Chapter 35 - Depravity

Zok wasn't aware of what the herbs were or what they were used for. Thankfully, he had his system with him to guide him about their usefulness and on top of that, he also had increased his intelligence quite a bit so that was there to help him out as well.

As soon as he looked inside one of the sacks, Zok's eyes fell on a weird crimson flower. It had three sword-shaped petals extending from the middle. It was the first time he had seen such a flower. But then again, he had been living as a deadbeat for so long, it would have surprised him if he recognised any of the plants or herbs in the sacks.

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Item: Bloodblade flower

Type: Poisonous Herb

Rarity: Uncommon

Effect(s):

• Upon consumption causes inflammation. Soon boils pop up all over the body of the prey as they start experiencing difficulty in breathing. As the temperature of the body increases, the boils pop up covering the prey in its own blood. Then as the poison makes its way through the body, the organs start decaying and the one who consumed the flower dies a painful death.

• Primary ingredient in making [Healing Potions]. There are other plants like [Ocuroot] that can detoxify the poison of the Bloodblade flower when used in an appropriate ratio and help bring out its healing properties.

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Zok checked the other sack and sure enough, it had the Ocuroot plant that the system was talking about. However, he still did not know how to make a potion from these ingredients. Kaira's wound wasn't a big deal right now, but it would become one if it got infected. That's why Zok wanted to at least clean the wound and seal somehow it before anything of that sort could happen.

He kept digging through the sacks and finally found something that could help him. It was a pouch filled with a finely powdered yellow coloured substance. He immediately recognised what this powder was. It was the same item that Suhi had used to seal his wound when Zok was attacked by the tulak. But he checked in with the system first as he did not trust his memory, and it confirmed the powder was indeed what Zok had been thinking.

"Water. I need water..." Zok mumbled and rushed inside one of the huts that the henchmen lived in and quickly returned with an earthen pot filled with water.

He used it to first clean Kaira's wound, before using it to make a pungent-smelling paste from the powder. Once he was done thickening the paste, he instructed Kaira to lay down. The wolf obeyed her master and sat down on the ground.

'This might sting a bit so try not to bite my arm off, okay?'

Kaira huffed as if nothing could hurt her. However, she was wrong. The moment Zok started applying the paste to her wound, she started yapping as if she was being stoned to death. Zok had to forcefully make her stay in one place using his strength till he was done. It took a while, but everything was fine.

[The wound has been successfully sealed. Your familiar won't lose any more health from that wound.]

"That's a relief." Zok wiped the sweat off of his forehead and looked towards the sacks as an evil plan popped up in his head.

Zok still had a quest to complete and he knew exactly how to do it while increasing his depravity. He walked up to the Henchman whom Kaira had injured before they began fighting against the twins and dragged him by his hair to where the baldy was laying unconscious.

The man had already lost quite some blood, still, he wasn't anywhere near death. But he was about to wish that he was. Zok left the man there and once again rushed inside the hut to bring out something.

When he returned, he had a set of stone mortar and pestle* in his hands. The man couldn't move but he was sure, nothing good was going to happen to him. He was right about that when Zok took the bowl and placed it under the man's neck.

"N...o..."

The man barely managed to mumble, but Zok wasn't listening. He was solely focused on the task in front of him. The following moment, he slammed the pestle into the bowl with all his strength, shattering the man's vertebrae in a jiffy. The man felt a bit of pain but his body was already too tired to care about anything except dying.

Zok kept slamming the pestle on the man's neck until... his head was severed from the rest of his body. He finally let go of the bloodied pestle and the bowl that was filled with blood, muscle tissues and broken bones and rather than being grossed out by the scene in front of him, Zok looked like he was an artist admiring his piece of art.

[You have slain a level 6 C-grade Occunian. Knowledge +10. Exp +50]

[Your familiar <Kaira> has slain a level 6 C-grade Occunian. Exp +50]

[Depravity meter: 7.25%]

"How should I kill the other one? Oh, I know!" Zok smiled before retrieving a Bloodblade flower from his inventory, "It should be fun witnessing the effects of the flower first hand..."

***

Author's note:

Mortar and pestle is an ancient tool that is used for grinding and making a paste and essentially consists of a bowl (mortar) and a club-shaped handheld tool (pestle) that is used to grind materials.. It is still used in quite a few regions of the world.