56. Vesper
VESPER
CURRENT STATS ARE AS FOLLOWS
Wastrel, entry-level
YOUR CURRENT SKILLS ARE FERAL LINK (PASSIVE), BEAST TONGUE (PASSIVE), AND SCAVENGER’S AID (ACTIVE). YOU CURRENTLY HAVE ONE TIER UPGRADE AVAILABLE.
I take a deep breath and hover my hand over the “Open Upgrade Requirements,” icon and prepare myself.
UPGRADE AVAILABLE FOR TIER TWO: PREDATOR’S PACT
A drop of blood and loyalty will sharpen fangs.
The Beast Bound will learn that blood is the leash.
Wolves, hawks, serpents, the Beast Bound can drink from their veins and the creatures will fight.
Be aware that too much feeding can leave the Beast Bound weakened.
Some claim the Beast Bound dream through their predator’s eyes, stalking prey while their body lies still.
COST TO UPGRADE: 1000XP, 5 Shards, 50 Harrow Coins, 5 animal byproducts
WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEVEL UP?
I stare at the description and don’t find any glaring issue with it.
There is only the one warning, that using whatever my new skills are can be dangerous and make me weak, but that would be the case for any Tier upgrade.
Overuse is dangerous no matter which Glitch you are, especially when you’re a lower Tier.
I hesitate for a few long seconds, reread the description, and then look through my inventory.
I have the Shards and the Harrow Coins, but I have to doublecheck I have the animal byproducts.
As I flip through the inventory, I find the three macaw feathers I still have, an orca tooth from the Frostbit Sea, and the beetle chiton from the Leafcutter Empire.
I hesitate, wondering if I should keep the beetle chiton and use something else, but then I remember we have to go back through the Verdant Nexus to fight the Major Bosses anyways.
I flip back to the upgrade screen, take a deep breath, and hit, “UPGRADE.”
YOU ARE NOW A TIER TWO BEAST BOUND: PREDATOR’S PACT. YOU ARE NOW WASTREL LEVEL, PEAK.
STRENGTH +1
AGILITY +4
VITALITY +1
WILLPOWER +3
CHARISMA +1
LUCK +0
BOND LIMIT: 2
BOND STRENGTH: 50%
CORRUPTION: 15%
NEW STATS AS FOLLOWS:
STRENGTH: 11
AGILITY: 15
VITALITY: 11
WILLPOWER: 14
CHARISMA: 11
LUCK: 10
BOND LIMIT: 2
BOND STRENGTH: 50%
CORRUPTION: 15%
IN ADDITION TO YOUR TIER UPGRADE, YOU OWN ITEMS THAT BENEFIT FROM THE UPGRADE.
ITEMS UPGRADED:
Hyena mask: Your hyena mask is now capable of a wider area of perception. You’ve now unlocked a new ability: Night Vision. Wearing your mask at night can allow you to see 15% better in the dark.
Bloodsense Fang: Your blade’s Scentwake ability now heightens your sense of hearing as well as your sense of smell with fresh blood.
Your instinct anchor ability now reduces panic by 10% more, but aggression is marginally increased.
Your Beastmarked Grip Ability now allows the weapon to reshape to your hand or to your whim.
You can change the shape of the blade itself with your new increased willpower.
The moment I level up, my body zings with energy and goosebumps raise across my skin. I shiver at the feeling of it, needing to roll my shoulders to let go of some of the energy. Wow. I clench my hand, already feeling stronger than before.
NEW ABILITIES UNLOCKED
DUAL BOND. You can now maintain up to two bonded beasts at once, not including your familiar.
PREDATOR’S INSIGHT (PASSIVE). You gain heightened senses when near bonded animals.
BLOOD TETHER (ACTIVE, HEALTH COST). If fed with a Beast Bound’s blood, bonded animals fight with unnatural loyalty and savagery. Feeding bonded beasts grants it +50% combat stats for 10 minutes. This ability costs 5% of max HP. Your HP is now more easily tracked.
SAVAGE COMPEL (ACTIVE, 1 DAY COOL DOWN). Forces a bonded beast into a berserk frenzy. Attacks all enemies until death or dismissal.
“I hope this does not mean you’re going to replace me,” Svetlana says indignantly as she hears the new skills I’ve acquired.
“You’re irreplaceable, Svetlana,” I tell her. “Don’t worry.”
“I know this,” she says, fluttering her wings. “Look at me.”
“It just means we could have some extra help if needed,” I say, shrugging. And then I groan. “Hey, do you get—”
NEW FAMILIAR ABILITIES UNLOCKED
“—new abilities . . . never mind,” I say, hitting the screen. “Let’s see what you get.”
Svetlana clicks her forelegs together in glee. “What shall I have? Berserker frenzy? Unlimited strength? Supernatural speed?”
YOUR FAMILIAR NOW UNLOCKED THE ABILITY OF SCUTTLE. Speed is increased by 15% when moving forward, sideways, or upside down.
YOUR FAMILIAR NOW UNLOCKED THE ABILITY OF SWARM MENTALITY. If an ally is within five meters, the familiar gains a 5% combat attack because she’s showing off to her friends.
YOUR FAMILIAR HAS NOW UNLOCKED INCREASED SEXUAL CANNIBALISM ABILITIES. Males hate to see her coming!
YOUR FAMILIAR RECEIVES A GROOMING KIT. Use of the grooming kit offers exoskeleton reinforcement. The grooming kit takes up one inventory slot.
YOUR FAMILIAR NOW BENEFITS FROM INCREASED INVENTORY SLOTS.
“Wow,” I say. “You get a lot.”
“This is bullshit!” Svetlana shouts. “I deserve so much more than this! I am easily the strongest, most beautiful, best member of this team!”
I raise my brow at her and laugh. “You know what? You’re right. Maybe the next Tier will have bigger upgrades.”
“It better,” she huffs, crossing her forelegs and pouting. “Such bullshit.” She looks around. “I’m going to go get a drink.”
Then she launches off my shoulder and flies off to the bar. There’s no bartender, but she doesn’t seem to mind. I watch as she selects a bottle, tips it over, and pours it across the bar. Then she lands in the mess and starts to drink it straight from the counter.
“Your familiar is . . . odd,” Cipher says as I stand.
I laugh. “The system calling a talking bug odd when we’ve encountered so many other odd things is laughable.” I wave to Svetlana. “Don’t hurt yourself. I’m going to sleep.”
Svetlana straightens. “Alone or . . .”
I raise my brow. “Alone.”
Svetlana snorts. “For now, you mean,” she teases and then goes back to drinking liquor off the counter.
For now. My eyes trail over to Locke where he’s lounging against a table, his gaze staring off into the distance. When he sees me looking, he tilts up his chin to me, and I tilt mine up in return.
“Do you need anything?” I ask him.
Do you need me? I want to ask, but I keep things cordial. Locke has been through a lot of things in the month we’ve been here. I want to ask about Mother Remainder, but I want to give him time to come to me. I can’t force the information.
Do you want to come with me? floats in my mind. I could ask him to come to a room with me and I know he would come. But . . .
We’re all dancing around it, this desire.
The pull that draws me toward Locke is so strong, sometimes it chokes me with its potency.
I care about it, far more than I ever expected to, and it would hurt me if I ruined it.
I have no doubt that he would come eagerly, but he needs some time to heal after the interaction with Madam Polly and the Rat Queen and . . . Mother Remainder?
“I’ll be okay,” he says, seemingly seeing my thoughts written all across my face. “Don’t worry about me. You go get some rest.”
“I do worry,” I tell him.
His eyes twitches. “It’s my job to worry about you.”
“Is it?” I tilt my head. “I thought we were taking care of each other.”
He smiles. “Tell you what. I’ll take care of you and if you happen to take care of me sometimes, I’ll try to allow it.”
My lips curl. “Deal.” I gesture toward Svetlana. “Can you make sure she makes it to my room?”
Locke shoots Svetlana a glare. “Perhaps.”
“Thank you,” I sigh. “Good rest.”
His eyes flick back to me at the Dross words. “Good rest.”
I slip away into the hall of doors and find one unlocked. The room is large, the bed larger than any others we’ve stayed in. This one has been cleaned recently, the bed made up with sheets that look like I’ll be sleeping on a cloud.
“Fancy,” I say, looking around the room. I reach for the edge of my shirt.
Cipher sighs. “How many times do you think I will witness this moment?”
I pause. “What do you mean?”
“This. You. Witnessing you undressing.” He sighs deeper. “I wish I could touch you.”
My fingers fall away. I open my mouth, close it, open it again.
There are so many things I want to say, so many things I should say.
He shouldn’t be watching me, and even if he is, why does it matter when he’s just a machine?
I should ask why he thinks he has the right to say such things about me, why he thinks I would ever let him touch me.
But . . .
. . . I do want him to touch me.
As impossible as that is.
“Can you even feel?” I ask, reaching for my shirt again and tugging it over my head.
“Yes,” Cipher admits. “Emotionally, I am capable of feeling the same as any human. I was created to be as close as possible. Physically, when I inhabit a body, I can feel, skin against skin.”
“You said you used to have a body,” I murmur as I reach for the rest of my clothing.
He hums. “I did.”
“What happened to it?”
I step into the shower and sigh at the feeling of the warm water rushing over me.
“It was destroyed,” he admits.
I wash the dirt and grime off, the scent of the corpse-laden streets, the blood from Madam Polly, the stink of Smokestack Row. “Why can’t you build a new one?” I ask as I turn off the shower and reach for a towel.
“I am not capable of it currently,” he murmurs. “But soon . . .”
I lay down on the bed, naked, and stare up at the ceiling. “Can you see me?” I ask.
“Yes,” he breathes.
I stroke my hand along my stomach, up, up, around my breast. I palm it and then stroke down my body again to the apex of my thighs.
“Are you touching yourself . . . for me?” he asks, his voice a little more choked than normal. The unshakeable system is apparently shaken.
“Do you like it?” I ask, running my fingers through my slick folds. “Do you want me to keep going?”
“Yes,” he growls, and there’s a pressing at my mind, as if he’s desperate to touch me, even if it’s just mentally.
I moan, stroking myself for him, imagining that he’s here with me, wishing he was. “Cipher,” I moan.
“Say my name again,” he orders. “Imagine my lips against your skin, my breath warming you.”
“Yes,” I hiss. “Cipher.”
He stutters in my mind. “When I have a body again, I’m going to taste you until you scream.”
My back arches up against the bed.
“I’m going to stroke inside you until you come apart in my hands.”
I gasp as my stomach starts to tighten.
“I’m going to fill you up so thoroughly, my coding will appear in your blood.”
That’s . . . strange, but I’m stroking myself for the system, so I really shouldn’t be surprised.
My body tightens impossibly and I cry out, my heels digging into the bed as I shake with my release. I’m panting, my body slowly relaxing even as I tingle between my thighs.
“I hope you have a body soon,” I tell him once I can breathe again.
“I will,” he chokes out. “You have no idea how desperate I am to meet you physically.”
I chuckle and nestle beneath the covers, my body so relaxed, my eyes close before my head even hits the pillow. “Good night, Cipher,” I breathe.
“Good night, my core function.”
NEW TITLE AWARDED: Core Function
I’m so tired, I can’t even ask what he means before the darkness claims me.