∼ Day 22 ∼

[Siphon]

[You've consumed the blood of an LVL: 21 - Orc]

[455 points of EXP has been acquired and stats have been added]

As I was indulging in my carnal desire of ravenously gouging the arrogant prick of an orc, whilst everybody around stared in muted horror at the scene, I was all of a sudden interrupted by the clatter of metal-clad feet scuttling over the ground.

Tearing my head from the shredded throat of my victim with blood both covering and dripping from my face, I spotted twelve heavily armored orcs swiftly filing into the courtyard. They all lined up next to each other, forming a half-circle wall around me with their weapons drawn and pointed directly at me.

Although those orcs were all highly leveled and trained, when I locked eyes with them I could not only see the slight tremble of their weapons but also smell the fear creeping up their spines and shaking the very foundations of their wills and bravery.

The sight of my currently gory and bloody state, combined with my crimson-red gaze and terrifying bloodlust that seeped into my intent, I honestly couldn't blame them for fearing the much stronger and feral creature eyeing them for a snack.

I had to actively restrain my desire to just dash and tear their limbs and heads off too, simply so I wouldn't begin indulging in my desire for a fest of slaughter. But knowing these were the guards of the Mistress' I highly doubted that it would in my best interest if chose to. With a great mental effort, I managed to slightly quell the manic bloodlust encompassing my mind.

Behind the row of orc guards, I could see the approaching form of a small and round creature. I couldn't immediately recognize the creature through the haze of my mind. But as it swatted the metal shins of one the orcs blocking its way, the creature came to sight while walking past the orc parting way for it.

"Not even a day before you go and mess things up you stupid fucking git!? Who the fuck told you to go and damage the Mistress' property right before the Mauling was about to begin!? -Hmph! Good fodder isn't exactly easy to come by on short notice, you know?" - Jeerbal

It was the gremlin, Jeerbal, who I had met just before getting thrown in here. I could only blankly stare at the diminutive creature currently fuming.

"Urgh- why would the Mistress' put such a volatile creature within the fodder... mmm... orcs... stupid gits..."

As he was talking, he slowly trailed off in a mumble while looking towards one of the closest orc guards. Holding his hand out, palm facing upwards, he obviously needed something from them.

Hurriedly, one of the orcs standing in line scurried over and placed an old-looking and rusty metal branding iron in the gremlin's outstretched hand. Standing with the branding iron in his hand, he inspected it almost... lovingly?

In silence, we all just stared at the plumb and diminutive greenskin. Suddenly realizing that everybody was just staring, the gremlin looked angrily at the guards.

"You gits! What are you all gawking at? Go over and restrain him already! -stupid... ugly... damn orc gits..." - Jeerbal

I didn't resist the orcs as they tentatively took my arms and locked them in a hold. With a key, they opened the mechanism in my shackles that held my hands together without actually taking them off. This allowed them to pull my hands behind me.

I was now currently sitting on my knees with my arms pulled backward in a lock by two orc guards. Slowly the gremlin, Jeerbal, approached me while twirling the rusty-looking branding iron in his hand.

I had no idea what it was for, but I doubted he'd use it for anything pleasant. I knew that there were going to be repercussions from killing the orc but I wasn't sure how severe seeing as they practically ignored the orcs breaking and raping the catgirl who was still unconsciously laying in one of the open sleeping chambers, plus the one I had just killed was very weak and most likely not valuable.

But in my haze of anger and bloodlust, I simply couldn't care less for some punishment. Standing before me, the gremlin just had a sinister smirk, sardonically plastered on his ugly and wretched face. Suddenly a dark premonition began taking over my mind...

-maybe I underestimated those repercussions...

"You know... I don't get to use this as often. It's quite a shame honestly, it's the greatest gift given to me by the Mistress herself! But seeing as you unruly and dumb gits are in short order, I will make sure that I savor every last bit of using it." - Jeerbal

"You know? This is actually quite the honor, to be deemed worthy enough for a brand from the great Jeerbal himself." - Jeerbal

Grimacing in annoyance at the over-the-top narcissistic gremlin, I locked eyes with him, who surprisingly seemed completely unfazed by my bloodlust. Touching some runes inscribed onto the branding iron, I'm suddenly stunned at the dark-purple light that began lighting them up one by one.

At the end of the branding iron, that was usually heated up by the use of a furnace or fire, it began radiating a sinister dark-purple haze of smokey darkness.

There was no mistaking it, this was the Mistress' magic.

Wait... this actually reminds me of Lily's odd stone that sucked out all of my magic. It too had runes engraved into it. Does this mean you can actually engrave magic onto objects?

My wandering thoughts were quickly swept away as the now glowing branding iron in Jeerbal's hand was now pointing straight towards me. Looking into Jeerbal's eyes, I could easily see the pure malignant and sadistic nature of this little creature flashing across them.

"Fufufu- Don't try anything stupid now. Only more punishment is coming your way if you resist, you stupid git -fufufu." - Jeerbal

Ever so slowly the malevolently grinning gremlin lowered the branding iron to hover above my chest. As he suddenly closed the last few inches of distance between my carapace-like skin and the branding iron, my mind was suddenly turned into a world of blinding pain.

[You have taken 1 damage!]

This was no pain of merely having my skin scorched, no, this was a mind rending pain of feeling my entire being getting torn apart. Whatever this branding iron was doing to me, it was much more than just leaving a mark on my skin.

This pain topped anything that I had ever experienced since coming to this world, and the shrill scream that tore free from my throat was a grim affirmation of that.

As I screamed the sadistic little gremlin let out a growl of dark pleasure. The pain shooting out into my body was mind-shattering as I could barely process a single thought.

Although I was deadly and fast, my power didn't lay in strength. So even as my body tensed and struggled against the hold created by the guards, my strength was nowhere near that of orcish might.

My screams began ever so slowly to turn hoarse and pitched but my mind unexpectedly didn't give out. While the Conqueror's Will that burned deep within me was an immensely powerful trait, in my current situation, it had become a double-edged sword as it didn't allow my mind to tap out and invite the blissful state of unconsciousness.

"What? Still conscious? Fufufufu, perfect -no, marvelous!" - Jeerbal

[You have taken 1 damage!]

With the sadistic look in his eyes growing even sharper, he slowly began pressing the branding iron even deeper into my body.

I didn't think it was possible, but the pain flared even greater. Now sound wouldn't even leave my mouth, as my body was contorted in a silent scream to the air. With saliva and foam frothing from my mouth and the convulsions of my body, my pain was unmistakable.

But apparently, the lack of hearing my misery didn't dissuade the sadistic gremlin as merely seeing how much pain and agony I was in was more than enough for him.

By now, an almost orgasmic look was plastered all over the little fucker's ugly face. At his lower region, you could even see the obvious but tiny tent in the cloth covering his rather unimpressive nethers.

The disgusting creature was getting off to this.

With the unimaginable pain coursing through my body, my mind had already seized any function of constructing coherent thoughts as my mind had turned into a blazing landscape of agony and misery.

But to the relief now flooding my mind, which barely even managed to pick up on, the pain suddenly began to reside.

"W-what? NO! no-no-no, this was just getting good!" - Jeerbal

The runes on the branding iron that Jeerbal was using to torture me, had begun to slowly dim out. With the dimming of the magic, the effect also stopped.

Apparently, the tool had run out of juice.

With my body not tensed up anymore due to the pain residing, I just hanged limply in the hold of the two orcs behind me. But while the pain was pretty much gone, something else now plagued my body.

The ghost pains of what I had just experienced continued to wreak havoc on my mind. Although this was not nearly as painful and agonizing as the pain I had just gone through, it was like a dull but heavy headache thumping in my head spreading pain throughout my body.

Swinging the branding iron around in the air, as if to try and shake some more power into it, the vile gremlin howled pathetically in anger like some overly spoiled kid who's toy just broke.

"DAMMIT IT ALL!" - Jeerbal

In a fit, he threw the branding iron to the side, letting into dig into the ground. Puffing in anger, he looked around. When he locked eyes onto my wrecked form, hanging piteously in the guards hold, the look of anger in his eyes softened.

As he was already very short, he didn't need to crouch to be at face height with me currently held up by the orc guards. Sweetly cupping my cheek, almost as if caringly, he lifted my slumped head up to meet his gaze.

Barely seeing through the haze encompassing my mind, the hatred in my eyes suddenly flared as the disgusting and ugly mug of Jeerbal the gremlin was only inches away.

"Yes... yes! That's the spirit... hmm, yes... You're quite a special git, you know that?" - Jeerbal

Caressing my cheek with the back of his gnarled and crooked hands, I'm disgusted as his wretched voice enters my ears again.

"You better not die on me tomorrow, you hear? I'm looking forward to the -mmm, special, times we're going to have together." - Jeerbal

Looking to the two orc guards holding me, he suddenly snaps his gnarled and elongated fingers. On cue, they both let go of the hold on my arms, letting my body thump into the ground, almost as if lifelessly.

"We're leaving." - Jeerbal

Taking the lead, Jeerbal walked away from my limb body, laying on the sandy ground of the yard, as the guards filed in behind him. Barely able to see his back in the corner in my eyes, the burning intensity in my will only grew stronger.

He was going to pay with something a thousand times worse than what I had just experienced...

As he was leaving, he suddenly turned around. He was looking around almost as if he forgot something. Locking his gaze on the branding iron that he'd thrown to the side, he hurriedly scuttled over to pick it up into his embrace with a possessive look in his devious eyes.

"Mm- stupid... meathead orcs... ku-ku..." - Jeerbal

As the gremlin returned to walking out of the yard, his mumbles began to slowly get lower and more muffled as darkness had finally begun to claim my mind.