Eric, still caught in a state somewhere between shock and awe, couldn’t even find it within himself to move as a smiling Morlekai approached.

"And that is thrice you have come to the aid of myself and my clan.”

Eric swallowed as the man’s steel-like grip patted his shoulder.

“And a prime number like that must never be ignored, no matter the oaths that bind. Would you not agree… Associate?” He said the last with a teasing smile, as if a joke shared between friends.

And his friend was most definitely showing off fangs.

Eric forced himself to nod. “I’m all about helping my allies. Not precisely about turning into a vampire, mind you, but the friends part? Definitely.”

Eric froze under Morlekai's hard stare, wondering if he had gone too far, chilled by the look in the man's eyes before the man tilted his head back and laughed with such sensual grace that it sent chills down Eric's spine. Because he was pretty sure he knew which way he swung, and finding he might be a switch hitter was a bit more than he wanted to deal with right then.

The wink sent his way made it clear Morlekai read him like a book already savored from cover to cover. But all he said was “Come,” leading the way back inside with a gentlemanly bow and a tip of his tricorn hat, and a bemused Eric found himself doing just that, idly wondering if he’d ever see daylight the same way again.

“There are two others I left alive. In case we wanted to...”

“They’ve been dealt with.”

“Oh. Okay, then.”

And before he knew exactly what had happened, Eric found himself out of armaments easy enough to store in his mostly full storage space, too dazed even to recognize the girl gently wiping the sweat and blood off of him before another dressed him in cashmere and linen, and he was down in the foyer once more, sharing a glass of red wine by a fire making use of a flume Eric had never bothered figuring out, his eyes restlessly wandering from the crackling flame to the mysterious light flickering behind Morlekai’s most definitely crimson irises.

“I’m sure you have many questions.”

Eric grinned. “I… hell yes, I guess I do.”

Morlekai slowly shook his head. “And I will not answer a single one, and you will not ask. For you are not of our blood, and may not be formally initiated into our arts. Not as it stands now. Do you understand...associate?”

Eric blinked, before jerking a nod.

The man… vampire lord? Before him nodded in approval. “Excellent. For it is also true that you came to the aid of our clan thrice. Even once-virtuous Chevaliers of yesteryear have failed pacts swearing loyalty and vigilance after we had cleansed the rot destroying them from within." He took a reflective sip of his drink. "Twice they served us well, according to my great grandfather's accounts, before heeding their ultimate master's demands for our destruction. An act of betrayal that did not go unanswered."

Eric shivered, the snug room going ice cold under the other man’s gaze, before he shrugged and smiled and Eric loosened the collar of a shirt better suited to cooler climbs than this especially snug chamber.

“Fortunately for all of us, you have proved a true, constant companion, and to such as those, we can grant a gift. Not to mentor, mind you, but simply to awaken. Do you understand, Eric?”

Eric swallowed, before shrugging his shoulders. “I think so?”

In truth, he didn’t know what to think, save for a single clarion call in the back of his mind. The voice of every power gamer and min-maxer channeled into his soul with the single decree that when finding oneself in an actual world where one could level up, when mysterious shadowy forces offer to teach one forbidden knowledge, the answer is always YES!

Without exception.

Every time.

Because no matter how dark the path one would walk…

It always beats the doom of an under-powered player forever behind those who let nothing hold them back.

Far better the fate of a brooding king at level absurd, who regrets innocence lost and halcyon dreams of glory surrendered, who plays at reincarnating himself as a super-powered level 1 hero in the isekai universe of one’s choice, then to be one of the members of his party he sacrificed for power in the second chapter of his life, before having regrets and an alignment shift by chapter 22.

Because it was always better to be the twisted hero of your own life’s tale than the good-natured under-powered sidekick who's just a footnote in someone else's story.

Eric swallowed. Of course he knew he was just thinking nonsense with his heart pounding over a hundred beats a minute as the man before him slowly unsheathed a saber so chillingly like his own that Eric couldn’t help but unsheathe his own to compare… before finding it was exactly the same.

Only then did he feel a jolt of dread, wondering if his enigmatic host had taken offense… but no. Even as his blade began to swell with a brilliant red-gold flame, he smiled in approval.

“This blade is Soul-Linked to me, Eric. Through it, I can channel my arts, as if it were an extension of myself. All penalties via range, experience earned, or cost of casting are negated. And as it is an extension of my soul, lesser shamanistic wards and other arcane defenses must be forged with a more furious intent than my hate can bring to bear, if they would ward my magics, or the kiss of my blade.”

“Or the crimson crows you would summon into their flesh, with a single touch of your blade.”

Morlekai flashed a too-wide smile. "Exactly, lad. Now, it is time for exquisite precision. I am not telling you to look at how my blade shifts from cold steel to warm blood in my hands. I am not asking you to watch the single drop of blood at the tip as it blossoms into a crimson crow… or the writhing spearman who dared to cross my clan. I am certainly not telling you to do as I and roll up your sleeve as your head pounds with the fury of your resolve and the hallucinogenics in your sherry and visualize your soul flooding from blood to blade as you chant the words that will forever link your blade to your soul.”

And the air rang with words that echoed endlessly in the ether.

Words that touched not the arcane bump of insight that occasionally tingled when Alice embraced the path of lightning… no. These words tingled through his very soul.

Words that slipped past his tongue and echoed through the air. Over and over again as Eric grimaced and shuddered, the bliss of drugs and fugue turning into the bitter struggle of a man forcing his very sense of self to imprint itself upon the steel in his hand.

A feat that he knew was damn well impossible, even as his head pounded with vision doubling, even as he clenched his jaw so hard a molar cracked like a rifle shot. Even when Morlekai’s eyes widened with faint alarm, yet saying nothing.

For that was when Eric finally understood countless lessons he was forbidden from being taught. For the soul was the embodiment of consciousness and the resting place of psyche and Willpower both. Two stats intertwined almost as much as Strength and Vitality, and the home of other forces as well.

A furious cauldron of Wrath, fueling his will just as it had his Strength, as he pushed his soul into the blade, cold steel surrendering only when the Essence of Flame set his world ablaze, bringing life to the soulbound prize in his trembling hand, as his sword began to shift in color and hue from deepest burgundy to brightest orange to the brilliant white-hot light of the sun.

Shifts that occurred over endless minutes or perhaps hours, as if his blade had become liquid flame.

Eric was so entranced by the marvel now in his hands that he almost missed the forlorn sigh.

“I had been so sure that you truly were one of us, so strongly does your blood sing with an affinity for our arts. But is this not a true marvel in its own right? To be so alike, yet utterly different.”

Morlekai gazed at Eric for long thoughtful moments before at last giving a resolute nod. "I think this works out for the best. For in the dance of oaths and obligations, none can fault you for what insights you accrue of your own accord. And I will count it as a gift given, that I not strike you dead for what you have dared to learn."

A startled Eric, so enraptured by the dance of fire and crimson within his blade, jerked up with a start, only registering what he thought he had heard when he caught Morlekai's gaze, and the man's too-wide smile.

Sensual, striking, and deadly. Those words describe the man with his disarming chuckle to a tee.

"Fear not, my young friend. I count it a boon that my wayward sister ran into you in the deeps. A boon companion in the best sense of the word." He gave an approving nod. "And though there are things, too many things which we will never discuss," he said, waving to the bookcase lined with ancient-looking tomes of dark cracked letter and blood-red ink, even on the bindings. Books a frowning Eric realized hadn't been there even a short time ago, "I can certainly give the counsel of any concerned friend seeing another daring dark, crooked paths.”

He paused, then, and a captivated Eric, his alarm turning to a state of sublime wonder once more as he truly took in the magical item he himself had somehow created, turned every iota of his attention upon his enigmatic, mercurial, and deadly mentor and friend, eager for whatever nuggets of lore Morlekai might share. But Eric only gave the mos infinitesimal of nods. As if to both invite whatever wisdom the other would impart, yet not imply such formality as if they were master and student, which the man before him made clear they most definitely were not… but rather to leave an air of invitation open.

And what Morlekai chose to say allowed, Eric would certainly welcome with the deference and gratitude any loyal associate should show his elder.

Morlekai flashed an enigmatic smile, as if both enjoying the pretext, and the fact that Eric wasn’t a completely clueless idiot. At least not always. But all he said was…

“One. Should one, by some fortunate encounter or brilliant flash of insight, actually manage to stumble upon the Bloodmage’s Path, then soul-binding one’s favorite instrument of killing is almost always the first step. It creates a conduit between blood and its master. Of course, I tell you nothing you do not already know. I see you sense it already.”

And a chilled Eric couldn’t help but nod.

“But there is a price to that soul-link. A price that only the wisest, or most foolish, would dare to pay more than once.”

Eric blinked at this, about to ask what he meant, when a raised finger and a cold glare froze Eric before he could speak. And he wasn’t entirely sure if it was his own anxious desire to please or the will of another that froze his tongue. Besides, his interface had just made it clear the price he had paid.

Congratulations! You have successfully Soulbound 1821 British Cavalry Saber with the Essences of Wrath and Flame and the power of your blood! In the most unlikely of events, you have born witness to a Blood Mage’s Arcane Connection, sensed the flow of power between Blood Mage and Conduit, and lived to tell the tale!

You have learned the Blood Mastery skill at Rank 1!

You are now an Initiate of the Path of Blood!

You have learned Rituals of Summoning and Binding at Rank 1!

You are now an Initiate Necromancer!

You have taken your first steps along the Path of Blood. This is a NECROMANTIC Path! This Path is a Non-Standard, Partially Integrated Path of Power unique to those with Human ancestry, in whole or in part!

Note! This Path is considered INFERIOR to Classes fully incorporating System integrated Arcane Forces and Fields of reality, with which your world has been reintegrated!

TERRAN based NECROMANTIC Paths allow for only LIMITED Advancement along the Tiers of Ascension!

This Path MAY ALSO be chosen as an auxiliary PROFESSION!

PROFESSIONS are primary focal points for those who have limited affinity for the Tiers of Ascension. PROFESSIONS may also become AUXILIARY focal points for those who have started with a PRIMARY COMBAT CLASS.

AUXILIARY focal point (PROFESSIONS) will have minimal effect upon your PRIMARY COMBAT CLASS advancement along the Tiers of Ascension.

Eric Silver is Recognized as having a (Basic Class: Conscript) PRIMARY COMBAT CLASS.

Eric Silver possesses Terran Ancestry. Eric Silver may choose the TERRAN NECROMANCY PROFESSION as his Auxiliary Profession when and if Eric Silver integrates with Stable Pod upon reaching level 10 or higher to upgrade class selection!

Eric sat there in stunned silence for quite some time, processing the stream of insights flooding his mind and soul.

It was as if his eyes had been opened to a spectrum of colors he could never have even conceived of before, his Soul Potential revealing itself to be both a source of potency from which to draw from, both to fuel Essence abilities and enhance the potency of his Blood Magic, and perhaps other attacks or abilities along the Path of Necromancy as well.

So too, he was all but overwhelmed by the sudden stream of information the interface had downloaded directly into his prefrontal cortex, more information and in greater detail than he had ever received before, learning more about the System and how it all worked in that handful of seconds than he had been able to glean over countless weeks, including answers to questions that he didn’t even know to ask, as well as inspiring so many more.

There was a Tier of Ascension? Was it some way to advance his class? Was there a level limit, or did it transcend level limits? He felt a sense of wonder, like a level 3 wizard in his favorite pen and paper game only realizing upon achieving that milestone that he had just taken the very first steps along the path of progression, and that with time, training, and lots of successful monster hunts, he might one day advance to the heights of arcanistry, up to and including achieving Arch-Magus himself, one day.

Only this was no game. And even from the tiny handful of hints he had been given, it was clear that a single bad choice could stunt his long-term growth, and he wasn't even sure what that meant or implied, as of yet. Only that if he wanted to optimally evolve his class and improve himself, Necromancy might not be the best way to go about it. At least according to a System interface implanted by a pod that most certainly had not had his best interests at heart.

Then he wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the worry. Who the hell cared? One, even his interface had acknowledged that he could take Necromancy as a Profession instead of his primary combat class. But why not take it for both? Even if Necromancy had drawbacks as a class, it beat Basic Conscript hands down, which was all the psycho-pods in Orc-Controlled territory was allowing anyone, if his sense of things was correct.

Of course, his sense of things might be a bit skewed. Almost all his time in the community was spent trying to improve himself at the compound, just a short distance from the surprisingly fast growing agricultural enterprises beside their modest little lake, and not mingling with the town at all. Something he planned on correcting very soon, for a number of reasons. But not now.

Now, it was all about gazing with awe and wonder upon character sheet and soul-linked artifact both. Before wincing as he took a second look, understanding at last what his mentor, or associate, had meant by him having to pay a cost, and why only the wisest or most foolish dared more than one soulbound Prize.

Soulbound 1821 British Light Cavalry Saber weighs 2 Lbs. Cost to Blood-Bind = ¼ the cost of achieving level 8, and the reserve of 2! Soul Points! - Note. Familiarity bonus reduces costs by 50% (This blade whose weight and balance you know so well, with it’s leather-wrapped hilt soaked in your sweat and blood, is already an extension of yourself. The Blood-Link is just a formality.)

Note. Your Soul Reserves stat (21) transcends mortal limits! Cost to Anchor is 1/5 of what it will cost any mortal with 19 or less Soul Reserves to anchor!

You are directly responsible for the deaths of 10 mortal opponents! You helped to slaughter one 11th level Spear Thrower (10 levels in Conscript, 1 level in Orc Standard Class.)

You have experience sufficient to achieve Level 8!

Soul Forging brings potency reserves 5% BELOW experience needed to achieve Level 8!

Modified effective weight: 0.2 LB. - Effective Soul Reserves = 20.8!

Eric winced as he noted the cost he was paying to bind this sword to his soul. It seemed that a whole world of possibilities had opened up to him, but not without him paying a price in turn.

Morlekai flashed Eric a sympathetic smile. “It is a weight, is it not? A weight upon your very soul. But I think you’ll find it easy enough to bare. Especially the weight of a blade you know so well. And now for the second bit of advice I would give any new initiate who, by the whims of fate and fortune, happened to stumble upon my path.”

Hypnotic ruby eyes held his own. “Master your weapon as best you can, Eric. With understanding comes wisdom, and you might be surprised at the advantages it gives you.”

He nodded with an approving smile at the saber that shimmered as if it were made of flame as much as blood. “And as the path you walk is different from my own, I too might find enlightenment in seeing what you can do with it.”

He then saluted Eric with a final toast. “Now give your mind a chance to rest, my young friend. You have grown in directions dark and grand, and tomorrow we will have an opportunity for you to see firsthand just how far this crooked path can take you.”

Eric swallowed, mouth opening wide for a torrent of questions, before instantly stilling his voice, understanding the warning beneath Morlekai's smile.

Instead, he bowed solemnly, thanked his associate for the drink, and headed for his room, sinking into chaotic dreams of blood-drenched madness and eternal flame.

_____________________________________

Eric Silver Level 7 Conscript

Physical Characteristics

Strength – 16 (88%)

Vitality – 20

Finesse – 19

Quickness – 15

Appearance – 10 (Scars)

Mental Characteristics

Scholarship – 12

Perception – 17

Willpower – 16

Charisma – 13

Potency Pools

Arcane Potential – 14

Spiritual Energy – 16

Soul Reserves – 22 (21.8) You now possess 1 Bloodlinked Artifact. Effective Soul Reserves have been decreased.

Stamina – 220 Points

Health – 286 Points.

Resistances & Recovery

Physical Resistance – 1 (Your bones are exceedingly tough to break, and you now resist a portion of all damage that penetrates your armor!)

Physical Regeneration – You recover 1 Health Point every 14 seconds.

Elemental Resistance – 0

Qi Resistance – 0

Mental Resistance – 1

Interface Recognized Skills

Acting – Rank 2

Bardiche (Glaive) – Rank 9

Bardiche (War Blade) – Rank 9

Bow (Compound) – Rank 9

Bow (Yew Longbow) – Rank 9

Crossbows – Rank 12 (True Strike)

Dagger – Rank 3

ESS Manipulation – Rank 7

Find Weakness – Rank 4

Negotiation – Rank 4

Repair – Rank 1

Saber – Rank 11 (Doom Slice)

Spear – Rank 11 (Piercing Strike)

Stealth – Rank 8

Swimming – Rank 2

Unarmed Combat – Rank 4

Necromancer Affinities & Skills

Blood Mastery – Rank 1

Rituals of Summoning and Binding – Rank 1

You are now an Initiate of the Path of Blood!

You are now an Initiate Necromancer!

Interface Enhancements

Full Neuro-Linguistic capabilities

Extradimensional Storage Space

Essences Claimed:

Fire (Rank 1, White Tier)

Wrath (Rank 1, White Tier)

Essence Related Skills:

Burst of Strength: Rank 5

Infravision: Rank 5

Heat Surge: Rank 3

_____________________-