3rd Rune of Torment: Rune of the Tormented Soul

*Note: This is told through the eyes of a narrator as someone watching the events unfold and not through the eyes of Drecq himself.

He had decided a while back to change hunting and training grounds and now the new monsters he faced were more powerful than he had encountered before and while this to him wasn't a bad thing it did make him push himself more and more almost to his own breaking point. The enemies were more aggressive and more cunning than the ones in the Blow Hole. 

His newly fashioned and customed armor shined brightly against the paleness of the surrounding darkness even though it was black and crimson. His sword glowed with the same red hue that his Demonic Power Bracelet and his eye began to shine brighter and brighter feeding his intensity.

He stood there a moment thinking of if he should use one of the first two runes that he had all bust mastered but then it came to him that if he was to master the first two runes he would have to feel the weight of the third rune. So he drew from his belt a hunting dart and proceeded to cut his hand drawing blood he poured it upon the ground and citied the incantation of the third rune. 

The blood swirled around upon the ground drawing out a circle with a large rune in the center and suddenly it burst into a crimson flame consuming his shape as it then remained as a ghostly crimson flame upon his armor. 

"Third Rune of Torment, Rune of the Tormented Soul," he suddenly kneeled to the ground feeling an unimaginable weight upon him then suddenly from within a searing sensation like a flame consuming him from within. It felt as if his soul was being burned and for every second he stood there it was being replaced with anger and rage until he could no longer feel the weight upon his shoulders.

Just then one of the monsters made its move and came towards him striking him upon the shoulder plate and just as it did so he raised arm and grabbing the monster by its face he squeezed until the head of the monster exploded causing its lifeless body to slump in front of him. 

Another monster made its move and was able to cause a wound to his right side. But even as the cut went deep into Drecq's flesh he did not show any pain instead he simply stood and taking his sword he quickly made a side cut, cutting the monster clean in half. 

There was no emotion left on Drecq's face, he showed nothing an empty shell with nothing left to show except his eye that burned brightly with a crimson flame that engulfed his once emerald green eye. 

Each monster that came near him he would quickly without hesitation swing his blade or simply step to the side with an inhuman speed then bring his sword down upon the monster without a show of remorse. If he took a hit he would simply grab the monster and break its limb followed by a powerful deadly slash from his sword.

Finally, there was only a handful of the monsters left and Drecq took a charged stance and without warning with speed unlike that of a normal man he charged thrusting the blade of his sword forward and moving quickly he impaled all 5 of the monsters upon his blade and reaching forward he placed his hand upon the first monster and uttered, "May the flames of my hate consume you." with that flames erupted upon each monster as he stood there watching them burn both his eyes glowed a bright crimson red before finally fading and the flames had consumed all of the monsters.

His armor turned back to normal and he collapsed to his knees his helm falling to the ground as he kneeled there simply looking up into the sky feeling his soul slowly return to normal. 

"I just lost a piece of my humanity...how many do I have left?"

The 2nd Rune of Torment

*this is an account of the actions as seen by a 3rd party witnessing it and is not written in the view from Drecq's personal view.*

He was facing more spirits and monsters than he had in the past it seemed that the cave was teaming with the likes of soul-less spirits and monsters that used the cave as a place to rest. His sword had fell several enemies already and he was growing slightly tired from swinging his sword and shield so much. Despite that he knew he couldn't give up here or he may not make it out of the cave alive and he really didn't want to be resurrected by the Gods and Goddess again at the Monument.


"I guess I can try the second of the Runes...though I question its toll on me considering the last one." He spoke to himself as another monster approached quickly and took a swing at him and he was able to block it with his shield and then swing his sword upwards catching the monster off guard and able to slice it from the ribs ups its shoulder before it slumped over dead.


He quickly slammed his sword into the ground and drew his hunting dart and stabbing his palm he let the blood trickle to the ground before reciting a small incantation and watching the blood wind around him forming a summoning circle and a new rune appears upon his armor and begins to glow. His eye glows red as fire and a small flame bursts forth and then red energy shines through where his lost eye is.


His armor glows crimson red and suddenly he finishes the incantation with, "Second Rune of Torment, Torment of the Mind's Eye."


In a matter of moments, his body convulses and he lets out a hellish beastly roar as images fill his mind with untold horrors and they play like him seeing events in real life causing his mind to into a frenzy. He sees images of his past, those he admired, those he loved, those that he watched both close and afar and the horrible deeds that could befall them at any time. The things he saw he could never bring himself to mention and he could barely comprehend what was going on.


Within moments he gripped the sword hilt and begun his assault of the monsters and spirits around him as he unleashed a fury greater than that of what was done with the first Rune. His mind filled with image after image and it filled him with rage and desperation. His body moved like fluid through the air as he found himself using his sword, shield and bare hands as a weapon. He even found himself headbutting a monster so hard it cracked the monster's skull.


His rage took over and in a moment he lost all thoughts all sense of self and in an instant, it felt like he had seen a light and then all things fell silent and then he came to. He stood in the center of the cave and there around him was the fallen monsters.


He was so exhausted he simply collapsed there where he stood using his sword to hold himself up he could barely breathe his lungs burned and his heart raced, his ears rang and his body ached.


"If this is the power of the first two Runes...there is no telling what the third rune will do...that said...I can begin to see why the last rune the Fourth is not one to be taken lightly."

Using the firs Rune of Torment

*this is an account of the actions as seen by a 3rd party witnessing it and is not written in the view from Drecq's personal view.*

Standing there he was already worn down from his training session he had put himself through but he wasn't done yet he needed to keep pushing himself harder and harder, faster and faster, to become as strong as he could as fast as he could. He could feel the eyes of his enemies upon him from multiple directions. He slowed his breathing and held his sword in front of him closing his eye he could tell there were at least 5 of these monsters left. The darkness hadn't dulled his senses luckily. If anything the time in the darkness had increased the ability of his senses a bit.

He relaxed his muscles and slowly breathed out as he thought for a moment, lost in his thoughts for just a split second he heard a faint whisper within his mind, "use it...do not be afraid of the power that belongs to you...release your rage..." the voice was low and dark...if sound had color.

The monsters he was facing had started to move slightly towards him and he decided it was time to see if he could use this new power after all. He had been training and while he might be able to use the first of his powers that were as far as he was willing to go. Even then there was a small nagging voice in his mind that said he didn't want to go down that path but he had no choice now.

He drew his sword in front of him taking his stance and then slowly recited the incantation under his breath as the monsters started to move towards him again. As he chanted a rune took shape under him in a red glow that lit the dimly lit cave up slightly. The monsters stopped in their tracks the light being something they were not used to. He could feel power swelling around him and his eye it's normal green soon changed to an intense crimson red with a faint yet powerful glow residing in it.

Reaching the end of his incantation he recited the final part of the phrase, "Bloodlust, consume me, Torment of the Temple." as he stated this the run that shown upon the ground like a ring of red flared up with flames of energy that lept upon him causing his armor to take a crimson flame glow before the flame disappeared and his armor had a red tint upon it. He let out a thunderous cry like a monster preparing for war. The other monsters stood still, not moving an inch as they watched him.

From under his faceplate and vizor, all that could be seen was blackness except for his eye which held an enchanted crimson flame that burned bright through his visor. He growled like a savage as blood began to pour from the spaces between his armor and drenched his armor and clothes. Within a moment he charged headlong straight at two of the monsters slamming one with his gauntlet it was staggered. The second he brought his sword straight up and removed enough of it that it simply slumped down and fell to the ground.

The second monster was then beheaded quickly as he cried out in both Bloodlust and pain. The third monster charged him but he quickly stepped to the side bring his sword in a low sweep he removed both legs of the monster and catching its head in his hand he squeezed crushing its skull in his hand and slung it to the side. He simply smiled breathing heavily as he moved quickly to the remaining two monsters.

"Come on...if you can't put up a fight you will die by my hand!" he yelled as he approached the other two monsters. The first one caught him off guard and brought its claws across his backplate and finding one of the spots where the armor didn't reach it tore into his clothes. But he didn't slow down or even notice it as he ran his sword through the monster and pushed it back against the wall of the cave only to then remove his blade then remove its head.

The last monster charged at him, he spun and screamed right at the monster which at the last minute decided better of it and started to turn to run. However, Drecq was not going to allow that...he reached out grabbing his hunting dart and slinging it he slammed the beast in the leg then releasing another 3 darts he pinned its limbs to a cave rock.

"I don't think so...you will die." Drecq walks over to the monster dragging his sword behind him as his body is reaching its limit from the rune of Torment and blood loss. He reaches up and grabs the monster's throat and with his power, he looks down at the monster and smiles like a madman at it as he simple clutches his fingers and snaps the monsters' neck in an instant.

Soon as he was done the red glow upon his armor faded and his eye went back to normal. He staggered over to a small freshwater source in the cave and slumps next to it as his eyes begin to close. "Damn...I need to get stronger...I gotta push myself harder..." he fades out falling asleep.