Chapter 21: A Twisted Game
The whole camp stood still in silence, with only the low growls of the giant echoing in the surroundings.
All the subordinates of the middle-aged man now lay dead on the ground, while the white giant was covered in their blood.
"...Spare me...please..." the once arrogant expression on the middle-aged man's face was nowhere to be seen, now replaced with that of despair and terror.
He didn't know who the young man was, but he had messed with the wrong person. He had thought that he was pretty strong as an elemental mage who could harness the power of fire to fight, but after witnessing the corrupted giant, he had lost all hope of fighting against the young man.
"Please...please...I beg you," he begged, bowing deeply with his head to the ground, practically laying horizontal.
"Hey! You can't do that," exclaimed Shiva. "You're supposed to fight back a bit more. Now, get up. Let's see, use some other skills."
Seemingly interested in the spells he could employ, Shiva inquired, but the middle-aged man was too scared to do anything. He simply pleaded to be spared, his face covered with snot and tears.
"Come now, don't make this so dull. You're a mage, aren't you? Show me what you can do."
Yet, the middle-aged man remained still, breathing heavily and trembling, "I...I can't...please spare me."
"This won't do. Hey, giant, come back here."
Shiva called the giant back to his side, which obediently complied. Upon its return, Shiva instructed it to extend its hand for him to sit on, while its other hand provided shade overhead.
Then, he turned to Karna, who had been watching everything with mixed feelings, and tossed a sword obtained from a dead orc in front of him.
"Fight him. If you kill him, and then I'll consider this favor settled," Shiva said, settling comfortably on the giant's hand.
"...What?"
Here is the continued story:
Karna looked at Shiva for a few seconds in disbelief. He couldn't believe this man was so out of his mind. More than that, Karna hesitated because never in his life had he killed a person!
Of course, he had killed some monsters after the bizarre phenomenon, but a person - that was an entirely different thing.
He hesitated to pick up the sword as he stood conflicted under the gaze of the crazy man. But then he saw his sister's face.
'Regena...'
She was the only family he had. Losing his parents at a young age, both of them had ended up in an orphanage. And the middle-aged man, he had dared to put his hands on his sister - would he let that go?
No, never!
'If I want to protect something, I have to be strong enough. If I want to protect something, I must be prepared to kill someone too,' Karna realized, as anger swelled within him. He picked up the sword, turning to the middle-aged man.
"Now, that's what I want to see," Shiva said excitedly, then turning to the middle-aged man, "Come on, get up! If you win, I'll let you live."
His words ignited a new flame in the middle-aged man's eyes. Slowly, the man rose, his gaze now fixed on Karna, his eyes bloodshot.
Karna gripped the sword tightly, his resolve hardening as the middle-aged man charged towards him, rage burning in the man's eyes.
"You bitch! It's all because of you, it's all because of you bastard! I will kill you right now," the man roared, brandishing his long sword.
Karna steeled himself, taking on a defensive stance, the short sword held like a dagger in his hands. He watched as the middle-aged man began to cast a spell, flames coalescing into chains that surged towards him.
"<Chains of Blaze>," the man intoned, the fiery bindings closing in on Karna.
Thinking quickly, Karna called out, "<Shadow Step>," and dissolved into the shadows, the flames passing harmlessly through the spot where he had stood.
The middle-aged man, thrown off balance by the missed sword strike, stumbled momentarily.
Emerging from the shadows a few meters away, Karna knew he was outmatched in terms of magical prowess. The middle-aged man was an elemental mage, while Karna's abilities leaned towards assassination.
He would have to rely on his agility and quick thinking to overcome the middle aged man.
The two exchanged a flurry of blows, the middle-aged man's long sword clashing against Karna's shorter blade. Karna struggled to keep up with the man's onslaught, his muscles straining as he parried and dodged the strikes.
As the intense battle unfolded between Karna and the middle-aged mage, Shiva observed them with a gleam in his eyes, almost like a spectator at a gladiatorial match.
Seeing an opening, the middle-aged man prepared to unleash another spell, but Karna seized the opportunity. Darting forward, he lunged with his dagger-like sword, aiming for the man's exposed neck.
"...!"
The blade found its mark, slicing through flesh and muscle, and the middle-aged man crumpled to the ground, his life slipping away. His eyes remained wide open, frozen in a look of shock and terror as the light faded from them.
Karna stood there, his chest heaving, the reality of what he had just done sinking in. He had taken a life - something he had never imagined himself doing. The weight of that act bore down on him, making his stomach churn and his hands tremble.
He tore his gaze away from the lifeless body, unable to bear the sight of those vacant eyes any longer. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of Shiva, perched atop the corrupted giant, watching the entire scene with a disturbing sense of amusement.
Shiva let out a satisfied chuckle. "Well, well, that was most entertaining," he mused, his gaze fixed on Karna. "I have to say, I'm impressed."
Here is the continued story:
He got up from the giant's hand and then walked forward, humming cheerfully.
"Since you killed the fatass, our favors are settled," Shiva said, covering himself in a ragged robe.
"Then, I'll be off."
But before he could do so, Karna called out, "Wait."
Shiva turned towards Karna, his eyes seeming to possess a knowing gleam.
"Please, take us with you."
---***---
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone