PAL.ADIN

6

Who needs therapy?

Offering shall be my therapy.

"I cleanse the defiled ground with blood.."

"So that I find my sin of failure to be forgiven.."

Pain rushes through my body as I overexert it by activating Zealous Slaughter another time, but that doesn't matter. Pain is a trial. I must find penance for my sins..

Through the skulls I offer.

I pick up my sword, brandishing it.

"You have sinned, just as I, and we shall pay in blood, greenskin."

I reach into my left eye, yanking it out.

My breathing quickens.. adrenaline surges through me.

Exhilaration. My hands start trembling in pleasure..

Oh, the pleasure.

I stare at Urik for a split second as the Goblin King stares at me, dumbfounded. Urik is running away, as I hear him shout something about getting help. Why would I need help? I want him to feel this pleasure too..

I stomp on my eye. I don't need silly magic to help me. I put my fingers to my mouth, savoring the taste of my mana-enriched blood..

The Goblin King seems horrified by my acts- and my 'immortality.' I flip down my hood..

I smile. I truly thank him for giving me this experience- but I believe it is time for him too, to feel the surge of happiness found in the blood of your own body.

The king steps back, as several of the remaining goblins rush to intercept me.

I grab the head of one, crushing it. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly gut it and drip the blood over my arm. Such.. dirty blood. I shiver in excitement. I toss the body to it's friends, as I see them break formation and run away. What a pity.

The king roars at me as he swings his battleaxe at me, as I slide under it, his momentum carrying him far into a tree. He drops it, choosing to face me bare-handed.

Oh.. I feel so eager to just..

Bathe.

I stab my sword into the ground, as I approach him with nothing but my hands. He runs towards me. His eyes that were filled with fear- had transformed into hatred. I sprint at him, and I climb onto him as he swings over me, as I jab my hands into his eyes. He throws me off, but I see him struggling and bleeding to death from his eyes.

Those tears of blood. He's beautiful. I start trembling in excitement, no longer able to hold myself stable. The king is swinging blindly, not able to pinpoint my location.. so I should be fine.

"I.. must finish the offering. Y-yes.. his pain s-shall bring me joy.."

I don't know why I'm talking to myself- it only brings out my location. I can hear my voice in a lustful state from seeing his.. flesh being torn. His struggles make me feel.. exhilarated, once more.

I stand up, as my eyes whirr and flicker onto a specific point.

His heart.

He won't see it coming.

I wish he could see me rip it out.. and offer it to Her.

She will forgive me through the triumph of battle.

I dash towards him, at newfound speeds I thought not capable.

You have found the interest of the God of War.

He gives you a gift.

OFFERING

Sacrifice an enemy in critical health.

I see. He is interesting too. Then I will dedicate this to both of them.

This is a different style of notification. Doesn't matter.

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Pain is my only concern.

I stab my hand into the ribs, bypassing the bone. He tries to struggle, but losing his sight and blood had made it difficult, as he started to crumble. I reach up with newfound strength, smashing through several monster organs, until I found it.

The heart.

He is already dead.. but that beating heart.

My trophy, my offering.

"May the gods accept my offering.. for the Penitent has wished forgiveness."

I feel the power drain from me as I crush the heart..

I slump to the ground.

My other eye closes.

I feel peaceful as I sleep.

The Unyielding One's effects have receded.

I wake up in my room. Everything is cleaned.

I wonder how long I've been sleeping.

I feel like absolute shit.. fuck me, my head. Did Urik bash my skull in half?

I open my door after I equipped everything again, my cloak is now.. red, for whatever reason. Deep red.

"Examine?"

Cloak of The Berserker

Hides the identity of a melee-focused class.

"Wasn't this called cloak of the warrior? The hell?"

I shrug, as I flip my hood. Looks like it's just a different color, and doesn't smell weird either. Walking out of the inn and onto the streets, people stare at me. Did my identity leak? Or did I do something wrong?

I run to the guild, looking for Urik. I get several stares, as the once bustling room became quiet.

"U.. uhm, hey P-palaris." I look at Coralline. Her eyes are darting everywhere.. even she's avoiding my gaze? Didn't she invite me to dinner or something that one time?

"Wh.. what did I do?"

I hear a heavy thunk. Urik is in the corner, only realizing now that I was here. I see him next to several horns of mead and various other alcohols.

"U-Urik? Can you tell me what I did?"

I'm stuttering.. something in me has shifted. But.. I wonder what I did? Did I do something terrible? Did I massacre children in a blind rage?

I don't want to be alone again. It hurts- but.. the pain feels off. It doesn't feel like 'pain.'

"Sit down."

His tone is dark and serious, and slightly filled with fear. I can tell, somehow.

"Ya did the city a great favor.. in a brutal way. I'll explain. You butcha'd da warband. I went dere with da guards, and I foun' skinned goblins. Da king- or at least, wot we could tell was da king- his limbs were strewn everywhere!"

I see him gulp down several horns.

"I.. look, don't hate yerself. I can tell it wasn't you. I don' like ya for different reasons, but dis.. ain't the work of you. Ya was someone else." I hear him sigh, and..

I falter.

I slam my tags on the table. I won't be needing them.

I run away, to a place I doubt anyone would find me.

"I'm a monster. What have I done? They were.. the enemy. I shouldn't feel this way. But they're all afraid of me."

"I'm afraid of myself."

I.. need to write something while I'm still sane.

I tap into my mental notebook.

I scribble down something.

"There are three of me.. that should do. I can feel myself approaching, I'm going to break down."

I drop to my knees, barely even out of the city, as I cling to a wall where no one would see me.

I look at my hands. I see them covered in blood- or maybe that's just the hallucinations. I can't tell if I'm slowly losing my rationality at this point.. I need to keep it before I do something else. R-right.. think of-

I hear a lullaby. I stand up, being drawn to it..

It sounds so beautiful. Hypnotizing.. but what are the lyrics? Is it just the soft voice of a..

.. young girl.

I hear her start sobbing. It's her. Coralline- that siren.. why is she here? Aren't they afraid of me? They should be afraid of what I'll do to her.. by myself.

She runs up to me.

I place my hand on my sword.. but I manage to stop myself.

I breathe heavily, as I start shaking, barely being able to stand up. I feel soft skin grab me tightly.. a hug. She isn't singing, but I feel relaxed.

But.. isn't she being manipulated? Am I being manipulated? Would the Storyteller do this to me?

I hug her back. It's nice.

I feel nice.. and I feel the tears run down my body.

"I'm sorry. Please.. leave me. I don't want to hurt you. I'll give you this one time.. and then, you should go."

I feel something shatter in me as I say that. It hurts worse than the pain surging through my veins.

"W-where will you go?"

She's barely able to speak, a hushed whisper. I feel her sadness. I feel her joy- but.. I can't find an ounce of fear. No, there is fear. But only for where I will go..

"I don't know. But I can't take anyone with me."

"Don't.. go. I'll do anything. P-please.."

She's desperate. I.. could take her head so easy. No- I must control myself.

"Then I want to do nothing. I want to just see the beauty of the city, then. Of course, it'll probably be lonely by myself. You should come with me- it's probably a far bigger place past the guild, right?"

I don't know what made me say those words. But she looks at me with teary eyes, with a smile. Radiance- joy, happiness.. I believe everything positive could be used to describe that smile.

"Thank you."

I fall into her embrace.

This is a bit complicated.

Don't know how I'll explain this to anyone, really.