Chapter 357 - Evil To Evil
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Imagine a scene very shocking even on a Daedric point of view.
That how the 'Blood Eagle' can be described. Xikil was standing behind Jon and his red and black skin was actually showing signs of turning pale as he took a few steps away from Jon.
This was the reaction of the meanest and darkest creature witnessing the scene, now imagine the others.
The screams of Alaric were pitiful and heartbreaking, the Forsworn besieged in the cave were weeping, the Spies and Assassins sent after Jon were shivering, the Dare Troopers were frozen in silence as their master was executing punishment, Jon's relatives who came to rescue him were expressionless.
Jon started by undressing the upper halves of both Alaric and Madanach and then he put down his armor and shirt too for the horrifying wounds on his body to appear. The vine that was attached to his body could be seen clearly too. It was red with thorns growing on it as if a blood vessel has found its way out of Jon's body.
The appearance of the Briarheart Vine made Jon's following actions very justifiable. Putting that aside, the wounds on his body alone showed how much he suffered during the past few months, the stab to the heart that his survived by shifting his organs was also clear from both the front and back.
It was retribution and the Madmen of the Reach were now facing a true madman seeking vengeance.
When the showcase was over, Jon held the dagger and carved Alaric's back from the bottom upwards, two similar cuts were applied on the side avoiding all blood vessels and vital organs. Jon then started the skinning Alaric's back shaping his skin to what can be described as wings.
Alaric groans and howls have long since stopped, his vocal cords seemed to have been damaged. A sudden action started to happen and Jon noticed Alaric trying to swallow his own tongue.
"Nope. You ain't getting away."
The knife in Jon's hand opened Alaric's maw by force cutting his tongue and throwing it on the ground. Alaric was in agony yet the pain kept him fully awaken. Despite how much he bled Jon focused to stop all the bleeding with precision. He seemed to have trained a lot for such a complicated processe.
"Please refrain from doing such a thing, this ritual is not for torture, it is an offering. If it was me, I wouldn't have toyed with you that much but sometimes a cat enjoys toying with its food… and the Daedra want a good show."
Jon smirked and continued.
"Here, to pass your boredom, let me tell you all about a story. It is a story about a man that calls himself the King of the Reach. You all know him as Madanach, this guy's grandfather. As you all knew, Madanach should have been dead many years ago yet the bad Nords kept him alive. For what exactly?"
Jon started to stray off to a different subject pulling out the attention towards Madanach.
Madanach's head, which was lowered from the start, rose up and glared at Jon with bloodshot eyes.
"Yes see, the Nords had a good idea back then. Let's keep the man which the Forsworn would die for and control them through him. For that, they kept their enemies around as their watchdogs who would strike down those they wanted out of the picture and made a chain of command linking all the Forsworn Elders to Madanach through their agents. By that, the Forsworn Elders would hear the words of Madanach and obey sending many young Reachmen to fight for the Nords' cause. Facentaing story, isn't it?"
Jon's words were shocking to many.
It was true. Madanach was kept as the control device of the Forsworn. Withdraw from here, keep watch here, intercept that caravan, kill that person, and so on.
The King that all the young Reachmen looked up to was nothing but a toy in the hands of Nords. Of course things shouldn't have gone down that path and Madanach would revolted against his captors and escape in the future but that's a morning never come now.
"Oh! Look, we are almost done."
Alaric heard what Jon said but he was too busy handling his own pain after he got skinned like that. Jon finished the skinning and too out a sword this time.
Just as everyone thought it was over, Jon started to break Alaric's ribs from the spine.
This was even more demonic than just skinning. Jon broke a rib then twisted it and used it to support the wings of flesh and skin. With each rib broken, both wings started to spread. It was horrifyingly artistic.
Jon didn't go too far with the ribs, he wanted Alaric to feel it all and live to the end.
Alaric was already at his end, he was about to die any second now.
Jon made the best of the last few seconds and took out a plate of Fire Salts, a very active alchemical ingredient. He held the Fire Salts with his bare hands and didn't mind it burning him, with his hands, he applied the Fire Salts on Alaric's lungs exposed from his back.
"EEEAAAAAHHH!"
A horrifying hoarse shriek came out of the dying Alaric. It was as if he got brought back to life just by the Fire Salts.
It was the last step now. After applying the Fire Salt, Jon held the lungs and pulled them out from the back with the wings and ribs.
Alaric's head dangled down and his suffering in this world was over.
Jon pulled out the harpoon and Alaric's soul with it to be damned to Oblivion.
With that, the [Soul Sigil Stone] in Xikil's hand glowed brightly in purple light then dimmed down once again.
Xikil, who was drenched in cold sweat, confirmed the light and spoke.
"The 1000th soul. The deal with Lord Molag Bal is complete."
As if waiting for these words, a strong pulse sounded from Jon's body that everyone heard it.
The lowered gazes looked up once again at Jon only to find him kneeling on his knees barely supporting himself with his arms.
"Wh- What is going on?" As someone asked, everyone started to feel worried.
All were worried but too scared to approach Jon now. His image of a torturer demon was still vivid and caused every soul to refuse to approach him.
*Groan*
On the ground, Jon groaned with a pained tone.
The Briarheart Vine on his body was fighting him with vigor.
"Don't… think… for a second… that you can… ever… beat me!"
Jon's Tyrant Aura started to appear one more time after almost four months of suppression.
"Don't you… DARE!"
The Aura intensified greatly. It was not just felt or seen but it caused the wind to move violently.
It was going out of control… No, the Tyrant was breaking free and his anger was beyond the limit.
This ignorant, pathetic and puny parasite thinks it can even for a second has its way on the Tyrant? It was infuriatingly idiotic.
The curse of Alaric broke, the deed was done.
And the Briarheart Vine tried its best to resist. It was a vine no longer. It was using all the energy and blood that it absorbed from Jon all that time to give birth to another existence.
Branches, leaves, roots, a trunk… a new Briarheart Tree, that fed on the Tyrant for almost four months, was now trying to take form. It grew on Jon's back and soared up almost three meters trying to dig its root in the ground.
The Tyrant was pissed to the limit.
He shouted atop his lungs.
"VIIK MAAH THAAR!" (Defeat, Fall, Obey)
The [Tyrant Shout] was right on time. The Briarheart tree shattered like glass and its wood turned into nothing in front of the true Tyrant.
The core of the tree was the vine. Not much different from its former appearance, it was just a small bloody vine with thorns and very lively movements it tried to jump away from Jon but the latter already cast magic on it.
[Telekinesis].
Jon was so delighted that he finally used this magic one more time. His Telekinesis was stronger than it was ever before due to his increase in strength but still he had a long time to completely recover, he was still greatly weakened.
Jon tightened his control over the Vine that was twitching like a snake and called out an empty Containment Chest out of the [Cube] then shoved the vine in and sealed it.
"Phew… *huff* *huff* *huff*"
Jon's knelt on one knee as he was already very exhausted. His body started to bleed and from the spots where the vine was. They will leave horrifying scars.
Still, Jon's vitality was great and his body was healing just by him applying his energy on himself. The bleeding stopped and the injuries were closing.
That was all.
A victory over on piles of corpses just to heal himself.
Demonic!
Terrifying!
Accursed!
With all that, the grin on Jon's face wasn't down. He stood up staggering and walked forward towards Madanach.
With a [Thunder Cookie], Madanach's head was blown up to pieces. Jon reached out to Xikil and touched the [Soul Sigil Stone] to receive the last hard-earned reward from Molag Bal. Unexpectedly, it was something Jon liked so much.
"I see."
Jon immersed himself in the new knowledge that he gained and looked at the cave that was fortified with the remnants of the Forsworn. He walked towards them and the backed in their cave further.
He then cleared his throat and spoke three words.
"KRAH YOL RII!" (Cold, Flame, Essence)
This was Molag's last gift.
A shout!
The [Essence Draining Flame Shout], words of power only used by the [Daedric Titans]. The Titans are the Dragons of Oblivion if the word was said right, they were an imitation created by Molag Bal when he tricked a dragon into his realm to seek out the secrets of the Dragons. Though he failed, he turned that Dragon into the first Daedric Titan.
This shout unleashed the might of Oblivion on the Forsworn hidden in the cave consuming them to piles fine snow ash.
This was the third and the last Forsworn horde that ever dared to face Jon Dare. The man who sees one difference between 'Slaughter' and 'Laughter' and that's the 'S'.
"Jon."
Still, every Tyrant has his off button.
Jon's was the girl who is descending from the gryphon right now.
Jon saw her and all the sense in the world returned to him.
He was no longer the mad killing machine. He was taken with surprise and hardly finding any words to use in front of Alina.
She looked around to see the mayhem he started. She then looked at his body and saw the grave injuries, the eaten away flesh, the broken body.
It was horrifyingly mysterious how is this man not dead yet. Hell, the blood was not going out of those wounds anymore as if it was avoiding going out.
Jon's body was a mystery that made all shiver in its might yet Alina looked at him with pity.
"You are done?"
Jon averted his eyes away when Alina asked him.
Alina sighed without saying anything.
Jon's violent action would surely cause a mess on both the short and long runs. From Necromancy to Torture to coming like after his secret identity was blown.
"We need to return, Jull's condition…" Alina said but Jon interrupted.
"She will get better now that I regained my power."
That was true. Now that his powers are back, Jon can already guarantee Jull recovery.
He could even see the System rebooting with many messages popping around everywhere.
Jon looked at the ones behind Alina who walked over to him. There was Jonrad, Tyr, Vladimir and Hafthor as well as some recognizable faces.
Jon felt grateful these people showed up.
His actions were surely rash but he had a little choice.
Azura demanded Alaric's death so it was necessary to go through that Forsworn horde and Molag Bal demanded Mortal Souls and the Forsworn were Jon's enemies who deserved to be damned to Oblivion in his eyes.
He had a lot to answer for.
Before he could say anything, a twist in space occurred not far from them and two figures came out. The first supporting the second, the first was Nurina and the second was Jullanar.
Jon and Jullanar saw each other and gasped from shock.
He was in a sorry shape and she was in a sickly shape. None of them looked better than the other.
Nurina and Jullanar noticed the place they were in and saw the corpses burnt to snow ash and the undead roaming around.
Jon felt awkward to be scolded again so he retreated Odokuro in the [Cube] and the undead away.
"Sorry… for the scene…" Jon looked at Jullanar and spoke.
She smiled at him.
"It's okay… no matter what darkness you walk through, you are still my light."
Jon's chest tightened all of a sudden.
Light?
That's it… that Deja Vu he had.
Whenever Jullanar says that he is her light, he also replies the same.
But this scene, and Light!
Jon's hair stood up as he looked behind him right away.
He was looking at Xikil.
"Sorry, Mortal. I guess our fun time is over. Lord Molag Bal is very pleased with your performance."
Xikil said those words and started fading back to Oblivion.
With that, Jon looked up at the sky.
"... Dammit!"
It was time.
Something appeared in the sky and the weather changed dramatically. The blue sky turned red and a dark crimson sun-like sphere appeared in the middle.
The first to gasp was Jonrad.
"My God! Aura Manifestation?"
A Blood Sun!
Who would have such an Aura that reddens the sky in the radius of more than 5 kilometers?
The Aura Manifestation is a realm beyond what is known. It is when the Aura turns into Real Magic, Unique and Powerful. A Personality and a Will combined with Energy to create an Effect that personifies the Aura of the owner.
From that fake crimson sun, a few beings started to appear.
They were what Jon saw in his dreams.
Pale skin, long limbs, evil faces, sharp claws and fangs, broad wings.
The weak-willed can never withstand the Aura that blocks the blessing of the sun of the day and turns it into a horrifying curse.
These beings were nothing like Jon saw in the game, they were scarier than anything he could imagine.
Vampires… Noble Vampires!
And the one leading them, the one who the Aura belonged two was none other than…
"... Harkon!"