Solar Blood Masters

"Hmph! It seems we've come to an understanding. Excellent."

Raphael was satisfied with the bargain he'd struck with the Bloodthorne Knights. He was about to solidify their agreement, offer them his solemn word, a Golden Bull Thork's promise, when a series of deafening explosions rocked the 'Electric Scale Prison.'

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The earth trembled. The prison walls crackled. It was those bloodsuckers again. This time, their numbers were amplified to a horrifying degree.

"We haven't finished with you tasty little meats!"

"SHOW yourselves! We're hungry!"

"Your essences belong to us! It'll make a nice snack for our queen. Imagine that! Your blood, jiggling within her divine belly! What a gift!"

"GET OUT HERE! NOW!"

Their screams carried a primal chilling bloodlust.

Inside the prison, Fenriss and Handerson, who had begun to see a sliver of hope in Raphael's offer, recoiled as terror gripped them anew.

"Damn it! They're endless! WE'RE DOOMED!"

"Senior…! We have to…"

Lorial's composure snapped. She didn't have time for pleasantries, nor those comforting words those weak souls needed. She was done with this pathetic farce of a mission! They would strike a bargain, now! Before it was too late.

Lorial screamed, "You got a deal, Bull! Get us out of here safely, and I'll give you my Blood Arts!"

The last words of her plea reverberated throughout the prison until it shattered.

BOOM!

They were exposed.

"HISSSSS!"

"FOOD! It's MORE food! FRESH meat!"

"Those humans! They smell so good! And that bull? What a glorious catch!"

The Vampsquitoes buzzed excitedly. They were like vultures descending upon a feast. Their bellies rumbled with a terrifying hunger as they observed their prey.

But they didn't rush in blindly.

Their gaze settled upon the hulking figure of the Golden Bull Thork. Its hooves were ready to smash, and its wings were ready to slash!

They were wary, they'd seen those blades at work, however…

"Surely, he cannot defeat us ALL! There are thousands of us!"

Their leader, this time a bright green, and massive Vampsquitoe with a particularly fat belly and long, razor-sharp mandibles yelled:

"You damn bull! You're rather FAT and JUICY! You'll make a wonderful gift for our Empress! As for those humans! They will be OURS to snack on! Step aside! Let us fulfill our bellies!"

Raphael snorted. "PISS OFF! These humans are MINE!"

He wasn't about to relinquish his potential blood arts tutors. These Vampsquitoe were just insects. An annoyance. Nothing more.

He slammed his hoof against the swamp floor.

"Black Pool!"

A swirling vortex of pure darkness appeared. It extended outward from his golden hooves before engulfing the Blood Knights in an instant.

Then, with a final 'POP'!

It shrunk and transformed into a small, black orb.

Raphael then gestured to his two summoned Commanders.

"Kong, Melissa. Take this and deliver it outside Yama Yaguai. These humans are your responsibility. I'll hold those bloodsuckers off. Do you understand?"

"As you wish, Master!"

"Consider it DONE! Fuhuhu!"

His shadow generals darted into the skies with the speed of shooting stars. Melissa clutched the black orb. Her tail was swaying in delight of pleasing her master. What an exciting job!

"AFTER THEM! DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!"

The Vampsquitoes were about to give chase when…

"DARK BLOOD DOMAIN!"

BOOM!

Raphael roared. The world around him was consumed. A suffocating darkness enveloped those wretched bloodsuckers.

"HISSSS!"

"What is this? Where are we?"

"Why is it so dark?"

"Is this hell!"

They panicked, confused. It was dark now. And in that moment of uncertainty, they sensed it. That metallic smell. It was so potent. Their mandibles started clicking excitedly.

Then they saw it!

The blood!

It flowed like a river on the floor of this new domain, a feast for their greedy eyes and a scent that drove them into frenzy.

"Thissssssss issssssss... It's BLOOD!"

"FOOD!"

"DRINK!"

But just as they eagerly swooped down to taste,

WHOOSH!

The blood surged upwards, hardening into massive, crimson spikes!

"ARGHHHHH! MY GUT!"

"It's a TRAP! GET OUT!"

Their horrifying cries were nothing but futile whispers in Raphael's domain as he savored his kill. His 'Dark Blood Domain' wasn't simply about suppressing their powers. No, it was about devouring the very essences they coveted; the blood they so desperately wanted.

He was the predator now!

A short time later…

"Haaa! That's the last of them."

The 'Dark Blood Domain' dissolved, leaving behind a thick, cloying scent of iron and decay.

Raphael's golden hide now slick with gore, surveyed the carnage. Not a single Vampsquitoe remained because their buzzing was silenced and their bloodlust quenched by his domain's devouring hunger.

He couldn't savor the victory, for a new wave of buzzing, more frantic and bloodthirsty than the last, was approaching. They descended upon him like a black cloud.

BZZZZZZZ!

"Where are they? WHERE are those humans!?"

This was the fourth and fifth wave, combined. Their numbers seemed endless.

"Where are those bloody humans!?" Hollered the leader of this swarm. It looked down and noticed the lone bull standing there, and came to the conclusion that this bull must have eaten their prey.

"That DAMN BULL! You DARE eat our snack?! You will SUFFER today! We will DEVOUR YOU!"

The leader's enraged shriek resounded before it unleashed crimson energies in a blast that was meant to shatter bones and melt his golden hide.

"These buzzing bastards!"

Raphael didn't stand still, not this time. He'd been cornered for too long and the thrill of power was fading. His survival instinct kicked in and he retaliated instantly.

"Wing Slashnado!"

He ripped through a few dozen in a swift, bloody swipe of his wings. Then unleashed those potent energies that he'd inherited.

"Electric Tail Lash!"

His tail whipped around. It was crackling with lightning, enhanced by Lu Lingxue's essence. The impact sent many Vampsquitoes flying into the trees. They exploded in a burst of green goo and splattered blood.

But their numbers were overwhelming.

Those smaller ones darted through his defenses, they swarmed, and their serrated mouths pierced his golden hide. They feasted, gorging on his blood and those that grew fat on his essences were suddenly more potent, they glowed with a new brilliance that was truly terrifying.

This wasn't about fighting for survival anymore, it was about retreat. A desperate gamble to live another day!

"I have to GET OUT of here! They're too fast. I can't hold them off for much longer!"

He then focused his intent upon those bloodthirsty creatures and yelled his newly acquired technique, "Raging Bull Roar!"

BOOM!

A sonic wave unlike anything he'd ever experienced, blasted outwards and knocked the Vampsquitoes off course.

They staggered!

They were stunned!

His way was clear. He took off. But they weren't done.

"Get up you lazy fools! That bull! CATCH HIM!"

The leader's commands had them shaking away the disorientation from his earlier sound attack as a primal hunger propelled their movements. And that one from earlier with the fat yellow belly, that one now glowed green – a Saint Ruler!

"After him! He's… delicious! That blood, so sweet! We've never tasted such potency! He will be a noble repast for our Queen!"

The chase was on!

WHOOSH!

Raphael bulldozed through the trees.

"Those damn buzzing mosquitos! They won't stop! They're catching up!"

He unleashed a barrage of 'Wing Slashnados' but to no avail. The Vampsquitoes simply regrouped and followed, as if a bloodthirsty dance was their desire now.

Seeing those blood-red, yellow, and emerald glows behind him, he pushed himself harder!

"I've got to get AWAY!"

Golden lightning crackled around him. His speed, amplified by his instincts to survive, reached a peak. The swamp became a blur. Trees whipped past him like wisps of smoke as he dodged and weaved until finally, a path cleared and a hazy glow appeared ahead.

"Purple… fog? What is this?"

Raphael was hesitant to slow down, but his curiosity and fatigue got the better of him.

He plunged into the swirling mist.

Immediately, something felt off. His speed was slowing. The air around him felt heavy.

"Why am I… slowing down?" He questioned as he frantically searched for an exit, a path that would lead back to sanity.

"Who are you…? You must OBEY…!"

The words were fragmented. They buzzed and echoed. He swatted the air, but there was nothing. It was the fog. It was messing with his head.

"I've got to get out of here!" He began to panic, he could feel those bloodsuckers coming closer.

Then ahead, a radiant, golden light glimmered through the mists. He rushed toward that opening.

"Hmm… What the… Where…"

As soon as he entered the light, Raphael stumbled and fell onto a grassy patch. He blinked, and confusion swept over him.

The fog was gone.

The swamps… they'd vanished.

He looked down at himself and gasped!

"I'm… I'm… human again?"

He was in his old Bloodthorne attire.

He touched his face. The furs were gone. He ran a hand through his short, dark purple hair and gasped, for it wasn't Shao Jin's golden glow anymore. These strands were softer, human!

"What is going on?"

He gazed back toward the direction he'd come from, searching for those misty woods. The path was sealed, a vibrant emerald green meadow extended before him. It was so peaceful.

"Weren't I just in the Dark Swamp Gorge? Being chased by those Vampsquitoes. Was it all just a DREAM?"

His hooves were gone, they'd been replaced with human feet that were trembling. He cautiously walked ahead, desperate for an explanation, some truth, some logic. But nothing made sense. Then a familiar sight had him stopping.

It was Tajmani's residence. That tower, those balconies, how familiar, how terrifying those used to be.

"Was I dreaming all alone? Yama Yaguai, those Calamities, was it all just a dream?" He was lost in thought.

Before him stood an elderly figure that he'd thought lost forever; his only source of comfort back then when life truly was a nightmare, a torment he'd been given as a gift to appease a vengeful queen.

"Butler Long?!" Raphael rushed over.

He threw his arms around the man in a hug and cried joyously. "I'm so glad to see you. I MISSED you."

"Raphael? My boy! Is something wrong?" The elderly man returned the hug with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean you missed me? You only went for a walk an hour ago, remember?"

Those words and that look of confusion had Raphael questioning his sanity once more. It felt so real.

"But…"

His memories were fading. Yama Yaguai, its dangers, those terrifying battles. Those events were slipping away as his new human reality was taking hold.