Eldrin said his prayers inwardly and prepared to immerse himself into the cauldron, previously owned by unknown, possibly lunatic cultists. Before doing so, he circulated his mana, creating a thin layer of protective energy around himself, hoping it would mitigate whatever adverse effects the liquid might have. Then, with one last glance at Liam, he stepped into the cauldron.
The moment his feet touched the liquid, Eldrin let out a sharp cry. All the protection he had prepared was a complete waste as his mana barrier and also lightning barrier was ground to dust by the suspicious bloody liquid. Instead, the liquid itself formed a layer around him.
Eldrin gulped. He had a bad feeling. He was almost naked sitting in god knows what god knows where. How did his life come to this? A feeling of utter dread welled up inside him.
He was right to be anxious because the very next second all hell broke loose. Eldrin screamed at the top of his lungs as he felt an unspeakable pain. The elf was not even acting which he planned to do to extract some sympathy points from Liam. But now, he was screaming for real. Eldrin felt every inch of his skin sizzling and burning as the red liquid around him gurgled wickedly. It should be noted that he was not a weakling. He was a level 700 plus awakened elf who has faced quite a few ordeals in his life. However, this same person was at the moment bawling his eyes out like a child. The bloody liquid around him sloshed and stirred as it tried to burn him alive. Eldrin would have long since jumped out of the cauldron if he could. Unfortunately, he couldn't even move an inch. It was as if he was paralyzed. Was this how he was going to die? In an unknown place, inside a lunatic's cauldron? The legend of the great Eldrin couldn't come to an end ! With a renewed vigor he screamed some more.
The bloody liquid, however, was not relenting. Instead, the liquid switched its tactics. The thing that was slowly burning his skin and flesh away suddenly started burrowing into his body. The liquid began to sort of curdle and form worm-like structures that wriggled into his flesh, seeking deeper ingress. Eldrin's pain escalated to a level he hadn't known possible, his screams piercing the still air of the ruins.
And then it stopped. All the pain suddenly stopped and a shocked expression appeared on the elf's face as he felt all of his body's structural fundamental units begin to respond with an ache that stemmed from his very core.
He wanted it. He needed it. His body craved it. He could not imagine another second or moment without this liquid energy seeping into his existence.
But the next second, the pleasure that came after the pain also abruptly stopped?
"WHAT?" Eldrin growled in anger with blood shot eyes only to find himself sitting on the rubbles and broken stones of the temple ruins. A soul minion was indifferently standing next to him, handing him a health potion bottle. "For your troubles." The minion spoke.
"What?" Anger seethed inside the elf as he looked at the health potion that was propped in front of his face. It was a decent health potion but it might as well be shit when compared to the godly liquid in the cauldron. He wanted that. He needed that. He whipped his head to look at the cauldron when he once again froze seeing that someone else had now occupied his place. Well, not exactly his place but the second cauldron.
The second cauldron had even more liquid than the first and was now boiling with a richer color. Once more his heart started yearning but then his eyes fell on the figure now sitting in the cauldron, fully immersed in the liquid.
Eldrin blankly stared for a couple of minutes before composing himself and turning to the soul minion still holding the health potion. "Can I use the other one? I won't disturb Lord Liam."
Unfortunately for the elf, the soul minion strictly shook his head. "The Lord has asked you to wait until he is finished."
With a low grumble, Eldrin silently sat down. He did not dare defy the person who was carrying him so he swallowed his blue balls and observed the 'Lord' in the second cauldron, trying to understand what was happening and what exactly this liquid was. He watched as the liquid began to bubble and froth around Liam who, unlike him, was calm and serene as if the pain did not affect him in the least. He might as well be undergoing a peaceful meditation rather than enduring the torturous process Eldrin had just experienced. The only thing that gave it all away was the unmistakable smell of flesh burning.
Eldrin shuddered as he finally witnessed what was happening to him. The red liquid bubbled furiously and formed numerous tiny vortices around Liam, all of them trying to burrow into the depths of his body.
Seconds ticked by as the process intensified and a sanguine sheen formed around Liam's body. The elf gulped. This was exactly when the pain stopped and the pleasure started.
Even Liam's face noticeably changed as the liquid started slowly seeping into his body. The depths of his body screamed in hunger as the liquid was gobbled up bit by bit, spreading into all corners of his skin, flesh, bones and muscles. Each part competed with the other, craving the liquid for themselves.
Eldrin couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the sight.
After what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a few more minutes, the liquid in Liam's cauldron began to visibly reduce. Soon the entire cauldron was finished up and it was dry as a bone.
Eldrin had a bad feeling. "No. No. No. Please." He prayed, biting his nails but alas… The moment the red liquid ran dry, the liquid from the other cauldron was magically transferred and the process continued as Liam's body began to suck in more and more of the liquid.