The Last Blood Mage

The Last Blood Mage

As Xander attempted to crawl back, he found his leg pinned down, rendering him helpless. Despite his desperate struggle, the mage continued to approach him, causing Xander to inwardly sigh, knowing that something dreadful was about to unfold. 

With his fate hanging in the balance, Xander knew that his survival depended on outwitting the powerful mage who now stood before him, ready to decide his fate.

"Who sent you to rob me?" the mage calmly inquired, his wrists crackling with lightning bolts, a menacing threat to Xander.

"We don't have to do this. We just accepted a quest from the adventurer's guild," Xander tried to maintain his composure despite the dangerous situation. Ever since he had acquired his cursed powers, his mind had developed a knack for staying calm in perilous circumstances, allowing him to focus on survival.

But in a sudden display of force, the mage raised his finger and fired a lightning bolt that struck the ground just inches away from Xander. His heart skipped a beat, and his body jolted in shock.

"Tell me more. Who posted the quest?" the mage demanded.

"I don't know. I simply joined them because the quest required five men," Xander replied, his gaze drifting to the lifeless bodies of the three bald brothers lying in a heap while Lionel's blood still warmed the ground at Xander's feet.

"I can end your life without making you suffer if you tell me the truth. Otherwise, you'll wish for death," the mage threatened. 

“I can see you are hiding something,” said the mage. His instincts sensed that the young man before him held secrets, mistakenly assuming Xander was concealing information about who had orchestrated the quest to rob him.

"I'm telling you the truth. Look, just let me go, and I'll leave the kingdom, never to cross your path again," Xander pleaded, desperately hoping to avoid further bloodshed.

"Seems like you're not good at sharing," the mage snickered, raising his finger. A brilliant blue lightning bolt shot forth, piercing Xander's left thigh. Agony surged through him, and blood splattered onto the ground.

"ARGH," Xander growled in pain, his voice filled with a mix of anguish and frustration.

"You... you have no idea... what's about to happen..." Xander's words carried a dangerous warning that caught the mage by surprise. 

"You've got guts, mortal. I'll give you that. Most beg for their lives, unlike you who dares to threaten a mage," The mage's curiosity grew about the young man's enigmatic demeanor.

With the mage's wry smile and approaching steps, Xander had no choice but to tap into his cursed powers. Reluctant as he was, he had no alternative. Slowly, he reached toward Lionel, turning and falling to the ground beside him.

“We don't need to do this. Believe me, you've no idea about the thing within me,” Xander warned, though he knew it wouldn't likely work.

Having a clear view of Lionel's neck, Xander knew what he had to do. The mage neared, placing his foot on Xander's wounded leg, pressing the splinter buried beneath his kneecap.

"ARGH!" Xander groaned, each moment feeling like an eternity as the mage continued to inflict suffering.

"Who posted the quest? There's no point in hiding it," the mage snickered.

"You arrogant..." Xander scoffed, teeth clenched against the pain.

"Swearing at a mage? Punishable by death," the mage sneered.

"You'll kill me anyway," Xander retorted, determination unwavering.

“You...” The mage shouted.

As the mage prepared to speak, Xander seized wet soil, hurling it. The mage shielded his face, granting Xander an opening.

Seizing the opportunity, Xander lunged, teeth sinking into Lionel's neck. Canines turned to fangs, ripping Lionel's flesh and accessing his blood.

Xander closed his eyes and hesitated before drinking from Lionel's neck. Just months ago, the thought would have horrified him. Now, the blood tasted like a divine elixir, the craving growing.

As Xander fed, a miraculous transformation occurred. His wounds healed rapidly, pain receding. The wooden splinter shot out, the wound closing.

The mage wiped dirt from his face, opening his eyes to a nightmarish sight. The young man he'd tortured now stood, blood dripping from his chin and mouth. The mage's confusion was evident. "What... How?"

"I warned you," Xander's voice was cold. The mage watched in astonishment as the young man's eyes shifted from black to crimson red. His eyes glowed like fiery rubies, an unsettling display of newfound power.

The mage's hands shivered as he raised his hand for a lightning bolt, but the young man blurred, effortlessly evading the attack. The mage's lightning bolt missed, leaving him unnerved.

Before the mage could react, excruciating pain shot through his gut. He looked down, blood trickling from his mouth. A bloody hand protruded from his abdomen – Xander's devastating punch had torn through flesh and bone.

Xander withdrew his hand as the mage turned, lightning bolts around his fists vanishing. The mage's legs wobbled, powerless against Xander's presence. With visible fangs and a blood-covered face, Xander was a terrifying sight.

The mage's gasping words lingered in the wake of his demise, revealing his astonishment.

"You... you're... a blood mage..." he mumbled, struggling to comprehend.

“Xander, we're blood mages. Unique among dark mages. Even others fear us,” Xander recalled Lucious's words. He knew only of mages powered by elemental gods, until Lucious explained the existence of dark mages.

“But we're rare, hunted, hunted by the mage hunters. If you don't master your powers, you will be their prey,”

“I never wanted this power. I want a cure!” Xander remembered shouting at Lucious.

Xander's body surged with power, his senses heightened. He heard the mage's heart, details sharpening around him.

“Drink his blood,” the voice inside him whispered. The urge to give in and bite the mage's neck was strong.

“Use your powers when needed. Don't turn into an abomination,” Lucious's voice echoed.

"Tell me how to rid myself of these powers. Show me the cure," Xander's desperation was clear.

The mage coughed and laughed, blood trickling. Xander's inflicted wound drained his life.

"Run... The only cure... is death..." the mage muttered, the light of life in his eyes fading.

"I can’ tdie, you fool," Xander shot back, defiance and anger surging.

The mage's assumption of Xander's vulnerability revealed ignorance about blood mages. Their abilities were both blessing and curse. The mage lay unaware of Xander's cursed existence, fueling his determination to escape this fate.