BXBX NOVEL Chapter 241 240: First Tattoo
I shivered as she slapped my rear before striding off, walking over towards the resting Anput.
Panting, I blinked a few times as my eyes lingered on her retreating figure, the heat inside me rising rapidly as my mind whirred to create images of the scenarios that she would put me through tomorrow.
I was personally hoping for the whips to come back out; the sting on my flesh was also so amazing...
Shaking my head, I got the naughty thoughts out of my mind as I walked over towards the meditating Leone, the Vampire's pale skin shimmering with sweat.
Hearing me approach, the woman opened one crimson eye and gave me a look over, the mirth in her eye undisguised as she muttered "Have fun there, Kat?"
I half heard her as I sat down, the image of Jahi looming over me intruding on my thoughts as I plopped down beside the Vampire, my tail swishing around.
Rolling her eye, the woman returned to her meditation, and I joined her a moment later.
Grabbing onto my mana, I sent my thoughts inwards as I began to study and observe the combined manas inside my Core, ideas for potential spells and enchantments slowly filtering into my brain.
Formulating a new spell was difficult with my heat, but eventually I managed to push it aside and alter my focus to what truly mattered.
Getting whi-
No, spells.
Magic.
Mana.
Pain.
Formulae.
Those mattered...
Nodding, I eventually got a few ideas to coalesce in my mind before archiving them away, glancing over at Vampire.
Leone was staring straight at me, her brow raised as she asked "Could you be any more obviously in heat Kat? Even as a non Beastkin I can smell the tart scent wafting from your body. As for Anput..."
We both turned to see Anput panting as she leaned against the wall, her eyes fixed on me as well as she licked her lips, only for Jahi to roll her eyes as she grabbed Anput's wrist and pulled her inside.
Fixing me with a hard stare, Leone sighed as she shook her head, before asking "If you're not to busy, would you mind helping me focus my mana onto my lower back? I want to begin the first half of my new Tattoo..."
Nodding, I took a few deep breaths before sliding behind her, watching as Leone lifted her shirt slightly.
"Alright, so just place your hands onto the center of my lower back and push a little of your Wind mana into me. When I bring my Fire mana to bear against yours, just latch your mana onto mine and let me guide it."
"Okay... let me know when."
Sitting behind her, I placed my hands gently on her back as I waited for her signal, before pushing a small thread of Wind mana into her, giving the woman the precise point at which she should begin circulating her mana.
With my mana as a guide, Leone hummed softly to herself as she began to formulate her newest Tattoo on her lower back, the elaborate cluster of merging rings creating a beautiful design.
Each ring was filled with complex runes, and I narrowed my eyes as I began to decipher the spells Leone was engraving onto her skin.
The cluster acted in unison, like gears in a machine; each on benefited the other in some way, propping another circle up whilst others did the main function of the spell, which...
Chuckling to myself, I nodded as I saw that what Leone was putting on her back was another mana gathering array, but this time it funneled the mana directly into another spell, which hadn't been shown yet.
That made me immensely curious about what she was cooking up, as it would likely be something akin to a missile in terms of destructive prowess, considering her magic was already so potent with just her own base mana.
It didn't take her too long, surprisingly, to finish her newest Tattoo; each time my Wind mana was enveloped in her flames it made her speed up slightly, able to swiftly etch the Tattoo onto her flesh.
When she finished up, Leone let out a low sigh as she clenched her fists, before she groaned and muttered "Damn I hate that feeling..."
Shaking her head, the Vampire glanced back at me with a small smile, thanking me.
"Your Wind mana sped that up so damn much Kat... thanks. Now, would you like to-"
She trailed off as I stared down at my palm, my lips pursed as I asked "Does it hurt?"
Tilting her head, Leone narrowed her eyes as she nodded.
"For me, it's like being branded. I would imagine that for you, it'll be like being burned as well, whilst your Wind would make you feel like dozens of tiny needles are pricking at your flesh."
Nodding, I glanced up at her and said "I think I'll try one for myself now..."
Giving me a small nod, Leone said "Well, good luck then. I'll be nearby in case you need me..."
With that, the Vampire stood up and approached her friendly boulder, sitting atop it as she turned her crimson gaze towards me.
Smiling warmly at her, I sat down and focused my mind, deciding swiftly on what I wanted.
I was going to start simple; a Water mana gathering circle on my left shoulder, and I would make it as small as I could, to save space for later.
This would make my ability to absorb mana from my surroundings easier, and that was always nice.
Picturing the Ritual Circle in my mind, I took a deep breath as I summoned it into the world, before lowering it onto my left shoulder.
Like with enchanting, I needed to keep the Ritual Circle steady and gradually bind the spell to my flesh, creating a spell that would innately, and instantaneously, work.
Feeling something lapping at my skin, I took another deep breath as I was assaulted by a cool, uncomfortable wave of pain that washed over my shoulder.
It wasn't sharp, nor dull; it wasn't hot, nor cold...
This feeling was discomforting, as it was... nothing, in particular.
There was nothing that stood out about it, but that was what made it so discomforting.
Flinching slightly, I felt it seep further into my arm, digging into my muscle before burrowing into my bone.
The further the Ritual Circle sunk into my flesh, the more of that odd feeling I received.
When it finally was entirely etched into my shoulder, I sighed as the feeling dissipated, the process over with in a surprisingly short amount of time.
Opening my eyes, I nodded to myself as I rolled up my sleeve and stared at the dark blue Ritual Circle on my arm, the contrast between the deep oceanic blue and my fair skin rather jarring.
Brushing my fingers against it, I sighed in relief as I noticed that it wasn't that different from my normal skin, so if I got a Tattoo somewhere that was normally touched a lot, it wouldn't be that noticeable.
Standing up, I glanced at Leone, who raised a brow as I showed her the small Ritual Circle on my arm.
"That's impressive, doing it on your first go and all. Also much smarter then me, what with me going for the complex crest I emblazoned on my chest..."
I chuckled and nodded, staring blatantly at her exposed cleavage where a dull red crest laid, the Ritual Circle and ornate wings standing out just as much as my new Tattoo.
"Well, go try it, see if you can notice a difference."
She chuckled as I nodded again, eagerly waltzing over to the straw filled dummies and raising my hand.
In order to best see the benefit of this Tattoo, I needed to expend a large enough amount of mana to notice that it was gone, before waiting and calculating the time it takes to regain it back.
Going with a safer, easier option, I summoned a ball of water and poured a good sixth of my mana into it, resulting in a four foot sphere of water appearing before me.
Shooting it forwards, I drenched the dummy and knocked it down with the sphere, before closing my eyes and observing my core.
Before, I could get a few drops of mana every five seconds, but now it was every four.
Four-ish.
Not a large improvement, but oh well~
I got my first Tattoo~!