Ghoul Hunting

The grimlands was filled with cries of different creatures, while a teenager was soaring in the sky on the back of a beast hunting for ghouls.

In all the realms ghouls where the most bizarre creatures as some of them had intelligence while the others only lived to eat flesh.

Most high classed demons won't choose a ghoul as their summons, reasons because ghouls are complete savage. They attack every creature they see even if it is another ghoul unless they are from one family

But Carl had lived for 500 years and found out that while ghouls where savage having it a summon was the most powerful. Once ghoul souls where absorbed they increase the hosts body strength and regenerative abilities to a frightening level, and once accustomed to the ghoul's abilities it increases the combat ability of the host.

In history there was only one devil that successfully absorbed the ghoul king and made ghouls his summons, the third King of the underworld, Kratos.

Carl knew it was time taking to search for ghouls one by one to absorb their souls so he chose the quickest and most dangerous option, to absorb the soul of the ghoul king.

Ghoul kings had authority over all ghouls in a specific region and they had the abilities of almost all the other ghoul species, they are the most intelligent of all the ghoul species combined.

The ghoul king that Carl was heading to had ruled over the grimlands for 300years and it had subdued at least 50 ghouls of all other species making this ghoul king rather unique.

After flying for more than one hundred and twenty kilometres, Carl made his death beast halt and land while he devised a plan to kill and absorb the ghoul king.

After thinking and setting some traps he created four body doubles that had fifty percent of his strength and sent them into the woods. 

"Hey teach, how confident are you on me taking on the ghoul king?" Carl suddenly asked

Erebus appeared out of thin air and sighed, "So you can even sense my presence no wonder you are confident on taking on the ghoul king".

"Well I'd say that right now you have a thirty percent chance to kill the ghoul king, that's the highest I have given anyone lad, you sure are surprisingly powerful for a youngster". Erebus continued.

In reality Erebus had the feeling that for Carl to take down the ghoul king one on one was easy, but he considered the army of ghouls that roamed the perimeters. The chances of killing the ghoul king dropped.

Moments later the Carl's double bodies came along with at least ten powerful creatures in the grimlands, all of the creatures totalled to forty-five, Carl thought for a while before sending one of the double body to attack the territory from the front while instructing the other 3 to attack from the other three ends with the creatures they captured then.

"Umm teach, I should probably head out now since the ghoul army would be busy fighting against my body doubles, its time I made my entrance". He spoke as he looked forward.

Carl turned into a bat and summoned his death beast to attack while he flew behind it unnoticed.

Seeing this scene Erebus was stunned, "What a smart kid, he would fight the ghouls with his beasts and penetrate the territory without being bothered, heading straight to the ghoul king".

"Tsk, I didn't even teach him much and yet he calls me teacher, its time I taught him some real high levelled spells and skills".

<In the ghoul territory>

Carl was flying straight for the king's cave while other ghouls were in chaos fighting the 45 creatures and his death beast.

Carl flew into the cave and saw a ghoul sitting with its hands on its chin, its red eyes glowing in the dark like an ancient beast. 

"If you want to kill me, you should probably revert to your true from at least so you could stand a chance", the creature looked at Carl who was in a bat form with disdain.

Carl was stunned, the ghoul king had even noticed that he shifted forms?

Carl landed on the ground and transformed into his human form dark hair and blue eyes wearing a dark robe. 

"Incredible, so I Tristan was challenged by a low life? It seems the creatures of the other realms have forgotten me", the ghoul spoke with an amused tone.

Boom 

After speaking the ghoul leaped out of its throne and attacked Carl, without wasting time Carl summoned his scythe and lounged forward to the ghoul as both of them got into a deadly brawl.

Carl waved his scythe as the blade glowed with scarlet light sending a wave towards the ghoul.

Tristan saw this and scoffed as he waved his hands causing a dark orb to cover him as it shielded him from the attack.

Then he swiped his claws at Carl sending blood claws over to Carl.

Carl felt his scalp tingle at the sight of the blood claw and he dodged and rolled on the ground. Getting up the ghoul king had already closed in the distance and now they were only one feet apart.

At that moment Carl's eyes glowed scarlet and his hair colour changed as he raised his hands and caught the ghoul king, then sent a kick into the ghoul king's abdomen.

Tristan rolled over and stood up his eyes were showing how shocked he was by the change of strength in Carl.

Carl then looked at Tristan with and smiled, "You really thought a puny being would be as stupid as to challenge you".

Carl's eyes glowed as he said "Devil's dream", this was a skill that Carl developed while in his soul form before birth, by using devils dream his opponent would not be able to tell reality from illusion.

As Tristan saw Carl's glowing eyes immediately he saw Carl split into hundreds and shifting into different form he wanted to attack but found out that he was chained to the ground and all he could do was struggle.

Carl then walked up to Tristan and drilled his hands into the ghoul's chest bringing out his heart then Tristan fell to the ground, while watching the ghoul's body he started muttering a spell, he used his hands to draw the twin triangle on the forehead of the ghoul.

Tristan was in a dark world when he saw a portal open, the portal then started sucking him into it, he tried to struggle with no avail.

In front of Carl a soul came out and he rubbed the blood of the ghoul all over his body and started the devouring ritual.

....

After devouring the soul, the blood of the ghoul glowed and flew up into Carl's glabella. 

"Hiss", Carl drew in a strong breath. 

Crack, his bone gave off cracking sounds

"Arrrgghhh", Carl felt his whole body shuddering in pain like he was being hit by hammers all over.

This was the most dangerous part of devouring a summon, the more powerful the summon the more pain one feels during body transformation. Most people die during this process as their body cannot handle the pain and they lose consciousness.

Carl felt his body quake in pain but he struggled to retain his consciousness, soon after he felt the pain reduce as he opened his eyes all that remained was him and the corpse of the ghoul king. 

After such relief Carl passed out

...….

Outside the cave 

The ground trembled when Carl screamed and the ghouls rushed towards the cave only to be obstructed by Carl's body doubles 

Unlike other clones, Carl's clones could work without him conscious, immediately the clones started killing all the ghouls and trapping their soul for Carl to devour after he wakes up.

<one month after>

Carl walked out of the cave only to see his clones with barrels of blood and a lamp containing hundreds of ghouls.

Smiling carl took them and drew a Hexagon on the ground and placed all the barrels of blood and took the lamp and did the ritual.

...….

A day later 

Carl and Erebus where walking in the woods as Carl was getting accustomed to his new abilities.

After devouring the hundreds of ghouls Carl would be said to have every single abilities of the ghouls and mastering them isn't going to be easy.

...….

"Carl start with the basic abilities, your heightened senses of smell, sight, hearing and all that", Erebus decided to guide Carl more seriously in terms of gaining a higher combat ability.

Carl closed his eyes to sense his surrounding, feeling the wind, listening to the sound of the creatures roaring from afar.

"At most I can hear everything at 50 kilometre range around me, now time for the other ones", Carl said excitedly.

Opening his eyes, he looked into the distance and saw that he could see at the same range clearly and after that the view becomes a little blurry.

He closes his eyes again and sniffs and leaps into a certain direction after running for half an hour he comes across a cave with strong stench of blood. 

"This place is still within your radius; congratulations lad your senses are akin to mid levelled demons. This puts you at an advantage over you peers." Erebus was a bit shocked by Carl's abilities.

"Now try and search your memories for all innate skills of the ghouls", Carl listened to Erebus and sat down closing his eyes very soon he started muttering a strange language, "Ukal menis den darkista"

While casting the spell the wails of ghosts could be heard as countless ghouls started coming out of the ground and the surrounding perimeters became darker and darker till it looked like night.

"Huff", Carl sighed as the sight around him vanished changing the scene back to the original scene with only Carl and Erebus standing.

"Hey teach, the name of that spell is called the Descent of the ghoul king it is the highest spell that a ghoul king can cast but it takes long casting time I would need to modify this skill to suite me soon".

Carl looked up into the sky after talking, "Now it is time for my one-year training to commence."

<A year later.>

In a dark alley across the town a portal opened as a young boy walked out wearing a tattered robe, his hair dishevelled, the person was Carl.

Carl walked down as he summoned his body double to head to his direction with some new set of clothes.

Minutes later Carl's double had gotten to where he was and reported every news that came up during his week of absence.

Among the news Carl's best friend Jason was called home and restricted from coming out till a month. It was all due to the political war between the vampire families. Carl didn't care about the family affairs of the vampires but Jason was his only friend so he decided to pay a visit to Jason this night.

Carl walked back to school on his own glancing at the scenery before him. Humans walked and laughed, teenagers in love held hands, for him he hadn't had such feelings.

The only feeling he had was desire to rescue his parents and care for his foster mother.

Time passed while walking and Carl got into school.

"Hey Carl", a feminine voice called to him, turning his head he saw a girl with blue eyes and blue hair walking towards him.

"Can I help you Stephanie", Carl was a bit surprised, Stephanie was a quiet girl that rarely talked to anyone, it even became worse as Jason started chasing her to be his girlfriend, she was just the quiet one.

Coming back from his thought he asked, "Hey Stephanie have you heard from Jason recently?"

"Not really, I came to meet you for the same reason thinking you had a solution." Stephanie replied.

"Well I do let's go and see him and besides, you are a vampire too so it would be easier for us to get in with your help what do you think?" Carl said.

"Alright fine by me we head meet at the Sapphire's café by 7pm?" she looked at Carl.

"7pm it is and don't forget to wear something flexible, I don't think a lady would be able to get into action on a skirt don't you think so?"

"Carl! You dumbo that was five years ago and I knew nothing about sneaking into a place, humph."

"Better be ready by seven or I'm off without you," Carl said as Stephanie turned and walked away.

"Well, Jason your little girlfriend is worried about you, I wonder what happened though." He muttered to himself.