The next night passes in a surreal blur of heat and the rhythmic drumming of Poppy’s footfalls as we race across the desert. The loose sand begins to become more firm, gradually giving way to cracked, dry clay. I spend the hours riding working on Attuning more of my blood. Surprisingly, it only takes two more of these Attunement sessions before I’m done. We only have about a hundred and fifty ounces of blood in us—who knew?

Alright, Echo, I think. Now that I’ve got all this Attuned blood, what spells can I do with it?

[Arcana requirements met for the following abilities: Coagulate, Stabilize, Hemic Hardening.]

I get Echo to explain them all. The first two are intuitive. Coagulate helps me rapidly scab over wounds, and Stabilize allows me to regulate my blood pressure; both great spells for not bleeding out. Hemic Hardening is more interesting.

[Hemic Hardening: the ability to lock the shape of a quantity of Attuned blood in place. While in effect, the blood is in a stasis which allows it to be treated as a single solid mass. Applications for this ability may include reinforcing the durability of one’s body, or the formation of external weapons or tools.]

Aha! That’s what I’d been looking for. Now I can make a sword out of my own blood! Theoretically. I wonder how much blood it would take to make a sword? Actually, on second thought, maybe I should start small and work my way up.

We stop to make camp an hour after sunrise. Already the heat burns painfully against my skin and the bright light threatens to pull tears from my eyes. I’d never gotten a sunburn as a human; a blessing I am sorely missing now. I pull on the goggles Quell gave me, and soon Darian and Xamireb are doing the same. Meanwhile, Earnest has removed the ones he wears at night to help see in the dark. Quell, with his magic-ed glasses, is the only one who doesn’t have to make a wardrobe adjustment.

I help unpack the campsite, and Quell obliviously writes in a journal as everyone else works around him. Xamireb gathers some brush for a fire, and Earnest pulls water from the air for drinking and cooking.

I can’t help but stare. He swirls a hand through the air, glowing a faint white-blue shade, and moisture begins to form at his fingertips. That’s quite the handy ability to have in the middle of a desert—and it explains why Darian was more worried about food than water after losing both to the wyverns. Earnest fills several of our water skins, then stops to conjure a final orb of water that he sets aside in a stone bowl.

Rolling up his pants on his right leg, I’m met with an interesting sight. The leg looks wooden, though there’s symbols and spell circles carved in its surface. It has moving parts, almost like a piston, though I’ve never seen one made of wood before.

Earnest takes the water and feeds it into the grooves in the false leg, and the runes in its surface begin to glow brighter. He catches my eye.

“Curious?” he asks.

I glance away, embarrassed to have been caught staring. “Sorry.”

“No need to be,” he says. “Water-based prosthetics aren’t your everyday model.”

I can’t help but take another look. “How does it work?”

“Hydraulics,” he says, turning his leg to the side so I can get a better view of the piston-like component I’d seen. “Runs on water arcana—and water, of course. Specially made so I could power it myself.”

“That’s amazing,” I say. What other kinds of prosthetics do they have in this world? How could things like this have helped people back on Earth?

He winks, then tips his head toward Darian. “Helps to know someone in the royal guard.”

“What did you use before?” I ask.

“Before?”

“Before you knew Captain Darian,” I clarify.

“Didn’t need one before.” He slaps a hand on his knee. “Got this beautiful piece of art from a mission gone sideways. Lucky I made it back having only lost a leg.”

Heat creeps up the back of my neck. “Sorry. I didn’t know. That was a rude question.”

He tips his head at me, smiling. “Do I look heartbroken? Don’t apologize for curiosity. Sure, it’s inconvenient, and it hurt like the Abyss when it happened. But after that, life goes on. And I certainly wasn’t going to let it stop me from getting back in the field.”

“No matter how hard I tried to shake him,” Xamireb adds with a sigh, stepping into camp. “I thought for sure I’d be rid of my brother once he was on medical leave, but he’s too stubborn for his own good.”

“They say that,” Earnest says, “but guess who was wailing at my bedside after the surgery?”

Xamireb scowls. “That is a significant overstatement.”

Earnest leans in conspiratorially. “They offered to give me one of their legs.”

“Humans don’t have many to spare!” Xamireb objects. They fold their eight spider limbs beneath them as they sit down. “Honestly I don’t know how you do it with just the two—it’s so unstable.”

I still desperately need to know how these two can be twins.

After dinner, as the rest are beginning to clean up, Darian beckons me over. Curious, I follow her out of our campsite. The sun is only heading higher, and I’ve already sweating through every layer of my clothes. I hope this won’t be long.

“Do you need something?” I ask.

“Summon the demon shield,” Darian says.

Well that certainly wasn’t what I was expecting. “Why?”

“You wanted training, didn’t you?” she asks. “Bring out your shield. I’ll teach you the basics.”

I perk up at this. Combat training is exactly what I’ve been wanting. But I’m not as thrilled about it being with the shield that tries to drink my blood every time I summon it. Plus, it’s damn hot out. I’d rather do this at night.

“Why not a sword?” I ask. “Wouldn’t training with that be better for combat?”

“Do you know how to use a sword?” she asks.

I grimace. “No.”

“Do you know how to use your magic yet?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Becoming proficient with a weapon takes years,” Darian says. “If we get into a fight in the next couple weeks, you need to be prepared to fend for yourself with the tools you have at your disposal. This Crimson Aegis is magical—you’ll achieve far more with it than a mundane weapon.”

I’m not going to deny that she’s right.

I just really wanted to learn how to fight with a sword.

“Alright,” I sigh, holding out my arm. “But I’m not sure it knows how to not be fighting. Just… be careful. It’s dangerous.”

Darian snorts. “If I can’t handle an amateur with a magical artifact, I don’t deserve to be Captain.”

I try not to take offense to that as I summon the Aegis. The shield appears before me, bands of magic instantly snapping around my forearm.

Alarm jolts through my mind as the Crimson Aegis is startled by its abrupt change in surroundings. Oh. Finally! It thought I had died! That was the only reason it could think of for such an esteemed and magnificent shield to be left abandoned in the dark nothing for so long.

It’s only been two days, I think.

Such an excruciating period of time! It can’t believe I would relegate it to such indignity. How could it be deserving of this humiliation and neglect? What if I had died without its help, and then it had become trapped there, without anyone to admire it or any blood to consume! Not that it was in any danger, of course. It is the mighty Crimson Aegis, after all! But—

Sorry I stuffed you in storage. I roll my eyes. Now can we get to the training?

Training? The Crimson Aegis doesn’t understand.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I focus on Darian, drawing the Aegis’s attention her way as well. We’re going to practice fight, so if you could—

OH! Fighting! Why didn’t I say so? Let’s destroy the opponent and grind their bones into dust!

Practice fight, I emphasize. It’s not a real fight. Probably she’ll just be pointing out footwork and how to hold a shield properly, or something.

Darian unclasps her belt and pulls her sheathed sword free. Instead of removing it from its scabbard, however, she loops the sword belt around the hilt, effectively preventing the blade from pulling free.

I raise a skeptical eyebrow. “You’re not even going to draw your sword?”

“Well I’m not trying to actually get you killed.” She sinks into a fighting stance. “Guard up.”

“What?” I take a step back, instinctively raising the Aegis. “What do you—”

Darian stabs forward, and I clumsily deflect the blow, stumbling to the side.

“Give me a second to prepare, first!” I object.

She swings her blade again, jarring my arms as it makes contact. “The enemy won’t.”

I try to back away but she pursues me just as fast. “You’re not even teaching me anything,” I cry. “This isn’t training!”

“Sparring is training.” Darian lunges at me again.

Once more I retreat, ducking behind the Aegis as I weather her blows. I activate a Repel and an Endure, but keep Devour out of this: I want to survive this sparring session, not eat Darian’s sword or dissolve her hand. The power behind her strikes recedes into light taps. I plant my feet, then push back. Now, I’m on the offensive.

Darian stumbles as I surge forward. She falls to the side and—

Her sword is at my throat. I freeze.

“Dead,” she says.

She hadn’t stumbled or fallen—that had been a feint to get around my guard. And I’d walked right into it.

What! The Aegis is aghast. Tricks! Deception! That is no victory. We have not lost! I must get better at wielding the Aegis so its power can be properly exhibited. I am displaying terrible skill!

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Darian just bruised its pride.

The captain lowers her sword and steps back. “Again.”

“What, not going to give me pointers?” I ask, warily retreating a step.

“We’ll see if you learn, first,” Darian says. “Then you get pointers.”

Once more she attacks, and I retreat, hiding behind the Aegis as I deflect her blows. She again feints to the side, but this time I turn to meet her. Looks like I can be ta—

The ground beneath my feet lurches to the side, and I fall on my back, hard. A sword appears at my throat once more.

“Dead.”

“Magic’s cheating,” I grunt, pushing myself up as she withdraws her weapon. The Aegis heartily agrees, conveniently ignoring the fact that it’s basically entirely made of magic.

“When it’s life or death, you need to use all tools at your disposal,” Darian says. “You won’t know what sort of magic your enemy might be wielding, so you need to prepare for anything.”

Except, I might know, actually. Echo, can you Check what affinities Darian has? I ask.

[Affinity: stone.]

Perfect. I can use that when I fight other people, too. As long as I remember to Check that stat.

Of course, knowing what I’m up against doesn’t mean I’ll know how to beat them.

“Again.” Darian raises her sword, darting forward.

“Repel!”

The stored kinetic energy from all her previous attacks expels in an instant. The shockwave catches Darian off guard, knocking her from her feet.

HAH! Victorious! We have won the battle! Pathetic, that anyone thinks they might be able to stand against the great and indomitable Crimson Aegis!

The shield continues to gloat as Darian climbs to her feet.

“Clever,” she says. “Were you planning that from the start?”

“I didn’t get a chance to use it the first match,” I admit. “And once I realized we’d be in several fights, I figured I’d store up at least another round’s worth of energy. Then loose it when it would be least expected.”

“Hm.” Darian regards me. “You’re not as dumb as you look.”

I squint. “Thanks?”

“But you should have used the opportunity to finish the fight,” Darian continues. “Otherwise you’ve only bought yourself a few seconds.”

The Crimson Aegis does not like that I am receiving advice on how to use it. What do they know?! Only the Aegis can teach people how to wield it to its fullest potential.

Actually, in this instance, I think I agree with the shield. “I don’t think Repel is generally great as an offensive attack,” I say. “If it knocks people back, and only stuns them for a few seconds, it would take those seconds to pursue them and close the gap to continue the fight. I think it’s better as a defensive move. Clear the area. Make an opening. Let allies follow up with quicker attacks of their own.” Or the Crimson Aegis—but I’m not about to let it be murdery while fighting Darian.

“Good instincts,” Darian says. “And it plays to your strengths. If you continue to focus on your defensive skills and abilities, you have the potential to become the most valuable member of your team. There’s always plenty of back-line mages and front-line swordsmen; less frequent to find someone who can absorb and redirect enemy’s attacks, protecting your allies while simultaneously creating opportunities to counterstrike.”

A tank, I realize. The front-line damage absorbers had never been my favorite role to play in video games, but I guess I’m not being given a choice in this case. Gotta make do with what I’ve got.

“This might not be the best way to train, then,” I say. “If my strength will be working in a group, I should be practicing that.”

“Whether you’re in a group or not, you’ll still need to survive anything that comes your way,” Darian says. “Again.”

We continue to spar. It doesn’t feel like Darian is going easy on me, but each match I manage to last a little bit longer before she gets me. I’m even starting to feel a little confident.

And then, I mess up.

[Mana extinguished,] Echo says. [Repel: expired. Endure: expired.]

Uh, oh.

Darian’s next strike clangs against the shield and reverberates through my arm in a numbing jolt. I stumble back, struggling to keep the Aegis raised as she strikes again. This is a lot harder when I’m feeling the real force of each impact.

Darian seems to have noticed, too. She stabs to the left, and I turn the shield to block—then she kicks, hooking her foot around to the right to slam into the Aegis from the side. Since I’d been leaning the opposite direction, I have no opportunity to brace myself. The blow sends the shield–and me—crashing to the ground. I land on top of the Aegis, twisting my arm at an uncomfortable angle and pinning the shield beneath me. As I struggle to untangle myself, Darian comes after me, unrelenting. Another loss. She raises her sword, and her mouth opens, ready to utter another “Dead” I’m sure.

This time, when she swings the sword down, instead of letting it come to a rest in front of my neck, I snap my arm up, meeting the sword.

Hemic Hardening! I think.

My arm tenses up—my skin feels tight. Darian strikes my arm before she has a chance to stay her blade.

[2 points of Bludgeoning damage sustained.]

She whips her sword back a moment later, alarmed.

“Careful!” she snaps. “It may be sheathed, but it can still do damage. And I don’t want you getting in the habit of treating all swords like they’re dull. Are you injured?”

“A little.” I turn my arm over, checking it. There’s a rip in my sleeve where her sword struck; beneath it, my arm has an abrasion, like a road rash, but it’s not bleeding.

“Weird,” I mutter, staring at it.

Darian sheaths her sword, crouching down next to me and taking my arm. It feels clunky and stiff in her grasp, sort of like it’s frozen in place, halfway bent.

“This is your blood affinity?” she asks.

“Yeah. It’s something called Hemic Hardening,” I tell her. “It sort of freezes the blood in place. Pretty useful.”

I mentally let go of the blood, willing the Hemic Hardening to stop so I can turn my arm to see at a better angle.

[Ability ended,] Echo reports.

[Status effect: Blood loss]

“Oh, shit.”

That’s when it finally starts bleeding.

The Aegis perks up. Blood? Can it have some?

Darian swears as well. “Let me get a bandage. Hold on.”

The smell hits me, sweet and coppery, causing my mouth to water. I’m overcome with a sudden and disturbing urge to lick my wound. I turn my head aside, leaning back.

“I, uh, won’t get Bloodlust if I drink my own blood, will I?” I ask.

“What?” Darian pulls a roll of gauze out of her pack. “No, of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. Imagine biting your own tongue causing a Bloodlust. Hah!” She tears a strip away with her teeth. “Kids wouldn’t make it out of daycare.”

That’s a relief at least.

“You don’t seem bothered by the smell,” I note.

She snorts. “Of course I’m bothered. I’ve just learned not to show it. Now hold out your arm.”

I start to offer it to her, then stop. “Actually, I want to try something first.”

Echo had mentioned two other applications for my blood Attunement. I focus on the cut, willing the Coagulation ability into effect next. My skin prickles around the cut. And then, sure enough, the injury begins to gum up.

“Hm.” Darian takes my arm anyway, using the bandage to wipe off the blood that had dripped down my arm. “Convenient.”

The Aegis is a little put out that the blood has stopped and it didn’t get any.

“Do you think I could use it as a weapon?” I wonder, flexing my arm. “Like, if I could pull the blood from my arm and then harden it into a blade or something.” I try to picture myself with the Aegis in one hand and a blood sword in the other. It’s kind of badass.

Darian tucks the bloody bandage away. “Sounds like a great way to make yourself pass out.”

“I could always pull the blood back into me when I’m done,” I say.

“What? No!” Darian flicks me hard on my forehead.

“Ow!” I flinch back. “What was that for?”

“Being an idiot,” she say. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”

I frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Hemomancy is dangerous,” Darian says. “You’ve just witnessed that yourself. Sure, you can harden the blood beneath your skin to block a blow—but that doesn’t stop your skin from getting cut. What happens when you pass out with all those gashes on your body? What happens if you fight with a blade of blood, and then pull that back into your veins, along with all the grit that’s stuck to it? How would you handle sand in your arteries? Flecks of metal in your heart?”

She paints a very distinct picture, and the scenarios turn my stomach as I imagine experiencing each one myself. “Point taken,” I say.

Darian sighs, her frown softening. “Be careful. You’ve inherited a sharp sword, but it’s double-edged. Practice with it until you can instinctively use it safely. Rely on it only as a last resort.” She stands up, and offers me a hand. “That’s enough practice for the day.”

I clasp her arm, allowing her to pull me to my feet.

“Heal up.” She nods to my arm. “See if you can finish scabbing it over by tomorrow. We’ll practice again then.”

Given my passive healing, I know it will be healed by then; but better to let people assume that ability is due to my blood Attunement than this entirely different set of magic I have access to. If you can call Echo and Role Requirements and all these stats “magic.”

“Oh, and leave your shield out, too,” Darian adds, right as I was preparing to add it back to my Inventory.

The Aegis hears this last thought and is dismayed.

“Why?” I ask.

“Carrying it around will help you get used to its weight,” she says. “Build your endurance. And when we get into town, it will help with appearances.”

“A terrifying demon shield helps with appearances?” I ask, skeptical.

“It does,” she says. “We’re not there to make friends, and that shield is intimidating. Sometimes that can be enough of a deterrent to stop an altercation before it happens.”

I give the Aegis a sideways glance. I’m not especially looking forward to carrying it around at all times—especially considering that grants it 24/7 access to monologue in my head. But if it helps stop fights, and if it helps me get stronger faster, then I’m willing to give it a shot.

The Crimson Aegis preens. Of course its very appearance would send foes fleeing! All should quake in its presence, aware of their inherent inferiority!

I sigh. It’s got to wear itself out with all that bragging at some point, right?

The Crimson Aegis is never worn out! It is impervious to fatigue.

Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking.