Since the system created a quest, there had to be a way to accomplish it. I didn't know yet what that way is, but I'd better find out quickly. I thought about what I had that can be useful for the quest.
I had nothing but a nightgown and my body. No map, no transportation talisman, no weapon, no secret techniques, no shoes. I sighed when I thought about treasures I had to give up to so as not to make anyone suspect that I am preparing to escape.
So there is had to be something that the Web gave me about the quest. I focused on the window to read more carefully this time.
{CONGRATULATIONS!
Your breed successfully started to change from
[Neutral], Angelic, Demonic into
Neutral, Angelic, [Demonic].
Please carry out the following instructions in less than three hours in order to not be faded.}
{A breed-changing quest named [Blood Bath] has been defined by the Web for the user whose information is given below.
Name: ??? (Not named yet)
Breed: Changing (into demonic, succubus), Level 0
Skills: Desires of Heart
Time Remaining: 02:54
Quest: Find a source of life energy to refill before you run out of energy. For your change to begin fully, you need a life to replace the life you lost. If you can't sacrifice a life in given time, you'll be faded. To make a sacrifice...}
I had wasted two precious minutes because of my indecision. I gritted my teeth and tried to analyze every single information the Web gave me. A breed-changing quest, from neutral to demonic. So I wouldn't be human anymore. Nice. Not useful information right now.
'The user whose information is given below' must be referring to me, why I didn't have a name? It was weird, but not useful. So I ignored it. Changing into a succubus, interesting, not useful.
Desires of Heart, a skill I didn't have before all that shit. It could be useful if I figured out what. Time remaining, 02:53. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I focused on the only thing that seemed might help me.
I closed my eyes and tried to use the skill. Nothing happened. I inhaled deeply and thought. Desires of Heart didn't sound like an attacking skill, it must have been something more complicated. Right now, my only wish was to have a skill like inspect. But of course, there was no notification from the system saying that my wish was accepted.
Seconds later, I heard a cawing. 'Food,' I thought, 'mating'. I looked at the crow on a branch. It was not demonic, it was a normal scavenger. 'Food,' the thought appeared in my mind, 'food, food, mating, food'.
So... are those were 'desires' of the crow? A skill to show what people desire would be useful indeed. But how can I use this right now? I was changing into a succubus and now this skill... Just as sharks can smell blood in the water, this ability could help me find my prey.
Actually... the female demon also came to this low-level forest following my desire for revenge, didn't she? I tried using the skill again now that I know what it can do. Stones, leaves, soil... they were empty of desires. Then, I realized a desire.
It didn't ring in my mind like that of the crow. It was as quiet as a whisper. 'Peace...' it said. I looked at who the desire came from and it came from a... tree? I didn't know trees could have desires but I had no time to think about it.
I imagined the skill as a circle with me standing in the middle. I widened the circle as much as I could. Mating, shelter, food, food, mating, surviving, shelter, bury walnuts for the winter...
Desires that I thought belong to animals filled my mind. While my thoughts were lost in the noise, I tried to weave a web will cover my circle, that would block the 'food' and 'mating' desires and allow others to pass.
Building a nest, killing intention, walnu- wait. The killing intention could belong to an adventurer. From what I've seen so far, animals wanted to hunt when they were hungry. But their desire was to satisfy their hunger, not to kill.
I focused all my attention on the killing intention. 'Killing... bathing in the blood of my enemies... tearing apart their flesh with my teeth...' It wasn't a human. The killing intention should belong to a demonic creature. According to quest, I need a life to replace the life I lost. I used to be a human, so the sacrifice should be a human too.
I ignored the raw, aimless, killing desire against everyone, and continued my search. Protecting the cup, migrating south, taking what my brother has... Oh? It seemed like a desire a human would have.
I broke my circle and focused on the owner of this desire with my new skill. 'Brother... always getting the lion's share... they should have belonged to me...' Yes, he was definitely human.
I started walking in the direction of the owner of desire without stopping to use the skill. The more I used it, the more I was starting to understand the skill. It was showing me the things that should be inside the heart.
I was able to see the desire of the man jealous of his brother like a smell in the air. The accumulated anger of years was like a smell, a taste suspended in the air. I licked my lips, yes, I could taste it. The taste of his jealousy was bitter.
'I do all the work, but he gets more money... Maria would be mine if he hadn't intervened... Maria's soft thighs... mhmm... I loved her more than him... she must be mine... my mama always loved this bastard more than she loved me...'
I followed the desires of the sick-minded man until I found the camp settled near a stream. When I saw the campfire, I stopped walking and thought about what to do.
From afar I could only see two human figures, but there could be more. They could have been adventurers fighting demonic creatures or merchants traveling from a village to another. I hoped they weren't very talented at fighting, or at least not very smart.
I looked at myself. Bloody nightgown was not a good start to looking harmless. Luckily, there was a stream right next to me. I sighed and took a step into the water. I was thankful we were not in the winter.
Thinking about how to approach my prey I cleaned myself as much as possible. My nightgown, which was white once, was now pink. It was transparent because it was wet, revealing every detail of my curves. I knew what they would see when they looked at me, a trembling petite woman.
They won't understand who is prey and who is predator until it was too late. I grinned proudly before I put a scared expression on my face. I got out of the water and approached the campfire.
''If it continues like this, we may have to choose another location,'' I heard a man's voice. I activated my skill just in case. As far as I can tell, it has no harm other than being a little mentally tiring.
''Yeah, I think so,'' the other man, the jealous brother, said. His eyes were on the bite his brother took. I saw a small animal, perhaps a rabbit, cooking over the fire.
''Every goddamn merchant started wandering with bodyguards. If you have that much money it shouldn't be a problem that us to borrow some, jeez man,'' The other brother said. He drank whatever he got in the glass at a seam and the yellow drink flowed from his dirty looking beard. Blech.
Bandits, huh. Unless they were better accoutred than adventurers and merchants, it was okay for me. I used my skill on the man, 'money,' I heard in my mind. 'Money, gold, wine, women. More money, more gold, more women. More. More. More.'
Greedy and jealous. What a perfect couple of brothers. There was no one but two brothers in the camp. After walking and washing, I had less than an hour left. I had decided what to do. I wouldn't hesitate anymore.
''Sir?'' I shouted with a broken voice. The two brothers startled and pulled their swords while rising. ''Help me! Please...'' I let my voice fade before I could complete the sentence.
I sobbed out loud and my tears started to flow. ''Demons attacked... my father... please help...'' I watched as the men's cautious facial expressions turn into grins. I didn't need a skill to feel their disgusting intentions.
''Please...'' I said in my most pathetic voice.
''Sure babe,'' The greedy one stepped forward and approached me. However, I focused my skill on the jealous brother. The greedy man held out his hand to touch my face.
I found where the jealous brother keeps his anger for all these years. It was deep, deep inside his heart. I visualized that all the hate and regret he accumulated was in a box in front of me. I opened the box.
''Bro,'' The jealous brother said. The greedy one didn't turn, he kept his gaze on me.
''What?'' He asked.
''You already have Maria waiting for you. Why don't you leave this chick to me?'' The jealous one said. I kept standing as if I am ill with fear and can't move.
''Huh? Yeah, you can do whatever you wish after I'm done with her,'' The greedy man said. I searched the jealous one's regret box and found what I am looking for immediately.
'Never I won't let him get what should be mine again...' I gathered desires that he thought at some point in his life but were too coward to make real, especially those against his brother.
'I will kill him...' I selected that one single thought and I pulled it to the surface with all my will. I brought to the surface every little bit of jealousy hidden deep in his heart. After that, I looked into his eyes and I realized he would do what I wanted.
I looked at the other brother caressing my face with his thumb. He wasn't aware that his brother was slowly moving behind him. He brought his face closer to my face.
When he heard that his brother had pulled his sword out of its sheath, it was too late to turn back. I heard the irritating sound of the sword coming out of the flesh. The greedy man collapsed. His brother did not hesitate, he finished with a single stub in his throat.
The jealous brother turned to me, not even waiting for his brother to give his last breath. I let his brother approach me as the bloody bubbles came out of the greedy man's mouth.
My chances were not very good against a man who would double my weight. But anyway, you were used to being at a disadvantage to every opponent you met when you were less than fifty kilograms.
I was aware that in a long and fair fight I had no chance against a heavier, taller, and more armed man than me. Luckily, the man had no intention of fighting me. He put his hand on my waist.
I took my stance without resisting and making sudden movements. I put my hand in the shape of a claw and focused on the man's throat. I knew where his windpipe was. I knew how vulnerable and how easy to rip the place where his chin and throat meet.
As the man leaned over me, I took a deep breath and made a move to rip his windpipe in one go. The man broke down on me without time to understand what happened to him. Trying not to be crushed under his weight, I held him, and let his blood ran over me, however gross.
When I thought it was enough, I left the man to fall to the ground and drew two lines under my eyes with my blood-soaked fingers to perform the ritual given in the quest.