After The Cause, Awkward After Pause

The punishment has been sent to the perpetrator. Even though the parasite that hosts the ape's body has managed to run away, you're heavily relieved after venting it all on the poor calamity.

"My, what a situation."

You cannot help but sigh, the contamination of the red night. The eradication of the overflowing frustration, but no more. You draw a circle using blood on top of the dead carcass then drive yourself around the bend, trying to familiarize the control of your whole body movement as you waft using the manipulated blood, considering that your muscles seem bloody dead. The Chrolings meticulously tries to heal the delicate part of your body.

Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is the paralysis of the body from at least the shoulders down. The paralysis is a result of damage to the spinal cord which prevents messages from the brain from being sent to the rest of the body. As in this case, extreme muscles' stress from the intense fight.

In the desperate attempt after the surging dopamine, you're currently in great pain.

"This is awkward."

Your face is stiff, you want to cry but can't, let alone smiling. The feeling of movement, you sit on top of the dead ape and swing your legs up and down in distress to keep yourself reminded that you're not dead.

This will be a good time to be alone and contemplate everything that has happened.

"I'm Magan, codenamed Arthurion. Senior, please excuse my rudeness for me to ask—" A lion person donning sleek golden armor with a large shield on his back, kneeling and bowing his head to you. "Is it by any chance that it was actually the senior who killed the corrupted Suolija?"

'I see, so the ape Calamity is named Suolija'.

Next to the right of Arthurion is a gritty scaled lizard man, also kneeling and bowing despite the life-threatening wound and one of his arms barely connecting to the shoulder. The most human-like looking person next to the left of the lion might be the most confusing of them all, with a full protective gas mask and a large machinery on his back, he stood in laidback manners while scratching his arm.

'Why now out of all time!?' is what you're ranting inaudibly.

"What if I say yes?" Your face frowns heavily pale from trying to stay conscious, bearing the pain of the fighting aftermath. Somehow you accidentally act rude and fierce, what if they'll see it as an act of aggression!? You're at the bottom of your mental performance, this will definitely not end well.

Arthurion reply, "We will not doubt your words, Senior."

Irritated by the stress and pain, your face goes pale as you stare unkindly at the foreigners. "Ah, so you're going to take my hard earned loot?" Is what you say, hoping that it will be over quickly as it ends up becoming more provocative than the other side of speech.

You died a little bit inside, 'Ah shit, I'm dead!!'

"Certainly not! Senior! In the matter of fact, we're really grateful to you for avenging our fallen brothers and sisters from the menace you're currently sat upon."

You manage to get away with it.

It seems like all of the fresh blood on this forsaken glade came from Arthurion's friend. It seems like he holds a great respect for you. Then again, the majority of blood you manipulate is from his very comrades. If you think about it again, using the dead as your own gain is very disrespectful, especially in front of someone who knows them.

Cautious, all you do is stare as you're trying to fabricate the next sentence you're going to say, but the sudden movement from the guy with a gas mask startles you heavily as your face becomes pale—and probably provocative.

"How did you kill Suolija?" Asks the man with a chemical concocter on his back.

'Shit! Shit! Shit!' he is probably asking because he didn't believe you and now he is trying to uncover the truth, because even you haven't fully believed that you are the one who killed that beast. His uncanny movement and lifeless gaze is proof of it!

The unstable emotion makes your blood bending control become chaotic, as your vein-like blood exo-muscle begins to menacingly dissipate into a plasma like a fire. "...Why do you want to know?"

The man then caresses his chin, "I trace a mana essence waste inside the Suolija, and also an implosion that might come from a gyro-jet type ammunition shot. I'm curious how you can replicate that."

'Ah, it must be from the microgun' you can't waste more mana for trying to grab the minigun that you left behind just as when you harnessed the power of the edgy blood technique back then. So instead you begin to act suspicious by dismissing the topic, "...Do I need to answer that?"

"I'm just curious—" In a sudden, Arthurion dunks the man's head into the ground.

"I heavily apologize for the rudeness this man exudes. He is just an A-rank Assault personnel from Vagant."

'Frick! I made the situation worse', and an A-rank Assault personnel from Vagant!? Isn't that the same rank as Thuljas!?

Breathing in, breathing out—imagining a force that keeps the falling feather to waft in the air. Still in stern and sharp gazing, you decide to ask for more information about this trio. "May I know what your purpose is?"

You hope that they can play along.

"I can't tell you the sensitive information but we're currently checking the exits to the other side of the forest because someone broke the barrier we put to contain the Suolija."

So it was all because someone stupidly got in by accident, you know very well of that person.

But the exit? There is an exit!?

"What exit?" You ask.

"Uhm, Senior. The exit is right behind you."

You remember that there is a cave being protected by the savage ape.

"Oh."

This is awkward.

The lizardman takes something out from his pouch, "Senior, you're strong. I'm humbly offering you this Elemental Crystal, and let us pass through the exit in exchange."

So they think that you're one of those evil thugs. What a way to ruin your reputation in the best timing you can get.

"I don't want it." Is what you say instead of 'you don't need to give me anything'.

The lizard man takes out another object, "Please, Senior, consider it, let us through."

It's a black jagged knife with a flowering crimson pattern on the blade. The size also fits you really well for hand to hand combat, if you even know anything about it.

There is no going back, you can only continue, "Drop both of them on the ground, and scatter out from my sight."

The lizard shows his gratefulness, he then goes back to the direction they are coming from.

"Where is he going?" You ask.

Arthurion replies, "He is fetching the others, Senior."

After a while, the lizardman then comes back with another three people. A huge bipedal cat person that might turn anyone to a furry lover, a woman with dragonoid-horns, and an owl person of the same race as Thuljas.

It seems like the lizard man already explained the situation to the others as all of them slightly bow with their palms connected to the fist of the other hand, expressing their gratitude.

You let them all go past the exit, which is something that you will do too after resting your mental constitution from the awful act.

'Elemental Crystal' acquired.

'Raion Ouh Kah' acquired.

With sour protruded lips, you try to contain the unbecoming embarrassment. "I will never recover from this."

Bitter, hateful, a sinful regret, and a mistake. Just in one single day, you've tortured wild life, and extorted an innocent group of people. What could be worse?