Oliver must have been going insane. The same herb he hadn't even wanted to touch was now receiving a massive amount of his own blood.
At first, it was just a few drops, but the damn viper's idea had merit. As soon as the withered petals of the flower began to stir with life, things changed. He spent long minutes bleeding until it regained its crimson red color, and its roots spread across the ground.
Yes, across, not under. The roots of the Blood Rose spread like a web over the soil, covering an area of nearly two meters.
Beep!
[Herb Rank – 1]
[Blood Rose: Weak healing properties and a detected genetic mutation.]
"So now it got even more specific."
"Of course, you don't have a [Rank – 1 Herbalism Guide] and your personal knowledge is too shallow to draw conclusions on your own. Plus, your bracelet isn't complete." As usual, the viper dumped a mountain of information without the slightest care for how Oliver would digest it.
"Easy, snake! One thing at a time!"
"As Jack would say?"
"You really have to stop reading my memories..."
"Sorry... It's the boredom."
Oliver let out a deep sigh for what must have been the thousandth time.
"Bracelets are nothing more than supercomputers and advanced tech. Of course, there's a touch of cosmic energy involved. Linking something to a being's soul is completely supernatural."
"Wait, the bracelets are linked to my soul?"
"In their current state? No, but they will be once you reach Rank – 4. In all paths, that's the stage where the soul begins to take shape and becomes less troublesome to handle."
"Doesn't that mean I could be hacked? Like... my SOUL!" It was disturbing to imagine that, one day, some super intelligent being could control him just by hacking into a device connected to his soul.
"No, the bond is more like someone holding tightly to your blade, not a symbiotic relationship." The viper laughed, but that actually made Oliver feel better.
"Anyway. These computers are extremely expensive to make, and only a Rank 4-level faction knows how to build them. The Federation has monopolized the trade. You don't need to understand what that means for now, just know that with some effort, you can gather more pieces of these bracelets to complete yours." For the first time, the viper was extremely didactic. For a few minutes, Oliver even thought it was a good teacher.
"So I have to steal or kill humans?"
"Well, chopping off an arm would be enough... However, you could take them from the already dead or from other humanoid species. Though everything indicates this planet only has humans. It'll all depend on finding someone who starts to understand how these computers work."
"And the Guides?"
"In your Initialization case, anyone who picked a Guide or Scanner received a type of bracelet. I don't know much about the others, but they're probably similar. Still, instead of tearing someone's arm off, it might be easier to just ask them to transcribe their guide. But hey, if that ruins your fun... ignore it." Oliver was already finding it odd that the damned snake had talked this long without cracking a single joke.
He stood there for a few more minutes. Near the tree roots and the new spreading roots of the Blood Rose.
A lot of information had been dumped on him, but things were starting to feel a bit less murky.
"I really do need to ascend to Rank – 1." After a while, Oliver finally concluded that it was clear he needed some level of control over cosmic energies to help David.
"There are two paths for you: Alchemy and Combat."
"I've been using the Scanner all this time and found nothing. It's like everything is dead."
"How do you expect to find herbs in the ruins of a metropolitan city, whose greatest concern was dumping trash and sewage into rivers and the underground?" The viper's scorn was almost tangible, and something told Oliver it had some past grudge about this.
"Point taken and noted. So, only combat remains. At least until we find a place that might have herbs."
"Or until you gain the ability to grow your own garden... Could be a good source of trade... Who knows, maybe even earn some influence in the city..." The viper spoke as if it were nothing, but it was obvious it had motives for wanting him with power and influence. Oliver just didn't know what they were yet.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"What's with that alarm sound?"
The shrill noise echoed across the entire city. Oliver quickly looked up,the city wall was visible from here, and he could see some of the soldiers drawing their blades.
Before he could act, a voice rang out through the whole city.
Hello! Hello! The voice was feminine, quite childish, but carried a sense of urgency.
Oliver quickly found the source of the voice. In some of the taller spots, speakers had been installed, and that's where the voice came from.
This is Officer Eleonora. I ask everyone to remain calm and enter the city walls in an orderly fashion. A group of elite beasts decided it was a great idea to payour city a visit. So let's give them a warm welcome.
"Elite Beasts?" Oliver questioned his snake-wiki model embedded in his forearm.
"Oh... they've already learned that much? I guess I underestimated the initialization efforts of whoever founded this place."
"Are you going to explain?"
"Probably not the best time for a history lesson. This is a good opportunity to see the city's strength, and for you to get resources. Blood for your greedy Rose and meat to help with your saturation."
A few more seconds passed before the voice returned, this time with a more serious tone.
All elites not currently engaged in duties, please head to the East Gate! The voice grew heavier with every word, as if a subtle desperation was starting to pierce through the childish pitch.
"I guess it's our time." Oliver had no idea what an "Elite" was, but it was clear the viper thought he could fight in this battle, so it was worth the risk.
"The question is... how am I supposed to fight without a weapon?"
"Sssssssssssss! Hehehehehe... This is going to be fun."