Sanguine Paradise

∼ Day 14 ∼

This is the second time I've seen this crack in his usually anger-filled demeanor. The first time was the will inside of me stirring, and now when I had showcased that I could wield the power of magic.

But the fear in his eyes could easily be distinguished as something relating to trauma. Meaning that he once before has been exposed to the use of magic, and it hadn't been a pleasant experience for him.

This only reinforced my growing confidence. I can win this.

Before Gurok managed to fully recompose himself, I summoned forth my mana yet again.

This time around I formed rend. Before, while out hunting, I had already tried numerous ways to use and utilize rend. Unfortunately, It wasn't as simple as just ripping apart their brains by manipulating their blood.

That was due to a number of different reasons, mainly because for each layer of substance I have to go through it becomes many times harder. The cranial bone for example.

Bone has a ridiculously high resistance against any form of magical manipulation. So affecting the blood inside a head surrounded by thick bone, is virtually impossible for me, unless I literally had my hand to head and the initial magical resistance of the creature was already low.

As for simply ripping apart a heart, it's still very hard. First of all, its buried deep within the chest of most humanoids, inside multiple layers of flesh and muscles. Secondly, I currently zero control over where the magic of rend actually occurs on the body.

I'm only able to cast it, and then it activates usually towards the center of where I vision it. But exactly where, I still very much lack that ability. I would have to be touching the place I want to rend if I actually want to specifically hit a spot.

So without any further ado, I infused all the mana I could into this rend. I could feel the formation within my palm begin to vibrate, signaling the magic's stability beginning to waver as I filled it to the brim with mana. I charge the orc slowed with stagnation.

Regaining his composure, Gurok the orc, once again brandished his enormous metal cleaver. But this time he had gone on the defensive. Seeing the rapid charge of my small figure, he decisively chopped his huge cleaver down upon me.

While he was confident in that ridiculous ability to completely control the flow of his weapon, I decided to capitalize on it. As the blade was whistling through the air, headed straight for my body, I clenched my hand into a fist.

[Gurok has taken 102 damage!]

What I had done was to activate rend. To my delight, the spell attack had the intended effect. Due to the severe internal damage that had just occurred within the bulky body of Gurok, he had lost quite a bit of momentum and power in the downwards chop. Combined with the fact that he was already slowed down by my earlier stagnation spell, the attack was easily evaded by me.

Not wasting this golden opportunity, I utilized my deathly sharp claws to rend a large wound, stretching all the way from his hip to his neck.

[Gurok has taken 42 damage!]

Unfortunately, this shallow wound against his hulking muscles and tissue didn't really pose lethal to him. Even the large amount of paralytic compound that I had injected into him with weak infusing slash seemed to do nothing to hinder his movements.

But already expecting that just that alone wouldn't be enough, I had attempted to strike all the way into his neck, trying to sever anything vital. But surprisingly, this giant orc's skin had suddenly turned stone hard stopping my attack before it could turn lethal.

As this was rather unexpected, I decisively blink away to avoid any more unforeseen moves.

Now with some distance between the orc and me, I tentatively inspected him. His skin had visibly turned darker. Around him, now permeated an air of death and darkness.

Although his wounded form seemed like he was in a serious condition that wasn't the case. He slowly began regaining his posture and his wounds also started to slowly staunch all bleeding. Some wounds had even started closing little by little.

What the hell is this?

While I was standing stupefied at the scene before me, I suddenly heard the rough and scratchy whimper of Gurok's voice.

"Y-you..... small insignificant b... BUG!" - Gurok

On the ending note of his sentence, his aura exploded in all directions. Both the nearby orcs and greenskins surrounding were all thrown backward by the force of the blast.

The before huge, green, and bulky orc who had been standing in the middle of the feasting grounds was no more. In his place stood an emaciated husk of his former self, shrouded in pure darkness.

Now skin and bones, his eyes seemed to be almost like round swirling balls of purple shadow.

I could easily feel the menacing magic radiating off him. But that didn't make sense since I already knew that he was no magic wielder. I had personally sensed zero mana within his body. So what the hell could've possibly done this?

But unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to figure that out. Before I could react or even appraise his current state, the now gaunt form of Gurok had vanished into thin air and appeared in front of me.

I attempted to dodge but I didn't stand a chance. His fist curled into a ball hit straight centerpoint on my carapace.

Although you would expect a guy with the body of a 100-year-old grandpa to not even be able to walk, this guy's punch splintered and cracked my rock-hard carapace with just that punch, effectively caving in most of my chest.

[You have taken 31 damage, a critical hit!]

Spewing out a large mouthful of blood as I went flying, I crashed into the crowd of greenskins behind me. I was barely able to move, as I clambered out of the mess of greenskins who laid beneath me with various broken bones due to the impact of me.

Coughing out another mouthful of blood, I look towards Gurok. His gaunt form was now walking towards me. His walk seemed almost animated, and his face showed a lack of any and all life. He obviously wasn't "in" there anymore, what could've done this and given him that much power?

That single hit would've killed me if it had struck my heart center on...

I didn't waste any time as I gathered back my very dizzy head so I could active healing surge and manage the blood leaking out of my chest with blood shaping.

But I could already feel my mind starting to fail, as I could barely even summon the last vestiges of mana within my core.

If I didn't regain my bearing here, I would die.

Getting to my feet I face the incoming incarnation of death before me. Closing the distance between us, the husk of Gurok brandished his blood-stained metal cleaver yet again.

I needed to take the initiative and make a lethal blow, or only defeat would ensue.

The second I lunged for an attack, he moved the strike with his cleaver but I already initiated my own counter. Taking a page from Bob's book of battle tactics, I kicked up a mound of loose sand and dirt to obscure the opponent's vision.

Although he was overflowing with unnatural strength and might, it didn't help if he was unable to direct it.

I didn't take this opportunity for granted as my life currently depended on it. So I went for the killing blow.

Unfortunately for me, I was only sent flying once again as I was struck by an unknown object directly on my hip which was utterly shattered by the blow.

[You have taken 28 damage!]

Taking in heaves of both air and mud, I tried to clear my pain-filled and muddled mind. What I hadn't expected when going for the kill was the kick that had been heading for me before I even managed to kick the dirt in his eyes.

While I attempted to get back on my feet, my death only approached yet again.

I only managed to get to my knees before I was viciously pressed down to the ground. What had before been Gurok was now sandwiching me between the ground on his skeletal foot.

Hearing the creaking of my already cracked carapace, as the pressure increased, I tried to move my head to get a better angle.

I could only turn my head just enough to see him lifting the giant metal cleaver up high, seemingly to impale me. Death flashing before my eyes, I stare into the purple swirling balls of darkness within the sockets of his eyes.

Right before I was to meet my maker, Gurok's form was knocked to the side and I was picked up.

Barely able to even make a coherent thought, I only heard the shaky words of Bob.

"M-masta we have to run!" - Bob

But it wasn't meant to be. Before Bob has even made it a few meters, I was suddenly dropped to the ground, tumbling away from Bob.

Taking long moments to sort of the dizzy state of my mind, I see Bob's form laying on the ground trying to claw his way back to me. But he wasn't making much headway since he was only doing so with his one remaining arm.

In his attempt to save me by running away, another death-sentencing development had befallen us. His arm had been severed clean off by the base of his shoulder, which was the resulting factor in why I had been dropped.

Completely ignoring Bob's flailing form as if he didn't even exist, the gaunt Gurok simply headed straight for my prone form.

Was this the end? After everything I had gone through during the little time I've spent in this world, was I really going to die? Although Bob was only my servant who'd I'd just recently found, he had become somebody important to me. Was he going to die with me, just like that?

No.

I'm not done... I haven't even started yet.

I'm not done before this fucking world is all beneath my foot.

Rolling over on my back, I met Gurok's hallow gaze with my own burning one. Shakily, I barely managed to lift my hand up. Pointing my palm directly at the approaching enemy, I drew on everything I had.

The undying will burning radiantly deep inside me, the rage of seeing the first person who actually mattered to me in this life being savagely mutilated, the thought of my legacy only being a forgotten sand grain in the ever-flowing river of time. I drew on everything.

More radiantly than ever before, the formation within my palm formed. Every single last drop of mana went into the summoning of this spell but that was not the only thing fueling it. Something else was drawn from my body in the torrents of mana.

From my blood rose faint crimson mist that tainted the spell within my palm even more red and vibrant.

[Through a life and death experience, with the defiance to not yield, you've awakened a latent skill - Blood Conversion!]

Barely keeping my consciousness intact, I managed to smirk as I mumbled around the blood coagulating in my mouth.

"Die fucker." - Me

Releasing the spell, I wasn't even able to see the result. Only a series of prompts followed the all-encompassing darkness that readily claimed my vision and mind.

[Gurok has taken 134 damage, a critical hit!]

[LVL: 25 - Gurok has been slain!]

[You have been rewarded with 9588 points of EXP]

[Congratulations! You've reached level 6-10]

[You've been rewarded with 5 skill points for reaching level 6-10]

[A Conqueror's Will has been added to traits!]

[Blood Conversion has been added to the skill list!]

[Weak Infusing Slash has reached LVL: 6]

[Blood Magic has reached LVL: 4]

[Healing Surge has reached LVL: 4]

[Paralyze has reached LVL: 6]

[Lesser Enhance Exoskeleton has reached levels 3-4]

[Lesser Enhance Organs has reached LVL: 4]