Tides from the Deep - Blood Devourer

What had just gone down had shocked everyone present.

Talia sprinted, ignoring the carnage around her, trying to reach Takai and the brunette who had proclaimed herself his sister, the Sword Demon’s daughter.

The battle had taken a horrifying turn with the appearance of this Lilinoe.

He can’t die like this!

Fortunately, it seemed like Lilinoe wasn’t interested in Takai anymore, even though he was still breathing, albeit shallowly.

Takai’s sister, her blade still dripping with her brother’s blood, turned her cold gaze towards Lilo, of all people. The Moana family heir stood a short distance away, her face contorted with fury.

Lilo’s hands were clenched onto the hilt of White Rose, small sparks of Tempest Water crackling around them.

“You,” Lilo spat, her voice trembling with rage. “How dare you?!”

Lilinoe’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

“Oh, please. That weakling? He’s not worthy of the Sword Demon’s legacy. I was merely... pruning the family tree.”

Lilo stepped forward, her Tempest Water swirling around her.

“I’ll make you pay for that,” she growled.

The two girls squared off.

Talia watched as Lilo and Lilinoe began to circle each other.

The remaining Slashing Crusters seemed to sense the impending clash, keeping their distance from the two powerful young women.

Just as Lilo was about to launch her attack, a commanding voice cut through the air.

“Enough!”

Professor Iakopo strode onto the scene.

He moved between Lilo and Lilinoe with superhuman speed.

Before anyone could react, he grabbed Lilinoe’s wrist, twisting it behind her back and forcing her to drop her blood-stained sword.

“You’re coming with me, young lady,” Iakopo growled, producing a pair of strange-looking handcuffs from within his robes.

He snapped them onto Lilinoe’s wrists, and Talia saw the girl’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Mana-draining cuffs,” Iakopo explained to no one in particular. “They’d work on me too if anyone was foolish enough to try and put them on me.”

Lilinoe struggled against her bonds, but it was clear that her strength was rapidly fading. Whatever power those cuffs possessed, it was effectively neutralizing her abilities.

Talia noticed three Slashing Crusters running at her.

However, Professor Iakopo, clearly angry since he had let the girl hurt one of his students, slapped his hand into the air, and an immense Mana pressure pulverized the three monsters on the spot.

Talia closed the distance between her and Takai, dodging another Slashing Cruster.

However, one of Fiora’s Sunwater orbs came dangerously close to Talia, the edge of the Sunwater grazing her arm and leaving an angry red mark.

“Hey!” Talia hissed, her voice hoarse from the battle. “Watch it, Fiora! You almost hit me!”

Fiora didn’t seem to hear her; if she did, she gave no indication. She was already moving on to engage another group of Slashing Crusters.

Frustration and anger bubbled up inside Talia.

“Didn’t you hear me?” she yelled, grabbing Fiora’s shoulder. “You almost hit me with that last attack!”

Fiora whirled around, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “We’re in the middle of a battle, Talia! There’s no time for your whining!”

“Whining?” Talia’s voice rose an octave. “You could have seriously injured me!”

The two girls glared at each other, the tension crackling like Fiora’s Sunwater.

Fiora raised her hand, but Talia wasn’t sure whether to gesture in frustration or summon another attack.

But before the situation could escalate further, they were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“You idiot!” Professor Iakopo called out, pulling Talia to him and Takai with a swipe of his hand. “Enough of this nonsense. Heal him, now!”

The sight of Takai’s bloody robe snapped Talia out of her anger.

She knelt beside her fallen friend as Professor Iakopo laid him gently on the sand.

“Move quickly,” Iakopo instructed. “He’s bleeding out. But don’t consume all the monsters. You’ll need to heal others as well.”

Talia nodded.

She placed her hands on Takai’s chest, feeling for the faint flutter of his heartbeat. Then, reaching out with her senses, she located the nearest fallen Cruster and activated [Blood Siphon]. The creature’s remaining life force flowed into her. She directed this energy into Takai, willing his wounds to close and his blood to replenish.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, color began to return to Takai’s cheeks.

As she worked, Talia became aware of a presence beside her.

She glanced up to see Keanu standing there with his daggers out.

Professor Iakopo was moving between the students, helping them avoid death while keeping the Sword Demon’s daughter under one arm like a sack of potatoes.

“I’ll watch your back,” he said quietly. “Focus on healing Takai.”

Grateful for the support, Talia turned her full attention back to her healing efforts.

She could hear the sounds of battle continuing around her - the clash of weapons, the screeches of the Crusters, and the shouts of her fellow students. She lost track of how many Crusters she had drained, how many times she had to pause to catch her breath before continuing.

But finally, Takai’s eyes fluttered open.

“Talia?” he mumbled, his voice weak but undeniably alive.

Relief flooded through her.

“You’re okay,” she sighed.

Takai nodded weakly before slipping back into unconsciousness.

With Takai stabilized, Talia became aware of Iakopo’s presence once more.

The Professor directed other injured individuals towards her while holding still the girl.

“Heal them,” he commanded.

Talia nodded, already reaching out with her [Blood Siphon].

As she worked, she felt her skill growing stronger and more refined.

She was able to draw vitality from the fallen Slashing Crusters more efficiently and waste less energy in the transfer.

As she finished healing a local woman with a nasty gash across her abdomen, a series of notifications popped up in Talia’s mind.

[Blood Siphon has reached Level 6!]

[Blood Siphon has reached Level 7!]

[Blood Siphon has reached Level 8!]

[Blood Siphon has reached Level 9!]

[Blood Siphon has reached Level 10!]

[You have gained a Talent Tree Point!]

Talia blinked in surprise.

For every 10 Skill levels, one would gain a Talent Tree Point.

She hadn’t realized her skill had advanced so much during this battle.

But there was no time to dwell on it now. There were still more people who needed her help.

By the time the last person had been tended to, the sun had almost fully set, leaving the beach bathed in an eerie crepuscular glow.

As Talia struggled to her feet, her legs shaky with exhaustion, she became aware of a change in the atmosphere.

The sounds of battle had ceased.

The surviving Slashing Crusters had retreated, leaving behind a beach littered with their fallen, most of which she had consumed to heal all the people Professor Iakopo had ferried to her.

When she turned to see the man still by her side, standing vigil over her healing, she saw a brief flash of approval pass in his eyes before he addressed the rest of the crowd.

“Gather up, everyone! We’re moving into the city!”

He’s waited this long in order to give us battle experience, Talia thought of Professor Iakopo, impressed.

It wasn’t just for everyone to put lives at risk, draw a battle this long, and still somehow make it all work to train some students. The man might have been a madman, but there was a method to his madness.

Soon, Talia fell into line with the other students.

She saw Lilo and Nami eyeing Professor Iakopo’s prison, Fiora walking alone with a distant look in her eyes, and Keanu helping to carry some of the exhausted, still partially injured locals.

Takai was being carried on a makeshift stretcher, still unconscious but looking much better than he had earlier.

As they began their march towards Placid City, Talia got her first good look at their surroundings.

The beach gave way to scrubby grassland dotted here and there with stunted trees. In the distance, she could make out the silhouettes of buildings against the pink sky.

Their procession was a strange sight - battered and bloodied students and locals. At the front walked Professor Iakopo, his hand firmly gripping Lilinoe’s arm and having used some spell to keep her mouth shut. Talia walked right behind the man.

The captured girl stumbled along wearily, the mana-draining cuffs clearly taking their toll. As they entered the outskirts of Placid City, Talia felt a sense of unease settle over her.

The buildings here were in various states of disrepair - windows boarded up, paint peeling, some structures little more than empty shells.

The streets were eerily quiet, with no sign of the bustle one would expect in a city of this size.

“It’s like a ghost town,” she heard someone mutter behind her.

Their procession came to a halt in front of what appeared to be a shop. The faded sign above the door read “Lana’s General Store.”

Professor Iakopo stepped forward, exchanging quiet words with the woman manning the counter - presumably Lana herself.

Talia strained to hear their conversation but could only catch snippets.

“...grateful for your help...”

“...situation worse than we thought...”

“...maybe we need to contact the Academy...”

“It’s going to be fine,” Professor Iakopo said with a sigh before resuming their procession without explaining himself to anyone.

Weird, Talia thought. What is up with him?

Before she could hear more, their group was moving again.

As they rounded a corner onto what seemed to be the main street, Talia saw a portly man hurrying towards them.

Despite his unkempt appearance - his clothes were rumpled, and his graying hair stuck out at odd angles - he carried himself with an air of authority.

“Professor Iakopo!” the man called out, slightly out of breath. “Thank the Deep you’re here. We can’t express our gratitude enough.”

Iakopo nodded gravely.

“Mayor Boro, we detoured as soon as we received your distress signal. Casualties have not been assessed yet. You might want to take care of that yourself.”

The mayor, Boro, clasped Iakopo’s free hand in both of his.

“You’re our hero, Professor. A hero to all of Placid City. Without you and your students...”

He trailed off, his eyes filling with tears.

Iakopo awkwardly patted the man’s shoulder.

As Talia watched this exchange, her confusion only grew.

Why had they really come to this island? What was the true purpose of this “field trip?” And why did everyone seem to know Professor Iakopo here?

She glanced around at her fellow students, seeing her bewilderment mirrored on many of their faces. Clearly, much more was going on here than a simple training exercise.

As they continued through the city, Talia felt a strange sensation wash over her.

It was as if something inside her had shifted and expanded.

She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and reaching inward with her senses.

She saw the same notification she had seen during the battle once again.

[Your Primary Mana Channel has reached Level 1!]

Something had indeed changed inside of her even though she couldn’t access her Hydromancy.

Indeed, she had finally reached Level 1, but despite the advancement, she still couldn’t feel anything from her Primary Mana Channel.

It was as if it was there, but just out of reach, like trying to grasp smoke with her bare hands.

Talia shook her head, pushing the frustration aside.

At least, she would be able to level up to Level 10 more easily.

Every Level of a Primary Mana Channel dictated how easily one could reach the next tenth Level.

Someone with a Level 2 Primary Mana Channel would find it impossible to surpass the early twenties levels.

But now, she had more immediate concerns to focus on.

As they walked, she thought about the fallen Slashing Crusters that still littered the beach, very few of which she had absorbed.

She had to use most of the carcasses to heal the fighters, students, and guards.

But she had still had quite the day for herself.

More notifications, in fact, awaited her.

[Lifestealer reaches Level 6!]

[You gain two Free Attributes!]

[Crimson Wisdom reaches Level 5!]

[Crimson Wisdom reaches Level 6!]

[Eyes of the Abyss reaches Level 5!]

[Eyes of the Abyss reaches Level 6!]

[Hemomancy reaches Level 7!]

[Hemomancy reaches Level 8!]

Still, she had managed to absorb a few Slashing Crusters for herself and the result had been quite amazing.

[You have absorbed the Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+0.5 to your Primary Mana Channel (1.82/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.2 to your Agility (1/1 to 1 Agility)]

[You gave gained 1 Agility]

[You have absorbed the Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+0.6 to your Primary Mana Channel (2.42/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.5 to your Agility (0.5/2 to 1 Agility)]

[You have absorbed the Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+0.7 to your Primary Mana Channel (3.12/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.3 to your Agility (0.8/2 to 1 Agility)]

[You have absorbed the Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+0.8 to your Primary Mana Channel (3.92/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.4 to your Agility (1.2/2 to 1 Agility)]

[You have absorbed the Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+0.9 to your Primary Mana Channel (4.82/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.5 to your Agility (1.7/2 to 1 Agility)]

[You have absorbed the Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+1.0 to your Primary Mana Channel (5.82/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.3 to your Agility (2/2 to 1 Agility)]

[You gave gained 1 Agility]

[You have absorbed the Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+1.1 to your Primary Mana Channel (6.92/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.5 to your Agility (0.5/3 to 1 Agility)]

[You have absorbed the Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+0.4 to your Primary Mana Channel (7.32/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.5 to your Agility (1/3 to 1 Agility)]

A thought occurred to her, making her fingers twitch with anticipation.

I could use more of that Agility from the Slashing Crusters.

The boost to her speed and reflexes had been noticeable, and she knew it could be crucial in future battles, especially after witnessing Lilo’s speed.

However, she was soon distracted by noticing something odd about Professor Iakopo’s behavior.

The usually stern and composed teacher seemed... distracted.

As they passed, his eyes darted from building to building, and there was a tension in his shoulders that hadn’t been there before.