Ikaris then offered to bandage her broken forearms, but Malia refused his help. With a snort, she put her bones back in place by herself and waited a few minutes for her wounds to heal.
This gave the teenager a chance to witness the incredible regenerative abilities of Vampires. According to Magnus, vampire vitality was different from the one displayed in her attributes.
A Vampire could only die by being stabbed in the heart or decapitated. On the other hand, in the case of pure-blooded Vampire Progenitors like the old Archmagus, decapitation was not a weakness. They could survive being dehydrated, dismembered, drained of all their blood and even hibernate for millennia in their coffins if the situation called for it.
There was a downside to this advantage, as well. Any regeneration consumed their Blood Energy. If they did not drink human blood, they would become weaker and weaker until they were unable to move even though they were theoretically immortal.
For the record, a Vampire who had hibernated for millennia in his coffin was unable to wake up on his own. To regain the strength to move, he needed at least one drop of blood, and usually much more, to jump-start the activity of his cells.
For all these reasons, Malia was a rather weak Dhampir, far from reaching her full potential since she only consumed a small amount of animal blood.
Of course, because of the radiation damage caused by the Divine Spark, no Vampire was truly immortal in the Forsaken Lands. Hibernating for so long would only ruin their potential and squander their lifespan.
Seeing Malia's pale, bloodless face, Ikaris put on a concerned expression and asked,
"Are you sure everything's okay? If you need blood it can be arranged..."
Malia hesitated, her pale parched lips trembling unnervingly, but she shook her head vehemently a second later.
"I just need to rest a little."
She refused to engage in another spar with the boy and he did not insist. As she walked away, he saw her return to the Lord's residence and guessed that she would probably make a trip to the kitchen in search of some meat, her politically correct way of getting her fix of animal blood.
As the afternoon was already well underway, Ikaris said goodbye to Danchun and headed this time to the three places of worship. The Elsisn Temple was beginning to attract worshippers for the simple reason that the building was more spacious and majestic than the other two Prayer Halls.
The other reason was that apparently some villagers had their prayers answered when they visited it. The most compelling and indisputable miracle was the Down's syndrome man, Dwayne.
After wailing in the temple, complaining about being different from the others, he went to bed in tears. The next day, his intelligence had increased significantly. Checking his status, Ikaris had not seen a difference in his Soul Strength, but something in his brain had changed as his G Talent had increased to F.
Having received feedback from several villagers whose prayers had been answered, Ikaris was also hesitant to pray to the Major Saint for cheap benefits but his pride prevented him from doing so.
'I already have access to the Offering Pool if I want to receive Elsisn's favor.' He consoled himself half-heartedly.
Conversely, the two Prayer Halls were a scam in comparison. No matter how many offerings or prayers the villagers made, the two corresponding Saints remained hopelessly silent.
Ikaris had a pretty good idea of the reason. It wasn't that the two Saints were ignoring the pleas of the believers, but that the two Prayer Halls had not gained the recognition of Faulch and Kinah. At the moment, one could truly say that they were praying for nothing.
Now that he was a Nephilim of Faulch, the teenager intended to solve half the problem. One of his bloodline abilities was called Servant of Faulch, which allowed him to form a mental connection with the Night Saint. Through this link, the latter could also control him, but Ikaris was confident that Faulch would not resort to such despicable behavior.
"So how should I pray?" Ikaris hesitated as he stopped in front of the Night Saint's austere statue.
"Focus on the unconscious bond between you and Faulch and say whatever comes to mind while trying to remain respectful. If all goes well he should hear you and give you an answer." Magnus suggested in a nonchalant tone.
"Okay..."
Ikaris cleared his throat, then focused on the strange invisible connection that drew his attention to the statuette,
"Almighty Faulch, beacon in the dark, witness me in my time of need. Guide my soul so I might conquer your foes. I seek this of you on both my knees, o almighty spirit. Bless this nation and this place of worship with your presence. I and my subjects will do all in our power to extend your glory and your values throughout the Warring Lands and beyond."
These pompous words had come to him spontaneously and he realized that the skill Servant of Faulch was influencing him more than he thought. If it were any other Nephilim he would surely be groveling in tears before the Night Saint statue, a zealous expression on his face.
At the time nothing happened. The wind blew over the village as if to mock him, ruffling his hair. Ikaris felt a bit foolish and the stares of the curious villagers nearby embarrassed him deeply, giving him the urge to disappear underground. If it were Ellie in his shoes, she would definitely have blushed out of shame.
He waited a long minute but did not dare to repeat his prayer a second time. Magnus was adamant that the Night Saint had surely heard him.
After five minutes without an answer, Ikaris sighed and prepared to leave, considering trying again the next day. Perhaps the Saint was busy...
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the granite boulder acting as an offering table burst into black flames. The roughly carved statue of Faulch morphed into a larger-than-life Night Saint. The stone surface of the statue, the promontory and the offering table took on a raven black tint as if a bucket of ink had been poured over it.
The aura surrounding the Prayer Hall changed dramatically, an unearthly and unholy entity that was not there before gracing Last Saint with its presence. Ikaris received no response, but when he scanned the statue with his Appraisal Spell he discovered that the description had changed.
[Faulch Prayer Hall: A place of worship for the Night Saint]
[Number of worshippers: 176]
[Evaluation: This Prayer Hall has been recognized by Faulch. Pray, make a sufficient offering or gather enough followers and perhaps he will grant you his favor.]
[Upgrade Requirements: Grade 2 Village, at least 50 followers]
[Faulch Prayer Hall meets the requirements to be upgraded into a basic temple. Do you accept to upgrade Faulch Prayer Hall into a basic temple now?]
Ikaris agreed without hesitation. Another black light enveloped the place of worship like a spectral sheet and in a way as breathtaking and fantastic as the upgrade of his own house the Prayer Hall changed its appearance, expanding a few times to reach dimensions similar to the Elsisn Temple.
Instead of a promontory of stacked stones with a small statue on top, a black as obsidian building with a sinister aura appeared next to the Elsisn Temple. The figure of Faulch on the roof above the front door was now very realistic and it was hard to look at it.
The other villagers were shocked when they saw this, but those who worshipped the Night Saint cheered with delight. Their prayers had been answered!
Entering the temple, Ikaris saw an offering table and prayer pews arranged in the same fashion as in the Elsisn Temple. Torches emitting ghostly green, almost cold flames dimly lit the interior and on this point the teenager had to admit that Faulch had a better grasp of the atmosphere of his temples than Elsisn. In comparison, the Elsisn Temple was more like an ordinary chapel that could be found anywhere on Earth.
It could also be interpreted in another way. Faulch was serious and had real expectations for Last Saint and its inhabitants. His status as a Nephilim was no doubt part of the reason.
Ikaris then scanned the temple and as he expected the description had changed completely.
[Basic Faulch Temple: A place of worship dedicated to the mysterious and infamous Night Saint]
[Blessing of Faulch: Reduces the risk of death from any cause in the territory by 1%. Reduces the hostility of undeads against the territory by 1%. Death and Dark related spells and creatures are 1% stronger. Necromancy and Black Magic Spells cost 5% less stamina]
[Number of followers: 176]
[Offering pool: 7/100. Fills the pool to receive a blessing from Faulch. NB: A priest of Faulch and the appropriate prayer can influence the result]
[Upgrade requirements: Grade 3 Village and at least 100 followers]
The blessing from Faulch was completely different from that of the Elsisn Temple. Its benefits were much more concrete.
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