MA: 91. The Great Split

< PROFESSION: Blood Tailor >

< Cloth is flesh >

The first time Red saw this she thought that maybe she had gained Blood Manipulation abilities.

Or better yet, became a vampire since Snow bit her.

“You don’t just turn into a vampire when you’re bitten. It’s a wicked, long-winded process. You’re better off just making a vampire offspring. But then you run the issue of lowering the next generation’s Blood Quality. Servants of an Honored One are on an entirely different level from regular vampires.”

“You sure know a lot.” Red was wowed by her wealth of knowledge, like Snow wasn’t a blood-sucking fiend herself.

“I’m an Honored One. Vampires grovel at the sight of me.”

Then, Red’s face turned to one of dismissal and mockery, like a child smirking at someone who was beaten up calling themselves ‘strong’.

“I guess I’m not a vampire after all.” This was Red’s true confirmation. “Vampires must be weak if they grovel to a Healer. Just saying.”

“That’s not how it works.”

Was it even worth explaining this to Red?

“Sure. Even a mosquito will try to drink the blood of something a thousand times bigger than them!”

“Just look at your Skills already.” A vein popped on her forehead as she brushed noticeably dark strands aside – an increasingly common sight.

< (D) Blood Weave >

< EFFECT: Repair damaged biological-based equipment using HP >

< COST: 10% HP per 5% durability >

“What a dumb Skill. Do I have to die to repair it to just 50%!? What kinda deal is that, Agate!? What’s the use in this!?”

Red threw her hands into the air in a display of exaggerated annoyance.

After a minute, she calmed down and looked at her other Skill.

< (D) Tailor Reinforcement >

< EFFECT: Reinforce biological-based equipment. Temporarily grants additional DEF >

< CONVERSION COST: 5,000 HP per 50 DEF (split between ATT DEF and MAG DEF) per minute >

This one wasn’t so bad due to its potential to scale up. With a HP pool of nearly 40,000, there was merit in using this, especially since DEF was and ATT were decidedly a larger factor in a fight than HP.

If anything, HP was like MP, except with extra steps and caveats.

“Blood Tailor is just for my clothes. I was worried I’d have to replace them! But per minute…”

“Doesn’t seem that bad.” Snow assured. “There’s monsters out there with hundreds of thousands of HP.”

“Not even millions? Heh.”

Snow paused for a moment, nibbling from a red apple.

“… Let’s hope we don’t ever find out.”

Finally, she checked her final Passive Skill.

< (D) Blood Absorption >

< EFFECT: The blood of your enemies automatically replenishes the durability of your clothes >

  *

< (O) Debilitate >

< EFFECT: Strike a weak point to debilitate the target. Deal 10% of total ATT and cripple the target’s movement. Effectiveness is based on the RESIST of the target >

< COST: 350 MP >

< (O) Punch >

< EFFECT: The thrust of your fist. Only harder >

< (S) Friends! II >

< EFFECT: Become friends with the most likely and unlikely of things! Denizens of Corrupted and similar entities may be befriended! Advanced evolution may now be available for strongly bonded and growing friends when the time comes! Your Emotional States are strongly tied! >

“And that’s about all of them… Except for these. Corrupted Skills.”

Red had a look at her newest category of Skills.

< ACTIVE: Manifest Bullet >

< Spin the barrel. What bullet awaits you today? >

< EFFECT: Manifest a bullet forged in emotion >

< ACTIVE: Perfect Adaptation >

< Yet the tale still remains imperfect >

< EFFECT: Passively grow resistant to debilitating Conditions and Statuses with exposure. Adapt the Corrupted Manifestations from your Corrupted Collection with the pull of a trigger >

< PASSIVE: Crimson Starlight >

< Why is it that they adore the blue-shifted stars? >

< EFFECT: The glow of a Red Star >

< PASSIVE: Cycle of Hatred >

< Who is the reason why this suffering never ends? >

< EFFECT: Resurrect. Spin the cylinder. Pull the trigger with your right hand. Click… Your tale does not end here >

“… Weird words. Suffering never ends? Blue shifting stars? Huuuuuuuuh!? Agate. What does blue shift mean?”

Blueshift

< Strict Definition: Distant objects approaching which causes them to change to a blue hue >

“You have another definition for me, hmm? Is it hiding?”

Agate didn’t respond, nor was it really anything to think about. She didn’t see any blue stars in the night sky, let alone red ones.

Snow however, as she read Red’s Skills…

“… You also have a source of suffering?”

She was enraptured by the last Skill. Red’s suffering. She didn’t see any suffering on her face, nor did Red really complain aside from wolves–

“The White Wolf! The one that killed grandma!” Red proclaimed. “You got one too!? Your own White Wolf!?”

“They certainly have white hair too.” She chuckled.

She went through a short list and numbered everything they had. Lots of water, food, spare wood even, which confused Red since they were in the middle of the forest.

She didn’t ask yet. It wasn’t until they said their farewells to the riverside and waved off the Harpoon Bear that she asked.

Snow pointed ahead at what looked like a bright clearing. The sun was setting, and it appeared as though they were walking towards a ball of flames.

“We’ve got two major hurdles to cross. Both should be easy, as long as you don’t go running ahead.”

“Mhm.” Red nodded obediently.

Shrubs were sparse here, as were trees. Withered leaves hung from cracked branches. The emerald color of the forest gradually browned as they entered the sunlight.

A powerful howl of wind threw their garbs behind them. Their hairs tangled as Snow reflexively guarded her face, all the while Red stood there in place, her mouth agape at the sheer size of what laid before them.

“A giant… scar in the world?”

Her voice could barely contend with the winds.

They came up from the cliff and licked the world at the rims. A colossal gorge split the forest in half. She looked both left and right and could not even see where they ended or even began.

It was eight kilometers at its widest part, and down there, she could find gusts of dirt and leaves roaming the barren grounds like the waves she saw in that giant sea. Within that barren world were massive meadows of white flowers and incredibly green grass.

It was teaming with life.

Finally, Snow spoke as the winds subsided.

“The Languid Fault runs right before we make it to Justicia’s Crossing. We’ll have to cross it by daylight. It’s too dangerous to go out right now. Even for you.”

“Even for me? I’m level 60.”

Snow then pointed at cactus with beautiful pink flowers that blossomed as soon as the first stars appeared in the night sky.

“The 825th of 999 Phenoms of Contempt. The Cereus Flower. Commonly grows in arid and dry areas with high concentrations of wind.”

She recited after turning to that practice page.

It was an inconspicuous, two-meter large cactus. Other than that, there was nothing special about it. Nothing worth being concerned about. Red even had an urge to head down and fight it, but that urge disappeared like a rock sinking into the sea.

A human-sized bat flapped into its direction. It was one of many monsters that flooded the fault through a series of unearthed tunnels and caves. They were not found anywhere else in the Central Forests of Justicia.

Because if they were, then it would be an inhospitable wasteland.

When the bat reached it, hoping to feed off the nectar of its flowers –

– It was impaled by electrically-charged projectiles.

“No… It’s not charged. That’s… Like a railgun.”

“I’ve never heard of that kind of weapon before.” Snow whispered, blocking her ears.

The sonic boom and sheer strength of the one hundred projectiles it threw out was like the crack of thunder. It had used the electricity as a method of accelerating the metal spines so fast that it exceeded the speed of a bullet.

They traveled as far as a kilometer out before anchoring into the ground. Then, electricity began to cackle between each few hundred spines, creating a massive web of certain death.

“No fair. That area of effect is bullshit.” Red complained, but she also wanted a Skill like that too. “You think we can get it by daytime!?”

“Level 120.” Snow begrudgingly uttered. “The Guild requires a party of Platinum-Ranked Adventurers (Third Highest – Lvl 80-100), or a one or two Diamond Ranked Adventurers (Second Highest – Lvl 100-120) to take on a Black Monsoon-Rated monster.”

“Good thing it doesn’t move. You’d have to be an idiot to even try to mess with it.” Red nodded to herself.

Snow glared at her and pinched the crook of her nose.

“Exactly. Rest well. By tomorrow, by daylight–we run.”

Her eyes burned into Red’s. They cleared a small area, just away from the lip of the fault line, and set up their makeshift beds which were made from foraged leaves and thatch.

“Lesson number thirty-nine: Flight. Don’t fight.”

Red nodded. Silence befell them as Snow softly smiled, thankful that Red was finally beginning to understand her. As her eyes fluttered shut, and as she prepared to fall into a world of dreams, Red suddenly spoke:

“But don’t have wings.”