Complete Private ✪ Stokbon A Review of the Formal Applications of Magical Properties Considered Questionable in Nature

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra was still amazed that she'd managed to find a room for rent at a low cost, that would allow her to do her work in private. The homeowner - a relatively older Lander, from what she could tell, had only requested that she keep the noise to a minimum as much as was possible, and of course ensure that the room was clean and in order once she had moved out. The best part was the study contained a small hallway entrance, that led direction to a secondary door on the home itself - meaning that potential visitors didn't need to bother the main resident in order to meet with her.

She looked around the room again, taking it in, in earnest. There was a small cot laid out in a far corner which included a small chest beneath it that contained a few of her more commonly used items - including her changes of clothing. She'd still found it far more interesting to use the in-game storage capabilities over the UI itself, somehow preferring the immersion that carrying all her items brought about.

Aside from the cot and storage container, there was the desk, smaller in size than the desk she used in her usually occupation, but large enough to already have a collection of notes and books sprawled across it. The central area of the room was adorned only with the plastic sheeting she'd laid upon the floor - a precaution she'd taken, knowing what she was working with.

Her eyes finally passed over the small washcloset on the corner opposite her cot, bare necessities that came as an extra part of the package. She gave a soft sigh as she smiled over her progress. From a basement section underneath a bakery, to this. Wonderful progress, if nothing else.

Now there was little else to do, beyond wait and see if anyone answered her posters. She'd been careful to include the proper address for her location - including the subletting numbering that signified that it was a side entrance. She'd also made sure to include a small notation that it was a secondary entrance, just in case anyone was unfamiliar with the local housing systems.

"Now just to...wait for someone to show up. That shouldn't take...err...that'll take a while. Maybe I should..."

She gazed around her new workspace, unsure of what exactly she should start with. No inspiration stood out, and as her eyes lingered on the piece of plastic, she realised she was at a loss until someone showed up.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash wasn't sure why-

-no, that was lying. Ash knew exactly why he was at the address written on the posters. It was because he was broke, and odd jobs were the easiest and (usually) the safest way to get a few extra coins to keep his need meters satisfied and his travel costs covered.

There was something about what the poster said the job was that made him a little nervous, but... well, there was always the option of just stepping away if it was too much. Possibly some MIT student looking for a hand, or a Traveler pushing the limits...

He looked down at the poster, then looked up at the side entrance.

I guess this is the right place? Didn't think it'd be a residential area...

He was still feeling doubtful about all this, but he was also feeling the flutter of anxiety, so he pushed the doubt aside. He rapped on the door a few times, then cleared his throat.

Hello? I'm here about the job?

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra jumped at the sudden rap on the door, the noise entirely unexpected against the silence that had covered her new place. She spun, bounding to the door and throwing it open, tossing a beaming smile on her face as she took in the green-haired new comer.

"Hi there! My name's Kyra! Uhm...job? Oh, right! The research...assistant! Yes. Uhm. I don't really have err...a set funding. I mean I have some personal funds I can pay. Uhm...what's the normal going rate? Like...5 gold a day? 10 gold? I uh...I'm not really...sure what's normal wages. Sorry."

She felt herself bouncing foot to foot as she tried to contain herself. She had a possible assistant. Sure, it might cost her some gold - but that was the price of knowledge advancement afterall, so what did it matter in the end?

"Oh uhm...sorry, I didn't get your name! Sorry, I get a bit excited about...well...all of this."

She gave a wave of her hand towards the room, before realising how the scene must look. The plastic laid upon the floor, the otherwise newly furnished area. She almost squeaked aloud as she considered the serial-killer-esque scenario laid out before them.

"Uh...it's not...it's not what it looks like. I swear! It's uh...a legit...ish...research project...I'm not gonna kill you I promise."

Her ears bent down towards the top of her head as her tail twitched slightly behind her. Her only saving grace being that she'd been smart enough to change out of her armour and into something more casual.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash startled backwards as the door was thrown open, fur and hair standing on end until he processed that he was not in fact under attack. He blinked downwards as he settled, processing her question.

Oh. Ash is fine. And I guess we can figure out the going rate once I know what I'm doing? The flyer was a little vague...

He stepped inside behind Kyra and examined the room. It looked like a normal, albeit sparse apartment... except for the sheet of plastic on the ground.

Um.

He couldn't blame the nervous flutter of his heart on a DA this time. This was... incredibly suspicious, and Kyra's very specific denial was not helping. One thing was certain - she was definitely a Traveler.

I... think we should talk about the going rate after we establish exactly what we're doing here. The poster was a little vague, and all this looks... interesting.

At least he had his weapons in his inventory. Hopefully he wouldn't need to use them.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Her tail had begun swaying back and forth at an alarming rate behind her, the nervousness affecting the very physical aspects of her body. Her hands clasped in front of her, wringing themselves as she tried to mumble out an explanation of everything that was occurring. Tried to explain the questionable appearance of her new place, and the assistance she required.

"Okay...so, I know how this looks and all. I'm not armed. Well, I mean I have a weapon. But it's not on me. I mean, I'm not defenceless. The point here is that I'm not going to hurt you. At least I hope I won't hurt you. I'm conducting some research - research around a taboo magic, hemomancy. Hence the plastic. To, well, you know make sure that blood doesn't soak into the floor or anything. The landlord wants the place clean once I move out. Which means plastic to ensure- that's not the point. Anyways. The whole research project - the point of the poster...it wasn't clear? Well, I guess not. I can't really display 'hey I'm practicing this possible taboo magic come see me at this address!' That may not go over entirely well, right?"

She took a deep breath, her nerves causing her words to run together, the cadence of her voice matching the swish of her tail. She could feel the heat on her face, and wondered for a brief moment how silly she looked. Likely the individual would be put off by her unprofessional behaviour before she even got out her experimental idea.

"Okay. What I'm trying to say is...I'm researching the implications and possible benefits - as well as drawbacks - of focused hemomancy with the intent of precise healing properties. Sure, we can use other magics, or hemomancy itself to basically heal wounds. But what about beyond that? What about using it for non-invasive surgical procedures? Or image-based investigation without needing fancy machines, or affecting patients in an invasive way? Think like...MRI, but without the whole whirling magnet and locked chamber thing."

She was bouncing on the tips of her toes, now, the excitement taking over as she fell into her usual state when explaining the idea. Her hands - held in fists in front of her face as she continued speaking - covered the bottom of her chin, but left the clearly estatic look on her face open to the world.

"Although it's looked at as a simple fix for many, we don't know the long term affects of healing magics. Sure, you can get someone back on their feet in a matter of seconds, and that's great for the Starcalled. But what about the Landers? Or the Starcalled who have...well, ended up as Landers? Who's to say that this system isn't so realistic that healing magic is only a stop gap? I mean we can heal away a cancerous tumour with a touch, or a word. But does it come back? Maybe? Could we use hemomancy to review their very essence, their bloodwork and beyond, in order to determine that? And in turn...could we use hemomancy to prevent it?"

She let out a sudden sigh, having completed her explanation. She then realised she'd explained nothing of what she planned on doing here.

"So uhm...the reason I'm looking for an assistant right now...is essentially to try and, uhm...well, to try and test the ability to properly control the hemomancy inside another. Basically like...I want to make sure it's possible to receive feedback..."

She realised what it sounded like, and she felt her voice drop away as she waited for the other's reaction.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash crossed his arms as Kyra began her explanation. Really, it felt more like a monologue - the sort of thing a mad scientist might ramble in an attempt to justify their heinous acts.

And yet, what she was saying was reasonable. Perhaps a little awkwardly worded, but she probably wasn't an actual scientist, and it got the point across. She was just a Traveler trying to figure out the intricacies of Terrasphere... a goal that wasn't too dissimilar from his own.

Ah, hemomancy. That explains it

I'll admit, the idea of someone messing around with my blood seems a little sketchy...

...but I think I see what you're getting at. It's easy to throw healing magic at someone and fill up a health bar, but the way Terrasphere is you don't really know what you might be missing.

His tail began to swish as he marshalled his thoughts. This was the sort of thing he wanted to figure out - the sort of thing that had him considering joining the MIT before the whole thing with the Serenity Mist.

Like with the Red Fever - I don't think we know if that was a curse, a disease, or both, but we couldn't just throw magic at it and hope for the best. Even the Serenity Mist was a stopgap measure...

He paused. He was starting to ramble himself. He cleared his throat, and nodded.

...I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm in.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She listened to his inputs, his refocusing of her own ideas. Could hear the increase of his heartbeat, matching the slight excitement in his own system. She could see the swish of his tail, signifying his interest. Everything was working out better than she had expected. Her attention was caught by the mention of the Red Fever - something that she'd heard in passing, but had never really investigated. Before she could ask about it, however, his response came.

"Oh! Oh awesome! I- I'm so happy...Alright! So! Like I said, I'm kind of...err, did I say I'm new to this? Well, I'm kind of new to this. I've done one project before, but this will really be my first in so to speak. With MIT, I mean. Anyways. Uhm...to begin, I was thinking that it's far too dangerous to actually start by...inserting hemomancy into you. I mean I've got good control over my abilities with it, but it doesn't make sense to take reckless actions if we don't need to."

She'd moved across the room, pulling out the small chest beneath the bed. Opening it, she found her scythe laying atop the clothing and other minor materials, glinting in the light that shone down on it. Carefully, she disconnected the small dagger at the chain's end, before moving back to the plastic and settling herself in its centre.

"So what I was thinking instead, was to do a controlled experiment. Essentially, a mixture of blood. Outside the body. Basically I want to see if I can maintain a disconnect between the two fluids, and see if it's even possible to try and separate the two, to ensure that the caster doesn't accidentally...become one, so to speak."

She motioned to the area across from her, waiting for the other to seat themselves before continuing her explanation.

"Basically I've got...err, crap I forgot to get them out, but I've got a couple of bowls and jars that I'm going to use. We'll collect a bit of your blood, and put them in the containers. I'll then use this dagger-"

She motioned with the weapon, as she stood and collected the twin bottles from the desk, alongside a few open-topped bowls that were made of some sort of green crystal-like substance. She resettled herself on the floor, her tail wagging in an almost chaotic movement as she continued.

"-and with the hemomancy, I'll try and...sort of integrate into the blood, and see if I can do two things. Firstly, I want to ensure that I can keep them separate. I don't want to accidentally absord the other liquid - that would be bad. But also, secondly, I want to see if I can get a feedback report, an indication of any sort of...health concerns, with it. Uh...which also means I want to make sure you're okay with that - it could provide some pretty personal information if it works...and I want you to know that I'll keep it all super, super confidential."

She suddenly blushed again, her chin dropping to her chest as she realised she'd forgotten to mention that one crucial point. I am so going to be broke paying this individual back if they accept this...

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I'd need to make a donation.

I can't say I exactly follow everything you're saying, but I think I've got the gist of it.

Still, he couldn't help but stiffen at the thought. He'd been sliced and stabbed and chewed on, and he'd even fought a hemomancer before, but the idea of intentionally wounding himself just felt off, even with pain reduction off.

But Kyra was already been subconsciously classified as an "ally" in his mind, and his DA responded in kind. The frantic staccato of his heart was smothered into calm tempo, defanging the anxiety that had been brewing at the back of his mind.

This should be fine. It's not the same as the Serenity Mist trials...

He took a moment to kick off his shoes before going further into the house by sheer habit, removed his more complicated overcoat by stowing it into the UI, then sat down on the plastic sheet. It crinkled as his tail thumped against it, and he found himself wishing he'd worn a shirt that wasn't white. As an afterthought he pulled up his sleeves, just in case.

I'm not sure what information you'd get from my blood, I guess - it's not like this is my real body, after all. It probably won't be anything incriminating.

...oh, and don't worry, I'm definitely not carrying Red Fever anymore. I checked. At least, it's not in my status screen anymore.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She'd begun moving in her excitement, preparing to hand over the dagger to the other. Then he'd mentioned that he didn't think there'd be anything to find, and that he felt like he was clear of the Red Fever. She didn't quite understand what it was, but the mention of it had her hesitating.

"Uhm...as someone not familiar with the Red Fever...should I be worried? It's a bit before my time, and all..."

She wasn't sure what to make of the situation. She doubted there'd be any concerns about contamination - should could just as easily dispose of both bodily fluids once they were done, rather than worry about it at all. So long as they maintained a safe, secured and sterile environment they should be fine. But...something about the situation concerned her.

"I don't expect any sort of contact - but if you think there's a concern, then maybe we should uh...take precautions? I mean it's entirely possible that there's nothing to be worried about - as you said, it's not showing up on your status screen anymore. Except if my theories are even remotely correct..."

She left the rest hanging in the air. If she was even somewhat correct, then that would mean that the status screen was only so useful. The doubt was enough to stay her hand for the moment, waiting to see what the other would suggest. She still had a lot to learn here, and it wasn't worth taking risks - especially with something as globally known and spoken of as the Red Fever.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Well, at the very least a lot of travelers have since wandered away from Camp Nisus and presumably have bled on a lot of things that could catch it...

Ash opened up his UI. Still no status there at least. He began to swipe through his inventory, sifting through the mess of random items and supplies as he continued talking.

It showed up on our UI pretty early on, even before it had any effects. It affected emotions - amplifying their effects on the mind. It was being carried by some giant insects, and may or may not have been partially a curse empowered by a demon corpse.

He held out a hand in time for a glass bottle to manifest in his palm. It was filled with an oddly iridescent liquid and sealed with a metal cap.

...but if you're concerned, I've still got some of the Serenity Mist we used to cure it. Kind of a "reward" for helping make the stuff.

He gave the bottle a swish, watching the contents glimmer in the light. Then he set it aside so it was within Kyra's reach, and folded his hands back in his lap.

Back then, it was more of a mitigation than a cure, but if you did somehow catch it it would at least suppress it long enough to... I don't know, get in touch with other MIT researchers. Would that work for you?

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Her eyes lingered on the bottle as it was pulled forth, and then placed on the ground between them. Questions rushed through mind as she considered all the possibilities; there were problems to be solved by studying the vial. Another time, for now focus on the task at hand...

"Yeah...Yeah okay. Uhm...sure. Yeah that's fine - I mean like you said, it's probably not an issue anymore, anyways."

She glanced at the empty bottles that she had placed on the plastic. Twisting off the cap on one of the bottle, she handed it to the man, before taking the other bottle. A quick swipe of her dagger and she began letting her blood drip into the bottle.

"About a quarter of the bottle should be enough...I think. At least for today. We don't want to over-drain you. Not on the first day."

She smiled, hoping her joke would reach the other individual would catch her humorous attempt - or at least feign understanding it. Either way, she turned her focus back towards the project at hand. Her mind was already racing, trying to determine where to even start.

"Alright...so I think this is going to take a few moments...uhm...just hang out a bit?"

She turned her focus on her own blood, closing her eyes as she focused on the hemomancy. She could feel as her own blood in the jar began to swirl, responding to her summons. Eyes still closed, she whispered out to the other person, trying to calm them.

"Don't worry, this is...normal. I'm just gonna focus on moving it...across to the other jar...then the real fun begins..."

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash looked down at the bottle nervously. Even a quarter of it felt like a bit much, but...

Well. Here goes nothing.

Ash didn't have a knife on him, but his fangs were plenty sharp. It only took a quick nip at his hand to start the blood flowing and a bit of a squeeze to keep it going. The pain was dulled, but it was enough to make him feel queasy.

...okay, I think I got enough.

The first tendrils of foreign alarm wormed into his mind as he reached for his runestone. He mumbled back as he pressed it the stone against the wound. A flicker of spiritual energy crept across the wound, pulling it shut and leaving only a pale scar.

Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Thank god for the pain limiter.

He shook out his hand, then pulled a small sachet of dried fruit from his inventory. You were supposed to eat something after donating blood, after all... that and he was just generally hungry.

I will say, this is going way better than the last time I interacted with a hemomancer. That was... not great. I think I prefer dealing with you over her.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She had just put aside her own dagger, using her Spirit magic to close over the wound she'd created in order to obtain the blood she needed. She paused, midway through the movement as her ears twitched suddenly. Her gaze slowly lifted to the man across from her, a curious look on her face.

"Pain limiter...? What pain limiter?"

Then suddenly he mentioned working with another hemomancer, and her curiosity had moved on. She cocked her head to the left, an inquisitive glance as she looked at the other Starcalled. Her mind raced to try and fill in the blanks, even as she asked her questions aloud.

"Oh...you've worked with a hemomancer before? What on? Was it a research project as well? Or something else?"

She tried to let her face take on a careless appearance, unsure if it worked or not. She could feel her jealousy coming forth - as well as a concern. Had someone else already started investigating this theory? Was she too late, and just didn't know it? Were there others on the same path of thought as she was?

While she considered the possbilities, she closed her eyes - keeping her ears open for any responses. She summoned the blood within her own vial, swirling it for a moment before forcing it up and through the air, sliding over to the blood in the second vial. Taking a deep breath, she began her work - forcing the blood down towards the other's, attempting to keep the two separate as she searched for some kind of feedback.

At first, she felt nothing. There was the connection her hemomancy, the general feel of the magic, but nothing else. It was as if the entire thing was one sided - no way to receive feedback, nor use it in a sense that she desired. Then, suddenly...

"Did you have...bacon, at some point in the recent past?"

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash made a face. Oh dear...

I guess you've never poked around in your settings, then...

Terrasphere has a setting that limits the amount of pain you feel from injuries. Once of a few "convenience" settings the game has, actually. It restricts your movement a little, but it can be worth the tradeoff.

He thought back to the first time he fought a hemomancer, and how it had ended with a blade of blood thrust through his chest. He rubbed the spot where it had happened - even spirit magic hadn't been enough to prevent a scar from forming there.

It was worth it for me, at least. The hemomancer I fought was more of a berserker than a scientist, and got me pretty badly. Fortunately we weren't fighting to the death...

He trailed off as he watched Kyra do her work, his attention fixed on the shifting blood. It was surreal how it moved without anything visible manipulating it. How did it feel, being the person casting the magic, rather than having something else doing it for you...?

He almost missed Kyra's question in his own ruminations. He blinked a few times as he processed it

What? Oh, uh. Maybe a few days ago? I certainly had some kind of meat at the inn, at least...

It was something how he couldn't remember if he'd had bacon, but he tended to eat food faster than he could taste it in this game. Flavor was always a bit of a gamble in game...

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She opened her eyes for a moment, letting the blood she was controlling flow back to its original container, as she considered what she'd just learnt. She was able to differentiate the two, easily telling the difference between her own, and the others. That part had been a success. The feedback had been, a lot. More information than she had expected - so much so that it had overwhelmed her, causing the momentary break.

"Ah...yeah, I uh...had all those features turned off. For the realism. I think I did that at original conception...kind of forgot that they existed, to be honest."

She smiled at the other man, before her grin disappeared. She registered what he'd said about the hemomancer, her expression turning sour. She'd never appreciated the darker aspects that the art allowed. She'd used it offensively once, and it had left her...well, horses.

A shiver passed through her spine at the thought, and she quickly pushed it away. Instead, she decided to focus on the task at hand a bit more, hoping that she was making a better impression for hemomancers than the man's previous interaction had.

"Well...I can say that we have had a bit of success here. I was able to uh...well, to connect. Lot of information though. Like, a lot. I uh...it's weird, because it didn't seem to be what you would expect for one person..."

Her brow furrowed suddenly as a new thought came to her. Was it possible? It was definitely something that would require further research - maybe something to consider another time. What she knew is that her current test had been more than she'd hoped for.

"Err...come to think of it...this may give some very personal information about you...I uh...are you sure you want to continue with this? I don't want to pry into things that you're not comfortable with me finding out..."

She left the question hanging in the air a bit, waiting to see what the other would say. She hoped he'd want to continue, but she didn't want to make him feel pressured into it. Especially when it came to what she could learn - the glimpses she'd already seen could possibly be enough to uncover things beyond just his physical condition in the game.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

...more than one person?

Ash crossed his arms, ears pinned back as he mulled on Kyra's words. That could mean... well, a lot of thing, honestly. He shrugged and smiled.

I don't think there's anything I've done in game that I'd consider particularly private. I've died once, and I've fought two world bosses, but beyond that I've just done... regular game stuff.

He raised his hand, letting the runestone rise up and gently float above his palm. The carved eyes glowed a faint red, giving the disquieting impression that they were looking at Kyra as it spun. A quiet murmur seemed to surround the stone, something Kyra might recognize as the presence of spirit magic... and spirits, for that matter.

The only thing I could really think about is the fact that I work with Spirit Magic, and I sort of... attract ghosts. You might be picking up some of that instead?

He lowered his hand, but the runestone continued to float, drifting a little ways behind him.

If you're worried you'll pulling things from like... real life, I kind of doubt it. Terrasphere doesn't seem to work any differently from most full-dive VR - it taps into your brain, but it shouldn't be able to go much further than that.

...to be honest, if it did? I'll gladly risk my privacy to learn something that big about the game.

As he said that his tail began to swish back and forth across the plastic... unmistakably wagging. This was the sort of thing he wanted to know about the game.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She'd begun to shake her head, ready to correct him about the connection that Terrasphere created - before realising that she had nothing to counter. She didn't know enough about the technology, the aspects of the game, the effects it had, or could have. All of her knowledge was little more than guesses, correlated and put together based upon experience - and even that was limited.

"Oh! Yes! Awesome! I'm...well, I'm interested in seeing...I mean that's a theory for another time...but maybe we can answer that here too. I..."

She stopped, the thudding of her tail against the floor causing her to jump slightly - she'd not even noticed the appendage wagging increasingly behind her, the thing little more than a part of her now. She didn't even notice it, most of the time.

"...uhm, sorry. Where was I? Oh. Right. It's not spirits, I can say that much. It's like two distinct individuals...I mean it's not...it's not like I'm seeing your real life persona, I don't think? It's a bit hard to describe it. Like, I can clearly tell that one portion of the feedback is your avatar. That one's as clear as day when looking at it. Then there's my own...but that's easy enough to separate. Like...licking yourself? You just know its you through the taste so to speak."

She fumbled with her journal as she pulled it out of her pouch, the purple leather cracking slightly as she opened it up. She scribbled a few notes, focusing on the page before turning her attention back to the man before her.

"Okay so...when looking at it, feeling it, I can tell what's myself. And that I can easily just tune out. But then there's your avatar - and that's like looking at you now. Clear, easy to tell. But then, beyond that, there's this...other essence. Like looking at someone through heavy fog, where you can just barely make out that it's there. Not enough to identify, but you know if you push through the fog, you may find something. Which...is not to say that I'll find personal information about your real life self, but it might be a collection of imprints from the brain scans, or whatever this system takes, in order to play. Like catching glimpses of a memory, or a dream. And...well....I don't know what that will lead to. It could be nothing more than pushing through fog forever, or it may....reveal."

She gave a wave of her hand, trying to signify the unknown. She had no clue where this was leading, but the discovery itself was...enthralling. Was there some sort of connection between the game avatar, and the real world body that had been unknown until now? Was there some way to learn about someone's real life, through the game? Was that a dangerous avenue to take?

The last thought caught her suddenly, giving her pause. A sharp intake of breath, and a sudden uncertain glance across the seated area, a concerned look on her face as she bit her lower lip in consideration. There were dangers here, if even one part of her theory was correct.

"...what if you can learn about the real life person? Is that something we even want to bring to light...? Isn't that...dangerous?"

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

...it could be dangerous. But that just makes it that much more important to figure it out.

There's no guarantee someone else won't learn this. Especially since it's more or less common knowledge that this game can kill you. Just because the algorithm kills conversation outside of the game doesn't mean the word won't get around in real life.

He was rambling again, but at this point it was worth it. Talking to a person was better than rambling on a blog. It made him feel a little less alone in the whole thing.

Someone could find this out, not tell anyone, and use it to threaten people. But... assuming neither of us are that kind of person, we could find out and... I don't know. Figure out a way to defend against it. If we have to play by Terrasphere's rules, then understanding those rules are vital.

He took a deep breath. It was the same reason he was interested in probing the spiritual side of the game, especially after someone had died permanently during the fight against the Matron. He worked with spirits, but what was a spirit anyway? What was a soul? They knew so little...

...but all of that hinges on whether you actually can find out information about me out of the game. Things like whether it's safe passing it on to the MIT can wait until then. So for now... I'll consent to you continuing with your experiment.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She hesitated. Not because she wasn't sure what to do, but because he was so willing to do it. Then there was the mention of whether or not it was safe to pass it on to MIT, or not. What's the mean? Is there something about the MIT that I don't know? It's possible... She wondered if it was worthwhile to ask about it now, before pushing the thought aside. There were higher priorities for the moment.

"Alright...for now, I just want to try and control it. Make sure that I can even...weed out the different responses I'm getting here. It's...a lot of information..."

She closed her eyes, summoning the hemomancy again, focusing on the blood in her own bottle. Slowly, she brought the flow to life again. The blood spun, slowly climbing its way through the top of the bottle at her direction, before flowing through the air and into the other bottle.

She focused on the information, her brow furrowing and slight glimpses of pain scrolling across her face as her mind was overwhelmed with the information. She saw flashes of images - likely pieces of the avatar's life, all flowing before her mind's eye, causing an information overload.

"There's so much here...you're...you're gonna want to...you have a lot of scars...are they all physical? No...your cholesterol is a bit high...tumour? What is that?..."

She mumbled aloud, eyes still closed, as she tried to focus on what she was seeing. There was so much information, so much to take from it. She wasn't entirely sure she was able to categorise it all in one viewing, and before she knew it she was pulling her own blood back, before severing the connection and opening her gaze.

"That...holy. There's so much. I think...I think I saw some of your avatar's past? Not images, but...bodily reactions...like...knowing what was happening, through your blood's reaction...or your body's reactions...so much adrenaline boosts..."

She trailed off, trying to organise her thoughts. She needed to think about what she'd seen. Collect it, organise it.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash leaned forward slightly as Kyra began to mumble and pain began to flicker across her face. Concern crossed his own face - she seemed overwhelmed by whatever she was seeing.

And yet it was fascinating to hear - bits and pieces of things that were apparently about his avatar. Scars made sense. Cholesterol was... huh. Tumor? For a moment he was alarmed before he remembered the other condition of his "condition". He supposed that could count.

You alright there...?

When the blood flowed back he leaned back before she opened her eyes. He found himself reaching for his inventory, sifting through and pulling out a notebook and a pencil. He began to write down a few notes - surely it was fine, considering it was about "him".

It sounds like there was a lot there. I haven't played that long, but I guess I've been through more excitement than even I realized.

If you're working with blood, it'd make sense it was mostly physical sensation... it's not the same as memory, or spirit. It's hard to believe that sort of thing would be... recorded, though. I'd say it sounds unlikely, but... well.

Ash gestured vaguely around them as if to imply the entire world beyond the little apartment.

Think it might be a good time to take a break? Wouldn't want you draining your energy dry on the first day.

A joke for a joke. Ash smiled, though there was still a hint of concern there. EN fatigue wasn't something to treat lightly.