Sothoryos (IV)
The rain was falling from the sky with force, the ground that was once firm was now slippery and almost muddy. Large and small puddles formed everywhere. Jon ran with all his might while looking back at his pursuers, who did not seem to tire.
He had never seen magic before, even the stories of Maester Luwin or old Nan could not compare to seeing real magic. And this could be the worst. The smell of blood, death and rot, plus the way that animal seemed stronger, made Jon think that an evil magic had been used.
For that reason, he decided to run. He did not know what else they could do with magic, so fighting could be more dangerous than running, at least in his mind. The reality was different, as he felt himself being thrown to the ground when they hit his back. Jon screamed in pain as he hit and rolled on the ground. His black hair was filled with mud, as was one side of his face. The pain in his back felt like he had been hit with a mallet, while his shoulders burned from the wounds caused earlier by the panther.
Without his sword, Jon knelt down before drawing his dagger, looking at the panther, who had launched himself at him. The bright, yet terrifying red eyes stared back at him. That gaze was intelligent, almost as if they were not those of a beast.
"Grr~...", growling, the panther slowly advanced, taking cautious steps as it began to circle Jon.
Jon backed away, so as not to be between the panther and the other two men who might be nearby. However, he felt himself being grabbed. A dark-skinned arm clung to his neck as it growled and spoke to the side, from where the man who seemed to be the leader appeared.
"How come I didn't hear them? It's raining hard, but the footsteps can still be heard. I could hear my own, even the animal's..." Jon thought, alarmed.
"They'll kill me!"
Fear flooded through Jon's body as he raised his hand and used his dagger to stab the arm that was choking him. The man screamed, but didn't let go. Then, he struck once more with the dagger. Then, a third time, to get to a fourth, where he was pushed forward.
Jon ignored the foul smell coming from the blood on the shoulder and turned away, running once more.
[Emergency Quest: Blood Mage]
[Rank: Copper]
[Defeat the Blood Mage and his followers]
[Reward: Healing Potion, a random weapon]
"What?!" Jon shouted, confused and angry. He didn't know something like this could happen. He thought he had understood the system and that only he could choose the quests.
[Quests are not mandatory. The host could run away if he wanted to.]
Jon gritted his teeth. The quest was dangerous, the most dangerous he had seen so far. But he had already been injured, his shoulders ached and he still wouldn't stop bleeding, from what he could feel. If he didn't heal soon, the danger would increase exponentially.
Roaring angrily at the situation he was in, Jon turned around and leapt with all the strength he could muster. The panther, following close behind, crashed into him, but neither fell. Brandishing his dagger, Jon struck again and again. He could smell his own fear as he used his weapon to stab again and again while using his other hand to hold the animal. He didn't even feel the claws scratching at his shoulders and arms. He just focused on attacking as he screamed.
As he fell forward, mud and water from the ground splashed to the sides. Jon looked at the animal on the ground, not moving, as blood poured from its body like small, thin waterfalls, staining the ground red. When he realized he had actually killed it, he looked up.
What he saw was a red skull in front of his eyes.
The world spun before Jon's eyes. He had barely realized that he had fallen on his back from the blow. Suddenly, the world became strange. He was dizzy, in pain, so things seemed to spin, but he also saw one side in red.
Then, just a few seconds later, he felt a squeeze on his neck. The man who didn't look like a man at all, whom he had stabbed in the arm a little while ago, was choking him. It was terrifying. Jon felt himself slowly running out of air, while his enemy smiled, showing his crooked, yellow, some even black teeth. His eyes showed madness and bloodlust. To Jon's eyes, it was a truly terrifying sight, especially because of the blood that had entered one of his eyes from the wound that opened on his eyebrow.
Trying to fight, Jon moved his arms. When he felt one hand loosen, he felt a little relief, but that didn't last long, because he received a punch to the face, then another. Blood came out of his nose and lips, while he felt the cold rain and mud staining his entire body.
Moving one arm, he struck with everything he could. The man growled when he felt Jon's fist on his chin. Then, his head moved up, pushed by Jon's hand, only to be hit with his other fist. At that moment, Jon crawled up and kicked, pushing the man away and retrieving his dagger.
He tried to stand up, but he was in pain. He was dizzy, staring at the two men. And he didn't understand why the wizard didn't use more magic. He didn't understand why he didn't come closer, like when he hit him. And instead, he pointed his staff at him and said something he didn't understand.
Jon simply tightened his hand on the dagger, expecting to be attacked once more. And so he was, as the wounded guy ran towards him. Jon fell again, but he expected it. His sword hurt when his back hit the ground, but he moved his hand immediately. His right hand, holding his dagger, pierced the man's side. A scream finally came out of the wretch's mouth.
Feeling the vengeance in that movement, Jon twisted the dagger before using all his strength to go deeper. The large body on top of him fell to the side as he tried to pull out the dagger, but Jon's hand didn't move and he twisted harder, before pulling the dagger back and stabbing into the head, right through one of the dark eyes.
Blood splattered a bit, growls came at the same time as the nearly naked man's entire body spasmed before going still. Letting out a guttural, almost animalistic growl, Jon turned his gaze towards the last enemy he had to kill.
"You wretched son of a bitch... Since you want to kill me, come!" Jon said with rage and hatred, but the man didn't respond. Regardless of the different languages, he simply received a stoic look. He didn't move, he simply stared.
Lifting his body off the ground, Jon staggered as he felt like he could fall at any moment. He didn't notice the blood on the ground, which moved like worms. He just walked towards the man. He had his eyes set on his enemy, on the reason for his possible death. For Jon, his goal was only to kill and nothing else. If he didn't kill, he couldn't live. And if he couldn't live, everything would have been useless.
The absurd situation he wanted out of, his true identity that had been discovered not long ago. And also, most importantly for him, a future that truly belonged to him. He had finally seen a way out of his meaningless life; he had found the light at the end of the dark path that was his life.
So focused and angry, Jon screamed as he felt his limbs being bound by blood. His last enemy, at that very moment, finally reacted. His lips moved slowly as he showed his ugly faces, in a disgusting smile of victory. And step by step, he approached Jon.
Watching with his reddened eyes, Jon stirred as he growled like an animal. The man smiled even more strongly and moved closer to Jon's bloody face, sticking out his tongue to taste his blood. However, it was impossible as a headbutt sent him reeling back.
"Aaaah!" Jon screamed as he felt his bonds falter. He jumped with all his might, causing the blood holding him to splatter. He didn't pick up his dagger that had fallen when he was held, but he pushed the blood mage hard before striking with a punch. And from there, he didn't stop. Releasing all the emotions contained in his heart, he struck without stopping, again and again. His knuckles bled and peeled, he felt the pain in the bones of his entire body and he tasted his own rage and the mage's fear.
In the rain, Jon was freeing himself from the fear caused by being hunted and almost killed. The bewilderment he felt about his future was fading with the release of his rage. When he finished, he stepped back a little as he looked up at the sky, feeling the burning of his knuckles and all his wounds. The tears were hidden by the drops of water that hit his face.
When he finally looked down, seeing the shattered and sunken face of the enemy, the quest window appeared, granting his reward.
Jon stood up, looking at all the blood; the puddles of water, now blood. He stopped for a few moments to observe everything, then began to walk to another place, leaving the bodies behind.
The rain did not stop in the slightest, further cooling Jon's body.
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