Chunxia tried to keep the shattered pieces of the crystal in her hand, but they dissolved mysteriously into thin air.
'What was that?'
.....
[Name: Lu Chunxia]
[Level: 3]
[Strength: 8]
[Speed: 8]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Endurance: 5]
[Stat Points: 5]
[Mana Pool: 80/80]
[Skills: Inspect Lv 4, Sanguis Arc Lv 1]
.....
'A new skill!' Lu Chunxia was tempted to try it out this instant. As another Corpse Hound leapt at one of the volunteers, she buried the hatchet into it's skinless shoulder, making it yelp.
[Sanguis Arc]
Nothing happened.
'What the-'
Chunxia looked at the Hound. The Hound looked back, unimpressed, before it bit deeply into her left arm.
"AKH-" Chunxia bit off her own scream before pulling the hatchet out of the Hound's shoulder, deepening the wound on her forearm before the Hound let go.
There was an unknown pitch black liquid leaking out of her wound along with her own blood, coating the hatchet's edge as it dribbled down her arm.
Her grip tightened on the hatchet painfully, as red hot signals of agony pulsed from the bite wound.
[Inspect Lv 4 -> Inspect Lv 5]
'Not the time!' She shouted to herself as the Hound growled at her, before pouncing at her again, aiming for her throat.
When experiencing fear, there are four basic responses.
Just as Lu Zhang chose to fight due to rage and excitement, Lu Chunxia's response was similar yet different.
[Sanguis Arc]
The blood seeping from the bite in her forearm sped up, escaping the confines of her body, mixed with the black venom the Hound had injected into her.
As she swung the hatchet, a line of the spilled blood solidified midair, cleaving the Hound from head to tail before it continued flying, severing another Hound's leg.
A large section of the hospital's wall had been gouged out by the strike, looking like a beast's claw had marred it.
'I... I did that?!'
Chunxia couldn't believe it at first, but the biting pain in her forearm assured her this was reality.
The amputated Hound let out a pained whimper, black venom bubbling out of it's maw as it stared at her hungrily.
[Sanguis Arc]
It was forever silenced as another massive gash opened up in the wall, tearing it down entirely to reveal two more Corpse Hounds.
Before either of the Hounds managed to move, Chunxia leapt forward with another Sanguis Arc formed of her own blood. Both Hounds died in an instant.
'I can! I can finally kill them!'
A deranged smile found its way to her lips as she hacked into the corpse of one of the Corpse Hounds with the hatchet. After suffering powerlessly against creatures like this, the thought that she could finally fight back was intoxicating.
Or perhaps, the lust for blood was.
'It doesn't matter.'
[Corpse Hound Lv 4 killed!]
[Corpse Hound Lv 3 killed!]
[Corpse Hound Lv 3 killed!]
[Level Up!]
.....
[Name: Lu Chunxia]
[Level: 4]
[Strength: 11]
[Speed: 9]
[Intelligence: 9]
[Endurance: 8]
[Stat Points: 10]
[Mana Pool: 10/90 ->90/90]
[Skills: Inspect Lv 5, Sanguis Arc Lv 1]
.....
As she continued hacking into the corpse, she suddenly felt a hand grip her shoulder. She spun around, almost sinking her hatchet into Miranda's neck.
"Chloe! Snap out of it."
The seemingly absent woman's eyes were sharp and focused for once as she roused Chunxia from her battle induced frenzy.
"Miranda? I-" Chunxia tried to say something, but Miranda cut her off.
"Later hun. We need to get out of here for now."
Miranda grabbed Chunxia and began running after the group, which had begun moving to the exit while she was busy fighting Corpse Hounds. A cold sweat broke out on Chunxia's forehead as she looked back, extinguishing the heat that had grown during the fight.
Dozens upon dozens of Corpse Hounds were emerging from the darkeend depths of the hospital, as well as sounds that didn't quite match the Hounds.
Chunxia did not want to stick around and find out what it was. She took off with Miranda, quickly reversing their positions as she practically dragged the taller woman to the exit.
They shattered the glass wall's as they ran outside, quickly reaching the trucks that were ready and raring to go.
As they sped away, Chunxia looked back into the unnatural darkness of the hospital, seeing bright red eyes that seemed to pierce through her.
In the depths of those burning crimson eyes was a sense of... familiarity?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first truck was separated into two parts by a screen made of thick cloth and blankets. On one side, more refugees were huddled together. On the smaller side, only two people were present.
"Is that so?" Adam listened to Miranda's detailed account of the incident in the hospital. The truck rumbled as it moved, drowning out their voices beyond a point.
"Is Miss Chloe(Chunxia), alright now?" Adam asked calmly.
"Yes. Completely uninjured," Miranda affirmed.
"And the others are scared of her." Adam seemed both disappointed, and completely at ease.
"Yes, Leader. Those who saw her cut down the Hounds seem to be spreading unwelcome rumours. Should I put an end to it?" Miranda asked diligently.
"We absolutely cannot let an atmosphere of such negativity and seclusion form within our community." Adam made his stance clear, yet did not answer Miranda's question directly.
The message was simple- 'Don't make any moves unless ordered.'
Adam looked out of the window at the smoke rising into the sky while the city burned.
'To have gained such a miraculous skill, is it truly random chance? I'll have to ask her how she did it once we make the next stop.'
He rested his head on one hand as he thought about what they lacked in the short and long term.
'While I managed to save these many people at the start, I still lack the ability to kill these monsters on my own.'
'I need... an enforcer with overwhelming combat ability.'
'A hunter of my own.'
'Someone who will kill whatever I tell them to, without hesitation.'
'My apologies in advance, Miss Chunxia.'
'But I too, want to survive this hell.'
.
.
.
'Even if it means sacrificing you.'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Name: Lu Chunxia]
[Level: 4]
[Strength: 11 ->15]
[Speed: 9 ->10]
[Intelligence: 9 ->10]
[Endurance: 8 ->12]
[Stat Points: 10 ->0]
[Mana Pool: 100/100]
[Skills: Inspect Lv 5, Sanguis Arc Lv 1]
[New Function discovered!]
[Levelling up replenishes your mana, and provides a temporary restorative effect!]