Back at the capital of Devandia, in the palace of Alvera, within the walls of the palace Venny is seen in the training ground as most of the area was destroyed by the fight against Ossom. Venny holding his crimson daggers as he stares at his weapons as by the sight all he could see in his failure not helping even further as all he did was get damaged during his part against Ossom as he was easily defeating by a single swing from losing his left arm. He gripped his dagger hard a blood spilled a bit but not choosing to activate his blood magic. "Though I can get stronger by only a single cut, but it ain't enough" Venny thought to himself.
Venny tries to think of solutions to improve upon his blood magic, he cuts himself once and his abilities began to surge through his body, but it's always the same feeling ever since he first started to use blood magic ten years ago. As he tries to repress it even further but he can't surpass his own limit only by slashing someone with his own daggers were he can use his power to the fullest as it is infused with his own blood. Venny sees a dummy nearby as he leaps towards the dummy and swings a punch decimating the dummy easily, but he quickly deactivates his blood magic as he looks at his fist to see it didn't take any damage.
"No damage. But I need to take damage to go on longer" muttering to himself as he started to feel frustrated as he tries again, bringing out more dummies, and cutting himself with the dagger and sees another dummy, leaping toward the dummy he kicks the dummy destroying it but his magic gets deactivate again, Venny checks his legs to notice it also hasn't taken any damage.
"Damn it! short on power again." Venny, frustrated, ran towards the stone wall and punches the wall multiple times till his fists started to bleed. "Why. Why. Why! Why does this have to be my limit! Pain being my only subjective source of coping. Why is the only way of going over my limit are those god damn daggers!" Venny from his fit or rage, takes a moment to stop punching the wall as he looks at his fists, bleeding with some of his bones exposed "am I... weak."
Venny taking a moment to regain his own thoughts as he turned around and leaned against the wall sliding down to a sitting position. The thought of being weak with his own income from his blood magic can only be enhanced even further with only those crimson blades. Venny then hears someone's footsteps approaching he looked up and turned his attention to only see Dani standing in front of him.
"You okay Venny?" Dani said, worried for her friend to be sitting down to be depressed.
He shook his head though his mouth shivered a bit. "No I'm not, its just my weapons give me to surpass my own limits, letting me to use my blood alteration techniques, and without my daggers, I am just almost normal." Venny stood up from the wall to only walk towards a broken log as he then sits down on a broken log. Dani sighs from the sight and does the same as well to help her broken friend as she looked up at the sky as she can feel the breezing air like her friend once did. "Almost normal, yeah when you went on a hunt for me and easily defeated my men, even my grandfather, just to extinguish Jin's wrath"
"As if I would see the pearly gates, from his storm alone" they both chuckle, as Venny stopped first. "But there is one thing I know. Between Jin and me, he is obviously stronger, not needing to use any magical weapons to be stronger, just a flick of his wrist can create a hurricane, and for me, just needs to take a drop of blood in order to become stronger"
Dani nodded "indeed, and it did come with weaknesses, with fire and weights. But you and Jin fought passed through those weaknesses and turned it into strengths."
Venny sighs as he grabbed a rock and throws it at a dummy. "Yeah as if being fire resistance is way better than lifting boulders with wind" he chuckled.
"Then how about you try a different approach"
"What do you mean?"
"When Jin first learned how to create wind constructs from just focusing, how about you do the same, try to create a construct made from blood."
"You think making a construct made of blood really possible, I mean just think of the amount of blood I need to produce just to create just one construct. Unlike Jin almost having unlimited wind, I have limited amount of blood"
"Okay then how about a different approach, hand me your dagger" Venny hands Dani one of her crimson daggers. "Since you infused your blood with the blade of the dagger and everything you slash yourself with it you get stronger. How about you try to keep this dagger in deep, perhaps it could keep your magic active even longer, or perhaps forever."
"Sure to be honest, I have never tried that before, though we assassins don't like to gamble, and one cut can enhance my powers for a short amount of time, as it feels like the blood in my veins were vibrating beyond control"
"Okay so your will to try then"
"Fine by me I guess"
"Okay, before we begin have this." Dani hands Venny the jewel bracelet, surprising him from the sight of the jewel bracelet.
He looked up at Dani with confusion "why are giving me something Jin handcrafted to his family"
"Listen we know Siph doesn't want it, and I of course was a bit rash when we first met, but you and Jin have been partners for a while it's the least he could do since his sister didn't want it, as if it would be a final good by gift."
Venny looks at the jewel bracelet, almost giving him a worried feeling from the sight despite all he has done to him and in the end he helped him. But now felt more regretful than ever since witnessing the loss of Jin, he sighs. "Jin. You and I have been through everything, from saving my life, getting our abilities, adventuring across Devandia, fighting many warriors, making it to the capital and meeting Dani, fighting more warriors with a plan, fighting your killer, then me, then your killer again. But this is a gift that I will cherish forever, till my death." Venny grabs the jewel bracelet and puts the bracelet onto his right arm much to Dani's delight yet surprise. "Venny why the right? Aren't you left handed?" She asked
"Yes I am, but I tend to lose my left arm a lot, you've seen it multiple times"
"Fair enough."
Suddenly Venny notices something engraved onto the bracelet "Dani check it out. Jin has made an encrypted message"
"no that's just his hand writing he normally writes with the wind" "of course". As they both look at the engraved message it says.
Thou art of ones who wears the bracelet made by one who's mastered the power over wind. Those who have the same blood as thou who's mastered over wind, shall gather knowledge of how to wield the power over the flowing wind.
Signed by Jin-Sae Akaumo.
They both stand in silence as a subtle wind blowing around them. "You have got to be kidding me. Why did Jin had to make this so specific" Venny said annoyed.
"Perhaps it's supposed to mean that his selfless family are the only ones who can gather that knowledge?"
"Yeah but Siph didn't want it, and I doubt by this time his parents are alive... But I do apologize if that sounded wrong"
"Perhaps in the future maybe you can give it to one of Siph's offspring's. If she could manage it"
"Well lets not force her, let time do it's thing"
"Okay, and in the meantime you should hold it." Venny nodded as gets up from the broken log "Dani hand me my dagger" Dani passes his dagger back to him.
He looks at his crimson daggers as he takes a deep breath. "If Jin can go over his limits. Then so can I!" Venny's voice rises as he closed his eyes while he stabs himself on his shoulders as he yelped in pain as black reddish sparks of lightning began to surge around his body in a blink of his eyes, as he feels his daggers in his shoulders vibrating against every part of his blood vessels. Venny looks at the boulder he leaps in an instant as he swings his leg at the boulder kicking it as it turned into nothing but rubble.
"Alright I think this will work" Venny looks at the daggers lodge into his shoulders as he has a strange idea "what if I do this?"
Venny grabs one of his daggers and began to pull it out, while feeling a constant pain. He continues to pull as he suddenly felt the blade of the dagger was longer somehow, he was confused at first, as it may keep on pulling if he continues. Then with one fast pull he removes the dagger from his shoulder to reveal his crimson dagger has become short sword as his blood has conjured the blade of his dagger that was infused with his blood seeming to be stronger. Venny slowly examine his sword as he sees a dummy Venny charges towards the dummy as he unleash a swing and slashes the dummy clean through "okay I guess this will work." Then Venny looked at his other dagger and pulls it out quickly to reveal another short sword made from his dagger.
"Check it out Dani, I guess my daggers can also can get a temporary enhance just like me taking damage" "that's great of you that there's something better for you to go on your limit, besides being immune to damage, and diseases" Venny smirks "hey Dani when are the others coming" "they might appear later" Venny smirks again as he turns towards Dani "and how's the plan going" "I have everything prepared, my men, location, and everything we need to fight against the Enchantress" "well since we will wait for the others, lets spar. Like how me and Jin do, you can use those fireball spells on my" Dani smiles gratefully "well a little sparing match wouldn't hurt". Dani gets up from her seat as she unsheathed her sword and pointed her blade at him with a smile as fire quickly ignited her sword, "just don't do the same thing you did all those years ago" Venny chuckled "I promise". Venny puts himself into a fighting stance as Dani pointed her blade towards Venny as they both charge and begin their spar, till the others arrive.
(end of chapter 9)