[Many hours after the High Grade and Blood Acolytes’ altercation]
’My body...it hurts...’
Of the two Acolytes Commander beat to a pulp, Jim was the first to regain consciousness. The man’s body screamed in agony; every muscle fibre felt as though it had been burned and ripped apart, and his bones felt weak and brittle, to the point that Jim feared he’d break something if he dared to move.
Pushing through the pain, Jim turned only his throbbing head around and took a look at his surroundings.
He didn’t see anything outside the norm. They were still at the same campsite where the High Grade had beaten them. No one else was around, apart from Jim, Anya, who was still unconscious, and the Ethisian himself.
’I don’t think... I’ve ever felt this... horrible before...’
Jim gathered the last of his strength and stumbled to his feet. His body was covered in wounds and scars that had only just begun to heal. He was so weak and drained that even those wounds struggled to close. Content orıginally comes from 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
The Blood Acolyte was certain that a simple attack from even the weakest human could kill him at this point.
So why hadn’t the High Grade killed them yet?
"H...he...Ethisian...." Jim staggered like a drunkard as he approached the High Grade. Commander remained seated in his tent, calmly cleaning and sharpening his sword. "Ethisian... why ha... haven’t y...killed u...yet..."
Commander scoffed at the human’s pitiful state. Seeing its pale, pink flesh stained with blood, torn by wounds so deep that, for a moment, he almost felt pity-almost regretting that he had beaten it so mercilessly.
"Stop now before you hurt yourself even more," Commander spoke, "it’s a miracle you’re able to stand at this point."
"Answer me..." Jim commanded and then stretched his arm. Folding his fingers, the Blood Acolyte attempted to drain Commander’s blood, but he was so awfully weak that he failed to extract a single drop, even if it was inches away from him. "...why haven’t...you killed us yet? Wh... what are...you playing at..."
"None at all," Commander stood from where he sat, approaching a white cloth that concealed something. Removing it, he revealed two more barrels filled with blood. "If anything, I wish to see what your true strength is. My people’s Blood Mutants are terribly strong, so much so that our ruler never wishes to make them cross with us. I want to see whether you’re half as strong as them, or just mockeries of what Blood Mutants are supposed to be."
The scent coming from the barrels was different than the first batch. It smelled sweet and savory, though it lacked a meaty scent like Granian and Ethisian Blood.
As soon as it hit Jim’s nose, his body mastered even more strength, pushing him to consume as much as he possibly could.
"These barrels don’t have Granian blood, human," Commander said, "instead, I filled them with the blood of the Rayans your ’allies’ killed. Here, come and eat and show me your true strength."
Without hesitation, Jim scurried to the barrel and began to feed.
His body slowly rejuvenated once the blood entered his system, quenching his hunger, replenishing his lost strength, and healing his battered body. Beyond that, it did something else to his body, something he had never experienced before.
"It tastes better than Granian blood," he marveled with red eyes glowing brightly, "and this energy... I’ve never felt anything like it before. Did you do something to the blood?"
Inasmuch as he’d like to take credit for it, Commander also marveled like Jim. He didn’t think that Rayan blood would have a different effect on the humans. After all, it was all just blood in the end, right?
"I didn’t do anything," Commander said, tightening his grip on his sword. Before his eyes, Jim’s body started to twist and expand, taking on a larger, more savage form than before. "But I’m hoping this will be the catalyst that finally drives you to reveal your true strength."
Jim knew better than to face Commander alone, even with the surge of power coursing through him, greater than anything he had ever felt before. As the High Grade closed in, the Blood Acolyte drew the contents of the second barrel and spread the blood across Anya’s skin, forcing it to seep into her veins.
[A few minutes later]
Multiple bolts of lightning lit up the campfire and struck the ground simultaneously, narrowly missing the High Grade.
The bulky Ethisian dodged both lightning and blood strikes from the golden Blood Acolyte with grace, managing to hold his own against his attacks. Sooner or later, though, he was going to make a mistake.
Even with each attack he dodged, more were sent his way in quick succession, eventually slowing him down partially.
To make matters more challenging for the High Grade, the eight clones Jim made mindlessly ran into him, throwing punches, kicks, and claw strikes at him.
Of course, Commander deflected and countered with his own moves, managing to destroy the clones in only one strike.
"What the..." In a fraction of a second, Commander thrust his sword into one of the clones, thinking that it would only take one strike to destroy it long enough for him to deal with another.
To his dismay, his sword stopped halfway in the clone’s body, drawing his attention for a split second.
While distracted, the other seven clones threw themselves at him, followed by Jim unleashing a powerful surge of lightning at the High Grade.
The clones fried instantly, their forms reduced to blood puddles which reformed quickly. As for Commander, he was brought down to his knees as his body was thrashed by the overwhelming energy violently surging into him.
Jim knew better than to stop with his attack. All he needed to do was inflict a wound on the High Grade. All he needed to kill the Ethisian was a drop of its own blood.
For that reason, the Blood Acolyte formed hundreds of blood spikes that hovered inches above Commander. Blood Clones with weapons for arms and sharp, flexible tendrils surrounded it.
The one that was struck with a sword earlier threw it as far away as possible, leaving the weakened High Grade defenseless. And when the lightning surge attack faded, everything else came crashing down on Commander.
And at the same time, Anya joined the battle, contributing a series of flesh-tearing sound waves to Jim’s attack.