BXBX NOVEL Chapter 8: Tiffany
Chapter 8: Tiffany
[System Notification: You have 20 affinity points and 5 ability points available]
Silas's eyes fluttered open, quickly remembering the events of the previous night. The vial of eye drops was on his bedside table. He had to take them before anyone saw his eyes. Keeping his eyes closed, he fumbled for the eyedrops.
He felt the bottle knock against his hand as he accidentally sent it to the floor. He got out of bed, his eyes still closed and felt around on the ground for the bottle.
Jace was already up and about. "Hey, Silas. What are you looking for?"
"I need my eyedrops, Jace. I have really dry eyes. It feels like I have sand in my eyes without them." Silas replied.
"Oh, they're right here. Oh your eyes are closed. Let me put them in your hand," Jace said, as he grabbed one of Silas's hands. "There you go."
"Thanks, Jace." Holding the bottle, Silas turned away from Jace, and opened his eyes. Unscrewing the top of the bottle, he dropped two drops in each eye. He blinked several times and when he was sure the eyedrops had taken effect, he turned around.
"Morning, Silas!" Jace said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Ready for another day of magic and adventure?"
Silas couldn't help but chuckle at Jace's enthusiasm. "Give me a minute to wake up properly," he said.
As Silas stood and stretched, his gaze fell upon Rowan's sleeping form. The broad-shouldered young man was sprawled across his bed, his familiar curled up contentedly on his chest. The creature's soft snores mingled with Rowan's deep, even breaths, creating a gentle symphony of slumber.
Jace followed Silas's gaze and smirked. "Looks like Rowan's going to need a bit more time to join the land of the living," he quipped.
"Yeah, looks like it." Silas laughed.
Silas pulled a book out of his pack and opened it, pretending to read.
He pulled up the system menu in his head. The familiar interface popped up in front of his eyes.
He pulled up his Skill Trees first. He realized he never even looked at the available skills in Biomancy, and Essomancy.
Biomancy had 2 branches: Physical Enhancement, and Biological Manipulation. Essomancy had 2 branches: Essence Manipulation and Soul Manipulation.
Thinking back, he hadn't noticed if Neuromancy had names for its separate branches cuz he was in such a hurry but it probably did.
Under the Essence Manipulation and Soul Manipulation branches there were the skills [Essence Extraction (cost: 10 ap (Affinity Points)] and [Soul Link (cost: 10 ap)] respectively.
Under the Physical Enhancement and Biological Manipulation branches there were the skills [Regeneration (10 ap)] and [Drain, Venom Synthesis, and Tissue Manipulation [10 ap)].
Below each of the branches was a button that said, "see more." He would look at the other skills another time.
Essence Extraction and Soul Link seemed like the most interesting skills. So he focused and purchased them with his affinity points.
The explanation for Essence Extraction was, "extract the essence of a magical creature or plant."
The explanation for Soul Link was, "create a temporary link between your soul and another's, allowing for shared sensations, emotions, intentions, and thoughts."
Those both sounded like they could be really useful. With essence extraction he assumed he could use essences in alchemy, and soul link in all sorts of ways. Communication, combat, and interrogation were just what he could think of off the top of his head.
Next, he pulled up his stats screen. He hadn't seen it since he became part leviathan.
Stats:
Name: Silas Blackwood
Species: Human/Leviathan Larva
Affinities: Neuromancy, Biomancy, Essomancy.
Lv. 3
HP: (20/20)
MP: (1225/25,000)
Strength: 18
Agility: 17
Stamina: 16
Intelligence: 10
Luck: 15
Ability points: 5
He put the points into Luck again, bringing it up to 20. He also noticed that his HP had gone up. Doing the math, it looked like his HP went up 5 points with every level up.
Having done everything he planned to do with the system, he closed the book and looked up. He noticed Rowan had woken up while he was checking on the system, and was getting dressed and ready to go.
After getting ready himself, Silas, Jace, and Rowan headed out the door to attend their first class. They all had the same class.
Silas, Jace, and Rowan filed into the classroom, taking their seats among the other students. The room buzzed with anticipation as they waited for their Combat and Magic I instructor, Professor Theophania Umbercrowe, to arrive.
The door swung open, and in strode a striking woman with an air of confidence. Her long, raven-black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyes shined with life. She wore a full suit of armor, engraved with runes all over its surface. Strapped to her side was a massive sword, its sheath and hilt decorated with red scales.
"Good morning, class," she said, her voice rich and toned with a twinge of practiced stoicism. "My name is Theophania Umbercrowe, but you may call me Tiffany."
She surveyed the room, her gaze lingering on each student as if assessing their potential. As she looked at Silas, he felt like she could see straight through him.
"In this class, you will learn the art of combat and magic," Tiffany continued. "But more than that, you will learn how to harness the power of magical creatures to enhance your own abilities."
She gestured to a display case at the front of the room, filled with an array of weapons and armor that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. "These are beast weapons and armor," she explained, "crafted with the mana cores of magical creatures."
The class collectively leaned forward, their eyes filled with curiosity and awe. Tiffany lifted a sword from the case, its blade shimmering in the light. "This sword was forged with the core of a sea serpent," she said, running her fingers along the blade. "It imbues the wielder with enhanced strength and speed, as well as the ability to breathe underwater and control water currents."
She replaced the sword and picked up a helmet, its surface adorned with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change. "And this helmet was crafted with the core of a griffin," she continued, "granting the wearer enhanced vision and the ability to see through illusions."
Silas glanced at Jace and Rowan, seeing the same mix of excitement and trepidation on Jace's face that he felt himself. Rowan looked to be suppressing a smile while furrowing his brows in concentration. The idea of wielding such powerful weapons was both thrilling and daunting.
Tiffany returned the helmet to the case and turned to face the class once more. "In the coming weeks, you will learn how to wield these weapons and harness their power," she said. "But more than that, you will learn the true nature of the creatures that inhabit our world."
As Tiffany stepped back from the display case, a glint of excitement flickered in her eyes. She unsheathed the sword hanging at her side. The blade was a dull black.
"This," she said, her voice filled with reverence, "is my personal dragon-scale sword. It was crafted from the core and scales of a fire dragon, and it possesses the ability to channel and amplify my affinity, fire magic.
With a flick of her wrist, Tiffany sent a burst of flames spiraling along the length of the blade. The students gasped as the fire danced and swirled, casting a warm glow across the room.
Silas watched in fascination as the professor demonstrated the sword's power. He glanced down at his own hands, wondering what it would feel like to wield such a weapon.
As the flames subsided, Tiffany sheathed the sword, and surveyed the class once more. "Your first assignment," she said, "is to research the different types of beast weapons and armor that exist in our world. Consider which ones might best suit your individual affinities and fighting styles."
She waved her hand, and a stack of books appeared on each student's desk. "These tomes contain information on various magical creatures and the weapons and armor that can be crafted from their cores. Study them carefully, and be prepared to discuss your findings in our next class."
Looking at Tiffany, he sensed she held great power and strength. Curious to see what an instructor's stats looked like, he ran Essence Revelation on her.
Stats:
Name: Tiffany Umbercrowe
Species: Human
Title: Knight of the Summer Court of the Fae
Status: Immortal
Age: 734 years old.
Maximum Tier: Tier 2
Current Tier: Tier 2
HP: (100/100)
MP: (3000/3000)
Affinities: Fire
Strength: 52 (102 with armor)
Agility: 49
Stamina: 54
Intelligence: 8
Luck: 33
Silas stared at the Stats screen, unblinking. Once he hit the Title line, he froze. He had no idea what to think or what to do. Tiffany was a Fae knight!
Tiffany noticed Silas staring at her with a terrified look on his face. "Boy! What are you looking at? You look like you've seen a ghost." She chuckled, trying to lighten to mood and potentially snap Silas out of shock.
Silas would later come to regret the next words that came out of his mouth, but in the moment he couldn't think to say or do anything else. "Are you a Fae?"
Tiffany gave him a look that could kill a wiser man.
Silas gulped.