Alice knew that death always lingered on the other side of battle. One wrong step - a misstep - and their bodies could be plunged into depravity. Even now, as she and Grace tethered together and walked along the same thin rope towards strength--death lurked.
Alice dashed to the side, running behind a tree. A tendril struck it clean, piercing through the wood bark and appearing on the other side. Narrowly dodging, Alice leapt from the shadows of the tree and struck her hand forward, fire being expressed.
"FIRE BALL!"
Exclaiming loudly, a ball of fire - quite large in size actually - was expelled from the palm of her hand. The pierced the air and soared towards the center of the Slumbering Tree. However, the Slumbering Tree witnessed it clearly, moving many tendrils in order to soften the impact.
Fwoom!
A soft, gentle hum danced closely. The tendrils that were utilized to form a shield in order to block the incoming ball of fire was turned to a naught. Daggers of light had swung from the side under Grace's command and cut down the roots as the Slumbering Tree was preoccupied trying to block the ball of fire.
A direct shot. Grace thought attentively. The ball of fire that had been expelled from Alice's palm reached where the Slumbering Tree stood and unleashed a terrific explosion of fire and fumes.
Advance. Grace - individually - could not handle a 2-star mana beast on his own. However, with the added help of a Normal-Grade 6 in Alice: things were much easier on his shoulders.
Grace.
Alice.
Their movements synchronized, their blades and abilities all coalescing as they smothered the Slumbering Tree in combat.
~~~
Burnt down village.
Below, his body was clad in the blood that was on the floor. His eyes, closed shut. Yet, his heart still beat as loudly as ever. He bathed in the blood, embracing it in totality.
In the one house that Benjamin stayed in, he reveled in the bloody hell that he had made from his fangs. Bodies upon bodies lingered, drenching the house with a stench of death and ash.
But--
He suddenly rose.
His nose was smelling something. Even amongst the seas of ash and blood, his nose was able to discern a distinct smell that rose above all else.
His eyes opened.
Bloodshot red.
"Alive..." He muttered, a grin of madness etching all across his face. "People are close... by!" His long hazel hair - now darker and more putrid from blood - slid and clad to his face as he stood from the sea of blood beneath him.
He wobbled, but he remained firm, his heart swollen in ecstasy.
The grin on his face never left as he stood still.
He would wait.
Until the promised time.
~~~
The sun slowly set.
Their bodies covered in tiny marks and blood slithered down their bodies, Grace and Alice stood over the Slumbering Tree in a triumphed position. Their feet lodged into the wood bark that was essentially the flesh of the said Slumbering Tree.
They had slain it.
They walked off of the dead Slumbering Tree, sheathing their swords into their scabbard. Their eyes locked and they nodded their heads.
"Good work," Grace complimented.
"You too."
"It's unfortunate that we haven't gotten any real item drops from the mana beasts." Artifacts could sprout from them, though they were relatively uncommon.
"It's a mere Slumbering Tree. It would be unlikely that they give anything worthwhile," Alice countered with a reasonable line of thinking. It was much easier to cope with the fact that they - while had gotten more experience fighting against mana creatures and with each other - were not getting the best of luck with item drops.
Grace sighed, stretching his limbs.
"Let's get going. I don't think we should go much further."
"Indeed. We might not make it back by tomorrow afternoon or evening if we stray too far away from the city."
"But... it won't hurt to explore a little bit more. There's a cliff not too far away--we can scout out anything that we might find interesting."
Alice mulled over it for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.
"Very well," She said. "You are the one who suggested venturing out of the city." Grace nodded, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. Focusing back on the objective, they left the dead Slumbering Tree, allowing it to fully rot and be absorbed back into the atmosphere.
Arriving at the cliff not too far away, Grace - with his heightened vision from the necklace - was able to scout at a level that far exceeded Alice's. Every detail - no matter how minute it was - was taken into account.
"There," Grace muttered. Grace pointed towards an area diagonal to where they currently were. Trees briefly swayed, revealing a small village that was completely and utterly ruined by fire.
His eyes narrowed and his features tensed.
"Something the matter?" Asked Alice.
"Blood," he said simply. "There are trails of blood on the ground at that village."
Alice's face also hardened. Her features ran with a stroke a coldness as she steeled herself. Her face turned to Grace.
"We should turn back," she advised. "We don't have enough information regarding the enemy--it may be out of our league." Her quick reasoning was logical.
Grace knew she was right.
And even though a part of him was curious on what the perpetrator was, they simply could not risk it. He sighed, nodding his head.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's turn--"
Rustle!
Rustle!
Rustle!
From afar, the leaves started to sway as movement could be heard slinking behind the endless sea of leaves.
"Shit," Grace muttered. "We need to get out of here." They turned and made a run for it, but as quickly as they turned, a person rose from below.
A man much older than them.
His body bloody and face and the hazel-nut hair all disheveled by the copious amounts of blood that thickly clad his skin and the like.
Behind, the moon glimmered.
"Hello~"
His voice rang, almost singing. Alice, for a moment, took a quick glimpse of the figure that rose from below, her glasses now analyzing the person in front of her.
[Benjamin Lan]
[Normal-Grade 4]
[God: ???]
[Magic: ???]
Alice clicked her tongue, ducking down as a foot swung by, the air torn apart. But Benjamin was quick. And on the next beat, he pushed off the ground and struck Alice in the core which a fast jab.
Pushed back, Benjamin was about to strike Alice in the face, but a wave of blue mana sauntered across the terrain, terraforming the land. Benjamin was quick to react, pushing off of the ground and flipping backwards.
Perfectly sticking the landing, Grace narrowed his eyes.
His eyes--red. Bloody red. So much blood. And a Normal-Grade 4... fuck. Certain thought sprung up as Grace turned around, grabbing Alice. Benjamin stayed still, his heart racing with adrenaline and his mouth foaming with hunger.
For blood and flesh.
"Alice," he spoke calmly, but his heart was inwardly rupturing. "We need to avoid that village." Alice knit her eyebrows but did not say anything.
There were more important things to worry about. Getting into a stance, Grace and Alice stood beside each other, their eyes focused and cruel.
It was possible.
Beating this fucker. Grace thought.
"A devotee for the Unorthodox God: The Vampiric Lord of Blood."
It was during that moment that Benjamin's grin fell and a skeptical look was replaced. His body was put on edge, his eyes narrowed.
"Unheard of..." There were not many Unorthodox Gods, but they were oftentimes forbidden to use due to their incredibly dangerous nature.
Moreover, the Vampiric Lord of Blood was an especially important Unorthodox God.
"He" was a God that is important for the narrative down the line once the Cult of the Blood Moon made a surge in importance all across the world.
Whispering, Grace told Alice:
"Devotees to the Vampiric Lord of Blood are weak to sunlight and have a weakness for anything that shines or is glowy so to speak." And there was one more thing about these Unorthodox Gods.
They were also weak to anything that is considered an "extension" to the creator. These "extensions" are referred to Gods that were directly created by the Creator in order to usher order.
And because these Unorthodox Gods are not truly Gods created by the Creator, but rather beings created by the first born.
In truth, a hierarchy existed.
And the Creator existed at the very top! Even when Benjamin stood at an advantage in him being in a higher plane of existence. There existed a crutch for the two of them.
Grace was a blessed.
A blessed for not just any God.
But the Creator!
Grace looked at Alice, a small smile forming.
"Get ready."
He then turned to Benjamin.
"See you on the flip-side, asshole!"
Immediately, Grace pulled Alice with him as he jumped off of the cliff. The wind rushed behind his back, his clothes fluttering under the moonlight. His eyes caught Benjamin as the older male rushed as quickly as he could.
When fighting an opponent stronger than oneself.
It was important to not only utilize every single advantage possible, but also to create advantages for yourself in order to conquer and attain victory.
Which is why--
Everything - every action and thought - had to have a purpose.
All for the sake of victory!