Jack had no time to think about what was happening. There were still eight nobles alive. Eight threats. He knelt and touched the [Chronos Sphere] spell scroll. “[Chronos Sphere],” he whispered.

  The white rune beneath Kendrel’s corpse and the paint line leading towards Cain, crackled before burning to nothing in a puff of smoke.

  Time slowed as he ran towards Cain. “By the Gods!” Jack paused at what he saw.

  All of Cain’s scars were gone, and his right arm was regenerating in real time. He could see the bone, blood vessels, and muscles form as the forearm and hand reformed.

  Jack pulled himself together and sliced through the rope binding Cain’s left arm.

  Time returned to normal as Cain’s eyes flared in shock as his right arm finished growing. As the fingernails regrew and the dark hairs on the back of his hand appeared, he clenched his new right hand.

  Jack handed him the sword. “We have to kill them all,” he whispered. “We have seconds before they wake.” He could see some of the nobles beginning to come around, and the rune formation was faltering.

  Cain felt the familiar feel of a sword in his right hand and smiled. Still gagged, he nodded once and hacked through the ropes on his legs.

  Jack didn’t wait, drawing his dagger, he ran at another noble and stabbed him in the throat as his eyes opened wide. His palm burned again, and the surge in power was like the first two blood mage kills. It’s the dagger. It has to be. He realised the only difference between killing Kendrel and the others was the dagger.

  While he ripped his dagger free, another pseudo skill formed. Holding the blade felt right, like it was a part of him. Blood sprayed across the nearest ritual rune, causing it to glow red, absorbing the blood.

  Seven.

  He snatched a bloody [Chronos Sphere] scroll from beside the corpse, activated it, and rushed to the next rune. He slit the girl’s throat before her hands could rise in slow motion. More power, more burning of his palm, and another pseudo skill.

  Six.

  Cain had freed himself; he moved behind Jack in slow motion. All his injuries were healed. He ran towards a noble and swung hard. The blade met collarbone before slicing deep into the teen’s chest and lungs.

  Jack witnessed it all in slow motion as he threw smoke bombs at two nobles on the opposite side of the chamber. This slowed time is both useful and weird.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Time returned to normal for Jack, the chanting stopped, and the trance shattered.

  As the blood ritual spluttered to a halt, the five remaining nobles’ eyes snapped open. Two were engulfed in smoke from Jack’s smoke bombs. Panic erupted in the chamber, and three nobles ran for the exit.

  Jack stabbed one in the back and threw blinding powder at Fenton. The blinded noble screamed as he ran into a wall with a thud and fell.

  Jack felt his palm burn and the power surge as he finished off a noble with blonde hair by slitting their throat from behind. Another kill and pseudo skill.

  Cain killed a young woman as she begged for her life while rubbing smoke from her eyes. She died with a sword to the gut. He kicked her off his sword while removing the gag from his mouth.

  A young woman nocked an arrow, drew back her bow, and aimed at Jack’s chest. Her arms trembled from fear.

  Jack spun, his left hand already touching the scrolls in his breast pocket. “[Frost Breath],” he said. The scroll disintegrated in his pocket while a freezing plume of air engulfed the young archer. She screamed as she loosed her arrow in a panic. A blue protective shield had formed around her, protecting her from the cold air.

  “Fuuck!” Jack screamed in pain as the arrow scraped across his cheek and tore his left ear to shreds. Blood ran down his face and neck.

  A moment later, the archer’s protective shield spluttered out as one of her enchanted coat buttons disintegrated. About half the freezing plume of air still covered her. She fell to the ground with frostbite, but she was still alive. “M-mercy,” she begged. “P-lease. My f-father will p-pay y-you.”

  Another noble with wild eyes and an even wilder sword swing charged at Jack. He ducked under the sword and stabbed his dagger into the teenager’s ribs before twisting the blade; he felt it scrape against bone. His right palm flared, the heat burned, but it didn’t make him stop.

  The boy with the nervous legs groaned, his eyes widened in pain and shock as his sword clattered to the ground. Jack felt no emotions as Cain beheaded the boy in a flurry of blood. He felt the power surge as his damaged cheek and ear itched. The feeling was intoxicating. Another pseudo skill formed.

  Smoke and the iron-rich smell of blood filled the chamber. There was a hint of urine in the air where more than one young noble had pissed themselves.

  Cain grunted; blood was running down his left arm from a minor wound.

  Weak groans from the frost-bitten archer drew Jack’s attention. He killed the groaning noble with a dagger strike through the heart. More power… another skill. He had no room for remorse; he felt intoxicated with power. All dead.

  The room fell to silence as Jack staggered back to the centre. Adrenaline and the power surges were still taking their toll.

  Cain’s chest heaved, and his sword dripped with blood. The giant adventurer was smiling as he looked at his regrown hand.

  Eleven nobles… dead. It actually worked. Jack breathed a sigh of relief and placed his hand on Cain’s shoulder. “You good?”

  Cain nodded. “You?”

  Jack touched his ear; it was a bloody mess, but he felt no pain. “My ear. My ear is…”

  “It doesn’t look too bad. I’ve had worse… but it grew back.” Cain chuckled.

  “No. My ear is fine.” Jack wiped away the blood. “It healed! Look.”

  Cain leaned in and laughed.

  They both laughed. Jack’s laugh had an edge of nervousness to it. My ear and cheek healed. Is that a blood mage thing? My hand as well. He hadn’t noticed at first, but the dagger cut he’d given to his left hand to avoid the ritual trance had also healed. There wasn’t even a scar.