It is true that the thirst for power is great, but the thirst to fulfill my faith is even greater… I, Lazharus, will find my God.
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As the hustle and bustle of the main street landed into Kai’s ears, he slowed down to a walking pace and tried not to grab any attention toward himself. However, with a dark red fox mask, and a white wolf that was almost as tall as he, such a thing proved to be difficult. Onlookers, passersby, stared at him, taking note of his appearance, then shrugged it off and went on their way.
Some avoided him, some got a good glance at Onyx and went the other way, while some others were intrigued. He heard some whispers, talking about him, and about the day he sent that beast away. However, none approached or talked to him, if not for his unknown nature, then in fear of the Obborik, which looked like an adult wolf in most people’s eyes, due to this reduced size.
And so, followed by glances or avoided by some, Kai followed his nose toward the gate of the city, where the smell of grilled meats and vegetables was stronger. Of course, street food wouldn’t be expensive to the average adventurer, and especially not to Kai, but seeing some of the prices made even him feel poor.
Luckily Raymond gave me some silver and gold… damned be this city, it’s more expensive than Nivero! He cried internally, and quickly, as per Onyx’s guidance, picked a rather large stall to buy from.
It spanned a good length of four to five meters, with two grills in the back and one at the front. A single cook - a middle-aged man whose tanned face hid behind a thick, dark beard, with hands darker than the elbows, and white beneath the sleeves- manned all three grills at once. His blonde dirty hair sported a shortcut, whilst a shining pair of black eyes watched over the meats with pride. A tall yet fairly young girl took care of the customers.
She had a head of yellow hair tied up in a short ponytail, and beautiful black eyes that made one get lost within, with an enchanting, welcoming smile creasing her pinkish pale lips. The girl seemed to be about twenty and bore a striking resemblance to the cook.
For one reason -the mouth-watering smell of the cooking meat, spiced with herbs and minerals-, or the pretty young girl selling said meats, or even both, a substantial line had formed, spanning twelve or thirteen people. Fourteen, with Kai in the back.
He didn’t mind waiting, despite his stomach saying otherwise, and Onyx’s intense licking of his snout as he happily smelled the evenly roasted pork, beef, and other animals Kai could not begin to identify. The line moved quickly, or slowly, he couldn’t say. Taking a quick sniff of the air, a weird, sweet smell entered his nostrils from the direction of the gate. His stomach churned and his hunger barely allowed him to think, and even a weird thirst began to set in.
He ignored the feeling and sat in line, and the customers slowly trickled by, and so did the minutes, until finally, it was his turn to order. Waiting so much in line, he already had an idea of what to buy, and so he turned toward the young girl.
From up close, she was even more beautiful than he thought, her white skin covered by a thick yellow shirt and a white blouse underneath. Her neck was decorated by a beautiful silver necklace, with a green, cheaply made, yet beautifully shining stone. The perfections he thought she had also disappeared, as cuts and nips covered her fingers and palm. A dark, tanned patch also covered her in the same spots as the cook, supposedly her father, and her nails weren’t done prettily, like the other girls he’d seen, but instead left slightly longer than normal.
He stared at her for a while, however not long enough for anyone to think him weird. The girl, a pretty little thing, had probably gotten used to men staring at her, even if she didn’t wish it to be so, and, she leaned forward slightly, her lips parting.
“How can I help you?”
“Ah-” Kai awoke from his mind, gulping, drool dripping down his chin. He opened his mouth to speak, and he did so with an unnatural difficulty. “Five… five… pork… horned boar sausages and five grilled poultries please.”
The words barely escaped his mouth before the girl turned around and picked up the meats he requested. Kai watched her stuff the pork pieces in a bag, with a delicate strength that made sure that none were damaged. She did the same with the poultry, whatever meat it was, and even threw five pieces of bread in another bag. His gaze never left her as she worked, his eyes shining slightly as the heat and effort made her veins pop through her pale skin.
After putting everything into a fourth, larger bag, she placed it before Kai. The smell of the freshly cooked, still sizzling meat, inundated his nostrils. Patting Onyx’s head, for a short, insignificant second, he felt his senses amplify by more than what he was used to. What-
In that one second, the world slowed down. A cacophony of voices -young and old, deep and sharp, happy, sad, angry, furious and joyful- all sorts of manners of emotions bombarded his mind. What is this, who are they?! They rang loud, like a church’s bell, and even as he clutched his head, they didn’t go away. Stop! Get out, get out, get out! His cries fell on deaf ears. Likewise, their heartbeats, their pulse, their breathing, all and every little movement filled his mind. So much, so loud! With dilating pupils, he glanced at the girl, whose smile had yet to leave her face. His crimson pupils shimmered with a soft light, and a knot formed in his throat as the girl’s veins became clearer and clearer before him. They covered her, pumping her body with energy through the fresh, warm blood as crimson as his eyes.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
He wanted to turn away, but he couldn’t. He wanted to stop himself, but couldn’t. The suddenly amplified senses seemingly took over his self, no longer piloting the flesh suit he called a body. Stop it…He licked his lips, gulping. His fangs started small, then protruded out of his upper and lower teeth, slowly becoming more like a beast’s than a man's. His nails, too, turned into claws, which he quickly wanted to hide away. This feeling… it’s… ugh… unbearable… it hurts… stop it. I can’t- I-
However, blood rushed through his body like a furious waterfall, feeding him with adrenaline, energy, thirst, with hunger. He snarled and removed his hand from Onyx’s fur.
The second passed, and the senses disappeared, however, his thirst remained. Drool dripped down his chin, a ferocious hunger shone behind the mask, and the girl took a step back. His aura grew fierce, terrifying. Like a starved beast, his knees sprung into action, ready to leap at a moment’s notice.
However, just as he prepared to do so, Onyx’s bark landed squarely in his ears. A hint of sanity returned to his pupils, however not nearly enough to stop him from what he was about to do. With a rush of adrenaline, his fists clenched. Blood trickled down his trembling hands, dirtying his black cloak and slightly weathered pants. People backed away, fearful, and apprehensive, as did the girl. The father walked forward, pulling up his sleeves, a look of annoyance and anger decorating his pupils.
And in that moment, Kai leaped.
But not toward the girl, the father, or the crowd. No, just as he was about to attack, a group of people, adventurers, walked in through the gate. They didn’t bear witness to the happenings, as they had just returned, wounded, dirty, and wary.
One of them was a man of about forty years, with a thick mane and beard-bled most profusely. A chunk of his arm had been sliced off cleanly, though not enough to call for amputation. It bled, even through the bandages. However, to Kai, as he was now, it reeked with an immaculable perfume. It attracted him, and he ran to it, like a moth to the flame, without thinking of the consequences.
It didn’t take long for him to reach them, as he ran on all fours, snarling like a desperate dog. Even taken by surprise, however, the burly man didn’t falter, and he clenched his damaged hand into a fist. It flew toward Kai’s body, a simple punch that he didn’t bother to deflect, evade, or defend against.
He took it squarely in the stomach. It sent him flying through the street, like a kite with its string cut. The crowd made way for him, or rather, ran away from him. However none dared turn away, and all eyes laid on him. Mockery, disgust, fear, sadistic pleasure. A countless assortment of gazes scanned Kai, looking at him as nothing more than a beast. ‘No pity for an animal’ they thought. He coughed, turned away, and ran. Hiding through the shadows, like he always did, running through the rooftops, unseen. His figure quickly disappeared into the night, protected only by the darkness.
…
Down in an alley, next to bags of trash and rotting rats, he squelched. His mask was down, thrown somewhere nearby, and he coughed, threw up blood, and empty stomach acid. He hadn’t eaten a proper meal for days, and it didn’t seem like today would be that day either. Onyx lay nowhere to be seen, perhaps searching for his companion. His nose perhaps betrayed him or simply felt that his companion, Kai, at that moment, was better left alone.
The boy in question looked at the ground, his reflection almost visible in the mixture of liquids he vomited. Shit… His eyes shone brightly, and neither his fangs nor claws went back in their place. Hnghnmn…. Something enveloped his throat, a suffocating feeling he couldn’t get rid of. A thirst, a hunger, a desire for blood that simply could not be sated by himself. Blood! I need it, now! He grunted and pulled out the bag of vials Barhm gave him.
Opening each one of them, one by one, he drank them. Argh…! He gulped one down, then threw it away, then finished another, and let it fall to his knees. One after the other, his thirst for blood deepening with every new empty vial shifting on the pavement. His bag became empty, and glass surrounded him, littering the ground. Threwn away here, there, at his feet, or against a wall. Shards joined the rest of the trash, bloody, and red, just like Kai’s brightly shining eyes.
More! It wasn’t enough.
All that he just did only served to fuel his instincts, which slowly overtook his rationale. He growled and snarled, and picked at his hair. He tore it up from his own head in an attempt to keep his cool. He dug his sharp claws into his legs, and he screamed with a primal roar that fell on deaf ears. Slowly… he started to lose himself. The blood flowing within his veins rushed toward his brain, his flesh greedily consuming it for its own satisfaction.
Visibly losing weight, Kai resembled himself less, and less. It wasn’t like before, where he only looked like a dead man. He started to truly become one as his instincts… his illness slowly ate away at his sanity. So this is Blood Rotting! Kai managed to form a cohesive thought, pinpointing the exact reason he started feeling like this.
He had seen people go into a frenzy before, at his grandpa’s camp. Whenever the blood rotting was in its final stages… that’s when it hurt the most. Once loving parents turned to beasts, hitting their own children, threatening to eat them and consume his kin and wife. However such torments didn’t last long, as his brothers, blood related or not, put an end to it.
Kai, on the other hand, had no such luxury. The beast that attacked his parents and himself, the beast that reminded him that he lived too comfortably, the beast that made him feel weak and worthless… He would become it, and would swiftly be put down by the man watching over him. Kai knew that much, however, despite all of that, he couldn’t take hold of himself.
A sudden sound grabbed his attention. Someone’s steps, heavy, crushed a vial near their booth. Kai’s’ body didn’t stand on ceremony, and he instantly leaped toward the newcomer. It didn’t matter if it was man or monster, beast or animal, he thirsted for blood.
With a wave of euphoria spreading throughout his body, he landed on the thing’s broad, steady shoulders, and his fangs, as sharp as a razor’s blade… plunged then into its flesh.