Heavy Metal

"The possession skill must have formed a connection with the god of blood. Quite fascinating."

A wisp of black light drifted around Rusty as he picked himself up. The five cult members who had followed them and the bandits were defeated, but the visions still troubled him. Worse, he could not absorb any of the enemies' skills.

"It is not fascinating at all."

Rusty said this as he dragged a cultist's body and laid it with the others. These people had trailed him and could make corpses speak, so he planned to burn them all.

"(ᵕ—ᴗ—)"

"It is okay, Gleam. I can carry them myself, but I will need you to cast a fire spell on them after I finish."

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)"

Rusty placed the last cultist among the others and stepped back. The pile before them contained not only the cultists but also most of the bandits he had stripped, including their leader. His guides had advised him that burning everyone together would draw less suspicion than targeting only the cultists. It was a tedious task, but after about an hour he finally gathered them all.

"Good. Now don't forget the flammable oil, the wood will do the rest."

Alexander's white light brightened the area slightly as he spoke out.

"I know."

Rusty found a barrel filled with oil that had been used for the torches and poured it over the pile of dead bodies. Once everything was ready, it was Gleam's turn to act. She stepped closer and prepared a sparkling spell. Lifting her head high, she exhaled a wide burst of fire that struck the pile and instantly ignited it.

"I'm glad I can't smell this…"

The flames consumed the pile of corpses with a sharp hiss. The fire spread quickly and grew into a roaring inferno. Gleam reduced the strength of her flames once the wood and other materials Rusty had added began to burn on their own. Soon, a massive blaze filled the center of the bandit camp, consuming everything and everyone that had been part of it.

Although many lives had ended that day, Rusty found himself thinking that the fire looked beautiful. The flames danced and shimmered as the first light of dawn touched the horizon. While he watched the fire, he also took a moment to examine the new skill he had gained during the mission.