"Can you take them?" I asked Gareth as I studied the crude Alter crafted from bones and stone. Besides a dozen bound and bloody captives, there were a dozen [Blood Cultists] and a [Blood Acolyte] leading them. Yet the Acolyte was chanting something over a cauldron that boiled with a blood-like substance, but I could smell it from here. It wasn't blood, but it sure looked a lot like it. 

The Dwarf grunted, "Even with surprise and you taking one or two out with your crossbow, I don't think I would survive the assault." the big warrior responded. 

"Don't worry about healing, I got that covered. Can you take them?" I asked the Dwarf pressing him as I pulled up one of the new Skills I had invested in.

Spoiler: Spoiler

Skill Name: Blood's Blessing

Skill Level: Initiate

Skill Type: Active

Description: Blood is everything. With this Skill, you can heal any living thing. 

Heal: 100 + (SS X 1.5) per Second

Restriction: Can stack Bloods Blessing healing up to (3) times on a single target, but will not stack Health and Stamina Regeneration. Only applies to live beings.

Effect 1: +10% to targets Health and Stamina Regeneration. 

Effect 2: Remove (1) Debuff. 

AoE: N/A

Range: 20 Yards

Duration: 15 Seconds

Cast Time: Instant

Cost: 100 Mana, 1% of Base Health, 25 Ether

Cooldown: N/A

It was a basic healing spell, but based on the plethora of new Skills I had access through the various Divinity Skill Trees and the Blood God Skill Tree, it only scratched the surface. "If you can keep me up...I can take them. When did you get healing magic?" the Dwarf prodded. I ignored the question and sighted on the Acolyte and the Dwarf cursed under his breath as he moved off.

The crossbow bolt slammed into the Blood Acolytes forehead surprising all the Cultists as he toppled into the boiling cauldron causing it to shudder and overflow. Then Garet was among them, his axe swinging and hueing through bodies and limbs as they scrambled to respond. I kept a sharp eye on the Dwarf as I reloaded the crossbow but before I could fire, the Dwarfs health dropped by a third. 

I snarled and spat out a word of power as the price was exacted from my own Health Pool as a red nimbus of energy wrapped around the Dwarf. The gaping wound on his side closed almost immediately to the surprise of the Dwarf and his opponents, but the line of fire across my back felt as if someone had lashed it with a whip. I sighted and fired again skewering another Cultist as the Dwarf lopped off the head of another. 

In the end, I hit Gareth four more times, each time I felt a ghost of a wound flash across me, but nothing physical. Still, the pain made me gasp every time, the feeling of a dagger sinking into my kidney had been the worse price I had paid though. In the end, it was the matter that Gareth had me healing him and the Cultists had no one backing them. If I hadn't targeted the Acolyte at the beginning, the fight might have gone different, but he had died. 

I limped out from my cover and started rummaging through the bodies until I found the keys and tossed them to Gareth before collapsing against the crappy Altar. Unlike the one dedicated to Demeter, this one was dead and didn't pulse with energy or the sense it was linked to a Divinity, me or otherwise. I chuckled at the stupidity of it all and pulled the pickaxe from my inventory and brought it down on the makeshift altar over and over until it collapsed. "Got some anger issues with the Blood God?" I looked over to see an older Dwarf. 

I snorted, "Yes, and no. The followers that twist him and his into this, yes. The Blood God himself...I have not decided yet" I told the older Dwarf. They had all been freed and Gareth was helping them all to their feet but all of them were wounded one way or another. I grit my teeth and steeled myself and hit all of them with Blood's Blessing.

The rapid-fire spellwork made me groan as I stumbled and sat down on what had been the Altar as I tried my best not to scream in pain. I could distantly hear the Dwarves sigh in relief as the whole world spun as the Mana, Ether, and Health were ripped from my body. Gareth was talking to me but I was trying to stop the world from spinning as the world spun and twisted around me. I felt myself being lifted and that did cause me to nearly to puke as I passed out.

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When I came too, I was underground and Gareth was studying me but he smiled as I opened my eyes. "Glad to see you are awake. You have been out only about ten minutes, we have a Priest with us, he suggested you use whatever new magic in smaller doses until you get used to it. Rapid-fire use like you did, will weaken you like that. Ok?" Gareth prodded and I nodded as I slowly got to my feet. 

All the Dwarves were in better and studying our surroundings as they gathered up the items the Cultists had stripped from them. "We need to do anything else?" I asked as I looked at the mayhem we had caused in saving Gareths fellow Dwarves.

The older Dwarf that had talked to me earlier responded, "No, the Altar here is dormant of any power. So whatever these Cultists were following, it was not a God. Gareth, your friend here was right about these people not being true followers of the Blood God. Which begs the question of how you knew this?" 

I gave the older Dwarf a tight smile, "We all have our secrets sir, I would expect a Dwarf of all people would understand that and respect it.' I told him as I watched two Dwarves arguing over a repeater like children. 'May I?" I asked as I pointed to the weapon they were arguing about. 

The Dwarf smirked, "You won't be able to use that. It is a Firearm." the surly Dwarf responded and I snorted in amusement.

"I am not trying to use it. You two were arguing about why it was inoperable, the firing mechanism is dirty and needs cleaning.' I told them as I wiped away a bit of blood and dirt that had been jammed into the firing mechanism and barrel. 'Water and Fire based magic...to make steam to propel the bullets, inventive. Far more reusable then black powder or a chemical mix." I commented as I handed the weapon over. 

The Dwarf gave me an appraising look as he took the weapon back then looked at his companion before pulling him off to the side to whisper back and forth. Dwarves had always been an odd bunch. I looked over at Gareth and indicated I wanted to talk to him alone and the Dwarf followed me off to the side. "Are you members of the Obsidian Kingdom?' I asked the Dwarf and he nodded. 'I was wondering if it was possible to gain passage through your kingdom?" I asked him and he shrugged and looked at the others. 

The older Dwarf shrugged, "You not only saved our lives but you helped destroy this twisted cult, I think that earns you enough goodwill from our people for safe passage to the Valley of the Dead. I have no idea why you or anyone would want to travel there." the Dwarf responded and I winced at the name. If they called the Valley of Origins the Valley of the Dead, it did not bode well for what the situation there...

"Yes, I need to travel there if possible," I told them as I shook off the surprise and the Dwarves nodded their heads in agreement as we started for the surface. 

Five hours later after a quick trip through the outer edges of the Obsidion Kingdom, I was in the Valey of the Dead and I knew why it was called that. It was a very apt name, nothing grew here, no natural life walked between the two mountain ranges as far as I could see. In the distance, I could see the remains of Eternal Night. From the distance, I couldn't see specific damage, but I could tell the city was heavily damaged. 

A barren land.

A dead land.

The only movement I could occasionally see through the outer gates through the Western Trade Gates was the shambling dead that wandered around the dead woods beyond the walls. The walls were new to me, the last time I had explored this part of the valley, they didn't exist. I took a step forward and Gareths hand clamped down on my arm, "What are you doing? Any living thing that steps into the valley eventually gets swarmed by the dead. Nothing living dwells here. The fucking forces of Chaos destroyed this place and its said the Lady of Choas herself placed the spell on this land to destroy every living thing within it." the Dwarf warned me. 

"You don't have to come with me. Close the gates after me if you have to, but I have to go...I don't have a choice.' I told Gareth as I shrugged his hand off and started walking. The Dwarf started cursing as he scrambled after me. 'Go back Gareth, you don't owe me anything. You paid your debts when you gave me passage here." I told the Dwarf and he cursed under his breath.

"Why are you doing this?" Darrel asked. The Dwarf I had helped by cleaning the repeater asked. 

I frowned as I stopped and looked back at the two Dwarves, "I am going home." I almost broke down there saying those words, but I turned and forced myself to continue. To leave this valley as a dead wasteland for me to find was something Chaos would do without a second thought. Despite the power it must have taken, she struck me as a vindictive bitch. I had defied her, hurt her, she wouldn't allow that to pass without a response. Her ego and anger would demand a response from her. 

"That's crazy, no one has lived in this valley since the Chaos War..." Gareth responded and I grimaced and nodded in agreement as we pushed deeper into the Valley of the Dead and my former home.