Chapter 52

  Bloodlines

  I felt bloated, yet somehow, I also felt like I was being forcefully scrubbed from every inch within my body. A few times, I had to stop drinking long enough to force my stomach to settle, then after a few minutes I would be able to consume a new set of potions. Once I hit the 100 mark for consuming Strange Elixir of Bloodline Cleansing, I was met with an indication that I could turn in my quest at that time. I of course still had quite a few boxes of potions available to me, along with the recent shipment from Glenn who gave me my last weeks’ worth from the Thieves Guild. Finally after hours of consumption, I had finally finished off all of the vials and was glad that they were only a tiny mouthful each. Otherwise I would have had to have drunk gallons of fluids, rather than just the well it was still likely gallons of fluids, but less.

  Rumble.

  For someone who never eats or drinks, my stomach was protesting loudly. I even felt a slight bulge in my gut from the sudden influx of liquids. Taking a moment to sit down, I turn to Zero and ask, “so what do we have left?”

  At that Zero who had been recording everything, and cleaning up after I was done, familiars are freaking fantastic, he spoke and said, “you just have the five vials of Heightened Bloodline Awareness, and the one vial of Greater Elixir of Bloodline Cleansing.”

  Hearing that I nodded and looked at my personal quest.

  I hit delay on my acceptance, as I did not want to go through the final process before I had consumed everything. Nodding to myself, I waited until I felt like drinking a bit more would not make me nauseous. Then trusting in Mallory’s note to use her special vial of Greater Elixir of Bloodline Cleansing last, I decide to go with the five vials of Heightened Bloodline Awareness.

  “Give me the Heightened Bloodline Awareness.” I say, as I sit down.

  Nodding Zero goes over to a box on the side and picks it up.

  Gurgle.

  My stomach rumbles slightly at the idea of having to force down more liquids at this moment. “Are you okay?”

  “I think it is my body’s natural reaction. Basically I have never eaten or drunk anything for years, and now I’ve forced a lot of fluids into my stomach all at once, things are bound to happen.” But I also wonder if this is my body’s way of telling me that I might be doing things incorrectly. As I feel almost nauseous while holding the box in front of me. “Actually, can you give me the vial of Greater Elixir of Bloodline Cleansing, first?” I ask.

  “Sure thing.” Zero states, then swims over in the way that only a floating dragon can and grabs the one box from Mallory. There at the heart of it is one last large vial of powerful liquid.

  Seeing the liquid, I can tell that it is just glowing with potential. Shrugging to myself, I reach out a hand to that vial and feel the tension in my stomach slowly dwindle, and then stop immediately upon grabbing this Greater Elixir. Realizing that my body is not protesting this potion, I decide to take it and am instantly flooded with a strange tingling sensation that happens all over my body.

  What was in that potion? I find myself thinking, I try to say the words, but the message fumbles on my lips as I am forced to slide out of my chair. Mentally my mind goes to a puzzle room.

  ***

  Mentally I smile, as this was always one of my favorite ways to pass the time. These are mind games, where you are given three dimensional puzzle pieces that can be woven together in multiple ways. My parents got them for me as a kid, as they were all the rage for a while, and I never stopped manipulating them, even when I became an adult. Seeing the pieces, I look at them, then realize there are many different structures I can make, but I also realize that these are likely the way to mimic my own body. There are a series of larger and smaller nodes, along with dozens of small links that look like they can stretch as needed. Letting out a breath, I first focus on what I want this to look like, as I can do a strict one for one of my body, or I can use this to heighten certain portions of my body more so than they already are. Take for instance, I can take away nodes for my hands and feet and add them to enlarge my core or mind. I could increase the node for my appendix and thereby increase the way my body converts and filters mana. In fact, there are several different things that I can do with this, that I must be careful with how I want to lay it all out.

  Fortunately for me, I have already done something similar to my own body, mainly through the way I converted the old Dark Elf Matriarch’s diary to recreate her spell of Spirit Mana Potency and I reworked it, so it could flow properly in my own body. With that functionality in mind, I decided to focus on what I currently was as a magician, and where I wanted to eventually go to.

  I did want a bigger core, and a bigger mind, and eyes that were also doubled. I also wanted to focus on my sympathetic mana filters, thus keeping my kidneys and appendix at the same size, if not larger. In the end, I decided on a structure that got rid of a few key components, while focusing on others heavily. I ultimately gave up on the idea of a spread build, as that would be too limiting, and meant that I would be a more of a generalist, rather than a specialist. With that in mind, I freed up the four minor nodes for my hands and feet. Then realizing that my hands and feet were gone, I decided to take away the major organs of the heart and two lungs. This gave me three major nodes that I could double.

  Now I could have been entirely greedy and gone for all four major nodes in my core, but I felt that would be too limiting, also without an enhanced mind, I wouldn’t be able to process the information. Also, I was going out on a limb here by giving a major node to my appendix, normally an organ denoted as being unimportant in most magic practices. Yet, the more I understand about the body, the more I realize there seem to be two things that truly drive invention. First the intended sympathetic nature, and second the actual sympathetic bond that can logically be formed between an organ and a concept. In this, I see the heart and lungs as mostly meant for anerobic activities, but right now my focus is on and has been on improving my magical capabilities. If I was the warrior from earlier, I might have done a complete reverse of this build and just gone for increased heart and lungs and doubled the minor organs to the hands and feet.

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  Once I have what the different organs I will focus on are, I then need to work on my build. I decide to focus on my core at the center, then build down with two lines from the core down to the two kidneys, then have the kidneys both converge onto the appendix. Then the appendix goes back to the core. I pause and then while mentally noting a line to the brain and to they enhanced eyes and then the enhanced brain, I decide to also create a direct bidirectional link from the core to the brain. Then in a moment of insight, I also decide to create a double connection from the appendix to the brain. Why is this? I think sometimes the ability to bypass the core could be critical. Since it is all a filtered system already, I do not think that much will be lost from this process.

  Thinking about what I want to create, I think about it for a moment and am pleased with my design. It might not be perfect, but it is seemingly perfect for me.

  Now, here is where having all my years of knowledge on such events comes in handy. The first thing we are asked to do is to first build this design, then the next step is to map it to our body, this whole process takes time. I intend to bypass all of that, and do the next few steps all at once. Mentally, I prepare myself, then when I am ready, I move.

  Mentally I acknowledge the timer, but I’m already working and cheating. Telekinetically, I reach out and grab the pieces I want to merge. Merging two sets of the larger nodes together, then once they are together I pull them into my body at the correct spots. Then the one large and one minor. Then Finally the three minor organs. Only now do I realize that I have an minor organ, so I apply it to my appendix, stupid math. Then once that is over I begin connecting everything, all the while multiple sets of Telekinetic hands are grabbing the pieces and moving them into my body like precision clockwork.

  I connect everything just as I outlined. I test the circuit inside my body with a current. Then once it works, I relax and say “done.”

  Not bad I think, I would have been faster, had I not forgotten to double check the number of nodes I was taking away. My problem was that the appendix itself was already a minor node, but I counted that as one of the hands or feet nodes that I took away. Still 17 seconds was not bad.

  Seeing the badge, I couldn’t help but feel proud at the accomplishment. The system at least seemed to recognize that the design worked.

  I pause, wondering if I want to add social into this? With an increase in perception and the mind I could argue that that would help Social aspects, but I ultimately decided against that route. I wanted magic, I needed magic. The entire build was a way of avoiding all physical connections, and I knew while I wanted to be more social, it was just too taxing overall. No, in the end, “Mental,” was the only option that made sense with my build that I chose, and ultimately where I saw myself heading for the foreseeable future.

  With my choice made, I felt intangible restrictions coming down over me and seeming to hold me in place. In an instant I knew that many of the possible futures I had a moment ago were gone, and I was now forced to go down this smaller path.

  I paused at that; Magic was the only obvious choice. Analytical I felt I already had a handle on, Strategy was for way above my pay grade. Though Hidden Lore, now that was something that screamed to me. I wondered how my bloodline would help with that but didn’t want to spend too long. In the end, I decided to make my first hybrid option, “Magic, and Hidden Lore.”

  With that, I felt even more restrictive bands tighten on me, though these were somehow comforting. Rather than leading me in directions I didn’t want to go, it felt like I had the main path lit up with streetlights now, making my future paths that much easier to see and explore.

  At that I blinked, I don’t think I have ever seen one of these go this far, nor had I been prepared for such a loose question that would have such an immediate impact on me. I admit seeing that I froze, as I realized this was all going to determine the bonuses that my bloodline would likely give me. This was so important in that I don’t think I would be able to go through a second cleansing trial. Worse, I could feel the timer already starting and likely judging me on my choices. Realizing the longer I took the less of a reward I would get, I spoke honestly about what I wanted to be and my current goals were. “Magic. Healing.”

  Those two came out right away, then I blanked out for a second, as I couldn’t think of any other word that would describe what I wanted to do with this bloodline. I mean there were plenty of things I wanted to do, but not things that I felt a bloodline would be able to help with, at least not as I had now limited my options. So, I then decided to go with a phrase for the third choice, “and Magical Healing.”

  Chime.

  There was a mental sound that went off in my mind letting me know my three choices had been accepted. I almost felt that I had wasted that last one, until I realized that just because I had chosen Magic and Healing as my first two options did not mean that the system would interpret that as Magical Healing, which could be argued as a completely separate idea. One that would likely be supported by the first two, but also wholly unique.

  ***

  My body was still sliding down, as I felt my consciousness slide into my body and begin to immediately take control. Zero was on his way forward, racing to catch me, but I was already able to reach out and grab myself before I slid too far.

  “Are you okay there?”

  “Yeah.” I manage as I pick myself up and wiggled my way back into my seat.

  Sliding.

  The second box that had been on my lap began to fall forward. Fortunately, Zero who never stopped moving forward, reached out and grabbed the box of Heightened Bloodline Awareness vials from smashing into the floor.

  “Thank you.” I say, reaching out for the box, but Zero seeing me decides to just put it down on the ground for the time being. Seeing that, I pause, then nod in acceptance, that is a good point.

  While the name of the new Merit was a bit lacking, its effects were amazing. One full tier of Spirit magic, meaning I was now able to cast up to Tier IX spirit magic spells. While that had little direct effect on my overall power currently, it meant that I would not be hindered by limitations on spells used or created. I half wondered if this was a direct result of my own solving of the Blight, and linking that reward to my over curing of my Bloodline curse quest all in one go. Regardless of the reason, I felt both elated, and exhausted, all I wanted to do right now was pass out and go to sleep.

  Ding-dong.

  The clock chimed, letting me know that an hour had passed.

  “Well that is it for today. I take it you are off to your book club?” Zero asked.

  I was about to say no, but then paused as I realized without this book club, I would not have been able to finish my bloodline quest so easily.

  Sigh.

  I let out a long huff, then force myself to get up and read to my club. Aided a little by the fact that I know I apparently have thousands of followers watching, one of whom happens to be the granddaughter of Mallory, a woman I greatly appreciate.

  “Yeah, I guess.” I say, as I head out, and continue on with my daily grind. At least I am still getting closer to level 25, and all the options that might come available from there.

  “Good luck.” Zero says, as he takes my final box and moves it over to the side for later. I do wonder what those Heightened Bloodline Awareness vials can do for me, but I figure that is a question left for a later day.