The Primal Hunter

Sven and Jacob stood side by side as healers from both camps surrounded Carmen, who now lay unconscious to preserve her resources and heal faster. She had chosen to pass out, and Jacob had to admit that her perseverance was admirable.

“So?” Sven asked as he stared at the two healers who inspected her.

“The curse is embedded in her veins and throughout her body, both physically and spiritually. It isn’t harming her, but…”

“She won’t be able to join anymore fighting?” Jacob asked pointedly.

“Right,” the healer responded with a nod. The other one also concurred while adding. “Trying to heal it as an outsider might do more harm than good, and it looks like it will disappear in its own time within half a day or so.”

Jacob sighed. The Monarch of Blood had been a master of curses before his death, so for him to have such means was only to be expected. These kinds of curses were of an incredibly high level, and Earth simply didn’t have anyone who could deal with them yet. Moreover, Carmen was an ideal target after she used all her temporary boosting skills and was in a weakened state. All the curse effectively did was to extend that weakened state while amplifying it slightly.

“Do you think they will win?” Sven asked Jacob, a worried look on his face. Jacob understood… Carmen was the most powerful person from their faction on the planet and top five overall on Earth. She was powerful, but so were others.

Besides… he knew both he and the undead had more cards up their sleeves.

“I do. Especially if they bring the Monarch back here,” Jacob answered – the magic circle they had hidden now finally ready to be fully activated. He had mentioned the circle to Caleb, and Jake’s brother had promised to pass it on or lead the Monarch back himself.

Looking out over the Mistless Plains, it was just a slaughter of Vampiric Blood Elementals. A near-endless struggle that seemed to just keep going as the creatures reanimated again and again due to the Blood Moon hanging above. Luckily, they also got weaker every time.

Sven looked out over the area with him as he muttered. “If anyone can, it’s those two monsters.”

Jacob had to agree with that one.

The Sword Saint swept his blade across the ground as it cut upwards, making the Monarch block. An arrow flew right past the old man and hit the Monarch in the stomach, injecting poison and doing plenty of damage.

Blood magic condensed around the vampire, but the old man responded as curtains of water surrounded him. Each of them reflected the imagines of the blood orbs, and before they had a chance to attack him, the old man cut all of the reflected images, also making the real orbs disperse.

He smiled as he lunged forward, but the Monarch was ready as his weapon suddenly transformed. The Sword Saint was forced to retreat as a long spear suddenly stabbed towards him. The Monarch waved his other hand as a blood-red crystal shield appeared, and he took up a more defensive position.

Jake, who stood behind the two fighting old geezers, and took aim once more as he fired. The vampire blocked with the shield, as he also kept the Sword Saint at bay with the spear.

He shifted things up… Jake thought. He wasn’t the most talented when it came to fighting, but he did know that spears tended to be good against swords due to the longer range, especially if one could make sure the other person never got close. If the Sword Saint managed to enter his range, he would have an advantage, but the Monarch didn’t let him do that.

Well, normally, he wouldn’t, but that is where Jake came in.

Jake took a step as he appeared off to the side, and two more put him at a ninety-degree angle. He began running as he fired arrows, circling the Monarch who was dealing with the Sword Saint. The cocky vampire wanted to block his arrows with a shield? Well, that seemed hard to do from behind.

Something the Monarch clearly also noticed as he was hit with an arrow in the shoulder that held the spear. Another arrow came for the back of his head, but the Monarch summoned a helmet of crystal that was heavily nicked when hit and still made him rattled from the impact.

close in and force the Monarch even more on the defensive. The spear transformed again into a sword as he blocked, but Jake also attacked him at the same time,

be going well until suddenly the Monarch grinned. The Sword Saint cut down, and Jake fired an arrow, and both were surprised when they hit. The Monarch was struck in the back of the head

moment, Jake’s danger sense reacted.

*BOOM!*

away. However, the Sword Saint was hit the hardest, and the old man barely managed to stabilize himself as he landed,

now fighting them, but another figure had also suddenly appeared from above. A monstrosity of blood and magic, wriggling and evershifting flesh marred

Abomination – lvl

by the Sanguine’s Blood Legacy item from the nine dead Counts of Blood and the thing that had dropped down from above earlier. It was another unexpected newcomer to mess up their plans and one the Monarch had clearly been

the Monarch

he had simply switched places with and detonated a blood clone – him now

as the blade dug into his body. He gritted his teeth as the curse-energy revolved around him, but the Monarch just smiled as he held out his hand and sent

his body froze as an arrow arrived. While the Monarch’s disappearance was a surprise for sure, it hadn’t fooled his Mark and allowed Jake to adapt

let the clones run wild. The only positive thing was the obvious lack of intelligence in the Blood Abomination, allowing Eron to handle it alone for now. Perhaps the Monarch had some control over it, but clearly, he couldn’t spare the mental focus to do so even if it was possible…

out of the picture and Caleb still returning, they were rather short-staffed. Sylphie was helping out Eron to keep the damn Abomination busy too before. To call the entire situation frustrating was an understatement, as the Monarch

Sylphie and Eron held back for now. All of the clones were just

blasts sent the undead flying further and further away, as Jake could only try and kill

and engaged the clones. He threw Jake a glance, and with a nod, the Saint engaged the Abomination as Jake fought the clones before he took off to follow the Monarch and Casper. All he

wasn’t good. His curse magic was repeatedly dispelled, the Monarch having hidden that ability. He repeatedly summoned his pre-prepared wooden shields, but seeing them breaking one by one made it clear he couldn’t hold on

a trapper. He created pre-prepared tools and traps to battle his foes and take them down, but to do that, it required research. Casper had used these ten days primarily to do the Vaults and spent all time in between preparing for this exact

weapons created from the research of the Pure Ones, traps, devices, shields made specifically to battle the blood energy of vampires… all of it ultimately faltered before superior power. Without Lyra

to use it,” Lyra stated in his head. Casper groaned

Lyra and a beam of blood that penetrated his chest and sent him

“NOW!”

time and only had time to react because Jake fired an arrow at the Monarch from far off in the distance, forcing the vampire to redirect his attention momentarily. Focusing his energy, Casper activated a seal as his

“Blightform.”

as her body superimposed upon his. Power surged through Casper as he felt himself transform. This was their ultimate weapon and their

into a lich-like creature with ghastly eyes and the blight energy revolving around him as his entire body glowed. The

Monarch turned to mist to avoid it as Casper prepared another attack with

the side. “A potent affinity that is difficult

clones all around him as they spread out in a circle. Casper tried to

not only to be

release an attack

happening? I can’t see

as he lost all the usual biological ones, but now it didn’t work. Instead, he felt the

of knowing if he had moved or just stayed where he was. There was no way to know anything besides his own dimming strength as the blight energy

be their ultimate attack. A skill that allowed him and Lyra to perfectly fuse and temporarily grant Casper powers far above usual and