Novels2Search

Jackpot!

Having observed the cave in its entirety more than once now, I pull open the scavenged map in frustration, pouring over it once more to find any clues I may have missed. Channeling my inner Nic Cage, I even look for hidden hints in the compass rose and size to scale description on the blasted thing!

“Lady A, can you look over there on that side and head towards the depths? I’ll do the same from this side and we’ll meet in the middle. As for you, Horus, can you check up high for any secret alcoves or niches?” I ask of my Companions, each more than willing to help, of course.

We spend several minutes scrutinizing every nook and cranny in the space, even widening a few of the cracks in the stone walls to check within but alas, no luck.

“I don’t get it….did someone beat us to it and this Beast moved in after? Or did the Beast take it itself? Hmm, that wouldn’t make sense though, the creature would have been much stronger if what the journal details about the value of the treasure is accurate.” I muse aloud in confusion.

Artemis, just as frustrated as I, suddenly kicks an errant rock from the floor that sails through the air and straight into the maudlin pile of death and decay which sends the contents rolling and splattering all over.

Dodging the spray of…fluids, I’m about to give Artemis the “what-for” when I see something at the bottom of the pile, a small box previously hidden and now just barely visible to our enhanced eyes within the darkened area!

Rushing over, I pick the small box up. Its weight is negligible and the material it is made out of is some sort of crystal, like everything else here, but artfully sculpted and etched into wonderful designs all over its surface. Here and there the designs are slightly marred by teeth and claw marks-- Perhaps attempts by a less than intelligent Beast to eat it?

A small latch holds it shut and likely is what prevented the treasure within from consumption by the cave’s previous inhabitant(s), luckily enough for us.

Holding my breath, I slide the latch open and pull up the lid, revealing a softly glowing red stone held within, one that on closer inspection, seems to be some form of hardened liquid, almost like amber!

I look over it curiously, not quite sure what to make of it, until the Apex system lends a helping hand:

{Crystallized Omni Bloodline(Epic)}

I nearly drop the gorgeous, wonderful, amazing item in my astonishment!

My first Epic rarity and its only the second day of the Contest???

Hell yes!

Somewhat belatedly, yet still holding onto my excitement, I pull up the full description for it and scan the contents with eager eyes:

Crystallized Omni Bloodline(Epic): Chunk of pure and hardened Heart’s Blood of an extremely powerful existence, fallen to a far-flung planet following a great and terrible battle long ago. Gathered by the Creator, the Original Being, and purified so as to awaken and/or strengthen the bloodline of the recipient. Notice: Awakening a bloodline can be accomplished with but a piece of this item, further strengthening will depend on how much is imbibed after awakening.

Actually, its pretty close to what I hoped it would be and that final note…that makes what I plan much more feasible.

I am, of course, referring to my Companions. For what would I do with more power than them? I refuse to leave them behind. I have no wish to lose them, and them me, so we will lift each other up, so that we may rise together, as one.

Then without further ceremony, I snap the strange substance into three mostly equal pieces and, with a quick mental warning to open their snout and beak, toss a third down each of their gullets before dropping the final one down my own!

I can almost feel the red object moving down my throat and esophagus before dropping the final distance to my stomach and then---

Kabooom!

An explosion!

I fall listlessly to the ground, not in pain, not really, something more like a rebirth. Every cell in my body feels awake, alive and full of energy, a reddish glow suffusing my veins and cycling, cycling, cycling through my entire form in faster and faster rotations.

And then, it ends, the glow falling from my veins except for a slight sheen over my individual blood cells.

Returning to awareness, I notice my body first, the ease of each breath, the smoothness of every small muscle that assists with movement, my vision piercing the darkness even more effectively and my ears hearing the heartbeat, the shifting of muscle, the blinking of the eyes of my Companions.

Stolen novel; please report.

I don’t feel different, not really, I just feel…more.

And it would seem the System agrees…

Congratulations! You have awakened your dormant Bloodline, that of the Sidhe.

Sidhe: These creatures are kin to elves but lack the thin, athletic builds, the interest in favored attacks from range and the general kindness often found in the Elvish Folk. They are the original progenitors of all of the Fae races through genetic engineering and chimeric experimentation as they sought to create both the perfect predator and the perfect prey for their Hunts. The Sidhe are the fearsome Hunters of all that walk the infinite worlds, their chaotic hunting bands have infamously become known throughout Creation as: The Wild Hunt. Their forms are of roughly Human height but exhibit dense muscle with which they have a deep and fervent desire to use in close combat. Their lust for battle and glory are nearly unmatched beyond their own sense of fierce and unabiding loyalty, honor and responsibility to the natural world. Said devotion to Nature is rewarded by a +2 to all stats while on any planet that bears life.

I just sit there, like a puppet with its strings cut.

For who knows how long, I just sit in the crystal dust and wonder about it all…

From that first moment after I chose Wilderness Survival until now, a quiet part of me has felt more and more…true.

Real, even.

Alive!

And now, that feeling cements itself within as I climb back to my feet, marveling at the sensation of ease with which I can now move around.

Its not just that I am stronger, or faster or anything truly tangible, its something far more profound, too much to adequately describe in words, even though I try.

My PAID even has a new addition next to my race now!

Race: Human(66%), Sidhe(33%, Upgradable)

And I can upgrade it further beyond just having it complete the 100% to fill my Race, to advance my bloodline even further still.

The excitement finally drawing down a bit, I look over to my two Companions for the first time since taking the treasure and boy, am I in for a shock!

First, I see a now nearly 5-foot-tall hawk! His twilight-colored feathers now gleam in the dim cave like metal with his wingspan stretching out to nearly 10 feet on either side as he spreads them wide to take in his changes.

He sends me the info of his own bloodline over our bond, which I quickly peruse:

Divine Chick(33%): Those avians bearing this awakened bloodline are on but the first step to eventual ascension and the eternal embodiment of their celestial aspects. Often starting life as simple birds or aligned with more base elements, these awe-inspiring creatures eventually come to accept or are born with a celestial body as their elemental aspect, be it stars, moons, suns or even black holes. Currently grants +2 to Intelligence to better utilize higher elements.

“Nice! Staying right on the track your Mom set in place for you. She definitely knew best what hidden potential you have, now you just need to fulfill it.” I tell Horus, who nuzzles me with the tip of one very large wing for my complimenting his wonderful mother.

The shuffle of excited paws on the crystal strewn floor alerts me to our other member, her impatience about showing off her new and improved self quite clear…

I smile with affection as I turn to my oldest and best friend, taking in her evolved form with unabashed awe and love.

Her body has only grown another foot taller but that’s just the beginning! Her frame is much broader, her build a little less husky and a little more pitbull, if that pitbull was nearly the size of a Clydesdale on some particularly strong steroids.

Her coloring remains the same, with perhaps a few more blue highlights swirling in her white/black fur but her eyes….

They used to be a simple, yet gorgeous, ice blue and then they began to glow as her elemental alignment shifted with her Class but now, now those glowing blue irises have expanded to swallow the rest of her eyes!

Now, her two large glowing orbs trail a bit of steam as she shifts her head, almost as if they are smoking! Her muscled paws now bear claws that are nearly translucent but for a vein of blue running down the inside of their sharpened tips, perhaps a toxin delivery system of some kind?

The final change is perhaps the most interesting, her floofy tail now boosts an encirclement of icy spikes ringing the very tip of it, a new weapon for her more vulnerable rear should she need it.

Feeling my outpouring of love and awe as I all but drool over her form, she sends me thoughts of gratitude as she basks in my adoration, like any bad-ass pup would.

“So, what does it say??” I ask, eager to see the true description and whatever it reveals for her and her future.

With a chuff of air in evident amusement over my impatience, she sends over her bloodline description, its name quite familiar:

Helhound(33%): These faithful hounds are denizens of the icy wastes of Hel, where the damned and forgotten are imprisoned together in the cruel wastes of that frigid plane. Born of the ice and forged into companions of boundless loyalty and honor, these awakened Beasts trace their ancestry back to the fabled Cerberus and Fenris, these mythic beings having been used as the basis for the species propagation by the experiments of the Sidhe. Having been adopted by the Wild Hunts as hunting hounds, a better tracker or fighting dog is impossible to find. Currently grants +1 to both Strength and Dexterity, to better defend, hunt and fight for pack and for family.

“Nice boosts! The traits described fit you to a T too, my lady. I especially love the effect with your eyes, you’re all the more stunning for it!” I compliment my nearly wagon sized Beast, rubbing behind her traffic cone sized ears as she closes her eyes, wags her tail like an overheating helicopter blade and leans into me with her bulk, nearly toppling me over.

“Ha-ha, guess I’m gonna really need to keep my Strength up now!” I laugh, bracing one System strengthened leg to offset her weight.

As she flops to the floor and shows her belly for a rubbin’, I drop to my butt and give her some love, Horus tucking himself underneath my other arm as we drift off to sleep. My Companions are always a balm to my weary mind and soul, allowing me to slip into dreamless sleep soon after.

Waking the next morning, I jump to my feet and stretch with a satisfying yawn, munching some Beast meat from my storage ring while tossing a meaty haunch to Artemis as she perks up and a bundle of some gathered greens for our feathered friend who pecks at them speedily.

I look the cave over one last time as we set to depart, smiling softly at the changes we will exit with, the additional path to power now revealed and this small impartment only the start.

We head out of the cave and continue our trek to the far side of the mountain, eager to see what it will reveal, what environment could be lurking just over the range…