Blood-soaked Innocence

The last few months had been hellish for Edmund. It had started easily enough. All he had to do was find a unicorn, kill it, and take its blood. He'd found one and had been just about to make his move when he himself had been attacked. A man he'd never seen before had come at the young Ancient with a knife and furious eyes. Between the insults hurled his way, the young Ancient managed to get out that the man saw the murder of a unicorn as a heinous crime. Edmund refused to fail his quest and had been forced to defend himself. The man had refused to stop. And thus, the teenager killed his second man. Stricken and traumatized, Edmund had fled instead of going after the now fled unicorn. That had been the start. For the last few months, the Ancient would continue to try to track down a unicorn, only for one of the fallen man's comrades to hunt him down first or surprise him with an ambush near the herd. At times he considered calling for help or going home, but what if that brought the organization to his family's door? No, he had to deal with this alone. With frayed nerves and more blood on his hands then he ever imagined possible, Edmund found himself at the current moment. The last of the self-proclaimed defenders of unicorns fell to the ground, their life's blood on Edmund's claws. Shifting back to his Ancient form, the teen let out a shaky breath. 5 deaths by his hands. He was only 17. Gods, how was it that he'd already killed so many people? Just as he had with the other men, he took out a small jar and filled it with their blood. If they were going to get in the way of his quest, it seemed fitting to collect their blood as an offering for Mother. Side-task complete, Edmund put the blood away and stood. Running a blood-soaked hand through his hair, he turned and regarded the fallen unicorn that had sparked the last and final fight. The creature lay dead from his own knife. With all interruptions now aside, he walked over and took a knee. Pulling out a jar from the bag he'd tossed aside, he bled the beast out and collected the blood for Mother Dygra. "I'm sorry beautiful. But thank you for your sacrifice." Task complete, the Ancient paused after putting the jar away. His neglected bloodlust roared in his veins, demanding it's dues. Shifting back into his molten tiger form, Edmund gave into his instincts and enjoyed his meal. Edmund Reborn In Fire