Scarlet

Before I leave to deal with the first fomorian, I quickly open my terminal and send a short message to everyone who has tried contacting me since the start of this Fracture. A list that has only grown since the last time I checked to include Allen, Cynthia, Sylver, and Sage.

[I’m alive. Stuck in a Class II Fracture without any emergency power. Backup would be appreciated.]

After clicking send, I begin walking over to the door, being extra careful in the process not to make too much noise since the fomorian is getting closer. By the sounds of it, the creature should just be down the hall from this door.

Seconds pass in silence, with the only noise being that of the creature’s footsteps and its tail dragging across the hall floor until it suddenly stops outside and begins sniffing. I frown at that before the creature suddenly turns around and begins walking away out of nowhere at a much faster pace.

What caught its attention?

I focus on my ears, just listening for everything on the floor until I notice some very light footsteps coming from the stairs, which are in the same direction as the one the fomorian just ran off towards.

Did it smell them? But if that were the case, then why didn’t it smell me?

“Because you’re half blood lycan, so your human scent is far weaker than the other humans in this building,” Tar answers, making me frown.

You didn’t say that when I first contracted though.

“It was different back then,” Tar answers plainly, having disappeared at some point. “Not only had you just contracted and were releasing the aura of a blood lycan, but you had only just awakened, so you still smelled very much like a human. But now you smell more like the half demon you are.”

Oh. Guess that’s not bad then.

I wait for the demon to turn the corner in the hall before opening the door and slowly following after it, deciding to use whatever distraction it’s been dealt to my advantage to kill the thing. And maybe save whatever human it’s chasing in the process.

After tailing the reptilian demon for a while, I eventually end up at the stairs to find it slowly approaching a little kid who for some reason isn’t crying.

|Demon Fomorian – Subspecies: N/A – Level 104|

The kid – a young girl – looks to only be about ten or so years old and is wearing a nice red and pink dress. One that pretty much paints the picture that she’s probably here to work, seeing as this is a studio after all.

Some sort of child actress or something?

Either way, I quickly manifest two daggers of blood above me before sending them flying over the demon’s head and out of its sight as I begin rushing over towards it while using the newly leveled blood sacrifice and almost staggering from the difference. Because it is a much larger boost in strength.

I grin slightly at that and quickly catch my footing before sprinting straight at the demon’s back, it having clearly noticed my smell without me even getting halfway to it yet. At which point it begins to turn around, only for me to send the two daggers hovering in the air straight towards its unguarded neck, both of them digging only a quarter of an inch in.

The creature staggers slightly forward, losing its guard a little, and I take advantage of that further by using both blood boil and life drain on it at the same time while burning even more of my blood and shooting across the ground towards it, cracking the tile floor a little in my rush. And in the middle of my charge, I activate blood claws on both my shifted and non-shifted hands before slamming my shifted fist into their chest, sending them flying to the ground. Then I jump on top of them and reach for their throat with both my clawed hands, tearing into it in an easier manner than the last time by a decent amount, yet still rather difficult. But with the creature being stunned from everything that’s happened, it doesn’t manage to do much as I simply burn more and more blood to gain the strength needed to finally rip out its throat.

[Blood Thirst Effect applied. Stack is now 1]

I immediately roll over, off of the demon and onto the ground before letting out a pent up breath in exhaustion.

These fomorians are so annoying to handle compared to the lower leveled demons.

I let the System messages flow through.

{Level 104 Demon Fomorian defeated. A vast EXP bonus is awarded for killing a creature above your level.}

{Congrats, you have leveled up to level 64. Two Free Points have been awarded to you and your stats have been updated.}

{Congrats, you have leveled up to level 65. Two Free Points have been awarded to you and your stats have been updated.}

{One Skill Point is awarded for killing a demon.}

Hmm. But the nuisance certainly is worth it in the end at least.

I smile at that thought before allocating my free points and glancing at the child, who is calmly alternating her gaze between me and the corpse. Then she just walks over to me before sitting down on her heels and hugging her legs right next to my head.

“You look okay,” I state out loud, and the child nods her head at that. She has raven black hair going down her back, contrasting well with her pretty dress that reaches down to about mid calves and flares outwards slightly, with long sleeves covering her arms, and a pretty ribbon tying up her long hair in a ponytail.

This is going to be annoying, isn’t it?

Please tell me I won’t be stuck with a kid while trying to clear this Fracture…

“It’s not too big a problem,” Tar suddenly says, making me frown up at the girl in his place. “Weren’t you just planning on camping on this floor and killing any demons that came up or down the stairs here? Just leave the girl somewhere on the floor on her own after you deal with the last fomorian.”

Oh. True. That should work.

Assuming the kid cooperates.