The world faded, but Darian fought to stay conscious. He clawed to his feet, his sword slashing in great arcs to beat away the buzzing insects. He tore one free with his hand, hacked another in half. Dozens buzzed in the air, hovering and waiting for their moment to strike. Darian’s legs buckled, his whole body sucked dry of energy. I’m going to die. He slid, his back colliding with a tree. What will happen to me if I die again? But he wouldn’t let them have him. With a cry he set his feet and marched toward the path out, blade cutting down great swaths of the creatures.
Now underneath the swinging vines that led to safety, Darian’s legs completely gave out. He rolled, just barely missing the tip of an insect’s needle. The rest of the creatures waited not far away, seeming to stick close to their little nest inside the dead wolf. But they were moving closer, more cautious now, but they drew nearer by the second. Darian fired off spells, but at this distance the creatures managed to dodge most of them. Crawling through the muck, Darian felt something metal tug on his neck. The chain! Instinctively, Darian opened his palm and cast [Veil of Mist].
A dark blue wave spread from Darian’s outstretched palm. He could sense the energy being pulled from the chain on his neck, the power pulsing from the item all the way to his fingertips. As the wave spread to engulf the path and hide his location, Darian crawled forward. Stabbing his sword into the ground, he pulled himself up and hobbled beneath the swinging veins.
One of the tentacle horrors appeared from above, its purple mist harmlessly flowing around Darian. He ignored it, hoping the beast would stay away. Thankfully it remained above, and Darian reached the area where the trees ended without incident. But he was so weak now, each movement a struggle. Blood. I need blood. The dark swamp stretched around him, but he could see nothing to consume.
But then a snake slithered across the path, its thick body covered in glistening black scales. Darian cast [Command Animal] on it, thankful when the spell worked. His fangs sank into it, and he drained it dry as quickly as he could.
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Enemies Defeated
[Blood Bug Lv. 2] x6
[Blood Bug Lv. 3] x2
Class XP Gained: 15
[Class Level Three Reached]
Progress to Class Lv. 4 (6/75)
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Darian ignored the notification and plodded forward, the buzz of the blood bugs still at his back. Down the path he slipped, his legs still unsteady. He splashed, thrashing as he heard the creatures closing in. Wading through the waist deep water, he forced his weakened body to press on.
When he reached the far bank, he bolted through the clutch of trees ahead. He ran and ran, strange noises and other creatures of the swamp appearing around every corner. I hate swamps! He tripped over a log and rolled, bounced back to his feet and kept plowing through. Eventually the darkness of the swamp faded, the clam of regular woodland replacing it.
Darian pulled up his map, shocked at how far northeast he’d traveled. Currently, he was closer to that rat infested temple than his cave. Sun will be up before long. I have to make it back soon. Shaking out his sore arms and legs, Darian set off.
***
He loped his way through the forest, snatching branches and roots doing their best to tangle him. He eventually dismissed his map, the general direction of his cave easy enough to find due to the mountain at his back. As he was stepping over the rotten remains of a toppled oak tree, he heard the distant clash of steel.
Instantly he lowered into a crouch. There was shouting somewhere close by. Darian couldn’t quite make out the words, but they were frantic. A great wind blew through the trees, swaying them, all sound muffled by scratching branches. Should I investigate? The cries were distinctly human, possibly belonging to whoever set those traps. Darian teetered on the edge, half poised to run toward the voice and half poised to run for his cave.
The pained scream decided for him.
Darian crashed through the trees; sword clutched tight in his hand. He toppled down a hill, rolled and kept sprinting. His feet splashed across a shallow stream, the water tinted red. Another scream echoed between the trees, this one lighter, softer. A woman. Voices called out, distant torchlight dotting the darkness. The wind howled, whipping at Darian’s ears. He was close now, the sweet coppery scent of blood filling the air.
He curved around a huge boulder that hid a small glade, movement at its center. He spotted a huge, grey furred figure hunched over the body of a man. The creature was massive, easily three times the size of the wolf Darian had killed. It turned its red eyes at him and its lips peeled back, revealing rows of gore drenched teeth. Regarding Darian for a moment, it sped into the trees, its body shimmering and then fading from view.
The man’s stomach was torn wide open, cut so deeply he was nearly torn in half. Great claw marks flayed the flesh across his chest, and a shattered bow lay by his side. The scent of his blood was nothing like what Darian had experienced thus far. It pulled him closer, beckoned for him to taste it. No. Darian willed his body to stop, but it was as if he’d been possessed. His feet slid across the blood drenched grass, his fangs ready to sink into the succulent meal laying at his feet. This is wrong. But it didn’t feel wrong. His body wanted it, needed it. There was something in this man’s blood, something Darian craved from the deepest depths of his soul. Power.
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“Father!” The girl’s cry brought reality into focus and Darian swayed, stumbling suddenly like a drunk.
She was young, probably only around sixteen or seventeen. A red smear worked its way up one side of her face and one of her arms hung limp by her side, dripping blood. Darian opened his mouth to speak, but the girl stepped back, the dagger in her hand shaking.
I have to leave. Now. Using all the strength he could muster, Darian rushed into the forest. The girl’s screams faded behind him, a sick churning swirling in Darian’s stomach at what he almost did. He didn’t know where he was going, and he didn’t care. It wasn’t until he tripped over a stone and landed face first on a slab of rock that the world was brought back into focus.
He rolled to his feet, body heavy. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the smell of that man’s blood out of his nose. Just thinking about it made his mouth water. But who were those people? And that creature… Darian had no doubt the beast could have killed him easily, but it hadn’t. Why did it spare me? A million questions surged in Darian’s mind, but he dispelled them. I need to get back to my cave before the sun rises.
He’d ended up running east of the Ruined Temple before taking a sharp turn south. But his cave wasn’t too far, just a bit further along. With his mind still yearning for answers, Darian crept up a nearby hill and jogged his way through the undergrowth. He was at his cave before too long and he slumped onto the muddy ground at the pond's edge. His reflection stared back at him, his white hair tugged by the breeze. A part of him wanted to throw up, but he smothered the sensation. This isn’t my fault. His new body craved blood on a level his old body couldn’t understand. The need for it in the glade was overwhelming. If the girl hadn’t shown up, he probably would still be face first in that man’s guts. But I managed to resist. Barely, but I did. This thirst can be controlled. Darian clenched his fists. There are people out there, but I can’t be around them. Not yet. Not until I master this...desire of mine With his wounds stinging him, Darian nestled into his cave, darkness taking him.
***
Darian woke with a start, sunlight blinding him. He jumped back, his arms flying up to shield himself. After a moment of calm, he blinked at the light. I’m still inside, it’s okay. Looking at the light churned his stomach and sent his whole-body rigid. Never in his past life had he felt such a primal fear. But why am I awake? He crept forward, careful to keep his body wreathed in shadow. There’s something out there.
A blurred shape lingered at the other end of the pond; its form shrouded by the sun’s bright glare. Darian rubbed his eyes and inched closer. Slowly, his eyes focused, the shape of a man appearing.
“Carn!” the man called, the sudden sound causing Darian to jump back. “Carn!”
The man was tall, tan skinned, and dressed in a mixture of fur and leather. A sun-bleached bow loomed in his hand and a quiver of arrows hung at his hip. An axe slung across his back and three steel daggers glinted across his chest. “Carn!” he shouted.
For a half a moment, Darian thought about calling out to him. But then he remembered the previous night. The girl. The screams. No, he would keep his mouth shut. If this man turned into an enemy, Darian would be defenseless. Though he at least seems preoccupied. I just hope he doesn’t come over here. As soon as Darian finished his thoughts, the man’s eyes turned on the cave. Shit.
He walked closer, close enough that Darian could see the fresh scar across his cheek and the stubble growing on his young face. He doesn’t look much older than me. Well, me before I died. Darian shifted toward the back of the cave, gripping his sword tight. It would take a moment for the stranger’s eyes to adjust, and Darian would seize him while he had the chance. But then what? Images of himself slicing the man’s throat and drinking his warm blood filled his mind. He tried to shake the thoughts away but couldn’t. Please, just turn around. Darian licked his lips, could already feel his fangs extending, his body yearning for his next meal.
The man stopped, his body tense. He cocked his head to the right, listening. Whatever he was trying to hear, Darian couldn’t make it out. In a burst of motion almost too quick to follow, he knocked an arrow and sent it flying into the bushes. Something growled, trees and branches creaking in protest as something huge sped away. The man cursed and pulled another arrow free. With one last glance at the cave, he sprinted in pursuit of the creature.
Darian sat perfectly still until he was sure the man was gone. He slumped back and let the sword fall out of his hand. Killing when your life is on the line is one thing, he knew that. Even if it was another person, he would do what he needed to in order to survive. But what I felt. I would have murdered that man if given the chance. He punched the cave wall, his fist pulling away with bloodied knuckles. Anger bubbled up in his chest, boiling until it became a molten rage in his veins. You’re weak. He wanted to thrash about, scream, rage until his self-pity was expelled.
“Grow up,” he said, his body easing.
He’d spent his whole life needing other people to take care of him. Endless hours under the care of his parents and doctors, watchful eyes always monitoring. But he was alone now. His problems were his and his alone to fix, and throwing a tantrum wouldn’t help. I won’t let my thirst control me. I won’t let anything control me. He let the back of his head rest on the wall, the fire in his veins subsiding. I need to find out what’s going on.
The traps, the people in the forest, and that giant, dark furred monster were all causing his new life a little too much trouble. But there was little he could do with the sun still up. He crawled to the end of the cave and relaxed, letting his thoughts of tomorrow fade.
***
Gershank watched the pale man fall back into slumber. It would be easy to kill him now, claim vengeance for spoiling his meal. One bite around the throat and it would be over. But he would wait. He’d been there, feasting on an elk when the winged creatures carried the pale man down from a shining portal in the sky. He was not normal. Not of this world. Gershank could tell, taste it in the air. No, he would wait. The rangers and Justicars from the village would be back soon, and with greater numbers. And he could use another ally, even an unwilling one. Gershank licked his lips. Never have so many delicacies wandered into my forest at once. He laughed, the sound like two stones grating together. Sleep well, blood drinker. I will continue to watch you from the shadows. May you continue to entertain me. A song drifted through the air, a sweet melody only Gershank could hear. My mistress calls, until we meet again. He gave the pale man and his cave one last parting glance before he slipped deeper into the forest, his mouth watering at the carnage that would soon be unleashed.