As he rode, Gale tipped back another potion. A refreshing feeling surged through him, and he let out a sigh.

HP: 139/175

Mana: 139/175

Damn, Blood Mage really takes its toll on HP. Gale considered another potion, then shoved it back into his bandolier. Potions restore about fifty HP. There’s no point taking one now and wasting those HP points. Every HP point is precious.

Ahead, the town appeared over the hill. Dyer kicked his horse and raced faster than them, blasting past Kino. Kino ducked his head and cried out as pebbles and dirt flew in his face.

“Hey!” Gale shouted, angry for Kino’s sake.

Dyer ignored him. He snapped the reigns and kicked his spurs, pushing the horse even faster.

“It’s fine,” Kino said. He narrowed his eyes and surged forward, chasing after the horse.

The horse glanced back. At the sight of Kino so close on its tail, its eyes widened, showing whites. It bolted, speeding off at top speed.

“Watch it!” Dyer shouted. He reined in the horse. Panicked, the horse ignored him. Tossing its head, it sprinted into the distance, Dyer clinging on to its back for dear life.

Gale snorted. “That’ll teach him.”

Kino lifted his head up, peering after the horse. Smug, he let out a snort. “I told it there was a bad man on its back.”

“You… can talk to horses?” Gale asked, surprised.

“Kind of. Most animals are pretty stupid and only deserve to be dinner, but some can understand me,” Kino said.

“Huh,” Gale said.

Kino raced onward. In a few short minutes, the town appeared before them, cloaked in falling twilight. Ahead of them, Dyer hopped off his horse and tied it to a post. At the sight of Kino and Gale, some of the townsfolk screamed and ran. Others grabbed weapons, hardened eyes narrowed at the boys.

Kino hesitated. He glanced at Dyer, ears drooping.

Dyer regarded them silently. He reached for his sword. Drawing it, he spoke at last. “Arthur might trust you, but I don’t.”

Annoyed, Gale wrinkled his nose. “Now is not the time!”

“Now is precisely the time,” Dyer replied.

Gritting his teeth, Gale patted Kino. “Stand up. There’s no time to waste.”

Dyer backed away, raising his sword. “I won’t hesitate to slit your throats, monsters. One move against me, against any human, and you’re dead. I’ll fight alongside you if I must, but it doesn’t mean I like it, or trust you. You take one step past me, one step into the town, and I’ll personally see to it that your life ends.”

“Wow, dude, harsh.” Gale rolled his eyes. He patted Kino again. “Stand, please.”

Kino stood, standing into full up-periscope stance. Half-standing from his shoulders, Gale braced himself on Kino’s head and drew a deep breath. “Everyone! The demons are on the way! They’re circling around from the fortress to attack the town. Grab your weapons and get ready now!”

“Sure they are! What are you after, monsters?”

“Yeah, like we’ll believe you!”

“Trying to get us out of our houses so you can loot them? Huh?”

“Where’s Arthur?”

“Arthur will take care of it!”

Gale threw his arm out. “Arthur is fighting high demons right now!” He pointed to the hill in the distance. Lightning struck out of the clear sky, lighting up the twilight. “He’s fighting there, to keep everyone in the village safe from the high demons. But that means he won’t be able to save you from the fortress’ platoon of demons this time. Pick up your arms and fight!”

Dyer glared at Gale, but begrudgingly turned toward the townsfolk. “He’s telling the truth. I heard it from Arthur himself. The demons are on their way. Everyone, either find shelter or draw your weapons!”

At Dyer’s words, the townsfolk fell silent. A few glanced around at one another, still murmuring, but no longer shouting. In the midst of the townsfolk, a young woman picked up her son and backed away. Abruptly, she turned and fled.

As though she gave a signal, all the other townsfolk jumped into action, as well. Parents shooed their children home. Others drew weapons or drew tomes, wands, or staves from within their clothes, tomes that glowed with multicolored light as they opened of their own will, wands and staves which likewise began to burn with light.

A girl with bandages wrapped around her pale blonde hair stood near the front, holding a thin silver staff that glimmered with blue light. Gale felt a pang of guilt at the sight of her, and gave Kino a gentle nudge. “Draw up close to that girl,” he said, pointing out the injured girl.

Kino nodded. He landed back on four paws and trotted toward the girl, lowering his head in a friendly sort of way.

The girl backed away. Instantly, Dyer ran over and threw himself between them and the girl, pointing his sword at Gale. “One step closer…”

“You’re the mage who cast ice at me, right?” Gale asked, ignoring Dyer to look the mage girl in the eyes.

She hesitated, then nodded. Bright blue eyes observed him nervously, and her hand tightened on her staff.

“Sorry about reversing the spell. I didn’t mean to hurt you that badly… I didn’t know what I was doing. It was the first time I’d ever used that ability,” Gale admitted, scratching the back of his head. “Uh, I guess it doesn’t make it better, but…”

“It’s fine. I’m the one who cast Ice Crystal at you, after all. I didn’t know you were level one… it would have killed you,” the girl said, bowing her head slightly.

“Ah, yeah…” Gale said, feeling even more awkward now. I feel way more justified in reversing it now, at least!

She looked back up. For a second, she hesitated, but then she lifted her hand and pushed her hair back, revealing her ears. They came to a slight point, longer and more slender than the point of a demon’s ears. “My… my grandmother is an elf. If Dyer hadn’t said you were a dangerous Blood Mage, I never would have attacked.”

“Hey!” Dyer said, frowning.

Euna bowed, ignoring Dyer. “All that to say… I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. You didn’t know, after all,” Gale allowed. He frowned, then shook his head. “No, actually, it’s not fine. I don’t want to die. Next time, verify what Dyer says! He’s not very trustworthy when it comes to monsters.”

“Hey!” Dyer said, louder this time.

The girl chuckled. She shook her head, glancing at Dyer from the corner of her eyes. “He’s not wrong, you know.”

“I’m—just—I’m just trying to protect the town!” Dyer exclaimed, frustrated.

“I know, but you can be a little overzealous sometimes. I’m Euna, by the way. And you?” she asked, extending a delicate hand to Gale.

Gale took it. Her hand felt small and cold in his, even as small as his own hands were. “Gale.”

“That’s not an Elvish name,” she said, frowning.

“Ah, that’s… because I’m a Legendary Hero,” Gale said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

“Oh! So that’s why you’re a Blood Mage who isn’t under the Demon King’s thrall,” Euna said, suddenly understanding.

Gale frowned. That’s why… what? He opened his mouth.

“And I’m Kino,” Kino interjected, standing up suddenly under Gale. Gale grabbed at his shoulders and barely managed to find a grip before he fell. Ignoring Gale, Kino offered a paw to Euna.

“You’re beastfolk, then?” Euna asked. She shook his paw, somewhat in awe of it. Rather than let go, she captured it and felt the fur on its back, casually playing with Kino’s toepads with her other hand.

Oh, hey! I want to touch Kino’s toebeans. I bet they’re soft, like a cat’s. This isn’t fair, Gale thought, narrowing his eyes jealously.

Kino nodded proudly. “Erminefolk. You should see me in winter, when I’ve got my fluffier white coat.”

Euna reached up and rubbed his shoulder, then leaned up against him. “You’re so soft…”

“I am. I’m the softest,” Kino replied proudly.

“Euna! He’s… he’s… dangerous,” Dyer argued weakly.

“Poppycock. Anyone would fight back if you jump at them out of nowhere,” Euna replied, snuggling into Kino’s fur. “So soft…”

Gale cleared his throat. “We should probably get into battle formations, or something.”

“Right, right, battle formations,” Dyer said, pulling Euna out of Kino’s fur. She came reluctantly, frowning sadly at the soft fur. After a second, she sighed and shook her head, then retreated toward a nearby building.

Kino landed back on all fours and shook himself, almost casting Gale off. He peered after Euna, curious. “Has she never met a beastfolk before?”

“Probably not, not with Dyer around, anyways,” Gale replied.

“Oh, right,” Kino said, nodding.

In the distance, a horn sounded. Kino half-stood, ears perked. “They’re nearby.”

“Dyer, are the townsfolk ready?” Gale asked, narrowing his eyes to stare in the same direction Kino faced.

Dyer scowled, but glanced over his shoulder. A loose group of twenty-or-so armed men and women stood around them, keeping their distance from the two monsters. “Should be.”

“What’s the average level?” Gale asked.

“Among us, or the demons?” Dyer replied.

Gale shrugged. “Both?”

Dyer snorted. “The demons range from one to five. This far from the heart of the miasma, it’s hard for them to survive for long. Miasma’s like air to demons, and the higher level they are, the more they need. A fortress like this one, on the border, can’t support more than one level ten-or-so demon for long.”

“Like air?” Gale asked.

“Maybe more like food?” a townsfolk nearby offered. “They can store it up and go without it for a while. Otherwise, high demons wouldn’t be able to leave the Demon King’s domain.”

“No, but they don’t eat it, they breathe it.”

“Water…? Is water close?”

Dyer scowled. “Like water. There, are you happy?”

One of the townsfolk frowned. “But then… the higher level they are, the more miasma they can store. So… it’s like water, if demons are like camels? Lower demons have smaller humps, and high demons have bigger humps.”

“But then you lose the expenditure angle,” another townsfolk replied.

“Hmm, that’s right…”

“Water… for lungfish?”

“There’s that, but… some of them can emit miasma, can’t they? So…”

Exasperated, Dyer waved his hand. “We can argue over the best metaphor for demon miasma later! For now, focus on the fight!”

“What about the townsfolk? What’s the average level amongst you?” Gale asked.

Dyer scowled. He hesitated, then shook his head. “Generally… about the same. One to five.”

Gale frowned. “Really?”

“It’s hard to level up without actively seeking out battle in a dungeon or wildland after level five, everyone knows… ugh, I forgot. You Legendary Heroes are stupid babies who don’t know anything,” Dyer explained, annoyed. He rolled his eyes.

“Says the guy who doesn’t know what ketchup is,” Gale muttered under his breath.

“I know what ketchup is. It’s a legendary elixir made of the mythical tomato plant,” Dyer said, crossing his arms smugly.

Gale opened his mouth, then shut it, smirking to himself. He gave Dyer a knowing look and shook his head.

“Don’t look at me like that. What does that even mean? That smirk,” Dyer asked, jabbing a finger at Gale.

“I see them! Get ready!” someone shouted from atop a nearby building.

Streaks of red light hurtled toward them, arcing through the air. From atop the buildings, the mages and archers fired back. Arrows and bolts of fire, ice, and wind shot back, opposing the red light.

Gale drew his bow, looked at it, then put it back over his shoulder. He tried putting his hand out, then dropped it. I could draw some blood and float it around me… but blood is precious, I can’t waste it! Hesitating, he considered, then settled for a fierce glare.

“Er, Gale,” Kino said quietly.

“Yeah?” Gale asked

“I… can’t really fight with you on my back.”

“Oh… right. Sorry,” Gale said. He slid his leg over and hopped off Kino.

Kino nodded at him. He hunkered down into a runner’s stance, one arm lifted toward the daggers on his hips.

From around the corner, the demons appeared. A dark horde of low shapes, writhing with horrid life. Green-skinned goblins, furred kobolds, and horrible tentacled monsters rushed along at the front, while larger trolls loomed behind.

Gale raised his eyebrows. I made a good choice, not picking that tentacle monster as my starting class!

In the very back of the pack, a dark figure hovered, arms crossed, a maniacal grin on his face. He threw out a blackened hand and cackled loudly. “Go forth, my army of evil! Destroy those filthy villagers!”

The demons and monsters roared, raising their weapons.

“Protect the town!” Dyer shouted.

The townsfolk let out a ragged cheer.

Gale took a deep breath. He patted the dagger on his belt and tensed. I have to kill. Again. I can either stand here and kill, or leave and pretend I don’t see this town in danger. I’m not callous enough to turn away, so I have to stand and fight. Even if it means I have to kill!

The two sides rushed at one another. Kino sprinted ahead, pulling away from Gale. Gale chased close after Kino, drawing his dagger.

A goblin ran at Kino, chittering as it bared a disgusting knife. Kino drew his dagger, darting back at the same time. The goblin’s blow went wide. Stretched out and overextended, it could only stare with its bulbous, yellow eyes as Kino stabbed its back. The dagger flashed back into Kino’s sheathes, and he ran forward again, snarling.

Gale drew the dagger Arthur had given him and cut his palm with it. The goblin struggled back up behind Kino and turned to limp after him. Before it got more than a foot, Gale stabbed it again. He gestured downward, twisting his blood into the goblin. The goblin screeched, thrashing.

Gale’s eyes burned red. He yanked his hand backward. The blood flew out of the goblin and swirled around him, a thick, dark red.

Warning! Manipulating too much blood at once. Blood Manipulation capacity exceeded by five times! Cost increased 5x to 10.

“Take it out of the blood I captured,” Gale said. He ran forward, blood chasing after him.

A kobold leaped at him from the side, claws bared. Gale slapped upward. Blood splashed out of the circulating stream and slammed into the kobold’s face. It screamed, blinded and frustrated, and struck the ground on all fours. Gale clawed his hand out. The blood dug into the kobold’s eyes, nose, and mouth, burrowing through its flesh. It thrashed and gouged at its face, screaming.

Gale felt sick to his stomach. He turned away. It would kill me, if I didn’t kill it.

But still… but still!

Hissing and snarling, a goblin with one arm rounded on Gale, yellowed eyes bulging. A long slit tongue flicked at him, and then it lunged. Its remaining arm slammed a dagger at Gale.

Gale gestured. The blood on that side congealed, sticky, not fully crystalized or fully liquid. The goblin’s dagger caught in the sticky mess. It blinked, then yanked backward, hauling at the dagger.

[Prerequisites Acquired] [Skill Unlock!]

Sticky Blood Shield

You can’t harden blood yet, so why not make a sticky shield to slow the blow instead? Cost: 20 mana. Take it out of the blood you captured, right?

Before the goblin could yank the blade free, Gale slit its stomach open. The goblin screeched and staggered away, rapidly bleeding out. Gale gestured again. The blood that gushed out of the goblin’s stomach joined the rest of the blood circulating around him. Bug-eyed, it grasped at the fleeing desperately. Its claws passed through the liquid, unable to stop it. With a last thrash, it collapsed backward.

Another gesture. The kobold’s blood joined the blood circulating around Gale. Finding a moment of space around him, he glanced around. Where’s Kino?

Warning! Manipulating too much blood at once. Blood Manipulation capacity exceeded by ten times! Cost increased 10x to 20.

“System, suppress all warnings associated to Blood Manipulation’s cost for the battle, and take the price out of my captured blood.”

Warnings suppressed.

Far ahead, deep in the battle, the ermine bent his body in two, arcing high over the low forms of goblins and kobolds. Kino slashed left and right, and foes fell back. He darted away, low once more, vanishing into the mess of battle.

How on earth did those adventurers ever capture him? Gale wondered.

Three goblins leaped at Gale. He spun, slapping blood off the spiral around him toward their faces. Two snarled as blood hit their eyes, but the third blocked. Gale charged at the third, dagger arcing at its stomach.

The third screamed, short and sharp. The other two goblins, blinded by blood, turned and rushed at Gale from behind.

A coordinated attack? Gale’s eyed widened. He grabbed the third goblin and threw it behind him, toward the other two. The goblin’s blade scraped his arm, a pang of pain, and then it screamed out as the other two pierced it through.

The pain and the shove proved too much distraction. The blood circulating around him began to wobble, then fall apart. Gale reached for it, frustrated, but it only wobbled faster and faster, like a top which, once knocked off-center, can only fall. The blood splashed over the ground, useless.

“Dammit!” Frustrated, Gale threw both hands out. Blood surged from the wounds on the first goblin’s chest and coiled up the hands of the other two at the same time as the blood he’d splashed earlier dug into their eyes. They screamed and fell, the same as all the others.

He reached toward the fallen goblins, gesturing. Their blood didn’t respond. The blood rushing out of the injured one jumped to his will, and a second later, so did the blood of the left of the remaining goblins, but the third’s blood refused to answer—until, with a final kick, it went still.

I can’t control the blood of the living, or at least, not at level 2. No, that makes sense. It’d be far too dangerous if ice mages could freeze the water in people, and air mages could void the air from their lungs…

He swirled his finger around him, and the blood spun around him, swirling once more. A coppery stench filled the air, salty and bitter.

To the left, a man cried out and ran backward, his wand no longer glowing. A goblin chased after him, licking its lips in anticipation.

Gale turned and chased after the both of them. He gained on the goblin and threw himself at its back, slamming the dagger home. Caught up in chasing the man, the goblin didn’t face him, not even to the end.

“Ah, ah, th…thank you,” the man stammered.

Gale gestured. The goblin’s blood joined the rest. He nodded at the man, not sure what to say.

“Er… you’re… you’re on our side, right?” the man asked.

Gale looked at him, then turned and walked off, back into battle.

So this is why Blood Mages are so feared. Other mages run out of mana in long battles. A Blood Mage, on the other hand, only gets stronger the longer a battle rages. Not unlike a necromancer, but for blood. I suppose other mages can take mana potions, but still… it’s an advantage for me to fight multiple opponents at once in a chaotic field like this, whereas most mages would struggle.

Gale drew a deep breath. He laughed aloud, forcibly. “Ha! A trash class? Who said that? Not me!” I was wrong, I admit it! This class is overpowered as hell, once you get it going!

In the distance, Kino shrieked. Gale jolted out of his reverie and stared around. “Kino!”

The ermine arced above the battle. Blood stained his brown-and-white shoulder red. He darted back, racing toward the human side of the battle, leaping and bounding over the low demons.

Dyer ran toward him, sword out.

“No!” Gale screamed. He charged into the fray, spinning the blood around him. Blood splashed over anyone who got too close. Goblins slashed and kobolds clawed as he passed. The rotating blood became sticky where they attacked, blocking their stabs. The blood diminished steadily, but Gale barely noticed.

Wet, red tentacles lashed out at him. Gale lashed out with the dagger. A tentacle fell heavily to the ground, but continued twitching, rolling across the ground toward him. The hideous creature’s slick red body lurched toward him, its other countless tentacles waving around it.

“Get out of my way,” Gale snarled. His eyes darted to Dyer. The man slogged toward Kino, slashing left and right. Dammit! If Dyer gets there first, if he hurts Kino—!

Pain blasted into his head. Gale staggered back, pressing a hand to his forehead. The blood shuddered, rotating to a halt as his concentration wavered. Confused, he scrubbed his forehead, forcing himself to pay attention. Stay awake! Stay here! Don’t lose the blood!

A horrible roaring in his mind became words, somehow, though he didn’t understand how. [You… Blood Mage. Why not… our side?]

“Shut up! I’m a human. Of course I’m on the humans’ side!”

The tentacle monster wavered in a puzzled way, tipping to the side. The confusion pressing at Gale’s brain lessened. [Most Blood Mages… human.]

“Well, well—fuck off! I need to help my friend!” Gale shouted, annoyed.

The tentacled monster hesitated, then wobbled aside. Thick, rubbery tentacles lurched through the air. [Not want to touch… man-elf.]

“Don’t touch the women, either,” Gale replied, narrowing his eyes. He pushed past.

The monster paused. Its tentacles curled and uncurled, gripping at the air. [No promises.]

“You can touch Dyer, though,” he allowed.

[Not want to touch man-human.]

Gale ran on. He glanced back once, wary of a sneak attack, but the tentacle monster waddled deeper into the battle instead, uninterested in him. That was weird.

Goblins and kobolds rushed past at him. He wove his way through them. They passed by. When he didn’t actively fight them, they didn’t fight back. Their eyes flicked over him, over his pointed ears and the blood swirling around him, and they let him pass. Gale rushed ahead, weaving through his would-be foes.

On the other hand, Dyer slashed left and right, mowing his way through a herd of demons. They charged at him, almost suicidal.

From the side, a troll lumbered toward Dyer. Seven feet tall, easily three hundred pounds, the earth rumbled beneath it as it walked. A massive club dragged on the ground after it, its knuckles almost dragging the ground.

Dyer’s eyes went wide. He slashed at the air, sending a silver slash of light at the troll.

The light slashed across the troll’s chest, and it stumbled half a step back, bracing itself. A narrow gash opened, and a few drops of thick blood rolled down. The troll tipped back its head and howled in pain. Its tiny black eyes narrowed. It rushed at Dyer, lifting the club high.

Gale breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He won’t get to Kino before I can! I don’t know his intentions, but—but I know I can’t trust him!

He rushed ahead. The demons ignored him. One of the goblins hesitated and stepped toward him, but Gale narrowed his eyes and gathered the blood into a clump, and the goblin turned and ran on. Demons only respect strength, he recalled as he ran on. If they come at me, I can threaten them away.

“Kino!” he shouted again.

Kino looked up. He bounded over, swirling his body around Gale. “Gale! What are you doing here?”

“You got hurt!” Gale replied, peering at Kino’s shoulder. The stain ran down from his shoulder nearly to his elbow. He raised his hand, meaning to stop the blood, but it wouldn’t obey his whims. Not enough? Or maybe it’s already drying.

Kino snorted. “It hurts, but I’m fine.”

A kobold ran at Kino. He whirled around and lashed out with his daggers. The kobold fell to the ground in two pieces.

Gale reached out his hand and absorbed the kobold’s blood. It joined the streams around him, circulating slowly. “Thank goodness.”

Behind them, Dyer and the troll dueled. Dyer blocked a blow, but the troll backhanded him and knocked him over. The troll roared and hefted its club back.

Gale frowned. Dammit, I can’t just watch him die! Even if he was a douchebag. He reached out, scooping a handful of blood into his palm, then hefted back and threw it at the troll.

The blood splattered over the back of the troll’s head. Startled, it stopped and turned, looking around.

Gale’s eyes burned red. He threw both hands out. “Blood Possession!”

Possessing the troll costs more mana than your current total! Continuing this spell will kill you!

Continue spell? Y/N

He scowled. “What if I use all the blood circulating around me? I only need to possess it for a moment!”

The blood around him burst, vanishing. Gale slumped. Red tendrils burst out from the blood on the troll’s head and drilled into its body, twisting into it.

A powerful will slammed into Gale’s. The troll roared, throwing its head to throw the blood off. Physically, Gale hung on tight, while mentally, he hammered at the troll. Let me in! Let me in!

The troll roared again and shook its head, stronger this time. Gale flew off.

Spell Failure!

Snapped back to your body in 0:05

Death in 0:07

Dammit. Come on, Dyer, Gale thought. From his perspective as the blood he’d thrown, wind rushed by him in both directions. A great force battered his body, and then he was immersed, swallowed by a wave of blood.

Greedily, Gale spread his consciousness through it, rapidly absorbing the blood around him. He did it! While I distracted the troll, Dyer killed it! He rushed back toward the troll, reversing the flow of blood even as it rushed out of the troll. Blood Possession!

Warning! Host is critically injured. Once the host dies, you will have a limited time to repair the body before decay sets in. Repaired bodies will be treated as living, but perished bodies will be treated as dead. You will take on [Undead] traits including [Decay], [Weakness to Holy], and [Evil].

“Who cares? I’m only borrowing it for a moment!” Gale shouted. Burning the troll’s blood as fast as he could take it over, he possessed the troll.

Copper, iron, salt. Death. Thick smells assaulted his nose. The sounds of battle roared past his ears again. Weapons clashed. People and demons shouted. Light sparked in his eyes. Gale blinked and looked around.

Dyer rushed at him, sword drawn back, teeth bared.

“Dyer, stop. It’s me!” Gale shouted, jumping back.

Mid-slash, Dyer froze. The momentum of his swing carried him forward, and he spun around a few times before he stopped. He looked up. “A talking troll?”

“It’s Gale. I possessed the troll for a moment so you could kill it. Good thinking, huh?”

Dyer stared. “Isn’t that… incredibly dangerous? A gamble like that, for me—”

Gale waved it away, inadvertently slapping a passing goblin with his too-long arms. The goblin let out a shrill cry as it rolled end-over-end into the mess. “Why were you running at Kino?”

“I…” Dyer scowled, unwilling to speak. After a second, he wrinkled his nose and spat it out. “…couldn’t let that kid die. Even if he’s a monster, he’s… just a kid.”

“Ah, good. You get to live,” Gale joked. He turned over his shoulder and scowled at the dark figure in the distance, the demon leading the charge. “If I take him out, this all ends?”

Looking askance at Gale, Dyer nodded. “When Arthur defeated him before, the demons would always retreat.”

Gale frowned. He squinted at the distant figure. Could it be? Is he…

Warning! Host is critically injured—

“Suppress those warnings. How long until it dies? How long can I possess it?”

Complete host death in 0:30. Mana Critical in 1:45.

Mana Critical. That’s what it displayed when I was ten seconds from death. Gale heaved in a breath and felt his massive chest inflate, though much of the air whooshed out through the gash at his neck. It ached, but distantly, much less than Anyu’s wounds had hurt when he’d possessed the elf’s body. He put a hand to his neck.

Do trolls have some kind of pain suppression skill?

Adrenaline Rush Lv. 5

Feel less pain in battle or after injury. Passive.

Guess so. He cast a glance over his shoulder. There was no time to warn him, but… He put a hand to his throat, clutching the gaping wound shut momentarily. “Kino! Take care of my body!”

Eyes fierce, holding Anyu’s limp body to his chest, Kino looked up. “Eh? Gale! Is that you?”

Gale nodded the troll’s massive head. “I’ll be back, okay?”

Instantly, Kino’s eyes softened. He nodded, beaming. “Yeah!”

Gale turned, glaring at the distant figure. He took one step, wobbled, and slammed his other foot down to catch himself. Wobbling, he hesitated, then managed another step. Dammit! The troll’s balance is all over the place. I can’t waste time figuring out how to walk!

Then… why walk? Gale threw the club aside and slammed his knuckles onto the ground. Throwing his long arms forward, he swung his legs after them, running along like a gorilla. He laughed, though it wheezed through the troll’s slit throat. It’s like when I was a kid, running around like a gorilla for fun!

He towered over the goblins and kobolds. Any too slow to get out of his way, he kicked aside. A few of the tentacled monsters stood between him and the shadowy figure, but as he rushed forward, they dove out of the way with surprising speed and grace. His fellow trolls lumbered in the background, more interested in smashing at buildings than attacking the fighters. A few turned their heads as he rushed by, but none moved to stand in his way.

Still, there’s one thing missing: Blood Mages! The people around here utter ‘Blood Mage’ and ‘Demon King’s fortress’ in the same breath, so why are there no Blood Mages but me? Gale pondered it another moment, then dismissed it. If I’m right about this demon, it all makes sense. And as for that—

He grinned.

The distant figure frowned at him. Closer, now, he could make out a handsome man. A pair of small ram’s horns curled back from his forehead, arcing over blood red hair. Black marked his eyes like kohl, flicking up at the rear. He wore a short black shirt, short enough to let his stubby wings flutter freely behind him, and tight knee-length pants that left less to the imagination than Gale would have liked. Though the wings couldn’t have held him in the air, nonetheless, they did; he hovered about five feet above the ground. A black tail flicked behind him, tipped in a spade-shaped spike, and black markings stained both his hands and feet. Startlingly blue eyes flicked at Gale, only to widen in horror.

The demon threw his hands up. “Hey, hey, stop!”

Rather than stop, Gale tackled him to the ground, slamming the full weight of his troll shoulder into the demon. The demon slammed into the ground and struggled. Despite his much smaller size and thin limbs, he managed to lift Gale’s giant body, if only for a moment. Surprised, Gale blinked. The man tried again, this time hefting Gale completely off him.

“Fuck you! You won’t… mutiny…” the demon groaned. With all his strength, he threw Gale off him. Gale crashed to the ground.

The demon sighed and laid there for a second, breathing heavily. In that gap, Gale turned around and caught the man by the throat. He pinned him to the ground with his thumb and forefinger. The web between the two fingers bit into his throat. “Try that again, and I’ll smash your head in.”

“As… as if… a low demon…” the demon coughed, kicking weakly. “Dammit, miasma, where’s the damn miasma!”

Gale leaned in, lowering his head to the demon’s level. He looked the demon in the eye. “You’re T, aren’t you?”