The night swallowed Elior as he urged the Rune-Touched Warhorse into the wilds. The beast's hooves cracked against stone, leaving faint trails of silver sparks from the broken runes still etched into its legs. With every gallop, the Silver Order's chants faded behind him, but the weight of their fury clung to his back like chains.
The warhorse snorted fire-tinged breath, its mane flickering with pale crimson glow now that Elior's blood had corrupted the binding runes. It was no longer their sacred mount; it was his.
---
The Pursuit
> [Quest Update: Fugitive of the Silver Order]
Status: Escaped initial contact.
Risk Level: High. Reinforcements deployed.
Elior's eyes scanned the horizon. The road split into barren hills on one side and a wall of dark forest on the other. His instincts — and the whispers of the Dungeon Heart — pulled him toward the forest.
The trees there rose like titans, bark dark as iron, veins of glowing crimson pulsing faintly along their trunks. It was not a normal woodland. It was alive, and it hungered.
He clenched the reins. Better a hungry forest than a hundred paladins.
The warhorse leapt forward, carrying him under the canopy. At once, the world dimmed. The air smelled of copper and wet soil. Shadows pressed close, muffling the sound of pursuit.
---
The Forest's Welcome
The first howl came from the left. A chorus answered on the right. Elior's eyes narrowed.
"Beasts," he muttered.
The forest floor rippled. Shapes emerged — wolf-things, but their flesh was not whole. Roots sprouted from their backs, digging into their spines like cruel puppeteers. Their eyes glowed red, pulsing in rhythm with the trees.
> [System Alert: Corrupted Beasts detected — Tier 2. Estimated count: 7]
[Warning: Forest Veins exert influence. Prolonged exposure increases corruption risk.]
Elior dismounted smoothly, the Direfang Armor shifting around him with metallic growls. His warhorse stamped its hooves, silver sparks flaring in defiance.
The wolves lunged.
---
Bloodfire Unleashed
Elior's blade came alive in his hands, its edge burning with residual crimson flame. He slashed downward, splitting the first wolf in half. Roots writhed, screaming with the beast's death cry.
Another sank fangs into his armor. The Direfang absorbed the bite, runes flaring, and released a counter-shock that blasted the wolf back.
Elior snarled, blood stirring. His veins burned, his eyes glowing like twin embers.
> [Skill Activated: Bloodfire Breath]
Flame and blood spewed from his mouth, engulfing three wolves in a sphere of molten hunger. Their bodies twisted, bark peeling from flesh, until they fell to ash.
The warhorse kicked another aside, shattering its skull. Together, rider and steed tore through the pack like storm and flame.
---
The Heart of the Forest
When the last wolf fell, the forest groaned. The trees shook as if alive. From the ground, a massive root tore upward, towering higher than Elior himself. At its end pulsed a crimson core the size of his chest, beating like a heart.
> [Mini-Dungeon Unlocked: The Forest of Veins]
Guardian Detected: Rootbeast Colossus (Tier 3 Elite)
Survival Odds: 28%
Elior's chest rose and fell. Sweat mixed with blood on his skin. He stared at the pulsing core, feeling the hunger of both his systems gnawing.
The Dragon voice growled: Consume. Devour the forest. Break its heart and ascend.
The Vampire whisper coiled tighter: Drink it, bleed it dry, make it yours.
Elior's grip tightened on his blade. The Rune-Touched Warhorse pawed the ground, sensing the battle yet to come.
---
System Surge
The ground split. From beneath rose the Rootbeast Colossus, a monstrosity of bark, stone, and writhing vines. Its head was a knot of roots with glowing crimson eyes, its arms like siege towers wrapped in thorns.
> [Boss Fight Initiated]
Rootbeast Colossus – Tier 3 Elite
Abilities: Crushing Roots, Life Drain, Vein Surge
Reward: Unknown
Elior's stats flashed before him.
[Status Update]
Name: Elior Draven
Level: 4 (82%)
Health: 71%
Blood Pool: 240/300
Stamina: 68%
Active Systems:
- Dragon Protocol [Stage 1: Scales Awakened]
- Vampire Protocol [Stage 1: Crimson Hunger]
- Overflow Engine [Active — 100% Loot Drop]
Skills: Bloodfire Breath, Soul Drain, Blood-Dragon Resonance
Equipment: Direfang Armor, Rune-Touched Warhorse
The numbers were not enough. The odds were grim.
But Elior smiled, baring his fangs.
---
Into the Maw
The Rootbeast roared, slamming its colossal hand into the ground. Vines erupted in a wave, tearing through soil and stone, racing toward Elior. He leapt aside, the Direfang Armor scraping as roots lashed at him like whips.
His blade met one vine, slicing it clean, but three more surged to take its place. He cut, burned, and bled, his stamina draining with every motion.
The Vampire Protocol surged.
> [Skill Unlocked: Crimson Frenzy]
Effect: For every 10% Health lost, Strength increases by 5%.
Blood streamed from a gash on his arm. Power flooded his muscles. His next slash carved through a root thicker than his torso.
The Dragon Protocol roared in turn. Scales shimmered across his neck and arms, glowing faintly. His resilience hardened.
The Colossus staggered under the combined onslaught, but its crimson eyes blazed. It raised both arms and slammed them down, shattering the earth.
A shockwave hurled Elior back into a tree. Pain exploded in his ribs. His Health bar plummeted.
> [Health: 32%]
---
Defiance
Elior spat blood, forcing himself upright. His vision blurred, but his grip on the blade never faltered.
"Is that all?" he hissed, voice raw but steady.
The warhorse charged forward, ramming into one of the Colossus's legs with silver fury. The giant stumbled, roots thrashing wildly.
Elior seized the moment. He drew on the blood pooling at his feet, on the fire still burning in his lungs.
> [Skill Activated: Blood-Dragon Resonance]
His sword ignited, flame and blood fusing into a blade of molten crimson. With a roar that shook the forest, Elior lunged, slashing across the Colossus's chest.
The cut burned deep, exposing the pulsing veins beneath. The beast howled, reeling.
---
Cliffhanger
The forest shuddered as the Colossus fell to one knee, but its heart pulsed harder, crimson light spilling into the air. The trees bent inward, their veins glowing brighter, as if the entire forest rallied to its guardian.
Elior's chest heaved. He could barely stand, but the hunger inside him refused to yield.
The Colossus raised its arms again, crimson energy surging through every root and branch. The next blow would be catastrophic.
And Elior — bloodied, burning, defiant — readied himself to meet it head-on.