Even though Noxtis was well regarded by three of the most influential beastkin of the Crimson Scale Tribe, in the end, he was not a member of their tribe and was not allowed to live on the grounds. However, Elder Nancy was able to easily provide a small villa situated very close by and even staff a few Crimson Guard to the location.
Ember went with her Grandfather to gather some of her things from the tribe for the journey while Elder Nancy rushed to oversee the Red Drake Auction House. Even Master Mirko's fragment had stayed within Ember's mind space to help guide her in practicing the Inferno Blade techniques. Noxtis realized that he couldn't even remember the last time he had been truly by himself. It seemed forever when he became Mirko's disciple.
While he initially felt a bit lost and missing a familiar warmth that he had come to admire, Noxtis lied flat against the roof of his abode and gazed into the starry skies.
Lost in thought, Noxtis' mind wandered and reminded him of a memory that had ignited his desire to become stronger and incidentally was the reason he foolishly journeyed into the forest that fateful day.
Lying on the ground and staring into the stars blanketing the sky. The telltale soft steps came from behind and settled into the rocking chair nearby. Knowing who it was, Noxtis just smiled and listened to the soft sounds of the rocking chair swinging back and forth.
Ever since he was young, Grandma Reah told stories of her days when she roamed the world and adventured with her multiple companions. From seeing the most amazing sights to building the strongest of bonds with her companions against the toughest of foes. On this night though, Grandma Reah asked a weird question out of the blue.
"Nox child, what do you wish to do in the future?"
Looking curiously at the wise old turtlekin, Noxtis was stunned by the question. Looking back towards the stars, the question struck a mysterious feeling in his heart.
'The future huh...'
While Noxtis was taken in by the Galapagos Turtle tribe ever since he was a young cub, no one was ever able to figure out where he came from or who had dropped such a young beastkin on their doorstep. Grandma Reah, the oldest and strongest of the tribe took him in immediately and raised him as if he were her own kin. Despite the Tribe Leader's wariness of such an odd occurrence, they were just a small tribe and had never seen a beastkin bloodline even remotely similar to the black-furred feline beastkin.
Many tribesmen assumed him to be a catkin, but despite using a Bloodstone to check, it didn't point to any of the known bloodlines. Everyone was stunned; never had they heard of a Bloodstone being unable to determine a beastkin's bloodline. The crystal was given out to every tribe and even most Warbands had one. It was an index of all bloodlines since the very start of their history, cataloged by the combined effort of the top tribes since the Dragonwar Era. For a bloodline to be unknown at this time was unheard of.
Despite their confusion and wariness, Reah assured to watch over the cub and make sure nothing would happen.
And ever since then, Noxtis was raised by Reah and taught the breadth and scope of the world and the skills to survive in the harsh world they live in.
After thinking about the question, a sudden surge of inspiration hit his heart. "I want to find where I belong."
"Your place huh? What an interesting answer. Simple, but at the same time infinitely complex. While our world is a big place, let Grandma tell you about it. At least the path you can take to be strong enough to explore this great big world we live in.
There were many different names for the path beastkin took to attain strength and power. But most tribes these days agree to call the two main paths Bloodline Purification and Body Forging.
Every beastkin has a bloodline, even though I have traveled the entire Sol continent and even a bit of the other 3, I'm sure there are plenty that I have yet seen.
There are four main categories of Origin and five stages of Purity for every bloodline.
Bloodline Origin can be Common, Rare, Unique, or Mythical. Bloodline Origin denotes how rare a bloodline is, with the general consensus being that the more rare a bloodline is, the stronger it is. Of course, that isn't true in the simplest sense since there are bloodlines that are more oppressive to others as well as bloodlines being environmentally dependent at times.
Regardless, the more powerful the bloodline, the less populous they would be. There hadn't been a mythical bloodline in hundreds of years. Unless the rumors are true in the east. . .
While Purity goes from Inferior, Low, High, Peak, and Genesis. Bloodline Purity on the other hand is the thickness of the bloodline within the beastkin and the potential for a beastkin to evoke their bloodline's abilities. Beastkin are all born with a certain Bloodline Purity and are incredibly difficult to improve. For the vast majority of the Beastworld the purity of their bloodline will stay the same. Only those younger than 30 years old will be able to refine their bloodline with great difficulty and resources.
As for bloodline abilities, they are usually in the form of passive advantages such as thicker skin, plated scales, the ability to breathe in the water, or glide in the air. The more superior a Bloodline Origin or Purity, they are able to unlock more proactive abilities such as poison mist, fire breath, and rejuvenating waters.
There are millions of different tribes across our world, so just these qualities and purities can differ even within one category. Regardless of either, they are both starting points and while they can help, it is up to the beastkin to not only utilize their potential but also forge their body to be able to handle their bloodline abilities.
Anyway. while a beastkin's bloodline and purity are set in stone, the forging of one's body is something that all beastkin who desire strength go through."
"Now Noxtis, do you remember the different stages of Body Forging?"
Thinking back to the lessons that Grandma Reah and the Tribe Leader gave him, he listed them off from memory.
"There are Five Stages of Body Forging. Skin, Bones, Muscle, Blood, then Organs. With each stage has an Initial, High, and Peak saturation."
Nodding wistfully, Grandma Reah praised Noxtis for remembering her teachings.
"Yes, those are the five starting stages of Body Forging, but there are actually three above that which I haven't told you about.
To forge their own body, every beastkin must start with their skin. The skin is not only the first line of defense of the body but also the way the body interacts and survives in the world. By tempering their skin, the beastkin would be able to improve their defense, flexibility, and adaptability, among other things. Skin does not only include your fleshy layer, but also your hair, fur, and other beastkin's features such as my turtle shell.
While the process of Body Forging starts at the skin, it is also the stage that is both the easiest but also the most important stage. Despite how important the skin stage is, even in my experience, only the stronger tribes know about this fact, or the ones that do know don't bother letting others know."
Curious as to its importance, Noxtis asked why the skin stage was more important than the other stages.
Thinking of how best to explain her reasoning, she shrugged and explained it while holding more of the nuances out that don't really matter that much. "Hmmm...while the skin stage by itself does not provide much in terms of overall power to a beastkin and provides mainly defensive attributes, that is not all the skin stage is capable of.
Pretty much every beastkin, even outcasts and various vagabonds know that the skin stage helps improve the ability for beastkin to soak in the energies of the world that are used as the fuel for the five main stages of Body Forging. Should a beastkin fortify their foundations to the very maximum in the skin stage, they are able to absorb anima at a greater rate. It may not seem very impactful early on as the first two stages are not incredibly difficult to reach for any beastkin, but every stage after will become progressively slower and slower to the point where those who consolidate their foundations to those that had not could die before reaching the next stage.
Aside from that, the skin stage also allows for better absorption of anima even in the heat of battle. So it is fairly easy to see how the benefits of having the strongest foundations at every stage will provide the best results later on their journey to the pinnacle of the world.
Why do you think I covered you from ears to paws in the Anima Paste as soon as you were old enough to handle it."
Paling deeply and covering his mouth to prevent himself from retching, Noxtis didn't shy away from much, but just the thought of that slimy black sludge covering his body in a stinging and horror-inducing smell for hours every day over weeks terrified him.
'Never again...'