Jake expected the alien to instruct them to accompany him back to his private lab somewhere on Thelma or elsewhere, but it didn’t happen. The Aetherist simply aimed the Oracle device on his wrist at an empty space in the room and a small Black Cube sprouted in the designated location.
The Black Cube measured about the size of the gremlin, but it didn’t matter when it came to spatial technology. If it functioned like an Oracle Shelter, the space inside would be much larger than its outer appearance would suggest.
“Lay your hand on it to receive the invitation to enter. I’ve already given your bracelets clearance. ” Cekt Mogusar explained curtly before disappearing into the Black Cube.
Jake felt no apprehension about the little alien and walked towards the portable Cube without dithering. The usual system notification popped up in his mind and once the invitation was accepted, he in turn sank into the Black Cube before disappearing.
Upon arriving on the other side, he came to a strange garden, whose pale purple grass reminded him of the tentacles of a baby octopus. A few seemingly normal-looking trees were planted here and there, bringing a touch of the ordinary into this alien home. The dark walls of the cube enclosed a space the size of a baseball field.
The house was dome-shaped with a surface texture reminiscent of terra cotta. The same octopus grass covered it and without the metal door, it would have been very easy to mistake it for a small hill. In essence, it was a hobbit house whose green lawn had been substituted by a tasteless designer.
While Jake was contemplating the landscape around him, the rest of his group had joined him and Cekt Mogusar had switched off the security devices at the entrance to his house. Jake wasn’t sure, but what he thought were the sprinklers at first looked very much like plasma guns or some other equally destructive weapon.
The place may have been peaceful, but he had no doubt that the defense system was up to the status of an Aetherist. After all, this Black Cube was supposed to house his personal laboratory.
“You may enter. ” Cekt croaked after opening the door. The door was high enough for them to get in, which showed the little alien was used to having customers of varying sizes.
Having come for a reason, Jake and Sarah entered the house unhesitatingly and followed the Aetherist inside until they reached a freight elevator. The living space was laid out in a pretty way, just like a normal house, but as soon as one reached the corridor leading to the lift and then to the laboratory, the atmosphere turned metallic grey and plain.
The group took the freight elevator with the alien’s consent, which in turn sank a few meters underground before stopping in a slight jolt. On their way out, they finally discovered the laboratory of the only Aetherist of B842.
The laboratory was similar in terms of equipment and structure to the New Earth Research Center, but there was also a tiny mechanic’s garage feel. Many tools and instruments were lying around, showing the disorderly nature of the little alien.
“Never mind. “The Wendok muttered as he pushed the whole mess into a corner with the help of his telekinesis.
The lab wasn’t that big, but the storage room was gigantic. The room where the alien worked was simple, but the few machines inside were undoubtedly much more advanced than those in Jay Parks’ office.
The rectangular machine that had analyzed Sarah’s blood sample was also present, but several slots were available, allowing several analyses to be done simultaneously. A holographic screen next to it transmitted the results of the analysis directly.
“Put your Blue Cubes in a slot for analysis so I know what I’m dealing with. ” Cekt ordered as he jumped on the machine to turn it on. ” That’s very good. ” He added once Jake and Sarah were done.
Before they even had time to consider how long they would have to wait, millions of lines of Oraclean symbols flashed on the holographic screen at a speed too fast for them to read anything. The screen went blank less than three seconds later.
“Mmmm, much more interesting than I imagined… I recognize Myrmid and Kinthar’s style. So this is where they were hiding, huh huh huh? No wonder we thought they were dead… They even gave their names to two species… Damn crooks… “
Jake and Sarah listened silently to the little creature mumble and swear out loud as if it was the only person in the room. Will and the others wisely followed suit.
After a while, Jake received a system notification from his bracelet to accept a data transfer from Cekt Mogusar. He willingly accepted and a detailed report similar to the one that Jay Parks’ computer had shown them earlier appeared in his mind.
[First Sample Analysis: Grade 7 Bloodline]
[ Genome composition: 100% Myrtarian (Myrmidian/Eltarian half-breed) 25 pairs of chromosomes. Similarity with the human genome: 88.62%]
[Expected physical characteristics:]
[-Golden Irises and hair.]
[-Olive-coloured skin.]
[-Lifespan quintupled.]
[-Thicker and longer bones leading to a height gain of a few centimeters.]
[-Increased libido.]
[-Increased brain mass and gyrus count and circumvolutions.]
[Metabolic adaptations: Inorganic matter can be digested and metabolized to provide energy or rebuild the body.]
[Expected mental characteristics:]
[-Self-confidence, unwavering.]
[-Warlike disposition, enjoys challenges and conflicts.]
[-Resilience in the face of fear and pain.]
[-Increased calculating ability.]
[-Multitasking.]
[Expected Aetheric Characteristics:]
[-Accelerated Body/Spirit Body and Aetheric growth: Closely related to positivity, determination, pride, fighting and anger.]
[-Accelerated Body/Spirit Body and Aetheric decline: Closely related to negativity, shame, weakness of mind, fear, and feelings of defeat and failure.]
[Spirit of Revenge: After a defeat, and if the host’s will has not wavered, the bloodline will be greatly stimulated.]
[-Self-Encoding: There are no longer any limits to the Aether Stats, as the Aether is constantly being compressed to make room. However, the cost in Aether required to increase stats will quickly become exponential. Using the Aether encoded by the Oracle Device to increase the Aether stats is no longer recommended if the Encoding level doesn’t match].
[-Warrior Trance: As a result of the above-mentioned emotions and the will to vanquish in battle, the physical stats will be temporary increased.]
[-Spiritual Trance: By calming the mind through meditation, it is possible to amplify the mental stats as well as the quality of the Spirit Body.]
[-Aether and Soul Tribute: A defeated enemy will surrender a fraction of his Aether and soul in proportion to the threat he posed to the bloodline holder.]
[-Spiritual Golden Eyes: It becomes possible upon activation to analyze one’s opponents to understand their physical, mental and Aetheric weaknesses.]
[-Telekinesis: It becomes possible to control objects remotely via the Spirit Body.]
By the time he finished reading that first report, Jake was already in complete shock. The expected physical, mental and Aetheric changes were at first glance the same as those in Sarah’s sample, but when read more closely one would notice changes leading to drastically different effects.
Through the influence of the Eltarian genes, the brain had evolved, as had the digestive system and metabolism, although this could be a Myrmidian trait when the genome was sufficiently pure.
On the mental level, the tendency to be arrogant and to seek conflict and challenge was replaced by a natural calm and an appreciation of conflict and challenge. The difference was minute, but one was a slave to his emotions, whereas in this case he could control himself much more easily.
Overall, the Aether Skills and characteristics were the same, but all affected and included the Spirit Body as well. The bloodline skill “Spirit of Revenge” counterbalanced the negative decline effect associated with defeat by enhancing the bloodline every time one got up again. This literally meant applying the precept ” what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”.
.
The Aether Tribute Skill had been replaced by the Aether and Soul Tribute Skill, which eliminated the main disadvantage of the Myrmidian bloodline, which was that it only applied to Myrmidians or those who had consumed their blood.
Now, between the Self-Encoding Skill and the Aether and Soul Tribute Skill becoming stronger was almost like in a video game. He would gain more experience points by defeating enemies of his level or stronger than him, while the effect would be almost nil on weaker opponents. It made things much simpler.
Lastly, he also had a superior version of Golden Eyes and the Telekinesis ability spoke for itself. Actually he hadn’t noticed that he could use Telekinesis when he had consumed the blood while fighting the horde, but perhaps there were some prerequisites for the Spirit Body before he could use it.
If the first bloodline was already so life-changing, Jake could not help but tremble with excitement as he began to read the second part on the Myrmidian bloodline.
