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2024-10-29 19:42:56As the thugs continued to walk away from Xander's body, the boss felt an unsettling hush settling in the sewer. His instincts, honed through years of killing, prickled with unease. Something was not right. Just as he halted his steps, the flickering torches lining the walls suddenly extinguished, plunging the area into disconcerting darkness.
In the velvety blackness where the thugs could barely see their own hands, a rustling sound emerged from behind them. The boss was the first to turn around, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Boss, what's wrong?" one of the thugs asked nervously.
"Light a torch," the boss commanded. The thug, confused by the abrupt order, didn't dare question him. He hurriedly approached a nearby torch and drew his flint. Striking the blade of his dagger, sparks flickered and landed on the oil-dipped torch, igniting it with a sputtering flame.
As the torch slowly illuminated the surroundings, the thugs and their leader stood in stunned silence. Their eyes widened in disbelief and fear, for there was no body lying on the ground where they had left Xander's lifeless form.
"What... what just happened?" one of the thugs stammered, his voice trembling.
"I don't know," the boss replied, his voice betraying his own anxiety. He glanced around, trying to make sense of the inexplicable disappearance.
Suddenly, the air seemed to thicken with an eerie aura, and a chill crawled up the spine of each thug. The shadows on the walls seemed to writhe and dance, taking on an unsettling life of their own. The darkness seemed to hold secrets, whispering of ancient mysteries that no mortal was meant to comprehend.
"Let's get out of here," the boss said, his voice low and filled with apprehension. "Something is not right."
"The rats are pretty awesome, boss," one dimwitted thug exclaimed, thinking the rats must have dragged the dead body away.
"Shut up, you fool," the boss growled, his nerves on edge as his eyes darted around the eerie sewer. Suddenly, a gush of wind brushed against his skin, and he caught a fleeting glimpse of a shadow dashing from left to right. The others were too slow to notice, but the boss's instincts screamed danger.
Focusing on the spot where he had cut Xander's throat, the boss saw the blood still staining the ground, but there was no sign of a body or any drag marks.
"What happened to the body, boss?" one of the thugs asked, his voice quivering with fear.
As they stood there, bewildered and terrified, footsteps echoed from behind them. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably as they slowly turned around. To their utter shock, the young man they had killed only moments ago now stood before them. His eyes glowed with a crimson red light, and he appeared to be a few inches taller than before.
"Boss..." the thugs stammered, their fear evident. They had never witnessed someone come back to life after having their throat slit.
"What are you?" the boss demanded, his voice shaky in the eerie darkness.
Xander remained silent, his eyes fixed on them with an unsettling intensity. His body trembled, consumed by the overwhelming blood lust that now controlled him.
In response, Xander slowly opened his mouth, revealing his elongated fangs, gleaming ominously in the dim light of the sewer. The thugs could only stare in terror at the monstrous transformation of the man they thought they had killed.
“Boss, I'm scared,” another thug trembled, witnessing Xander's terrifying transformation into a blood mage. Of course, the thugs had no idea who or what he had become.
“Whatever he is, we saw him bleed. If he bleeds, we can kill him,” the boss said, trying to muster his courage and hide the fear in his heart.
“He must be a mage,” another thug suggested.
Tension hung heavy as both sides readied their daggers, hands trembling with fear and anticipation. In Xander's mind, there was only the primal urge for blood.
Boss's fingers closed around his dagger's hilt—the same one that once sliced Xander's throat. In a blur, Xander lunged, seizing the boss and putting distance between them and the others. The thugs froze in shock, realizing their leader was now a hostage.
Xander's fangs sank into the boss's throat. The boss's scream mingled with pain as he tried to counter with the dagger. Stabbed in the gut, Xander remained relentless. He drained the boss, leaving him dizzy and weak. Despite the dagger lodged in his gut, Xander pressed on.
The boss's hand slackened, releasing the dagger. But it remained stuck in Xander as he continued drawing the boss's life force.
The boss's life faded, and the remaining thugs snapped out of their stupor. Two guards, driven by loyalty, overcame fear and charged forward. Xander swiftly ended the boss's life by snapping his neck, his gaze crimson and intense.
"BOSS!" The two thugs yelled. Xander lunged, breaking one thug's neck with a single, powerful motion. Fangs bared, he seized the other, draining him until life ceased.
As blood filled him, power surged through Xander's veins, fueled by dark energy. He grew stronger, faster, and larger, his senses heightened. The remaining thugs, terror-stricken, screamed and fled.
Xander's senses sharpened, hearing heartbeats like drums through walls. He navigated the maze-like sewer, tracking the fleeing thugs. Torchlights winked out behind him, darkness trailing his steps.
Soon, the thugs were in sight. Their terror-stricken faces turned to see Xander approaching. Blood-red eyes held them captive, primal fear seizing their hearts. They stumbled, trying to flee, but the force pursuing them was unyielding.
"Oh god, oh god," the thugs whimpered, their terror palpable in the air.
"HELP!"
Their hearts skipped a beat as they watched Xander, defying gravity, running on the ceiling. With a single leap, he landed right in front of them, blocking their escape route. The sight was beyond anything they had ever witnessed before, and one of the thugs involuntarily wetted his pants.
"W-what are you?" the thug stammered, his voice trembling with fear. The two killers turned to flee, but Xander's speed was unmatched. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance and grabbed them by their necks, crushing their hope for escape.
With a firm grip on the thugs, Xander dashed toward a nearby wall. The impact was bone-shattering as he slammed them against the wall with a force that shook the surroundings, causing the ceiling to crumble.
"You should have listened to him," Xander growled, his voice unnaturally deep and eerie, a chilling sound that struck fear into their souls.
Xander's gaze turned to the torches. A breath extinguished the flames, plunging them into darkness. The thugs froze, terror gripping them, sensing his blood lust.
Within the shroud of darkness, Xander's crimson eyes burned like embers as he unleashed his insatiable hunger. His inhuman strength and sinister power overwhelmed the thugs, who became mere prey in the shadows.
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Three grueling days after their harrowing encounter with the yetis, the trio finally saw their destination looming on the horizon: the dark forest. The sight of it was enough to dampen the spirits of even the most stalwart adventurer. Towering trees, so dense and tall that they seemed to swallow the light, stood as silent sentinels guarding secrets untold. A mist clung to the forest floor, giving the entire landscape an ethereal, yet ominous, quality."Ah, the dark forest. Just the sort of place you'd expect to find in a cheerful tale of adventure and heroism," Xander quipped, his voice dripping with sarcasm as they approached. "I bet it's filled with sunshine, rainbows, and friendly woodland creatures just dying to invite us over for tea."Atheria rolled her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. "Oh, definitely. I hear the dark, soul-sucking void at its heart is particularly inviting this time of year. We should definitely RSVP."Erik, who had been quiet, his gaze fixed on the forest's
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As the trio braced themselves for the yetis' counterattack, the creatures proved their cunning once more. Rather than engaging directly in their weakened state, the yetis used the storm to their advantage, disappearing into the swirling snow to regroup and launch a more strategic assault."We can't let them regroup!" Atheria shouted, her voice barely audible over the howling wind. She continued to fire arrows into the storm, hoping to disrupt the yetis' movements.Xander, breathing heavily from the exertion and the effects of Erik's spell beginning to wane, scanned the edges of their makeshift battleground for any sign of the yetis. "These bastards are smarter than they look. We need to stick together, watch each other's backs."Erik, his energy drained, nodded in agreement, trying to muster what little magic he had left for another protective barrier. "They're using the storm as cover. We need to be ready for anything."Suddenly, from the depths of the blizzard, a large ice boulder,
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Root cause of the corruption
Meanwhile, in the silence of his quarters, Xander sat bolt upright in his bed, a sheen of sweat covering his brow, his breathing heavy and erratic. The darkness of the monk's quarters seemed to press in on him, the echoes of his dream still vivid in his mind. It was then that Erik and Atheria, having noticed the light under his door, walked into the room, concern etched on their faces."Erik, Atheria," Xander gasped, trying to regain his composure. "I... I had a dream. It was so vivid, so real."Atheria moved closer, her brow furrowed in worry. "You're sweating buckets. What did you dream about?"Leaning against the doorframe, Erik added, "Yeah, mate, you look like you've just run a marathon. Must have been some dream."Xander wiped his forehead, the images from his dream still swirling in his head. "It was more like a nightmare. I saw a giant golden statue, towering over a crowd of people. There was... there was so much tension, fear. The statue was about to fall, and everyone was pa
