Health: 80 / 300
Mana: 15 / 30
Tattoo Slots: 0 / 5
Attributes:
Strength: 25
Constitution: 30
Dexterity: 19
Willpower: 9
Intelligence: 5
Unused Stat Points: 0
Ink Bound Resonance: 0%
Skills:
Capture – Enter into a war of attrition; both your and the target's health drains. Target drain: 5 points per second. If the target's health reaches 10%, it is captured and turned into a tattoo. Cost: 10 health per second.
Tattoo Summoning – Summon your tattoos. At the current level, only one tattoo can be summoned at a time. Cost: 15 mana.
Ink Bound Resonance – Gain a 1% boost to the highest stat of all captured creatures. Passive.
Blessing of the Forgiven – Bestowed upon those who have confronted the ghosts of their past and emerged with newfound purpose. Grants the ability to sever the chains of suffering. The bearer may bring solace to the lost, granting them release from torment. Only those who have endured the depths of sorrow may wield this power with true understanding. +5 Wisdom, +5% Wisdom.
"Scraps…" Jason's voice cracked as he stared at the puddle of ink that had become not just his summon but a companion.
Falling to his knees, he scooped up the ink. He choked back tears as the ink slipped through his fingers.
New Quest!
A ritual developed by Arathius after he lost his beloved cat, the ritual melds the summon and the summoner's soul.
Warning: If the summoner dies, so does the summon. If the summon dies, it will fracture the summoner's soul.
You do not have all the required items for this ritual.
Items Needed:
Arathius's Tear (0/1)
Heart Stone (1/1 – Alpha Core)
Ink of Origin (1/1)
Do you wish to attempt this quest? Yes / No
If you select Yes, Scraps' tattoo will return, taking up a slot. No stat boost will be granted. The ritual must be completed in 15 days or the ink will become too unstable. The slot will remain filled even if the ritual fails.
Jason paused. Losing a slot was significant, and what exactly would happen if his soul fractured? Would it make sense to risk this much, especially considering how easily Scraps was beaten in the last fight?
But Scraps had become more than a summon. Jason didn't want this place to turn him into someone else. He wanted to fight for his friends and companions. He would not turn into someone like Umbraxis.
He would do whatever it took to complete the ritual.
He selected Yes.
The puddle of ink rippled like a pebble dropped into a still lake. The ink flowed onto his arm, forming the familiar tattoo of Scraps. The only difference: it was dull, unmoving gray.
"Don't worry, buddy. We'll get you wagging those vines again soon," Jason said. The hollowness
pressing on his chest eased slightly.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Jason looked around the room. Chains still hung—an eerie reminder of how close he and Maggy had come to falling to Umbraxis. The fight had been physically demanding, which he could handle. His concern was for Maggy. The mental torment this place inflicted had nearly broken him, and he'd had his sister to pull him back. Maggy had not been so fortunate. She had faced her demons alone—and to both his amazement and Umbraxis's shock—she had refused to break.
Well, not during the fight, at least.
He watched her afterward, curled up with her arms wrapped around herself. She nodded when he asked if she was okay and told him to check on Scraps. It grated on him. She had helped him through nearly the same ordeal, yet he didn't know how to help her.
A grunt slipped from his lips as he stumbled back over to her. He placed a hand on her back.
"Maggy, are you okay?"
"Yeah," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. The memories of her past still haunted her.
He winced as she squeezed her knees tighter against her chest.
"How's Scraps?"
"He's gone—for now," Jason said, raising his arm to show the dull tattoo. "Got a new quest, one that'll bring Scraps back."
"Good," she murmured, face pressed into her knees. "We'll get him back, Jason. And Jason, can I have another minute?"
He gave a slight nod, his voice quiet. "Yeah. Take all the time you need." I'll go see what we got from this fight." He turned toward the broken form of Umbraxis.
The shadows that had once pressed like a crushing weight now clung to the room's edges. Jason approached the fallen form—now just a melted pool of tar. The only thing resembling the former king was an empty shell of opulent robes.
Jason rummaged through the robe. He found a book tucked in one of the pockets. The cover was dark blue, and chains coiled around it, sealing it shut.
Spellbook: Chains of the Fallen (Epic) – Gain ethereal chains that bind your target, siphoning their strength. The longer the chains are in contact with the target, the faster the strength stat is weakened.
Cost: 50 Mana | Duration: 20 minutes. Intelligence required: 25.
"What is with this place and chains? Did the people running this run out of ideas?" Jason grumbled, placing the book into his pouch.
He found 200 Razian coins in another pocket, bringing them to 303 bronze coins.
Examining the remains, Jason found a blackened sphere the size of a baseball.
Core of the Dread Lord (Legendary)
The heart of Umbraxis, the Warden of the Damned.
Uses:
If consumed, initiates class change to Warden of the Damned.
It can be used as a powerful alchemical component.
Can upgrade a spirit-based skill or weapon
Jason nearly dropped the core as a prompt appeared.
Would you like to initiate a class change? Yes / No
Jason mentally slammed the "No." Shivers ran down his spine. "I'd have to throw myself off the top of the Spire if that happened," he muttered with a chuckle.
There was still one more thing he could do. He opened his new tab.
+10 Strength, +10 Constitution, +5 Willpower
Seals opened. 1/7
New Skill: Unchained Surge (Triggered Ability): When health falls below 25%, or while restrained, paralyzed, or mentally controlled:
Gain +50% Strength and Constitution.
Warning: Prolonged use of the Bloodline will damage the soul. Initial damage manifests as tears. Continued use may result in soul separation.
Jason let out a low whistle. This was a game changer. A last-minute power-up like that had turned the tide of battle– he doubted he would be standing here now without it. The warning, however, gave him pause.
"Soul separation." That sounded like one of the worst ways to go. And what was this about seals, and how had he opened one?
A jolt of pain shot up his spine, stopping his musing; his adrenaline had finally worn off.
"Shit," he muttered, collapsing to the floor.
Jason groaned, looking at his arms. Hundreds of crisscrossing cuts ran their length. "Guess I found out what those soul tears are."
He had pushed too far– the energy his Bloodline tore his body apart.
"What's wrong?" Maggy asked, seeing him collapse.
"Well, other than body tearing itself apart, not much," Jason said, tilting his head back with a pained smile.
Maggy forced herself to her feet and trudged over. Her eyes widened as her hand rose to her mouth.
"Jason—your body—" She was speechless. How was he smiling? No—how was he conscious?
"Maggy, I know it looks bad." Jason tried to force a smile, but even he could hear the strain in his voice. "But it feels even worse. Mind fixing me up?"
A flush crossed her cheeks as she knelt beside him, slapping his arm lightly. "You're an idiot sometimes, you know that?"
She sent her energy into him, feeling the familiar outline of his soul and the calming warmth of the Blessing of the Forgiven. But as her power touched the tears, she flinched. The wounds oozed with wild, animalistic energy– the same power that had nearly burned her away.
"Jason, what happened? Your soul is torn to shreds, and the tears look like they are growing."
"Bloodline," he gritted. "I'll explain later. The pain's just getting worse now that the adrenaline's gone."
She nodded and activated Mending Touch.
Healing failed. Mending touch cannot heal soul damage.
"Jason—I can't heal this."
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