As warm splashes of crimson liquid touched his skin, Ark's face widened into a sadistic smile as the iron edge of his dagger found the throat of an assassin.

Fueled by his energized state and adrenaline pumping through his veins, Ark ignored his body's screaming fatigue, instead giving in to his rage as he fought not like a noble he was expected to be, but rather like the savage slave he once was.

Throwing dirt, kicking crotches, headbutting his opponents, and at one point, picking up Soliloquy and shouting “Flamethrower!” Ark became a threat the ordinary bandits couldn't handle.

“Ark! Compose yourself!” Soliloquy shouted, attempting to rein in her host who was giddy and high from his first ignition.

However, Ark was ecstatic, giving in to the aggression he had pint up since his execution at Roland's hands and the high that flooded his veins with euphoria. He needed blood, demanded it! His bottled and pent up rage coming out as a furious roar that was answered with blood.

The Fey guards stood back, watching in abject horror as their naked noble straddled the last survivor and began to stab him repeatedly despite the man's pleas.

Yet, all Ark heard was Roland's voice, all he saw was the memory of Liliana being cut down as images of his friends were murdered and his soldiers turned on him.

In that moment, he could see it all, an entire lifetime of lies, false friendship, and sacrifice that he'd been a victim to.

It wasn't fair! Wasn't fair! Ark never asked for this life, never wanted to soak his hands in so much blood the faces of those he slayed nothing but numbers to his mind.

Eventually, as the sound of the man's screams died down, the mania in Ark’s eyes finally faded, leaving him out of breath, panting, and hungry with fearful eyes staring at him.

“Are you done?” Soliloquy asked.

Ark wiped the blood from his face, his eyes focused on the terrified expression on his victim’s face.

“Shit…” Ark let out, realizing what he'd done as he turned his attention to the crowd of serfs and guards. “Sain!”

“Uh! Yes milord!” The green-haired guard shouted, jolting from his stupor.

“Find sir Welkin! The ki user has to be their leader. Assist in capturing them!” Arm barked, when the guards continued to stand around Ark rose to his feet, “Stop gawking and do your jobs!”

At the order the crowd dispersed, racing towards the area the old knight had been spotted while Ark tried to get orientate himself.

“Soliloquy, what the hell was that?” Ark hissed, wiping the blood leaking from his mouth that showed internal damage.

“You experienced ignition. A rite of passage all featherlings undergo during adolescence when exposed to fire.”

“To act all psycho? You could have warned me before I jumped into a sea of flames and became a fucking lunatic!” Ark spat, surveying the corpses and lamenting that he had no one to interrogate thanks to his own actions.

“If I had stopped to explain the effects, the fire would have engulfed the entire nest. Your benefactor would be dead and the assailants unpunished. Although…” Soliloquy trailed off, almost as if in deep thought as she hopped onto the body of the bandit and began nibbling on him. “The euphoric symptom is an uncommon trait. Perhaps it is your morphology as a human-hybrid. This will require more testing.”

Ark ignored the phoenix gorging herself, instead turning his attention to the sound of a loud detonation that echoed through the night.

He was off, utilizing whatever ounce of strength his frail body had to round the corner of the manor to observe the fight taking place.

The purple-haired woman was surrounded and locked in combat with Welkin, the pair trading thunderous blows with neither backing down.

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“Aye! You're very spry for an old hand!” The woman spat, dagger in one hand while her other pointed her brass axe at Welkin. “Even more impressive that you're handling the poison so well.”

The old man was panting, visibly sweating while the woman appeared lax and prepared to kill them all.

“Lay down your arms and surrender! Your companions are dead!” Sain bellowed, taking a step forward to stand beside Welkin who was down on one knee.

“So me boys are all dead are they? And you've got me surrounded?”

“Yes! Final warning! Surrender yourself!”

The intruder narrowed her eyes at the men that surrounded her before her violet gaze settled on Ark. “Shame that.”

The woman moved, knocking away the unaugmented guards who stood no chance against the ki user barreling her way towards Ark.

“Well, I guess a magickless princeling can still make for a good hostage,” The woman said, grabbing Ark much to the crowd’s dismay. “Might even fetch a good price!”

“Unhand the young master!” Sain yelled, charging forward only to get blasted by a bolt of ki that shot out of the woman's weapon.

“Anyone else?” The assassin said, pointing her bronze axe at the crowd who hesitated to move. “Don't follow me! Otherwise the lame one gets it!”

“Young Lord!” Welkin shouted, attempting to rise only to fall to his knees.

Sain move forward, weapon drawn at Welkin’s behest yet froze as the assassin placed her dagger beneath Ark’s neck.

“Don't do it gents, if I were you I'd focus on circulating you ki. As for the rest of yous, one wrong move and I'll open the lame one’s his throat. Even if the King’s disowned him he’s still royal blood!”

Ark winced at the words.

The woman began to move, dragging Ark with her towards the woods who willingly complied.

“Who is your employer?” Ark asked his captors as the two made it to the treeline.

“Shut up,” The woman spat, pulling Ark along.

“Why did you attack the baroness?”

“I said shut up!” The woman turned, backhanding Ark. “If yous know what's good for ya princeling, you'd be quiet.”

Ark held his tongue, following along with the woman until they were deeper into the forest.

“This is the last time I'm going to ask nicely,” Ark said, glaring at the woman under the glow of the moon. “Who hired you?”

“Will you shut it?” The woman turned and hissed, this time holding a dagger to Ark's throat. “I ain't in a chattin mood, one more word and I'm sellin yous to an arkan slaver.”

Ark lifted his neck, eyes unwavering, “That's too bad, because I definitely want to have a chat. Maybe you should slow down.”

“What are you on about- a chicken?” The woman turned and blinked, eyeing the baby chick atop her captive’s head before her body was suddenly hit with an invisible force. “What is this?!”

Ark wasted no time and dropped low, his hand brandishing the dagger concealed beneath the tatters of his tunic that he used to stab his kidnapper’s achilles tendon.

He could feel resistance as the weapon went through the woman's boot, his assailant, utilizing ki to strengthen her now sluggish body and attempt to block the blow.

Yet it was too late as Ark ran his ki along his blade, miniscule as it was, it was enough to inject into his captor who let out an ear-piercing scream and kicked Ark away.

[Skill Acquired! Ki Injection]

The bandit made to move, managing to take a singular step forward before her foot gave out and she collapsed to the floor and began seizing as if being electrocuted.

“You! Mage! What did you do! To me!” The woman shouted between desperate gasps for air.

Ark brushed off the foliage and debris from his body before picking himself off the floor.

“Funny thing about ki, just a bit of obstruction and it can send the entire body into shock if you're unprepared,” Ark said, standing over his victim. “You're a what? Rank C? Surprise you got one over the old man. But looks can be deceiving huh?”

Ark crouched down, feeling his energy mingle with the woman whose own ki was trying to expunge his like an immune system reacting to bacteria.

Ki injection was a rare skill, one not widely known but easy to defend against if you knew what you were up against. Hard to use and easy to dispel, those that knew amount it didn't bother with the skill, but if one injected foreign ki beside specific major magicil circuits…

“I'm going to ask you once nicely,” Ark said, stabbing the woman's outstretched palm where another magic circuit lay. “Who sent you?”

“G-g-g-go to h-hello!” The woman hissed, face fully red as Ark injected more ki despite his body absolutely craving rest.

“Hello to you too,” Ark said, ripping his dagger from the woman's hand. “Don't worry, with your level of ki, you'll heal in no time…”

Still, he had an image to put on, and questions he needed answering. So he pushed through the fatigue and weariness that coursed through his body.

“But what happens if I destroy your magic circuits completely?” Ark said, alarm and fear appearing in his victim's eyes as she gazed up at the glowing gold irises staring back at her. Of course Ark didn't possess such an ability, but she didn't know that. “You aren't going to get this, but I just went through a very harrowing experience. You could almost say it traumatized me. In fact… I'm feeling a little vindictive.”

“No! G-g-go away! Stop! S-stop!” The woman screamed as Ark went to work collecting data.