∼ DAY 166 ∼

"You're confident that you don't want it?" I asked for the umpteenth time.

"Ursa no wants," The big bear woman grumbled around a grilled fish on a spear.

Shaking my head ruefully, I dropped trying to convince her. She obviously didn't still entirely trust me. But then again, I couldn't exactly blame her considering the consequences of the power that my blood offers.

Casting my attention back to the scene at hand, the dark night blazed with the light of bonfires, torches, and ruckus merriment. I was sitting atop a large wooden platform hoisted a couple of meters above the ground in the middle of the settlement square.

With me, were the many figures who hold importance and status within the settlement. From Buildmaster Mar'v to Maldrak and his daughter - hell, even Ruela and Frenn were here to join in on the ceremony. Invited from their clans that laid not far away.

Besides simply all of importance, there was practically every single soul that had joined the settlement gathered here tonight, sitting in the settlement square, eating, talking, and enjoying the fight on display in the heart of it all. Fighting it out, was Roc and a high-leveled great orc by the name of Ran, the training instructor we had hired to help Rena and Grul in whipping our fighting force into shape.

However, despite being of a severely lower level and skill, Roc, the jewel-jointed ogre, was manhandling the training instructor. Not entirely with ease, but the lumbering ogre with his abundant defense and ridiculous strength had Ran struggling to hold on.

Feeling the cold night air on my skin, I hummed to myself, Mia long since having cuddled up to me.

"Winter is coming," Ursa said suddenly, her voice breaking through my calm reverie.

I cast her a glance. "Yeah, luckily we've got everything on track in preparation," I responded.

"What will the clan do? Leave, wait, or fight?" Ursa asked, making me pause for a full tense moment.

Meeting her gaze, I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Leave or fight? Winter soon." She said once again, seemingly non-plussed to my own confusion.

I was starting to feel a certain sense of foreboding from Ursa's words, so I slowly ground out; "Ursa? What exactly do you mean by fight or leave? What is it that you aren't telling me."

"The snow beasts," She said simply as if it was the most common knowledge of all.

Stopping myself from letting a hand slide down my face in exasperation, I met her gaze.

"Well Ursa, neither I nor anybody else knows about these... snow beasts?" I asked as calmly as I could. "Care to explain?"

Looking at me thoughtfully, it seemed to finally register that this was something only she knew about.

"Uh..." She droned, almost seeming abashed from her usually unfazed demeanor. "The beasts who come winter... tunnels... many many beasts..."

I was about to ask her to elaborate, but the sudden cheering of the tens of thousands of monsters cheering as Roc took down Ran stopped me from doing so.

"We'll have to talk about this later," I told Ursa, getting to my feet with a sigh.

Although these Snow Beasts sounded troublesome, it was something I had to deal with later. It was time for tonight's main event.

Getting to my feet as Mia let go of me, I signaled the stewards and various other individuals to get ready with the slight wave of my hand. Instantly, staff began scurrying around, sending the orders further and tending to their duties.

The roars and excited talking quickly died down to speculative and curious murmurs that spread out across the settlement square as all could see me standing at the edge of the platform.

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Accompanied by that, many monsters suddenly found themselves with wooden bowl-like cups in their hands as they sat on the ground, the stewards and staff in charge of handing the cups out to select individuals.

"Thank you all for being here tonight," I started, the murmurs instantly dying down in favor of listening. "Some know why I have gathered you all here tonight, others have their speculations."

Glances were thrown around at each when hearing this, curiosity tinging the face of most and some seemed practically feverish with excitement.

"Recently, rumors have been spreading like wildfire through our settlement, so I trust that all know of what I'm about to speak about," I announced before pausing. "It's true, and if you remember back to when I invited you all to join under my banner, I promised you not only a home, food, and work, but also power."

Now the mutterings and whispering broke into full murmurs of realization and excitement.

"Now," I let my aura wash over them, quelling the crowd's unruly. "As only a few know, but is no secret, I am a System Sanctified Lord; Xavier Tal'chor, the Sanguine Lord."

Letting the power of my title infuse into the aura that already layered over my followers, I punctuated that statement while simultaneously stopping them from launching into another fit of murmurs.

"With this title comes great power, to me and whoever decides to follow me," I continued. "I am the lord of blood, and within my essence lays the key to unlocking all of your potentials. While some may remain skeptical, see the truth in what I say with the fight between Drillmaster Ran and my trusted warrior, Roc."

Awe and desire were painted clearly on every single face gathered in the square, barely managing to tear their gaze off the hulking red ogre who basked in their attention.

"I wish to unlock the potential and to draw out everything that those who follow me deserve to be," I said.

Letting my smile falter, my stare turned cold as I gazed over everybody.

"But understand that this power comes not free," I said with ice in my tone. "To bestow this power, you must drink the essence of my being. That means my power will forever flow through you, to be called on whenever the need arises. To fight for the clan. To fight for glory."

With waves of stony determination, all gathered seemed to wholeheartedly assent with that ideal.

Lifting my hand to snap that ringing loud across the gathering, another wave of staff rolled in multiple large urns and began filling the cups of those who had been granted one with the powerful liquid within them. They were all filled with wine that had been infused with my blood and Mia's ever since discussing the blood rites and what we were supposed to do about them with all these newcomers.

"Unfortunately, the potential of my blood is finite and takes time to replenish. For that reason, I have ordered those close to my inner circle to keep an eye out for all those deemed most fit to receive my blessing first." I explained.

With a sharp nail, I slit my wrist, making a show of as a spurt of blood suddenly turned into a stream that flew into the air like a mosaic.

Allowing the blood to flow freely, it separated into various streams as it went to fill the cups of those atop the platform with me.

"But fret not," I turned around to address everyone again. "All those who are simply hard-working and devoted to the clan, regardless of being a fighter or farmer - young or old - greenskin or beastkin will receive my blessing within due time."

This time the crowd roared in excitement despite my aura still laying thick over them although I did not restrain them anymore as I did before.

Taking a glass of normal wine handed to me by Mia gratefully, I lifted it high.

"To the clan - to the Crimson Moon Clan!" I toasted.

With my proclamation, the banners on high wooden pedestals lining the sides of the crowds all the way down the settlement square were unfolded to reveal a red moon surrounded by a ring of tumultuous red waves of blood.

Emptying glass with a deep swig, I let a smile briefly touch upon my lips once again, gazing out over everyone who mirrored me.

Not a cup left full.

As everybody drank, the hubbub of my own power flowing through each powerful individual like beacons made my senses go red with a crimson haze. And at that very moment, I could've sworn I saw the moon high above, go red too.

With another couple of thousands that bore my blood, I breathed in deeply, allowing their joy and happiness to ride out before I lost my smile.

"Then again, for any who wish to undermine, hurt, and destroy what we are building, I will gladly strip you of everything I have bestowed upon you - and more," I finished, my last statement sending shivers down the back of most, while others seemed to almost bear their teeth in fervor to kill any who might dare to try and attack our clan as so.

That was the ruthlessness and decisiveness natural to that of monsters I found to appreciate shining through.

"To those still thick-headed enough to not understand this, to go unheeded of my warnings, let you be the prime example of what happens to traitors and spies," I said, lifting my hand to snap twice.

All of a sudden, alarm and shouts rose up everywhere, including on the platform with me and all the figureheads of the clan.

In stunned shock and silence, the crowds could only watch as barely a dozen figures were apprehended by my sanguine warriors and escorted up to the platform.

Among the almost a dozen figures being lined up about a meter from the edge of the platform, facing the gathered monsters, was the head chief of the guards, Halmut, and squad leader of the rangers, Cyril.

"What's this!?" Halmut shouted offendedly as he was forced to his knees before me by Rena who easily manhandled the big oaf.

I didn't answer him nor the others who seemed to echo him, merely glancing at the bugbear with a gaze that didn't hold him in it.

I looked back out to the stunned crowd. "Before you all, are the traitors - the scum who we have rooted out every since discovering their true intentions when coming with us to the clan."

"Traitor?! I am no traitor!" Halmut shouted over the hubbub of voices - rage and indignation in his booming voice.

"Oh? Then you wouldn't happen to know what this is?" I said with mock surprise, showing him the palm of my hand in which suddenly appeared a seemingly inconspicuous rod.

Pausing briefly, Halmut shook his head, still denying my claim.

"Ah, worry not, because he did." I smiled, summoning the bloody and disfigured corpse of some monster from my ring.

I crouched, gripping the corpse's hair to lift its head and show the face to the still kneeling Halmut with a friendly smile.

"I believe that you should be in possession of a similar communication device, are you not?"

Shock and panic now clearly visibly on the bug bear's face, his hands dashed for the sword at his hip only to find it missing from the scabbard.

Gratefully taking Halmut's sword which Rena handed to me, I cut off the pommel of the sword with a blade of blood, allowing the similar rod-like talisman to drop out from the handle.

At this, the crowd gasped in surprise, Halmut's face already gone deathly emotionless.

"What do you have to say about tha-?" I asked before the battle cry of Halmut getting to his feet and lunging at me with a dagger cut me off.

Instead of showing any semblance of surprise, I merely waved my hand lazily.

Suddenly freezing in his tracks, Halmut stared in horror as he no longer had control over his body.

"What is this?! What did you do to me!?" He screamed, eyes bulging in strain and terror.

"My power flows in your veins, and I can just as easily take it back as I had given it," I said coldly, speaking just loud enough for those close enough to also hear me.

With a scream shrill enough to make even the knees of a seasoned veteran go weak, I ripped my power from Halmut, the feeling much the opposite of the euphoria of being gifted it. However, I didn't just stop there.

I took everything from him.

When I was done, Halmut was nothing but a gaunt husk of his former self - withered to death.

I turned to face the crowd who had a mix of horror and schadenfreude painted across their faces from seeing the suffering of one who dared to oppose their new clan.

With that, I sentenced the other traitors to the very same fate.