"What about [Darkness]?"
[Darkness II (Evolution): Control the natural element belonging to a Nosferatu, darkness. Initial stages implicate control over small shadows.
Level Required: LVL6.
Rank Required: Nightwalker II.
Mutation Points Required: 7000]
"Bu- wait!" I was about to instinctively 'buy' that skill!
I had to stop myself right there... controlling darkness was too much of a temptation... but then I had to think, control darkness and then what? use it to attack, use a shadow do to what?
Getting that skill was a must, but right now? it didn't feel like a necessity.
My best choices were Appraisal and Darkness... I needed something that would help me get stronger, reaching sister Lisha had become my objective... Darkness looked like the best option right now.
Appraisal I could use for resources, but did I need resources? in order to become stronger I needed to devour people, not to practice alchemy... that said if appraisal could give me insight into someone's mind or personality, it would be useful to deal with people... if it could tell me who are the 'hefty' targets such as the amount of experience or blood that I would get... it could be really useful as well.
"Ahg! which one... system- wait, let me give you a name... can't be calling you system... hmm... Firulais." I just felt awkward calling it system.
[I refuse...]
...
"What? can you refuse?!" I asked in disbelief, isn't this supposed to be something automated?
[Host, I'm the personification of the Blood Curse which is prideful among curses, in the form of an assistive system... I detect that this name 'Firulais' is a synonym of ridicule among your peers, I ask you to reconsider calling my dignified self such.]
I didn't know what to say. Guess if you were walking down the streets and suddenly called someone Dickhead, he'd either politely tell you to retract that or call him something else... or he'd straight slap the shit out of you as I would.
It made sense... this might look like a game but it is not... this 'system' is merely a supernatural being taking the form of something I can understand.
"So how do you want me to call you? Mother Destroyer?" I didn't know if this system was self-entitled or merely an individual asking for basic respect, too much for an immature teenager like me it seems.
[Name has been changed to 'Mother Destroyer'. That's a nice name, host.]
"Wait!" I was left out of words, he didn't even ask for my confirmation!
[...]
"How about Heather?"
[...]
"And you can put yourself a female voice while you're at it."
[Female voice filter is listed in the shop, host. It will cost you 10.000 mutation points]
"That's a ripoff! it doesn't even help me, it is just you changing your voice!"
[Such are the rules, host.]
"Are you changing your name to Heather or not?"
[Are you sure?]
"Yes."
[Surely sure sure?}
"Surely sure sure."
[Absolutely sure?]
"Absolutely sure."
[A hundred per cent?]
"No." I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
[Then I won't change it, host...]
Is this the peak of passive-aggressiveness? I just realised a feature of my system that I didn't know... clown.
"H-Hey, I need you to understand... I can't be calling you mother destroyer, mother destroyer!"
[Then choose an appropriate name, host.]
"Then what about Mordred?"
[Mordred... according to your knowledge, in the Celtic Mythology... a knight who killed and overthrew his own father in cold blood, Arthur.]
"That's right."
[Name has been changed to 'Mordred'.]
I sighed in relief, if he really stayed with the mother destroyed I'd have to call him MD, because I absolutely wasn't repeating that each time, moreover... MD is also something like My Dick which I would recall every time I call him, remember what I said about an immature teenager?
Yeah, making love to Barbara and Teacher Ana didn't change that much.
"Alright Mordred, you don't need to call me host either, just call me Alastor, I feel better that way."
[Understood, Alastor... so what skill do you desire to acquire?]
"[Appraisal II]" I decided simply because I couldn't see myself in many instances where I would need to manipulate a small shadow, after making another small wealth of mutation points, I'd buy it.
[Skill, Appraisal II has been acquired.]
[-7000 MP -> 1920 MP remaining.]
"Guess that's the only thing I can do for now... is there anything else I should know?" I wanted to go back to my master's arms already... and I also wanted to pat sister Lisha... so many things to do.
[You can store items from the real world into your soul by merely thinking [Storage], bear in mind that you currently have merely ten cubic metres in size in your storage, Alastor.]
"I imagine I can increase the size as I get stronger."
[Yes, you can store lifeless objects and souls in there.]
"Souls?"
"Yes."
"How am I supposed to store a soul?!" What went through my mind was to touch a ghost... but, do those exist? I guess they do.
[Just place your hand on the soul and think 'storage', I will do the rest.]
"Yes but, how do I know I'm touching a soul?!" Instead of answering politely, the system showed me the skill straight away.
[Spiritual Sight V: This skill increases the Nosferatu's sensitivity over the spiritual world, allowing you to see the roaming souls in peril as well as the walking immortals.
Level Required: LVL39.
Rank Required: Soulborn V.
Mutation Points Required: 180.000]
"Oh my god... I need to get stronger fast, there are so many skills! How can I increase my rank, Mordred?!"
[Your rank increases automatically once you have reached a certain level and also, you must have acquired at least half of the skills belonging to that rank.]
"Is there any skill from the previous rank I didn't learn?"
[No, you learned all of the skills of the rank [Vampire Grunt I], Alastor.]
"I just have one last question... two in fact."
[Go ahead.]
"In fact, they're three. First, why is my status saying 'infected abyss miasma'...?" I asked just for the sake of it, I knew this answer lay with my master on the other side.
[You have been poisoned by your Demon Empress' blood which contains a drastic amount of abyss element in it, hence why you're poisoned... this element produces an increasing deterioration of the soul in whoever it infects, in your case, Alastor, you don't need to worry since the Blood Curse is protecting you, moreover... your connection with the Demon Empress as her summoned creature is also protecting you.]
"Nice, my other question is regarding the quests... how do they work?"
[Quests are created by me with the input that I automatically get from your experience, their purpose is to keep your ambition to become stronger alive as well as to set realistic goals to measure your progress, you're perfectly capable of creating your own quests, Alastor... I'll measure the rewards and penalties in consequence.]
"Amazing..." I was left flabbergasted by the amount of flexibility this system had... it certainly felt more like a companion that would help me than anything else... and it was left to me by that vagrant... Mr Vagrant, I'm sorry for cursing you.
[It is good that you know that the Blood Curse is not a joke, Alastor.]
"My other question is the empty slot in my skills, I noticed that it is now filled with appraisal, does that mean that I can't acquire skills as I want?"
[Slots are gained through levelling up... it would depend on your next level. Currently, your next available slot will be at LVL10]
"That's sad... so I can't farm..." As a proper earthly gamer, of course, I was already thinking about jacking the system. I was going to kill mobs to get all the skills, but... guess it wasn't that much different, it depends on how much experience I get from devouring a single individual... before I didn't get any experience, that's a new feature.
[Be aware that the system is just a convenient evolutive guide for your Nosferatu powers, created by the joint experience of over a thousand hosts... by utilising skills too advanced for your current strength and blood quality, it could handicap your growth and existence... previous hosts had killed themselves due to their greed... overwhelming their pitiful souls with the Blood Curse's astounding power... understand that your soul is growing together with your power, if you overwhelm your soul with the power it can't handle... the result is corrosion that leads to inexistence... as a Royal Nosferatu and bearer of the Blood Curse, that is your only way to die, Alastor... and this is also the main reason of existence... over six hundred hosts have killed themselves trying to obtain powers they couldn't handle.]
"And what is my soul right now?" I understood what Mordred was saying, that was something I indeed didn't consider... there is always a balance for everything and becoming too strong out of nothing must have its downside as well.
[Your soul is naturally that of a human, what you were originally... but as you continue to experience and live as a Nosferatu it shall grow stronger until it represents your rank...]
"I see..."
[Alastor, you must understand also that by having a human soul still, you're also subjective to being controlled by the blood curse during precarious situations...]
"You mean life and death situations...?" I frowned.
[You're immortal, there won't ever be life-death situations, only situations in which you're hibernating or reforming... I mean situations in which the Blood Curse is undermined and disrespected.]
"What exactly is the Blood Curse?"
"An ancient power created by a greater force, passed down into human civilisations to achieve an objective. Which objective? I am unaware, Alastor."
Having asked all my questions, I was ready to go back... I finally understood what was this thing that I got and who I got it from, now... my objective was to become stronger.
Perhaps by becoming stronger... I would be able to bring Barbara and Ana here... yes, I didn't want to leave.
I don't want to leave Master or sister Lisha, but... there must be a way for me to bring Barbara and Ana here... I just can't leave them.
"Bring me back, Mordred."
[Understood, you're free to enter this space whenever you want, Alastor.]