Chapter 57 Blood

"You killed their leader...? Damn, when did you make it? How do you manage to get in the middle of things all the time?" The girl asked in confusion.

"Hmm? In the middle of things? I was in an ordinary village all the time, and as soon as I left its territory I found myself in a cage. Is that what you call being in the middle of things?" Zayne snorted unhappily.

The girl was speechless.

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom "Hahaha, how curious." Nydan chuckled with a wicked grin, "This guy either doesn't understand the magnitude of what happened or, unlike you, he thinks in much bigger terms. Well, enough talk."

Click.

Nydan snapped his fingers, then a bird flew out of one passage and headed for the left side of the magic circle. It obediently sat on the sign of the three drops, opposite the immobilized man.

"You asked me why I kidnapped all these people." Nydan said as he looked at Zayne, "There is one value in all of you. As you can see, I don't care about a person's gender, what matters is blood energy."

'Hmm... Is he really talking about my Blood Aura?' Zayne inwardly muttered.

"Then what are these girls doing here? Do they really have an aura like mine? I'll never believe it." Zayne frowned with a glance at the trembling girls.

"Hehehe, yeah, you're right. These girls are completely harmless, unlike you whose sword is already completely covered in blood as well as hands. That's why they're here. Their blood is pure and innocent, so from them, I can get even more energy than from this bandit. Of course, you, superior to them all." Nydan chuckled before getting into the magic circle.

Unlike Rina, he didn't need to use a Mana Stone or a special scroll with a copy of the magic circle. Nydan simply began to cast a spell in a language unknown to Zayne.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

The magic circle flashed brightly as streams of scarlet energy began to emanate from the bandit's body, it immediately made him wake up.

"ARGGGGHHHHHH!!!" At the same moment, the bandit cried in pain, then along with the energy, blood began to flow out of his body, gradually drying him out like a mummy.

Slowly, the bandit's scream grew stronger and more horrible, making the girls cover their ears with their hands and turn away, just so they wouldn't see or hear it.

"Fuck... What kind of monster did I agree to help...?" The girl muttered with a dazed look as a chill ran down her back.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

The energy from the bandit transferred to the bird, causing it to get bigger and scarier. The bird gained another pair of wings as well as two creepy eyes with vertical pupils.

"RARK!!!" The roar of the four-winged bird spread throughout the cave with a powerful echo that could be heard in every part of it.

...

"Looks like we finally found a clue." Roland grinned as he turned toward the sound.

"Damn, that was pretty scary... I expect anything from this place, though." Elin muttered with a deep sigh as she looked around.

There were a lot of skeletons next to them, obviously human, but she was already used to that since she had seen it practically since entering the cave.

"Yeah, I agree." Roland glanced at his bloody sword, "I've killed more than ten of them on the way here, but there's hardly any blood in them... What's going on here?"

Next to Roland lay the desiccated corpse of a long-dead man. This mummy, which had no eyes, was one of the many enemies who had fallen by Roland's sword in this cave.

"Do you think we're dealing with some kind of warlock?" Elin asked with a worried expression.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough. Let's hurry up! We have to help Zayne as fast as we can!" Roland said confidently as he rushed forward.

...

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Nydan slowly clapped his hands together as he looked at his new familiar. The red ring on his finger glowed brightly as a large piece of fresh meat appeared in his hand and he tossed it to the bird.

Crackle.

The bird opened its beak wide, and inside it was now a multitude of sharp teeth in several rows like a shark's in its mouth. The massive piece of meat disappeared into its mouth like it was a small snack.

"Hahaha, fine, now it's time for something more interesting." Nydan grinned as he pointed his hand at the bandit's corpse.

From his palm came purple energy currents that began to slowly penetrate the bandit's body, making it come alive again. The mummy slowly rose and, after Nydan's gesture, went into one of the passageways.

"Holy shit..." Zayne muttered in a daze as his eyes went wide. Only now did he realize that he had been captured by an actual warlock who posed a real threat.

"So now let's deal with you." Nydan looked at the girl with narrowed eyes.

"Yes...?" The girl shuddered in fear.

"For a start, what's your name?" Nydan asked as he licked his lips.

The girl flinched at Nydan's intimidating sight, but her willpower was enough to stand firmly on her feet in such a situation.

"Ena Dilley is my name." The girl said confidently as she clenched her fists.

"Fine, in that case, I have an offer for you." Nydan's mouth corners went up forming a smirk, "Kill these two and become my assistant."

At the same moment, several messages appeared in front of Ena that only she saw. However, Zayne noticed it too because of Ena's moving eyes from top to bottom as if she were reading something.

'Did she get Quest? Damn, that's no good, though I don't think she'd agree, right? What kind of person would have to be to betray her friends like that?' Zayne pondered staring at Ena.

"Well, what do you think?" Nydan touched his chin.

Ena took a deep breath, put her hands on the handles of the daggers that hung from her belt, and stepped forward.

Crackle.

One of the daggers ended up in her mate's throat, and a stream of blood rushed out and a few drops landed on Ena's face.

"For what...?" The guy barely whispered.

"It's nothing personal. You'll be reborn anyway, and I'll get my reward. You're useless after all." Ena pulled the dagger from his neck and looked at the other man, who was lying on the floor after Nydan's attack.

Ena simply threw the dagger at him, finishing him off with a single attack. When her mates turned into white particles she slowly walked over and took the dagger with an ice-cold look.

"I wasn't wrong about you after all. Good, now come to me and receive your reward. I may be rude, but I will treat my assistant with dignity." Nydan grinned as his gaze lowered, showing Ena what she had to do.

She got down on one knee in front of him and looked at him with a serious expression. Now she was no longer afraid, for her choice had been made.

"An excellent look." Nydan nodded contentedly looking into Ena's blue eyes, then his ring shone brightly. A scarlet crystal appeared in his hand, emanating an eerie aura.

"I warn you, it will hurt, so much so that you might pass out, however, if you endure it you will become much stronger." Nydan said calmly, pointing the crystal to her forehead.

Ena only gulped, preparing for the worst as she clenched her fists tightly.