The second Marcy slammed the door to her apartment and slid down it, her back against the cool metal as she panted heavily. Sweat dripped from her brow, and she stared at the ceiling in disbelief. "What— the— fuck."
The fear of being tossed out of the window with a mere flick of the man's hand propelled her home, her legs burning with exhaustion. Clutching the vial he gave her tightly, she wondered, 'What have I gotten myself into?'
With trembling hands, Marcy approached the fridge. She hesitated, now acutely aware of the vial's eerie aura. "Why isn't this one messing with me, though?" she murmured. She gingerly set the vial on the fridge, then stepped back, feeling a pang in her mind. "Interesting...they shouldn't react if I hold them. But still..."
Grabbing the vial, she quickly opened the fridge and went to place the vial inside, but as soon as she did, she felt a surge of happiness emanating from it. That joy quickly turned into an oppressive pressure on her mind when it noticed the second vial.
"Ugh!" Marcy cried out, slamming the fridge door shut. She staggered back to her mattress, collapsing onto it and curling up. The pain was intense, and she lay there motionless, trying to steady her breathing.
When the agony finally ebbed, Marcy rolled over, staring at the fridge. "This is going to be a real pain in the ass... Sigh Should I even drink these?"
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After more testing with the vials, Marcy concluded they didn't get along. The second time she opened the fridge, the vials seemed to ignore her completely, instead appearing to argue with each other by slightly shaking, and producing an eerie whistling.
'They act like they know each other—and definitely don't get along. Maybe their Gods aren't on friendly terms...'
Marcy sighed heavily. "Yeah, that's all the more reason not to drink them. But they're the blood of a God; they should grant power. And I've got thirty days...well, now twenty-nine." She rubbed her temples. "Ugh, what to do? The man said to drink both, but they seem to be at odds. Wouldn't that cause some adverse effects?"
Sitting around for a little longer Marcy got up, "Maybe I should sleep on it, but first i need a shower. I smell worse than an orc who doesn't shower."
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Marcy opened her eyes to find herself once again in a pink sky, with purple clouds swirling above. "Oh shit, here again." She quickly scanned her surroundings and saw Sobrisus lounging on the edge of his boat.
Sobrisus, with his characteristic smile, looked at her with mild amusement. "Well, well, well, I didn't expect you to retrieve another one so soon."
Marcy noted with growing suspicion that she felt unnaturally calm, realizing it was because Sobrisus was present. The fact he had given her the Ambrosia in the first place made her even more determined to get answers. "What did you give me?"
Sobrisus's smile remained unchanged. "Hmm... don't you already know? I'm sure he mentioned it."
Marcy's frustration simmered as she prepared for his evasiveness. "Alright, if you're going to be cryptic, at least tell me what will happen if I drink it."
Sobrisus's expression shifted to one of playful mischief. "And why would I do that?"
Marcy blinked, taken aback by his response. "Huh. That's not the answer I was expecting." After a moment's thought, she added, "Because you owe me that." Marcy had noticed from their last conversation that Sobrisus seemed to operate on a principle of give and take. All she had to do was make him feel he owed her.
A flash of surprise crossed Sobrisus's face before his smile returned. "Well, I've heard that one before... Fine, I'll humor you. How do I owe you?"
Marcy adopted a frustrated expression. "You know what I've gone through because of you. I got thrown out of a window, which I can assure you is not pleasant. And now I have the blood of two gods who are at each other's throats. So yes, you owe me."
Sobrisus's smile widened. "Aren't you quite the devious one? I didn't see this side of you last time."
'Of course you didn't. I was terrified.' Marcy's face remained impassive, though her thoughts were laced with irritation. Now, are you going to answer or not?"
Sobrisus finally relented. "Well, you'll become a mystic, with a connection to the gods' blood you drank. I do suggest you drink it, but whether you drink one or both is none of my concern."
Marcy narrowed her eyes, suspicion evident in her tone. "Okay, what are the side effects then?"
Sobrisus's grin widened, stretching across his pale, thin face. "Ah, you're catching on. Yes, there are side effects. Right after you drink it, you'll experience extreme pain—pain not just in your body and mind, but in your very soul. . . and that's if you drink one."
Marcy now grappling with an internal dilemma had one question, "And if I drink two?"
Sobrisus having a contemplative look for a second just shrugged, "I don't know, these things are so rare. no ones ever had two at the same time. Maybe they'll fight over you as they seem to be doing now or it'll harmonize and work together."
Marcy started to become more frustrated, "Ok then, if I drink both will I die."
Sobrisus grinned. "A greedy one, aren't you... but I don't think it will kill you." He paused, then added, "However, it will certainly hurt—a lot. Probably the worst pain you've ever felt."
Marcy, slightly relieved to have some information, asked, "Okay then... one more question. Will you be here every time I fall asleep?"
"Oh no, this was merely because you acquired another vial... but I will be back to administer your challenge in thirty days."
Marcy's heart skipped a beat. "Oh, right, the challenge... Say, what is it?"
Sobrisus shrugged. "Who knows? I'm merely the administrator, not the test maker... and even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you." He glanced upward, smiling. "It seems your time is up."
Marcy looked around, seeing no immediate change. "Huh, what do you mean—" And then, darkness.
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Sitting up in a cold sweat, Marcy grabbed her head in frustration. "Dammit, I'm sure I could've squeezed a few more answers out of him."
Determined, she stood up and walked to the fridge with newfound confidence. Swinging the door open, she stared down at the two vials, which, as before, ignored her and continued their silent bickering. Marcy grinned. "Did you miss me?"
She snatched both vials and hurried back to the mattress. "It's now or never."
Sweating, Marcy quickly popped the lids off both vials. A wave of blissful scents hit her—one like lavender, the other cinnamon. "Well, that helps."
The vials, now realizing what was happening, seemed to stop their bickering, focusing instead on drawing her to choose one over the other. Yet, the pressure they'd exerted before was noticeably absent. "Joke's on you, you're both going down the hatch together."
At that, the liquids in the bottles seemed to recoil, almost as if in fear of being near each other for too long.
With all hesitation gone, Marcy chugged both vials at once. "Ahh... Hey, that was pretty good—"
A burning sensation suddenly welled up inside her. "That kinda itches..." The discomfort quickly intensified, turning into a searing heat that crawled under her skin like fire ants. "What the hell—?"
She collapsed onto the mattress, writhing in pain as if every nerve in her body had been set ablaze. "AAAUUUGGggGGggg!"
'What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck! He never said it would hurt this bad!'
Marcy lay on the mattress for what felt like an eternity, the relentless firestorm in her body slowly beginning to cool. "Pant—Pant, oh thank the Gods, it's over."
But just as she dared to hope for relief, another wave of pain struck, this time centered in her mind. A sharp, relentless pressure gripped her skull, as if it were being crushed in a vise. "Oh no."
The agony in her head intensified, sending searing bolts of pain through her brain with every heartbeat. Far worse than before, it made her scream, "AAAUUUGHHGHG, WHY THE HELL DOES THIS ONE HURT MORE?!"
The pain was so intense it clouded her thoughts, reducing her world to nothing but raw, unending torment. Finally, after what felt like two eternities, the pressure in her mind began to ease, leaving her gasping for breath. "Oh—My—Gods, is it finally over?"
She didn't even dare to voice the thought, fearing it might jinx her. But as the pain ebbed away, a new sensation began to rise—from somewhere deep within, a part of her she hadn't even known existed. It felt like something was clawing its way out of her very soul. "I really need to stop talking," she muttered, gripping the mattress as if it were her only anchor to sanity.
When the final wave of pain hit, it was beyond anything she could have imagined. It wasn't just physical or mental—it was as though her very essence was being torn apart and put back together. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The agony was too much, her mind unable to process it anymore. If she could feel her body, she was certain she would be crying, but all she could do was endure.
When the last vestiges of pain finally subsided, Marcy lay on the mattress, not out of choice but because she simply couldn't move. 'Thank Gods it finally ov— No, nevermind, not jinxing it. . . Well, it doesn't seem like I can move, might as well just sleep.'
Closing her eyes, she tried to let exhaustion take over, but after thirty minutes of lying in the dark, she realized with growing dread that she wasn't the least bit tired.
'Well that's not good. Okay then, can I move yet?' Marcy tried to move just a little, and in response, only her fingers budged. 'Well, this is not a great place to be stuck in. I hope I can move soon; I don't want the loan goblins coming after me.'
She mentally urged her body to respond, trying to will her limbs into action, but all she got was the faintest twitch in her toes. 'Come on, body, don't fail me now.' The thought of being immobile in a place like this sent a ripple of anxiety through her. The loan goblins, with their gnarly teeth and greed-filled eyes, weren't exactly known for their patience or mercy when it came to money.
'No way am I letting them catch me like this,' she resolved, focusing all her energy on regaining control of her body. The minutes dragged by, each one feeling like an hour as she fought to reclaim even the slightest bit of mobility.
'Okay, okay, let's try this again,' she thought, determined to make more progress. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she managed to wiggle her toes. 'That's something, at least.' It wasn't much, but it was enough to give her hope that she wouldn't be stuck here forever.
As she lay there, her mind raced with thoughts of what might come next. She wasn't sure what the vials had done to her, but one thing was certain, she had to get her body to cooperate so she could face whatever challenges lay ahead.
While struggling to get her body to listen something started to flicker in and out, in front of Marcy's eyes, "What the hell. . .Oh shit, its the Akashic Records. . .but wait that would mean I'm a mystic now. . .Well shit."
{Welcome to the Akashic Records}
{Personal Records}
{Name: Marceline, Age: 21, Height: 5'5" (165 cm)}
{Race: Human, Rank: 2}
{Background: Street Rat}
{Class: Undecided: Open to Choose}
{Attributes: Open to View}
{Skills: Open to View}
{Quests: 2}
"I've heard things about it, but I wouldn't have thought I would have access to it. . . Oh hey, I can talk now." Marcy realizing she can talk tries to move the rest of her body to no success. Focusing her attention back on the Records, "Can I do it with my mind or do I need to touch it."
Trying to command it with her mind for a second didn't seem to work, "HHhmmmmm, what to do. . . Ah, I got it, Attributes open."
In response to her command the Attributes tab opened, "Huh, what the hell is this."