Chapter 4: Aileen, The Blood Mage

[You have cleared the dungeon]

[You have obtained a bronze chest!]

[You have obtained a bronze key!]

"S-Sir Balsar you did it!" Fin shouted and rushed to Balsar. "You did it Sir Balsar!"

"No...I didn't do it alone, you helped me as well." Balsar said and added. "Well done."

"The, but we wouldn't have won if it weren't for you! Thank you so much Sir Balsar!" Fin bowed his head filled with gratitude.

"Here, the four of you should split it." Balsar gave the key to Fin. 

"B-But...You were the one who killed the goblin shaman, not us.." Fin said trying to give back the key to Balsar.

"It's alright, besides the bronze chest doesn't interest me," Balsar said and sat down catching his breath.

"Sir Balsar let me heal your wounds!" Creon rushed to Balsar's aide, he immediately began to cast his healing spell.

Jake was sitting at the side, his hand had been healed and covered with a bandage. "Thank you so much Sir Balsar."

Balsar grunted in response as Creon healed his wounds.

The four young adventurers opened the bronze chest to find the reward, they had also looted many of the goblins and the shaman goblin, thus they felt guilty taking all the rewards.

"Keep it, It's alright," Balsar said not wanting a piece of the reward. "Anyways, since the dungeon has been cleared let's file the report," Balsar said and the four nodded as they began their journey back to the starting village where they first came.

The five of them also reported the success of their dungeon raid to the small village that filed the request, earning them affinity points, and some items. 

After they arrived at the starting village and gave the exact details of their dungeon expedition. The four were going to the auction to sell their items.

"Thank you so much again Sir Balsar." Fin expressed his thanks, the four of them were smiling as they bowed with respect and admiration for Balsar.

Balsar smiled in response and left the four since he had other tasks to finish.

'They were nice NPCs, I hope I can meet them next time.' Ethan thought, he stretched his hands and thought of the guild card he was given earlier.

'A guild, that piqued my interest.' Ethan thought, his character Mathias was still holding the guild card from the Silver Knights. "Hah, Avelon has amazing updates. Guilds, and now new NPCs? The game keeps getting better than ever."

Ethan logged out of his Balsar character and pressed Mathias's character but stopped midway. "I haven't been using my other characters for a while now, why don't I use the others?"

Ethan began scrolling through his list and found the character he wanted to play: "There she is!" Ethan pressed the entry button.

Throughout fifteen years, Ethan created 200 characters each with different personalities and looks.

But of course, Ethan who was a perfectionist took an ample amount of time to customize his characters. Ethan loved how his characters would look amazing wearing robes or other items, plus their eccentric details. Although it was a 2D RPG game, Ethan dedicated himself to making his characters as beautiful or handsome as he wanted.

Ethan also experimented with his characters, he created women, children, and other types of characters with a different race.

One of the characters Ethan loved was Aileen, a dark mage. The first female character he created. 

"She's still as beautiful as ever." Ethan gazed at his character a tint of red appeared on his face.

Aileen had white long hair tied into a ponytail while the left side hung loose, a pair of violet eyes, and red lips, wearing a short dark violet dress, with dark violet stockings and shoes, and on her head was a witch's hat. A curvaceous body, and otherworldly beauty, emanating a cold and yet seducing aura. Whilst holding a wand and a spell book.

"Aileen took me a day just to create..." Ethan moved his cursor, trying to spin Aileen. "Anyways, let's give it a go!" Ethan immediately pressed enter.

[Logging in]

"Oh my, it seems like I'm in the middle of the azure forest.." Aileen stretched her right hand holding her wand. "Well no worries, I can just fly to my destination." 

"Blood Wings."

Red wings formed from Aileen's back. She touched her raven-red wings. "I miss this sensation.." She said and took flight.

'Damn her voice is alluring..' Ethan thought, he loved Aileen's voice the most. 'This takes me back to my puberty stage...' Ethan grimaced remembering his teenage days when he was creating Aileen. 

....

Huff, Huff

In the middle of the azure forest, a half-orc with red leather armor holding a sword was out of breath. His whole body was covered in bruises, his left chest with a huge sword plunged onto it.

"No use running traitor.." 

Over twenty masked figures held their weapons aiming at the half-orc. 

"The kingdom has suffered due to what you have done. Although the peace between the gods had been made between your race and ours, you are still considered a menace in this world."

One of the figures took off his mask revealing a huge scar on his left eye. 

"See this? I lost my ability to see from my left eye due to your race. I loath demons, everyone does, your animal instincts followed by your thirst for blood, everyone in the kingdom isn't safe from you demons. Acting as if you are part of society, as if you were normal, living with other humans leisurely."

"Why?..." The half-orc asked. 

"Why? It's simple, no matter how much you try to fit in. No matter how much your race tries to make up for your past, it can never be forgotten. Yes, peace has been reigning for over fifteen years after the appearance of the players, but do you think that your race's actions can be forgotten?"

"Numerous children died, sacrificed, killed, the demons who brought immense pain and suffering can never be forgotten! And I one of the humans who survived the onslaught will remind the people why you and your race can never live a normal life." The man stopped his monologue.

He walked closer to the half-orc half-human. He held his sharp sword. "A demon will always be a demon!" He said as he moved his sword directly stabbing the half-demon's chest.

The half-demon staggered and fell, he spat out a pool of blood. His eyes turn blurry every second. 

Yet the masked man wasn't satisfied, he crouched down and kept stabbing the body nonstop. His eyes are red and in a frenzy.

The other masked figures watched how their leader relentlessly stabbed the dead demon.

"Sir...The raven has called." One of the figures said holding a small piece of paper.

The leader stopped and read the paper. He stood up and wiped the blood off his hands. He held his knife and stabbed it at the demon's heart. 

"Let's go, we still have tons to do." The leader said and disappeared from his spot followed by the other masked figures.

'Dang!' Ethan was camouflaging himself hiding in a tree. He was watching the whole thing. 'That was damn ruthless!'

[You have unlocked a hidden scenario!]

'Damn, that was an amazing scenario! But the demon and the humans? Is it a new update? Demons do exist, but I never heard of a pact between two gods.' Ethan moved his cursor.

Aileen jumped off the tree landing on the ground. She glanced at the dead body of the half-orc half-human, the body was covered in stab wounds.

"How ruthless can he be?" Aileen asked, she crouched down and began searching for any valuables the half-orc had but couldn't find one. "That leader, he called this half-orc a traitor, it's better not to intervene in their conflict.." Aileen stood up and stretched her wings ready to fly, when she could vividly hear a heartbeat.

Aileen glanced at the body, she began manipulating the demon's blood, and she saw that the heart was still beating. "Peculiar...he's been stabbed multiple times, he lost tons of blood yet his heart is still beating?" 

"This is going to be fun." Aileen smiled, she took on a sitting position while still floating in the air due to her wings, she stretched her hand, and the blood oozing on the ground began to float and gather in her palms. 

Aileen made the dead body float, as she began to create a blood sphere from the demon's blood. She then started to reconstruct the veins inside the demon's body, then she made the body absorb the blood.

After the body absorbed the blood, strangely the demon began healing its wounds at a drastic pace. 

"Ohoo..." Aileen raised a smile, she then wrapped the body in a violet aura as she flew to the sky. "Time to bring you to my tower." Aileen flew at a fast pace.

...

"Hit him! He's a freak!" A child shouted throwing rocks at a young boy. There were three of them ganging up on the child, the other two kept kicking him nonstop while the leader kept on throwing rocks.

The young child could only cower in fear. 

"Oi! What do you think you're doing you punks?!" Another boy rushed and immediately started barraging the three other children with rocks.

"H-Hey! Stop that!" One of the boys shouted trying to cover himself from the rocks. 

"See even you guys are hurt, now scram if you don't want me to beat you all up!" The boy shouted and the other children ran away. Once they were gone the boy helped the cowering boy to stand up. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes...thank you so much." The boy bowed his head filled with gratitude.

"Nah no need, by the way, I'm Neo! My family just moved into this small town, what about you? what's your name?" Neo asked a glimmer of expectation in his eyes.

"Bhaltair.." The boy said still keeping his head down.

"Cool! It means fighter right? My name means gift.." Neo said and noticed that his new friend was oddly keeping his head down. "Umm...isn't it kind of rude for you to keep your head down like that?" He asked.

"Uh...um...Maybe you'll get scared.." Bhaltair said and still kept his head down.

"Why would I be? I grew up with both my parents traveling through countries, I faced tons of bandits and other monsters. So why would I be scared?" Neo said pridefully.

"Ok..." Bhaltair raised his head, revealing two huge tusks from his lower teeth.

"Cool! Wait so you are a half-orc?" Neo asked as he jumped up and down. "That's amazing!" 

"You're not afraid?... Even though I'm different?" Bhaltair asked.

"Nope! Why would I be?" Neo answered and began barraging Bhaltair with numerous questions.

It was the first ever friendship born from two different races. A half-orc and a human. 

But all of a sudden everything turned white. Bhaltair stood there confused. "M-My wounds!" Bhaltair began examining his body and found no wound. "They're gone...Am I dead?" He wondered as he began walking around the unknown place.

"Bhaltair!" 

Bhaltair turned around hearing the familiar voice, he found Neo running towards him. "Neo..." Bhaltair heaved a sigh of relief. "Neo? Are we both dead?"

"What? No!... Anyway, I can't talk with you for far too long, but for now, I'm enveloped inside the pendant I gave you."

"My body....it's gone, At the last minute I managed to use a technique my father taught me. Binding a soul into an object, I'm alive, and so are you."

"But my energy's been depleted from healing your wounds, and I need time to gather as much energy as I can...Oh, time's up." Neo snapped his fingers and Bhaltair woke up.

"N-Neo!" Bhaltair shouted, he then glanced at his strange surroundings. "This is?" Bhaltair asked, he slowly stood up examining the room.

"My you're awake." Aileen entered the room. "Your wounds were fully healed, is It a power of a demon? How intriguing." She said and circled Bhaltair.

"W-Who are you?" Bhaltair asked with caution.

"Me? You can call me your master, I am Aileen the blood-dark mage. The only blood mage in the whole continent!" Aileen proudly stated and flicked her fingertips, a collar appeared on Bhaltair's neck.

"This is?" Bhaltair asked trying to destroy the collar but for naught.

"A collar to bind you to me. In this way, I wouldn't have to worry about you trying to betray me." Aileen said and sat on the bed. "Now can you explain to me what had happened young orc?"