∼ Day 237 ∼

The following events were hazy as my addled mind and fatigued body only faintly clutched onto consciousness. Loud sounds of explosive clashes, the sound of great tearing, and a whole another assortment of unintelligible sounds of battle ensued.

Through it all, there was only so much I could do to keep myself from not falling into the blissful hands of darkness, but abruptly, vitality and energy surged through me. Revitalizing my body and mind, I could finally think clearly once again.

All around me, the writhing mass that was the roots and plants of the lycan's domain ever attempted to tear my body apart. In fact, it had been close to succeeding, the deep and innumerable lacerations on my body having begun to win out against my waning regeneration in the face of my body being wholly without vitality or mana.

The cause of the sudden surge of revitalization had been Ketsu. It would appear he had broken into the domain together with Sombra, the enraged wyvern going off to battle with the lycan while Ketsu infiltrated my prison of deadly plants to then reinvigorate me by returning to the confines of my body.

His presence, as always, was comforting, even more so with just how starved I had been of energy and vitality at that point.

I burst from the mass of roots, coated in copious amounts of my own blood and plant matter, having ripped myself out with my regained strength.

I was ready to fight and tear the lycan a new hole from the rather unpleasant of having my body torn apart continuously only for me to heal myself and repeat the process all over again. But before I even laid my eyes on the damned treehugger, the notification of his death at the hands of Sombra popped into the periphery of my mind.

Afar, I saw the large figure of Sombra savagely mauling the already dead beastkin, leg almost entirely shorn off and guts spilling out as she used her claws to tear into his limp body. Through our soul link, I could feel our mutually shared distaste and anger for this lycan, but Sombra's anger was especially inflamed by the fact of how gravely he had injured her master.

Although we were intrinsically from the same soul, she and Ketsu were still in some caliber their own individuals.

"It's okay, calm now," I said softly, even though I was far out of earshot of the wyvern.

But as I spoke, Sombra froze, letting the severely mutilated and disfigured corpse rest in peace. Above and around us, the dome of the domain crackled and began shattering as the source was no longer amongst the living.

Calling her to me as the domain revealed the world outside, I found myself wobbling a bit on my feet as the winds of her landing before me buffeted me. Though Ketsu had revitalized my body, it was still in a pretty bad and fatigued state.

Petting her large head as she almost knocked me over when she pushed herself into me, I chuckled.

"Did you get it?" I asked, catching the wyvern's gaze.

Squeaking lightly, she opened her mouth, in which laid an item of my desire.

Taking it out, I couldn't help but let an expression of disgust crease my face briefly as the miasmic residue of its previous owner remained.

[Heirloom of Realm]

-Do you wish to claim ownership and convert the heirloom?-

[WARNING - This choice is permanent]

[Heirloom will dissipate in - 2 minutes and 12 seconds]

[Yes/No}

In my hand was the incense burner that had hosted those ghastly ghosts and the miasmic mists they flourished within.

Though that necromancer hadn't been the person with the most power here amongst all those we killed, his heirloom had been the one offering the most intrigue from my side of things. Yes, it was a tool used by a necromancer of which was an anathema to my powers, but the tool itself was not made of the same perverted powers. It had simply been a vessel.

Out of all who were here, this was the one that truly called out to me. And not one to go against my gut, my choice was already made.

Looking away, I caught the figure of the girl, barely standing upright. Though, at her feet, one figure burned so badly you wouldn't have guessed that it had once been a person and one figure beaten bloody and disfigured, laid. Both of them, very dead.

A silent moment went by as we exchanged stares.

She was the first to react, but the only thing she offered me before she began hobbling towards the savaged body of the lycan, was a nod.

Keeping an eye on her as I silently conjured the remnant of my magic to summon all the blood from our vanquished enemies, I siphoned it all.

With the blood, I regained some of my strength, though not much as I needed time more than anything to properly recover from all the damage and fatigue I had endured. Still, I was rather confident, even if the girl had another card to play, I could kill her right here and now.

I didn't need her anymore, even though others might still be watching us from the shadows. If they hadn't shown up by now, it was clear that no one weak enough to go after us remained. She was easy experience that could probably give me another level or two and I did not know her at all.

But we had fought together, even for just a single battle, and that did mean something to me.

That little handful of EXP it would give me would never be enough to justify the demeaning of my own values. I was no righteous person or a good samaritan, but that didn't mean that I did not have any lines I wouldn't cross.

Before accepting the prompt of converting the last heirloom, I took a few seconds to glance at the many notifications awaiting my notice.

[You have slain 9 different individuals]

[You have been rewarded with 94.5m points of EXP]

[Congratulations! You've reached levels 16-21]

[You've been rewarded with 6 skill points for reaching levels 16-21]

[Siphon]

[You've consumed the blood of 14 different individuals!]

[68.1m points of EXP has been acquired and stats have been added]

[Congratulations! You've reached levels 22-24]

[You've been rewarded with 3 skill points for reaching levels 22-24]

[Skill - Blood Lord has leveled up from 5 ⇒ 8]

[Skill - Blitz has leveled up from 14 ⇒ 15 and can now be advanced (Greater)!]

[Skill - Flesh Rupture has leveled up from 5 ⇒ 7]

[Skill - Greater Mana Mending has leveled up from 12 ⇒ 15 and can now be advanced (Greater)!]

[Skill - Onyx Incarnate has leveled up from 5 ⇒ 9]

[Skill - Mana Mastery has leveled up from 12 ⇒ 13]

[Skill - Enshroud has leveled up from 2 ⇒ 3]

[Skill - Eldritch Born has leveled up from 5 ⇒ 7]

[Skill - Shadow Lord has leveled up from 3 ⇒ 5]

[Skill - Greater Elemental Resistance has leveled up from 13 ⇒ 15]

[For skill - Greater Elemental Resistance reaching max level, you have been awarded with 3 skill points!]

[Skill - Petrifying Gaze has leveled up from 4 ⇒ 6]

[Title - Slayer of the Chosen, has been added to titles!]

Those were quite a few levels and even a new title. Pulling up my status, I too gave that a quick glance, noting all the increases.

-Status!-

Status Information Attributes Traits, Titles, and Skills -Name- "Xavier Tal'chor" STR 84 ⇒ 90 Skills 22 -Race- Stragúl (Eldritch Avatar) VIT 328 ⇒ 360 Traits 11 -Sex- Male AGI 174 ⇒ 183 Titles 5 ⇒ 6 -Rank- C DEX 83 ⇒ 90 Skill Points 18 ⇒ 27 -Level- 15/75 ⇒ 24/75 INT 82 ⇒ 89 Resistances Health 1241/3002 CHR 70 ⇒ 74 Physical 78 ⇒ 82 Stamina 76/575 WILL 93 ⇒ 100 Magical 85 ⇒ 91 Mana 22/742 MAG 271 ⇒ 303 Mental 61 ⇒ 63

Done with the cursory looks, I dismissed all the prompts and made a mental note to go over this, including the skill advancements and new title, more thoroughly later as I had more pressing matters right this instance.

I was about to accept the prompt of the heirloom, watching as the last thirty seconds were ticking down. But just before I did, I gave another look to the girl inspecting a bloody metal waistband she had pilfered from the mutilated lycan's corpse.

I wasn't sure what came over me, but as I saw her seemingly about to accept her prompt herself, I called out in common monster tongue as she had understood it before.

"I'm Xavier, you can find me in the south-western wastelands," I said.

She froze for a few seconds, but as she locked eyes with me, she simply nodded once more.

Eyes going distant, she disappeared without another word.

Sighing, I simply went back to the prompt.

It was time to go home.