The Bloodforged Kin

Chapter 253 245: Cass - The Need for Speed

The creatures were skittering across a glassy black ridge when he first saw them. Six-legged with translucent dragonfly wings that caught the moonlight. Their joints flicked at impossible angles as they flashed around the landscape with jittery, rapid movements. They weren't hostile - at least not at first. Not even when they noticed Cass watching them. One even let Cass get close, its curiosity greater than its caution. It wasn't until Cass killed the first one that they understood.

The trial didn't require Cass to kill them - he just had to tap each one to prove that he was worthy of his speed. This wasn't a trial to prove one's strength, magic, or power. It was solely to embody speed in all its forms, hence these creatures. They didn't just fly - they flitted into and out of reality, disappearing just as he reached them and reappearing a short distance away. Their limited teleports didn't give them enough breathing room to fully escape, but it did make it almost impossible to predict where they'd end up next. The trial would have been impossible for anyone but a speedster and was damned-near unbeatable as one. He could see why The System gauged it to be a worthy challenge.

Fortunately for Cass he didn't just have speed - he had maneuverability. His skillset allowed him to treat any surface as 'down', turning instantly as needed. The latest advancement to his skill had allowed him to treat the air as a solid surface for a single instant - he couldn't run across it, but he could use it to pivot and jump in another direction. The dragonflies had been keeping away from any outcroppings or glassy spires that could be used as launch points, which would have been frustratingly impossible for anyone who required them to shift direction. Their movements had become frantic and panicked when they realized that he didn't require a solid surface to pivot on and they'd only grown more so when they realized that he was out for more than just completing the trial.

First blood had come without a sound but the second can't with the tinkle of shattering glass.

Cass darted forward - a blink, a blur - Soul Catcher flaring to life in his grip. One of the creatures wheeled mid-sprint and vanished sideways, not fast enough to save its life. Soul Catcher caught it mid-phase, dragging it half into physical form as it screamed. Soul Catcher wasn't a weapon in the traditional sense, but it could bludgeon almost as well as his batons - and these dragonflies were fragile enough for it to be more than enough. Once it had killed them it was already in position to drink their souls.

And these things did have souls, Cass knew. Some of the generic trials had System-generated NPCs, but not these specialized trials. They were living things, brought over by The System to earn their own rewards. Some of the creatures - no, beings, Cass reminded himself. Some of the beings had been able to speak and the word had gotten around. 'You're facing real, thinking, intelligent beings who have more experience with The System than we do. Watch yourselves!' To most, the information had been met with emotions ranging from indifference to horror - but to Cass it was a gift straight from the heavens themselves. Cass needed to power himself up and despite the many sleepless nights where he tried to convince himself otherwise, he just wasn't ready to start killing people - at least not yet. Fortunately, as it always had, The System provided.

The other five dragonfly things scattered and the chase began.

Cass didn't smile when the first dragonfly flickered out from in front of him. He vanished, appearing a heartbeat later exactly where it reappeared, the Soul Catcher swinging with brutal efficiency. It passed through the creature silently, almost gently. It exploded in a puff of riotous color and tinkling, vanishing into the humming dark of his weapon. The Soul Catcher vibrated in his hand, pulsing warmth up his arm. One more down.

The remaining dragonflies surged upward in unison, flaring out like startled birds with stained-glass wings. The chase was on and Cass's initial confidence proved to be over-confidence. He had been in this trial for what felt like hours in super speed, although he knew mere minutes had passed in real time. Irritation began crawling under his skin. He needed their speed but they were making this a chore. He activated Dark Horizon and the world shifted instantly, aligning reality so he was already waiting where two dragonflies appeared. Soul Catcher whipped through both simultaneously, the two translucent bodies shuddering as their essences were siphoned away.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Cass staggered slightly, a brief wave of dizziness flooding through him. Using Dark Horizon wasn't easy - each shift tore at something deep inside of him. It was just a skill but he sometimes wondered if it was more. Each use seemed to confirm his path a little more. But he welcomed the strain. Each pulse of pain was proof of growth, proof of earned power. He needed to push himself harder than ever if he was going to push his skills to the point where they advanced early.

The three remaining creatures scattered erratically, becoming frantic and desperate in their fear. Cass sprinted through empty air, his Surefooted ability making each step as solid as concrete. He leaped, pivoted, and twisted effortlessly in pursuit, closing in rapidly. They flickered wildly, blinking in and out like faulty light bulbs. Cass felt a grin tugging at his lips each time he got closer or anticipated their next blink through reality. He's been pushing his skills to the limit lately, experimenting in every way he could think of, but these trials presented challenges that he just couldn't replicate in the real world.

And yet even so, a flash of frustration tore through him as one narrowly avoided his reach again. He growled and squeezed the Soul Catcher, pulling energy from within, letting it flood into his muscles. His speed surged explosively. He appeared before the fleeing dragonfly, catching it mid-teleport. It shivered as the baton claimed another soul.

The remaining two were now panicking openly, darting in short bursts, their movements increasingly predictable in their terror. An unexpected flicker of pity filled his throat with acid when he saw their desperate, futile attempts to escape. They were living, thinking beings who had been placed into this trial by The System. Cass didn't know why, but he'd never been under any illusion that they weren't sentient. He also recognized that they didn't mean him any harm, and couldn't do anything to him even if they did. They, on the other hand, knew that he was death - as much as they knew that there was no way out. They only had seconds to live and their frantic motions showed that they knew it. His heart went out to them and he reconsidered…

No. He pushed the thought away. Mercy was not part of this path. Mercy was weakness, and weakness got people killed. Got him killed. These things had made their choice - they'd chosen to join the trial, he assumed, at least. The consequences were theirs to bear, not his burden.

Cass closed his eyes briefly, centering himself. He opened them with renewed focus, locking onto one of the fleeing creatures. He triggered the Dark Horizon again, this time feeling the raw ache deeper, sharper. It's cooldown clearly said that it could only be used once per day, but if there was anything their family had learned it was that The System could be cheated by those who were willing to bear the consequences. He'd learned that if empowered the skill with some of the energy pulled from Soul Catcher he could jump start it again. He could feel the skill trying to reject being used again, but he had learned that if he imposed his will on it then it would eventually succumb. The second use was painful enough that he'd never tried a third attempt, but it obeyed his command and he emerged exactly where intended. Another flash, another soul absorbed.

The last dragonfly darted straight upward, desperately attempting to escape. Cass exhaled, bending his knees slightly. He waited just a moment, gauging its trajectory, and then surged upwards, his final burst of speed enhanced by stolen power. He intercepted it easily, Soul Catcher completing its grim harvest.

Cass landed gently, breathing heavily but smiling with grim satisfaction. The Soul Catcher trembled with captured energy, a chorus of speed and desperation sealed within. He'd completed the trial, as he'd known he would, but the real prize and goal was the pure essence of speed itself that he'd harvested.

A notification appeared before him:

Personalized Trial Complete:

Reward:

The Shattered Lens

Bonus:

Advanced Skill Upgrade (50%)

He smiled in satisfaction as he felt Imperator's Claim jump halfway to the next level. He hadn't even had to use it yet! He didn't know how The System chose the skills to advance or reduce, but he was happy it had chosen that one since it was the hardest for him to advance.

At his feet a circle of glass three-foot across appeared, looking like fragile glass of every color had been shattered into infinitesimal slivers before being magically bound back together. Cass put it in his dimensional storage and felt the subtle pull of him being removed from the trial. He glanced once more across the black, glassy expanse as it faded. No remorse. No hesitation. He'd chosen this path. He'd chosen to grow at any cost. And if souls were the price, then so be it.