Chapter 37: KHAN!!!!!

Styx hands wet with blood and excitement. Swings his new blood purple-tinted blade arms. In front of him is a copy of his active. They are both wearing identical kits. The highlights of purple in his blade exploding as he swings at the Guider. Both swing savage swords. The blood coming from scratch empowering the blade and its users. The blades are amazing. They converted themselves into his fighting style. The temple guardian is even more amazing.

It had started out as dark red blood. A blob of lifeless ooze. When he tried to grab the mortar and pestle that was on the shrine. The Guardian had flowed out like a thick sleuth of not quite there jelly. The transforms formation took less than a second before it started attacking Styx.

[Liquid Life - Degenerating Creation]

Info: A failed vial of philosophers' blood turn into a guardian. The poor energy around the guardian has caused the bonds of the Liquid Life to loosen degenerating the quality of the alchemical creation.

Hp: 1300 MP: 450 SP: 600

---Known Skills---

[Psion Skill - Copy]

Info: A common Psionic skill for those in the illusion path. Copy is a difficult skill to master and is extremely versatile.

Description: An Active skill. Allows you to copy. Costs 100 SP.

Styx and the Liquid Life guardian are highly comparable fighters. For the first time since starting Odyssey. Styx has met one of the new age A.V.I. Augmented Virtual Intelligence is the premier system used to control an NPC. Not only are A.V.I. light on system hardware. They are also infinitely programmable making complexity easy. Without a need to worry that a fully sentient Artificial Intelligence may be born in a game.

Styx and the copy start to fight proper. Their forms match attack meets counter-attack. Styx smiles the copy doesn't mimic his movements it counters them. And at a high level a wonderful experience for him as for the time he gets damage because he can't predict it next attack.'

Styx says, "Finally a real opponent." He swings his sword in parallel on following the other. The only to block. Styx dodges not only had the copy block he used his other arm to attack. Styx is thrown as a cut across his chest hits him robbing him of 55 health points. Styx points his sword at the copy.

Styx says, "Drain." A spiral shoots out of the copy towards his swords. He is happy it worked. He wasn't sure the Domain skill would trigger. He risked the loss of SP and MP because it is described as a being made out of blood.

[Domain skill - Drain]

Info: A single target spells that allows one to drain the life of their opponent to increase their regeneration.

Description: Drains 100 health. Increase regeneration by 50%. Costs 20 Sp and 20Mp.

The copy uses Conceal. It shimmers out of view as the spiral of blood finished draining the copy. Styx runs to the corner to prevent himself from being attack from behind. Holding his swords in a defensive position in front he thinks. The room becomes eerily silent as the copy slowly builds up to the attack. Exactly ten seconds, not the skill. Styx enters triggers his own conceal. Styx waits the rest of the time for it to appear. As soon as it does he launches an attack at the front aiming for the throat. His normal move would be a rear stun. So he switches it up. The attack works and it is a critical strike on a concealed strike upping the damage by six hundred per cent. Stunning damage of 246 appears. The yellow star appearing above his copies head.

---Message from Styx To Frey---

Styx - So did you guys find it?

Frey - I did! I mean we did!

Styx - Good and did it work?

Frey - Like a charm babe.

Styx - So are we even then?

Frey - Sure but only if you get Tyr to keep his promise.

Styx – Which one?

Frey – To Maria, the poor wee thing needs proper lad in her life.

Styx – Mi Amor the love doctor is in the house.

---END OF MESSAGE---

Styx goes to pick up the Mortar and sickle his Khan title does not affect only his combat class. More so it gives him an exceptionally powerful lifestyle class. The basic information may make it sound like he is just a well off alchemist. From the subtext, he infers that the class is soo much more, Plus given the obvious connection to the Bloody Star. He is more than happy to keep this class and skills.

Tyr also better great to him. He did after all help the all the girls get their hands on advanced lifestyle classes. With enough work, the girls can recreate the Diamond workshop. The Diamond workshop is something Styx stumbled across with the help of shadow. Styx used one day during the week to learn. He used it to learn about special places companies and legends from the spirit that lived during that time.

It is also how he knows about the true value of the Shifting Island. He too has secrets he wishes to share with others. He can't allow Tyr to steal his shine. Tyr can lead if he wants. But being the guy with the info is his thing he has already set up his small network of trusted people.

Styx also came upon the legend about ruler classes. The spirit he found specifically references the Czar of Ages. Unlike special or advanced or even unique classes. Ruler classes can only grow from the experience. This single feature can make them extremely powerful or extremely broken. From how the spirit explained that as long as a rulers servant is of a high enough class. The ruler can learn their lifestyle class. On top of this, a ruler is blessed with inborn pursuits. That they can study on their own without any help from servants. Styx has is waiting to see his they are block he has to earn something called Khan Points.

This is also his biggest worry the amount of time they will have to dedicate outside of combat to raise the rulership classes is one thing. Coupled with the fact that they have three of eight known rulers amongst them. This means they will have to raise even more resources. It's why he has to push Tyr to act more deliberately. Styx is thankful that Tyr seems to at least have good business acumen.

---Message to Shadow from Styx---

Styx - You said it repeatable.

Shadow - Ja boss as far I can see. As long as you make nice the bar oak. He will give you a special class.

Styx- what's the catch?

Shadow - A few things, the class weapons can only be made and it's a player exclusive none of the NPCs can learn it.

Styx - Interesting anything else.

Shadow - yeah he has quests for all eight bases classes. I paid a few other players. So it won't be a secret for long.

Styx - It's fine we want stronger people. Add it to the guide and up the price. Plus go back to Medium Bunz.

---End of Message---

Styx bites his nails this is worrisome he has never heard of classes only for players. Usually, it's the other way around. He sends another message to Tyr he is still busy inside his Temple. SKY Ocean Hunter is exploring his Monarch ruler class. SKY Ocean Hunter told him that his potion kit that was behind the Shrine. He is gaining Monarch points from using the kit. Styx does the same The temple had given a few resources to experiment with. For now, he understands what SKY meant by tedious. Since it is still locked he is doing it over a minigame. This game makes him follow a strict set of steps. First, he places the bone. Then cleans the bone, followed by drying. Each step in the process is about thirty seconds where he watches a spiral. Count down the process he is busy with.

During this countdown he can't do anything else it is quite boring. However, Styx follows through adding the processed bone to the next window in the mini-game. It's automatically crushed and processed into a cloud of fine dust ending up Processed Bone.

[Common Crafting Item - Processed Bone]

Info: A use crafting item in many lifestyle professions. Processed bone matter can hold a number of useful minerals.

Description: A versatile crafting Item.

He continues doing this earning a small amount of crafting materials. The small stockpile is always processed into a crafting item. For the most part, he doesn't know how to work with them it seems. He can only make the crafting material. He has to level up his Khan class to start working with his crafted material. He even experimented with his own blood. Unfortunately, he is missing pieces of his set needed to work liquids and mineable.