"Are you... serious?" Clove narrowed his eyes at me. Fortunately, Fern wasn’t there to do the same or worse. At least, Clove didn’t judge me straight away, cussing me out for being stupid. He listened to me when I told him about the System update and what I hoped to be the case—and whether that was actually true or not, I’d find out soon enough.

Was I really hoping my System updated in a way that allowed me to absorb and digest Bloodlines? I wasn’t entirely sure about that, but I told Clove all I thought to be the case. Whether that was actually true or not, I’d find out soon enough.

Clove looked uncertain, the odd shimmer never truly leaving his eyes, but he cut his finger and placed a droplet of blood in a small cup.

"Do you think that’s enough to test it out?" the young fae asked, his voice laced with a mixture of curiosity and discomfort.

"No idea. I guess we will see about that." I tried to sound lighthearted, but tensed up as I transformed into the Khörs Vampire. Maybe I could have used the updated version of the System with my main body, but it didn’t feel right. I needed to be a Vampire to do this.

Hesitation wouldn’t help me, so I focused on the task ahead. I emptied the cup, drinking Clove’s blood. I felt an immediate change. Hunger flooded my Vampire form, and the cut on Clove’s finger suddenly looked incredibly tasty. I was salivating before I knew it, and I hurriedly transformed back into the Chimera form.

That quenched the worst of the thirst, even if it didn’t remove the desire to acquire more blood immediately. Shocked, I stared down at myself, then called upon the System. There was no System message, so I willed the Status to manifest before me as well. Nothing had changed there either, but something did change. I just didn’t know what exactly. It was hard to put into words.

However, something did change.

"Something happened. You remember the Rotheart Vampire’s bloodlust?" Clove nodded when I mentioned them.

"I transformed into one of the older Vampires—a Khörs Vampire, who wasn’t all that bloodthirsty before. That changed drastically the moment my lips touched your blood." I shuddered, while the young fae nodded in understanding.

"You noticed that the Vampires focused on the demihumans, right?"

I nodded. "They attacked those with the most potent Bloodlines, I think."

"Yeah, so I was probably lucky that they didn’t even get to touch me. If they’re really all that obsessed with Bloodlines, they’d probably love to suck me dry." That did make sense. Clove’s bloodline was incredibly potent. That was also why his Core awakened so early and how he managed to reach Tier-2. He was a genius, but his Bloodline was incredibly powerful.

"I understand," I muttered, tilting my head as numerous thoughts flashed through my mind. "But I think I sensed something when I drank your blood. Maybe I need more."

Clove narrowed his eyes at me, but I waved dismissively. "If you’re not comfortable with that, we can put it aside."

For the moment, I added silently, holding back from licking my lips in anticipation.

Clove cleared his throat and got up. "I think I’m going to leave. The others need my help."

That was probably for the best. As unfortunate as the lack of a System message was, I didn’t need a notification to understand that something was happening to me. Either it was Shift that had been upgraded in a way that allowed me to absorb Bloodlines like Vampires did—apparently—or it was Shift’s influence on the System that created the situation.

One way or another, I was certain that absorbing Bloodlines would help me grow stronger. That left a particular question: how was I supposed to know how much blood I needed to earn the System’s acknowledgment? And... how was I supposed to acquire all that blood?

Killing demihumans sounded like the most obvious answer. I was sure the Huntrice had some missions to hunt and kill Outlaws belonging to various races. As long as some demihumans or fae with decent Bloodlines were among them, I could suck them dry.

Why does this not bother me? I really don’t care about that, do I? It did feel a little weird, but that was more related to my mindset.

At first, I was disgusted that I had to consume blood, and now... now it didn’t really matter, did it? Why? The answer was as simple as disturbing; it didn’t matter anymore because I knew it would make me stronger.

Clove left the inn room without another word. He glanced back at me in confusion, but closed the door behind him silently.

Once again alone, I considered my options. I could try to learn more about the Bloodline System update and ask some demihumans for their blood, but that was macabre—especially so soon after Vampires attacked the fortress, killing the beloved of many.

I considered leaving the fortress to ask for blood in other villages or towns, but I didn’t want to leave Fern or Clove behind. Also, I hadn’t gotten used to the changes induced by the Tier-2 Core. Having a perfect Core provided me with the best possible benefits, and I had yet to make full use of them.

That did include changing my Chimera form. My physical body had already crossed the barrier to the 2nd Tier, but the pathways grafted into the body were still those of a Tier-1 Silverback Elephant’s. That had to change, so I used the next best pathways at my disposal: the Gale Wolf’s.

Even though the Gale Wolf’s Core was more saturated than mine, it was nowhere near as pure. That meant that, while technically having a ’weaker’ Core than the Gale Wolf, I could transform into its form permanently. With that, I could also use Shift to implant its pathways into my body, hoping the racial trait would carry over as well. When that did not happen, I tried something else.

After weeks of studying the Airborne Archaeopteryx, I finally found what I had been looking for: a small, inconspicuous organ the size of a pellet. It was connected to the Airborne Archaeopteryx’s pathways, its vocal cords, and some other organic matter I struggled to replicate into the Chimera form—but I managed.

It took a few more days, during which I didn’t see Fern or Clove all that much, yet it worked.

Xavier Halur

Core(Essence/Demonic): Tier-2 (1%)

Insignia: Dominance(1)

Bond - Trickster Demon(Adolescent - Lesser)

Primary Power: Shift,

Replicated Powers: Blade of Astor, Burst

Racial Trait: Sonic Boom