Washing up took some time as I was careful not to overwork my body, my gear was already placed by my bed's foot. A bag of poison darts, my hidden weapons, and the katana my grandfather gave to me. Lin is waiting for me outside the stronghold, eager to go scouting.
"Welcome back Helio-san."
"It's Leios-sama Lin."
"Oh right, sorry."
Lin and I have known each other ever since we enrolled at the Magic academy, we would often help each other with sword fighting and magic. Now she's my personal knight.
We take off to the forest we discussed during the last meeting. A thick forest covered in ghost vines and Man-faced spiders.
I reminded Lin to bring poison resistance potions just in case. A few weeks ago we found a small base here and decided to put it on our list. When we arrived it was quite empty, turned over boxes filled with rations and old rusted weapons hung on the walls.
"I assume they left a few days before we found this out."
"Yeah, everything here is so dirty it's as if they were deliberately trying to get rid of something."
"I wonder if this was a diversion, got any thoughts Lin?"
"No, if they were diverting our attention something would've happened already. I'll go search outside, call me if you need backup."
"Got it"
I descend the step, lighting up the candles with my fire magic. The candles brimming with flames lighting up the stairwell.
"Ex: Skill; type 4 blue flame."
I've always been able to use magic without chanting but it's much easier to use small spells with chants. Magic is very complicated, the usual way to use it is to chant the spell you want and then picture it in your head, though I've only ever pictured it as I don't need chanting.
As I leave the stairwell I am greeted with a horrid smell.
[This must be rotting bodies, but what the hell caused this much death?]
As I wander further, my question is answered. A figure appears in front of me gesturing to me to follow it. Since the figure has no weapons I reluctantly follow. It appears that the people here tried to use mass summoning magic to turn themselves into demons, that explains the smell. The figure disappears and whispers in my mind.
{Not everything is as it seems.}
I brighten my flame only to find out what the figure meant, hung on the walls are countless deformed bodies, their stomachs cut open and their intestines flowing out. I call for Lin as I head up the stairwell only to get no answer. I hurry up the stairs, my blood rushing to my head, having no regard for my body and finally get outside.
"LIN, WHERE ARE YOU!" I shout, only to get no answer again.
I check the perimeter and find Lin passed out on one of the watchtowers, an arrow piercing her lower body, I quickly deal with it and lay her down.
[What, no who caused this to happen, the base was empty so who could've done this. I'll set up some concealing magic and go look for myself.]
[The concealing magic is in effect. I should go looking now.]
Even though that's true I still can't hide my emotions, I embrace Lin as she sleeps.
[Don't scare me like that again.]
I get up and leap off towards the forest, it's already sundown so I decide to use my wind magic to help search for clues.
"Ex: Skill; type 1 rushing winds."
The wind should help out, now a bird eye view scan should do the trick.
"Ex: Skill; Eagles perception."
With my Ex skills activated I can see a rough 100 meter distance around the base, I see some dark shadows appear in the south east direction and hurry towards there. I can tell now that it was bandits that attacked Lin. It seems they were trying to loot the base and ended up wounding her in an encounter, though their forces also seem to have taken quite a hit as well.
"Ex: Skill; type 9 Wall of earth."
The bandits are trapped now as I summon a wall of earth to cave them in, they turn around ready to attack me. I stop and reach the ground.
"So, which one of you shot the arrow?"
"Get lost!" one of them starts charging at me.
I easily side step and decapitate him with ease, in a second he's lying on the ground.
"Who's next?" I ask with a slightly crazed face.
They all proceed to charge at me, forming a formation that I studied in 3rd grade.
"You can do better than that."
I proceed to blast them into the wall with an air wave, but as I try to finish them off my body gives out. I feel a sharp pain in my legs as they stop working and give out. I curse to myself as I realize that I'm always overworking my body, and now I'll pay for it. The bandits charge at me again, with smiles on their faces.
I close my eyes ready to accept my fate.
But just as his sword is about to strike me I hear a loud noise, when I open my eyes a black light appears in front of me, poison seeping out in a fog and slowly withering away at the bandit's body.
It whispers {Foolish, a reaper must never back down, even if their body gives out you must kill with no hesitation}
The Light dissipates as my sword floats towards the two sheaths placed where the light was.{Thou art I, and I am thou, thou hast established a new bond it brings thee closer to the truth.}
I reach out and grab the swords, my body is rushed with a wave of energy, I can feel the very muscles of my body responding to it, taking it as its own. I look back and instantly kill one of the surviving bandits with just a glare but when I look down I realize I swung my sword without hesitation.
"N-No way, RUN!"
The other bandits follow and try to escape but immediately I follow up and in a flash of dark energy they fall dead, their bodies cut up by my sword.
{This is the power you ever so needed, to be able to kill without hesitation, bloodlust is it's name. With it you'll grow stronger the more you kill. We will see each other soon, farewell}
The voice disappears, the moment I sheath my sword I faint, my body completely gives out and I start to sleep, hearing a faint familiar voice.