Saras got to his feet and wiped at his nose, already feeling the droplets of blood welling up inside of them. He rubbed at his snout, waiting for the Hemomancer to throw something else at him. The library hadn't looked like much before, but now he couldn't see much of anything that wasn't paper. Books, scrolls, ancient texts, some written in discernible language, others in script long lost to animal kind.
Saras grimaced, so much knowledge, and the Drops still had nothing better to do than plan a massive conspiracy against him.
He had no more time to think as the Hemomancer strolled around a bookshelf, and stared at the vulpine, an ugly grin plastered to his face. "I hope you're not planning on running away again."
Saras noted that even if he had been planning on making a run for it he didn't think it was possible. If he managed to get past the Hemomancer he still had the others to deal with, and he couldn't abandon the triads or Jiao'ao. As tempting as it was to save his own skin, he knew he didn't have the guts to do it.
"You're clearly considering it. But you're also smart enough to notice that there really is no escape for you. I'm impressed. Now you should also be smart enough to know that you stand no chance against me, which means you might as well lie down and wait to die."
"Not gonna happen." Saras teleported, so that he was close enough to hurt the Hemomancer. He swung with his claws, slashing open the Hemomancer's belly, before using the rest of the momentum to slash with his other paw. Blood dripped from the cuts and flew at Saras, hitting him full in the face and sending him flying backwards. The fox landed on his feet, but continued sliding backwards, his Talon Claws grinding him to a slow halt.
While he was still far from giving up he was beginning to think that the Hemomancer was right. He had been beaten bloody several times by the wolf, and he had ran all the way to the Imperial City for a reason. Even Blood Diamond had only stopped him from dying. He couldn't beat him... at least not as a fox.
Saras narrowed his eyes and charged again. The Hemomacer slit his wrists and drew his arms up, blood poured out from them and made a spider's web of crimson. Saras brought himself to a halt mid-charge, his eyes widening. The Hemomancer sent the web forwards, where it wrapped around Saras and clung to his fur. It tightened around his throat, and Saras felt the familiar sensation of not being able to breathe.
The shapeshifter transformed into a hummingbird, and dashed forwards, the web tightened itself around thin air as Saras flew out from it's grasp, before hurtling towards the Hemomancer. Mid-air he morphed into a hedgehog, and landed back-first into the Hemomancer's chest, his thin, sharp needles slicing through the wolf's fur and cloak, piercing straight into the flesh, and drawing blood. The wolf howled with rage, and sent the blood flying out of his chest, sending the hedgehog forwards. Mid-air Saras transformed into an armadillo and rolled into a ball just before he crashed into a bookshelf, softening the blow and sending centuries of knowledge flying every-which-way.
Saras rolled backwards and got to his feet, transforming back into a fox. He faced the Hemomancer, somewhat more confident after having cut him open a bit.
For a while they stared at each other, then the Hemomancer set his jaw and glared at the fox. "I'm going to admit that that hurt a lot. You see, unlike Xueye I feel pain. I can't slit my wrists forever. The potion that made me what I am was an experiment. Sadly I was the test subject." He shrugged. "Still my skills are far beyond his reach, I'm sure you'll agree my sacrifice was worth it."
Saras felt something stirring in his heart, was it pity ? His whole life he had been made to do things, and had become more or less a monster. He had gotten his first kill at thirteen. He was a shapeshifter, that part hadn't been his decision either.
The Hemomancer must have read his mind. "Hmm, how interesting. I never thought I'd meet someone as alike as me. A fellow monster, are we ?"
Saras glared. "It's not what you are that makes you a monster, it's what you do"-
"You got your first kill as a kit. Tell me, how many more do you crave ?"
Saras' left eye began to twitch. "Get out of my head !" The shapeshifter leapt forwards, and transformed into his dragon form. Bright red scales glimmered as he sent flames flying towards the wolf.
Almost lazily the wolf raised a ball of blood to block it, but instead of blocking it, he surrounded the flames in crimson, before hurtling it back at Saras.
The shapeshifter took the blow head on, the blood and flames erupted around him, engulfing his form. Saras didn't even flinch. "Fun fact, fire doesn't burn dragons".
"I knew you were going to say that. I also know that you are planning on transforming into a mole and teleporting under me to initiate a surprise attack."
Saras blinked and clutched at his head. "Get out !"
"On the contrary, you have to get out of me. While I have your blood in my system I can see everything. Your memories, your thoughts. Even things you don't know."
Saras felt hopelessness wrap it's paw around his heart and squeeze.
"No wonder Xueye was so slow in reacting. It must be hard to meet your brother after so long."
Saras' eyes widened. He knows everything.
"Indeed I do. I wonder what will kill you first. Madness or me ?"
He threw several droplets of blood, but Saras was still stunned and failed to get out of the way, he blocked weakly with his left paw, catching one in the center of it. The rest stopped mid air and hovered around him.
He teleported forwards to avoid the droplets, but they kept on coming after him. He teleported again, this time backwards, but the droplets changed direction again and continued to hurtle towards him. He saw in the corner of his eyes as the Hemomancer grinned. He back flipped away from two, which mercifully hit the floorboards instead and cracked them open. He then dived forwards, sliding through the Hemomancer's legs, the droplets of blood came and slammed into the wolf's arm, obliterating it into showers of blood. The wolf howled with rage and pain.
Saras shapeshifted, and scurried up the wolf's leg.
"Ow ! Get off !" The wolf tried to shake off the mouse, while dealing with the pain that filled the left side of his body. The Saras bit down hard with his little buckteeth. "That's just...low."
Saras then teleported upwards and out, so that he was staring mid-air right into the wolf's eyes, now in fox form. He smashed his paws forwards, and squeezed at the wolf's eyes, blood squirted out as he squeezed with hatred. "Not so tough now are you !" The Hemomancer collapsed, a bloody mess, and Saras realized with sudden fear that the lupine was melting into blood. Saras released his grip only to find himself in the middle of a large puddle of crimson. Then it suddenly converted again into the wolf. His eyes missing and his arm ruined, but with a shitload of blood swirling around his other arm.
Saras' eyes widened as the blood seeped into one of his eye sockets, creating a crimson replacement, the rest of it became his arm. Only it wasn't the same. The new arm was as crimson as the rest of him, but far larger, and clawed. He grinned at the frightened kit, and brought his huge arm crashing down on him. Saras teleported away, only for a small droplet of blood to crash into his right shoulder.
"You can't kill someone who's made out of blood. I'm already dead !" He threw forth two more balls of blood, before swinging with his new arm, just barely missing Saras as the fox ducked, but decapitating a whole bookshelf. Paper scattered everywhere, but the Hemomancer didn't care.
Saras teleported away, but upon landing found a ball of blood hurtling towards him. He managed to avoid most of it, but it exploded as soon as it was next to him, a single droplet smashing into his right elbow.
"Can we talk about this ?!" Saras suddenly begged, realizing that there was no way he could outwit this guy forever.
The Hemomancer laughed. "Maybe you should have begged before we started fighting. I'd have killed you anyways but it would have been a quicker death."
Saras ducked as the Hemomancer's arm came again, smashing everything behind the fox, but just missing Saras himself. Unfortunately a small bead of blood flew out of the arm and crashed into the fox's left shoulder. Saras was tehn sent flying into another bookshelf by a kick that caught him on the chin. He got to his feet quickly, just in time to see a barrage of little droplets of blood flying towards him. He sidestepped all but one which caught him on the left elbow.
Then the Hemomancer's arm closed over his throat, and pulled him so that they were staring eyes to eye. The wolf grinned. "A quick death would have been easier, but I'm going to take this nice and slow." He threw Saras into the air and smacked the falling fox into another bookshelf. He then let his arm return to normal, and threw the excess blood straight at the fox. Saras was too dazed to avoid it, and blocked with his right paw. The droplet slammed right into the center of it, while the rest of the blood lifted him by the throat and slammed him into the wall.
The crimson water returned to the Hemomancer, and formed his other eyes. The wolf walked over towards the fox, his arms crossed, his lips spread into a smirk. Saras rose shakily. He couldn't remember ever having a worse beating, except maybe having his skull cracked open, but he didn't really remember that.
"Any last words ?"
"Kill me first !" Saras replied in a tired voice, with a confidence that was clearly faked.
"My pleasure." The hemomancer pulled his paw up, and spread his finger apart.
Saras felt incredible pain, then felt his arms go limp at his side. He felt hot blood running down his arms and dripping to the floor. He felt hopelessness. He looked down. All the veins in his arms had exploded. He felt his heart skip a beat and then collapsed. Blood. All he could see was his blood. It's only scary when it's yours. Saras fell on his back, lying against the wall. His arms uselessly flopping at his sides.
The Hemomancer walked forwards slowly, and sneered, placing his face right against Saras'. "An arm for an arm. I'll just let you wallow in your misery and drown in your blood. Goodbye Saras Kanbujian Kanbu Shifty." He turned and rubbed his tail mockingly against Saras' nose, before walking away from the fox.
Saras saw crimson piling up around his eyes, his vision was blurring, and his consciousness fading. He had survived a lot, but this time he felt certain that he wouldn't come out in one piece.
The last thing he saw was the Hemomancer's tail wagging as he walked slowly away, then he heard a scream of genuine pain and then the world went black.