Rewards

Drinking blood from over a hundred kobolds turned out not to be that easy. Vampire metabolism was fast, at least where blood was concerned, but it still took me longer than I had planned on staying in the rift for.

The vampire body was completely different than that of the human that it originated from. The changes start with the Fledgling phase and continue until the Elder. I didn’t have the chance, nor any way, of checking my own changes, though they were evident.

It starts slowly, muscle and bone start getting denser, stronger. The digestive track of a human was unneeded for a vampire, and most of it gets cannibalized to create a new organ that stores energy. The stomach is enlarged and changed in order to be able to hold more fluid, and without bowels there is only a more straightforward and efficient waste removal system.

My body processed the blood almost as quickly as I could drink it. The thirst took whatever it needed from it, while the waste got prepared for removal. And after drinking so much, there was a lot to remove. Which was why I remained in the rift. It was already embarrassing enough; I didn’t want to risk doing it outside of the rift.

I forced myself to drink as much as I could, my Mask gained Investment from the blood, and while the kobolds were lower Investment than me, there was still a lot of them.

Near the end, my effort was rewarded.

Mask of the Blood Reaver — Second Investment; Second Carving

No skill again, but it was still early in my Investment tier. I hoped to be able to rise at least my Revelator Ornament to the First Investment and see if I could consolidate it with my Mask along with my Practical Student Ornament.

I looked over the carnage, the bodies vanishing into dark smoke as Saia went behind me and consumed them, breaking them down for materials. The memories that the blood provided me with were disjointed, unclear. As if the kobolds were in some dark place, and then they were here.

It made me almost relieved, made me suspect that perhaps they weren’t real like many others I drank from. It was a faint hope I knew. Whatever the Grand Spell did with beasts it put into its rifts was messing with my ability to gain memories from blood.

Saia flew over and landed next to me, or rather a new drone that she had created with the material she had gotten from the rift. We’ve discovered a while ago that the higher Investment the material she consumed was, the more of it she could actually use. While Saia might seem like a purely technological creation, she was not. Source-Weave, as her creators called it, was an integral part of what she was.

She needed materials that were infused with it, and while everything around us was somewhat infused with it now, the levels didn’t compare to what biological life that had Investment possessed. Though, Saia had told me that, on Ke Erzi at least, there were certain types of ores that held more Investment that she could use, and even needed in order to make some of her engrams functional again.

“All done?” I asked.

“Feedback: I have consumed and process all that I was able to.”

Her new drone was about the size she had been before entering the challenge, the size of a dog, though not quite as large as her other drone.

“Could you do me a favor?” I gestured at myself, covered in blood and gore.

Her drone broke apart and surged over to engulf me, consuming the matter. One of the benefits of having a dragon AI attached to your nervous system turned out to be a free cleaning service.

As she worked, I spoke.

“You can enter my soul space without me now, right?” As our bond advanced and synchronization rate rose, her access to my body increased. Current benefits were that mostly that she leeched less energy from me and her [Repair] engram could aid my natural regeneration more.

“Feedback: Yes,” A part of the liquid puddle that was writhing over me vibrated and answered.

“Could you do me a favor and catalog all the skills I have on my shelves? The amount is starting to get out of hand, and I want to be able to look them over and come up with new profile pairings.”

I didn’t really need that; I was connected to them through my Mask and could kind-of sense each and every skill that I had. But I was a visual person, and with Saia being able to display anything in front of my eyes could help me plan ahead, without needing to enter.

“Feedback: Of course, Mari.”

“Thanks,” I said, then turned and started walking toward the reward chest nearby as Saia finished up her work.

The chest was made from black wood, unlike any of the others I had seen before, a bit more ornamental, with metal frame. And a lot smaller than the others.

I reached down, raised the cover open, and looked at my rewards.

Two larger pouches were present, with a quick look I confirmed what I already suspected, gold coins in one and gemstones in the other. Though the gemstones seemed to have been the upgraded versions, about two dozen of the D grade stones. With a cursory look I cataloged them.

There were six elements with four each, Fire, Metal, Earth, Nature, Air, and Light. I set them aside for later. The team had gathered quite a few of the gemstones from rifts, but seeing as how most were F or E grade, they weren’t that useful. I was trading for the ones that I needed and looking to gather enough to upgrade them. To get one C grade stone I would need forty D grade ones, which was a lot of E grade, seeing as how one D grade stone equaled twenty E.

I put the two pouches in my backpack and looked at the rest of the rewards. There were three more items, all small.

Two rings and a fist sized crystal that pulsed with orange light.

“Saia,” I said as I reached down and grabbed one of the rings, “any idea what this is?”

It didn’t feel like just a normal ring. It felt more like the items that Shadow had on Ish Vimza, his Reader and the rod that cast a field around it. Both of those had been gifted to Saia, and by consuming them she had integrated them as part of herself, turning them into engrams; [Inspect] and [Threat Reduction Field] respectively. It could be an enchanted item, something created by a Masked, or such creation replicated by the Grand Spell. Or it could be a relic from the Ancient Ones, the Vim, or perhaps even some other long gone and forgotten race. It didn’t feel like an infused item like the ones that we had been getting as rewards from rifts, though those mostly gave skills, so one could always know what it did.

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A part of Saia on my body flowed and turned into a tiny dragon version, standing on my wrist and looking up at the ring in my fingers. She had upgraded the [Inspect] engram on her own, and had studied each reward item we had gotten, and they had wondered if it would allow her to figure out what enchanted items did without having to consume them fully. She was a lot more sensitive to Source than I was. Weave was my lowest attribute, though my Esoteric was high, which allowed me to feel imprints of Source fueled Weaves on the world around me. Even if I couldn’t always tell what they were.

“Report: The item is Source-Weave infused, the engram within is unfamiliar to me but I can postulate what it does.”

I waited for a moment, then rolled my eyes. “Any chance you’re going to share with me?”

Saia turned so that her blue eyes looked into mine. “Feedback: Yes, of course, Mari. The item seems to be able to create and release a scent. It is unclear as to what kind.”

I blinked, then looked at the ring for a long minute. Now that she said it, the ring did look a bit like a flower with a pale gem set in its center. I turned it around then put it on my finger. I trusted Saia and her inspection of it, the ring didn’t seem to be something too dangerous.

Nothing happened once I put it on, so I tried to focus and think of a scent. Nothing happened for a bit, then I tried to tie in a memory of when I experienced a scent. Almost immediately I felt the ring activate and the scent of roses started wafting out of it.

“Huh,” I said as I looked at it.

“Statement: The ring has a Source reserve, at the current rate of consumption, it will work for approximately one hour.”

That was interesting, and probably useful, especially for me. Vampires didn’t have a scent, and I could use when I wanted to confuse or trick others. I focused and tried to think about the effect ending and it did.

“Hey, can you make a description of it and display it for me?”

Saia tilted her small head, her eyes flashing. “Feedback: I can, why?”

“Just humor me, please?”

A moment later, a text window opened in front of my eyes.

Scent Ring

Can emit any scent that the wearer wishes, the effect last for one hour.

I grinned, then wondered how people who didn’t have Saia would be able to tell what items like these did. Shadow had mentioned that there were people that specialized in identifying the enchantments on relics. So perhaps there were people out there with Masks that could do the same. Others would probably take a risk and experiment with them.

Thankfully, I wouldn’t need to do that. I picked up the second ring and offered it to Saia. “And what about this one?”

Saia didn’t answer verbally this time. Instead, more text appeared in my vision.

Lesser Ring of Regeneration

Accelerates natural regeneration, approximately one day’s worth of charge.

My eyes widened, increasing my already monstrous regeneration would be useful.

“How much would this help me?”

“Feedback: Regeneration speed increase would equal to approximately one percent.”

I blinked. “What? That’s… nothing.”

“Feedback: Your body requires a lot more energy in order to achieve regeneration at the rate it does. Your body stores this energy in your abdominal organ and spends it to fuel replication of thirst bacteria which then converts into whatever kind of cell is needed for the repair of the body.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. It seemed that with our connection improving, so did her understanding of my physiology. I knew some of that stuff, mostly I had learned in school back before I was turned. My sire taught me precious little.

“Well, that sucks then,” I said as I rolled the ring over my fingers.

“Statement: The ring would be much more effective for someone whose natural regeneration was much slower.”

I glanced at her. “How much more effective? How would it affect a human?”

Saia had consumed human bodies before, perhaps she could estimate.

“Feedback: It would at least double the regeneration rate.”

That was a lot actually, if I gave it to the others it would speed up their recovery significantly, especially with Khalil’s little healing skill. “But only for a day?” I asked.

“Feedback: That is how much charge is within. I believe that the Source within will replenish in time.”

That made sense, I didn’t think that these were supposed to be one and done items.

I put it in one of my pockets, planning to give it to the others later. I picked up the last item, a fist sized rough cut crystal, it pulsed softly with orange light.

“Statement: I am detecting a significant amount of Source within that item.”

“Like with the skill gemstones?”

“Feedback: Negative, the Source gemstones have within them an engram matrix, this one lacks it. I am detecting only pure elemental Source.”

“Any ideas what it could be?”

“Report: At seventy three percent, the highest likelihood is the possibility that it is a crafting reagent. Probably intended for use in enchantment.”

“Huh, that’s cool. Useless to me, but cool, I guess,” I turned it over in my hand, trying not to be disappointed. I didn’t have a crafter Mask, nor did anyone who I knew. Maybe I could find someone at the camp back on Earth, but it won’t help me any now.

“Query: May I have it?”

I turned to find Saia looking at me. “Why?” I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Her tone was one that I was familiar with.

“Feedback: I believe that I could use it. The Source within it might be able to serve as a suitable substitute to the elements missing or no longer operable in my [Plasma Shot] engram.”

My eyebrows rose in tandem, and jaw dropped. “Really?”

Saia didn’t answer immediately.

“Feedback: I am uncertain, it is possible.”

Well, I was willing to take the risk anyway. Having her repair one of her old engrams was never a wrong thing. The ones already active were incredibly useful.

“Have at it then,” I offered her the crystal and Saia flowed over it to envelop it fully, another section of gray goo separated from my body to cover the crystal more fully. Then it reformed into a slightly larger drone.

“You’re not consuming it?” I asked, I could tell that her drone’s shape had shifted to accommodate the crystal’s size inside of the drone’s torso.

“Feedback: No, it is a required component that I cannot easily recreate. I could consume and take the collected Source, but that would destroy the container, I will not waste it.”

I nodded. “You know best. How long will it take you to fix it?”

“Feedback: Unknown.”

I didn’t respond, I didn’t pretend to know anything about what she was doing. After a bit, Saia spoke again, changing the topic.

“Input: I’ve also compiled the list of the skills on your shelf.”

“Show me.”

A moment later, a list of skills popped up in front of my eyes.

[Harden Self]

[Lesser Tough Skin]

[Lesser Camouflage]

[Lesser Stamina Recovery]

[Lesser Night Sight]

[Lesser Screech]

[Debilitating Wave]

[Dodge]

[Dash]

[Parry]

[Lesser Pounce]

[Lesser Leap]

[Lesser Stalk]

[Lesser Charge]

[Peck]

[Bite]

[Slash]

[Swipe]

[Stab]

[Smash]

[Quick Claw]

[Double Strike]

[Lesser Diseased Bite]

[Lesser Stab]

[Greater Stab]

[Sharp Eye]

[Hive Mind—ratkin]

[Lesser Command—ratkin]

[Lesser Call Wind]

[Lesser Intimidation]

[Lesser Acid Spit]

[Lesser Track]

[Lesser Imitate Prey]

[Lesser Encourage Growth]

I looked them over for a moment, then spoke.

“I see that you sorted them.”

“Feedback: This unit tried to. There are many ways to classify them, though it can get confusing as many share the same tags. This seemed clear enough.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Thanks. I assume that the last group is miscellaneous?”

Saia simply inclined her head.

I shook mine and frowned. I had a lot of skills, even with the couple that I had burned out, and I would be getting more most likely. The kobolds would net me some, though I doubted that it would be many. They weren’t that highly invested and chances were that those that did have skills would have the same ones, and I didn’t get duplicates. It was also very clear to me that few of the Suul had any more magical Masks, as their skills seemed to be mostly physical in nature. That was the case for most of the beasts that I fought and drank from so far too.

According to Shadow, beasts either got infused with Source and turned into an offshoot of their race, or they develop an affinity later in life, when they reached higher Investment. I could expect to get more Esoteric and Weave related skills from higher Investment beasts or people.

With that all done, I stood and stretched, Saia finished cleaning all the gore from my person and I collected my weapon and backpack, while the rest of Saia formed two bracers on my wrists, and the drone settled on my shoulder.

With one last look at the rift, I headed for the exit.