Main Character's POV
The air hung heavy, steeped in the tang of ancient concoctions and the crackling tingle of latent magic. Shelves lined the room, sagging under the weight of vials, flasks, and bottles of every imaginable shape and color. Their contents swirled like living things—emerald greens, fiery reds, and deep purples glimmered in the dim light, each a promise of extraordinary power or disaster.
Griffin lay slumped on the cold, tiled floor, his breath shallow. His once-strong frame was gaunt, the stump of his arm still sluggishly bleeding. Nearby, Tia was crumpled in a heap, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Her [Personal Servants] hovered weakly around her, their glow flickering like dying embers.
Her magic power has depleted causing [Mana Exhaustion] knocking her out. Griffin whose head was hanging started to bleed from his wound again. 'We need to get his arm a protestic quickly.'
I couldn't afford to rest. My eyes burned with fatigue, and my limbs felt like lead, but the wet groan of bog bodies outside the door reminded me why we couldn't stop. Ten of them—at least—waiting for the smallest sign of weakness.
The way it would have gone if I weren't here Tia would probably use her [Personal Servants] to heal him, allowing him to live with one arm.
This however would cause him to lose the ability to have a prostetic that could actually help him, as the ones that are around can't handle the force he would need to fight against in the future.
I looked around for the back door of this room, the piece that I would need to complete his transplant should be around here.
I find a locked door, holy energy radiated from the crack at the bottom of the door. I quickly crack the door open using a knife and my 100 lifetimes of picking locks to enter into room.
[Hidden Room]
[Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm]
The lock gave way with a satisfying click, and I slipped inside. The air shifted instantly, charged with sacred energy. Bright, clinical lights illuminated the sterile room, their cold glare bouncing off the polished surfaces of modern equipment. Yet, at the center of this technological haven stood an ancient relic—a shrine that didn't belong here.
Encased in pristine glass, [Saint Lachtin's Arm] rested in solemn grandeur. The yew-wood prosthetic was lined with intricate bronze and silver plates, its craftsmanship breathtaking.
Unlike most shrines, where the hand was open in a gesture of blessing, this one was clenched into a fist—ready for battle. The faint, golden light emanating from it made my heart race.
I smashed the glass, the sharp crack of breaking glass echoing through the lab. Griffin stirred, his head lolling weakly as he tried to sit up. "What... is that?" His voice was barely a whisper, each word dragging out like it pained him to speak.
"This?" I said, holding up the arm. "This is your salvation. No—your rebirth."
His eyes widened in horror. "What... are you going to do?"
Griffin staggered backward, colliding with a table. A stethoscope clattered to the floor, and he slumped over, unconscious again. I sighed. "Well, that's one way to save me the trouble."
"I guess I should start."
I bring over a tray of three types of potions that were laying in a nearby cabinet.
One type was an orange potion, bubbles filled the whole bottle it was filled with life.
This increased constitution. I needed to give this to Griffin, since even though his constitution was high due to his traits and class, they weren't nearly enough, he needed more to accept the arm.
The next one was green potions, with bubbles that would never stay in place.
This was a potion to increase dexerity. I needed this as there was no way I could perform a surgery of this level with this high of an arifact without an insane amount of dexerity.
The third one was the most important, it house a pure, red liquid no bubbles appeared it was very stable. It was a health potion.
Without a healer in the form of Tia I needed to improvise, although the healing potion was strong it wouldn't last for as long or as continously as Tia's ability would.
So I needed to shove as much of this stuff down this noble oaf's mouth as possible.
However first I took the green potions. 'Dexerity first. Only then can I trigger that event.'
Time was running out. I grabbed the potions I'd scavenged earlier. The green one—a dexterity booster—was first. Gulping it down, I felt the immediate rush of control and precision flood my hands. My system confirmed it:
+1 Dexerity
+1 Dexerity
+1 Dexerity
....
After a few minutes of drinking as much of the potions as possible my dexerity stat was now 12.
Although much higher than what I previously had this much was barely enough to trigger the system notification.
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{Dexerity=12}
{Feature Unlocked}
{Steady Hand Skill Unlocked}
[XP Required: 500]
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This is what I needed in order to do this surgery. Thankfully I had 600XP from the bog body and the Marsh Shade.
I spent that 500XP as fast as I could.
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[Steady Hands Lv.1 Skill Purchased]
{Effect: For every level of steady hands, you will be able to keep your hands from shaking for 10 minutes.}
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Although this might seem a waste of exp they're were vital uses for this such as shooting a gun or bow and more importantly in this instance surgery.
Then I pryed open Griffin's mouth. 'Man his jaw is like steel.' I had to use all my stength in order to get it to open.
Then I grabbed the orange potion and forced it down his gullet. His body I could see was getting sturdier, like steel. The muscles on his body tighten and became denser. Strength was fueling his body.
The [Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm] was beside me. I picked it up and carefully put it next to the stump that used to be Griffin's arm. The issue was the tissue and muscles. The way it would react could cause him to go into shock and possibly die.
Then as I was filling Griffin's gullet with the orange potion Tia woke up. Blood was dripping down her nose. A sign of magic reverbartion. Her personal servants were back to normal, helping her regenerate her mana quickly. Good I needed her. With her the likelihood of this succeeding increases greatly.
Perfect. I activated the skill without hesitation. My hands steadied, and I turned to Griffin, prying his jaw open with difficulty. The orange potion—a constitution enhancer—went down next. His muscles twitched, growing denser, his body visibly hardening to steel-like resilience.
"Hold on, Griffin," I muttered. "You're not dying today."
Tia stirred behind me, her pale face streaked with blood from her nose. Her [Personal Servants] buzzed faintly around her, their glow regaining some strength. "Tia," I called, keeping my voice calm but firm. "I need your help."
Her wide green eyes blinked at me, weary but trusting. "What do you need?"
"Ask your fairy friends to pour everything they have into him—light magic, regeneration, whatever you can manage. Just hold him together."
She hesitated but began chanting in an ancient tongue, her voice trembling. The fairies' glow intensified, bathing Griffin's body in golden light. I worked quickly, my hands moving like lightning as I stitched the arm to his stump. The tissues fought me, but Tia's magic stabilized him. Slowly, the arm began to fuse.
Finally, I grabbed the red potion—a [Greater Healing Potion]—and poured it into his mouth. His body convulsed briefly before settling. The golden glow faded, leaving Griffin breathing evenly, his new arm finally accepted.
I slumped back, exhausted but triumphant. "It's done," I muttered, glancing at Tia. Her fairies flickered, and she collapsed again, drained but alive.
Griffin's new arm twitched, the bronze plates catching the light as if to signal its activation. A small, tired smile tugged at my lips. One step closer. Now, to find my sister.
End Chapter