Chapter 2: Futility

  Awakening with a newfound vigor, Vina's eyes fluttered open. She gazed upwards, attempting to discern the time from the sky, but the dense gloom rendered it an impossible task. The barrier still held strong against the encircling shadows, their silent vigil unyielding. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “Shan?”

  “Still here, Vina,” came the reassuring response.

  “How long was I asleep?” she inquired, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  “Hard to say exactly, but I’d wager a few hours. Feeling better, I hope?”

  “Yes, thankfully. Those shadows took quite a toll on me during my struggle to get here,” she admitted, stretching her limbs. “Turn away for a moment, Shan. I need to change.”

  Shan respectfully turned his back. Vina quickly slipped out of her battered armor and into one of the dresses packed in her magical backpack. The thought of the backpack, a gift from her mother with its extraordinary capacity, brought a faint smile to her face.

  "Okay, you can look now," she called out. Her armor lay in a heap beside her. "It’s peculiar, isn’t it? Indestructible, yet still susceptible to damage. Trina's definitions don’t always seem to make much sense." She activated her Examine skill on the Kaliter Armor.

  A light chuckle escaped her as she read the last line. “I apologized for that scratch, didn’t I?” she murmured affectionately to the armor. Carefully, she folded each piece, her fingers lingering on the chest piece where she noticed an anomaly - a scale slightly askew. Lifting the scale, her hand brushed against something hidden beneath.

  Holding the artifact, a wave of emotion washed over Vina. Memories of Parin’s last act of protection flooded back. “He wasn’t just saving me... he entrusted me with his aspect,” she whispered, her voice cracking. She turned to Shan, her eyes gleaming with tears. “Shan, Parin managed to return an aspect to Trina!”

  “What? How?” Shan's voice betrayed his astonishment.

  Quickly stowing away her armor, Vina approached Trina, kneeling reverently. “Trina, this is from Parin. He made sure his sacrifice would not be in vain.” She placed the Aspect of Sanctuary into Trina’s hand, watching as it absorbed into her hand and re-emerged on her chest, transformed. Its hue altered from a dark red to a soft blue.

  For a brief moment, Trina’s barrier flickered, causing Vina’s heart to skip a beat. But it quickly stabilized, now adorned with enigmatic sigils. The shadows assaulting the barrier no longer merely rolled off, instead rebounding and dissipating. Two more notification appeared before her eyes:

  Vina turned to Shan, a mix of awe and realization on her face. “Before helping me escape, Parin hid his aspect in my armor. His gesture earlier, patting his neck... it was a clue, a hint at where he concealed the Aspect of Sanctuary.”

  Shan looked towards Parin's shadow, respect evident in his eyes. “In his final moments, he outwitted Stine. Remarkable.”

  Vina pondered the boon Trina had granted her. “Shan, each time I gave Trina an aspect, she gave me something in return. There’s no description though. How can I find out what these boons do?” she asked.

  “Oh. It’s rare for someone to receive even a single gift from Trina. You should be able to get a list just by thinking about the word.” Shan suggested.

  As Vina concentrated, a window labeled 'Boons' materialized in her vision.

  “Thank you. That worked. They’re still quite cryptic though. I’m not sure if I should let you know what they are, especially with Stine possibly listening in.” Vina said, looking at her dad with a questioning gaze.

  “Best to keep them concealed for now," Shan concurred. "Trina's preparing you for what lies ahead. Your understanding of the boons will unfold with time.”

  Vina nodded, “I need to get out of here. I’ve returned three of her aspects now. ” Her eyes drifted back to Trina, a wistful look crossing her face. “When I arrived, Trina was like a statue. But after returning the Aspect of Life, she wept. It was as if she mourned for you. We shared in that grief, together.”

  Shan's face clouded with a mixture of surprise and sadness. “She...cried for me?”

  “Yes. No words, just a profound sense of loss,” Vina affirmed. “And then, she gave me a boon she named ‘Shan’s Desire’. What exactly is your desire?”

  Shan seemed to retreat into his thoughts, a shadow of uncertainty in his eyes. “I... I'm not sure anymore,” he admitted softly.

  Vina, sensing his discomfort, steered the conversation elsewhere. “I've got three levels to allocate. But even with the right choices, I doubt I’m strong enough to fight my way out. Against a level 31 creature, my best efforts amounted to…”

  "...just fifty damage. That was with every skill, a surprise attack, and targeting vulnerabilities. Facing these shadow-possessed creatures, with their huge health pool, seems impossible without relying on blood skills. And even then, my blood reserves wouldn't last against them all. Plus, I can't manipulate their black blood," she mused, weighing her options.

  “You might benefit from enhancing your weapon skills. With time and training, you'll be prepared to face creatures of this strength,” Shan encouraged her.

  “My weapon itself might be part of the problem. Its maximum damage is only 10. Is that too low?” Vina queried, a hint of doubt in her voice.

  “There are undoubtedly superior weapons out there. You’re at the upper limit of the lower tier,” Shan acknowledged.

  Vina exhaled a resigned breath. “No use delaying then. I'll allocate these points and work out a strategy to escape.” She accessed her attribute page.

  Lost in thought, Vina mulled over her strategy. The taxing journey to this place and the frantic search for Trina had pushed both her stamina and blood reserves to their limits. Recalling the fierce battles alongside Parin and the relentless assault of shadows on her blood cloak, she knew her decision now was crucial. Her Blood Lake class ability, along with the pendant around her neck, were still recovering from the intense drain of recent encounters.

  “Should I enhance my endurance for better stamina, or should I balance my points between endurance and agility?” she pondered aloud, weighing her options. “Shan, any idea how far we are from the edge of The Gloom?”

  “I can't say for sure. If Stine has indeed expanded The Gloom to encompass your entry portal, it could be more than a day's journey in any direction.”

  Vina’s face lost color at his words. The prospect of a day-long run was far beyond her reach, even with the extra three levels. She had barely managed to sprint to Trina’s barrier from the portal ring, and that had taken her less than an hour. “It seems I can neither fight nor flee my way out of this,” she concluded with resignation, allocating five points to endurance.

  The immediate effect of the attribute boost was stark, making her smile. “If I’m destined to die here, at least I’ll go out well-rested,” she quipped, trying to lighten the gravity of her situation. “I’ll need more blood if there’s to be any hope of killing them all,” she mused as her eyes looked at the creatures surrounding her. The prospect of whittling down her foes over time was daunting, and memories of her masterpiece flashed in her mind, delivering a harsh reminder to not lie to herself. Stine had Trina under control and would replace any creature she managed to eliminate. Regardless, she invested the remaining four points into vitality.

  The infusion of vitality brought an immediate, tangible enhancement to her well-being. Her senses sharpened, her skin seemed flawless, and a renewed vigor pulsed through her veins. She marveled at the subtle yet profound enhancements vitality brought, even to her already formidable physique.

  “Allocating three levels' worth of points is quite the experience,” she remarked, shaking off the overwhelming sensations.

  Shan’s chuckle echoed from afar. “Enjoy it while you can. Such rushes become rarer as you progress.”

  Clearing her head, Vina opened her class ability page, her eyes scanning for anything that might tip the scales in her favor. She revisited her Scarlet Dance ability, analyzing the branching paths.

  Three branching ability trees stemmed from Scarlet Dance. She examined the one on the left first.

  Ruby Claws also had three subsequent nodes.

  Under the Condensement node, Vina found a skill she regarded as one of her best: Blood Cloak.

  The branching paths of Ruby Claws, Condensement, and Blood Blades offered intriguing possibilities, but it was the Blood Cloak ability that held her immediate attention. Despite its appeal, she resisted the urge to maximize it impulsively, opting instead to review all her options thoroughly. She turned her attention to the middle branch.

  Hemophage offered an interesting tactic but did not address her immediate predicament. She then pondered over Blood Recovery, the final branch beneath Scarlet Dance.

  Beneath it, she had chosen Blood Shot Eyes, an ability crucial for detecting hidden aspects and weapons. Below this node, she had also selected a point in Blood Stained Hands.

  She had yet to fully explore this class ability, and it didn't seem particularly beneficial now. The last thing she wanted was to attack the creatures outside by laying a hand on them. Two more nodes were available to her.

  Taking a deep breath, Vina began assigning points, starting with Blood Cloak, the ability she had relied on the most. She maximized it without hesitation.

  She sighed, her hopes dashed. The protection hadn't reached one hundred percent. “Is sixty percent enough?” she wondered. Against the relentless shadows, her improved defenses might buy her hours, but Shan's warning of a day's journey echoed in her mind, underscoring the daunting challenge ahead.

  Her gaze drifted back to the ability tree, where she noticed a new node appearing beneath the Blood Cloak, tantalizing yet locked.

  Quickly tallying her current investments in the ability tree, Vina realized she was just one point shy. “Perhaps this new node has the answer,” she mused, hope flickering in her eyes. Re-examining her Ruby Claws ability, a sudden realization struck her. “Wait, it’s based on my level and agility?” she thought, summoning a ruby claw to test its capabilities.

  Disbelief washed over her as she compared the claw's damage to her sword. “More potent than my sword,” she marveled. “But I don't have a skill to further enhance it. Could I possibly develop a skill for this?” Intrigued, she invested another point into Ruby Claws.

  She dismissed the claw, feeling a rush as the blood returned to her body.

  “That’s a unique class ability”, Shan remarked from outside the barrier. “Did Stine know you could do that?”

  Thinking back to every interaction she had with the shadows, Vina shook her head. “No, it didn’t,” she realized. “I need to be more cautious.” Turning her attention back to her abilities, she noticed the previously locked node was now unlocked.

  The ability seemed like a physical counterpart to Blood Cloak. “Could this be the edge I need in combat?" she wondered, her mind racing with strategies. Her eyes then caught an unfilled node branching from Blood Blades. "If the left sub-tree focuses on defense, then maybe this one holds offensive capabilities.” Despite not being overly optimistic, she decided to allocate one of her three remaining points to Blood Blades, now enabling her to create large weapons. A new node materialized, and she began to read.

  “Increased bleeding damage..." she muttered softly. She needed something that could kill quickly not something that would slowly weaken the horde outside. Standing up, she fashioned a thrusting sword from her own blood. The sword materialized in her hand, and she examined it.

  "The damage is on par with my current forged thrusting sword." She wasn't finished yet, though. Given her Enduring Blood boon, she sensed she could infuse the sword with more blood. As she fed the weapon more of her blood, its vibrancy intensified. She continued to push blood into it until the sword began to pulsate in her hand, almost rebelling against the excess blood. She took another look at the weapon.

  Astonishment etched on her face, Vina realized the profound difference this made. “This would have doubled my damage against the Manterop,” she calculated. “But against all these creatures…” Her voice trailed off, the enormity of the challenge dawning on her. “Fight or flee?” she voiced aloud, her decision weighing heavily on her.

  Shan’s response was sobering. “Honestly, Vina, neither option seems viable. How much food and water do you have?”

  A wry smile crossed Vina’s lips. “I’ve come prepared this time. Enough for several days. But can I last long enough to defeat them all?”

  Shan shook his head, “No. Even if you managed to take out all of these, I’m sure Stine has more in reserve.”

  Vina’s expression hardened with resolve. “Then there’s really no choice. I have to plan an escape.”