[Upgrading Bloodline Traits]
[Open System for more information]
After the notifications appeared Adrian could feel the tendrils pumping an unknown substance throughout his body before drawing it back out after only a single cycle.
Once every ounce of this substance was reabsorbed into the tendrils they slowly tore through his skin returning to the ground.
The entire process made Adrian's skin crawl leaving only a sense of violation permeating deep within his body.
As Sakura watched the process she jokingly taunted, ~I've seen enough Hentai to know where this's goin'.~
As if to illustrate she sent him ~ (˵¯͒〰¯͒˵) ~ through the message board.
Adrian couldn't help but laugh at her attempt at a joke while asking, "Can you not use my memories to make THOSE jokes." (≖‿≖)
For a moment Adrian put on a sour look before cracking back into a laugh.
Watching their playful exchange Nexus was confused as to why they didn't even acknowledge what had just happened. They wanted to say something but didn't want to pay the fee so they could only sit there in silent judgment.
Soon Adrian and Sakura finished flirting and continued to walk down the passage, much to the pleasure of their audience.
While walking Adrian remembered his promise to OS & Cursed Writer to answer their questions.
With a thought their notifications from before appeared.
[OS, shakily sponsors 50 fate value to ask, who your benefactor is.]
[Cursed Writer sponsors 50 fate value to ask how you came up with your plan.]
"OS, to answer your question… I have know idea but I thought it was one of you?!"
"Cursed, for your question. Uhmm… I just linked the other trials, I don't know what to call them, but whatever. Uhm. Oh, yeah, I linked the trails to my obsessions/fears and the only one not accounted for was…"
After a short pause, Adrian continued, "Control. The answer was... control. I thought, if they were my nightmares, I could affect them by changing my thought process. Think, Lucid dream almost."
"Since Dee had been awakened at that exact time I thought you were telling me to use him in the plan and you know the rest."
At first, they were confused by the sudden answers but after listening to Adrian's explanation they were amazed that he could connect the dots and find the solution to their test.
[OS donates 50 Fate value, to congratulate you on your performance.]
******
Walking down the passage Adrian couldn't help but smirk seeing a new split in the passage. As he approached two familiar runes formed in front of each passageway.
In the right passage, a message hung in the air saying, [Path of Pantheon]
While on the left a dingy unkempt sign hung against the gloomy stone walls that adorned its passage with [Library of Lore] hastily scrawled across it.
Instantly Adrian was intrigued by the clear divide between the choices unlike every other time the runes appeared; this time it seemed like each path was vying to be picked for some reason.
It was instantly clear which path wanted to be picked and which path "tried their best." but the stark contrast between the two only served to make Adrian hesitant as there was a clear direction.
Something was going on but with the limited information Adrian had about this place he couldn't put it together quite yet so he asked Sakura her opinion.
Only for her to reply with little certainty, ~Choose the right, no left, wait no right. Definitely the right…it looks better. Oh, and we can see Dee again.~
Rolling his eyes Adrian confidently ignored Sakura and walked down the dingy path to the [Library of Lore].
Pouting Sakura fussed ~Why even ask my opinion if you're gonna ignore me?~
Adrian only said, "To know what path not to take."
With that said Adrian remained silent throughout the rest of the walk.
To his surprise no grand library appeared as the only thing in the entire hall as far as he could see was a singular book.
As he got closer the blackened-dust-covered leather-bound book was titled beautifully [Authoryian Book of Lore] in golden letters.
Seeing the sorry state of this passage and the book, he had never seen, inside Adrian concluded that the passage's looks weren't there to deceive him.
Scoffing Adrian picked up the dusty book before being sent a message.
[Not Compatible with Book of Lore]
[Unable to bond]
[Quest added: Delivery of Lore]
In an instant, the book disappeared along with the quest's appearance but somehow Adrian knew it was placed in a pocket dimension.
Quickly thereafter a surprising message was sent to Adrian.
[Cursed Writer burned through 100 Billion Fate value* to update quest but failed]
[After being threatened OS burned 12 thousand Faith value* to update the quest but failed]
Intrigued, Adrian opened the quest.
[Quest: Delivery of Lore]
[Description: Set a new story in motion. Deliver the Authoryian Book of Lore to Gaia, a titan living in Cursed Writer's domain, universe Ator-12. Giving rise to the Lore Keepers.]
[Reward: Knowledge of Body Construction, Mythic Grade: Dragonair* tooth, and Sealing Mist fragment]
[Failure: Destruction of Ator-12, Removal of Quest, Decreased Fate Value by ???]
Reading the description Adrian, Sakura, all those watching from Nexus, and even those from the Universal Battleground were all shocked.
Never before had any of them seen such a direct mission nor had they seen an item taken from an [Unknown] rank entity.
Adrian was shocked for a different reason as the quest listed Gaia the Titan as the receiver, an entity that was prevalent in Greek mythology on Earth. Adrian could only think that his knowledge of fact and fiction needed to be adjusted.
His bloodline gave him an intimate connection to characters from "Mythos" which he assumed were all fiction but now he realized the meaning of the saying "Where there's smoke there's fire."
******
While Adrian was deep in thought a fight broke out in the Nexus Entertainment room.
Cursed Writer has attacked OS under the assumption that the quest and book were given by him.
After beating OS's ethereal form into submission Cursed Writer started to question the entire situation.
OS was equally confused as he was continually beaten until Cursed Writer was satisfied and completely sure OS knew nothing.
******
Meanwhile in the universal battleground.
Seal and company were racking their brains, in comically chibi-like forms, to figure out the massive change in progress from what they had seen play out many a time before.
In their minds, Adrian was still only a simi-special exception but they soon realized that his circumstances made him exponentially more valuable to their plans than any before him.