The fight had created a sense of urgency on Alistair. They were all getting stronger. He would have been killed if not for the lamps power. Even with the advantage provided by the system he was still weak.
He decided to increase his stats since he had some unclaimed points.
He had five extra unclaimed attributes and decided to put it all on strength. He had to be the strongest he didn't want to go through want happened earlier. He called on the system status
SOUL DEVOURING SYSTEM
Name: Alistair Damon
Age: 17
Cultivation: mortal ( half way there)
Strength:20
Intelligence:24
Soul power:25
Agility:14
Vitality:11
Sense:15
Total points: 109
Techniques
Eyes of judgement level I
Remaining points 0
His stats were still pitifully low, but he could sense the increase in strength. The lantern had increased his senses by five points, which was a bonus. He felt that right now he could fight the five the defeat them although he might struggle a little.
Zihan looked up at the sky as another sigil burnt. The second hour had gone by. It was still eight more hours to dawn. He had eight hours to get as many lanterns as possible.
...
Alistair moved through the canyons , rocks sticking out shaped like hands trying to grab something. Rain had started falling making the smell of rot and decay even more pronounced. His clothes stuck to, blood clearing his and his victims clearing spreading across his white shirt.
The flames guided him providing light in the dark . It's whispered becoming louder in his ears as it commanded him to feed it.
He knew he wasn't the only one hearing this whispers, the flames they all need on feed on death, blood and the other flames.
Weak minded contestants will fall victims to this manipulation. Becoming puppets for the flames.
Survivors moved in groups, surviving former groups and new groups formed by lantern holders to hunt .
Each of this groups were consumed by fear, greed or pure madness. The conciseness and names they once carried in the outside world no longer mattered. Erased by the mountain determined to forge something new from blood.
They had began calling themselves by the lamps they held. Each name coined from the characteristics they had.
Alistair had both the golden flame and the mirror flames he had gotten from killing George.
Each lamp was both a weapon and a curse to the carriers. The more they got them the stronger their flames were, the stronger the whispers.
If not feed the lanterns whispered your inner sins until the mind fractured for the weak willed. The lanterns were a source of madness.
After Alistair had walked until he reached the edge of a cliff. Below he could see flashes of light drifting in the ruins below like fireflies . For a heartbeat he appreciated their beautiful. A mirade of different light hypnotizing .
Suddenly a flame of red erupted erupted from the mist coming from the ruin. This startled Alistair for a second. It was a lantern exploding.
The ground shook as rocks rolled down the cliff removed from their resting place by the explosion.
In the cleared mist Alistair looked on a black tendrils shoot up from the ground, ensnaring anything with in sight. The five participants caught by the tendrils screamed.
One noticed him looking down at them, he shouted to him for help but Alistair looked on expressionatly as the tendrils sucked them into mummies in seconds.
Their lamps were also brokenone by one, the beautiful flames sucked into the earth.
He looked on as five luminous souls flew to him . He caught them swallowing them with out a second thought. The familiar pain came as he felt his strength solidify and his skin becoming more stronger.
Ding
( You have absorbed five quasi cultivators)
( Reward: twenty five unattributed points, five soul points, two hundred meter increase in soul collection.)
The points made him more happy since they were more than he had ever received. He could now collection souls three hundred meters around him. This would help when he is fighting a lot of people and could not collect all the souls .
He added ten points to agility, he had to be fast . He knew he was not the strongest so if he ever met anyone stronger, running was the better option.
He then added five points to vitality. It would help him survive longer even when injured. He would rather became an undying cockroach.
He added seven to senses, this would increase his survival chances even more.
The remaining tree were added to strength, you can't have too much strength in this place.
After distribution of attributes, she looked one last at the bottom of the cliff which looked as though nothing had happened. It had somehow gone back to how it ha been.
He didn't feel pity because every death meant fewer competitors.
...
Alistair was three ridges away when he saw them, a group of six sigers moving fast towards his direction. Their bodies glowing faintly with the lights from the flame. Zihan looked at his flame he had not hide it's presence since lamps were the best baits for other lamp holders.
He knew they had not seen him since they didn't reduce their speed. He crotched behind a massive rock to hide his presence, hiding the brightness of his flames.
He activated the eyes of judgement.
( name: simon. Age: 16 . Cultivation: quasi . Weapon: lightening whip .)
( name: Jacinta. Age:17 . Cultivation: quasi. Weapon:dagger .)
( name: Ezekiel . Age: 18 . Cultivation: quasi . Weapon: shadow sword.)
( name: Ezra . Age: 17 . Cultivation: quasi . Weapon: sword.)
( name: Silas . Age: 16 . Cultivation: quasi. Weapon: sword .)
( name: Jeremy . Age: 18. Cultivation: quasi. Weapon: dagger .)
As they neared him he could here the whispers of their lanterns whispering into the mist. Their flames distorted the air as they moved.
" He's here," one of them shouted. He was tall, taller than Alistair himself. He look gaunt his face full of exhaustion.
Alistair hand tightened on the blade in his hand, he jumped and slashed the boy, aiming directly for his throat.
Before it could land , he sensed something. A dagger came from the mist aiming right at his face. He ducked as the rock behind him screeched as the dagger brushed again it. Sparks of fire flying everywhere.
A realization hit him, he had been baited. The mist around him shifted as three more emerged from it. He looked around for the other two but he couldn't sense them.
Their leader , small narrow eyes with a bald head, he assumed stepped forward, his lamp floated on his shoulder, red flames flickered casting a gloomy shadow around them shaped like a screaming mouth.
" You have two lamps," he said," you must be strong, surrender one and we'll let you crawl out of here alive."
Alistair expression didn't changed as he listened to the absurdity.
" You want it," he said raising the empty lamps," come take it."
Flames came out of his chest and separate each flowing to it's lamps. The scene was fascinating.
The leader smiled as he looked at the golden and white flames. It was the kind of smile only the mad would wear.
" Then burn with us."
His lantern flared and the air around them warped as though it was being swallowed. The mist screamed , literally,like howls of thousands dying screams . Zihan could feel his eardrum bleeding.
They all attacked him at once, each drawing power from the lamp. One of them summonedchains made of lightening trying to wrap , Alistair with it. The other drew blades from the shadows or made of fire.
Alistair world erupted in chaos.
He moved fast for the normal human eye to see his agility boost coming to work. The sword in his hand left golden light behind him as it cut through it's first attackers chest, his sword instantly absorbing the blood on his attacker.
Alistair snatched the man's lamp, his flames absorbing it, snuffing the life in it.
Despite this there were just too many opponents, the whip caught him around the waist, sending an electric current into his body.A blade slashed against his shoulder while a danger appearing from a shadow grazed his throat nearly missing his blood vessels. All the injuring were flesh wounds but they still delayed him
His vision blurred as someone punched him in the stomach, bile coming out of his mouth. Even with the increase in strength he was still struggling. He thought of running.
Then something inside him snapped him out of his pain, a voice calm something he had gotten used to.
Feed me
Then his flame blazed awake.
The mist around him turned white - hot , for a second the entire ridge turned blinding white.
When the light cleared , three of the hunters were gone, there bodies melted into stone. What remained was pieces of clothes a show that they were there.
Their souls floated in the air drifting toward him. He had four souls now .
Their leader looked at Alistair as though he was a monster. He stumbled backwards, half of his body dissolving into smoke. Alistair walked towards, his body soaked in blood.
He looked more of a vengeful ghost than anything.
" What are you?" The leaders voice floated into the air.
Alistair didn't answer.
Alistair picked his lamp, his flames flickering as dying. This was the only lantern that had survived. It's screaming shadow had become smaller. The dying flames were absorbed into his. He held the four lamps as he looked around.
His eyes glowed more pronounced in the dark , his breath visible in the heat.
He looked half dead and half divine.
He knew one more was Missing. There were six of them.
The surviver had ran.
He didn't chase.