Poison deals 12 Dark damage.

Aster almost growled at the notification in annoyance. An hour had passed already with no signs of life; neither creature or plant. They could tell they were moving up and the mine was starting to become less of a well-dug shaft and more of a natural tunnel.

He glanced again at his health: 390/540. Not the lowest he’d ever been but definitely the most concerning situation he had been in. This slow march to death seemed worse than fighting an insane prince, at least to his mind. His bonded had been oddly quiet this whole time, most likely knowing that there was nothing they could do to help and perhaps worried about their own continued existence.

The party had remained in silence for most of the way too. Donoma began leading as she still maintained the highest perception level, and Aster followed with Saelak keeping an eye on him no matter how many times he tried to reassure the Winter Elf. It was when Donoma gave a small gasp that the men refocused their attention on the path ahead which was no longer a tunnel.

A vast cavern stretched out before them, not as large or impressive as the center of Domov, but still awe inspiring. It seemed to glitter slightly as fluorescent plants softly lit the rocks and they saw a stream running through it, most likely the source for this sudden underground life. Aster couldn’t stop the small bubble of hope welling inside of him and he walked forward purposefully to inspect the various flora.

Donoma stopped him with a hand though and before he could ask her anything she gestured towards the shadows near the ceiling. There were hundreds of bats huddled next to each other and stirring slightly, only the additional light of the torch making them visible in the darkness. It was Saelak who surprised him, by pulling out a little pocket watch like most of the dwarves in the city used.

Saelak saw his look and said with a shrug, “It had an interesting Illusion enchantment I wanted to study a bit, plus I hate not knowing the time.” He opened it and glanced at the slightly illuminated face, “It’s almost nightfall, they’ll most likely wake if we try to cross the area.”

Aster looked from him, to the bats, then pointedly to his injured bicep that had the dark tendrils slowly spreading up and down his arm, before returning his gaze to his friend and saying dryly, “I think I’ll take my chances.”

Saelak flushed in slight embarrassment before responding, “Right. Well we should probably just move a bit slowly and carefully.”

Aster rolled his eyes a bit and moved along the path and into the cavern. He still moved cautiously while inspecting the various plants in the area. He strongly wished that he had studied alchemy a bit more now but it had been hard to find an information source. Their library had been lacking on the subject and the Seppen alchemist absolutely loathed the Unblessed. The words that spewed forth from that mouth when Aster finally worked up the courage to ask had been more appalling than any others he had heard before or since. The few skill levels he had managed to scrape up had come from the beginner primer the library did have and just testing things on his own. While he had never managed to make a useful potion, he did manage to make some weak poisons. Right now he was really hoping they’d either find a natural antidote he could just pop in his mouth, a long shot he knew, or his companions would be able to concoct something.

They quietly searched the cavern for another 15 minutes when the stirring far above them increased. Donoma asked the others in a hushed voice, “Those are da fruit eating kind, right?”

Aster gave her a doubtful look, “This far underground? Where are they gonna find fruit?”

She paled a bit at that realization but simply nodded and they continued making their way across, aiming for what appeared to be another tunnel on the opposite side that the path led them towards.

They reached the midway point just a few minutes later where a clear stream crossed the path. They could easily jump the meter across it but Aster paused and decided to try at least cleaning the wound. 255/540 his waning health pool read as he gingerly knelt down to put his elbow into the cool water.

“Look out!” Donoma yelled, startling the others. Before Aster could turn to find the source of her alarm, he felt a rush of wind as flapping wings and then a heavy body latched onto him.

Alert! Combat initiated with level 10 Dire Blood Bat!

Dire Blood Bat used the technique: Sneak Attack.

Reflex check failed. You are grappled.

“What the abyss?!” Aster exclaimed, trying to dislodge the giant creature from his back, the others moving to help him. Then he felt the back left of his neck get pierced and a sucking pressure began pulling his blood from the wound.

Dire Blood Bat used the racial ability: Leech Life.

Leech Life deals 5 physical damage and 10 blood damage.

Panic threatened to set in when Aster found himself in his Soul Space, his bonds standing as supports behind him. The largest bat Aster had ever heard of flapped its massive leathery wings as it hovered in front of them, staring intently at Aster with its dark ruby eyes.

You triggered the ability: Soul Bond!

Aster ignored the notification as he noticed the walls of the room had started to gain the same sickly looking tendrils of darkness that decorated his arm and remembered that he was short on time. “I am Aster.” He spoke with feigned boldness.

“I am a Dire Blood Bat,” the creature’s voice echoed in the room. Before Aster could continue, the beast spoke again, “You are dying…”

Aster paled a bit but continued the ritual, “With this bond, you are no longer your own, our lives intertwine, we are more than we’ve known.” His spirit magic chain went towards the bat waiting for the connection to be established.

“Why?” the masculine voice asked him and Aster looked a bit confused. This wasn’t how this normally went. “Why should I join my fate to yours?”

He didn’t know how to answer, none of his previous bonds had hesitated to join him before, though he also hadn’t been dying before.

“You’re right, I am dying. If you have the power to prevent that, I would be indebted to you. If you don’t, then I will do my best to occupy your interest while my friends avenge my hasted demise.” He replied sincerely if a bit cheekily towards the end there.

“You taste so good…” the creature almost moaned at the memory, or was it experience? Was he still leeching Aster’s life as they spoke here? “If I join and postpone your death…” it seemed to pause as though to make sure Aster was paying attention to its words, “You will let me feed from you whenever I desire.”

Aster shivered involuntarily and Rosabella spoke up in his objection, “I think not! He is not a snack for your pleasure!”

Aster was thinking that that was exactly how she had been treating him but he held an arm out to wave her down as Imbratisa held her a bit closer, “How about a compromise: once a month,” he offered.

The heavy wings kept flapping as he replied, “I am saving your life; one feeding a day.”

Aster smirked, realizing he might actually get to live now, “and I’m saving yours; once a week.”

The ruby orbs narrowed at him but then responded, “Very well. With this bond, our blessings combine. You grant me your blessing and I grant you mine.” A matching dark red chain surged out of the bat’s chest and connected to his own.

“I share with you my Spirit. In return you will share-” Aster continued the ceremony.

It almost looked like the creature smiled as it returned with, “-My Blood” and the familiar violet mist rolled its way down the chain from Aster, consuming the large bat’s body to reveal a man, about the same age as Aster, with a similarly trim and muscular body but, unlike him, this man had dark red leathery wings extending from his shoulder blades and short coppery hair. His skin was incredibly pale and when he grinned at his new master, sharp fangs could easily be seen. It wasn’t until Aster noticed something odd about the pale skin that he almost smashed his palm into his face, the guy was sparkling. “I thank you for your Blessing and my name: Drake,” the now much more pleasant sounding voice said.

Aster didn’t have time to feel relieved that the chosen name wasn’t what he had feared it might be, before a river of blood flooded towards him and he had a brief fear of drowning before he joined the unconscious dark.

Congratulations!

Soul Bond Acquired: Drake the Dire Blood Bat.

Drake shared their Blessing of Blood from the Maniac.

Your body will now undergo Acclimation to Blood.

You are bleeding.

You are unconscious.

Saelak had been freaking out once he saw Aster go limp in the Dire Blood Bat’s grasp and felt helpless as the creature kept draining the blood from his best friend’s neck. Donoma had drawn her bow but was hesitant to fire with the large wings moving itself and the unmoving half-elf around sporadically.

The ice mage was about to try and freeze the creature when it vanished and Aster fell into the shallow stream at his feet. He moved quickly to make sure Aster didn’t accidentally drown and checked his neck wound, blood was pouring out of it and Saelak was desperately praying that an artery didn’t get punctured. He tried to staunch the bleeding but then cried out in a panic for Donoma to help him as blood began dripping from every orifice.

They watched in growing apprehension as they tried to use the shallow water they were kneeling in to wash the wounds but the elves had no clue how to stop their friend from crying tears of blood while he lay in their arms, helplessly watching his health pool decrease: 112/540.

They almost jumped out of their skins as Aster took a deep gasp of breath, coughing out some blood, and steel grey eyes stared up at them. “Aster?” Saelak asked hesitantly.

Aster smiled and patted his cheek before saying, “Cute but dumb,” He stood surprisingly gracefully and gave Donoma a wink, “Though, I guess that can be cute too.”

Donoma gave a relieved sigh and stated, “Rosabella.”

“See, I am thinking she is the smartest one out of you lot,” Rosabella said cheekily with Aster’s voice. She splashed some water on their face before walking out of the stream and back onto the path, “Now, this oversized flying rat had better know what he is doing, Summon Soul Bond: Drake!” The Dire Blood Bat appeared once more before them and the elves took in a sharp breath before Rosabella started reprimanding the creature, “Now remember the deal, rodent: he dies, you die and no tasty meal ever again.”

The pleasantly cool voice rang through their minds as he replied, “Yes, yes, down kitty.” Rosabella gave a snarl and he continued, “He hasn’t completed adjusting yet, so I’ll need to use my own blood bending, just give me a moment.” The blood seemed to flow through the air from the ground and stream where it had been spilled, making its way back into Aster mainly through the pair of holes in his neck.

Donoma and Saelak visibly relaxed as they saw Aster's health begin increasing once more. Rosabella gave a slight hiss of pain as she glanced at Aster’s bicep where Drake was pushing the poison out of his bloodstream. She watched in a bit of fascination as the flesh began to knit itself back together once the toxin had been expelled.

Drake gave a mental shudder of exhaustion as he finished the process and replied, “Now would be a delightful time for a meal.”

Rosabella held up a finger at him before he could move closer to Aster’s body, and reprimanded him some more, “Ah! He is still acclimating and you already got your fill before bonding, you can wait a week for your next taste.”

He gave an immature whine before grumbling his ascent and rejoined Aster’s Soul Space. Before the elves could bombarded her with questions she held her finger up to them as well and explained simply, “You can ask Aster about all that when he wakes later. I don’t trust that bloodsucker even remotely to keep his dirty paws off mi amor so I’m not going to keep controlling him for now. We can sense out here, so if there’s an emergency, one of us will take control.” With that said, she sat Aster down against the wall near the cavern exit they had been heading towards and closed their eyes as Aster’s body visibly slumped against the stone wall.

Nyx started to get excited as she led the group through the mine shaft. Her nose was leading them well with only a slight pause as they reached the multi-forked room and she found the trail leading in two different directions. They sent a pair of scouts down the West path which Nyx indicated had a very slightly faded scent.

As they moved down the Southern trail, the Dark Water Rogue could tell they were getting closer as the scent got stronger. She could smell something new though, an acidic darkness that seemed familiar to her and she frowned a bit as she spoke quietly to Lux.

“I think one of them was poisoned.” She took a deep inhale then nodded, “Smells similar to the kind I use.”

“Can you tell if it’s our target?” the Light Fire Paladin asked with a bit of concern. It would be an issue if their quarry died before they could capture him.

She wrinkled her nose a bit and said in annoyance, “I can’t tell, they stay so close together all the time.”

He nodded in understanding and motioned for the group to pick up their pace.

Saelak had been pacing back and forth for about 15 minutes when Donoma lightly touched his shoulder to halt him and whispered, “We need ta leave, I can hear people down da path, headin’ this way.” She had sprinted over to watch the entrance to the cave area when Rosabella had deposited Aster’s body against the wall.

Saelak worriedly looked to Aster, “Carrying him will slow us down too much,”

Donoma just nodded, then walked over and gently shook the half-elf’s shoulder, “Hey, one o’ ya need ta help us move him. People are comin’.”

After a moment, warm red eyes looked up at her and a smile alighted his face, “Hiya! I’m ready to follow!” He gave a small salute and began to stand up.

Donoma rolled her eyes, “Hitsuki. Well at least ya know how ta be quick,” she said and grasped the bunny-controlled-Aster’s hand and began dragging them into the new tunnel, Saelak close behind them.