Hours have passed as Naseem continues to lead the two corpses to the community. Every now and then a corpse emerges from a tree that Naseem quickly handles. Eventually there it is the fence surrounding a large house. Sao stands at the fence with Felix and Flora talking behind her. As Naseem comes into view the corpses follow soon after and that's when Sao's eyes light up as she turns and says something to Flora. Seconds later the gate is opened and Sao rushes out towards Naseem and the corpses.
"Outside of the fog they are weak so I should be able to handle it from here," Sao smiles as she quickly trips the corpses with a staff and quickly retrains them. Naseem watches, surprised by the agility she has for being as old as the fog. "If you want to watch you can but I believe Flora has something she'd like to talk to you about when you're ready," Sao begins to drag the corpses up to the fence before she grabs a magnifier. "Felix get over here!"
Felix reluctantly ends his conversation with Flora as he runs over to Sao. Naseem walks up to Flora through the opened gate. "So you managed to give the crazy researcher what she wanted," Flora smiles watching as Sao investigates the corpses with no concern for how close she is even as the corpses try to bite her. "I'm glad we have Felix or good old Sao may have died long ago," Flora looks over at Naseem as Sao is pulled back by Felix as one of the corpses gets close to biting her. "Anyways I have something I must talk to you about."
Naseem looks at Flora intrigued. "What is it? Got something else you need from me?"
Flora turns around expecting Naseem to follow. "Well yes but I wish to know your opinion and if you wish to do it," as Flora enters the home she turns looking at Naseem as he follows her inside.
The sounds of chattering can be heard one more all around. "Must be something fun if you're asking if I want to," Naseem laughs to himself as they walk up the stairs once more.
"We sent out the two who found you to search a nearby abandoned city," she slowly enters a room shaking her head. "It didn't take long for one of them to return with the other though," on a cot lay one of the survivors who led Naseem to the community, shirtless with a crest etched into his skin red like blood. Next to him an arm with the same crest etched into it. "He refuses to speak of what happened. He got back a bit before you did and the others haven't seen him yet."
Naseem walks up to the man inspecting the crest. "Never told me your name, kid," Naseem kneels down beside him.
"My name's Malik. Am I gonna make it or is this it for me?" Malik looks up at Naseem, his eyes pleading.
"You've been marked for death, kid," Naseem lets out a sigh as he looks at Malik. Flora quickly moves beside Naseem and grabs Malik's hand. Before she can speak Naseem continues. "This is the mark of a blood mage. The ancients never used humans as means to satiate a blood mage's need but it seems that we can't treat our own like they treat us," Naseem stands and looks at the arm. "This crest is imperfect, most likely created by a generation four mage. We could defeat the mage if he was alone yet I doubt that he is," Naseem looks back at Malik. "When you and your friend were attacked how many were there?"
Malik's eyes are shaking as his body trembles. "I couldn't tell it all happened so fast, maybe fifteen," Malik's voice breaks and cracks with each word.
Naseem looks at Flora, his eyes cold. "Miss Flora as the leader of this community I will give you the options you have."
Flora quickly stands up and gets into Naseem's face. "What are the choices!?" she yells as tears roll down her face. "Are you gonna tell me I have to sacrifice the lives of those I hold dear just so I can survive!?"
Naseem locks eyes with Flora as she yells. "When a blood mage puts a crest onto someone or something they are able to follow the exact path the crest went. This crest must've been placed so that the blood mage can find the community," Naseem watches, his eyes cold and his tone serious. "This house must be abandoned unless you are confident in your people and I can defeat the blood mage and his underlings," Naseem stops holding his tongue for a bit. "But no matter what path we take Malik can't come with. You don't see many blood mages as they often fight each other chasing after a crest as all blood mages can track any crest. Ancient blood mages just respected the crest and only got involved with their own crest."
Before Flora can speak blood splatters onto the window of the room. Seconds later it breaks through the glass turning into sharp spikes that pierce Malik's shoulders, another piercing the arm. Screams can be heard from down stairs as the spikes pull Malik and the arm out the window. Flora quickly busts through the door as Naseem jumps out the window. As he lands and looks forwards he sees a woman who's covered in blood stand next to Malik's pierced body. "Another mage how delightful," she lifts her hand and a man quickly runs at Naseem swinging a dagger.
Naseem launches a fireball at the man as he readies his axe. He quickly sets his axe back at his side as his eyes widen. The woman gives an evil and knowing smile as she watches Naseem set his axe back on his waist. As the man reaches Naseem he swings the dagger recklessly. With a fluid motion Naseem is able to disarm the man with a strike to the wrist within a second he grabs the man's face before quickly heating his hand. "Burn the blood before it can be used," he whispers to himself as his hand reaches temperatures that start to hurt even him slightly. Eventually the man stops moving and Naseem sets him down, his face charred.
"A fire mage at that how fun," The woman violently cuts her arm and flails around sending blood towards Naseem. Naseem quickly grabs his axe as the blood hardens creating spikes. With a strike of his axe one of the spikes shatters and quickly turns into fluid blood again. Gracefully Naseem dodges another spike comes at him. Naseem quickly looks at his feet as spikes of blood shoot up from the ground. The woman begins to laugh manically as she covers the cut on her cleanly and neatly. "Such spirit and experience." Gunshots ring out from the front of the house as the voice of Flora shouts orders around. The woman grabs Malik by the throat and throws him towards Naseem. "Let's see if you're willing to kill who you're protecting so you can survive!"
Naseem runs forward, unable to see the woman as Malik flies towards him. He catches Malik holding him yet seconds later a blade pierces his stomach and blood flies. Naseem drops Malik as he heats his body to the point where any blood that would land on him would evaporate. "I'm sorry that I couldn't save you Malik," spikes of blood shoot up from the ground as the blood in the air hardens into rock-like objects and fly towards Naseem.
A heavy shield lands in front of Naseem dug into the ground blocking every rock from hitting him. "Surprised you survived on your own this long captain!" a man lands in front of the shield leaning against it. "By the way, the friends you made are safe and they did surprisingly well on their own."
"Now is not the time for speaking of such matters," a man rests his hand on the Naseems shoulder looking down at him. Naseem's body begins to fill with light and his mind fills with calmness. He wears fully white clothes except for the golden tie that he slightly adjusts. "It is time to satiate the light."
"You think having some friends means you're safe?" the woman begins to laugh, her hands moving onto her face, her fingers opening for her eyes to see through. "The more people who can bleed the better for me you fools!" she turns moving towards the front of the house.
"Flora are you ok!" Yasim quickly moves towards Flora as blood runs down her head where a small cut resides. Flora stands breathing heavily over the corpse of someone. "Flora your bleeding you need to see Yuko now."
The woman runs around the corner seeing the bloodied field and survivors with blood on themselves and clothes. She smiles as she reaches out her hand. "Can you boys really do nothing without me around?" another woman grabs her arm and quickly mounts her shoulders before tossing away from the front of the house.
"Thank you for the help Constance," the man with the golden tie thanks Constance as runs towards the front of the building raising his hands as the survivors see him. "Do not attack me, I am here to help and heal. I am Milan and I am with Naseem"
"Gerulf freeze any blood before she uses it!" Naseem yells as he runs towards the woman.
The man with the shield sighs as he grabs his shield standing far away watching and waiting. "Understood captain."
"Constance restrict her arms!" Naseem shouts orders as he gets the woman's face as vines come from the ground grabbing one of the woman's arms.
With her free hand she quickly grabs her sword and violently cuts her restricted arm off and blood flies and spews out like a fountain. Gerulf's eyes widen as he attempts to freeze as much blood as possible but it is too much and the woman hardens some of the blood encasing herself in a bubble of hardened blood. Naseem stands looking at the woman trapped within a prison of her own creation as he grabs his axe. The light within him grows as he holds the axe above his head. "Filthy blood mage," with a fluid movement he brings his axe down breaking through the hardened blood and cleanly making contact with the woman's neck chopping straight through. With her last moments of life she hardens the blood that spills from her neck piercing Naseem's shoulders before all the hardened blood returns to liquid as her life ends.