’You cannot control someone that is far stronger than you.’ As the meeting between the Ethisian rulers, Governors, and their allies continued, the Granians organized themselves to begin once again a long and tedious task of going to War with said Ethisians and their allies. Like the Ethisians, the Granians wished to include allies in the War to better assist them. However, with their sour reputation and the fact that most of their "allies" were conquered and turned into slaves, they were left to fight the War on their own with nothing but their numbers, military supplies, superior technology, and.... "Very good, Blood Mutants. Let the acid sting!!" Ensued in a brief training session, Ace and Cherry battled against two Blood Clones made entirely out of blood with increased pH levels. This increase in pH intensified the Blood’s acidity levels, making it incredibly dangerous to touch. The acid, so toxic and corrosive, burned so intensely that six-inch holes were left wherever they stepped. Not only were the clones acidic, but they were unbelievably quick with their movements and attacks backed by intense strength. The one controlling said clones was an old, wrinkly Granian charged with teaching the Blood Mutants the concepts of Blood Magic, or in her terms, "learning how to control the life force energy living things and inanimate objects." "Stop letting the clones touch you, Cherry. By the time this is over, you’ll have no skin left on your bones." Newest update provıded by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "SHUT UP!!" The Blood Knight barked, already angered by the burning sensation brought on whenever her body and those of the clones made contact. Her knuckles, fists, forearms, shins, and feet were covered in painful blisters caused by the acid of the Blood Clones, making her grow even angrier. The same could be said for her brother who, like her, had sustained injuries from the larger Blood Clone’s acid. His injuries were slightly less than Cherry’s but they burned just as equally. "For the love of God, Ace, call off the old Granian," Cherry commanded, her frustration already past its threshold. The Blood Knight preferred real physical and combat exercises that would incorporate both her natural strengths and blood skills rather than having her skin burned. "If you won’t stop her, I’ll do it myself." The Blood Knight fumbled a little with her fingers and created a few Blood Spikes. As soon as she failed to get a response from Ace, she fired the Blood Spikes at Glissk who, at this point, was not phased at all by the angry Blood Knight. "Enough of this," appearing to "their aid" was Lord Grim with a few of the other Tribal Leaders, all dressed from head-to-toe in armor. Some carried traditional weapons, others carried papers and jugs of ink for whatever reason they were going to use them for. Judging by the looks on their faces, they and the troops were going to set off for War soon. "Granian, return to your little shack and await further instructions," he ordered Glissk and then faced the Blood Mutants. "Your other comrades have spent quite some time in the Simulation Chambers and have produced results. What progress have you made, Cherry?" Grim targeted Cherry since she, according to him, hadn’t shown that much progress like the others. Seeing this, the Blood Knight raised her hands quickly which startled the Tribal Leaders momentarily, making them think she was going to drain their blood or worse. "Does getting burned multiple times count?" her smug and sarcastic replies made the others chuckle while Grim scoffed a little. "What brought you here in the first place?" "We’ll be setting off very soon," Grim explained, "you two will join the others and rest until tomorrow’s sunrise. Get as much rest as you need because I doubt that you’ll get any soon. In addition, you’ll find armor sets for each of you in your private quarters. If they’re not to your liking, the armorers will see to providing better ones." On that notice, Lord Grim and the Tribal Leaders left the Palace grounds onboard three ships set for their closest colonies. Shortly after, more ships departed for the other colonies, leaving quite a number behind. The Blood Mutants did as he commanded; the two siblings regrouped with Jim and Anya. Just like Lord Grim had said, the two did look different, their bodies much stronger and glistening with Blood Energy oozing from them. "Been a while since we last saw you," Anya greeted with her long, blood-stained hair covering her face. The woman’s body, slightly larger and more agile than before, was stained with all kinds of blood along with sweat, mud, and a few bruises here and there. "Grania’s been breathing down Grim’s neck for you two to spend time in the Simulation Chambers." "We would have been there, had it not been for this dope and his acid-loving Granian," Cherry sneered as she raised her hands again, showing the deep burns on her skin. "Never include me in training sessions with that old thing again. I’d rather YOU continue showing me what you’ve got instead." ’Geez. Never thought she’d get this angry about it.’ The Blood Bishop pondered long and hard, wondering why his sister, the one who begged him to teach him all he knew, had shown so much aggression during their training session. Sure, it wasn’t the ordeal method best suited for training but it wasn’t that bad either. To Ace, Glissk’s reasoning made sense for neither of the Mutants knew about any of the creatures they were going to face. "Guess she’ll not be ready to fully know what I know anytime soon." ’Try all you want. No one can replicate what you do.’ Vorathrax, the Blood God, spoke to Ace which was something he’d rarely do. ’Unless I grant someone my Blood Power, they will waste their time trying to duplicate it.’ "Is there a way I can give her a portion of mine then?" he asked but there was no response. "Guess I’ll stick to showing her the non-mana-based Blood Skills I’ve got...though what good will those do in the future?"