Milas didn't hesitate as he shot up from his position to where the group was. The sound got even louder and more desperate as whatever it was broke branches when it moved. Everyone became alert when they heard the loud rustling of leaves and snapping of branches.
The large man put the blood covered crystal in a pouch hanging on a waist strap. He then picked up his axes and took a defensive stance, ready for anything that came his way. Adrian also took a stance with his sword facing the direction of the sound. Jill's outstretched bow had an arrow that was ready to shoot whatever was coming the second it appeared.Milas quickly hid behind the group, not caring if he looked like a coward. At least cowards live longer than those who try to be heroes. The rustling got louder before it suddenly stopped. The silence that enveloped the area was unnatural. Even the constant sound of waving branches blown by the wind had stopped.The group held their weapons even tighter. Milas drew his short sword and held it in a reverse grip with his right hand."Grrraaahhh!"A human like creature dashed out of the dense vegetation while producing an inhuman growl. Milas trembled as a strange fear gripped his heart. This fear was unlike anything he ever felt. It came from the depths of his soul. It was like an inbuilt reaction that drained his body of energy and his mind of the will to live. It was the fear of his natural predator.Milas felt all this dread when he stared at the creature's black eyes. Those eyes were all black lacking any traces of white. They seemed unfocused but looking into them was like peering into a bottomless pit of despair.The creature looked exactly like a human except for its eyes and the large fangs that rivalled the ones of the leopard that had tried to kill him.The creature looked at them for a few seconds before closing the distance between them in seconds. Milas realized that it was faster than the leopard. Much, much faster.The large man swung one of his axes downwards, aiming to split the creature's head open. The creature lifted its bare hand up and held the axe by its handle just below the blade. The second axe approached the creature's torso at a tricky angle. The creature caught this axe too but it had held it at the blade. The sharp axe was supposed to cut its hand off but was stopped by the bone.The creature snarled, revealing its deadly fangs. The next thing that happened shocked the group. The creature that looked starved, malnourished and generally weak suddenly pushed the large man away. Two deep groves were left on the ground by the man's feet. A testament to the overwhelming strength of the creature.An arrow shot at the creature's head but its head seemed to blur as it dodged with impossible speed. It focused its black eyes at Jill who was already drawing the taut string of her bow. Adrian's sword seemed to have teleported and appeared inches from the creature's face.A confident grin was plastered on Adrian's face as he imagined his sword slicing through the creature's head."Ding."The loud ring brought all of Adrian's thoughts to a halt. His eyes widened in disbelief which soon turned into fear. The blade that was meant to end the fight was stuck and his efforts to dislodge it were futile. The creature had bit down on the sword.Seeing the creature being preoccupied by the group's attacks, Milas saw his chance and took it. He ducked under the creature's right hand and left a deep slash on the creature's side with his short sword. He then regained his balance and planted the 12 inch blade into the creature's back right where the heart was located.A pained growl was heard and the creature spun on its bare feet. The sudden move caused Adrian and the large man to be thrown off like rag dolls. A backhanded slap to the chest sent Milas flying before roughly landing several meters away. An arrow hit its forearm only for it to get ripped out. The barbs shredded the creature's flesh leaving a bloody wound.Milas gave the creature a smug smile as he waited for the blade in the creature's heart to kill it. The creature pulled the short sword from its back and dropped it on the ground. Milas knew that the creature would succumb to blood loss so he confidently stood his ground.Jill, who was standing behind the creature, let out a stifled cry. She slowly backed away, turned around and fled at an unbelievable speed. Milas saw her run away and was confused by her actions. His confusion didn't last long as the creature was upon him, its mouth wide open. The large fangs were rapidly closing in on his face.'Why is every creature we meet trying to gnaw my face off? Can't they target someone else?' Milas thought as he bent his body backwards straining his spine and opening the shallow wounds on his chest. The wounds left by the leopard's claws might have been shallow but they were enough to make him flinch. This may not have been much movement but it slowed his dodge just enough for the creature to bite him.The large fangs pierced his leather armour and dug into the flesh of his shoulder. Pain coursed through his body as blood flowed from the gaps between the creature's mouth. It shook its head and Milas was thrown away leaving a bloody trail."Aaahhh!"Milas screamed as his vision darkened from pain. The creature gulped down the flesh it had torn from Milas' shoulder and a satisfied grin formed on its bloodied lips. It didn't last long as the look of a starved beast came back with an unstoppable force.It pounced again at the figure that lay on the ground, a pool of dark red blood forming beneath it. An axe brought its attack to a halt. The large man was back with a renewed vigor. His axe was swift yet smooth, almost ladylike. The creature let the axe dig into its ribs so as to get close enough to reach the large man. Its clawed hand grabbed the large man's head and its blade like claws pierced his temples easily. It pulled its arm back rapidly. Amidst ghoulish wails of pain and terror, the large man's face was separated from his head. Blood, brain matter and other bodily fluids mixed together and bathed the creature in a gory mess.Milas saw it all. He even felt the warmth when some of it poured on his body. One thought managed to cross his mind before terror took over."W...we are a.... all dead!"A new energy and vitality filled Milas' body as all the previous pain and fatigue seemed to disappear like the memories of a dream. The terror filled Milas with a new will to live and that would only be accomplished if he ran. He got to his feet and ran in the direction that Jill had taken. He could hear the rigorous pumping of his heart as it supplied blood and strength to his worn out muscles. He focused on the traces of broken twigs and branches left behind by Jill's frantic escape. Milas seemed to enter a higher state of focus where nothing else but his escape mattered. If he wasn't so focused he may have realized that he was moving with the speed, agility and grace of an experienced tracker.Soon, he could hear Jill's footsteps and the new hope he received was turned into strength that was fully utilized by his legs. Yet despite the increase in speed, the distance never reduced. Infact, it seemed to be increasing.'Why is she so damn fast.' Milas thought in anger and despair whe
Milas walked towards the fallen Adrian with steady steps. His right hand covering the bite on his left shoulder. The bloodstained sword left an inch deep grove as he dragged it behind him. He finally got close to Adrian who had pulled himself back till his back hit a tree."Do... don't hurt me, Milas. I wasn't gonna hurt you before, I swear. The creature is dead now so please just let me live. I'll give my share of the payment. I'll give you anything you want just let me go." Adrian begged with tears rolling down his face. His voice had lost its previous confidence."You tried to feed me to that thing!! Do you really expect me to let you go. You can keep your money!!" Milas yelled, the anger in his voice was clear as day. He held the sword with both hands and lifted it above his head. "I going to kill you!!!"He was about to bring the blade down when he made eye contact with Adrian. The look of hopelessness accompanied with the reflection of Milas himself deep in those eyes dissolved
Constant chatter was the first thing that Milas heard when he regained consciousness. His eyelids felt heavy but he finally managed to open them. The first thing he saw was a handsome face staring back at him. Milas didn't know where he was or who this person was but his instincts were warning him about something. His mind tried to find the danger that triggered his instincts but all he saw was the man. The room he was in looked like a dimly lit cave as the light came from a glowing blue rock. His eyes kept scanning the cave till manly yet melodic voice garnered his attention."Hey." The man said as Milas finally focused on his face. The man's eyes glowed a mesmerizing red and Milas felt woozy. "Sleep." That was the last thing Milas heard before his eyelids became too heavy to stay open.Milas woke up from his dreamless sleep only to find himself in pitch darkness. The silence that accompanied the darkness was unnerving. His heartbeat became louder as his senses frantically searched f
"Its been so long but maybe it hasn't. I have no way of telling time in this wretched place. Strangely, the more tests I undergo the better I feel. I am physically and mentally superior to my former self but what good is that. I am just a slave whose worth is determined by the tests I survive. I'm sick of this. I will get out of here eventually. My story will not end here." Milas thought for what was probably the thousandth time since his capture.Time flowed like an endless river but ever since the day of his enslavement Milas felt lost in its turbulence. The one thing he was grateful for was the mere fact that he was alive. At times Milas felt like his slaver was not doing any experiments but outright trying to kill him. Despite these obstacles, Milas knew that the tests were improving him. Light pierced his eyes as the door to his cell swung open. The most painful thing was that the door was never locked. The figure just tells him to go sit in his cell and he becomes powerless to r
His steps were slow and heavy with disbelief. Freedom came too easily for Milas' liking. He was wary as he walked through the hallways that were once dark but had suddenly became bright as day. Milas was back in the white room and a wide pool of blood was the only thing that provided some color to the room. He ignored the sickening smell of blood and picked up the thin knife that the prince had left behind. He then walked through another hallway with the knife held in a reverse grip.A thud came from the hallway he was in which later turned into a constant banging. His newly gained night vision allowed him to spot a door in the distance. He looked closer and saw a figure sitting down with his back against the door. Milas saw a black mask on the figure's face but a wide crack was on its surface. He could hear the laboured breathing of the figure. He cautiously neared the prince and he spotted the handle of a dagger sticking out of the figure's chest. Milas got closer and put his kni
A group of guards marched into a large hall with their hands resting on the hilts of their swords. Their single file march stopped and split into a triangular formation. The guard at the front moved aside letting another guard with a whip stand at the front of the formation."It's time for you to head to the mines so all of you stand up. Make a single line and follow the night beside me." The guard said as another guard on his left turned around and walked towards the open door. The formation split apart leaving a path that led to the door with guards on both sides. The people with metallic collars followed the orders and walked towards the door.As expected, not everyone followed the orders as some new arrivals refused to stand. One guard stepped forward to teach the nearest one some manners. "Crack." "AAAHHH."The guard was a meter away from the sitting man when the crack of a whip followed by a pain filled scream resounded. The guard was frozen as he stared at the screaming man be
Milas was frozen as he stared at the drop of blood on his palm. He stood there till everyone else had drunk theirs and returned the flask. Milas saw that some of the guards were staring at him weirdly. The realization of what he had to do made his stomach growl in protest."Why are you savouring it when your stomach is growling in hunger." One of the guards said, mistaking the growling for hunger. Milas brought the flask to his mouth and chugged the content quickly to avoid tasting it. Fortune didn't allow it as the liquid touched his tongue. His taste perceived the taste of the red liquid.Delicious!!!The liquid was the best thing he had ever tasted. The feeling of rejuvenation that accompanied it was dozens of times better than that of the mana crystal. Milas was now torn between the pleasure obtained from the blood and the feeling of disgust from the thoughts of having to drink blood. He continued contemplating his next move as a cart was brought into the tunnel. The lid was lift
Loud cheers echoed across the tunnel from somewhere ahead of the volunteers. The group had different expressions as some felt anticipation, others felt fear and regret while some looked calm and collected. Milas was among them and he wasn't sure how he felt. All his hopes were riding on this tournament.They stopped at a gate and they could see some parts of the arena through the gaps of the gate. The few glimpses allowed Milas to get a grasp on the layout of the arena. The arena had boulders of varying sizes strewn all over it and an open area in the middle. There were dried blood stains on the ground and the surface of the boulders.The group was lined up and a guard with a transparent crystal in hand approached the man at the front of the line. He placed the crystal on the man's forehead and a red glow emanated from within it. The glow lasted about five seconds before fading away. The man was pushed to the left side of the tunnel. No words were uttered as the guard walked to the ne
Milas started to move his fingers and they weakly wrapped into a fist. His eyes were still closed and he wasn't in a rush to open them as he took slow breaths. The pain had vanished and he currently felt like he was floating in a warm liquid. The place was shallow as his back touched the ground while a small part of his chest was exposed to the gentle breeze. Milas finally decided to open his eyes to see how the afterlife looked like. The first thing he noticed was the orange tint in the sky, signifying that it was sunset. There were a few red clouds drifting silently across the sky. Milas saw something dark at the edge of his vision. He slowly lifted his body up to a sitting position and what he saw was not what he expected of the afterlife. The first thing was that he was laying in a pool of blood. The crimson liquid was all around him but Milas noticed something strange. There was no smell. He was sitting in a pool of the stuff but there was nothing affecting his nose. Milas could
Milas doubted how much control Asher had when he saw how he fed. It may have been less ravenous when compared to the feeding frenzy ghouls had in the mines, but it was still just as savage. The way his blade like teeth sliced through meat brought Milas a new fear. Had Asher used his teeth in the fight, Milas was sure that he would have lost more than just the battle. It was only after Asher was done eating did the others drink from the flasks. The group of vampires quickly recovered as their bones reset and their skin went back to being silky smooth. The boy with the trolley went around the hall handing out flasks and containers to everyone. Master Sanim decided to speak after everyone was finished with their recovery. "Now that you're all healed, I want to say that I've seen some talents in your lot. It may be overshadowed by the sheer amount of lazy people filling this hall but it exists. For those of you who picked your friend as an opponent, I'm disappointed by your lack of self-
The hall was eerily silent as everyone stared at the two girls. Master Sanim had only just given the order to have a friendly spar but Aileen was already on the ground. The other students, including Milas, were waiting to see how the teacher would react. Shockingly, all he did was nod with approval. "That's how a spar should be." Milas couldn't believe that someone responsible for teens could say that. He would have gotten along well with Deogratius, Milas was sure of it. He faced Asher to resume the fight but he had vanished. Milas focused on his surroundings and immediately found him. More precisely, Asher's fist found his belly and lifted him up. He may have a frail body but Milas was receiving a punch that was as heavy as those from Veruca.Milas hit the ground but Asher roughly grabbed his body and lifted him above his head. Knowing the pain that would follow, Milas did the only thing he could to free himself. A full powered punch to the top of Asher's head that ran the risk of
Confusion and desperation reigned in Milas' mind as he tried to remember more details of the memory. The only thing he was sure of was that the little girl was his sister but even that didn't feel right. Why did she look nothing like him? He tried to ignore this and think of other things. The other question he asked himself was why a beast was lying dead in the room.The place looked like a bedroom and the fact that he woke up on a bed strengthened this thought. So why did it look like he had fought the beast in that place? And why did both his body and the little girl act so casual despite the hellish scene? Could it be that something like that had happened before? And the girl had gone to call her father, does it mean that the father knew about the beast? And what kind of crazy parent would leave a kid in a room with a wolf? Milas had to stop thinking about the memory as he felt a splitting headache. He looked at Step who seemed obsessed with his face. They stared at each other til
The large brown eyes looked deep into his soul like they were searching for any speck of evil that Milas had in there. It was a weird moment for Milas who wasn't used to maintaining eye contact with others, well except for the cute female servant back at the mansion. The difference was that he was the one toying with her emotions but this girl was just staring at him like his face was a map to lead her back home. It was uncomfortable to say the least."Well I don't really want to trouble you." The girl said in a meek voice. The amount of vulnerability that she showed him made it impossible for Milas to just walk away. There was something inside him that just refused to let him leave no matter how much his mind tried to convince him to move."Don't worry about it, you can tell me anything. I don't want to see you crying when I know that I could've helped. If I can't help I'll be happy to give you a shoulder to cry on." Milas was surprised by how gentle he sounded. This was not the same
The line was moving swiftly as there were many students with the warrior class. Milas was wondering what class he would get. "I want something special. The warrior class sounds way too common. What if I don't even get a class since I wasn't born a vampire? But what if I'm like the originals since I was turned? That would be awesome but troublesome as I don't want all the attention. Ugh! This is stressful. I'll just have to deal with whatever happens when it happens cause there's no use thinking about it now."Milas was lost in his thoughts when he heard a few gasps. He looked at the tubes and saw something very strange. The multicolored chaos energy was high but so was the pitch black aver. The weirdest thing was the ash grey shadow element. It had remained steady for everyone else but it was low for the teenager. It was barely able to reach the quarter mark. The student in question was number twenty three who looked stunned by the result."Congratulations kid, your class is the rare
Time passed in a flash and a bell rang in the hallway to indicate the end of the lesson. Some students seemed to have formed groups while others like Milas kept to themselves. Milas was about to use the bracelet to point him to the next class when he saw Aileen walking towards the door with a small green arrow floating above her left wrist.The design of her bracelet was a purple tiger with sky blue stripes. Milas had noticed that everyone had a unique design ranging from creatures to weapons, armours and even items. There were also people who still had the plain black design but no one seemed to know or care what it meant. Milas knew that he'd find out eventually and decided to follow Aileen to the next class."What the heck do you think you're doing you pervert?" Aileen said in a strained whisper like she could barely stop herself from screaming. She was staring holes into Milas who had his hand on her shoulder."I'm accompanying you to the next class. Remember that I haven't acted
The crescent moon hung in the sky with a legion of stars around it. The magnificence and splendor of such a sight was ruined by the darkness enveloping the land. This was one of the few nights in the Darklands when the sky was cloudless. It would have been a lovers paradise especially for hot blooded teenagers if they weren't stuck in class.Milas learnt with a surprise that vampires held their classes at night. The only day class was at noon and it was a half hour long sun resistance training compulsory for everyone. He also learnt that it was the responsibility of the parents or guardians to provide a ring of shade to their kids. Everyone was wearing one but a few weren't as they had taken them off.He was scanning the faces of those in the classroom and didn't notice Asher. Milas assumed that he might be in another class since his class only had about half the population. He was staring at the faces of other students to memorize them when a thin man in a cloak walked in. The entire
Milas was in shock of the results of the punishment. He was used to the concept of having his ass handed to him but the fact that the beating wouldn't stop till both of them gave up really pissed him off. Worst of all was that most of his wounds came from Veruca and not Claus. Milas could clearly remembered the moment it began. He had been in the middle of dodging Claus' punch when he saw that Veruca had her back to him.Milas endured the follow up fist to his ribs from Claus and charged at Veruca. Any other man would feel bad about blind siding a girl but Milas treated all enemies equally. Veruca's battle instincts warned her of the threat and she instinctively ducked. This gave Milas an unexpected opportunity as his original plan was to knee her in the gut. Her delicate face collided with the fast moving knee and produced a sickening sound.Veruca had hit the wall and everyone froze except for Milas. He vented his frustrations on Aileen by punching her while she was dazed. Milas pre