The World of Strife

"I will be looking forward to your struggle, young elf. Why don't we make a deal while we are at it, hmm? If you fail, you will willingly submit to me; after all, I find it troublesome to tame the new ones. If you win, I will let you go." — The woman finished offering her deal that, as expected, only offered boons for her.

I couldn't help but snort when hearing her words. — "No deal, by the end of this, one of us will be dead, far from a position to fulfill any superficial contract."

The dark elf woman snorted back, clearly enjoying our banter. — "I love your confidence, young one, make sure it is not misplaced." — She sighed.

"I suppose there is no need for a deal after all, but know so, my dear, that you will be mine by the end of the day. Until then, I will savor the moment of acquiring such a valuable asset." — She smirked.

Internally, I was running in panicked circles. Trying to find something, anything, that could prove to be a powerful enough trump card, capable of turning the tables on this ancient elf. I was out of mana, tired, and shaken. It would take a miracle to turn the tables on her. A miracle or something equally powerful… blood, blood magic more specifically. My eyes took in the surrounding field, which was practically drenched in blood. It was essentially the perfect place for a blood mage to shine.

What other options did I have here? I could submit to a woman capable of brainwashing people with a wave of her hand, then find myself genuinely massaging her feet in a week. She was pretty enough, I suppose, if she didn't have a sea of red flags. The fact that she wanted to trade my womb for favors didn't sit well with me either. I shook my head, creeped out from the thought alone.

So, either accept my new fate as a pillow warmer and a slave to this woman's every whim... No, I cringed. There was only one thing, one spell, I could use that could give me an edge here. I reluctantly recalled the words belonging to the litany of blood.

Starting to repeat them internally with a resigned expression. No matter what I promised to Aria, it seems I couldn't keep it after all.

Gods above and Devils below! All shall bear witness upon these words, for I vow that blood is the key of salvation. — A sense of euphoria burst through my body, making me take in a sudden breath of air. I could feel a prickling sensation traveling through my entire being in quickening waves. It was in sync with my heartbeat, I realized, which was also quickening in anticipation. — For only through the power of blood can one cast away the shackles of mortal coil and breach the gates of Heaven. — My sense of tiredness, the small cuts and bruises I gathered all around the battle, started to fade. I was surprised by this, as I didn't know blood magic could heal... — Not just to gaze upon the altar of eternity, but to assail it, and call it one's own, becoming the true master of life.

I shivered when finishing the incantation.

The previous sense of terror and uncertainty was lost, pushed back into the dark recesses of my mind. A forgotten, distant memory. My eyes, which so far trembled to gaze upon the woman's immaculate form, were filled with confidence. A confidence I didn't know I had.

My body stopped trembling, and I looked up at the woman this time, looking her straight in her red eyes. This seemed to unsettle her if only for a second.

My lips parted as words I barely registered spilled into the space between us, the tension that was already palpable in the cavern now spiking through the roof. My usually melodic voice was unnaturally calm; it felt distant, full of disdain.

"Remember that when you realize how willingly you have dug your own grave, arrogant woman!" — I added, mirroring her expression, a wild, almost manic hunger passing over my eyes.

The moment the first of those words left my mouth, the shadowy world around me pulsed with blood and the sizzling promise of power. A wide, involuntary grin spread across my face as I sensed the amount of unharnessed power lying dormant, surrounding me. I could almost taste it; the tantalizing scent of blood was filling the cavern to the brim. My heart jumped in elation as I realized the very ground I walked on was soaked in blood. Precious blood.

It was waiting, whispering to me to harness its otherwise wasted potential. The disgusting fools here had no idea, no concept of the power contained in their veins. Those words, among others, echoed through my mind. They were calling, no… they were reaching out to me. I just needed to reach back…

A wide grin stretched across my face, then faltered as I came to myself.

No, not like that… I shook my head, shaking away that senseless lust for power. I can't succumb to my desires here; I needed to use this power with careful consideration… that said, first I needed to get the hang of it.

The weakness of the flesh is of little consequence for those who are deemed to usurp the thrones of the Gods. — The whispering voices provided thoughtfully. My previous grin wavered again; perhaps my control wasn't as flawless as I expected.

No matter, now as raw power was pulsing through my veins, I instinctively knew how to utilize it, unlike any of my other magic; this was different. As if it were alive, with a will of its own, willingly lending its secrets to me. The knowledge shall be contained by the flesh of the living, and its secrets are written in blood. So, it has been divined that blood is the key of salvation.

As another one of those distant voices echoed through my mind, I was starting to feel like this wasn't the best idea after all. I gulped, shooing away my doubts. There was a more serious issue standing right in front of me. Let's worry about the rest of it later...

The dark elf woman sniffed haughtily. Her previous sense of confusion and uncertainty was all but masked by her bravado. — "By all means, girl, show me all the power you can muster, then break before me as all waves eventually crumble against the shore. I look forward to witnessing your despair."

I growled at her, irritation rising in my chest. — "Don't forget, dark elf, water isn't the only thing that can create waves."

She chuckled heartily. — "Then by all means, show me your wave, girl."

She didn't have to tell me twice. I gazed at the four illusions surrounding us, and I could see through them with little effort.

With a wave of my staff, a long streak of blood elevated from the ground, forming into a solidified scythe. I absentmindedly noted that the blood I took control of gained a strange, dark aura, making it more resilient.

My eyes snapped ahead, and the giant weapon, sensing my intentions, cut across the four illusions. It delivered a devastating attack. Its speed was absurd, especially compared to its size; the elongated blade cut out a large part of the trench. The walls crumbled to dust in its wake, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of dust and oblivion. In the following chaos, I reached out and grabbed onto Camilla's arm, pulling her behind my back.

The girl flinched from my touch, but she was too stunned and confused to resist properly, and therefore allowed herself to be grabbed and pulled behind me.

"Stay close to me, otherwise I won't be able to protect you!" — I called out to her, my eyes never leaving the battle ahead. My sharp gaze flew over the field, but my eyes couldn't see much thanks to the rising clouds of dust. On the other hand, my magical awareness had expanded considerably thanks to all the blood around.

My eyes, like those of a hawk finding its prey, turned to a nearby corner of the trench, sensing a hiding presence there. — "Your parlor tricks cannot fool me, dark elf, I can feel every trembling beat of your vile heart!" — The giant scythe turned its blade towards her and struck out like a viper. Its blade met ice, more precisely a wall of ice, that rose in front of said presence.

I smirked. — "Not enough!"

The giant scythe fell apart, the blood contained inside forming into dozens of smaller blades of various shapes and forms. They flew off, with even greater speed, bombarding the woman's location from every possible angle. Waves upon waves of weapons shattered against the flickering circular shield, blinking in and out of existence in rapid succession. I recognized the shield; it was the same or similar enough to my own, and a vicious smile spread across my face. Let's see how long she can keep it up.

There was a blur of movement, and the same translucent shield materialized, blocking several of my attacks; all but one of them, a small dagger made of blood, managed to slip through and stab the invisible woman. I couldn't aim the blade perfectly since I didn't see her, only with my inner eyes; even so, I knew it struck.

There was a subdued grunt of pain. Followed by the infuriated shriek of the woman. — "You little bitch! I will make you bleed for this!" — My elated smile froze on my face as I sensed the amount of mana gathering around my opponent. With a sudden burst of telekinetic force, my blood blades were forcefully dispersed, the blood contained inside them splattering against the walls, and some even found their way into my eyes, which I wasn't expecting. I was almost thrown to my butt when the raw telekinetic powers reached me; rolling over my head like an invisible avalanche, it was only because of Camilla standing behind me that I managed to stay on my feet. I panicked and did my best to clean the blood out of my eyes. The action took me several seconds, and the woman slipped away seamlessly in the meantime. I looked around in a wide arc, my left eye still filled with blood, but I couldn't feel her presence anywhere. She must have created a larger distance between us, making it harder for me to notice her among all the blood.

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The woman's voice appeared as an echo bouncing around the trench walls. Her illusions were working full-time, making it impossible to pinpoint her location through the voice alone. — "I will admit." — She almost spat out the words; they were so filled with disdain. — "You surprised me, young one… I didn't expect to run into a blood mage hiding among dwarves and men, not in a place like this." — One of my hands was still locked around Camilla's wrist, and I could feel the girl stiffen at the mention of blood magic and the implications of me being one, even though she undoubtedly suspected it by now. I couldn't hide the wry smile that seemed to freeze on my face. I didn't quite dare to turn back and measure the severity of Camilla's reaction to the news.

The woman chuckled, no doubt seeing our reaction. — "Oh my, your little pet didn't know? How unfortunate… I wonder what fate you planned for her? She might be better off becoming a slave than becoming an emergency sacrifice."

This bitch was seriously starting to get on my nerves, I grumbled silently.

"No matter." — The woman continued with her condescending tone. — "This only made you more valuable. The contrast of a white elf's purity and the unholy art she wields. The unique twist of light and darkness in a single person. I must add you to my collection. What are the chances that I once again ran into a white elf blood mage, this inexperienced?"

"Big words for someone struck by such an inexperienced young elf." — I sent out several waves of blood blades towards places with an excess of blood, enough to confuse my senses. I struck several places when suddenly, I felt my blades cutting through something, more like someone. I narrowed my eyes at the location of my last attack, as the invisibility ended. The sounds of ripping flesh and snapping bones filled the cave in its ominous silence as severed body parts splattered on the ground. I blinked, surprised by this turn of events. Was the woman more talk than action after all?

I listened to my surroundings, noticing that the sounds of distant combat and the general chaos of the battlefield reappeared with their entire glory. The suffocating danger seemed to dissipate, leaving my mind strung with tensions and uncertainty.

"Did... I win?" — I hesitated.

Sounds of closing steps echoed at the opposite end of the trench. When I looked in that direction, I noticed Aria's ragged shape. The woman took in the horrific sight inside the trench, the general blood and gore surrounding me. She gasped and leveled her accusing glare at me. — "What have you done!?" — She demanded while stomping up to me. I shuddered seeing her thunderous expression.

My first instinct was to explain myself, my face already stinging with the echoes of that previous slap.

There was a tingling sensation in the back of my mind, a sense of danger. Is she going to kill me, this time for real? I tried to backpedal, already too absorbed, struggling with my emotions at the sight of the traumatizing scene. My back hitting against the wall, I froze up, staring at the enraged Aria towering over me until there was a sharp pain jolting through my body. Alerting me that something was seriously wrong.

I felt the cold touch of a blade cutting across my left shoulder, leaving a deep and burning wound behind. I looked right into Aria's emotionless face, a sharp sense of betrayal rising inside my stomach. Then, the illusion of Aria dissipated, leaving behind the sharp pain in my shoulder and the empty expression of an undead human staring me in the eyes. Its sword's blade was stuck in the flesh of my shoulder, dangerously close to my neck, the thick, leathery robe taking the brunt of the damage, but still fresh blood was gushing down my side in waves. The pain, as if finally registering in my mind with full velocity, rippled through my body as the creature ripped its sword from my flesh, preparing for a new strike.

Seeing this, I pushed through the pain, grabbing my stuff with both hands, just realizing that I had already let go of Camilla's wrist sometime before. I focused on the blood in the man's body, willing it to freeze. The creature faltered for a second, then, as if nothing had happened, continued its attack. I was taken aback, only having enough time to raise my staff in defence, as the creature's sword struck against my staff, a loud clang echoed through the corridor.

My arms became numb under the weight of the downward cut, my injured shoulder screamed in pain, and in a second, I found myself unbalanced and sliding down the wall, my back pressed against it; there was nowhere to escape. Then the other hand of the undead hit me in the ribs. Bloody spit flew from my mouth as I was thrown on my side, still stuck between the wall and the undead.

I fell on my side, hitting my head against the ground, a sense of disorientation rearing up its ugly head, but I shook it off. I was surprised to find myself still clinging to my staff as I crawled back to my feet. The undead man was lying dead on the ground by then, with an arrow stuck in his eye socket.

Camilla was standing next to me, scanning our surroundings with wide eyes. — "She isn't dead." — The girl stated, then glanced towards me; there was a lot of doubt, a sense of hurt, and much more uncertainty in her eyes, fear too… even so, she defended me. I didn't know what to say. There was a moment of tension before she noted, her voice distinctly neutral. — "You are a blood mage?" — It was a statement that sounded like a question.

"I… yes…" — My eyes were already searching for the enemy; it was not the right time to talk about this.

Camilla seemed to come to the same conclusion, as she sighed before turning back to the field of carnage around us. She was still terrified and shaken, as could be seen from her posture, but at least she was back in the action, finally.

I suddenly remembered my injured shoulder, and I instinctively reached to cover the bleeding cut, only to be surprised that it had almost stopped bleeding. — "What the?" — I didn't have the luxury to question my unusual healing ability, but I suspected that it was connected to blood magic. Recalling something Aria told me about, that this unholy magic could steal life essence and elongate one's natural lifespan, I guess that could also mean it could heal injuries.

The woman's voice once again echoed through the field. — "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Did you like my little surprise? As I said, I have been keeping an eye on you for a while, and now we are both bleeding." — She snorted. — "I hope you realize that strike could have been easily aimed at your neck or heart if I willed so?" — She snickered. — "Why so surprised? Don't think you are the first blood mage I've fought in my one and a half millennia. Perhaps the first white elf blood mage, but that is a given, almost. It is also the only reason you managed to hit me. Who would have guessed such an unlikely combination? You are a bag full of surprises, girl. Your existence alone is already a miracle. We hunted your kind to extinction after all, but I believe there might be a few in the Emperor's harem. Not purebloods, unfortunately, but that's how it goes." — She paused for a while, then began with more seriousness.

"Now, I grow tired of this game. I will whip you into submission." — She cut herself off, and magic immediately started to gather in the air until a foul stench spread through the cavern.

I immediately noticed the dead bodies starting to spasm. I bit my lip and focused my mind on the task ahead. Gathering the blood around me, I sent out spear after spear of coalesced blood, splattering the brains of the rising undead.

Manipulating the undead by blood magic didn't seem to work, which was an obvious oversight in retrospect; most of their blood was already spilt after all, but crushing them with it was fine.

The problem was more with their number. There were at least fifty bodies around here. I struggled to keep up with them. After all, I couldn't just shower them in blades of blood and be done with it. I needed to be exact where I hit them, and they didn't make it easier moving around like wild animals in unexpected, inhumane patterns.

Right after I crushed one of the flailing creatures, spearing several more on my blood spear along the way, I once again felt that tingling sensation of danger in the back of my head. I listened to my instincts this time. I created a shield of coalesced blood, thrumming with unnatural energies around me and Camilla. Soon after, suffocating levels of heat began to condense through the air, followed by a deafening roar of flames that seemed to consume the world around us. I kept channeling my power into the shield encircling us on all sides. At first, it worked fine, but soon enough, I found myself struggling to hold it together. I couldn't imagine it, but it seemed that the source of my newfound power was growing thin, or more like… evaporating.

I gulped dryly, realizing my serious misconception regarding my new power. Blood magic was worthless without an excess of blood to use with, and that woman out there was cleaning the field! She only sent those undead to stall me while casting a more powerful spell.

At that point, my previous sense of defiance in facing a millennium-old caster shattered into millions of pieces. She was essentially playing with us; there was no way I could realistically defeat her in my current state. My heart pounded in terror. My desire for battle was shattered; I only wanted to get out of there. I looked through my spells until my eyes stuck on a single spell that could take us out of there.

It was the short-range teleportation, which I had browsed over previously. As the general function of the spell entered my mind, I understood that I needed a clear image of the place I wanted to reach. — "Alright, that will do!" — I forced out the words, while still struggling to keep up the barrier. — "Camilla! Hold on to me, we are getting out of here!" — The human lass looked completely out of her depth at this point, not that I wasn't, of course, but she still followed my instructions. Her arms desperately locked around my torso as I imagined my cozy room in the Dimhollow mansion while clutching all three mana gems in my palms, hoping to squeeze every last bit of mana out of them. Blood magic didn't work with other schools of magic after all, then I said the simple activation word. — "Blink!"

One second, there was the thunderous roar of a firestorm crashing against my crumbling defences, the next, we were skidding down the side of a rocky slide in the complete darkness, kicking up gravel until my feet stuck against a rock that didn't budge and I ended up in an undignified roll along with Camilla who was still attached to my torso like a leech.

"For fuck's sake! I so hate teleportation- UGH!" — I groaned in pain as I crashed on my injured side. — "FUCK!" — Tears spilling from my eyes, I rolled, bumped, groaned, and struggled, barely able to see anything besides the stars of pain that occasionally sparkled before my eyes. At least, until our momentum blissfully weakened and we at last stopped at the bottom of the rocky slide.

Both of us were out of breath, panting, numb, and stiff. Clutching onto each other as a lifeline. Everything hurt, but we were alive, and that was the only thing that I cared about.

I raised my head, looking around weakly. Camilla was shaking like a leaf in the storm, her face pressed tightly between my… breasts, while her arms were latched around me, but I couldn't care less about that… even if this was getting awkward.

I lay on my back for several minutes like that before I gathered the strength to slowly will my numb arms to move, my hands fumbling through the darkness, one looking for my staff, while the other shook Camilla's shoulder. — "Are… are you alright, Camilla?" — My voice faltered, still too terrified and tired to speak comprehensively.

Camilla shook her head left and right, which was still between my… well, whatever… A ghost of a blush played on my cheeks, not that anyone could see it in this darkness, then by some small miracle, my other hand clasped around the hilt of my staff, and immediately a dim light filled our surroundings.

We were at the bottom of a rocky slide. I strained my neck to turn around, and I, with a great amount of relief, noticed the distant lights of Bal Doralh spreading out behind us.

My body shook with relief, and I started to cackle with mad laughter.

At least until I noticed Camilla's teary eyes, looking up at me with a pleading look. — "Please, please-please don't sacrifice me! I will do anything, Selora... really! I-I will even wash your unmentionables if you want... Just don't kill me like that!" — Her dark green eyes filled with distress, as fat tears rolled down the redhead's cheeks, which were still half buried in my chest.

I was taken aback by the absurd situation, and my cackle cut short abruptly. — "A-anything? Sacrifice? W-what are you talking about, C-Camilla?"