“Come on!” Ilgar bellowed back, as he dashed ahead through the flower-filled valley, dropping to his knees in a powerful skid. He slid across the plains, his legs destroying the grass and smashing through the dirt below his meaty trunks, leaving a trail as he arrived at his destination. The orc finally came to a halt, picking daisies by the dozen among the many different and colourful florae spread across the grassland before them.

Michaelis sighed as he parted his shadow-black hair from his eyes, looking irritated while following after the giant warrior, who had already begun twiddling the puny flowers with his meaty fingers to form chains with the daisies he had picked.

“Why am I here? I thought you said it would be important,” the assassin scoffed, folding his arms. He looked up to a powerful tree in the centre of the cluster of fields, with mystical purple leaves. It was a standout across the plains, with no other structures for what felt like miles. “You literally grabbed my arm, told me ‘let’s go, it’s important’, and now we’re halfway across Foraoise.”

“You seemed upset, so I thought enjoying some flowers would be nice!” The orc bellowed with glee as he turned back to his ally, his powerful tusks rooting from below, past his upper lip.

“Are you serious?” Michaelis shouted, going insane as he held his head in his hands, “I can’t believe I followed you all the way out here.”

Ilgar cackled softly to himself as he continued shuffling across the grass on his knees before his large head bumped into another. The orc looked up, to find the most stunning woman, with soft, light pink hair draping down to her shoulders. Her dress was white, reflecting the light of the burning sun off of the snow hued garb.

“Hello…” Michaelis snarled as he approached the pair, Ilgar gasping in shock.

“Is that a daisy chain?” The orc bellowed excitedly, noticing the woman had one of her own within her meek hands, the knees of her dress brown from the muck she had been crawling through, her face glowing with joy as she noticed the orcs' own flower collection.

“Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed in a posh tone, lifting her daisy chain up with pride, Ilgar inspecting it with complete glee.

“Nevermind.” Mick winced, falling to the ground and crossing his knees as he held the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb. “I wish I could sleep this week away.”

“My name is Ilgar, that is Mickles.” Ilgar introduced, gesturing to himself and Michaelis.

“Mickles?” Michaelis exclaimed, looking to the pair with disgust, “It’s Michaelis! Mick!” He bellowed in rage as he continued huffing, beginning to pick grass.

The woman giggled, covering her mouth, “My name is Sidra, it’s lovely to meet you Ilgar.” The young lady took in her surroundings, looking up especially to the mystical tree, “What are you doing in the Foraoise fields? Not many come around here.”

The orc stood up proud, legs covered in mud as he planted his fists on his hips, “I’ve known this place ever since I was little! It’s the most beautifulest spot this side of the continent!”

Sidra giggled again smiling, seemingly overjoyed. “I agree! My mother used to take me all the way up here when I was little, and I always loved it. I can never truly escape this place in my mind, I always have to return.”

Ilgar beamed wide, looking around himself as Sidra continued to giggle into her hand, before coughing into it. Ilgar looked to her, concerned as she took her hand away from her mouth, her palm stained with blood.

Ilgar’s eyes widened with shock as the woman brushed her hand across the daisies to her side, staining the white flowers and lush grass a deep crimson. The orcs' joy turned to worry, as he looked behind himself to his ally, before returning his gaze to his new friend.

“O-oh don’t worry about that, it happens a lot,” Sidra reassured, as Ilgar continued to look at her, concerned.

“Michaelis?” Ilgar moaned, causing his fellow Godhunter to stand up and sigh, approaching the pair.

“Really I’m fine!” Sidra insisted, Mick crouching down next to the pair and staring at Sidra up close, his red pupils like daggers piercing into her own, ruby-red eyes. Her own sclera turning from white to black from the outside in, her iris dilated as it glanced into Michaelis, who began to move in closer as Sidra’s eyes warped.

A splatter like sound echoed across the field as Sidra spontaneously exploded into guts and gore, red painting both the Godhunters, alongside the flora beneath their feet. Ilgar was stricken with fear and shock, as he brought himself to his feet alongside his ally, beginning to scream at what had just happened to the woman he had just met.

“What the fuck! What the fuck!” Ilgar began repeating, clutching his head as he stumbled backwards, Michaelis continuing to stare where Sidra’s eyes once rested within her head.

Organs and flesh began to roll, all returning back to where Sidra’s body once was and attempting to reform themselves, to Michaelis and Ilgar’s complete and utter confusion. The scarlet blood that painted the grass and Godhunters also began to flow into itself, forming an entity next to the bare corpse forming at the woman's prior resting place.

As Sidra’s body continued to reform itself, the blood had already finished its formation, into a horror. Sharp, talon-like toes following thin brittle legs, made up of liquid blood held into place within the air. A thin, long body with a pair of lengthy arms that reached past the creature's knees. A stick-like neck with a head resting on it, with no eyes or any other features, aside from a gaping maw with fangs made of the same flesh-like blood substance, that dripped off of the creature.

Michaelis’s eyes widened in fear as he began to stumble backwards, copying what Ilgar had done previously, breathing quickly as the creature began stretching its elongated limbs outwards.

“It’s good to be out on my own!” The creature groaned as his limbs extended outwards before he crossed his arms resemblant of tree branches. “Now please inform me, who are you two interesting fellows?”

Sidra’s body continued to reform slowly but surely, the skin that had reattached pale without any colour, as all of the blood that was once a part of her body was now completely an entity on its own.

Ilgar looked to Michaelis, engulfed in fear, as the monster before them simply smiled at the pair, twisting the wrists of his hands, with blade-like fingers.

The orc immediately rocketed his right hand forward, a golden static sparking around the metal hand. “Sunflower!” He bellowed, a powerful beam of yellow energy exploding from his palm. The blast engulfed the upper half of the monster’s torso, completely eviscerating the creature’s chest and head. 

Ilgar breathing shook as he looked back to Mick, a smile on his face, however, his allies' gaze of fear remained the same. The monster’s body regenerated upwards from its waist, the blood swimming to reshape and reform amidst the air itself as if the damage it had taken was completely irrelevant. The monster’s full body was once again complete, as he sighed, spreading out his fresh limbs. “I just reformed and you force me to stretch my new body out again?” 

The orc looked on in awe and fear, taking a step backwards as the monster had taken a step into Ilgar’s bubble. Inches from his throat, a long red scabbard formed from the being’s right arm, after having closed the gap between the pair in what seemed like less than a second. “I should honestly kill you right now for that.” The monster whispered into Ilgar’s ear, as Michaelis quickly spun around to look upon the seemingly unstoppable force that had stepped past him towards his orcish ally.

“But I won’t do that!” He cheered, his arm returning to its skeletal state, as he slowly stomped over and returned to Sidra’s side, walking past Mick, causing the mercenary to flinch. Sidra’s body was completely reformed, sitting on her knees with hollow eyes. No emotion or thought present in her pale, grey body as she stared blankly into the grass beneath her.

“So I’ll ask again and, assuming you know what’s good for you, you’ll answer.” The creature announced, clasping his claws together. “Who are you, fine fellows?”

The Godhunters bodies quaked, terrified as Ilgar took a step forward. “Ilgar and Michaelis! W-we’re a part of the god hunter guild!” He yelled before muttering, just attempting to not be killed.

“Ahh, well you’re doing an awful job.” The monster announced, chuckling to himself.

“You’re-” Michaelis began, only to be cut off by the same beast.

“The God of Blood, if it wasn’t obvious enough. Refer to me by… Fola.” The beast cackled softly as he introduced himself rubbing his face with his right hand, like blades scratching against stone.

“What do you want?” Michaelis quaked in his boots, clenching his teeth after questioning the unstoppable force before him.

“I have a job I need done, it’s important, and I think I just found the perfect pair to take part.”

“Why would we ever-” Ilgar retorted to the God, only to be cut off.

“Because if you don’t, you’ll die.” The monster announced, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, complete malice within the depths of his voice.

“Okay.” Michaelis agreed, his body shivering as Ilgar looked to him with dismay, before biting his lower lip.

“Excellent! Now, don’t worry, you won’t be going into this without ANY reward in mind, I have something exciting to give the pair of you.” Fola cackled to himself, red energy flowing around his palms.

“And Sidra?” Ilgar challenged the God further, despite his body resisting the urge to even move.

“She’ll be fine, she’s alive. She’s durable, which is why she’s my vessel.” Fola proclaimed as he approached Michaelis, placing his palm on the mercenary's chest. “This might hurt a bit.” The God stated as the crimson aura flowed into his palm, and with a burst of power, Michaelis let out a scream that travelled miles. The scarlet light snaking around the outside of his body before piercing through his skin, the warrior collapsing on the ground.

“You ready, green boy?” Fola questioned as he approached the orc, who began to back up as the cackling symbol of malice raised his palm towards Ilgar, stomping in his direction with a sinister smile.

-

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