(Author: Hello. As I said before, the middle of the week will be hectic for me for college stuff. An example being that I just got my classes today. Awesome. By the way, it is WAY TOO HOT lately. I'm always out of ice. Elgar and his party have arrived at the valley, where creatures stronger than they are (rank wise) live. Each has found a purpose in the valley and the temple. Enjoy.)

----------Chapter 26: Blood Mist--------------------

Elgar took the lead atop of Magmar as he sent his ghost fire wolves up ahead. Void slithered beside Elgar as he had his eyes closed and began sensing spirit and soul energy. His eyes were closed, but he could see. This was what a blind mage or warrior could see once they reached the fifth rank: pure spirit and soul energy. Spirit energy was white while soul energy was jade. All living things have spirit energy but only advanced life forms had soul energy.

It was as if he was looking in a foggy mirror with small gaps of clarity. Those gaps of clarity were living things with spirit energy like grass trees, water, and earth. Nature was alive and abundant with spirit energy. Within the darkness, he could sense powerful concentrations of soul energy mixed among spirit energy. These were the magical beasts.

Elgar directed his wolves to the east side of the valley as he led the way into the forest. He wanted to get stronger, but under his own terms. This meant isolating the rank 6 magical beasts in singular numbers until they became strong enough to fight hordes and packs of them head-on. There were several lakes in the valley, truly a bizarre sight in a forest which seldom had more than one or two lakes within. Towards the temple was an enormous swamp. That was where the rank 7 magical beasts lived.

"Up ahead is two rank 6 magical beasts. One in the lake and one outside of it," Elgar said as they followed him and Magmar. Judging by how the white and black strands of spirit and soul energy intertwine, the one in the lake has octopus tails, with a snake body with the exception of four scaled arms like a dragon."

"What the f*ck?" Ulgor laughed incredulously. "What the heck is that?"

"According to my people, the Creators created many failed specimens of species before we were created. This must be one such specimen," Argolin said. "My people called it the Dranoct. Only sixteen were found and almost all of them were the former rulers of the oceans before the Ice Brood numbered to many and annihilated them. I thought they were extinct. I must tame it. It must have a human form as it is of the sixth rank. I can also shrink in size as you do to Magmar."

"Then the other one is all mine," Ulgor laughed. "I'll need a few skeletal warriors as backup. I'm bloodthirsty, but I'm not stupid. I know I can't take it on alone....for now."

Elgar hung back as he took charge of his skeletal warriors and archers. He had the warriors back up Ulgor while he kept his skeletal archers back. He had Magmar assist Argolin as it was a rank 6 minion. Void stared at its master as Elgar closed his eyes as he began to contemplate something. Suddenly, a third rank 6 magical beast emerged. Void hissed in shock and went to attack it.

It looked like a horse but was as tall as a building with a fiery mane with silver colored horse hair. Void tried to stop it as it approached Elgar, but was knocked aside as it charged forward like a battering ram. Elgar took one look at it before using his plant magic to create vines that speared the horse and trapped it as it coiled around the horse's body.

"Too bad I'm not like your normal prey. I am a bit too strong for my ranking," Elgar sighed as he stared at the horse. "Disappear."

He used his lightning magic, Lightning Serpent Strike, to create over a dozen large bolts in the image of several snakes. It blasted against the horse, turning it into ash save for a shiny monster core the color of fire. Void at the monster core and noticed its master was contemplating again. Its master was planning something big and was probably thinking about the consequences.

"Void," Elgar began as he looked at it. "Become bait and lure two rank 6 magical beasts in the vicinity and lead them to me. I need to try something."

"Yes master," Void hissed and slithered into the trees.

Slowly, a black and crimson mist was emanating from Elgar. This was the unique demon magic that he obtained from the Demon King. When Void finally appeared, it had several broken scales as it sped past its master. The two rank 6 magical beasts were pure white bulls as large as boulders with glowing orange eyes. They saw Elgar and ran toward him as they were in a berserk state as they chased after Void.

Elgar smiled and the bulls were suddenly crushed by a very dense gravity field. The bulls were held in place and didn't have the strength to push up. Bulls were stronger, but most of the danger lies while they are moving. On the ground, so long as you avoid the head with the horns and its rear, bulls were no threat. They stared in horror and fear as Elgar cast his Blood Mist on them. It was an inescapable mist once trapped and drained the soul energy from the victim, literally draining the life out of his victims.

It seemed like tiny crimson and black crystals crept upon them. As it made contact with their bodies, their blood drained as their soul energy was being absorbed into the crystals. The bulls began aging incredibly fast. Their skin became wrinkly and they turned from black to white. The whites in their eyes turned yellow and their teeth cracked and fell as more and more soul energy was absorbed. Elgar laughed maniacally as he drained and absorbed their life energy until they turned to dust. He healed Void with his healing magic and resumed laughing.

"So this is how it feels to use a Demon King's power," Elgar laughed. "Magnificent! I need more! More! I need to grow stronger to reach the sixth rank. I need to grow stronger to protect what's mine. I need to become stronger to take what I desire. I need more to unlock my unique dragon magic. More! I need more! Void, get them!"

"Yes master," Void said, its voice layered with a little fear as it nearly shrieked its reply.

"Power corrupts absolutely," Elgar muttered. "Power changes people. It changes how they think, how they act, and who they used to be. Some are even controlled by their own power. A hero? I never called myself a hero. Once I can manipulate souls, I'll control the populace with fragments of souls that I absorbed and control the Legion to takeover the land. The power to control souls....to make someone obey you with absolute obedience. Once I insert a soul into the body, I'll be able to make them my living puppets. Reanimating the dead? HAHAHA! You lose out at all the potential of controlling them with their powers and memories while they were still among the living. True might is not in slaying your foes, but controlling them absolutely. As they still live, I can keep absorbing their soul energy. They become an unlimited supply of soul energy. The more I control, the more reserves of soul energy I can drain. HAHAHAHA! This is why necromancers are feared. Only a fool would choose to learn blood magic. Only a fool would desire to control the flesh instead of the soul."

Meanwhile, Argolin and his bears were struggling to kill the magical beast in the lake. Needless to say, his bears were not rank 6 so still required air to breathe instead of circulating their mana or qi to act as a substitute. WHat was the point of breathing? To fill blood cells with oxygen and feed them to the lungs which would expel carbon dioxide out the body. How else could someone travel the galaxies and trenches in the oceans if not without mana or qi? This was why they were feared. They could travel or escape to anywhere in existence. Not even hiding within lava or magma under the surface can save you from their wrath.

Argolin had his bears shoot rays of light at the magical beast from ashore while he used an artifact from his people as a breathing apparatus. Arrows were useless at his rank as he lacked the power to resist the water pressure. He was forced to fight the magical beast with his twin swords, but was also forced to fight with the sides of the blades as he didn't want to kill it, but tame it. Elgar stared silently at the lake, bored while waiting, and walked to the edge of the lake. He put his hand in the water and cast his water magic, Shark Frenzy, a water magic spell that shaped the water into a tiger shark which attacked his foes.

They ripped and tore at the magical beast and even bit off the tentacles. One thing about tentacles people didn't normally remember was that they could regenerate. As tentacles are the main threat, an octopus or magical beast mutation equivalent, were both almost harmless with its main method of attack gone. Elgar deactivated the spells when all the tentacles were destroyed and resumed waiting for Void to bring more victims. Void would happily comply as it ate the monster cores.

Argolin was relieved the main threat was over and quickly focused his attacks on the head of the magical beast, knocking it unconscious after several light rays and smashes on the head with his swords. He brought it to shore, where it would be less dangerous if the tentacles grew back, and began chanting while the bears went into the lake to feast on the dismembered flesh and tentacles.

Elgar watched as five interlocking circles with strange markings appeared beneath the magical beast. He narrowed his eyes as similar markings appeared all over the magical beast as well. As Argolin continued to chant, the markings began to glow a gold luster and the marks were converging on the circle. When all the markings fused together, a large sphere levitated from the circle. Argolin grabbed the sphere and laid it against his chest, the sphere entering his chest upon contact.

"Lavi nein kur alis muwo," Argolin said in ancient elven.

"And so thy will is mine," Elgar interpreted as a flash of memories appeared in his head. Turns out he gained some of the memories of the soul energy he absorbed. It was a very intriguing discovery.

Argolin sweated heavily as he dropped on the floor. He smiled and held his hand toward the magical beast. The magical beast began receiving some of Argolin's mana and regenerated its tentacles as it shrunk to the size of a small lizard. Argolin gently dropped it in the lake as he went in and relaxed while the water washed off his sweat.

"I assume it is now yours?" Elgar mused, still waiting for Void.

"Yes. Thank you. You know, I never expected to be able to come to an ancient and sacred place like this. Truly, thank you," Argolin said and closed his eyes from exhaustion.

"That Ulgor.....What is he doing?" Elgar asked as he saw Ulgor prancing around the unconscious magical beast. "Is he praying to it? I don't get orc customs. Too bizarre. If it was up to me, I'd either kill it and eat it or absorb all the soul energy until only the monster core remained. Why play around with your food and look like a fool? Wait, where are my skeletal warriors? I let them fight autonomously by giving them simple commands before letting them fight and they're dead. I need to come up with a more complicated system. It's a pain to control so many different groups. I might need to summon a more sentient minion to take command. I have a few summons I've yet to try out. Perhaps now is the time to experiment with them. I can't rely on three different types of summons: lich, bone, and ghost fire minions."