{Congratulations to Player V for learning the skill 'Warrior's Focus'}
{Warrior's Focus: Centers the mind and calms the body. Boosts stamina regeneration, sharpens reflexes, and increases mental clarity during combat.}
Vlad opened his eyes at the sound of the notification. 'I can learn the Ghost weave skill while fighting,' he said. He closed the notification and looked at the time.
'It should be fine to summon her...' Vlad's thoughts were cut short as a soft, hesitant voice entered his ear, barely louder than a breath. "Hi, Master..." Words laced with nervousness sounded.
Vlad quickly turned to his right and was struck silent by the sight before him.
Just a few feet away, suspended gently in the air, was a small girl, no more than fifteen inches tall. Her skin was pale as the moon, and her pointed ears gave her an elfin appearance.
She had pitch-black pupils that stood out starkly against the pale green hue of her sclera, catching the dim light with an eerie shimmer.
Her hair flowed down in soft, layered shades of green, mirroring the color of her modest knee-length dress, though most of it was concealed beneath a shadowy black cloak that clung to her like a veil of silence.
She also had two curved horns, their surfaces marked with simple spiral lines that met at the top, giving them a natural, almost graceful appearance.
On her back sprouted a pair of wings, deep virulent green, with edges serrated like jagged blades, lending her a beauty that was both captivating and intimidating.
'How...,' Vlad questioned, but the answer swiftly came to him, 'If she is the harrowed empress, then it makes sense,'
Vlad was surprised not because Velcrissa had summoned herself, since every spirit could do that, but he was shocked by her physical appearance.
It was a proven fact that all spirits below the king grade could not take a physical appearance in the physical world until their oathbound had reached the fourth Rank of Ascension.
Name: Velcrissa Syth'Mavet
Race: Spirit
Grade: Greater
Affinity: Poison
State: Contracted
Skill(s):
[Summon] The contractor can summon Velcrissa Syth'Mavet.
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[Plaguebearer's Touch] The user can coat their hand or weapon with a corrosive aura that spreads debilitating diseases and toxins upon contact, weakening and disorienting enemies over time.
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[Venomous Bloom] A poison seed will be planted after ten seconds of contact, and after sixty seconds, the seed blooms into a deadly poison flower, which explodes upon impact, releasing a corrosive poison miasma in a five-meter radius.
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[Spirit Convergence]The contractor fuses with Velcrissa, taking on her ethereal characteristics. This fusion strengthens all poison-based abilities, making them more potent and no longer restricted by cooldowns.
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Description: Velcrissa Syth'Mavet, the child from the Garden of Twisted Velvet.
'Her rank is the same, so I was right,' Vlad thought, all but certain Velcrissa was the harrowed empress.
"Th..These horns are not real," Velcrissa spoke in pure panic, her horns swiftly fading away into the green spoke, and so did her dark cloak.
"I appear like this so other spirits in the garden won't pick on me," She said in a shaky voice, her head down, her small hands firmly gripping the edge of her beautiful dress. "I'm sorry,"
"NO... No, you don't have to," Vlad exclaimed, hearing her voice quiver as if she might break into tears. "I was just surprised seeing you take on a physical appearance. Most Greater-grade spirits only manifest through their weapon form."
"Ohh..." she raised her head, her eyes regaining their composure. "I can take on the physical form, but I can't cast any spells in this form," she said, dropping her head once more.
"Being able to take on the physical form is already impressive, and as we grow, you should be able to easily achieve that," Vlad said as he raised his hand, a green crystal appearing on his palm. "Eat this, it will make you feel better,"
"A poison crystal," Velcrissa said, a delighted look lighting up her face as she floated closer to take it. "Master, Thank you very much,"
"You don't have to call me Master,'" Vlad said gently. "Just 'V' is fine. And… if it's okay, can I call you Vel?"
Vel had a look of surprise, and after some hesitation, she nodded, "Yes, Yes, Vel is fine,"
"Let's leave this place," Vlad said as he stood up, "It's also best that you wear your cloak and stay close to me because it is rare to see physical spirit,"
She nodded, and instantly, the darkness swirled around her out of thin air, coalescing into the hooded cloak, with her horns also returning.
"Sorry," she whispered, touching one of her horns with a hand.
"Don't worry," Vlad replied with a soft smile. "You can keep them. And you don't have to act so nervous. We are partners now, so act more freely. I would like that."
She just nodded, clearly very happy. Vlad moved toward the exit, with Vel following closely behind.
Vlad handed the key back to the female receptionist, but as he turned to leave, she nearly screamed.
"Oh my god," She gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. Vlad turned, and Vel hid behind him again, avoiding the receptionist's gaze.
"I'm really sorry, sir," the receptionist said, bowing in apology, though her curiosity got the better of her, and she still tried to sneak glances at Vel.
"She's Vel, just a bit shy around strangers," Vlad said as he stepped to the side.
For a moment, even Vel met the woman's gaze and saw nothing but curiosity and awe reflected in her eyes. But she quickly hid behind Vlad once more.
"I sincerely apologize for my rudeness," The receptionist said. Vlad simply smiled in response before turning to leave.
'Yup, she is the real deal,' Vlad thought, delighted to see the rare-grade crystal in her hand show a crack.
As they stepped out of the building, Vel's curious gaze roamed everywhere, her small eyes soaking in every detail. She expressed quiet happiness, like a child seeing the world for the first time.
Vlad planned to visit the information ring to gather clues that could lead to the deceiver, but he decided to stop at one of the hotels because, after an entire day, he was quite hungry.
Just like real-life players, they needed to do all the normal things, such as eating, sleeping, and everything in between, though as they grew stronger, their normal needs became less and less.
Vel was quite the head-turner, and noticing the attention she was attracting, she apologized several times and even suggested that she take her weapon form. But Vlad gently reassured her, telling her there was no need.
All spirits took weapon form, given to them by the law according to their nature, and this was the usual way spirits stayed in the physical plane and fulfilled their reason for making a contract.
Vlad reached the hotel and secured a table in a quiet corner. Just like outside, every customer, whether secretly or openly, stole glances at Vel, forcing the poor spirit to hide behind him once again.
Thankfully, with Vel being such a high-grade spirit, no one dared to approach, afraid of offending Vlad. The same held true for the players, who kept their distance out of caution and respect.
'I need to be careful when using my knowledge because I could prevent things from happening with my actions,' Vlad thought as he silently ate grilled fish.
'The Deceiver had targeted the city of Thalmaris in my past life and it should stay the same, but I can't be certain if he prepared the elixir within the bounds of the city or did his preparation someplace else.'
'The elixirs and the Verdance Reborn shop should not appear until a year and a half, but since the demon rise is no longer going happen...'
'I wonder if The Plague of False Immortality would be unleashed sooner,' Vlad pondered the possibilities, 'I am not even sure if the Deceiver is alone or working with the Cult of Anarchy,'
Vlad was silently thinking when he saw Vel flying above his shoulder, staring intently at his tray of food.
"Vel, do you want some?" Vlad asked, and she gave a small nod, her eyes locked on the bowl of fish soup with childlike curiosity.
"Well then," he smiled, picking up the small tea cup and scoped it full with the soup, "Eat as much as you like."
She looked around before hesitantly flying to the table. For a few seconds, she stared at the cup and then at Vlad before finally stepping closer to taste the physical plane food.
She took a small sip, and her eyes instantly shot open, delight flashing across her face as the rich flavor danced on her tongue.
While it wasn't as fulfilling as the energy from a poison crystal, it had a warmth and comfort of its own, something different, and that alone made her happy.
She almost cried but held back the tears, feeling overwhelmed that she, who had resigned to the fate of a lonely death, now had a nice master, someone who treated her nicely.
And more than that, she could finally begin to fulfill the small, wistful wishes she had whispered to herself after listening to her fellow spirits dream aloud.