After a few seconds, the pain finally subsided.
Aiden thought. "Phew, I feel like my hand has been cut off." Looking at his hand, the injury present on his hand had barely healed, almost like it was just covered up, the gash.
He stood up on his feet. "I should probably buy some mana potions, I can't be going around without any weapon or mana." He mumbled, calling the system.
DING!
[System Shop]
-Holy Chestplate [Legendary] [Damaged]: 6 Aura Crystals [Bright Grade]
-Description: A Chestplate Resonating With Holy Aura Was Once Worn By A Great Hero.
-Stamina Replenishing Potion[Common]: 1 Aura Crystals [Low Grade]
-Description: Regain 5 Stamina Points Once Used.
-Healing Potion[Uncommon]: 3 Aura Crystals [Standard Grade]
-Description: Regain 10 Health Points Once Used.
-Aura Replenishing Potion[Common]: 1 Aura Crystals [Standard Grade]
-Description: Regain 8 Aura Points Once Used.
-Mana Replenishing Potion [Rare]: 4 Aura Crystals [Standard Grade]
-Description: Regain 5 Mana Points Once Used.
- EmberFang's Hilt [Legendary]: 5 Aura Crystals [Bright Grade]
Description: A Dragon Slayer Has Once Used This Sword And Hunted Dragons With it.
[Note] This Item Is Missing Its Blade.
-SunForge [Mythic] [[Sold Out]]: 57 Aura Crystals [Radiant Grade]
Description: This Helmet Was Once Worn By A Mythical Being That Was Slain On This Specific Planet.
-Key [???]: 999 Aura Crystals [???]
-Description: ???
He purchased 3 mana replenishing potions, wasting 12 standard-grade aura crystals on them.
He flicked the lids off them and drank them all in one gulp. "Mmm, refreshing." He said, savoring their flavor. "In almost all the books I have read containing potions, they always described them as being bitter, but this is the complete opposite!" He threw his arms on top of him, wrapping them around his neck.
DING!
[System]
Mana 1/25⟶ Mana 16/25
Suddenly.
Unexpected footsteps came from behind; they were quiet, too quiet, as if they were trying to sneak.
Before Aiden was able to react in time, Black gloves covered his mouth, rendering him unable to speak. He was shocked by the unexpected act; he looked up at the unknown person, but was flabbergasted by his identity.
"Mmph! Mmmph!!" His gagged voice vibrated against the assailant's glove.
In an instant, the unknown figure dragged Aiden into a dark room, slamming the door behind him.
He let go of Aiden, but was still keeping him close to him.
Aiden was about to speak, but was cut down by the person's shushes.
Thwppp… thwppp…
A wet, dragging noise echoed through the passage way, and each movement came with a sticky pop.
Followed by a strange call. "Snnrrrk… I can ssssmell you… hhhhnfffhh… Come out… come ouuut…"
Aiden looked out a peephole; the sight terrified him. "What is that creature?!" He whispered, keeping his eyes on him.
"Do not talk, do not move, do not make any noise." The unknown person behind him spoke.
Aiden, still shocked, looked back to meet the person's gaze.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE!" The person shouted, he pulled Aiden back towards him, and unsheathed his sword.
In a flash, a huge tentacle pierced the door open, aiming for the unknown person.
Luckily, he was able to block it, but not for long; a second tentacle tore through the entire room and hit the person on his liver.
Followed by a smaller, pointier tendril that pierced his thigh and slammed him onto the ground.
"RYKER!" Aiden screamed out, a golden sword manifested in his hand.
A fourth tentacle was moving towards Ryker at an inhuman speed, aiming to end him this time.
But Aiden moved in to block it with his newly manifested sword.
Unfortunately, the sword's durability wasn't enough; it cracked under the pressure, leaving the tentacle to slam Aiden to the wall.
"AGH!" He groaned, clutching his stomach.
But the monster wasn't done yet.
A tentacle came from within the ground, coming out like a spike.
It's missed Aiden by an inch.
But that wasn't all
Several other spikes followed, tearing his clothes in some places and grazing his feet in others.
Ryker struggles to stand up, supporting himself with his sword.
Aiden was still trying to evade the emerging spikes.
"I'll kill you!" Ryker shouted, crimson aura erupted within him.
In seconds, his aura swallowed his sword whole, replacing the blade with a fierce crimson metal.
He lunged at the monster.
His attention switched towards Ryker, tons of spikes tore through the floor, followed by huge tentacles aiming to kill him in one single hit.
But fortunately, Ryker was able to evade most of them and tore through the remaining ones.
He was seconds away from the enemy.
The monster was horrified, but unexpectedly, his lips curled into a triumphant smile. "Snnnnrrkkkkk… You fellll right into my trappppp…"
Hundreds, if not thousands, of tentacles and tendrils emerged from the ground; they were right below Ryker.
"Crap!" Ryker grumbled, terrified about what was going to happen to him.
But in an act of bravery, Aiden pushed Ryker away from harm's way, sacrificing himself. "Don't worry about me! Just keep fighting!" He screamed out, staring at Ryker.
In an instant.
Tons of spikes pierced Aiden's body entirely.
Blood spurted on the ground, followed by an agonizing scream. "AAARRRGHHHHH—!!"
RING!
[System]
-WARNING-
-WARNING-
HP 401/450⟶ HP 11/450⟶ HP 10/450
-The Current Host Is Bleeding Out!
-The Current Host Is Bleeding Out!
The system didn't stop sending these messages.
Ryker froze in his tracks, staring at Aiden's current state.
He wasn't gonna lose the last teammate he got.
Suddenly.
His mind drifted into the clouds, memories. Started flooding in.
"It's a bloodbath! Protect the kids!" A warrior in iron screamed out, clutching a spear in his hand.
"Do not let them enter our village!" A man clad in silver armor shouted with a sword in his hand. Pointing it at a horde of armored invaders. His red eyes gleamed through his helmet. A certain black haired kid was hiding behind him.
"CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!"
"CLASH-CLANG-CRING!"
Swords met another; some warriors successfully pierced their enemy, some were the ones being pierced.
The silver-armed man knelt, meeting the boy's gaze.
"Son, look here, please run away with your sister, me and my men will hold them off, just remember this, never forget the nation that attacked us and pillaged our village, once you grow up, make sure to kill them all one by one, torture them until they start begging for death. Remember this… Son." The man removed his helmet and wiped the tears rolling down his face. Then he unsheathed his sword and handed it to his son.
The boy holding his little sister in his arms cried out. "Please no! I don't want to lose another family member. Mom also died protecting our village. Please don't leave us the same way she did!"
The man stood up and put his helmet on again. He stared at his son and shouted. "What did I say! Run away, NOW!"
"NO! I don't want to!" The boy replied in the same tone.
The man sighed and removed his right glove.
Unexpectedly, his hand moved like a flash and struck the boy in his cheek. "I don't want to hurt you! Just run!"
The boy fell on his back, holding his swollen cheek. He slowly crawled away, looking at his father.
Then suddenly, he started running away, the sword given by his father was strapped into his belt, digging through the ground as he ran.
The man stared at his son as he ran away, his lips curled into a loving smile.
He then looked behind him.
Thousands of enemy forces were approaching, murdering every single one of his mere 100-man force. They were abducting the village's children. Their mothers fought back with their bare fists, only to be dragged too.
The village's forces were shrunk down to a lowly 20 warriors.
The man pulled out a hilt missing its blade and screamed out. "SOLDIERS! FORM A DEFENSIVE LINE BEHIND ME"
His soldiers turned back to face his voice, immediately sprinting towards him.
A strange crimson-like aura erupted out of the hilt, forming a dark red colored blade of its own.
The man held the sword close to his face, then, unexpectedly, he pierced the ground with it.
The enemy forces stopped dead in their tracks, cautious of the man's mysterious power.
"Hey, look! It's the rumored swordmaster of the east!" An enemy shouted in surprise. Followed by another.
"Swordmaster of the east?! I've heard that he was able to hold his ground against a 100-man force!"
"There's no way that's him, all the books I've read about him described him as a young, handsome black black-haired man, every woman had a crush on him, but look at this guy, his an old man that's already past his prime!
…
"What's he doing?"
"Is he dead?"
After a full minute of silence, the soldiers started moving again.
Charging towards the man.
Suddenly.
He opened his eyes; they glowed red.
In an instant, red flames tore through the earth, burning every single intruder that dared to charge at him.
"Wha- What was that?!" An enemy shouted in confusion, slowly stepping back.
But the man wasn't done yet; he swung horizontally towards the enemy.
A crimson red aura slash followed him.
It tore through the defenses.
He kept swinging, aura slashes erupting from his sword.
In a flash, a white haired young man stepped in from the enemy's side.
He was able to block the man's aura and even counter it with his own.
A magenta slash flew towards him, but in an instant, he split it in two.
The white haired boy spoke up. "I never thought I would meet my idol in such a way, even in a million years! But I apologize, old man, your achievement will never be forgotten.
The man glared at him.
But so did the boy.
Aura erupted out of their swords, and they both locked eyes, then swung at each other.
[Character Interface]
Name: Ryker Thornwell
Age: 22
Level: 51
Race: Human
Status: Alive
Title(s): ???
Aura Color: Crimson
Aura Core: Standard-Grade
Mana Color: Not Available
Mana Core: —--
--- SKILLS —
Aura Slash (Lvl 3) Swordsmanship (Lvl 9) Aura Blast (Lvl 2) Leader (Lvl 5)
--- USER STATS ---
STR: 341 | AGI: 294 | INT: 205 | END: 401
PER: 328 | WIL: 507 | CHA: 393
HP: 307/905| Stamina:215/750 | Aura: 75/150 | Mana: Not Available
EXP:59/100
Currency: —- (Not A Player)