[The Blood Familiar is ready to be summoned.]
Charlie’s familiar had been dormant for a long time, hibernating in silence. Now, at last, it had awakened.
“Master Luke, it happened.”
“You can summon it, Charlie. I’m curious to see it.”
“There’s… only one problem,” she said quietly.
***
They moved through the region near the edge of the forest.
“You only need a heart?” Luke asked.
“And it has to be alive,” Charlie explained.
Luke didn’t hesitate. He broke into a run, searching the area until he spotted a group of ghouls emerging from a collapsed house. He accelerated, used Dark Dash, and appeared behind two of them, driving his kukris through their skulls in one clean motion.
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
He sprinted forward and hurled one of his kukris with such speed and force that it pierced straight through two more at once.
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
More shapes began pushing out of the shadows inside the ruins. Luke sheathed his blades and lifted his hands.
[Shadow Ball]
Two spheres formed, hovering for a split second before streaking toward the charging ghouls.
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
Explosions rippled through the area. Burning limbs staggered forward only to collapse a heartbeat later.
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 21]
**Your second class [Witch] has reached Level 21! (+5 Intelligence, +3 Wisdom, +1 Agility, +1 Endurance, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Willpower, +2 Free Points)**
Two remained.
Luke rushed them before they could stumble into the flames. He grabbed one by the head and triggered [Curse]. The other he restrained, locking its arms as it clawed uselessly at his chest.
[You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lvl 18]
Only one ghoul was left. He flung it across the ground, sending it tumbling to a stop at Charlie’s feet. The creature snapped its jaw and began to rise, but the moment it straightened, Charlie thrust her hand through its chest. The drop of blood that represented the familiar pulsed in her palm, clinging to her skin. She activated the power.
A red light flared inside the ghoul’s chest as it thrashed. Charlie squeezed, just enough to hold the monster’s heart in her grip. It was the only way to summon a Blood Familiar. The ghoul’s body reddened, its flesh melting like wax as it screamed, dissolving into a pool of thick crimson liquid.
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[The Ancient Bloodline of Vespertilio is corrupting the Blood Familiar…]
The blood began to boil, bubbles bursting with wet pops. Then it rose, lifting from the ground as if something were pushing its way out from within. The liquid folded inward on itself, shaping, condensing, like a flower blooming at unnatural speed. A form of blood stood there, still and shapeless for a breath.
Then it darkened.
Flesh crept across it. Skin. Fur. Muscles tightening into place. A creature was being born, and the transformation stopped mid-motion, suspended between what it had been and whatever it was about to become.
[The Familiar Blood Skill I has been fully corrupted by the Vespertilio Bloodline and has become Blood Bat I]
The small black creature twitched, then slowly lifted its head.
“It worked, Master Luke,” Charlie said happily as she leaned in to look at the tiny animal.
The creature suddenly sprang forward and flapped its wings. Luke watched it carefully. It really was a bat. It flew toward Charlie and perched on her arm.
“A bat suits you,” Angie remarked.
Charlie extended a finger and gently stroked the little creature.
“She’s cute, Master Luke. And… she’s a girl,” Charlie said.
“And how exactly do you know that?” Luke asked.
“I don’t know. I just… know. It’s part of the skill,” she replied.
Luke opened the interface and tapped the familiar skill. A few new details appeared.
[Blood Bat (Ancient)]: The Vespertilio Bloodline manifests power within this Blood Death Knight, transforming the Blood Familiar into a Vespertilio bat. This bat evolves alongside the Blood Death Knight’s skills as a loyal familiar, even inheriting aspects of its creator’s personality.
Familiar Skills: [Flight], [Blood Core Bond]
“What should we name her?” Charlie asked.
“Name?” Luke echoed.
The bat suddenly turned toward him with a strange look and began flapping frantically.
“Hey, Charlie, your bat is coming straight at me,” he said, watching the creature dart toward him.
“Don’t attack Master Luke!” Charlie tried to warn, but it was already too late.
The bat dove sharply and opened its wings as it reached him.
Luke braced himself, ready to swat it away, but instead… he was hugged.
“What?” he muttered, baffled.
The bat clung to his chest, purring like a cat as it rubbed its head against him.
“What is happening, Charlie?” he asked.
“I-I don’t know,” she said, trying to pull the bat back. But the creature kept struggling, fluttering toward Luke again. “You can’t attack Master Luke,” she insisted.
What a weird bat.
“So… what name do we give her?” Charlie asked again.
“For now, Charlie Two. Until we decide on something official. She was born from your blood, so she probably has your… DNA,” Luke said.
Charlie had no idea what DNA was, but she nodded anyway.
“What about Lulie?” Artemis suggested.
“Lulie?” Luke repeated.
“A combination of Luke and Charlie?” Angie asked.
“Exactly.”
“I like it… What do you think, Master Luke?” Charlie asked.
“It’s… actually a good name.”
***
The group was back inside the forest. Luke chewed on the plants he gathered along the way.
[+1 HP]
Every time he ate enough of them, a sliver of his health regenerated. Useful, considering his HP was still low after feeding Charlie his blood.
“And how does it taste?” Charlie asked.
“Awful,” he replied, swallowing another mouthful of leaves.
He could feel his stomach breaking the plants down, absorbing their nutrients as they dissolved in the acidic churn of digestion. Franky rested within Luke’s soul, while Lulie perched on Charlie’s shoulder. Just like Charlie, the tiny bat was resistant to poison.
Luke opened Charlie’s familiar interface and focused on the listed abilities.
[Flight]: The Blood Bat is capable of flight through wing movement. Useful to the Blood Death Knight as a mobile scout, allowing the familiar to gather information from the surroundings. However, the familiar can only fly within the bond’s range, limited to ten meters from its master.
[Blood Core Bond]: Born from a vampire, this familiar is also connected to a vampire’s Blood Core, allowing it to inherit certain vampiric traits and skills.
“She doesn’t look very useful in combat,” Luke murmured.
“She’s still just a baby,” Charlie said, gently stroking the bat’s head.
“I just don’t understand how she works. Franky can grow stronger by absorbing cores, but… this little bat is a skill.”
He paused, thinking.
So… can she even evolve?
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