeing the expressions on their faces as he gave the blood sacrifice, slicing the back of his hand this time with a claw.
Aziz looked much like Aisha had during their first time, startled and with a hint of fear. Now, Aisha watched with anticipation.
His blood didn’t flow as freely as previous times, making him wonder if it was the location of the cut. The bowl was working overtime to pull it out of him and it hurt.
Malik pulled his hand away before the bowl got too greedy. The cut was already beginning to clot. His skin lost a bit of color, turning a slight gray around the wound, and he realized he had a skill upgrade.
Stone Skin III:
60% faster skin regeneration, 15% piercing damage resistance
Malik must have sliced himself enough to upgrade the skill again. He realized that this could pose a major problem down the road for his blood sacrifices.
On one hand, he couldn’t complain about his life-saving healing abilities. On the other hand, eventually, it would be more difficult to apply the necessary amount of blood before his wound closed.
Not to mention that his claw might not be enough for the job someday. It wouldn’t be impossible, but he wasn’t looking forward to more difficult blood sacrifices.
“Oh.” The sound escaped from Aziz’s lips as a tiny blue egg emerged within the bowl.
“It’s blue this time!” Aisha exclaimed. Aziz, infected by her excitement, smiled along with her. She turned to Aziz and narrowed her eyes, “I wonder why your egg was devoid of any color.”
Aziz tilted his head in confusion.
“Nevermind,” she said, shaking her head.
Malik laughed at their antics, “It’s time for me to leave you now. I’ll want some privacy while I collect my blood. If you need me and there is an emergency, you will be able to find me on one of the peaks that we climbed, Aisha.”
“Ok, Malik. Be careful. Take some food and water,” she said.
Aziz wore a blank expression. Was Malik like this on his first day? He couldn’t remember.
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Leaving the other two gargoyles behind, he did as Aisha suggested and grabbed some food and water. Elle had already caught a few fish and Milly was helping cook them between sneaking bites. It was good to see that the color was returning to her cheeks.
He moved up to his usual peak and started to slowly fill the bottle, making small cuts on his arm and marveling at the speed at which his skin scabbed over. He rubbed a finger along his arm, careful not to use his claws.
His skin felt rough and he could tell that it was more sturdy than the human Shape Shifters or the dwarves. Only the beetles could boast sturdier natural protection.
Glancing at the beast cores, he thought about his unpleasant experience of eating one. It seemed so long ago and the memory of the pain had faded. He thought that perhaps he could have another.
He and Charles would be venturing into their tunnels and any information would be welcome, possibly even saving their lives.
Picking one up, he examined it in the light between his thumb and forefinger. The small milky white crystal drank in the light rather than reflect it. The effect made it look quite dull — Malik knew that it was anything but.
Maybe the Soldier Beetle’s beast cores weren’t as harsh? Malik shimmied down to a flatter spot, disappearing from view of the settlement below. He knew that he shouldn’t do this alone, especially since he had told everyone that he wanted privacy, but there was excitement for him that came with the risk.
This time, he knew not to fight it. Perhaps if he focused his core on absorbing it, rather than flailing about, it would go more smoothly? It was worth a shot. Maybe he would get to savor the sweet flavor of the core’s Energy for a few more seconds before the pain hit.
Taking a deep breath, he popped the beast core into his mouth, enjoying the sweet flavor. Pushing it up to the roof of his mouth, his own core reached out and grabbed a hold of it, pulling at it and absorbing it. This time, there was no panic. Malik sweat through the pain and pressure building up within his head, waiting for the release of images. He began to shake. The pain was becoming too much to bear.
Finally, the images blasted through his mind’s eye. It showed the soldier beetle hunting wildlife with its peers and bringing it back down below in their tunnels where it would hand off any excess meat to another beetle that would scurry further down. The tunnels were a maze, intersecting with each other, but always leading further down.
Along with the images, Malik could feel a sense of urgency driving them to keep supplying something below, as if controlled by some force.
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The images stopped. Malik’s rough skin was dripping with sweat. Taking a large gulp of water, he silently thanked Aisha for nagging him to bring it. He felt his chest filling up, closing in on another level. With a bit of rest, he should probably be able to have another, pushing him over the edge.
An hour later, Malik felt ready to go again and repeated the process. The images were much the same as the previous beetle’s, but as he sat there drenched in sweat, he felt the euphoric sensation of gaining a level as well as the surreal sensation of gaining a natural point in Energy.
His mind felt sharper than before, despite the trauma it had just gone through. Malik could almost picture his own core being full of the Energy it absorbed, and satiated for the time being.
Malik thought back to the size of the tunnels below that the images had shown him. They were much larger than he had imagined. Certainly large enough to stand in, but not really wide enough to walk side by side with Charles. Dexterity might prove useless in a place like that. While he enjoyed Energy and the intangible side effects it gave, he knew he needed immediate, palpable gains.
That left Strength and Vitality. Vitality was at a respectable twelve, while Strength was at a pathetic seven. Ultimately, he decided that Vitality would be the most beneficial for the upcoming task and put his points in the stat, bringing it to seventeen. Despite all that he had gone through, he now felt more refreshed in mind and body than ever.
Fighting off the temptation to leave for the tunnels now while he was so energetic, he completed his task of filling the bottle up with his blood. All of this took much less time than he had thought, and the extra Vitality was telling him that he had more blood to spare.
Looking down at Stone Wing Spire, the guard tower was nearly complete. Elle and Grazel worked on the tower together while the other dwarves focused on completing the base of the spire.
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They were working fast today and already the walls were in place and construction of the roof had begun. Beams that they had carved and stuck together in what he remembered Grazel describing as mortise and tenon joints and something about a blind dovetail joint. Apparently, this was a way for them to save on materials.
The building had a circular shape with stone walls surrounding the Rune of Truth on the foundation. The dwarves had built an attached, square room to the outside, ruining the perfect circle. The small room had a seat and a hole that went about ten feet down. Malik shuddered at imagining a beetle getting through there.
The beams created a domed roof where they would fix on thinner slices of wood. The dwarves promised the sloped roof would help force snow and rain to slide off. The main reason for them using this method was that it would be easier to remove and remodel when they were ready to build up. In the center was a stone pillar where the beams met.
The dwarves had makeshift step ladders that Charles had provided, but the roof was still an arduous task for them. Malik figured that with his ability to fly, he could help the construction of the roof along, despite his low Strength. Plus, he wanted to see if his Level 3 Founder’s Imprint would elicit any extra characteristics if he added his blood.
Naveck was busy with Orvel creating the rune cheat sheet for Malik, but the rest of them were happy with his help on the roof. Yaval directed Malik on which beams needed to be connected together. It was hard work, but good training for him, pumping his wings in a way to bounce up and down, almost hovering.
After hours of this, he gained another point in Strength. Finally, the last beam was ready to be placed in the framework. Malik took this chance to slice his hand again and infuse the wood with his blood.
“I’ll never get used ta that,” Orvel said as he wiped his forehead.
Malik shrugged and felt satisfied with the amount of blood soaked into the beam and lifted off, beam in hands. Placing it on the frame, everyone held their breath, hoping to see something interesting, including Malik.
Thankfully, they were not disappointed. Between the wooden beams, stone began to materialize between the gaps, then covered the wood. The stone itself took on a red tint, matching the Incubation Chamber, but the spire was still made of cold, hard stone.
The pillar in the center rose higher, creating a sharp point above the domed roof. Rods of stone shot horizontally, in all cardinal directions, just below the point and Malik instinctively knew they were for him to perch on.
Flying up to the perch, he found that he could see the building upgrades as if he were looking at his Founder’s Log.
House of Purity
Durability
Everlasting - Can only be destroyed by powerful weaponry
Characteristic:
Rune of Truth
Lies within this building will cause lasting pain
Core Improvement
The tip of the spire gathers ambient Energy. Time spent within this building cleanses and strengthens Gargoyle Cores
None of the dwarves gathered could see the Core Improvement characteristic but were all still in awe of the visible change that had taken place. Malik pondered over what it meant for the building to “cleanse and strengthen Gargoyle Cores.” He hadn’t even been aware that they could become tainted or improved. Malik flew down to see the building at ground level.
The dwarves were climbing all over the new House of Purity, forgetting about their fear of heights and open air, overcome by curiosity.
“Well, that’s a bit more impressive than the work I’ve been doing. Here’s your cheat sheet, as promised,” Naveck said, handing over a roll of paper as he admired the new building.
“Thank you, Naveck. I’m glad that I’ll be able to spend at least one night in here before leaving.”
Charles approached them too, “These abilities of yours are incredible, Malik. That would cost most people a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.”
“Well, it certainly cost me my blood,” Malik said through a fanged grin.
“Ha, I suppose it did. Now get some rest. I’m itching to go explore the tunnels and want to leave early.”
“I as well, Charles. I will see you before first light.”
Charles nodded with an excited glint in his eye and made his way back toward the camp. Naveck was already scurrying off to plot out his priorities with Sam while Malik was away.
Malik walked into the House of Purity and breathed in the open space. The mountain air was sweet, but this was even sweeter because it was his. In the morning, he would paint his blood on some of the materials for the guard tower before leaving with Charles. Dropping into a crouch, he let his eyes grow heavy. There was a feeling tickling his brain as he fell asleep that made him wonder if the structure was cleansing his core.