Ezzie said.

I spat into the grass again. Couldn’t get that damn taste out of my mouth.

Ezzie said.

I looked to the horizon, and sure enough, the sun was setting over the nearby hills. Just like that, the day was gone.

Ezzie said.

I waited until my health had recovered, then sheathed my short sword and crept toward the nearest imp, drawing a throwing knife from my bracer. I whipped all four knives in rapid succession, making contact with three of them.

I drew my blade and jogged forward.

Ezzie said.

I lowered my shoulder and sent the imp flying backward. I said,

Ezzie said.

I pinned the imp in place with my shield and thought Lecherous Strike. A deep purple glow enveloped my weapon, shrouding the blade entirely. I thrust the tip of my sword into the imp’s throat.

I looked down at the ring I carried, and the purple gemstone set within it. The light had gone from the gem, though its brightness was increasing steadily.

Ezzie said.

I approached another imp, not bothering with the throwing daggers this time. I readied my sword as the imp glided over, its thin wings beating the air.

Ezzie said.

I side-stepped left and swung horizontally, slashing the imp about its midsection, diving and rolling forward with my momentum.

The imp was fast, though; it beat its wings once and adjusted in midair, its fingernails raking across the back of my neck. Warm blood trickled between my shoulder blades, the pain hot and sharp, like a wasp sting.

I regained my feet, brought my shield up and bashed the imp forward to gain some distance, activated Lecherous Strike as it charged forward to meet me, and thrust my glowing blade into its midsection.

The pain in my neck vanished instantly, and a flurry of quick attacks put the imp down for good. The Constructor bobbed over and scanned the corpse but found nothing of interest.

We grinded our way back toward Rivercrest, slaughtering the imps as we went, edging ever closer to level seven. They were easy pickings with my new ability, which allowed me to trade blows and regain almost all of the hp I’d lost with a quick attack.

Ezzie seemed to think the ability was even more useful than it initially appeared; if I could find a piece of equipment that granted an AoE ability—like a cleave—I could apply the strike’s leech effect to several mobs at once.

Ezzie said.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

I said, and started jogging along. I’d already lost almost a hundred max health to the disease, and though the imps were weak, their attacks hit a lot harder with my health pool halved. And if my shield broke, I’d be in serious trouble. Another prompt, then:

{Blood Rot} has mutated into {Blood Plague}!

You are afflicted with {Blood Plague}!

Effect: -20 maximum health every 60 seconds.

Ezzie said, practically screaming through the link.

I bolted for the town; I could just barely make it out in the hazy distance, but it had to be at least a mile off.

Ezzie said,

I ran full blast, sprinting for the village with everything I had until the back of my throat felt like it was on fire and my right side was cramping hard.

Ezzie said.

I kept running, desperate, then my muscles locked up; Ezzie had taken control and forced me into a brisk walk.

I said.

Ezzie said. She was speaking quickly now, her urgency obvious.

I said. I gritted my teeth and watched the disease tick my health away. I couldn’t help but notice a patch of bare skin by my elbow, where the veins had swollen to almost twice their normal size, becoming black and sickly looking.

Ezzie said.

I kept walking, as brisk as I could manage without impacting the bar’s regeneration.

I bolted again, pumping my arms and legs with everything I had. The Constructor followed along, bobbing through the air.

Ezzie said, as the Constructor lit up and started stripping the armor off my back. The chest piece went first, then the pauldrons, and my stamina bar started dropping much less quickly. Ezzie said.

My lungs were burning, legs were aching. The Constructor removed my greaves and I picked up the pace, flying out of the barren wasteland we’d been leveling in and up one of the grassy hills that ringed the town.

Ezzie said.

(Yell) Silas: need a disease cleared at east gate will pay

Ezzie said.

I said. I kept on while tracking my stamina bar, draining it all the way down to one percent before I forced myself to walk again. I was still maybe fifty yards outside the gate.

I glanced at my health bar, which was full, but listed my max hp at ten, meaning the next tick of the disease would be fatal. I let my stamina build to twenty percent, then ran for it. I was just inside the gate when it dropped back down to one percent.

Ezzie said.

I looked around; the streets were entirely empty. The sun had set, and most of the townsfolk were already inside for the night. I heard a door thump shut behind me, and I turned to find Faye leaning over a railing.

Ezzie said, resigned.

Faye’s hands began to glow, and she made a series of quick gestures.

NPC {Faye Ester} cast {Cleanse} on you.

{Blood Plague} has been cleansed!

Ezzie said.

“Thank you!” I called out.

Faye gave me a sad smile and disappeared back inside her home. I glanced up at my health bar, which displayed a tiny sliver of red, though it was already creeping upward.

Ezzie said.

I sat down right there in the middle of the road.