He realized that his [Sinisphere] only detected its presence when it moved into the doorframe that led outside. The creature was stiff-frozen but an eerie disquiet suffused the atmosphere, all the same, he could tell it was looking right at him. The standstill only continued for a moment longer.

As quick as blinking during the best part of a movie, its lower jaw unhinged. A silent scream came forth to stir the contents of Man and ruined room alike with its destructive challenge. It was fast, too fast. One moment it was at a complete stop, the next its muscles tensed and it charged across the room. Its clawed hands created trenches on the [Cobblerite] floor as it took a hunchback posture and dragged them.

Quintin barely had time to raise his arm guard up as a flicker-jab cut through the air and collided off his lower arms. The force of which, caused him to slide back several feet.

If that had connected with my head...

Claws met metal in a screeching cacophony of life or death. He was pushed back a few steps each time he deflected a blow, and soon found his back against the wall. Quintin had had enough. He brought his right hand down and cracked two of his fingers, dispensing projectiles into the oncoming flicker-stab. One of the projectiles rent through its hand and split it down the middle, while the other went through the front and out the back of its lower abdomen.

[Breath of Sudden Calamity: 2x]

-20PP

PP: 40/250

...

1. {Piercing}, {Dividing}

2. {Piercing}, {Critical}: failed.

...

-110 total [HP] damage.

...

*{Cripple}: failed.

*{Bleed}: failed.

...]

The [Blood Ghast] never stopped its attack, however, Quintin was already prepared for it to come. He caught its split hand in both of his own and tore it apart like a piece of paper down the middle.

Riiiiiiiiip.

The creature's arm was now divided into two floppy rag parts that leaked purple blood everywhere—more life than this house had seen in possibly hundreds of years. It reeled back and howled noiselessly as a white-hot light began to develop in the back of its throat. The [Ghast's] mouth popped open, distending its throat like a bullfrog, and its eyes directed a menacing intent back at Quintin.

Tendrils of black energy coursed through the pulsating light as it built up more and more power. Idleness was not something Quintin had in mind, kicking out with a leg sweep at the concentrating [Ghast]. The leg sweep rocked the fiend as it faced the ceiling. A fully formed beam left its throat, the destructive energy blasted a hole through the ceiling as it went outward like a heat ray.

A trail of particles signaled the end of the ability. Quintin rolled on top of the creature, he pinned its arms under his legs and started punching down into it over and over again.

Whumph,

whoomph.

Whumph, whoomph.

Whumph,

whumph.

Whumph, whumph, whumph.

Purple liquid coated his heavy fists. He sluggishly brought them down once more before the spell was broken by his depleted [Stamina]. The [Blood Ghast's] face was completely compressed inward, its body laid limply beneath him. Quintin panted heavily, the scent of deep-death and decay filled the air as he squinted upward. The borehole in the ceiling was a vision of visceral, life-termination; even a hundred feet away the leftover particles still lingered from where the beam of energy had stopped.

[Eluded-Blood Ghast lv. ??] defeated.

—9,000exp. granted! [Class Level Up]!

+5[AP] gained. Free AP: 10

[Nameless Grappler] Lv. 18=>19 [General Skills]:

[Deflection] Lv. 2=>4

[Impact Resist] Lv. 6=>7

Quintin brought his sight back down to his clenched fist, the feeling still shook him inside, deep down. His vision grew bleary as his thoughts raced in remembrance.

What just happened there...

What did Master call it...

Was that what he meant at that time?

--

"Primal Urgency." Bilal Abbasi intoned. His eyes were in a nearly closed state.

"Bloodlust. What is the difference between these two states of being?" he flexed his index finger out to point at Quintin's head before continuing.

"The termination of conscious thought and the takeover of ingrained principle," he stretched out a second finger and pointed at Quintin's heart.

"In one, one's body becomes merely a function of rash determinism—one cedes all control over, and a pile of bodies greets the absence."

He paused still pointing to Quintin's heart.

"The other is a sense of oneness with the body—one cedes control but through trust. The body knows one's heart, the essence. It is attunement, a mysterious state of enlightenment from within. It recites the origins."

Bilal lowered his hand to rest in his lap.

--

Primal Urgency? There was a time Master told me that it only comes about when a preternatural sense is evoked. As if the body knows more than the brain and takes over control in an effort to keep oneself alive, he reminisced.

His hands untensed slightly, his eye closed in deep thought. With a heavy exhalation of air, he finally stood and overlooked the [Eluded-Blood Ghast]. Its head was so pummeled it became new, inset ornamentation for the [Cobblerite] floor. The claws of the undead creature were potent, powerful. They curved in like a sickle meant to reap lives with a never-dull edge.

I can use these after a bit of work. They stink to high heavens, but if I keep them in my [Storage] it shouldn't be a problem until I can clean them, he scratched his chin, a little purple blood rubbed off.

He began by removing the claws, and eventually, the head in case there was a bounty to collect later. His mood lightened significantly as he came away with new loot and a collection of ideas. He was mostly unbothered by the loss of control he felt now that he had his Master's words on his side.

He strode towards the exit after a quick rest to regain his [SP]. Using that time, he also put the incident behind himself; it was over and done. The thoroughfare remained the same, and soon, he came to the intersection that would lead him to the Amphitheater. With the knowledge that other [Blood Ghasts] may be around, he kept his senses keen as he approached it down the avenue.

The Hallowed Amphitheater loomed over Quintin as he quickly took his first step inside. He was greeted by rubble and collapsed doorways with sparse light filtering through. With little else to do, he started gripping the stone blockages, some of which he pulverized in order to gain deeper access.

The extraneous small rocks and pebbles cascaded down around Quintin's feet. They tumbled down in a natural fashion from the absence of bigger pieces that held them up previously. On the other side of the blockage was a mini tunnel where the blue light seeped in. Going down, he came out into a round area filled with row-seating that went higher and lower. The dome was largely intact as it covered the seating area and a small grassy pitch that came up to a raised stage that faced the audience.

He made his way down an aisle even as another person was chasing his scent in the [Goblin] tunnel.

The sound of hooves crunching against loose stones came from behind the [Iron-Beak Headbearer]. He had awakened not too long ago, but he was completely spent, and couldn't move after overdrawing his [Mana] and other resources to power the final spell. His tribe was desolated, the ones that yet lived had fled or were in too much pain to move, much like himself. He was filled with dread upon the realization that the footsteps were coming nearer and nearer—did he come back to finish me off?

The hooves came to an abrupt stop as a woman's voice became the only sound in his existence. "Well, well. This one yet lives. It's bad form to leave an enemy alive to seek revenge. Whatever shall I do?"

The woman didn't wait for his response and picked him up. In desperation, he tried and failed to move his limbs and eventually slackened in her grip. She brought his face close up, and he noticed a few runes lighting up on her skin. She whispered a few sweet words; his face smoothened out before a wicked grin formed in its place.

He would make that vile human pay for what he had done to his people. For Cramie, his new mistress, he would lead the way through the ruins that The Destroyer had escaped to.

+***+