Eric wasted no time, quickly clearing clearing the now absolutely clogged cavern entrance, surprised to find he had no problem at all storing what was rapidly approaching fifty massive boars, including a greater crocodilian spirit beast. Was it because of how much essence was infused in the spirit beasts’ flesh? He really wasn’t certain. But if earning not one but two Adept tier ranks in a single day was any indication, there was a hell of a lot. Even if he had been just a hair away from Rank 21 Bardiche when he got here.

“Eric! Thank god you’re still in one piece! Sorry I panicked there. I was afraid I’d be stuck here, all alone, and...” The boy shook his head. “But that doesn’t matter. You’re okay, right?”

Eric forced an exhausted smile as he caught sight of the now upright and strangely cheerful looking Samuel. Or perhaps it was the far healthier hue to his skin, no longer looking like he was on the verge of death.

“I’m fine, is everything alright?” Eric whispered, furrowing his brow at the sound of his own cracked voice as he followed his new friend inside, his painful limp soon turning into the ache of a twinging muscle and then nothing but a mild itch, quietly thanking all the powers above that regeneration was a real thing in this world, and that he was blessed enough to have it.

He wanted nothing more than to collapse and close his eyes, but forced himself to keep awake, alert, and carefully observe the young necromancer as he prepared to put in place another protective barrier. Though this one was far smaller, protecting only the entrance.

Yet before whispered the words Eric sensed on the tip of the boy’s tongue, he flashed Eric a shy smile.

“Eric, I’m, well, I’m going to need help with this one. My body’s still so weak that I’m on the verge of… anyway, I don’t dare overdo it. Could I maybe have a bit of your blood?”

Eric suppressed the surge of trepidation he felt, knowing how vulnerable that would make him to the wrong individual. But if he had misjudged Samuel so badly, if the world really was this vindictive, then he’d rather know now than later. He forced a smile as he pricked his finger, donating a single drop of blood to his friend’s enchantment, and in doing so, gained fresh insight into the spell being practiced.

Sensing the pulse of crimson potency that was his and Samuel’s combined art, he gasped in awe as the exquisitely intricate tapestry of pulsing blood magic suddenly became visible to him, much like someone pouring several drops of dye in a container designed to measure distribution flows.

Only this pattern was one carefully balancing principles of attraction, repulsion, and illusion. All entwined within a complex ward making clever use of this realm’s own Fire Qi saturation to repulse any and all creatures aligned with Fire Qi.

And Eric was amazed to find that he himself fit this bill.

That, as far as the laws of reality within this microcosm were concerned, he was as aligned to flame as any elemental or spirit beast.

You have allowed Samuel Orwell to tap into your potency reserves!

100 Experience points worth of potency invested!

Congratulations! You now understand the basics of ward construction.

You have taken your first steps at mastering blood wards!

You have achieved 50% comprehension of novice blood wards!

Samuel flashed a relieved smile. “Thank you for the gift of your potency. Now you’ve saved me twice over. I… I didn’t realize how drained I was. That the last of my grandfather’s gift, freely given, has been spent.” The boy swallowed anxiously. “Any wards I cast now, well...”

“They’ll tap into your life force directly, since you don’t have an adventurer’s class or experience point pool. I know.”

The boy nodded. “You know because you’re a blood mage. Like me.”

Eric gazed at his new friend for long moments before nodding. “I guess I am, at that. And thanks for the lesson.” He shook his head with bemused awe. “I’ve brute-forced a couple things, but the intricacy of that spell… I can now feel the pattern singing in my mind. But for you to have learned it so well, replicating it so faithfully over this cavern… you’re a natural artist and a talented Bloodmage, Samuel, no two ways about it.

Samuel grinned, flushing with the praise though he flashed a pleased smile. “Thank you, Eric. I spent hundreds of hours working as hard as I could to make Grandfather happy. And to think I could impress someone of your stature, capable of doing the things you can do? Just… wow.” He flashed a cheeky smile. “It’s like I just got a major compliment from my favorite movie star.”

Eric froze at those words, though he kept his warm smile firmly in place. “Cool.”

Samuel took a sip from one of the water flasks while staring at Eric thoughtfully for long moments as they sat there in the center of the impressive cave that the boy had done his best to make homey before his injury and dehydration had gotten the best of him, including covering the stone floor with a number of thick woolen carpets, and lining one wall with a thickly varnished book case that showed no signs of damage from the damp, holding a number of volumes. “Eric?”

“Yeah, little buddy?”

“Hardly little,” the youth snorted. “Anyway, how’d you like to become my apprentice?”

Eric blinked. “Seriously?

Samuel laughed. “Serious as the grave, Eric.”

“I mean, yes, I’d fucking love that, actually!” Eric quickly assured. “Another trump card that might let me survive another day of cutthroat goblin merchants, man-eating orcs, and spiteful spirit beats trying to kill me just for the hell of it. And the more I can learn before I pick my class, the better off I think I’ll be. But I had the impression that it was a really big deal, teaching any outsider your clan’s secrets?”

The boy’s bemused smile turned serious. “You saved my life twice over, Eric, and your blood literally blazes with the gift. Besides, it’s the least I can do. It’s against our clan’s code to let innocents with your potential wander the world without any guidance at all, easy prey for predators, especially now, with the world having changed so drastically.” The boy grinned. “And I’m almost positive that’s what grandfather would say, were he here in my stead.”

Eric bowed his head. “I would be honored, Samuel. Oh, before I forget, Lord Grim actually wanted me to present this to you, if I found you.”

“Alive, you mean,” the boy softly said, taking the serpent ring of an alloy Eric’s interface pinged as Elementium, Samuel’s eyes widening at the sight of tiny fiery jewels twinkling in the eyes of a serpent biting it’s own tale.

“Grandfather gave this to you?”

Eric solemnly nodded, earning a strained smile.

“Then… wow.” The boy’s awed gaze was instantly transferred from the ring to Eric’s countenance, gazing at him with the same surprised wonder as more than a few fans had once greeted an almost apologetic Elonia after stumbling across her while she and Eric were getting their mother a birthday gift, just days before the world ended.

Samuel’s voice even had the same reverential lilt. “Grandfather is basically saying nothing’s barred from you. Whatever I can teach you here, whatever tomes you want to read back at the manor, are yours. Hell, this means you have the right to personal lessons from the most powerful necromancer in all of North America!”

Eric blinked, more than a bit taken aback. “Really.”

Samuel grinned. “By that I mean grandfather, of course Sounds pretentious, I mean. But, um… trust me. He is.”

Eric smirked. “Seeing as he’s a lich, I’m not surprised.”

Then Eric silently castigated himself for a fool when Samuel froze, giving him the strangest look.

“So you know.”

Eric shrugged. “I have a 51 in Perception, and Infravision derived Manasight means that my Arcane Perception is also pretty decent. So… yeah?”

“And you’re helping us out anyway? Even considering what my grandfather is?”

Eric shrugged. “I mean, sure, why not? Morlekai and Alice are some of my best friends, and I’m guessing you know what they are as well as I do. Louie and Drake too, even if they’re not blood mages. But all four are definitely rogues.” Eric gave a rueful chuckle. “Not that I can talk, having earned an Epic Tier Master Criminal Title. And far from threatening vibes, at least as long as I’m not a goblin, all I get from Grim is the feel of sage elder. But in a necromantic sense, not a cultivation sense. If that makes sense.”

Samuel nodded. “Of course it makes sense,” he assured.

Eric grinned. “Exactly. So yeah, I’d love whatever lessons you’re willing to share. Even though we’re clearly in cultivation central right now.”

The boy flashed a relieved smile. “Well, awesome! All I can say is I’m damn glad my clan crossed the coolest cat I could have ever hoped to meet. And who would have thought I’d be taking on a movie star as an apprentice? You’re even cooler than they make you out to be in the tabloids!”

Eric froze at this, a warm flush creeping over his cheeks. “So. You know.”

The boy gave an enthusiastic nod. “I absolutely love your mom, and I saw both your sister’s films! She looks so brave and strong, you can see how deeply the scenes resonate with her, mirroring her own tribulations, right? How’s her recovery going, by the way? I hope she’s doing great.”

Eric winced, forcing a nod, recalling that, just like with Self-Tube stars, one ended up with thousands of fans who felt a connection with you, after sharing so much of your life with the world at large. To them, you really were a friend, even a part of the family, no matter that you didn’t know them specifically at all. But Eric could certainly appreciate that the sentiment was given from a genuine place of concern, even affection.

“She’s doing great! And I know she loves it when fans respect her both as an actress and as a person, as human and vulnerable as anyone else. Few things make her happier than hearing about the people who’s lives she’s touched, especially if she’s inspired them to take positive steps in improving their own lives. Whether it’s school, recovery, working out, overcoming toxic relationships, or any of her other Self-Tube topics.”

Because of course Elonia had a Self-Tube channel sharing her own road to recovery and a happier future, doing her best to inspire others to do the same. A handful of professionally edited videos that had allowed her to come out so far ahead of the stories and rumors that now the tabloids were happy just to cheer her on, with dozens of rabid fans chomping at the bit to cut down any critic with their own Self-Tube channels.

Eric took a deep breath and forced a smile after saying exactly what Elonia requested he share, to those who actually cared to hear it. And even if her personal trials and tribulations should be no one else’s business, such was the price of the fame their mother had thrust down their throats, and his sister bore it so much better than most girls in similar straits.

Or at least she had, before their mother decided it was time to go full Winter Queen and compete with all her intergalactic friends and foes to try to take over the world. Or at least, force her daughter to serve as one of her champions leading the charge.

And as every power-mad actress should know, you never actually went ‘full Winter Queen.’

But when the hell had their mother ever listened to anyone but the egomaniac that talks to her in her mirror?

Eric could only hope it really was just her reflection.

Shit.

Samuel gave Eric a sudden anxious look. “Eric?”

Eric shook his head and smiled. “Sorry, it’s been a really intense year, you know? Sometimes it’s hard not to brood.”

Samuel gave a sympathetic nod. “I know. And you were just about to break out yourself, right? Taking the lead in Aurelia’s latest blockbuster-to-be?”

Eric winced. “Yeah. Let’s never mention that travesty of a movie again, shall we? Pretty please? For me?”

The boy gave Eric a concerned look before shrugging. “Sure, man, that’s fine. It’s just that all the sneak-peaks I saw showed you looking pretty damn badass with a saber.” The boy’s eyes widened, a bemused smile coming over his features. “Shit, is that the sword right there?”

Eric winced, forcing himself to say it. “Actually… yes. 1821 light cavalry saber. The actual antique version. Not the edgeless one I used onscreen. Anyway, there’s a reason why all you saw were fighting scenes, which I trained my ass off for.”

“And that was...”

“Because unlike my mother and sister, I can’t act for shit. So they panned out for dramatic combat scenes before having me die gloriously fifteen minutes before the end, so my sister could deliver a sweeping monologue and carry the movie, and my miserable acting, through to the end.”

Sam gazed at Eric with a crestfallen expression. “Dude, really? Are you sure you suck? You sound pretty cool to me right now. Seriously. They way you took out those spirit beasts? You’re awesome!”

Eric laughed. “That’s because this is really me, making friends with a hotshot young necromancer and being badass with javelin and bardiche. This isn’t an act. This is the real deal. And sure, decent social attributes means I look and sound okay playing ‘me’. But ‘me’ is the only role I can play. If that makes sense.”

Samuel peered thoughtfully at Eric as he eased back in his makeshift bed before giving a considering nod.

Eric gazed with some concern at the leg that had radiated such a sense of sickly rot, just an hour ago. But much to his relief, it seemed that his essence-inspired bleeding and the bit of healing potion he had been given, was doing the boy a lot of good. Not that he’d take the youth’s healing for granted. They had two more healing potions left, or one and a half, after Eric had made partial use of one.

If necessary, Eric would happily use the rest on the boy, especially since it seemed to have strikingly strong effect on him. But he’d be damn careful with that, since Samuel was, after all, a mortal, so the healing potions might not only be hitting harder, but be more stressful on the body as well.

Which made perfect sense, when Eric thought about it. There might well be all sorts of arcane side-effects to any potion that drastically altered the body, forcing highly invasive regeneration. Side-effects that might be trivial to adventurers, who could sleep away any lingering issues with a single night’s rest. So no one bothered with the expense and expertise needed to make more finely-tuned fare. Because so long as the healing potion could keep an adventurer alive for even just a day without serious side-effects, the rest was gravy.

But a very mortal Samuel, on the other hand, definitely needed some iron rich meat before Eric did anything else at all.

“I guess that makes sense,” Sam acknowledged, voice still on the husky edge of exhaustion. “You radiate an energy, a Vitality, that I can’t help but find, well, charming...” The boy flushed at that. “But mostly I like the fact that you seem so genuine. That you’re being upfront and real, not hiding a dagger beneath a killer’s grin.” He gave a satisfied nod. “I think your personal Charisma’s based on intensity. Integrity. The strength of your resolve and your convictions. Hiding your true personality in the guise of artifice suits you poorly.”

Eric gazed at the youth for several thoughtful seconds before flashing a bemused smile. “I think it’s just that I can’t act, even if the System did mock me by granting me a few skill ranks when my life was on the line, but sure. Let’s go with you’re interpretation. Makes me seem a hell of a lot more noble than the bloodthirsty asshole I see in the mirror sometimes.”

Eric forced a self-effacing chuckle with the sudden worried way the boy was looking at him.

Boy? Samuel might be two years younger than him. At most.

Not that he hadn’t aged his body? Soul? Spirit? 22+ years over the last month, unlocking a forbidden and incredibly powerful path and by playing the fool... but still. He felt older, with everything he had experienced and been through. But he supposed that would be true with anyone in his position. Maybe the real initiation from childhood to adulthood was just surviving the crap real life threw at you. And it just so happened that he had hit the age of majority with reality throwing humanity a shit-ton of crap their way.

“Alright, let’s never mind my acting skills, or lack thereof. What’s say we get some grub in our belly and figure out what we’re going to be doing for the next few weeks?”

Sam flashed a relieved grin. “So you don’t want to leave immediately? Thank god! There’s so much potential here. So many resources to tap in to, if we just had the means...”

The boy gave a longing direction toward the massive swine-infested peach grove just beyond the cave. “And hey, on the bright side, if you’re serious about becoming my apprentice, we couldn’t ask for better specimens of powerful beasts to work on, so saturated with energy that they’d make the most powerful zombies, skeletons, or revenants we could hope to work on!” The boy flashed an excited smile. “If they were just a bit smarter, we could make a named lord out of at least one of them, too! Well, if my father were here, anyway.”

Eric frowned at this. “I don’t suppose you can define those terms for me?” he asked, while quickly scanning the room for what they’d need to make this a good long term shelter, quickly spotting an opening to the outside some ten feet overhead that he thought would make a good makeshift chimney fume.

Then, channeling his recollections of any number of Self-Tube Survival videos, he went about experimenting with making his first stove, taking full advantage of the deadliest 18-inch blade he could imagine to shave slabs of stone from the rear of the cavern as easily as play-dough, for all that the rock seemed to be made of colorful pink granite with flashes of pretty quartz, both colorful and unusual for a cave formation, but definitely brightening up the place, thanks to the pair of brightly glowing crystals Samuel pulled from somewhere as Eric constructed his makeshift stove.