The world blurred as I ran, my breath became ragged. Forcing myself faster made my heart pound inside my chest, but I didn't slow down. Instead I drew more mana from my core to strengthen my internal organs.

All my senses heightened allowing me to smell the metallic scent of blood. I could hear shouting, but there were too many voices and too much wind for me to make sense of the noise. It was the bandits, I knew that much, I could only guess the sharper more panicked noises came from elves they had captured.

Every step closer to the bandit group increased my excitement. Thoughts of the mana fest I would soon have flooded my mind. I imagined the looks of horror and disgust they would show me—even their imagined torment filled me with pleasure. The joy I derived from these thoughts pushed me to run even faster.

Soon I reached the point where I could see the group of men herding a crowd of elves like livestock. I stopped, so as not to startle them. No doubt they must've heard my approach, I wasn't trying at all to be quiet, but they had yet to notice my arrival.

My hand twitched toward the hilt of my sword while my mouth worked without sound. I crept forward, struggling to restrain myself with such a ripe feast laid before me. There were at least a hundred bandits and dozens of captured elves. Of the elves, more than half were children. I counted five men and the rest were women.

The marauders gathered in twos and threes around each elf, some pulling the helpless wretches along while others stuck knives to their backs for motivation. The smaller children were simply carried on, kicking and screaming harmlessly. The brutes were not only unbothered by the resistance, it seemed to excite them.

One of the older girls screamed loudly as a thug grabbed her hair roughly and shoved his face close to hers. He whispered something into her ear, and her legs seemed to lose all strength. She fell in the dirt, as the man laughed, his unhinged cackle filling my ears with an annoying buzz. It pissed me off. All of the captives looked terrified, although some of them managed to maintain a semblance of hope.

"You won't get away with this!" one of the men said as Jerked away from his captors, lunging toward the frightened girl and the giant man who was now pulling her up by her hair.

With his free hand, the outlaw hit the heroic elf with a right hook, sending him stumbling backwards into the sword of the bandit he'd just escaped from. The blade passed easily through the elf's midsection eliciting a shrieking howl of joy from the brutish man that held the girl. Flinging her to the ground, he grabbed the dying elf’s cheeks in his hand and said, "No one can stop us now, we're almost to the gates of Argenta and once we pass through there, there's no hope of anyone coming to rescue you." With a sick smile, he pulled the man off the blade and added, "Too bad though, you won't even make it that far."

"You owes me a slave!" shouted the man who's blade had pierced the elf. "I worked 'ard to capture 'im ya know."

"Sure Bones, I'll make sure to send you a real big fucker later," the thug replied sarcastically. He was taller than most of the other bandits and wore leather armor over his tunic which showed signs of wear and tear. His head was shaved bald except for a long braid of gray-white hair running across his scalp. His size was impressive, but what really drew my attention was his core. He was at least at the seventh stage and he was definitely the strongest man present.

I couldn't help but smile as I stepped into plain view. "Actually, all of you will be paying me..." I paused and waited a moment while they turned in my direction. As I swept my gaze across the ragtag band of ruffians, I suppressed my mana so that I wouldn't appear threatening. "...with everything you have."

As my hand tightened around my haft there was a subtle, but forceful, prodding of my mind. Someone was trying to get in my head, but I didn't think it was one of the bandits. The sensation faded quickly so I shook off the distraction and turned my attention back to the gang of half-witted humans. sparks of hope filled the elves’ eyes, but most of the bandits stared at me with incredulity.

The big man, the one I wanted to devour most, looked over his shoulder in my direction. His mouth hung just slightly open as his eyes glossed over me quickly. Then he shrugged and rolled his eyes. The man chuckled slightly, then burst into a boisterous fit of laughter. He turned his back fully toward me and lifted the young elf girl off the ground. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the man tucked her under his arm and continued on, but she didn't make a sound.

Then, Bones stepped toward me. "You mus' be pre'y dumb," he said, pulling a dagger from his belt. For a bandit, it was quite a flashy piece of equipment. The hilt looked a lot like a snake with its mouth open, and the white blade was its extended tongue. At the end of the dagger, it looked like there was another head, but its mouth and eyes were closed. "Well, wha'eva. You came at jus' the right moment seein' as I was jus' sayin' how I need a new slave."

"You always did like 'em thin an’ pretty," another goon shouted, but I didn't see who.

Laughter rose among the bandits, but Bones didn't seem too amused. "Shut up!" he shouted, his voice sounding almost bestial. "Luger, Dex, flank 'im an' help me take 'im down quick."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Immediately, two men who had been helping with Bones’ previous prisoner rushed toward me. One man drew a short sword, the other drew an ax. They moved swiftly, but I was ready for them. Just before they entered striking distance I drew my sword and released a horizontal wind blade from its edge. Carried by momentum, both men rushed past me, but their heads flew into the air. Their bodies landed heavily as blood gushed from their necks and soaked the ground. Then there were two dull thuds as their heads hit the dirt and rolled back toward the group of bandits.

Another charged directly at me and swung at my torso with a burning blade. Using my enhanced reflexes and reaction times I spun around him and thrust my weapon straight though his left kidney from behind. He whimpered weakly as I withdrew my blade.

I turned to see Bones within an arm's length of me; he was already thrusting his dagger toward my ribs and it was too late to intercept. Mana raced from my core as I simulcast barrier and lightning. At such close range, it should've been impossible for him to dodge, but considering how quickly he approached me, I wanted to be sure. As his dagger hit my barrier, I closed a hand around his skinny neck.

Purple-black lightning flashed along my arm, then two bolts ripped out of the man's body. One flashed vertically and the other went diagonally out the back of his neck, shooting just over the heads of the crowd. Bones' body exploded in my hand, giving pause to the remaining bandits.

The elves were scared, but also hopeful and the older kids, along with the adults, were starting to fight against their captors. Unarmed as they were, it was clear their resistance wouldn't amount to much. I didn't really care how many of them survived, I just wanted to siphon the life and mana from every mage here; then I'd go after the guy with the braid.

I'd already used quite a deal of mana. Keeping accelerate active, was a constant drain on my core, but I didn't need to worry about conservation. As long as there was another mage present, I'd always have a source of mana. As I began searching for my first target, the mental probing sensation returned. I resisted, then a scaled white beast landed between me and the bandits. Her back was to them, and her wings spread out, blocking my view of anything happening beyond her. Her red eyes bore into me with a piercing stare that sent shivers through my spine.

There was a commotion behind her, but the noise was lost in the background as I felt my focus drawn to the dragon’s ruby eyes. She snorted angrily, stepped forward, then pushed me down with her snout. "What's gotten into you, Silv?" she roared, her wrath palpable. She looked ready to rip through me, but there was concern in her voice as well. "This isn't you. What's happened? Why are you so full of cruelty?"

I released accelerate, asking myself the same question as I stared back into Lumia's eyes. The wicked feelings that had taken hold of my mind melted away as Lumia continued to glare down at me. I could tell she wanted an answer, but I didn't have one. I wasn't sure myself, I wasn't even sure when the dark thoughts started. I could only assume it was related to the curse, but the feeling this time was significantly more intense than it had been in the past.

I heard Stylnyx' voice then. "Silvon...?" he spoke softly, almost as if he was afraid.

"Stylnyx," I said aloud, raising the green blade so I could see it. Blood dripped from the edge onto my face, prompting me to lower the sword again. I wiped my face and sat up as I asked, "Why do you sound so..."

Before I could find the right word, he answered, "You lost yourself to anger. The curse you bear is a powerful one, equal in strength to the spell that caused it. I've seen its effects up close before, although Liriel had already shed his humanity when I met him."

"Silvon," Lumia said gently, all traces of anger gone from her voice. "Once we rescue Silvia, we're going straight to Zidg. I don't care if you disagree, I won't let you become a cold and heartless killer."

Hearing those words made my chest ache with guilt. Ever since meeting Illudrasile, I had been willing to use the dark magic since he promised to purify me once he was restored, but I never really considered what using it might do to me, or how it would affect those around me. My hands twitched toward Lumia's face without conscious thought. Before I could grab her, she transformed into her human form and fell into my arms.

Lumia hugged me back, squeezing tightly as she pressed her cheek against mine. Behind her, I could see Melinda holding a spear to a bandit's neck as he trembled on the ground beneath her. There were four corpses around her, but the rest of the marauders must have run away. She might’ve used dark magic, but more likely they were frightened by the appearance of a dragon.

"...all you know?" Melinda asked.

The man nodded.

"If you're lying, or hiding something, I really will kill you the moment I find out," Melinda said, removing her spear from his throat. "Go on then, get up and start apologizing to these elves."

"Yes ma'am." The man stood, but fell on his face almost immediately. "Please forgive me," he shouted.

The bandit appeared relatively young. I couldn't say how long he'd been with the outlaws, but given his mannerisms, I didn't think he was a hardened criminal. When a woman went to his side and laid her hand on his back, he lifted his head slowly. She smiled sweetly at him with tenderness and concern, and soon his eyes grew moist. As tears rolled freely down his cheeks, he turned toward other nearby elves and began uttering a string of apologies.

While he continued apologizing, Melinda glanced toward Lumia and I. Her expression was sharp and stern; without the need for words her eyes reminded me that we had an urgent task to accomplish. This group was only a fraction of the elves taken captive, and we had to find Styrmir to get Silvia back as well.

Lumia released me but before letting me stand up, she asked, "Are you okay now?"

"Yes...thank you," I said, feeling somewhat ashamed of my actions.

Lumia simply smiled as she stood then extended a hand to help me up.