Luke kept himself alive so far with an entirely defensive combat style and healing from his two rings. However, his stamina was bottoming out, and his HP gradually decreased.

The strike from Lilian still had Luke's gut bleeding. His feet were slapping hard against the stone floor. Vincent was leisurely following him in his blood mist form. The ability didn't seem to let him attack, but Luke was about to be enveloped by the mist.

A few more seconds. Luke held onto that hope.

Vincent would not know that Essence Bond could be put on nearly permanently. His arrogance could be used against him, as Wayfinder suggested. Luke's speed was slowing. The light from the exit was growing brighter, but Luke was still some distance away.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Wayfinder's needle moving was all else Luke could hear as his breath-synchronized and took away most other sensory input. A bloody claw emerged from the mist, striking him in the back.

Luke forcibly took the attack and kept moving forward.

"Where's the brave guest from before? Not able to continue the fun then?" Vincent mocked.

Vincent moved his blood mist ahead of Luke and blocked the way forward. He reformed, and his crimson sword was at the ready. "You'll have to say hello to Lilian when you see her in the underworld, won't you?" His expression began to return to normal.

Luke accepted the circumstances. This was it, but he wasn't going down without a fight. Infusion empowered him and his sword. His grip around Whispering Edge tightened, crushing the caked blood around it. His eyes looked only at the Coven Lord in front of him.

"They all turn boring eventually." Vincent's voice became cold.

Letting the Coven Lord walk forward, Luke stood like a statue in the middle of the stone hall. Vincent's eyes became like thin silts. Slowly, his gaze roamed over Luke. "No more running, is it? Fine, my blood sword will add yours to its mix."

Then, he swung his spell sword without any pretense.

Vincent's unexpected wide slash had such force behind it Luke didn't even bother to block. He instead rolled under and forward. With almost no distance between him and the Coven Lord, Luke thrust Whispering Edge straight ahead. He cast Essence Bond on Vincent; the same hand he used to cast immediately formed an Essence Lance after.

Even with the slight surprise, Vincent reacted with experience that belied him. His blood sword parried the Essence Lance and redirected it to Luke's Whispering Edge. The Lance crashed into the sword but melded into it instead of damaging Luke or the blade. A frost aura overtook Whispering Edge, and the blood in the air froze solid. The empowerment of Infusion surged, amplifying Luke's strength and speed to levels he'd never felt before.

What is this? Luke couldn't help but think.

Suppressing his feeling of awe, Luke lashed out with the sword. Its strikes became far faster. The cuts left a frost, ruining any chance at regeneration. Vincent's spells all shattered. The blade silenced the vampire. His mouth shut, and his eyes dulled.

With the loss of his blood blade at the worst moment and unable to turn into mist, even the Coven Lord was backed into a corner. The tables had turned very unexpectedly. Luke seized the thread for life with everything he had.

Luke's thrusts and slashes carved far deeper into the flesh of Vincent. It was like the resistance he felt before was cut in half. Having experienced the silence before, the Coven Lord was calm. He waited and waited and waited.

Something was different. This Reaver's blade landed a silence every strike.

Luke didn't waste time thinking. He kept using this opportunity to end things. He was already at the end of his rope long ago; even standing was a strain. The exhaustion was so intense that his movements became minimalist.

The frost spread into the air. It was full of essence. Luke felt like he was undergoing terminal lucidity. Everything was too apparent now. The exhaustion in his body couldn't be felt, even though blood was still leaking from his wounds. His breathing returned to an even pace.

He took his sword and twisted it through Vincent's knees, shattering both. With the frost, even the regeneration of a vampire was useless. A few more swings came from Luke, decimating the vampire. He lobbed off Vincent's right arm. Despite the waves of damage from his attacks, the Coven Lord did not die.

Luke pierced his blade through the vampire's stomach. He tore it out in a quick fashion. As he brought down his sword once more to try and slay this monster, yet another twist came.

He felt like his strings were cut. Eight seconds after Essence Lance shattered into his sword, the frost dissipated. His legs locked up. His arms grew stiff. Luke sliced his sword against Vincent's face in an effort to get away from him.

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The Interface in the corner displayed a bright red warning.

[Warning! Reaver has overdrawn their weapon's innate essence. Abilities sealed for 8 minutes, suppressed injuries and fatigue have returned to their worst state]

Luke fell. He tried to keep a grip on his sword but failed. Luke had lost his momentum, and fresh sweat sprung from his pores. He could only watch as Vincent tenaciously dragged himself forward with one arm. Shattering the knees of the vampire had only bought him some time.

"I'll suck every drop, break every bone, and savor every bite of you, Reaver." He started to rave madly.

Luke's body refused to move. He couldn't do so much as lift a finger.

"I cannot remember the last time I've had such an entertaining guest. Bravo!" The Coven Lord congratulated Luke. He had indeed been pushed to the edge. The look in Vincent's eyes became dangerous. He had dragged himself close, and his fangs gleamed against the frost.

Vincent took a few deep breaths. This Reaver had nearly killed him. Indeed, this was the best guest he had in ages. Vincent's reddening eyes looked at Luke's body like it was a piece of meat. "Now, become my feast."

Vincent's fangs sunk into the Luke's neck.

Trying to resist weakly for a moment, Luke understood he could not move. His body was spent. There was nothing left. As his life's blood began to drain, Luke refused to give in.

He didn’t come this far to let some blood-obsessed lord stop him from leaving this cave. What would happen to Sooty or Wayfinder if he gave up? The compass started to grow on him.

A colder side of his personality reared its ugly head. His body was spent. That was undeniable. But he was a Reaver. This class was never meant to face everything alone. Playing the last card he could think of, Luke used Reaver’s Link to call out to Sooty.

I need you, pal, come back.

It was getting hard to think, with rapid blood loss and its pesky side effects. Part of him didn’t want to pin his last hopes on Sooty making it in time, but Luke wasn’t some master of combat or even his class.

I will leave this damn cave, and if he came here too, I’ll find my old man.

The bestial noises of Vincent became louder and more ravenous. The silence, save for the sound of blood being drained, was harrowing. Luke became disgusted with Vincent's red eyes fixated on his neck in enjoyment.

If things didn’t end well, Luke hoped Sooty would make it out of this cave alive. She wasn’t like him. She had no mark on her heart. Sooty could fight off that cave troll and roam the world as a free bird. If she wanted to, she could’ve left from the beginning. Sooty went through this hell for him, not because she had to.

I’m sorry, Sooty. I promised I’d never leave you alone after I found you abandoned in your nest. I should’ve never told you to fly away.

Luke’s heartbeat began to slow. His body began to convulse as he even as he resisted the embrace of death. Out of cards, specific memories began to seep back to the top of his consciousness. Most related to Sooty and his father.

As Luke faced being part of the mortal coil, reminders of his dad's sunny personality rushed through his mind. His old man, always cracking jokes and making Luke feel loved, was a constant source of warmth. Every day, his dad made sure Luke knew he was cared for right up until he wasn't there anymore.

I’m proud of you, son.

Cheer up, son. I’ll always be around to make you laugh.

I love you son.

When will you come to visit me?

You know I miss you, son.

I’ll always be there for you son.

Can’t you make me a grandchild already?

The last one always had him laugh.

Then, a few short moments with Sooty came to his mind. He remembered taking a lonely walk down an abandoned park. Everyone else had disappeared for weeks now. A third ‘vanishing’ had occurred, yet he was left behind, forgotten. Luke was going crazy from the isolation and loneliness. Then, as if to answer his prayers, he stumbled upon a nest dumped on the ground.

Under it was a lone crow, struggling for life. The baby crow was making weak noises of struggle. Its breath was faint. Everything in it was straining to hold on, to live.

That was how Luke met his best friend, Sooty. By saving her life, she ended up saving him from isolation and loneliness.

He always felt lucky to have her as his friend.

Wayfinder was still around Luke’s neck, not caring if Vincent would hear. Luke forced out some words. Vocal cords began to burn. “Anything you can do, Wayfinder? Let’s not end our journey here, my hard-ass of a partner."

Ignoring the insult, Wayfinder responded in low spirits, “I wish there were, lad. Unless you can muster the strength, any ability of mine can’t save your hide.”

“Damn.”

Everything had become deathly quiet. A tear flowed down Luke's cheek despite his best efforts to bottle it all up, like he always did. Sooty should make it, but his tough front began to crumble, no matter how hard Luke tried to keep it together.

I never was the best at expressing myself. Luke’s thoughts continued to flow. Even when faced with reality-bending rules, I only felt mute and focused on survival. What am I? The Reaver? Or something else?

Luke thought he heard a faint caw of emotion. A smile struggled across his face. It wasn’t his mind playing tricks on him. There was no need to worry anymore.

A furious crow had her Talon Strike shatter Vincent’s heart. Her claws ripped forward out of his chest. A waterfall of the Coven Lord’s blood covered Luke.

“Ah…another…guest.” Vincent collapsed beside Luke, never to get up again.

Sooty became deranged. Her talons tore the vampire into scraps. She plucked out his eyes and shredded his body. Her beak kept letting out an angry rattle. Her claws ripped his mouth open.

Even though the Coven lord was dead, she did not stop. The former body of Vincent had turned to mush, and yet, she still kept attacking. A visceral caw of fury was released when the body had nothing else to destroy. Realizing Sooty was here, he forced his eyes open. The effort required was worryingly high.

“Sooty, you came….I’m happy to see you.” Even in his current condition, Luke felt nothing but gratitude at seeing his closest friend.

Sooty’s feathers stiffened, and she abruptly stopped her destruction. Loving coos and rattles filled with guilt came from her. She hopped over, ignoring the blood all over Luke’s body, and pressed her body against his.

“It’s not your fault, please don’t blame yourself. I should’ve asked you to wait nearby. I’m sorry you have to see all this.” Luke desperately wished he had the strength to say more.

Sooty's body shivered, and her feathers bristled. Faint sounds came from her beak. Her talons were gripping the floor tightly.

Luke listened to his breath. He had made peace with himself. He may not have made all the perfect decisions since coming here, but Luke gave it his best. A few moments later, an energy began to enter into him. His eyes caught a glimpse of the battle log. Then, they clouded over, giving in to rest.

[You have reached level 16. Acquired 2 skill points]