His strength would increase much faster than practicing any spell and by becoming a true Nephilim of Faulch he would feel more confident to pray to the Night Saint and obtain his blessing.
"I'm sorry, but I have to practice another spell today." Ikaris apologized with a white lie.
Malia's face crumpled as she was turned down, but she didn't doubt him for a second. Magic could be practiced in all sorts of ways and she too had been forced to meditate at length by her parents when she was young to develop her visualization and focusing skills.
"Okay... Tomorrow then?" She asked hopefully.
"...I don't think so." Ikaris didn't dare make any empty promises. "It will take a few days."
Malia was undoubtedly disappointed but accepted his answer with a nod. Seeing her reaction, a playful smile fleetingly graced the boy's face.
"I didn't say we wouldn't train together anymore. It'll only take a few days." He rolled his eyes in a teasing manner. "You should take advantage of this time when you can still beat me to train seriously too. When my training is over it will be much more difficult. Also, don't forget that in four days it's the first day of school at the Tartarus Shade Academies. As one of my retinue you are qualified to accompany me. Once there, we will be competing with many new Lords from the Warring Lands and we might have to fight. Don't forget that you are technically the Vice Lord. The stronger you are the better it is for me and Last Saint."
Realizing that Ikaris wasn't specifically targeting her by refusing to spar, Malia recovered her composure and a highly motivated look settled on her face.
"Count me in, we'll show them what we're made of!" She exclaimed, clenching her fists fiercely.
"Don't get too excited." Ikaris dampened her spirits. "If you really want to uphold Last Saint's reputation, learn to read and write over the next few days. Ask Ellie if you need to. I can't believe Grallu didn't teach you those basics... I know you liked her a lot, but truly... She wasn't a good person."
Malia wasn't as naive as she used to be, and she didn't disagree. With a slightly gloomier countenance, she nodded and wished him luck in his training. As the youngster watched her walk away, he noticed that she was heading towards Ellie.
'All right. At least, she takes my advice seriously.' He noted with a satisfied smirk.
Before returning to his room, he used Duplication to create an additional thatched cottage, still without a door though, for Plume this time. Having both the permanent status of Farmer Sorceress and the temporary status of Healer, he could not bear to let her sleep in a tent. The next ones would be for Nardor, Kellam and Liam.
Before secluding himself, he also visited Nardor who was working on the mold used to shape their future gold coins. The mold was far from being finished, the dwarf testing different combinations of sand and resin to make a mold that would hold up.
"How is it?" Ikaris asked out of curiosity.
Nardor glanced up from his workbench and put down the item in his hands, giving a nod to his Lord.
" I will manage." The dwarf sighed with dark circles under his eyes. "I don't have my magic power from before, but luckily my Earth and Metal Affinity have been transferred to this new body and I still have my knowledge. Take a look."
At that moment, the dwarf shoved the gold coin that Ikaris had entrusted to him into the center of the sandy pile of mud in front of him and pressed both his hands against it. The mass of clay began to vibrate, slowly taking on a different shape as it formed ripples on its surface. The dwarf immediately began to sweat like a pig.
The mold gradually took shape, but when it was about to solidify the sandy mound collapsed and Nardor staggered backwards out of breath. When he was able to speak, the old blacksmith explained with an embarrassed look,
"I know many recipes and methods for making molds, but it's been too long since I've accomplished such a task without using magic. I'm working on an Earthmancy Spark at the moment to speed up the process and I'm confident I'll be able to get it done in the next few days. It's a slight setback, but as my magic matures I'll be able to perceive, detect and distinguish all the intricacies of different materials again. Finding the right proportions will become a breeze and I won't even need magic to accomplish these tasks."
Ikaris nodded stolidly as if he understood what the man was talking about and let him do his work. Clearly, he wasn't the only one trying to get stronger. Nardor was once an illustrious warrior and Earth Mage and like Danchun it must have been very unsettling to start all over again.
He then made a final trip to the cellar behind his house to retrieve a hearty amount of food, including a good quantity of Rank 4 Meat, and locked himself in his room. He bit down hard on a piece of meat and without further ado began his grueling training.
Three days passed without any accidents and while Ikaris was training, the wooden wall was completed and even enlarged. The first houses made of chestnut wood sprouted everywhere and the first settlers moved into these houses, leaving their tents for the new migrants.
Ellie, Kellam and the other trusted villagers administered Last Saint in his absence, disturbing him only when he occasionally stepped outside for some fresh air. During this time 49 new villagers were summoned, adding further stress to their food supply while speeding up the village's construction.
Their talents were ordinary, but there was a true ranger among them, an expert elf hunter named Ruvaen, and the hunting party was entrusted to him.
On the afternoon of the eighth day since the establishment of Last Saint, Ikaris suddenly opened his eyes in his room and a golden glow flashed in the depths of his pitch-black eyes, sclera included. It was only after a few seconds that the blackness receded and the whites of his eyes returned, highlighting his irises that looked like molten gold.
With a finger snap, the entire room was plunged into absolute darkness in broad daylight and with another finger snap the light returned. With another finger snap, a skeleton about a meter tall magically rose from the floor before dissipating like an illusion a few seconds later, shattering into a gray mist laden with Death Mana.
"Congratulations, Ikaris." Magnus complimented him solemnly. "Now you don't have to fear your subordinates."
The Vampire was obviously referring to his close fight with Liam and his repeated humiliations in sparring against Malia. Ignoring his taunt, the teenager broke into a big smile as he took a look at his status.
[BLOODLINES:]
[Human Crawling Thrall:]
[Crawling Physique (defective): Night Vision, Perfect Digestion, Attributes+3, Vitality+30, Can sense the presence and communicate telepathically with other Crawlings.]
[Human Nephilim of Faulch :]
[Nephilim(Angel) of Faulch Physique: Night Vision, Dark Element Affinity 10%, Dark Element Resistance 10%, Death Element Affinity 10%, Death Element Resistance 10%. Servant of Faulch, Hate of the Living.]
[Human Dire Black Werewolf:]
[Dire Black Werewolf Physique:
Human Form: Magic Defense +33-100%, STR/AGI/CST/VIT +33-100%, Body Optimization, Sense of smell +2000%.
Semi-Bestial Form: Magic Defense +0.33-1 pts, Magic Defense +198-600%, STR/AGI/CST/VIT +198-258%, Werewolf's Venom, Bond of the Pack.
Beast Form(locked)
Side effects : Heightened emotions, bestial instinct, attraction to the flesh of one's own species. The pros and cons of this bloodline are at their weakest on a new moon and at their strongest on a full moon night. Unpredictable effects can occur during an eclipse, red moon or supermoon.]
The initial process of assimilating his two new bloodlines was complete and the results lived up to his expectations. Not only had his fighting strength increased dramatically, but his talent for Death and Black Magic were now adequate to be actively put to use.
The downside was that the adverse symptoms of these two bloodlines were also stronger than ever and that was why he had also been practicing his Self-Control Spell for the past three days while eating his fill.
At this very moment, not only was he in full control of his emotions, his gaunt appearance was a distant memory, toned and firm muscles protecting his body like a natural armor.
