Rise of the Blood Weaver - Chapter 78 (Patreon)

Stood in front of the ever growing pool of blood, was a lone skeleton orbited by the stars of his Remembrances. It turned. It looked at him. There wasn’t a thought behind those flickering orbs of flames.

“So you are my very first Reflection, huh?” Arlo said, taking to the skeleton. It didn’t respond. Not even a tilt of its head. Arlo continued nevertheless, “A creature of the Demon ranks as my very first Reflection…”

Arlo couldn’t help but say it out aloud. He was stunned. And although the fight was a little difficult, it wasn’t an insurmountable opponent a real Demon-class creature should be. But now it was clear why. The skeleton standing in front of his Core Sea, was a different monster to the one that he had killed. This one had brighter eyes and stronger bones. This was the true Demon. The one he had defeated was perhaps still standing over thousands of years. It had long decayed and exhausted itself.

Arlo approached the skeleton. He stopped within ten feet and gauged the reaction of the skeleton. After noting that it didn’t seem bothered with him being so close, he stepped closer until he was right in front of the Demon.

The frame looked exactly like that of a human. There was no difference. Well, at least as much as Arlo could tell, anyway. He failed Biology.

“Raise your hand into the air?” Arlo asked.

The skeleton did as he commanded. It raised its arm as high as high as it could manage.

“Now squat.”

It squatted.

“Do jumping jacks!”

It did jumping jacks.

“Awesome,” he gazed at his new Reflection in amazement. “You really obey my every command, don’t you?”

It just looked at him.

“I should give you a name,” Arlo said, pinching his chin in thought. “I didn’t get to choose mine, so I’ll name a few, and you nod when I land on one that you like. How does that sound?”

No reaction.

Guess that won’t work, huh?

Arlo thought for a moment, before saying, “Alright, I’ve got it. I’m naming you Bones.”

Just as usual, there was no reaction from the skeleton. But that wasn’t the same for the System.

[You have renamed Eternal Warrior to Bones.]

| Unique condition met: You can transform Bones into a Blood Soldier. Would you like to sacrifice 100 Blood Fragments to continue this process?

“Wow, wait a minute,” Arlo said in alarm. Sacrifice a whole damned 100 Blood Fragments?! That was a crazy amount. And it was called ‘sacrifice’. There was no way in hell he was comfortable doing that. 100 points of strength would be gone just like that.

But he put more thought into it.

Was it really as crazy as he thought it was? How strong was a Demon compared to himself? And would continuing this process make Bones even stronger than he is right now?

First, he focused on ‘Bones’ name. More information popped up in front of his vision.

[Bones (Eternal Warrior (Demon)): A timeless warrior shaped by ancient wars. He moves through history, an unyielding defender marked by the echoes of long-forgotten battles.]

Arlo nodded. A warrior that had experienced numerous wars was an incredible companion to have. If he had a normal Core, the decision to sacrifice 100 blood fragments was an easy decision to make. It would be a resounding yes. But he didn’t have a normal core. He had to gain them back by personally killing a creature. Because of that, if he was weaker, it would be difficult to earn them back as fast as he was now. It would also take longer.

However, it would help his team now.

Arlo decided it was best to wait. First, he needed to know if his new Reflection could gain him Blood Fragments. If that was the case, then he would sacrifice his fragments with no hesitation.

What would he evolve into? Arlo couldn’t wait to find out. Chaos erupted.

Leaving his Core in a hurry, Arlo watched as Louis was crazily hacking his machete at Merc. But it wasn’t mindless. Each move was steeped with experience. He aimed for Merc’s vital areas. Throat, eyes, heart; he aimed for it without hesitation.

“Louis, stop!” Arlo shouted. He didn’t listen.

Thankfully, Louis was tired. It didn't take long for Merc to kick him to the ground. She stomped on his hand. He let go of his Remembrance.

“Fucking let go of me!” Louis screeched. It sounded forced and deep and full of wrath. It wasn’t a voice that a human should be making.

“Calm down!” Merc said.

He didn't listen. His thrashing only turned more violent. He tried biting Merc’s arm.

Arlo rushed over. “Louis, you need to calm down. Whatever it is inside your head, don’t let it beat you. Louis, please.”

Spittle ejected out of Louis' mouth as he struggled under Merc’s forceful arrest. There were no words that could free him from the control of the demon.

“Oh fuck this,” Justin said, appearing by Arlo’s side. With a tightened fist, he slammed it down onto Louis’ skull. Eyes rolling to the back of his head, Louis finally lost all resistance.

Merc sighed in relief. It didn’t last long. Arlo heard crackling underneath Louis’ flesh. Alarmed, Merc leapt off of Louis. Then his flesh bubbled. It was like one of those science experiments in school. When air was introduced to sand. The flesh on his back tore open. Two diagonal slashes right underneath the back of his shoulder.

Louis opened his eyes. They were red and filled with a calm ferocity that made Arlo’s nape tingle. He had never seen anything like it. It was as if Louis’ humanity was erased and placed with something more… demonic.

Wings wriggled free from underneath his skin. Spreading open to a wingspan of around 6 feet, no-one was willing to wait and see what would happen.

Justin was the first to make a move.

He summoned a black lance. It was the fastest Arlo had ever seen them appear. In a blur, it shot into Louis' skull through one end and out the other.

Arlo fell to his knees. It was happening all over again and there was nothing he could do about it. But this wasn’t the end.

Chuckling, Louis stumbled to his feet in a drunken stupor.

Merc rushed to him in a maddened dash. She screamed and swung her blazing sword at his head. Before it made contact, Louis dodged it. He was fast. Almost too fast. His leg snapped to Merc’s chest, rocketing her through the air. She slammed down onto the tiled flooring dozens of metres away.

Louis spoke. His voice was scratched, torn, and horrifying.

“I’m going to kill you all.”