Serum

Dirk was surprised seeing the notifications. Because this was his goal though, he readily accepted. 

When he did, the magic circles all activated, the power piercing toward Dirk's soul. He felt a light searing pain before a brand appeared on the back of his right hand holding the blob. 

At the same time, the faint connection to the blob strengthened several times over, becoming a full bridge between their souls. Dirk could understand the thoughts and feelings of the blob in that moment, and it could likewise feel his. Their minds were connected. 

"Obsidius..."

Dirk mumbled the blob's name. It was fitting, given the blob's void black color and metallic feel. It bounced up and down in his hand. 

<Familiar [Obsidius] accepted.>

---

"Hm?"

Dirk was surprised as the magic circles served their purpose and faded away. He read the skills of Obsidius curiously. 

'He can become an armor. He has a Pocket Dimension, like a pocket ring. I can store items then. I'm not sure what the others are, though the gloves are somewhat self explanatory. Wonder why they're special.'

Dirk stood there in silence, thinking to himself as Obsidius wrapped around his fingers and massaged them. 

"What's a living flame?"

He suddenly asked. He actually remembered his forging master, Sir Tobasden, telling him something about it. He supposedly had one. 

Pandora explained.

"Living flames are powerful and basically infinite sources of magical fire that gain mild sentience and life. A skilled fire mage can tame them, making them a kind of familiar to use alongside fire magic, forging, or alchemy. They have a variety of uses in anything related to fire, and since they're spawned from Source Mana, they don't run out. Does that thing have one?"

"...Yea."

Dirk nodded. Then, after urging Obsidius with his mind, the blob settled on his hand. 

*Woosh*

A flame suddenly ignited, almost as if Obsidius was burning itself. The fire was a deep red, though not amazingly obscenely. It was definitely weaker than the living flame Sir Tobasden had in his forge. However, even if Dirk used his full power to create a hot flame, it wouldn't be as hot as this one. Plus, living flames were more special than just hot fire. 

"Wow. Impressive. You know, you can actually increase the power of living flames by absorbing others. Weak living flames are actually the most valuable since you can tame them easily and grow them. If we had a weaker one in the treasury, I'd give it to him. The only one we have though is equal to a Tier 7 in power. The blob would get eaten instead."

"Right."

Dirk nodded in understanding. Obsidius stopped releasing its fire at the same time, going back to massaging his hand as if it were teething. 

It was then that Dirk narrowed his eyes, looking at the fingers on his right hand. There had been a ring there, but it was gone.

"What'd you do?"

He asked, and Obsidius shook in response. His pocket ring was spit out, Dirk grabbing it with his other hand. 

Upon inspection though, he found it was empty!

"My stuff?"

Obsidius blew a bubble, making a pop sound. Dirk's attention was then brought into the pocket space. There, he found all his stuff, plus a bunch of empty space. 

Dirk was surprised. His pocket ring only had a space a few meters in diameter. But Obsidius actually had a large 20 meter space. 

'That's a lot. Very useful.'

Dirk thought pleasantly. He could store large bodies in there if he needed to. He could also pack a bunch of items with space left over. It looked like he wouldn't need a backpack for this trip, not that Pandora wasn't filthy rich enough to buy all the pocket rings she wanted. 

Finally, Dirk wondered about the armor skill of Obsidius. And with his urging, Obsidius complied. 

The blob suddenly expanded. At first it could fit on his palm, covering his hand when spread thin. But now, it rapidly attained mass from seemingly nowhere. 

The black metallic slime spread up Dirk's arm before covering his entire body. After completely engulfing him, the slime hardened, taking on a distinct form. 

It was a slim black armor that covered every inch of his body. One could see the outlines of muscles along the arms and legs, each fiber and joint clearly defined as if the armor had muscles of its own. The chest and abdominal muscles were prominent not unlike Dirk's while the head was totally featureless.

It wasn't a normal plate armor, but another skin. If this armor didn't cover Dirk, he would take it for Obsidius' body. 

The armor only took a few seconds to take its form as Obsidius conformed to the shape of Dirk's body, learning his figure. Even when it hardened though, Dirk felt his movement remain uninhibited. 

In fact, he felt better than ever. The armor seemed to tap into the power of his body, enhancing his strength with its own. Dirk could feel the toughness and flexibility of it. He could even feel the ability to stream his mana and anima into it. Clearly it wouldn't inhibit his Aura or magic in any way. If anything, it would enhance those too. 

While there was a bit of adapting to do, the connection between Obsidius and Dirk allowed them to fully cooperate. Obsidius had no trouble tapping into Dirk's power, exchanging his own. The transition was seamless. 

"...Good armor."

Dirk mumbled in happiness. This was definitely a fantastic piece of equipment. It covered everything with no gaps and allowed him to retain his full combat ability, even enhancing it. And Dirk knew that he would only learn to work with Obsidius better in the future. They would compliment each other. 

After a short minute of getting used to each other, Obsidius shrunk back down to his normal blob form. Dirk smiled at him. 

Truly, Obsidius had abilities that did justice to the life's contribution of a great forgemaster and alchemist. They didn't disappoint. 

Pandora watched from the side. Truthfully, neither she nor the Vampire Queen knew about the true abilities of this blob. It was only known that it could become an armor, but because it didn't contain that much power, it never got used. After a bit of thought, she had chosen it to become Dirk's armor. After all, it couldn't be that bad considering the price to make it. 

And it turned out to be much better than they thought. A full body armor, a living flame, and a pocket dimension. While there were two more abilities Dirk didn't test out yet, just those three were enough to make it a valuable artifact. 

"Done yet?"

Pandora suddenly asked as Obsidius jumped around Dirk's body. He faced her before nodding. 

"Then let's head back up."

The air swirled around them as she said that, pushing the two back the way they came. After walking back into the first treasury room, Pandora brought Dirk over to another side room. 

The room was filled with various pieces of equipment. Dirk saw a lot of guns and their ammo, along with some enchanted weapons strewn about some tables. There were also basic supplies and accessories, more than Dirk knew what to do with. 

"You have armor and a magical pistol. Now you get to take a few enchanted melee weapons to use with your Aura. I've packed all types of clothes for different situations and survival supplies in case anything goes south on our trip. There are also some accessories with magical functions, one of which is used for long distance communication. Pick your gear and pack the essentials on that table. I'm going to grab our ride. We leave the city in four hours."

Pandora briefed him before leaving. Dirk watched her exit the treasury before focusing on the plethora of weapons in front of him. Though, his thoughts were a bit complicated. 

He knew Pandora was pissed. He could feel it through their soul bond. He had felt her rage in the morning too. But despite her rage, she still handed him an exceedingly valuable artifact and was loading him with weapons and gear. They weren't entering this storm unequipped. 

It was a sincere gesture on her part. She didn't just drag him off to go fight hordes of monsters barehanded. She was concerned for his safety and power. 

But that begged a few questions. Was she doing this because she valued his life or because she valued his abilities? He had few secrets that she didn't know. She knew his full combat power and exactly what he was capable of. So was this protection an investment or helping a friend?

Dirk certainly didn't believe they were friends. No matter how comfy Pandora got with him, this was definitely business. In exchange for his talent in killing, she provided the resources and the battlefield to grow in.

They were about to enter this battlefield in the hopes of acquiring an extremely powerful artifact. They were fighting against the gods at the behest of the dragons, the agents that would be moved in order to steer this war toward the desired outcome. Pandora used this as an opportunity to grow her own power alongside her influence using technology. She sought nothing less than world domination, at least in Dirk's mind. 

And Dirk was one of the most powerful weapons she could wield, especially with his potential guaranteed by his pure soul. It was a give and take for both of them. Dirk was already in her debt. 

But he couldn't help but feel bad. Sure he didn't trust her, and until she proved otherwise, he wouldn't ever place his life in her hands. In fact, Dirk would only ever willingly place his life in the hands of his mother, she being the most trustworthy person in his life. 

But he was different from how he used to be. He was treating her coldly, and she was still helping him. He felt hypocritical, like a parasitic leech just taking her valuables and giving nothing in return. While he knew he would be fighting very soon, he still had these thoughts. 

He was torn between the person he knew and the person with him now. He knew Pandora contained deep madness within her, the mind of an evil genius. He remembered vividly the atrocities her people and criminals committed, the acts of terrorism that sought to bring down global establishments. Tens of thousands died at the hands of her people, many of them being soldiers and military. 

She was psychotic. Deranged. If not for her not having absolute total control over The Council on Earth, then she really would be a truly evil person. The only reason she wasn't the worst human being in Dirk's mind was because the others of her Council were independent to some extent, carrying out many of those aforementioned atrocities. When Dirk thought about it, he knew that she really only attacked the establishments, carrying out raids on secret projects and hindering the development of world governments. It was how she came to clash with him. 

And if Dirk was sure of anything now, it was that he hated the people who abandoned him. Those governments that betrayed him were the worst in his mind. If he thought about it more, the things she did weren't as bad as he used to think they were. He no longer minded the thought of those who betrayed him losing all their power. 

And now, Pandora was a new woman. The Princess of the Dark Kingdom, the daughter of the Vampire Queen, a woman with modern science and technology in her head, and a mind that could influence entire empires. 

She was smart, but now that she wasn't psychotic and mentally damaged, she was more normal. She actually had emotions, as did Dirk. She could get angry, she could smile in happiness. He had even seen her get a bit sad when Spyte didn't let her pet her. 

She was more human than ever, an ironic statement considering she was a vampire now. 

Dirk could see all this. He saw her past and saw her now, and he wondered which one he should believe. To what extent did her madness rule her mind? How willing was she to betray him if it benefitted her to do so? They had a deep connection and history, but how much did she value it?

Dirk wanted to know what was behind that pretty face, behind those blood red eyes that saw through everything. 

'She wants to rule the world, and wants me to help her. That'll take a long time. Guess I'll have to observe for a while.'

Dirk thought before looking at the weapons in front of him. Then, he made his selections, preparing himself for what was to come. 

............

There was a small vehicle sitting outside the spire. The vehicle was shaped like a modern car with wheels and everything. It looked like an SUV, though because it was obviously enchanted, it lacked many of the defining features of an actual car. It was like someone stripped a vehicle of all its internals.

Pandora was leaning against this car as Dirk walked over to her. He was surprised by the ride. 

"You built this?"

"Had it built by a forgemaster and enchanted. I didn't opt for flying since ground travel is safer for weaker mages. This thing uses earth magic to drive, and for the most part, everything is just looks. The inside is gutted besides some comfortable surface material. It'll be both our ride and tent. Even on rough terrain, it's capable of up to 80 miles an hour."

"Oh. Very nice."

Dirk nodded pleasantly. He was definitely happy to be riding in a car. After all, it would be a long trip. 

"Alright, hop in."

She spoke as she opened the door and got into the driver's seat. Dirk climbed into the passenger side and settled in while Pandora hit the gas pedal. The seats were lined with cushioning materials, making them more than comfortable enough for a long ride. 

The car jolted forward, proceeding to drive down the paved roads of her Dark Kingdom. It didn't take long for them to reach the gate, and she didn't even stop as she was automatically let through. 

Like that, they left the capital city, riding off into the distance. The lands around the capital were mostly plains, so they drove through open roads for a long while. 

"We're taking a route that follows the eastern borders all the way up to the Dwarven Haven. We're cutting straight through Horizon territory on the way, but we'll be nowhere near the capital. Unfortunately, there's one problem we may run into."

Pandora spoke dully as she lazily drove the car. Dirk leaned into his seat and hummed. 

"What's that?"

"I have a railroad that's being laid as we speak, leading up to the Haven. It cuts straight through the land for the fastest travel time, so it avoids any roads. But we need to follow the roads, and along the way, we'll be passing within 70 miles of a known major dungeon. Thankfully the railroad is out of the way, so it isn't at risk of getting attacked. But we're obviously not following the railroads."

"We're cutting through a monster horde."

"Correct."

"And why didn't we bring anybody with us?"

"I told you, this is our own battle. Our mission is a total secret. There's no way I would bring anybody with us. Nobody even knows where we're going, including my bodyguard who I left behind in the Kingdom. From now on, we're on our own."

Pandora smiled a bit, seemingly liking the thought of moving independently. She had been a princess all her life, so her every action and word were always under close scrutiny and judgment. For possibly the first time in her life, she was breaking away from her life of constrained royalty, embarking on a grand adventure with total freedom. 

Dirk just sighed, petting Spyte who curled in his lap. 

The world was about to take a step forward.