Ethan spat out some more blood and wiped his mouth, his black robe covered in so much red dust and pale blue blood that the black underneath wasn't visible anymore. Using Nora's offered tail as support he pushed himself to his feet and took his hat off. The long black hair on his head was messy and wet with sweat, his arms burned from using too much mana, pain stabbing into them as he tried to bind his hair into the resemblance of a pony tail, once he managed to gather most of it he froze in place, some strands still managed to escape but he didn't even notice it.

"That tough motherfucker just won't die..dammit! I'm out of resources Nora, one more spell and I fall over unconscious, nothing more than a bag of meat. Do you have any ideas? At this point I take any kind of advice so we see the next day." He looked up to her, he winched in pain, just the pathetic amount of mana they needed for a telepathic link made his mana channels burn.

Ouroboros was right, the creek his mana flowed through could be widened, Ethan noticed long ago that using more mana was becoming less of a problem the more he did it and the higher his level became. But even if his creek became a river he had channeled an ocean through his mana channels at this point.

Nora shook her massive head, hissing quietly at the Wight King, her eyes staring hatefully at the undead monster.

I don't know what we could do Ethan, using magic would just knock you out and I can't defeat him with you at my side and certainly not alone. The magic that gave me this body wanes by the minute. How long it will hold, I can't say.

"It seems we're kind of fucked, huh? I didn't expect our way to end here. In some stupid desert, filled with stupid politics. Killed by some stupid undead. Maybe this wasn't meant to be after all. Look at me just some guy that survived a suicide attempt. I'm spent Nora, the way forward seems to go up in smoke when I try to envision it."

They watched as the King reformed itself into his full skeletal glory. He took his sweet time; he must know there was nothing Ethan could do to stop him. With his undead army completely defeated due to the explosion there was nothing keeping Ethan's army occupied, he only realized that once he saw them, rushing over to Nora's position at an impressive pace.

Most of the rank and file soldiers died in the conflict and during the explosion but almost all the mages were still alive, so are Kra'kulgar and Torin, spearheading the diminished army at this point, close behind some commanders and the mages, behind them the few hundred soldiers that survived. Both generals stopped in front of him and dropped to their knees, their eyes focused on Ethan like they saw a ghost.

"My liege, you're alive…we feared the worst when Mistress Nora carried you away. What are your commands? We will follow you into the abyss if necessary, it's our duty as soldiers."

Ethan wanted to answer but what could he say to them? Run away? Flee? There was no way out, especially not with the state of the troops. He would rather go with them into the darkness of the aby-

He felt like someone just dropped a bucket of ice cold water over his head, a thought wiped away all his worries, Kra'kulgar's words showed him a way, a possible future and his death, Ethan wouldn't survive that amount of mana use. Still the words pulsed in his mind with such force.

The abyss

"Kra'kulgar you're our saviour. I need the mages, I need him, the blood mage, bring him here." Not only did his generals look shocked but all of the soldiers stared at him after such a statement. Some of the soldiers fidgeted with their weapons, a tail twitched here, a nervous finger tapped there.

"My liege…are you sure? Blood magic is nothing you should use lightly."

Ethan knew that one of the mages that accompanied him kept his distance, he was a normal mage, supported in rituals and other things like all the others. That was fine with everybody but Ethan noticed how they avoided him. He asked him one day, it was just a few sentences spoken during their travels. He would have forgotten it if not for the amount of blood on the field and his own use of blood to increase his spell power in the fight with the King.

The mage was a blood mage, while he could use mana like everyone else his real strength was in using his or the blood of others to cast powerful magic. It was a side note, easy to forget when you were focused on pulling troops together and training ice magic. After all, blood magic wasn't Ethan's discipline.

"Did I stutter? He is a mage like all the others. Listen, magic is neither good or bad, it just is and now I need a blood mage, you better listen to me. So move and bring him here!"

Kra'kulgar snapped off a quick salute and pushed his way through the commanders, past the mages towards the soldiers. Looking for the blood mage.

You need all the points you can get, use them now before it is too late for it. Nora gently whispered in his mind.

Ethan nodded and pulled up his notifications, he still hated the system for what it did to his memories but Nora was right, while he was still in the tutorial there was no way he would argue about the usefulness of the system.

[You killed multiple enemies of varying levels - You gained experience!] [You killed multiple enemies of varying levels - You gained experience!] [You killed multiple enemies of varying levels - You gained experience!] [You killed multiple enemies of varying levels - You gained experience!]

*Update* You reached Level 29! Stat points allocated! Free points received! *Update* Frostrot Revenant reached Level 28! Stat points allocated! Free points received!

Name: Ethan Delaney Race: Winter Elf, Progenitor Level: 25 -> 29 Patron: Ouroboros, the Eternal Serpent Class: Wizard of Glacial Chains Subclass : Frostrot Revenant - Level 25 -> 28 Health Points (HP): 150/500 Mana Points (MP): 465/2080 Stamina: 150/150

Stats Strength: 10 Dexterity: 15 Vitality: 42 -> 50 Wisdom: 178 -> 208 Intelligence: 178 -> 208

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Perception: 18 Willpower: 44 - > 112 Free points: 24

It felt like a lifetime ago that he looked at his screen, usually he didn't really care as long as his magic worked but he needed every advantage he could get. The screen shot all the changes that happened due to his levels up. His eyes wandered to his free points and he invested ten of them into vitality for a nice round sixty. Two of them found their place in perception, a stat he also had to work on soon, if he survived.

Four of them rounded out his wisdom and intelligence stat to a round number. The last eight points he put into his dexterity, he needed more stamina and seeing it with such a low number made him regret not investing further into it as dexterity could improve his reflexes a lot. Strength he would ignore for as long as possible, for him this stat was super useless.

Stats Strength: 10 Dexterity: 23 Vitality: 60 Wisdom: 210 Intelligence: 210 Perception: 20 Willpower: 112 Free points: 0

His growth was absurd, his subclass was broken with the amount of stat points he received from it, he wondered if everybody had such a growth during the tutorial, it felt unearned but he didn't care at this moment. There was one thing standing between him and survival and that was this stupid Wight King, an enemy that seemed impossible to defeat if you weren't prepared for it, luckily Ethan might have the right skill for it.

The help he needed for the skill was approaching him right now, a Brammgestir like most of his mages, the Crocodiarii didn't really have mages in their race after all. He walked up to Ethan, the Brammgestir was slim and at least a head shorter than his brethren. The only indicator that he was a blood mage were some tribal markings that adorned his horns and skin. Nothing unusual about that, only the fact that it was drawn in his own blood gave it away. The mage carried a coppery scent around with him at all times.

The Brammgestir knelt down and pressed his forehead into the ground, he didn't talk because he physically couldn't, his tongue was removed years ago so he sent Ethan his thoughts. He accepted the connection after shielding his emotions and thoughts off, something he learned during his time with Nora.

This one greets the commander, what can this lowly one do for you?

Ethan spoke so that everybody could hear what he had to say. "I require your help, I want to cast a powerful spell to defeat the Wight King but I'm not in the condition to use such taxing magic, my mana is empty at this point so I need another form of energy. I want you to perform a ritual with me, a blood magic ritual. The fallen have no use for it anymore, can you do it? Prepare the source of power while I supply the skill that would be cast?"

Slowly the Brammgestir lifted his head and nodded quickly, almost ferociously, he looked eager to perform such a ritual after being shunned for his practices all his life.

I require some of your blood my liege but yes, the rest should be possible. A few minutes are all that is needed, blood magic is…rather quick, we would need the deceased in a central location so the ritual circle can gather the energy more efficiently.

Ethan looked at his blood covered robe and ripped a piece off from it, surprised that he could with its enchantment that should prevent such an action but it seems the same didn't apply for the wearer, only for their enemies.

He waved the Brammgestir away and turned back to Kra'kuglar, the general waited patiently for Ethan to focus on him. "Ready the troops, they need to pull their fallen onto a pile and make haste while doing so. We need this ritual otherwise we can't win, of course if you have a better idea I'm all ears, as my general you can make suggestions."

Kra'kulgar opened his mouth a few times, his eyes wandered over to the Wight King and back to Ethan. He looked like he wanted to say something but then he turned around and left, his deep voice throwing commands to the soldiers that waited patiently.

Nora carried Ethan to the spot the mage picked out and then left them to help the soldiers move bodies towards the ritual site before her magic ran out, she was already shrinking but it was a slow progress so she worked as quickly as possible without crushing the soldiers under her impressive size.

Ethan watched the mage work, while the Brammgestir started to draw the ritual he could see blood getting drawn in from the surrounding battlefield. Each rune helps the progress further along in terms of speed. Even Ethan's slowly regenerating mana was pulled towards the ritual but he easily stopped that from happening. It seems you needed to consent to it, which the dead couldn't do anymore.

Watching the mage draw weird patterns and crude runes made him frown, while he was still a beginner in the art of ritualism he was surprised that his skill didn't recognize one of them.This magic felt sinister and evil if you could describe it like that, but Ethan knew magic wasn't good or bad, it just was so he kept watching without interrupting the blood mage.

At one point Ethan wanted to ask a question about a specific rune but before he could speak to the mage he heard it. The laugh of death echoed over the field again this time it was even stronger. It seems the Wight King finished rebuilding himself, he took some time but considering his utter destruction he was rather quick.

"Where are you little Wizard?! I'm gonna rip you apart like the worthless human pig you are, not more than meat we would serve to the lowliest ghoul. Show yourself and die with some dignity!"

"Ugh, I always hated those villain speeches…mage are we done with the ritual or do you need more time?" He never got the Brammgestir's name. "Yes my liege, we can begin whenever you're ready."

Ethan stepped into the circle and called on his connection to the ritual, his own blood connecting him to the circle to his feet. A shiver ran over his entire body as he stood there surrounded by powerful blood magic that was fueled by hundreds of bodies.

The lake of mana inside of him was basically empty, only some managed to regenerate even with his high stats and equipment. The pathetic rest of his mana flowed like molten metal through his damaged channels as it spread over the ritual.

He wanted to scream from the exhaustion and pain, as the hardship of the day came back to him in an instant. Not only did his body scream at him to stop, his emotions were agitated and cranked up to a hundred, the cold air in his mind exchanged with the boiling of his own blood and the burning of his mana channels. Still he gritted his teeth, licking over his lips and whispered.

"Time to kill this asshole."

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