Chapter 47: Honey and Silk (Patreon)

[Introducing Samara, The Red Queen]

Somehow, I lost consciousness and found myself waking up naked in a bed covered with soft silk sheets. I was in a large bedroom with high vaulted ceilings and a black-and-white marble floor. There was a sweet fruity scent in the air that I’d never smelled before. Combined, all of it made me never want to leave this bed.

But as nice as it was, there were more important things to do. I had to get through this final meeting and get back to Hugo. We had to get stronger before Anders or Martin came looking for us.

I slipped out of bed and expected the floor to be cold when my feet landed on it. Instead, it was pleasingly warm to the touch. Almost daring me to remain barefoot until I reminded myself of why I was here. Looking around, I discovered my clothes and weapons in the corner of the room. They were neatly piled on one of those tiny couches that probably has its own special name.

I got dressed and belted my weapons back on. I wasn’t sure if they were real or just mental projections, but it made me feel better to have them. Even though they’d have little impact on a god.

Physically, I felt completely refreshed and any minor injuries I’d done to my hands from climbing the mountain were gone.

The bedroom did feature a window that showed a pool that stretched on to the horizon that was flanked by statues and other works of art. It seemed that this time I had been taken to some kind of palatial estate, which I guess fit with someone who had queen in their title.

Leaving the bedroom behind put me in a cavernous hallway that made me afraid that this would be another scavenger hunt. Before I could pick a direction, another door opened and a large fluffy gray housecat came trotting out. I recognized it as a Maine Coon because the characters in a dumb reality show I used to watch with my ex had one. They were bigger than regular housecats and had larger ears.

The cat looked up at me and sighed like it almost wasn’t worth their time to talk to me. “If you’ll follow me,” she said in a tired voice before walking down the hallway.

I hurried after her. Honestly, following a talking cat was the least strange thing about this place.

We reached a set of double doors that opened on their own as if by magic, and the cat led me into a large study. The walls were lined with bookshelves and there were four big wooden tables with numbers engraved on them in the middle of the room. At the back was a roaring fireplace with some leather chairs. A young blonde woman sat in one of them, drinking something while looking into the flames. She had pale skin and was dressed like an adventurer, with a full set of black and red leather armor. She was also quite possibly the most attractive woman that I’d ever seen.

At the sound of our arrival, she turned her head and looked pleased to see us.

“Oh good, you’re here. I hope Fluffles wasn’t rude to you,” the woman said.

“I wasn’t,” said the cat indignantly.

“Wait, her name is Fluffles?” I asked.

The cat said no at the same time that the woman said yes while grinning.

“If that will be all?” asked the cat tightly.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Yes yes. Go ahead Persephone.”

As the cat turned to leave, the woman added, “and try to find a sense of humor while you’re out there.”

The cat’s only response was to magically slam the double doors behind her on the way out.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “I’m Samara, and I’ll be with you in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. I just need to finish something.”

A holographic star chart of a galaxy popped up in front of her. She stared at a particular corner and then said something in a language that I didn’t understand before dismissing the map.

Samara clapped her hands together. “Okay, let’s get you started. Table one has a selection of books relating to blood powers and biographies of former Blood Reavers. Tables two and three will give you access to a carefully curated armory selection. It contains some of the best weapons and items that somebody of your level and grade could hope to wield. And finally, table four has some powers and abilities I can give you right now before you go.”

I stared at her, not sure if this was a trick or not.

“Oh, don’t worry about getting back,” she said. “Time works differently here. You’ve only been in the church for a few minutes on Earth. Peruse the tables at your leisure and take your time. The only thing I will say is that right now, you can only take one item with you. It’s a dumb rule the System instituted after a god unloaded a horde of goodies on their favorite vassal. Of course, said vassal then absolutely steam rolled the competition and any monster that was thrown at them. So now it’s considered cheating.”

I touched table one, and a menu popped up in front of me, similar to my stats and inventory menus. There it listed thirty books with names like ‘The life history of Kor’ and ‘Prominent blood-based figures of the twelfth cycle.’ I tried to select one to read, but then a warning came up asking me if this was final choice. I left the book where it was and took my hand off the table, which caused the menu to disappear.

Samara looked apologetic. “Sorry, you can’t read any of them here as it would be the same as taking the book, but you’re allowed to test out the weapons and items.”

Table two had several swords, knives, and even flesh-colored gloves that became invisible with retractable claws. All of it was under the Rare classification and had special properties relating to bleed effects. They looked incredible, but I had to turn away from them and move on. No matter how impressive they were, they weren’t worth giving up my freedom.

“Oh, you’re done already?” she said, sounding disappointed. “Are you sure you don’t want to test out the sword or the Wolverine claws first?”

No, because then I’ll definitely end up taking one of them and signing my soul away, or whatever it is these people are after.

“That’s okay, I’m happy with the weapons I have at the moment,” I told her.

Table three contained several pieces of lightweight armor with a blood absorption enchantment that wouldn’t interfere with my blood healing. The more curious part was that it also contained vials of blood with the name of the creatures it came from and their level. Vials like ‘Basilisk, level 24, grade F’ were one example. I went through all the names and didn’t recognize a single creature.

Samara said nothing when I moved on to table four, but I sensed that she had saved the best for last. Placing my hand down brought up the abilities. It had techniques that would allow me to turn my blood into fire or acid, blood weapons, and blood summons, which I’m guessing was either a copy of myself or something similar to Hugo’s ability. All of it would allow me to weaponize my own blood in devastating ways, but doing that would mean having to get injured again. That wasn’t a road I wanted to go down. It also reminded me of Yakeshi’s words about it being a dangerous path. I had no desire to be hunted down by an angry god, so I stepped away from the table.

“Thank you for offering me all of this, but I must respectfully decline,” I said.

Samara nodded as if she expected nothing less. “You’re worried about what it’ll cost you. What would you say if I said that the answer was nothing?”

I folded my arms. “I’d say that it would make me even more suspicious than I currently am.”

She laughed, and I felt a pulse of excitement shoot through my heart. Damn, I need to focus. I can’t let myself be fooled. She’s probably a million years old. Just because it’s been a while doesn’t mean I should throw all caution to the wind.

“That’s understandable,” she said. “But I hope we can aid each other in the future. Us blood based users have to stick together. In the meantime, I’ll continue to provide items via the loot box system, though I can’t guarantee you’ll get anymore of what I give since it is truly random.”

“Wait, you gave me something already?”

She nodded and smiled. “The empty vial pouch. A modest gift compared to what I offered now, but I figured that we should start things slow.” Samara then mock pouted. “You can imagine my disappointment at seeing it gathering dust in your inventory.”

I shrugged. “I hadn’t felt much of a need for it. By the time I need access to blood, there’s already a new source right in front of me.”

“Hmm, but you’re missing the point. It wasn’t about storing blood for healing. It was about getting you to take that next step to advance your Blood Reaver Class.”

“By drinking it?” I asked skeptically.

“There is more power in blood than you realize. It can be used for so many more things than healing. Some of which you’ve seen on table four. Drink the blood next time and you’ll see just how powerful you can become.”

I decided to take it under advisement. Despite Yakeshi’s warnings, blood was still an integral part of my Class and how I fought. I just had to find a way to balance the swordsman and the Blood Reaver in order to take advantage of both without making another enemy.

“Thank you,” I said, and I meant it. She’d given me far more information than all of the other gods combined by showing me so many future possibilities for items and techniques.

She nodded. “Call on me if you need further assistance.”

Before I could respond, she closed the distance between us in a blink and kissed me. It took me by surprise and I tasted more of that scent from the bedroom I’d landed in. But as soon as I closed my eyes and leaned into it, Samara broke away, leaving me more confused than ever.

When I opened my eyes again, she was back across the room. I watched her wave goodbye to me as the scene melted away. It didn’t feel fair. I wanted to stay and ask her more. I had so many questions.

I returned to the black void for only a moment before my head shot up as I suddenly awoke for real this time. I was back in the church, sitting in the pew that I’d fallen into only a few minutes ago, but what had felt like hours to me. Hugo was perched next to me and launched into a barrage of questions.

“Are you okay? What happened? Should we go somewhere? Why aren’t you getting up?”

“I just need a minute to think,” I replied, though my brain was unable to form a coherent thought.