Tsumemon’s cws tapped across the floor as we returned to the living room. Following right behind him, I watched him scurry around excitedly. Since he evolved sometime between st night and this morning, he still wasn’t quite used to his new body. But he seemed to be enjoying his new ‘legs’. (Do they count as legs? Or fingers?) My questions regarding his strange anatomy aside, he kept crawling around the room (even moving up the walls and across the ceiling), making a few ps around the room before he crawled over the back side of the couch, appearing between a pair of Beldum.

  Neither gave him any mind, focused entirely on the computers before them, and the fshing numbers dispyed on their screens. Their eyes rotated within the sockets as a low hum was released from the pair. Clearly communicating through some strange method. (Is this how supercomputers compare stock options?)

  "AwA!" Tsumemon cried, giving the pair a poke with his cws. The pair remained focused on their task, unbothered by the hard nails tapping against their metallic bodies.

  "Hey! Don’t forget you still have work to do, too?" I scolded and reminded him, only to receive a confused look reflecting in his eye. "I don't think you finished that virus yet. And" I remembered something more important that he needed to work on. "Have you monitored your clones recently?"

  Tsumemon gave a startle when I mentioned his clones, his long antennae shot up, going rigid, and his eye grew wide, even his legs contracted, exposing several veins and hardy muscles beneath the skin. After a moment, he jumped over the table, nding lightly in front of me. tapping his way over he started rubbing his body on my leg like a cat while giving a low whimper.

  "It’s only been a day, unless you told them to do something bad, nothing too bad should have happened. You set them to only monitor, right?" The purple hand that now clung to my leg gave a few quick nods. "Unless they just started eating everything..." At my words, the grip on my leg increased.

  As the grip on my leg increased, the cargo began to stir. The goblin carry-on behind my back began to struggle, "Hey! Quit struggling back there!” Flexing the bloody appendage that flowed from my back, I squeezed the goblin tighter.

  "Anyways," I said, picking up my leg with Tsumemon’s firmly attached. Pointing to the ptops in the corner of the room, "Go ask Number 1 for help, and while you’re at it, tell it to give me a report ter." I needed to see how far they got.

  Receiving its task, Tsumemon jumped off my leg, hitting the ground with a flurry of *Tak's*. He gave me a salute with his right front finger before scampering off into the farthest ptop on the far side of the room.

  *Tak*

  *Tak*

  *Tak*

  After setting Tsumemon to assist the others, it was time to deal with the goblin on my back.

  If I want to obtain Chakra, the easiest method was the Chakra Fruit. But to do that, I need to learn about them. The problem being, there isn’t much I can glean from the Wikis on its actual effects on the human body, to do that, it needs to be eaten. But eating it untested is… Asinine.

  It is quite literally a massive ball, of condensed energy that could have any number of effects on the human body. Effects that are likely to be unlisted on any website.

  Even if it does “just work”, it's better to figure that out through a test subject than doing so myself. And if it is successful, testing it multiple times to understand the effects before I try it.

  If it doesn't work, I will just have to find some other method, or climb up the cultivation tiers to some indeterminate point. Probably beyond the core formation levels, or higher, to control the massive influx of energy.

  Returned to my b, it felt like forever since I was in here. Even though it hasn't been that long since I was st in here.

  "First things first," Turning around, facing away from a gurney. The mass of blood that surrounded the goblin in its grasp started to shift, smming him down onto the gurney. Then I had my Bloodborn go about tightening the straps, preventing any unwanted movement.

  Once the goblin was firmly strapped down, I pulled my blood away, bringing it close, over my shoulder, I think my Branch of Sin has two effects, one being the typical manipution that all others get, to a greater degree, probably due to the presence of my Bloodborn or its meddling during the process, and the secondary effect... Consistency Control? That would be the best term for it since it encapsutes both the hardening/crystallization effects and the jelly-like consistency that I could achieve with lighter force.

  My control over it had also improved quite a bit due to the shared experience gained from the game, but... it seems I'm somewhat limited to simpler shapes. Altering the end of the portion wrapping around from my back, I could change it into a variety of simple shapes once I imagined them in my head. A sphere, a cube, a cone... Splitting the cone apart, its form twisting into four tentacles, moving the cape of blood over my right arm, twisting them together. With my arm submerged inside, hardening the blood, it transformed into a rge red spike. “Ok.” (That worked surprisingly well.)

  The issue with Penetrating Pierce is that it requires a tipped weapon like a spear or nce to use. That's not to use it effectively, a tipped weapon is needed to use the skill at all. Creating this spike using my blood was a simple method I or my avatar could use to effectively unch it. But it could be better.

  Foremost being adjustments to the hardening allowing my arm to move at the joints. But if I soften it up too much the resilience that comes with its crystallization would decrease.

  "How do I do spot hardness alterations?" I stood there wondering for a moment before the idea hit me.

  Rexing the spike, I started by creating sections around my elbow and shoulder that were more jelly-like, then began to harden the blood around it. From the rge spike, I had formed a pseudo-sword arm with movable joints. But "This is no good." I noted seeing the gring weakness in the new joints. The joints hindered the hardening, preventing a smooth surface from forming, and the edge work needs more practice; it wasn’t smooth or consistent. "I guess they work if I wanted to rip and tear rather than a clean cut." And I might be able to stop a bde in the grooves at the wrist and elbow. These sections were softer than the rest, while they may be affective in catching a blow, if there's enough force behind it, it might cut straight through.

  Rexing the blood again, I tried another method. With my arm submerged, I braced my joints instead, creating hardpoints on my wrist and elbow, then formed a medium-sized hexagon utilizing the remaining blood. With both my wrist and elbow fortified, the resulting shield should be decently sturdy. (The game version I was using before was able to take the attacks from those Ants, so it could probably withstand gunfire.) Additionally, it's still adaptable, shifting from a shield shape to a sword was as easy as a thought.

  Rexing everything again, this time I started from a different angle, pulling the blood around my arm back to only cover my hand and a portion of my forearm, I started creating hardened pieces around a glove. As I was in the middle of shaping various small parts that needed to be connected to form a rger piece-

  "Gyaaa! Gyyya!" The annoying little goblin started to scream.

  Sadly, now that his mouth was freed, he started screaming like a banshee. But he cks lung capacity, so the sound was more like a big raspy cat. (Reminds me of a Falmer).

  "Could you shut up, I'm trying to concentrate!" I yelled, having my Bloodborn shut his mouth. The gaseous blood cloud appeared from the open wound on my back, attaching to his face in the form of a muzzle, preventing him from opening his mouth.

  I'm willing to admit, it's probably not the best time or pce for impromptu ability analysis. But I haven't messed with this ability properly yet.

  Returning to the glove, I continued forming parts around its surface while trying to keep its consistency like jelly; the other attached pieces were then hardened and connected. Forming each part at the end of a different tentacle, I connected all the pieces. Once everything was assembled, I finalized the project, hardening the knuckles to the absolute max, creating a diamond shape over each one.

  Now that it was finished, I looked over a beautiful deep crimson red crystal gauntlet. Its many parts shimmered, from the lights overhead, reflecting a red/pink hue.

  Flexing my hand and testing the dexterity of my fingers, it wasn't perfect, and it took me several minutes to finish. Nor was it something I would ever be able to create on the fly. But the fact that I could means that I can take this into the game. Since the game wouldn’t bring in items unreted to it, a pet, or skill, if I instead create them in game while pying, they should be recognized.

  And if I get skilled enough, maybe the system will recognize it as a skill or technique.... "Heh~" I sighed, "Probably not."

  Regardless, I should be able to craft a bloody suit of armor in the game. If I tried to do the same in a real fight, I’d probably die before I finished the first steps. That is, if the amount of blood used to create what I needed didn't end me. (I am kinda curious why I'm not suffering from anemia. I guess, technically, I haven't 'lost' any of the blood so far.)

  In the game, I can restore my HP using my Bloodborn. So far, I’ve been using this to create a rge ball of floating blood that could easily crush the ants. From now on, I could use that floating ball properly, turning it into various weapons, armor, and tools, all through the Mob's vitality.

  Rexing the temporary nerves that span throughout my blood, the gauntlet quickly fell apart into its constituent components, every hardened point dissolved into a jelly-like form before fusing back with the rest. Once all the crystals had dissolved, I pulled all the blood back into my body. But the open wound on my back persisted, leaking a small portion, hardening this blood I created a crystallized scab that would seal it, and allow for temporary blood access.

  "Alright, let's go," I told my Bloodborn, who left the goblin's mouth. Once he was freed, the sound of raspy screams once again filled the operating room.

  Leaving the wound on my back as it was for now, I left the sounds of the screaming goblin to the tranquil quiet of the living room. Creating a copy of the scene for ter, I began collecting parts for a hazmat suit and a rge pair of tongs. Once I suited up, leaving the back open, allowing a tentacle of blood from my back to touch the TV screen, I returned to the operating room.

  Stepping inside, I was again confronted by the raspy screams of the test subject. Without a word, my Bloodborn moved to shut him up while I set up the experiment location. Once the video was set up, I motioned for my Bloodborn, its body morphing away from the goblin's mouth down towards the straps keeping it tied down.

  The cape of blood appeared from my back once again, forming a hand, grabbing hold of the goblin. My Bloodborn untied the straps before merging with the rest of my blood. Quickly I brought him over towards the TV setup on the southern side of the room, stuffing him inside another image of a forest. Once he was safely pced inside, I quickly retracted the bloody appendage and resealed the wound on my back. "Step one complete."

  Now that he was inside, I added the image to the video editor, positioning my Bloodborn by the TV, I sealed the suit, and took up the tongs before bringing up the next image.

  Spoiler

  [colpse]The pink cabbage-looking Chakra Fruit. With my Bloodborn positioned at the TV, its touch allowed for the tongs to pass through. Taking the pink fruit out of the image with the tongs, I was immediately hit by the feelings it elicited through my Bloodborn.

  It was near short of ecstasy and mindless desire, its sweet fragrance calling like a siren. My mouth started to salivate through the smell from the connection. Sadly, for my Bloodborn, but lucky for me, he has no mouth, and I have more self-control than to eat something that's driving my fight or flight instincts crazy.

  I was holding it well over an arm's length away with the tongs, but the feeling of overwhelming energy was omnipresent. From my sixth sense, it felt like a glowing bomb.

  Quickly flipping the screen back to the video editor, my Bloodborn opened the door as I tossed the fruit inside. "That's the end of that, now you come back." I didn't want to risk the possibility of it getting damaged by what happens next.

  Taking off the hazmat gear, I reabsorbed my Bloodborn again while pulling up a chair. Sitting down and adding time to the video editor, I stretched out a tendril of blood from my back, starting the video.

  The goblin picked itself up off the ground, looking around for anyone or anything that it could take its anger out on, but could only find trees and grass. Without anything around, he began a rage-induced, filing, stomping tantrum. After a minute, his rge green nose picked up on a heavenly smell, it scanned its surroundings once again, and this time its beady yellow eyes nded on a peculiar, pink fruit. As much as it wanted to rage and stomp the ground, the sight of this pink fruit made its mouth water, the temptation was too great for a creature of such weak will as a goblin. The goblin pounced towards the fruit, greedily stuffing it into its mouth. Once the Goblin bit the fruit, the video turned a bright white.

  "Why'd it stop?" I asked, seeing that the video had stopped progressing. Pressing against the screen with the blood tendril again, it seemed to disappear. Pushing my finger into the screen, I couldn’t feel anything. Pulling my finger back, I was left stunned, looking at a charred stump; the tip of my index finger was completely evaporated. “Shhhee.” I gave a sharp, apprehensive inhale, I couldn’t even feel it, I have no idea what just happened; it was just gone. "I guess that's a no on the Chakra Fruit."

  END