Crimson Servant

He walked into John's field of vision step by step, deliberately slowing down and letting the terrifying aura on his body approach him with each step.

The tall torso is as evil as a demon, and the claws are slender, more ferocious than any beast. The skinny living dead body is covered with frost and its back is hunched, but it is still a head taller than the burly Paladin Karl. The dead gray skin seemed to be stretched open and covered with scars, and red mist and ominous light emitted from those cracks. Dark red horny thorns pierced out from the shoulder blades, curved upward, and the arcs extended to form an illusory ring. A pair of black eyeballs swallowing light emerge from the stag's skull that hides its face.

He had been profoundly blessed, or rather corrupted, by the Veltis, but still retained distinct monstrous characteristics through which John identified his true race.

A Wendigo. Man-eating demon, a cursed monster born from cannibalism in the forest.

The Wendigo was born when a hunter found nothing in the forest and his unbearable hunger drove him to kill his companions and eat desperate pieces of meat. The Wendigo is more like a vicious and cruel curse than a living thing. The Wendigo hunts humans in the jungle, gnaws on human flesh to satisfy its never-ending hunger, and drinks blood to warm its frozen heart. When a Wendigo is killed, there will be mutations in humans near its death. The cursed person will have a drastic change in temperament, develop a morbid appetite for human flesh, and eventually become a new Wendigo.

Because of the forest environment where the Wendigo was born and its special interest in humans, this cursed monster is considered to be the cruel side of nature towards destroyers. Extreme nature protectors even regard this man-eating demon as the embodiment of the anger of the forest.

No matter what power and symbolic meaning the Wendigo has, mages all have a consensus on this monster: Wendigo are not very intelligent, they are always tortured by hunger, and their behavior is more like a furious injured beast.

But the one in front of John obviously did not fall into the normal category.

He was smiling at the immobile magician, and using magic to convey communicable and even clear and calm thoughts.

[Do you like my gift, beloved one? 】

John soon understood the reason why the red dragon was chasing him crazily, and also understood where the crimson power that obscured the red dragon's mind came from.

"I like it very much. It would be better if you could pack it up and don't bother me to take action, 'The Favored One'." John retorted. The first time he saw the Wendigo, John understood that his enemy was not the people he thought. He was not the Favorite. The few crimson priests at the same level as him would not be a Wendigo. For John Kemp himself shaped his countrymen. Wendigo, is not one of them.

The Wendigo laughed with a sharper hiss, and he moved closer to John, his tall body causing a greater sense of oppression to the kneeling warlock. The evil oppression was like a bone-crushing cold wind, making John tremble and lower his head.

John tried to provoke him, pretending to cower. The Wendigo's fear aura is very effective on humans, but it is not enough to shake John's mind. He is looking forward to inciting the Wendigo to attack. In this way, the Wendigo will change from a facilitator to a disruptor, and the divine power in the sacrificial ceremony will punish him to ensure that the ceremony goes smoothly.

That holy symbol couldn't help him more. This damn familiar thing was just a piece of identification. Wendigo took advantage of the loopholes in the ceremony just like him. He took John's holy symbol and borrowed the identity of the ceremony leader to join the ceremony.

Unfortunately, the Wendigo is more determined than John thought.

[Yes, I am not a favored one, not yet. 】

[I know what you are thinking, Beloved One, the crimson ritual cannot be interrupted, and my purpose is not to hurt you. 】

Wendigo turned his head and looked at the hill-like dragon corpse. A crimson ring formed by the dragon's blood hung above his head. He stretched out his hand. He planned it all, and now, he's going to take what he wants.

[This red dragon was seduced by me. My power is hidden in his flesh and blood. I also have my share in this sacrifice. 】

[Viltis, then I will choose these as gifts. 】

John saw a thin crimson force pulling dark red blood out of the dragon corpse. The blood had a dim spirituality and contained far less energy than ordinary dragon blood.

It was the blood that gave John a chill because it had been flowing through his veins just a few minutes ago.

Using the ritual, John Camp and the Red Dragon completed a blood exchange. Using the same ritual, the Wendigo obtained his blood.

What Wendigo wants is the blood that John replaced, the blood of the Beloved. It lacks spirituality, has a dull color, and even harbors diseases that cause weakness, but these cannot conceal its specialness. The crimson god Veltis favors it. That's permission, that's attention.

Instead of absorbing them, the Wendigo chose to do something smarter. The wooden holy emblem with the aura of John Camp became the perfect carrier of blood. The power of crimson made the holy blood and the holy emblem fit perfectly. John saw a magic item born in front of his eyes.

A ritual object that was his but did not belong to him.

【do you know? Since the Crimson Change of Juancrit, every fanatic believer in Veltis will hear a voice, "The Beloved", as long as he prays. The Crimson God repeats this title over and over again with pain in our minds, etching the Beloved in our souls. They remember the favored ones, they worship the favored ones, and they imitate the favored ones. 】

[But after that, no matter how bloody or large-scale the sacrificial ceremony was, Wiltis would never respond like a divine intervention. He gave this greatest gift to one person. This favor really makes people jealous and crazy. 】

[Now, I have also obtained this privilege, and I will use it to replace you, the only beloved one. The world will once again remember the greatness of Wiltis, and all suffering will eventually return to the deep red. 】

John Kemp closed his eyes.

Wendigo's plan sent chills down his spine, allowing Nora Sebas to steal the Holy Emblem, lure him into the dungeon, incite the red dragon, break into the blood exchange ceremony, and achieve his goal. Every move he made was predicted. The more he recalled it, the more John felt the dangerous ingenuity of the enemy in front of him, as if holding the thread of his own destiny, he became a puppet controlled by him.

But Wendigo's rhetoric made John realize his cognitive error.

The mastermind behind the control of the Wiltis cult is not invulnerable.

Every believer who uses the Crimson Spell will endure the mental torture caused by the spell. Most people will go crazy and openly vent their emotions to balance the inner will that is on the verge of collapse. John thought that Wendigo was a special case like himself, and that the mental pain that Veltis gave him just balanced Wendigo's bloodlust and madness.

Now it seems that this is not the case. After his great success, the calmness displayed by the Wendigo was broken by excitement, showing a talkative performance personality. He's also a lunatic, just pretending to be a little bit deeper.

There is one more point, the most crucial point.

These Wildis fanatics take things for granted a little too much. Their understanding of the Crimson God was much shallower than John thought.

Do they think that as long as the blood of the beloved and the personal belongings contaminated with the breath of the beloved are enough to steal the identity?

John Kemp understood that what really made him stand out from the crowd of crimson priests was the will to disobey and the spirit of research. Something made by combining blood and foreign objects seemed to completely reject his personal efforts, which was contrary to the realistic logic of his survival alone.

These alone cannot replace him. John Kemp is convinced of this.

Looking at the Wendigo again, the warlock buried his calmness deep in his heart. Without worries, he can be bold. Receive a little of the fear aura emanating from the Wendigo and let a little panic appear on your face.

John Kemp raised his head stubbornly and said angrily: "You won, it seems I can't stop you."

The Wendigo stopped being excited, turned to the Warlock, and listened patiently.

"If you don't kill me, I don't care what you plan to do with Vertis' favor. It's up to you to bring disasters, corrupt the land, and kill anyone. It has nothing to do with me. If necessary, we can even make a deal."

John Kemp raised the corners of his mouth and gave the Wendigo a nervous smile.

"I can teach you how to create a disaster on the same scale as Juancrit, teach you step by step. I am the favored one of mercy, and I will not prevent any companion from getting closer to the Lord. I will help you, but you also need to help me. Just a small favor.”

"Nora Sebas. That bitch has no use value to you, but I need her. She betrayed my trust. I want to use her to show them the consequences of betraying me. The best time to trade Let her be decent, I don’t want my ingredients to be altered by other people.”

Wendigo, tilted his head and answered.

【I can not do it. 】

John's heart sank, thinking about what remaining value Nola would have. What Wendigo said next completely interrupted his thinking and broke his heart.

[As you said, that stupid and naive druid has no value anymore. 】

[So I ate her. 】

[Oh, this word seems to be ambiguous in your mouth, please allow me to correct it. 】

[I, ‘ate’ her, Nora Sebas. 】