Chapter 11: Power Leveling V

  Eine was lying on her bed, a gorgeous, naked woman on either side of her. While she had always been quite adventurous in bed this was not a common occurrence for her. In fact, before the Invasion she'd only experienced something like this twice and, as such, she did not consider herself an expert on this kind of situation. Even so, she was fairly certain that it was unusual for both of the other women to be crying and sniffling while cuddling in to her.

  She had nothing to feel guilty about, however. They weren't crying because she had upset them. She had merely told both of them that she loved them. She hadn't expected that kind of emotional response but it was comforting to see. Both that Evelyn didn't regret admitting her feelings and that Ophelia clearly felt the same.

  Eine had never felt so loved, so cherished, in her life. The only thing that could possibly make the situation better would be if Alexis was here, the third woman she needed to confess her feelings to.

  God but I'm a cunt, she thought. Two women who love me right in my arms and I'm thinking about another.

  And then Eine was startled out of her thoughts when Ophelia flicked her forehead.

  “Get out of your head, stud.”

  “What do you mean?” Eine said. Her tone wasn't whiny. Eine didn't do whiny. She was righteously indignant.

  “You had that mournful guilty look on your face,” Ophelia said. “The one you always get when you think you're a bad person for having a harem.”

  Eine didn't say anything.

  “What was it this time?” Ophelia asked. “Did you feel guilty because you haven't told Alexis yet?”

  “You can't read my mind, can you?” Eine asked, concern in her voice.

  “I wish. Then I could hear all those naughty fantasies you always feel so guilty about.”

  “Naughty fantasies?” Evelyn asked.

  “I'm sure you've seen the look,” Ophelia said. “Her eyes go distant and her breathing quickens and she starts blushing. Then, a few seconds ter the blush intensifies and she suddenly looks super guilty.”

  “Oh yeah, that. So that's what that's about?”

  “I do not have a naughty fantasy look,” Eine protested. And then her cheeks went crimson as Ophelia shared a picture of the naughty fantasy look she'd taken with her CARD. “I hate you.”

  “I hate you, too,” Ophelia said and then leaned over to kiss Eine.

  “You can have all the naughty fantasies you want,” Evelyn said when they broke the kiss. “I'm just gd you're not feeling bad about my confession.”

  This time Eine was the one who flicked Evelyn's forehead. “You'll never have to doubt how much I love you.” And then she kissed the redhead.

  Ophelia let them have their moment before she said: “You all did your leveling already, didn't you?”

  “Uh-huh,” Evelyn said dreamily, still drunk on Eine's kiss.

  “Then I guess I should take my turn now.”

  Soul Shard: HecateBond Level: 10Avaible EXP: 1000Level: 9 (70/180)Abilities:Bond Level 1 – Purchased.Bond Level 2:Shadow Fmes (Magical) – Purchased.Shadow's Embrace (Recovery) – Purchased.Advanced Herb Lore (Recovery) – 20 EXP: Grants advanced knowledge of herb use. Can create ointments, salves and potions with effects that baffle mortal pharmaceutics.Memory of Lampade Wand (M) – Purchased.Bond Level 3 – Purchased.Bond Level 4: Lurker In The Dark (Magical) – 40 EXP: Can cast magic from any shadow within line of sight.Shadow Sanctuary (Recovery) – Purchased.Consuming Shadow (Physical) – Purchased.Apparition of Lampade Wand (M) – Purchased.Bond Level 5:Masterful Shadow Magic (Magical) – Purchased.Light in the Dark (Support) – Purchased.Darklight Vanquisher (Magical) – 50 EXP: Using skills and spells to disperse Darklight constructs deals damage to the caster.Call of the Hunt (M) – 50 EXP: User can summon six spectral hound constructs that act as homing rebounding missile weapons. Inflicts catastrophic damage against undead targets. Requires Hounds of Hades.Bond Level 6:Advanced Shadow Channeling (Magical) – 60 EXP: Shortens the time required to summon the Winds of Magic by 30%. When at least 50% covered in shadows, shortens by a further 30%. Requires Shadow Channeling.Guide Through the Dark (Support) – Purchased.Umbral Embrace (Recovery) – Purchased.Avatar of Liminality (M) – 60 EXP: Allows user to phase-shift themselves and their allies. Can transport to any other shadow within line of sight or within memory. Movement is instantaneous. Awakener may use the Aspect of Liminality version of this skill. Requires Aspect of Liminality.Bond Level 7:Shadow Stitching (Physical) – 70 EXP: You gain the ability to pin an enemy's shadow to the ground. Entities with pinned shadows cannot move until they have torn themselves loose. Highly effective on anything that casts shadows, including Outsiders. Keep in mind that not all beings cast shadows...Umbral Pace (Recovery) – 70 EXP: Passive regeneration of allies within 10 yards is increased by 200%. When at least 50% of body is covered in shadows, passive regeneration of allies within 20 yards is increased by 500% and Darklight attacks have no effect on allies affected within this range. Requires Shadow Sanctuary.Light in the Dark II (Support) – Purchased.Sacred Herb Garden (M) – 70 EXP: Grants access to a small pocket dimension housing all manner of medicinal pnts, some magical and some mundane. Pnts grow back when taken. Requires Advanced Herb Lore.Bond Level 8:Masterful Blood Magic (Magical) – Purchased.Umbral Dominion (Support) – 80 EXP: You gain the ability to summon a field of distorted reality, saturated by shadows. Shadow and Blood magic within this area is significantly enhanced, Darklight and other Outsider witchcraft is severely weakened, and spells cast by allies inflict double damage against Outsider shields.Sorcerous Domination (Magical) – 80 EXP: Your spells penetrate anti-magic barriers and you gain intricate knowledge on how to unravel magical constructs.Manifestation of Blood Daggers (M) – Purchased.Bond Level 9:Shadow Force (Physical) – 90 EXP: If you are at least 50% covered in shadows your Strength, Toughness and Agility are increased by 30%. Masterful Shadow Channeling (Magical) – 90 EXP: Shortens the time required to summon the Winds of Magic by 50%. When at least 50% covered in shadows, shortens by a further 40%. Requires Advanced Shadow Channeling.Patron of Witchcraft (Magical) – 90 EXP: Increases your Intelligence by 50%. Awakener's Intelligence is increased by 20%.Manifestation of Lampade Wand (M) – 90 EXP: Allows you to summon a high-tier manifestation of Hecate's role as a goddess of witchcraft. Wand amplifies all magic cast through it by 100%, except for constructs involving Shadow Magic, which it amplifies by 150%. Allows Awakener to summon an average manifestation of this Wand. Requires Apparition of Lampade Wand.Bond Level 10: Patron Deity of Blood Sacrifice (Recovery) – 100 0 EXP: Unique ability, created by a perfect harmony of your Soul Shard, your beast, your soul and your Awakener. Your Soul Shard will now provide the beast inside you with all the blood it could ever desire. Your thirst for blood is quenched, the beast inside you quieted. From now on, you no longer require blood to keep your strength and sanity, though you may still partake out of pleasure. This wellspring of fresh blood has overcharged your vampiric powers, granting you significantly increased regeneration and the ability to even ignore direct sunlight for brief periods of time.Sanctified Umbral Dominion (Support) – 100 EXP: You gain the ability to summon a field of superimposed reality, saturated by shadows. Shadow and Blood magic within this area is significantly enhanced, spells cast by allies inflict triple damage against Outsider shields and Darklight and other Outsider witchcraft evaporates on contact with this field, causing damage to their caster. Requires Umbral Dominion, Darklight Vanquisher and Lurker In The Dark.Keeper of the Doorways (M) – 100 EXP: Allows user to phase-shift themselves and their allies. Can transport to any other shadow within line of sight or within memory as well as dwell in the spaces between. Movement is instantaneous. Awakener may use the Avatar of Liminality version of this skill. Requires Avatar of Liminality.Perfect Manifestation of Blood Daggers (M) – 100 EXP: Allows you to summon a perfect level manifestation of Hecate's role as a goddess of blood sacrifices. These daggers vibrate on a molecur level, allowing them to bypass any armor. When coated with blood their bdes extend until they reach the size of proper swords. Additionally they enhance the effects of Blood Magic. Stacks with the effects of the Lampade Wand. Allows Awakener to summon a high level manifestation of these daggers. Requires Manifestation of Blood Daggers.Ophelia stared at the skill 'Patron Deity of Blood Sacrifice' for several moments, then she threw herself at Eine and showered her face with kisses. When she was done she cuddled into Eine's side and whispered: “Thank you.”

  Eine hugged her tightly to herself: “This is your power. You gained it.”

  Ophelia was shaking her head but it was Evelyn who spoke up: “No. She couldn't have gained that ability on her own. You gave that to her.”

  “If that's true then you deserve at least as much credit,” Eine said. “After all, it was your blood that made this happen.”

  Evelyn shrugged, not denying it but also not agreeing.

  “I would kiss you as well but I'm not sure you'd want that,” Ophelia said, giving Evelyn's hand a squeeze.

  Evelyn bit her lip as she considered it. She'd learned that she was a little bi around the edges but even so, kissing girls at parties had never done anything for her. Then again, before she'd been with Eine kissing hadn't done much for her in general. And Ophelia was a very attractive woman. What cinched it for her in the end was the look Eine was giving them. Evelyn smiled wryly as she saw the look of hunger on Eine's face. Her pervert of a lover wanted to see her two girlfriends kiss.

  “Get over here,” Evelyn said and opened her arm wide, inviting Ophelia in.

  Ophelia smiled wickedly and crawled on top of Eine, resting her entire body weight on top of her stud of a girlfriend, and then leaned over to kiss the pretty redhead. Ophelia had seen the look on Eine's face as well and so she made a show of it, giving Evelyn an open-mouthed kiss designed to look as sexy as possible. At the same time, while the kiss looked sexy, it wasn't deep or demanding, just in case Evelyn decided she didn't like it and wanted to stop. And so it came as a bit of a surprise when she felt Evelyn's arm pull her in close as she deepened the kiss, shoving her tongue into Ophelia's mouth, invading her and ciming her in a surprising show of dominance and desire.

  Laying on top of Eine as she was Ophelia could tell how much her lover was enjoying the show, her cock twitching like mad as she watched the two of them make out.

  “There,” Evelyn said once they broke the kiss, a little out of breath from the exertion, “now you see that biting me was a good thing? No hard feelings, it felt great and it got you a super awesome ability.”

  Ophelia let out a wry chuckle. “Alright, alright. I still think it was a terrible loss of control but I admit it worked out in the end.”

  “Wanna do your leveling now?” Eine asked.

  “Probably better,” Ophelia said. “Otherwise this guy here,” she pushed her thigh against Eine's slowly growing erection, “is going to distract me again.”

  “Can't have that,” Eine said. “So, have you decided on what to buy?”

  Ophelia squished her lips to one side as she considered her options. “Yeah. It will take some finagling, but I think I know how to optimize this.”

  Patron Deity of Blood Sacrifice purchased (-0 EXP).Lurker in the Dark purchased (-40 EXP).Darklight Vanquisher purchased (-50 EXP).Umbral Dominion purchased (-80 EXP).You gained a level!Sanctified Umbral Dominion purchased (-100 EXP).Sorcerous Domination purchased (-80 EXP).You gained a level!Shadow Force purchased (-90 EXP).Patron of Witchcraft purchased (-90 EXP).You gained a level!Shadow Stitching purchased (-70 EXP).Umbral Pace purchased (-70 EXP).Advanced Herb Lore purchased (-20 EXP).Sacred Herb Garden purchased (-70 EXP).Perfect Manifestation of Blood Daggers purchased (-100 EXP).You gained a level!Call of the Hunt purchased (-50 EXP).Avatar of Liminality purchased (-60 EXP).Remaining EXP: 30Name: Ophelia DevereuxGender: FemaleSpecies: Vampire (Homo sapiens haemophagis)Sub-type: Shard Bearer (Hecate)Level: 9→13Vigor: 41→76Endurance: 38→73Strength: 29→58Toughness: 29→58Agility: 75→146Intelligence: 67→126 (+63)Fortitude: 49→90Luck: 55→109Abilities: Preternatural Strength, Preternatural Speed, Preternatural Regeneration, Summon Lampade Wand, Summon Hounds of Hades, Summon Blood Daggers, Umbral Embrace, Umbral Dominion, Magic (Shadow/Water/Metal/Paradox Fme)“So you finally bought that herb lore thing, huh?” Eine asked.

  “Yeah,” Ophelia said. “I thought it was worthless until that herb garden showed up, except...”

  “I know that look,” Eine said. “It's the same look Evelyn gets when she uses her Akashic Knowledge.”

  “Huh?” Evelyn asked. “What look do I get?”

  “Like you're deep in thought and shocked at the same time. It's cute.”

  Evelyn blushed and stayed silent.

  “So, what did you learn?” Eine asked.

  “That herb lore,” Ophelia said. “It's a lot deeper than I thought. It's also not that useful to me.”

  “Even if you can pull the herbs out of thin air?”

  “Yeah,” Ophelia said, then concentrated in that distinctive way that preceded the use of an M-Skill.

  Finally she summoned a little spot of distorted space and reached into it. It looked bizarre, her hand disappearing from the real world, making it seem like her arm ended at her wrist. Finally she pulled her hand out of the distortion and pulled out a bushel of red herbs.

  “This is Bloodwort,” she announced. “It doubles regeneration. What am I supposed to do with that? I already heal so fast that if I poke myself with a needle I have to rip it out immediately or my skin attempts to heal around the needle.”

  “I mean, if you eat some of it and then use your Umbral Embrace that would give others even more healing,” Evelyn said.

  “Or give it to Alexis to make her Beacon of Salvation even stronger.”

  Ophelia opened her mouth, then closed it.

  “Anything else interesting?” Eine asked.

  Once again Ophelia reached into her pocket dimension and pulled out a bushel of green herbs. “This is Moly,” she announced. “It dispels magic. But my abilities already do that.”

  “But...” Eine began but Ophelia cut her off:

  “But I could give these to others for when I'm not around to help. Huh. I'm beginning to see the pattern here. They don't give me anything new but they enhance what's already there.”

  “Exactly,” Eine said. “Also consider that these are fairly low-rank abilities, all things considered. The fact that they are still useful is pretty good on its own.”

  Ophelia nodded in acknowledgment.

  “So, what about the blood thing?” Evelyn asked.

  Ophelia considered how to phrase it. “I feel weird,” she finally said. “I mean, I feel good. Really good. But it's like... I've lived with this aching thirst for so long that not having it there is odd, like I'm missing a limb. A useless limb that did nothing but ache, but a limb nevertheless.”

  “So what, you have phantom pain syndrome?” Eine asked.

  Ophelia snorted. “No, it'll just take a little while for me to get used to feeling so good.”

  “That's good,” Eine said.

  “I hope so. Now, what did you get?”

  Eine wordlessly shared her stat screen.

  One of your followers has gained levels! Stats awarded.Level: 29→34Vigor: 207→234 (+23)Endurance: 207→234 (+23)Strength:193→217 (+75)Toughness:193→217 (+75)Agility:317→362 (+126)Intelligence: 315→355 (+229)Fortitude: 269→299 (+30)Luck: 235→267 (+26)Abilities: Awakening, Higher Form, Magic (11), M Skills (10), Miscelneous (3)“I think I have to agree with what Prudence said earlier,” Evelyn said. “Your stats balloon a little too fast.”

  “Is she upset about Eine outpacing her?” Ophelia asked.

  Eine opened her mouth to deny it, then closed it again as she thought. “Maybe? We arm-wrestled and I beat her handily. She wasn't that happy about it.”

  “You're very much alike,” Evelyn said quietly.

  “How so?” Eine asked.

  “You're used to being the strong one in retionships,” Evelyn said. “And that's fine. I really love that about you. But Prudence is the same. But now, for the first time, the person she's interested in is strong enough to kick her ass. She doesn't quite know how to deal.”

  “Well shit,” Eine muttered.

  “Huh?” Evelyn asked.

  “I thought something simir when she started sending signals,” Eine admitted. “She's... I think she's hot but...”

  “If you say you don't want to pursue her because you're worried about what we'll think I'll hit you,” Ophelia said.

  Eine snorted. “No, I'm over that. I think. No, it's more like, she's hot, sure. She's competent. And it's kind of cool to be with someone who has had simir life experiences, but... I don't feel any chemistry with her.”

  “I think you'd feel differently if you saw just how much chemistry the two of you could get up to,” Ophelia said.

  Eine rolled her eyes at the suggestive comment. “As I said. She's hot. But if it's about being hot then I've got four hot partners already. Hell, I got a sexy redhead right here in this bed. I want more than just a hot body.”

  “So you aren't going to pursue her?” Ophelia asked.

  “If she wants to try I'll be happy to try as well,” Eine said. “I just don't see it working out.”

  “Hey, that's cool,” Ophelia said. “Just so long as you don't refuse to try because of some dumb hangups.”

  Eine nodded, gd that Ophelia understood. Then she turned to Evelyn. “You got a new Bond Level, didn't you? Wanna check out your new abilities?”

  Evelyn blinked, then nodded.