Chapter 22: (CHAPTER 21: LOOSING)
A barrage of arrow was shot towards Hero, the wound forces him to roll back as he took out a bread, deciding to regenerate his wound as quick as possible. The attack from Jack was a decoy, their plan is to cut off his mobility and make him a sitting duck for them. Sam persuaded as he let out another arrow, trying to disrupt him for healing. Hero draw out his sword and deflect the arrow as he tries to regenerate as quick as possible. But Jack was now close to him, striking him hard with his axe, forcing him to throw away the half eaten bread and hold the handle of his saber with his both hands in order to guard the strike. He was too weak to escape, he has to face it.
The impact creates a crater as a loud sound boomed from the sheer force of the attack. Hero was now kneeling with his hand on the floor, he could feel the bone shatter, he has lost control of his left leg completely, he couldn't feel his leg.
This is bad.
He thought in his heart, he deflect the attack as he retreated a bit to gain some distance, but once he did that, he gave Sam the range advantage as he continue to fire a barrage of arrow. With is shield broken and his leg twisted like a celery, Hero is like a practice target. All he could do is take out his saber and try to deflect as many arrow as he could. Although crossbow has a low firing rate, the speed and damage dealt was devastating, before even holding for a minute, an arrow has penetrate his defense, then another, then another and another. Soon he was fully pricked with arrows as blood gush out from his body. He fell weak, his head is throbbing as he wobbled like a flag in a wind.
Jake let out a smirk as he jump onto one of the cell before running and leaping out of the axe, putting his axe on top of his head and strike as he roared, he was about to deal the last hit, and there is no way he is going to survive that. With the last ounce of his strength, Hero draw out his sword and guarded…..
"CLANG!!" The clashes between the two weapon was so strong that it light up the night sky as thunder strike on top of it, the force created a huge crater that almost destroyed the entire storage area, sending a huge gush of wind. As the wind settles, he was finally down, as he lay on the middle of the cradle lifelessly. One of his arm is completely destroyed, turning into a mushy substance as bones poke out from the wound. The obsidian sword was swung out from the attack as it lay at the edge of the crater, a few meter away within his reach. His body is dye red with blood, as he struggle to breath, trying to keep awake, trying not to sleep.
"I guess our job is done here." Norman sigh as he put down his banner. Sam unload the arrow loaded on his crossbow while Jack place his axe back into a holder at his back. Phil stare at Hero for a while before letting out a sigh: "Should've listen to me Hero, now you lose everything."
"Hey Phil!" Norman called his name. "Quite staring at the corpse, we need to round out the villagers!"
"Okay!" Phil replied as he ran out of the storage room, leaving Hero alone laying at the crater.
His thought was hazy. He was struggling to take every breath, his muscle ached even though he was not moving. He could feel the blood on his face. He could feel every wound on his body. He could feel his bone being twisted like crackers. He could feel the drum playing in his head, as if there was a rock concert. He could feel his ears humming, like bees were crawling inside it.
But despite all these, his mind is still clear with one thought. He can't die.
The villager will be enslaved
The village will fall
Brine will turn into a vex
He would lose Brine
He can't die right now.
With every ounce of his strength, he uses his only hand to fumble his pocket, searching for anything that could help. Just then, someone fell out of his pocket and roll in front of him. It was a golden apple, gleaming in front of him, mesmerizing, reflecting his wounded face with its shiny surface. With nothing else in mind and nothing to lose, Hero reached his head out.
And take a bite.
"Follow us and do what we told, we will do no harm." Norman said towards the villagers which are rounded in front of the inn. The villagers shudder under the cold night wind as well as fear. They couldn't do anything, it was still night, mobs are anywhere, they are like the fish on the chopping board, "Come on follow me." Phil signaled the people as he walk down the storage room of the Inn. The villagers looked at Sam and Jake, which both wave their weapons and shooting them dirty looks, signaling them to enter quickly. They take a gulp as they slowly walk down the cold stairs towards the storage area.
"The fight damages most of the cell." Phil answer as he guided some towards the remaining cell. "There won't bee enough room for at least half of them." "That's your problem Phil, this is your storage area, you make the rules." Jack replied, Norman and Sam nodded, agreeing. "Besides we need to continue our patrol, boss ain't be happy if we skip the whole process due to some tick." Norman added.
"Talking of tick." Sam walk towards the crater formed by the final blow, but Hero was nowhere to be seen. "Where is he?" The rest approached towards the crater and look down, what left was a puddle of blood, not even a trace of where he is going or heading. No footprint, no hint or clue, nothing. The obsidian saber that was originally beside the crater was also.
Gone.
"Phil." Norman said, he seem alerted, both Sam and Jack drew out their weapon. "Go check the altar, I've got a bad feeling about this." Okay." Phil nodded as he ran towards the door heading to the altar, but the moment he opened the door, he gasped.
Every single item in the altar room was destroyed. The glass, the altar, the soul boxes, the offerings, everything splatter and shatter on the ground. The banners and curtains were set on fire. "He is out boys!" Norman shouted as he place down his banner and began to conjure spells while Jack and Same get ready for anything that is heading towards them. Just then they realizes something.
"You smell that Jake?"
"It smells like something was burnt."
"Smoke!" Sam shouted as he pointed towards the door, where smoke were pouring in into the basement.
"No." Phil screamed as he ran out of the storage room. "No!" The entrance was lit on fire. "No!!" He ran out of the Inn, and the whole Inn was lited, as the fire dyed the dark sky red. "NO!! NO, NO,NO!!!" Phil screamed as he crawl on the ground like a maniac, he was insane, he has lost the very last string of his sanity. The moment the illager trio get out of the basement, Phil was gone, but his scream still echoes through the night.
"Crack."
Suddenly the trio hears something, their ears peered out as they formed a circle, they sense danger, immense danger. Suddenly villager started to escape the fiery Inn, someone let them out. The trio didn't care about the villagers anymore, they instead care, whether they will make it out alive tonight.
Just when they are about to turn their back and escape, a shadow emerges through the fire. The figure walks calmly through the flame as it burnt his body, he felt no pain, he has lost the sense of pain, he has lost his senses, his thought.
He has lost his mind.
"What the hell-" Sam shot out his arrow, but Hero caught it with one hand. He bring the arrow closer to his mouth and licked the tip of the arrow, slicing his tongue as he slowly walk out of the flame and smoke. His cloth were burnt out, revealing the veins that expanded out of his skin, visible on the naked eye. His pupils were jet black as blood flows out of his eyes. His muscle popped in an abnormal way as his expression was lunatic like. "The taste of blood." He let out a sigh as he threw away the bloody arrow to the ground. "I need more." He let out a smile, a giggle, then an all out laughter, waving his hand frantically like a maniac as blood spat out of his mouth, dying the sand beneath his feet red.
Before they could figure out anything, Hero has already dashed in front of them: "MORE BLOOD!!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
LReyLei
LReyLei So to avoid being waaaay too op, golden apple in this story can only be eaten once. The way it works is to increase the heart rate to give the user more strength, speed and durability.(Why hero needed more blood, same theory) In the flip side, the effect will only last for 5 minutes, after that the user will be knock out cold.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone