The two characters stood opposite each other, each with the determined look of murder in their eyes. Ace, with his blood armor and green sword, and the Hunter, with his short staffs in his hand, glared at each other while waiting for the other to make a move first.
[Blood Sprint Activated.]
With his speed now three times more than that of the Hunter, Ace sprinted straight for him with his arm ready to lift up the sword and slash the man in half.
However, as soon as Ace got close enough, the Hunter moved four times faster than he did and grabbed Ace by the head. He then face-palmed him into the thick metal of the old subway trains and ran Ace's head through with great force and speed.
[-5HP]
[-5HP]
[-5HP]
Ace fought hard to set himself free but the Hunter's speed and killer grip on his head was just too great for him to handle. This went on for about five more minutes until the Hunter let go of Ace and threw him at a subway train car in front of him.
The boy's body swept through the glass and skidded across the empty train cars. Even with his blood armor on, Ace wasn't able to avoid taking heavy damage, and this was starting to cost him.
[15/50HP]
[Emergency Healing Activated.]
[Blood Bank Percentage: 50%]
Ace's body was filled with pain and wounds. His upper clothing was shredded, and his muscles ached with lactic acid build up. He endured intense pain throughout his body but couldn't afford to suffer or sustain more damage. He needed to rest briefly to heal, but the Hunter wouldn't make it easy for him.
"I know about your little regeneration ability boy." The Hunter screamed as he run with his body, leaning forwards and his hands hanging over his head like a ninja turtle. Within his grasp were two short silver staffs, each measuring about six inches. At the top were thin slits and as the Hunter got closer to Ace, the slits started releasing a thin glow that slowly shaped into sickles.
*SLICE* *SLICE*
With only two slices, the Hunter cut a large hole in the metal like it was butter and sped for Ace with much force and determination.
The blood mutant, who was still recovering, used his sword and cut a hole on the roof which he used to make a hasty escape. Now on top, Ace started to run for his dear life with the Hunter following bellow.
"There's nowhere to run boy." The Hunter taunted while slashing holes on the roof. "Even if you make it to a crowd, I'll just have the others follow you around."
'Come on, Ace. Think, think, think.'
Ace desperately searched for a solution. He realized that the Hunter's weapons and his crystal sword were the only sources of light. He needed to find a dark location and use his system scan skill against the Hunter, who couldn't see in the dark.
With his sword placed back in his blood inventory, Ace quickly jumped onto the ceiling of the tunnel and squeezed into some cracks within them. The Hunter hastily threw himself onto the roof, only to be welcomed by the sight of utter darkness within the long, cold, drafty tunnels. His sickles produced so little light, thus limiting his range of view, but this was not going to stop him.
"Nice try, boy," the Hunter taunted again. "Your silly tricks won't work on me. This darkness will not..."
*SLAM*
A loud bang reverberated through the tunnels as the Hunter's head, like Ace's, slammed into the metallic surface of the train. The Hunter groaned in pain as his head quickly swelled. His eyes rolled back slightly as the taste and scent of metal filled his senses. Wiping his mouth, he felt warm, sticky fluid.
Still on all fours, the Hunter noticed one of his sickles rolling to the other end of the train, stopping beneath Ace's foot. "You clever son of a..."
[Blood Step Activated.]
Ace crushed the first sickle with his foot and dashed for a knee straight to the Hunter's jaw. The man's body flipped over two times as blood gushed out of his mouth. At this point, he was in so much pain that he was not going to be able to move in time to avoid this next attack.
[Blood Weapon Activated.]
Using the blood gushing from the Hunter's mouth, Ace shaped it into a small sharp object and pushed it through the Hunter's neck. Ace watched as the Hunter slowly bled out, experiencing a gruesome and painful death.
"System, have I finished them all?"
[One Huntress is remaining.]
Ace recalled the woman he left with a blade in her gut. He approached her and observed her bloody trail as she crawled for help. Upon seeing her vain trial to escape, Ace smiled and twisted his fingers, causing the blood weapon inside her to twist and pierce deeper into her body. The woman screamed and cried as all the energy in her body left almost immediately. Soon, her heart couldn't keep up with producing enough blood to compensate the amount she was quickly losing.
"Please, let me…let me go…" She pleaded but Ace's cold, emotionless face caused her to know she was in her last moments.
"You took those swords from my sister, correct? Meaning, you must have done something to her. Since I'm feeling generous, I'll kill you off quickly." Using the woman's own blood against her, Ace solidified every single drop and sent it back through her body. The hard blood drops pierced through every muscle fiber, tissue, veins and organ, thus killing her instantly.
[Quest 1 Complete.]
[Targets killed: 30]
[EXP for each target killed: 20]
[Total Exp: 600EXP]
[Level Up]
[Level 5: 625/100]
[Level 6: 525/150]
[Level 7: 375/200]
[Level 8: 175/250]
+3 Stat points added.
Total Stat Points: 4
[Congratulations. Bonus stat increase acquired.]
[Strength: 7 + 4]
[Agility: 6 + 3]
[Stamina: 4 + 5]
[Quest 2: Locate your female friend.]
With that minor problem settled, Ace cleaned himself up, borrowed clothes from his fallen enemies, disposed of their bodies, and made his way through the tunnels to where he believed Cherry would be. He thought to himself, "Sorry, Sky. I need to find my sister first. Luckily, I already know where you are."