The Slayer Ascension: Cursed and Blessed.-Chapter 47: False Hope

Chapter 47

"Do not worry, friend. I will put you out of your misery."

The stranger said it calmly as he unsheathed his blade. In the same breath, he brought it down in a brutal, straight thrust aimed right at Gazel’s chest.

Pure instinct kicked in.

Gazel’s hand shot forward and caught the blade midair.

Metal screamed.

The stranger raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

"Wow," he said lightly. "Do you want to die or what?"

Gazel looked up at him, unimpressed.

"Didn’t you just say you wanted to kill me?"

The young man shook his head.

"If you don’t let me do what I want," he said, smiling, "you’ll be dead in a few seconds anyway."

Gazel’s brow tightened.

Inside his body, the rat moved.

Deeper.

It scraped against muscle, burrowed harder, pushing toward bone. Toward his heart. The pain made his vision blur.

His grip loosened.

Just a little.

That was enough.

The stranger twisted his wrist, broke free, and plunged the short blade straight into Gazel’s chest.

Gazel screamed.

The blade came out soaked in blood.

And with it came the rat.

The thing was half exposed now, writhing, its body slick and red. The stranger flicked it aside without a second thought. The rat hit the ground and tried to scurry away.

The young man smiled and raised a finger.

Fire gathered instantly.

He pointed down.

The flame crashed into the rat, burning it to ash in a heartbeat.

"Done," he said cheerfully.

Turning back, he straightened up, clearly ready to deliver some heroic speech. Something about saving lives. About gratitude.

That was when his eyes widened.

A fist was already flying at his face.

Bam. Bang.

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Minutes later, Gazel sat by a small fire, taking slow gulps of water. His breathing finally evened out. The pain faded to a dull throb.

He lowered the bottle and spoke casually.

"Do you want some?"

The other guy stood nearby, dressed entirely in red. Red clothes. Red hair. Even his eyes were black with a faint crimson tint. He would have looked impressive if not for one problem.

One of his eyes was swollen shut.

"Do you want some?" Gazel asked again, not even looking at him.

The red haired youth snorted.

"Keep your stupid kindness," he said. "I don’t need it."

"Okay."

Gazel drank a little more, then set the bottle aside. He finally turned to face him, calm and composed, like he was about to ask something important.

The red haired youth stiffened.

"Do you have food?" Gazel asked seriously. "I’m starving."

The young man nearly tripped over his own feet.

Why did I save this lunatic?

Still, he tossed him a couple of buns and took one himself.

They stood by the fire, chewing in silence.

After a while, the red haired guy spoke first.

"I’ll let bygones be bygones," he said proudly. "Heroes always forgive and forget."

Gazel looked at him with a blank expression.

"Really?" he said. "You think I’m the one who offended you?"

He pointed lazily at the blade on the man’s side.

"If you hadn’t stabbed me, I wouldn’t have hit you."

The red haired man snorted.

"You call saving you a crime?" he snapped.

"If I had known, I would have just let the demon rat spread and end you right there and then," he said.

Gazel’s ear twitched.

Demon rat.

That word stuck.

It was just like that strange woman back in Rasna. She did not radiate malice, yet there was no doubt she was a demon. This felt the same. The rat had no demonic aura, no hatred, no hunger. It felt planned. Like a tool.

"What is it about that rat?" Gazel asked.

The red haired boy stared at him like he had just grown a second head.

"You are seriously asking me about demon rats now?"

Gazel nodded.

The young man burst out, "Tell me, are you seriously from some kind of bush?"

Gazel just looked at him.

The Trystan manor in Deodor City was surrounded by forests, sure, but that did not give this red idiot the right to call him a bush boy. How did he even know that in the first place?

The stranger shook his head and stood up.

"You probably do not know this because you are new to this part of the world. You do not come from any Shural clan, do you?"

Gazel shook his head.

That confirmed it. This guy was a Shural. The sense of justice. The strange fire ability. The way he acted like the world needed saving. All of it screamed Shural.

"Too bad I am not a Shural yet," the young man suddenly said, snapping Gazel out of his thoughts.

His voice rose like he wanted the whole forest to hear him.

"If I were a Shural, leaving this forest and reaching the Bulwark would not be difficult."

Gazel raised an eyebrow.

"Oh right. I forgot to introduce myself." The red haired boy straightened. "I go by the name Blaze Ochang."

Confident. Too confident.

Gazel nodded. "Gazel. Gazel Trystan."

Blaze’s eyes flickered.

In his mind, Blaze scoffed. Where did this rookie crawl out from? He did not even react to the name Ochang. Did he really not know the weight behind it? Blaze shook his head inwardly. He would not tell him. Let him find out later and choke on the surprise.

Meanwhile, Gazel had his own thoughts.

This brat reeks of money and backing. Clan born. Ochang. What a lame name. Still, he seemed familiar with Shurals. Maybe he could help him reach the Bulwark. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Forcing a smile that did not reach his eyes, Gazel asked, "You have a way out of this forest, right? A way to reach the Bulwark?"

Blaze nodded confidently.

"Yes. I have a map."

Relief washed through Gazel.

"Had," Blaze added. "I lost it while dealing with some bandits. So it is gone."

Gazel’s face darkened.

This bitch.

Why did he pause like that? Why not just say it in one breath? Was he doing it on purpose?

Before Gazel could explode, Blaze spoke again.

"But fortunately, my clan is well off. We have Shural badges. They can point us toward the Bulwark without much stress."

Gazel smiled.

At least he was not a complete disappointment, he thought.

The next moment, Blaze shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I am not a Shural yet, so I do not have access to the badge."

Gazel’s smile stiffened.

His eyes slowly turned bloodshot, like he genuinely wanted to murder someone.

Why the hell does this bastard pause before finishing his sentences?

Just say it. Say everything at once.

Blaze sighed and glanced at his ring.

"Good thing I have a spatial ring. There should be an extra map inside after all."

Gazel waited.

One second passed.

Two.

Nothing else came.

Blaze just stood there, looking relieved.

Gazel slowly sat down. Feeling relieved as well.

Then Blaze spoke again, scratching his head.

"Unfortunately, I am not strong enough to access the spatial ring yet. So we are both lost."

Crack.

The sound was sharp.

Blaze turned to his left.

Standing there was the white haired guy who had introduced himself as Gazel. He was cracking his knuckles and neck, each movement loud, deliberate, dangerous.

Hey.

That look.

"Hey dude, what are you doing?" Blaze asked, forcing a smile.

Gazel rolled his neck one last time.

"I really do not want to fight today," he said.

He paused, letting the words sink in.

Then he continued, his voice calm, almost gentle.

"But unfortunately, you really deserve and need a beating."

Blaze’s smile froze.

TO BE CONTINUED.