Two inferior skills, [Putridum Sanguinis (Rotten Blood)] and [Ardenti Sanguine (Burning Blood)].

If nothing else, they intrigued him, but Miles could only ever seriously consider the latter. Even if Rotten Blood promised greater power, he had some perfectly reasonable issues with making his blood smell of literal rot.

Both skills came with passive permanence and while on a cursory glance that might seem like a benefit, it was more of a double-edged blade.

Comparatively, [Caecus Sanguinis] or Blood Haze was a lot more practical. The ability to disrupt vision with a haze of blood, though indirect, could have multifaceted uses.

Only problem was, it was extremely mundane. It was nothing more than the effect of a flash grenade, a blinding enchantment or an optic disabling net weave, somehow limited to blooded and non-Vawul for reasons beyond him.

So it was with relative ease that Miles dismissed the first three skills as potential choices.

Next was the only common skill [Sanguis Amplificationem]. Although it required a blood point cost of 2 BP, a fifth of his basic blood, a five-stack of this amplification would mean an overall attribute increase of 5%!

Each single stack of the skill would be identical to the effect of the Tier 1 Haemomancy Boon. And though it would be temporary, the potential here was not something that could be easily ignored.

The only thing that gave Miles pause, was the mention of ‘burn your blood’ in the skill description.

He could not help but note the familiarity.

Considering the nature of the skill and its effects, it was highly possible this was merely an enhanced version of [Sanguis Ardeat]. He was unsure whether Blood Burn was truly related to this skill, for what little he knew of it had come from his experiments and thoughts. There had not been such a thorough description.

‘Huh, I never attempted to 'stack' Blood Burn, but... I should try it as well?’

Though Miles winced at the mere memory of the skill, this was necessary, and he had nothing but time right now. With a deep breath he settled himself into the cool of the stone seat and activated Blood Burn.

The skill behaved as usual, lighting a fire, and dumping lumps of burning coal inside of him.

Miles gritted his teeth and waited out the heat. As soon as it settled, he felt... well, little else. Perhaps there was some improvement in his energy, maybe his attributes as well, but it was so slight, it might as well be imagined.

Had it not been for the absolute data he had gained back at the Faesycian, he never would have known.

Miles puffed out a breath of smoky air and activated a second round of self-torture. Again, Blood Burn pierced through his veins, just as agonizing as the first time.

A few seconds later, he was feeling, more energized. Maybe. Or it was all in his head.

Miles felt the heat of his breath on the tip of his nose.

He chuckled, both amused and exasperated by the situation. He had no choice but to keep trying, now that he had begun.

Trying to focus on the cool of the stone Miles sat upon, he tried again, and again.

Half an hour of thorough experimentation later, Miles was exhaling the closest thing to steam, beads of sweat rolling down his face and his skin taken a warm tone of red.

Considering his fidgety self, Miles laughed. With his legs bouncing on their own and fingers tapping of their volition, like an over-active toddler, he could finally settle the issue regarding the efficacy of the skill.

Well, Miles was still not entirely confident that [Sanguis Ardeat (Blood Burn)] effected his attributes (there were no changes to his status), but he could confirm that it did energize him, and its effects stacked.

It would seem that it truly was a lesser form of [Sanguis Amplificationem], and that smothered his interest quite a bit in the skill.

A moment of recovery later, Miles wiped his forehead and continued his skill perusal, rising up a tier to the uncommons.

What came first was [Ferrosanguis Arma].

Ironblood Armament.

It didn’t take long for Miles to realize this was the skill version of whatever he had been doing so far, on accident, including forming the strange Pugio knife and the armor-like blood coatings.

It would not only allow him control over that unreliable aspect, allowing him to form weapons and armor in whatever shape or form he desired. There were even additional possibilities, considering his own skills in forging...

Miles moved on, to the similarly titled final skill of [Ferrosanguis Clavum] or Ironblood Spike.

He was quite unsure why this was a rare skill, one whole tier above Armament. Guns existed, even right now he possessed the Caucon, and though he was limited by ammunition, he doubted a spike of blood crystal could overshadow its destructive power by any reasonable margin.

Still, Blood Leech was bound to be useful.

The effect was probably not ‘broken’ to the extent he could spam the spikes, but it did offer the ability to gain back some of the blood points he used. Which meant, theoretically, he could use [Ironblood Spike] for considerably more than what he could afford with his BP at any given time. But that was it.

Compared to Armament, this skill was so much more limited and constrained. It even came with a fixed blood point cost of 2 BP. So why was it a rare skill?

Miles pulled a hand through his hair, considering this for some time. In the end, if there was any one thing that made the two skills different, it was...

'Range?'

If Ironblood Armament mirrored the manner in which he had formed the pugio knife, it was reasonable to assume that whatever he constructed with the skill would be formed of the same crystallized blood.

Though Miles remembered it feeling quite solid to the touch, it was still crystal, a rigid, limited and brittle material.

Unless he threw such knives (which, considering how easily the pugio had lost its form when he had lost his grip on it, he wasn't entirely sure was even possible), the skill had little potential for long distance attacks.

It felt logical, but it was entirely possible that the status effect of Blood Leech had some influence on the rare tier as well.

It was obvious that blood was essential to fuel his newfound prowess and continued 'immortal' existence. It was obvious that blood was delicious to his undead palate. None of that could change the fact that Miles had been dreading the day he wou--might lose control and consume blood directly, from a human or fae, like a feral beast.

It was… inhuman and deplorable. Quite unsanitary as well.

Miles was well aware he did not have sufficient BP considering what remained to be done. He would have to replenish his resources at some point, and it had been one of his greatest worries. But with [Ferrosanguis Clavum] he could very possibly satiate the thirst with an indirect method. It was near perfect.

He let out a slow, calming exhale. He had gone through the whole selections of skills available to him.

Without competition, it was obvious that the Ferrosanguis skills were the best choices here. The only other contender was [Blood Amplification] but really, it was not even in the same weight class.

Both skills were under the common theme of Ironblood, a reference to the so-called progenitor and the value of skills named after the founder of the whole discipline was bound to not disappoint. The two skills also had great synergy. Both close, and long-range combat could be covered, blood leech allowing him to stay in the fight for quite some time longer.

It was quite ideal he had the option to choose both and was not being forced to decide between them.

With that, the skills to be his were decided and Miles prepared to make his selection. However, before he proceeded, he felt himself pause.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Something held him back.

It was akin to the guilt or self-doubt that came prior to making a profoundly wrong decision.

'Ah.'

In his excitement of learning new skills, he had forgotten. This skill selection would ruin any progress he had made towards being balanced. After all, he had initially held off from this 'discipline expansion' for a reason. It was just that, since Pack said he would need to even the odds, then, he probably needed to do so to survive.

So, in the end, the decision was clear, and with a guilty shrugging off of what remained of his conscience, he made the choice.

Ding!

[You have unlocked, Skill: |Haemomancy| – {Ferrosanguis Arma - Uncommon}]

[You have unlocked, Skill: |Haemomancy| – {Ferrosanguis Clavum - Rare}]

The knowledge of the skills appeared within his mind exactly as the many times before, like muscle memory he had forgotten long ago, just now resurfacing.

Miles slowly rose from the stone seat, stretching his body, acclimating. It almost felt as if what had changed was greater than just some new skills.

Perhaps it was the creeping uncomfortableness.

Miles flexed his muscles, feeling the familiar control, exactly as it had been before. But something that had just started to feel better had reverted to its former state. It was disgusting, and… wrong.

He flicked his eyes towards the stone seat and... instinctively recoiled.

The disgust dissipated as soon as it had come. He was unsure what that was but perhaps, it was a hidden sense warning him of what awaited.

That was why Miles had to force himself to sit upon the seat of the Wurkan and attempt meditation once more.

He had to see for himself.

***

The mind world came readily in his singled-minded state.

Visually nothing had changed. The scarlet seas had expanded, the luminous white waters were on the verge of being wiped out, and the grotesque ichorous corruption was as dominant as it had been. The world was still as broken as ever but Miles could feel the difference.

Any progress he had made had been thrown, literally, into the seas.

A rumbling growl echoed through the world and the lupine spirit that had been absent his last few visits re-appeared before him. Any recovery it had shown had reverted and the creature had to limp over to him, wading through the white oceans. It was painful to see its hobbled movement, knowing Miles himself had had a part to play in it.

Somehow, he could even feel what it felt.

Betrayal, sorrow, and... heartbreak.

Perhaps his reasoning had been logical, perhaps he would die without the new skills, but at the end of the day Miles had still betrayed this creature when it had just begun to trust him.

The worst part was, he could still feel their connection and the pact they had forged.

Miles could call upon their connection, force it to expand, and allow himself to see those strange colors once more. Whatever ability he had gained was still his, even without the wolf’s consent.

The trust the lupine spirit had given him, it could not retake. Such things, once freely given, could not be taken back so easily.

But Miles could also empathize and that was why, when the wolf howled in broken rage and leapt towards him, he allowed it to release its anger. He grit his teeth so tight he tasted blood, determined to last until the creature was pacified.

However, the claws only got sharper and the fangs deadlier, and eventually the pain forced him out of the mind world and back into reality.

The last he saw was the shadow of a broken wolf, rewarded with betrayal for unerring loyalty. Miles grasped at his agonizing heart, falling back into the stone dais.

But nothing hurt as much as what he had inadvertently done.

He could swear the very world seemed to spurn him now.

The very grove, what had once been welcoming and warm, had become judging, staring with cold eyes.

He might have gained some new skills, but the cost was that he had barely taken one step forwards to take these two steps back.

‘Was it worth it?’

Miles wasn’t sure.

For a while, he stayed like that, considering what he had done and its repercussions. Letting it all sink in.

At least until a sporadic glance fell upon the Lykaon ring upon his finger. Like a bucket of water thrown over him, Miles was slapped out of it.

"So what?!"

He had been willing to give up so much more, just to get back what he had lost. Betraying some strange dog inside his mind world was nothing. Being hated by a bunch of trees was nothing.

The problem was the bad company and with that, Miles stood from his seat and walked off.

The moment he ventured out of the grove, it truly did feel as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Miles let out a conflicted breath. If he ever came back, it would be for the stone seat and nothing else. He did not spare a glance back.

Still, he was not ready to set off just yet.

He needed a distraction, and he had just the thing.

Experimentation, of the science of skills.

***

Miles stood among trees that did not judge his poor decisions, or perhaps were incapable of doing so, and called upon the first skill.

The same as he would, he pressed upon the mental button of Blood Armament. He tried to imagine blood changing its shape, forming into what he imagined, but… nothing.

Miles frowned.

He could almost feel the skill exert its effort, activating as it should but… it was lacking something.

‘Blood?’

He doubted it. Though was running low on blood, unless the skill required more than his own body could hold, he should have had more than enough for some minor experimentation.

Perplexed, Miles considered how he had used [Ferrosanguis Arma] before this. Trying to remember how the beast and even he himself had instinctively called upon this ability.

‘Wait, was I always injured?’

Miles almost cursed at the realization, but it was true. The skill description mentioned 'shaping the essence you bleed’ and no mentions of blood point costs. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he pulled out one of the Hordred rat bone shivs from his coat pocket and slashed it across his palm.

With only the slightest of winces, he widened the cut with his fingers, trying to pool enough blood before conditional undeath could set in.

[External Bleeding detected. -0.2 BP lost. (Negligible. Not considered.)]

Once Miles felt he had enough, he allowed the wound to heal and tried to call upon Blood Armament into the shape of…

He thought he heard something, like tinkling glass, but he could not find the source. Only then did he feel the familiar weight in his hand. He spared a glance.

Instantly something responded, a resonant call from deep within him, echoing through all that was him.

PUGIO.

The process of using the skill had been quite intriguing. All Miles had had to do was supply the blood and imagine the shape, everything else happened on its own.

He could feel a strange connection between him and the knife, much clearer than ever before.

Miles twirled and flipped the blood crystal blade about, its scarlet edge flashing, as he examined the familiar contours.

Though the material was solid crystal, and very possible brittle, it was somehow comparable to some of the highest tier forging metals. With this skill alone, as long as Miles had sufficient blood and a few seconds to prepare, he could arm himself quite well.

Yes, even in the thick of battle, even if he was disarmed, assuming he was covered in his own blood for some reason. If not, to use this skill he would have to make himself bleed first.

Miles sighed. 'What is it with Vawul abilities and self-harm?’

There were no answers.

***

Despite his complaints, Miles desired to experiment with Blood Armament some more.

Though limited to blood, it reminded him of forging, and he could not help but be excited about the potential enchantments he could combined into them.

He started with small constructions and simple shapes. This was managed very easily, but when he expanded, trying to form some simple armor over his fingers, he hit a hard block. Despite how simple he made the structure it took him nearly an hour to finish.

It was obvious what happened when he tried to make even more complex constructions. Nothing, not even his attempt to make a replica of the simple yin-yang talisman (after a disastrous construction of the complicated Lykaon ring) succeeded. It was easier when he tried to forge different blades, but not by much. Somehow it was only the pugio blade that came the easiest.

Miles watched, as the most recent of his failed blood constructions scattered into shards of blood crystal dust the moment it left his contact and considered the final notification on his blood point costs.

[External Bleeding detected. -1.3 ≈ 1 BP lost.]

He was eager to experiment more for he had a whole list of possible ideas, he was even sure he could get over the strange limits with time and practice, but he would have to leave them for now.

Miles was running low on blood, and he could not afford to waste it right now. He could only afford the bare minimum, just to make sure he would not make the rookie mistake of failing to understand one's own arsenal.

With that, he moved on to the second and more costly skill, and unlike the former [Ferrosanguis Clavam] responded instantly.

Miles found himself moving in a trance, raising a hand and stretching his arm forwards. He felt the need for a target, and just barely managed to point at a tree trunk nearby.

Seemingly forced into existence, red globules of liquid manifested before his palm. They solidified and crystallize, finally stretching out to form a jagged spike of crimson blood crystal.

An Ironblood Spike.

After that, all Miles did was flick his hand and in a burst of back wind that rustled his hair backwards, it launched.

Boom!

The iron crystal penetrated deep into the tree trunk, finally reaching its limit and shattering in an explosion of red shards.

[Ironblood Spike used. -2 BP. Personal Blood Points: 8/10.]

For just a moment, Miles felt the distinct absence of a portion of himself, until it was replenished instantly reducing from Ripae Sanguine.

[Remaining Blood Points: 10/10 (+ Blood Bank: 2/100)]

Though his blood bank was getting dangerously low, Miles considered what had just happened. Once the pre-requisites were satisfied, both skills had activated near automatically, only requiring his intent to activate.

The essential divergence between the skills was the manner in which they obtained the ‘fuel’ for the skills.

Ironblood Armament required bleeding, for his blood to touch the air, before it could be willed into the shape he desired.

Ironblood Spike was different. The blood was reduced from his blood points, without any need for bleeding and thus, was quite a bit more versatile.

Perhaps that was the essential difference between uncommon and rare skills?

Possible, but the way in which the Ironblood Spike received momentum was also a bit of a mystery. Somehow his blood was being converted into kinetic energy.

All of this warranted further experimentation, but Miles couldn’t do much without more blood.

So, for the moment, Miles walked forwards, examining the tree trunk for its damage.

The ancient oak he had chosen as his target was massive, with an approximate diameter nearing one meter.

Miles whistled. The Ironblood spike had penetrated deep into this ancient oak, almost halfway through.

Though it was not a clean piercing shot, the blood spike was about half as effective as an enhanced Caucon shot. Quite a lot better than what he had been expecting.

The only downside he could see was that the skill required a few seconds to form, but he should be able to manage.

Miles had endless ideas on how to enhance its effect, if he ever managed to influence its manner of formation and structure, but… that would be for later.

He was finally ready, and it was finally time to move on.