Grimoire and The Old Crow

Cyrus stood over the reinforced glass that held Grimm inside. The eye was blue in color and looked like a dragon eye with a long slit like pupil. The circle of magic had been placed and waited for Cyrus to place his hand on it. Slowly reaching for it with his right hand, he took a deep breath and placed his hand on the circle. As the circle began to glow and create static that seemed to go towards the runes on his right wrist.

[Would you like to claim the grimoire of magic?]

The system had offered for him to claim the book, even with the help of the Chase, it probably made it possible. He wasn't sure how it worked yet, but not wanting to turn down his friend in the worlds of Chaos.

[Yes]

The glass cracked and began to light up. Chains from his arm and hand began to circle Grimm and draw it into his arm. He watched as the chains and Grimm began to vanish inside his right arm. After the last bit of Grimm was pulled into his body, he saw new notifications.

[Grimm has become a summon! 3/4 Summons]

[Grimm is a Beta Level summon]

[Grimm's HP: 42/42, CEP: 126/126]

[Grimm has 3 times the normal amount of CEP based off of its HP.]

[With Grimm absorbed into your Shackle of Fenrir lvl 2, you have gained access to Magic.]

[Evoker and Healer Tabs Unlocked!]

[Basic Evoker Spells:]

[Fire Bolt: Deals your INT stat as Fire Damage, the more your INT stat increases, the bigger the Fire Bolt. Create a ball of fire in your hand and hurl it at an enemy up to 36m away.]

[Ice Shard: Deals your INT stat as Cold Damage, the more your INT stat increases, the more shards you can create. 6 Shards can be created for it takes the half of your base stat value. These cold spears of ice will hover over your head as you cast the spell targeting a hostile target within 18m. Can be fired from your hand like a ring of small daggers up to 18m away.]

[Healer Spells:]

[Heal: This spell heals for an amount equal to half your INT stat. Your spell takes the form of chains that wrap around the wound or person. Radiating a green color will cause them to heal every minute. You can only do this a number of times equal to your INT stat, being Shackled reduces the number. Spending 4 CEP will heal the target for your full INT stat.]

[Sacrifice: This spell saps your own HP to heal an ally or summon when you want, this can trigger your Unshackled form, but only works if a target is wounded already.]

Cyrus was overloaded by the sudden explosions of messages. The spells he could access by saying the words out loud. But now wasn't the time, but he looked at his Skill Crystals he had in his inventory and hoped that he could get more to unlock more skills. Using them he had gotten 3 points then 1 point from the two he had. Cyrus decided to go over the skills in his own tabs or his summon's skills.

For now, Cyrus had walked over to the chest and picked it up. He looked at it and turned it around trying to find anything that could hint as to what was inside. It was old, very old and had the symbol of the Ouroboros. The serpent eating its own tail, but he didn't have a key that matched its lock. He was not good with lock picks, so he would just have to hope to find the key someday. With that he deposited it into his inventory, storing it for when the time was right.

Having returned to looking about he saw a pile of the rune coins, "Is it alright if we use these?" Cyrus asked Chase who had been putting on his gear. "I think Whisper would be happy to have his big creepy smile on his face when hearing how much he would be paid."

Chase turned and couldn't help but chuckle, "You have a twisted sense of humor Cyrus Reinhard," he looked at the pile of coins and nodded. "Yes, his toothy grin would probably extend past his hood if we aren't too careful." They both laughed, never before had Cyrus thought he would be causally joking around with a vampire from inside a Chaos Tear.

Placing his hand over the pile of coins he watched as it began to disappear right before his eyes. The moment the coins all vanished he checked his current total. His eyes nearly bulges out of his head.

[17,346 Rune Coins]

"I don't think I should spend it all at once, that would possibly be very bad." He closed his inventory and continued to pull a few more items. Even checking out the Black Knight's armor piece he got. When equipping them, they seemed to appear for a moment then slowly vanish into the long coat he wore.

[Black Knight's Breastplate: A piece of the living armored Knights, increases physical resistance by 10%]

The armor was useful and helped reduce even more damage he would receive. However, his health was still low so it meant he still had to be careful even with attacks being reduced in damage. The weapons weren't ones he would particularly use. A spear, axe, and a mace. Cyrus managed to find a sword buried under gold. It had the design of a chained cross as the hilt, while the blade was covered in chain near the base of the weapon. He picked it up and saw it's name pop up.

[Slayer's Short Blade: A treasure to a family of vampire hunters that lost their heirloom in a long war between the Galihath family and the Reinhard family.]

[The descendants never managed to claim it again for they thought it was lost. This caused the short blade to lose its connection to the bloodline.]

[To regain this blade's power, it takes time. Do you wish to add this artifact to your collection?]

Cyrus dropped nearly dropped the weapon seeing his family's name. But he knew that his parents had been in the fight with the worlds of Chaos. But how long has the events of the rifts and tears really lasted he never knew. He looked towards Chase and saw that he was holding the weapon. Cyrus saw that Chase had been relaxed this whole time, but the moment he picked up the blade he tensed.

"It seems that this weapon used to belong to my name sakes family name." Cyrus said truthfully, he didn't want Chase to think it was his family, but the fact it had his family's name on the details bothered him.

Chase walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Take it, if it has a similar tie to your family then take it. I don't fear you betraying us for you've helped me more than anyone outside the family." Chase was wearing a dark long coat with a blue inner trim, exposing his chest some. A sword at his hip, daggers sheathed at his side and lower back, and book that nestled in a pouch on his left leg. He looked ready for war or a crazy fashion show.

Cyrus nodded as he had accepted the weapon into the artifacts slot. It appeared to have a percentage value rather than a quantity value. When toggling the artifact he noticed he couldn't equip it.

[Slayer's Short Blade at 0% affinity, meditate, and train your mind and soul to impose your will over the blade. Unable to equip.]

Cyrus noted the way to unlock it, for it seemed that there were conditions for artifacts to be used. But how and when was the question. He was just happy to add another to the collection. After heading over to the crystals he decided to finish off his special condition quest for the Gamma Crystals consumed. After using his devour skill he had acquired the necessary crystals and gained his special rewards.

[Conditions met, you've consumed 10 Gamma Crystals!]

[New conditions upon new day]

[You gain 3 stat points, and a loot chest!]

Inside the loot chest was 250 more rune coins, which didn't disappoint, be he hoped for something more. However with more coins then Whisper would enjoy coming by again and again.

That's when Chase decided it was time to go, Cyrus put a couple more things in his inventory and left. The door closed and the vault was locked once again. Heading to the portal, Cyrus could see more Phantoms all laying on the floor. Either dead or tired they were losing the fight. He needed to get to the top and defeat the boss. To save the corporation from losing more of its men.

Traveling through the portal led Cyrus and Chase into a room full of potions, chopped limbs, and the smell of something foul in the air. Cyrus covered his nose from the pungent stench.

"Who is here?" A voice that sounded old, like a cracked female's voice who has a been a grandma for several years. "Who comes to my home? Invaders? Guests?" The woman's voice was moving closer to them. But Cyrus' only thought was to hide.

Diving for cover and hiding behind a large box filled with fingers. Looking at them made him gag. The footsteps seemed to shuffle across wooden flooring. Coming from his left the flapping of wings soars over head and lands just across from them. Cyrus and Chase look at the creature finding it to be just a regular crow. It twitched its head from side to side to get a better look at them. But Chase knew what was in this room was more dangerous than Taurus.

"Oh," the old woman's voice sounding right over their heads, "Are they here little one? I am sure that they are here... I can smell a dead corpse and a fresh body that will be nice for my stew!" A massive hand gripped Cyrus' head as he was flung out into the open. Crashing to the ground and rolling to then right himself, he caught a glimpse of the creature that threw him. Standing with a hunch, long arms, a purple long widow's gown, and a face that seemed to be that of a blind crow.

"What the hell is that?" Cyrus said as he got to his feet, before he realized it she was standing in front of him. He didn't even have time to blink as she was staring at him with her blind eyes.

"Oh what a wonderful smell you have child," he could hear her take a long whiff of him, "you hold some bundles of energy that can feed me for another century!" She let out a cackling laugh that seemed to be mixed with the caws of a bird. That is when Chase quickly killed the crow that was watching them and she turned and vanished in a cloud of black feathers.

She was heard screaming about, in and out, bouncing across the whole room, "Someone killed one of my precious babies! WHO DID IT? It wasn't the boy, no no no, not the healthy one! It was the walking CORPSE!" She screeched as Chase was flung into the wall with excessive force. "You will die for hurting my babies!" She appeared around Chase but not right on him, which gave him a chance to escape her for a brief moment.

Appearing next to Cyrus he whispered, "RUN!" as he pulled him to start running. The crazy crow lady seemed so angry and sad that she had one of her birds die. But the worst part was his senses of energy were still on and it felt like she was all around him. Like he was being drowned by a sense of foreboding and fear. Chase had the worst of it though, for he was flung into a wall that brought his health down to almost half. There was no way they could win this fight.

"I am coming for you! JUST YOU WAIT CORPSE! The boy will be mine!" As he could hear the cawing of many birds from all around them. The Crow Hag, has picked Cyrus as her next meal.