Oh Hunter My Hunter

Tobi wore a smile mask and had a new set of clothes. They weren't great for armour, but they looked nice: a black, ancient-looking robe that wouldn't burn away when he went aflame. He had been naked the entire time he was in the catacombs, so this was a very nice improvement. The mask wasn't special; merely a memento, a reminder of who he was.

"You are something else, mortal. How do you know things that even most gods do not?" the Lord of Flame asked.

"I'm a regresser. Didn't you listen to what I said?" Tobi replied candidly.

As he walked, he stumbled upon an unexpected scene: a river of blood, thick and sluggish, filled with mutilated corpses.

"This is carnage," the Lord of Flame observed, a note of admiration in his voice.

Tobi nodded, unfazed. The bodies were defiled beyond recognition, their suffering evident even in death. But he and the god were indifferent to it. However, from the corner of his eye, Tobi noticed something where the river of blood ended perched on a wall was...

"Amais," he murmured.

He reached the bloodied boy, who lay lifeless beside a vial. Tobi crouched beside him, eyes narrowing as he examined the scene.

"That's not good," he said honestly, his gaze shifting around until he spotted something that surprised him, black blood.

To think a follower of that god was here... I was careless.

He admitted and turned his attention back to the vial.

"That vial, it's ichor. The blood of gods," the Lord of Flame remarked.

Tobi's eyes darkened. He knew what that meant.

The blood of the gods was instant death for any mortal.

"Amais," he said again, pressing his fingers against the boy's neck. No pulse.

Tobi exhaled sharply. this is an unpredicted outcome.

"The blood of gods is said to have regenerative abilities. Look at his body; it's rather pristine, isn't it?" the Lord of Flame said.

Testing the god's theory, Tobi pricked Amais's skin with his fingernail. Even in death, it healed instantly. Unnatural. He had an idea of what he could do now.

Lifting the boy onto his shoulder, he considered if his idea possible. If Amais consumed the fruit that granted immortality while his body was capable of regeneration, maybe he would reawaken, but that also depended on if his brain activity lingered after death. If he could administer the Ambrosia while that window remained open, perhaps a miracle would happen.

"The boy is dead, hunter. Besides, even if he returns, he will be forced to live forever," the god warned.

Tobi didn't flinch; after all, he knew how to kill the boy if he ever wished it.

"Don't worry," Tobi said casually, though a hint of amusement reached his voice when he spoke again, "he wants to date a vampire. Living forever might be in his favour."

Without hesitation, he carried Amais forward, navigating the maze.

Ascending the Tower

Tobi climbed, unconcerned about Amais's body burning in his arms after all; the boy would regenerate immediately. But time had been against him. This method wasn't efficient. He needed to reach the fruit fast; if he burned through the tree too carelessly, he might destroy the fruit it bore.

"Lord of Flame, have you had the fruit before?"

"Yes, but I don't know how to tell if one is ripe," the god said bluntly.

Tobi sighed. That meant he'd have to go through trial and error.

"Are you sure about this, hunter? The boy, he's probably dead," the god said solemnly.

Tobi merely shrugged.

Lifting his free hand, he concentrated, fire searing through his palm as he burned an opening in the tree. He jumped, using his other hand to dig into the bark and climb. Now that Amais was dead, he no longer had to worry about him attacking due to the tree's influence and his regeneration meant even if the boy was injured, it wouldn't do anything major. The bigger issue was that the tree itself would retaliate. Higher up, the serpent-like branches would lash out to stop him.

Tobi considered his options. The most efficient method was to fly.

It had been a long time since he last did this. Could he still control it?

"Let's see..." Tobi murmured, focusing on the fire in his back, feeling it swell and shift. Then he propelled himself forward, the flames pushing him upward as he began running vertically along the tree.

"Be ready, Amais," he murmured.

The tree reacted, its serpent-like branches lunging at him. Tobi twisted midair, angling his flames for control as he wove through them. Two massive branches shot toward him, attempting to crush him.

Tobi clenched his teeth and leaped, igniting a more intense burst of fire beneath his feet. He shot into the air, but the manoeuvre threw off his stability.

He spiralled out of control.

I used to be great at this; how embarrassing. he thought he could hear the Lord of Flames laughing hysterically in the back of his head.

It had been a while since he flew this method anyway. His body had forgotten the rhythm. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stabilize. Slowly, the chaotic spiralling evened out. His control returned.

He glanced at Amais, who was still burning and regenerating.

"Well, Amais, that's a neat trick you picked up on your adventure without me, huh?" he quipped, soaring through the sky.

The tree's defences weren't done. More branches slashed toward him. He manoeuvred around them, steadily ascending. He had to be fast. He couldn't afford to waste time clearing them away... Sadly...

Finally, he broke past the last of the wicked wooden snakes.

This high up, the branches couldn't reach him since the fruits hung there; the problem was the fruits hung in clusters and rows, untouched; there weren't nearly as many as he had expected but it was called a delicacy amongst the gods so it made sense.

He would have to check one by one.

It was tedious. He would enter it, give it to Amais, feel his heart, then move to the next if it wasn't the right one. Amais was dead anyway so it's not like he'd just die again. So, again and again he searched. The process exhausting.

But finally Amais had woken up without a heartbeat, but honestly Tobi did not care that he was undead after all; if elves, vampires, and everything else that he knew existed in this world, then this wasn't too strange, and besides, he was tired and would just answer whatever the boy had to ask.