“I think I remember,” Firminus said, looking off into space for a few moments. “Something about needing a reagent and a ritual. The eidolon should tell you what reagent you hrough the system. It uh… I think it o gestate for some time before the ritual? You are not asking the right person here, you know.”

  “Not many options at the moment,” she remarked, the grafter’s bde split her skin as if it were paper. The Adamas an appeared no less alien than the Heart Scarab, resembling no human an. It was an oblong mass of spongy, bck tissue, with a web of darkly metalliive tissue running throughout it as a scaffold. Hair-like fibres of the same metallic substance came off in all dires, but especially from the ends of its ective tubes. Whies were veins and whies had different purposes was beyond Krahe’s ability t a gnce.

  While he worked, Krahe idly looked around the room. Her eyes nded upon that table from before. He had a se of Type-37 Biogel, the substance of her biosuit, stretched out on a raext to it, two wet-ste capsules were plugged into the wall, clumps of the same biogel growing within them, floating about somewhat like the wax inside a va mp. She wondered how long it would take to grow into something rge enough to make a new article of clothing. As a result, she also briefly sidered how the church would deal with Firminus being absent from his usual post. She figured his patients would get redirected to anrafter.

  Ohe Adamas an was in pd her three lower left ribs were back where they belonged, Firminus shot her up with a serum of painkillers aion suppressants, and just like that, she was out of the grafting chair, carefully stretg her stiffened neck.

  “One more thing,” Firminus said, getting out of his seat. He made his way over to a et, from which he retrieved a standard church-branded medial box. “In order for your Adamas an to settle in properly, you will o eat six of these twice a day for about a month. Chew them up if you . If they taste bad, swallow them whht after a meal.”

  Krahe opehe box, and found that it taier bags of dark, oblong beans. The st was sort of woody, but also with a strong note of coffee and some cocoa. They had a star-like pattern on the underside, and she couldn’t help but see an uny resembo a curled-up beetle. There was also aable resembo coffee beans, given the st.

  “Are these is?” Krahe asked.

  “Used to be,” Firminus said, as if it was the smallest thing. “My colborator developed a pnt that produces these fruits instead. If you keep eating them, your Adamas an might perform better than most. ’t make promises, but they’re safe to eat, just in general.”

  Thinking no more of it, Krahe tossed one in her mouth and bit down. The shell was more fragile than she had expected, while the interior was softer, somewhat like a cashew nut. They tasted just as they smelled, a cross between coffee beans and cocoa.

  “So have Adamas an users beeiles for four thousand years or is this part of your improvement?” she asked.

  “Mine. I believe we were using the beetles for ah… Twenty-four years, was it?” the grafter thought, looking back at her as he washed his hands. “How is the fvour, not too offeake it?”

  “Tastes pretty good to me. Might eat these instead of coffee beans as a drinking snack,” she said, eating another.

  “Coffee beans?” he asked, pausing for a moment. “ht. Pilgrim. Zastreon’s coffee es from the roots of a kind of water lily. I think they pulp and ferment it or something of the sort. Funny thing, Casus remembers coffee being made from the nuts of a small, iferous tree.”

  “Huh. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Krahe shrugged. She raised the paper bag she’d opened, ging the subject. “I take it I only get more of these from you, yeah?”

  “Fear not, I will provide. It wouldn’t do to sabotage my own case study, would it? Before y it up, yes, yes, full anonymity aion. My owhics aside, this is also part of standard procedure with uered apostles,” Firminus said.

  Krahe returo the library, cheg the Adamas an’s system readout as she went.

  [FIRMINUS-VALERIAN PATTERN ADAMAS AN]

  [Tags:]

  Firminus-Valerian Pattern

  Living Item

  [Details:]

  This graft expresses amplified performarics based upon the holder’s attributes and archetype level.

  This graft fulfills all the funs of a spleen to aed degree, and supports the funs of the liver and kidneys. It , to a limited extent, substitute the funality of either.

  This graft enhahe holder’s blood quality, immune system, and alters blood position into “Bck Blood.” Bck Blood possesses enhanced properties in all aspects, excelling in oxygen carrying capacity and gradually reinf all bodily tissues over time. As part of this process, the holder’s bone marrow will be restructured to this graft’s standard. Ohis process is plete, performance will increase further. Grafted bone marrow patibility with this feature may vary and depends on graft hierarchy.

  When agitated through a mental and, select reinforced tissues will enter a hardeate. If experieng difficulties with activation, use the vocal and. In addition to a generalized increase in resiliehe affected tissues will bee resistant to all damage categories other than Are (est. 50% resistance). Please exercise caution when using this feature — overuse may lead to soft tissue and vascur damage.

  Current blood transmutation ratio: 1%

  Current tissue reinfort ratio: 0.2%

  Current Bck Blood reservoir: 6/340ml

  Current lymphocyte reservoir: 0/30%

  Current vocal and: adamas

  Graft Synergy: Liminal Coil

  This graft has been synized with the Liminal Coil’s “Sunken One Marrow,” resulting in improved overall performance. Bck Blood will exhibit beneficially modified properties.

  Akaso