Milas had been running for a while looking for a teacher to help him. He knew that something was terribly wrong but the whole place was quiet. Milas couldn't even find a student.
After running blindly, Milas ran into a group of four students. He didn't get the chance to explain before they attacked him. He really wasn't in the mood for battle so he swung the mace as hard as possible. The group jumped back to dodge while Milas used the force of the swing to change direction. He sprinted away faster than before.
"Shit!" Milas was cussing in his mind since he had completely forgotten about the game. His rush to get help had gotten him surrounded as there were two vampires behind him while the other even faster ones flanked him. Hearing two voices arguing ahead of him, Milas decided to risk everything and head towards them.
He knew about the treasure truce but wanted to buy some time as the two groups came to terms. Milas dashed between trees before ducking as he passed the two people. A fist flew above his head as he moved which made him glad that he ducked. His joy faded when the back of his neck was gripped tightly and his sprint brought to an end.
The mace in his hand flew towards the head of the one who caught him before abruptly stopping. The heavy metallic end of the mace was a finger length away from Step's face. Asher, who was about to throw his second punch also paused. "Who are you running from?"
"Four vampires, behind me, get ready for a fight!" Milas warned his two friends before he reset his stance to face his pursuers. Two vampires appeared from the sides before the other two arrived soon after. The group of three stood back to back while the four chasers spread out and boxed them in. The small clearing was now crowded as a tense stand off enveloped the area.
The deadlock was broken by Step who pulled two daggers out of her bracelet and charged at one of the boys surrounding them. Asher did the same with one of the boys who was using a scythe. Surprisingly, Asher didn't use a weapon as he used his bare hand to block an overhead strike. The scythe user slowed his attack since he didn't want to accidentally kill his opponent. A lot of the force dissipated but the razor like blade still sliced through flesh and only stopped at the bone.
This was exactly what Asher hoped to achieve as he used his other hand to grab a hold of the boy's collar. By getting close to his opponent, Asher had drastically reduced the threat posed by the scythe which couldn't be used at such a close range. He violently freed his impaled hand that was basically ready to heal, before grabbing the metallic shaft of the scythe.
A skull cracking headbutt stunned the scythe user then his feet left the ground. The world spun rapidly for the scythe user before coming to an abrupt halt. Asher had lifted the poor boy up using his collar and slammed him headfirst into the ground. The teenager was instantly knocked unconscious therefore removing him from the competition.
Asher turned around expecting to meet an attack only to find two vampires engaging Milas and Step while the third lay on the ground. The unconscious kid's face was an unrecognizable mess of blood. Asher joined the others and the two vampires were soon blacked out on the ground.
"Will you tell us where you've been? And whose blood that is?" Asher immediately asked Milas who was taking the swords from their victims.
"We are in danger and need to find help immediately. There are people in the forest who aren't supposed to be here and they're deadly. I was looking for the way out of here but I ran into these guys who chased me here." Milas only mentioned the things that concerned the two and nothing more.
" That still doesn't explain the blood on your clothes." Asher might have trusted Milas a little more than others but he wasn't foolish. He knew that Milas was hiding the truth and that amount of blood had to have been fatal to whoever shed it. The game made him wary of everyone and he was only siding with Step to protect the gullible girl.
"We don't have time for this! Step, let's go!" Milas gestured for her to follow him but she didn't move. Step wanted to follow but Asher was griping her hand tightly preventing any movement. "Let her go Asher! I don't care if you are determined to win this game but I won't let you endanger her."
Asher didn't even react to Milas' threatening tone. "You are drenched in vampire blood and your eyes have been glowing since we saw you. I may trust you but my instincts are telling me that you're the biggest threat right now. I can't let you take Step unless you prove that you're still yourself."
Milas didn't know why but Asher's current behavior was pissing him off more than it should have. He immediately tightened his hold on the two swords he had taken from the unconscious vampires. Asher noticed the slight change and his gaze turned fierce. Step wanted to ask Asher to trust Milas but she could also feel the murderous intent leaking from him.
Step was unknowingly pulled behind Asher as he used his body to cover her. Milas was maddened by the act and his eyes that had been glowing for a while shone brighter. His lips curled up slightly revealing the fangs that were rapidly growing. Asher got into a defensive stance as his fists rose to cover his face and prepare for the inevitable battle. Milas tightened his leg muscles and readied himself for an almost instant pounce.
"Stop!"
The sudden sound made Milas hesitate long enough to figure out that it was Van who spoke. Milas was still cautious of Asher attacking first but still spared some attention to Van. "What is it?"
"I didn't expect it to happen this fast but it did because I didn't account for how weak you are." Van was still stressing about how weak Milas was and the latter was getting sick of it.
"If you have nothing important to say then don't bother me." Milas mentally replied to the phoenix.
"You aren't in control of your emotions so I'll forgive the outburst. You still need to listen to what I have to say or else you'll turn into a mindless beast that destroys everything it finds." Van took a short pause letting Milas gather his thoughts before continuing. "When you were hit in the head, the thing that took over may have helped you but your body was still badly wounded. The thing then proceeded to drink the blood of the two that you defeated."
" So I drank vampire blood what's the big deal?" Milas didn't see the issue since Deogratius told him that any kind of red blood was edible.
"Drinking vampire blood makes you a cannibal but that's not why it's considered bad. Cannibal vampires get strong quickly but lose their rationality even faster. The proof is that you just tried to attack Asher for no reason. And make sure that nobody finds out since cannibal vampires are to be killed on sight."
" I only drank vampire blood once it doesn't make me a cannibal." Milas argued with that simple point but Van shut him down instantly.
"Well, killing once does make you murderer and dying once makes you a corpse. Anyway, just don't drink anymore even if it's accidentally." Van said as his voice started to fade and die out. Milas tried to control his rage now that he was aware of the fact that it was unnatural.
To Asher, Milas had suddenly spaced out just when he was about to strike. The action was strange which made him hesitate. Milas' eyes had widened and the glow was almost nonexistent. The standstill lasted about half a minute before Milas' eyes focused again. The red shine disappeared completely and the two swords were lowered.
"I'm sorry Asher, I lost control of myself for a moment there. And the blood on my clothes is from two other students who attacked me and I went too far when defending myself." Milas didn't mind telling the truth as long as it had as little details as possible. Asher also looked satisfied with the reply as he lowered his fists and eased his stance.
"I won't ask anything else since I don't like to pry. I think we should leave before these guys wake up or any of the people you mentioned find us." Milas agreed with the idea as both swords vanished into the storage space of his bracelet. The trio decided to leave the forest with Asher in the lead and Milas pulling up the rear. When leaving, Milas glanced at the vampire whose face was disfigured by the mace. A dim red light flashed across his eyes. The light appeared and disappeared too fast for Milas to even notice.
Sitting in a throne at the top of a tower, Van looked away from a puddle of blood on the floor that had been showing him everything Milas saw. He was the only one who noticed the flash and knew what it meant. "You are already addicted to it and it's too late to stop you now. This kid is really something else, first the blood shifter class and now you just became a Crusnix. You might be able to gain their attention if you survive long enough."
Van had said these words to no one in particular since Milas couldn't hear him unless he actively spoke to him.