That, Nilbog noticed as he got closer, was extremely odd. Were humans supposed to be this…bloodthirsty? They hunted down the Ghouls with little regard to anything else. The ones who lost limbs did not seem to notice. There was little dodging and no defending—just on onslaught of attacks that trampled apart the Ghouls in their path.

Doyan lead the charge, stepping forward uncontested as his cleaver chopped whichever unfortunate limb was in range. Any Ghoul brave enough to get close was skewered by the crazed men and women, and any Ghoul which escaped the dancing blades was chopped down with an earth-shaking bellow.

A Ghoul used one of its brethren as a trampoline, leaping through the air and above the short blades and daggers. It landed on top of some unsuspecting man who promptly lost half of his skull in its mouth. It jumped off before the body hit the floor, attempting to land on its next victim but was impaled by a wide variety of weapons. A spear was added to the fray from somewhere.

“Something’s wrong,” Iris said. “I don’t like this.”

“We can hardly stop!” The fact that she was scared worried Nilbog more than the needles that poked his skin by Seventh Sense. He didn't see the dark spheres, but they hardly had a choice anymore. Running through the café caused at least a dozen of Ghouls to start chasing them, and their numbers were only growing. A few kept leaping him, barely scratching the ends of his shirt.

“Can we turn on them now?” Iris asked, scratching her forearm as she ran. “My cooldowns are going to be u-“

“Doyan!” Nilbog yelled through the chaos. He didn’t register her idiocy.

Doyan turned. It only took a second for him to realize what was happening. His face sunk, then fumed—literally. He was a Thermal mage. The strange dark flames that were covering his body spiked up. He bellowed, causing everyone else to turn.

“Time to return the favor!” Nibog yelled, then ducked as Doyan swung his flame enchanted cleaver at him. Nilbog’s Sentient Killer activated, giving him a respectable boost to his parameters, and granted him protection from the AoE damage. As he slide under his Doyan’s legs, the top and bottom part of a Ghoul flew past him in opposite directions. Immediately following it was an explosion, then the loud crash of the Ghouls against the lines of humans.

Nilbog didn’t stick around. He squeezed himself through the tight crowd, watching the fight happen through the relative safety of 2 meters of humans on all sides. He caught a glimpse of Iris—she was already tearing at the Ghoul around her. Her power went up in tandem with the intensity of the red aura covering her body. She went from quick to blinding speeds after a couple kills.

The more she killed, the more Nilbog will get. He did bring her, after all. She was his contribution to the fight. If she kills more than the number of Ghouls she would have otherwise killed if Nilbog had not intervened, then Nilbog would have a net-positive effect. For the rest of the fight, all he would have to do is stick to the sidelines and he would get one of the top spots. The top percentage in each round always got something a little bit extra.

He suspected he would need all the power he can get. Finding Jack’s allies was not going to be easy—he couldn’t bet his entire plan on the old raisin being on his side. He needed to maintain his resources to both protect himself and find them.

Then, through all the metal clashing against hardened skin and screams, Nilbog heard that sound returning. Now he could visibly see 3 black spheres with a fog-like appearance flying around him. Violent thoughts and emotions surfaced each time they brushed by him.

A Siren offers you power.

Do you accept?

Y/N

It wasn't the power Nilbog was scared of--it was how intrusive they looked. If they go inside him the Blind Mage might notice was a monster. No, Nilbog answered, clenching his teeth for the inevitable impact. After a short pause, as if they were processing his answer, the spheres crashed into him from all sides.

Sentient Killer Activated.

The difference in Danger Ranks has increased Sentient Killer’s power by 50%. You have failed to resist a Status Affliction.

It coiled in tight ropes around his limbs, slowly itching itself into his skin. Nilbog snapped his head around, trying to hear the whispers, trying to see the moving things. He saw nothing, but the oppressiveness increased. He felt the high ceiling fall and the ground scoop up towards him. He turned away, his body straining itself. He needed to leave—something was wrong him. She was after him. Suddenly, fighting out there seemed to be safer than being in here.

The smell of blood was a coat in the air. It found its way into his mouth, its metallic flavor soaking his tongue. He spat it out, the familiar sensation sending shivers down his spine. He began to jostle his way out then, bumping from one person to the next, their elbows knocking him like a doll. Something heavy twitched, then, inside of him. He gasped as paranoid thoughts of him exploding from the inside filled his mind.

He began to hear the piano again. Dizziness followed. Following dizziness was further loss of control. All the wicked thoughts he hid away began to surface. He felt it wiggling inside him. It crept towards his heart. It wanted more than to turn him into a crazed being like the rest of the ones around him. He should have never resisted. He would not have caught her attention if he just gave in from the start.

They’re all the same. Every one of them. They destroy for the tinniest bit power and wealth. Was there any point in not devouring such evil beings? Let them experience what they do on to others. He’ll hunt them like they have hunted him, like they hunt each other. That was fair.

Just like when you eat when you’re hungry, little fairy, we fight because it’s the only way to protect ourselves.

Jack’s words drove the numbness away. He held on to those words as he resisted against the wrath that was filling him. He willed away those unnatural emotions again, just like he had done previously, with all the conviction and minuscule power he had within his tiny body. He used everything to fight back, causing something to kindle within his heart. It sent warmth throughout his body, causing yellow aura to seep through the cracks in his skin.

Then, as suddenly as it came, everything was gone. Sweat dripped down his forehead and his body. He was panting uncontrollably. He opened his eyes, too, unaware he closed them. He found himself under a pile of bodies, some alive, some not. His thoughts returned to normal. Everything will be fine. He will survive. One step after another, that’s how he had done it, and that’s how he is going to do it—without becoming like them.

He struggled to his feet, pushing aside the bodies that stacked on top of him. Doyan’s were a few paces away. He jetted a sword jutted from one of the bodies, holding it with two shaking arms. He swung around, looking for the sound.

Nothing. It was almost as if he imagined everything.

Then he felt the claws coil around his heart. It was still there.

Nilbog broke into a sprint. He couldn’t trust his thoughts anymore, but he needed to escape it. He received the Terrorized status but he could not understand it. He ran through chairs and people. He fell but ran on with all his limbs, his numb hands making as much leeway as his dead feet.

He escaped its clutches, but he still felt it hounding him. He felt it breathe down his neck with its teeth bared against his skin before he threw himself into the midst of the Ghouls, hiding in the mayhem.