[Corruption Energy Rising - 53% ↑]
[Corrupted entity Ophilia has forced Corrupted Surge Activate.]
[Quest:] Kill [Minion] Kobold [0/4]
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The world snapped.
The moment Ophilia seized control, something violent and primal flooded through Jagger's veins. Heat surged through his muscles, raw and intoxicating, as corrupted essence detonated inside his body. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, no longer panicked but eager, hungry.
"GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD!"
The laugh tore from his throat, sharp and unhinged, echoing down the ruined street.
Jagger raised the knife.
The motion was wrong. Too smooth. Too practiced.
It felt as if his body remembered something his mind never had. The blade gleamed faintly in the ashen light, an ordinary weapon in appearance only. In his grip, it was inevitability.
The kobolds reacted instantly.
Two lunged from the sides, spears cutting the air in a coordinated strike, one aimed high for his throat, the other low for his legs. A clean execution if it landed.
It did not.
Jagger leapt.
His body twisted mid-air with dancer-like precision, slipping between the converging attacks by a margin so thin it felt unreal. As he descended, the third kobold thrust forward, its spearhead screaming through the space where his neck had been a heartbeat earlier.
Jagger tilted his head aside.
At the same time, he dropped low and drove the knife upward.
The blade punched beneath the kobold's jaw, sliding into soft flesh with sickening ease. There was almost no resistance. The creature's obsidian eyes widened, its snarl collapsing into a wet, choking gurgle as dark, viscous blood poured down the blade. The smell hit instantly, thick and metallic, rust and rot flooding the air.
He did not pull the knife free.
He twisted it.
The motion was brutal, efficient, final. Cartilage shredded. The spinal column severed with a dull, wet crunch. The kobold convulsed violently, claws scraping weakly against his arm before its body went slack.
Jagger shoved it away.
The corpse hit the pavement with a heavy, lifeless thud.
[Quest:] Kill [Minion] Kobold [1/4]
Silence rippled outward.
The leader, still arrogantly pointing moments before, locked eyes with him.
Jagger's irises bled crimson.
The brown dissolved into red, swirling like fresh blood dropped into water. The change was unmistakable.
The remaining two kobolds faltered.
Their snarls died halfway into their throats as fear replaced arrogance. Spears trembled in their claws as they backed a half step away, obsidian eyes darting between Jagger and the corpse at his feet.
He simply stood there.
Blood dripped from the knife, pattering softly against cracked asphalt. His smile did not fade.
'Look at that fear. You feel it?'
Ophilia's voice coiled through his mind, smooth and intoxicating, dripping with amusement.
'That is power. That is what you have been missing all your life, little toy.'
The leader roared.
It was a command and a threat all at once. It pointed its spear directly at Jagger's chest, screeching something guttural and furious.
The other two charged again.
This time, they moved cautiously. Their steps were measured, snarls tight with anger layered over fear. They had recognized the danger too late, but instinct drove them forward anyway.
"No! Stop it!"
The shout ripped from Jagger's throat, raw and fractured.
For the briefest moment, something inside him resisted.
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[Corruption Energy Lowering - 46% ↓]
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Jagger screamed inside his own mind.
His body froze mid-step, muscles locking as he fought desperately against the intruder clawing at his will. Every instinct screamed for control. For a fraction of a second, it worked.
His body wavered.
The corrupted energy faltered just enough for doubt to seep back in.
That was when he heard it.
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Jagger's eyes snapped upward.
The kobold leader had thrown its spear.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up. His left arm, the one not holding the knife, shot up in a desperate, instinctive block. The movement was clumsy and untrained, born purely from survival.
The spear did not stop.
It slammed into his forearm with crushing force, aimed moments earlier at his chest. The impact was violent enough to lift him slightly off his footing as the shock ripped through bone and muscle.
CRACK.
The sound echoed down the ruined street like a gunshot.
Pain detonated inside him.
It was immediate and overwhelming, hot and blinding, ripping a raw scream from his throat as his arm buckled unnaturally. White agony flared behind his eyes as blood burst from the wound, splattering across cracked asphalt and his own boots.
The kobold leader let out a triumphant yip, its obsidian eyes gleaming as it leaned into the spear, forcing it deeper. The barbed tip ground against shattered bone, sending fresh waves of agony surging through Jagger's body.
His knife hand trembled violently.
The other kobold saw its opening.
It lunged forward, spear leveled and aimed cleanly at Jagger's exposed side. Its claws scraped against the pavement as it closed the distance, intent clear and merciless.
"JAGGER!"
Jane's shout tore through the chaos, sharp with alarm and fury. She was too far away. Her body was already moving, but not fast enough. She saw the blood pouring from his arm, saw his stance collapse, saw the fatal opening.
There was no time.
Inside Jagger's skull, laughter erupted.
'Little toys should listen to their masters!'
Ophilia's shriek slammed into him like a hammer. Her presence surged back in, cold and absolute, crushing his resistance in an instant. The pain, the fear, the hesitation were drowned beneath her will as corrupted energy flooded his body once more.
His scream cut off abruptly.
His posture straightened despite the shattered arm.
His head lifted slowly, crimson eyes burning brighter as a twisted smile spread across his blood-smeared face.
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[Corruption Energy Rising - 62% ↑]
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The blade in Jagger's hand moved before thought could form.
With impossible speed, he snapped his wrist upward, parrying the incoming spear in a rising arc. Metal scraped violently against bone, the shriek of contact piercing the ruined street. Sparks flared briefly before the weapon was knocked wide.
He did not hesitate.
In one seamless motion, Jagger reversed his grip. His body pivoted, momentum coiling through his torso before unleashing itself in a savage downward diagonal slash. The knife tore across the kobold's chest, ripping flesh open from collarbone to hip.
Its body split.
Dark, steaming viscera spilled onto the asphalt with a sickening wet sound. The creature shrieked once, high and broken.
Jagger was already moving.
He pulled his arm back and drove the blade forward again, stabbing cleanly between the kobold's eyes. The resistance vanished instantly. The monster went slack mid-motion, its body collapsing like a puppet with cut strings.
[Quest:] Kill [Minion] Kobold [2/4]
That was when he turned.
The remaining kobold was already thrusting forward, its spear driving toward Jagger's exposed back with lethal intent.
"BEHIND YOU!"
Jane's scream ripped through the street, her voice raw with panic.
She surged forward instinctively.
She never saw it coming.
A thick tendril from the Thorned Marionette shot toward her in a wide horizontal arc, moving with terrifying speed that defied its massive size.
"JANE! FUCK!"
Lynis skidded to a halt, boots grinding against broken asphalt as he dug his feet in. He roared, body twisting as he hurled himself into the path of the strike.
"SHIELD BASH!"
The collision was thunderous.
Shield met tendril with explosive force, the impact sending a jarring shock up Lynis's arm and through his entire frame. Pain flared, armor screaming in protest, but it bought Jane a precious second.
It was enough.
But not for Jagger.
"GALE TRIGGER!"
Porpo thrust her hands forward, fingers snapping straight like gun barrels. A compressed bullet of air screamed through the space between her and the kobold. With a sharp crack, it punched clean through the creature's throat.
The kobold froze.
Its eyes widened in shock as it dropped its spear. Clawed hands clawed uselessly at its neck as dark blood pumped violently from the wound. A wet, desperate gurgle escaped its mouth before its body collapsed sideways onto the street.
It twitched once.
Then went still.
[Quest:] Kill [Minion] Kobold [3/4]
Jagger snarled.
He whirled toward Porpo, fury twisting his features as he flipped the knife into the air and caught it by the tip. His arm cocked back, muscles tightening as corrupted intent surged through him.
"That. Was. My. Kill."
The world narrowed.
Porpo was framed in his sights.
'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'
Jagger screamed inside his own mind, wrenching desperately at control. His body staggered backward as resistance surged back through his limbs. His grip failed.
The knife slipped from his fingers and clattered across the asphalt.
He stumbled back several steps, chest heaving, vision swimming as the corrupted energy recoiled violently.
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[Corruption Energy Lowering - 49% ↓]
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The kobold leader seized the opening instantly.
It launched itself forward in a feral leap, colliding with Jagger mid-stagger. The impact drove him backward, his body slamming hard against the ruined street. The back of his head cracked against a stone slab.
The world exploded into white.
His vision blurred violently, stars bursting across his sight as the street tilted and spun. Sound dulled into a distant roar. He barely felt himself hit the ground again.
The kobold was already on top of him.
Instinct took over.
Jagger threw his arms up just as the creature snapped its jaws toward his face. Needle-sharp teeth clamped down on his forearm instead, biting deep. Bone scraped against enamel.
"ARRRRRGHHHH!"
Pain detonated through him, white-hot and absolute. His scream ripped out raw and broken as the monster's breath flooded his face. Hot. Rotten. Reeking of blood and decay.
Its claws raked across his chest, shredding fabric and tearing into flesh beneath. Skin split. Blood sprayed and dripped across Jagger's face, slick and warm, blinding him as he struggled to hold the creature back.
"GET OFF ME!"
The kobold snarled, pressing down harder, its weight crushing the air from his lungs. Its jaw strained, teeth inches from his throat. He could see the muscles in its neck bulging with effort, the hatred burning in its obsidian eyes.
'THE KNIFE!'
Ophilia's voice shrieked inside his skull.
Jagger turned his head desperately.
There it was.
The knife lay just beyond his reach, smeared with blood, glinting faintly against the asphalt.
The kobold snapped again.
Its teeth sank deeper into his forearm, scraping against bone. Something tore. Pain flared so violently his vision dimmed again.
'GRAB THE FUCKING KNIFE!'
His free hand moved blindly.
Broken fingers scraped across the ground, nails snapping against rough concrete. Skin tore. Blood smeared the asphalt as he clawed forward. His fingertips brushed cold steel.
The kobold roared triumphantly, jaws opening wider, saliva and blood dripping onto Jagger's face as it leaned in for the kill.
With a final, desperate surge of strength, Jagger wrapped his fingers around the knife's hilt.
He twisted his body violently.
And plunged the blade into the kobold leader's neck.
The creature convulsed instantly.
Dark, scalding blood erupted from the wound, spraying across Jagger's face and chest. The kobold shrieked, its body spasming uncontrollably.
Jagger ripped the knife free.
And stabbed again.
And again.
And again.
He did not stop.
Each strike landed with a wet, tearing sound, blade punching into flesh over and over as the creature's struggles weakened, then slowed, then ceased entirely.
Only when the kobold went completely limp did Jagger realize he was still stabbing.
His arm trembled violently as he finally froze, chest heaving, blood dripping from his hands.
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[Quest:] Kill [Minion] Kobold [4/4]
[Quest Complete.]
[Level up! You are now Level 2]
[Level up! You are now Level 3]