Salia’s VMR set down on the ground and she popped out and spoke in staccato, “What. The. Fuck. Was. That.”
Fleon was on the ground praying whereas Jellybean was feasting on the corpse of the mole, devilishly licking the partially regenerated bits from his paws. Gmol, who had taken the brunt of the damage, was slowly healing himself as his Mana returned.
Salia sighed, “Not the most talkative bunch are you? My question was rhetorical though, that’s clearly the new mechanism. Soul Catcher must allow bosses to absorb something or another from their slain minions. I am sure we missed it on the first Level because we were so slow. All of the valuable bosses would’ve been downed already. Since we are so far behind we found out at a point that something could actually be dangerous. We will have to focus on killing bosses rather than their minions first or we will end up with that same scenario. That also means Boyd isn’t our new mechanism this year, and we are likely the only Foray to be cursed with dragging along a dipshit moron instead of a useful Foray member.”
Boyd also set down and said, “Sweet, we won!”
Salia laughed, “Yea we did, but you’re gonna die for sure. Fleon is gonna kill you. I don’t see any other option. Actually, you should just start running. What were you thinking there?”
Boyd was confused. “Wait, why? We won?”
"Yea, but that is some seriously unholy magic you just pulled off. I didn’t even know that was possible. You just bound a partially living creature to your sword. Like, you extracted the Soul of a living thing. I don’t know how much you know about the Filary but they are like super into Souls. What you just did is probably equivalent to shitting down their God’s throat while pissing on the Empress’ grave screaming “Death to the Filary!” Props to you and all, but Fleon’s definitely going to kill you.”
“I… I didn’t do anything though. The sword did it.”
“Yea, but you’re a Swordsoul so you are basically the same thing. When you became a Swordsoul you literally bound yourself to that sword. That means that the Soul that you just extracted from that mole troll is now bound to both you and your sword. You have bound a living Soul to you. That’s like a super big no-no for the Filary. All Souls go to Ioer dude. That’s Filary 101. You fucked up big time.”
Boyd thought back to what the Training Center had said, “I do faintly recall signing some paperwork. I don’t remember the exact nature of what it said as I don’t recall reading it all the way through.”
Gmol’s rune pulsed and then it shot an image into the air. It was a picture of Fleon’s head on fire and smoke coming out his ears.
“Yea, I get it, but what am I supposed to do about it? I didn’t ask the sword to do that.”
Jellybean Jenkins belched loudly and then laid down. He curled up and wrapped his tail around his form before rolling onto his side and panting, “I enjoyed this meal. The creature continues to regenerate in my stomach in small quantities. We should save some of this meat. It sustains itself to keep me satiated. I look forward to seeing its form when I produce my scat. It may be palatable yet again.”
Even Jellybean Jenkins potential coprophilia couldn’t break his concentration. Boyd was getting ever increasingly nervous, so he tried to change the conversation and said, “Thanks for saving me back there Jellybean.”
“It is Jellybean Jenkins, and I was not saving you. I was doing battle with a worthy foe. But…perhaps it might be noted that I was a Good Boy?”
“You are definitely a Good Boy, buddy. You’re a Good, Good Boy.” Boyd walked over and scratched Jellybean Jenkins tummy. “Who’s got a tummy? Who’s got a furry tummy?”
Jellybean Jenkins began to wiggle his tail and lick the air. “I have a furry tummy.” Suddenly he pulled himself back to standing and straightened himself, “HALT! It is not the time for tummy scritches! Also, Human, you should depart the party, the Paladin is sure to kill you. If you are dead you will not be able to provide me tummy scritches at an appropriate time and my belly is already full from the meat of the moles.”
Salia interjected, “How did you manage to fight that thing Double J? It was greater than Rank 1,000 at the end.”
“I AM WOLF-LORD OF THE SEVEN PLAINS. DO NOT QUESTION MY POWER!” Jellybean shouted. He stomped away and began licking his wounds and intermittently scratching at his belly where Boyd had rubbed him.
Jellybean’s yelling rousted Fleon from his prayers. He began wiping blood from The Blade of Light and Majesty as well as his golden shining plate mail and walked towards Boyd. Fleon's contenance was pure rage. He stormed towards Boyd. No one said a word. Gmol disappeared into the ground and Salia jumped back in the VMR and then walked over to the other end of the chamber they were in and started whistling. Jellybean Jenkins watched with gleeful intent while continuing to lick himself.
“Fleon, we won.” Boyd said, smiling.
Fleon punched Boyd in the face with his gloved fist. Boyd felt the blood well up on his lip. Never one to back down from a fight, he stood and swung at Fleon, but failed to realize this wouldn’t be effective against someone in plate mail. He connected firmly with Fleon’s chest and broke his hand.
Life 82/111.
Fleon reeled back and punched Boyd again, this time in the gut. He took this moment to withdraw Trolldrinker from Boyd’s scabbard and planted it in the ground. He held out a hand and blasted Boyd with a large bolus of air and a brilliant flash. This sent him reeling backwards onto the ground. Fleon now threw his sword into the ground in front of Boyd. “If you take one step past my sword, I will kill you where you stand.” Boyd, realizing that Fleon was quite serious, spat blood onto the ground and then began scooting backwards on his butt.
Fleon ungloved his right hand and began humming a tune that Boyd couldn’t recognize. His hand shifted from nearly the same color as Boyd’s own hand, to bright yellow and then brightest white. He continued to hum this foreign song as his eyes and then hair, and then lips also turned pure white. He grabbed Trolldrinker and held it aloft.
"Run. Fucking run now,” Salia screamed. She was already halfway down the cavern corridor and Gmol was nowhere to be seen. Jellybean Jenkins was running behind Salia. Boyd hadn’t seen any of them display anything remotely close to fear, so he decided that whatever was happening he best take Salia’s advice.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Boyd turned his head a few times while he ran, but couldn’t see what was happening where Fleon stood because the light had gotten too white. He could see Trolldrinker shining in the air. Above Trolldrinker he saw the Soul of Shoal screaming in agony as it floated above the sword. Finally, Shoal’s soul floated motionlessly, perfectly still, while Fleon turned back to his normal colors. Boyd, now nearly one hundred feet away, stood to watch as Fleon’s neck extended itself to its full height. He coiled his neck around the motionless floating soul of Shoal. When his head reached the top his jaw unhinged and he slowly choked the Soul into his own body. Boyd retched as Fleon’s snake-like head coughed and gargled the Soul down his throat.
“I fucking said run not stand and watch,” Salia screamed from a few hundred feet ahead.
“What’s happening?” Boyd yelled.
Salia yelled back, “Combustion!”
Boyd began running again, but slipped when he heard the commotion behind him. Fleon was at his full height, neck extended to its maximum length, vomiting white light at the cavern walls. His head began to swivel around under the force of the beam of white light. It was like watching an extremely destructive water hose that was under too much pressure. The white light pierced deep into the cavern and rocks flew everywhere. Despite the fact the walls were almost completely solid, Boyd could see the light destroyed everything it touched for several meters of depth. Fleon continued to vomit white light at the walls of the cavern for several seconds, but eventually the light began to dissipate. He fell to his knees and a translucent apparition appeared before him. The apparition touched his forehead and he stumbled and then rose.
SYSTEM: Your weapon “Trolldrinker, Harbinger of Doom, Drinker of Souls, The Bloodslave, That Which Was Possessed By He Who Is Doomed, Unholy Beacon of The Endless Night, The Wretched Finger of Bah’Xheael of the Ninth Layer of Hell, Slayer of Mortal Souls, the Trollsbane” has been destroyed. You have lost the associated powers. Your bond with Trolldrinker has been torn asunder. You are suffering from Broken Swordsoul, this has unpredictable effects.
Fleon began marching towards Boyd, grabbed the Blade of Light and Majesty as he passed it, and then took off at a jog. Boyd called down the corridor to him, “Dude, what the fuck you broke my sword. Hey. Fleon. Hey whoa, slow down.”
Fleon charged the last few feet and grabbed Boyd by the neck and slammed him against the cavern wall and then down to the ground. He picked Boyd up off the ground by his neck. Boyd could feel the strength in Fleon's hand crush his windpipe.
Life 65/111. You are being strangled, you are losing 3 life per second.
Fleon threw Boyd against the opposing cavern wall several feet away and then walked over and kicked him in the stomach twice. He pulled Boyd up to his feet and then stuck his finger in Boyd’s ear and began pressing it in. Boyd screamed when his ear drum popped. He felt blood run down the side of his head. In a surge of adrenaline, Boyd struck at Fleon with everything he could, but Fleon’s long arms prevented him from hitting anything.
Life 22/111. You are bleeding profusely, you are losing 1 life per second.
"You want to pretend to be a warrior then fight me. Let’s see just how powerful you are.” Fleon threw the Blade of Light and Majesty at Boyd.
Boyd picked up the sword. He knew better. He knew it was a trap. Fleon could kill him whenever he wanted, but if that was going to happen, he might as well go out fighting. He picked up the sword and swung at Fleon with a downward sweep. It was a move Fleon himself had taught him, so unsurprisingly, he easily leapt out of the way and clubbed Boyd on the back of the head with his fist. He ripped the Blade of Light and Mercy back from Boyd, crushing his hand in the process. Boyd stumbled forward, wincing in pain at his broken bones, before Fleon grabbed him from behind and shoved him to the ground. He pulled a dagger from his belt and buried it into Boyd’s hand and the ground below, pinning Boyd to the cavern floor.
Life 9/111. You are bleeding profusely, you are losing 3 life per second. You are deaf in one ear. This wound can be regenerated.
Boyd realized he was going to die, but he wasn’t going to quit. He reached over to pull the dagger out of his hand, if nothing else to end the pain. Fleon’s hand turned golden yellow and he placed it on Boyd’s head. “You did not receive leave to die.”
Life 111/111. You are no longer bleeding profusely. You are now bleeding lightly, you are losing 1 life every 5 seconds.
He felt the dagger still in his hand, as it still screamed in pain. Fleon pulled the dagger out himself and the buried it in Boyd’s gut and then twisted, ripping his midsection open. Boyd could feel his inner organs bleeding. Blood ran down his Def Leppard shirt and onto the ground below. Fleon grinned as he pulled out a loop of intestine against his dagger before pulling the dagger through the loop of gut, splitting it in half. Guts and shit spilled onto the ground.
Life 45/111. You have a mortal wound and will die if not healed. You are bleeding heavily, you are losing 8 life every 5 seconds.
“You mock my Religion.” Fleon drove the dagger it back into Boyd’s open gut. A spurt of blood shot out and hit Fleon’s armour. “You mock my efforts.” The pain reverberated through Boyd’s body. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. He didn’t even know how he was still alive. “You mock the very fabric of my society.”
Life 9/111. You have a mortal wound and will die if not healed. You are bleeding heavily, you are losing 8 life every 5 seconds.
“Do you understand what this Foray is? Do you have any understanding of the amount of trouble you’ve caused my people? Do you have any understanding of the degree to which you are a disappoint to me.” Fleon’s hand again glowed golden and he started to place it on Boyd’s forehead. Boyd slapped his hand away though, he’d rather die than do this. Fleon used his neck to pin down Boyd’s hand while he stuck his face next to Boyd’s. “I am High Paladin of the Filary. My responsibility is to usher Souls to Ioer. Good, evil, it matters not. All Souls belong to Ioer. If I fail Ioer, I fail a God. Do you understand the crushing responsibility of answering to all your people? of answering to a God?” Fleon placed his golden hand on Boyd’s forehead again.
Life 111/111. You are no longer bleeding profusely. You are now bleeding lightly, you are losing 1 life every 5 seconds.
“Do you understand I can kill you as many times as I want? Do you understand now that there is nothing you can do to prevent me from flaying you alive and then watching you slowly heal and die from a thousand wounds simultaneously? I can do all this and worse. I will not let these wounds take you. I will not let the Dog feast upon your body. I will ensure you understand exactly how serious I am. Your pain will endure until I am confident you understand the gravity of your absolute incompetence. I thought you would repent your repulsive ways but if you cannot repent, you will least experience justice.”
Fleon pulled the dagger out of Boyd’s gut and put it against his crotch. “I’ve been through thousands of battles. I do not have limits to my brutality. I do not have limits to my sadism. You think that because I am bound to Ioer, that I am something I am not. The only reason I am letting you live is because Ioer has willed it. I asked Her if I could take your head for your crimes, but She says you still have purpose. So for now you live.”
Fleon stood up and offered a hand to Boyd. Instinctively, Boyd took it and rose to his feet. Fleon grasped his hand tightly as he reeled from the mixture of pain and confusion.
“Ioer decides who lives and dies, but punishment She leaves up to me. She didn’t say that I had to drag you along, and She didn’t say that you’d need both of your eyes.” Fleon’s right hand shot out at lightning speed. Boyd barely registered he was holding the dagger. His left hand, gloved in golden platemail followed soon after and landed firmly on his chin.
SYSTEM: Your right eye has been extracted. You have been permanently blinded in one eye.
SYSTEM: You have been removed from Fleon’s Fine Foray for the Filary!